Valaida

Book Description

From her childhood in Chattanooga to her Harlem debut; from touring the Jim Crow South to showcasing in Shanghai and London, Valaida lived large, blazing a trail with energy and style. Based on the story of Valaida Snow, one of jazz’s first female trumpeters, this is an enthralling, seductive, deeply imagined novel. Candace Allen received her BA from Harvard before attending New York University’s School of Film and Television. A former Hollywood screenwriter and assistant director, she was the first African-American woman to become a member of the Director’s Guild of America.

Customer Reviews:

Kind of a letter to Ms Allen.......2007-08-13

Ms Allen,
What is it in your way of writing that I liked so much? Something that reminds me of Toni Morrison (a favorite)... Yes, I have it: a special knowledge ! You KNOW what you wrote about, you researched it well and long, you heard Valaida play (on records, no doubt), you lived it in your mind and your heart... It consumed you for a long time and you wrote, you wrote, you wrote. Maybe a bit too much, it is (maybe) a bit overlong book but...
I ADORED IT!
(I could make critics, some bits & pieces of it but I prefer to only say that.)
I write myself, never like you or Morrison, but I can feel all the work behind such a great novel, its panoramic scope, the polka dots of all the people and the places in it. And to agree with another reviewer here: As Spielberg made a great movie with Alice Walker's Color Purple, your book would do an extraordinary movie or series.
I must thank you for bringing Valaida Snow to life.
Who else could you write about?
Sincerely.

High Hat, Trumpet, and Rhythm: The Life and Music of Valaida Snow

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High Hat, Trumpet, and Rhythm: The Life and Music of Valaida Snow
Mark Miller
Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Singer, trumpeter and dancer. Child star, jazz pioneer and world traveller. Legend and myth. If Valaida Snowés life wasnét already sensational enough, she sensationalized it further, freely evading and embellishing the truth of her triumphs, trials and tribulations. But even after her life has been measured against the historical record, it remains a grand and compelling tale, and Valaida herself a grand and compelling figure.

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VALAIDA
CANDACE ALLEM
Manufacturer: VIRAGO PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S5SNLK

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VALAIDA
CANDACE ALLEN
Manufacturer: Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S5X1O4

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VALAIDA
CANDACE ALLEN
Manufacturer: VIRAGO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S5QOCA

Holding schools accountable toolkit: A guide for people working in neighborhoods

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Holding schools accountable toolkit: A guide for people working in neighborhoods
Valaida Fullwood
Manufacturer: Public Impact
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Valaida

Manufacturer: VIRAGO (LITT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GX7RV6

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Valaida Snow 1937-1940
Valaida Cdclsf 1122 Snow
Manufacturer: CLASSICS FRENCH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 6309146432

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Valaida Snow:1940-1953
Valaida Cdclac 1343 Snow
Manufacturer: CLASSICS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 6308361097

Book Description

In a newborn twenty-first century, tunnels through spacetime have connected our planet with hitherto unimagined alternate universes. After many years, the genius minds working at the SSC project have reached out into the vast cosmos to achieve their greatest dream: contact. But with whom. . .or what? And at what cost? For something has received their message--an ancient, hostile entity searching for knowledge and life to absorb and annihilate; and entity that has now locked onto a faint, persisting signal emanating from a distant, uncommonly fertile feeding ground. . .called Earth.

Customer Reviews:

My all-time favorite novel.......2007-09-28

I love this novel because the author had an ulterior motive in writing it--he was very upset by the cancellation of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) and he wanted to provide an alternate explanation. In his version, it was actually completed and went into operation. But it attracted the attention of intelligent species from two alternate universes--one good and one evil. There is time travel involved and the alteration of history to make the project fail to avoid the destruction of the civilization. (He even explained why President G.H.W. Bush got sick in Japan.)

Not only has the author tried to scrupulously avoid violating the known laws of physics (as required by hard scifi), but he has tried to scrupulously avoid violating the historical facts. You see, this could actually be TRUE, if time travel were possible and multiple universes and aliens exist.

That combination of sticking to the truth in two dimensions (physics and history), incorporating the scifi topic that fascinates me most (time travel), avenging a personal loss (the SSC) and mixing it all into a great story make this my favorite novel.

Reminds me of E.E. "Doc" Smith.......2007-09-17

I wonder if the author got the idea of good and bad aliens using Earth from E.E. "Doc" Smith's fantastic Lensman series, beginning with the book Triplanetary?

