Street

Schorer's 1961 biography of Lewis, while well researched, came off as particularly mean-spirited. I could never understand why a biographer would take on the huge task of an exhaustive biography when they seem to distain it's subject so much.
Finally Mr. Lingeman has given us a more even handed look at one of America's most neglected authors. Perhaps it was the great popularity of Lewis during the 1920's that brought about a more recent reaction against him but it seems that the time is ripe for another look at this most American of American authors and the Lingeman book makes that clear. This biography is clearly as in depth as Schorer's but, fortunately, does not have some strange axe to grind. Besides, the life of Sinclair Lewis makes for some interesting reading when it is put forth honestly.

Or, the first few along with mine.

Mr. Lingeman has done a wonderful job.

After reading this, I checked out a few 'professional' reviews. Yuck to a bunch of them. John Updike gave it a tepid review -- what a pretentious has-been. The irony, of course, is that Updike is the NEW Sinclair Lewis. Nobody reads him anymore.

However ... Lewis WILL have a rebirth of readers and admirers. Not sure about Updike.

Main Street, Babbitt, Elmer Gantry. Compare this output to .... gosh ... I forget the names of those books. Rabbits Run??? Something like that.

Okay, I haven't read Mark Schorer's earlier biography, but I have read a number of other critical works about Lewis over the years, and more than half of Lewis' twenty-odd novels.

I found this book fascinating and insightful, and I was moved by Lingeman's final argument - that the time is ripe for a rediscovery of Lewis, that the "license to consider Lewis an irrelevant hack" that Schorer's book had conferred on the academic world is expired. I think it's criminal that Lewis is hardly even read in colleges today, while Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cather, Faulkner, Steinbeck, etc., are still read and discussed in detail. (Nothing against these great writers, all of whom I've read extensively, but Lewis was there first and made all their paths to brilliance easier.)

As long as America is still loaded with familiar George Babbitts, Elmer Gantrys, Sam Dodsworths, Carol Kennicotts, etc., Lewis will be a classic (if not THE classic) American novelist. And Lingeman's biography presents a revealing picture of the unique, angry, ultimately lonely man behind these characters.

I read this book in preparation for a return trip to Morocco and wish I'd read it the first time. This is a story of what it's REALLY like to move to a foreign country--non-western--and try to live as the people do. For those of us who have read books like "A Year in Provence" and suspect that it all sounds too good to be true, this book is a refreshing change. It's told from a woman's perspective, and focuses on domestic life, the sharp difference between public and home behavior in Islamic societies, the pervasiveness of religion, and male-female roles. I would have liked a bit of a broader perspective--the author's descriptions of public unrest and a strike were tantalizing, and I would have liked to know a bit more about what was going on in the country at the time, but she describes pretty clearly why Europeans or Americans, well-meaning though they may be, wouldn't necessarily be met with open arms.

My long time fascination with North Africa, culminated in the mid 1980s when my husband and I lived in Algeria for one year. Since then I have tried to enlarge that experience by travelling through the area and reading about the different cultures living in North Africa. How I wish that in 1984 I had already read Elizabeth Fernea's account of her year in Marrakech! Marocco and Marrakech are obviously different cultures from that of Algeria, but the detailed descriptions Fernea gives us about feasts, customs and manners, so very sensitively rendered would have helped and would also have alerted me to the minefield of possible "faux pas" -- which in retrospect I committed by the dozens!
From my experience this is a very credible account of life in the region. And most important -- it is not patronizing. Marrakech life is presented with humor, with that perplexing foreignness that is typical to Westerners in North Africa, and with respect for religious differences.
The book reads very well, it is full of curious data and also of excitment. A great read!

I am an American woman who has been living in Marrakesh for the past 9 years. I just read this book. Even though it was written in the early 1970's, I found it to be a very accurate portrayal of life in the old medina, even now. The author and her husband are anthropologists, and both spoke fluent Arabic upon their arrival, from having lived previously in Iraq and Egypt. Therefore, the author was able to converse with people daily, and understand completely, what they were saying. This is something I have never been able to do. Because of this, she is able to give a VERY detailed look at an aspect of life which is nearly impossible for most outsiders to penetrate--the hidden life of Medina women, which takes place behind high, closed walls. What she describes is very similar to what I have experienced here of life with my Moroccan husband's family, and the people who live around them in the Medina. This book is NOT a study of political or historical conditions--it is the detailed, personal history of one family's year-long experience of living, and immersing itself, in the life of Marrakesh.

