Book Description
The prize-winning book of advice about racism from the bestselling author to his daughter, introduced by Bill Cosby.
When Tahar Ben Jelloun took his ten-year-old daughter to a street protest against anti-immigration laws in Paris, she asked question after question: "What is racism? What is an immigrant? What is discrimination?"
Out of their frank discussion comes this book, an international bestseller translated into twenty languages. Ben Jelloun has created a unique and compelling dialogue in which he explains difficult concepts from ghettos and genocide to slavery and anti-Semitism in language we can all understand, and adds an all-new chapter for this edition. Also included are personal essays from four prizewinning writers and educators who themselves are parents: Patricia Williams, David Mura, William Ayers, and Lisa D. Delpit.
Elegant and sensitive, and available now for the first time in paperback, Racism Explained to My Daughter is for all parents and educators who have struggled to engage their children in discussions of this complex issue. Winner of the 1998 United Nations Global Tolerance Award and the 2000 Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award.
Customer Reviews:
Companion book for a class turned out pretty good.......2007-09-13
I purchased this book for a diversity in education class and actually quite enjoyed it. Jelloun's prose is almost lyrical and a pleasure to read, and the other authors complemented his writing well.
Excellent read for parents and their children.......2005-10-31
Another review on here rated this book as 1 star. Maybe that person should write their own book on racism. I believe the person who made this rating failed to see the perfect summation this book provides for parents who are struggling with a way to explain racism to their children. There are always more reasons, more explanation, and more views to be given, but in the big picture, this book hits all the bases. I think it does convey the message that any person, any color, any religion, can be racist.
How to hate racism and still think like a racist.......2001-12-21
"Racism Explained to My Daughter" is a maddening read. Its creditable intentions and seemingly careful explanations draw you in quickly, and Ben Jelloun's economical prose has all the virtues of a well-prepared lesson with none of the overwhelming preachiness. And it is this patience of demeanor that makes this such a dangerous book, for Ben Jelloun's argument here ends up reproducing, with a gentle and seductive touch, the same limited and limiting mindset of the racism he sets out to "explain."
The topic is, of course, timely, and as acclaimed a writer as Ben Jelloun is perhaps more prepared than most to take on the task. He proceeds step by step with his clarifications, defining difficult terms in often sensible ways, all the while using a form of prose that has very long roots as an expository genre: the dialogue. This format allows the daughter's voice to anticipate the very questions and demands for greater clarity that are simultaneously arising in the reader's mind. And her father is happy to simplify.
And that's just the problem. Racism is not a simple thing. Ben Jelloun is to be commended for his attempt, but there is strength in not knowing, and greater strength in admitting that one doesn't know-just ask Socrates, the ancient master of the dialogue. Socrates would have paled trying to explain racism. To his credit, Ben Jelloun includes numerous critiques (letters sent to him from readers, things said by students during his tour of schools in France and Italy) of the earlier edition of "Racism Explained" and, while these afford an opportunity for showing the real complexity of racism, they also reinforce the poverty of his own argument.
And what's wrong with his argument? Ben Jelloun wants to break things down very carefully and be fair, and he gives every appearance of doing so, but it is only an appearance. The problem with this project ultimately revolves around the fact that, in order to discredit racism, Ben Jelloun relies on the same reductive worldview that causes racism in the first place, the same lack of vision that only sees things in opposed pairs: black/white, good/bad, us/them. Thus can his daughter, at the book's end, declare that "racists are b**tards [salauds]." She has learned well how to ignore multifarious causes and use instead blanket judgments. Substitute any sub-group for "racists" in her equation, and you've got the beginnings of hate: for Hitler, it was "Jews," for Falwell it's "homosexuals," etc. Racists are many things, but not all racists are one thing.
Ben Jelloun once said of James Joyce that Joyce's work is so revolutionary because it "works on language," and Ben Jelloun's own novels have performed this revolution often over the last decade. Sadly, when a fine author decides to take on social issues at a more explicit and obvious level, the humanity and nuance fade, and all we're left with is a choice between two worldviews: that of the reductionist explainers, and that of the racist b**tards.
