1990 Books

This 650-plus page volume does not cover the entire poetic work of Yevgeny Yevtushenko until 1990, but it comes close. Not all his collected poems are here, either: selections from from "Bratsk Station" and excerpts from long poems such as "Under the Skin of the Statue of Liberty" and "Ivan the Terrible and Ivan the Fool" reduce a bit the scope that we are presented with, although not the quality. His most memorable poems are here and the translation is excellent. What I like the most about Yevtushenko is that he is capable of writing good, even great poetry, from an absolutely opposite perspective to mine. He was, for most of his life, a convinced socialist, a man who really believed in the "human face" of socialism and even in that catchy word "internationalism" that the old autocrats in the Kremlin liked so much. Life seems to have made it very plain to him that the dream had always been a nightmare. But his poems are still here and one of the reasons why Yevtushenko hasn't been swept away like many of the so-called poets who sang for the Soviet regime, is that he never did that. He believed in socialism, but he could write "Russian Tanks in Prague" and tell the truth about the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. A very long poem, included in this collection, is "A Dove in Santiago: A Novella in Verse," where he attempts to understand and explain, from a socialist point of view, the events in Chile, 1973. He fails, but he is not the first one to get it wrong (most non-Chileans have gotten it wrong) and he, at least, does it with a lot of talent. I don't agree with Yevtushenko's socialism, but I can't help liking his poetry. "Babii Yar," also included in this book, is an ode to the Jews murdered by the nazis in a ravine, and violated a second time by the Soviets who covered up the crime because the Moscow government was deeply antisemitic. Yevtushenko writes about all this. He writes an elegy for New York and starts one of his poems with the verse "Moscow believed my tears..." This is a versatile poet, a man who has visited places and has the talent to tell us his version of what he has seen in an original, beautiful manner. Yevtushenko is far more accessible than some of the more modern Russian poets, but accessibility does not mean less quality. On the contrary, his poetry is clear, honest, passionate, direct, and articulate. My only regret regarding this volume is the absence of my favorite poem by Yevtushenko: "On the Death of a Dog." Other than that, his talent shines through this compact, affordable book, with poems such as "The City of Yes and the City of No," "Stolen Apples," "White Nights in Archangel," "Zima Junction," "The Heirs of Stalin," "Requiem for Challenger," etc. As soon as the book becomes available, buy it: you won't regret it.

With so much disinformation regarding nontraditional schools offering higher degrees, it's comforting to read a book based in both reality and calmness. No high sales pitch here, just good advice regarding a lot of good, nontraditional schools and programs. Highly recommended.

This collection of writings by the founder and editor of IKON fuses art and politics to give an eyewitness account of the controversies of the last three decades over feminist, political, and literary issues as only a poet and political activist totally engaged in the events could perceive and write about them. THE COLOR OF THE HEART looks back at struggle and change and offers not only a look at the past but keeps the struggle alive by looking towards the future.

"THE COLOR OF THE HEART is an exhilarating document that charts high points in the interesting life of anti-imperialist artist Susan Sherman." --The Guardian

"This is a sensitive, thoughtful collection from a woman who learned long ago that 'to retain freshness of experience' one must be 'willing to face the strangeness and horror of it.'" --Publishers Weekly

poverty indicators in America Latina

Edited by Hanspeter Heinz and Michael A. Signer, Coming Together for the Sake of God: Contributions to Jewish-Christian Dialogue From Post-Holocaust Germany gathers position papers and guides from the discussion group "Jews and Christians" sponsored by the Central Committee (a federation of groups) of the German Catholic Church. Currently composed of ten Jewish and sixteen Catholic members, the group has sponsored conferences and conventions since 1979 among other activities to promote religious education, study, and dialogue. Coming Together for the Sake of God is partly about repercussions from the Holocaust, and partly about critical issues in Jewish-Christian theological dialogue, and the essays range in date from 1979 to 2005. In addition to the eight main essays (including "After Fifty Years: How Can We Talk about Guilt, Suffering, and Reconciliation?", "Reflections on the Shoah", and "Pope Pius IX and the Jews"), Coming Together for the Sake of God also includes a set of responses to the work of the discussion group. Appendices offer more information on the diverse contributors, membership lists for the discussion group, and more. A somber, respectful search for enlightened common ground between faiths, especially in the wake of genocidal historical atrocity.

