Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story (WWE)

Book Description

Winning and losing. Heels and babyfaces. Kliqs and Curtain Calls. Tearing down house shows and tearing up hotel rooms. Ladders and cages. Vacated titles and unwarranted suspensions. Works and screwjobs. Heartaches and backbreaks. Forced retirements and redemption. Rock 'n' roll and Graceland. There are two sides to every story; for Shawn Michaels, there is Heartbreak & Triumph.

World Wrestling Entertainment fans think they know "The Heartbreak Kid." He's "The Showstopper" who pushes his high-flying abilities to the limit in the squared circle, on ladders, and in steel cages. He's the company's first "Grand Slam" champion. And of course, he's forever the guy who conspired with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to screw Bret "Hitman" Hart out of the WWE Championship in Montreal at Survivor Series on November 9, 1997.

But that's the side "HBK" has allowed you to see...until now. Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story introduces us to Michael Shawn Hickenbottom ("Everyone called me Shawn"), the youngest of four children whose "really conservative upbringing" made him shy and "afraid that people wouldn't like me if I showed who I really was." But upon discovering Southwest Championship Wrestling (SWCW) on TV one Saturday night, the preteen Hickenbottom realized instantly what he wanted to become, and years later would convince his father -- a colonel in the U.S. Air Force -- to let him drop out of college and pursue his dream.

From there, Hickenbottom fully recounts the events that led to "Shawn Michaels's" tutelage under Mexican wrestler Jose Lothario; working matches at Mid-South Wrestling under the guidance of Terry Taylor and the Rock 'n' Roll Express's Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton; flying high with Marty Jannetty as "The Midnight Rockers" in the American Wrestling Association (AWA); and how a barroom confrontation in Buffalo almost prevented the tandem from ever joining the World Wrestling Federation. "The Rockers" would drop the "Midnight" and climb to the top of a tough World Wrestling Federation tag-team division in the late 1980s, though Michaels confesses how a "fear of abandonment" stagnated his desire to participate in singles competition, pressured him into a marriage he wasn't ready for, and drove him to drinking heavily and downing pills "just to get through the day."

With the impact of some "Sweet Chin Music" (Michaels's Superkick finisher), Heartbreak & Triumph expresses the "sour note" that dissolved Michaels's partnership with Jannetty and started his transformation into "The Heartbreak Kid." You'll learn firsthand of the "unfair" allegation that brought about HBK's classic Ladder match with Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X ("I lost the match, but I made my career"); the incident in Syracuse that set the stage for Shawn's unbelievable "comeback" victories at Royal Rumble 1996, and in the Iron Man WWE Championship match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII; and how his escalating backstage feud with Hart inadvertently built toward the formation of "D-Generation X," as well as the first-ever "Hell in a Cell" contest against The Undertaker at Badd Blood in October 1997.

Beyond the squared circle, Michaels clears the air about his days running with "The Kliq" -- Kevin Nash ("Diesel"), Scott Hall ("Razor Ramon"), Paul Levesque ("Triple H"), and Sean Waltman ("The 1-2-3 Kid") -- their contributions to WWE's wildly successful "Attitude" era, and the consequences of their uncharacteristic Madison Square Garden "Curtain Call" in May 1996. And for the first time anywhere, Michaels shoots completely straight about his role in "the biggest scandal in wrestling history," the infamous "Montreal Screwjob" at Survivor Series 1997.

While reliving the crippling back injury that forced him to retire in his prime following his WWE Championship loss at WrestleMania XIV, Michaels credits the new loves in his life -- his second wife Rebecca, his children, and his newfound faith -- with giving him the strength to kick his habit, recover physically, and make a jubilant return to the ring at SummerSlam 2002 (in a Street Fight against best friend Triple H, no less). Now back on top and doing what he enjoys most, the WWE Superstar regards Heartbreak & Triumph as the perfect means "to review my life, and attempt to figure out how I became the person I am."

Customer Reviews:

great book.......2007-10-16

honestly i got this book for a book report on a biography.

