Right Honourable Insults: A Stirring Collection of Insults and Invective

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Not a classic, but necessary exposure to the message

Ken Burns, This Should Be Your Next Documentary

American Soul

this book sings like Aretha

Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul
Craig Werner
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B000KHXC1C
Release Date: 2004-03-09

Customer Reviews:

Not a classic, but necessary exposure to the message.......2007-05-01

This book doesn't fit neatly into any genre boxes. It's not a dedicated biography. It's not a musical history. It's not really cultural theory. It's a fusion between a joint biography of Wonder, Franklin, and Mayfield with a connection to the cultural history that fuels their work. I learned some things along the way, but I found this book to fall short of other recent reads in popular music such as "I Never Loved a Man" focusing on Aretha Franklin's first album and "Shout: The Beatles and Their Generation".

This book is very ambitious. It covers the lives of three subjects and 40 years of social history in about 290 pages. Consequently, it's more a series of events that support the author's central ideal: black music is most vital when it speaks in a gospel voice to community themes.

The work on Mayfield is very helpful and was most beneficial to me. Mayfield has traditionally been underrated. This book skillfully connects Mayfield to Cabrini-Green and traditions of black entrepreneurship. Mayfield sacrificed some of the chart success of Motown to remain independent and this book provides some quality interview excerpts from Mayfield and gives key highlights from his career. Let's hope there's a Black Studies student out there who will read this and be led to give Mayfield the full scale critical biography he deserves.

It's hard to do justice to Stevie in the space allowed. Werner is a big believer that Songs in the Key of Life is the peak of Stevie's powers. I'd like more support for this viewpoint with closer reading of Stevie's lyrics. Werner's a big fan of Conversation Peace for recent Stevie and dismisses Jungle Fever. I gained some key episodes on Stevie's life, though, and having just read about the Beatles, I gained a great deal from Werner's discussion about how Stevie gained artistic strength from rock music and artists like Jeff Beck.

Aretha resists analysis because she has not been as an open an interview subject as Stevie and Mayfield. Still, this book does communicate how powerful a symbol of womanist advocacy Aretha has become and how she has struggled to be true to her gospel roots while succeeding in a pop environment that often opposes those roots.

This book is not as thorough a history as other things that I've read, but it does offer one man's interpretation of some key figures and, especially in the case of Curtis Mayfield, bring attention to some underrated work. I recommend this for those deeply interested in these artists and those exploring a range of options for revitalizing soul music.

4 stars

---SD

Ken Burns, This Should Be Your Next Documentary .......2007-02-23

I bought this book because LA Times writer Ann Powers referenced it in her article on Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin and the movie Dreamgirls. I can see why Ann thought so highly of this work. Craig Werner has written the most insightful and the deepest book we are ever likely to get concerning the simultaneous influence of soul greats Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Curtis Mayfield. This book is the bomb!

As a lifelong Aretha-file, I was astonished by the author's multi-dimensional portrait of Aretha and her musical journey. There is more information here about Aretha than I have ever found anywhere---including in Aretha's very disappointing autobiography.

The portraits of musical genuises Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield are as deep and as indelible as the one of Aretha. These three artists very simply changed the face of American music. Not just soul music, but American music.

We can see---sometimes in frightening ways---the influence of these great musical sensations on American Idol every year. Not that any singer/songwriters of the last 20 years can touch these geniuses.

God Bless Aretha, Steve and Curtis! And God speed Craig Werner on to his next great book!

American Soul.......2004-05-29

If the only riff in this book were Craig Werner's illumination of Aretha's, James Carr's, and Clarence Carter's respective recordings of the soul-deep classic "The Dark End of the Street," and the rest of "Higher Ground" were the telephone book, Werner's work would still be worth your while.

As it is, "Higher Ground" is packed with passages like the insight on "The Dark End of the Street." In this elegantly-written cultural history, Werner ties the studio work of Aretha, Stevie Wonder, and Curtis Mayfield to the Civil Rights Movement on the streets. The Movement Werner presents is not the one we collectively remember. First of all, the battleground (Chicago and Detroit) in "Higher Ground" is a little higher on the map than we're used to seeing in Civil Rights histories. Second, Werner goes behind the televised Movement of speeches and nonviolent marches and discovers the "shadow marchers" who weren't exactly unarmed (Werner quotes one activist who protected the preachers of the Movement with his "nonviolent .38 police special"). Finally, he reminds us that Civil Rights workers listened to more than the SNCC Freedom Singers' spirituals. Soul music was, as a SNCC organizer put it, "on every movement turntable."

