Book Description
The recent atrocities in Bosnia-Herzegovina have stunned people throughout the world. With Holocaust memories still painfully vivid, a question haunts us: how is this savagery possible? Michael A. Sells answers by demonstrating that the Bosnian conflict is not simply a civil war or a feud of age-old adversaries. It is, he says, a systematic campaign of genocide and a Christian holy war spurred by religious mythologies.
This passionate yet reasoned book examines how religious stereotyping--in popular and official discourse--has fueled Serbian and Croatian ethnic hatreds. Sells, who is himself Serbian American, traces the cultural logic of genocide to the manipulation by Serb nationalists of the symbolism of Christ's death, in which Muslims are "Christ-killers" and Judases who must be mercilessly destroyed. He shows how "Christoslavic" religious nationalism became a central part of Croat and Serbian politics, pointing out that intellectuals and clergy were key instruments in assimilating extreme religious and political ideas.
Sells also elucidates the ways that Western policy makers have rewarded the perpetrators of the genocide and punished the victims. He concludes with a discussion of how the multireligious nature of Bosnian society has been a bridge between Christendom and Islam, symbolized by the now-destroyed bridge at Mostar. Drawing on historical documents, unpublished United Nations reports, articles from Serbian and Bosnian media, personal contacts in the region, and Internet postings, Sells reveals the central role played by religious mythology in the Bosnian tragedy. In addition, he makes clear how much is at stake for the entire world in the struggle to preserve Bosnia's existence as a multireligious society.
Customer Reviews:
Well balanced and true.......2007-02-19
One more proof in numerous historical documents discussing the genocide and atrocities against Bosnian population. It points the finger in the right direction of the culprits. The book provides plenty of evidence that the genocide was committed by Serbian forces with blessings from Serbia and Montenegro.
More than The Bridge Betrayed!.......2004-10-10
Sells has been know to write interesting books covering issues and clashes between Christians and Muslims, due to his Serbian heritege and his background as a Professor and chairperson of the Department of Religion at Haverford College, in the US. He critisices his own in a very tough and honest way. Even if some fanatics will claim that he only speaks about the horrible acts of crime conducted by Serbians and Croats.
Sells gives us a detailed look into the, by the Serbs, created mythology. I say created, some of you may say revised, but in any case it hade the purpose to seduce it's own pepole to commit the most serious war crimes since the Soviet gulag camps or the concentration camps of the third rich.
Serbs use the death of Prince Lazar at the infamous battle in Kosovo between the Serbs and the Ottomans, Muslims have since been considered Christ killers and the primary target of Serb hatred. You can have your own opinions about this, but fact is that the Serbs used this myth to put a spell on there own people. Much like Adolf Hitler.
Sells writes in a way that many people might find hard to understand. Even if the book is only 150 pages it takes quite a while to get through. It is packed with information and it is not happy reading. It breaks your heart to hear about all the massacres that took place in Europe. As Europeans we should know better then let it happen again. And even as I knew about many of what Sells is writing, due to my background.
The West didn't do anything about the situation before it was too late. The reason to this may be that they didn't want to argue with Russia in imbalance that only needed something to fuel a last fight against the capitalists. Comments, by Sells, about secret NATO supply stores can't be taken seriously due to the level of speculations surrounded the breakup of the Warzawa pact. Fact is that Sovjet hade huge supply stores in the former Yugoslavia. And Serbian leaders made sure to take control over those, at an early stage of the conflict.
It is hard for a European to hear that those genocidal theories were used again, didn't we learn anything??? The Orthodox church were involved in those crimes and that is something I didn't expect, but that's why we are protestants in Sweden, not fundamentalists.
In all, a really good book that will open your eyes to the crimes committed by people that should know better. Serbians and Croatians was involved in World war II and it seems that people that suffered want revenge, much like Israel...
BUY!!!
Awsome.......2004-05-04
I just finished reading this book and it was so intriguing that I finished it in one sitting. It will open your eyes, on the matter of Bosnia, so big that you'll be able to see the craters on Uranus, if there is any over there. Read it!
Solid.......2004-04-26
Sells gives us a solid account of the war in Bosnia in the early 1990's. However, I do have some criticisms. While he covers in quite abit of detail Croat and especially Serb religious fanaticism and violence, he only mentions the Bosniac's own atrocities on a couple of occasions.
The other problem is that the book is abit too short, when you see the price of the book (150 pages of actual text, excluding footnotes).
