Book Description
As it follows a Japanese housewife named Mariko Tanaka over the course of a year, The Secrets of Mariko transcends reportage to yield the kind of human insights we expect from literature. Meet Mariko, a cheerful, overscheduled woman who cares for three children, two aging parents, and an unresponsive husband. As readers watch Mariko take part in PTA meetings, bicker with her teenagers, and pursue independence through her part-time job, they come to see Mariko as someone whose dreams and disappointments mirror our own.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable, but not nearly intelligent.......2005-11-27
This book about Japanese society is written from the point of view of an American. It is highly readable and enjoyable, but here and there are typical American's biases. If you want to know why American's way of living is different from Japanese's, this is the book for you. If you want to know why Japanese's way of living is different from Americans, look for a more intelligent book.
Excellent book.......2005-05-09
I have just finished this book, and found it thoroughly enjoyable in a sober sense. Each chapter gave me something to think over; the book left me with a deeper understanding of Japanese culture and the way relationships are intertwined in that nation.
As I am studying Japanese, I may have found this book much more interesting than someone who has no particular interest in Japan. That said, if you have an open mind and interest in the culture, there's a good chance you'll love this book as much as I did.
At times, it seemed the author was a little too self-seeking. I would certainly hope she has kept in some form of contact with Mariko, and perhaps passed on some royalties from the book - given the massive amount of time Mariko and her family spent with the author (she did give Mariko's family a gift at the end, but to me that didn't seem enough).
Aside from that, the book was a real eye opener and I couldn't put it down.
Bear in mind the author spent time with Mariko between 1991-1992, so by now there will certainly be some cultural discrepencies and perhaps attitude changes.
A great look at the grass-roots..........2003-11-05
The best books about other cultures are those that start at the bottom and work up. In this book Elisabeth Bumiller interviews a Japanese women and her family, friends and others linked to the family to give a very detailed picture of a Japanese family from 1991 to 1992. We get to join festivals, sit in at PTA meetings, visit mobsters, learn about local politics, find out what family issues the Japanese have and even the family's view on America and international events.
NOTE: The author has very strong views of her own and will state them, but don't let that get in the way of the rest of the book. She digs up a LOT of information and makes it clear that while the Japanese might have different ways of thinking or doing stuff, they do have some of the same goals, dreams and fears.
Window into another lifestyle.......2002-12-14
This book provides glimpses of the lifestyle of an average Japanese housewife. Written by a journalist rather than an anthropologist, the author explores the life and important events of Mariko over the course of a year. Through the author's interviews, we learn the history of the family and the views of Mariko, her husband and children on such topics as family life, parenting, and work. As a journalist, Bumiller is quite interested in Japanese opinions and attitudes about current events, so Mariko and her family explain some of their complex feelings about the U.S. We visit the children's schools and work places, and see where they go on vacation. Along the way, Bumiller also interviews prominent Japanese who are in some way connected to aspects of Mariko's life, such as politicians, the head of the mob, and a talk show host. By the end of the book, readers are familiar with many details of average Japanese family life, something that would be unattainable unless one were to either grow up in Japan or live for long enough in Japan to develop close friendships with locals. But even Bumiller points out that she has only scratched the surface, and there is much about Mariko's life that we can never comprehend just by reading a book.
A great book for those interested in Japanese culture.......2002-07-02
True, this book is written from a Western perspective, but as most of the readers are coming from that same perspective, this did not bother me. This book examines the life of Mariko and her
family and gets beyond the surface to examine work, love, gender roles, growing up, school, traditions, and more in modern-day Japan. It is fascinating and will make you want to know more about Japan and Japanese culture.
Customer Reviews:
Magnificent........2007-06-04
`On the psychology of military incompetence' is officially on the list of books that Army personnel aren't allowed to read, but since I was given this was a retired general, reading it seemed like the thing to do. I'm pleased I did.
To be frank, non-military personnel might not admire its sheer brilliant powers of deductive observation. As soon as I had read it I started to panic as I saw the caricatures played out around me. I then started to spot them in myself, and began to panic harder. I suspect this book is designed to give oneself (if you happen to be in the military) a bit of a fright, and to encourage introspection.
Anyway, it's a brilliant book that's simply chock-full of theories, explanations and uncomfortable questions. I think the uncomfortable questions are the most valuable, but you have to read for yourself to discover if you think the same. And you should read it - it should be required reading for Officer Cadets right up to Generals, and civilians should read it as well - after all, you're the ones ultimately in charge of us gun-slinging types, yes?
