A River Sutra

Book Description

With imaginative lushness and narrative elan, Mehta provides a novel that combines Indian storytelling with thoroughly modern perceptions into the nature of love--love both carnal and sublime, treacherous and redeeming. "Conveys a world that is spiritual, foreign, and entirely accessible."--Vanity Fair. Reading tour.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful realistic fictional take on multireligious India.......2006-12-27

As an undergraduate student of comparative religions I've become gradually acquainted with the complex mosaic that is multireligious India. For an area that saw the birth of Buddhism, Vedic Brahmanism, Jainism and Classical Indian Theism (aka "Hinduism") as well as one that was historically also home to ancient Jewish, later Christian, and one of the largest populations of Muslims in the world, a lot of people in the west know very little about the rich cultural, religious and social history of the Indian subcontinent. This book is not only an excellent, accurate portrayal of the variegated cultural situation in India, it's also an engaging, well-written, compelling collection of short stories that stands on its own as a work of fiction.

Mehta tells the story of a retired government official who now resides on one of the largest and holiest rivers in India. The official was never a religious man, but now that he has a chance to relax and observe his surroundings, he is able to take in the diversity around him and start his own query into the spiritual side of life. Using this frame, Mehta illustrates the official's encounters with numerous characters who, each in turn, tell their stories to the retired official. As the collection progresses, he encounters many characters, including a Jain mendicant, a Muslim music teacher, a wandering ascetic, a courtesan seeking her kidnapped daughter, a virtuoso sitar player, and a tea plantation official who has encountered Nagas. Throughout, Mehta uses each character to explore different religious themes that are represented in India and weaves them all into a cohesive search for spiritual truth, all with a surprising ending that will make you want to re-read the whole book just so you can try to understand.

A River Sutra is easy to read and enjoyable too. I read this book as a culmination for a course on religion in India and found it to be an excellent fictional summation of different religious themes that I had already learned about. Although I already had read more "academic" and traditional texts about these subjects, this book was a welcome take on each religion interacting with others. Sure, there are more technically informing textbooks and religious texts you could read to understand beliefs and practices of Indians, but you won't get a more enjoyable and readable work of beautiful literature to start off your learning. I think this book will pique your interest in the different subjects and offer you a gateway into many wonderful religious literary and academic traditions (whatever interests you) that you may not have already known about. Out of all the books I've read in courses on religion, A River Sutra is the one I most often recommend to anyone and everyone who likes a good book.

The Soul Must Travel through Eighty Four Thousand Births to Become a Man..........2006-01-21

A River Sutra is a strange mystical book... rich with stories and beliefs, which grow and have lived forever at the banks of the Holy River Narmada.
The narrator believes that he has renounced the world and is living happily now away from the sharp corners of real life in his bungalow by Narmada.

As he moves from one story to the other, strewn at the banks of this river he finds many questions, several incomplete endings and many aspects of life not yet experienced by him.
The stories themselves are beautiful - some sad but always beauiful, intricately and strongly binded together by the river which runs through them all, they are not inter related except for the river and the narrator who tries to grasp the stories in a context relevant to him. The story of the beautiful blind child singer, the lady with the golden voice and a broken heart, the love inflicted tea estate manager and ofcourse the waif child and Naag Baba, to name a few.

He ponders on the meaning of each story and the potent belief which the river, the beautiful maiden, hides within her, what dark secrets, what untold mysteries.

This continues till the end, where he is made to realise the importnat truth, which perhaps will answer some of his questions. How difficult it is to attain a human being's life, the soul must travel through eighty four thousand births in order to become a man. A life as precious as this cant be spent as a back seat viewer to life, it has to be experienced fully. One has to be a part of the play not a by stander in order to understand and experience the mysteries and nuances of life. Although his current life serves as a wonderful retreat in which to ponder life and rest, its not a permanent state of being. Which path the narrator will finally chose is left unsaid. And that perhaps is not important. Its the story and the final realisation which make this book complete, the end result does not matter.

