Birdbaths and Paper Cranes

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Beautifully written memoirs!

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Warm and compelling

A CALL FOR EXISTENTIAL AWARENESS

A remarkable collection of stories.

Birdbaths and Paper Cranes
Sharon Randall
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers

ASIN: 0452283698

Book Description

Syndicated columnist Randall's writing style is intensely personal and unmistakably authentic, as if she were writing a letter to a trusted friend. She shares stories of how her blind brother once tried to drive a car; her sister lost a wig on a bumper car ride; her husband coached basketball while battling cancer; and her oldest child grew up to be "not a real doctor, but play one on TV." In Randall's hands, even stories about ordinary things-from a broken birdbath to a rusty porch swing to a thousand paper cranes-all shine with extraordinary meaning and grace. Laughing or crying, readers will surely see in her stories some of their own, and may look at life in a new way.

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully written memoirs!.......2004-01-29

This book is a guarantee to make you reminisce and cry and laugh along with Sharon Randall as she writes of her life. It is beautifully written, short and direct ~~ always having her short stories end with a rememberable last line that leaves you thinking more.

I found this languishing on my bookshelf after borrowing it from my mom last year. I needed something "lighter" to read after my spree of historical fiction. I thought this one was rather a slim volume and I can surprise my mom by returning it this weekend. But it was a surprise to me! For such a small volume, this woman writes with a punch ~~ a punch to the soul. She shouts, cajoles and whispers to your memories and soul with grace and humor. Just like a mom and wife, daughter and sister and granddaughter. I only wish I had a bigger box of kleenexes nearby. I also couldn't put the book down after reading the foreword by her son.

Now that I know why my local newspaper carry her column, I will be reading her work again and again. She speaks to the mother and wife inside of me. She makes me sit and remember who I was long before I have gotten to this part of my journey. She talks as if you're sitting next to her with a cup of tea and you both are just gabbing away ~~ only her stories serve to remind you that life is short and it is even more precious than we all realize. This is a book that should be shared, not hoarded in dusty libraries or in the back of the bookcase. This is a book that everyone should give to their loved ones ~~ male or female. It speaks to all of us.

I just love writers like Sharon Randall ~~ they really speak and it is up to us to really listen ~~ with our ears and our hearts.

1-28-04

Buy This Book........2004-01-20

This is an outstanding collection of newspaper columns. Homespun and heartfelt, these stories touched me on many levels. Sharon Randall is a gifted writer and a fine storyteller. She has a magical sense of putting it all together, bringing each topic full circle. No matter the subject-something as light as her daughter's tea parties, as funny as her blind brother's adventure in driving, and as sad and poignant as her husband's battle with cancer, she left me with a feeling of warmth-and more often than not, a smile.

I read the beautiful piece, "The Paper Cranes," to my young daughters and their friends and they listened very intently. It led to a question and answer session about the Atomic Bomb and the end of World War II, and then a fascination with origami and the symbolism of 1,000 paper cranes. It was a lot to take away from one small story.

This is a book I'll keep on my shelf and I know I'll refer to it from time to time when I'm looking for a friend with whom I wish to share a thought or feeling. Meanwhile, as a former newspaper columnist (in the San Francisco Bay area) I'll recommend it to everyone as classic material of the genre. Looking forward to the next book.

Submitted by the author of "I'm Living Your Dream Life," Mc Kenna Publishing Group

Warm and compelling.......2003-05-04

I could not put this book down until I had devoured every word! My only regret is that this is her one and only book! How I hope to see another soon! "Birdbaths and Paper Cranes" is not only humorous, poignant, thought-provoking and, at times, heartbreakingly sad, but it is a quick easy read, with lessons from her life that will enrich yours!

