Foreigner

I saw THE FOREIGNER in two different productions, and they were two of the most enjoyable evenings I have spent in the theater yet. We also studied the play in a university English course, which really made me appreciate Larry Shue's skill and subtlety as a playwright. Charley Baker is a shy Englishman traveling in rural Georgia with his friend, "Froggy" Le Seur, a member of the British army. The two men visit an inn run by Froggy's old friend, Betty Meeks. Charley is in the midst of marital problems, so Froggy decides to leave him at the inn for a few days so that he can enjoy some peace and quiet. But Charley is terrified of having to make any conversation at all with the inhabitants of the inn, who besides the gregarious Betty include a (crooked) Reverend and his (pregnant) fiancée, Catherine, and her slow-witted little brother, Ellard.
So Froggy has an idea: he will tell Betty that Charley is a foreigner and speaks no English. This gives Charley the peace he wants, as well as providing excitement for the others, who have never seen a "real live foreigner" before. It also leads to many hilarious situations - and eventually to a run-in with the loathsome Owen Musser and his Ku Klux Klan boys. But Charley, through sheer cleverness and courage, defeats the Klan and all ends happily.
THE FOREIGNER is a one-of-a-kind play. It deals with serious problems, like racism and the Klan, by looking them in the face and laughing at them. Shue is not at all afraid of humor. He is also not afraid of villains, of whom this play has two: Owen and the Reverend, David Marshall Lee. Too often modern playwrights simply make a villain of "society" or some other institution. It is a harder job to create convincing individuals who are evil - but Shue does this marvelously. He is also an intelligent playwright: he includes in this modern comedy such classical character types as the "tricky servant" (Froggy), a "humour character" or a character with an obsession (Charley) - and, of course, the villains, who are so well-drawn that they seem like real people rather than like mere mouthpieces for the Klan. Shue had extraordinary talent, and I would like to thank him for leaving us THE FOREIGNER, a comedy good for all time.

I was graced with being cast as Ellard Sims in a College Production of The Foreigner. This in one of those Comedies that
is a Dramatic Roller Coaster and the audience is along for the ride. Physical, emotional and vocal throughout.
Sound exciting? Gok. Means yes.
After your first read through, you'll fall in love with the wonderful fictional town of Georgia and it's inhabitants.
If you go full force into it like I did, the only problem is you'll never want to leave.

I've just come back from seeing this play. I write plays and although I try not to watch a play with a playwright's eye, I can't help it. This play on all levels reached the very top! For me as an audience it was pure joy, for me as a writer it was pure joy wrapped in respect. Larry Shue is someone I'm going to find out more about. I'm sad to hear that he is no longer with us. The mixture of humanity and humor in this play is something that is not seen often. Larry Shue, thank you!
Caroline

Nicholas Furlong has compiled the most accurate account of the life of Dermot MacMurrough that I have come by yet. I have always been confused and angered that in all other accounts of MacMurrough's life, the essential explanation of Brehon Law is missing. Furlong does this perfectly and the only complaint about the book that I have is that it was too short.

This book is an excellent ESL teaching tool. It's a colorful picture book organized by category. I have used it with all levels of adult ESL students. It would work well with children, too. I have organized entire lessons based on just one or two pages. I recommend it for anyone looking for creative ESL lesson plan material.

This book can make you smile, cry and wonder. It's one of the greatest pieces of Fiction from India.
A Must buy for anyone who enjoys moving stories

Many people have read the delightful "Behold your Queen" by the same author.
This book is as enchanting about another amazing woman from the bible. It explains the Story of Ruth, and tries to give some of the cultural context for what is happening in the story.
In doing so it also touches on those wonderful forshadowing of the Savior of Mankind.
Well worth the read.
I am thrilled I have this wonderful book.

Foreigners In Their Own Land: Pennsylvania Germans In The Early Republic by Steven M. Nolt (Assistant Professor of History, Goshen College) is the story of Pennsylvania's German population, ranging from the first immigrants to arrive and continuing through the assimilation of their generations of descendants, and how these people were able to maintain their German cultural heritage and background while embracing their citizenship and identity as Americans. Meticulously researched and highly recommended, Foreigners In Their Own Land is a truly fascinating, scholarly, and highly accessible study of the religious, political, and philosophical evolution of this specific American subculture.

