Editorial Review

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Reviews

Preachy re-telling of Cinderella story is nauseating
This rather over-cute and moralistic version of the ancient Cinderella story was written to emphasize, as many religions do, that virtue should be practiced because it is rewarded. Nine year old Cinderella, whose true name is not revealed, listens to her mother tells her as she is dying to bear everything with patience.

Her father decides to remarry so that his daughter will have a step mother to care for her. He chooses badly and the step mothers with her two daughters mistreat the girl badly. She has to sit among the cinders of the chimney and, therefore, she is called Cinderella or Cinder-Wench.

Nothing more is told about the father. We do not know whether he was still alive during the subsequent episodes. We also do not know how old the girl is in the subsequent episodes. Surely she cannot still be nine.

When the prince arranges a ball and invites everyone, the step sisters have Cinderella prepare cloths for them and give them advice how to act because despite mistreating her, they knew that she had good taste. Cinderella, very virtuously helps her tormentors.

The rest of the tale is well known. Suffice it to add that virtuous Cinderella merited help from the fairy godmother because she treated her well when the fairy came to her disguised as a poor hungry old lady. Cinderella, true to form, later gives her step sisters some of the food that the prince gave her. Also after she married the prince, she arranged good marriages for the two step sisters.
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Editorial Review

From Susan Casey, bestselling author of The Devil’s Teeth, an astonishing book about colossal,  ship-swallowing rogue waves and the surfers who seek them out.

For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dis­missed these stories—waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet’s waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was trapped in a vortex of impossibly mammoth waves in the North Sea—including several that approached 100 feet.

As scientists scramble to understand this phenomenon, others view the giant waves as the ultimate challenge. These are extreme surfers who fly around the world trying to ride the ocean’s most destructive monsters. The pioneer of extreme surfing is the legendary Laird Hamilton, who, with a group of friends in Hawaii, figured out how to board suicidally large waves of 70 and 80 feet. Casey follows this unique tribe of peo­ple as they seek to conquer the holy grail of their sport, a 100­-foot wave.

In this mesmerizing account, the exploits of Hamilton and his fellow surfers are juxtaposed against scientists’ urgent efforts to understand the destructive powers of waves—from the tsunami that wiped out 250,000 people in the Pacific in 2004 to the 1,740-foot-wave that recently leveled part of the Alaskan coast.

Like Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, The Wave brilliantly portrays human beings confronting nature at its most ferocious. ... Read more

Reviews

The Discovery Channel meets ESPN, September 2, 2010

Well written ultra press release for The Laird...Ultimate Wave Guy (TM), September 5, 2010

she's not one of the boys yet, October 22, 2010
the book begins excitingly - susan casey is a tour de force when it comes to research. she knows her subject and does all the homework, ranging over continents to talk to sources in science and industry and sport. she obviously has money, because she spares nothing in expense. she also has an amazing ability to bring esoteric concepts to life by translating the phenomenon of these giant waves into little images and analogies that the reader can relate to - she writes vibrant, muscular prose. what disappointed me: when she finally gets to the big waves and big wave surfers, that boldness seems to dissipate. and she writes like a schoolgirl with a crush on things like laird's hamilton's muscles. no longer the intrepid adventurer, she writes about quivering with fear and nervousness at actually going out with the surfers to the wave break-- but in the flank of it, where all the boats and skis sit, the safe zone. she has a tin ear for her own dialogue - her questions seem to be suddenly a whole 6 octaves stupider, focused on feelings and "how do you feel" questions to men she's already characterized as not much for excess words. women surfers appear almost nowhere in the book. the more it annoyed me, the more i began to see casey as just another goggle-eyed chick in a bikini, and i was disappointed because her book began with such a dramatic crackle of energy. when i researched around and read on laird's website that she made a financial deal to pay for access to his world, i felt even more disappointed.

so i went back to read her first book, about great white sharks. same tendencies. amazing writing, with the same snap crackle pop of good prose. prodigious research, and capacious funds to undertake it. and yet somehow in the middle of the book she becomes all thumbs - afraid to jump from a sailboat to a dinghy, afraid to bait a fishhook, afraid of the dark, afraid of ghosts. afraid her expensive underwear will get taken by a storm. pointing out that she feels sexy wearing fashion rugged gear in the company of men. once again she never really mentions the women interns who are actually living at the farralones - who actually deal every day with the things she finds overwhelming as a visitor. they're there, but the experiences she focuses on are her own, not the experiences of those with more mileage and qualifications under their sexy belts. when a shark researcher shows up (and yes, he's handsome!!! picture included!!) she admires his muscular forearms but seems vague about what he actually does. they go to the aquarium together at the end. meanwhile she manages to lose a sailboat, set off government inquisitions and insurance claims, break federal regulations, and get one of the top research scientists fired from his job, with not so much as a fare-thee-well of regret for being the cause of so much trouble.

i look forward to the day when casey goes through the teeth of an experience and develops a little stamina and endurance of her own. so far both her books are based on having watched specials produced by others on tv - which means it's a recycled experience, more or less. someone else pointed the way, and she picked up well on the clues, but the path was already given. and she comes across as an amazing woman who still gets self-conscious and intimidated being in the world of rugged men. her claim to fame is access, not achievement. she has too much talent to waste on schoolgirl crushes. the best adventure journalists of our time don't just get their la perla underwear dirty - they write having already gone through transforming adventures of their own.

apologies to all concerned. as a woman writing and working in the world of men, i took these observations as a cautionary tale about tone. and tone-deafness. and being naive instead of weatherbeaten.

Waves Are Not Measured In Feet Or Inches But In Increments Of Fear, September 9, 2010

More the book about and from a extreme surfer groupie..., December 1, 2010
...than a book about waves! Susan Casey is obviously fascinated by extreme surfers and spends most of the book on them, their close calls, their family life etc... Now, granted that it is a fascinating life but despite her breathless prose, one does not really get the scale of what these guys are doing: maybe a video of them riding those monsters and talking about would do more justice to their accomplishments. But, in all that, what I had bought the book for, thinking on the basis of early reviews that it would be dealing with the forces creating these monster waves, was basically lost even when eventually she talked to scientists, drawing out of them more their personal experiences than the science of it. A more accurate title would be something like "In pursuit of the ultimate ride"

Surf's UP!!!!!, November 12, 2010
An incredible account of nature in all her unsettled splendor. I was thoroughly caught up in the telling of how the oceans spawn monstrous waves which are both awesome to behold and at the same time can be devastating to people, ships, and the land.

Ms. Casey wrote a wonderful book based on scientific evidence and personal accounts from many people who study, live and play on the world's oceans.

Imagine surfing on a 70ft wall of water. Too hard to imagine? Look up at a 7 or 8 story building, then stand next to it and look straight up. That's where the surfer drops into the moving wave of energy. Can you feel it?

Photos of ships being pummeled by giant waves; of the devastation left behind when monster waves hit land; and of the very brave people who surf these giants are included.

I love this book! I grew up on the east coast and remember some very large waves that hit beaches during stormy weather. The waves described in the book far outweigh my experiences.

A must read for anyone who thinks about global warming, and how weather is dynamically changing the very face of the oceans.

The ocean is full of unpredictable forces and characters too, December 14, 2010
Here we are presented with a concept book that attempts to hold various subjects, incidents and characters together around one unifying piece of information. That the ocean is full of unpredictable forces that create huge waves, some as high at 100 feet. We join the crew and scientist aboard the RRS Discovery in the North Sea as it is hurled about for days. We attend scientific workshops where mathematicians try and study waves. Find out climate change is going to make the oceans even more unpredictable. We learn two large ships sink each week on average (worldwide) and no one ever studies the cause as we do with airplanes that crash. Their disappearance is simply recorded as the results of "bad weather". Susan Casey then layers on top of this what I found to be the complete idiocy of big wave tow surfing with Laird Hamilton of Maui as the main character we are to identify with. He is sort of the Spiderman of surfing. He and his buddies (in conjunction with the surfing industry who at one point offer $100,000 to the first person who successfully rides a 100 foot wave) risk life (several surfers deaths are covered in the narrative) to just get the rush of the big wave. And interestingly enough it does not count if it is not filmed so we also meet an incredible group of surf photographers. So you mix all this into the stew and bounce around a lot and you find yourself loving and hating the book.
For me reading is much the joy of learning things you never knew or would know if you had not read a given book. And there is lots to learn in THE WAVE about the ocean and the phenomena of big waves and I doubt many people have heard of the sport of tow surfing or how one goes about doing it. Or that the biggest waves to surf are found some 100 miles off the coast of San Diego in some 6 foot deep water which covers the tops of a huge mountain range, an area called the Cortes Bank. So the book has much to offer. What seems wrong is its balance. The surfers, especially the hero worship of Laird Hamilton gets old after a while. Does Susan Casey ever think Laird's actions as a father with a family are a bit irresponsible no matter his skill and Zen like personality? Is he really a wave whisperer with no warts?
The interesting character for me at the end of the book is Laird's buddy Brett Lickle who having suffered a major injury which left his left leg with a scar that was "though his entire calf had been melted" (and have being saved by Laird Hamilton) stands on a cliff watching his friends challenge the latest Maui big waves. Lickle made it clear that he no longer misses "the circus, the jeopardy, the nerves" by saying, "The only thing I'll say is that the accident was a kind of ticket out, you know what I mean? What we had was a gang. And you couldn't get out of the gang. There was no way out. There's so much peer pressure like, `come on, you're the man! Let's go!' You can't just walk away because.....you can't. But if you get shot up and almost die, they let you out." For the surfers the big waves are a personal challenge and thrill like climbing a mountain. For the scientist and ships crews the waves are something to respect and fear.
If the subject interests you which I am betting it does I believe you will enjoy the book although I found it very uneven and is a bit to hero worshiping in its promotion of the tow surfing culture.

Scientists, ships and lots of surfing, October 1, 2010
Susan Casey is a captivating writer. Somehow she is able to take the concept of something as comparatively non-threatening as waves and spin it into an interesting tale, highlighting how wrong I was about the pretty waves breaking on the beach.

Casey interviews mariners, Lloyd's of London reps, physicists, and--primarily--surfers about their experiences with and predictions for a huuge wave, dude. The science is a little glossed over but I suspect that it would be difficult to go into wave physics in more depth without the reader glazing over. I really did enjoy the section about Lloyd's of London and their history in insuring ships (and Tina Turner's legs, of course).

The major problem with Casey's approach is I think she got a bit too caught up in the surfing scene. For each original section where she talked to a scientists about their dire predictions for the potential destructivenss of waves, or someone on a ship who had been caught in a wave, etc., she intersperses it with a scene about another wave-chasing day with the surfers, and it got a bit repetitive by the end of the book. I don't know, I think I would have admired the surfers more had I actually known a little less about them by the time the book was over. Anyway, this flaw wasn't enough to drop it to 3 stars. I learned a fair bit about surfing, and I finished the book in awe of the giant waves that could pay us a visit any time they like.

Radical brah, September 27, 2010
My surfing experience is limited to boogie boarding in San Diego when I was 22, but I had many surfing dreams for about a year after that. Whatever it is, it is powerful. Still, like many others I expected less surfers and a little more exploration into others who deal or have dealt with massive waves, but I still enjoyed the book.

More Stories than Science of Waves, but Conveys Their Beauty and Destructive Power., September 2, 2010

Editorial Review

Atlantic is a biography of a tremendous space that has been central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors, and continues to affect our character, attitudes, and dreams. Poets to potentates, seers to sailors, fishermen to foresters—all have a relationship with this great body of gray and heaving sea.

Winchester chronicles that relationship, making the Atlantic come vividly alive. More than a mere history, Atlantic is an unforgettable journey of unprecedented scope by one of the most gifted writers in the English language.

Reviews

Another hit from Winchester...., November 1, 2010

Winchester's winsome winner, November 3, 2010

A Disappointing Effort from a solid author, December 13, 2010
Simon Winchester is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of his books and did not wait long to order this, his newest. It started like several of his others with a geologist's explanation of history... always interesting. He then laid out the vital importance of the ocean to human evolution, civilization, exploration, and history... good stuff but lacking the detail and real human accounts of Krakatoa or Crack at the Edge of the World.

The disappointment for me was that a large portion of the book is devoted to Dr. Winchester's view on how climate change is affecting the Atlantic and speculation on what future impact it will have. He gives anecdotal stories without solid science or data references and seems to imply that whatever changes have occurred are the result of man's use of the ocean an are harmful or bad - not just historical changes. I felt as if I'd been tricked into reading a case for man-caused global warming. Winchester is obviously passionate about the Atlantic and concerned about its future. However, I bought the book as a historical retrospective and did not care to read an exhaustive op-ed about climate change.

Winchester turns nonfiction accounts into page-turning literature, November 9, 2010
"Men might as well project a voyage to the Moon as attempt to employ steam navigation against the stormy North Atlantic Ocean."
- Dionysius Lardner, Irish scientific writer and lecturer, 1793-1859

This quote opens Simon Winchester's latest book, ATLANTIC. The bestselling author of KRAKATOA and THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN has made a career of turning nonfiction accounts into page-turning literature. Now he is taking on the vast infinity that is the Atlantic Ocean in a work that reads like crisp fiction as it covers this immense space through a number of different themes, blending both fact and folklore along the way.

What gives the book even more poignancy is how Winchester interjects his personal experiences into the numerous references he provides regarding the great Atlantic Ocean. Once nicknamed "the pond" by Victorian sailors of the 1600s, this body of water has been the site of famous events and the inspiration for thousands of artistic and literary productions.

Early on in the preface, Winchester mentions the Atlantic Charter of 1941. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the accord that signaled a changing of the guard, with the United States taking over from Britain as titular leader of the Western world. Winchester also refers to the Atlantic Ocean as a body of water that geologists predict will continue to transform in shape and size dramatically. Because of all the change that has taken place with the ocean over thousands of years, it is a reasonable subject that can have its story told in the form of biography.

Winchester indicates that the origins of the Atlantic can be traced as far back as the Jurassic period 195 million years ago. However, it was not until the age of early aquatic explorers that this mighty ocean was discovered and recognized. The voyages of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus are well known. Yet the first European to cross the Atlantic and reach the New World was actually a Norse Viking, most likely from Norway. Prior to Columbus reaching the New World, Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci was the first to realize North America as a continent and the Atlantic as a discrete and separate body of water --- an ocean.

Details of the great ships that crossed the Atlantic are covered at length by Winchester, with particular attention given to the HMS Challenger. Initially a warship, the Challenger not only traversed the Atlantic visiting numerous ports along the way but also carried a team of scientists and geologists during its initial three-and-a-half-year voyage. The findings of these men of science included the discovery of hundreds of specimens --- both animal and plant --- many of which still exist today. This was a formidable intellectual achievement that opened up the world and was the most comprehensive study of an ocean ever undertaken.

ATLANTIC provides proof of the indelible inspiration the Atlantic Ocean has made in the areas of arts and literature. Thousands of poems, stories and artistic achievements claim the ocean as their muse. Among Winchester's references are the Anglo-Saxon poem "The Seafarer" and numerous writings by the great William Shakespeare that provide some of the first Atlantic-inspired literary works. Architecture along the thousands of Atlantic coastline areas also represents respect for the sea. French composer Claude Debussy titled three of his major works "La mer," which helped attach the word "Impressionism" to a new style of sea-centered music. Winchester also points out several famous pieces of art, with none more notable than those of English artist J.M.W. Turner, whose "The Wreck of the Minotaur" exemplified the power of the great Atlantic Ocean.

No story of the Atlantic would be complete without outlining the role this body of water has played in the war experience. The Portuguese, the French, the Dutch and the English all sailed ships across the Atlantic during colonization efforts with the intent on beating their opponents to new territories. Winchester regales us with the golden age of pirates on the Atlantic, a term that originated from the Caribbean references to buccaneers and privateers. Writers like Robert Louis Stevenson and Daniel Defoe told of the exploits of these infamous traverses and villains of the Atlantic.

What Simon Winchester does best is to make his biography of the Atlantic Ocean read like a compelling fictional narrative that is never dull. In the hands of a writer with his gifts and talent for phraseology, what could have been an antiseptic textbook type of read is instead an exciting and enthralling literary experience that will appeal to anyone who is interested in history and engaging storytelling.

A rather ridiculous book, December 22, 2010
I have enjoyed a number of Winchester's books, but this was not one of them. He is at his best when he is detailing a story that is not well-known and surprising. That was what drove the success of his previous work. In this book, he takes on an enormous subject and ends up with a catalog of his research interspersed with totally unsupported assertions and some rather dull writing about his travels.

The structural problem with the book is that Winchester has chosen a cumbersome thematic structure to organize his writing: the seven stages of man listed in the "All the world's a stage..." speech from As You Like It. While this may have seemed like a clever way to tackle a sprawling subject like the Atlantic, the structure overwhelms any insight Winchester may or may not have had about the Atlantic. Seeking to fill this outline, Winchester stuffs everything into it that either (a) features the words "sea" or "Atlantic" or (b) happens to have taken place in or near the Atlantic. The result is a combination of the obvious (jet travel ended regular ocean liner service) or the downright tautological (in a section on "cities," Winchester writes brief descriptions of New York, Cape Town, St. Helena, none of which have any connection to each other and all of which essentially boil down to the pointless statement 'these are Atlantic cities because they are on the Atlantic ocean.")

Unsupported assertions abound. Apparently, musical instruments were not powerful enough before the 18th century to tackle the sea as a subject (whatever that may mean in the context of music). The "paramount" issue in the story of the Pilgrims is the Atlantic. What? How do you back that up? Even more bizarre, Winchester then undermines his own point by noting that it was important only as an obstacle to be crossed. Well, yeah. The Pilgrims are remembered for the founding of New England, not for their (total lack of ) seamanship or connection to the Atlantic.

Aside from the structural problems, Winchester's prose is often leaden and tedious. The opening story about his transatlantic crossing drags on for too long, pulls in totally unrelated issues like the meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt that resulted in the Atlantic Charter, and then peters out with no apparent point. As other reviewers have noted, almost everything is weighed down with vague modifiers. I suspect that these pleading modifiers are Winchester's unconscious attempt to make his lack of insight or, frankly, point sound "important."

Put simply, the book is a mess. The interesting subjects are covered in other books in better detail and with better writing. Winchester's writing about himself is dull and overwrought. Readers are better off sticking to books where Winchester has tackled a small, somewhat esoteric subject.

The Axis of Western Civilization, December 6, 2010

A tantalizing but frustrating read, November 14, 2010
This is an interesting book that could have been far more interesting if it were not so frustrating to read.

The book is filled with non-sequiturs that leave the reader in total puzzlement. An example is found on page 122: "Who now remembers James Rennell, for instance, a young sailor from Devon, England, who first came upon the Atlantic proper on a long-sea trick from military service in Bengal." What?! Actually I think we can be fairly certain that it was some paleolithic man or woman "who first came on the Atlantic proper." We can only try to guess what a "long-sea trick" is or what this has to do with Bengal.

The author drops bombshells on us and then blithely goes on to a new topic. We learn that tobacco has been found in an Egyptian tomb. This is a potentially profound discovery. When was this discovered and by whom? Are archeologists in general agreement about this? Has it been tested to determine where it was grown? Is it possible that there is an explanation other than a transatlantic voyage? You will never find out reading this book.

Casting his net too widely this time, December 27, 2010

Simon Winchester's books are always an adventure of one sort or another. He chooses a topic--person, place, event, in one stunningly expansive outing ("The Meaning of Everything") the Oxford English Dictionary--and covers that topic with infinite range and detail. I make it a point to listen to his books on audio, read by the author, for the joy of his linguistic pirouettes and pyrotechnics. I like his style.

For his latest book, though, I believe he cast his net too widely. The title says it all: Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms,and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories . In writing about the Atlantic Ocean he gave himself license to include anything that ever existed or occurred on, in or near it; art and music related to it in any way; warfare, trade, piracy, transportation of people and goods on or over the ocean; our overfishing and pollution of it; what will happen if global warming causes it to rise; and finally, the predictions (both dismal and majestic) of how the Atlantic will cease to exist when the continents ricochet back around and pinch it off in a few million years.

Realizing that he needed a structure to manage this mass of material, Winchester chose Shakespeare's "Seven Ages of Man" monologue from "As You Like It," relating aspects of the ocean to the stages: infant, school-boy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon (foolish old man), and second childhood. I didn't think this conceit worked perfectly, and in fact the structure that could bring order to this book probably doesn't exist.

Winchester's first career was in geology, and his fervor for eruptions and in fact all geological phenomena makes the Atlantic a promising topic for him. On the other hand, writing about individuals--you can scarcely call these books biographies--somehow focuses and settles his writing; "human included for scale," so to speak. I hope his next book will, indeed, be more focused.

Linda Bulger, 2010

Epic Sea Battles. War At Sea., December 8, 2010

A Fine Slice Through the Grey Waters., December 6, 2010

Editorial Review

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Reviews

All Is Connected, November 9, 2000
Siddhartha is that most unusual of all stories -- one that follows a character throughout most of his life . . . and describes that life in terms of a spiritual journey. For those who are ready to think about what their spiritual journey can be, Siddhartha will be a revelation. For those who are not yet looking for "enlightenment," the book will seem pecular, odd, and out-of-joint. That's because Hesse was presenting a mystery story, also, for each reader to solve for herself or himself. The mystery is simply to unravel the meaning of life.

As the son of a Brahmin, Siddhartha would naturally have enjoyed access to all of the finest lessons and things of life. Knowing of his natural superiority in many ways, he becomes disenchanted with teachers and his companions. In a burst of independence, he insists on being allowed to leave home to become a wandering Shramana (or Samana, depending on which translation you read). After three years or so, he tires of this as well. Near the end of that part of his life, Siddharta meets Gotama, the Buddha, and admires him greatly. But Siddharta continues to feel that teachers cannot convey the wisdom of what they know. Words are too fragile a vessel for that purpose. He sees a beautiful courtesan and asks her to teach him about love. Thus, Siddhartha begins his third quest for meaning by embracing the ordinary life that most people experience. Eventually, disgusted by this (and he does behave disgustingly), he tires of life. Then, he suddenly reconnects with the Universe, and decides to become a ferryman and learn from the river. In this fourth stage of his life, he comes to develop the wisdom to match the knowledge that direct experiences of the "good" and the "sensual" life have provided to him.

Few will find Siddhartha to be an attractive character until near the end of the book. Hesse is trying to portray his path towards balance and understanding by emphasizing Siddhartha's weaknesses and errors. But, these are mostly errors that all people fall into. Hesse wants us to see that we make too much of any given moment or event. The "all" in a timeless sense is what we should seek for.

There is a wonderful description of what a rock is near the end of the book that is well worth reading, even if you get nothing out of the rest of the story. The "mystery" of what Gotima experiences when he kisses Siddhartha's forehead will provide many interesting questions for each reader to consider.

I recommend that you both listen to this book on tape and read it. Hesse's approach to learning is for us to observe and feel. You will do more of that while listening than by simply reading. I was able to find an unabridged audio tape in our library for my listening. I encourage you to go with an unabridged tape as well. You will get more out of Siddhartha that way. I read the Hilda Rosner translation, and liked it very much.

After you finish listening to and reading the book, I suggest that you think about what you have not yet experienced that would help you get a better sense of life. If you have tried to be a secular person, you could try being a spiritual one. If you have focused on being a parent, you could focus on being a sibling. If you have focused on making money, you could pay attention to giving away your time. And so on. But in each case, give yourself more opportunities to experience and learn from nature. That is Hesse's real message here.