Mr. Dheenshaw makes the reader feel part of the Games with his book. Being a former volunteer for the XIV Commonwealth Games, I truly felt while reading his book that I was back there in Auckland, New Zealand.
The book accurately portrays the triumphs and tragedies of the Games during it's evolution from the quaintness of the British Empire Games to the modernity of today's Commonwealth Games.
Gripping Details such as "The Miracle Mile" at the V Games in Vancouver, 1954, and the Boycott of the XIII Games keeps the reader riveted. I strongly recommend this book to those who want to know more about "The Friendly Games", the athletes who left their mark on the Games, and the cities who played host to them.

This book is full to the brim---a Leprechaun's pot of gold, if you can just catch the Leprechaun! If you like writing contests you will find many here that will appeal to you, and the sooner you get started the better you will do! It is, of course, a given, that often entering writing contests puts one at a disadvantage in some cases, where the prizes are large and professionals are more apt to throw in their shining entries; however, here we have so many with such a variety of prizes that anyone with any ability whatsoever should be able to win in one or more of the contests. The variety of possibilities is an aid, as well; from the short poem or brief essay to the novel, a niche may be found for one's work. The descriptions of the entry requirements are clear and easily understandable, and the closing dates well marked. The helpful hints included are a boon to veteran contesters as well as newbies, and I would suggest a thorough study of these before putting quill to parchment, as it were. I heartily recommend this illustrious collection of contests for all, and it is a welcome entrant into the lists of contests, of which there are all too few at this point in time. Let us hope it becomes an annual directory.

It's just the book I am looking for

This group of stories is just as enjoyable as the first, even bringing back some characters originally featured in the 1986-1989 volume.

The plots range from suspense, to environmental concern, to Concrete's celebrity status being taken advantage of by the same family that tricked him into appearing at a child's birthday party in a 1986 story.

Chadwick inserts himself into Concrete's universe in a tale where he arrives as a "Creator" figure, who grants Concrete his heart's desire before removing his memory of the incident so that he can get back to his normal life. Very surreal.

One of the stories from the 1986-1989 volume is actually re-printed in its entirety, but its a classic tale of the ingenuity of the elderly in dangerous situations-so it was nice to read it again.

A final bonus is the addition of a Concrete Timeline, that gives a brief synopsis of Concrete's adventures both in the continuing series and short stories from 1985-1995. It makes me excited to start reading the graphic novels next!

This is a big book, and that's natural enough, because it addresses a big
topic. Not big in terms of land mass but in terms of history, personalities,
shattered dreams, impoverished peoples, unnecessary brutality, terror and
petty political self-dramatization.

"Conflict in Northern Ireland" is the latest offering from ABC-CLIO in the
"Roots of Modern Conflict" series.

Following a brief preface and List of Abbreviations (the "Alphabet Soup"
of Irish political mnemonics makes this essential), the chronology of
major events 1922 - 1999 is detailed with crushing thoroughness.

Next, the Dictionary of Irish Politics is presented wherein the reader
becomes informed of the pertinent events, locales and players that map out
the recent political landscape of Ireland. The landscape is by no means
confined to the physical borders of that island, but stretches to Palestine,
Washington, D.C. and points beyond.

A section is devoted to a complete listing of election results, by year and
county, from 1968 - 1999. An examination of the systems of government
attempted during that period, and a description of the evolution of the
security system and its pertinent statistics is provided.

This is, undeniably, a hard-wrought, even-handed and meticulous source
for information on a tragic and continuing epic. Compiling it cannot have
been a happy task.