Good Bones and Simple Murders

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This handsome volume combines two of Margaret Atwood's most playful books--Good Bones and Murder in the Dark--resulting in an athletically clever series of tiny fictions, prose poems, and essays that, in small, witty steps, deconstruct everything from sexual politics to the very act of writing itself. Ranging from a tongue-in-cheek appreciation of "Women's Novels" and an embittered, self-sacrificing confessional by Chicken Little to a powerful series of variations on John McCrae's "In Flanders Fields," Good Bones and Simple Murders will surprise casual Atwood fans who are accustomed to the broad intensity of her novels or the seriousness of much of her poetry.

Many of the weaker pieces in this collection now feel dated, but this is hardly Atwood's fault; scores of lesser writers worked the brief essay-fiction to death in the late '90s, but Good Bones and Simple Murders is the real thing. Atwood is blessed with the linguistic gifts necessary to make this kind of writing memorable and a keen intelligence that often gives the stories a devastating relevance. These stories are too quirky to be a useful introduction to Atwood's works, but they are nonetheless likely to delight both fans and dabblers. --Jack Illingworth

Book Description

In this collection of short works that defy easy categorization, Margaret Atwood displays, in condensed and crystallized form, the trademark wit and viruosity of her best-selling novels, brilliant stories, and insightful poetry. Among the jewels gathered here are Gertrude offering Hamlet a piece of her mind, the real truth about the Little Red Hen, a reincarnated bat explaining how Bram Stoker got Dracula all wrong, and the five methods of making a man (such as the "Traditional Method": "Take some dust off the ground. Form. Breathe into the nostrils the breath of life. Simple, but effective!") There are parables, monologues, prose poems, condensed science fiction, reconfigured fairy tales, and other miniature masterpieces--punctuated with charming illustrations by the author. A must for her fans, and a wonderful gift for all who savor the art of exquisite prose, Good Bones And Simple Murders marks the first time these writings have been available in a trade edition in the United States.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting and funny.......2007-10-10

Like The Tent, this book is not a novel or collection of short stories. If you want a novel or short stories, look for those. But if you're open to something different, short, separate writings, with Atwood's great prose, feminist outlook, and humor, try this book.

Good Bones and Simple Murders.......2007-01-13

Every story in this book is good. I have to say that up front because now I'm going to tell you that the third story, "Unpopular Gals," is why this book will remain forever enshrined on my bookshelf. In five and a half pages, Atwood tells you why fairy tales live forever, and it ain't because of that wimpy, weak-kneed, put-upon little girl whose rescue always takes center stage.

Flash fiction at its best.......2006-06-21

Quite honestly, before I read this book, I had hesitated to indulge in "flash fiction." I like my fiction long, the longer the better. I like Gore Vidal because his works are looooong.

This lovely little book of flash fiction sold me on the art form. While many of the stories are not narrative fiction in the traditional sense, they are smart and funny. Many of them are based on ideas more than the heart of the character. In a longer work, that would make the work slight and overly intellectual. Here, it makes them snappy.

In addition, many of these works are excellent jumping off points to consider literature and writing. For example, the second piece, "Unpopular Gals," tells the story of fairy tales from the POV of the evil stepsister or stepmother. While the POV character laments that she gets all the blame, the piece ends with, "You can wipe your feet on me, twist my motives around all you like, you can dump millstones on my head and drown me in the river, but you can't get me out of the story. I'm the plot, babe, and don't ever forget it." [Emphasis added.]

You can discuss the post-modern era with its emphasis on the disenfranchised character all you like, but that one gem is worth the whole book to an aspiring writer. The other pieces are just as good.

TK Kenyon
Author, Rabid
ISBN 9781897339046 January 2007 from Kunati
www.tkkenyon.com www.kunati.com

Good Bones.......2006-01-06

"Good Bones" is one of my favourites from way back in junior high school. A decade or so later, Atwood's essays and creative tid bits still have resonance for me. Her wit and subversive humour really shine here in this collection.

Good Bones and Simple Murders.......2005-10-02

A truly delightful book, so humurous yet revealing deep contemplation of the challenge of being human and female.

