Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life

Book Description

Roger Scruton is Britain's best known intellectual dissident, who has defended English traditions and English identity against an official culture of denigration. Although his writings on philosophical aesthetics have shown him to be a leading authority in the field, his defence of political conservatism has marked him out in academic circles as public enemy number one. Whether it is Scruton's opinions that get up the nose of his critics, or the wit and erudition with which he expresses them, there is no doubt that their noses are vastly distended by his presence, and constantly on the verge of a collective sneeze. Contrary to orthodox opinion, however, Roger Scruton is a human being, and Gentle Regrets contains the proof of it - a quiet, witty but also serious and moving account of the ways in which life brought him to think what he thinks, and to be what he is. His moving vignettes of his childhood and later influences illuminate this book. Love him or hate him, he will engage you in an argument that is both intellectually stimulating and informed by humour.

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A stimulating traditionalist.......2007-07-16

One has to be awed by the range of cultural references in this book of autobiographical essays. Coming from a home which was not interested in books, the young Scruton was captivated by Bunyan at the age of 13. At 15 he was into Rilke and Dante. At 16, he and a group of sixth form friends `declared war on kitsch'. By the time he was a Cambridge undergraduate, inspired by T.S.Eliot, he was into Culture in a big way: he and his friends there were `consciously aiming to better themselves', and were establishing hierarchies among works which were not kitsch: the superiority of Mozart over Vivaldi, Milton over Carew, Titian over Veronese, and - Paul McCartney over Mick Jagger. They were elitists, and as such rebels against left wing rebels who were then fashionable. And an individualistic conservative he remained for the rest of his life.

As a 24 year old he was in Paris, and witnessed the events of 1968. He was an admirer of De Gaulle because the General defined the French nation in terms of its high culture, and he detested Foucault, one the gurus of the students, for his shallow relativism and for teaching that `truth' requires inverted commas.

So he was a defiant fish out of water as a lecturer at Birkbeck College at a time when academia in Britain (unlike in the United States) considered conservatism as an aberration, and when, to find an English conservative philosopher, he had to go back to Edmund Burke. In 1978 Scruton sought a parliamentary seat; but his Burkean philosophy was so unfashionable that he was not selected, and `I ceased to be an intellectual Conservative, and became a conservative intellectual instead'. The chapter called `How I Became a Conservative' is a splendidly vigorous presentation and illustration of his beliefs.

For me the finest chapter in the book is the Burkean one on architecture, in which Scruton lambasts modern architecture for its contempt of tradition and for the people on whom it inflicts its soulless and anti-communal monstrosities. Scruton was once Professor of Aesthetics; aestheticism lies at the heart of his conservatism and nowhere does it find more eloquent expression than in this chapter. His hatred of what modern architects have perpetrated was shared by his father, an activist in this respect and whom elsewhere in the book he frequently describes as a foul-tempered tyrant, but who here is given generous filial praise.

Conservatives are sceptical of schemes to make the world a better place: and in religion, too, Scruton is attracted by people who believe that `the duty of a Christian is not to leave this world a better place. His duty is to leave this world a better man.' In one chapter he describes two such Christians - both Roman Catholics - who have been very important to him: here we have an aim of self-improvement which is the spiritual equivalent of the aim he has pursued in the cultural realm. The last chapter (which I found went way over the top in its sweeping claims of the damage done by the lack of religious faith) goes beyond that: it is a sermon on the need for our society and for individuals to recover faith: to bring us together again as a community, to understand suffering as sacrifice, to teach us that we have obligations to the generations who have preceded and who will follow us, to preserve us from the impiety of scientists being allowed to tamper with God's creation, both human and environmental.

There is a chapter on what music in general and opera in particular has mean to the author, in which he conveys his hatred for modern productions that interpose the producer's `message' between the music and the audience.