Precisely because of its pretensions to fairness, sober-mindedness and tolerance, this could very well be one of the most dangerous books I've read. It gets three stars for the discussion that forms around the critiques included at the end (the only sustained dose of reality in the book) and for the discussion I hope it will provoke here in the USA.
a very one sided vision of "racism".......2000-09-08
Mister Ben Jelloun means to talk simply about racism, yet, he has a very one-sided view on this problem. Indeed, while he spends great lenghts in talking about europeans or Euro-american racism, he stays mostly silent about others people's racism.
Exemple one. Mister Ben jelloun mention black slavery in the americas, but he is much more reluctant when it comes to talk about slavery in Marocco. Better yet: he carefully avoids to mention that many slaves in North Africa, up to the early 1800's, were Europeans abducted at sea, on the mediterranean shores of France, Spain and italy. He doesn't mention either that slavery was widespread in africa.
Exemple 2. The author spends much time dealing with colonialism. There again, why wouldn' he mention the current genocide in tibet? The japanese colonial policy until WW2? The invasions of Spain during the middle age?
Exemple 3. Mister Ben Jelloun mentions the crusads in 1095, but describs them as solely motivated by the will of christians to kill muslims. That's a historical falsehood! However, his book was written while fundamentalist Algérian muslims made several bombs explose in France, killing and wounding tens of people; that's a matter he quickly waves off. How come he is so willing to talk about intolerance that dates back a 1000 years when it gives him an opportunity to trash Europeans, but he's so unwilling to take as example of religious intolerance the fundamentalit muslims who put bombs in France, who veil women in afganisthan or iran?
In most depictions of racists, Ben jelloun allmost allways present auropeans as racists: about 20 exemples show them as racists. This should be opposed to Arabs who are depicted as racists in only 3 exemples...
Ben Jelloun book amounts mostly to white bashing. It's very sugarcoated with lofty feelings, but when one closely reads the book, one cannot but notice that exemples are carefully, selectivelly chosen. It is very surprising that Mister Ben Jelloun is so knowledgeable about european racism, but so forgetfull about Marocco's own past as slave traders, about marocco's discrimination against jews, about marocco's history of religious discrimination.
I do not recommand this book at any rate. It will either leave you and your child with an undue feeling of guilt. It is very One sided. Any Man, regardless of his origins, racial or ethnic, can be racist. Mister Ben Jelloun's book totally fails to pass that message.
A must read.......2000-07-06
Everyone must read this book. Especially people working with children, families and each other.
Book Description
This all-new volume chronicles the events that climaxed on the field of Austerlitz in one of the most famous battles of history. Not only was it the first campaign Napoleon waged as Emperor of France, but also the first great test for his Grande Armée. The Emperor himself regarded it as his greatest victory and it undoubtedly won him a mastery of Europe that would remain unbroken for almost a decade. Most accounts of the campaign have until now been based almost exclusively on French sources, but following extensive research in the Austrian archives Ian Castle is now able to provide a far more balanced account of Austerlitz.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent reworking.......2002-12-01
A classic example of how beating an opponent too easily breeds hatred, Austerlitz stands out in history as a masterpiece of strategy and tactics by Napoleon at his peak. This book is an excellent study and introduction to one of the most famous battles in history. 4 of 5 stars, only for want of length.
Good Beginning.......2002-11-01
Austerlitz 1805: Battle of the Three Emperors (Osprey Military Campaign Series, No. 2)by David G. Chandler is a good start for anyone who wants to learn more about the Austerlitz campaign and Napoleon's rise to European ascendency. The author, David Chandler, is one of the recognized experts on Napoleon and for that reason alone the book is worthwhile.
It is written in the traditional Ospery style and is very readable. The weakest part of the book is the discussion of the effect of the battle and the historical place that it holds. However, that might be a structural fault of the Ospery format.
There are numerous holes in the battle description which can be explained by the limited space avaliable. However, if one wants an overview in order to put more extensive histories into context, this is a good place to start.
Good Start.......2002-11-01
Austerlitz 1805: Battle of the Three Emperors (Osprey Military Campaign Series, No. 2)by David G. Chandler is a good start for anyone who wants to learn more about the Austerlitz campaign and Napoleon's rise to European ascendency. The author, David Chandler, is one of the recognized experts on Napoleon and for that reason alone the book is worthwhile.
It is written in the traditional Ospery style and is very readable. The weakest part of the book is the discussion of the effect of the battle and the historical place that it holds. However, that might be a structural fault of the Ospery format.