Indispensable.......2004-02-13
Although of Serbian origin, Michael Sells offers a detailed, unbiased and honest analysis of Serbian nationalism and Christian fundamentalism. Sells argues that Christian mythology and extremism helped enable the annihilation of an entire people. Driven by an ancient hatred for the Turks which dates back to the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the Serbs have always viewed Muslims as their primary adversary. Today, many Serbian nationalists deliberately associate Bosnian Muslims with the Ottomans even though no such link exists. However, this is sophisticated propaganda, the goal of which is to mislead the Serbian people and to induce hatred in them. This strategy turned out to be very successful because it unleashed the extermination of Bosnian Muslims. Numerous testimonies offered by the survivors of the Bosnian war lend considerable support to Sells' thesis, namely that Christian extremism played a pivotal role in justifying the genocide of Bosnian Muslims. For example, many survivors reported being called "bloody Turks" by Serbs soldiers. Other similar derogatory slurs were frequently used by Serb soldiers, revealing great hatred for Muslims. Moreover, a systematic destruction of mosques and other Islamic architecture indicate that the Serbs wanted to obliterate every single trace of Islam in Bosnia. The fact that every single mosque has been destroyed in Republika Srpska speaks for itself. Conversely, many churches remain intact in the area controlled by the Bosnian government. In point of fact, only a few churches have been destroyed. It needs to be pointed out that Croats also purposely targeted historical monuments, as is evident in their destruction of Stari Most, the infamous old bridge in Mostar, the symbolic significance of which cannot be overstressed. For many years, the bridge had symbolized co-existence and a multiethnic society. By destroying the bridge, the Croat nationalists sent a clear message, namely that co-existence was not feasible. Christian fundamentalism and propaganda are also highly evident in literary works of many Christian writers. A novelist and a recipient of Nobel Prize, Ivo Andric, depicted Muslims as primitive and intransigent extremists whose principal goal was to create an Islamic state in Bosnia, clearly oblivious to the fact that Bosnia was a secularized society. Many renowned Serbian authors openly express similar views, one of which is Vuk Draskovic, known for his bigotry, parochialism and Islamophobia. Paradoxically, few attempts are made in Serbia to criticize these preposterous let alone distorted assertions, the sole purpose of which is to defame the adherents of the Islamic faith. Sells further correctly points out in his book that the Western (read Christian) world knowingly stood by and allowed for the Bosnian genocide to continue. The evidence to corroborate this claim is abundant. The imposition of the arms embargo, constant futile negotiations with a notorious war criminal Milosevic and Vance-Owens's plan to partition Bosnia into a Serb and a Croat part, leaving nothing to Bosnian Muslims, thereby rewarding the aggressor and punishing the victim. In spite of the initial collaboration with Muslims, the Croats suddenly turned their back on Muslims and began destroying them, presumably thinking that it is better to kill Muslims (the alien) than their fellow Christians- the Serbs. In point of fact, Tudjman and Milosevic had secretly agreed to divide Bosnia into a Serb and a Croat part. Sells' book lucidly divulges the crucial role of Christian fanaticism and mythology in allowing for the genocide of Bosnian Muslims to occur. This is truly a well written, well argued and thoroughly documented account of the Bosnian war. Highly recommended.
Book Description
Realtor Kate Doyle knew divorce was messy, but she didn't expect it to be bloody. Kate agrees to sell the home of old friends who're locked in bitter wrangling and manages to keep the peace long enough to get signatures on contracts. She congratulates herself on what will be an easy sale in this upscale Colorado college town. However, Kate's celebration turns to horror when she walks into the lawyer-client's study to find him brutally murdered - stabbed in the throat. "A crime of passion," says Kate's police detective brother-in-law. The prime suspect is Kate's close friend, the spurned wife, who begs Kate to help her. Kate's meddling turns up some surprising suspects. The successful lawyer deceived numerous ex-lovers as well as his wife. He'd also played off one land developer against another, dangling a choice tract of land as bait. Businesses were ruined and fortunes lost. Had the loser taken revenge on the wily lawyer? Or had an ex-lover killed in jealous rage? Kate's real estate license helps her dig into the clever lawyer's dealings as she sifts clues from cyber space to crawl space. Unfortunately, her snooping tempts the killer to exercise his own license - to kill.
Maggie Sefton lives in Colorado and is the mother of four grown daughters and the guardian of two demanding dogs.
Customer Reviews:
Thoroughly enjoyed........2007-07-15
Maggie Sefton is a magical writer who combines humor and mystery to keep you interested and laughing from beginning to end. The suspects always keep you guessing who done it until the very end.