There is a remarkable chapter called `Living with Sam', the name first of a pet dog, then of a hunter (Scruton is devoted to hunting) and then of Scruton's son. In that chapter he mingles beautiful descriptions with philosophical thoughts about the relationship between humans and animals, about the soul, about personhood and the nature of parenthood, about marriage (which should be a vow and not a contract), and about television (than which `in the armoury of nothingness there is no weapon more lethal').

The rest of the book strikes me as bits and pieces to pad out the volume, without obvious connections to its main theme. There is a chapter on the resonance of names (Scruton's own included); an evocative one on the contrast between Prague and Warsaw in communist and in post communist times (during the former period Scruton did some underground lecturing there). Another chapter reproduces his diary of a six day visit to Finland as a lecturer, fairly relentless and quite funny in its mockery of the lugubrious Finns and their soulless modern buildings. There are diary entries about his friend Iris Murdoch, and about a visit to Soweto in 1983.

The book evoked varying reactions from me. Sometimes I found its tone smug and precious; I enjoyed him when he argues, less so when he asserts. His style varies from the limpid, poetic and beautiful to passages which are too dense to be any of these. He does not suffer fools gladly - robustly and joyously including among them many whom others regard as sages. I think that, like many combative conservatives, he relishes his unpopularity. I was always struck by his fundamental seriousness: it seems to me that almost every aspect of daily life evokes from him philosophical ruminations and associations. Not an easy companion, I would guess; but surely a stimulating one.

Perfect Title.......2007-04-11

Gentle Regrets seems to be the perfect title for this work. Especially strong are his writings regarding religion and the Catholic Church, ironic since he is not Catholic. It is also evident that he has suffered through the years from the liberal establishment that holds university life in a vice, refusing to even hear, let alone consider, reasoned dissent. His writing is as strong as his philosophical thoughts.

Gentle Regrets.(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review): An article from: Commonweal

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Gentle Regrets.(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review): An article from: Commonweal
David Castronovo
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Title: Gentle Regrets.(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review)
Author: David Castronovo
Publication: Commonweal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 8, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 133 Issue: 15 Page: 28(3)

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Gentle Regrets: thoughts from a life.(Book review): An article from: Catholic Insight

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Gentle Regrets: thoughts from a life.(Book review): An article from: Catholic Insight
Ian Hunter
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This digital document is an article from Catholic Insight, published by Thomson Gale on June 1, 2007. The length of the article is 807 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.

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Title: Gentle Regrets: thoughts from a life.(Book review)
Author: Ian Hunter
Publication: Catholic Insight (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 15 Issue: 6 Page: 42(2)

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Life Scrutonized; The hard-won faith of a modern philosopher.(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review): An article from: The Weekly Standard

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Life Scrutonized; The hard-won faith of a modern philosopher.(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review): An article from: The Weekly Standard
David Guaspari
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ASIN: B000FNVQ50
Release Date: 2006-05-10

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This digital document is an article from The Weekly Standard, published by Thomson Gale on April 3, 2006. The length of the article is 1524 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.

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Title: Life Scrutonized; The hard-won faith of a modern philosopher.(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review)
Author: David Guaspari
Publication: The Weekly Standard (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 3, 2006
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Not argued but shown.(Books)(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review) : An article from: New Criterion

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Not argued but shown.(Books)(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review) : An article from: New Criterion
Peter Mullen
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This digital document is an article from New Criterion, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1821 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.

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Title: Not argued but shown.(Books)(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review)
Author: Peter Mullen
Publication: New Criterion (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2006
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Volume: 24 Issue: 5 Page: 65(3)

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Recovering the holy.(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review): An article from: Modern Age

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Recovering the holy.(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review): An article from: Modern Age
Steve Faulkner
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This digital document is an article from Modern Age, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2006. The length of the article is 2304 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.

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Title: Recovering the holy.(Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life)(Book review)
Author: Steve Faulkner
Publication: Modern Age (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 48 Issue: 4 Page: 358(4)

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Book Description

For the Canadian Soldiers who lived through the momentous battle for Normandy in the summer of 1944, it was inconceivable that the conflict in Europe could continue for another eight long months. The war was won, they thought, and to win it they had been pushed to what seemed like the limits of endurance. But ahead lay not only an enemy with no thoughts of surrender, but also appalling battle conditions reminiscent of the legendary miseries of Passchendaele.