There are numerous holes in the battle description which can be explained by the limited space avaliable. However, if one wants an overview in order to put more extensive histories into context, this is a good place to start.
Good Start.......2002-11-01
Austerlitz 1805: Battle of the Three Emperors (Osprey Military Campaign Series, No. 2)by David G. Chandler is a good start for anyone who wants to learn more about the Austerlitz campaign and Napoleon's rise to European ascendency. The author, David Chandler, is one of the recognized experts on Napoleon and for that reason alone the book is worthwhile.
It is written in the traditional Ospery style and is very readable. The weakest part of the book is the discussion of the effect of the battle and the historical place that it holds. However, that might be a structural fault of the Ospery format.
There are numerous holes in the battle description which can be explained by the limited space avaliable. However, if one wants an overview in order to put more extensive histories into context, this is a good place to start.
A Qualified Improvement.......2002-05-05
In 1990, Osprey published Campaign #2 Austerlitz 1805 by the renowned Napoleonic expert Dr. David Chandler. Now twelve years later, Osprey Campaign #101 by Ian Castle returns to the scene of Napoleon's greatest battlefield triumph. Inevitably, the two volumes will be compared and so far they are the only Osprey campaign series titles to cover the same subject. Naturally, the question arises on whether this new volume is, in fact an improvement. The short answer is...a qualified yes. This review will attempt to examine Austerlitz 1805 both on its on merits and in comparison to Chandler's earlier volume.
Austerlitz 1805 begins in standard Osprey format with short sections on the road to war, opposing plans, campaign chronology, opposing commanders and opposing armies - a total of 18 pages. Unfortunately, these opening sections are rather weak even by summary standards. In the plans section, Castle makes virtually no mention of French dispositions for war (e.g. Marshal Massena in Italy), the near-simultaneous Trafalgar campaign or why Napoleon chose to make his main effort in Bavaria instead of Italy, as the Austrians expected. The section on leaders is absurdly top-heavy, covering only Napoleon, Tsar Alexander I, Emperor Francis I and Kutuzov; Napoleon's key subordinates like Soult, Lannes and Murat are only mentioned in the battle narrative. Now in comparison to Chandler's earlier volume, Castle's volume virtually apes the master in these opening sections, sometimes paragraph by paragraph. Indeed, Castle's volume is clearly inferior to Chandler's in terms of background material. However this disparity begins to shift once the campaign narrative begins, because this is where Castle has put virtually all of his new material. Castle covers the preliminary Ulm campaign and the approach to Austerlitz in 17 pages, one page more than Chandler. The battle narrative itself is 42 pages, compared to 34 pages by Chandler. There are also a total of five 2-D maps (strategic plans of the 3rd Coalition, French advance to the Danube, Ulm encirclement, Austerlitz pre-battle dispositions, and the Treaty of Pressburg) and four 3-D "Birds Eye View" maps (Soult's assault on the Pratzen Heights, Lannes and Murat versus Bagration's advance guard, the attack of the Russian Imperial Guard and the retreat across the frozen ponds). There are also three excellent battle scenes: the fighting at Telnitz, charge of the Russian Guard cavalry and the Allied retreat across the frozen ponds. There is little doubt that the maps and artwork are of far higher quality than in Chandler's earlier volume, but of course Osprey has evolved over twelve years.
The main value of Castle's revised Austerlitz 1805 lies in the greater detail provided on the four main aspects of the battle: Soult's seizure of the Pratzen Heights, the cavalry-infantry actions in the north, the Russian Imperial Guard counterattack and the Allied retreat. Castle knows the battlefield terrain well and his research into Austrian archives has yielded useful details that were lacking earlier. For example, Chandler did not mention that the French 4th Line Infantry lost their eagle to the Russian Guard cavalry - the only Allied triumph that day. The struggle for the Pratzen also appears to have wavered back and forth for some time, until superior French training and discipline carried the day; other accounts tend to make this key attack seem like a foregone conclusion. Finally, the Allied retreat across the frozen ponds is presented with more balance, showing that Austrian cavalry fought a successful rearguard that saved many troops, rather than the usual massacre-style portrayal of this rout. In the regards of providing greater detail on this key Napoleonic battle, there is little doubt that the author's research has provided a good overall summary and one that exceeds the detail of Chandler's earlier volume.