For anyone that likes this theme, coupled with good, old fashioned shoot 'em up action, Smith's Lensman series is a classic.

An imperfect but perfectly entertaining fiction about science.......2006-11-11

I am a 40 year reader of Sci-fi, and this book's flaws seem very apparent to me: too much detail that interferes with the pace of the story, a bit of awkwardness in providing too much character dialogue, resolution of the core problem too far before the actual ending of the writing. But I forgive the author all of that because the book's positives kept me engrossed, interested, entertained and reading: great hard sci-fi details and background, good characters, good beginning with the evil bad guys right at the start, very inventive plot problem, lots of surrounding color, and characters that act out deeper personalities. I liked it. I will pick up Cramer's Twistor and try that one, and because it was written earlier I'll wish I had read it first, but I expect to be entertained nonetheless.

Thrive or Ternimate : what is the result of scientific enterprise?.......2006-04-16

The political jargon becomes a little thick at the end but overall it makes up for this in ideas and plot twists. Here are some examples; the parallels of Susan's insect fiction and her demise in the first SSC world, Susan's justification for writing science insect horror fiction as opposed to writing nonfiction, the dumb vice present who ends up saving the world by default, the manipulation of a greedy congressman, taking a drug that makes you smarter and the idea that the limiting factor of brain power is not brain size but our ability to come up with a balancing mechanism to prevent insanity and other mental illnesses, and the whole idea of universes meeting through bubbles.
Cramer raises the question of how much should a government put toward scientific research. Was the 11 billion dollar SSC supercollider project a significant proposal that would advance society or is it a piece of macro pork-barrel legislation inteaded to please a small number of constituents (scientists and science enthusiasts. In these times we here about space exploration, satellites, sending people into space are these current programs more necessary than particle physic or are they programs that are developed to "wow" the public. Are some advances in science opening a pandara's box?
This book is very difficult to put down, luckily I had the opportunity to dedicate an entire day to finishing the book. There is an interesting dichotomy between the idea of how science advances are useful and being the "mainspring of the US economy" and the notion that through advanced science (i.e. a supercollider) the world nearly meet it's demise.

Very, Very Cool.......2006-04-05

Reading through these reviews, one thing becomes clear: People have varying opinions. I suppose that's why we have chocolate and vanilla.

In general, I do not like SF, so "I'm driving in the wrong neighborhood" writting a review amongst the serious SF readers. I could probably count all the SF books I like on one hand. I tend to like science/medical thriller writers, like Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, Richard Preston and Dan Brown. If you like those writers, you will probably also like this book.

John Cramer is a excellent writer and, as I've discovered, quite an intellectual. His characters are well developed. The plot concept is mind blowing and very cool. This is a new genre of fiction, called "hard science fiction". Hard SF should appeal to engineers and scientists. Anyone who needs somewhat plausible scientific explainations, before allowing their "willing suspension of disbelief", should enjoy this story.

Apart from the physics, there are many lessons and gems of opinions about humanity, society, politics, government and even psychology. This is what sets this book apart from many of the other SF I've encountered.

I hope that Prof. Cramer is writing a sequel. If he is, I suspect there is already a long line formed.

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Black Holes and Warped Spacetime
William J. Kaufmann III
Manufacturer: W.H. Freeman and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UVFVQC

Product Description

What are black holes? They may be bridges into other universes or pathways into the past or future. They infinitely warp space and time, allowing nothing to escape: not matter, not even light. They are stellar corpses that have crushed themselves into oblivion, seemingly suspending the traditional laws of physics. The Big bang may have peppered the universe with primordial black holes, as small as protons but as massive as mountains. The universe itself may be disappearing into the final black hole. Black holes (BHs) and their warping effect on spacetime are described, beginning with a discussion on stellar evolution that includes white dwarfs, supernovas and neutron stars. The structure of static, rotating, and electrically charged BHs are considered, as well as the general theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, the Einstein-Rosen bridge, and wormholes in spacetime. Attention is also given to gravitational lenses, various space geometries, quasars, Seyfert galaxies, supermassive black holes, the evaporation and particle emission of BHs, and primordial BHs, including their temperature and lifetime. The author's engrossing, non-technical explanations are enhanced by numerous illustrations.