Its astonishing to know, how much history, belief, faith and magic one river can hold... I for one am completely happy to be swept away by the flow of this river as the story unfolds. Truly this book is an experience worth having.

Poetic descriptions and an intriguing narrative .......2005-10-31

As if hearing a bed time yarn that you have heard a hundred times over but are still eager to hear again, the parable-like structure of A River Sutra by Gita Mehta comforts and reassures the reader. There is no closure to any of the stories; most of the characters seem to be in limbo or in search of a happy end they will probably never find. The protagonist, a bureaucrat, is only a sieve through which these odd brimming exchanges take place. His puzzlement holds up a mirror to the reader. I suspected that the bureaucrat would not find peace as a renunciate on the banks of the Narmada, peace lies in the flow of adaptability without seeking answers. There is a softness and optimism to the novel that made it linger in my mind days after. Though beautifully musical and lush with grief, the river does not make any judgments or declarations. Underneath it all there is hopefulness and wherever something is lost something profound is gained. A River Sutra was probably written before the height of the Narmada Dam Protests when the writer Arundhati Roy became involved. More than charts and statistics, this book reveals the influence of a river on the ebb and flow of human drama and a timeless way of life.

Winding down the thread.......2004-06-07

This book was profound, but easy enough to read in a La-z-boy if thats your style. It's a series of short stories all joined by a common thread, the narmada river. Filled with hindu ascetics and Indian playboys, A River Sutra should be the first book you read about India-its kind of like a primer to India's often ignored jungles. This book flows, and its not sketchy like some other writers who write about India.

To become human..........2003-04-01

The body of water referred to in the title, A River Sutra, is the Narmada River which is India's holiest river believed to possess mystical healing and cleansing powers. The promise of the river attracts a variety of characters with different motivations. The stories are otherwise completely detached from each other in person and circumstance except for their common relation to the narrator; more so to the narrator's supposed renunciation of the world.
Many may argue that the mutuality of the stories would lie in the River Narmada; although the river does flow throughout the novel and it is an obviously strong force in each traveler's tale, it does not function as aptly a unifier as the narrator. The river is omnipresent in the background and it is the shared destination amongst the trekkers; yet it does not combine the stories in any other way. The narrator, however, receives a final enlightenment at the completion of the anthology which ties the novel together. Initially, he boasts that he has rejected the world in his decision to relocate to the jungle and he equates his distance from modern civilization to complete denial of the "real" world. However after he has heard the many versions of renunciation from the visitors and Tariq Mia, only then does he realize the true meaning of the word and the action. The sutra, or the common thread, of the book is the narrator's rejection of the world; the purpose of the book is to portray the narrator's romanticized renunciation versus the harsh reality of true abandonment.
Each narrative is embedded with an archetypal morally based theme pertaining to evolving stages of human existence and the penance that we must offer for our human faults. There are three objects of renunciation in the novel - material, love and life.
The book is about external sources erupting into the life of the unmasked narrator and catapulting him onto a spiritual awakening upon the backs of these people's narratives. The title utilizes the word "sutra" which signifies a collection of aphorisms; the book characterizes these teachings in the bodies and renunciations of the river's visitors and the narrator, as the student to these narratives, represents the common thread.

The Ardent Pilgrim: An Introduction to the Life and Work of Mohammed Iqbal

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The Ardent Pilgrim: An Introduction to the Life and Work of Mohammed Iqbal
Iqbal Singh
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195639790

Book Description

This study of Mohammed Iqbal's poetry seeks to arrive at an understanding of his personality and his relationship to the life of his times. The book provides a graphic, sympathetic yet critical picture of Iqbal's intellectual life. Providing a view of the contemporary political context, the
text also meaningfully expresses the pre-Partition ethos, including the character of the Muslim intelligentsia and its dilemmas.

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A Modern Pilgrim in India
John W. Wohlfarth
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A modern pilgrim in India: The diary of an American soldier

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A modern pilgrim in India: The diary of an American soldier
John W Wohlfarth
Manufacturer: Somaiya Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 8170392047

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Charles Darwin: Family Man

A lovely peek into Darwin's private life.

