Amazon.com
What was it about Germany that made the rise of Adolf Hitler and his murderous regime possible? That troubling question has occupied many fine minds over the last six decades, few more lucid and thoughtful than the late historian and journalist Sebastian Haffner. In this book, drawn from a manuscript he did not live to complete, Haffner examines the social and cultural conditions that made Germany ill-equipped for democracy and ripe for totalitarianism. Among these, Haffner writes, were a generational war between an apathetic adult population and a youth "familiar with nothing but political clamor, sensation, anarchy, and the dangerous lure of irresponsible numbers games"; a fatal fondness for the winner-and-loser dichotomy of sports and a rage for spectacle and entertainment; a resignation through which ordinary people came to "adapt to living with clenched teeth, in a manner of speaking," rather than stand up in protest. In that climate, Haffner--who left Germany just before World War II broke out--suggests, Nazism was almost an inevitability, against which he, too, tried to withdraw into "a small, secure, private domain," like so many others of his time and place. An important eyewitness account, Haffner's book deepens our understanding of how small missteps can lead to tragic ends, and how nations can be led into chaos. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Written in 1939 and unpublished until 2000, Sebastian Haffner's memoir of the rise of Nazism in Germany offers a unique portrait of the lives of ordinary German citizens between the wars. Covering 1907 to 1933, his eyewitness account provides a portrait of a country in constant flux: from the rise of the First Corps, the right-wing voluntary military force set up in 1918 to suppress Communism and precursor to the Nazi storm troopers, to the Hitler Youth movement; from the apocalyptic year of 1923 when inflation crippled the country to Hitler's rise to power. This fascinating personal history elucidates how the average German grappled with a rapidly changing society, while chronicling day-to-day changes in attitudes, beliefs, politics, and prejudices.
Customer Reviews:
Defying Hitler.......2007-09-06
Amazing book! Proves that not all Germans were rabid Nazis. A personal journey through a unique perspective on how and why the Nazis were able to assume power, as well as why the Germans were unable to stop them. Highly recommended!
What would it have been like to live in Germany during Hitler's rise to power?.......2007-08-30
This is the story of Sebastian Haffner, a man who lived in Germany during Hitler's rise to power. I loved hearing the story from the perspective of the average German. I can't imagine living in such tumultuous times, but reading this book gives me a glimpse. The best part about it is the fact that it tries to answer two very important questions: how on earth a regime like the Nazis could rise to power, and how almost the entire nation where corrupted by them. It's a wonderful story that I would recommend to anyone that is the bit interested in that period. Remember, it's by understanding the past that we can best keep from repeating it.
A young adult's choice in Germany........2007-07-04
Haffner is one of those few Germans who did it right. Rather than live life under Hitler and the Nazis, he choses to go abroad. Haffner describes his life from World War I until the eve of World War II. He describes the revolution in people's minds, and how people decided that Hitler and his party might be bad,but they could live with him. Haffner describes these experiences as Hitler rises to power. His girl friend is Jewish and he has many Jewish friends. He also has friends from across the political spectrum. He himself was more on the conservative side, but he loathed Hitler. This is his personal chronicle of those troubled times.
For a man of such a young age, Haffner was very astute on the coming future of Hitler's Germany. He correctly indicated that Hitler was the downfall of Germany and possibly the world.
An exceptional book by an exceptionally insightful man.......2006-09-12
I'm only halfway through reading this (in the original German), and I'm already recommending it to anyone who will listen. Much of what needs to be said about this book has already been said by other reviewers. I will only add that I'm constantly amazed by the author's insight and prescience. He not only gives an utterly illuminating account of the psychology of the times, he also confidently and accurately predicts the catastrophe that follows, despite writing the book in 1938, before WWII broke out and before the Holocaust was even imaginable to anyone outside Germany (or even to many inside). If only a majority of his countrymen had been so clear-sighted.
I can only hope that the English translation does justice to the original German, which is vivid, powerful, and laced with often understated but brutally effective irony. The writing style is also surprisingly modern and fluid; not at all stilted or stuffy, unlike much German journalism and other non-fiction from that period.