A CALL FOR EXISTENTIAL AWARENESS.......2002-06-06

Each individual passes through his single experience of being human, encountering his existential moments one by one, and studying with fascination, appreciation, and wonder those with whom he is meant to involve himself as mate, parent, friend, or any of those other myriad encounters that are often altered by events(birth, marriage, suicide, divorce, career, and death), and by myriad emotions (jealousy, resentment, love, sorrow, hurt, commitment, and grief). So it is with Sharon Randall who has described all those existential moments, those events, and the emotions accompanying the days of her life in BIRDBATHS AND PAPER CRANES. This book is a boon to any parent who is not paying enough attention, not creating a record of each child's life, any spouse who is taking a marriage for granted, any individual who assumes that life will proceed unaltered and unchanged, not through stupidity, but just because that is the "way we are." This book is a wake up call for each of us to pay attention, live it well and fully, and above all, create a record for our genealogy, more precious than gold. Sharon Randall shows us how. She demonstrates through a series of her columns "Bay Window" collated from "The Monterrey Herald" that her life is a special experience, lived sensuously and lovingly, and, somehow, gives the reader pause to ponder the special moments of his life and ask himself: AM I REALLY PAYING ATTENTION?

A remarkable collection of stories........2001-12-15

Birdbaths and Paper Cranes is a wonderful collection of stories from a woman who has obviously lived a very colorful life. The stories are edited together brilliantly create a seamless appearance despite the fact that many columns took place over the course of months and years. This is an excellent book to share amongst family.

Birdbaths and Paper Cranes: A Family Tale

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Birdbaths and Paper Cranes: A Family Tale
Sharon Randall
Manufacturer: Sleeping Bear Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O7TLJU

Book Description

Diaries by Kentucky Rebels are a rarity; the soldiers, cut off from their homes and families in the Union Bluegrass, were themselves atypical. In this massive and eloquent journal, Captain Edward O. Guerrant evocatively portrays his unusual wartime experiences attached to the headquarters of Confederate generals Humphrey Marshall, William Preston, George Cosby, and, most notably, John Hunt Morgan. Able to see the inner workings of campaigns in the little-known Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia, and east Tennessee, where some of the most vicious small-scale fighting occurred, Guerrant made scrupulous daily entries remarking upon virtually everything around him.

Customer Reviews:

History is in the Details.......2004-04-28

This amounts to nearly 700 pages of transcribed diaries from an officer who saw very little action except in Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee and two campaigns in Kentucky. I echo the previous review by saying that this book is more for a specialist in those campaigns rather than for the general reader of the Civil War. What is as interesting is Guerrant's retelling of all the rumors he hears about the conduct of the war. He keeps hope alive that the Confederacy is winning until he learns of the surrender of Lee's army, in fact does not believe any northern sources and tries to accept every southern source. He also wears religious blinders, feeling that the South will win because God is on it's side. As a good Christian he is fignting for freedom and Southern rights (whatever they are, he doesn't say), but is not troubled by fellow Confederates murdering Black soldiers over a two day period after the first battle of Saltville. His enemies are Yankee Vandals and Niggers, not human beings and certainly not people like himself.

I am troubled about the quality of the editing. William C. Davis gets top billing, but there are so many errors in the footnotes, plus trivia footnoted and important information left unfootnoted, that I wonder how much of this Davis really read. Much of the editing is frankly done by an amateur and is not corrected. This is not what I expect from LSU Press for my fifty bucks. In the chapter notes for early 1863 the editor says Guerrant was looking forward to seeing his friends and family because he had not been home in a year. Yet, he had returned as part of the Confederate invasion in the fall of 1862 and did see friends and some family (he had failed to see his father.) Makes me wonder who really read the material. How about Grant's victory at Missionnary Ridge allowing the Federals to occupy Chattanooga? I thought that they were there already. Several footnotes refer to Federal soldiers as Yankees (I guess the 21st century still needs to catch up in some areas: this on a day when several "Yankee" soldiers have died in Iraq.) Given the competence of the editors and the price I say caveat emptor.

Bluegrass Confederate.......2002-03-22

Though not devoid of some human interest value, this is not an especially useful source for the historian. Guerrant saw little action, and writes scantily about what he did see. I can't imagine that most of his sojourns in West Virginia and Kentucky will be of interest to most scholars; there is an account of the Battle of Saltville, but that's about it. Eloquent, not to say melodramatic, jeremiads on the weather make up a good deal of the text.

On the other hand, Guerrant was the kind of diarist who thinks that posterity may read his diary someday, and he writes with verve and emotion -- multiple exclamation points, parenthetical clever remarks, and so on. After hundreds of pages -- for a Civil War diary this is exceedingly long -- that gets old, but he undeniably has his moments.