Darwin the Man, Darwin the Myth

Finally, Darwin evolves as a real man...

Darwin and the problem of evil

Darwin, His Daughter, and Human Evolution
Randal Keynes
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1573229555

Book Description

In a chest of drawers bequeathed by his grandmother, author Randal Keynes discovered the writing case of Charles Darwin's beloved daughter Annie, who died at the age of ten. He also found the notes Darwin kept throughout Annie's illness, the eulogy he delivered at her funeral-and provocative new insights into Darwin's views on nature, evolution, and the human condition.

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Customer Reviews:

Charles Darwin: Family Man.......2006-03-03

Currently, there is a lot of talk about as well as charges being hurled at the theory of evolution. There are people who are evolutionists pure and simple. There are the doubters who go along with the theory because nobody has a better explanation. And, there is the intelligent design crowd. "Darwin, His Daughter, and Human Evolution" written by a descendant of Charles Darwin does a great service to the humanization of the misunderstood gentleman scientist. It also brings to light the social climate of Victorian England. But most of all it shows Darwin as a family man with the fears and self-doubt that all parents experience especially when confronted with illness of a child. You will learn more about the process of a genius at work as well as get to know a truly gentle man.

A lovely peek into Darwin's private life........2004-04-27

Not long ago I reviewed a book on Alfred Russell Wallace, In Darwin's Shadow, where I suggested that Wallace's life had probably been a happier one. A reader of that review suggested that this was not necessarily the case, and suggested that I do further research on Darwin's personal life. When I discovered the book Darwin, his Daughter, and Human Evolution by Randal Keynes, a descendant of both Charles Darwin (who was his great-great grandfather) and the economist John Maynard Keynes, I felt that I had found a gold mine. Privileged to the access to family documents and memoirs, Keynes was able to do a very thorough work on the private life of the Darwin family, and a creditable discussion of the effect of Darwin's experiences as a husband and father on his theory of evolution.

Above all the book is a charming visit to the Victorian era and a lovely story of a devoted family of that time. The more tragic events that occurred in the Darwin household were not unknown to many families up and down the social scale. The loss of their second child shortly after birth, the death of the ten year old Annie, the birth and death of a Downe's syndrome child later in their life, were all events that occurred in other households as well. Probably more unusual was the closeness of the husband and wife, and the involvement of Darwin with the upbringing of his children, although these aspects are similar to those of the lives of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. One wonders if these situations were just unusual or if one has a skewed sense of family in the Victorian age.

Above all, the intense observations Darwin made of his growing children and the sometimes painful conclusions with respect to evolutionary theory that these studies reinforced were surprising to me. I would tend to agree with the author that his family did have a profound impact on Darwin's theories.

I thank the individual who suggested further research on Darwin and his personal history.

For THOSE WRITING PAPERS: in biography, history, evolution studies, sociology. Compare some of the other biographies of Victorian era individuals. Can one create a sense of the character of a society by studying individuals? How might the fact that they were unique enough to rate a biography at all prejudice ones view of society by doing this? Were Darwin, Wallace, Victoria and Albert, and other famous individuals "characteristic" of their age? Look at biographies like In Darwin's Shadow, Victoria's Daughters, and Darwin, his Daughter, and Human Evolution and suggest how family has an impact on scientific discovery, politics, philosophy, or other aspects of the human endeavor. Do you think that the theory of evolution would have been the same had Darwin and Russell switched places socially?

Darwin the Man, Darwin the Myth.......2003-08-14

Having no real knowledge of Charles Darwin beyond myths and some sketchy memories of high school science, I was eager to read this book and finally become acquainted with the Charles Darwin, the man.

Randal Keynes did not disappoint. His access to a veritable treasure trove of family journals, letters, and records allows Keynes to develop a fully dimensional, complex individual who far exceeds the simple titles of "Evolutionist", "atheist," or any other ordinary label. Far from being a simple scientist (one of the myths dispelled in the book) or a once devout minister-in-training-turned-atheist (another myth), Darwin here is presented as a man of great warmth, devotion, and intellect.