I like this book very much, primarily because it was based on actual studies of violent confrontations, and showed the techniques that were used effectively. However, the basic moves were not shown by themselves anywhere in the book, and I believe that someone with no formal training in a striking art might have some problems with that. However, for those who do have training, this book shows the applications of most familiar techniques in a real-life setting. Also, "Kamakaze Fighting," by Michael Vassolo, does show the basic techniques by themselves, and these two books complement each other well (the authors of these two books are apparently longtime associates, who use the same style). "Street Karate" is mostly a case-study book, and the lessons in it are valuable to any practitioner of Karate/Kenpo/TKD who wants to see how effective his techniques are on the street. Those with no martial arts experience can find value in it, but I'd recommend picking up "Kamakaze Fighting" if you're not familiar with karate-style strikes.

I like this book alot. It is different from other books on self defense/martial arts that I have read. It teaches you through real life cases. Where average people defended their selves against thugs, rapists and drunks. It teaches some simple karate strikes to vital parts of the body. At the end of the book it also teaches some excersises called Tiger Moves to strengthen the body. It is a little on the short side. But in this case believe me less is more.

I have studied many fighting systems, such as the martial arts, wrestling, and boxing. I've also spent quite a bit of time reading books that cover such subjects. Overall, I must say that this is the best self-defense book I have ever read. I've read other books, such as U.S. Marines Close-Quarters Combat Manual, Guge Gongji : 7 Primary Targets to Take Anyone Out of a Fight by Hei Long, and Dynamic Aikido. The problem with those books is that there are still too many useless techniques involved. John McSweeney's Street Karate gets to the point in terms of basic combat applications. He points out what part of the body is vulnerable to certain strikes. He also offer alternatives to his suggestions. Keep in mind that these techniques are all based on 35 actual cases of physical confrontations! If these people were able to defend themselves effectively with these techniques, then rest assure that you can too. In this book, you will not learn how to artistically execute a jump-spin-and-hook kick. You will not be taught to block a kick with a fancy and ineffective downward block. Nor will you be taught to stand in over-exaggerated stances, such as the white crane-stance or the cat-stance. Instead, Kempo Karate, the system that most of these techniques are based on, along with this book, teaches very simple and realistic combat strategies. What you will learn is what to do if, while you are walking home from work or school one day, somebody grabs you by the shirt and pulls you into an alley. The victim in one of McSweeney's case studies leopard-palm striked the attacker as he was pulling the victim towards him. The movement of the attacker's pull caused the victim's strike to become even more powerful than it might have been. What do you do when a man grabs you by the front of your shirt? A school bully accosted a boy in one of McSweeney's case studies in this manner. The victim's solution: he rapidly palm striked the aggressor on his forehead on the location right between the attacker's eyes. The result: The aggressor released the victim and was dazed by the victim's blows. As you can see, the techniques taught in this book are very simple to execute indeed. For artistic demonstrations of the martial arts you should buy any karate or kung-fu book you desire. However, for true self-defense applications, John McSweeney's Street Karate is the one to buy. Buy this book and see for yourself why Kempo Karate is so widely practiced. I also recommend The Best Defense : True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves With a Firearm, for those of you pragmatist (like myself) who like to blend practical martial arts with a formidable self-defense accompaniment.

surely you can find many interesting slang which are quite different from the former dicionaries that you used to use.
i am a chinese man,as china's entry into the wto,i have to learn english well,and this book helps me to master the true english and how to make boring leaning into a pleasant work.that sounds excellent ,you can have a try!