Bluegrass Confederate........2000-04-19

Excellent diary with lots of good information. Editors did a poor job as town names such as Jonesburg Tennessee should be Jonesbough, and a couple others that never existed or are badly mis-spelled. It is sad these errors had to get into the book. Otherwise an excellent read.

Bluegrass Confederate: The Headquarters Diary of Edward O. Guerrant. (Book Reviews).(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: Journal of Southern History

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Bluegrass Confederate: The Headquarters Diary of Edward O. Guerrant. (Book Reviews).(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: Journal of Southern History
Kenneth H. Williams
Manufacturer: Southern Historical Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Southern Historical Association on November 1, 2001. The length of the article is 473 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Bluegrass Confederate: The Headquarters Diary of Edward O. Guerrant. (Book Reviews).(Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Kenneth H. Williams
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 2001
Publisher: Southern Historical Association
Volume: 67 Issue: 4 Page: 862(1)

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Bluegrass Confederate: The Headquarters Diary of Edward O. Guerrant

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Bluegrass Confederate: The Headquarters Diary of Edward O. Guerrant

Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press, 1999
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I8WSZ4

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Bluegrass Confederate: The Headquarters Diary of Edward O. Guerrant

Manufacturer: Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I8Y67W

Book Description

Despite its status as the world's lone superpower, the United States confronts a variety of serious challenges in the world today: ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear tensions involving Iran and North Korea, and strained American relations with allies in the European Union and the United Nations. In updating their book, authors Hook and Spanier find that these new developments are in keeping with the overarching theme of their classic text--that there is an American "style" of foreign policy imbued with a distinct sense of national exceptionalism. Through a thorough understanding of the United States' past actions, students can then fully grasp the functions and frequent dysfunctions of the nation's foreign-policy process.

Providing a lively and concise review of the conduct of American foreign policy since World War II, early chapters are strengthened by new historical findings, while recent developments since 9/11 receive thorough treatment and analysis. A stand-alone chapter on the Iraq War provides essential historical context as well as a detailed assessment of recent events across the Middle East. The book's presentation and usefulness are enhanced by new tables and figures, updated photos and maps, and annotated web resources.

Customer Reviews:

The Ultimate Guide to US Foreign Policy.......2005-07-07

Now in its 16th edition, American Foreign Policy Since World War II has become one of the most respected guides on the ins and outs US foreign engagement in the 20th century. Combining theory and insight to this historical perspective, Hook and Spanier have created a very thorough book that takes a balanced look at both the domestic and international issues that have shaped US foreign policy. This book is comprehensive and comprehensible, making it perfect as leisure reading for those interested in international politics or a text for an international relations course. The fourteen chapters:

1. The American Approach to Foreign Policy
2. From World War to Cold War
3. Containment: From Theory to Practice
4. Developing Countries in the Crossfire
5. Vietnam and the Cost of Containment
6. The Era of Superpower Detente
7. Jimmy Carter and World-Order Politics
8. The Revival of Superpower Confrontation
9. The End of the Cold War
10. America's "Unipolar Moment"
11. Old Tensions in a New Order
12. The Shifting European Landscape
13. America under Fire
14. A World of Trouble

are useful individually to address a specific issue, region, or time period, and as a set to provide a broad overview.

Building Blocks.......2005-01-11

Steven W. Hook and John Spanier's book on American foreign policy since WWII is a great introduction for those seeking a detailed yet concise elucidation. The authors exploit all levels of analysis (unit, state, and system), and posit a "peculiar national style" and a degree of continuity as underlying the nature of US foreign policy since 1945. Despite the lucanae bound to be found in a wide-ranging account, Hook and Spanier's book is still an excellent building block for understanding post-WWII US foreign policy as well as basic international relations' theory.