Especially appealing to me was the emphasis Keynes places on Darwin's family life, as opposed to a lengthy discussion of his evolutionary theory. Darwin comes across as a fun, playful, adoring father whose very real grief over the death of his daughter may well have been a turning point in his thinking about God and the nature of the human condition.

Anyone who dismisses out of hand Darwin's theories as mere instruments by which to bring about the fall of Christianity must read this book. Darwin's struggles with the deepest philosophical issues, i.e. human suffering, the nature of evil, God, and redemption, are all discussed with sincerety even as they are backed up with evidence from Darwin's journals and letters. Those who insist on tagging Mr. Darwin with simple labels will be surprised by this revealing look at the real man.

The writing is clear, clever, and refrains from striking a tone either too sentimental or one inclined toward evolutionary apologetics. Definitely a worthwhile read.

Finally, Darwin evolves as a real man..........2003-08-08

My own ideas about Charles Darwin and his contributions to science were quite frankly limited to a week of study in high school natural sciences, long since forgotten. The ideas I had of him came from popular culture rather than my own investigations. Unsure whether to brand him a revolutionary atheist plotting to bring down Christianity or a zealous naturalist merely satisfying his own curiousity, I was eager to read what Keynes, a well pedigreed descendant of Darwin, had to say.

Privy to notes, letters, journals, and other information heretofor unseen, Keynes casts the familiar image of Charles Darwin in a new light. The man who emerges from this portrait is unexpected in many ways. A singularly devoted father and husband, Darwin's greatest joys came from ordinary family life. Romping with his large brood, noting details small and grand in their development and children, tenderly corresponding with his beloved wife Emma during their few seperations, Darwin was no cold and ruthless scientist out to cripple the faith of the believers. Keynes portrays him as a man brimming with affection, kindness, and love. Annie, the daughter alluded to in the book's title, remains mysterious in many ways; but what is entirely evident is that grief over her untimely death haunted Darwin until the end of his days.

Keynes so sensitively discusses Darwin's struggles with faith, God, and the human condition that he manages to obliterate the undeserved assumptions I carried with me to the biography. Darwin did not, as many assume, dismiss out of hand the notion of God. Quite to the contrary, he struggled with profound questions about God and lived out his life with a healthy respect for his wife and family's religious ideology even after he could no longer conscientiously participate in it. Darwin's struggles with the Christian faith were based on the central issue of human suffering, and its meaning. His firsthand knowledge of pain and suffering made him acutely aware of the human condition and indeed, of suffering of "all sentient beings... What advantage can there be in the sufferings of the millions of lower animals...?" Even at the end of life, Darwin remained uncertain about the existence and nature of God. Unwilling to use the framework that Neitzsche embraced by pronouncing "God is dead", Darwin instead admitted that he simply did not know and perhaps could not understand.

Keynes' portrayal of Charles Darwin is a welcome addition to any biography shelf, if only for the incredible amount of personal writings he is able to include.

Darwin and the problem of evil.......2003-06-30

This book touches only lightly on Charles Darwin's scientific work. If you are looking for a popular introduction to the basic mechanisms of evolution, try The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner or The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins.

This book is primarily about Darwin's family life, his religious convictions, and how his scientific work affected both.

Nearly everyone in early 19th century Britain believed in a all-powerful, all-knowing God who monitored and regulated and judged everything that happened down to the smallest detail. (As in America's Bible Belt, where putting a Darwin Fish on your car is an invitation to vandalism, people who didn't accept the majority view tended to keep a low profile.) God had created all the species, exactly as they were, all at once about 6,000 years ago. Whatever you did, God was watching and might punish you in horrible ways for some small infraction. Most people accepted the idea that if your child came down with some hideous disease it was because God was punishing you for some transgression. (It didn't seem odd to anyone that they were worshiping a God who behaved like a vengeful psychopath.) However, if you followed the rules and did what you were supposed to do (if you were a woman, that meant endless pregnancies and utter, unthinking obedience to your husband, no matter what), after you died you got to go to Heaven where you would finally be happy.