Highly recommended.......2007-04-09
Dixon presents the historical facts for each general he considers, and he advances his theory tentatively. Thus, he suggests an interpretation, but allows you to make your own. The general's disregard of the lives of the soldiers he commands seems a telltale characteristic of the less competent. I do wish Dixon had considered also naval and air force officers. I would have appreciated more examples of the competent as well. I have to wonder whether a victory forgives incompetence we would condemn had the general lost. For example, though Dixon lauds Wolfe, and though Wolfe's victory over Montcalm at Quebec won Canada for Britain, Fred Anderson in "Crucible of War" informs us that Wolfe was delerious with fever at the time of the battle, and he owed his success in part to subordinates countermanding his orders. Each of us has but limited time on the planet. I pose some additional questions Dixon might have addressed. You should understand that leaves undiminished the great achievement this book represents. What Dixon did, he did very well. Anyone interested in the topic of leadership in battle will enjoy this book.
A serious look at a deadly problem.......2007-03-20
For most people, including most of today's amateur theorists on the events of the day, war is something akin to moving toy soldiers around. What they know of military matters is all too akin to cheering for a sports team. They want someone with a can do spirit and the willingness to charge into stiff resistance. Take that hill no matter what the cost. Fight to the death. A lot of horse manure.
War is a deadly business and there is probably no war in which incompetence was not afoot, whether in losing or in winning. Mix incompetence and a failure to understand the technology of war and you have WWI. The reality is that incompetence is as pervasive in the military as it is in the corporate world. And if we must fight wars, we should have a reasonable expectation tht the people who direct that effort have some idea of waht they are about. Dixon is concerned primarily with generalship.
I first read this when it was first published in the UK at least a couple of decades ago. It filled an important gap in the range of serious reading on both the military and organization behavior. As another reader notes, this is just organization behavior mil101.Most corporations are still organazing along military lines and that cuts through titles like team leader and associate. It is hard business to make it work right and too many times in the military, there is a failure of competence.
The fields o fhte world are littled with the remains of those who died through bad generals. Dixon reflects some of his own military experience in the British Army, including WWII, before he entered the Psychology field. There is a British emphasis, but the approach is generally and applies broadly to any military. And the examples he cites are among those that are studied deeply for implicatins. He covers the field from the intellectual capability of generals to a chapter that for the sake of review rules must be labeled as Bull droppings.
How do we deal with incompetent leadership? That is one of the questions Dixon addresses. It probably should be extended to political leaders given their power over warmaking.
In our day, we are assaulted wtih people who accuse their opponents of micromanaging wr in Iraq. A decade or two from now, it may be somewhere else. But what we began doing in Vietnam was executive branch micromanaging and that was greatly expanded during the Iraq fiasco to the point that many left senior ranks. We look closely at our generals, but can we afford to go to war without understanding the competence gap taht we might have in political leadership..
Essential reading in these militaristic times.......2002-06-30
Part I was enjoyable as it discussed people, but Part II was bogged down in psychological theory. It picked up again in Part III but needs a Part IV - "How to prevent these loonies from having power"!
Not only for Military Types.......2000-04-11
I first heard of this book in the Oxford Companion of the Mind. I managed to find a copy and was impressed with the work that Dixon had done on the subject.
Dixon analyses various military campaigns and provides his conclusion to why these ventures failed. various different reasons are cited in each case but there are certain common factors that Dixon isolates. From the Crimea to the blood baths at Somme and Arnhem. Dixon asks how competent officers and soldiers be let down by an inflexible militery guidelines of the period.
For example, Dixon is critical of the class selection of military 'leaders'. "Natural leaders may well have made good captains of a first XV," writes Dixon, "But being good at rugger in no way ensures the best quality of military leadership... Napoleon, Nelson, Wolfe for instance-were men of brain and character, not of huge bodies with dazzling records in the field of sport".
Dixon explains his findings in a clear and lucid manner that is understandable to anyone with a basic knowledge of psychology. The best recomendation I could have for Dixon's book is that his findings do not apply to military campaigns alone. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has ever worked on a film set. Frankly, I would shove this book to any future wannabe producer/director. it could save people a lot of hassle if they applied most of Dixon's findings.
Amazon.com
Long before an Allied victory was assured during World War II, the Big Three--Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin--began discussing how to prevent Germany from ever again threatening the world. The fact that Germany today is a peaceful, democratic ally of the U.S. is "one of America's great twentieth-century international achievements," writes esteemed historian Michael Beschloss. How such a transformation was accomplished is the subject of The Conquerors.
