Culture Books - Page 12

American Dreams: Lost and Found

Studs Terkel

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: New Press Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $3.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Here is the raw material for one thousand novels….incomparable."—Margaret Atwood

In this unique look at one of our most pervasive national myths, Studs Terkel persuades an extraordinary range of Americans to articulate their version of "The American Dream." Beginning with an embittered winner of the Miss U.S.A. contest who sees the con behind the dream of success and including an early interview with a highly ambitious Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terkel explores the diverse landscape of the promise of the United States—from farm kids dreaming of the city to city kids determined to get out, from the Boston Brahmin to the KKK member, from newly arrived immigrants to families who have lived in this country for generations, these narratives include figures both famous and infamous. Filtered through the lens of our leading oral historian, the chorus of voices in American Dreams highlights the hopes and struggles of coming to and living in the United States.

Originally published in 1980, this is a classic work of oral history that provides an extraordinary and moving picture of everyday American lives.

The Savage Nation: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Borders, Language and Culture

Michael Savage

List Price: $24.99 By: WND Books Amazon Marketplace: 546 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> History & Theory
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 625 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

As a Conservative, I feel sorry for Mr. Savage 1 out of 5 stars.
9 of 17 people found this review helpful.

I found several of the ideas in the book to be intruiging. However, it was next to impossible to unearth these nuggets from the heaping debris of rhetoric.
I had a hard time believing that his book, filled with name-calling and childish rants, was written by someone with multiple advanced degrees. Perhaps if I listened to his radio show I would know who "Rat Boy" or "Larry Seltzer" were off the bat, but it took me a while to figure it out. Rather than letting his facts speak for themselves, he chooses to call people childish names. Rather than saying "Johnnie Walker Lindh is a traitor," he basically says "Rat Boy smells like poop." Its sad.

While he claims to be discussing "facts," the book is devoid of any referencing or foot/endnotes. Which is a shame because some of his "stories," if true, would be worth reading additional information on. Unfortunately, I have to, as Mr. Savage suggests, take his word for it.

Editorial Review:

Michael Savage attacks big government and liberal media bias. The son of immigrants, Savage shows how traditional American freedoms are being destroyed from the outside and undermined from within-not just our own government, but also from alien forces within our own society. Savage argues that if the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, then only a more "savage nation" will enjoy these liberties. Savage's high ratings and the rapid growth of his program prove he is in touch with the concerns of the average American.

Mom Factor, The

Henry Cloud, John Townsend

List Price: $18.99 By: Zondervan Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $0.47

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Sociology -> Culture
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Sociology -> Marriage & Family

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

This Book Will Change Your Life! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

For so long I've mostly heard about how important a father is in a child's development. I've never heard anyone else speak about how profound the mother's role is in the child's devlopment like this book does. I feel like I've gone to the eye doctor and have been given new glasses to see more clearly with. I think this book is core reading for anybody who wants to understand why they are the way they are. Like the back cover of the book says, "She shaped you in ways that would surprise you both."

Its alright 2 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I think this book will be great for some people, but it really didn't help me all that much. The different mothers hardly applied to my situation with my own mother. The controlling chapter fit a little bit, but all it talked about was "learning to say no" and finding your identity. I was the one who rebelled, and I held onto my identity very well. The mothers in this book were much more loving than mine was. It would have been nice if they talked about mothers who were verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive. Where's the "Bi-Polar Mom" in this book?? From a real young age (around 7) I teamed up with God determined to turn out just fine. I even grew up setting my own boundries & parented myself (ex: I wouldn't allow myself to see PG13 movies until I was 13... my mom however could have cared less). I read this in attempt to understand why my mother does the things she does. I've tried to reconcile with my mother, but she refuses to have a relationship with me at all. My mother has resented me since childhood, and even now shes in an imaginary war with me. I'll probably give the book to one of my friends or sell it to half-price books.

Editorial Review:

Cloud and Townsend identify six types of moms and show how they profoundly affect our lives.

The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape

James Howard Kunstler

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Free Press Amazon Marketplace: 102 new & used starting at $3.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Popular Economics -> General
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Popular Economics -> General AAS
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Geography of Nowhere traces America's evolution from a nation of Main Streets and coherent communities to a land where every place is like no place in particular, where the cities are dead zones and the countryside is a wasteland of cartoon architecture and parking lots.

In elegant and often hilarious prose, Kunstler depicts our nation's evolution from the Pilgrim settlements to the modern auto suburb in all its ghastliness. The Geography of Nowhere tallies up the huge economic, social, and spiritual costs that America is paying for its car-crazed lifestyle. It is also a wake-up call for citizens to reinvent the places where we live and work, to build communities that are once again worthy of our affection. Kunstler proposes that by reviving civic art and civic life, we will rediscover public virtue and a new vision of the common good. "The future will require us to build better places," Kunstler says, "or the future will belong to other people in other societies."

Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats

Steve Ettlinger

Amazon Price: $11.25 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Plume Amazon Marketplace: 75 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Nutrition -> Food Additives
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Nutrition -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Nutrition -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A pop-science journey into the surprising ingredients found in most common packaged foods

Like most Americans, Steve Ettlinger eats processed foods. And, like most consumers, he didn’t have a clue as to what most of the ingredients on the labels mean. So when his young daughter asked, “Daddy, what’s polysorbate 60?” he was at a loss—and determined to find out.

From the phosphate mines in Idaho to the oil fields in China, Twinkie, Deconstructed demystifies some of the most common processed food ingredients— where they come from, how they are made, how they are used—and why. Beginning at the source (hint: they’re often more closely linked to rock and petroleum than any of the four food groups), we follow each Twinkie ingredient through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder—all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake.

An insightful exploration of the modern food industry, if you’ve ever wondered what you’re eating when you consume foods containing mono- and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter a food-grade equivalent of plaster of paris), this book is for you.

No Regrets: The Best, Worst, & Most #$%*ing Ridiculous Tattoos Ever

Aviva Yael, P. M. Chen

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Grand Central Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $9.59

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Fashion -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Fashion -> General AAS
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I look at this book every day 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

every page of No Regrets is inspirational--the people who get the most absurd tattoos are the bravest souls on earth. they're not afraid to share with all the world what carries great meaning for them. my thanks to the authors for canvassing far and wide to select the very best (and very worst, and very most ridiculous) body art.

Editorial Review:

Dr. Phil, Gay Unicorns, and Jesus Christ...

They're all tattooed on someone's ass. Or face, or whatever. Remember that time you were wasted and thought it would be a good idea to get a tattoo on your leg of Maury Povich shaking hands with Sasquatch, but your friends talked you out of it at the last second? Well, some people don't have any friends...

Aviva Yael and P. M. Chen spent a year going to tattoo conventions and tattoo studios all over the country, chasing, stalking, e-mailing, calling, interviewing, ambushing, and hunting down whomever they could in order to find the most insane tattoos out there. What started out as a joke in a bar became a year-long tattoo safari that's presented here in all its full color, balls-to-the-wall, train-wreck/beauty-pageant glory.

The New Peoplemaking

Virginia Satir

Amazon Price: $17.13 List Price: $25.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Science and Behavior Books Amazon Marketplace: 111 new & used starting at $1.11

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Mental Health -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Mental Health -> General AAS
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

"Ok at best" forgive me 5 out of 5 stars.
23 of 27 people found this review helpful.

May the last reviewer forgive me. After reading such review I felt compelled to speak up for this book. First of all, this is not a book about existential theory, so if that is what you are into, look elsewhere.

Existential theory is largerly individual. Satir on the other hand is a Family Systems theorist. I am not gifted enough to explain the difference well in a small space, but systems theories are worlds apart from individual, and perhaps especially, existential thought. What her theory is called is experiential, so maybe that was just a typo.

Anyway, I feel that saying that positioning bodies to match certain attitudes by begging on your knees was the theme of this book is a large exaggeration. That is by far not Satir's theme; it is only one chapter in a 26 or 27 chapter book. And, Satir herself claims trying those postures will probably feel ridiculous. They are simply meant to bring up exagerated feelings so we may begin to recognize when we are assuming certain roles in subtler situations in everyday life.

Her actual theme is communication, healthy and unhealthy, between family members and how it affects what goes on in the family. I would also say that her thoughts on self-esteem underly most of the rest of her thought.

Now the book is indeed long, but I do not believe in making something unduly short so it may make it in the top ten. Perhaps it would have been possible if she had wrote it in highly specialized terminology, but the grace of this book is her ability to make it simple. To do this, one has to explain what one means, and that takes space, but makes the book highly readable and friendly. I indeed agree with the reviewer who claimed if what you are looking for a quick family fix, you will waste your time looking here. Quick fixes were never known to change the world.

And folks, let us remember that this book is 16 years old. Corny, but very adorable. Still, good things last a long time. And if you must laugh at Satir, I doubt she would mind it; she herself claims in this very book we must be able to laugh at ourselves.

Just please, if you must heed some negative criticism about any book, (and this one is by no means perfect and immune to real negative criticism) just make sure it is by reviewers who have read the whole book.

Why someone who doesn't like a particular theory at the outset reads books about it I don't know. Hopefully not to feel entitlement at criticizing opposing viewpoints without even knowing the theory behind it.

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond

Jessica Abel, Matt Madden

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: First Second Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $16.51

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> Drawing

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

Wanna' Make Comics? Start Here... 5 out of 5 stars.
19 of 19 people found this review helpful.

I brought an advance copy of this book into a college illustration class I teach. The class was quite impressed. In fact, two students went onto Amazon online and bought it instantly. Usually I discourage shopping during class, but Drawing Words and Writing Pictures is an answered prayer for the aspiring comics artist.