Emma Darwin, wife of Charles, although her faith became strained, believed this. Charles, although in many ways a man of his time, is more complicated. He began as an orthodox Christian, a divinity student at that, went through a decades-long middle period - which takes in THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES - of being a deist, and ended up as an agnostic who found the positions of both believers and atheists untenable because both camps claimed to know for certain things we cannot know at all. The religious tension between Emma and Charles, always there, was thrown into stark relief by the long suffering and death from tuberculosis at the age of ten of their angelic daughter Anne. This book is a study in what theologians have called the problem of evil, and how Darwin, who did as much as anyone to create the modern, secular world, wrestled with it. More than that, it is a study in how a man who loved his wife, but did not share her faith, struggled to find some way to maintain his integrity and yet give her what she needed. Whichever side of that divide you are on, you will find something for you in this book.

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Annie's Box: Charles Darwin, His Daughter, and Human Evolution
Randal Keynes
Manufacturer: Fourth Estate
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Victorian Sensation: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation & Annie's Box: Charles ... review): An article from: Wordsworth Circle
Robert M. Ryan
Manufacturer: Wordsworth Circle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B0008IP8MY
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Wordsworth Circle, published by Wordsworth Circle on September 22, 2001. The length of the article is 1742 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Victorian Sensation: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation & Annie's Box: Charles Darwin, His Daughter and Human Evolution. (book review)
Author: Robert M. Ryan
Publication: Wordsworth Circle (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2001
Publisher: Wordsworth Circle
Volume: 32 Issue: 4 Page: 206(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Sixty-year-old Elliot Gilbert died mysteriously within twenty-four hours of checking into a hospital for routine prostate surgery. Wrongful Death is his widow's account of one family's experience with a type of medical disaster that occurs all too frequently but is rarely discussed in public policy debates focussed on growing costs and exorbitant lawyer fees.

Customer Reviews:

She's a poet and very good with words.......2004-07-15

It was negligence, or the university regents would not have paid the settlement. I've not reviewed a book here before, but wanted to counter some of the unfair reviews I just read. We know this kind of thing happens sometimes. She lost the love of her life, and their children lost their father. Ms. Gilbert needed to write this, and it is well worth reading. It is, however, very sad.

Insight.......2004-03-02

This book accurately reflects the emotions and disorientation experienced by the loved ones of a patient who suffers a sudden, unexpected and - at least in their belief - preventable death. I'm not going to debate the medical merits with the first reviewer, no doubt a physician. But after 20 years of representing malpractice victims in legal proceedings, I can say it truly reflects their pain and their motivation in seeking legal counsel in a death case: A desire for information, honesty and validation. The book also addresses how the legal system can be a crud tool for achieving those goals - but the only tool they have.

Wrongful Conclusions.......2003-05-27

Sandra Gilbert's poignant tale of her 60 year old husband's death after prostate cancer surgery is marred by her universally distorted portrayal of his doctors at the UC Davis University Hospital, where he died in 1991. While she freely and repeatedly demonstrates her ignorance and lack of sophistication regarding the medical issues involved in her husband's case, that doesn't stop her from treating her misunderstandings and fantasies as reality. From her point of view, you would think that her husband's physicians were callous monsters, who didn't care if he lived or died. The truth is far less nefarious, though probably for her, less satisfying.

In the end, the real events surrounding her husband's death do not reveal any conspiracy, cover-up, or gross negligence. In fact, her husband suddenly "crashed" only after what was essentially over 4 uneventful hours in the recovery room, where the only abnormality was a low grade elevated heart rate (common after surgery) and a one time drop in blood pressure early on, which responded immediately to appropriate treatment (also common). Indeed, until he coded, he appeared to be doing quite well. It is only after the failed resuscitation that it became apparent that he must have been bleeding occultly, despite his apparent hemodynamic stability. The bottom line is that everyone in the recovery room missed the fact that that he was hemorrhaging internally, not because they were indifferent or incompetent, but because the clues were so subtle and their level of suspicion was too low.