Drawing on thousands of previously unreleased documents, secret audio recordings, private diaries, and other information recently made available, Beschloss details the complex diplomacy between the Allied leaders, including their differences over whether to demand Germany's unconditional surrender; how, if at all, to divide Germany after the war; and how to effectively punish Germany without creating the kind of resentment that led to the rise of Hitler. The relationship between the three leaders, and later, Truman, is fascinating, as Beschloss reveals private conversations, ulterior motives, and numerous back-channel deals that took place. Of particular interest is the maneuvering of Roosevelt and Churchill, who were both concerned that the Soviets would attempt a postwar power grab in Western Europe if given the chance. The book also deals with Roosevelt's reluctance to deal with Germany's systematic extermination of the Jews, and the role that his old friend and Treasury Secretary, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., played in pushing the President into action. After learning of the Holocaust, Morgenthau became obsessed with punishing Germany severely, drafting a plan that called for the complete destruction of their mines and factories as a way of forcing Germany into subsistence farming--ideas that put him at odds with Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Secretary of War Henry Stimson, and many others in the administration.
The Conquerors is a superbly written, if brief, treatment of the political events leading up to the defeat of Germany, with the main players brought vividly to life by Beschloss's keen eye for detail and his ability to expose the human strengths and weaknesses of the participants. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
A New York Times bestseller, The Conquerors reveals how Franklin Roosevelt's and Harry Truman's private struggles with their aides and Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin affected the unfolding of the Holocaust and the fate of vanquished Nazi Germany.
With monumental fairness and balance, The Conquerors shows how Roosevelt privately refused desperate pleas to speak out directly against the Holocaust, to save Jewish refugees and to explore the possible bombing of Auschwitz to stop the killing. The book also shows FDR's fierce will to ensure that Germany would never threaten the world again. Near the end of World War II, he abruptly endorsed the secret plan of his friend, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, to reduce the Germans to a primitive existence -- despite Churchill's fear that crushing postwar Germany would let the Soviets conquer the continent. The book finally shows how, after FDR's death, President Truman rebelled against Roosevelt's tough approach and adopted the Marshall Plan and other more conciliatory policies that culminated in today's democratic, united Europe.
Download Description
"A New York Times bestseller, The Conquerors reveals how Franklin Roosevelt's and Harry Truman's private struggles with their aides and Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin affected the unfolding of the Holocaust and the fate of vanquished Nazi Germany. With monumental fairness and balance, The Conquerors shows how Roosevelt privately refused desperate pleas to speak out directly against the Holocaust, to save Jewish refugees and to explore the possible bombing of Auschwitz to stop the killing. The book also shows FDR's fierce will to ensure that Germany would never threaten the world again. Near the end of World War II, he abruptly endorsed the secret plan of his friend, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, to reduce the Germans to a primitive existence -- despite Churchill's fear that crushing postwar Germany would let the Soviets conquer the continent. The book finally shows how, after FDR's death, President Truman rebelled against Roosevelt's tough approach and adopted the Marshall Plan and other more conciliatory policies that culminated in today's democratic, united Europe. "
Customer Reviews:
What happened?.......2007-05-27
Any book about WWII, American History, and U.S. Presidents is an automatic read for me because they are my favorite subjects. That is why I am still perplexed about how Mr. Beschloss could have messed this one up. The story is told from people's points of view rather than independent investigation. I stopped reading about a quarter way through and passed it on.
The Not So Private War of Henry Morgenthau.......2007-04-20
Michael Beschloss's study of the Allied management of the end of World War II with Nazi Germany serves as a reminder that things are not always as obvious as they seem. At first glance the goal of hostilities in Europe could easily be summed up as the defeat of Hitler and Nazi Germany's Axis allies. But how does one define "defeat?" Is it territorial annihilation, Sherman to the Sea on a more massive scale? Is it discredit or even elimination of the warring military leadership? Is it national humiliation? Or is it business as usual in the conquered territories under Allied overlords, as would be the case of Japan?
This work is the story of how the United States, in concert with its allies, gestated its final plans for the conquest of Germany. One naturally gravitates toward Franklin D. Roosevelt as the leading man for such a drama, but in truth this book, like the events themselves, pivots around the persona of Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. That Morgenthau was Jewish, one of few of his faith to achieve such status to that time, adds poignancy to the tale. Beschloss describes Morgenthau as perhaps Roosevelt's closest friend in the cabinet, a bond developed over their years together as neighboring self-styled gentlemen farmers in Dutchess County, NY. Despite Morgenthau's perceptions and desires, it was not exactly a friendship of equals. As was his wont, Roosevelt managed his communications with Morgenthau in the ethereal fashion of all his working associates. In truth Morgenthau enjoyed cabinet status because of difficulties Roosevelt had encountered earlier with the scrutinies of more independent men in the Treasury, Dean Acheson among them.
