Average customer rating:
- Nice man, wandering story...
- ****LOVED IT****
- MEASURE OF A MAN does not measure up
- SPIRITUAL "Of, Relating to, Consisting of, or Affecting the Spirit" MERRIAM-WEBSTER
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The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
Sidney Poitier
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
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ASIN: 0061357901
Release Date: 2007-01-26 |
Book Description
"I have no wish to play the pontificating fool, pretending that I've suddenly come up with the answers to all life's questions. Quite that contrary, I began this book as an exploration, an exercise in self-questing. In other words, I wanted to find out, as I looked back at a long and complicated life, with many twists and turns, how well I've done at measuring up to the values I myself have set."
âSidney Poitier
In this luminous memoir, a true American icon looks back on his celebrated life and career. His body of work is arguably the most morally significant in cinematic history, and the power and influence of that work are indicative of the character of the man behind the many storied roles. Sidney Poitier here explores these elements of character and personal values to take his own measureâas a man, as a husband and a father, and as an actor.
Poitier credits his parents and his childhood on tiny Cat Island in the Bahamas for equipping him with the unflinching sense of right and wrong and of self-worth that he has never surrendered and that have dramatically shaped his world. "In the kind of place where I grew up," recalls Poitier, "what's coming at you is the sound of the sea and the smell of the wind and momma's voice and the voice of your dad and the craziness of your brothers and sisters...and that's it." Without television, radio, and material distractions to obscure what matters most, he could enjoy the simple things, endure the long commitments, and find true meaning in his life.
Poitier was uncompromising as he pursued a personal and public life that would honor his upbringing and the invaluable legacy of his parents. Just a few years after his introduction to indoor plumbing and the automobile, Poitier broke racial barrier after racial barrier to launch a pioneering acting career. Committed to the notion that what one does for a living articulates to who one is, Poitier played only forceful and affecting characters who said something positive, useful, and lasting about the human condition.
Here is Poitier's own introspective look at what has informed his performances and his life. Poitier explores the nature of sacrifice and commitment, price and humility, rage and forgiveness, and paying the price for artistic integrity. What emerges is a picture of a man in the face of limitsâhis own and the world's. A triumph of the spirit, The Measure of a Man captures the essential Poitier.
Customer Reviews:
Nice man, wandering story..........2007-10-04
I had to force myself to finish this book, simply because I didn't want to waste my money by leaving it when I was tempted to. It was interesting to realize that an actor whose work I had appreciated came from such a spare beginning, but by halfway through the book, the continuous wandering asides and disclaimers of the author so overwhelmed the narrative that I could barely tolerate it. It seems to me that the story could have been told to greater effect with half the words!
****LOVED IT****.......2007-09-24
Kept me interested...I really enjoyed this book...I couldn't put the book down until I finished reading it!!!!
MEASURE OF A MAN does not measure up.......2007-09-21
Wow, a book about Sidney Poitier. An outstanding actor with a book that just does not give him true justice. The reading tends to be dry and lacks substance. His life struggles could have been the story of any man or woman, black or white. The writing and editing are weak in some sections.
You should rent or buy one of Poitier's movies instead. His movie roles show his true skills.
SPIRITUAL "Of, Relating to, Consisting of, or Affecting the Spirit" MERRIAM-WEBSTER.......2007-08-30
I've always been smitten with Poitier's voice--his diction and control on film, the flow of his words as they travel in and around ideas during interviews--so I read THE MEASURE OF A MAN with an ear for his voice. I wondered, Is it translatable to print? It is, but that means allowing Poitier's thoughts to meander until they find their point, and that his thoughts are less formulated (or formal) and more "in his own words," than they might be if they were written by a biographer. (I read just enough "You know?"s "You hear me when I tell you?"s and "You follow?"s to feel like he was talking to me, but not too many to be annoyed.) I read to imagine what it might be like to have a conversation with Poitier. The book reinforced what I already knew--I'd be as intimidated as heck--but it also gave me the courage to think I'd be able to speak my mind.