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Einstein's Bridge
Cramer John
Manufacturer: Avo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LCE08K

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), member APS 1875: Builder of bridges between Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein

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James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), member APS 1875: Builder of bridges between Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein
Frederick Seitz
Manufacturer: American Philosophical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

In a world rooted in Mediterranean history and mythology, a warrior-king forms a more-than-political alliance with an Amazon queen.

"A marvelous sense of romantic adventure…unusually literate and intelligent…strong characterizations complimented by an evocative magical poetry in the imagery…use of Classical background assured and distinctive."Borderland

Customer Reviews:

Second favorite Amazon Nation .......2005-02-08

I first read this book back in the mid 80's and I was captivated by the visual pictures the author weaves with her words. Next to Suzy McKee Charnas' Holdfast series, this is probably one of the more believable Amazon nations I've read of in fiction. It's a beautiful read.

Amazon Warriors!.......2000-10-13

Inspired by a legend that Alexander the Great had an Amazon lover, Lillian Stewart Carl's Sabazel is probably the best warrior-women novel ever written. Soaked through with painstakingly researched detail, this is a very authentic pre-Roman Empire historical fantasy, complete with magic, broken alliances and intrigue, not to mention LOTS of action. The fact that it takes place on a neverwhere fantasy world doesn't detract the slightest from its authentic feel. Don't let the cover fool you -- if you liked Chicks In Chainmail, only wishing it'd have been a bit more serious, this book is for you!

AMAZONS (1) (i) One; and (2) (ii) Two: Nightwork; Soul Slayer; Sho Courts A Reluctant Maiden; Borders of Sabazel; Ivory Comb; Lady of the Forest End; Robber Girl; Southern Lights; For a Daughter; Battle Crow's Daughter; Zroya's Trizub; In the Lost Lands

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AMAZONS (1) (i) One; and (2) (ii) Two: Nightwork; Soul Slayer; Sho Courts A Reluctant Maiden; Borders of Sabazel; Ivory Comb; Lady of the Forest End; Robber Girl; Southern Lights; For a Daughter; Battle Crow's Daughter; Zroya's Trizub; In the Lost Lands
Jessica Amanda (editor) (Gael Baudino; Andre Norton; Jo Clayton; C. J. Cherryh; Megan Lindholm; Charles R. Saunders; Janrae Frank; T. J. Morgan; Emily Bronte; Joanna Russ; Janet Fox; Josephine Saxon; Margaret St. Clair; Michele Belling) Salmonson
Manufacturer: Daw Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P5UIMK

SABAZEL SEQUENCE: Book (1) One: Sabazel; Book (2) Two: The Winter King; Book (3) Three: Shadow Dancers; Book (4) Four: Wings of Power

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SABAZEL SEQUENCE: Book (1) One: Sabazel; Book (2) Two: The Winter King; Book (3) Three: Shadow Dancers; Book (4) Four: Wings of Power
Lillian Stewart Carl
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NRTBCI

Book Description

The Book of Genesis has inspired, cautioned, and challenged humanity for thousands of years. In The Genesis of Justice, Alan Dershowitz meticulously examines ten biblical narratives as he guides us from the Ten Commandments to the Supreme Court and illustrates how religion has shaped the concepts of contemporary justice.

Download Description

· Cain murders his brother--and walks . . .· God gets angry--and millions die in flood . . .· Abraham commits attempted murder--and is praised . . .· Jacob deceives his father, then robs his brother--and gets away with it . . .Who among us has not questioned the "justice" found in the Book of Genesis? Now Alan M. Dershowitz, one of our most brilliant legal minds and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Chutzpah , casts new light on these ancient tales. What he finds is . . . THE GENESIS OF JUSTICE Violence, lust, deception, murder, incest, and vengeance: These are the subjects of the biggest--and perhaps the juiciest--bestseller of all time, the Book of Genesis. Its oft-told tales have inspired and challenged humankind for generations. But perhaps never before has anyone examined these stories so provocatively from a modern legal perspective. Based on Alan Dershowitz's class at Harvard Law School, The Genesis of Justice shows how the Good Book is also a remarkable law book. According to Dershowitz, these seminal stories describe a people--and a God--struggling in a world before the invention of systematic rules, a primal place that predates our notions of fairness, honesty, and rights. Yet here in Genesis we can see these concepts--and the need for them and for their embodiment in a formal legal system--evolving in front of our eyes. Using ten of the most intriguing biblical narratives and drawing on not only his own observations but those of biblical commentators throughout the ages, Dershowitz evaluates the actions of biblical heroes, even God Himself. And together with concluding discussions on "The Injustice of Genesis," he shows us how the flawed behavior of its flawed protagonists led to the Ten Commandments and a deeper, richer sense of justice than any mere legal code could ever provide. From the time he was a kid--and was nearly tossed out of Hebrew school for asking one pesky question after another--

Customer Reviews:

Questions you were afraid to ask about the book of Gen.......2005-05-25

Dershowitz brings his long experience as a a lawyer to discuss the apparently overwhelming INjustice in the book of Genesis.

