price：$24.99
BBC Pubns
Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item. Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (P&P) 『My favourite book of all time!! Whenever I am at a loss to find anything decent to read in the modern literature I find this a real comfort. A great read!!』
(Great book, terrible formatting) 『This is a great novel. The version published by Public Domain Books (ASIN: B000JMLFLW) as an ebook is a formatting mess, however. Line breaks follow pretty much every occurrence of "Mr.," for example.』
(AMAZING!!!) 『This is my first Jane Austen novel. It did not dissapoint!! New Years Resolution to read as many of the "classics" as I could. I have been pleasently surprised by this book. It left me wanting more and sad that it was over. Now I can't wait to read all of Jane Austen's books.』
(Jane Austen's best) 『This is Jane Austen's best novel. The story is a mixture of intrigue and passion with an appropriate ending. The goog guy should always triumph!』
(Pride And Prejudice Dover Hardcover Edition) 『There are literally thousands of review of Austen's seminal classic Pride And Prejudice out there already. This is a review of the Dover facsimile edition based on the 1894 copy.
From the beautiful Hugh Thomson illustrations, to the embossed floral end pages, this edition is top notch. The cover is red cloth with gold foil lettering and peacock on the spine.
The first page showing the opening line with huge flowing peacock is a work of art unto itself
If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice and long for a well made, permanent hard cover edition of the book, this is the edition for you!』 『Elizabeth Bennet is at first determined to dislike Mr. Darcy, who is handsome and eligible. This misjudgment only matched in folly by Darcy's arrogant pride. Their first impressions give way to truer feelings in a comedy concerned with happiness and how it might be achieved.』 『In a remote Hertfordshire village, far off the good coach roads of George III's England, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet -- a country squire of no great means and his scatterbrained wife -- must marry off their five vivacious daughters. At the heart of this all-consuming enterprise are the headstrong second daughter Elizabeth and her aristocratic suitor Fitzwilliam Darcy, two lovers in whom pride and prejudice must be overcome before love can bring the novel to its magnificent conclusion.』
price：$8.00
Penguin
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Excellent survey of the American food industry) 『Michael Pollan entertains while he informs, surprises, and disillusions most hopes you might have had about the American food industry. This book is a must read if you are at all interested in what you eat, and how its production is affecting nature. Pollan follows the life of both a cow and a chicken through their confined lives in high producing typical american farms- which proves to be more revolting and dangerous that one might have thought. He also explains why all those products at the grocery store have some tangent of corn in it: "high fructose corn syrup" etc. He also documents some small organic farmers and the processes they use to create sustainable farming. How the food industry reflects the general American mentality should become increasingly obvious, as you become more aware of what you eat and where it comes from.
This book is an excellent way to make a visit to the grocery store a little less abstract.』
(A provocative and thoughtful examination of food in America) 『Michael Pollan mesmerizes with his exciting examination of the possible sources of our food in America. I love food and for me this book constituted a celebration of it's complexity and possibility. Although Pollan is obviously biased he takes a calculated look at the propositions of both sides, even though through the novel we follow him to his inevitable arrival at his own perceptions. I highly recommend this book to all readers, especially those who are politically conscious or who just get inordinately excited about food the way I do.』
(Great read about agriculture buisness) 『A great book that reads well and talks about how agriculture buisness ultimately affects our health. Recommended.』
(Anyone who eats food should read this!) 『In The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan explores the current landscape of procuring food in America by actively tracing four meals, through intermediary energy forms, to the ultimate source of their energy, the sun. He explicates all processes and their consequences with regards to creating meals from McDonald's, Whole Foods (big industrial organic), a self-sustained farm, and one that he obtained every component of himself (hunting and gathering).
His active investigative journalism as well as his open mind and willingness to learn leads him to experience firsthand the food creation process by participating in all methods of creating food (that is, those that he is allowed to participate in) and to read everything on the subject from the biology of corn reproduction to the philosophy of eating animals, allowing him to understand food as well as possible. His travels lead him to farms across the country, where he watches the farm processes and participates in them (including driving a tractor as well as killing and eviscerating chickens), CAFO's, and to learn how to hunt wild pig and develop a sixth sense for seeing and gathering mushrooms. He engages in deep discussions with experts in all aspects of food to understand their perspective and shed a different light on food as we see it - that is, food without the hidden negative consequences. This active participation and discussion straight from the source as well as thorough research leads him to draw well-reasoned conclusions from his experiences. He demystifies the supermarket and articulates the hidden consequences of our food choices.
Pollan conveys his findings and opinions fluidly and his experiences candidly. He imparts the reader with a greater wisdom and confidence in making food choices (although it is disenchanting that the system in place does not necessarily even allow you to make the choices you want to...), but he is not preachy. I found Pollan's writing to be clear, interesting, and sincere. I highly recommend this book.』
(An insightful, gripping, utterly readable story of all that's wrong with our food system) 『I worried when I got this book that it would be a typical, New York Times, liberal manifesto. To a degree, it is that. But it goes beyond that. Pollan takes a hard look at our food supply, how we grow it, how we get it to the consumer. It's utterly persuasive. One can't read this book and finish anything but deeply troubled.
It's good to know there are others out there who don't object so much to killing animals for food (I don't) but who are rightfully sickened by how they are raised and treated before slaughter. This book really spoke to me, not because I'm a closet vegan looking to condemn meat eaters everywhere (I'm not). Indeed, that hardly seems Pollan's goal. Rather, he points out that one can eat animals but raise them responsibly, kill animals but treat them with dignity.