This is an ideal text for a 15-week class in comics. It also has guidance for starting an informal collective class. It includes suggestions for the stereotypical solitary artist, who the authors are gracious enough to refer to as ronin. There is a wealth of info on the narrative process, page design, lettering, pens, and even Photoshop scanning advice.

The authors' individual web pages present a lot this DIY info, so search out their sites, see if their philosophies appeal to you. The book contains multiple perspectives from two remarkable artists. Matt Madden is into "formalist" styles, working within Houdini-like constraints. Jessica Abel's La Perdida is one of the great masterpieces of the long-form graphic novel.

From George Herriman to Robert Crumb, Charles Burns, to Kaz and John Porcillino, the book is crammed with a diversity of styles. Wide-ranging and inclusive, no matter what one's preferred comics style, from manga to superhero to alternative, you will find something to like here.

Instructors will find the bibliography alone is worth the price of admission, I teach a seven-week college comics course each fall. My plan is to email the students over the summer, tell them to get this book and get started on the exercises. The ronins will get a head start and their classmates will lose face.

Scott McCloud's Making Comics is also a valuable college course text for serious students, who have some background in reading comics and thinking critically about the artform. Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, however, has practical exercises for students at any level. Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

"A gold mine of essential information for every aspiring comics artist. Highly recommended." --Scott McCloud

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures is a course on comic creation – for college classes or for independent study – that centers on storytelling and concludes with making a finished comic.  With chapters on lettering, story structure, and panel layout, the fifteen lessons offered – each complete with homework, extra credit activities and supplementary reading suggestions – provide a solid introduction for people interested in making their own comics.  Additional resources, lessons, and after-class help are available on the accompanying website, www.dw-wp.com. 

The Physics of Superheroes

James Kakalios

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Gotham Amazon Marketplace: 84 new & used starting at $0.14

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Comics & Graphic Novels -> Graphic Novels -> General
Subjects -> Comics & Graphic Novels -> Graphic Novels -> General AAS
Subjects -> Comics & Graphic Novels -> History & Price Guides

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Physics of Superheroesapplies the reality of physics to the fantasy of comic books. James Kakalios explores the scientific plausibility of the powers and feats of the most famous superheroes—and discovers that in many cases the comic writers got their science surprisingly right. Along the way he provides an engaging and witty commentary while introducing the lay reader to both classic and cutting-edge concepts in physics, including:

• What Superman’s strength can tell us about the Newtonian physics of force, mass, and acceleration
• How Iceman’s and Storm’s powers illustrate the principles of thermal dynamics
• The physics behind the death of Spider-Man’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy
• Why physics professors gone bad are the most dangerous evil geniuses! BACKCOVER: Praise for The Physics of Superheroes

“Surprisingly enough, according to Kakalios, comic books get their physics right more often than you’d think.”
—The Boston Globe

“Writing with tongue firmly planted in cheek, Kakalios looks at classic comics with a physicist’s eye. . . . Outstanding.”
—The Orlando Sentinel

“Kakalios, a University of Minnesota physicist and unrepentant comics nerd, offers up jovial, largely equation-free deconstructions of Ant-Man’s shrinking ability, the centripetal acceleration of Spider-Man’s swing, and the strength of his silk web.”
—Discover

“Wildly entertaining, yet scientifically accurate… Comprises a fairly solid introductory education in physics, sweetened with a history lesson in classic comic book superheroes.”
—Metro

“Offers a droll but sincere look at what Superman and Spider-Man can teach about physics. . . . Entertaining. . . . His explanations are lucid and smooth.”
—Science magazine

The Language of Mathematics: Making the Invisible Visible

Keith Devlin

List Price: $24.95 By: W.H. Freeman & Company Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $11.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Sociology -> Culture
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Mathematics -> General AAS
Subjects -> Science -> Mathematics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"The great book of nature," said Galileo, "can be read only by those who know the language in which it was written. And this language is mathematics."

In The Language of Mathematics, award-winning author Keith Devlin reveals the vital role mathematics plays in our eternal quest to understand who we are and the world we live in. More than just the study of numbers, mathematics provides us with the eyes to recognize and describe the hidden patterns of life--patterns that exist in the physical, biological, and social worlds without, and the realm of ideas and thoughts within.

Taking the reader on a wondrous journey through the invisible universe that surrounds us--a universe made visible by mathematics--Devlin shows us what keeps a jumbo jet in the air, explains how we can see and hear a football game on TV, allows us to predict the weather, the behavior of the stock market, and the outcome of elections. Microwave ovens, telephone cables, children's toys, pacemakers, automobiles, and computers--all operate on mathematical principles. Far from a dry and esoteric subject, mathematics is a rich and living part of our culture.

A brilliant exploration of an often woefully misunderstood subject The Language of Mathematics celebrates the simplicity, the precision, the purity, and the elegance of mathematics.