It is an awesome book i mean it talks about his early life moving around,his favorite wrestling matches,and it talks about famous backstage politics such as the kliq and the montreal screwjob.

Honeslty, among the best books I've ever read........2007-08-25

This book is really amazing. Once I received it, I couldn't let it down. Like honestly, I think that every Shawn Michaels' fan needs to get this book.
I love Shawn & I am sure you do to. So come on people! Buy the best book ever.

Shaikha =]

Heartbreak & Triumph: A review.......2007-07-09

A very entertaining read! Shawn Michaels is extremely candid about everything in his career. Leaves no stone unturned as he discusses the cliq, the curtain call, Montreal, the whole deal. A very entertaining read, I haven't been able to put it down.

AN INSIDE LOOK AT HBK.......2007-04-27

SHAWN MICHAELS
HEARTBREAK & TRIUMPH

I can still remember when I had first seen HBK on TV as I was a kid, back then he was one half of the rockers. It was at that point that I started liking him and he became my favorite wrestler along side Macho Man Randy Savage. Now many, many, many moons later Shawn remains my favorite as I am still able to have the viewing pleasure to see him on Monday nights on Raw. So when I first learned of this book being released I knew right away I was going to buy it the second it hit the shelves. Needless to say I did just that, and I was not disappointed at all.

The book tells all about a young Shawn [find out his real full name in the book] growing up, his fights with his dad, and of course when he first fell into wrestling. As many now know Jose Latherio was the man that trained Shawn, anybody who watched wrestling in 1996 & 97 knows that as he was HBK's manager. But the interesting thing here is Shawn's early days in wrestling, and his first [failed] attempt in the WWF [WWE for those now]. The story some wrestlers told Vince about Shawn and Marty Jannetty that got them fired from the WWF is pretty funny, even though it was not true. Of course his AWA days are told, Curt Henning & Scout Hall are involved in those chapters. But things get real interesting when he & Marty are finally able to come back to the WWF. It is here that most people remember first seeing him as a part of the Rockers, the story of how they won/lost the tag titles is pretty cool [they fought the Hart Foundation {Bret & Anvil}]. But things get real good when Shawn went solo; I still remember that episode of "The Barber's Shop".

It is here that Shawn goes on to tell about his feud with former partner Marty, and how he discovered Kevin Nash for Vince while watching WCW. Of course from there he comes in as Diesel with Shawn and the rest is wrestling history. This was the beginning of the infamous "Click" in the WWF consisting of HBK, Kevin Nash, Scout Hall, and Sean Waltman [X-Pac]. The stories that are told about this group in particular is one of the major reasons I bought this book, it gets even better when Triple H shows up and joins the group, it's cool how he introduces him self to the crew. Of course the incident that happened to Shawn were he got jumped is discussed, as well as the infamous taboo breaking incident in Madison Square Garden when Nash & Hall were leaving to go to WCW.

After that we are treated to the chapters that involve the Monday night wars, and of course DEGENARATION X. I' am more then positive that a lot of people got this book for these sections in particular. It is cool how we find out how the formation of this group really happened, and how much they really got in trouble behind the scenes. But it was cool to relive some of those moments as I was reading all about them, seeing them over again in my head. Also it is cool to learn more about the programs he was involved in [the feuds], like the ones involving the Undertaker were really cool [GROUND ZERO, HELL IN CELL AT BAD BLOOD]. I was really surprised about some of the things said about Sid, and Vader, even though Shawn apologizes for how he acted towards Vader behind the scenes. Of course other feuds are discussed within these pages like ones with Nash, Jarrett, and Hart among others.

But I' am sure most people bought this book to hear Shawn's side of the story about "THE MONTREAL INCEDENT". Ah yes the infamous day on Canadian land that saw the "screw job" of Bret "The Hitman" Hart. This topic is discussed in full detail which I' am sure people loved, it was real interesting to finally learn who the whole thing came together and how it was plotted out, and then executed. The aftermath is discussed also in this book, but I found something else involving these two to be more interesting. That would be the real life animosity between the two; it is discussed all through out this book in great detail. But if some one was to ask about my take on the whole thing I would say this, "I WAS NOT THERE, I WAS NOT INVOLVED, SO IT IS NOT MY PLACE TO TAKE SIDES".

