Book Description
"Prisons are hard places to get into and harder yet to get out of," writes Robert Ellis Gordon as he takes you on a remarkable eight-year journey into the Washington State corrections system.
As a writing teacher, Gordon had the unique experience of gaining access to the darkest realms of Washington prisons while still being free to walk away from penitentiary confines at the end of the day. His account is aided by essays and stories contributed by six extraordinary prison students - works that give this book an unforgettable edge. Together, Gordon and his students provide revealing glimpses of this vast secret-laden subculture of incarcerated individuals, which nationwide comprises more than two million U.S. citizens.
Here is a gallery of portraits of prison life, from the female guard who tantalizes male inmates with her sexuality to the terrified young fish trying to stave off other prisoners. These stories are jarring, harsh, compelling. The Funhouse Mirror provides an inside look at the prison system we often ignore, yet only at society's peril. This uncommon book is a significant addition to the literature on American penitentiaries. It is destined to help alter the terms of the debate about one of the great national problems of our time.
"In this memoir about teaching writing in prisons, we get a strong whiff of the fear, degradation, and violence that characterize daily life inside these institutions. What sneaks up on us is the character of Robert Gordon. The author's sustained act of charity, his years' long act of hope, is as striking as the honesty and bravery behind his report." --Barry Lopez, National Book Award Winner
Customer Reviews:
Interesting New Approach to Life Behind Bars.......2007-05-03
There have been books describing the subculture of prison life and those withiin it (Hot House, New Jack, etc) but this is the first one that is told through using a combination of narrative, and stores written by the prisoners themselves in a creative writing class. This book is informative, honest, and will do nothing to make you feel better about the system. However, it is an interesting read, the stories and backgrounds of the criminals makes you realize that most of them could not, and should not be released to society. But, after hearing their stories, you do think about the 'nurture vs nature' arguement. Well written book.
educational.......2006-11-30
Since I know nothing of the prison system, wanting to broaden my education, I choose this. An exceptional book, not only for one wanting an education, yet to know the system. VERY well written. A MUST read for anyone wanting to know more that the basic of the gossip mill. Thank YOU for taking the time to write.
A Daring Refelction.......2004-02-05
Unlike most books I read, I was able to meet with the author of The Funhouse Mirror, Robert Ellis Gordon, on a few occasions. He had published his book through Washington State University Press, and a friend of mine was trying top help him distribute it to a wider academic audience. Knowledgeable, soft spoken and generous, Robert gave me a stack of his books on the promise that I would speak to colleagues and instructors in the Massachusetts area while on a 5 week seminar at Amherst College.
It went over well with fellow teachers at the seminar, which happened to be entitled "Crime, Punishment and Politics" and was led by Professor Austin Sarat. The book contains stories and essays by Gordon reflecting on his years spent as a teacher of creative writing in the Washington State prison system. Several other portions of the book contain the writings of his students in that setting as well.
The book is pure honesty. Sometime brutally so. Prison is not a fairy tale, and there is virtually no way the reader cannot be shocked and moved by the straightforward manner in which prisoners discuss their life there. Prison rape, the way in which sex offenders are treated by both other criminals and the state, and the peculiar pecking order society that has formed behind those prison walls, all of which is largely invisible to the rest of us, Gordon and friends make visible in the most meaningful way.
When I recommended it to one of my high school students, I was very clear about what the book entailed, and, though she had been a victim of violent crime, she decided she wanted to read it anyway. It was painful. She had to stop reading it several times to refocus and adjust. But when she had finished, she wrote one of the most brilliantly cathartic journal entries I had ever read. That's the kind of the power this book contains.
We are largely a throwaway society, in material goods, and sometimes, in human beings, and the 2 million Americans currently behind bars get very little consideration from the public at large when it comes to their conditions or future. The Funhouse Mirror doesn't let us forget that. It's not that Gordon is overly sympathetic towards prisoners. As he has publicly admitted, there are many who, quite simply, have to be there; he doesn't want them on the outside with the rest of us. But at the same time, I don't think he believes that prisoners have nothing to contribute to society, or that their ideas aren't worth noting and thinking about. And in that manner, he is one of the few authors who has dared to give them something of a voice outside the walls of thir imprisonment.
We've gone to great pains and expense as a society to incarcerate these individuals, and in the course of our daily lives, not much opportunity or desire to think about them. Robert Gordon's The Funhouse Mirror is that opportunity.