A can't miss for anyone who takes the Bible seriously, or wonders why others do.

worst book I've read.......2004-04-26

This is perhaps the worst book I've ever read. Dershowitz is a fundamentalist when interpreting the Bible. Therefore, he assumes that each and every story happened just as the Bible relates it. Since this is a severe improbability, if not impossibility, the whole premise of the book is incorrect. From this, Dershowitz makes the argument that God is not omniscient, omnipotent, or even capable of making just decisions. He argues that God is fallible and that it is our responsibility to "call" God on His injustices. Had I understood this was the angle of the book, I would have never picked it up in the first place. Overall, it was a monumental waste of time because the book does not contain any new or useful information, much less any interesting viewpoints.

Engaging and Entertaining..........2001-09-11

For those with an open mind and a thirst for new Biblical insights, this book is a delight. It is just what you might expect from a brilliant legal mind, and more. Alan Dershowitz shares his research and analysis in an engaging and entertaining style on a subject for which he obviously has a tremendous passion.
Maimonides, Soren Kierkegaard, Abraham Ibn Ezra, Franz Kafka, Blaise Pascal, Everett Fox, and Bob Dylan are just a small handful of the voices invited to the party. The genius of this work is that while it presents so many different viewpoints (without necessarily adopting one "correct" interpretation over another), Dershowitz is still able to clearly show the reader that within the complex and confusing assortment of narratives that is Genesis, there exists a straightforward path toward the Law. This path, while full of injustice along the way, does not merely show us the need for the Law; it shows a developing legal system in process.
No matter how familiar you may think you are with the book of Genesis, you will be able to experience the narratives afresh. Dershowitz holds up the book of Genesis like a crystal in sunlight, its beauty seen in the reflections of light, observed at a number of different angles.

Sounds of Silence.......2001-09-11

Back in the 1960's, the Beatles wrote and produced a song whose title is uniquely fitting for this book by Dershowitz, the "Sounds of Silence." I saw the book in the bookstore recently and being familiar with Constitutional Law theory for which Dershowitz is most noted among the legal community, I was interested to see how he treated the topics of the Ten Commandments and the dilemma of the Madonna vs the Prostitute in religious dogma as it affects our laws now.

What I found was a most enthusiastic treatment of consequence where Dershowitz has outdone himself in addressing some of our most difficult moral problems rooted in our Biblical heritage to which we seem to cling with near steadfast loyalty.

I actually think this book outperforms the work of Dershowitz in Constitutional Law since he is clearly enthralled by the topics, and his combination of legal and religious knowledge offer remarkably logical analysis in why we think as we do, and whether it is appropriate to think as we do. He has used his logical and linguistic skills very effectively to illuminate subjects that need a rational approach. If anything, he may not go far enough in relation to his analysis of the double standard that so affects the female in our culture as it relates to the economics of power and social freedom, but which also affects males due to their loss of equivalent resources from combining their talents in a life alliance. The aggregation of resources does not necessarily produce the benefits it should due to the low wages and glass ceilings their women cannot penetrate. It appears to be a very valuable read and a thoughtful, unique analysis of our human condition. I think he should do more since revelations like his can help to break "the sounds of silence" that such injustices rely upon to maintain the status quo.

An "Interesting Commentary".......2001-08-09

Dershowitz argues that Genesis shows God evolving from an arbitrary being, dictating ad-hoc rules to a mature being bound by the rule of law. Dershowitz's "evolving-God" argument underlies his theme that Genesis is a metaphor showing how legal systems generally evolve from arbitrary rules to the mature rule of law. (pp. 14, 203-215.)

I question the validity of Dershowitz's argument that Genesis depicts God as evolving from an arbitrary dictator to a "constitutional monarch, binding himself to rules" (p. 210.)