Ommmm

A great novel, but get a different edition!, September 19, 2006
I'm a German teacher, and this is one of the most-loved books ever, but the translation in this particular edition is outdated and full of errors. (For example, the "sallow wood" in the first sentence is an outright mistake on the translator's part, it's really supposed to be a "forest of sal trees" - that's a kind of tree that's common in India.) There are a few more recent translations out there that are better. I like the one by Susan Bernofsky best, but there are others to pick from as well.

Quick, but reaches deep, April 27, 2000
I don't think I read the novel in this translation, but am sure that does not matter overly. Hesse does write quite excellently, I am sure, but the impression left to me from this book, which I read in one morning in the summer, have sunk deeper than the words.

In some ways, it is similar to Voltaire's Candide, another story of truth being sought by a youth. The great difference is in the nature of the quest - whereas Candide is a simple child of the world, forced to mature through the cynical experiences of life, Siddhartha embraces suffering and learning in an active and uncynical attempt to find wisdom. His greatest discovery is that you cannot just "find" it.

This is a novel that can serve as a metaphor for all and everything. As a novel it is simple and beautiful; as a metaphor, it is important, as important as any other that exist in religion or spiritualism. Hesse writes openly and without prejudice - Hindus have no quarrel with Buddhists here. Here is a quick dose of fresh thought for anyone with a bit of time. I notice the trend of "little books of wisdom" is starting to wane...thank goodness - reach for something more substantial, right here.

A Mystical Look at a Universal Problem, August 8, 2000
Set in India, Siddhartha is subtitled an "Indic Poetic Work" and clearly it does owe much to both Buddhism and Hinduism, however the philosophy embodied in Siddhartha is both unique and quite complex, despite the lyrically beautiful simplicity of the plot.

Siddhartha is one of the names of the historical Gautama and while the life of Hesse's character resembles that of his historical counterpart to some extent, Siddhartha is by no means a fictional life of Buddha and his teachings.

Siddhartha is divided into two parts of four and eight chapters, something some have interpreted as an illustration of Buddhism's Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment.

Elements of Hinduism can also be found in Siddhartha. Some critics maintain that Hesse was influenced largely by the Bhagavad Gita when he wrote the book and that his protagonist was groping his way along a path outlined in that text. Certainly the central problems of Siddhartha and the Gita are similar: how can the protagonist attain a state of happiness and serenity by means of a long and arduous path?

Hesse's protagonist, however, seeks his own personal path to fulfillment, not someone else's. It is one of trial and error and he is only subconsciously aware of its nature. Although many see Siddhartha's quest as embodying the ideals of Buddhism, Siddhartha objects to the negative aspects of Gautama's teaching. He rejects Gautama's model for himself and he rejects Buddhism; Siddhartha insists upon the right to choose his own path to fulfillment.

The primary theme of Siddhartha is the individual's difficult and lonely search for self-fulfillment. Both the means used by the hero in his quest and the nature of his fulfillment are of prime importance and reflect recurring themes that thread their way through all of Hesse's work.

Although Siddhartha listens with great respect to the words of Buddha and does not reject Buddhism as being right for others, he, himself, does not become Buddha's disciple, but decides to pursue his goal through his own effort, not by following a teacher. As in Demian, Nietzsche's influence is apparent; the reader is strongly reminded of Nietzsche's Zarathustra who exhorts his listeners not to follow him, but to excel themselves.

Siddhartha's sense of fulfillment is a mystical one and cannot be defined with precision. In this respect, it resembles the Nirvana of Buddhism. The most important aspect of Siddhartha's growing awareness, however, is an unselfish and undirected love.

The division of the world into the two opposing poles of masculine and feminine is another common theme in Hesse's writings. The Father World, or masculine, is dominated by the intellect, reason, spirit, stability and discipline; the Mother Word, or feminine, by emotion, love, fertility, birth, death, fluidity, nature and the senses.

While this symbolism is more pronounced in other works, such as Demian and The Glass Bead Game, it is also present and consistently developed in Siddhartha.

Siddhartha's position vis-a-vis the two worlds changes during the course of the novel. At times, he seems to embrace one world more than the other; at other times he unites the virtues of each.

Two symbolic elements thread their way through Siddhartha; that of the river and that of a smile. Suggestive of fluidity as well as the paradoxical union of permanence and flux, the river is an age-old symbol of eternity and spiritual communion.

A second important symbol in Siddhartha is that of the smile. The characters in the story who attain a final state of complete serenity are each characterized by a beautiful smile reflecting a peaceful and harmonious state of being.

Each of these symbols is associated with Siddhartha at key junctures in his quest.

Siddhartha is written in an extremely simple style, in keeping with the inherent simplicity of the plot, theme and general tone of the book. The syntax is uncomplicated and except for a few technical terms from Indian philosophy, the vocabulary is straightforward. Frequent use is made of leitmotifs, parallelism and repetition and, in the original German, the language is rhythmic and lyrical, reminiscent of a poetic religious text with a definite meditative quality.

Siddhartha is told by an omniscient third person narrator with frequent direct and indirect quotations of the words and thoughts of various characters, especially Siddhartha. The narrator, almost invariably, looks at things from Siddhartha's perspective, and even when other characters are discussed or quoted, it is always to shed light on Siddhartha, himself.

A mystical and lyrical book, Siddhartha is a beautiful story of a truly personal quest towards the self-fulfillment we all must strive to attain.

The secret of Siddhartha., April 22, 2001
"A path lies before you which you are called to follow," Hesse writes in this story of enlightenment. "The gods await you." Hesse's 1922 novel opens with Siddhartha (not to be confused with Siddhartha Gotama, the Buddha) beginning "to feel the seeds of discontent within him." For the young man, "the world tasted bitter. Life was pain." Because of his unhappiness, Siddhartha abandons the comforts of his home and family, and joins the Samanas, "wandering ascetics . . . lean jackals in the world of men," with the goal of "becoming empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow." After travelling with the Samanas for three years, Siddhartha encounters the Buddha, and decides "to strike a new path" by following the Buddha's teachings on suffering: Life is pain. The world is full of suffering. There is a path to escape pain. However, always the wanderer, Siddhartha eventually rejects the Buddha's teachings--or so he believes--as he sets out to discover the truth from his own experience instead.

In time, Siddhartha finds himself "deeply entangled in Samsara," caught in the empty prosperity, possessions, and riches of the world, like "a shipwrecked man on the shore." In the spiritual poverty of his material wealth, Siddhartha's inner voice becomes silent. In his despair, Siddhartha again renounces the comforts of his life by becoming a ferryman. He ultimately learns from the river. "Above all, he learned from it how to listen, to listen with a still heart, with a waiting, open soul, without passion, without desire, without judgment, without opinions." Throughout Siddhartha's wanderings and enlightenment, Hesse offers up profound insights into the human predicament.

This is one of my all-time favorite novels. It teaches us that "your soul is your whole world." SIDDHARTHA had a profound impact on me when I first read it more than twenty five years ago, and now it has spoken to my soul again as I travel through my middle years. Wherever you are on your path through life, you will find SIDDHARTHA a meaningful novel.

G. Merritt

One of the most beautiful novels I have ever read, January 7, 2005
Siddhartha is an excellent novel for the post 9/11 world. No, I'm not prescribing a "Buddhist" religion to Muslims or Christians; this is because the novel Siddhartha does not prescribe any religion or doctrine. Neither does it really tell you how to be happy or spiritually enlightened; the novel simply deals with the fact that enlightenment is subjective from person to person. What made Siddhartha enlightened in the novel, did not make Gotama, the other Buddha enlightened. But the saintly thing about the character Siddhartha, is he did not judge Gotama for his spiritual differences or try to convert others to any doctrine.

The prose in the novel is simple, yet lush, descriptive and profound, making it a short satisfying read, which should be taken in slowly, rather than rushing through where you might miss important words.

In Siddhartha, a young Brahmins son, leaves a comfortable life when early in the novel he joins the Samanas, a group of wandering ascetics, practicing self denial. In Siddartha's journey he begins to distrust doctrines because they brought knowllege, but no wisdom, no peace or enlightenment. He leaves the Samanas and began a life which many would call "sinful" until he changes his lifestyle again.

But the way Siddhartha by Herman Hesse is different than other religious books, is that the character Siddhartha has "to sin in order to live again." The fact is that everyone is a sinner. There is no way to not be a sinner, and Siddhartha has to have the "experience" of what is sin, to know what is moral and right. Many religious books simply tell you how to live, this novel doesn't. Please do not read it as an introduction to Buddhism, or something you can read and immediately achieve salvation, it's simply a work of art that shows spiritual freedom in the path one takes.

The message I received from the novel was that life is too complex to prescribe a way of salvation that works for everyone. As Hesse says, "Wisdom is not communicable" and the book doesn't communicate wisdom universally, because no one can. In this fanatical world, religions might not clash so much if they took this into consideration.

Truth is not as much out there as in here., December 25, 1999
I'm looking at the different reviews about this book and while majority has been favorable, there are some that are not towards this book. Each of these reviewers is exactly correct about this book for him/herself. It's about being on a particular path in your life that is exactly the right one for you at this time of your life. Siddhartha was very intelligent, yet intelligence has nothing to do with enlightenment that he desperately sought. He often felt superior to others, yet could not experience the intensity of passion that others experienced. It wasn't until he experienced humanity himself, including the hurts of love and conceit and sorrow with the appearance and disappearance of his son, that he understood that each person's path towards enlightenment is one's alone, yet intertwined with everyone else's. My favorite part was when Vasudeva reminded him that his role was not to spare his son of pain because each person has to experience life for himself in order to fully understand his own existence within that context.

Deep Impact, June 29, 2005
I thought I had life sussed -- I thought I was enlightened already with just a little tweeking necessary -- I secretly thought I was "evolved" and "special". I know the book is just someone's perspective but for me there were many passages that occurred like I knew them but didn't know I knew them.

When I started reading it, I was full of conflicting opinions (with me being right, of course) and it was about half way through that I started to understand the journey of the book - a journey that ended up being my own too. The last half was a greedy read for me with a wonderful sense of well-being encompassing me in the last few pages.

What I got out of it is that one of my longings has been that I can share the knowledge and wisdom I have attained over my 55 years. It is liberating to acknowledge that Who I actually am is ordinary... one of the 'child people' mentioned in the book and not the would-be guru I've set myself up to be to inform people of how wrong they are doing things. I came to that I am content with being ordinary - who I am and where I am ... and life will change like the water of the river depicted in the book .. always there (life) but never the same water and no doubt, I will change with it.

Who I am being about it is that I am setting myself free to just be me .. all that I am and all that I'm not and I know that will be a journey in itself.

I'm really glad I had the opportunity to read the book .. as you can probably tell.

"Knowledge Can Be Communicated, But Not Wisdom", February 20, 2005
In a short essay or summary format, it is impossible to adequately describe in words the many qualities which make Herman Hesse's book, Siddhartha, a deeply satisfying masterpiece. However, the chance of bringing such a special book into the lives of others makes an attempt worthwhile. It has been written that Siddhartha is Hesse's most famous and influential work, and in many ways, I can easily understand why. This is a most effortless, yet incredibly profound book to read. The lucid, sagacious style in which Hesse explains an utterly complex subject matter is in itself an achievement to wonder at. From beginning to end, the words weaved within the story's context invoke curiosity, and at times a longing for what lies within the pages to come; and when those pages do come, the radiant words cultivate a deep spiritual air of enlightenment that will awaken your senses and encompass your thoughts.

According to Hesse, "the true profession of man is to find his way to himself." Indeed, he may just be correct, if only in part. I would personally modify this assertion by saying that finding the way to ourselves is the profession of man's first stage of life; the other stage being that man must find his way to knowing and giving love in all its forms. Thus, the true profession of man is to find his way to himself and to others; but I do not believe that my latter assertion can be accomplished without first having successfully discovered the former. Perhaps everyone at some point learns to understand this, as the yearning for the way to ourselves is innate in each of us. The search for the inner-self and quest for answers to life's mysteries is one that has occupied and eluded mankind since the dawn of time; but in a small way, Herman Hesse's Siddhartha is an excellent blueprint in creating a roadmap to help you set your own course or direction in that journey. The sooner you move on from the first stage to the second, the longer your true happiness will have been found. I do believe Hesse understood this, however, as he writes: "It seems to me, Govinda, that love is the most important thing in the world." He continues, "...I think it is only important to love the world, not to despise it, not for us to hate each other, but to be able to regard the world and ourselves and all beings with love, admiration and respect" (Siddhartha, p. 147).

As for the story itself, I suppose an oversimplification of Siddhartha will suffice for some, which is to say this is a rich and colorful novel about the search for self-knowledge and meaning of life; but to leave it at that would be to sell it short. An amazing piece of literary work originally published in 1922, Siddhartha is an enchanting, iridescent tale of one man's spiritual quest. The story is told in the context and feel of Eastern religious thought and philosophy that was most likely found in parts of India during the early 1900's. The novel begins as the title character, Siddhartha, is already a young man. Born the son of a Brahmin, Siddhartha was blessed in appearance, intelligence, and charisma. He is at a point in his life where he begins to come of age. Having already long taken part in learned men's conversations, engaged in debate with his close friend, Govinda, we learn of Siddhartha's progress in life thus far. Well-practiced at contemplation and mediation, Siddhartha is well on his way to developing an astute intellect and discernment. He is a source of happiness and pride for his parents and all who know him. He is adorned with the love and adoration that many people would only dream of. Yet, true happiness still eludes him.

Siddhartha's indomitable thirst for enlightenment is as innate as breathing. This ceaseless longing must be cultivated, which makes it necessary for him to leave his family and embark on a quest to find his true inner-self; and so begins Siddhartha's journey in pursuit of the ultimate enlightenment, nirvana. In an incredible saga of many personal evolutions, Siddhartha follows several paths in his life, going through several lifestyles, perspectives, and states of mind. Siddhartha leaves his family behind to become a wandering ascetic, but all is eventually lost as his spiritual gains erode and he is seduced by the pleasures of the flesh. He slowly begins to be enslaved by his earthly passions and is completely subjugated by his base desires until he becomes like all the other "child people" that he so loathed. Ultimately, Siddhartha frees himself from the grips of vice and moves on to live a quieter and simpler life; but it is not until he is an old man that Siddhartha, who has experienced a great deal in his lifetime, finally has an epiphany which challenges many of the Eastern ideals of enlightenment. It is in this revelation that Siddhartha finally realizes the answers for which he has thirsted for so long.

Though it is not a grievous task to read Siddhartha, it may take a lifetime to truly comprehend its prodigious message. Subsequent readings will almost certainly provide revelations that were not realized previously. As time passes, I am realizing that, at first read, the depths and duality of its message may remain beyond comprehension; especially to the reader who has not learned to listen to their own "river" yet. As you read and follow along the path of discovery with Siddhartha, you will also discover, or perhaps rediscover, much about yourself in the process. Hesse makes it so easy to believe that the meaning of life is perhaps not as complicated as we think it is. Truly, my affection for this story has lingered since reading it, and I believe this affection will continue to linger in my heart for all the days of my life. I have a strong feeling that it will have the same effect on many, if not most of you, as well. Siddhartha is a satisfying, must-read book that everyone who possesses any depth to their soul should experience.

I leave you with but a taste for your palate. Bantam Book 1971 edition, translated by Hilda Rosner:

"'When someone is seeking,' said Siddhartha, 'it happens quite easily that he only sees the thing that he is seeking; that he is unable to find anything, because he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are perhaps indeed a seeker, for in striving towards your goal, you do not see many things that are under your nose'" (Siddhartha, p. 140).

"I learned through my body and soul that it was necessary to sin, that I needed lust, that I had to strive for property and experience nausea and the depths of despair in order to learn not to resist them, in order to learn to love the world, and no longer compare it with some kind of desired imaginary vision of perfection, but to leave it as it is, to love it and be glad to belong to it" (Siddhartha, p. 144).

deeply moving, April 21, 2002
Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha is a profound novel telling story of a young Bramin who lived around 25 hundred years ago and was a contemporary of the Gotama Budda.
The first time I read this book was when I was studying in a University. I, being a Theravat buddist, was amazed at the level of understanding Hesse had about Buddism and eastern spiritual belief. The story led life of a young Bramin through the quest for eternal serenity. The holy quest gave Siddhartha chances to learn the world and meet people including the Budda himself.

Given that the book was written almost a hundred years ago, when the idea of eastern philosophy was almost no where to be found in the western world, I really have to say that Hesse had done an incredibly deep study on the topic. considering from the dialogue between the Budda and Siddhartha, I'd say that Hesse understood the thought of Budda better than most Buddist in Thailand. This book is outstanding. ... Read more

Editorial Review

CK-12 Earth Science covers the study of Earth - its minerals and energy resources, processes inside and on its surface, its past, water, weather and climate, the environment and human actions, and astronomy. ... Read more

Reviews

An Excellent Free Earth Science Textbook, October 31, 2010
"Earth Science" is a combination of various scientific disciplines that deal with the planet earth in the most general macroscopic level. Different branches of earth science encompass geology, oceanography, climatology, meteorology, and even for the purposes of understanding the position of the Earth in the Universe, astronomy.

This is by and large a very approachable and well presented introductory earth science textbook, and it is written with a high school student or beginning college student in mind. Topics covered include earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics and the continental drift, mineralogy, erosion, oceans, atmosphere, climate, the impact of humans on earth, and many others. The book concludes with a few chapters that take us beyond Earth, and aim to describe Earth's place in the Universe as a whole.

Each chapter ends with a several questions, most of which are not quantitative. In fact, this is not a very quantitatively oriented textbook, and it stresses critical and scientific thinking over quantitative skills. However, it is a very interesting and well organized textbook and provides an excellent introduction to earth science. In addition to questions, there are also numerous vocabulary terms listed at the end of each chapter. These provide the student with an opportunity to systematize the knowledge gained in the preceding chapter.

There are many illustrations and photographs throughout the textbook, and they are generally of high quality and on the average much better than in most other CK-12 textbooks.

This book is available under the Creative Commons License through the CK-12 foundation, which means it can be reprinted, modified and resold if necessary. It is also a fairly large file, pdf version being about 1500 pages long, so be prepared for a longish download.

The Kindle formatting of this textbook leaves something to be desired. The book was originally typeset in LaTeX, and this did not translate all that smoothly into the Kindle format. I've found that getting this textbook on other e-readers or computers in the epub format rendered it much more satisfactorily.

This is probably one of the best presented and formatted of all CK-12 textbooks, and comes closest to being a completely viable alternative to a traditional textbook.

Free Top-Notch Textbook, November 6, 2010
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042XA30S/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img

The CK-Foundation intends to create GOOD,inexpensive textbooks. In this book it is certainly succeeding. I wish this system had been available when my youngest child asked for home school for grades 8-12. I have a PhD in English and my husband has an MA in history and an MBA. But those don't make us great teachers for math and science, and we were fumbling our way through these courses.

The books are carefully planned and include all the written information the students could possibly need. As more and more outlets for experimental material for science students appear, lab work becomes more and more available even to home scholars.

Any students who complete their courses without being allowed to fail--that is, if the work is done wrong it has to be done over, something that is far more possible in home schools than in public schools or even private schools--will be well equipped to handle all college entrance exams and probably will be far ahead of their fellow students who came out of public school.

I will never forget one of my college freshmen who came to me in tears the day before Thanksgiving break. She told me that the first thing she was going to do when she got home was to go to the school board superintendent and chew him out, because she was in honors English for four years, and never learned the parts of speech or what does and does not constitute a sentence. I wish every student would do that, when he or she feels failed by the present educational system. If the students would complain, the system would have to change.

We're already seeing this in our four-year-old granddaughter, who is complaining that Church primary is boring. Right now she is enjoying public preschool, but by kindergarten age she will be so far above her fellow students that she, like her mother before her, will be bored stiff throughout public school. Her cousin, our fifth-grade granddaughter, is already reading on a high school level; what is she going to do in high school?

I'm thankful that people are willing to work without charge to create a new school system that every students can use. I have already written to volunteer my services. ... Read more

Editorial Review

National Bestseller 

A New York Times Notable Book
An O, The Oprah Magazine Terrific Read of the Year
A Huffington Post Best Book of the Year
A New Yorker Favorite Book of the Year
A Chicago Tribune Favorite Nonfiction Book of the Year
A Kansas City Star Best Book of the Year
A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
An Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Decade

The true story of one family, caught between America’s two biggest policy disasters: the war on terror and the response to Hurricane Katrina.
 
Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun run a house-painting business in New Orleans. In August of 2005, as Hurricane Katrina approaches, Kathy evacuates with their four young children, leaving Zeitoun to watch over the business. In the days following the storm he travels the city by canoe, feeding abandoned animals and helping elderly neighbors. Then, on September 6th, police officers armed with M-16s arrest Zeitoun in his home. Told with eloquence and compassion, Zeitoun is a riveting account of one family’s unthinkable struggle with forces beyond wind and water. ... Read more

Reviews

Simple Story, Simply Told, Simply Horrifying, August 11, 2009
First off, Zeitoun painted my house about 8 years ago so maybe I'm a little bit biased. I also think Dave Eggers is a great writer (doubly biased, perhaps). This story needs to be told to a large audience and Mr. Eggers is just the person to tell it. Maybe we can knock Eggers for the simplistic style he chose to write this book. On the other hand, this story frankly didn't need much artistic enhancement. It is shocking on its own accord and told in a very straightforward manner. Appropriate for the material, I believe.

Every American NEEDS to read this book. What we find in it is an America that lost its core. It is truly shocking that no matter how bad things were in New Orleans immediately following Katrina (most reporting was inaccurate and sensationalized), we are still Americans with common beliefs in our system of rights. That these rights were tossed out the window is appalling.

Mr. Zeitoun is a kind and gentle man. His signs are ubiquitous in New Orleans and he is a stranger to no one and well liked by all who have met him. That he could be mistreated is a crime and an outrage. That others were rounded up and treated even worse is one of the worst black eyes on our country. As I read this book I just kept saying out loud over and over again, "This cannot be America."

Riveting, July 26, 2009
I had never read anything by Dave Eggers before, but his reputation set some pretty high expectations. I am a fan of narrative non-fiction and non-fiction, and enjoy books like "In Thin Air" or "The Colony." I picked up the book yesterday, and finished it this morning. It was spectacular.

The writing style is perfect. It is not over the top with descriptions, but still makes you feel as if you are there, canoeing along in the streets of New Orleans. The subject matter is interesting, not just in a "can't stop watching this train wreck" sort of way, but because it ties together Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, two of the largest national events of the last decade. I never thought or knew about much beyond what I saw on TV regarding Katrina. This book thoroughly explores one story of one family, but manages tell it from a perspective that everyone can understand.

Much like the book Three Cups of Tea brought attention to the plight of women in Pakistan, I hope that Zeitoun will bring to light the problems and issues that still need attention in the US and in New Orleans.

Eggers took the main event, Katrina, and by telling the Zietouns' story, made it of human scale.