Studying English as a second language for nearly 20 years, I found Street Talk I may be the best reference of it kind I have ever seen. Often times, one copy of this kind of book is just a revised copy of another. However, from this Street Talk I, you can learn someting fresh and not readily available from elsewhere. I particularly appreciate the author gathers "talks" directly from ordinary people, rather than copy some common slang or idioms from other books. That is why this Street Talk I distingushes itself from others. Most non-English-speaking people would agree that this is a must-read reference if they really like to learn to talk just like Americans. I would highly recommend this book to my friends and any one who would like to speak better American English.

If you are a foreigner in USA who want to communicate more effectively with american people, you should have this book. It teaches you slangs and idioms in an easier and faster way rather than just lists them as a dictionary does. You not only learned the meaning of these weired words in English but also learned how to speak them out with the right accent and under the appropriate condition.

The music is amazing, the book is incredible, the story is haunting; these are all things credited to make this musical spectacular. Sweeny Todd tells the story of revenge, love, death, and ofcoarse pies. Sweeny Todd is a Barber who seeks revenge on all man kind. Mrs Lovett is his assistant who hides the evidence, in her delicious meat pies. "Have you seen the Priest?" asked the Judge. "No, I havent." replied the Beadle Bamford smaking his lips. "By the way judge have you tasted this delicious PRIEST PIE."

In 1979, Stephen Sondheim had a long and illustrious career on the Broadway stage, with "Company", "Follies", and "A Little Night Music" to his credit. "Sweeney Todd" capped that career with an extraordinarily inspired score, ably seconded by Hugh Wheeler's insightful and clever book. A triumph on all counts.

Not only does the music book capture many of the aspects of the tale of Sweeney Todd, it captures Stephen Sondheim's brilliance in the world of music as a writer. This music book is well worth the price paid for it.

The first part of the book gives an idea about gaylife in San Francisco at the glory days. No fear of AIDS, just 'concerning' being a top or a bottom and while kissing a man flirting with the bartender.
Then death comes to town. Kevin, the author, just describes he is missing his friends and in the meanwhile is still hungry for sex.

This book has no real message. It is a dating-report of twenty years full of sex. Like a pornmovie, that makes it quite boring after a few pages. On the other hand, it is very honestly and maybe that's the reason that you will read it to the end.

Kevin Bentley's remarkable memoir, Wild Animals I Have Known: Polk Street Diaries And After, is set in San Francisco during the late 1970s and is based on Bentley's personal diary. In 1997 he was 21 years old, bookish, exuberantly promiscuous, laughably romantic, terrified new arrival. A young gay man arrived in the "gay mecca" that was San Francisco, a place where he would stay until his fortieth year. Here detailed are the gay bars, baths, a quirky old financial district book store, a funky apartment building on Nob Hill, street fairs, and side trips to Monterey, Santa Fe, and even West Texas. But it is the stories of love, sex, self-doubt, friendship, and unapologetic partying that comprised the basic elements of the gay lifestyle that truly grab the reader's total attention. Wild Animals I Have Known is an autobiographical "picture window back through time" offering a dramatic, vividly portrayed, and legendary gay milieu.

The entries that Kevin Bentley has chosen to publish from his "Polk Street Diaries" of that era are primarily about sexual adventures, often comic misadventures. Anyone who does not want to read about men having sexual encounters with men should steer away from this book. Like Renaud Camus's TRICKS from the same pre-AIDS era, or Ricardo Ramos's FLIPPING about that time in San Francisco, Bentley was finding out who the men he met were through sex: what they did, how they did it, and the places they lived. It was often the books (or the total lack of books), the recorded music (LPs then),, and the artifacts in a trick's room or apartment that made incompatibility obvious.

"Getting laid" was a focus then and there for gay men (and for most young men most of the time in other eras and locales). However, it was necessary to make a living to have a place to live and to pay bar cover charges (and, perchance, to eat, bhough that was a low priority at the time). The gay novels of Manhattan/Provincetown/Fire Island sex, drugs, and disco elide this, leaving readers to guess how the characters acquired money. Something I particularly appreciate in Bentley's book is his chronicling the difficulty of making a living. It also chronicles what the Swedish investigator Benny Henriksson dubbed "the risk factor of love" (reducing "promiscuity" and having unprotected sex with an HIV-infected partner).