She complains that no one was forthcoming with information, as she struggled to understand what happened, yet, with her own words, whenever the primary surgeon tries to discuss the case, before and after the surgery, she demonstrates that she has trouble understanding the simplest concepts, even though he speaks in plain everyday language. Instead, she offensively ridicules his accent, and follows every statement of his with her own italicized confused thoughts and fantasies. Almost every statement or appearance of a physician in this book is caricatured and editorialized.

In the end, she opts to take the money, accepting a settlement, rather than continue with depositions and go to trial, insuring that she never gets the explanation she claims she wants and needs so badly.

If there are villains here it is her friends and family. For example, after her husband's death, a couple comes up to her and with the same breath as they ask "What happened?", they announce that a lawyer friend has told them that she has a case for medical malpractice. How in the world would he know? There are so many self-appointed "experts" among her relatives and acquaintances, all whispering in her ear their own theories and rumors and offering advice. And there is so much cynicism and anger among her family and friends toward the doctors, you would have thought they had bodily thrown her husband out a hospital window to his death. Indeed, that is how his care is ultimately described.

There is much made of a missing hematocrit, drawn after an hour in the recovery room, yet it is acknowledged that hematocrits can be misleading because of the time required for "equilibration." She also makes much of an inability of the anesthesiologists to intubate her husband, which aborted the first attempt at surgery. His pictures in the book show him to have been a stocky man with a receding chin, short neck, and full beard. Of course they had trouble! There is no guarantee that you can successfully intubate any patient, even if you know ahead of time it will be difficult. They did the right and safe thing, by canceling the case, yet she repeatedly revisits the failed intubation and prudently cancelled case, each time more vehemently, until she ultimately claims her husband began to die then and there!

Mrs. Gilbert revels in the role of victim, but like so many that title becomes comforting only if there are villains. And if there are none, she and her family, friends, and lawyers will manufacture them. Indeed, mistakes were made, with disastrous consequences, but there is no evidence that her late husband was treated with anything but professional kindness, charity, and compassion. Maybe his doctors deserve a little too.

Not about Wrongful Death, but about dealing with death.......2000-09-29

This book is hardly about wrongful death. It is the story of one person's attempt to deal with the sudden and unexpected death of a spouse. Certainly there are some elements of the wrongfullness of the death of her husband portrayed in the book. However, the author is primarily focused on her own pain, suffering and inability to deal with the death and subsequent activities.

One most definitely has sympathy with the author and her family for their loss. The writing is a celebration of the misery brought on by the death. A similar tale could be told of any sudden and unexpected death of a loved one.

Our Mother Believed the Doctor Could Do No Wrong.......2000-02-04

Our mother was diagnosed in the late 80's with the worse types of rheumatory arthritis ever and began walking with a cane as her primary complaint was the pain in her right hip. She was also an adamant smoker and in Dec. 97 was diagnosed with a cancerous spot on her lung. Her doctor wanted to do surgery stating she wasn't going to die; all the time ignoring her repeat requests for attention to her hip. He stated he wanted to take care of the problem at hand then he would deal with the hip. The middle of Feb 98 she expired and was, by the grace of God, brought back to life. Consequently, it was all over, as her hip bone was completely eaten up when they discovered bone cancer as it had matasized all through her body. She passed the 19th of Mar 98. During the first discovery of the cancer the doctor did an MRI and through the latter part of her life, kept ignoring repeated requests to deal with that hip. She suffered through this cancer thinking it was arithritis. A major part of the illness was pneumonia and continuous upper respiratory infections. I must mention that I live in Ga. and the other 5 siblings in Va and Md. Mother live in Pa. and would not move as she loved Pa. Of course, this made it difficult to track her and assist her in monitoring her visits to the doctor. Mother was always the type of woman who like to keep her "business" to herself; always an organized person. We have since tried, to no avail, to get an attorney to prove his negligence. I am still looking for someone to go over, verbatim, her medical records. To my knowledge, there has been no mention of her need to quit smoking. We, the family, also believe we have a case against the cigarette company.

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Fabulous Read for Women Who Cook...whether you like it or not!