Last but not least, I'll mention that there important lessons in this book for modern times. Haffner makes some illuminating comments on how the burning of the Reichstag (ostensibly by the Communists but in actuality by the Nazis) provoked a discussion only of whether the Communists were really to blame and not, as one might have hoped, of whether such an incident (regardless of who the perpetrators were) really justified the wholesale revocation of freedom of speech and the institution of warrantless wiretaps(!). A recurring theme in the book is that the citizens and opposition leaders of Germany had ample opportunity to say, "enough is enough," but instead they only made excuses for each new abuse of power until the destruction of the Weimar Constitution was complete. I will let the readers of this review draw their own parallels.
Invaluable lesson for all of us TODAY.......2006-01-03
This memoir, written in the late 1930s, frankly sets forth how otherwise enlightened people could stand by and do NOTHING while their government in fits and jolts, turns fascist, grinding up everything in its path. Read this book and think of the Patriot Act, the normalization of torture, the unjust and illegal wars and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, the attacks on evolution. Think of President Bush and his "mission from God." Think of how normal your daily life appears, then realize this normality is going on against a backdrop of huge, potentially inexorable changes. Compare our time to the Weimar period! Then act as young Haffner wishes he had. It is not yet too late: but it soon may be.
Book Description
Originally published in 1868—when it was attacked as an “indecent book” authored by a “traitorous eavesdropper”—Behind the Scenes is the story of Elizabeth Keckley, who began her life as a slave and became a privileged witness to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Keckley bought her freedom at the age of thirty-seven and set up a successful dressmaking business in Washington, D.C. She became modiste to Mary Todd Lincoln and in time her friend and confidante, a relationship that continued after LincolnÂ's assassination. In documenting that friendship—often using the First LadyÂ's own letters—Behind the Scenes fuses the slave narrative with the political memoir. It remains extraordinary for its poignancy, candor, and historical perspective.
Customer Reviews:
Intimate recollections of the Lincoln White House.......2007-09-13
Although this volume comes from the memories of someone familiar with the Lincoln White House and who became a close friend of Mary Todd Lincoln, it must be read cautiously. For example, despite the book's basic authenticity I find its account of Stephen Douglas's love for young Mary Todd and her jilting of Lincoln implausible despite Keckley's claim that she got the story directly from Mary Todd Lincoln and Anson Henry (a close friend of Abraham and Mary, who was a matchmaker encouraging their romance). Possibly some errors might be attributed to one or more literary assistants who helped compile the book. If a reader needs to be certain a about a particular statement, comparison with other sources is wise. Still, the volume will be valuable to anyone interested in firsthand impressions of the Lincoln White House.
Friend and confidant to Mary Lincoln.......2007-03-22
I got this little book so that I could learn more about the Lincolns and their home life at the White House. It does an excellent job of telling the story of Elizabeth and Mary's friendship, which I wish could have continued, but alas, it didn't. I would recommend this book to all readers interested in US history, not matter what their age or gender, so that they can get an intimate view of the Lincoln's family life. Elizabeth was a strong and proud woman with a high moral and ethical character...if she were alive today, she would be swamped with interview requests and book deals!
Not What You'd Expect, But Read It As If You Lived 138 Years Ago.......2006-08-05
In 1868, three years after the War Between the States ended and Abraham Lincoln was murdered, Elizabeth Keckley sat down to write a partial history of her life as a slave and modiste (dressmaker) for Mary Todd Lincoln at the White House. If readers judge "Behind the Scenes" by the standards of modern biographies, they won't do the book justice.
"Lizzie" Keckley was a slave who insisted on buying her freedom, even after being offered it for nothing. In modern terms, she was an "Aunt Tom" for validating the notion that any human being can be bought and sold for a price. By her own standards, she was affirming her value to society. It's impossible to judge such a person in contemporary terms.
Lizzie's dressmaking skill attracted the attention of Mary Todd Lincoln in 1861. Mrs. Lincoln was quite addicted to clothes, and hired "Dear Lizzie" as her private modiste. Their association solidified into a deep friendship after the death in 1862 of Willie Lincoln (in the White House); Lizzie offered warmth and solicitude, badly needed by an erratic First Lady whose intemperate ways and harsh tongue had made her perhaps the most disliked person in Washington. The friendship persisted after Lincoln's assassination, when Lizzie aided Mrs. Lincoln in purging her monstrous debts (she owed $70,000 to department stores) by trying to sell off old dresses and jewelry.