Like the fictional inhabitants of 28 Barbary Lane, Bentley paid no attention to politics (gay, HIV-prevention, or any other kind). Less sexually adventurous than Bentley, and writing in a "family newspaper," Armistead Maupin in his well-known "tales" only hint at what life was like for gay men during "the golden age of promiscuity." Written at the time (though culled recently), these diary entries tells it like it was--without apologies, without shame, and without the chauvinism of "lgtb pride."

It was a cool night. Steve and Dylan went to The fear street woods cause they wanted to spend the night in the treehouse they found. They wanted to find a ghost... To find out more read it yourself!

Stay Away From The Tree House, is about two boys named Dylan and Steve. Dylan always wanted to see a ghost and Steve said they dont exist, Dylan is going to prove him wrong. They live on Fear Street right next to the Fear Street woods, no one goes in there that they know of. One day Dylan spotted a tree house in the woods. Dylan and Steve went there after school and found that it was in bad shape so they were going to rebuild it. After awile Steve wasn't believing that there was ghots out in those woods so they decided to sleep out there. That night they had no luck so they went out later and Dylan proved Steve that ghosts are real. You will have to read this heart racing book to find out what happens.

This book is cool because it is a little scary. It is about kids. Yes, I do reccomend the book.

Early on in Dennis Jones's Street Fighting Man, turf battles are being fought on the streets of the Gravesend section of Brooklyn, and we find Kevin O'Brien having mastered the ropes. But O'Brien wants something more. He fights to control his growing anger through a mastery of the drums, so that he may somehow escape the fate of his father, who fights a hopeless battle against alcoholism, and his brother, who is being seduced by the emerging drug scene. O'Brien is drafted into the Army, and finds that, despite the growing national turmoil over Vietnam and racism, turf warfare remains the order of the day. Here is where Jones really delivers. His depiction of abuse and disembodied hatred are riveting. The California drug scene in particular comes alive, a vivid forum for O'Brien to lose, then slowly regain, his foothold in reality. Jones makes an artful transition from the local scene in Brooklyn to a widening vision of corruption and chaos, and makes his tale personal and compelling.

Dennis,
This is Big Guy's middle kid from Austin, TX here. I don't know if you check this site for reviews or hits, but I'm counting on a fellow writers' vanity for that, as I could find no other way of reaching you at this weird hour that I find myself thinking about your book. I can't believe I didn't say anything when I saw you at the Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club gig! I'm kicking myself now. I read your book back in February 2003 while staying at my folks' house; my pop had a copy. I was gripped from page one, and of course the fact that I knew or knew of most of the principal characters had something to do with it, but also it was a damn good read. I really wish I had a chance to talk with you about it. I'm real proud of you and hope you give 'er a'nuther go. Also, it was great to hear you sing those two Dylan tunes. Love it when you do that. The other "Lost McMahon" was also great. Your mother looked so proud with you boys up there. I really hope this reaches you somehow, otherwise I may forget to express it again, as is my nature. But I'm trying. You're a class act, Dennis. Proud to know you. If you get it, e-mail me at ChemicalBilly@msn.com.

Make time to enjoy this book. Once you start reading it, you won't want to put it down. The story takes you through the journey of a young man's life. His struggles to overcome his personal demon's is spell binding because it relates to any generation.

Music is his identity and saving grace that gets him through the daily survival of living on the streets of Brooklyn, NY. His choices take him through the war torn period of the 60's and cultural changes of music and drugs only to discover that it was what was inside of him that allowed him to prevail and understand what his life is all about.

This book is artistically graphic in describing the effects of
social issues and drugs. It leaves one pondering and hopeful that one can overcome any challenge by re-awakening the
human spirit that has sadly fallen asleep by the pressures of
society.

This is a brief but entertaining and convincing argument for the artistic value of one of the most unfairly condemended media outlets -- television. Working from the hypothesis that the quirky dramas that dominated television from the '70s to the '90s (Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, thirtysomething, ect.) actually made up television's second golden age, author Robert J. Thompson actually makes a pretty good argument for taking TV seriously. Each chapter provides detailed (and refreshingly witty) analysis of all the TV shows that we previously took for granted and shows how the writers and producers of those shows were able to create great art in the guise of great entertainment. Of particular worth was Thompson's long and informative chapter on St. Elsewhere, over the course of which he manages to break down a few of that show's intricate inside jokes and show how the show's controversial final episode actually served as a powerful and still-relavent statement on the state of television and American culture today. This book is a must read for anyone who sees television as more than just a distraction.