More than simply "music writing," "Higher Ground" is also Movement history at its grandest and most honest. The subtitle to the book invokes "American Soul," purposefully omitting "Music" from the end, suggesting just how wide a net Werner casts. Still, the soul of the book is the music, which Werner hears in all its masked meanings. So read "Higher Ground" cover to cover, then set it alongside Dave Marsh's "The Heart of Rock & Soul," next to your turntable. And when you spin Aretha's "Think," Stevie's "As," or Curtis's "People Get Ready," skip right to the corresponding passage in "Higher Ground" and meditate on what you haven't been hearing in the songs you've been listening to for years.

this book sings like Aretha.......2004-03-13

Werner, whose masterpiece, A CHANGE IS GONNA COME: RACE, MUSIC AND THE SOUL OF AMERICA, is widely considered a classic, strikes again with an equally profound book that is an even better read. The narrative speedskates on three fascinating and nicely braided portraits of artists who reshaped American music in the image of the best black dreams of freedom. Not only do we get three great life stories; we also get a complex cultural history of how the black freedom movement transformed American culture, infusing the "gospel vision" into all manner of music. And on top of that, Werner has written a fine short history of the movement "up South" in Detroit and Chicago, two urban crucibles that reveal, in distinct ways, the tragedy of America's failure to respond to the African American call for R-e-s-p-e-c-t and to the call of its own best inner visions. This book sings like Aretha.

Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul.(Book Review): An article from: Notes

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Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul.(Book Review): An article from: Notes
Andrew Flory
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Online Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1340 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: Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul.(Book Review)
Author: Andrew Flory
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 61 Issue: 3 Page: 752(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

In this definitive and long-awaited history of 1950s British cinema, Sue Harper and Vincent Porter draw extensively on previously unknown archive material to chart the growing rejection of post-war deference by both film-makers and cinema audiences. Competition from television and successive changes in government policy all forced the production industry to become more market-sensitive. The films produced by Rank and Ealing, many of which harked back to wartime structures of feeling, were challenged by those backed by Anglo-Amalgamated and Hammer. The latter knew how to address the rebellious feelings and growing sexual discontents of a new generation of consumers. Even the British Board of Film Censors had to adopt a more liberal attitude. The collapse of the studio system also meant that the screenwriters and the art directors had to cede creative control to a new generation of independent producers and film directors. Harper and Porter explore the effects of these social, cultural, industrial, and economic changes on 1950s British cinema.

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How to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can't

Extremely helpful

Not for clinicians

Author of Survival Meditations for Parents of Teens

When you are facing tough choices with your teen...

How to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can't
Neil I. Bernstein
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Household Hints | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0761115706

Book Description

The teenage years are tough-for kids, and for parents. Many teenagers are grappling with a slew of overwhelming emotions, and the results can range from not wanting to be seen with a parent in public to reckless and destructive behavior that can destroy a family. Parents despair as a child becomes a sullen, defiant stranger. A clinical psychologist who's spent more than two decades bringing families back from the brink, Dr. Neil I. Bernstein knows how to help parents and teens successfully navigate these difficult and trying years. Thoughtful, clear-eyed, comprehensive, and refreshingly free of jargon, HOW TO KEEP YOUR TEENAGER OUT OF TROUBLE AND WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN'T helps parents identify whether their teens are exhibiting typical behavior-such as locking themselves in their room for hours-or are exhibiting real danger signs, such as being secretive, despondent, or constantly angry. And then he tells what to do about it. The focus, above all else, is effective communication: how to avoid threats and put-downs, offer clear explanations, stick with the issues at hand, negotiate, improve listening skills, ask relevant questions, and stop interrogating or lecturing. Throughout, Bernstein uses examples from his practice to tell specifically what to do and say. There is sample dialogue to keep discussions from becoming arguments; signals that parental efforts are actually working; and Skill Builders that give parents the tools they need to ensure their teenagers leave home as responsible, moral adults.

Customer Reviews:

How to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can't.......2007-03-11

This is a good book. But in some parts it is a decade behind. Our kids and teens are growing up so fast, we can not keep up with the change. This book does have some good hints, helpful ideas and things that will help you to look past the area they are now and where they may be heading.

Extremely helpful.......2005-10-07

I saw Dr. Bernstein on the NBC Katie Couric special on teens and sex a few months ago. I liked the way he provided sound and practical advise on dealing with difficult situations. After reading the book, I felt there really is a way to raise teens effectively without feeling that everything has to be a battle. This book is really true to its title. It offers parents a user friendly approach which is forthright and filled with everyday examples of how to handle challenging situations. I enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it to other parents.

Not for clinicians.......2005-07-29

This is too basic a book for therapists. Don't let it's large size fool you. Ok for parents who need some guidance.

Author of Survival Meditations for Parents of Teens.......2004-12-12

As an author and therapist working with teens and their families for the past twenty years, I am constantly looking for resources for parents. This no-nonsense book can help parents when they are at their most desperate by offering real-life solutions to the problems they most frequently face. For support of a more spiritual nature, check out my daily meditations, as together we try to survive this amazing and challenging time in our lives, and the lives of our teens.