Ultimately, his point is that the $1 cheeseburger at McDonalds is not really $1. The hidden costs affect the taxpayer much more than the ridiculous prices would otherwise suggest.
I'm no hippie, left-wing New Yorker looking to tear up corporate America. I love corporate America. But as a taxpayer, I finished this book truly angry at how our government subsidizes obesity, encourages cancer, and ignores cruelty. As a human being, I finished this book deeply troubled at how millions of animals live their entire lives in abject misery for months so that I can get a Big Mac cheap.
As far as I'm concerned, this book should be mandatory reading - I can only hope it heralds an awakening.』 『A national bestseller that has changed the way readers view the ecology of eating, this revolutionary book by award winner Michael Pollan asks the seemingly simple question: What should we have for dinner? Tracing from source to table each of the food chains that sustain us— whether industrial or organic, alternative or processed—he develops a portrait of the American way of eating. The result is a sweeping, surprising exploration of the hungers that have shaped our evolution, and of the profound implications our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet.』
price：$14.49
Grand Central Publishing
Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Outstanding book) 『I loved this book. Don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life. As Bill Ward once said to Ozzy, if your singing don't work out you can be a comedian. It is just amazing all the stuff Ozzy has been through, and yet is still around to tell his story. Honest, straight-forward, frank talk about his life, both the good and the bad, and even the ugly. Any Ozzy fan will enjoy this.』
(Love Him? Hate Him? Find Out Why....) 『This is a remarkable story about a remarkable man. Remarkable mostly because, at age 60, he's still alive! Still recording, still performing; having seen him perform live two years ago, he's better than ever. No one can tell Ozzy's story - truthfully, that is - except Ozzy. I grew up with Ozzy, so to speak. I loved him and my mother hated him; she used to tell me that I would rot my brain listening to "that Ozzy Osbourne trash." You won't find anything in this book except the truth as only Ozzy knows it. Having no reason to lie about his wicked past and every reason to finally set the record of his life straight, Ozzy's book is a weird mix of outrageous humor, deep love for his wife and children, bewilderment at his own success, and perseverence despite overwhelming personal and professional obstacles. If you've loved Ozzy as his fans have for almost 40 years, this book will again show you why. And if you've hated him for just as long, it will show you why you're mistaken.
This is a tale told well.』
(A great read, but lacks some detail on solo career) 『I picked this up off Amazon and read the book within 2 days of purchase. It was tough to put down. The book is basically divided into 2 parts. The first, being devoted to his upbringing and time in Black Sabbath. This was THE best part of the book. His recollection of these times are priceless and was a very entertaining read. The second part, however, was devoted to his life with Sharon and life as a "celebrity". He glossed over most of his solo career. With the time and attention spent on Black Sabbath, i would have preferred to have read as much detail about recording his first two solo albums with Randy and the next two with Jake E. Lee. Randy's inclusion is minimal and Jake is mentioned only in passing twice. I know a lot went down with Jake E. Lee and was looking forward to hearing what Ozzy would have to say, but there's nothing. We do hear EVERY detail about life with Sharon though... In any event, Its still a great book to read, even just for the first half. Its almost as good as the Crue's "The Dirt" but comes up a bit short due to the relentless "Sharonisms".』
(Thank you Ozzy!!!) 『I am so happy to have read a book about Ozzy that was in his own words! I have been a fan since Diary of a Madman and have read just about everything written about Ozzy. But I always wanted to read Ozzy's take on himself. His own words. This book answered my prayers in full!!!
First off, whether you are a fan and have read books, seen biographies on Ozzy, or heard stories about any of his many tales of hard partying, you will still be entertained by this book. Thanks to Chris Ayres ability to make it seem like Ozzy is sitting beside you sharing his life; you will not be able to put this book down! When I got to the end of a chapter I would think "just one more page, just one more page"
Next, there are so many stories in here that I believe you will read about something you didn't know. I couldn't believe how much info was in this book! Even though there are many sad things in this book (death of Randy, Jack's comment about missing his dad) I couldn't help but laugh out loud many times! I even marked several pages so I could go back and reread the stories and laugh out loud again!
Though his addictions are sad to me, I feel Ozzy does an awesome job of expressing his feelings about addiction and coping day to day!!!
Finally, I love Ozzy and can't wait when something new comes out by him! I was so excited about this book and now having read it I feel so happy that I had the chance! This is another masterpiece by the Prince of Darkness. Thank you so much Ozzy!!!』
(Brilliant!) 『I love this book. I heard Sharon talking about it a week or so ago on TV and had to pick it up. I haven't put it down until today, when I finished it. I have never been a die-hard Ozzy fan, but I have always enjoyed his music and love to follow his life story. It was very entertaining most of the time, sad in others (his drug/alcohol addiction and the loses he suffered), and very real. It didn't sound sugar-coated at all. I am a Texan and I can't get the image of Ozzy pissing on the Alamo out of my head....too funny. I hope more people read it and get a better idea of what his real life is like.』 『"They've said some crazy things about me over the years. I mean, okay: 'He bit the head off a bat.' Yes. 'He bit the head off a dove.' Yes. But then you hear things like, 'Ozzy went to the show last night, but he wouldn't perform until he'd killed fifteen puppies . . .' Nowme, kill fifteen puppies? I love puppies. I've got eighteen of the f**king things at home. I've killed a few cows in my time, mind you. And the chickens. I shot the chickens in my house that night.