"Behind the Scenes" ended the friendship. After its publication Mary Lincoln, her pride wounded, dropped "Dear Lizzie" and referred to Mrs. Keckley as "that colored historian."
For students of the assassination Mrs. Keckley's reminiscences are especially helpful. Several weeks after April 14, 1865, while Mrs. Lincoln was still in mourning inside the White House, Lizzie told her "the new messenger" (not identified by name in the book, unfortunately) was on watch, he being the same man who had abandoned his post outside Lincoln's box at Ford's Theater. Mrs. Lincoln excoriated the "new messenger" and accused him of complicity in the assassination. The messenger admitted his carelessness but denied complicity, insisting he had simply taken a seat where he could better watch the play.
Except for the ambiguous word "messenger," this account conforms precisely to the convential wisdom that prevailed until about 25 years ago, i.e. that John F. Parker, a Metropolitan Police officer assigned to White House duty, was responsible for guarding Lincoln's box on the night of the assassination, but left his post and allowed John Wilkes Booth clear entry (and how would Booth have known the coast would be clear?). Post-modern historians, possibly seizing on Keckley's use of "messenger" to describe Parker, contrived a theory that Parker's duties never included protecting Lincoln...which idea begs the obvious question, "Why would Mrs. Lincoln have been so angry at someone who wasn't responsible in the first place?" And, since Parker supposedly went on trial for negligence (the records were mysteriously destroyed), "Why would anyone have been put on trial for neglecting Lincoln at Ford's Theater if he had been only a White House functionary all along?"
One person's memior.......2005-04-26
This is a memior written by a woman who started life as a slave, then managed to buy her freedom, and later set up a successful living as a seamstress, eventually going to work for Mrs. Lincoln in the White House. As such, it is a bit rambling. There are two chapters about her early life as a slave, but the author knows that what is most interesting to the readers is her life in the white house, and so she skips ahead to that period, giving us her personal "insider account" of daily vignettes with Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln. These vignettes include an eyewitness account of Lincoln's second inauguration address, the death of Willie Lincoln, and events immediately after Lincoln's assasination. The author then goes on to describe her post-white house associations with Mrs. Lincoln, who became a personal friend, as Mrs. Lincoln deals with post-presidency debts. The book continues with an in-depth account of how Mrs. Keckley assisted Mrs. Lincoln with attempting to sell her personal effects (dresses) to raise money. This must have been of great interest to readers when the book was first published in the 1860's, but has limited appeal to modern readers.
Overall, however, the book is a very interesting glimpse into the daily life of a slave, an independent businesswoman in the 1860's, of someone who worked in the white house during the civil war, and of someone in the close confidence of the Lincolns. It is well-written and engaging.
The Life Of A Slave.......2005-02-18
This is my least favorite book on the Lincolns. It's the story of Elizabeth Keckley, who was a slave. Elizabeth eventaully becomes Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker and friend. This is a lot more about slavery than the Lincolns.I don't mind reading about the subject. I just didn't think it was a very well-written book on Elizabeth's part.
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Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave & Four Years in the White House
Elizabeth Keckley
Manufacturer: Reprint Services Corporation
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ASIN: 0781282276 |
Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University LibraryÕs preservation reformatting program.
Product Description
Formerly a slaveBorn into slavery, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (ca. 1824-1907) rose to a position of respect as a talented dressmaker to the political elite of Washington, D.C., and a confidante of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. In this unusual memoir, Keckley offers a rare, behind-the-scenes view of the formal and informal networks that African Americans established among themselves.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from ATQ (The American Transcendental Quarterly), published by University of Rhode Island on June 1, 1999. The length of the article is 6689 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.
From the supplier: The author argues that Elizabeth Keckley's "Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House" is a powerful example of autobiography written by former slaves. The article examines Keckley's treatment of her life as a slave and as a friend to Mrs. Abraham Lincoln.