I found this book by accident in a gift shop, and because of the title and cover photo, was intrigued by it. The author's name was familiar---I realized that I had worked with Dr. Payan at a small hospital in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the early 1980's when he was a pathologist there and I was an ER nurse. Naturally, I wanted to read his story of coming to America. I found it to be a delightful read. His stories are well told, there's a subtle humor waiting to break out in many of them. He has carefully told the details of everday life growing up in Iran. There are stories that are compassionate and moving of his experiences as a young physician, and others that are a sad commentary of how those new to the US are sometimes treated. I would definitely recommend it as an enjoyable read.

I used this book in a beginning Norwegian course at a summer school in Oslo. I found it very helpful - in fact, it may be the only game in town as far as beginning Norwegian textbooks go (not such a huge demand for Norwegian instruction out there). The dialogues seemed a bit silly sometimes in class, but I discovered during my year in Norway that they are very representative of natural Norwegian conversation, and I used phrases from them all the time. In the dialogues and readings, they also hit a lot of fun points of Norwegian culture - travel, matpakker, sausage and potatoes.

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is about 5 to 10% of it is outdated. The rest is smart, funny, passionate and insightful, a joy for beginning and serious soccer fans alike. I read it in 3 days and now my girlfriend, a soccer novice, is consuming it with equal speed. I highly recommend it in full measure. (By the way: you can find out about Wrexham by going to espn.com/soccer, then going to "Soccernet/UK" and searching for club standings. They're still in the 2nd division, though close to relegation! )

Speaking as a person who was born only a dozen or so miles from the small town of Wrexham in north-east Wales, I think that this book accurately captures the pleasure and the pain of being a grass-roots fan of a small, only mildly successful, football club, struggling in the nether regions of the English league system.

If one short, sweet, book can not only explain the rules of football, but also its history, and what it's like to be an ordinary fan - then this is the book for you.

Everything you need to understand football is in this book.

I picked up this book a couple of years back when a local San Francisco sports columnist described it as 'the best book on soccer ever written.' After reading 'Twenty-Two Foreigners,' I'll second that opinion.

This book successfully weaves a general description of the game, a review of all Word Cups prior to US 94, and the author's own passion for his local team - Wrexham, a Third Division Welsh club struggling to gain promotion to the Second Division in 1993. Pete Davies mixes these themes together masterfully. Despite these three unique threads, the book never seems jumbled or hodge-podge.

Through Davies' sections on the history and nuances of the game, you'll develop a keen appreciation for why certain teams/countries deploy different playing styles and alignments without feeling overwhelmed by jargon and technical detail. In the overview of the World Cups, you'll understand how world dominance has inexorably tilted from its initial power base in the UK to the far reaches of Europe and - especially - South America. And in detailing his long-time affair with Wrexham, you'll begin to comprehend the deep-seated passion for the simplest of games which, unfortunately, has still not quite resonated here in the States.

Despite the fact that the material is now seven years old (Mr. Davies - an updated version in preparation for WC 2002 would be fantastic!), I wholeheartedly endorse this book as a comprehensive and engaging introduction to 'The Beautiful Game.'

I am still using this book and it is much better than other books about Finnish. Both the text and the exercise books are divided into short chapters with just enough material for a lesson. The Exercise book contains lots of good practice. You should get the cassettes since this will increase memorization and improve pronunciation. Once you finish this course I think you will have a good understanding of Finnish. Finnish is a unique language. It is quite different from English and may seem hard but once you understand a little how it works it should become easier. For beginners I would recommend studying one unit for three days to a week and then have a short review. Then proceed to the next unit and do likewise. Stick to it, go slowly, and study at your own pace. I hope this will be of help.

This is an excellent book, even though the example texts are getting a little dated. The book goes from zero to a reasonable grasp of Finnish in forty chapters. Each chapter is short enough to cover thoroughly in one lesson (in a teacher-led environment) and clearly focused on a single gramatical point (as a rule). They are also short and focused enough that the self-studier can feel they have really grasped the material. The book concentrates on written Finnish, but there is enough about the spoken language to help the student in the later transition to the 'real thing.' This is as close as language learning gets to painless !

Lots of exercises, non-technical and easy to understand language...a real boon for those who are truly interested in learning Finnish on their own.