General Books - Page 5

Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison

Michel Foucault

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Excellent and thought-provoking. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Other reviews have done a nice job of explaining the textual benefits of the book, so let me explain its practical benefit. I'll keep this short and sweet. This is an excellent text to trot out during a sociology or other social science class when you want to egomanically dominate the conversation for a bit. It provides such food for thought that you can really wax poetic on the power of punishment over the body and soul of the individual. I say this with all seriousness. So few people read philosophical texts that, if you enjoy doing so, it almost feels like an obligation to introduce these discussions in the classroom. This is not a light summer read by any stretch of the imagination, but if you enjoy the challenge of unpacking complex concepts, you'll enjoy this read.

Editorial Review:

In this brilliant work, the most influential philosopher since Sartre suggests that such vaunted reforms as the abolition of torture and the emergence of the modern penitentiary have merely shifted the focus of punishment from the prisoner's body to his soul.

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

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Total reviews: 1277 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Lost Innocence 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I enjoyed reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding. It was a very well written novel. Although I believe the beginning started really slow and did not grab my attention right a way, but as I kept going the book became more and more interesting. Golding sure knows how to make a huge plot flow and was able to create a huge conflict for the story. The conflict in the end teaches some very valuable life lessons for the reader and the characters.
Golding expressed each character extremely well. Each character was unique. The only characters that were very similar were the twins, but they were like one character rather than two characters. The four main characters Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Jack all add to the story. Ralph is the elected leader and he believes very much in keeping order and government. Ralph also wishes to be rescued and builds a signal fire. (Which becomes a source of many future disputes) Jack is Ralph's opposite because he just wishes to hunt, have fun, and is tremendously power hungry. Piggy is the kid who everyone picks on, the misfit, but he very logical and applies sense to the tough situation they are in. Simon rarely does anything wrong. He is always there to help Ralph, but is sort of a loner compared to the rest of the schoolboys.
In the beginning, a group of schoolboys are stranded on an uncharted island and are forced to fend for themselves. At first they try to run a form of government. Which is considerably hard when no adults are there to enforce the rules and as result chaos breaks out. When the boys were thrust into this sort of situation it caused them to grow and mature very rapid. None of them will leave the island the same boy they came to the island as. It shows the dark side of reality and forces us to except the truth is that even the most innocent will fall to evil one day. (Simon) As the boys were taken off the island at the end they all left behind one thing, their innocence.
After reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding I say that it was a great book. I highly recommend it and if you are contemplating putting it down DO NOT it only gets better as it goes on!

Once Again to Zelda: The Stories Behind Literature's Most Intriguing Dedications

Marlene Wagman-Geller

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Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Dedicated to the One I Love: (The New York Times Review) 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Review: New York Times: December 21
ONCE AGAIN TO ZELDA
The Stories Behind Literature's
Most Intriguing Dedications
By Marlene Wagman-Geller.
336 pp. Perigee.
$16.95.