This much-anticipated sequel to The Guns of Normany picks up where its critically acclaimed predecessor leaves off, and it continues in the same absorbing, startlingly vivid style. After the battle for Normandy, Blackburn’s 4th Field Regiment, with the rest of 1st Canadian Army, is called upon to pursue the enemy through the flooded Low Country, clearing the Scheldt estuary – a task equal to that of D-Day – and opening the port of Antwerp to allow for the huge influx of supplies necessary to press on against the German forces, now fighting with mounting desperation and ferocity.

After enduring the worst winter in local memory, and spending yet another Christmas far from home, in the spring of 1945 the Canadians are thrust into the crucial Battle of the Rhineland, which will eventually allow Allied forces to plunge into the heart of the Reich.

When victory comes, it is with no sense of triumph over a vanquished foe, but with the profoundest relief that this most terrible conflict in history is finally over.

Told with Blackburn’s now trademark sense of drama and eye for detail, this story of the desperate struggle for Europe becomes as large as life. It should fully establish Blackburn as the author of an acknowledged classic on the Second World War.

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And Finally . . . The Resting Of The Guns".......2006-03-07

"The dream of going home will now actually come true. The thought is intoxicating. But try as you will, it is impossible to suppress the feeling that this is only a temporary pause before another push, or at least another training scheme - there has always been another." ~ George G. Blackburn ~

Mr. Blackburn, who earned his Military Cross (M.C.) for his effort in helping to save the Twente Canal Bridgehead in Holland, is truly a brilliant writer. "The Guns of Victory" is one of the most absorbing books I've ever read. His use of "You" instead of "I" is his way of transporting the reader into the war zone and gets the feeling that you are actually there experiencing the horrors of war.

This is the third and last volume of George Blackburn's engrossing trilogy of military books about World War II, which faithfully chronicles the last eight months of the war on the Western Front. This book is divided into four parts: Part One - September 6 thru November 8. It covers the Clearing of the Channel Ports and the Battle for the Scheldt; Part Two - November 9 thru February 15, which traces the troops settling in the Nijmegen salient near Groesbeek. Part Three - February 8 thru March 10 is all about the Thirty-Day Battle for the Rhineland. And the last part covers March 11 thru May 15 about Crossing the Rhine to Sever Holland from Germany. It also contains sixteen pages of twenty-nine black and white glossy photos from National Archives of Canada including a nice photo of Groesbeek Windmill taken by the author himself. Groesbeek Windmill was used by Mr. Blackburn, a Forward Observation Officer of the 4th Field Regiment with the Canadian Army, as an observation tower during winter of 1944 and 1945.

Last year in May, Mr. Blackburn took a 'sentimental journey' and attended the 60th anniversary of the VE-Day and participated in the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in Groesbeek Windmill, and memorial services at the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in Holland. He spoke with CTV News recalling his World War II experiences in the Netherlands saying: "We wished to God the Russians at that time would get to Berlin in time to defeat the Germans, so we wouldn't have to go back in it. But we knew that the end was going to be settled right there."

It was such a relief to read the last chapters of this World War II classic. It means the end of a nightmare and the achievement of victory, hence, "the resting of the guns." This is my very favorite from the trilogy for that simple reason alone. The last chapter of this book is entitled "The Resting of the Guns," wherein the Corps Commander, Divisional Commander, commanding officers, brigade commanders and all the infantry battalions participated in a solemn rite and saluted the guns before handing them over to the Dutch Government. The author described it as a "striking day of truth" and he was deeply touched with the simplicity and solemnity of this noble ceremony.

"As the first gun rolls slowly by, chuckling and clinking on its limber hook, there's a glowing awareness of just how deeply these cold, steel machines have endeared themselves to you. It's as though you're saying goodbye to old friends you shall never see again. . . then you hear a voice, as though from a great distance, saying: 'Well now . . . let's go and find something to drink.' And you realize the ceremony is over."