It haunts me, all this crazy stuff. Every day of my life has been an event. I took lethal combinations of booze and drugs for thirty f**king years. I survived a direct hit by a plane, suicidal overdoses, STDs. I've been accused of attempted murder. Then I almost died while riding over a bump on a quad bike at f**king two miles per hour.
People ask me how come I'm still alive, and I don't know what to say. When I was growing up, if you'd have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of sixty, which one of us would end up with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and Beverly Hills, I wouldn't have put money on me, no f**king way. But here I am: ready to tell my story, in my own words, for the first time.
A lot of it ain't gonna be pretty. I've done some bad things in my time. I've always been drawn to the dark side, me. But I ain't thedevil. I'm just John Osbourne: a working-class kid from Aston, who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time."』
price：$14.52
William Morrow
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Thinking outside the box) 『Great read to expand one's point of reference. The author's unique and rational perspective on a wide range of issues provides a great read and pause to think about one's innate bias and inherently limited perspective.』
(Unique) 『This was a gift for my boss - he said this wasn't as good as "Freakenomics", but it was still a good read.』
(Freakonomics just jumped the shark....) 『Overall this was a lightweight read. Interesting in a "News of the Wierd" kind of way. I was a bit let down, as I liked the first book more and had high expectations, but I'll no doubt read the next one when it comes out.』
(Interesting and easy read) 『As a sequel to "Freakonomics" this one is fine, with some insightful behavioral economic thoughts like:
1. A drunk walker is eight times more likely to die than a drunk driver, on a per mile basis.
2. Lower birthrate in India when cable TV introduced because of more autonomy of women.
3. Negative externalities using horses for transportation, too much manure and accidents, led to more modern form of transportation. Title 9 for women's athletics led to more male coaches of women's teams.
4. Averages can be misleading because the "average" person has one breast and one testicle, but a good place to start. People are more scared of sharks than elephants yet elephants kill many more people per year than sharks.
5. Expert performers are almost always made, not born, so best to work at what you love since likely you'll worker harder at that.
6. Terrorists are less likely to come from poor families.
7. "Cognitive drift" can lead to many errors, because people can become distracted easily in just a few seconds.
8. Women ER doctors generally are better than men.
9. Nobel Prize winners live longer, so do baseball Hall of Fame members. Also, do annuity buyers because of incentive to collect more.
10. Chemo for cancer is questionably effective.
11. TV watching increases crime - any kind of TV programs.
12. Humans are naturally altruistic, but affected by context, like when being under scrutiny.
13. Law of unintended consequences is very powerful, Seemingly good laws many times lead to the opposite happening more.
14. Simple and cheap fixes are more frequent than one might think. Ammonium nitrate most responsible for feeding the world. Polio vaccine to conquer polio. Car seat belts to save lives. Book offers some possible simple ways to stop bad hurricanes (send some surface warm water down deep) and solve global warming (send sulfur dioxide high in the sky). Don't have doctors wear ties - ties hardly ever cleaned, have doctors follow good hand hygiene in hospitals.
15. Capuchin monkeys can be taught to use money, hence basic economic laws hold for them, also like humans show irrational economic behavior like favoring loss aversion even if it isn't the wisest choice.
If the book is not as rigorous in its proof of assertions, that is OK with me, as it is an easy read and made me think a little deeper about some subjects worthy of deeper thought.』
(very interensting) 『I liked this book, so much new information. AMazes me that they find all these people doing these interesting things and then draw such conclusions.』 『
TheNew York TimesbestsellingFreakonomicswas a worldwide sensation, selling more than four million copies in thirty-five languages and changing the way we look at the world.
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner return withSuperfreakonomics, and fans and newcomers alike will find that thefreakquel is even bolder, funnier, and more surprising than the first.
SuperFreakonomicschallenges the way we think all over again, exploring the hidden side of everything with such questions as:
How is a street prostitute like a department-store Santa?
What do hurricanes, heart attacks, and highway deaths have in common?
Can eating kangaroo save the planet?
Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling like no one else. By examining how people respond to incentives, they show the world for what it really is—good, bad, ugly, and, in the final analysis, super freaky.Freakonomicshas been imitated many times over—but only now, withSuperFreakonomics, has it met its match.
』 『Book Description
TheNew York Timesbest-sellingFreakonomicswas a worldwide sensation, selling over four million copies in thirty-five languages and changing the way we look at the world. Now, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner return withSuperFreakonomics,and fans and newcomers alike will find that the freakquel is even bolder, funnier, and more surprising than the first.
Four years in the making,SuperFreakonomicsasks not only the tough questions, but the unexpected ones: What's more dangerous, driving drunk orwalkingdrunk? Why is chemotherapy prescribed so often if it's so ineffective? Can a sex change boost your salary?
SuperFreakonomicschallenges the way we think all over again, exploring the hidden side of everything with such questions as:
How is a street prostitute like a department-store Santa?
Why are doctors so bad at washing their hands?
How much good do car seats do?
What's the best way to catch a terrorist?
Did TV cause a rise in crime?
What do hurricanes, heart attacks, and highway deaths have in common?
Are people hard-wired for altruism or selfishness?
Can eating kangaroo save the planet?
Which adds more value: a pimp or a Realtor?
Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling like no one else, whether investigating a solution to global warming or explaining why the price of oral sex has fallen so drastically. By examining how people respond to incentives, they show the world for what it really is good, bad, ugly, and, in the final analysis, super freaky.
Freakonomicshas been imitated many times over but only now, withSuperFreakonomics,has it met its match.
FromSuperfreakonomics: Where do you stand on the freak-o-meter?
Four years ago, you were cool. You readFreakonomicswhen it first came out. You impressed family and friends and dazzled dates with the insights you gleaned. Now Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner return withSuperfreakonomics, afreakquel even bolder, funnier, and more surprising than the first.
Have you been keeping up? Can you call yourself a SuperFreak? Test yourSuperfreakonomicsknow-how now:Question 1:5 points According toSuperfreakonomics, what has been most helpful in improving the lives of women in rural India? A. The government ban on dowries and sex-selective abortions B. The spread of cable and satellite television C. Projects that pay women to not abort female babies D. Condoms made specially for the Indian marketQuestion 2:3 points Among Chicago street prostitutes, which night of the week is the most profitable? A. Saturday B. Monday C. Wednesday D. FridayQuestion 3:5 points You land in an emergency room with a serious condition and your fate lies in the hands of the doctor you draw. Which characteristic doesn’t seem to matter in terms of doctor skill? A. Attended a top-ranked medical school and served a residency at a prestigious hospital B. Is female C. Gets high ratings from peers D. Spends more money on treatmentQuestion 4:3 points Which cancer is chemotherapy more likely to be effective for? A. Lung cancer B. Melanoma C. Leukemia D. Pancreatic cancerQuestion 5:5 points Half of the decline in deaths from heart disease is mainly attributable to: A. Inexpensive drugs B. Angioplasty C. Grafts D. StentsQuestion 6:3 points True or False: Child car seats do a better job of protecting children over the age of 2 from auto fatalities than regular seat belts.Question 7:5 points What’s the best thing a person can do personally to cut greenhouse gas emissions? A. Drive a hybrid car B. Eat one less hamburger a week C. Buy all your food from local sourcesQuestion 8:3 points Which is most effective at stopping the greenhouse effect? A. Public-awareness campaigns to discourage consumption B. Cap-and-trade agreements on carbon emissions C. Volcanic explosions D. Planting lots of treesQuestion 9:5 points In the 19th century, one of the gravest threats of childbearing was puerperal fever, which was often fatal to mother and child. Its cause was finally determined to be: A. Tight bindings of petticoats early in the pregnancy B. Foul air in the delivery wards C. Doctors not taking sanitary precautions D. The mother rising too soon in the delivery roomQuestion 10:3 points Which of the following were not aftereffects of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks on September 11, 2001: A. The decrease in airline traffic slowed the spread of influenza. B. Thanks to extra police in Washington, D.C., crime fell in that city. C. The psychological effects of the attacks caused people to cut back on their consumption of alcohol, which led to a decrease in traffic accidents. D. The increase in border security was a boon to some California farmers, who, as Mexican and Canadian imports declined, sold so much marijuana that it became one of the states most valuable crops.Answers and Scoring Question 1 B, Cable and satellite TV. Women with television were less willing to tolerate wife beating, less likely to admit to having a“son preference,” and more likely to exercise personal autonomy. Plus, the men were perhaps too busy watching cricket.Question 2 A, Saturday nights are the most profitable. While Friday nights are the busiest, the single greatest determinant of a prostitute’s price is the specific trick she is hired to perform. And for whatever reason, Saturday customers purchase more expensive services.Question 3 C, One factor that doesn’t seem to matter is whether a doctor is highly rated by his or her colleagues. Those named as best by their colleagues turned out to be no better than average at lowering death rates--although they did spend less money on treatments.Question 4 C, Leukemia. Chemotherapy has proven effective on some cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and testicular cancer, especially if these cancers are detected early. But in most cases, chemotherapy is remarkably ineffective, often showing zero discernible effect. That said, cancer drugs make up the second-largest category of pharmaceutical sales, with chemotherapy comprising thebulk.Question 5 A, Inexpensive drugs. Expensive medical procedures, while technologically dazzling, are responsible for a remarkably small share of the improvement in heart disease. Roughly half of the decline has come from reductions in risk factors like high cholesterol and high blood pressure, both of which are treated with relatively inexpensive drugs. And much of the remaining decline is thanks to ridiculously inexpensive treatments like aspirin, heparin, ACE inhibitors, and beta-blockers.Question 6 False. Based on extensive data analysis as well as crash tests paid for by the authors, old-fashioned seat belts do just as well as car seats.Question 7 B, Shifting less than one day per week’s worth of calories from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs, or a vegetable-based diet achieves more greenhouse-gas reduction than buying all locally sourced food, according to a recent study by Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews, two Carnegie Mellon researchers. Every timea Prius or other hybrid owner drives to the grocery store, she may be cancelling out its emissions-reducing benefit, at least if she shops in the meat section. Emission from cows, as well as sheep and other ruminants, are 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than the carbon dioxide released by cars and humans.Question 8 C, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines discharged more than 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which acted like a layer of sunscreen, reducing the amount of solar radiation and cooling off the earth by an average of one degree F.Question 9 C, doctors not taking sanitary precautions. This was the dawning age of the autopsy, and doctors did not yet know the importance of washing their hands after leaving the autopsy room and entering the delivery room.Question 10 C, the psychological effect of the attacks caused people to increase their alcohol consumption, and traffic accidents increased as a result.Scoring 32-40: Certified SuperFreak 25-31: Freak--surprises lay in wait for you 16-24: Wannabe freak--you’ve got some reading to do 1-15: Conventional wisdomer--you’re still thinking in old ways』