For a first novel, this is a good book........2007-01-13
"For a first novel, this is a good book"...the only problem is, "Dying to Sell" is not a first novel, and Maggie Sefton has several mysteries to her credit in the well-known Knitting Series. My advice to readers is to read those novels, but avoid this one--it's definitely second rate. The plot is of the tabloid variety, with beautiful women jumping in bed with the handsome married guy, soon to be dead. Kate Doyle, the heroine, is a real estate broker/agent who is best friends with the dead guy's wife. Kate discovers corpses, pokes her nose into everyone's business, drinks a lot of coffee, and is generally as superficial a character as I've encountered in a mystery series. The background of real estate sales is sketchy, and seems to consist of talking on the phone and a couple of interactions with buyers who really are only mentioned as a part of the background. The ending is predictable--it's the jealous husband, of course. As I read this novel I thought of a first year creative writing student completing an assignment of "use an interesting background, a memorable location, some glamorous characters, and a lovable dog, and create a 250-page mass market mystery story." And based on the criteria of character development, plotting, and writing craftsmanship, I as the teacher would grade the assignment as a C-minus.
Never be too Helpful.......2006-12-27
My first broker in the real estate business always warned her agents not to be too helpful in making and closing a sale. Just do your job, and do it well, she'd say. Let the other people do theirs. Well, Kate Doyle obviously didn't work for my broker, but her own broker warns her every which way from Sunday, to the point of threatening to fire her. Kate just can't keep her nose off the evidence trail after her client is murdered. The client's estranged wife Amanda, Kate's good friend, is the prime suspect, and Kate is determined to prove that Amanda didn't do it. She almost loses her own life in the effort. Dying to Sell is a well-crafted mystery with likeable characters and a believable plot - provided you can accept Kate's doggedness and disregard for her own safety. Well, what's a good cozy mystery without an amateur sleuth who operates with complete disregard for her own life? The inside look at the real estate business is well done, too, including Kate's realistic attitude towards a career that is many faceted and not always fun and games. All of this is set in beautiful Ft. Collins, Colorado, a lovely college town that is going through growing pains directly reflected in the new home building boom, which also plays a part in the plot. Realtors will especially enjoy this story in which a Realtor is the heroine, and anyone who has ever bought or sold a house will find much that rings familiar.
Solid cozy mystery.......2006-01-31
This was not as good as her knitting mysteries that feature Kelly in the same town. I didn't think the characters or plot was as interesting or fun. I would definitely recommend reading her other series and this one will also give an enjoyable afternoon read if you liked the others, but you just won't adore the characters as much. It was also much more expensive as it was printed in hardcover while her other series is all paperback. And if an author is going to set two series in the same town, we could at least periperially meet some of the other characters and/or sites. And the even the sam type of dog....
wonderful who-done-it .......2005-10-25
In Fort Collins, Colorado Shamrock Realty realtor Kate Doyle detests having to sell the home of friends, attorney Mark and Amanda Schuster, who have filed for divorce. Mark wants to get rid of their joint house as soon as possible while Amanda wants the most money they can obtain. Kate works documents with Mark and promises to finish up later that day once she obtains Amanda's signature.
When Kate returns to see Mark, she is horrified to find him dead with a letter opener stuck through his throat. The police assume a crime of passion occurred; thus Amanda is the prime suspect as a rejected wife. Kate thinks otherwise and begins to investigate the activities of a lawyer she thought she knew as a friend. Instead she finds he had several affairs and pulled a land development ploy that angered perspective contractors. Unlike the local cops, Kate has a long list of suspects.
Although readers will doubt Kate would investigate especially since the corpse shook her to her bone marrow in spite of her best friend as the prime suspect, fans will be pleased with this fun amateur sleuth tale. Kate is shocked when she begins to see a radically different picture of someone she thought she knew merge as she finds Mark was a womanizer and applied questionable business ethics to transactions. The revelations come on top of thinking that Mark and Amanda were the poster couple for marriage before they ask her to sell their house as part of their divorce settlement. Maggie Sefton provides a wonderful who-done-it starring a shell-shocked layperson risking her life to prove her pal is innocent.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
- Super Reader
- Xena???
- Just Doesn't Cut It
- Crappy
- Great Book!!!
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Xena: Go Quest, Young Man (Xena, Warrior Princess)
Ru Emerson
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 044100637X |
Book Description
Brave men, one and all, have been dispatched on what the king promised was a glorious quest. But Xena knows the truth--Menelaus is using the questers to hunt down Helen, the wife who fled from him years ago. Now the Warrior Princess must risk the wrath of her sworn enemy, the god Poseidon, as she takes to the sea to warn Helen...