However, Castle's take on Austerlitz suffers from the same problem evident in many other Osprey campaign titles - failure to analyze. In terms of the principle of war, while the French demonstrated amazing prowess in economy of force (Legrand's division held off the main Allied attack for two crucial hours), maneuver, surprise and unity of command, they and the Allies both failed to employ mass. The main Allied attack was intended to achieve 4-1 local superiority on the French right in order to crumple Napoleon's flank but as Castle notes, clumsy tactical movements reduced this initial attack to a series of 2-1 odds attacks into built-up areas. Result: delay, stalemate and indecision. Yet Castle fails to note that Soult's attack on the Pratzen Heights - the French main effort - was only a 1-1 odds attack up a hill mass and even if reinforced by Bernadotte, the odds only increased to 3:2. Without a decisive local superiority in mass, the French main effort hung in the balance until superior training tipped the balance. Castle notes this seesaw fighting, but fails to address why it occurred. Both the French and the Allies over-committed troops in the less critical northern sector and maintained their small guard corps as reserves. Neither side was prepared to deal with the eventuality of their main attack stalling and had only limited reserves to redress such an event. Nor does Castle address other important tactical issues, such as the effect of the early morning mist on Allied artillery, which had a 2-1 superiority over the French. Austerlitz is rightly regarded as a great French military triumph, but an analysis of this triumph should go beyond merely assessing the Allies as clumsy and la Grande Armée as invincible. In fact, even a cursory analysis should indicate that Napoleon won this battle by a fairly slim margin and that it could have gone the other way or been an indecisive draw.
Average customer rating:
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The Ancient Slavs: Settlement and Society : The Rhind Lectures 1989-90 (The Rhind Lectures, 1989-90)
Martin Gojda
Manufacturer: Edinburgh Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Czech Republic
| Europe
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General
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ASIN: 0748602003 |
Customer Reviews:
Don't Bother with this incomplete book........2003-10-07
The distribution maps and other data in this book are almost identical to what is given for free by IDFG. Ambiguity and vagueness seem to be the key theme in this book. As a nonresident of Idaho, this book does little more than frustrate me when it is used for planning an upland bird hunt to Idaho. Forget the information that they mention on valley quail hunting. From my experience, it is extremely difficult to find valley quail on public land in Idaho. I am disappointed in this incomplete book.
By the way, I don't expect the authors to give up their personal hot spots (if they have any), but some reasonable maps detailing public access areas would be great.
Not worth the money........2001-05-16
I bought this book sight unseen and I was bitterly disappointed. There is nothing in this book that you can't find out by reading the Idaho Fish and Game Upland Game pamphlet, except some listings of local resources such as sporting goods stores. It made me wonder if Retallic and Barker ever actually hunted birds in Idaho. The maps are especially disappointing, and they are typical of this entire series. They show absolutely no roads, rivers or streams by which you could pinpoint possible hunting locations. In this era of readily available digitized maps, these maps are inexcusable.
In short, any literate person could sit down with the Upland Game pamphlet and the yellow pages for Idaho and find all the information contained in this book. Don't waste your money.
Book Description
THE LOLO TRAIL: A HISTORY AND GUIDE TO THE TRAIL OF LEWIS AND CLARK by Ralph S. Space (second edition) has a preface by Stephen Ambrose, in which he calls the author "the expert on the Lolo Trail. (Ralph Space) lived and breathed the Lolo Trail and with this book he has left us with a superb history but also a practical guide that's very useful for visitors who may want to discover the Trail during the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition." Ralph Space describes each day's drama during Lewis and Clark's odysseys on The Lolo Trail in 1805 and 1806. He analyzes Lewis and Clark's decisions with the crisp authority of someone who has lived his whole life in the headwaters of the Columbia River. Space also tells about the Native Americans who used this ancestral route to the buffalo, the trappers and traders who successfully adapted to this place, and the adventures of the U.S. Forest Service rangers in this wild and unforgiving country. THE LOLO TRAIL is als! o a guide to this rugged geography, so much of which is unchanged from the day of the Corps of Discovery.
Customer Reviews:
Essential for travelers of the Lolo Trail.......2005-08-08
I recently returned from traveling the Lolo Trail. Having read this book just prior to my trip, and having it with me during the trip for reference made the entire excursion a great experience. This book is not for everyone. But no one should travel the Lolo Trail without it.