The best book I have read in a long time.

fascinating view on history and what people ate and why

Great book

Not definitive, but definitely fun

A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove: A History of American Women Told through Food, Recipes, and Remembrances
Laura Schenone
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

A stunningly illustrated book that celebrates the power of food throughout American history and in women's lives.

Filled with classic recipes and inspirational stories, A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove will make you think twice about the food on your plate. Here is the first book to recount how American women have gathered, cooked, and prepared food for lovers, strangers, and family throughout the ages. We find native women who pried nourishment from the wilderness, mothers who sold biscuits to buy their children's freedom, immigrant wives who cooked old foods in new homes to provide comfort. From church bake sales to microwaving moms, this book is a celebration of women's lives, homes, and communities. Over fifty recipes, from Federal Pancakes to Sweet Potato Pie, are beautifully presented along with over one hundred images from artists, photographers, and rare sources. A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove is the shared history of all American women and the perfect gift for anyone who ever put food on the table. 140 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous Read for Women Who Cook...whether you like it or not!.......2007-05-17

Laura Schenone hooked me early in the book proclaiming she had days when she could spend all day in the kitchen and others when she walked into the kitchen & never cared if she cooked a single thing again. I could identify with that and knew what followed would be honest. I loved the book so much, I ordered a copy for my sister. We are still talking about it! Even though I didn't know the women cited in the book, I felt such a connection to all the women who have come before me and felt the need to nurture.

The best book I have read in a long time........2007-02-25

This book is not at all about oppression. It is about the triumph of the American women. Yes, it is true that She struggled and had many obstacles to overcome. But She did overcome them though neccessity, with grace and intelligents. I highly recommend this book.

fascinating view on history and what people ate and why.......2006-07-03

I love this book. I bought it last year and was reading it when we moved and I lost it, so I had to buy it again. I love cooking and I love history and this book perfectly explains history through food, trends in food because of historical and societal pressures. I read another review that someone else felt it was insulting to women and I absolutely disagree; I feel it gives an interesting perspective and I can hardly put the book down. I did not enjoy the prologue though, and felt it was too sentimental, but maybe prologues are meant to be that way and I might appreciate it in the future. The photos are wonderful as are the recipes. This book has gotten me to think intimately about living and cooking in the past, without the romanticism that I have often instilled into my own ideas of what life may have been like and how it might have been better ... this book allows one to fully appreciate our modern luxuries here in America but also learn fascinating historical facts and more often than not it is amazing to read what people ate and why! I love this book!
1-2007 I just want to add that I still love this book and refference it and bought a copy for my sister who loves it!

Great book.......2006-04-27

Food history of women in America. This was a massive project that has not been done before. Schenone did an excellent job, complete with historical photos, and was even recognized by the James Beard Foundation where this book won for the best book in Writing and Reference in 2004.

If you enjoy history and food, this is an excellent book.

Not definitive, but definitely fun.......2006-03-11

This is a pretty good book. It's not a scholarly masterwork, by any means, but it's an enjoyable overview of American history told through recipes, etc. I don't think that the theme of the book is women being oppressed. It's more about women making the best of the opportunities they had. I agree that Schenone errs on the side of too P.C.- and the "All Woman" chapter is pretty nauseating. But I gave this book to my sister, who is a way more hardcore Southern White Woman than I will ever be (for example, she thinks that she should be allowed to list her ethnicity on the US Census as "Confederate") and SHE was not offended by the SWW stuff. In all it's a good time and makes a great gift by people who dig this sort of thing.

A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove: A History of American Women Told through Food, Recipes, and Remembrances.(Book Review) : An article from: The Historian

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A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove: A History of American Women Told through Food, Recipes, and Remembrances.(Book Review) : An article from: The Historian
Michaela Crawford Reaves
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000B9DTDA
Release Date: 2006-02-04

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Historian, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 559 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove: A History of American Women Told through Food, Recipes, and Remembrances.(Book Review)
Author: Michaela Crawford Reaves
Publication: The Historian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 66 Issue: 4 Page: 848(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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