Things get a little worse for Shawn after that, next we go into the whole HBK vs. Shamrock [Owen's return {R.I.P.}], vs. Taker, and finally Steve Austin. It is here that we learn the New Age Outlawz [Road Dogg & Billy Gunn], and X-Pac were going to join DX anyways after Wrestlemainia, Shawn's being injured had nothing to do with them coming aboard. But after the whole Mike Tyson thing Shawn retires and goes home because of injuries. But Shawn discusses his many on air appearances refereeing, broadcast commentator, and his role as the commissioner of the WWF, and not to mention the short lived NWO. The ladder in particular is cool because that's when he joined the corporation. But things get better for old HBK when he returns for one match only against Triple H in a street fight at Summerslam. It was that match that showed Shawn he could come back, and come back he did. He goes on to talk about him winning the Championship inside the first Elimination Chamber. Of course all matches after that are discussed like his feud with Triple H, and his classics with Kurt Angle.

This book was more than worth the price of getting it, it is a must have for any fan out there. Whether you love or hate The Heartbreak Kid, The Showstopper, The Icon [who can still go], The Main Event you have to respect what the man has accomplished in his life. He is with out a doubt one of [if not the] greatest of all time.

Shawn sucks,Bret rules!.......2007-04-14

Shawn Michaels sucks,Bret Hart(The best there is,the best there was,and the best there ever will be) rules!Shawn Michaels is just a fag and will never ever amount to the Hitman in form of talent.I really cant belive how naive some of you can be.Shawn Michaels being a changed man and having faith?Everyone knows thats a cover up so people will like him and he wont be hated as bad.Also is wife is an cover up for being gay which he is.Anyways Bret rules,Michaels suck and thats the way it will always be!

Book Description

Characters based on James Patterson's international bestsellers When the Wind Blows and The Lake House are re-invented in Maximum Ride and are launched on the ultimate action-packed adventure full of humor and suspense. Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it's like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the "Flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time--like when Angel, the youngest member of the "Flock," is kidnapped and taken back to the "School" where she and the others were genetically engineered by sinister scientists. Her friends brave a journey to Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare--this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf "Erasers" in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb--now her betrayed and greatest enemy--that her purpose is save the world--but can she?

Customer Reviews:

Maximum Ride: An Apt Title .......2007-10-14

These books are complete brain candy, full of action, quick wit, smart dialogue, and loveable characters. If you've got a teenager whose mourning the loss of any forthcoming Harry Potter novels, introduce them to Max and her flock. I promise they won't be able to rest until they've turned the final page.

5 Stars - The perspective of a teen.......2007-09-18

While I am 22, I can honestly say that this book is not written for my age. I feel that the bad reviews that it may have gotten are stimulated and struck down by people outside of its targeted age group (Ages 10 to 15). As an adult I do not think I appreciated this book the way a teen would have. To me it was all mediocre reading, but to a teen it would be action packed and slammed with thrills and excitement. I was sold merely by its cover and soon found that I was out of the range for its targeted audience. For those teens that are in that targeted range I think you will love this book. For those parents whom have children that are interested in science-fiction then I recommend this book. For adults themselves I would not recommend this book due to its elementary storyline. For we, as adults, could not truly accept it for its real value.

Quick fun romp.......2007-09-16

As with most of James Patterson's work, this book is not the next contender for the Pulitzer, but it is a quick fun read, expecially for young adults seeking something outside of the Harry Potter urban fantasy vein that has taken over YA lit in the last few years.

These characters are wise beyond their years from living on the lam for so long but they're written so that it's obvious that they're still kids rather than adults in little bodies. In a way, this is Cynthia Voight's Homecoming with an edge.

Not a complete story - INREDIBLY annoying lack of ending.......2007-08-31

OK. I actually FOUND a copy of this book in a vacation house. I started reading and got into the story. And then the freaking book just ENDS without resolving anything. Whoever thought this was a good idea is a PUTZ. Yes, I know there are sequels, but I feel misled and SUPER ANNOYED!