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-07
Menelaus and his scheming priest Avicus have a scam going. They want young men to believe they are going on a hero's quest, when all Menelaus wants to do is get Helen back.
Joxer is dumb enough to fall for this, and given the priest knows who he is, and that he can manipulate Xena through him, he takes full advance. Xena's old lay Draco, the warlord, and a young Bellerophon are also involved.
As the first of a trilogy, it ends with the travelling three on a ship travelling further towards where Menelaus wants them to be.
Xena???.......2005-10-26
Ru Emerson is maybe a good writer but she dont know anything about Xena! All those books suck, By the gods!!!
Just Doesn't Cut It.......2004-05-18
I Just finished reading the first two books based on Hercules and Xena. BY THE SWORD by Timothy Boggs was the better of the two. THE EMPTY THRONE by Ru Emerson was not quite as enjoyable.
Having seen Xena rescue the arc of the Covenant, Defend Troy, save Helen and meet Homer, Xena goes to Ithaca and gets involved in the Odyssey (Homer is still a young boy and has never met any of the heroes). Unfortunately it lacked the fun and silliness that runs throughout the series. Although I do like the way Homer was in diapers at the start of the Trojan war. Really.
I had hoped that books based on the series would get better with time (like they did with Star Trek) but there were only a few and now the series has ended. Oh, well. If you really liked the show, you should probably skip this one. Ru Emerson is a talented writer but the nuances of are just not her style.
Crappy.......2004-02-13
Ru Emerson knows nothing of Xena's attitude or style and she changes chakram in to her own version of shakra. There were also several spelling or typing errors. Obviously she's too cheap to have anyone proofread her work. It is like that in all of her other books as well. RU EMERSON STOP WRITING ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT>
Great Book!!!.......2001-10-01
This book is very interesting. I thought it was very well written and that Ru had done a fabulous job with the characters and the story line. The characters especially, they were exactly like they were on the television show. I would recommend this to any die hard Xena fan!!!
Book Description
Written for parents, teachers, counselors, and everyone else involved with raising children, this book emphasizes the need for kids to learn how to make smart decisions in the face of today's permissive culture and strong peer pressure. Many parents go to great lengths to protect their children from dangerous influences, boredom, want, and even the consequences of the kids' own choices, but Elisa Medhus — winning author of the 2002 Parent's Choice Award and National Parenting Publication Award — believes this doesn't allow kids to develop the skills they need to be successful adults. She tells readers how to give their children opportunities to overcome adversity while still in a loving family environment, so they can develop internal wisdom, creative problem-solving skills, and basic common sense. Raising Everyday Heroes offers easy-to-implement techniques for raising responsible, self-reliant children.
Customer Reviews:
Focuses on common pitfalls kids encounter.......2004-10-10
Parents are daily required to make important choices about kids, deciding how best to raise them to be self-reliant: Raising Everyday Heroes focuses on common pitfalls kids encounter when facing the world outside of home. A generation of children are displaying a lack of age-appropriate competence, Dr. Medhus maintains in Raising Everday Heroes; her book identifies these common pitfalls.
A wonderful resource for parents.......2004-07-06
Dr. Medhus has written an important book that addresses the most significant issues parents face in raising children. Raising Everyday Heroes is filled with practical strategies for helping children become confident and self-reliant, as well as capable of making good decisions based on strong internal values. Like Dr. Medhus's other books, Raising Everyday Heroes is written with warmth, understanding, humor and wisdom, making it as readable as it is informative.
Fantastic advice.......2004-06-25
In Raising Everyday Heroes, Elisa Medhus gives parents the essential tools they need to 1)raise responsible, caring kids and 2)help parents learn ways they can make a difference in the world and act as strong role models for their kids. And the tips she offers start by teaching children as young as 18 months that they too, have an important role in life and society, as they learn basic skills -- from picking up toys to picking out their breakfast -- that teach them responsibility and therefore, builds strong character and work ethic. The tips are easy to read and are bulleted, great for busy parents -- or any parent looking for quick tips to help them raise kids who make a difference.
Pearls Of Wisdom From A Mother Of 5!.......2004-06-17
I found Raising Everyday Heroes to be refreshingly honest and to the point. Dr. Medhus hits the nail on the head! I love how she uses her own experiences to make a point and the way she recants those experiences with such charm and wit. Simply and yet wonderfully written. She keeps the readers interest. Her views on and recommendations for instructing and motivating today's children to be tomorrow's self reliant adults, make this book a must for all parents and non-parents alike. I have used some of her pointers in the workplace as well and it worked like a charm! Well done!