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Good Bones and Simple Murders
Margaret Atwood
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JN858C

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Good Bones and Simple Murders
Margaret Atwood
Manufacturer: DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJR3H0

Book Description

This outstanding biography is the story of courage. It charts the career of a superbly brave cavalryman against the rise and fall of his imperial master. Pierre Daumesnil was a loyal follower of Napoleon during his rise and his fall. Enlisting as a private soldier in 1793, he was caught up in the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars, surviving campaign after campaign and emerging as a much-decorated general and Baron of the Empire. It was a meteoric rise but one earned through hard fighting, bravery and indefatigable courage. Daumesnil accompanied Napoleon as an officer of his chasseurs and his service record reflects his years of experience on the field of battle. Daumesnil joined the French Army as a private in 1793 and was serving in Napoleon's Guides in 1797. He served in Egypt in 1798, charged at Marengo in 1800, fought at Austerlitz and Eylau, campaigned in Spain and saw action in Wagram. Terribly wounded at that battle, losing a leg, Daumesnil became governor of the fortress of Vincennes. It was here that he played his most celebrated role in the wars of Napoleon by refusing to surrender the fortress to the Allies in 1814 and again in 1815. Daumesnil's life was an adventure and one which typifies the dash, color and verve of this astonishing period. This biography, by a leading author, will appeal to Napoleonic enthusiasts and those interested in the life and times of Napoleon's elite cavalrymen.

Customer Reviews:

Napoleon's lucky charm.......2005-09-11

This is the tale of the Napoleonic wars as told through the story of one soldier-but what a soldier! Pierre Daumesnil rose from a private soldier to being an officer in one of the most famous units of Napoleon's army, to being a general in France's army and a Baron of the Empire, receiving twenty wounds during his career. Daumesnil's career demonstrates the truth of the old adage that in the French army every soldier carried a Marshal's baton in his knapsack.

To the casual student of the Napoleonic era, the name of General Daumesnil is probably not well known, While the names Davout, Ney, and Murat, or maybe Marbot, Rapp or Junot are better known, by 1815, the name Daumesnil was deservedly famous. Daumesnil's service in the armies of the Revolution and Empire were as brilliant in their way as any of the others. Napoleon's good luck charm, severely wounded at Wagram, twice successfully holding the fortress of Vincennes against France's enemies, Daumesnil's story is that of the era.

Daumesnil fled, at the age of seventeen, to join the army after having killed a man in a duel. The Revolution having led to France being at war with almost the whole of Europe, Daumesnil joined the cavalry of the Armée des Pyrénées Orientales as a common trooper. Fortunately Daumesnil found himself in the same squadron as a young lieutenant Bessières. Daumesnil's early military career was obviously successful enough to warrant his entering Napoleon's Guides in June 1797. Daumesnil was made a sergeant. At one battle Daumesnil presented two Austrian flags he had personally captured to Gen. Bonaparte. At the bridge of Arcola, Daumesnil was one of those who had rescued Bonaparte. With the successful conclusion of the campaign in Italy, Daumesnil followed Bonaparte to Egypt. During the siege of St. Jean de Acre Daumesnil again had occasion to save his commanding general's life, throwing himself between Bonaparte and a shell that had landed at his feet. Perhaps it was Daumesnil's bravery on this occasion that determined Bonaparte to include Daumesnil in the select party with whom Napoleon returned to France.

Back in France Daumesnil's Guide unit was incorporated into the Consular Guard. Having again demonstrated his bravery at Marengo Daumesnil was promoted to lieutenant at the close of the campaign and in 1804 Captain Daumesnil was rewarded with the Legion of Honor. In the next campaign, where Daumesnil rescued Napoleon's aide-de-camp Jean Rapp, Daumesnil was promoted to chef d'escadron. Daumesnil had become, according to Bessières, Napoleon's good luck charm.

Following the peace at Tilsit, Daumesnil's squadron of Chasseurs of the Guard was given the honor of carrying the news to Paris, making a trip of 930 miles in just 36 days. In 1809 Daumesnil and his Chasseurs were ordered to the Peninsula. Once again Daumesnil found himself in the eye of history. He was in the party that freed Godoy from his imprisonment and was later in the street-fighting in Madrid on Dos Mayo, commanding the Mameluks who avenged the murders of the French invalids. Daumesnil had two horses killed under him and was shot in the thigh during the fighting.

After Aspern-Essling Daumesnil was promoted to major in the Chasseurs of the Guard. Napoleon preferred his 'lucky charm' to command his service squadron of chasseurs on days of battle. At Wagram Daumesnil's luck ran out and he received the last of his twenty wounds (in his sixteen years of service). Daumesnil lost his leg, putting to an end his cavalry career, but earning him the title of baron. In 1812 Napoleon wrote to Bessières about promoting the invalided Daumesnil and finding him a position in command of the fortress of Vincennes, a position which was to insure Daumesnil's inclusion in the Valhalla of the Empire. Vincennes at this time was not only one of the fortresses ringing Paris, but also a state prison and a state arsenal.