His affection for Roosevelt notwithstanding, Morgenthau felt a particular responsibility to Jews under persecution in Nazi occupied territory. Early in the conflict Morgenthau had focused upon relocation of Jews from Germany and elsewhere, but as the War unfolded and the scope of atrocities became gradually evident to policy makers, Morgenthau pressured Roosevelt to make rescue of Jews a major priority during the engagement. Such considerations collided with concurrent Cabinet debate about the status and treatment of postwar Germany. This was not a matter of hawks and doves as much as a question of priorities. Instinctually, most policy makers wanted a hard peace for both military and punitive reasons. The question was how much of Germany's industrial infrastructure to destroy or spare in response to its crimes, a critical matter as 1944 hurried into 1945.
By 1944 Winston Churchill had his fill of German militarism and would gladly have endorsed a Shermanesque solution to the German problem. Living through his second major encounter with the German military machine, he advocated utter annihilation of the nation's infrastructure, including its factories in the Ruhr Valley. Joseph Stalin, ever fearful of his west flank, would easily come around to Churchill's position as well, motivated not only by a will to survive but an opportunity to expand Communist hegemony.
Morgenthau, despite his closeness to Roosevelt, was gradually losing place in the Cabinet. His peers believed that his Jewish faith and priorities blinded him to other military, political, and economic issues that worried them, and with reason. Beschloss makes splendid use of official minutes and private diaries to trace the strategic shifting going on around Roosevelt--insights into the concerns and motivations of Henry Stimson, Cordell Hull, and particularly John McCloy, who at the end of the day would probably do the most to derail Morgenthau's postwar vision.
Roosevelt's 1944 Quebec meeting with Churchill, with Morgenthau in attendance, convinced the latter--wrongly, as it would turn out--that his boss and the Prime Minister were solidly behind his call for a hard and vengeful peace, the Morgenthau Plan. He returned home entirely justified, so much so that he felt emboldened to steer certain aspects of his peace plan toward the Washington Post, with added hints of opposition among certain cabinet members. The fallout from public disclosure ignited massive political difficulties in nearly every quarter. Joseph Goebbels jumped upon Morgenthau's plan as evidence that Allied strategic planning was aimed at reducing Germany to the stone ages. Morgenthau was blamed for stiffening German resistance and costing American lives. Thomas Dewey, then running for president in the 1944 campaign, jumped upon the strategy ["as useful as ten fresh German divisions"] and the now apparent disarray of the cabinet. Roosevelt distanced himself from the plan and from its author Morgenthau, a painful and humiliating blow for the latter. Mercifully, Morgenthau was unaware at the time that his own closest confidant, Henry Dexter White, was a Russian spy.
The Battle of the Bulge, reported by American intelligence sources as a German response to the Morgenthau Plan, was probably the last straw that ended his influence upon conduct of the war. But other factors were weighing heavily upon the Allies. As western armies began crossing into Germany itself, the enormous damage already wrought upon the country's substructure made it clear that economic chaos and starvation were very likely at the conclusion of hostilities. All parties to the conflict, and notably England, were heavily in debt. The idea of a post-war German welfare state worried the international business community [except, ironically, America's own chief treasury officer.] To destroy the existing mines and factories of the Ruhr Valley, for example, seemed less and less desirable. In addition, growing concern in England and the United States about Russian post-war ambitions led to a grudging recognition that Germany could not be entirely demilitarized.
On the other hand, Germany's heinous crimes of the half-century called for an appropriate response. Beschloss captures the dilemma of policy makers, torn between pragmatic and humanitarian concerns in the partition, punishment, and reorganization of Germany. The author presents his well researched account in a style marked by intimacy, immediacy and movement. He gives us another vantage point of the War. Assuming that we know something of how it was fought, Beschloss explains how it was ended--and how it could have ended.
Lacking substance.......2006-04-21
I was quite disappointed in this book. The first 3/4 seem to be spent as Henry Morgentheau vs. Everybody in the Roosevelt Administration, and all it is how Roosevelt can't decide or won't commit on the Morgentheau plan while everybody else tries to persuade him otherwise. It picks up a little when Truman takes over, but not a great deal. It has enlightened me as to how all of this unfolded, but, in my opinion, could have been much better. I don't know if there's a better alternative.
A great read.......2006-03-10
Reading this book made me understand more about the complex war Roosevelt fought, against not only Germany, but also his own supporters and allies. Recommended.