My14 year old loved this book.......2007-08-24

My nephew and sister in law were reading this and reccomended it. My 14 year old loved it and we just ordered the next two books! Thank you James Patterson for sharing your gift with children- Blessings Sandra

Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a Balloon, ... a Styrofoam Cup into a Speaker, and Make

Average customer rating:

wonderful fun in a yellow cover!
Better for kiddie-types
Don't waste your money on this book
Cool ideas.

Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a Balloon, ... a Styrofoam Cup into a Speaker, and Make
Cy Tymony
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Experiments & Projects | Experiments, Instruments & Measurement | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0740754963

Book Description

How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a Balloon, Turn Dishwashng Liquid into a Copy Machine, Convert a Styrofoam Cup into a Speaker, and Make a James Bond Spy Jacket with Everyday Things

Did you know that your standard issue of Sports Illustrated magazine can be turned into over 20 useful gadgets? In author Cy Tymony's Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things, you'll learn how an average magazine can become many extraordinary gadgets such as a compass, hearing aid, magnifier, peashooter, and bottle opener.

Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things covers 40 new educational and unique projects that anybody can successfully complete with simple household items. The book includes a list of necessary materials, detailed sketches, and step-by-step instructions for each gadget and gizmo. Among the sneaky schemes are:

" Creating a electroscope out of a glass jar

" Turning a drinking cup into a speaker

" Using an AM radio as a metal detector

" Making a spy gadget jacket with over 20 individual sneaky uses ranging from a siren and

whistle to a walkie-talkie and voice recorder

These days, "be prepared" applies to more than just the Boy Scouts. Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things provides loads of practical ideas, science projects, and captivating solutions for dealing with life's unexpected challenges. Great fun for the curious, inventive, and creative of all ages.

Customer Reviews:

wonderful fun in a yellow cover!.......2007-03-26

The uniqueness of this book is in it's humor and lively spirit. I'd recommend it to anyone seeking odd knowledge.

Better for kiddie-types.......2007-01-05

This is a good bathroom book, but a little too cheesy for adult readers, but there are some neat activities.

Don't waste your money on this book.......2006-11-11

I bought this along with the author's first "sneaky" book (I'd give the first one two stars) and now wish I had saved my money. Cheesy is the best description I can give. The sneaky uses are completely obvious and, in many cases, too flimsy to survive construction. The author apparently is fascinated with safety pins, magnets, etc. but who needs a book to explain how to make a wire out of a paperclip? Also, the art is as amateurish as the ideas. Not exactly rocket science.

Cool ideas........2006-08-28

Book bought for fun. Styrofoam speaker idea is cool. Some of the ideas are a real stretch but I enjoyed the book. Not as many ideas that I could use in my classes, but overall, worthwhile.

Average customer rating:

A real page turner!
George Siglar Writes Like a Pilot
Amazing story
Great adventure

Experiment in Survival
George Sigler
Manufacturer: Vero Technical Support Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This is a book describing a survival expedition of two U.S. navy pilots who sailed a rubber raft across the Pacific testing new survival techniques. The story is both a story of adventure, and one giving details of what it takes to survive in the open ocean.The two pilots departed San Francisco with no water and six pounds of food arriving in Hawaii 56 days later. Both had dropped in weight from 186lb to 128lb. It was only at the end of the trip that the Navy acknowledged they were "an official navy project".

Customer Reviews:

A real page turner!.......2007-09-09

This book is a great read for anyone interested in survival. George Sigler happened to be a guest speaker at a pilot meeting in Vero Beach, so I went with a friend to hear him talk about the book. You could not hear a pin drop in the audience as he described his tales of adventure. He is a fasinating individual with a lot of spirit. He adds bits of humor to the book to perk it up to his audience. Great book!

George Siglar Writes Like a Pilot.......2006-10-16

That Mr. Siglar is no great writer is the only reason the book doesn't get five stars from me. I can't help but believe the book would have been a significanlty better read if he had written the book sooner than 26 years after the event, but writing to one side, the book still contains some very valuable information. It just isn't structured as well as I would have liked.