In 1814, with the Allies marching into Paris, Daumesnil gallantly held out at Vincennes threatening to blow up the arsenal along with its besiegers, until at last turning the unsurrendered fortress over to the new government. Daumesnil was briefly retained in command at Vincennes. The Bourbons were soon regretting their decision and Daumesnil was "kicked upstairs" to remove him from the sensitive command. The return of Napoleon meant the return of Daumesnil to the governorship of Vincennes. Once again the Allies took Paris and once again Daumesnil held out, not capitulating until he could turn the fort over to the French government. The Bourbons this time rewarded Daumesnil with retirement. The revolution of 1830 put Daumesnil back in command of Vincennes, where once again Daumesnil defended the fortress against siege, this time from the angry Parisian mob after the blood of the former Bourbon ministers held in the state prison. Two years later Daumesnil died in the cholera epidemic, still at Vincennes.

Only a handful of biographies of the "lesser" generals of Napoleon's army are available in English, making this study a welcomed addition to any Napoleonic library. Edward Ryan, whose previous Napoleon book was Napoleon's Elite Cavalry, is a former naval officer. Ryan has used a wide array of contemporary memoirs, the French archives, public and private, as well as the assistance of Daumesnil's own family, primarily in the person of Henri de Clairval (author of an earlier biography of Daumesnil in French) to tell is tale. On the whole well-written, Ryan occasionally overuses foreshadowing and the authorial aside to the reader.

Greenhill has done a good job in producing this volume, including not only eight pages of color illustrations, but colored endpapers as well. I would have liked to have seen some maps included, however. The volume includes five appendices. The index, though confined primarily to personal names, is analytical.

An Old Sweat.......2004-02-25

The men who followed Napoleon across the length and breadth of Europe for twenty years and fought countless skirmishes, actions, and battles, enduring enormous hardships as well as many wounds were a unique breed. Honed by war and hardship, they were tough as nails, and defeated every enemy of their country and Emperor at least once, stabling their horses in every continental European capital. They were also the men Napoleon felt most at home with, for his home was the Grande Armee.

General Daumesnil was one of those 'men of bronze' who could and did survive anything, including his Emperor, and soldier on despite overwhelming odds in men and guns.

This story, one not usually told in such detail and color, is told with great panache, as well as painstaking accuracy, by the author who is the authority on his subject. Starting with Daumesnil's humble beginnings as a cavalry trooper, he follows him through the wars and many wounds, promotion, heartbreak, unbelieveable success and promotion into the Imperial Guard until his serious wounding at Wagram in 1809 which cost him a leg.

Continuing in the service of his Emperor, Jambe de Bois Daumesnil is famous for his unrelenting defense of Vincennes, not once, but twice, in 1814 and 1815, where he refuses to surrender to the allies, stating that he'll give up his post to them as soon as they restore his amputated leg.

This volume is a must have for any student of the period, and especially of the Grande Armee. Daumesnil was one of its great characters, and one of the most gallant of its officers and commanders.

One of the highlights of the book is the stirringly told story of the cavalry charge up the Somosierra pass in 1808 during Napoleon's second invasion of Spain. Frustrated with the slowness of the French infantry trying to outflank the pass defended by 9,000 Spaniards with sixteen guns in four batteries entrenched at strategic locations up the pass, Napoleon turns to the commander of his escort squadron of Guard cavalry, that day the 3d Squadron of the newly organized Polish Light Horse, and orders him to take the pass. The hardy Poles took the order as a challenge and charged up the pass in a column of fours, losing half their strenth and taking the four batteries in succession. The author's correct version of this amazing fear of arms is the best this reviewer has seen in English.

This book is enthusiastically recommended and it is the best and most lively biography of the period that the reviewer has ever read. If you come across any book written, edited, or translated by Edward Ryan, my advice is to pick it up immediately. You won't be disappointed.