I salute Mr. Blackburn for writing his trilogy of books that are so moving and affecting, and to all his comrades, alive or deceased, for their heroic acts of courage, endurance, perseverance and bravery. They went to war to protect freedom and gain peace. They are truly the world's greatest heroes.

Mr. Blackburn is not just a good writer; he's an exceptionally great writer. He's also an award-winning composer having written a hauntingly beautiful and nostalgic "soldier's song" entitled "Are You Really There?" which he wrote for his wife, Grace Blackburn while he was in England during the war waiting for the invasion of France and overwhelmed by feelings of homesickness. The song conveys the sentiments of servicemen longing to be with their loved ones in the midst of war. The music video won three major awards: Silver Award at the 1999 Worldfest - New York, Silver Award at the 1999 Worldfest - Arizona, and Bronze Award at the 2000 CINDY Competition - California.

This book is a classic, a valuable piece of history and must be read by every generation. It merits my highest recommendation.

FOO lives to tell the tale.......2005-05-06

And a stirring tale it is!

In a magnificent trilogy by a former junior officer in the Canadian Royal Artillery, George Blackburn records his experiences as a Forward Observation Officer (FOO), and those of the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division in general, in World War II's western European campaign. The first book, WHERE THE HELL ARE THE GUNS?, covers the training in Canada and England of Blackburn's unit, the 4th Field Artillery Regiment, from its formation in 1939 to June 1944. The second book, THE GUNS OF NORMANDY, describes the 4th Field's actions in support of the 2nd Division in northern France from early July 1944 to its arrival at the Seine River in late August. This final installment, THE GUNS OF VICTORY, chronicles the advance from the Seine into the Third Reich via the Benelux countries to VE-Day, May 8, 1945.

Should you read this series, you will, like me, come away with a heightened and supreme regard for the valor of the Canadian Army from D-Day to the end of the war and the value of massed artillery to the combat efficiency and survival of infantry units. Blackburn's personal account is perhaps the best description of men in modern war that I've ever read. The author's narrative is not a detached one. He brings you along into the mud, cold, rain, fatigue, terror, devastation, and apocalyptic arty barrages of the conflict's leading edge.

There are too many excellent passages to enumerate, but I shall give two examples.

At one point, Blackburn's observation post is in a Dutch windmill on the very border of Germany. As the Army brass plans the advance into the Reich, the author's vantage point becomes widely heralded as having the best view of the ground to be fought over, and to it, as if on pilgrimage, come the high and low, including Lt.-Gen. Guy Simonds, Commander of 2nd Canadian Corps, and Lt.-Gen. Brian Horrocks, Commander of British XXX Corps. But the interesting perception by Blackburn is the way the various officer ranks used battlefield maps.

"Corps commanders ... planning the best use of 450,000 men, swept open hands across map boards ... Division commanders and brigade commanders, reviewing the role of their brigades and battalions, stroke their maps with two fingers held together. Then come battalion commanders using a single finger for similar purposes in meetings with company commanders. But when company commanders returned with platoon commanders, maps were marked with razor-sharp pencils."

Much later, at a company command post, the author comes upon a Major Stothers and the Company Sgt.-Major opening parcels from home mailed to men already killed, the contents distributed to the survivors, and enclosed letters put into a pile.

"(Stothers) hands one across the table to you without comment. It is a hand-written note of only a few lines: 'Dear Son, the papers tell us that it is very wet where the Canadians are fighting now. So please, Dear, always be sure to wear your rubbers and keep your feet dry.' When you look up at Stothers, he tells you that her boy is the one lying dead outside the back door, face-up in the rain."