Citation Details
Title: Not "Altogether" the "History of Myself": Autobiographical Impersonality in Elizabeth Keckley's "Behind the Scenes. Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House."(Critical Essay)
Author: Michael Berthold
Publication:
ATQ (The American Transcendental Quarterly) (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 1999
Publisher: University of Rhode Island
Volume: 13
Issue: 2
Page: 105
Article Type: Critical Essay
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
Bill Clinton's televised confession in the tawdry matter of Monica Lewinsky may not qualify as a sterling political moment, or even as a particularly inspired act of oratory. Whether seen as a gesture of remorse or an evasion, that apology was certainly extraordinary by any measure, and Senator Robert Torricelli rightly includes it here. In Our Own Words is his anthology of what he deems to be exceptional American speechifying. (Clinton's first draft was a more accomplished piece of writing and pleading forgiveness than the truculent final version; Torricelli and coeditor Andrew Carroll include both texts.)
Torricelli and Carroll's working definition of what constitutes a speech is broad, and arguably so. It encompasses not only such fine moments of public rhetoric as Notre Dame president Charles O'Donnell's eulogy to football coach Knute Rockne and Dwight Eisenhower's warning about the growing power of what he called the "military-industrial complex," but also actress Jane Fonda's wartime radio broadcasts from Hanoi and Frank Zappa's congressional testimony against proposed measures to initiate a national rating system for recorded music--not exactly speeches, a purist might object, but still useful primary sources for students of the recent past.
A practiced speechmaker himself, Torricelli brings in the voices not only of legislators and politicians, but also of ordinary people moved to heights of eloquence. The result is an eminently readable collection spanning the last hundred years, useful to students of history and of public discourse. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
This bestselling collection of American oratory is the most comprehensive anthology of its kind: a record of twentieth-century America captured in the words that inspired and infuriated, electrified and galvanized its people. Decade by decade, generation to generation, history unfolds in the famous and infamous expressions of Americans from all walks of life: poets and politicians, artists and astronauts, soldiers and sports legends, preachers and pacifists, humorists and hell-raisers.
In Our Own Words bears witness to the forces that swept our nation -- two World Wars, Prohibition, the Depression, the Cold War, the Civil Rights era, Vietnam, the Reagan era, and beyond -- and features the voices of
Theodore Roosevelt * Booker T. Washington * Mark Twain * Emma Goldman * Woodrow Wilson * Marcus Garvey * Oliver Wendell Holmes * George S. Patton * Pearl Buck * Orson Welles * Jackie Robinson * Joseph McCarthy * Rachel Carson * Vince Lombardi * Barry Goldwater * John F. Kennedy * J. Edgar Hoover * Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. * Malcolm X * Richard M. Nixon * Frank Zappa * Elie Wiesel * Charlton Heston * Ryan White * Duke Ellington * Billy Graham * Barbara Jordan * Bill Clinton * Cesar Chavez * Helen Keller...and dozens of others who tell the story of their age from their podiums and soapboxes, courtrooms and convention halls.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Resource!.......2005-11-20
I don't know of anyone who expects communication to be Unbiased; we each come to the table with our own opinions & perspectives. That said, the speeches in this book are a great resource for having a thumb on the pulse of modern life, and the events that bring us to today.
Valuable for a writing resource, preparation to write remarks, and for a leisurly read (this from an admitted history buff).
Great Reference of Speeches.......2004-05-14
Look - this compilation of speeches is well worth checking out. You can find the history of the 20th century wrapped up in the writings. From Roosevelt to Clinton there is much to be digested in this work. Any student of politics or history will be well served to read through this book and refer to it going forward. It is interesting to see how the language of speeches changes in the present, and how it recalls much of the past.
Classic speeches from JFK, Reagan, MLK, Clinton, etc will keep you interested, and some other speeches will put you to sleep. The point is - you will know more about our world, and the USA if you check out this book.
Joseph Dworak
A Century of Outstanding Spoken Wisdom.......2004-02-24
In Our Own Words is a treasure of the greatest American speeches of the twentieth century. The greatest minds and their messages have been chronologically compiled bringing us all the wisdom their spoken words have served to alter the course of humanity.
If you are looking for a book that is engaging, illuminating, and packed with profound wisdom from some of the greatest minds that have made history, this is one book that you will be glad you bought.