Merging Reflections.......2002-09-05
This book allows the reader to enter the worlds found in prisons in ways not encountered in other books on the topic. It is truly extraordinary to have the voices of this diverse group all somehow merge together to reflect aspects of our common humanity. I believe this quality in the writing by the prisoners could only happen with the wise guidance of an immensely skilled teacher and understanding person. Robert Gordon must be someone who sees and cares about the lives of others yet does not fall into the trap of becoming overly sentimental about the ironies and cruelties encountered in learning about and working with this group. Gordon manages
to lead the readers on a compelling journey that will expand their knowledge and continue to influence their thinking.
A Terrific Collection of Prison Writing.......2002-09-02
I started reading The Funhouse Mirror up while I was waiting for a connection in an airport. I got so absorbed in it that I almost missed my plane. It is a collection of stories by prisoners in Washington State. Their pieces are remarkable, but what really makes the book are the interspersed commentaries and stories by the editor, Robert Ellis Gordon. Gordon spent several years working in the prison system as a writing teacher, and the prisoners who wrote these stories were his students. While the prisoners' stories are good, Gordon himself is a far more accomplished and vivid writer. Reading Gordon's own pieces really brought home to me the hell that is our prison system, and the difficult moral and emotional problems that it poses. This is a wonderful, gripping, depressing book that I recommend to anyone who wants to learn about what our prisons are really like.
Book Description
Here is the story of the Confederate Ninth Tennessee Infantry, known as the "Southern Confederates," one of the most well-educated, zealously religious, and unbelievably gallant groups of men to engage in the American Civil War. Using the soldiers' actual letters, memoirs, war records, and obituaries, James R. Fleming documents this immortal "band of brothers," which included five of his own ancestors, as they endure the privations of life on the western front. This valuable historical and genealogical resource also includes discussions of the battles at Columbus, Perryville, and Atlanta, as well as the regiment's Order of Battle and each soldier's service record.
"The Confederate Ninth Tennessee Infantry" contains a wealth of archival information taken from primary sources. The letters and reminiscences of Capt. James I. Hall, an educator who joined the war to watch over his young students, are published here in full for the first time. The author has also included C. B. Simonton's detailed contemporary account of the unit's organization, as well as transcripts of the speeches given at the presentation and acceptance of the company's first flag. Mr. Fleming also features a regimental chronology and a roster containing approximately eleven hundred official war records from the Compiled Service Records.
Customer Reviews:
Well researched & interesting........2007-09-03
I enjoyed this book very much. My Confederate ancestors, of whom I'm very proud, served in West Tennessee regiments during the War for Southern Independence.
The Ninth Tennessee Infantry was also a West Tennessee regiment. In fact, three of my ancestors served in the 6th Tennessee Infantry which was brigaded with the 9th from very early in the war, and was later, Dec 1862, consolidated with the 9th to form the 6th/9th Tennessee Infantry.
Reading this book allowed me to learn & understand what my ancestors may have seen & went through during the struggle.
Another excellent book is Sam Watkins' "Company Aytch". Watkins served in the 1st Tennessee Infantry which was brigaded with the 6th/9th & consolidated with the 27th Tennessee infantry for much of the war.
Another must read is "Tennessee's Forgotten Warriors", " Frank Cheatham and His Confederate Division".
"The Confederate Ninth Tennessee Infantry" is a book that I will re-read many times.
An in-depth 344-page study of what is known as the "Southern Confederates" .......2006-05-04
The Confederate Ninth Tennessee Infantry by James R. Fleming (winner of the Jefferson Davis medal for excellence in preservation and research of Civil War history by the United Daughters of the Confederacy) is an in-depth 344-page study of what is known as the "Southern Confederates" who were among the most educated, religious, and prestigious collections of troops to have been involved in the American Civil War. Introducing the reader to documentation consisting of letters, memoirs, war records and obituaries from individuals of the group, The Confederate Ninth Tennessee Infantry enlightens the readers to an little known aspects of the American civil war. The Confederate Ninth Tennessee Infantry is very strongly recommended to Civil War buffs for its new perspective of the American civil war in general, and battles such as Columbus, Perryville, and Atlanta.