As an editor, I read Poitier's book because I wanted to know how he defines a "spiritual" autobiography. Is it a I-Was-A-Sinner-But-I-Found-Jesus-And-Now-I'm-Saved chronology? Is it about how Christianity or another faith influenced his life? Neither. Poitier examines the people, events, circumstances, beliefs, and so on, which have related to, consisted of, or affected his "spirit," and, in doing so, he writes about childhood experiences in the Bahamas, his changing perceptions of his parents, how he adapts to living in the United States, his approach to acting and filmmaking, and his attitude toward fatherhood. He also shares a debate a friend and he had about the Basic Truth of Nature, a debate worth every second of reading it takes to get to.
Is THE MEASURE OF A MAN going to satisfy readers interested only in Poitier's film career? No, but I urge them to read it anyway, if for no other reason than to find out how his "spirit" influenced the films he starred in.
Books.......2007-08-21
I purchased this book for my daughter and she loved it!
She is a teacher and plans to teach this story in her English class fall 2007.
A great story with a great moral.
Product Description
Birth - 18 months. A straight-forward and light-hearted approach to teaching infants how to communicate using simple American Sign Language (ASL) signs.
Amazon.com
Sign with Your Baby Complete Learning Kit will enable you to communicate at new levels with your baby long before she can speak. This comprehensive package of book, video, and reference guide shows how simple gestures can communicate ideas like "I'm hungry" or "help me." Caregivers grasp baby's needs immediately rather than learn through trial and error. Dr. Joseph Garcia has designed the system so it's not necessary to learn an entire new language, although it also provides a terrific start in American Sign Language for a hearing-impaired child. A fascinating introduction delves into the development of language in children and uses informative line drawings to demonstrate over 150 hand signs for all kinds of actions and nouns. The accompanying video provides practical tips for getting started, some insight into the hows and whys of this method from Dr. Burton White (director of the Center for Parent Education), and inspiring sights of young babies signing effectively with their caregivers. The laminated quick-reference guide lists some of the most common words in any parent's day: cookie, no, and up are but a few. Garcia's clear, concise methods make learning a breeze, and caregivers gain outstanding new abilities to give the best possible care for the babies entrusted to them. --Jill Lightner
Customer Reviews:
Easy to understand / user-friendly.......2007-10-11
This set has many forms of materials included - the quick-view card helpful for babysitters and grandparents, the DVD to fully explain the theory behind sign-language as well as properly demonstrate the motions of sign-language, and a book which covers many of the same points on theory of sign-language as the DVD. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it and after only 1 showing we both picked up many signs to be able to use with our little one.
Signing with babies works.......2007-09-10
We bought Garcia's DVD for our grandson at about 4 months of age. Signs helped him express his needs and even feelings with a minimum of fussing. He is now almost 3 and very verbal & advanced. It may be that he's just a great kid, but we believe signing with babies really works.
Signing is cool -- don't need the video though.......2007-07-08
I like the sign language. It was pretty great when our 9 month old told me he wanted milk the first time! I don't think you need the video though. You can just start repeating certain signs on your own. Just repeat them a lot and be consistent.
The problem we had is that we couldn't get our daycare providers to use the signs. So it seemed like any progress we made got undone by them. He would use the signs with them but they wouldn't recognize it. I can only imagine how that must have been frustrating and confusing for him. So make sure everyone around him is going to use the signs before you start teaching them.
Too much marketing, Not enough vocab........2007-05-26
I started at 7 months, he picked up the first sign at about 10 months, and the rest came around 1 yr. The video/book combination is good because the video shows you the signs and the book is handy for a quick reference.
Drawbacks:
1. I felt like much of the video was still trying to sell me on the idea of doing sign with my baby. It could focus less on marketing and present the information more efficiently.
2. The sign vocabulary is limited to the first stage of sign language learning only. It could be improved by including more vocabulary.
Best Baby Sign Language program.......2007-05-14
I have compared this program with other sign language programs, and it seems to be the best one I have come across so far. At one point, I taught another baby sign language course, whose name I will not mention. The program's signs did not always come close to actual sign language, which I found was offensive to the deaf community. Joseph Garcia's program follows actual signs from ASL, and the program is easy enough to learn if you are willing to put the time and effort into it. I would definitely recommend this baby sign language program for other mothers - the resources are varied - book, DVD, quick reference guide - it's the best out there!!