Much Needed Book.......2004-06-10
This is perhaps the single most important book for any parent or grandparent to read. Kids today are so rescued from nearly every hardship and challenge, that I worry about what that means for our future and our kids. I'm not alone in my concerns. Many parents I know make the same mistakes I've made over and over by rescuing their kids from sibling arguments, tough homework assignments, the consequences for their mistakes, frustration, boredom and delayed gratification. And they're afraid too. But Medhus gives us all hope by showing us how we can play to our children's strengths to bring out the hero that lies within.
Book Description
When three Chez Panisse alums opened a tapas bar next door to Alice Waters' famed Berkeley, California, restaurant, it was only a matter of days before a culinary star was born. With its innovative menu of Spanish-style tapas paired with an astounding wine and spirits list, César earned a legion of devoted fans and was named one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle. In the CÉSAR cookbook, restaurateur Olivier Said teams up with Spanish-foods authority James Mellgren to tell the story of César from inception to its current status as one of the Bay Area's prime dining and nightlife spots. One hundred classic tapa and drink recipes from the César catalog showcase the robust flavors of Spain, while more than 100 photographs capture the restaurant's irrepressible spirit.
Customer Reviews:
This is a cocktail how to book.......2007-04-22
This book is more about cocktails and less about tapas. I was hoping for an interesting tapas, not so. Beware
Authentic Spanish Tapas.......2005-03-30
I am charging this lovely book with 1 star for it's extreme focus on cocktails (about 1/2 the book)that you can find in any cocktail book! Manhattan, Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Rob Roy, Rusty Nail, Whiskey sour, and the list goes on, are neither unique nor relevant to the main subject, Tapas. To me it is obvious that the first 83 pages of this book are just a filler to justify the price.
Having said that the rest of the book is excellent. Recipes are separated into categories of Tapas by main ingredient, photos for many of the selections, as well as some history on the dishes.
Despite the annoying cocktail section this is still the best Tapas book I have come accross.
Another offering from the home turf of Alice Waters.......2004-07-06
No, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse didn't write this book, but it springs from the fountain that she set flowing more than 20 years ago and continues in the fine tradition of all the cookbooks that have emerged from her little neighborhood in North Berkeley. The authors were all formerly affiliated with Chez Panisse, and it shows.
César, a tapas bar/restaurant, was an instant success. The cookbook will be, too. The only downside for some readers will be that fully one half of the book is devoted to cocktail recipes; that same feature will be a huge upside for other readers. The second half of the book is recipes for the tapas, little Spanish dishes that are meant to be ordered with drinks and shared with friends. They're not hard - I've already met with high success with 3 of the recipes, esp the artichoke recipe!!! - but many require ingredients that aren't going to be easy for someone living in East Podunk, Nebraska, to find at her local A&P. However, you can get the stuff online at www.tablespan.com - or, if you're lucky enough to live 3 minutes from Berkeley as I do, visit The Spanish Table on San Pablo Ave.
This is a cookbook for the experienced cook with a sophisticated palate who wants to treat her guests to a few things they've probably never tasted before.
For the right audience, highest recommendation.
Amazing food and great cocktails!.......2004-03-20
The cesar cookbook is awesome, directed both to novices interested in learning more about tapas and to those who have more advanced skills. i love trying the great cocktails recipes, they are fresh and easy to make. the photos perfectly capture the feeling of the bar and the writing is interesting and fun to read. No wonder it was voted one of the ten best cookbooks of the year by Food and Wine Magazine!!
the recipes work!.......2004-03-10
I love the book. The pages of my copy are food stained and water damaged from all the use it's getting. There are two wonderful and outstanding things about this cookbook. The recipes instruct clearly and the resulting tapas have been delicious. Very delicious. The book reads well also.
Books:
- The Burglar on the Prowl
- The Case of the Glamorous Ghost (Perry Mason Mystery)
- The Chatham School Affair
- The Cold Blue Blood: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries)
- The Falls: An Inspector Rebus Novel
- The Fifth Victim
- The Hell Screen: A Mystery of Ancient Japan
- The House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious Places (The Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson, Vol. 2)
- The Infernal Device and Others: A Professor Moriarty Omnibus (Professor Moriarty Novels)
- The Joe Leaphorn Mysteries: Three Classic Hillerman Mysteries Featuring Lt. Joe Leaphorn: The Blessing Way/Dance Hall of the Dead/Listening Woman
Books Index
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