I'm rambling--all I can say is, I think this book is worth a read for everyone. It isn't preachy-it is interesting. I learned a lot about many different subjects. I hope it ends up on the best seller list and stays there for a long time. Unlike some books that end up on the best seller lists, this one really deserves to be there.

beauty and horror, August 1, 2009
Zeitoun is a creampuff to read and then there is a huge lump in your stomach where the content boils. I finished it in a couple of days, finishing on a cross-country plane flight and got off in a furious mood that didn't wear off until the end of a hot bath and a tall cold rum drink. Massive injustice has been done in New Orleans and this book follows it right down to the foundations. You won't read another word about Katrina without finding your thoughts completely reoriented. Let's hear it for the truth.

The rule of law, suspended, September 1, 2009
Dave Eggers's account of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the first story in "Zeitoun," is immensely readable. However, there has been a lot of well-written reportage on the storm and the Bush administration's botched handling of the rescue efforts. What's extraordinary about "Zeitoun" is the second, intersecting story, Eggers's narrative of the arrest and imprisonment---without charge, without representation, without even the ability to make a phone call--of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, Syrian immigrant, successful businessman, and American citizen. Incredibly, in "Zeitoun," the War on Terror merges with the Katrina disaster to produce a truly stunning example of what happens to xenophobia in the hands of petty officialdom. I've read several novels in which writers as diverse as Andres Dubus II, Claire Messud, and, most recently, Lorrie Moore, attempt to incorporate the events of September 11, 2001. None of these writers is, to my mind, particularly convincing with this material. (Don DeLillo, in "Falling Man," comes closest, I think.) Eggers, on the other hand, a master of narrative nonfiction, simply (artfully) gets out of the way of his material, letting it speak for itself. And his depiction of the weeks after the storm, a period when Zeitoun's wife, Kathy, at first does not know whether he is dead or alive and then struggles with callous officials to free her unjustly detained husband, is powerful indeed. So too is the narrative thread that traces Zeitoun's family history. Most painful and revolting, however, are the scenes in the jail-cages of "Camp Greyhound," the temporary prison constructed outside the New Orleans bus station. As with the photos of Abu Ghraib, the emotion a reading of "Zeitoun" is mostly likely to evoke is shame.

Zeitoun: A Reflection On New Orleans and America, August 23, 2009
"Zeitoun" is an inspiring, tragic and powerful book that will endure decades from now about how America failed at helping New Orleans and the residents of the city during and after Hurricane Katrina. In a nonjudgmental and factual manner, the book recounts failed expectations and lack of accountability by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security in response to the devastation brought to the city by Katrina.

Author Dave Eggers, one of the important storytellers of our time, chronicles the true story of one man - Abdulrahman Zeitoun - a prosperous Syrian-American and father of four who chose to stay through the storm to protect his house and contracting business.

Zeitoun risks his own life daily by paddling through the city in a canoe in his attempt to save lives and help provide food and water to others, only to endure shameful, unjust and unaccountable torture at the hands of police and the military. The lasting harm done to Zeitoun, his American wife Kathy and their children continues even today, four years after the storm.

Eggers documents that Homeland Security, FEMA and the military sent troops to New Orleans not necessarily to assist in rescues but rather because of an unfounded and paranoid belief that terrorists might take advantage of the hurricane situation to cause further disruption. In the perverted and racist government process, Zeitoun is viewed not as a savior of the city but as the enemy.

While I suspect that the story of Zeitoun will further enhance Dave Eggers' well-deserved destiny as a meaningful voice in American nonfiction writing, I am most struck by the fact that all proceeds and royalties are going to the not-for-profit Zeitoun Foundation in New Orleans.

[...]

This is a page turner with substance!, August 7, 2009
I struggle all the time with "must" when it comes to giving advice to other people. Who am I to tell you what to do? Will you forgive me this one time? Because if you do, you will learn some important things by reading this book.

You MUST read Zeitoun. Especially if you live in one of those areas -- like I do -- that can be struck by a natural disaster. Most of us do now, don't you think? With global warming, there are more fierce hurricanes, more tornados. And just the other day I looked at an old National Geographic magazine's map of where earthquake areas are in the world -- there's a lot of them! And I live in the San Francisco Bay Area ... so we think about them all the time -- that is, when we're not in a state of denial.

You better hope hope hope and pray (if so inclined) that you are never in a natural disaster of huge proportions like the poor folks in New Orleans were! The natural disaster parts are bad enough ... but what is far worse is the army of "helpers" who come in later: National Guard, FEMA, law enforcement from other areas. That's when the real tragedy will happen. These people don't know you. They've been told to watch for looters. And like one of the quotes says in the front matter of this important book: To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Every person looks like a looter. Or a terrorist if you've got a Middle Eastern-sounding name.

That's what happened to Abdulrahman Zeitoun. At the time of Katrina, he was (and still is) a citizen and successful businessman in New Orleans. Think of it: you're well-known by your community and a successful businessman -- yet, after Katrina, you are thought of as a looter and terrorist. Without any proof. No evidence whatsoever. No hearing for weeks. No phone call. The phone call. It's that special part of the U.S. judicial system: the phone call. We're taught about this all the time as children: if you're arrested, you get a phone call. The worst serial killer gets a phone call.

Don't count on it after a disaster. In a disaster with our friends from FEMA in control you become one of the Disappeared -- and yes, they are the ones in control -- and now that they are a part of Homeland Security they have even more control and an even worse attitude -- to an employee from FEMA, everyone looks like a looter and a terrorist.

And what about you, woman in your 70s -- do you really think your safe? Read about the tale of Merlene Maten. She was 73 and a diabetic. She and her husband had fled their home before the hurricane and checked into a downtown hotel thinking they would be safer there. After three days, Maten went down to their car in the parking lot next door to get some food they had in the car. She was arrested for looting. It made no sense! Yet she was arrested anyway. Folks, this is what is so striking when you read this book: the "helpers" -- law enforcement, National Guards or whatever -- do not listen to you if you are just regular folks. Remember, you're a nobody. They don't listen to your story ... they don't look at the real facts: you're 73 and diabetic and you're at *your* car getting food. They don't take the time to see if you really are checked into that hotel next door. They just arrest you.

You better hope hope hope and pray that a disaster doesn't head your way.

I want to thank Dave Eggers for writing this book -- and for all the important things he does with his abundant energy. Good stuff. Thanks. From deep down. I hadn't read any of his books before, glad I started with this one.

The writing is so very good too. The book is a page-turner. It's not depressing at all. The book has a main story -- the story about the Zeitouns -- plus lots of other very interesting stories. Although watch out! If you were mad about how folks in New Orleans were treated before -- WATCH OUT -- you're gonna be furious by the time you finish this book.

History on the personal level..., July 24, 2009
Disclaimer: I am a big Dave Eggers. I don't think he is infallible, but I'm a fan.

I found this work of non-fiction to be riveting, honest, and gripping. When Katrina hit New Orleans, I was studying abroad, traveling through Italy and seeing the hurricane's aftermath called "Bush's Folly" on a number of Italian newspapers and periodicals. Zeitoun and Kathy's story is tragic and heart-wrenching, while proving, ultimately, hopeful.

To think of what the Zeitoun family, and countless other residents of the New Orleans area, went through in 2005 and in the months following is unfathomable. But Dave Eggers has written a frank, quite readable retelling of what happened a few short years ago.

I admire Eggers for his 826 literacy programs and social awareness, among other things, and for his commitment to help get the Zeitouns' story out there, so as to put a unique face to natural disaster of Katrina, and to the human disaster and American failures that followed, and in many ways continue to the present day.

Life, Faith and Dangerous Waters, July 31, 2009
As a writer, Dave Eggers has the ability to find the small story within the larger one, as exemplified by his "Voice of Witness" series, out of which arose this book. But no one else could have written this book -- his extraordinary skill as a writer coupled with his deep seated humanity and puckish humor have woven a story of courage and loyalty and love far beyond any other I've read, save for his own "What is the What," my favorite book of 2006. His befriending of his subjects results in epic volumes, that have effects far beyond the selling of books -- Foundations in this case, a School in the case of WITW. I don't say this often, but everyone should read this book.

Dave Eggers is unique. He is also supernatural -- how can so many hats be worn on just one head? And when does he have the time to accomplish all he does? At what was supposed to only be a book signing for
"Zeitoun" recently, he gave an impromptu speech about the family at its core and the events they endured during the horror of Katrina, before and after the Storm. He was generous with his time and information, without giving too much away about the story. He never gave the impression he had somewhere else to be, but as it was a noon signing, seemed more concerned about the attendees' need to return to work.

Zeitoun - A Teacher's Review, October 6, 2010
With the recent controversy over the Ground Zero Mosque, it is crucial that teachers incorporate literature into the curriculum that highlights the fact the Muslim religion is not equated with terrorism; terrorism is not a religion.

Eggers successfully documents the trauma of the Zeitoun family following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The novel is based on a series of in depth interviews of the Zeitoun family, friends, and relatives, as well as, other central figures who share Zeitoun's fate. About two thirds of the book is spent focusing on the bond between Zeitoun and his family, which extends to his community at large; a community that Zeitoun, even after Katrina, finds value in, from the disabled to the able-bodied, to the animals left behind. It is within this post-Katrina community, however, that Zeitoun is falsely accused, tortured, and degraded by the U.S. government because he is thought to be associated with terrorist activity. Although Zeitoun's imprisonment is one of the defining characteristics of the book, Eggers also touches upon what it means to be a Muslim woman in America today. Through Kathy, Zeitoun's wife who is an American woman that converted because she felt the religion gave her power and control over her own life, we learn that the hijab, which is often seen as a sign of suppression by a patriarchal culture, actually becomes one of liberation.

It is within the pages of Eggers narrative that educators will find the opportunity to teach students how to embrace and understand other cultures beyond what is reported by media outlets. By not including this book in our curriculum, or a work that confronts the same issue, we are doing our students a disservice, which will eventually become extensions of further ignorance and intolerance. Making students aware of how 9/11 has changed what it means to be American will only foster the knowledge of real situations, situations like Zeitouns that forever altered a man and his family; a situation that forever altered Americans.

An interesting aspect about this book is the title because Zeitoun represents the man, the family, as well as, the extended network of friends and relatives of Zeitoun's (the man) around the world. It may be an interesting aspect to bring up in class discussion after reading the book.

This book also contains a comprehensive list resources on rebuilding New Orleans, support for, and education about the Muslim community. Utilizing these sources in the classroom would be excellent an way to get students involved in the reality of the text they have just read.

Amazing to Read, August 6, 2009
I don't know much about Katrina and only a bit about its aftermath. This book was a wake-up call. I admit I picked up the book because of its Arabic title, and was intrigued to see Egger's name as the author. As an Arab-American, I have to say, Egger captured the nuances of Arabs in America seamlessly. I felt at home with Abdulrahman and Kathy- many of my relatives, including myself, have married non-Arabs. I read Abdulrahman's account of paddling around New Orleans in awe and wonder. Then, the arrest. I am enraged and angry over his treatment, not only as an Arab, but as an attorney. I am disheartened to see the America I loved so much as a child sink to such a dark, unfair place. This is an important and indispensable piece of nonfiction that I hope is widely read. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Smithsonian Handbook of Rocks and Minerals combines 600 vivid full--color photos with descriptions of more than 500 specimens. This authoritative and systematic photographic approach, with words never separated from pictures, marks a new generation of identification guides.Each entry combines a precise description with annotated photographs to highlight the chief characteristics of the rock or mineral and distinguishing features. Color--coded bands provide a clear, at--a--glance facts for quick reference. In addition, each mineral entry features an illustration showing the crystal system to which the mineral belongs. Designed for beginners and experienced collectors alike, the Smithsonian Handbook of Rocks and Minerals explains what rocks or minerals are, how they are classified, and how to start a collection. To help in the initial stages of rock identification, a clear visual key illustrates the differences between igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, then guides the reader to the correct rock entry. A concise glossary provides instant understanding of technical and scientific terms ... Read more

Reviews

Great for Identifying Rocks and Minerals!, February 18, 2001
When I took Geology in college, I loved the course. I only had one problem. It was very difficult for me to identify rocks and minerals in the field. If I had had this pocket field guide, the course would have been a snap.

Now, I enjoy taking my children to study outcroppings, and this book will be a great addition to our investigations.

First, the photographs are stunning. In fact, any temptation I might have had to develop my own samples is set aside by having these wonderful images to use.

Second, the information is detailed and thorough. There is a lot about the crystalline structure of each mineral, the hardness, and many tests that are specific to that particular mineral. There is a very good section that describes how to apply the hardness tests (I always had trouble memorizing that area for some reason). There is plenty of good safety information for how to use the various acids that can be employed to identify minerals. Everything is nicely summarized so it is easy to find.

Third, all those subtle distinctions about various kinds of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks that used to puzzle me are very clear here. Whew!

Fourth, the book has great directions for locating good spots to examine rocks.

Fifth, you also receive a wonderful description of the equipment you need, and ways to use it safely.

Whether you think you like rocks or not, you should give this book a try. It will open up a very interesting world full of ways to locate and identify interesting rocks and understand the stories they can tell. As a result, you will have immensely more understanding of the world around you.

I also suggest that you read up on plate mechanics as well, so that you understand more about how the landscape is formed before erosion takes over. The combined knowledge of these two areas will greatly add to your understanding and appreciation of evolution.

Get in touch with the physical world around you as foundation knowledge!

a must have for any rockhound or gem and crystal lover, September 5, 2005
I am more of a gem and crystal lover myself, yet I am happy to own this book. Whenever I go thru it I have a real URGE to go out hunting! Very comprehensive, quite technical, classifies rocks and minerals according to chemical formula (sulphides, oxides, halides, carbonates etc) or type of formation (sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous), and then works thru ecah subgruop alphabetically. Detailed descriptions, chemistry, hardness, tests, BEAUTIFUL photos, detailed index and glossary. Only thing I am missing is WHERE ON EARTH am I most likely to find them (especially the ones I absolutely LOVE), so I can plan my next vacation :D

GeoNewbie, September 6, 2002
I am new to the study of geology and have found this book to be indispensable in identifying rocks and minerals in the field. It even has a few tips at the beginning about how to do tests, and each mineral suggests tests to further aid in identifying them. It has also been a great reference when reading texts about geology. I use it to look up the rocks and minerals mentioned there. Very helpful for later field study. The least I can say is: buy this book, it is EXCELLENT!!

I enthusiastically recommend it!, October 1, 1999
After wading through a half-dozen mineral guides i found this one to be a gem (pun intended). It has large labeled photographs to aid in identification and a very user friendly format. There is enough information here for the extremely curious and features enough to excite dormant curiosity. At the same time, the author's concise style and avoidance of excessive technical jargon make this book appealing even to the very young. I also appreciate his avoidance of pat answers where none have been conclusively found, as when he states that tektite "were once believed to be meteorites" but that "they may not in fact have an extra-terrestrial origin". In short, this is a great addition to any home library.

Great Picture Resource, March 8, 2007
I have been looking for a field guide for my 6-year-old son and could only find books for children that gave a general overview of rocks and minerals. This book is the one I have been looking for. I knew that DK would be the publisher to give me what I wanted. In DK fashion, the pages are easy to read without a lot of text clunking up the page. The rocks are organized in nice boxes with information laid out neatly and unobtrusively. Each page features two new rocks with a large full-color picture of each. This is now his favorite book. It has all of the information we have been looking for in a concise, easy-to-read format. Each profile gives the name and visual outline of crystal system; specific gravity; cleavage; fracture; chemical test to confirm identification; mineral-forming environment; main text describes mineral's identifying features; standard name of the mineral; chemical group to which the mineral belongs; chemical formula for the mineral; hardness according to the Mohs' scale; variations of the mineral shown in full-color when applicable; annotations identifying mineral's main identifying features. I LOVE this book. It is a great book for kids(who eat, sleep, and breathe rocks and minerals) and adults. I am thinking of getting another one just for me. I think this would also be an invaluable resource for classroom teachers. I will be teaching First Grade and will use this book to introduce scientific concepts.

Beautiful photography, October 6, 2000
Dorling Kindersley's Handbook of Rocks and Minerals is a more systematick approach to identification. Each entry has a sharp color photo, group name, composition, hardness, SG, cleavage, fracture, formation and tests for id. Thes is a nice basic reference book and a good size (8.5"x6") to tote along. A glossery defines technical terms, common in scientific descriptions.

Clear & Beautifully Presented, June 29, 2007
I bought this for my 7-yr. old daughter - budding rock hound and naturalist! Like other DK books, the photography is luscious and the layout is casual and very inviting - full of beautiful images.

It provides a great overview of rocks and minerals, including tools used to find them, the different characteristics and where specific types of rocks and minerals can be found. It also provides detailed "specifics" such as classification, occurence and cleavage - as appropriate.

This is a thoroughly engaging book for all ages and it is highly recommended.

Rocks and Minerals, March 30, 2006
This is the one book I was looking for, with good close-up pictures. Pictures that point out the small things on rocks or minerals you want to look for. It could be a small mass of fibers or small group of crystals. It sections off a mineral so you know what the different colors are. If you have any type of sight problems, this is more that helpful! I recommend this book for all beginners and anyone who just might be curious. It is well worth your money!

Great handbook!, January 28, 2000
I too am in Science Olympiad (div. B), and I found this to be one of the most reliable handbooks that I have used when participating in this event. Its sleek organization and excellent presentation of information make this the best choice among the myriad others that are available.

Rocks and Minerals, August 14, 2007
Great Book...full of useful information. The pictures really give you an indepth but brief description of the item discussed. This book is absolutely essential to the amature hobby collectors out there. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Our relationship with the ocean is undergoing a profound transformation. Whereas just three decades ago nearly everything we ate from the sea was wild, rampant overfishing combined with an unprecedented bio-tech revolution has brought us to a point where wild and farmed fish occupy equal parts of a complex and confusing marketplace.We stand at the edge of a cataclysm; there is a distinct possibility that our children's children will never eat a wild fish that has swum freely in the sea. In Four Fish, award-winning writer and lifelong fisherman Paul Greenberg takes us on a culinary journey, exploring the history of the fish that dominate our menus---salmon, sea bass, cod and tuna-and examining where each stands at this critical moment in time. He visits Norwegian mega farms that use genetic techniques once pioneered on sheep to grow millions of pounds of salmon a year.He travels to the ancestral river of the Yupik Eskimos to see the only Fair Trade certified fishing company in the world.He investigates the way PCBs and mercury find their way into seafood; discovers how Mediterranean sea bass went global; Challenges the author of Cod to taste the difference between a farmed and a wild cod; and almost sinks to the bottom of the South Pacific while searching for an alternative to endangered bluefin tuna. Fish, Greenberg reveals, are the last truly wild food - for now. By examining the forces that get fish to our dinner tables, he shows how we can start to heal the oceans and fight for a world where healthy and sustainable seafood is the rule rather than the exception. ... Read more

Reviews

The Story of the Fish in Your Dinner

The limits of the sea

Should appeal to a wide audience

An Eye-Opening Look into the Complexity of our Present and Future Fisheries

"Why Did You Close the Season? We Haven't Caught Them All Yet."

A cautionary tale for our times

Editorial Review

Reviews

Maps and the Man, December 8, 2010
George Washington is one of those figures whose importance assures that his place in history will constantly be appreciated and reanalyzed, and that new biographies, even though all the original source documents have been well ploughed through, will always be forthcoming. Getting a new slant on him might be difficult, but historian Barnet Schecter has found one: let's examine Washington's maps. In _George Washington's America: A Biography Through His Maps_ (Walker & Company), Schecter has looked through an atlas of Washington's individual maps, as well as maps Washington made himself or were kept in other locations. There are reproductions of many of the maps here, and details from them, to illustrate what is mostly but not entirely a military biography. Maps were not just part of Washington's soldiering, but were important to his surveying, farming, presidency, and aspirations for the nation, and while Schecter's book is not a full biography, it combines the maps with stories about them and how they were used along with other biographical details to give a useful and practical view of an American saint.

Washington had over ninety maps and atlases at Mount Vernon, many of which he had used over the years. Since Washington's life, Schecter writes, "was from his early years until his death intimately bound up with the land, the maps tell a great deal about the man and his times." There are many elaborate maps, but one of the most charming is one far simpler. It shows a compass rose in which is an irregular quadrilateral, labeled with latitude and longitude. It bears the heading, handwritten, "A Plan of Major Lawr. Washington's Turnip Field as Surveyed by me, This 27 Day of February 1747. GW." (Lawrence Washington was George's half brother.) Much of Schecter's book is devoted to military maps and the use to which Washington put them. There is Washington's own surveyed map of his perilous journey in 1753 up the Ohio River to help British colonists defend against the French, but most of the maps here are the ones he was studying as he made his plans against the French, and eventually against the British. The importance of such study is the subject of many of Washington's remarks quoted here. He does not seem to have made the mistake of thinking the map is the territory. In 1777 he wrote to General Philip Schuyler who was on a campaign on the Mohawk River about securing a particular area to prevent Indians intercepting logistical supplies. "With his usual courtesy," writes Schecter, "Washington offered this as merely a suggestion, saying Schuyler was `much better acquainted with that country than I.'" After the war, Washington was interested in expansion to the west; it is clear that he was interested in this upon his own behalf as well as upon that of his new nation. He had thought originally of the west as a scene of refuge if the Revolution failed, but knew that it was a region to provide sustenance to the new, growing America. He was particularly interested in mapping the possibilities of making an east / west waterway, especially if it expanded the Potomac westward, which would have immeasurably increased the value of his western holdings and of Mount Vernon. He made a constant study of maps for the best Potomac to Ohio linkage, and got information from frontiersmen and settlers.

Schecter's last chapter sees Washington finally in the contentment he had famously wanted for himself as a gentleman farmer, but which he had sacrificed for service to his nation. Washington was still surveying, and his maps of his Mount Vernon properties are here, the fitting last illustrations in a handsome, large-format volume whose map reproductions are gorgeous. The book will interest anyone who likes to see charming old maps; there are plenty here, including curiosities such as the layout of agricultural fields in Manhattan. Best of all, the book traces Washington's military movements using the maps he himself would have used. We cannot see the America which Washington saw, but we can see it at least as he saw it through the maps he had at hand.

Spectacular, December 7, 2010
A definitive and engrossing feast for all New Yorkers and many others besides. You won't believe what happened on your quiet street a few short decades ago. Five stars. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A multifaceted reference book for the 21st century, the Answer Book will fascinate with up-to-date, authoritative, and endlessly interesting information about the world today. From earth sciences to astronomy, from climate and habitats to human arts and cultures, from ancient history to cutting-edge technology, and including brief descriptions, flags, and statistics of all the countries of the world, it delivers exactly the kind of quick-dip information that modern readers crave. Maps, charts, diagrams, graphs, photographs, illustrations—some 600 pictures in all—combine with hundreds of fast facts and short pieces on the people, places, wildlife, weather, history, and current events that matter in our world today. National Geographic Answer Book is a vital reference for school, a handy resource at the office, and a fabulous pick-up-and browse companion at home. ... Read more

Reviews

Excellent book!, October 11, 2010
This book is an invaluable resource for anyone, with or without children. I purchased it for my daughter, but found it so interesting, I began going through it! ... Read more

Editorial Review

For the first time, HRH The Prince of Wales shares his views on how our most pressing modern challenges—from climate change to poverty—are rooted in mankind's disharmony with nature, presenting a compelling case that the solution lies in our ability to regain a balance with the world around us

With its holistic approach, this provocative and well-reasoned book takes the discussion of sustainability and climate change in a new direction. Prince Charles shows how the solutions to problems like climate change lie not only in technology but in our ability to change the way we view the modern world.