Book Description
A useful review tool in preparing for the NCLEX-RN examination, this full-color guide is based on the latest NCLEX-RN test plan including alternate item formats. In an outline format, it comprehensively reviews all areas of nursing, including maternity, pediatric, medical-surgical, psychiatric, and gerontologic. More than 4,000 practice questions are included in the book/CD-ROM package, along with comprehensive rationales and test-taking strategies.
Customer Reviews:
Must Have.......2007-10-18
This book is a must for Nursing Students. Use it along with your coursework to get ahead of the rest. It works and I have the A's to prove it.
Good study guide.......2007-09-22
This was a requird book for my school. but it was really be helpful.
Must have for NCLEX!!!!.......2007-08-13
I would not have passed my boards without this book!!! I got it only 3 weeks before I took my test and I am so glad I did!! I had a few areas I knew I was weak in, but didn't even know where to begin studying....but this book broke down all the information I needed so well for every section that I needed to study!!! This book is worth every penny!!! Highly Recommend to anyone needing a good refresher and good study questions for boards!!!
Must have!.......2007-08-07
Out of all the NCLEX books this one is the best! I really like how it is organized and it comes with a great CD. Gotta go study!!
I passed the NCLEX-RN!!!!.......2007-08-03
I passed the NCLEX-RN!!!! The Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN is the ONLY book that I used, cover to cover....I passed it the first time I took it, after 75 questions, with the help of this book....The review is comprehensive, discussing Fundamental Skills, Med-Surg, OB, Peds, Psych, Pharmacology, and Atypical Questions....The CD that came with the book is comprehensive, as well, covering thousands of questions within all of the subjects mentioned above....The book reviews about significant topics in a very comprehendable way....The rationales after the questions sharpened my critical thinking skills....On the day of the test, I found that the actual NCLEX questions were very similar to those in this book and CD....Today, after breakfast, I went online and found out the two important letters after my name - RN.
Book Description
"...should serve as a standard against which all future atlases will be measured..."*
-New England Journal of Medicine, review of third edition
“...an excellent resource for all health care providers..."
-Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practioners, review of third edition
The best selling dermatology atlas in the medical market place! This unique combination of text, clinical reference, and color atlas features the best quality and most varied photographs of skin conditions important to any health care professional. Features consistent 2-page disease coverage format with description on left and photos on the right.
NEW TO THIS EDITION
*MORE photographs – more than 100 new illustrations, many focusing on conditions affecting people of color
*MORE user friendly – color tabbing system for quick retrieval
*NEW list of related web sites for physicians and patients at the end of diseases
*NEW full-color schematic drawings of pathogenesis added to each section
*NEW section on Bioterrorism
Customer Reviews:
A book to have.......2007-08-11
This is a must have book, well written coincised, straight to the point and good for medical students,residents and attendings interested in dermatology.
Quick reference.......2007-05-07
Quick and assured reference for everyday use in dermatology clinic. However, does not substitute Fitzpatrick's 2 vol. compendium if you're looking to broaden your knowledge in the area.
Excellent.......2007-03-09
Items arrived very very fast and in excellent condition. I have saved at least 30 $.
The only derm reference I needed for PA school........2006-11-11
This is a fantastic reference for PA school, NP programs, or medical school. Clear, detailed photos along with differential dx, labs, treatments, etc. The only reference I used for my derm course in PA school.
Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas & Synopsis of Dermatology.......2006-11-05
The pictures are so clear, it really helps to identify and recognize the skin disorders explained. Clearly written and easy to reference.
Average customer rating:
- Another classic!
- A+
- Addicting!
- Eric Carle
- Wonderful for 12mo olds!
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Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Bill Martin Jr.