However, any student of sea survival should definitely read about George and Charlie's experience sailing a ZODIAC boat (Its unfair to call it a Raft) across the pacific with nothing more than a survival kit prepared by Mr. Siglar. No food (really) no water, just the kit. There is nothing like first hand accounts to inform students of the realities of any situation, and Siglars account (like Steve Callahan's Adrift) is full of the things you never think about unless you've been there.

My advise, pick one up.

Amazing story.......2005-07-04

Great book, George Sigler is truly a modern day adventurer. Although it is about the serious topic of survival, the author wanting to test his survival kit on a real-life situation, George has managed to tell his story in this very entertaining, and sometimes hilarious, book. He is, and we are, lucky he survived to tell the story.

Great adventure.......2001-11-26

I loved the book. A true story of a man with the determination to help people survive if stranded at sea.

Design and Analysis Methods for Fish Survival Experiments Based on Release-Recapture (Monograph (American Fisheries Society), No. 5.)

Average customer rating:

Design and Analysis Methods for Fish Survival Experiments Based on Release-Recapture (Monograph (American Fisheries Society), No. 5.)

Manufacturer: Amer Fisheries Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0913235415

Book Description

Complete theoretical, practical, and analytical treatment of large field experiments in which the recapture of marked animals is used to estimate mortality caused by river dams or other stressors. Statistical design and software support are emphasized.

Marshal South And The Ghost Mountain Chronicles: An Experiment In Primitive Living (Adventures in the Natural and Cultural History)

Average customer rating:

For anyone with an interest in "back to nature" movements
Rebirth of the Desert Prophet

Marshal South And The Ghost Mountain Chronicles: An Experiment In Primitive Living (Adventures in the Natural and Cultural History)
Diana Lindsay , and Marshal South
Manufacturer: Sunbelt Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Survival Skills | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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Anza-borrego Desert Region: A Guide to State Park & Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert

ASIN: 0932653669

Book Description

For 17 years, from 1930 to 1947, poet, artist, and author Marshal South and his family lived on Ghost Mountain—a remote, waterless mountaintop that is today within California's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Over a period of nine of those years, South chronicled his family's controversial primitive lifestyle through popular monthly articles written for Desert Magazine. The articles reflected his passion for the desert while praising its early inhabitants and their lifestyle. Drawing on his poetic skills, SOuth wrote vivid word pictures about the desert—its beauty and natural history—as well as their daily life at Yaquitepec, creating both a very loyal and supportive readership and naysayers who objected to his philosophy and lifestyle. After years of silence Rider South, the eldest of the three children who were raised on Ghost Mountain, and his wife Lucile feel it is time to tell the story and to set the record straight. The book includes their own memories plus all of Marshal South's Desert Magazine articles and many never-before-published photographs of the family.

Customer Reviews:

For anyone with an interest in "back to nature" movements .......2005-05-06

For seventeen years (1930 to 1947), poet, artist, and author Marshal South and his family lived on the remote, waterless mountaintop in California's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and is referred to as "Ghost Mountain". For nine of those years, Marshal South chronicled his family's controversial primitive lifestyle through popular monthly articles written for "Desert Magazine". The articles reflected his passion for the desert while praising its early inhabitants and their lifestyle. An acrimonious divorce ended the "experiment in primitive living" and with Marshal's death in 1948, fifty years of silence and speculation followed. Family secrecy, altered names and dates, lost and burned records and letters, left Marshal's grand experiment in obscurity, hidden from even his surviving family members. This was the state of affairs when historian Diana Lindsay brought Marshal's recorded experiences back into public purview with the publication of his writings, gleaned from the pages of Desert Magazine and anthologized in Marshal South And The Ghost Mountain Chronicles: An Experiment In Primitive Living. Illustrated with black-and-white photography, this unique account is enhanced with introduction commentaries by Rider and Lucile South and is highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in "back to nature" movements and experiments with alternative lifestyles.