For decades, the Prince of Wales has been studying a wide array of disciplines to understand every aspect of man's impact on the natural world, and in that time he has examined everything from architecture to organic farming to sustainable economics. Now, for the first time, he speaks out about his years of research, presenting a fascinating look at how modern industrialization has led us to a state of disharmony with nature, created climate change, and pushed us to the brink of disaster.

From the rice farms of India to the prairies of America's corn belt, from the temples of Ancient Egypt to the laboratories of industrial designers, Harmony spans the globe to identify the different ways that contemporary life has abandoned the hard-earned practices of our history, a shift that has spurred a host of social problems and accelerated climate change.

Drawing on cases from farming, healthcare, transportation, and design, the Prince of Wales also offers solutions for change, creating a new vision for our world, one that incorporates the traditional wisdom of our past with the modern science of our present to avert catastrophe. In the end, Harmony paints a holistic portrait of what we as a species have lost in the modern age, while outlining the steps we can take to regain the harmony of our ancestors.

Illustrated with lush, four-color photographs and charts, this intelligent, practical, and well-reasoned guide is an indispensable weapon in the battle to save our planet.

Reviews

A brilliant thinker and visionary, November 12, 2010
The author, often maligned and trivialized by the press, shows himself here to be a serious thinker, writer, historian and visionary. I believe he is the best product of the British monarchy to emerge in the past two hundred years.

His book clearly analyzes the root causes of our separation from a state of harmony, and predicts the consequences of this estrangement from the natural world. Widely read himself, he interjects his personal thoughts and opinions into the narrative, thereby creating an informal approach to what could have been a dry text.

I love this book. lt inspires me to do the right thing, to pay attention not only to our built environment but also to keep trying to connect my spirit to my actions.

Outstanding Perspectives and Pertinent Thoughts, November 2, 2010
Utterly engrossed from the first page to the last. Did not want to put it down.

Prince Charles is BRILLIANT about nature and the environment and yes, how people act in relationship to that. OH MY. Am so glad that he has written this and it will be available for so many people to discover and enjoy and benefit from.
Finally someone who thinks like me but says it far more eloquently:)

I wish everyone thought like him, we would have such a better world, not just physically, but in terms of understanding and perception and cooperation with Earth. He really sees the connections that are so important to not only surviving but thriving for our ecology and world, in many aspects, from animals to plants to architecture to spirituality.

I can almost forgive him for Camilla reading this book. And if she understood him -- and Diana didn't, for the first time I can see why he wanted to be with Canilla because of her personality, and how she made him feel so good.

His viewpoint is far advanced beyond accepted science and industry's ineffective ways.

Wow.

He is really, really, really wise. I hope this book makes people think, and even more than that, encourages them to adopt some of the ideas he suggest with such good sense behind them.
If Prince William follows in his father's footsteps with this, it would be wonderful as well.

Wonderful Insight, November 19, 2010
I am extremely impressed with this book and have a whole new respect for Prince Charles. The man is brilliant and he cares. I think this is a must read for all and would love to see it in the classroom. I completely agree that most of our problems are because we do not live in Harmony with nature. Our world was created by a God who has all the answers, who has given us all the answers within nature, if we would only listen.

Surprise - excellent book on an important topic - by Prince Charles!, November 16, 2010
[This review has turned into something of an essay - but it was the only way I could express my opinion on a topic raised by the book that is very close to my heart and that I think is of great importance. If you just want to read the strictly "review" parts, they are contained in the first three and the last two paragraphs.]

The Prince of Wales (much to my surprise, I admit) persuasively demonstrates that the principles of harmony found in Nature can and should be incorporated into all aspects of modern life because doing so will not only make our lives environmentally sustainable, but will vastly increase our well-being in virtually every way possible. It is a beautiful vision, beautifully expressed and makes me wonder why this side of Prince Charles has been so ignored in the media (at least in the US). Clearly, he has been working hard to advance this timeliest of visions for several decades now, but I don't think many people over here are very aware of it. A true media cover-up!

The book begins by describing the principles of harmony as found in the natural world and how these principles were embedded very explicitly in the outlook, arts, and architecture of all traditional and classical civilizations (of both East and West), goes on to trace how these principles were abandoned as a result of the shift to a reductionistic-mechanistic outlook on life brought about by the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries, and then provides numerous examples of how some people are beginning to reincorporate the principles of harmony back into various aspects of modern life, from agriculture to town planning to education to health care and so on, often with many rippling and self-multiplying positive results. This is really good, solid, and inspiring stuff, all the way through. (Other wonderful books that explore similar themes include The Power of Limits by Gyorgy Doczi; The Old Way of Seeing by Jonathan Hale; and The Return of Sacred Architecture by Herbert Bangs.)

The book then concludes with an excellent and essential chapter on how simply having intellectual knowledge of the principles of harmony is not enough; we must also feel them - must feel our intimate, sacred relationship with the earth directly from within. I could not agree more with this - and yet this brings me to the one criticism I have of Harmony.

The one thing that I would say is missing from the Prince's vision, which I believe undermines his whole message, is the recognition that civilized life has, from its very inception, always disrupted the very root or foundation of our ability to live in alignment with natural principles of harmony, that foundation being precisely the ability to feel harmony from within.

At the very beginning of civilization - following the Agricultural Revolution, which took place approximately 10,000 years ago - humans made the first, most fundamental, and most crucial shift away from living in harmony with Nature. What occurred then is that, due to the completely new requirements imposed by agricultural life, societies for the first time stopped being able to fully meet the specific needs of our genetically pre-programmed childhood developmental process - a process of parent-child (and society-child) interaction that had been honed to perfection over millions of years of evolution in small hunter-gatherer bands. This break with our evolutionary past is what initially disrupted our ability to feel - intuitively, from within - how to live in harmony with Nature. This one shift paved the way for the gradual decline in harmony that then culminated - rather than originated - in the Scientific Revolution that ushered in the modern era. (Jean Liedloff's The Continuum Concept describes many essential differences between aboriginal and civilized child-rearing; and Paul Shepard's many books, like The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game, provide an overall picture of what was lost in this transition.)

Even though the Prince does rightly acknowledge that harmony has to come from within, the question remains, "How, specifically, does this work?" I would suggest that it is not, primarily, through verbal education, instruction, or training; not even through non-verbal or non-rational religious rites and observances. These may all eventually play a role, but only if they build on an already existing foundation for harmony, which can only be created through the directly felt experience of being met and supported, from earliest infancy, by behaviors - from parents and all other members of society - that dovetail harmoniously with our emerging developmental needs. When a child consistently feels the "rightness" of needs arising from within and proper responses coming from without and the harmonious growth to which this gives rise, then a felt sense of harmony becomes imprinted deep within - an imprint to which that individual will remain true throughout life, in all circumstances. This, I believe, is the missing key to the seemingly effortless and automatic harmonious living seen in aboriginal society. The stories and folklore to which the Prince attributes the harmony of aboriginal society very likely does build on and reinforce this primary, inner, felt sense of harmony; but no verbal thought system can create this where that felt foundation does not already exist. Without the felt experience of harmony imbibed from the age before conscious thought develops, conscious thought can never play its proper, harmony-reinforcing role because it will have no proper foundation on which to rest. There will be very little harmony there to reinforce.

This ability to live in harmony on a moment-to-moment, spontaneous basis can only come from knowing what it feels like to have been raised in harmony on a moment-to-moment, spontaneous basis. We have to feel it from within first, before we can live it in the world outside; and being raised harmoniously - in accordance with specific needs unfolding on a specific developmental timetable - from the beginning of life is the way Nature makes this possible. This alone leads to the balanced, full unfolding of our psyches, which is what then allows us to continually feel harmony from within and to act accordingly, moment-to-moment, throughout our lives. The processes that we now call "child-rearing" and "education" in the modern world do not even come close to meeting the full range of our specific developmental needs. It is not enough simply to speak of "loving" our children or "giving them the best of everything" if this does not include meeting their needs as Nature has specified.

If this inner, felt sense of harmony is lost then all is lost because this inner sense is the first rung on the great ladder of harmony that humans are meant to climb over the course of their lives. When this first rung is taken away, and our inner connection to harmony is broken, then, at best, we can only stand back and perhaps admire harmony and nature from afar, as a mental, philosophical, or aesthetic object. But this rational admiring of external harmony - as exemplified by classical civilizations - noble as it seems, is actually the first rung on a ladder of disharmony that leads us downwards and eventually ends in our forgetting harmony altogether. When we are not connected to harmony from within by that strongest bond devised by Nature then harmony stops being the ultimately compelling guiding force that it should be. Other forces - darker forces, greedy forces, narrow-minded forces - no longer kept in check by a felt sense of harmony are then free to gain ascendancy.

In the classical and traditional civilizations that the Prince holds up as models for us to draw upon, awareness of the principles of harmony had long since shifted largely from the intuitively felt realm (as modeled by aboriginal hunter-gatherers) to the rational-intellectual realm. Although traditional civilizations did embody these principles of harmony in their art, architecture, and philosophy, never again did they manage to embody them in their day-to-day, moment-to-moment lives and interactions with each other, the environment, and the cosmos to the same extent as is seen in aboriginal society, as the Prince himself acknowledges to an extent (p. 90, "the transmission of these shared insights...is often to be found weaving precariously alongside the many horrors and atrocities that fill our history books").

That this crucial ability to instinctively feel how to live in harmony - and the genetically cued developmental process that supports it - even exists is largely unknown in the modern world because our civilized belief systems have so thoroughly obscured what was lost in the transition from hunting-gathering to civilized life. So we do not see that the particular specialty of aboriginal life is that it so faithfully and assiduously trusts and honors the perfection of our evolved natures and arranges life in such a way as to always make possible the meeting of each person's genetically pre-programmed needs at each stage of the life cycle. We do not see how, as a result of this, aboriginal peoples (far from living the desperate, brutish lives falsely imagined for them by civilized peoples) naturally embed the same principles of harmony found in civilized art and architecture in their myths, stories, and dances, in their totemic kinship systems, in their hunting and gathering practices, in their initiatory rites, and in their overall life-patterns. And we do not see how all of this allows them to maintain a genuine, practical, and ongoing harmony at all levels: the individual, the clan-tribe-society, the environment, and the cosmos. Agricultural-civilized peoples, from the beginning, have always - at least to some extent - tried to make themselves Nature's masters, rather than Her ardent followers, and have therefore never fully practiced the principles of harmony that they (sometimes) preached. In this context, the Prince's assertions that the wisdom of primary peoples is of the same nature and quality as that encoded in civilized religious traditions (see p. 297 for example), although true to an extent, actually reinforces our cultural inability to distinguish between ways of living that are faithful to our developmental needs, and that therefore rest on a solid foundation, and those that are not and do not. This is what I believe undermines, to a significant degree, the very shift towards harmonious living for which the Prince argues so passionately and persuasively.

None of this is to suggest that we should all return to hunting and gathering. I am only suggesting that, if we truly want to transform the way we live in an all-encompassing, holistic way that extends to our moment-to-moment thinking, perceiving, and acting, then we must first understand the specific difference between the way people are raised in aboriginal and civilized societies and then find a way to once again support the emergence of our felt, inner sense of harmony. This is the essential thing.

Nonetheless, the Prince does very skillfully show how awareness of the principles of harmony is necessary for creating a sustainable way of life, how those principles have been encoded and expressed in the art and architecture of the traditional and classical civilizations, how our having lost touch with them contributes to the environmental crisis now threatening all life on the planet, how we might begin to bring these principles back into our lives, and why this would make our lives, not just environmentally sustainable, but far more fulfilling and beautiful as well. Expressed in his terms, solving the environmental crisis is not about "giving things up"; it is about regaining the very best things in life that we have unknowingly already given up.

In summary, the Prince's analysis of how and when and why we originally gave up harmonious living may not go all the way back to the root, but it goes quite far - and he vividly drives home the point that modern society has, completely unnecessarily, set itself up in opposition to Nature and that we would all be far better off, in virtually every conceivable way, if instead we once again aligned ourselves in harmony with Her.

Nearly perfect, December 2, 2010
I borrowed this book from my library and I was totally engrossed and impressed by the end of the first chapter. Much of it is familiar content for anyone that is knowledgeable about factory farming and environmental issues; however the underlying philosophy that he discusses for his beliefs is truly interesting and something I haven't heard *much* of. My partner and I are astounded that a member of the royal family could have so many beliefs with which we agree (and we are not liberals, nor conservatives). You can tell that Prince Charles is extremely well-read on certain very important authors, such as Lewis Mumford, particularly his work "Pentagon of Power." I think that what I like most about the book is that it's not another rehash of the oversimplified "let's put a solar panel on a McMansion and call it sustainable, and that's all we have to do to save the world!" trendiness that is so common today. He says things that people in positions of power often do not admit, particularly about indigenous populations, fossil fuel depletion, and yes, spirituality. I am thoroughly in love with this book, and will be buying a copy of the children's version for my daughter for Christmas.

"Harmony"--A Clarion Call For A Sustainability Revolution!, December 14, 2010
Regardless of your view of British Royalty or the Prince of Wales up to now, I challenge any open-minded, intelligent, compassionate human being who truly cares about the future of our Earth and its inhabitants, to read this new book by Prince Charles--"Harmony: A New Way of Looking At Our World"--and not conclude that this man's obvious magnum opus should not only be placed in the hands of all world leaders we're entrusting with our future and that of our children, but also be a text taught from in schools at all levels in all countries and languages (there's also a children's edition, with all published in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Brazil, thus far), especially in graduate and doctoral Environmental Studies programs.

When we say one is "a prince of peace" or "a prince among men," it's a great complement. I hope all who love our planet and its living things will now join this Cambridge-educated Prince of Wales--who's spent 30 years studying the essential principles of harmony and how they work in Nature, and how, if we ignore them, our Earth's precious life-support systems start to wobble and may eventually collapse--in his heartfelt plea to make this age fit for a sustainable future.

In essence, "Harmony" is a clarion call for a global Sustainability Revolution. Whether you prefer the hundredth-monkey or critical-mass metaphor, it's now clear to all who've done their homework (and if there ever was a 'Cliff's Notes' version of the encroaching catastrophe threatening us and our global village, "Harmony" is it), that we humans must finally achieve the quantum leap in consciousness now clearly necessary to save our planet from ourselves.

Fortunately, "Harmony" offers not only an overview of our present situation, but also a list of the solutions, all of which depend, for their success, on looking at the world in a different way. Thus, this brilliant book challenges "the current world view in all the important areas of human activity--in agriculture and architecture, education, healthcare, in science, business, and economics," warning that "none of us can survive for very long if the underlying well-being of the planet is destroyed."

"Harmony's" hope: "Let this book be a means of explaining what has caused us to think that we can abandon Nature's rhythmic patterns. We have done so, not just in the mechanized processes we use to grow our food and treat our farm animals, or the way in which we design and build our homes, towns and cities, or the way in which we deny the crucial relationship between mind, body and spirit in healthcare. We have also done so in the way we fail, in our systems of economics, to measure and put a proper value on Nature's vital services, and even in the manner we teach OUT a proper whole-istic understanding of the fact that we are a PART of Nature, not apart from Her, when it comes to our children's education."

If, my sisters, you don't yet know why, "in the past decade, a staggering 100,000 Punjabi [Indian] farmers have committed suicide because of the economic pressures that the industrial approach has imposed upon them," "Harmony" will teach you why. If, my brothers, you're not yet aware that 500 miles off the coast of California, in an area occupying 540,000 square miles of the Pacific--nearly six times the size of the United Kingdom--there's a 'plastic vortex,' as it's become known, comprising up to 100 million tons of man-made waste--plastic packages, bottles, cans, tires and broken-down chemical sludge, "Harmony" will bring you up to speed.

Since, my friends, more than one-sixth of our nearly seven billion fellow humans are today forced to live in extreme poverty, it's important to understand how we arrived at this state here at the top of our species' evolutionary ladder. . .where, "using industrial techniques in factory farms, livestock production requires a third of the world's usable land and global grain harvest, and is responsible for around 18% of greenhouse gas emissions."

"Harmony" offers "inspiration for those who feel, deep down, that there is a more balanced way of looking at the world, and more harmonious ways of living. It not only outlines the kinds of approach that depend on us seeing Nature as a whole, but also examines the great and practical value in seeing the nature of humanity as a whole."

What this Prince of Wales hopes will become obvious to those reading "Harmony," is "just how many answers we already have at our disposal, if our goal is to re-establish our rightful relationship with Nature and pull back from the brink of catastrophe. It is a goal I truly believe is achievable, if we remind ourselves of the essential grammar of harmony--a grammar of which humanity should always be the measure."

As our friends at Nike have programmed us for over a decade, please "Just DO it!" Read "Harmony," so you not only understand what it means to the harmony of our Earth when Americans bury 222 million tons of household waste each year, while the Chinese are already up to 148 million. Please read "Harmony" to understand why its author warns: "We are testing the world to destruction, and the tragedy--no, the stupidity--is that we will only discover the real truth when we have finally succeeded in completely denuding the world of its complex, life-giving forces, and eradicating traditional human wisdom."

The Prince of Wales concludes: "We need a Sustainability Revolution. . . .We have to discover that in order for humanity to endure alongside the natural world (and the vast, as yet unnumbered creatures with which we share this miraculous planet) on which it so intimately depends for its survival, it is essential to give something BACK to Nature, in return for what we so persistently and all the more arrogantly take from Her. Our approach cannot all be based on 'rights.' There have to be 'responsibilities,' too. . . .It is my ambition that this book, the film that will follow it, and other initiatives that will accompany both, will help to facilitate that vital, cross-cultural and international discussion and exchange."

This brilliant book--"Harmony"--is a blessing for us all. Please read it and share it with loved ones, friends and colleagues, perhaps as truly meaningful, helpful and compassionate gifts during this holiday season and into the challenging new year. Please help get it into school programs at all levels as a teaching text, especially as part of an Environmental Studies curriculum. Fortunately, we each do not have to invest the global, 30-year study necessary to create this masterpiece of compassionate wisdom called "Harmony."

However, it will not move out of Amazon warehouses and off booksellers' shelves, worldwide, without the 'buzz' we CAN help create as we all work collectively to promote it and its crucial message. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama--who planted a tree in the Prince of Wales' garden as just one, simple demonstration of what each of us can do beyond upgrading our understanding of this precious Earth's dilemma by reading "Harmony"--has often said in his own global travels:

"Peace and survival of life on earth, as we know it, are threatened by human activities that lack a commitment to humanitarian values. Destruction of nature and natural resources results from ignorance, greed, and lack of respect for the Earth's living things. This lack of respect extends even to the Earth's human descendants--the future generations who will inherit a vastly degraded planet if world peace doesn't become a reality, and if destruction of the natural environment continues at the present rate.

"Our ancestors viewed the Earth as rich and bountiful, which it is. Many people in the past also saw Nature as inexhaustibly sustainable, which we now know is the case only if we care for it. It is not difficult to forgive destruction in the past that resulted from ignorance. Today, however, we have access to more information. Therefore, it is essential that we re-examine, ethically, what we have inherited, what we are responsible for, and what we will pass on to coming generations.

"Many of the Earth's habitats, animals, plants, insects and even microorganisms that we know as rare, may not be known at all by future generations. We have the capability and the responsibility. We must act before it is too late." [Excerpt from "My Tibet"]

Thank you so much, sisters and brothers, for reading "Harmony," as well as for helping spread its message which is now absolutely critical to helping us "act before it is too late," wherever and in whatever ways you're able. . .even if only writing a review of "Harmony" for your own town or city's publications, just as I have here. [In fact, please feel free to send them this one, if you wish, with my permission and blessing.]

As American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead so often advised us: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Big Love, and Peace of mind,

Dennis Paulson
Santa Barbara, California
Author, "Voices of Survival In the Nuclear Age"

Excellent, but personally frustrating, November 29, 2010
If An Inconvenient Truth set out the problem, this book provides the solution. Harmony is a positive book that sets out the necessary overarching framework to completely change the modern lifestyle, which must be done immediately. Of course as the book points out, there is a strong international grassroots movement already moving this way. The main flaw of the book is that it curiously seems oblivious to the terrible power wielded by multinational corporations, both in removing existing regulation and any attempt to increase regulation by completely corrupting the political process and in manipulating public opinion through advertising, the power of overwhelming advertising dollars to influence the content of the media, and the insidious complete takeover of the media by multinational conglomerates. Although I suppose he couldn't say the latter outright as it would look like a vendetta. He does mention how advertising has deliberately fostered a culture of consumerism, but obviously the problem goes well beyond that.

I suppose it is also his role to stay above politics, but this leads to a disconnect with some of his proposals, like changing town planning and school curricula. Of course those are nice goals with long-range ecological benefits, but the ecological problem that confronts us is urgent and immediate, and we need to expend our political efforts first on regulation and cap and trade (or something similar). Revolution must happen in the next five years, not the next fifty. He calls for revolution on the very first page of the book, but seems unaware that in actuality this is a revolutionary war, with clear and powerful enemies that must be fought.

That is my only criticism of the book. Harmony is both fresh and timeless and is a testament to his decades of work in planting the seeds of sustainability (although he prefers the term "durability"). He puts forth a comprehensive world view that is both engaging and strengthening, giving us all a way forward with both a grounding philosophy and practical ways to make the changes that must be made. His examples of indigenous peoples successfully fighting multinational corporations are cheering and encourage us all to make a stand and fight. And simply showing, proving that there is a way forward, that for example it is possible to organically farm and produce abundant food gives to those of us in the trenches a clear goal. It also helps convince those who are undecided about the urgency of ecological change. Through example after example, with both his refreshingly personal prose and beautiful photographs from all over the world, he vividly shows the wrongness of the current modern lifestyle and the rightness of going back to the old ways, at least in a modified form. The book works well both as an ecological manifesto and a lovely coffee table book--humorous but true.

Personally I was extremely frustrated reading the book. The main thrust of the book is that we must change men's minds and hearts to bring fundamental, effective and long-lasting ecological change. Specifically the change that must come about is for a person to be able to see the underlying pattern in Nature and the interconnectedness of all things--man's place in the natural world is as an interconnected part, not the master of creation. He grasps at how to do this and brings up a variety of ways--through education, improved architecture, getting out in Nature, organic farming, etc. I am an author myself and my book focuses on brain chemistry. The key he overlooks is neurotransmitters. Changing the brain is the most direct way to changing the man. In particular, the two neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin are at the heart of his book, he just doesn't know it. The foods and drinks and drugs we consume determine to a large extent how we think.

In particular, this is what he doesn't know and I do. Changes in farming have a profound effect on brain chemistry. Poultry and beef that are free range--cows that eat grass and chickens that scratch--produce meat and milk and eggs that are high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in omega-6 fatty acids. Poultry and beef that subsist on grains produce meat and milk and eggs that are low in omega-3 fatty acids and high in omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids increase dopamine in the brain. Omega-6 fatty acids reduce dopamine in the brain. Dopamine helps a person see the underlying patterns in things. Of course too much dopamine in the diseased brain of a schizophrenic causes the person to see patterns in everything, even patterns that aren't there. But if dopamine is too low, as it is in most people who live the modern lifestyle, then the mind has difficult seeing the underlying patterns that ARE there. Historically the cultures that consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids, that ate a lot of fish, were generally more focused on spirituality and focused on the interconnectedness of all things.