price：$6.03
Scribner
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (The glass Castle) 『This is a terrible book. Why would anyone be interesting in reading about this awful family? It's exploitation at its worst.』
(Glass Castle) 『My sister refered the book but I haven't read it as yet. It came in excellent condition』
(Captivating) 『Amazing, horrifying, and absolutley captivating. The further I got the harder it became to put this book down. This novel was at times funny, usually disturbing, and always thought provoking. Amazing to see what some children live through and how sometimes they become wise and self sufficient beyond their years. One of the best books that I have read, and one that I won't forget.』
(A Story That Touches the Heart) 『I could hardly put it down. The Glass Castle is masterfully written. The Author Jeannette Wall is a gifted writer who knows how to give her characters heart and flesh. I could see, hear and feel her pain and pride in the midst of a dysfunctional but fascinating family. I loved watching as she emerged into an intelligent and motivated young woman. I loved seeing her begin the personal healing process of accepting the things she could not change and the courage to change the things she could. This is a story that can give hope to many in similar circumstances. One caution is worth noting. Because the language in this book is raw and in-your-face, it may be too graphic for some readers. I feel that it would have been an excellent book without it; however, some could argue that at least one of the characters could not have been accurately portrayed any other way. Reluctantly, due to the language, I've given this book a four-star rather than a five-star rating.
』
(Captivating!) 『I couldn't put this book down. The book was so well written that I felt I was there along with the writer in her struggle to make sense of what was going on around her. I found myself angry, sad, frustrated, puzzled and pulled into a world that I could not quite comprehend. I was forced to examine my own prejudices and my own family relationships.』 『Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.
Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.
What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.
For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.』
『Jeannette Walls's father always called her "Mountain Goat" and there's perhaps no more apt nickname for a girl who navigated a sheer and towering cliff of childhood both daily and stoically. InThe Glass Castle, Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents--Rose Mary, her frustrated-artist mother, and Rex, her brilliant, alcoholic father. To call the elder Walls's childrearing style laissez faire would be putting it mildly. As Rose Mary and Rex, motivated by whims and paranoia, uprooted their kids time and again, the youngsters (Walls, her brother and two sisters) were left largely to their own devices. But while Rex and Rose Mary firmly believed children learned best from their own mistakes, they themselves never seemed to do so, repeating the same disastrous patterns that eventually landed them on the streets. Walls describes in fascinating detail what it was to be a child in this family, from the embarrassing (wearing shoes held together with safety pins; using markers to color her skin in an effort to camouflage holes in her pants) to the horrific (being told, after a creepy uncle pleasured himself in close proximity, that sexual assault is a crime of perception; and being pimped by her father at a bar). Though Walls has well earned the right to complain, at no point does she play the victim. In fact, Walls' removed, nonjudgmental stance is initially startling, since many of the circumstances she describes could be categorized as abusive (and unquestioningly neglectful). But on the contrary, Walls respects her parents' knack for making hardships feel like adventures, and her love for them--despite their overwhelming self-absorption--resonates from cover to cover.--Brangien Davis』
price：$6.64
Harper Perennial
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Great Book!) 『I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I gave me a lot of insight into topics that I never even thought about. It was a great and fast reed but always kept me wanting to turn the next page (for the most).』
(Freakonomics) 『Great book at a great price with a speedy delivery. Amazon is the best.』
(Quick read) 『Pretty interesting book. I enjoyed the way the subject matter was presented i.e why do gang members live with their mothers etc. Some of the stats you might already know, but it doesn't detract from the book. I would recommend the book if you are in the mood for something a little different.』
(Not like any other economic book) 『The positive was that this book was an easy read. However, the content was somewhat ridiculous and was really not that stimulating. I was disappointed.』
(Wasn't what I thought) 『It wasn't the best read that I thought it was going to be. It's not my typical reading choice, but I thought I'd give it a try. Would probably interest someone more if they actually enjoyed economics!』 『
Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool?
What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?
How much do parents really matter?
These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life—from cheating and crime to parenting and sports—and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head.Freakonomicsis a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They set out to explore the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, and much more. Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, they show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives—how people get what they want or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing.