An in-depth 344-page study of what is known as the "Southern Confederates" .......2006-05-04
The Confederate Ninth Tennessee Infantry by James R. Fleming (winner of the Jefferson Davis medal for excellence in preservation and research of Civil War history by the United Daughters of the Confederacy) is an in-depth 344-page study of what is known as the "Southern Confederates" who were among the most educated, religious, and prestigious collections of troops to have been involved in the American Civil War. Introducing the reader to documentation consisting of letters, memoirs, war records and obituaries from individuals of the group, The Confederate Ninth Tennessee Infantry enlightens the readers to an little known aspects of the American civil war. The Confederate Ninth Tennessee Infantry is very strongly recommended to Civil War buffs for its new perspective of the American civil war in general, and battles such as Columbus, Perryville, and Atlanta.
Average customer rating:
|
The Ninth Tennessee Infantry: A Roster
James Rodger Fleming
Manufacturer: White Mane Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Military & Spies
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Military
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Civil War
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Confederacy
| Civil War
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Colonial Period
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Tennessee
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1572490268 |
Book Description
In Lenin's now classic work Imperialism, he accounts for the increasing importance of the world market in the twentieth century. The concept of imperialism lies at the very heart of Marxist analysis and debate and Lenin offers a prescient scenario of a world shaken by competitive instability, war and crisis, dominated by monopolies, the merging of finance and industrial capital, and fierce territorial competition. It’s relevance is now greater than ever.
Customer Reviews:
Brief Summary and Contemporary Debate.......2006-12-08
The durability of Lenin's Imperialism no doubt owes as much to the stature of the man as to the accomplishment of the work itself. Lenin drew a distinction between the contemporary (late 18th, early 19th century) imperialism of the European great powers and pre-Capitalist imperialism. "Thus, the beginning of the twentieth century marks the turning point at which the old capitalism gave way to the new, at which the domination of capital in general made way for the domination of finance capital." He argued that monopoly had become the inexorable result of the capitalist system, with the concentration of production into vertically integrated enterprises. Moreover, he argued that the banks had come to play a central role in this new system, "instead of being modest intermediaries they become powerful monopolies having at their command almost the whole of the money capital of all the capitalists...". The financiers and the industrialists had now fused into a complex in which the means of production were socialized but the profits remained private.
This pattern of capitalist development within the state, Lenin argued, was also repeated at the international level. "The supremacy of finance capital over all other forms of capital means the rule of the rentier and of the financial oligarchy; it means the crystallization of a small number of financially "powerful" states from among all the rest." This system was predicated on the export of capital by the great imperialist nations, especially Britain. As financiers in the metropolis sought ever-higher returns, they exported capital across the empire, maintaining peripheral states in subjugation via a system of debenture. Moreover, as the imperialist nations of Western Europe had finally carved up the known world into their respective spheres of interest, the only means by which an imperial power could expand its domain was at the expense of another. Indeed, this is one of the frequently cited explanations for the outbreak of WWI.
What insight does Lenin's work provide for us in the contemporary world? While contemporary Marxists remain enthusiastic about the notion of a periphery of nations held in subjugation by a neo-imperialist center (e.g. Noam Chomsky, (2003), Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, Metropolitan Books), America's categorical shift from creditor to debtor nation represents an awkward empirical anomaly for this theory. However, one does not have to adopt a socialist perspective to be critical of empire; the liberal critique is well presented in the work of Jennifer Pitts (2005) A Turn to Empire: The Rise of Imperial Liberalism in Britain and France, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
IMPERIALISM REDUX.......2006-11-13
Over the last generation much has been made of the positive effects of the later day `globalization' of the international capitalist markets. By this, I assume, commentators mean that kids in Kansas and kids in Katmandu have equal access to those same pairs of Nike sneakers. Although the outlines of the development of globalization have been known for at least a century, called by less kindly souls like myself- imperialism- apparently the latest devotees of the trend just got the news. Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin analyzed this tendency of international capitalism in 1916 in a little book called Imperialism-the Highest Stage of Capitalism reviewed here. While Lenin's analysis could benefit from a little updating, particularly on the effects of the shift of the industrial labor market away from the high cost metropolitan areas to the former colonial areas in the search for lower wage bills and higher profit margins and the increased role of state intervention in in regulating markets, the basis premises are still sound.