THE urgency of love letters like these needs little decoding, but what passions lurk within the cryptic references that authors make in the dedications to their books? After reading the steamy novel "Peyton Place," dedicated "TO GEORGE For All The Reasons he knows so well," the longtime English teacher Marlene Wagman-Geller wondered, "Who's George?" Looking into it, she learned that George was the indulgent husband of the book's author, Grace Metalious. Ms. Metalious, a notorious slob, once tried to clean a table with a dead mouse (she mistook it for a Brillo pad).
In the collection "Once Again to Zelda" -- the title comes from the words F. Scott Fitzgerald inscribed to his wife in the "The Great Gatsby" -- Ms. Wagman-Geller investigates 50 such dedications, in literal-minded yet absorbing chapters that untangle densely knotted lives.
For instance, in his first novel, "Carrie," Stephen King wrote, "This is for Tabby, who got me into it -- and then bailed me out of it." Was Tabby a cat? No. She's Mr. King's wife, Tabitha, whom he started dating in college, after they both reached for the same copy of "The Joy of Sex" in the library. They married in 1971, and Tabby worked at Dunkin' Donuts to give Mr. King time to write.
When he threw away a draft of "Carrie," she fished it out of the trash, encouraged him to finish it, and helped him flesh out the girls' locker-room scenes. Ms. Wagman-Geller writes that, when the book sold for $400,000, "Tabitha, who was sitting on a sofa that she had salvaged from a yard sale, put her head in her hands and wept."
"Love in the Time of Cholera," written, "For Mercedes, of course," honors another devoted wife: the woman Gabriel García Márquez first proposed to when she was 13 (he was a law student), and whom he married 14 years later, when she was old enough to take his proposals seriously. During the year and a half in which Mr. García Márquez obsessively worked on his masterpiece, "One Hundred Years of Solitude," Ms. Wagman-Geller writes, "Mercedes first sold her jewels and when that money was depleted, they sold their car and later on their household appliances." To scrounge up the postage to mail the manuscript to her husband's editor, she pawned her Mixmaster and hair dryer.
According to legend, Mr. García Márquez paid his Mercedes to burn his love letters after they were married, but their flights and flourishes survive in his novels, refashioned as fiction. And fiction may be the surest and best place to preserve great loves: less perishable than a letter, less opaque than a dedication, hidden in plain view.

More Articles in Fashion & Style » A version of this article appeared in print on December 21, 2008, on

Editorial Review:

A fascinating look at the stories behind the dedications of 50 literary classics.

Mary Shelley dedicated Frankenstein to her father, her greatest champion. Charlotte Brönte dedicated Jane Eyre to William Makepeace Thackeray for his enthusiastic review of the book’s first edition. Dostoyevsky dedicated The Brothers Karamazov to his typist-turned-lover Anna Grigoyevna. And, as this collection’s title indicates, F. Scott Fitzgerald dedicated his masterpiece The Great Gatsby to his wife Zelda.

Often overlooked, a novel’s dedication can say much about an author and his or her relationship to the person for whom the book was consecrated. Once Again to Zelda explores the dedications in fifty iconic books that are an intrinsic part of both literary and pop culture, shedding light on the author’s psyche, as well as the social and historic context in which the book was first published.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volumes D-F: The Romantic Period through the Twentieth Century and After, 8th Edition

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great economical purchase 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

An excellent buy! I was forced to buy the 3000+ page book for my Brit Lit class, but I needed something smaller. Also, there is no way in the world I am going to lug that mammoth book around for four months. I decided to purchase the smaller 3 volume set and I am glad I did. Same information, but in a more compact size. Great for people studying English/British literature courses.

Editorial Review:

Read by millions of students over seven editions, The Norton Anthology of English Literature remains the most trusted undergraduate survey of English literature available and one of the most successful college texts ever published. Firmly grounded by the hallmark strengths of all Norton Anthologies—thorough and helpful introductory matter, judicious annotation, complete texts wherever possible—The Norton Anthology of English Literature has been revitalized in this Eighth Edition through the collaboration between six new editors and six seasoned ones. Under the direction of Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor, the editors have reconsidered all aspects of the anthology to make it an even better teaching tool.

The Partly Cloudy Patriot

Sarah Vowell

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Total reviews: 65 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Sarah Vowell travels through the American past and, in doing so, investigates the dusty, bumpy roads of her own life. In this insightful and funny collection of personal stories Vowell -- widely hailed for her inimitable stories on public radio's This American Life -- ponders a number of curious questions: Why is she happiest when visiting the sites of bloody struggles like Salem or Gettysburg? Why do people always inappropriately compare themselves to Rosa Parks? Why is a bad life in sunny California so much worse than a bad life anywhere else? What is it about the Zen of foul shots? And, in the title piece, why must doubt and internal arguments haunt the sleepless nights of the true patriot?

Her essays confront a wide range of subjects, themes, icons, and historical moments: Ike, Teddy Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton; Canadian Mounties and German filmmakers; Tom Cruise and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; twins and nerds; the Gettysburg Address, the State of the Union, and George W. Bush's inauguration.