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An academic book that can be read by people interested in multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is in conflict with liberal values

A Philosophical Restatement of Core Liberal Principles

A good read for general consumption

Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism
Brian Barry
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights (Oxford Political Theory)

Multiculturalism: Examining the politics of recognition

The Claims of Culture: Equality and Diversity in the Global Era

Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory

Politics in the Vernacular: Nationalism, Multiculturalism, and Citizenship

ASIN: 0674010019

Book Description

All major Western countries contain groups that differ from the mainstream and from each other in religious beliefs, customary practices, or cultural ideas. How should public policy respond to this diversity? Brian Barry challenges the currently orthodox answer and develops a powerful restatement of an egalitarian liberalism for the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews:

An academic book that can be read by people interested in multiculturalism.......2006-01-26

Most of the times, academics are enclosed in a bubble far away from real life. This book is exactly the contrary: Culture and Equality offers a vigourous defense of egalitarian liberalism regarding minorities' rights.
The book can be easily read since it was written in a succint delicious prose (with some gestes of humour).
Every responsible citizen should read this book in order to form a well opinion of what multiculturalism is and how it will change our societies.

Multiculturalism is in conflict with liberal values.......2005-08-19

In his book "Culture and Equality: an Egalitarian Cririque of Multiculturalism", Brian Barry convincingly argues that multiculturalism is not only a threat to liberalism, but - as in the case of communitarianism - gave the green light to practices that might well open a road that could end with Stalin or Hitler. The concept of "group rights", the claims of religious groups to self-government in internal affairs and the demands for specific minority practices and legal exemptions from general rules for members of minority groups fragments society and condemns liberal rights.
Multiculturalism can lead to the reification of cultural groups: "What we might find out by experience is that institutionalizing group representation offers opportunities and incentives for political entrepreneurs to whip up intragroup solidarity and intergroup hostility in the pursuit of power. And indeed this has happened all over the world virtually every time group representation has been introduced."
By attributing rights to cultural groups rather than individuals, one risks reifying cultures in a way that is not the case when rights are established for individuals. Eroding the universal framework to which all should abide in liberal democracies, undermine individual rights and the principles of justice. The `rule and exemption' approach - which establishes the right of cultural groups to make claims that place them outside the parameters of the law applied to others , sets a precedent which ultimately delegitimises the law. It is absurd to establish a framework of law and then undermine the universal application of the law by exempting some groups from it. Any liberal system of justice must apply the law on an equal basis. For Barry, a liberal egalitarian approach to contemporary politics requires a universal set of laws that provide a systematic framework under which everyone can live equally regardless of their private differences. Indeed it is incumbent on the state to establish a liberal system whereby individuals are able to pursue their private perceptions of the good to the greatest extent as long as that does not involve practices that infringe the law.

Brian Barry calls for a renewed attention to the concept of universal rights: "[Universal] rules define a choice set which is the same for everybody; within that choice set people pick a particular course of action by deciding what is best calculated to satisfy their underlying preferences for outcomes. . . . If uniform rules create identical choice sets, then opportunities are equal."
In his view, cultural differences are not problematic because "within a liberal state all groups are free to deploy their energies and recourses in pursuit of culturally derived objectives on the same terms."
Barry's critique of those multiculturalists who seek an alternative for liberalism is indeed devastating because he shows that their approaches conflict with basic liberal values.

A Philosophical Restatement of Core Liberal Principles.......2002-10-27

Barry's work is presented as an egalitarian critique of multiculturalism. The work argues against much of the recent theoretical literature on multiculturalism (most notably W Kymlicka, IM Young, and B Parekh), but takes a more positive stance on reasserting the basic values of liberal egalitarianism--i.e., that individuals ought to have the ability to make and exercise rights claims as individuals, not as members of collective cultural groups. Barry goes through a number of case studies, such as the case of Sikhs in Britain on safety laws to explore whether what he calls "rule and exception" approaches to public policy are consistent with liberal values. He looks in depth at issues of religion and education.

The book is important for at least two reasons. One, the argument draws on empirical case studies which is intertwined with the theoretical material--a rare achievement in political theory. Two, the work challenges so much of the underlying assumptions in multicultural thinking. It is a breath of fresh air to read a tightly argued criticism of the kind of PC nonsense that passes for scholarship these days.

A good read for general consumption.......2001-07-22

This book is likely to be greatly misunderstood. In this 'egalitarian critique of multiculturalism', Barry is not trotting out the tired right-wing argument that minorities don't deserve 'special treatment' etc., Rather, Barry contends that the best way to help those least advantaged is not by engaging in a politics of difference, but rather ensuring that all are guaranteed the full benefits of citizenship.

Barry wants to move away from the view that cultural rights are of prime importance so as to facilate a more inclusive social model. He gives several examples to illustrate how the politics of difference is ultimately self-defeating and non-sensical. These range from the rights of the Ahmish, to the issue of Quebec separatism.