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
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ASIN: 0805047905 |
Amazon.com
The gentle rhyming and gorgeous, tissue-paper collage illustrations in this classic picture book make it a dog-eared favorite on many children's bookshelves. On each page, we meet a new animal who nudges us onward to discover which creature will show up next: "Blue Horse, Blue Horse, What do you see? I see a green frog looking at me." This pattern is repeated over and over, until the pre-reader can chime in with the reader, easily predicting the next rhyme. One thing readers might not predict, however, is just what kinds of funny characters will make an appearance at the denouement! Children on the verge of reading learn best with plenty of identifiable images and rhythmic repetition. Eric Carle's good-humored style and colorful, bold illustrations (like those in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Grouchy Ladybug, and Have You Seen My Cat?) have earned him a prominent place in the children's book hall of fame. (Baby to Preschool) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
A big happy frog, a plump purple cat, a handsome blue horse, and a soft yellow duck-- all parade across the pages of this delightful book. Children will immediately respond to Eric Carle's flat, boldly colored collages. Combined with Bill Martin's singsong text, they create unforgettable images of these endearing animals.
Customer Reviews:
Another classic!.......2007-10-17
You can never go wrong with the classics. I read this book to my children and this copy is for my grandchildren!!
A+.......2007-09-30
I've used this book (the hard cover version) to teach English to my Kindergarten English Language Learners. They like it! I also give this as a gift to my friends' pre-schoolers. It's a keeper.
Addicting!.......2007-09-27
From the day we purchased this book, my daughter asks for it EVERYTIME she lies down for a nap or bedtime. I quickly learned it by heart so I could tell her the story in the dark (many times she will fall asleep before I finish). My husband however just changes the story a little bit. My daughter can now read it to us (only 21 months old) and does so often. This book has really helped her learn her animals and colors. I will be giving this book for a shower gift from now on.
Eric Carle.......2007-09-23
Anything by Eric Carle is excellent. This is my son's favorite book. He's 3 and know every animal before we get to the page.
Wonderful for 12mo olds!.......2007-09-20
We bought this for our daughter for her first birthday. The text is simple, teaching colors and animals. The illustrations are, of course, beautiful. She loves this book!
Book Description
In this inspiring and often humorous memoir, the outspoken Democratic congressman from Harlem—now the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee—tells about his early years on Lenox Avenue, being awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in a horrific Korean War battle (the last bad day of his life, he says), and his many years in Congress.
A charming, natural storyteller, Rangel recalls growing up in Harlem, where from the age of nine he always had at least one job, including selling the legendary Adam Clayton Powell’s newspaper; his group of streetwise sophisticates who called themselves Les Garçons; and his time in law school—a decision made as much to win his grandfather’s approval as to establish a career. He recounts as well his life in New York politics during the 1960s and the grueling civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery.
With New York street smarts, Rangel is a tough liberal and an independent thinker, but also a collegial legislator respected by Democrats and Republicans alike who knows and honors the House’s traditions. First elected to Congress in 1970, Rangel served on the House Judiciary Committee during the hearings on the articles of impeachment of President Nixon, helped found the Congressional Black Caucus, and led the fight in Congress to pressure U.S. corporations to divest from apartheid South Africa.
Best of all, this is a political memoir with heart, the story of a life filled with friends, humor, and accomplishments. Charles Rangel is one of a kind, and this is the story of how he became the celebrated person and politician he is today.
He opens his memoir with a preface about the 2006 elections and an outline of his goals as chairman of Ways and Means. From day one he wants to put the public first so that more Americans can say they haven’t had a bad day since.
Customer Reviews:
And I haven't had a bad day yet........2007-09-16
Charlie Rangel surprised me with his wit and respect for the institutions he has served in. He is a far more humble man than I would have guessed, but he knows what factors directed his life. Anyone who wants to see how his race has moved up, survived urban conditions, and then served and contributed has to read this book. It also shows how much prejudice and ethnic ties affect politics more this yuppie-fied world we now live in will admit. It has always been this way, and Charlie Rangel accepts it realisticaly and displays the years since the Korean war where he has served his country in its government. I like watching Congressional moves and am personally surprised more do not hang with C-SPAN observing both houses in these critical times. I found myself agreeing with the Congressman from NY City more than I thought I might; he is a brilliant man and I am glad he accomplished becoming chair of the Ways and Means Committee. The years immediately ahead are going to be tough, and we need him there. I am an Independent, but will always vote Democratic after what this current administration has done to this country. My book on flying helicopters in Vietnam stresses the USA's mistakes there, but the Bush Administration has unbelievably exceeded those mistakes of the past.