The result is a teeming and engrossing book, capturing Vowell's memorable wit and her keen social commentary.

Ulysses (Abridged) (Modern Fiction)

James Joyce

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Total reviews: 396 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Ten Reasons to Re-read Ulysses 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

1. When you tried it in college, it was a task, a challenge, an intellectual mountain to climb, a test of your literary mettle. Perhaps if you read it apart from any course, as I did, you felt you failed.

2. In the intervening time you've read perhaps hundreds of Modernist and post-modernist novels by Joyce's acknowledged progeny, those whose numbers are legion: from William Faulkner to Beckett to Barth to Perec to Eggers to Coover to Calvino to Kundera, from "Wittgenstein's Mistress" to "Wittgenstein's Nephew," from Jeanette Winterson to Louis Paul Boon and Gilbert Sorrentino to Peter Handke. These you have relished and enjoyed tremendously. Why, then, not tackle their progenitor, the master himself, again?

3. A book is no longer in any way a notch in your belt; you read for enjoyment, enlightenment, enrichment, a sense of connectedness, all the right reasons and some that aren't.

3. You can start with your old paperback, and if Ulysses again proves too difficult, you can toss it aside, no harm done.

4. If the old paperback falls apart and you find you're still reading, you can buy a new copy.

5. You're not in such an all-fired hurry any more. You have the sense to adapt to Joyce's demands and slow down your reading speed, recognizing that this is like a prose poem. Take five minutes on one given page, what's the rush? The writing is finely tooled enough to deserve it.

5. Your maturity allows you to see beyond the Masterpiece Syndrome and the Scholar's Paradise that Ulysses became to enjoy what a romp it is. This is fun! for God's sake. Joyce is forty different kinds of comedian, veering from irony to black comedy to sly humor to sheer buffoonery.

6. Each section being in a different style is itself royally entertaining, and Joyce is masterly in all of them. This is a buffet prepared by a virtuoso chef, and if you hang onto your hat, it's exhilarating as all get out.

7. The unexpected effect of all this variety is that the three main characters, Stephen Dedalus, Leopold and Molly Bloom are more vivid and real than they could possibly be otherwise. Various sections familiarize us with their intimate habits, personal effects, private thoughts, and the way others see them; and by regarding them through different stylistic lenses, Joyce effects unusual familiarity and allows these fictional entities to assume the palpability of real people.

8. We feel great affection for these characters, and Joyce achieves this while depicting them not as highly exceptional, heroic souls but rather average, idiosyncratic and unremarkable people. Even the highly intelligent, poetic Stephen is a typically self-dramatizing, youthful romantic. And yes, though the novel is rife with comic turns, there is poignancy, great and generous humanity.

9. The novel is a sensuous feast, the words chosen always with an ear for sound in the reciprocal service of memorable, ultravivid images. You can dog-ear a dictionary (to many disappointments, considering Joyce's flamboyant taste for arcana and neologisms) or not; your workable vocabulary will suffice for much, if not most, of the glorious language. In this regard Joyce is a wizard, a magician unsurpassed by any poet in memory.

10. As another reviewer here noted, you will have the urge, once you've come to the last line, to immediately begin again. Keep your new copy handy. This is such a kaleidoscope, a ride of a book, that you'll want to read it a third time, soon enough.

Editorial Review:

Leopold Bloom wanders through Dublin, talking, observing, musing -- and always remembering Molly, his passionate, wayward wife. Set in the shadow of Homer's Odyssey, internal thoughts give physical reality extra color and perspective.

Siddhartha

Hermann Hesse

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Total reviews: 465 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Hari Om 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Thank you Mr. Hesse for writing this novel. The dvine spark that exists in the main character is something that everyone should be able to identify with. Being captivated by the pages of this book puts us in touch with the divinity that lies within us all. Throughout the book, the resolute spirit, the capacity for the character to live his life with abandon is always there. It is hard for this book to end and one wishes that Sidhartha continues on. Perhaps we can all bring Siddhartha with us in spirit, to provide us with uplift and inspiration as we carry on with our own journeys.