Likewise, we live in the Age of Serotonin. Our culture places an overwhelming importance on having a high serotonin state. Serotonin works against dopamine, isolating us from being connected with our own bodies, our emotions, and other people. Of course a certain steady amount of serotonin is necessary for health and avoiding depression, but at least in America it seems we all want the high-serotonin personality of a used care salesman. Eating starchy and sugary foods raises serotonin a mild amount, drinking coffee or tea or any caffeine raises serotonin quite a bit, and of course antidepressants cause serotonin to go unnaturally high. So when the book talks about the spirituality of indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples, I think, well of course, they have a diet very high in omega-3 fatty acids because they eat lots of wild game, insects and fish, and they have moderate serotonin because they don't consume any starchy foods. That is why they are able to live in the Dreamtime. And when he deplores the birth of modernism in Great Britain in the seventeenth century, that's when they started importing coffee and tea. The United States is the poster child for the sort of modern freak he deplores, and we were the first to adopt factory farming, the first to pop antidepressants like candy, and the first to throw out the sensible cultural limits on caffeine, drinking Starbucks espressos like water throughout the day. Modern Americans' diet is so very different from, say, an indigenous tribe on the Amazon that we are practically a different species.

In the end the result he wants--a return to our natural mind state--will be brought about by his passion--organic farming. And already the stranglehold of pharmaceutical antidepressants is slowly being broken by doctors and researchers pointing out that a daily brisk walk in the sunshine works as well as antidepressants for all but the most severe types of depression. Something else that may help due to the sheer size of the population is omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, as it will take time to go organic worldwide and we will all need to become more vegetarian. It is DHA in particular that is most necessary. Trying to get the necessary DHA from fish would put unnecessary strain on our already overburdened oceans. A high-tech solution might be algae farms, that can also be used to sequester carbon dioxide.

Sorry to go off on a tangent there, but it is my area of expertise. I wish I could communicate this directly to the author because I think he would find it edifying, but I suppose it is a moot point since he is already unknowingly pursuing the most direct route towards his goal. Also the idea of dashing off a personal missive to a head of state makes me feel wildly uncomfortable, not to mention the impossibility of it actually getting to him, so this review will have to do. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The inspirational true story of how one man led a football team—and a city—to triumph in Super Bowl XLIV.

In the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Superdome became a national symbol of misery and hopelessness, where the truly desperate rode out the storm.
Four years later, in that very stadium, the New Orleans Saints won the NFC championship and earned their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl.
Two weeks later, the Saints soundly defeated the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts 31 - 17 in what would become the most-watched television event in history.
This is the inspirational story of a city recovering from disaster and a team with a history of heartbreak, seen through the eyes of the coach who taught them both how to win.

Reviews

RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "AN AMAZING SYMBOL OF A DUAL TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY... THE NFL SAINTS & THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS!"
The whole world is well aware of the horror of Hurricane Katrina and due to the NFL's international appeal the whole world also knows about the New Orleans Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. Because of the constant exposure of these two monumental events, I had first hesitated to buy this book... because I had watched the game... watched the news... read the papers... and I'm a sports fanatic... so I figured how many different ways can someone describe the same game... the same victory parade... and the same monumental havoc caused by Mother Nature? Man! Was I pleasantly surprised when I read this book. Saints coach Sean Payton traces his life from the emotional high... high atop a float in a Mardi-Gras-like victory parade before EIGHT-HUNDRED-THOUSAND-FANS-IN-NEW-ORLEANS back to his roots with not only an "everyman" type dialogue... but even more amazingly Sean delivers a no-holds-barred look behind the scenes at some of the sports well known individuals.

An example of his "everyman" approach... with all the varnish removed as he cast political correctness to the wind... is demonstrated very early on as the Super Bowl victory parade was in full swing when Sean writes: "I WAS SEVEN BUD LIGHTS IN. IT WAS MY TURN TO GREET THE MAYOR. MY WIFE SQUEEZED MY WRIST AND SAID," CONTROL YOURSELF HONEY." The reader is taken from his college ball to short stints in "pro ball" in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Arena Football League that lasted as long as an average blink of the eye. His attempts to make coaching a career had him bouncing around like an out of control pin-ball machine. From graduate assistant-to assistant-to-position-coach from one side of the country to the next. He worked with coaches such as Jon Gruden, Bill Callahan, his most cherished mentor Bill Parcells, and Jim Fassel among others. Payton's tell-it-like-it-is-shoot-straight-from-the-chest-honesty is never more apparent than when he was an assistant and called the plays under New York Giant Head Coach Jim Fassel. The Giants got the ball back with a few seconds left in the first half in a game against the Cardinals and Sean wanted to just "take a knee" and end the half. Fassel overruled him after asking Sean more than once and Sean steadfastly said he wanted to down the ball and end the half. Fassel instead called a pass play that was intercepted and returned for a game-tying touchdown. After the game Fassel blamed Sean for the call to the media. Sean confronted Fassel "mano- y- mano": "UH, COACH," "WHOEVER TAKES THE BLAME FOR THAT CALL IS UNIMPORTANT TO ME. BUT YOU KNOW THAT WHEN WE DISCUSSED IT ON THE SIDELINE, I SAID, "WE SHOULD TAKE A KNEE." That season was Payton's last with the Giants. When Payton took over the Saints he made it clear that he was installing new goals and expectations. Some notable players didn't seem to "get" the message. "DONTE' STALLWORTH, THE SAINTS FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK IN 2002 AND THIRTEENTH OVERALL THAT YEAR, SHOWED UP LATE FOR MANDATORY TEAM MEETINGS MORE THAN ONCE. I HAD A WORD WITH DONTE' AFTER THE SECOND TIME." I'M DYING TO TRADE OR CUT YOU, I TOLD HIM". ".YOU'RE MAKING IT EASY FOR ME." "HE WAS A SLACKER. IN THIS NEW SAINTS OFFENSE, SOMEONE WHO WAS UNRELIABLE WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME FITTING IN." "DEFENSIVE TACKLE JONATHAN SULLIVAN WAS ANOTHER PLAYER WHO SHOWED UP ON THE RADAR-AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY. HE TOO WAS A FIRST-ROUND PICK, SIXTH OVERALL. HE WAS OVERWEIGHT NOW AND DIDN'T SEEM EAGER TO EXPEND MUCH EXTRA EFFORT."

*BOTH PLAYERS WERE SOON ON OTHER ROSTERS.*

There is a chapter on Sean's interview for a head coaching position with the reclusive... mysterious... Hall Of Fame Legend... Oakland Raiders owner, Al Davis... that is absolutely a classic. From Al's constant habit of changing topics faster than Larry King changes wives... to his less than impressive choice of dinner. Where other potential employers wined and dined Sean in the fanciest restaurants... Mr. Davis eschewed such class establishments and instead sent an aid out for ten McDonald's kid's meal cheeseburgers and coleslaw from KFC. And for what it's worth Sean makes sure to let you know that despite the Super Bowl rings on Al's fingers... he was a sloppy eater.

There are countless insider tales such as these along with many "cold-ones" being thrown back. Along the way it's refreshing to read about all the motivational tools that Payton uses during training both before and during the season. Everything from paint ball wars... to water park contests... to Bill Belichick imitations... to charitable causes that brings tears to the players and coaches eyes. And of course the comeback of a team and a city. No football fan... regardless of your favorite team... will ever think the same way about Coach Sean Payton after reading this book!

Great, "bring back the excitement "read!
For those of us who have followed the Saint's journey to the big game, this book creates and allows the reader to relive the excitement of their championship season. Coach Payton does a superb job of telling his story in a simple, but interesting and totally readable manner. I read it in two nights. i just couldn't put it down! He provides interesting background information regarding securing a coaching job and the social networking associated with it. His re-telling of the motivational events and activities for the team gives great insight into his brilliance and leaves no one to wonder how he brought this team to the Super Bowl. The only thing I felt was missing is that I wished he would have discussed the Shockey acquisition. I think Shockey and his contributions to the team are formidable, and i'm sorry that that was not highlighted. Otherwise, a perfect book for Saint's fans, football fans, and anyone who wants an inside look at a NFL's team success.

Loved it!
I am born and raised in NOLA and I loved this book! I don't read much but I finished this book in two days. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the saints and the city of new orleans.

Great read for every saint fan. It is very easy to read and i could not put it down!

Awesome book!

Best book I've read so far in 2010
Full disclosure - I've been a fan of the NFL and a fan of the NO Saints for all 43 years of their existence. But even if I were not, I would have absolutely loved this book.

In an interview, Sean Payton said that this book was the literary equivalent of sitting with him in an airport bar and this would be the resulting 5 hour or so discussion while waiting for a delayed flight. He is right. The book is Sean Payton telling his story and the story of the Saints and their City.

It is at once wonderful and enlightening. Through his eyes you see the unique City of New Orleans, the people of the City and how the team and the City interact. Nowhere else does a city and a professional sports franchise have this kind of symbiotic relationship and that relationship is hard to fathom for those who haven't seen it first hand. Still Payton and his author, Ellis Henican manage to create a clear and lucid portrait of these 2 entities.

This is truly a wonderful book. You do not need to be a Saints fan or even a football fan to get a lot out of it. It speaks of people, of motivation, of desire, of love and of fortitude. This is not intended to be a motivational tome, but just observing Payton and the City through his eyes and words, you can't help but be moved and even motivated.

Wonderful Read, truly a behind-the-scenes look at coaching
Before the book was released, Sean told an interviewer he wanted the book to read like someone got 5 hours with him at an airport bar when their planes are delayed. Mission accomplished. This is not your normal rah-rah coaching to win book. This is truly a behind-the-scenes, warts and all look at a team, and a city, in shambles that was taken to the pinnacle of success in 4 short years by a man who embraced the challenge of the circumstances and grew to love the city and their wildly loyal fan base- while that fan base grew to love and respect him and his team.

An easy, fun, humorous and touching read - I highly recommend it!

Great Book
Rarely does a football book bring tears to my eyes but this one did. Payton's love for New Orleans, his team & the team's fans is remarkable & so is this book.

Great Book
As a long time New Orleans Saints fan (I was born wearing a black and gold jersey), I was absolutely thrilled when the Saints won to the Superbowl. Life in New Orleans went from crazy to ecstatic very quickly. In this book, Payton talks about his career before the Saints, the decision making process, and then truly focuses on his commitment to the New Orleans Saints and how he brings the team--and the city--to life.

Payton is completely honest in the book. From how he wanted the Green Bay job to his dislike for certain players, and it's all revealed in this book. The behind the scenes traditions and sayings are all explained and nothing is left out. Payton said, before the book was released, that he wanted it to feel like the reader and him were sitting at a bar, just talking. When I closed the book after the last page, I felt just like that.

GREAT read!

Home Team
I dont read books very often, but this I could not put down till I finished it. Everyone who loves football should read this. This man is so down to earth, that is a good reason for being a winning coach. If you are a Saints fan, you really need to read this. I Loved it.

Great book about a great city and a great team
This is the story of Sean Payton's rise to become the Super Bowl winning coach, but more significantly it's the story of the return of a great city from the worst Hurricane Katrina had to give. Equal treatment is given to the coach, the team, and the city, and they are woven together extremely well. It presents the city and the team we love and how they were both rebuilt, at least partially through a commitment from each of them to love the other, no matter what. I think it's a great book that belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who loves football, the Saints, and/or the City of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a
similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also done well by them. So who is really domesticating whom? ... Read more

Reviews

Some of the Most interesting Botany You'll Ever Read., June 13, 2001
Two different people sent me copies last week of Michael Pollan's book, The Botany of Desire. I'm a writer (Allergy-Free Gardening, from Ten Speed Press) myself and a lifetime horticulturist and I guess they figured I'd appreciate this book. They were right too. I found this book extremely hard to put down. Pollan is a writer first and a botanist second but he is remarkably observant about horticultural matters. He is also unusually talented at explaining complex ideas and he does so in a way that is fresh, fun, often funny, and suprisingly profound. Pollan's section on Johnny Appleseed alone is worth the price of the book. Here Johnny is a multi-dimensional character, one not just eccentric, but a shrewd fellow with great vision and considerable human frailty. The Botany of Desire is chiefly the history of the tulip, apples in America, cannabis, and the potato. This may not sound like the recipe for a really satisfying read, but in Michael Pollan's more than able hands, it certainly is. If you enjoy gardening, history, or just plain old very decent writing, I expect you too would appreciate this excellent book.

Plants and Humans Influence Each Other for Mutual Benefit!, May 22, 2001
"What existential difference is there between the human being's role in this (or any) garden and the bumblebees?" "Did I choose to plant these potatoes, or did the potato make me do it? With profound questions like these, Michael Pollan pollinates your mind with a new world view of our relationships with plants, one in which humans are not at the center. The book focuses on four primary examples of how plants provide benefits to humans that lead humans to benefit the plants (apples for sweetness, tulips for beauty, marijuana for intoxication, and the potato for control over nature's food supply). You will learn many new facts in the process that will fascinate you. The book's main value is that you will learn that we need to be more thoughtful in how we assist in the evolution of plant species.

The book builds on Darwin's original observations about how artificial evolution occurs (evolution directed by human efforts). So-called domesticated species thrive while the wild ones we admire often do not. Compare dogs to wolves as an example. Mr. Pollan challenges the mental separation we make between wild and domesticated species successfully in the book.

The apple section was my favorite. You will learn that John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) was a rather odd fellow who was actually in the business of raising and selling apple trees. He planted a few seeds at the homes where he stayed overnight on his travels. Mr. Chapman had apple tree nurseries all over Ohio and Indiana, which he started 2-3 years before he expected an influx of settlers. Homesteading laws required these settlers to plant 50 apple or pears trees in order to take title to the land. And these apples were for making hard apple cider, not eating apples. He was the "American Dionysus" in Mr. Pollan's view. Apple trees need to be grafted to make good eating apples. Chapman's trees produced many genetic variations, which are good for the species. Apple trees became more narrow in their genes after other sources for alcohol and sweetness became available (from cane sugar). Now, the ancient genes of apple trees are being kept in living form from Kazakhstan, before they are lost due to economic development.

Tulips were the source of the famous Tulipmania in Holland. Rare colors occurred due to viruses. Those became extremely valuable during the tulip boom market in the 17th century. Now, growers try to keep the viruses out and we have much more dull, consistent species. We have probably lost much beauty in favor of order in the process.

The intoxicants in marijuana are probably caused by toxins that the plants make to kill off insects. Because the plant is a weed, it grows very rapidly. There is a hilarious story about the author's experiences in growing two plants that you will love. As the antidrug war progressed, marijuana became a hothouse plant and was bred and developed to grow much more rapidly under humid, high-light conditions indoors. You will read about modern commercial farms in Holland.

The potato story is the most complex. The Irish potato famine related to monoculture. The Incas had always planted a variety of potatoes to avoid the risk of disease. Now, biotechnology has added an insecticide to the leaves of potato plants, taking monoculture one step further. Interestingly, the insects are already becoming resistant to the insecticide. Are we building a new risk to famine with this approach? How will genetically altered potatoes affect humans? Is having consistent french fries at fast food places enough of an incentive to take this risk? These are the kinds of questions raised by this chapter.

Mr. Pollan has described a "dance of human and plant desire that left neither the plants nor the people . . . unchanged."

His key point is that we should be sure to include strong biodiversity in our approaches. Nature can create more variation faster than fledgling biotechnology industry can. Time has proven that biodiversity has many advantages for humans while monoculture has usually proven to have at least one major drawback. In reality, we can probably have both.

If you are like me, you will find Mr. Pollan's personal experiences with the plants and his investigations of the historical figures to be fascinating. He is a good story teller, and a fine writer.

After you read this book, take a walk through a park or a garden and think about Mr. Pollan's argument. Then consider how these principles can be applied to help ideas change, improve, and grow in more valuable ways.

Look at life from many different perspectives . . . and live more intelligently and beneficially!

Fabulous...., November 6, 2002
Read this book and you may never eat a conventionally grown potato again. I know I won't. If I hadn't been a dedicated organic gardener for over 40 years, I would become one after reading THE BOTANY OF DESIRE. I find it incredibly puzzling that more people haven't bitten the organic bullet. I truly believe a diet of conventionally grown food can shorten your life and bring on all sorts of aches, pains, and illnesses you might not otherwise suffer. Organic gardening works and the stuff you grow is better for you. If you can't grow it, for goodness sakes, hustle on down to your closest Whole Foods store and buy it. Organic food may be more expensive than conventional foods, but in the long run you will save on medical bills.

Michael Pollen's book is simply the best set of gardening essays I've read in a long while, maybe ever. And that's saying a lot because I am a big fan of gardening books (I've reviewed over 100 of them for Amazon). I haven't read something so enjoyable since Henry Mitchell's columns and books. It's not often a book of garden essays can make you laugh (misadventures with Mary Jane), make you cry (one million Irish dead of starvation), make you angry (one million Irish dead), and make you smile (is there any tulip so lovely as `The Queen of the Night?'

Pollan covers four plants, Apples, Tulips, Marijuana, and Potatoes. His first chapter on apples, disabused me of all my notions about Johnny Appleseed. I had read Anna Pavord's book THE TULIP, so the tulip section of Pollan's book was the least interesting for me, although he added some interesting anecdotal information.

The best section of this book as far as I am concerned is the chapter on Marijuana. My husband is a substance abuse counselor and I recommended the chapter to him. It could have been titled, "Everything you ever wanted to know about Marijuana that they didn't tell you in medical school or criminology class." If you haven't yet decided the U.S. government officials who devised the war on drugs are nuts, read this chapter and you will become convinced. Drug war indeed!!! Didn't we learn anything with Al Capone??

The section on the potato plant is downright scary. Pollan's adventures with Monsanto are illuminating. Once again, the feds come out as the dumb bunnies. Or, maybe it's the elected officials and their appointees who won't let the EPA and USDA do it's job. The material on evolution in this section nicely complements Steve Jones' DARWIN'S GHOST. Monsanto is in the process of obtaining patents on natural substances and evolutionary processes that will affect the whole food chain-and the CEO says "trust me". Yeah, right.

Do yourself a favor, during the cold weather ahead. Curl up in an easy chair with a cup of tea and read this book. Whether you garden or not, you will love it.

Excellent book, January 15, 2002
This is an amazing book.
Author Pollan takes us on a journey through history, botany, and the human psyche through examination of four plants - the apple, tulip, marijuana, and potato.
Recurring themes through the book are how plants benefit from encouraging human attention, and the dangers of monoculture, especially how modern man has taken the diversity available in nature and severely limited that diversity, limiting the plants' ability to respond to environmental challenges.
Throughout the book he sprinkles tidbits of information on the plant described, and on the surrounding human culture. He reveals, for instance, that the apple was not only one of the only sources of sweetness in early America, but that the main use of apples in early America was cider. Because we have so limited the original diversity of the apple into just a few strains, apples require large amounts of artificially-applied pesticide to fight the continually-adapting apple pests.
He explains not only how the tulip mania in Holland rose and fell, but why the prized feathered or "broken" tulips were less hardy.
In the discussion on marijuana, Pollan diverges into interesting discussions of the chemistry of human consciousness, how psychoactive plants interact with our consciousness, society's reaction to the use of marijuana, and how strengthened prohibitions against marijuana have ironically led to more potent marijuana.
Talking about the potato, Pollard discusses the dangers of genetically engineered plants - bringing in a pesticide gene from a bacteria to the potato, which results in not only biological dangers, but the danger of putting big business in tight control of agriculture. Pollard also discusses not only how the Irish potato blight came to be, but why it particularly impacted the Irish.
Woven through all these discussions is the theme of the split human attitude toward nature - admiring its wildness, while attempting to exert maximum control over it.

You'll enjoy this book - as you will a similar book (though less esoteric) - _An Empire of Plants: People and Plants that Changed the World_ by Toby and Will Musgrave, which explores the worlds of tobacco, sugar cane, cotton, tea, poppies, quinine and rubber.

Soft-spoken, but packs a punch, September 22, 2001
Pollan makes the rather striking point in the Introduction that we and our domesticated plants are involved in a coevolutionary relationship. We use them and they in turn use us. The bumblebee thinks that he is the "subject in the garden and the bloom he's plundering for its drop of nectar" is the object. "But we know that this is just a failure of his imagination. The truth of the matter is that the flower has cleverly manipulated the bee into hauling its pollen from blossom to blossom." (p. xiv)

And so it is with us. There is no subject and no object. The grammar is all wrong. We plant and disperse the apple, thinking we act from our volition, yet from the apple's point of view, it has enticed us through its bribe of sweetness to further its propagation. It has played upon our desire. The same can be said of every other plant "domesticated" by humans. As Pollan points out, from a larger point of view our farms and gardens are just another part of the "wild" environment. And we, too, are part of that environment--increasingly a most significant part. The plants, and of course the cows, the ants, the roaches, the dogs and the cats, adjust to the environment, or they don't. The ones that do will flourish. Those that don't, the mighty oak, perhaps, the hard wood trees of equatorial jungles, the tigers and the condor, that cannot, will go the way of the dodo.

This idea is not original with Pollan, of course, but nowhere have I seen it presented so convincingly. In a sense we are not the doer, we are the done. Pollan illustrates his thesis in four chapters on the apple, the tulip, cannabis, and the potato.

In the chapter on tulips and the tulip mania we learn that we are probably hard-wired to love flowers. Why? Because "the presence of flowers...is a reliable predictor of future food." (p. 68) We love what is good for us. We find beauty in that which nourishes. Pollan adds that "recognizing and recalling flowers helps a forager get to the fruit [that is to come] first." (p. 68) I might add that our love for little animals is both in their resemblance to our children and (hidden from our consciousness) their potential nutritional value in a time of famine. One might watch on PBS's Nature series to see how lovingly the big cat doth lick its prey.

In the chapter on marijuana Pollan admits to growing the noxious weed in his garden among the potatoes andthe tulips, but incurs paranoia since such horticulture is against the law. He points with restraint to the absurdity of the anti-marijuana laws, to the unconstitutional seizure of property by the marijuana police, etc., but one senses that he's pulling his punches. Or perhaps he feels that something is gained by using a quiet voice. He goes to Amsterdam and finds out just how potent the new marijuana has become. He views an indoor marijuana grow room and sees how sinsemilla is produced while noting that cannabis has become America's number one cash crop. (p. 130). He also notes that "the rapid emergence of a domestic marijuana industry represents a triumph of protectionism" (p. 131). Yes, Virginia, the drug war is artificially supporting the high price of marijuana and protecting domestic "farmers" from foreign competition.

The chapter on the apple concentrates on the life and career of John Chapman, AKA Johnny Appleseed, in which Pollan transforms the Disney-ish Christianized American folk hero into "the American Dionysus." The reason? The apple seeds that Chapman dispersed grew not into Red Delicious apples or Macintoshes but into scrawny little things, mostly too bitter to eat that were made into hard cider, which contained about three percent alcohol, the drink of default for the pioneers. They loved him for it, and occasionally there did indeed grow out of the cider orchards a tree or two that brought forth fruit that could be eaten with pleasure, and made into pies and butter....