When you are facing tough choices with your teen..........2002-04-02

I stumbled across this book on a sale rack and after thumbing through it, realized it offered more information than the dozen other books on raising teens that I'd read. This is one book that does not pull any punches, and confirms the idea that sometimes parents HAVE tried everything, and still their child is acting in such an extreme manner that the home setting is not the best for either child or parents and siblings. My husband and I had been considering an outside placement for our 16 yr. old son, and this book helped us decide how to proceed, with guidelines on locating a facility best suited to our son's needs and ours.

If you are looking at exteme, oppositional and defiant behavior, this book will give you the tools to make an informed decision to get your child's life back on track. Our son is now placed at a therapeutic boarding school relearning the fundamental values of honesty, respect for himself and others, and accountability.

Average customer rating:

Very practical

What Do You Mean I Can't Write?
John S. Fielden , and Ronald E. Dulek
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster (Paper)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0139520287

Download Description

The ability to communicate and write well is invaluable to a top executive and is a major factor in determining his or her promotability. A checklist of the elements of good writing is a means for individuals and groups to improve their writing skills. The four basic criteria of the written performance inventory are readability, correctness, appropriateness, and thought. Tact, supporting detail, opinion, and attitude are critical to determine the appropriateness of upward communications. In downward communications, diplomacy, clarification of desires, and motivational aspects are more significant. The most important element of any written communication is its thought content.

Customer Reviews:

Very practical.......2002-09-24

I'm glad to see this book is available again. I remember giving it years ago to a good employee who just couldn't "get" business writing. I was impressed by how clear, practical and easy to use it was.

Everyday Cat Excuses: Why I Can't Do What You Want

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Cat lovers will purr...
Cute & Hilarious!!!
Fat, furry and funny!

Everyday Cat Excuses: Why I Can't Do What You Want
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ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1419652265
Release Date: 2007-04-13

Product Description

A fanciful, furry and wickedly funny cartoon look at the secret world of Cats, and the excuses they use to pass their time doing only what THEY want-not what YOU want.

Customer Reviews:

Cat lovers will purr..........2007-01-17

This book is so much fun. It's clever and funny and anyone who has ever had a cat will enjoy reading it.

Cute & Hilarious!!!.......2006-12-09

What a great little book. My wife was laughing out loud! Perfect for any cat-lover --- and those who are perplexed by their cats. FUN!!!

Fat, furry and funny!.......2006-12-08

Well, the book isn't fat, the cats are. This slim little number is filled with whimsical cartoons of fat cats who have smartass answers (should that be smartCAT answers?) that are pretty darn funny. I'm not a "cat person" (dogs rule!), but I do like them a lot. I bought two copies for Christmas stocking stuffers for the cat ladies on my list, and I'm glad I got one for myself. Need a laugh? Well, this book has a bunch of them. Heck, it sure is more fun than a hairball any day!

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What Will I Do If I Can't Tie My Shoe?
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Manufacturer: Scholastic
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Binding: Paperback

Help, I'm In a Crisis!: What You Can Do When the Dam Breaks and the Boat Won't Float!

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Help, I'm In a Crisis!: What You Can Do When the Dam Breaks and the Boat Won't Float!
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How Do I Do This When I Can't See What I'm Doing? Information Processing for the Visually Disabled

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How Do I Do This When I Can't See What I'm Doing? Information Processing for the Visually Disabled

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Binding: Plastic Comb

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How Do I Do This When I Can't See What I'm Doing?: Information Processing for the Visually Disabled
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I Can't Do What?: Voices of Pathfinding Women
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I like these people.......2000-06-25

These sixteen women carved their success out of fields dominated by men at a time before popular consciousness and law started supporting a real women's movement. But this is not a book about the women's movement. It is a book which profiles sixteen people who forged ahead, not taking 'no' for an answer. In that sense, it is a book about the human spirit. These people share some things. They do not whine about difficulties. They do not see themselves as victims. They did not start their various careers to prove anything. They followed their own spirits. Many of them, almost ignoring their own hard work,talent and energy, describe themselves as having been lucky. These are inspiring people and I hope that the fact that they are women does not deter men from reading the book. I am glad that I did.

I don't know what your God can do but my God can do anything!

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I don't know what your God can do but my God can do anything!
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I know what you did last shift: a new study examines why employees don't report security concerns about coworkers and what management can do.(Legal Issues): An article from: Security Management

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I know what you did last shift: a new study examines why employees don't report security concerns about coworkers and what management can do.(Legal Issues): An article from: Security Management
Suzanne Wood
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Security Management, published by Thomson Gale on April 1, 2004. The length of the article is 2063 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: I know what you did last shift: a new study examines why employees don't report security concerns about coworkers and what management can do.(Legal Issues)
Author: Suzanne Wood
Publication: Security Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 48 Issue: 4 Page: 53(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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