The now told rise and fall of Jeff Madison.......2006-03-08
Jeff Madison (review below) copied his review right from the critics page of BarnesandNoble! Nearly all 75 of his reviews are copied. I have reported this to both Amazon and Barnes. Just making you all aware before you take anything he writes seriously. The critics review is pasted below, or you can just go to B & N and see for yourself. Jeff Madison, man of little class, and even less integrity. Hopefully they will be removing his reviews soon!
Foreign Affairs
World War II is the most intensively studied conflict in history, and nearly 60 years after its end, fresh information is still emerging. Beschloss' account of U.S. policy toward Germany during the war integrates new archival research to place some of the war's crucial actors and events in illuminating new perspective. In particular, Beschloss's account of the relationship between Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau and the president he served for 12 years leads to surprising and disquieting insights into Franklin Roosevelt's failure to publicize - much less to obstruct - the Holocaust. John McCloy emerges from these pages with a reputation considerably enhanced. Often singled out as the official responsible for blocking proposals to bomb Auschwitz or its feeder railroads, McCloy is shown here to have acted under direct and specific orders from Roosevelt - a source he loyally concealed for decades after the war. Beschloss' sensitive portrayal of the difficulties of assimilated, educated Jews such as Morgenthau with a political culture still strongly influenced by antisemitism is both disturbing and moving. Some of the material he handles is radioactive, such as antisemitic comments from Roosevelt and Harry Truman against the background of the Holocaust, yet Beschloss neither palliates evil nor imposes the standards of the present on the past.
Product Description
"Earth has no sorrow that earth cannot heal."
The best of John Muir: 332 quotations, the distillation of his thought, the essence of his beliefs. Muir was the foremost conservationist of his time: nature writer, social critic, realist, a romantic, a visionary. A long-needed collection that features an excellent subject index. Painstaking bibliographic references make this an invaluable addition to one s Muir Library. (Yosemite Association.) If asked for a succinct statement of his beliefs, Muir might have replied:
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
Customer Reviews:
Useful resource for locating Muir quotes.......1998-03-08
I am frequently asked for the source of particular Muir quotations. Answering these requests is difficult, because many of Muir's best passages were written in different locations. Muir frequently wrote for newspapers and magazines, and then later edited his writings for book publication. So, there are sometimes two or three slightly different versions of the same Muir quote! In addition, some of his most memorable quotes come from his journals, only part of which have ever been published. One way of finding many of Muir's best quotes is available through this 1988 compilation by Peter Browning. Browning has selected quotations from Muir filling 74 pages, arranged chronologically. Each chapter reflects a particular time period. For example, the first chapter, "So Little a Time," reflects 1860-1869. The book ends with a chapter reflecting some Muir quotes from as late as 1920, published quite a few years after his death. The most valuable feature of the book is the index. The 22 page index includes most of the topics that one might think of when thinking of John Muir, for example, "Animals," "Bears," "Earth," "Mountains," "Nature," and "Wilderness." It also contains many topics you might not expect: "civilization," "darkness," "ignorance," "People," and "wives." Then, under each of these topics, you will find the first line or a portion of a phrase which uses that topic in the quotation. Thus, if you look up "Freedom," in the index, you will find five quotes using that word, indicated by phrases like "boasted f. of the town," or "f. and beauty and peace come in." If you look up the latter, you'll find this relatively-unknown gem from Muir: "Only spread a fern-frond over a man's head, and worldly cares are cast out, and freedom and beauty and peace come in." Browning indicates the source of each quote, this one from both the Atlantic Monthly (January 11, 1911) and My First Summer in the Sierra, with the correct page numbers indicated. Browning also indicates when it was first written, when that can be determined; in this case on June 13, 1869. With the advent of the World Wide Web, it is now possible to do a search on the John Muir Exhibit Website for the source of many Muir quotes. If you need to find the source of a particular Muir quote, you can do a search on the John Muir Exhibit website with the Sierra Club host server search engine. This allows you to type a key phrase from the quote you are trying to find, and if it is on any of the books Muir wrote which we have online, you should find it. Even with the Web, Peter Browning's compilation provides a very useful service, allowing keyword searches, and it is also fun just to leaf through the book to read many of Muir's best quotations. Of course, at 98 pages, the book is not exhaustive, and the selection are those preferred by Browning. Some of my favorite quotes are not found in Browning's book. But most of Muir's best quotes can be found in the book, so I recommend it if you have a need to find Muir sources.
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Japanese
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
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| Books
Memories of Silk and Straw: A Self-Portrait of Small-Town Japan
Marriage in Culture: Practice And Meaning Across Diverse Societies
A Boy Called H: A Childhood in Wartime Japan (Kan Yamaguchi Series)
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Kitchen