While much of that positive `globalization' rhetoric mentioned above has been overblown- especially concerning its effects on the demise of the nation-state and its replacement by multi-national corporations and a multicultural ethic- the chickens are now starting to come home to roost on the down side of the world political situation. Everyone and their brother and sister, multi-national corporation or local "mom and pop" shoestring operation, is scurrying back to the allegedly safe confines of the nation-state. With their guns drawn. What gives?
What gives is this. The international capitalist system which after the fall of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the early 1990's lived in a self-imposed fool's paradise that the contradictions of the system would flatten out on their own and that, in any case, we had reached the best of all possible worlds. There was even some sentiment for one-world government, from quarters not normally known for such flights of fancy. The events of the last several years have graphically disabused the more cutthroat capitalist elements of this notion.
This retrogression to the defenses of nation-states reminiscent of the so-called "Dark Ages" apparently is only the vanguard of what promises to be a much more restrictive world. The ruling classes, however, seem unable to put serious efforts in other types of endeavors. Which takes us back to Lenin. He not only wrote this little book on the tendencies of international capitalism as a piece of analysis but he did it for a reason. And that reason was to demonstrate to the militant leftists of his day that the hitherto for progressive nature of capitalist development had run out of steam and the socialist revolution was on the historic agenda. And he then proceeded to put theory into practice by leading the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917. Today, the critics of globalization are much stronger on the effects of the process but weak, very weak, on the way to organize out of the impasse. Lenin knew what to do. Do we?
"...clarifying the world as it is today." .......2005-03-11
This pamphlet by Lenin was first published 90 years ago in the midst of World War I and on the eve of the Russian revolution.
In this work Lenin sets out to achieve two things; first, to give a concise and scientific explanation of the nature of Imperialism and, secondly, to debate the ideas of influential and long time German Social Democratic Party leader Karl Kautsky who, under the pressure of war helped to lead the capitulation of the majority of his party to the side of the German ruling class.
Advocates for social change familiar with arguments on the "left" blaming the cause of the today's ills on various forms of globalisation, - which is meant to represent a more aggressive and rapacious form of imperialism - will find Lenin's polemic against Kautsky invaluable.
Lenin presents a more than convincing case that what we see today is no more than the normal workings of imperialism and therein lays the source of the problem
Taking in Lenin's five principal features of imperialism starting from the first chapters is essential to understanding his discussion with Kautsky near the end of pamphlet. In fact, it goes a long way to clarifying the world as it is today.
Incredible, yet somewhat complicated, work.......2004-07-31
First of all, I would like to address a previous reviewer's "points"...
"Also, like most socialistic propaganda, the whole book has the feel of a out of control conspiracy theory. The capitalists control the state, and any wage increases to workers are bribes to prevent revolution. Furthemore, capitalists conspire to carve up the world between themselves."
It seems as if the writer of that "point" misses the bottom line, which is incredible taking into consideration the fact that corporations have always entered other territories in order to 1) establish a market, 2) strangle the region's attempts at establishing its own monopoly.
There is no "conspiracy" here...you only need to look at the way capitalism naturally functions, understand that monopolies are (usually?) inevitable, and realize that profit supercedes principle. Check anything on the role of corporations in the Third World and watch how domestic economics become "geared" towards debt-repayment, not social construction, and thus remain in a permanent state of backwardness. Regardless, there are "solutions" -- assimilation into capitalist society is one of them. Kinda like, "help our ideology out, and your people can eat." Not much of a "choice," though, no matter the number of earnest pleas to the contrary.
"Of course, history has proven Lenin totally wrong. Furthermore, Lenin invalidated his own thesis. He predicted that the socialist revolution would occur in Germany, getting tired of waiting for his foolish theories to work Lenin led the Russian revolution."
First of all, Lenin did not attempt a revolution because he "could not wait" for the German revolution to take place...he planned to take Russia from the start. As a matter of fact, just as Lenin predicted, a German revolution was not only underway, but erupted as quickly as it was put down by the Social-Democrats that betrayed it. But I guess "history" can be altered and made to look as if these predictions did not come true.
"It's ironic that upon reading the book is that, according to its arguments, Russia should have been one of the last places for the revolt to happen due to its economic backwardness.
Lenin's book is just one more example of the complete failure of socialist rhetoric to translate into reality."
Hmmmm, interesting, and open to interpretation, considering the fact that Lenin and other Marxists have always predicted that revolution will take place during civil unrest and economic backwardness. The depression in Germany was Lenin's basis for his idea regarding the fact that a revolution there was inevitable. Backwardness in Russia -- as well as OBVIOUS unrest -- led to rebellion, and then Lenin's coup.