The discussion of authors such as Kymlicka, Parekh, and Iris Young is very illuminating and to the point. He exposes the weaknesses in their arguments without marginalizing their concerns about the rights of minorities.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Ethics & International Affairs, published by Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs on April 1, 2002. The length of the article is 3442 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: Democracy, diversity, and boundaries.(reviews of five books)(Book Review)
Author: P.E. Digeser
Publication: Ethics & International Affairs (Refereed)
Date: April 1, 2002
Publisher: Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs
Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Page: 129(7)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Multiculturalism, liberalism, and philosophy *.(Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism)(Redistribution or Recognition? A Political-Philosophical ... review): An article from: Polity

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Multiculturalism, liberalism, and philosophy *.(Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism)(Redistribution or Recognition? A Political-Philosophical ... review): An article from: Polity
Brent L. Pickett
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Polity, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 7807 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: Multiculturalism, liberalism, and philosophy *.(Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism)(Redistribution or Recognition? A Political-Philosophical Exchange)(Identity in Democracy)(Book review)
Author: Brent L. Pickett
Publication: Polity (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Page: 134(17)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

What is the bond between the human psyche and the living planet that nurtured us, and all of life, into existence? What is the link between our own mental health and the health of the greater biosphere?

In this "bold, ambitious, philosophical essay" (Publishers Weekly), historian and cultural critic Roszak explores the relationships between psychology, ecology, and new scientific insights into systems in nature. Drawing on our understanding of the evolutionary, self-organizing universe, Roszak illuminates our rootedness in the greater web of life and explores the relationship between our own sanity and the larger-than-human world. The Voice of the Earth seeks to bridge the centuries-old split between the psychological and the ecological with a paradigm which sees the needs of the planet and the needs of the person as a continuum. The Earth's cry for rescue from the punishing weight of the industrial system we have created is our own cry for a scale and quality of life that will free us to become whole and healthy.

This second edition contains a new afterword by the author.

Customer Reviews:

The Voice of the Earth Is Desperately Calling Us.......2005-05-10

This book could easily be seen as one of the most profound wake-up calls for humanity published for the 21st century! This is the stage in our evolution that we'll either continue on our destructive, insane, parasitic and unconscious collective death-wish to oblivion, or we'll heed the loud call heard here to become aware of our life-sustaining, interconnectedness to all life and start to heal our riff not only amongst ourselves, but more importantly, with Earth. To give this outstanding book a 5-star rating is not enough- it deserves 10-stars!

For those who are not familiar with *Ecopsychology*, there is a good description and comparison of it to human-only psychology in the Epilog of this monumental work:

"Just as it has been the goal of previous therapies to recover the contents of the unconscious, so the goal of ecopsychology is to awaken the inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconscious. Other therapies seek to heal the alienation between person to person, person and family, person and society. Ecopsychology seeks to heal the more fundamental alienation between the person and the natural environment." (p 320)

The current state of affairs in the human relationship with the earth is not only ambivalent and dismissive, it is destructive, parasitic and cancerous, and yet, Planet Earth is our only life-support system- our very reason for existence. One might then be inclined to see our current relationship with our home as outright insanity. And indeed, it is! "If we could assume the viewpoint of nonhuman nature, what passes for sane behavior in our social affairs might seem madness." (Preface, p 13) And, of course, our "social affairs", disregarding our relationship to Earth, is riff with pathology and psychosis.

Earth's voice is simply stated in: "The Earth's cry for rescue from the punishing weight of the industrial system we have created is our own cry for a scale and quality of life that will free each of us to become the complete person we were born to be." (p 14)

From the philosopher Mary Midgley in her book, "Beast and Man...": "[she]...finds the doctrinaire dismissal of the physical and biological worlds to be `the really monstrous thing about Existentialism.'" and, "...as if the world contained only dead matter (things) on the one hand and fully rational, educated, adult human beings on the other-as if there were no other life-forms. ...I am sure, not to the removal of God, but to this contemptuous dismissal of the biosphere-plants, animals, and children. Life shrinks to a few urban rooms; no wonder it becomes absurd." (p 66) Indeed.