Highly recommended! Barbara Rose, author of "Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE" and 'If God Was Like Man'
Editor of inspire! magazine
A good compilation, if you ignore the italics........2002-11-27
I bought this book because of an interest in analyzing the form and structure of oratory speech, and on that level, the book delivers rather well. However, the editorial comment that is supposed to provide the "objective" context in which these speeches were delivered, deteriorates rather badly as the last decade of the century is covered.
For example, in the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill controversy, an speech is excerpted from both parties. There's nothing wrong with that, but in the author's/editor's commentary to set up the speech, Hill's speech is given the description "equally as compelling". Which again, I say is fine, if they wanted to go that route to highlight both sides with similar force.
But then cut to a later pair of passages, first with Sarah Brady (emphasized as "Registered Republican") speaking at the 1996 Democratic National Convention about handgun control, and then excerpting a speech from Charlton Heston on behalf of the NRA ("Although many Americans consider the organization's positions extreme" -- p. 427) opposing the measure.
I'm not familiar with the immediate politics of the earlier periods to say what kind of bias, if any, is reflected by the editorial comments in this account of history, but there's a level of trust between author/editor and reader that, if breached, can justify the reader in dismissing wholesale the commentary for lack of integrity rather than an innocent bias. Perhaps if this book had been completed a year or two later than it was (1999), the perspective of recent history may have been a little different.
But for the speeches themselves, I can't complain. It's a decent resource not only for its substance, but also for a guide to drafting good oratory.
A lot of good speeches.... a LOT of bias.......2002-01-16
Torricelli's compilation of what he considers to be the greatest speeches of the twentieth century is an impressive collection of famous oratory. No doubt, some of the speeches he chose to include rank as some of the finest and most influential in world history.
That having been said, I get the impression that Torricelli sat down with a textbook of 20th century American history (surely a "revisionist" one at that), picking and choosing speeches that reflected the liberal/progressive/feminist/environmentalist side of pretty much every argument that arose.
If a reader were to base his understanding of the American century solely on Torricelli's choice of important events and speeches, one would think the liberal viewpoint dominated this period, with conservatives providing knee-jerk, reactionary rants to an agenda framed and implemented by the Left with some exceptions. In reality, particularly during the latter half of this century, nothing could be further from the truth.
What particularly disappointed me was the editors' need to give commentary before and after many of the speeches, as if this book would be someone's first jaunt into American history. These editorials, which further display the editors' blatant political bias, add nothing to the book at all - in fact they take away from it.
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- Well-written introduction and discussion of invasive species
- A discussion which includes solutions to the threat
- Rats and Rubber Vines Tell Tales
- A new look at my garden
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A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines: The Growing Threat Of Species Invasions (Scope Series - Scientific Committee on Pro)
Yvonne Baskin
Manufacturer: Island Press
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Nature Out of Place: Biological Invasions in the Global Age
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Under Ground: How Creatures of Mud and Dirt Shape Our World
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ASIN: 1559630515 |
Book Description
The human love of novelty and desire to make one place look like another, coupled with massive increases in global trade and transport, are creating a growing economic and ecological threat. The same forces that are rapidly "McDonaldizing" the world's diverse cultures are also driving us toward an era of monotonous, weedy, and uniformly impoverished landscapes. Unique plant and animal communities are slowly succumbing to the world's "rats and rubbervines" -- animals like zebra mussels and feral pigs, and plants like kudzu and water hyacinth -- that, once moved into new territory, can disrupt human enterprise and well-being as well as native habitats and biodiversity.
From songbird-eating snakes in Guam to cheatgrass in the Great Plains, "invasives" are wreaking havoc around the world. In A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines, widely published science writer Yvonne Baskin draws on extensive research to provide an engaging and authoritative overview of the problem of harmful invasive alien species. She takes the reader on a worldwide tour of grasslands, gardens, waterways, and forests, describing the troubles caused by exotic organisms that run amok in new settings and examining how commerce and travel on an increasingly connected planet are exacerbating this oldest of human-created problems. She offers examples of potential solutions and profiles dedicated individuals worldwide who are working tirelessly to protect the places and creatures they love.