』 『Economics is not widely considered to be one of the sexier sciences. The annual Nobel Prize winner in that field never receives as much publicity as his or her compatriots in peace, literature, or physics. But if such slights are based on the notion that economics is dull, or that economists are concerned only with finance itself, Steven D. Levitt will change some minds. InFreakonomics(written with Stephen J. Dubner), Levitt argues that many apparent mysteries of everyday life don't need to be so mysterious: they could be illuminated and made even more fascinating by asking the right questions and drawing connections. For example, Levitt traces the drop in violent crime rates to a drop in violent criminals and, digging further, to the Roe v. Wade decision that preempted the existence of some people who would be born to poverty and hardship. Elsewhere, by analyzing data gathered from inner-city Chicago drug-dealing gangs, Levitt outlines a corporate structure much like McDonald's, where the top bosses make great money while scores of underlings make something below minimum wage. And in a section that may alarm or relieve worried parents, Levitt argues that parenting methods don't really matter much and that a backyard swimming pool is much more dangerous than a gun. These enlightening chapters are separated by effusive passages from Dubner's 2003 profile of Levitt inThe New York Times Magazine, which led to the book being written. In a book filled with bold logic, such back-patting veersFreakonomics, however briefly, away from what Levitt actually has to say. Although maybe there's a good economic reason for that too, and we're just not getting it yet.--John Moe』
price：$9.06
Nabu Press
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Oliver Twist) 『I have never read this before and only knew the story by watching the musical or TV mini series. I was dismayed while reading "Oliver" to realise how much of it was changed and adapted. I loved reading the original and found Charles Dickens style easy to read and very entertaining.』
(Never read.) 『Even I have heard of this book by my family. But I have never read this book. I will read this book and write more when I read the book.』
(Great Lit) 『I received this item in a timely manner, and it was also in good condition.』
(A virtual textbook on how to write a bad novel) 『At long last, I have completed this dreadful book. I started reading Oliver Twist ten months ago and swore it off a half-dozen times. I disliked right from the first chapter, but the deeper I got, the more I felt compelled to finish it so I could truthfully say that I'd read this "classic" and that I didn't like it. Oliver Twist is #5 (chronologically) on the must-read novels of The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had. I thoroughly enjoyed Don Quixote (Penguin Classics) and even the challenging The Pilgrim's Progress (Penguin Classics), and I absolutely loved Gulliver's Travels (Penguin Classics) and Pride and Prejudice (Penguin Classics). This book, however, is not in the same class.
This is the first Dickens I've ever read, and despite my absolute loathing of this novel, I won't swear him off as an author: I "get" what people like about him. However, please pay attention to the negative reviews from readers who have read other Dickens novels when they say this is not his best. I trust them because they identify all of the things that I hate about this book and say they're absent from his better works.
First and foremost, Oliver Twist is excessively wordy. Dickens never takes the opportunity to say in fifty words would he could say in ten -- he uses 100 or more instead. That's because, as I've learned, he was paid by the word to write this! While modern writing stresses the concise, this is the opposite. There are dozens of examples one could point to, but off the top of my head, here's one: A murderer is feeling and he runs into a street vendor hocking some kind of Victorian stain remover. It goes on for a page and a half about all that this cleaner can do, only to get to the point that the vendor says it can even get out blood stains (which the murderer has on his hat), and then the murderer flips out and runs away. There's even one chapter that begins with several paragraphs explaining that it has nothing to do with the plot, and everything -- everything -- is described in such obsessive detail, you will have to skip over entire sentences just to get to the point time and time again.
Secondly, the character of Oliver is thoroughly unlikeable. He's such a sad sack that I was actually rooting for his bullies and tormentors. Dickens quite unskillfully tries to manipulate his audience into false compassion by throwing everything short of sexual molestation at the poor child, right from birth. In this ugly underworld, everyone is petty and cruel for no reason -- but they're especially mean to Oliver. We only later find out why.
The books politics are thoroughly Marxian, too. The unspoken villain, all along, is industrial capitalism. This is why the poor degenerates in the slums live so badly. But, of course, if not for capitalism and the industrial revolution, most of them would have never lived at all. This would have suited the elites -- the true heroes of the story -- just fine; for what starts out looking like a portrayal of the injustices (real and imagined) faced by the working class, Oliver Twist is really an elitist smear against the "low-born."
Aristocrats have always championed socialism as a means of preserving the old order. Capitalism, even the state capitalism of Oliver Twist, allows for too much social mobility. By mid-way or so through this book, it becomes evident that it is only the lower middle class -- the petty bourgeois -- that are exploiting those under them. The elites are of unimpeachable character and come in to save Oliver -- who, (spoiler alert) is high-born after all! No wonder all those low-life miscreants were so rotten to him.
Now, for what was good about the book: The criminal gang. The characters of Fagin (though probably antisemitic), Sikes, the Dodger and Charley Bates, and especially Nancy are wonderfully rendered. The sections of the book that focus on them -- WITHOUT that annoying little brat Oliver -- are enjoyable, even in spite of Dickens' verbosity. Oliver is the worst, but all of his elitist protectors are unbearably overdone, too. Every scene involving Oliver and them is so "oh, I'm so grateful, I love you so much;" "Oh, Oliver, you bring us so much joy!" -- and that's after five minutes of meeting them.
And finally, the plot: It is built on such ridiculous coincidences.. I can only marvel at how dumb the nineteenth century audience must have been to gobble this up. Still, I wouldn't have necessarily hated it so much had it been told over 100 pages instead of 455. I can only imagine what a modern book editor would do if Dickens submitted this manuscript. This book was simply awful. I hated it. And yet... I feel compelled to give Dickens another shot, nonetheless. If indeed I'm fooled twice, then shame on me.』
(Buy this book!) 『I loved this. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for something good to happen to poor Oliver. I especially loved the names that Dickens chose for the characters; Mr. Brownlow, Mr. Bumble, Mr. Sowerberry, Mr. Grimwig, Duff and Blathers...they're all perfect. Why did I wait so long to read this book? Wonderful.』 『This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Blink in a Blink of a Nutshell) 『For certain decisions, such as determining how likable Tom Hanks is and determining a person's personality by looking in their rooms, our intuition is quite accurate. For other decisions, such as predicting the success of a musician and falling for the good looks of a presidential candidate, our intuition often fails us. Also, our preferences and why we do what we do often can not be articulated well and/or are rationalized in ways that don't make any sense. For example, our verbally expressed preferences for a partner often don't jive with the actual partners we choose and our food product preferences are subject to marketing schemes but we are unaware of it.