Editorial Review:

This classic novel of self-discovery has inspired generations of seekers. With parallels to the enlightenment of the Buddha, Hesse’s Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmn’s quest for the ultimate reality. His quest takes him from the extremes of indulgent sensuality to the rigors of ascetism and self-denial. At last he learns that wisdom cannot be taught–it must come from one’s own experience and inner struggle. Steeped in the tenets of both psychoanalysis and Eastern mysticism, Siddhartha presents a strikingly original view of man and culture, and the arduous process of self-discovery that leads to reconciliation, harmony and peace.

Alex Haley & Malcolm X's the Autobiography of Malcolm X (Bloom's Notes)

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Total reviews: 300 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Autobiography of Malcolm X is Excellent 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent book and truly goes into the depth and breadth of who Malcolm X really was/is. The more you read it, the more you understand the greatness and wisdom of this self educated man who traveled the world and sat with kings and queens and royalty and was able to dialog and debate with the best of them. He was truly a blessing to his generation and future generations. I became a totally different person after reading this book. He answered so many questions that I had and made it so clear. I became totally inspired and increased my love of reading and increasing my knowledge base. I have great love and respect for him. He will always be revered as one who truly loved his people, worked tirelessly to wake them up and cared about the fate of mankind. Malcolm was an amazing man and he will always be missed!

Editorial Review:

If there was any one man who articulated the anger, the struggle, and the beliefs of African Americans in the 1960s, that man was Malxolm X. His AUTOBIOGRAPHY is now an established classic of modern America, a book that expresses like none other the crucial truth about our times.
"Extraordinary. A brilliant, painful, important book."
TEH NEW YORKTIMES

Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking (6th Edition)

M. Neil Browne, Stuart M. Keeley

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Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Fantastic! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This has got to be hands down one of the best books I have ever read. I picked this up for a class I was taking and it really opened my eyes. People see the words "critical thinking" and assume it means something negative. This book teaches you how to use your brain to look at things from all angles and points of view so that you can make more informed choices and decisions!

Editorial Review:

This book helps readers bridge the gap between simply memorizing or blindly accepting information and the greater challenge of critical analysis and synthesis. It teaches them to respond to alternative points of view and develop a solid foundation for making personal choices about what to accept and what to reject as they read and listen. Chapter titles include: The Benefit of Asking the Right Questions; What are the Issue and the Conclusion?; What Are the Reasons?; What Are the Value Conflicts and Assumptions?; Are There Any Fallacies in the Reasoning?; How Good Is the Evidence: Intuition, Appeals to Authority, and Testimonials?; and What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible?. For any critical reader who wants to enhance and develop better reasoning skills in order to make rational decisions.

Frankenstein

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

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Total reviews: 318 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Choose the 1818 version 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Most editions of Mary Shelley's landmark book available today follow the heavily revised 1831 version. The impulse behind this trend is an honorable one (to present what is seemingly an author's "final revision"),but the 1818 version is preferable for many reasons. Looking back on her creation in later life, Shelley felt obliged to alter the book's focus in significant ways, adding what critic Marilyn Butler accurately describes as "long passages in which her main narrator, [Victor] Frankenstein, expresses religious remorse for making a creature..." The author sought to make the 1831 edition less controversial and thereby more palatable to the tastes of the reading public. The 1818 version is closer to Mary Shelley's original intentions, though it too, unfortunately, was filtered through the sensibilities of her husband, the poet Percy Shelley, who took many of his wife's rather straightforward passages and rendered them into his own more ornate and Ciceronian style. Still, the 1818 version remains more vital, more original, and less constrained by what the author believed would be acceptable to readers in 1830s England.

Editorial Review:

An obsessed university student discovers the secret of animating dead flesh and creates a superhuman monster who, enraged by the rejection brought on by his appearance, vows to get revenge against his creator. Reissue. Movie tie-in.