A Very Impressive Man.......2007-09-07
Congressman Rangel, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has come a long way - thanks to lots of hard work and overcoming blatant racism for many, many years. The books tells his life story from the early days to the Korean War (almost totally surrounded by the Chinese at night, Rangel was wounded but still led 43 others to safety across a frozen river - it was after that experience that he declared he hadn't had a bad day since), to his discharge from the Army, to the present day.
Rangel's post discharge experiences were far from rewarding - one menial job after another, in stark comparison to the high non-commissioned officer status he could have had staying in. Rangel eventually found his way to the VA, battled past the old-time bureaucrats, and eventually settled on a goal of becoming an attorney - despite having two years of high-school remaining. Nonetheless, Rangel accomplished this with the help of the G.I. Bill and a scholarship.
The book is primarily about Rangel (no nasty revelations about fellow Democrats, and only a few down remarks about Republicans). Regardless, without question he is a very inspirational and impressive person!
Charlie Rangel's Book.......2007-05-15
This book is excellent reading for all of America.
If you want to understand politics, racism and urban communities ,then this is the must read book for 2007.
Evolution of a Good Man.......2007-05-13
A candid telling of the development of a good man by the man himself. Without rancor, he recalls a time in America when change was commonplace and opportunity for a black man grew as a result of the efforts of good men and women.
Determination and Faith.......2007-05-12
This shows what a person can do when in a situation when you let your onw selt go and think of what needs to be done. He showed bravery in combat and has taken it into his life. His strong Faith needs to be stressed in today's world. Very good book.
Book Description
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Will Smith, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS is the inspiring, rags–to–riches story of the charismatic Chris Gardner –– a once homeless father who rasied and cared for his son on the mean streets of San Francisco and went on to become a crown prince of Wall Street
At the age of twenty, Milwaukee native Chris Gardner, just out of the Navy, arrived in San Francisco to pursue a promising career in medicine. Considered a prodigy in scientific research, he surprised everyone and himself by setting his sights on the competitive world of high finance. Yet no sooner had he landed an entry level position at a prestigious firm, Gardner found himself caught in a web of incredibly challenging circumstances that left him homeless with his toddler son. Instead of giving in to despair, the two spent almost a year moving from shelters, "HO–tels", and soup–lines, even sleeping in the public restroom of a subway station – ultimately making an astonishing transformation from the bathroom to the boardroom.
Part "Finding Fish," part "The Pact," THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS is a mythic, triumphant, and unstintingly honest memoir whose hero will appeal to every American.
Customer Reviews:
The Motivations of Negative Influences.......2007-10-08
This is a great inspirational story. It was a bit graphic for my personal taste and the book focuses tremendously on Chris Gardner's youth, which is where he derived his burning desire to excel through a number of horrific events. I bought this book after watching the movie. While the movie focuses on his life post-separation from his wife, the book only gets to this point at the end. Although I am only rating the book 4-stars, I could hardly put it down while I was reading it.
Meaningful Inspiration.......2007-09-11
Mr. Gardner's story is more than another story about having to pull oneself up by their own bootstraps, it is a mantra for Urban Americans who are dealing with cyclical social issues. Poor Education, Poverty and Single Parent household stories are no longer acceptable reasons for not achieving, unfortunately they are too common place. The Pursuit of Happyness is a great example of the saying "In order to be it, one must see it"!
Heartwarming.......2007-09-08
I've read one of the most touching and heartwarming book of one's life. It is a story that spreads open past hurts, the need for bottom-line respect that should come from the people who should give it (family) and speaks of success despite of...