Note that I said "coup" -- there was no "active rebellion" of the worker against master. Instead, Lenin's approach was quite authoritarian; an elite group of revolutionaries establish themselves OVER the peasants and workers, thus creating the foundation for tyranny.
Which is why I am, by no means, a "Leninist."
Still, Lenin's approach towards revolution should have no impact on the merits of his economic analysis in this book. And, of course, his economic analysis is...impeccable.
Still a Clasic.......2000-03-21
This is one of Lenin's major works. He shows how the economical system of capitalism leads to large contradictions between states and war. A clasic still relevant in theese times of "globalisation" (imperialism).
Book Description
The "Fight Against Stalinism" clearly demonstrates how in the last year of his life, Lenin along with Trotsky began a broad struggle against what was finally called Stalinism. This book documents Lenin and Trotsky's fight against Stalin on the improtant issues of the day - the state monopoly of foreign trade, the growth of bureacratism and the treatment of nationaal minorities. Ultimately, Trotsky was murdered by Stalin in the 1930's in Mexico. In "Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism" Lenin sites the importance of world trade in the beginning of the 20th century. Imperialism is a basic concept that Marx himself dealt with by analysis and debate which Lenin continued as competition created instability throughout the world. Instability caused international war, the emergence of international capital and an increase in industrial monopolies. Both of these books will give the reader an insight to Lenin's thinking during this critical period. His analysis contues to be applicable to modern times which we now call 'global' trade. A Collector's Edition.
Book Description
From the man many consider to be the preeminent expert on the law of the American West comes an indispensable and passionate exploration of the crucial questions the West faces. In "The Eagle Bird," Charles Wilkinson assesses the battles being fought over the region's resources and how the conflict between conservationists and developers—once a black-and-white issue—now enmeshes a startling array of interest and constituencies.
Wilkinson addresses the controversies over water rights, mining rights, Native American land claims, public land use, and shows how the law, itself the tool of the vested interests of the past, should house our highest ideals and allow us to implement a farsighted and far-reaching vision. The West, Wilkinson writes, "is the true soul of the country, the place that cries out loudest to the human spirit." In "The Eagle Bird," he articulates an ethic of place with all the passion and immediacy of a manifesto.
Customer Reviews:
Wow........2006-08-07
I'm very surprised there were no reviews posted. I read this when I was in law school, probably in 1995, as an optional supplement to our Public Resources Law class, and it made a huge impression on me. I didn't mark up books then like I do now, so giving a detailed review is impossible. One passage I did run across, speaking of the public trust doctrine: "We must press the agencies to acknowledge the trusteeship, and its high duties, as a matter of administrative policy. Officials in the federal land agencies ought not to mince words. They ought to say, with force and pride, 'Yes, we are trustees of the nation's wonders.' Those kinds of pronouncements will help set higher standards and create a climate for principled actions." And, the reason I pulled it off the shelf tonight was because of Ch. 10, "Toward an Ethic of Place." That chapter still resonates with me, 10 or 11 years after reading it. Highly recommended.
Books:
- The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself
- The Letters of Robert Lowell
- The Prisoner's Wife : A Memoir
- The Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee (Civil War Library)
- The Salt Lake City 14Th Ward Album Quilt, 1857: Stories of the Relief Society Women and their Quilt
- The Stevensons: A Biography of an American Family
- The Trial of Henry Kissinger
- The Underboss: The Rise and Fall of a Mafia Family
- The Way Out: A True Story of Survival
- The Winning Horseplayer: An Advanced Approach to Thoroughbred Handicapping and Betting
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Race Matters
- Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions
- Nighttime Is My Time: A Novel
- Olympos
- Mitsubishi- Galant/Mirage/Diamante 1990-00
- Organizing Solutions for People With Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Cha
- On Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History
- Bloomsbury Group: NPG Insights TheThe Bloomsbury Group
- Grassland: The History, Biology, Politics and Promise of the American Prairie
- Vnr Color Dictionary of Mushrooms
The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison
Behind Bars: Surviving Prison
The Big House: Life Inside a Supermax Security Prison
Doing Time: 25 Years of Prison Writing-A PEN American Center Prize Anthology
Prison Stories