While our attention is quick to focus on purposeful attempts to disrupt our lives and economies by releasing harmful biological agents, we often ignore equally serious but much more insidious threats, those that we inadvertently cause by our own seemingly harmless actions. A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines takes a compelling look at this underappreciated problem and sets forth positive suggestions for what we as consumers, gardeners, travelers, nurserymen, fishermen, pet owners, business people -- indeed all of us who by our very local choices drive global commerce -- can do to help. "
Customer Reviews:
Well-written introduction and discussion of invasive species.......2006-09-12
Baskin provides an excellent introduction to invasive species, chronicling through many enlightening anecdotes the history and consequences of this problem. All too often this subject is presented by specialists for others with biological training, but this book is written well-enough for the general reader. She provides examples of the hard work to remedy the problems associated with invasive species, as well as potential solutions for the future, giving us hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel, if we make the effort and dedicate appropriate resources. If I had to find faults with the book, I would say that she focuses too intensely on just a few regions (albeit important ones): Montana, Hawaii, Galapagos Islands, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa (a little about Florida). Problems in other regions receive little or no attention. But the book is still a great one for this very neglected yet extremely important subject.
A discussion which includes solutions to the threat.......2003-01-06
Plague Of Rats And Rubber Vines provides a very important discussion of species invasions around the world while also addressing many of the little-known consequences of such invasions, including the consequences of global trade and world travel so popular with Westerners. Plant and animal communities are increasingly being degraded by invasive species, and Plague Of Rats And Rubber Vines provides a discussion which includes solutions to the threat.
Rats and Rubber Vines Tell Tales.......2002-10-23
In a world shrinking because of an increase in global trade and travel, the economic and ecological impacts wrought by invasive species can no longer be ignored and, in some cases, it may already be too late to react.
That's the premise of a new book entitled "A Plague of Rats and Rubber Vines - The Growing Threat of Species Invasions", by Yvonne Baskin (Island Press/Shearwater Books 2002). Baskin, a Montana-based science writer and author of a 1997 book, "The Work of Nature", paints an occasionally grim picture of how humans have diluted, mixed and meddled with the planet's biological wealth, often with troubling consequences.
Written in an easy-to-read style, Baskin makes her case using plentiful examples, from the so-called Cinderella Snail that once promised economic miracles in the Philippines yet managed the opposite, to the dreaded zebra mussel, the tenacious Kudzu vine and the vanishing iguana. She writes candidly and authoritatively on the propagation of feral goats overrunning parts of the Galapagos Islands, and the common house sparrow that lived and bred innocuously in Europe, but "exploded" upon arrival in North America and New Zealand.
As she put it, "Take the house sparrow, a rather sedentary bird that fledges three to five chicks each year in its European homeland. What formula could have warned the acclimatizers and their like - had they cared - that this sparrow would rapidly take much of the New World by storm? Yet nineteenth century observes reported sparrow pairs producing 24 fledglings per year as the birds exploded across North America, and 31 fledglings per year in New Zealand."
In the Galapagos National Park, feral dog packs were killing off the iguana population in the late 1970s. It prompted a captive-breeding program to bring back the numbers. Baskin noted that "few of the nitty-gritty details of reptile husbandry were known then, such as how to get males to breed with females instead of killing them, and how long and at what temperature to incubate iguana eggs." Studies of free-living iguanas helped provide the answers. Further, many of the dogs, pigs, cats and rats preying on the iguanas were eliminated, but such eradication efforts are becoming increasingly more difficult. Sharpshooters have been hired to reduce the goat population.
On a small island east of Auckland, the author and a companion peered under thickets to catch sight of a kokako, New Zealand's largest surviving native songbird. According to Baskin, the kokako belongs to an ancient family of wattlebirds that exist only there, yet her foray into the bush ended before she had heard its organ-like call. Such an observation might easily have been forgotten by the reader, considering the book is laden with examples of decreasing biodiversity, but Baskin relied on popular culture to cement her point. "The kokako's song reverberates through the sound track of director Jane Campion's 1994 Oscar-winning movie, `The Piano', which portrays British colonists carving out a settlement in New Zealand's primeval forests in the 1850s," she wrote. "In that era, male and female kokako regularly greeted the down with resounding and complex duets. These days, seeing or hearing a kokako in the remnants of those forests is rare."