The Pursuit of the Imagined.......2007-08-28
Chris Gardner says in the Acknowledgments, "Quincy Troupe [co-author] once paid me a backhand compliment by telling me that I was as crazy as his previous subject, Miles Davis. I'll definitely take that as a compliment!" Gardner's imaginings, that he could possibly become anything other than a replica of the hardworking poor men who enveloped his childhood, define him as crazy. His success is crazy. How he managed it defies sanity.
Gardner imagined a future bright enough to deflect the piercing influences of his childhood--violence, an alcoholic stepfather, a jailed mother, rape--and was able to grow up to be a man possessing little, if any, humility (refreshingly different than most memoirs). Good for him. That Gardner was once homeless and is now wealthy is interesting; that he had no reason to expect to succeed but succeeded anyway, is inspiring.
I should be so crazy.
Note: The movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" deals only with Gardner after he has lived in San Francisco for a while. My only complaint with the movie is its depiction of Gardner's wife. She is shown as an uneducated woman only capable of working in restaurants; she's actually quite educated, a dental school graduate who is waiting to sit for her dental boards. Tsk, tsk.
Engaging and Entertaining.......2007-08-23
I haven't seen the film, so I have nothing to compare it with. I found this book to be inspiring. It was a quick and easy read. It was entertaining and realistic. The language is colorful and his life is graphic. It's not a story for the faint of heart, but his experience is a wonderful read. Some of the other reviews have taken exception with the way he lives his life, but his account is genuine. His life is real in all its glory and its shortcomings. It's a wonderful read.
Book Description
In the last five years, the United States has lost 2.6 million jobs — the most in any five-year period since the Great Depression. In the 2006 edition of his legendary job-hunting book, WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? Richard Nelson Bolles offers hope and presents an inspiring and detailed plan for finding your place in this uncertain job market. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? has been the best-selling job-hunting book in the world for more three decades, in good times and bad, and it continues to be a fixture on best-seller lists, from Amazon.com to Business Week. It has well over eight million copies in print and has been translated into 12 languages around the world. With an extended preface that addresses job loss, vacancies, and outsourcing and updated references on how to use the Internet in your job-hunt throughout, the 2006 PARACHUTE addresses the top concerns of today 's job-hunters. In the words of Fortune magazine: "Parachute remains the gold standard of! career guides."
Customer Reviews:
Lots of useful info.......2007-10-17
I bought this book for my son, a recent college graduate, at his request. He says he has found lots of useful tips and I'll know if it really works when he finds a job!
A great help!.......2007-09-21
I was recently "downsized" and starting a job search for the first time in 22 years. Fortunately some one recommended this book to me. Beginning a job search can be confusing and overwhelming. This book has great advice for every step of the way.
Part of my company "goodbye package" was a few months of services with a career counseling firm. Many on the concepts from the firm are contained in this book. I have just recommended this book to a friend who is unhappy in her current job.
You've probably heard people talk about the importance of networking/using your network. ("It's all in who you know.") That is a central theme in this book, as it enlightens you on how to make use of the people you know -- friends, family, co-workers, friends of friends, etc. -- to find opportunities and land interviews.
A book worth having.
Your reference guide to a healthy job-hunting experiance.......2007-08-05
Whether you are a new graduate looking for a job or an experienced employee who wants to
change his/her job, pick up this enriching and engaging book to guide you through to a healthy
job hunting experience.
Mostly Common Sense.......2007-07-09
Great book to use as a refresher, but I found it to be a compilation of stories and anecdotes that were mostly common sense.
What color is your parachute review.......2007-07-08
This book is a helpful tool in career choice making. It is especially insightful for self evaluation during the career search. This book helps the seeker to become more organized and narrow the search to an area best adapted for the individual.
This book was a requirement for one of my master's level courses dealing with career development. We did the flower exercise and it was quite revealing. The work book which was designed to accompany this book deals precisely with this exercise. I would definitely recommend this book to those exiting high school, community college, trade school, or college at any level.
Book Description
In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey—first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother’s family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father’s life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance.
Customer Reviews:
warning.......2007-10-09
great read, but once you're done there's no way you could look at this man the same way again.