With science leading us to an awareness of the dynamics of life and Earth's self-regulating life-support systems, we have: "If human conduct were governed by reason alone, what science has taught us about the great ecological patterns and cycles of the planet might be enough to reform our bad environmental habits." (p 95)

This, then leads us to the very fascinating chapter 5: "Anima Mundi: The Search For Gaia- The Many Faces of Mother Earth". In the Anima Mundi, earlier human civilizations felt the wonder and presence of Earth's majestic powers, so when did humanity start to loose it's sense of awe and respect for Earth? Perhaps the advent of citification, social class structures, and certainly, industrialization might have been that point. We became fixated on blinding human concocted regimes apart from the workings and acknowledgement of Nature.

In Part Three- "Ecology" (p 213), there is: "The New Cosmology and our deepening study of ordered complexity provide the raw intellectual material for a new understanding of human connectedness with nature. In time, with enough help from artists and visionary philosophers, this body of fact and theory may mature into an ecologically grounded form of animism. We will find ourselves once again on speaking terms with nature. Within this greater environmental context, sanity and madness take on new meanings."

We will hopefully begin to understand that: "Industrialism, with it's rapacious use of the environment as either raw material or dumping ground, has further entrenched the city's alienation from nature." (p 220)

Therefore, "...the environmental movement is trying to teach us that both economics and ethics must be contained within an ecological context." (p 248) This then, leads to a sane, life-enhancing, and rewarding human existence.

One could go on and on relating the plethora of thought provoking lines found all through this masterpiece of a call to education, realization, and return to sanity in our relation-ship with Earth, but that would be burdensome for a review and this is possibly too long as it is. I highly recommend this book to everyone on the planet, especially to industry, government, and all religious orders.

Elegant exploration of contempory potential for eco-sanity.......2004-03-05

I re-read this book every few years, but it's only recently that I've come to appreciate Roszak's "exploration of ecopsychology" as a profound assessment of our "biospheric emergency" and a sure prescription for deep healing. In particular, his discussion of "plenitude" (evoking Mumford here), Roszak provides an elegant alternative to our current fascination with mindless surfeit.

The Principles of Ecospychology are sketched in an Epilogue, rooted in the assertion that "the person is anchored within a greater, universal identity" than that which has been presented in earlier psychologies. Here the goal is to "awaken the sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconscious. Other therapies seek to heal the alienation between person and person, person and family, person and society. Ecopsycholgy seeks to heal the more fundamental alienation between the person and the natural environment."

A very useful appendix, "God and Modern Cosmology," provides an annotated bibliography for continued study of the growing convergence between science and religion.

A serious transcendental address of clashing ideologies.......2002-04-11

The Voice Of The Earth: An Exploration Of Ecopsychology by Theodore Roszak is a compelling and thoughtful exploration of the interconnection between psychology, ecology, science, and nature. Individual chapters address such issues as the true essence of mother earth/Gaia, Psychology vs. Cosmology vs. Ecology, and much more in this serious transcendental address of clashing ideologies of the planet we know best. The Voice Of The Earth is strongly recommended for readers with an interest in the philosophy of nature and the impact of human psychology upon the ecological environmental.

A very hopeful and exciting book.......2002-03-05

In its first edition this was one of the best books of the decade, for me. One of his main arguments is that for about three hundred years the main political agenda in the West was the struggle for democracy, freedoms, political equality. That struggle continues in the rest of the world, but in the West a new struggle is emerging, which will dominate society and politics for the coming centuries. This is the struggle for personal meaning: now that we have affluence and rights, we are turning to what makes our lives worth living.

He quotes an early and halting expression of the struggle for political rights from the Putney Debates, in the English Civil War (mid 1600s) - he has beautiful quotes from this. This somewhat incoherent desire for democracy, expressed by lower class people, was reviled by many educated people; but 100 years later the intelligentsia adopted its agenda in the American, French Revolutions etc. Now, he says, the Recovery Movement and similar expressions of desire for personal growth are reviled by many educated people as vulgar 'me first' or 'I'm a victim' self obsessions. But he says this longing for personal growth is a powerful force that will change our societies.

There is much more - his argument that psychotherapy is an urban movement, but that we can never heal ourselves until we reconnect with nature. Or his explanation of the anthropic principle - and his scepticism about the role of random factors in evolution - both of which suggest at least that we should feel more at home in our universe, and not imagine we humans are merely insignificant, randomly generated accidents. Whether he's right about the this I don't know, but it's sure encouraging to read it. There's plenty of food for thought and hope in this book. A good book to read with it is Robert Wright's Non Zero.

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The Voice of the Earth: An Exploration of Ecopsychology
Theodore Roszak
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUDHQC

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