The final chapter on the potato has Pollan planting Monsanto's genetically engineered NewLeaf potato, a potato that produces its own insecticide as part of the potato itself by using a gene borrowed from a common bacterium found in the soil. Pollan weighs the significance of this while recalling the history of the potato from its origins in the Andes through its economic effect on Europe, and especially Ireland, to its status today. He comes out strongly against monoculture and in favor of biodiversity. He reports on Monsanto's infamous "Terminator" technology, genetic alteration of plants so that their seeds are sterile, requiring the farmer to become dependent upon Monsanto for seed, a technology that Monsanto "has forsworn" following "an international barrage of criticism." (p. 233)

This a very pretty book written in an understated style about how we deceive ourselves, how we fail to see the world as it really is; how we see the world from a singular and restricted point of view, we as subject and actor, the rest of the environment as acted upon, when in truth, we are just part of the larger ecology, part of the process. We are creatures that kid ourselves to make more palpable our morally ambiguous behavior.

My favorite insight of many in the book comes from page 247 where Pollan, in recalling the brilliant time-lapse photography from David Attenborough's PBS series, "The Private Life of Plants," observes, "...our sense of plants as passive objects is a failure of imagination, rooted in the fact that plants occupy what amounts to a different dimension."

Through a Potato's Eyes, July 21, 2002
Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire is a collection of four essays on four different plants, each representing a desire that humans have: apples (sweetness), tulips (beauty), marijuana (intoxication), and potatoes (control). Pollan's writing is clear and purposeful, full of the kind of rampant speculation that would get a real scientist in trouble (or labeled as a "pop scientist" as Carl Sagan was), but perfect for the gardener-turned-investigator that Pollan is. In high school, we learn that plots boil down to basic structures, one of them being human vs. nature. Pollan attempts to flip that and write a book that is nature vs. humans by focusing on how the plants benefit from the years of selection by humans. Although the book is obstensibly about the plants, Pollan introduces you to a number of people who provide both the assistance and the foils for his natural protagonists, like: Johnny Appleseed (a real figure) and Bill Jones (who is more interested in a St. Appleseed); Monsanto, their captive customers, and the off-the-grid organic farmer Mike Heath; Bryan R., a breeder and grower of marijuana in Amsterdam, who is both frightened and proud of his patch of [marijuana]; and Dr. Pauw, who owned all but one of the most desired tulips during the mania that hit Holland.

The style of the book resembles that of John McPhee, partly because of its four-essay structure, but also in the short, broken sections that flit back-and-forth in time, place and thought. Pollan, unlike McPhee, has a conclusion to draw from his subject, though, and that is the need to support biodiversity and his fear of monoculture--be it a natural one like the reliance on the "lumper" potato in Ireland that led to the Great Potato Famine or the artificial one of human culture, where people show a range of interest on many things, not just the tulip (or dot.com) of the moment. Reading between the lines, one can celebrate not only the wonder of nature but also fear the danger of hubris in thinking that we are separate from that nature, that we are not as changed by it as we change it. In these days of global warming and other environmental pressures, it's a lesson we would all do well to heed.

Conversational prose, brimming with allusions, March 30, 2002
I just finished this lovely little book,and would highly reccommend it. If nothing else, this book prepares one for many interesting conversations. I am now knowledgable about the true Johnny Appleseed, the tulip craze of Holland, the highly specialized marijuana culture, and new developments in the genetic engineering of potatoes. (To name a few!)
The fact that Pollan is not a scientist, but an avid gardener and researcher, among other things, should be considered an asset to the reader. He avoids esoteric scientific terminology, but the text remains sophisticated because his allusions prove huge amounts of research. Each part of the book, each "desire", has its own special charm. I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. This book truly opens one's eyes to "a plant's-eye view of the world". Though by no means the be-all-end-all on this topic, it is a beautiful natural history.

Impossible to set down!, May 17, 2001
Michael Pollan has written a hugely entertaining and wonderfully informative book. He takes us on a wild ride through the garden, changing our perspective forever, alternating between historical tale, vivid description of life in the garden and witty aside. It's a breathtaking book, a sure classic.

I'm not lending my copy to anyone or I'll never get it back!!

A good, but questionable, effort, July 22, 2001
Pollan's The Botany of Desire is certainly a fascinating book, and I would say that it is also a valuable read, but not for its scientific accuracy or integrity. Firstly, the author is not a scientist but a journalist, and we all know that journalists tend to glorify and exaggerate. His argument itself is attractive in some ways but consistently equivocal and vague. Though skeptical throughout, I did enjoy this book for the author's fluid writing, good sense of humor, and solid attempts and evolutionary insight.

Pollan claims that that the plants we domesticate have evolved to please our senses and thus encourage us to grow them in vast amounts, in effect, helping them to propagate. At first, this is a very attractive idea, but with further thought it does not hold up. Are people and the plants they grow commercially really in an obligate mutualistic relationship? Well, yes, they are. Human society, particularly in industrially developed countries, has become dependent on domesticated crops. But I would argue that we have moulded these crops to our own ends; the influence of natural selection upon these crops' ancestors is not as significant as the artificial selection we exerted upon them. Yes, apple trees did first have to get our attention before we would start growing them voluntarily, but we have artificially selected the apples that you and I eat today. Those huge Granny Smiths and Red and Golden Delicious you see at the grocery are not wild type species in the least bit. They are as much a designed piece of technology as is a finely tuned engine, and the orchard in which they grow is not really different from a factory. These domesticated species would never have flourished in a primitive environment, and they are totally defenseless to pests and other threats without the aid of their inventors, us. What difference does this make? We are still producing large numbers of them; isn't that all that counts? Well, you could always say that we are propagating the apples, potatoes, cannabis, whatever, but we produce them on our terms, not theirs. We artificially select the characters we want, and then we clone them by vegetative methods. The plants were not and are not evolving to please us; they are being manipulated to please us. Think about all the seedless fruits we have developed and sustained (grapes, bananas, watermelon, pinneapple, just to name a few). This process is the equivalent of evolutionary castration, reducing these plants to nothing more than a toolbox of malleable biotic mechanisms. They are no longer independently evolving; we sustain them solely for our own benefit, and the genetic lines of the plants themselves are frozen in time.

Now that I have griped, I must say that this book is not without its benefits. I had not really thought about plants the way Pollan presents here, and I must thank him for opening my eyes in this respect. Although I don't agree with him, I derived great value in following his thought process about domesticated plants. For this reason, I would recommend this book to those who would like to debate an interesting evolutionary topic that is a nice twist on traditional perspective.

Plants Modify Humans, August 8, 2001
Michael Pollan likes bees, and mentions them frequently in _The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World_ (Random House). "A bumblebee would probably... regard himself as a subject in the garden and the bloom he's plundering for its drop of nectar as an object. But we know that this is just a failure of his imagination. The truth of the matter is that the flower has cleverly manipulated the bee into hauling its pollen from blossom to blossom." His thesis in his book is that plants have not manipulated just bees, but humans as well in the ten thousand years since agriculture started. If we have a success with a plant, it is just as true to say that the plant is having a success with us. We may have learned plenty, but the plants have learned as well: make a flashier flower, a tastier tuber and those humans will do just what you want. Pollan examines apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes and finds that we are serving them well.

Apples we grow for sweetness, and sweetness surrounds our image of Johnny Appleseed, but Pollan shows that this strange character was not delivering apple orchards to the pioneers as much as he was delivering the alcoholic beverage cider, and incidentally he was making preserves of wild apple trees. Tulips we grow for beauty, and it is a beauty that has driven people wild. Pollan reviews the story of the Tulipomania of seventeenth century Holland, and shows that by what Darwin called "artificial selection," humans chose tulips that looked fancier, and tulips got fancier in order to be chosen. Marijuana we grow for intoxication, and Pollan admires what has happened with it: "_This_ was what the best gardeners of my generation had been doing all these years: they had been underground, perfecting cannabis." The government has boosted the potency of marijuana by forcing growing inside, where even carbon dioxide can be forced into the plants. The strangest and most troubling of the four stories is the potato, which we grow as a staple crop. Pollan got hold of the New Leaf potato from Monsanto, genetically engineered to have a toxin throughout the plant that kills beetles. The problem is that the toxin is behaving differently from natural toxins. Bees take it in pollen to other plants, and we know that monarch butterflies die when they eat milkweed dusted with pollen with the toxin in it; will this happen in the field? Pollan's potatoes grow into fine specimens, needing less worry and care than his other potatoes, but they fail as a harvest; he can't make himself eat them.

Pollan is an avid gardener and writes about these plants, all of which he has himself raised at one time or other, with an enjoyable wit and clarity. There is plenty of science packed into his chapters, as well as amusing personal stories and cautionary tales. Most important, his lesson of how plants are not just objects for our manipulation but are linked in pushing us along as we push them provides a vital evolutionary lesson. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Like a raging wildfire, August 25, 2009

Big country, big people, big problems: an epic American tale, September 6, 2009

Well written history of an important event, September 12, 2009

Two Stories, Much to Learn, Keeps You Longing for the Next Page!, October 11, 2009

Another Excellent Book from Timothy Egan, October 8, 2009

Amazingly educating and entertaining at the same time, August 29, 2009

Gifford Pinchot, January 23, 2010
Pinchot was a friend of my grandfather and inspired my father Arthur duBois to go to Yale Forestry School. "Big Burn brings to life his mystical personality and his relationship with Teddy Roosevelt. Beautifully written and and easy read. Arthur W. DuBois

A Fine History of a Major Turning Point in the History of Forestry in the U.S., October 11, 2009

"The forests wanted to burn", September 2, 2010

When President William McKinley died of gangrene after being shot in September 1901, Vice President Teddy Roosevelt had to make a middle-of-the-night dash for Washington from a remote spot deep in the Adirondacks. This was a fitting start for a presidency that established the conservation movement in U.S. politics and placed 230 million acres of land under Federal protection as national parks, preserves and forests.

In its first section, The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America details Roosevelt's love of wild places and his relationship with Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot was a McKinley appointee in the Department of Agriculture, a Yale man from a wealthy family, among the first professionally educated foresters. Roosevelt and Pinchot had a vision of the American wilderness as a sacred trust belonging to all Americans. The country was being gobbled up by grazers, miners, and especially the timber industry. Homesteading, the great opportunity for settlers spreading west, was often a front for big business acquisitions; fortunes were being made by a few at the expense, Roosevelt believed, of Americans yet to be born. He was determined to protect our heritage for those future generations. Pinchot and Roosevelt both came from privileged backgrounds but enacted populist policies, often infuriating the wealthy industrialists who had their eyes on the great spaces.

Under Roosevelt's presidency Pinchot tried to manage the vast Federal forests on the pittance Congress allowed him, staffing the service with a corps of committed young foresters, most of them from the Yale forestry program. Pinchot did not believe in removing the Federal land from commercial use; his vision was to lease cutting rights and regulate heavily to preserve the health of the forests. His greatest hubris was in his attitude toward fire: he believed that an agile, adequately funded Forestry Service could control and effectively eliminate forest fires. As fires were started by lightning, by sparks from trains, and by the many other works of man, the foresters used trenching and back-burning to contain them. The forests aged and filled with combustible debris, and it was inevitable that one day it would burn and burn, and not be stopped.

It was just chance that led me to this book exactly one hundred years after the furious fire that burned vast forested sections of Washington, Montana and Idaho. This great fire destroyed three million acres of forest--parts of the Bitterroot, Clearwater, Coeur d'Alene, Lolo, St. Joe's forests, and gobbled up several towns. Author Timothy Egan devotes the second section of the book to a detailed play-by-play of the two-day inferno and the courageous foresters, army troops and woodsmen who fought to contain it. In August 1910 the woods were tinder dry, clogged with brush and dead trees, and wanting to burn. Several smaller fires were fanned together by high, dry winds and became a "kinetic engine" that burned until the wind stopped and rain fell.

The third section of the book covers the political demise of Gifford Pinchot, Roosevelt's attempt to return to national politics with the Bull Moose Party in 1912, and the changing fortunes of the Forestry Service. Egan's somewhat dramatic title is to a certain extent substantiated by the change in forestry management policies, and now logging in the national forests is in decline because it's cheaper to farm trees and import them for construction than to log under forestry maintenance policies. There is mention of the modern acknowledgement that the forests MUST burn to some extent, to allow their renewal in the aftermath of fire.

I enjoyed this book very much but you can see that like Caesar's Gaul, it's divided sharply into three parts, and that gives it an uneven quality. The extreme detail in the first section, and particularly in the description of the two-day fire and its aftermath, leaves too little space for the arc of public policy in the last hundred years--it's a disaster novel set between bookends of serious history. Four stars; I listened to the ten-hour audio production from Audible, narrated by Robertson Dean.

Linda Bulger, 2010

An Extreme Burn, January 14, 2010
The Big Burn by Timothy Egan is probably the best non fiction book I have read yet. He starts a little slow because you must know the people and how the conservation movement started. The book builds in intensity with each chapter.It is the history of Teddy Roosevelt's fight to start the conservation movement. With John Muir and Gifford Pinchot they started the fight to preserve our land. National Parks and Forest Rangers to protect them was established. While many in this country did not see the need to protect our land, this trio fought and succeeded. While this fight was hard nothing could prepare Teddys group for what was about to happen.
What happened was the Big Burn. One of the largest, deadliest fires in history, these men stood their ground and fought it. It talks of certain Rangers and how they fought the fire and survived, or how mistakes led to their demise. The book is written in story form so it is easy to read. The characters come to life with Egan's descriptions of them.
In the three page chapter where the fire starts, I did not take a breath while reading! I felt as though I was in the fire. I could see it, feel the heat from it and fear it. It takes a great author to do that. I could'nt stop reading the book after the fire broke out. The acres and acres of destroyed land and the deaths of those that fought to protect it will be remembered because of this book.
Because of reading this book I have been interested in bio's of Gifford Pinchot and Teddy Roosevelt. If you want to read a great book...read this one. I guarantee you will enjoy it. You will laugh, cry and have feelings of dislike for and with people involved in the fire. I am grateful that we have these parks to visit and enjoy. I am even more greatful for the Rangers that protect them.
Read this book. It will change you. You will not be sorry. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Mark Kurlansky, the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the World, here turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions.Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, Kurlansky's kaleidoscopic history is a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece. ... Read more

Reviews

Definitely worth his salt . . ., April 6, 2004
It's become a party cliche to comment on our need for the results of combining a poisonous gas [chlorine] and a volatile metal [sodium]. Kurlansky passes quickly over such levity to seriously relate the role of sodium chloride in human society. While at first glance his account may seem overdone, a bit of reflection reveals that something so common in our lives is easily overlooked. Salt is essential to our existence. Our need is so strong and enduring that we tend to take its availability for granted. As a global history, this book is an ambitious attempt to re-introduce us to something we think common and uninteresting. It's immensely successful through Kurlansky's multi-faceted approach. He combines economics, politics, culinary practices, tradition and myth in making his presentation. About the only aspect ignored is the detailed biological one explaining why this compound is so necessary to our existence.

Because our need for salt is so fundamental, its history encompasses that of humanity. Salt was basic to many economies, Kurlansky notes. It's acted as the basis of exchange between traders, was the target of empire builders and even paid out to soldiers as a form of "salary" - hence the term. Venice, a coastal city tucked away from the main tracks of Mediterranean trade, bloomed into prominence when it discovered it could garner more profit by trading in salt than by manufacturing it. The Venetian empire and later renaissance was founded on the salt trade.

Empires may be built on salt, but can be felled by misguided policies on its trade and consumption. One element leading to the downfall of the French monarchy was the hated "gabelle", or salt tax, which imposed a heavier burden on farming peasants than it did on the aristocracy. The reputation of tax evasion borne by the French relates to the resentment expressed over the salt tax. A British regulation on salt resulted in similar reaction leading to the breakup up their own Empire. It was a "march to the sea" led by Mahatma Ghandi to collect salt that galvanised resistance to British rule. Over a century after the French Revolution, the British were displaced from India for similar reasons - greed.

While acknowledging the importance of salt in our lives, Kurlansky notes that determining how much is "too little" or "too much" is elusive. Many people today claim to have "salt-free" diets while remaining ignorant of how much salt is contained in our foods, both naturally and through processing. Yet, as Kurlansky records, salt has appeal beyond just the body's needs. He records numerous commentators from ancient Egypt, China and Rome who express their admiration for salt's flavour-adding qualities. Sauces based on various ingredients mixed with salt permeate the book. He notes that the salt dispenser is a modern innovation, supplementing the use of salt in cooking processes.

Salt's decline in conserving food, which changed the amount of salt we consume directly, came about due to increased world trade, displacement of rural populations into cities, and, of course, war. "The first blow" displacing salt as a preservative came from a Parisian cook; a man so obscure that his given name remains disputed. Nicolas [Francois?] Appert worked out how to preserve meat by "canning". Adopted by Napoleon's armies, the technique spread rapidly. The technology of the Industrial Revolution led to effective refrigeration. Kurlansky gives an account of Clarence Birdseye's efforts to found what became a major industry.

Although the topic seems overspecialised, the universal application and long historical view of this book establishes its importance. Kurlansky has successfully met an immense challenge in presenting a wealth of information. That he graces what might have been a dry pedantic exercise with recipes, anecdotes, photographs and maps grants this book wide appeal. He's to be congratulated for his worldly view and comprehensive presentation. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Taking a love of Salt to its logical extreme, December 6, 2003
Salt is one of those things that turned up all over the place in my high school studies. It turned up in chemisty (sodium chloride), in biology (the amount of salt in our bodies and what we do with it), in history and English (check out the root of the word: "salary"). So sure, salt's important. But does it merit its own entire book about its history? Turns out the answer is both yes and no...

I like these small, focused histories (as you've probably guessed if you've read any of the other reviews I've written). I've read many of them, including another one by Mark Kurlansky, Cod (which I rather enjoyed). So when I ran across Salt, I was certain I wanted to read it. I liked Kurlansky's style, and I already knew that the subject matter would be interesting.

And it was. In Salt, Kurlansky walks through both the history of salt and the influence of salt on history, presenting a wide and varied picture of one of the [now] most common elements in our modern world. And he does this in the same engaging fashion that he used in Cod; although, with fewer recipes. So why not give it five stars? Well, it has a couple of noticable flaws that tended to detract a bit from the overall presentation.

The first flaw was in the sheer number of historical snippets that were included. While I'm certain that salt has been important in the broad span of human history, there are a number of these historical anecdotes where he was clearly reaching to demonstrate the influence of salt. Salt may have been involved in these incidents, but it was peripheral at best, and the overall tone sounds too much like cheerleading. Cutting a few of these out would have shortened the book without detracting from the presentation at all.

The second flaw was the meandering path that he takes through the history of salt. He generally starts early in history, and his discussion moves along roughly as history does as well; however, he has a tendency to wander a bit both forward and backward without effectively tying all of this together. I'd have preferred to either walk straight through history while skipping around the world (effectively comparing the use and influence of salt around the world) or to have taken more time to discuss why we were rewinding (effectively following one thread to its conclusion and then picking up another parallel one). To me it made the presentation a little too choppy.

There have been other criticisms as well; for example, the chemistry is incorrect in a number of places, but if you're using this as a chemical reference, then you've got serious issues with your ability to library research. Of course, that begs the question of what errors are in there that we didn't catch. And it does tend to be a bit repetitive in parts; although, this could have been used to good effect if historical threads had been followed a bit more completely.

While I had a few dings on the book, overall I liked it. The fact that I read it end-to-end and enjoyed the last chapter as much as the first is a testament to my general enjoyment of it. It wasn't the best book I read last year, but I'll certainly keep it on my bookshelf. So, back to my original question: does salt merit its own book? Yes, it does, but perhaps in a somewhat shorter form.

A book to read with a grain of salt, April 23, 2003
I was browsing the new releases section of my local library when I happened to see this book. It had an interesting premise, and looked to be unlike any book I'd read before. I've read histories of people and places, but never of ingredients. I checked it out skeptically, and was pleasantly surprised.
Kurlansky is a very talented writer, he manages to make salt suspenseful. The book's purpose is to examine how salt affected the history of the world. He succeeds in this. However, the history is not really coherent, it doesn't really flow. Salt is essentially a collection of vignettes. These vignettes are grouped in chronological order. The first part of the book deals with salt in China and Rome. Part 2 concerns salt's effect in the Middle Ages and the wars of independence. Part 3 concludes the history by examining salt in modern times.
The main failing of this extensively researched account is Kurlansky attempts to link salt to every major world event. According to him, dissatisfaction with the salt tax led to the American and French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution came to be because of salt, and salted foods allowed the world to be explored. Nonetheless, the history is accessible and a fun to read, even if some of the author's conclusions are a bit off base.

Kurlansky uses salt as a thread to link cultures and history, March 21, 2003
Salt" takes the reader through thousands of years of human cultural and scientific development, all-the-while making it interesting and accessible. The common character throughout is ordinary table salt, which up until 100 years ago, played a far more important role in human society and economics. Through the use of this everyday material, Kurlansky takes us on a tour that from ancient China and Rome, to Britain's rule of India, into the slave operated salt mines of Europe, down to Avery Island during the American Civil War (and the creation of Tabasco Sauce); all with a focus on the cuisines of those places and times. A long book that I was sorry to finish.

The history of civilization taken with a grain of salt, March 14, 2003
Mark Kurlansky has written a witty and erudite history of mankind's love affair with salt. From Lake Yuncheng 8,000 years ago in what is now modern-day China to the fine granular perfection of a box of Morton's, Kurlansky uses salt as a lens through which to view the development of technology and nations. He ends the book with the not un-ironic recognition of what took eighty centuries to achieve -- abundant, perfect white salt -- is now common, cheap and disdained.

This is an informal and amusing book, filled with what seems solid research and clear thinking. Half history and half food writing, Kurlansky visits Portugese cod-fishing fleets and Roman salt mines, ancient Asian saltworks and Edmund McIlhenny's salt island in New Iberia Parish, Louisiana. He uses the repeated cycles of history to visit certain recurring themes: a human's need for salt making them vulnerable to taxation, and thence rebellion, as well as the growth of technologies, particularly drilling technologies, spurred by the need for, and want of, salt.

Today, with blast freezers, refrigerated truck lines and jets that can move fresh seafood around the world, we have forgotten just how critical salt once was. Nowadays we can tinker with our salt intake and question its affect on health, but for men and women laboring under the sun in salt-poor regions, it was life itself. Kurlansky remninds us of these things, and how the humble white crystal has been part of our development as a civilization.

Wonderful, but too long., October 2, 2003
Salt added to the diet is necessary to humans in an agricultural economy. Before refrigeration, it was also necessary as a preservative. Consequently, it has been a primary trade good, either by itself, or in the form of salted foods and sauces. It is therefore quite possible to look at the sweep of history by concentrating on the salt trade, and improvements in technology for acquiring or transporting salt, and get a unique and fascinating view. Remember the 3 way trade between Africa, the Caribbean and the American colonies? Salt even figured importantly in that. Kurlansky often provides peripheral information of high interest, and for those interested in cooking, there are a bunch of recipes from throughout history. I wish that Kurlansky had provided a little more detail on the science of food preservation. More of a concern is that Kurlansky has written an amazingly complete book. For the casual reader it can get to be too much, and I sometime found a need to skim, which is never fun.