"PT 109" for the 21st Century.......2007-10-08
As my readers will know, I am a tough critic, but I can find precious little about "Dreams from my Father" to criticize. Of course, the book will not appeal to those who don't care about race in America, or who have extremely fixed ideas about the subject. I like to think though that the majority of the reading public at least (if not the general public) are both engaged with and to some extent open-minded about our nation's central bugaboo/crisis/character flaw.
An editorial review mentioned that Obama's mother is almost absent from the book. To some extent he may have taken her somewhat for granted -- unlike his father or himself, he always had a good idea who she was and what she was about. In the preface to this edition, Obama mentions that she has died of cancer between the original publication and his nomination for U. S. Senate from Illinois, and that if he had known she would not be around to see that, he might have written a different book, spending more time hailing her for having stood by him. In the introduction to the first edition (written in 1995), he admits that he can't speak for everyone in the world. This is the most ironic part of the book, since it was only a year after that that he first ran for the Illinois state legislature. Thereafter, he has increasingly been compelled to try to do just that.
Although finding oneself has become a cliche, especially in the literary world, it was Barack Obama's mission for the first thirty years of his life. Defined as a black man, he sought to make his race more than a social construct, but something central and ineffable, and at the same time not cut off his ties to the rest of humanity, particularly his white mother and grandparents. He doesn't take his mother completely for granted -- he spends thirty to fifty pages talking about her background and that of her parents, who moved from Kansas to Hawaii, seeing it as the last frontier, when she was about to start college. Another one hundred pages or so explore his life with them in Hawaii (with a short stint in Indonesia, where his mother married a man who had studied in America and gave birth to Obama's half-sister Maya).
Readers of any race will be overwhelmed by the sheer power of Obama's writing. I choked up reading this several times. That is ultimately the best reason to read it, not the fact that Barack Obama has become a serious candidate for the presidency. This book also helps you figure out how he did that. The only thing he feels more keenly than his own hopes and fears are the hopes and fears of everyone around him. At the end of the book, having learned the whole story of his father's and grandfather's lives, he stands over their graves and weeps, feeling what they must have felt at each turning point of their lives. Although Obama is quintessentially American, I somehow would not be surprised, given the epiphany he had there, if he chose upon his death to be buried in Kenya alongside them. But perhaps my sympathy is making me romanticize the man.
This book leaves me with two regrets and one big hope. First, it is probably unfilmable. Second, there is one man running with even more vision and courage than Barack Obama, so I won't be able to vote for him in the primary election (although I will in the general if he is the candidate). My big hope is that Obama will write a third book in 2017, having waited eleven years between books as he did between his first and second, that will combine the autobiography he did with this book and the political manifesto he did with "The Audacity of Hope" (a phrase which you have to read "Dreams from my Father" to know Obama doesn't take credit for). Although I haven't finished the latter book, there is basically no way it could top this one. I give it my highest recommendation.
Moving, eloquent and inspirational..........2007-09-26
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama is a moving, eloquent and honest book that was originally published in 1995. This is an amazing story, and not just because he is a presidential candidate. Although autobiographical in scope, it is not intended to be a complete history of the author's life. Instead, it is "a boy's search for his father."
Barack Obama had a most unusual childhood. His mother was a white American living in Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was a brilliant black Kenyan who received a college scholarship to the University of Hawaii. When Obama was two, his father graduated college and received a scholarship to obtain his PhD at Harvard. Unfortunately, the scholarship did not include living expenses for his family, and this proved the end of the marriage. After that, Obama only saw his father one more time before being killed in an auto accident when Obama was 21. Obama's mother subsequently married a man from Indoesia, where Obama lived for several years. But that marriage also ended and Obama returned to Hawaii to live with his grandparents. Dreams from My Father also includes Obama's college experiences, as well as the work he did as an organizer in Chicago.