In essence, the book mentions that our decisions are subject to prejudices, past experiences, ignorance, psycho-biology, preferences, expertise, and a whole slew of other variables. In the beginning of the book, Gladwell states the premise that haste doesn't make waste and that sometimes quick decisions are better than decisions that have analyzed every angle. But later in the book, Gladwell mentions how prejudices can cloud our judgment and how stepping back and analyzing the situation allowing time to be our friend is a better approach to making decisions, for example when a cop is faced with a potential criminal. Also, he mentions how the body guards protecting former US president Reagan, didn't have enough time to react to the shooter who attempted to assassinate Reagan. So the efficacy of our decisions are either benefited or hurt by snap decisions and benefited or hurt by longer more deliberated decision; the quality of our decisions depend on the context of the situation.
Essence of the essence: Decisions are based on a crapload of stuff.』
(Must read...) 『Blink provides a way to start thinking...without thinking...based on experiences. It was a recommended reading for me. I now make this a must-read recommendation for anyone wishing to understand his unconscious thinking.』
("The Notion of intuitie Repulsion") 『"The Notion of intuitive Repulsion" You have got to educate your unconscious. Become good at pattern recognition. The author states you can develop this ability. The notion of intuitive repulsion is quite an interesting notion. The part about the mores code interception team developing an uncanny skill for pattern recognition was very interesting. Find out what "thin-slicking" is. Why people stay married why they get divorced.』
(Insightful and interesting read) 『I haven't read the rest of Gladwell's library yet, however, if the rest of his books meet the quality of this one, I'll pick them up. I was fascinated by the case studies used to prove his point of snap judgments- it really went a long way to explain how we can 'know' something without any empirical evidence.』
(Intellectually Entertaining) 『I had great fun reading Gladwell's 'Outliers', so I bought 'Blink' and had a greater blast. The book is packed with mind provoking examples to illustrate vividly the challenge of figuring how to 'combine the best of conscious deliberation and instinctive judgment' in our daily lives. The newly added Afterword by Gladwell also put his original writing in a concise context, with pragmatic 'call to action'. I do hope that 'Blink' can encourage one to apply its insight in solving practical problems, it certainly has the power to lead me to do so.』
price：$14.50
Ecco
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Illustration of Total Denial) 『How someone can write an entire book and remain completely oblivious of her own part in her life's failures, while apparently trying to be introspective, is amazing. First Patti chooses Mapplethorpe, who vacillates between her and affairs with guys, then a married man (Sam Shepherd) and then a rock star who is gone all the time and cheats on her. Talk about choosing unavailable men!
Then she writes this book in tribute to Mapplethorpe, a guy who didn't think enough of her to even bequeath any of his artwork or belongings to her (she wistfully remembers his desk and slippers, which were sold at auction), and comments that she has his letters to remember him by--this, a guy who owned a half-million dollar place in Manhattan, and knew she was constantly scraping by and trying to avoid starvation! A guy who let her support him as he tried, unsuccessfully, to interest anybody in buying his art! Grumble.
Reading a book by someone with so little self-esteem, no boundaries whatsoever (she drifts into drug use with no explanation after spending her life refusing them), no sense of self (she appears to identify only with people she meets, and her clothes) is interesting but depressing.
Obviously smart, I wanted to just grab her half-way through the book and say: get a grip! Become your own person, not just a mirror for guys!
As a book illustrating how women's passivity can toss them here and there through life at the whim of men, it's perfect.』
(Just kids --- but what a life!) 『Patti Smith was broke and hungry when she met Robert Mapplethorpe, high on LSD, at a park in the summer of 1967. Smith would become the "Godmother of Punk" and the rebel poet and rocker. Mapplethorpe would become a world-famous, often hated, photographer of sadomasochistic images and self-portraits with bull-whips.
Almost immediately the two became lovers and the closest of friends. Smith writes, "we had mutually surrendered our loneliness and replaced it with trust." They went through poverty, obscurity, drugs, fame and the AIDS that would kill Mapplethorpe.
When Smith was a young girl, the sight of a swan produced a transcendent moment of being: "The swan became one with the sky . . . and I felt a twinge, a curious yearning, imperceptible to passersby, my mother, the trees, or the clouds." This is the way Smith would think and why she was so good at what she did.
This is a real human love story and certainly worth reading -- especially for those of us who were young and eager to change the world in those days.
Highly recommended.