For environmental journalists looking to grasp the concept of invasive species in a way that might be easily conveyed to their readers, this book is a necessity. "A Plague of Rats and Rubber Vines" is both reference tool and map for what is being done to help nature fight off the introduction of plants and animals in regions where they have no place being. Baskin quotes Donald Kennedy from a 2001 article in the journal Science: "Modest gestures have been made, such as special laws regarding ballast pumping and used tire inspection. But there is neither a general strategy for dealing with these invaders nor a widespread awareness of our vulnerability. We have made the globe a biological Cuisinart, and we will either have to deal with the consequences or use our scientific capacity to improve forecasting and monitoring."
Baskin acknowledges that some governments are taking steps to thwart the impact of invasive species by adopting new regulations on importation, and by funding efforts to bring problem species under control. Still, mistakes are made daily at airport and dockside customs desks, which allow invasive species to enter regions amid nursery stock, eventually establishing themselves where they don't belong and could cause catastrophic problems. Seed packages sold by international companies routinely cross over political borders without ecological concern. Planes, trains and automobiles all contribute to this process.
Certainly the problem of invasive species differs by region, but the effects are measurable and, in most cases, the culprits can be traced back to their point of origin. It's here that the environmental journalist can play a major role, partnering with biologists to identify the invaders and increasing the level of public awareness. After all, a species invasion can begin innocently enough with grandma tucking a few green shoots into her pocketbook while visiting relatives in Cambodia, and replanting them upon returning home to St. Louis.
---David Liscio, ecology professor Endicott College, Beverly, MA, and correspondent to the Society of Environmental Journalists.
A new look at my garden.......2002-07-17
Every now and then I take a look at my garden - does my passion vine do well?, are my ferns lush and green?, and so on. After reading this book, I'm still looking at my garden, but in a different way. Is that vine a potential invader? That knotweed overthere, is it causing trouble somewhere else where it invades the natural area? Are there potential killer weeds in my garden??
Baskin's book changed my view, not a minor achievement. The reason is simple: A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines is an excellent read, informative and well written! It's about biological invasions in a broad sense, from crop pests and foreign diseases to ecological catastrophs caused by alien wildlife. Writing about such a topic has the danger of monotony, and endless lament on past and lost paradise. But Baskin skillfully knows to circumvent such a negative approach. Although the first chapters sketch a grim picture of the havoc caused by alien invasions, the book than continues by describing what current measures must turn the tide. Quarantain at borders and airports are an essential ingredient of fighting invasions. Though often a nuisance to naive passengers, these measures are much more understandable to me now I've read this book. There are also some succes stories about invasions that have been combatted and nearly or completely defeated.
Rats and Rubbervines does not give an exhaustive overview of all invasions - there are simply to many to do this. But more importantly, such an approach would be of little interest. Instead, Baskin offers the reader insight in the underlying causes of invasions, and the economic aspects involved. After reading Rats and Rubbervines, you have a reasonably balanced overview of this important topic.
There is one minor drawback: readers not familiar with common names of the plants and animals involved would love to see a line drawing or picture of the organisms, but apart from a small number of photographs illustrations are lacking. An idea for a second edition? The book certainly deserves that!
Books:
- Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words
- Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
- Education of a Wandering Man
- Every Knee Shall Bow: The Truth and Tragedy of Ruby Ridge and the Randy Weaver Family
- Famous Men of Rome (Yesterday's Classics)
- Fire: From "A Journal of Love" The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1934-1937
- First We Have Coffee
- For the Love of the Game : My Story
- Forgiving the Dead Man Walking: Only One Woman Can Tell the Entire Story
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion Of Freedom
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality
- To Bear Witness: A Journey of Healing and Solidarity
- Getting Exposure: The Artist's Guide to Exhibiting the Work
- The New Ecological Order
- El maravilloso nopal: Sus propiedades alimenticias y curativas
Survival In Auschwitz
Fascism and the Right in Europe, 1919-1945: Seminar Sudies in History
The Meaning of Hitler
Sins of the Innocent
Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968