Killing Hope: U. S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II

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William Blum: Killing Hope
If you like Chomsky...
Great Book, Even if you Disagree
The reader from Idaho...
Not a Conspiracy Theorist

Killing Hope: U. S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II
William Blum
Manufacturer: Common Courage Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Espionage | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1567510523

Book Description

Is the United States a Force for Democracy? From China in the 1940s to Guatemala today, William Blum provides the most comprehensive study of the ongoing American holocaust. Covering U.S. intervention in more than 50 countries, KILLING HOPE describes the grim role played by the U.S. in overthrowing governments, perverting elections, assassinating leaders, suppressing revolutions, manipulating trade unions and manufacturing "news."

Customer Reviews:

William Blum: Killing Hope.......2007-03-20

I was very skeptical about this book, but it was the only comprehensive thing I could find on the topic of American interventionism/imperialism, so I bought it. It turns out I was right to be skeptical: the book is more than a little biased. The author's emotional rhetoric is extremely annoying (one chapter is titled, "'F*** Your Laws and Your Constitution' Said the President of the United States"....but when you read the chapter it becomes clear that this isn't a real quote, just the author's attempt at summarizing what he believes is the attitude of the U.S. toward other countries.) Don't get me wrong, I definitely believe there is a moral dimension to America's interventionist policies. However, I'd like to draw those conclusions on my own, rather than letting the author of a book draw them for me. So on that note, here are a couple of more scholarly/less biased alternatives for studying this crucial (but neglected) topic:

Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq
by Stephen Kinzer (Author)

American Adventurism Abroad: 30 Invasions, Interventions, and Regime Changes since World War II (Hardcover)
by Michael J. Sullivan

Safe for Democracy: The Secret Wars of the CIA (Hardcover)
by Prados John (Author)

And for a historical perspective that goes back a little further:

Dangerous Nation (Hardcover)
by Robert Kagan

Manifest Destiny's Underworld: Filibustering in Antebellum America (Paperback)
by Robert E. May

If you like Chomsky..........2006-01-24

...You'll love this guy, because he's obviously a student and will continue the Chomsky tradition. Like Chomsky, he ignores anything good that comes of America policy (when he admits it he implies that it was an accident) and ignores anything bad that anyone else does - including Communist governments and other totalitarian governments or dictatorships.

Like Chomsky he insinuates a lot and twists the truth around, leaving things out and implicating rather than stating things upfront as a good historian would. This way he doesn't have to back anything up directly or prove any point or any assumption. Like Chomsky, he implies that because one American administration worked with another government during a certain period (eg during WWII) and then another fought against that administration (eg the Soviet Union or its allies) once the war was over, this must mean that the US is either hypocritical and untrustworthy or must have alternative motives. Neither Blum nor Chomsky could spell this out and expect very many readers to agree, but they can certainly insinuate and hope to convince the reader that he should be more skeptical of such a two-faced government as that of the US.

Like Chomsky, Blum leaves out any potentially moral reason for the US to fight an enemy. If the reason is to fight communism, he makes clear that he sees no morality and no security reason connected to it. For example, regarding US involvement in Vietnam Blum says:

"To the Truman administration, the prospect of another Communist government in Asia was intolerable."

But does he ever say why? Does he mention the millions killed by Communism? Does he mention the expansionist (really Imperialist) policies of the Soviet Union? The repression, famines and brutal governance, the spread of oppression, the threat that these Communist governments presented? He does not.

There may be some truth to some of the facts cited, many are twisted but some may be true; however no historian would take the book seriously because it is very clear that the author is not only biased as an individual writer, but he has biased his research to the point of being willing to leave out vast evidence that directly undermines many of his assertions and he has not outlined his assertions or assumptions in such a way as to allow others to test them, counter them or even quote and question them.

If you are looking for a polemic against America, this book will do. If you are looking for a rant full of assertions that you can research yourself and expose as lies, this is a great choice. If you are looking for serious, well researched historical reading, this is not your book. By the way, Osama Bin Laden just recommended a William Blum book to his followers! Talk about your scholarly reviews.

Great Book, Even if you Disagree.......2005-09-18

What conservatives and liberals are categorically guilty of is not reading literature that doesn't agree with their political opinions, that doesn't get mentioned in their political circles, in short; that isn't politically 'hip' to read. I wish more conservatives would read this book and ones like it, I for one actually read the literature of their movement. This book is especially good for young students who wish to have a companion document to their biased history textbooks.