Salt of the Earth---Chemical Heritage magazine, March 12, 2003
Salt is a multidisciplinary historical look at salt, a material closely tied to civilization. As its title claims, it is a history of the world from the perspective of salt. The book is hard to put down with attention grabbing chapters such as Salts Salad Days, The Leaving of Liverpool, The Odium of Sodium, Big salt, Little Salt and The War Between the Salts. Since the author has received an award for excellence in food writing, it should come as no surprise that the text contains its share of historical recipes.
In the course of the book we are introduced to an astonishing range of cultures and visit many areas where salt has been found and harvested. From Egypt to China, Rome and the Celts, India, Africa and America, the story moves back and forth, skipping between time periods and cultures. The reader is assisted in the journey by well-drawn maps. I especially enjoyed learning about the many ways salt has been harvested, from the sea, evaporating brines or mining rock salt. I also was intrigued by the influence of salt on fields diverse as economics, taxes, politics and technology. For example, we learn about how Gandhi and Indian independence got its start in rebellion against oppressive salt taxes leveled on the Indians so that British salt makers would have a market for their surplus salt.
In the book we meet salt-connected people like Li Bing, governor of what is now Sichuan in 250 B.C.E. and a hydraulic engineering genius. Besides building the worlds first large scale dam for flood control and irrigation, and opening up central China for widespread agriculture, Li Bing was the first to drill for salt brine. The author shows how this naturally led to our geologic understanding of salt domes and eventually how to drill for oil in such domes. At this time the Chinese became the first to tax salt and attempt to fix its price, something hard to do with such a cheap and readily available material.
It is in his slant towards food that the author is most comfortable, talking about the many ways salt and food intersect. We and introduced to salt and food preservation, spices and flavorings, sour kraut and salted meat, fish and fishing, even the harvesting and production of caviar. There are two chapters on Avery Island in Louisiana, the first on salt mining by the Avery family which supplied much of the Confederacys salt, the second on Edmund McIlhenny combining two products of the island  hot chili peppers and salt  to make Tabasco sauce.
The book appears to randomly skip around between cultures and time periods, visiting China and America several times. It also ignores any time period later than mid twentieth century and does little with modern, nonfood uses of salt. The author gives no citations or footnotes for his many quotes or facts, relying instead on a fairly extensive bibliography including books and a few articles. While he talks about the science of salt in parts of a few chapters, I would have liked to learn more. He does fairly well with the changes in technology involved with salt. While I enjoyed reading the book it left me with many historical and scientific questions unanswered. Its real strength is in describing the historical relationship between salt and food. I found it pleasant to read.

Good Book, May 19, 2005
Reading the other reviews I see that almost everyone either loves it or hates it. I loved it. Salt was what Oil is today. I cut bait on a book if it's not interesting to me and I had no problem reading this cover to cover. I'm a non-fiction reader and a business person, not a literary type or a writer, so stylistic issues that other reviewers surfaced didn'd bother me. I also loved Giles Milton's "Nathaniel's Nutmeg."

A Terrible Disappointment, February 28, 2005
Having read and loved "Cod" by Mr. Kurlansky, I was looking forward to "Salt". Cod was interesting, readable and entertaining as well as being a comprehensive history of an interesting and little known topic. I thought Salt would be the same. Perhaps the best way to sum up the difference between the successful Cod and the tedious Salt is to note that Cod was 294 pages and Salt, 449.

Salt is tedious and redundant. There is no central theme. The author takes us all around the world, salt lick by brine spring to relate how every salt producer produced the salt and then distributed used or distributed it. There were plenty of trees, but Mr. Kurlansky never found the forest. Every chapter was merely a new stop on the tour. The tour was so disorganized that it did not proceed geographically nor by time.

A few hundred pages shorter and this would have been so much better. A few examples of salt production types and an overview would have improived it to be readable and interesting.

There are some pearls such as the Chinese were producing salt with the aid of natural gas while Europeans were virtually still in caves. The Egyptian mummification was also interesting. Unfortunately, these were in the first chapters.

Interestingly, Mr. Kurlansky's history virtually ignores the twentieth century. Very little is included about the 20th and 21st centuries except a few excerpts of salt producing areas that went under and the noting that Morton and Cargill are now the two largest producers. Virtually nothing was included about how they got that way or how salt use and production compares today with 100-200 years ago.

This is a very tough read. I would not recommend it after the first 80-100 pages. With those read, unfortunately, you've got the book.

A gem of a book, June 8, 2004
This is a gem of a book. It discusses and intertwines the history and importance of salt from prehistoric times until now in the context of the various types of salt, preserving and brining meat, fish and other foods, cooking, cheese making, health, geology, geography, place names, world trade, world history, warfare, art and investments, to name a few topics.

The descriptions of the role of salt in the American Civil War and the Caribbean islands were fascinating. Then there were the Romans, the Mayans, The Aztecs, the Chinese, the French, the Germans, the English, the Dutch, the Russians, the Scandinavians and others and their involvement with salt.

The recipes for cooking with salt are aptly chosen from about 4000 years of recorded history and are remarkably similar to those in use today. The colorful view and history of the San Francisco salt ponds from an airplane were always a bit of mystery to me, but no longer. The origin of towns and cities whose name ends in "wich" was enlightening, to say nothing of Salzburg and the many salt mines in the world.

In short, this book is a grand, well-written, informative and often amusing world panorama of salt filled with a host of pearls of learning. It is hard to put down and makes 449 pages pleasantly fly by, leaving you with a taste for more. If you have ever used salt, you really should read this book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

An intriguing collection of more than one hundred out-of-the-ordinary maps, blending art, history, and pop culture for a unique atlas of humanity

Spanning many centuries, all continents, and the realms of outer space and the imagination, this collection of 138 unique graphics combines beautiful full-color illustrations with quirky statistics and smart social commentary. The result is a distinctive illustrated guide to the world. Categories of cartographic curiosities include: • Literary Creations, featuring a map of Thomas More's Utopia and the world of George Orwell's 1984

• Cartographic Misconceptions, such as a lavish seventeenthcentury map depicting California as an island
• Political Parody, containing the "Jesusland map" and other humorous takes on voter profiles
• Whatchamacallit, including a map of the area codes for regions where the rapper Ludacris sings about having "hoes"
• Obscure Proposals, capturing Thomas Jefferson's vision for dividing the Northwest Territory into ten states with names such as Polypotamia and Assenisipia
• Fantastic Maps, with a depiction of what the globe might look like if the sea and land were inverted

The Strange Maps blog has been named by GeekDad Blog on Wired.com "one of the more unusual and unique sites seen on the Web that doesn't sell anything or promote an agenda" and it's currently ranked #423 on Technorati's Top 500 Blogs.

Brimming with trivia, deadpan humor, and idiosyncratic lore, Strange Maps is a fascinating tour of all things weird and wonderful in the world of cartography. ... Read more

Reviews

If you like maps, you'll love this book, October 31, 2009
Like the author, I like maps, but unlike me, he got bored with the standard variety. He began a web site with the most unusual maps he could find -- from which web site came this book.

It is a remarkable collection. There are maps showing California as an island, of what Africa might have looked like if Germany had won its wars, of countries that never were, of countries that wanted to be bigger than they were, of a proposed reorganization of the U.S. into 38 states, and many more. Some are scary, some funny, some puzzling, some enlightening. Each map has enough background to make it comprehensible.

In the process of enjoying the maps, one learns things. There are islands of Germany surrounded by Belgium. Before the introduction of standard time zones, railroad timetables were much more complicated than they are today. And did you ever wonder why part of Delaware's border is a curve?

This is one of those books that is a pleasure to browse through. One can read it bit by bit, learning something every time.

If you like maps, you'll love this book.

Good, but no replacement for the real thing, December 1, 2009
If you regularly read the Strange Maps blog and want to support Frank Jacobs with a few bucks, then this is the way to go. The book compiles the blog entries with nice large photos and un-cluttered text. However, if you're like I am, and like to look things up on the internet as you read about them, the experience of reading one of Frank's stories on the web is vastly different than reading it in a book. The book doesn't add anything to the content already on the web, and you miss out on the links to original sources and cross-references to other Strange Maps stories. If you or someone you know likes well-researched and engaging anecdotes about maps combined with the experience of reading such things in a book, then this one's for you. But if you just want to see some cartographic curiosities and pick up a factoid or two along the way, then perhaps the Strange Maps blog should be your first destination. Then you can decide whether it's worth is to shell out some money to have print copies of all the wonderful maps Frank has collected.

For Geography Lovers and History Buffs, October 30, 2009
The maps are both historical, fantasy based and several "what if" maps.
Ther is a map of the Land of Oz which is pretty cool. Several early American and colonial era maps have their conversation points. The photographs of some maps are small, and reading the details can be tedious at times. My favourite map is one showing what Europe would like like had Nazi Germany won WWII. Scary, yet very intriguing.

The future is also shown. There are two maps showing the moon walks of Apollo 11 and 12. A fold out map of Mars's moon Deimos reminds us that we are now mapping extra terrestrial locations. A map of Titan's (as of yet) unnamed liquid methane lake is just beyond amazing.

Daniel Padovano

What goes around comes around, December 1, 2009
Frank Jacobs's website has an honored icon on my Desktop; it's great fun to check what new and wonderful map he has come up with recently. All of his discoveries appeared first in print in a wide variety of publications, sometimes reprinted more than once. Jacobs then converts his map of the week to digital form and posts it on his website together with informative and amusing commentary.

This pretty little book collects some of his favorite maps and put them back into print again. As other reviewers have mentioned, the website is a living resource for anyone interested in maps. But it's very satisfying somehow to hold this book in the hand, partly to feel more in touch with the original version of the maps and partly to support Jacobs's efforts.

As an example of Jacobs point of view, this extract comes from a recent interview in "The New York Times":

"They say a picture is worth a thousand words. To rephrase that cartographically: a map is worth a thousand statistics. One of the best examples of cartography with a cause are Dr. John Snow's mid-19th-century cholera maps. His cartographic juxtaposition of cholera outbreaks and water sources showed the link between a contaminated water supply and the prevalence of the disease. By eliminating certain pumps, cholera cases were reduced dramatically. Dr Snow's research helped create the discipline of epidemiology. So yes, maps and the particular way in which they present information can be very influential indeed.

"Another stark example is Dr. Minard's map of Napoleon's ill-advised Russian campaign, also discussed in my book. It is a marvel of data presentation, combining six different sets of information. One of those is the size of Napoleon's army, represented by 1 millimeter for every 10,000 soldiers. The tiny trickle leaking out of Russia compared to the massive arrow going in is as horrifying an indictment as any of the madness and human cost of war."

If you have any interest in maps (or even if you don't and would like to understand why others might be), stop by the website or even better buy this fine book as well. It's one of those books you'll lend out time and again, assuming your friends ever return it.

Robert C. Ross 2009

Step Right Up! See the World's Smallest Kingdom Here!, March 24, 2010
This is a Wonder Book, a collection of "cartographic curiosities" in the words of the author. It is to a conventional atlas what side shows are to the big top. Here you'll find the misshapen and the misbegotten, the tallest man and world's smallest flame eater, the five-legged animals of the cartographic kingdom. Frank Jacobs, the author, an English journalist, knows his stuff and presents it with a knowing smile. There are eighteen tent shows (chapters) where you'll discover over 100 maps, each with a unique story.

The most charming series of maps in the book are The Aleph Maps, a series of 19th Century anthropomorphic depictions of twelve European nations: Denmark as a figure skater, Russia as a bear, Ireland as a peasant woman, etc. Created for children as a way of making geography interesting, they are colorful, flamboyant and captivating. The map of Oz, which shows the boundaries of the surrounding counties, would make a fine playroom poster. For history buffs, a political cartoon in the form of a Civil War period map showing General-in-Chief Winfield Scott's proposed campaign route to subdue the Confederacy, is a winner. Titled "Scott's Great Snake," the road from Maryland to Missouri is illustrated as a great snake and Scott's proposal became known as "The Anaconda Plan." President Lincoln didn't buy it. But, as you will see, he does have an island named for him in the South Pacific.

Jacobs' scholarship is on display in his selection and description of maps used to illustrate the novels of Jules Verne. These show up in the second tent, "Literary Creations," and involve, in addition to Lincoln's island, the imaginary country Verne called New Switzerland. Jacob's scholarship here more than equals that found in the description of New Switzerland in "The Dictionary of Imaginary Places" (Harcourt Brace, New York, 2000). (However, I credit The Dictionary for including a map of The Marvellous (sic) Land of Oz which marks the spot where Alice's house landed and shows you where to find Wise Acres and Rigmarole Town.)

Inevitably, some of the maps Jacobs' selected can not be reduced to fit the page without making their fine print difficult to read without a magnifying glass. And you may suspect he chose a few of the maps more to pad out the book than for their intrinsic interest, e.g. the beef stake cut to look like the map of Brazil. But you can't help but be fascinated by many of his selections including the metro system map that shows you how to get from Vancouver to Auckland on the train by way of Prague. For sure, Jacobs provides a way of looking at the world that puts far more in perspective than oceans and land masses.
... Read more

Editorial Review

The Sibley Guide to Birds has quickly become the new standard of excellence in bird identification guides, covering more than 810 North American birds in amazing detail. Now comes a new portable guide from David Sibley that every birder will want to carry into the field. Compact and comprehensive, this new guide features 650 bird species plus regional populations found east of the Rocky Mountains. Accounts include stunningly accurate illustrations—more than 4,200 in total—with descriptive caption text pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry contains new text concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. Accounts also include brand-new maps created from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent.

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America is an indispensable resource for all birders seeking an authoritative and portable guide to the birds of the East. ... Read more

Reviews

The Best of Birding Field Guides! Not just for East Coast.., January 30, 2004
I bought this book because I live in the Northeast. However, I was surprised to discover that this edition actually has most species of birds, including those that live in the West or South, with ranges through and including Mexico. This was a wonderful surprise as I actually travel quite a bit, so I don't have to buy additional editions of Sibley's bird books.

As to the content of Sibley's guide, there is none better. His illustrations are outstanding, and descriptions are just wonderful. He describes ranges, eating habits, whether the bird tends to be solitary or fly in groups (flocks), nesting, coloration, etc. Best of all, I really like how he shows the bird in a multitude of positions, from standing to flight, so that if you saw a glint of the bird in a different point of view, you can still identify it using this guide. Top ratings.

Excellent field guide, November 28, 2003
This field guide is a nice size that's easy to carry around, has multiple drawn pictures of each bird as well as a short text and range map for each - The text generally starts out with saying if the bird is common or not and then goes into where they nest, winter etc. It talks about the typical foods, if they're solitary or not. One thing I like too is that it often tells if the bird is native or non-native to the US which I find particularly interesting. Voice/song is also discussed in the text. Excellent reference book. I keep one in the house and one in the car. Highly recommended!

When only the best will do, November 5, 2005
After a several year hiatus of working with a camera, I recently picked up photography again as a hobby. Shortly thereafter, I started gaining an interest in wildlife and birds, and began photographing them. When I asked several photographers which bird ID book to look into, they immediately mentioned Sibley.

While browsing through the shelves at a B&N brick and mortar store, I immediately understood why Sibley's book is so highly regarded.

There are several elements that really stand out in my mind
* The book is very well laid out
*�Excellent, accurate illustrations detailing various characterstics among species, gender, etc
*�Thoughtfully organized sections that make reading it a breeze, whether you are simply browsing for a bird ID or want to learn more by reading more in-depth.
*�It's a managable size, that can be carried along, should you decide to take it in the field. I usually leave mine home, as I am usually capturing the bird on camera already.
* Although it's the Eastern North American field guide, there are species that can be found in the book from much further away. I can only assume they include everything that you "might" encounter out in the field, which is an excellent benefit.

Don't settle for anything less. Get the Sibley's book.

The Best Guide for the Field, March 8, 2005
As a new birder, I did a lot of checking before buying a guide. I found Sibley to be the best guide for the field. While there is limited information, this guide provides essential information needed to make a positive identification. It includes multiple images of birds as well as any variants for gender, age, etc. While I would definitely suggest at least looking at other guides, I would say this is the essential guide for time in the field. Additionally, now that the larger Sibley Guide has been split into a Eastern and Western version it is portable: it fits in my back pocket as I trek through the woods.

the best guide I've used, January 9, 2004
I own Sibley's larger guide, his "birding basics", and his guide to behaviour. I adore his plain, honest writing style, and his amateur-scientific approach. Not to say that Sibley, one of the big shots in the birding world, is an amateur -- just that he knows what the serious student needs and wants.

His paintings are amazingly accurate (and beautiful -- I wish you could buy offsets.) I've made tentative identifications (later more solidly confirmed) just based on, say, the density of stippling or the exact extent of a faint color wash. Even in the small-size guide, he includes helpful "in flight" sketches, notations about wing motion, and anything else that might be helpful.

His notations next to each species are fantastic. In addition to voice, they cover some identification problems (easily confused species, variable plumage, marks that are appear obvious in pictures but are hard to see in the field), some remarks on habitat and behaviour (especially when it helps identification), and some hints for identification that you might not pick up on at first. Subspecies and crossovers are depicted when necessary.

There are a lot of field guides that rely on photographs; Sibley's work will instantly convert you to drawings. They present the "idealized" bird; you can compare your rugged, flea-bitten specimen to the text and learn a lot more than just its name.

As a scientist myself, I appriciate Sibley's cautious approach to identification, as well as his ability to quickly synthesise what is know about a population even when it doesn't admit of a quick one-liner. Sibley jumps right in and uses the ornithological terms for plumage patterns; I would have appriciated having the non-passerines diagrammed on the back inside cover (instead of in his excellent introduction, and in place of a rather superfluous map of North America) for easier reference, but that's a minor quibble.

This is not a guide you easily outgrow. My one last complaint is that the pages and binding are a little stiff and seem to have resisted "thumbing in" even after many months of use!

I have most of them, but really only use this one, December 9, 2004
The Sibley book is the only guide I really use anymore. It just seems every time I find a tough bird to ID the sibley book is the one that makes my mind up. The drawings are almost caricatures of the birds, really accentuating what you need to pick out. The Nat. Geo book is good (more artistic drawings) and I keep my official tally in it, but when I go out walking around I take sibley. It also fits in your back pocket While Nat. geo. (Other Favorite) Doesnt. Peterson Guide I'm not a huge fan of. Flipping around to find the Range map, That bugs me.

Be careful where you start, July 29, 2004
I, like a couple of the other reviewers here, have all of Sibley's books. I like and use them, but I would urge anyone about to start birding to take the time and look at copies of Peterson, Audubon, Stokes, National Geo, all before you choose Sibley.

Sibley meets my needs. My wife, who is a professional Wildlife Biologist, would not touch anything but Peterson, and only specific editions of Peterson (and, yes, that divergence does result in a very large collection of field guides...). Neither of us care for any of the other ones. But, since the other ones sell, they must meet someone's needs, maybe yours.

What I have found, is you tend to think and learn in terms of the field guide you are used to. Make sure you can handle the guide's organization and approach. Understand that Sibley's information format is more free-form than some of the others. I don't mind reading for the details, you might.

Best field size guide ever., May 25, 2003
The Sibley Guide to Birds, as most mention, is a great guide but too heavy to tote into the field...this field guide solves that problem.

Yes, the illustrations are smaller, but just as useable. Yes, some of the illustrations in the original guide have been deleted, but the guide you take with is better than the one at home. (You should have the original at home anyway!)

I find that the addition of Status, Habitat and Behavior in the text more than makes up for fewer illustrations.

Well made and sturdy...buy it!

A guide in hand is worth two on your bookshelf, May 16, 2003
I started birdwatching a year and a half ago and the Sibley Guide to Birds was the first guide I purchased. Although I had been told it was for "expert" birders, I just thought the illustrations were much clearer than any other guide. It was a joy to look at, at home on my couch. But I never wanted to take it with me in the field because it's too darn heavy.

So the Sibley FIELD Guide is the exactly the guide I've been wishing for. The illustrations are just as clear, even though they've been scaled down, and the format is a managable size and weight. The original guide had many variations, by region, sex, age, etc., and I think they had to drop a few of these, but at my level of birdwatching I don't miss them. The guide DOES still show male and female, first year, etc. I took this guide with me to Prospect Park, Brooklyn, last weekend, and I saw and ID'ed 45 species. Not bad for an amateur!

Expert birders will already be familiar with Sibley and can make up their own minds, so I would like to say to beginning birdwatchers, give this guide a shot. I really think the illustrations are the best and most helpful.

Great field guide to carry while birding in Eastern regions, April 30, 2003
David Sibley has done it again. I enjoy reading and looking at Sibley's "Guide to Birds" several times a day. It replaced the National Geographic's "Field Guide to the Birds of North America" as my first choice for bird information. With "Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America", David Sibley has published a book that can be carried in the field. The heavy "Guide to Birds" was just too much to carry. This book has several new renderings and improved range maps. The book is also undated with several new bird names and taxonomic changes. It is a welcomed edition for my eastern bird books. As I live in the western regions, I needed a good field guide to carry when visiting the eastern regions. ... Read more

Editorial Review

In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.
 
Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.

Reviews

An excellent update on the current academic understanding of pre-Columbian America, November 15, 2005
Although recent years have yielded significant progress in understanding how "Indians" lived throughout the Americas before 1492 and Columbus, only isolated bits of the story have reached the popular press. Far too many people still hold to one of two myths of the Indians, or have little conception at all of pre-Columbian America.

The first popular myth is that the Indians were a bunch of primitive savages just keeping the land warm until superior Europeans showed up. It's sad to read reviews here that assert that because Indians used stone tools they were therefore "stone age", with the implication that their culture was no further advanced than that early period.

The second myth makes the Indians into proto-flower-children, naively and simply in tune with their environment.

Both myths are based on stereotyping and are condescending to the pre-Colombians. How could people spread over two continents and many millennia be briefly summarized? They can't be! The Americas saw the development of a broad range of cultures, just like every other inhabited area of the world. Some cultures overstressed their environment and soon collapsed. Others created stable conditions under which they could survive for generations. (Which is not the same as saying they didn't impact nature.) But even the latter could be brought down by climate change, political instability, disease (especially European), or contact with outsiders (Indian or European).

Great cities arose in mesoamerica and the Andes, and also in other areas when the right conditions prevailed. And sophisticated cultures existed even where city building wasn't favored.

This book takes the reader through a vibrant overview of centuries of Indian culture both before and shortly after Columbus landed. Much of the narrative is based on work-in-progress by archaeologists and historians, and will certainly become dated with time, but it is an important update to the common, current understanding of the subject.

For those not enthralled by one of the myths I mention above, most Americans recall our history along the lines of Scene 1: The Pilgrims land and encounter Indians who teach them how to grow corn; they then have a big Thanksgiving party together. Scene 2: Americans moving inland encounter savage Indians who need to be exterminated or moved to reservations to make the continent safe for manifest destiny. Scene 3: The few remaining Indians are victims of brutal European suppression, and we need to buy jewelry and pottery from them to make ourselves feel better about the situation.

This book is a welcome update to our thinking about the Americas before Columbus. It's also one of the best books I've read in long time, and I highly recommend it.

New Possibilites for Pre-Columbian Life in the Americas, October 30, 2005
Mann gives the reader a comprehensive overview of the new theories concerning native American societies before the colonial period. The story is intriguing, and the fascinating narrative will hold the reader's complete attention. The assertions made are too numerous and complex to go into in any detail here, but in brief: we are told that the Western Hemisphere was actually much more populous than anyone had imagined previously. Most of the inhabitants were wiped out by plagues brought by the Europeans. Far from being either brutal and child-like, or "noble savages", the native Americans had established sophisticated societies which served large and growing populations, and which had great impact on their natural environments. No small Indian tribes living in a vast, untamed wilderness! To the contrary, fire was used repeatedly to burn off weeds and undergrowth, extensive mounds and other structures were raised to provide crop land and ponds for fish breeding, and cultivation was widespread. Indeed, Mann asserts that the Amazon, far from being the quintessential wilderness most regard it as, is actually a garden gone wild!
The tale is breathtaking in its scope. But is it true? The author of 1491 acknowledges that the new theories are controversial. For example: everyone agrees the Europeans brought diseases which wiped out large numbers of Indians. But not all agree that the original population was anywhere near the levels claimed. And many researchers contend that structures claimed to be of human origin, such as the Beni causeways in Bolivia, are actually of natural origin. This reader withholds judgement until a lot more evidence is forthcoming. However, everyone interested in history owes it to themselves to read this spellbinding story of an America that just might have been, and then watch as it is either confirmed or refuted by continuing, widely based research.