Rebirth of the Desert Prophet.......2005-02-14

After being quiet for more than 50 years, Marshal South is finally being introduced to a new generation. This book is not only priceless in terms of making South's work available again, it is also a timely reminder of why connecting with nature is vital to our existence. The first section of the book is a short history of Marshal and how his family built their dream on a waterless mountain in the Anza-Borrego Desert. Diana Lindsay has done a phenomenal job investigating and revealing the truth about the South's and what really happened in the end. Then Rider, the oldest of the South's three children, reflects on what it was like to live with nature in the raw during the first 12 years of his life. The rest (and major portion) of the book reprints Marshal's monthly columns that appeared in Desert Magazine. Every one is like a visit with the last tribal elder of a vanishing tribe.

This is a haunting story. To imagine what is was like to live apart from civilization from birth and experience nature in a way the rest of us only dream of draws out feelings that are hard to describe. If we could only do it for just one year...

This book is for anyone who loves nature, especially the desert kind. South's philosophy and words about modern life are more valuable than ever.

ALONE AT SEA: A DOCTOR'S SURVIVAL EXPERIMENTS DURING TWO ATLANTIC CROSSINGS IN A DUGOUT AND A FOLDING KAYAK

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ALONE AT SEA: A DOCTOR'S SURVIVAL EXPERIMENTS DURING TWO ATLANTIC CROSSINGS IN A DUGOUT AND A FOLDING KAYAK
Hannes Lindemann
Manufacturer: Pollner Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VHOGIY

Brno-Experiments in Long Term Survival with Total Artificial Heart.

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Brno-Experiments in Long Term Survival with Total Artificial Heart.
Jaromir. Vasku
Manufacturer: Brno:
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IVDO1S

Average customer rating:

Experiments in Survival

Manufacturer: Association for the Aid of Crippled Children
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GWWXF2

Average customer rating:

Experiments in survival
Edith (Dodd) Henrich
Manufacturer: Association for the Aid of Crippled Children
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Disabilities | Special Needs | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007H6S7U

The Franco-Americans in a New England Community: An Experiment in Survival (American Ethnic Groups)

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The Franco-Americans in a New England Community: An Experiment in Survival (American Ethnic Groups)
George French Theriault
Manufacturer: Arno Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

Sixteenth-century Spanish soldiers described Peru as a land filled with gold and silver, a place of untold wealth. Nineteenth-century travelers wrote of soaring Andean peaks plunging into luxuriant Amazonian canyons of orchids, pythons, and jaguars. The early-twentieth-century American adventurer Hiram Bingham told of the raging rivers and the wild jungles he traversed on his way to rediscovering the âLost City of the Incas,â Machu Picchu. Seventy years later, news crews from ABC and CBS traveled to Peru to report on merciless terrorists, starving peasants, and Colombian drug runners in the âwhite goldâ rush of the coca trade. As often as not, Peru has been portrayed in broad extremes: as the land of the richest treasures, the bloodiest conquest, the most poignant ballads, and the most violent revolutionaries. This revised and updated second edition of the bestselling Peru Reader offers a deeper understanding of the complex country that lies behind these claims.

Unparalleled in scope, the volume covers Peru’s history from its extraordinary pre-Columbian civilizations to its citizens’ twenty-first-century struggles to achieve dignity and justice in a multicultural nation where Andean, African, Amazonian, Asian, and European traditions meet. The collection presents a vast array of essays, folklore, historical documents, poetry, songs, short stories, autobiographical accounts, and photographs. Works by contemporary Peruvian intellectuals and politicians appear alongside accounts of those whose voices are less often heardâpeasants, street vendors, maids, Amazonian Indians, and African-Peruvians. Including some of the most insightful pieces of Western journalism and scholarship about Peru, the selections provide the traveler and specialist alike with a thorough introduction to the country’s astonishing past and challenging present.

Customer Reviews:

A must read for the history of Peru.......2007-10-03

This is a great book for the history of Peru. The chronological order is perfect. All the essays are wonderful to read. I think I learned more about Peru with this book than any other.