The reader from Idaho..........2003-08-18

...is infuriating until it becomes clear that he/she is being ironic. It seems 18 people either realize that or agree with some deliberately outrageous beliefs.

Not a Conspiracy Theorist.......2003-07-24

A fact cannot be modified, but it can be
problematised--that is, put under analysis.
William Blum's "Killing Hope" takes the Cold-
War foreign policy of the US and upends
conventional apologies and justifications
for a rather ruthless campaign to stamp
out the ideology that most threatened
American dominance in the world: communism.
Though I met Blum and can attest that he
is no communist, like any decent American he
hates liars. His book exposes lies. Once
an idealistic career servant at the State
Department, Blum turned whistle-blower
after becoming morally nauseated at the
bagful of lies that launched the country
on its disastrous adventure in Vietnam.
"Killing Hope" is an encyclopedic catalogue
of Washington's lies, misdeeds, and subversions
of democracy all over the globe--mostly
carried out in complete secrecy from the
American people. From Chile to China,
Blum shows that "freedom and democracy"
in foreign lands were never primary goals
of US foreign policy but the propaganda
cover for domination and control. Were
this a required book in all US high-school
history books, American youth could
hardly be lining up to serve in wars
that are carried out for exactly
the opposite motives from the stated ones.
In Iraq today, 145,000 soldiers, who went
to fight to liberate Iraq, are finding
out that Iraqis do not thank them for their
sacrifice. Lied to and misused, they often
find this out at the end of a bullet that
strikes them down. To historians like
Blum, this manipulation of American trust is
a crime. His book is, among other things,
a passionate dedication to truth--
and he's not making it up, either.
Declassified government documents are the major
source of his thesis!

The African American Voice in U.S. Foreign Policy Since World War II

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The African American Voice in U.S. Foreign Policy Since World War II
Michael Krenn
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Civil Rights & Liberties | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Explores the concept of "race"
The term "race," which originally denoted genealogical or class identity, has in the comparatively brief span of 300 years taken on an entirely new meaning. In the wake of the Enlightenment it came to be applied to social groups. This ideological transformation coupled with a dogmatic insistence that the groups so designated were natural, and not socially created, gave birth to the modern notion of "races" as genetically distinct entities. The results of this view were the encoding of "race" and "racial" hierarchies in law, literature, and culture.

How "racial" categories facilitate social control
The articles in the series demonstrate that the classification of humans according to selected physical characteristics was an arbitrary decision that was not based on valid scientific method. They also examine the impact of colonialism on the propagation of the concept and note that "racial" categorization is a powerful social force that is often used to promote the interests of dominant social groups. Finally, the collection surveys how laws based on "race" have been enacted around the world to deny power to minority groups.

A multidisciplinary resource
This collection of outstanding articles brings multiple perspectives to bear on race theory and draws on a wider ranger of periodicals than even the largest library usually holds. Even if all the articles were available on campus, chances are that a student would have to track them down in several libraries and microfilm collections. Providing, of course, that no journals were reserved for graduate students, out for binding, or simply missing. This convenient set saves students substantial time and effort by making available all the key articles in one reliable source.

Authoritative commentary
The series editor has put together a balanced selection of the most significant works, accompanied by expert commentary. A general introduction gives important background information and outlines fundamental issues, current scholarship, and scholarly controversies. Introductions to individual volumes put the articles in context and draw attention to germinal ideas and major shifts in the field. After reading the material, even a beginning student will have an excellent grasp of the basics of the subject.

American Foreign Policy Since World War II

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American Foreign Policy Since World War II

Manufacturer: Frederick A. Praeger
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HMNKHQ

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American Foreign Policy Since World War II

Manufacturer: Frederick A. Prager, Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ERT9YC

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American Foreign Policy Since World War II

Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HMAHE0

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American Foreign Policy Since World War II

Manufacturer: Frederick A. Praeger
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I8D8ZI

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American Foreign Policy Since World War II
John Spanier
Manufacturer: New York: Frederick A Praeger, 1963
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXT6EU

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American Foreign Policy Since World War II
John Spanier
Manufacturer: Praeger
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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American Foreign Policy Since World War II

Manufacturer: Frederick A. Praeger
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FFFTEC

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