An Intriguing New Look, September 13, 2005
Charles C. Mann has taken much of what we thought we knew about the Native Americans and their world and thrown it out the window. In a pleasantly informal yet highly professional style, Mann recounts tales of his own studies and travels, as well as those of many archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists past and present throughout the Americas.

If your knowledge of the Native Americans begins and ends with what you learned in school years ago, or with the stereotypes perpetuated by Hollywood, you are in for quite a shock. To begin with, the Native Americans have been "natives" here for far longer than any one suspected. Next, their cultures were heterogeneous and quite advanced, in many ways far outdoing their counterparts in Europe. And in what may be the most controversial sections, Mann maintains that the Native Americans were neither primitive savages who left no mark on their world, nor dreamy proto-environmentalists who lived as one with nature, but rather people who throughly altered and shaped their landscapes.

This is not a book which will please many with an agenda on either the pro-development or pro-environment side, but it will be found invaluable by those who seek a better understanding of the "New World" before the Europeans "discovered" it.

The Real Civilized Old World, October 6, 2005
This is a highly readable and informative compendium of current knowledge on the Americas prior to Columbian contact. Charles Mann has gathered modern research into an engaging narrative that offers updates on old theories, bold new theories that often contradict the old ones, and a fair amount of useful speculation on what was really happening in the ancient Americas. The speculative parts of this book will turn off serious historians (plus those with political, academic, or ethnic agendas, as can be seen in some of the more condescending reviews here), but the speculation offers plenty of food for thought, and Mann has mostly just channeled the exploratory ideas of his sources. In any case, such explorations are grounded in at least partially corroborated findings by modern archeologists, anthropologists, linguists, and experts in other fields, and Mann has made extensive use of legitimate sources both old and new. In fact, his bibliography will provide the enthusiast with reading material for years to come.

In addition to increasing the reader's knowledge of little-covered Native American societies such as the Cahokians and several pre-Inka South American kingdoms, the main running contention in this book is not necessarily historical but ecological. There is growing evidence that Indians throughout the hemisphere did not live in a timeless and static communion with nature, which is a common "green" stereotype. Instead, the majority of native populations actively engineered their landscapes and altered their local ecologies to better suit human needs, though this usually (but not always) resulted in long-term mutual benefits for nature and man, rather than the dead-end destruction resulting from Western methods. And in general, large and structured city states seem to have been remarkably common, even in the previously little-appreciated Amazon basin (which itself is not as "pristine" or "untrammeled" as modern hype would have you believe). And finally, Mann presents the latest evidence showing that Native American populations were once several orders of magnitude higher than those found by European explorers and colonists, with horrendous percentages being wiped out by Western diseases just a few years before. While this book is not a groundbreaking research effort in its own right, Mann has compiled a great amount of knowledge that will go a long way toward shaping your views of how civilized the "old" world really was. [~doomsdayer520~]

Wow!, August 16, 2005
If you thought, as I did, that the Americas prior to Columbus were a couple of barren continents occupied by a sparce population of savages, you are in for a mindblowing surprise in this wonderful new book. There may have been 100 million people living in the Americas in 1491, perhaps more than in Europe. There were bigger cities, some with running water and botanical gardens, larger than any in Europe. Did you know the Inkas invented the salad bar? Okay, that's a joke, but the other stuff is true and a zillion other amazing things. Other books and articles on preColumbian America have disappointed me with their fantasy: Chinese in Rhode Island, King Arthur in Kentucky, aliens in Peru, etc. But this is solidly researched by an award-winning science writer, with endorsements from some heavyweight historians--Richard Rhodes, Tom Powers, Joseph Ellis, and others. There are clear and helpful maps, copious and readable footnotes, and a H-U-G-E bibliography for those of us who teach or just want to know more. On a personal note, Mann explains why he uses the term "Indian" rather than "native American" or more politically correct terms. The Chippewas (aka Ojibwa) in my family always called themselves Indians, so this makes me realize Mann really immersed himself in the subject. This is an important, fascinating, readable, and handsome book

Sound and Rigorous, October 13, 2005
Mann's excellent book does not deliver "new" revelations so much as an accomplished and respected historian's summation of the salient points known to date about the history of the Americas. Certainly much of the material is new to many readers, and in Mann's competent prose, the information is presented in an understandable and compelling style. Significantly, Mann balances his sound and rigorous research with suppositions based on his own remarkable insights. It is a clever and interesting read for the lay historian--as well as an important book for researchers into early American history.

Mann's Atlantic Monthly article by the same title gave promise of a great book., June 18, 2006
This is it. A tour de force, referencing all of the specialized works which the media and other writers have brought to the attention of us non-specialists, and introducing much significant work that hadn't previously been widely reviewed.

Every author has his quirks. Mann sees anthropologists especially, but also the archaeologists, linguists and other specialists with whom they interact, as being constantly engaged in pitched battles defending their various pet theories, to such an extent that they abandon civil behavior towards one another. It's a bit of a bad rap. The anthropologists I've know, from Theodora Kroeber on down, have generally been a more agreeable lot.

Another quirk, not terribly surprising given his topic, is to inflate the significance of the accomplishments of American civilizations beyond even what his surprising findings might support. Yes, they did have fantastic architecture, well-developed and ecologically sensible architecture, elaborate social structures, writing, advanced arithmetic and vast cities and monuments. Even given all that, to suggest that they were on a par with or ahead of contemporaneous European or Chinese civilization seems to be a bit of a stretch.

Mann is very good on the subject of agriculture: the domestication of food crops. The story of maize/corn is especially interesting. It has been cultivated so long that it is the only grain the wild ancestors of which remain a mystery. His description of today's Amazon, Peru and Mexico are so accurate as to give great credence to his accounts of how they got the way they are.

His account of how and when the Americas were populated is likewise very thorough and balanced, giving thorough descriptions of the various schools of thought and well drawn support for his preference of one theory over another. His bottom line is that the continent was peopled well before the previous estimate of 12,000 years ago. He offers support for several novel ideas. The settlers may have traveled south by boat. The original Peruvian agriculture may have been to grow cotton for fishnets rather than food. Peruvian civilization started on the coast rather than in the Andes.

A question Mann chooses not to address is why these descendents of such grand civilizations have fared so poorly in modern times. Even granted their near extinction from European diseases, and their second-class status under the Spanish (the Portuguese, French and British are benignly overlooked), why is it that the native peoples of Bolivia have not adapted well to Western culture, and why does resentment run so high that the nativist politics of Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez, Ollanta Humala and others succeed as they do? Mann remarks several times on the minimal importance of marketplaces among the American civilizations. There was extensive trade, but it seems to have been on a tribe-to-tribe basis rather than person-to-person. Individual needs were satisfied by allocations from community stores. This highly communitarian description ties very well to what one observes in native American ruins and among contemporary native Americans. Is there something in the Indian history and temperament that handicaps their progress in societies that are now patterned according to the European model?

In summary, this book does a wonderful job of filling the huge void in most of our knowledge of the native peoples of the Americas. One can hope that its success inspires imitation; it is a huge topic, with much left to be written.

Indian civilizations much more complex than we thought., November 2, 2006
1491 is part science text, part history book. Charles C. Mann's main premise is that the Americas in 1491 were a much different place than our history books say they were.

Mann's first line of attack is the "empty America" syndrome. He claims there were as many people living in North America as there were in Europe, prior to decimation by smallpox and other European diseases. In the process he also belittles the "pristine America" argument. Prior to the smallpox pandemic, Indians burned the underbrush of our forests; the result was more of a parkland than a wild Garden of Eden. The forest stretching from the coast to the Mississippi came afterward, when the Indian caretakers had been depleted.

Most impressive for me was Mann's analysis of Indian technology. For instance, maize was not an indigenous plant. It was genetically engineered from a mountain grass called teosinte. The Amazonian Indians of South America also managed to invent their own soil, "terra preta," a sort of mixture of pottery shards and charcoal. The South American Indians even experimented in social engineering. Inca warriors would infiltrate villages, "convince" their rulers that accepting Inca rule would be beneficial to their people, then gradually take over. Once in control, they would move some of the subjugated population to others villages where they were required to learn the Inca language. The Incas even managed to "eradicate hunger" in an empire larger than that conquered by Alexander the Great.

Mann hopscotches back and forth between such diverse cultures as Triple Alliance (Aztecs) in Central America to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) in Canada and New England. Each has a surprise in store for the reader. For instance, it's not true that the Aztecs never invented the wheel. Children's toys have been unearthed with definite wheels. Mann theorizes that because of the mountainous and wet environment the Aztecs scorned the invention. Then he compares them to Europe, where our supposedly superior civilization never did invent the plow; it had to be imported from China.

Another criticism of Native American culture is that they had no system of writing. Mann counters this misconception with the Inca's "khipu," sort of three-dimensional stringed knots, which were felt and read. Scientists are still trying to decipher them. Mixtec Indians also left behind "codices," deerskin or bark books whose painted pages looked rather like murals.

Native America civilizations also appear to be much older than the history books say. The Clovis culture, for instance, has been carbon-dated to between 13,500 and 12,900 years ago and archaeologist Alex D. Krieger lists fifty sites said to be older yet. Some scientists maintain that paleo-Indians "walked or paddled" to Peru fifteen thousand years ago.

An essential book on American history, August 18, 2005
I was excited about this book for a while, yet, particularly after disappointment with 1421's overblown claims, I was skeptical that its initial claims would be supported by hard evidence. Instead, I found that Mann has clearly done his homework to produce a brilliant book describing the lost chapters of American history.

Mann's (and the researchers he cites) basic argument is clear: conventional history on American Indians is stale, often relying on faulty, static, or even blatantly racist research. These societies weren't waiting in stasis for Columbus - they rose and fell, much like European societies, a fact many researchers failed to realize. The introduction is illustrative, in which Mann describes an Indian society that is currently poor and nomadic, although it built large earth mounds and had a successful civilization before 1491.

I also like the fact that Mann presents the conventional historical argument before he introduces the more modern argument. He also does a good job explaining why past researchers may have been mistaken. For example, many glossed over the accounts of early explorers, even though they may have actually been recording what they saw (surely not that surprising when you think about it, but a revolution in the field nonetheless).

The only faults I found in the book were relatively small. First, it would have been nice to have a glossary. Second, while the book follows a well-developed structure, I wanted more. One gets the feeling that Mann only scratches the surface, and he could have easily written another 100 pages while keeping the reader entertained. On the other hand, this book already took so much work that this may be a lot to ask. I only hope Mann produces more books on this subject.

Brilliantly New, August 19, 2005
This is a fascinating book about an amazing subject of such breadth and diversity to startle the imagination. The subject is the Americas in the period before Columbus and the ravages of western diseases. The claims are deeply speculative and some will say revisionist. They are basically trying to get at three perplexing questions. 1) What was the population of the Americas before Columbus and what was its economic development? 2) When did Americans first arrive and from where and by what? 3) What happened to this civilization.

We are told by new scholarship that perhaps Americans immigrated from Siberia or across the pacific not 11,000 years ago but 20,000 years ago. We are also now finding that population densities were much higher then previously thought, not only among the Aztecs and Incas but in the Mississippi valley and elsewhere. At the same time we learn that technology of the Native Americans was higher and more progressed then previously thought. Lastly we are told the claim that diseases whipped out between 90-98% of the people living in America at this time.

These are radical new claims, especially the claims regarding Native American tampering with the environment. These are interesting claims and perhaps some of them are true. There are however several reservations. Evidence for the arrival of Americans 20,000 years ago is scant and based on only a few sites where carbon dating may have been wrongly applied. Secondly, the population densities of the Americas have been widely claimed as larger, especially in Diamonds well received book `Guns, Germs and Steel'. The idea that diseases brought by Europeans lead to one of the worst epidemics in world history, ten times worse then the great plague, is also rehashed from previous studies. The wonderful thing about this book is it presents the new ideas in a clear and convincing format, easily digestible and a fascinating read.

Seth J. Frantzman
... Read more

Editorial Review

"Read it, please. Straight through to the end. Whatever else you were planning to do next, nothing could be more important." —Barbara Kingsolver

Twenty years ago, with The End of Nature, Bill McKibben offered one of the earliest warnings about global warming. Those warnings went mostly unheeded; now, he insists, we need to acknowledge that we've waited too long, and that massive change is not only unavoidable but already under way. Our old familiar globe is suddenly melting, drying, acidifying, flooding, and burning in ways that no human has ever seen. We've created, in very short order, a new planet, still recognizable but fundamentally different. We may as well call it Eaarth.

That new planet is filled with new binds and traps. A changing world costs large sums to defend—think of the money that went to repair New Orleans, or the trillions it will take to transform our energy systems. But the endless economic growth that could underwrite such largesse depends on the stable planet we've managed to damage and degrade. We can't rely on old habits any longer.

Our hope depends, McKibben argues, on scaling back—on building the kind of societies and economies that can hunker down, concentrate on essentials, and create the type of community (in the neighborhood, but also on the Internet) that will allow us to weather trouble on an unprecedented scale. Change—fundamental change—is our best hope on a planet suddenly and violently out of balance. 

Editorial Review

Most people know Greg Graffin as the lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion, but few know that he also received a PhD from Cornell University and teaches evolution at the University of California at Los Angeles. In Anarchy Evolution, Graffin argues that art and science have a deep connection. As an adolescent growing up when "drugs, sex, and trouble could be had on any given night," Graffin discovered that the study of evolution provided a framework through which he could make sense of the world.

In this provocative and personal book, he describes his own coming of age as an artist and the formation of his naturalist worldview on questions involving God, science, and human existence. While the battle between religion and science is often displayed in the starkest of terms, Anarchy Evolution provides fresh and nuanced insights into the long-standing debate about atheism and the human condition. It is a book for anyone who has ever wondered if God really exists.

Reviews

I'll be damned. Two great books in one., October 1, 2010
Here's how nerdy I am: My introduction to Greg Graffin and Bad Religion came through his doctoral dissertation, which I purchased from Graffin and got autographed. And then I read it. And it wasn't very good. Since then I've read a couple of other things that Graffin has written or co-written (Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?: A Professor And a Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, Naturalism & Christianity), but nothing prepared me for just how damned GOOD "Anarchy" is.

It must be said that the best parts of the book are the parts that only Graffin could have written--the autobiographical sections about his earlier childhood in Wisconsin, his transition to the California punk scene, his approach to music, and so forth. Much of what he write about evolutionary biology will be familiar, at least, to people who have taken some evolution classes or read books such as Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body (Vintage), and Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo. But he does have an interesting take on natural selection. Graffin makes it abundantly clear that his slightly unorthodox view of the importance of natural selection to overall evolutionary theory should give no aid and comfort to creationists (or their better-dressed cousins, Intelligent Design advocates). But he also wishes to show that science, maybe especially evolutionary biology, is still an active, lively field with vivid, animated debates...not about the fact of evolution, but about interesting details related to mechanisms.

And Graffin's chapter specifically on atheism was interesting as well, mostly for its biographical elements. I appreciate what he says about preferring a more dialectical approach that encourages questions, versus the more confrontational approach assumed by "New Atheists" in books such as God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, The God Delusion, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, and The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. He makes an interesting and appealing case, but I'm still left thinking there is room for both diplomatic discussion and spirited debate. After all, the New Atheist books listed probably created a much larger space for the more nuanced and sophisticated conversation even to take place in.

I see this book finding its most natural audience among Bad Religion fans (and I don't know how intentional this might have been, but it's easy to see some cross-currents betwee Anarchy and Bad Religion's new album release, The Dissent of Man) and younger people--say high school age--interested in science, the arts, and their relationship to each other. Also fans of flipping off authority--a Graffin staple, and a real strength of both his musical and, it would seem, his scientific careers.

Uniquely Captivativating, September 28, 2010
An astonishing insight into a man who is not only a legend in the punk rock scene, but also a doctor in evolutionary biology. Graffin shares tales of life as the front man of Bad Religion and his years of study and fieldwork. He also discusses his insights on evolution, as separate biological and cultural phenomena, and how they relate to his naturalist worldview. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the sciences or into Bad Religion.

No one here can show you where it is but I can point to a sign, October 8, 2010
I admit I was skeptical about this book. I saw the titles of the chapters included "The False Idol of Natural Selection" and "The False Idol of Atheism" and wondered just what Greg was going to be rambling about. Now, Bad Religion has been one of my favorite punk bands ( and maybe band in general ) for a few years now. Punk wise, their only competition for the title of favorite is the Misfits, but since the Misfit's lineup has been chaotic, Bad Religion's overall consistency ( apart from the few albums without Brett) makes them the current holder of that title. I've admired Gregg for balancing a band and a PhD with a career in both teaching and science. This book has led me to a whole new level of respect for Greg and Bad Religion.

Greg tells you everything you could want to know. He talks about his childhood, his high school years ( which upon reading about, I STRONGLY relate to -- both of us had a small circle of friends, were into punk rock, but not the illegal shenanigans and drugs most are into, and have had a passion for science rooted in our childhoods ), how the band came about ( I'll leave the names that they almost called themselves as a surprise for you ) , how he got interested in science, and many other interesting things about his youth. As far as his adult life goes, I've come to apperciate that he balances school, science, and music with raising kids and having a wife. Greg is not arrogant about his life. He's honest about the difficulties in it, and about the mistakes he has made in his life.

Other than getting to know the great singer, he presents some scientific views and philosophical views covered in the two suspect chapter names I listed above. Fear not, he's not out to destroy Natural Selection. In fact, he's just putting it in it's place. He acknowledges that random chance and chaos ( hence ANARCHY Evolution ) have as much or more to do with evolutionary change than the algorithm of natural selection. He's not trying to break new ground like Stephen J. Gould did ( Read The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design for a good analysis of Gould's ideas ). As far as atheism goes, he is indeed an atheist. But he acknowledges that the word atheist just means without gods. As far as a description of your world view, that doesn't really imply a lot. I also saw Richard Dawkins make this point in a TED Talk lecture ( Richard Dawkins on militant atheism at the Ted website ). Instead, Greg ( as well as Dawkins ) say that the term Naturalist is a more meaningful term. It implies a specific worldview, which atheism is only a part of. While I call myself an atheist ( because since most people dont know what naturalist mean, I just say what they will understand ) , I can sympathize with this sentiment. Atheism is a single component of MANY ideologies, from Objectivism to Marxism to Soviet Communism , etc, etc ).

One quibble I have is his sometimes less than great choice of wording. One example would be the chapter titles I previously mention, which imply something grandiose, but really isn't anything groundbreaking. Another instance is that he said he doesn't promote atheism in his songs, but I think a better choice of wording would be "I don't tell people what to believe" which, if you read further a few pages, is what he actually means. Those are two very , very minor complaints, however. This book is not a book on God. It's not like the God Delusion ( though I love that book). It's not a science book ( though it has science in it ). It's not a book on the band or an autobiography either. Instead, it's a mix of all of those, beautifully woven together in a little over 200 pages of actual reading material that took me 3 days to finish.

Get this book. You won't regret it.

I Wanted to Give it 4 Stars, October 9, 2010
First of all I enjoyed this book and I really hesitated giving it only 3 stars. I found the final few chapters very inspiring and wonderful. The evolutionary ideas are pretty basic and the author tells too many biographical details of his punk rock experiences. They were interesting in the beginning of the book, but by the middle I just wanted him to get on with it. Even though it is a short and easy read, it could have done without so much irrelevant biography; in that case I probably would have given it 5 stars. I think the reviews here are mostly too glowing, so I'm offering a less enthusiastic thumbs up. You probably won't regret it, but you aren't going to have a WOW experience either.

Insightful, Inspirational, Captivating, October 21, 2010
First off let me say, I have been a Greg Graffin/Bad Religion fan since I was in Kindergarten. Brought up and have lived in the punk scene for as long as I can remember. The problem with the punk seen in general is that the lifestyle is full a self destructive nature that is very hard to escape from. Inspired by the depth of the lyrics if Bad Religion, I began studying the band only to find out that they were not your typical punk band, Dr. Griffin was an educated man that could balance the life of a punk rocker as well as the life of a professional. This made me realize, what is the ultimate defiance of a punk rocker? It is success. I achieved my Masters Degree and continue loving the roots of my inspiration.

I loved the book because it gave me great insight into the man that has inspired me throughout my life. Seeing the struggles that he went though, the items that inspired him, seeing the human aspect of a person that I would consider one of my greatest influences in life. The greatest gift humanity has is the ability to question everything and find truth through observation, experience, and the anarchy life presents us with. This book is this journey, definitely worth reading.

The naturalistic worldview of a punk rock professor, October 18, 2010
Great, easy to read book is an evolutionary primer as well as a memoir of a punk rock legend. For fans of Bad Religion (obviously) and those interested in evolution and atheism.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Greg for ChuckPalahniuk.net. We spoke about everything from music to the new book to evolution to the existence of god. He gives a great interview.

[...]

Great book, October 13, 2010
Having been a Bad Religion fan for about 16 years, Greg Graffin draws great parallels to his career as a scientist and a musician. He shows that it doesn't have to be all spikes, combat boots and leather to help change and influence the world we live in a positive manner. Thinking for yourself and asking tough questions. Truly anti-authoritarian.

I just picked it up on a whim!, November 29, 2010
I ordered this after hearing an interview with Greg Graffin on NPR. I'm not a big Bad Religion/science fan but thought I'd give this a try and it's pretty interesting, nice to have a different perspective on evolution and I like how he incorporates his own stories about growing up and being in a punk band. :)

Evolution for Punk Philosophers, October 12, 2010
What made this book such an interesting read is that Greg Graffin was able to intertwine a lesson on evolution with the story of his life. The main appeal to punk rock to me has been the angry response to authority. I have also enjoyed the spontaneous order and surprising politeness (with the exception of one concert) that would emerge from mosh pits at Bad Religion concerts. Punk rock spoke to the side of me that rabidly pursues truth. Greg also seems to have this same view about science and punk rock, which was exactly what I was hoping for from this book. Although he does not go into his personal politics in any part of the book, he does explain the beauty behind the anarchy of evolution. The natural order in evolution that arises out of seeming chaos, free of rules and only regulated by reality speaks deeply to a philosopher like me.

Original and Thought Provoking Book, October 7, 2010
Although I don't agree with Graffin on some of his ideas regarding religion and evolutionary biology, this is a great book that deserves to be read. It is clearly written and one of those rare books that you feel like you can read for hours at a time. Graffin is an atheist, yes, or as he refers to himself : a naturalist. However, Graffin should not be lumped in with the "New Atheists" as one reviewer implied. This book takes a different approach than the more predictable NA's like Dawkins, Dennet, Harris, Stenger, and others. Agree or disagree with the author(s), this book is well-written, insightful, and thought-provoking! ... Read more