The Peru Reader: Start Early!.......2007-01-09

What a wonderfully literate collection of writings which give the traveler (actual or armchair) both the information and flavor he needs to introduce him to this complex country. I started too close to my departure for Peru to read every word, but found myself unable to decide what to skip. What seemed a boring topic turned out to be fascinating! So, start early -- the book is pretty bulky to carry on your trip.

The Peru Reader: The best Peru travelers companion.......2006-06-29

I took this book to Peru on a trip to see the great archeological sites. I was blown awqy by the information I got from this book. Not only was I informed on so many topics but introduced to several brilliant Peruvian authors. The book was so strong I wept deeply over the history of the native peoples, I was amazed at the strength to survive under the most difficult political and cultural situations. The book was so well written that all the history and politics, not my usual reading, soaked in painlesssly, actually joyfully. I wish there were such a great book to take on every trip I go on, it enhanced my trip a million times over.

Hefty, in-depth anthology .......2004-12-19

Perhaps this book's overwhelming for a newcomer. But, if you have a basic knowledge of Peru already, this over 500-page collection of stories, chapters from academic books, poems, folktales, political reportage, popular journalism and interviews, and historical and anthropological coverage satisfies the need in English for a comprehensive starter for further research and reading on many topics.

Organised into chronological order, sections progress from pre-Inca, Inca, Conquest, Post-Conquest, Colonial and Republican periods into the 19c. These intersperse scholarly investigations with narratives. Then, politics, the Shining Path, the drug wars, the urban squatters turning land into new communities, activists among the feminist, evangelical, and gay communities, liberation theology and local leadership, and life among both villages and in Lima add chapters that comprise about half of the total text.

Most rewarding for me were the chronicles by the Incas after the Conquest, John Hemming's chapter on Atahualpa and Pizarro, folktales bookending the text from early and Amazon peoples, Steve J. Stern's analysis of post-Conquest creolisation and its discontents, Manuel Cordova's tale of life a century ago after he was abducted by Amazon indians, and the fascinating account by Catherine J. Allen from her The Hold Life Has all about coca-leaf ritual bonding. Anyone who associates coca only with cola or crack might learn a lot from this anthropological description of how chemicals sustain fellowship, and also force gatherings to acknowledge etiquette and social class distinctions--even under the influence!

The literary offerings, poems, novel excerpts, and stories, are less intriguing, but worthwhile. I sense some of these--as with the Vargas Llosa chapter from his novel Conversations in the Cathedral--were a bit wrenched out of a more rewarding context.
I wish the past ten years, the downfall of Fujimori and the attempt by Toledo to stabilise a tottering state, could have been included in an updated edition, which could also look at the fate of Guzmán and his Shining Path cohorts. Life in the diaspora--a million Peruvians live abroad--would also be enlightening. But, until these hypothetical additions, this is a promising book for anyone curious about Perú. As the back jacket asserts, there's nothing like this in English--or Spanish.

Also recommended: Robin Kirk's The Monkey's Paw for 1980s/early 90s Peru; Gustavo Gorriti's history, translated by Kirk, on the Shining Path, and Vargas Llosa's memoir of running for president, Fish Out of Water; his novelisation of Guzman, The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta; his mystery novel also set in this period, Death in the Andes.

This is a great book if you are intrested in Peru.......1998-10-24

This book tells about it all from all sorts of people from the conquiers to the Indeans plus the shing path and the Presedint

Book Description

Budding astronomers--backyard or armchair--will learn not only where to look for the planets in the nighttime sky but also how space missions to the planets and their moons have increased our understanding of Earth, its atmosphere, and the moon. More than 100 spectacular color photographs, including views from the Hubble Space Telescope of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, as well as the latest Voyager photographs of Neptune. The latest scientific information on other solar systems and extraterrestrial life, charts showing where to find the planets in the night sky, and much more.

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PETERSON FIRST GUIDES SOLAR SYSTEM
JAY M. PASACHOFF
Manufacturer: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN CO.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KUN3T0

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