The most moving part of Dreams from My Father involves his trip to Kenya for the first time several years after his father died. As a youth, he describes the reaction of others when they discover his background "Privately, they guess at my troubled heart, I supposed--the mixed blood, the divided soul, the ghostly image of a tragic mulatto trapped between two worlds." In Kenya, he meets his African family including grandparents, half-brothers and sisters, step-mothers, aunts, uncles and cousins. At the Kenyan airport, an airport employee recognizes his name and knew his father. "For the first time in my life, I felt the comfort, the firmness of identity that a name might provide, how it could carry an entire history in other people's memories...My name belonged and so I belonged." I was also moved by Obama's discovery of faith.
Even if Obama was not a presidential candidate for the 2008 election, Dreams is still an eloquent and inspirational story about his search for his father and his efforts to reconcile the histories of this white and black families.
A worthy memoir of Obama's complicated early life.......2007-09-06
Due to its multi-section arrangement, falling into three precise stages, this book feels like a well-paced coming-of-age novel, an impression buoyed by the fact that, to a degree that is unusual for politicians, Obama can actually write well. If you are looking for information on what policies Obama would support as a presidential candidate, you should look elsewhere. However, the book does give the impression that the writer is unusually forthright, both about himself and his beliefs.
Watching Obama's attitudes on race evolve is one of the key points of interest in the book, and the reader comes away with a picture of a man who is both reflective and self-critical. It is somewhat apparent that the author was not running for office at the time the book was written, and yes, it (very briefly) mentions his now infamous flirtation with cocaine use. However, if you want to read a portrait of the man, if not his political platform, and interested in the struggles of someone growing up in between two different cultures, this book is well worth reading.
just great.......2007-08-17
Obama wrote his memoirs of his growing up some years ago (and with his political career I expect he'll be writing them again in twenty or so years). It is an honest book about a remarkable man who had a remarkable life. Nothing political about it.
Book Description
Achieving accurate skin tones is one of the most challenging tasks in digital photography. Master this challenge with professional photographer Lee Varis as he covers a range of skin: women and men, young and old, various tones, in-studio and outdoors, tattoos, and more. His step-by-step tutorials and before-and-after illustrations demonstrate various techniques for topics such as digital-specific lighting challenges and what can and cannot be done in post-process.
A free CD-ROM accompanies the book and contains sample image files to use while following the tutorials, plus equipment recommendations and technical reference materials that enhance and reinforce the instruction.
Order your copy of this practical guide today and get a complete start-to-finish approach to integrating everything from posing models to shooting and retouching candid scenes.
Customer Reviews:
Good Techniques for Intermediate PS Users.......2007-10-06
When I picked up "Skin", I was looking for a more advanced beauty retouching manual. Unfortunately, it wasn't as extensive as I had hoped.
This book is great for intermediate Photoshop users who need to hone their skills in the area of beauty retouching. Advanced users who want an in depth look at all aspects of beauty retouching should keep their eyes out for something else. I still haven't found it.
Very helpful.......2007-09-25
I agree with the other 5 star reviews. The only thing I'd like to add is part of the foreword by Gerald Bybee:
"If you're looking for pointers on shooting nudes or tutorials on photographing sexy models in the desert, this book is not for you. There is already a plethora of those pseudo-technical books explointing the throngs of photo voyeurs. Lee isn't about exploitation of our society's fascination with naked skin. Lee's fascination is simply with digital imaging technique focused on the practical application of photographing people, who coincidentally are primarily dermal by nature."
If you are like me and don't want a book full of nude models sitting around the house, then don't let this book's title keep you from buying it. There is a thumbnail of the most nude picture in the book on the cover (3rd down on the left side) and is the image of a woman's back. Lee Varis does a good job of talking about and showing examples of skin without including pictures you may not want your children seeing.
great book.......2007-09-24
Great book mostly for post processing in photoshop. Espesially about how to treat skincolor. Also a littel bit of how to light. Many usable photoshop techniques. Just get it!
EXCELLENT book.......2007-09-07
One of the most focused books on lighting and Photoshopping people I have ever read - it's very advanced, but well explained. This book will help you push yourself when it comes to this subject. Refreshing and different approach in his writing.
the book is great.......2007-09-05
The book is very helpful. The book is based on Photoshop CS2, so if you're like me and still using CS, some of the tutorials won't work.
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