As the war's end approached, Blackburn had the reputation of being the longest surviving FOO in the Canadian Army, and 4th Field gunners, not without affection, had a pool going, the money to be won by the man who correctly predicted when the Baker Troop FOO (Blackburn) "got it". Lucky for us, George survived to pen his memoirs. By the end of the third book, I can even forgive him for writing in the second person, a quirk that, in WHERE THE HELL ARE THE GUNS?, almost put me off. But, in no one of the volumes, in the photo section of each, did the author include a wartime picture of himself. That's the only deficiency in an otherwise superb literary accomplishment.

To George, who recently celebrated his 88th birthday on February 3rd, and his comrades-in-arms, living and dead, highest honor is due.

Note: George Blackburn, through his son Mark, personally sent me all three of his books. Thank you, Sir.

2nd Person works for me.......2004-07-25

Not sure who all these Yankees are reviewing the quintessential Canadian war memoir, but they have good taste.

Written in the second person, this book is unique, but it doesn't end there. Blackburn has a rare ability to recall small details and the entire story rings with authenticity. His stories run the gamut, as all good war memoirs do, from the sad to the hysterically funny.

Second Canadian Division seems to have produced few authors (unlike the First Division, with Mowat taking the lead) but those few that have put pen to paper have been incredibly good. Whitaker and Williams were best when recounting the history of others, and this memoir stands out above any war memoir written by a Canadian in any single war. All three books in the trilogy are a terrific source of information about the Canadian Army in World War Two.

Brilliant Final Volume Of A Superb WW II Trilogy!.......2003-12-24

In this, the concluding chapter of Canadian war veteran George G. Blackburn's superb three-volume eyewitness history of our northern neighbor's involvement in the war in Europe, we find a truly stunning successor to the previous two volumes. As with "The Guns Of Normandy" volume, we discover a masterful narrative punctuating the combination of dramatic life and death struggles contrasted with moments of drumming ennui or utter despair. For the Canadian soldier on the ground, the several months following the heroic and costly landing on D-Day were seemingly a coda, a time that seemed unreal because while they had the enemy on the run, the remaining elements of the Wehrmacht fought savagely and well in the ensuing period of time. So, although many of the allies felt it was all over but the shouting, especially after the re-taking of Paris and much of France, as Blackburn shows us from the ground grunt's view, it was anything but over and done with.

This volume picks up the narrative thread where the previous volume left it, with the much-vaunted Canadian 4th Field Regiment ordered in to relentlessly pursue the Germans as they retreated through the treacherous topography of the flooded French area known as the `Low Country'. As the pursuit ensued, the soldiers began to reach the limits of their physical and emotional endurance. And the battle as it unfolded before them promised no respite from the hellish demands posed by an enemy with no real thought of surrendering or fleeing. Yet, as they knock the Wehrmacht from its hastily devised defense perimeters within the Scheldt estuary again and again, they gradually succeeded in creating the conditions for re-opening of Antwerp, and thus helped to unleash the productive power and formidable logistics trail previously left hanging for want of such a large and capable deep-water port.

In the midst of all this, the Canadians, along with the rest of the Allied forces, had to suffer through the worst winter in decades in the European theater in the open and on the ground, and many died from such harsh exposure to the elements. Yet the Germans, fighting under these horrific conditions, still were able to mount savage resistance as they fought even more ferociously even as they began to understand how desperate their situation was. And as they beat the foe back yard by yard, mile by mile, back across the Rhine, the Canadians are enlisted in the increased fight once more in the Battle of the Rhineland, the final push toward the German heartland. And, as victory finally comes, Blackburn assures us it was indeed a bittersweet experience, felt equally with measures of pride and relief, knowing the unbelievable ordeal of the last several years was finally over.