The title of this book is provocative but something of a serious misnomer. Robert J. Thompson points out early on that the original "Golden Age of Television" took place in the Fifties and was built on the variety shows like "Texaco Star Theater" and "Your Show of Shows," the anthology dramas like "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One," and, of course, "I Love Lucy." Thompson also acknowledges that in the Seventies the situation comedy reached its "literate peak" with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "All in the Family," and "M*A*S*H." However, the argument for "Television's Second Golden Age: From 'Hill Street Blues' to 'ER'" covers a period from HSB's debute in 1981 to the present, where "ER" continues to be one of the top dramas on television. That is a period of more than two decades and while Thompson devotes a chapter to "The Second Golden Age of Television: "Cagney & Lacy," "Moonlighting," "L.A. Law," "thirtysomething," and "China Beach," essentially focusing on the Eighties, it is hard to say that the following decade, with "Twin Peaks," "Northern Exposure," "Picket Fences," "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," "Homicide," "The X-Files," "Chicago Hope," and "ER" was not at least as strong (feel free to add to the list). Even if we are talking about the first decade of the 21st century we have "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "24," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal" and short-lived series like "My So Called Life" and "Once and Again" (and that is without dipping over to HBO and talking about "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under," and the rest of their kind), all of which speak to quality dramatic programming.

That is why in the final analysis I see Thompson's argument as being not so much for a specific time period of great television, but rather advancing the proposition that the hour-long dramatic television series is the chief art form of the medium (yes, even more so than the situation comedy). I would even extend this argument to the mini-series, from "Roots" and "Shogun" to "War and Remembrance" and "Lonesome Dove," because the guiding principle of the extended narrative form remains the common denominator. "24" takes the idea of season-long story arc a unique extreme, but "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" did all of its complete seasons have a first-half story arc (e.g., Spike & Dru in Season 2) that then merged with a second-half story arc (e.g., the return of Angelus) that provided a framework for all of the individual episodes. Then there was "Murder One," which rather successfully devoted an entire season to one sensational murder trial. When a series loses its driving story arc, as when Dave and Maddie consummated their love on "Moonlighting," or when what was supposed to be the hook becomes the line and sinker as well, as when the question of who killed Laura Palmer ultimately derailed "Twin Peaks," the demise of the show simply affirms the principle in the negative.

Thompson's starting point is January 1981 when prime-time television was about to make a sudden and dramatic turn towards quality because of "Hill Street Blues," the show that Steven Bocho did not want to make and that nobody wanted to watch, but which became "television's first true masterpiece." However, Thompson argues that it was "St. Elsewhere" that was "TV's greatest show, ever" (having to do with key notions of "intertextuality" and "self-reflexivity"). Ultimately he is not defining a particular time period (especially since the "golden age" in question is clearly not over), but explaining why in the "vast wasteland" that Newton Minnow bemoaned so many years ago "quality" television is flourishing in terms of hour-long dramatic programming. Within that context Thompson clearly makes his case for much of the best television ever made having appeared on the networks since 1980. The book is half critical evaluation of these programs and half insider's tour looking at the decision-making process as well as the social, economic, and artistic forces that ended up revolutionizing the medium. Thompson also more than adequately proves he knows his television history, which is necessary to help convince those of us who are true students of the medium. Consequently, the fact that the title of this book is not a fair representation of its most significant claim, is not to be held against the author, because he has made in public an argument I have been making in private (okay, in class as well), for several years.

It's all too easy to assume that simply because we vegetate in front of the TV all day, that we have some kind of understanding of its history and how it works. This book summarises the importance of several landmark shows of the 1980s and 1990s, helping to show how a few select producers (chiefly refugees from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) were able to transform the quality of television, at least for a while. Note that the shows are discussed in their American context -- British viewers may be surprised to hear that anything was innovative about the "MASH without the laughter track", because MASH was always broadcast in the UK without a laughter track. But for placing the history of American TV in its natural home habitat, this remains an important and interesting introduction to quality television.