The seeds for deconstructing Dershowitz's evolving-God argument are found in the story which he refers to as his guiding principal in writing his book. Two great rabbis, both experts on Maimonides, die and go to heaven, where they continue to argue about an inconsistency between one Maimonidean text and another. Maimonides himself resolves the conflict by pointing out a simple transcription error in one of the texts-that is, the Rabbis are arguing about a text Maimonides did not actually write. The rabbis hear this simple solution to their argument and dismiss Maimonides altogether, stating that their debate involving an error-ridden text is much more interesting than contemplating the meaning of an accurate text. (pp. 15-16.)

In this story, the privileged concept is debate for debate's sake. So it for Dershowitz, who repeatedly states he is not looking for answers but "interesting commentary" (16, 33.) Debate for debate's sake.

The concept Dershowitz suppresses is the question of Textual Accuracy. That is, does the text Dershowitz quotes accurately recount the revelations from God which the recipients originally put to paper? "For purposes of this book, it does not matter whether Genesis was dictated to Moses by God or compiled by an editor from multiple sources." (p. 14.)

But of course it matters. For example, Dershowitz wallows in juvenile joy about stumping a teacher with questions of Cain's wife. (There is no reference in Genesis to any female children being born of Adam and Eve, so where did Cain's wife come from?) Nahum M. Sarna argues that the passage regarding Cain's wife "cannot be other than a fragment of what was once a well-known and fuller story, now etched in the barest outline." (JPS Torah Commentary, Genesis, p. 45.) Is it so difficult to think that Adam and Eve bore girls, one of whom grew into a woman and married Cain? Just because Dershowitz's version of Genesis does not mention the birth of girls does not mean they were not born. To state otherwise-as Dershowitz does (p. 5)-is to be as fundamentalist as any fundamentalist he criticizes. "My version of Genesis says it (or does not say it). I believe it. Case closed." (p. 8.)

Questions of Textual Accuracy make all the difference for purposes of Dershowitz's book and for biblical scholarship generally. If Dershowitz's Genesis text is inaccurate, then all we are left with is a man who takes an error-ridden, fictional text, makes clever comments about it, adds clever titles, and tries to pass the whole thing off as serious midrash. It is exactly like the two rabbis who continue their silly debate even after the truth is revealed to them.

Several times, Dershowitz approaches the issue of Textual Accuracy, only to dance around it. For example, consider what he says about whether justice is found in this world or the next (ellipsis omitted): "It is untrue to the text of Genesis to read into punishment threatened here and now an implicit postponement to a world to come. It is also a far less interesting answer. It is far more interesting to search for enduring interpretations based on what was believed at the time, not centuries later." (p. 33.) This statement is packed with problems.

First, Dershowitz argues that we must take the text in the context of the beliefs of those who wrote it. But to take the text in context is precisely to ask crucial questions as to who in fact wrote the text, when it was written, what they wrote, and whether what we have reflects what they wrote and what they believed! But remember, Dershowitz says these questions are exactly what is not important for his book. (p. 14.) Well, are they or not?

Ultimately, questions of context (authorship and accuracy) are precisely the ones Dershowitz must suppress, because they may in fact prove that his reading of Genesis is the one that is untrue, that his own centuries-later interpretation of the context is actually not what the authors of Genesis believed at all.

Dershowitz's insistence that his book is not part of the debate regarding Textual Accuracy, but rather "how we are to understand the stories" will not do, for how are we possibly to understand these "sacred stories" (p. 8) if the stories are incomplete and inaccurate?

This book convinces me that for Dershowitz God is nothing more than a metaphor, and therefore questions of Textual Accuracy really are irrelevant. Dershowitz is interested only in using the metaphor of God and a particular text to engage in an interesting intellectual game. Dershowitz really is like the two rabbis debating the faulty Maimonidean text. The truth is irrelevant. All that matters is the debate, gaining power in the community, and making some money.

For me though, questions of God's existence and nature are not a game-not a commodity to be bartered. For me, the Bible is a record of a living God's revelations to specific individuals. To me, as to Sarna and other commentators, it is clear that the full record of these revelations has been lost and what we do have has been terribly tampered with. Questions regarding Textual Accuracy are indispensable to determining who God is. Thus I struggle with the texts and contexts, and my struggles reveal a mountain of hard evidence that, contrary to Dershowitz's view, the living God is more than some "student in the university of the universe."

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