As with his other books, here Blackburn relates his personal experience with a wonderfully literate and engagingly approachable writing style, and he surely uses his journalist's experience and his obvious facility with words to great advantage here, adding immeasurably to our understanding of what the experience on the ground was in as the first fatal hours and days turned into weeks and months of savage fighting, as the Allies bludgeoned their ways through the brutal resistance of a frenzied Nazi war machine. This is a story we should hear again and again, as we rediscover once more how truly amazing the feat of both the Canadians in particular, but all the Allies in general, stood tall in the very face of tyranny and smashed it into smithereens, saving the world from what has to be considered the face of absolute evil. Mr. Blackburn writes with surprising intensity and emotion, and his sense of recall of particular events and existential circumstances for himself and his fellows is both impressive and quite moving at points in his narrative. This is first person history at its best, one that employs both a more objective coda to the book, which also serves to lend a more authoritative aura to the proceedings than would otherwise have been possible. I recommend not only this book, but the other two volumes as well. Enjoy!

In celebration of those "in baggy pants covered with mud".......2003-08-21

Although hardly a scholar in the field of military history, I certainly have a keen interest in it. One of my favorite sources of information is John Keegan's The Face of Battle in which he explains combat experience from the perspective of those who were directly involved at Agincourt (1415), Waterloo (1815), and the Somme (1916). According to the first-hand accounts on which Keegan relies, films such as Paths of Glory, Pork Chop Hill, and most recently Saving Private Ryan probably offer about as realistic a visual account as is possible. However, as Ken Burns demonstrated when calling upon various sources for the narrative of his television series on the Civil War, first-hand accounts have unsurpassed authenticity and credibility. For that reason, I hold George Blackburn's work in such high regard. In each of his three volumes based on his own experiences with the Canadian 4th Field Regiment during World War Two, he enables his reader to know precisely what he was thinking and feeling as well as what he was encountering during the Normandy Invasion, during the Battle for the Rhineland, and then during the final months of the war.

In this volume as in The Guns of Normandy, Blackburn brilliantly uses two strategies to present his narrative: the present tense (to invest the material with immediacy) and the second person voice (to engage his reader in each situation, albeit vicariously). This volume offers so much technical information but always within a human context. For example, consider this brief passage in which Blackburn explains the symbolic importance of guns (as opposed to rifles) which bears striking resemblance to the importance pilots assign to the carriers on which they and their squadrons are based. In this instance, Blackburn describes what is (in effect) a warrior's reunion with artillery:

"You get the feeling that you are visiting a very strange place -- one of the most welcoming places you will ever visit in your whole life --even though you are conscious that tomorrow, or before today is out, this field will be abandoned, never to be seen again by you or any of these fellows. How strange that something that has no permanence by way of form or location should become fixed in your mind as something of substance, something reliable to be counted on in this shaky, impermanent world, an island of stability and order in a churning ocean of disorder, an ultimate refuge to which you can withdraw if everything else disintegrates: home." Surely this is passage could also describe a weary survivor of the air war in the Pacific as he prepares to return to his carrier, "an island of stability and order in a churning ocean of disorder, an ultimate refuge to which [he] can withdraw if everything else disintegrates: home."

By the time we reach the conclusion of this volume, we fully understand the meaning and significance of the quotation from Kipling with which Blackburn concludes Part Four. Specifically, the last line "The guns, thank God, the guns." Perhaps Blackburn will not object if I presume to thank God also for those "in baggy pants covered with mud, their boots and socks always wet."

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The Guns of Victory: A Soldier's Eye View, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, 1944-45
George G. Blackburn
Manufacturer: McClelland & Stewart Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ONF0M6

Book Description

Yurugu removes the mask from the European facade and thereby reveals the inner workings of global white supremacy: A system which functions to guarantee the control of Europe and her descendants over the majority of the world's peoples.

Customer Reviews:

Required reading.......2006-08-05

like many who have posted responses to this book, i have had it for many years. (from the day of its release) this will be my shortest post ever. REQUIRED READING FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!! It's deep, so be prepared to DEAL with it, for it will change your thought process!

Very Special.......2006-07-13

For us. I am 21, let me tell whomsoever is reading this, go buy it- it will enable one to overstand and complete the download. digest slowly and pay attention wherever u r!