This book contains a good amount of information about many different styles of wines, from red burgundy to rose to vintage champagne. Each chapter is devoted to a different style, and contains a description of the idiosyncracies of each style, along with a short list of recommendations. Less usefully, it contains personal anecdotes about the authors' experiences with the wines.

It is in these anecdotes that the authors' pretentiousness comes out. They meanly point out and make fun of the mistakes their acquaintances make while ordering wine at fancy restaurants. They halfheartedly reassure the reader that is OK to hunt for affordable wines, while at the same time subtly poking fun at people who prefer wines they consider inferior. Reading the book, I get the impression that the only people they respect are CEOs of large financial corporations and accounting firms, because every other one of their "wine anecdotes" involves a corporate male with a lot of money.

In short: the authors know a lot about wine, but they fail in their attempts at hiding just how much they look down on what they consider to be bad wine.

This is one of those wine books that is fun-to-read. It helps making the intimidating subject of wine appreciation much less scary. Gaiter and Brecher bring a few decades of wine tasting experience and the perspective of years of happy partnership to the book.

This book is not a reference book like many others in this genre. Rather, it is more of a user's guide to different wines that brings the joy of tasting and exploring wines to the reader. The book offers lots of good, common-sense advice on "simple" tasting procedures, on how to buy wine, on how to taste and enjoy wine, and other topics. It also offers a healthy perspective on wine rituals, skewering some of the more pretentious in the process.

One of the things that we enjoyed about this book is that it offers a broad perspective on what to expect with different wine varietals. It covers everything from Barbera (from the Piedmont region of Italy) to Zinfandel, the "native" grape of California. These varietal sections have been improved in the second edition (we've read both versions) and now includes one on sauvignon blanc which has always been one of our favorite white wines.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys wine or would like to enjoy wine.

It is hard to imagine a more down-to-earth wine book than "The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine" by John Brecher and Dottie Gaiter. Long the authors of the popular "Tastings" in the aforementioned newspaper, John and Dottie dispense what I can best call "grandmotherly" advice on wines - joyful, nonjudgmental, wise, and wonderfully helpful. They make wine newbies feel welcome, but provide enough down-home wisdom that even aficionados will come away satisfied.

What they bring to their column every Friday in the Journal translates to their latest book (an update of their 1999 version.) The same approachable writing style and sheer pleasure they so masterfully embue in their wine tastings follows in the book. And rarely do authors manage to pierce the literary plane and become real people, but John and Dottie come off in their book as those fun next-door neighbors every one of us has known at some time in our life.

The book could not be more simple in its layout. The authors discuss popular white grape varietals, then reds, and some other specific types of wines (like Sauternes, Champagne, etc.) Most chapters consist of a specific grape varietal discussion, recommended wines of that varietal, and a page or two of general wine tips. This pattern repeats throughout the book (with few exceptions) and covers about thirty grapes/types of wine.

This book is not meant to be encyclopedic in nature. John and Dottie simply ask you to come along and enjoy a glass of wine with them, dispensing simple, but usable advice on how to enjoy the trip. Some might downgrade the rating for being so simplistic, but a readthrough would dissuade this. Other references are available that cover the specifics missing from this book. But as the authors are more interested in evangelizing wine drinking - and specifically the mere enjoyment of wine in a stress-free setting - you won't (and don't) need to know the intricacies of French Bordeaux or the details of the difficulties of truly knowing what's in that bottle of Chilean red. (Consider Karen MacNeil's "The Wine Bible" in that case, particularly if you are new to wine.)

The only lack of the book is that it recycles some anecdotes from the "Tastings" columns, but this is more than made up for by the sheer joy John and Dottie bring to the subject of wine.

You can't go wrong with "The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine". It's truly about as escapist as a book on wine can be, while providing helpful wisdom that goes down as pleasingly as a chilled Oregon Pinot Gris on a sunny summer day.