I bought the book as a reference to historical information about the Nez Perce and Lewis and Clark sites on the trail. It was very satisfactory in this regard. But the best parts of the book were actually some of the stories of other, more recent, events that have occurred in this area.
Average customer rating:
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Animal Tracks of the Rocky Mountains: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico
Chris Stall
Manufacturer: Mountaineers Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Animals
| Biological Sciences
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Wildlife
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| Zoology
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ASIN: 0898861853 |
Product Description
Learn about and identify birds using Stan Tekiela's state-by-state field guides. The full-page, color photos are incomparable and include insets of winter plumage, color morphs and more. Plus, with the easy-to-use format, you don't need to know a bird's name or classification in order to easily find it in the book. Using this field guide is a real pleasure. It's a great way for anyone to learn about the birds in your state.
Customer Reviews:
Nice intro, limited coverage.......2006-08-21
While this is a nicely organized and easy to use guide, it has so few birds in it that I would recommend almost anything else over it. If you're a rank beginner, you might find it useful. If you have ANY experience at all, don't bother.
A Little Gem.......2006-08-14
This is a wonderful little book that is easy to use, even by a novice bird watcher. It is organized by the predominant color of the bird, starting with black and progressing through the colors to yellow. If males and females look different each will be listed separately, with a page reference to the other, a feature that I found very helpful.
Each bird entry consists of two pages. The first page is a nice photo of the bird. The second page includes a small diagram showing the bird's range, and the following description fields: size, male, female, juvenile, nest, eggs, incubation, fledging, migration, food, comparison to similar birds, and Stan's notes.
Finding birds by their predominant color was very easy to do. Where I wasn't quite sure which of two or three entries was the right one, the size, comparison to similar birds, or Stan's notes narrowed the choice down to the right bird. If you are a beginning bird watcher like me, I don't know of a better book. Advanced bird watchers may already know everything in this book and want something more detailed and comprehensive, but for the rest of us, I don't think you can beat the compact size and usefulness of this little gem.
You won't be disappointed!.......2006-07-16
I found this to be a great easy to use guide. It is intelligently organized, easy to use, and loaded with color pictures and detailed descriptions. I have really enjoyed having this handy this summer. An excellent value for the price.
Birds of Idaho Field Guide.......2005-09-10
This is an ok book. It covers Idaho Birds. Perhaps not as in depth as I would like.
VERY NICE BOOK!!.......2005-08-13
THIS IS A GREAT BOOK TO TAKE ON THE TRAILS. THAT WAY YOU HAVE IT WITH YOU WHEN YOU SEE THE BIRDS.
Customer Reviews:
The Idaho bird guide: what, where, when.......2006-08-14
Well done, very good direections to biriding sites and birds. This book makes birding Idaho for a visitor much easier and enjoyable.
Average customer rating:
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A Birder's Guide to Idaho (Lane/Aba Birdfinding Guide.)
Manufacturer: Amer Birding Assn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
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Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
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Ornithology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
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ASIN: 1878788140 |
Customer Reviews:
A Birders Guide To Idaho.......2003-05-16
I found this book very helpful in guiding me to great birding places. I found birds I had always wanted to see with relative ease. It directs you to a spot via highways and mile markers. Not only to view birds, but other hard to find wildlife, such as Mountain Goats at Farragut state park. While visiting Idaho from Wisconsin, I introduced this book to 2 local people who were amazed and took the information of where to purchase their own book. Thanks to all involved in making this book possible. It was a great christmas present to me. You won't be dissappointed to buy this book!!
Terry Lane
Books:
- Raising a Reader; Make Your Child a Reader for Life
- Raising Christians - Not Just Children
- Raising Each Other: A Book for Teens and Parents (Family & Childcare)
- Raising Safety-Smart Kids/Teaching Your Kids to Protect Themselves When They Are: At School, Between Home and School, at Play, Home Alone
- Raising Sexually Healthy Children: A Guide for Parents, Teachers and Care-Givers
- Real Birth: Women Share Their Stories
- Reinventing the Family: In Search of New Lifestyles
- School Success: The Inside Story
- Ser Padre Es Cosa De Hombres
- Shades of L.A: Pictures from Ethnic Family Albums
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