Be strong and open ur hearts, it will help.intenational intellects and young people-open ur eyes and stop ur sinning, trust man, forward a yard da children are the future.

psalm 68

Revelation of the Hidden Truth.......2006-04-16

Dr. Ani's book is one that I have been looking for a very long time although I may have not have been ready for it until now. As a Black man in America, Yurugu completely demystifies the notion of European/white cultural superiority. This book is very difficult to read because of the content that must be covered and the concepts that must be deconstructed and explained. The book hits so many nails on the head. I would not expect most white people to understand it. In fact, most BLACK people will not be able to understand it unless they have adopted an Afrocentric location. Those who know are not intimidated into thinking Afrocentrism to the exclusion of other pardigms and points of view. In fact, Afrocentrism invites the point of view of others as a way to seek truth. I suspect that most people, particularly white people as well as even Black people who have vested themselves into European culture, will find most of Yurugu impalatable. In fact they will decry her work as "reverse racism." However, most balanced and objective people will find this work immensely almost frightenly informative. I admit it has taken me a while to read this book but that is so that I can contemplate what I have read, to allow time to digest these thoughts. White people need not fear retribution or malice from Black people but they should take heed. A Black person or other persons of color who have read this book and others like it will view white people and western culture in a much different light. If white people find black folk questioning them with a heretofore unseen level of confidence and scrutiny, then they will know that they are centered in their "Africaness." Then you will know to say what you mean and mean what you say!

Essential reading for all Afrikans.......2005-12-15

I first read this book several years ago. It was so far over my head at the time. I needed a dictionary by my side to get through pretty much every page. Yet, I knew somehow that I needed to get through it. And, somehow I did. Even though, when I was done, I had to admit that there was so much of it I just flat out did not understand.

But, then, as time went on, I found that the firm foundation of struggling through Ani's work was _exactly_ what I needed to prepare me for what was to come later in my Journey of Life.

I was able to read, and eventually understand, Ra Un Nefer Amen's "Metu Neter" because Ani forced me to get a grasp on the meaning, implications, and ramifications of Cosmology.

I was able to understand Welsing's "Isis Papers" because Ani taught me to step outside the box America had taught me from birth to imprison myself within and to question everything meticulously.

I was able, after years of denial, to recognize the wide and deep chasm between christianity and Christ because of the foundation Ani lay, warning me gently, without condemnation, that all was not as it seemed.

I could go on and on. But, instead, I will end by simply saying two things. One, an Afrikan is a fool, unworthy of benefiting from his ancestor's struggles, if he allows anyone to tell him what to read. And, two, if the childen of those who enslaved your ancestors are kicking and screaming, throwing a fit, and insisting that something you are about to do is wrong ... then that is a very good sign that you are on the right path to Knowing Self.

A wise scribe, thousands of years ago, wrote upon his books of wisdom, when he foresaw that soon others would come and corrupt his teachings:

"Be hidden, until an older heaven births human beings who are worthy of your wisdom."

Ani is one of those beings, birthed by heaven to be worthy of the wisdom of Tehuti.

Istlota

Challenging and Provocative Read, A Must for Serious Researchers.......2005-12-01

For those that make it their business to understand the ongoing dynamic of racism, as it is fueled by capitalism, xenophobia and institutional racism - Yurugu offers the pinacle of dialogue. What makes it equally interesting is that it also draws from traditional sources to provide esoteric insight into the matter as well. This is probably the most brave and holistic book about Eurocentricism gone awry ever.

Book stores are gradually finding out how important a book it is and starting to overcharge! It is still easily found by those who make a little effort.

COLLECTORS, DO NOT PAY MORE THAN $40 FOR A NEW COPY! Used copies can be easily found for around $20.

Average customer rating:

Excellent overview of chaparral and fire

Great stuff

Fire, Chaparral, And Survival In Southern California
Richard W. Halsey
Manufacturer: Sunbelt Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Natural Disasters | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Ecology | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0932653693

Book Description

Biologist and fire ecologist Richard W. Halsey, with contributions from many other experts, has woven together the crucial elements of fire behavior, land management, and knowledge of the natural environment to help Californians better protect their families and form vital connections with their surroundings.