- Susanna K. Hutcheson』
(Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe) 『Smith, Patti. "Just Kids", Ecco, 2010
Patti and Robert
Amos Lassen
Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe always thought that they would be famous one day. When they found each other in the late 1960's, each was on his own path but determined and somewhat on an identity quest. They became such good friends that they kept each other on track until they found themselves and the world was ready for them. They began as lovers but when Mapplethorpe realized that he was gay, they split their resources but not their lives. Mapplethorpe found his place first with a camera but Smith found fame before he did and she became a rock star. Later Mapplethorpe gained his fame before he became an AIDS victim in 1989. "Just Kids" is Patti Smith's memoir of their friendship and it is loving and tender. Smith takes us the halcyon days of New York and we hear about William Borroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter and Janis Joplin. We go to the Hotel Chelsea where she and Mapplethorpe lived and to Max's Kansas City where they ate. But what we really get here is her deep love for Mapplethorpe and we learn how she believed in him. We get a look of funky and chic New York that is just beautifully written. The book is a love story that ends as an elegy and it is a true fable of how two young artists became famous. Patti Smith bares it all for us and we really see how she and Mapplethorpe became who they became. If I have a complaint it is that I want more. Smith has whetted my appetite and I am sure she has many more stories to tell. We are reminded that everyone has to start somewhere and that success is not easy to find. Smith's New York is one that has faded into memory as a time and place where "just kids" learn who they are. It is a New York that is no more and for that alone this is a great read but add to that the beautiful prose of Patti Smith and you really have something. Here is a story of unconditional love, total loyalty and spirituality that has no bounds. 』
(Everything I wanted to know and more) 『This book is fascinating. Patti remembers, in details which are impressive, her first meetings with rock legends,Janis Joplin, Grace Slick and Jimi Hendrix as well as major poets and artists of the 60s and 70s. She tells the story in vivid detail of how it was for her and Robert Mapplethorpe as they trudged through life in New York City having little money and a whole lot of heart and soul and thier emergance as artists. She opens the doors into the legendary Chelsea Hotel and paints a lively painting of all who graced the halls. This book tells of the wanderings of two "kids" looking for a way to express what they had inside ,found eachother and through finding eachother ,found themselves and touched the eyes and ears of us. This is a love story told with tenderness and depth. Very touching. Thanks Patti. 』
(This is one terrific book) 『Well written compelling story reminding us of the importance and primacy of being an artist.』 『
It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots, and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation.
Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe would direct his highly provocative style toward photography. Bound in innocence and enthusiasm, they traversed the city from Coney Island to Forty-second Street, and eventually to the celebrated round table of Max's Kansas City, where the Andy Warhol contingent held court. In 1969, the pair set up camp at the Hotel Chelsea and soon entered a community of the famous and infamous—the influential artists of the day and the colorful fringe. It was a time of heightened awareness, when the worlds of poetry, rock and roll, art, and sexual politics were colliding and exploding. In this milieu, two kids made a pact to take care of each other. Scrappy, romantic, committed to create, and fueled by their mutual dreams and drives, they would prod and provide for one another during the hungry years.
Just Kidsbegins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame.
』 『Amazon Best Books of the Month, January 2010: Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe weren't always famous, but they always thought they would be. They found each other, adrift but determined, on the streets of New York City in the late '60s and made a pact to keep each other afloat until they found their voices--or the world was ready to hear them. Lovers first and then friends as Mapplethorpe discovered he was gay, they divided their dimes between art supplies and Coney Island hot dogs. Mapplethorpe was quicker to find his metier, with a Polaroid and then a Hasselblad, but Smith was the first to fame, transformed, to her friend's delight, from a poet into a rock star. (Mapplethorpe soon became famous too--and notorious--before his death from AIDS in 1989.) Smith's memoir of their friendship,Just Kids, is tender and artful, open-eyed but surprisingly decorous, with the oracular style familiar from her anthems like "Because the Night," "Gloria," and "Dancing Barefoot" balanced by her powers of observation and memory for everyday details like the price of automat sandwiches and the shabby, welcoming fellow bohemians of the Chelsea Hotel, among whose ranks these baby Rimbauds found their way.--Tom Nissley』
price：$4.78
PublicAffairs
Usually ships in 2 days Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (As good as the DVD) 『The DVD was well worth it so see it first. The book provides so much more detail. If you're a diligent reader on the subject, I'm betting you'll change something in your diet after you understand what the American people are being subjected to by the corporations.
』
(Care what's in your food) 『Alarming, eye opening facts! I plan on hanging on to this book and review periodically, especially when I think I want a fast food burger. Definitely a great book!』
(A must read!) 『The DVD along with this book are excellent. They should be required viewing/reading for everyone. I find it amazing how so many people aren't paying attention to where their food comes from. Be informed--a MUST HAVE FOR ALL!』
(Where does my food come from) 『If you care about farmers at all and the food you eat and who will be producing it in future, watch this movie... it made me teary eyed. It's very eye opening. You must watch this movie.』
(Food Inc OMG) 『We should all be aware of the decisions that were made on our behalf concerning our food supply. The things you will learn from this DVD will shock you, if you havent been made aware of them before. The choice for cheaper food has been the route of all our dietary ills.』 『
Food, Inc.is guaranteed to shake up our perceptions of what we eat. This powerful documentary deconstructing the corporate food industry in America was hailed byEntertainment Weeklyas“more than a terrific movie—it’s an important movie.” Aided by expert commentators such as Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, the film poses questions such as: Where has my food come from, and who has processed it? What are the giant agribusinesses and what stake do they have in maintainingthe status quo of food production and consumption? How can I feed my family healthy foods affordably?
Expanding on the film’s themes, the bookFood, Inc.will answer those questions through a series of challenging essays by leading experts and thinkers. This book will encourage those inspired by the film to learn more about the issues, and act to change the world.
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Four years ago, you were cool. You readFreakonomicswhen it first came out. You impressed family and friends and dazzled dates with the insights you gleaned. Now Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner return withSuperfreakonomics, afreakquel even bolder, funnier, and more surprising than the first.