With a detailed description of the chaparral plant community and a full-color field reference to its most common plants and animals, Halsey provides an essential guide to Southern California's most extensive and characteristic wilderness.

Special contributors include wildland fire and chaparral specialists Jon E. Keeley, CJ Fotheringham, and Max A. Moritz, wildland resource scientist Klaus W.H. Radtke, National Park Service scientists Marti Witter and Robert Taylor, geographer Michael Wangler, and botanists Anne Fege and Bill Howell with the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent overview of chaparral and fire.......2007-04-10

This is a great resource for those living in chaparral areas. As a biologist I find the book particularly fascinating as it includes photos of common plants, chaparral communities (pre/post fire). I highly recommend picking this up to learn more about this interesting plant community and our human relationship to this valuable biological resource.

Great stuff.......2005-02-13

Finally a book on California wildfires that tells it like it is. Great natural history stuff too. Maybe now the public will wake up. Here's a review from the San Diego Union. It's accurate.

A biologist challenges common wisdom in 'Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California'

Reviewed by Terry Rodgers
February 6, 2005
San Diego Union-Tribune

Biologist and fire ecologist Richard W. Halsey sees ample evidence that Southern Californians simply don't get it.

Surrounded by a highly flammable chaparral landscape, we insist on building housing in inappropriate locations that are impossible to defend against wildfires. When the inevitable happens, we expect firefighters to accomplish the impossible by saving every structure, no matter how stupidly constructed. In the fire's aftermath, there's a clamor for more equipment, more choppers, more air tankers.

The public believes chaparral wildfires whipped up by Santa Ana winds can be easily subdued by a bigger, better-equipped army of firefighters. Using tragedy to push a political agenda, some try to blame the fires' destruction on the chaparral itself and those who favor open space conservation.

In "Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California," Halsey directly challenges the common wisdom that has fostered the pattern of tail-chasing after every wildfire disaster.

This is an interesting and important book that could dispel the public's misperceptions and improve public policy to minimize death and destruction from wildfires. Halsey forces the reader to rethink how mankind should live in Southern California's estimated 8.6 million acres of chaparral. He makes the case that much can be done through better land-use planning, improved building codes and a renewed vigilance on the part of homeowners.

"Past fire suppression practices or environmental regulations limiting vegetation treatments in wild spaces cannot be blamed for the wildfires we see today," he writes. "We must recognize fire will always be part of the California experience, with or without chaparral."

The initial chapters read like a chaparral-habitat field guide, before the book switches abruptly to Halsey's intriguing treatise on wildfire management, including lessons learned from the catastrophic wildfires of 2003.

The early chapters are worthwhile for amateur naturalists or natural history guides seeking a comprehensive understanding of chaparral ecology. Like the Golden State's once-robust population of grizzly bears, native chaparral and its cousin habitat, coastal sage scrub, are being systematically eliminated. For too long, the beauty and utility of the chaparral have been underappreciated. These plant communities are crucial to a healthy watershed that deters erosion and provide habitat for wildlife.

While it's true that periodic fires are healthy for chaparral, humans have increased the frequency of wildfires. Such overburning allows non-native grasses and other plants to take over.

"Considering development, increased fire frequency and the possibility of continued drought conditions, the future (of chaparral) looks extremely difficult," Halsey writes.

Much of the book is a how-to manual for homeowners who wish to create a reasonable defense against wildfire. Halsey argues that, rather than rely on firefighters to come to their rescue, homeowners need to be more savvy about how they prepare for the fires. They can create "survivable spaces" with intelligent (not clear-cut) brush clearing along with on-site measures such as misters under vulnerable wooden eaves.

The author supports his theories with a collection of interviews and anecdotes of residents and firefighters who have first-hand experience battling wildfires.

"What had become clear after the 2003 firestorm is that people had become so unfamiliar with the environment in which they lived and so dependent on outside assistance that they had lost control of their own lives," he writes. "They had neglected to prepare for the inevitable."

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