Book Description
This comprehensive book encourages future educational leaders to be proactive rather than reactive, and arms them with an understanding of educational policy and the important political theories upon which it is based. Coverage addresses theory, analysis, development, and implementation of educational policy, with the knowledge base of the typical reader in mind. It explores the reasons for change in educational policy, ways to track its evolution, and techniques for influencing its ultimate destination. Includes updated statistics drawn from the 2000 Census and explores economic changes expected from the business cycle downturn and the effect of war. Features new news stories for analysis—related to chapter content as well as key current issues, including the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; New case studies on the teaching of Darwinian evolution and on parent revolts against state testing programs; An entire chapter devoted to policy values and ideology. Extensive coverage on educational policy at the state level. For future educators and educational leaders.
Customer Reviews:
Fowler surfs the waves of educational public policy!.......2003-05-01
An excellent source of information for the layperson or serious student of American education systems. Dr. Fowler explains in great detail a variety of such substantive areas as the meaning of policy; power and education; a discussion of the policy environment; some types of political systems and culture; ideological and value systems; who sets the stage in the making of education policy; the various stages of the policy process and so forth. Enjoyable! Thorough! Substantive!
Educational Leaders.......2001-03-13
This book was very easy to read and understand. Coming from a teaching background, and not knowing anything about policy making, this book was a true education. I used it in my grad class, and every student commented on the ease of understanding and the interest in the text. This is a must buy if you want to learn anything about education, teaching or being an administrator!
Book Description
Rees offers the first in-depth account of the extraordinary transformation in the safety standards, operations, and management of the nation's nuclear facilities spurred by the accident at Three Mile Island. Detailing the surprising success of self-regulation within the nuclear industry, his book reveals the possibilities for effective communitarian action.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing analysis .......2005-10-08
For a long time I have been looking for a book with a coherent and convincing analysis on successful self-regulation. Well, perhaps any type of successful regulation. Books on regulatory failure are much easier to come by. And this book had such a promising setting. The claim: A single catastrophic accident at any one US nuclear plant would have ruinous consequences for the entire industry. Each licencee is a hostage of every other licencee. Safety pays! Result: the nuclear industry has founded the INPO organization, to police uniform high safety standards, simply to protect industry's huge investment in nuclear power.
Rees' basic hypothesis is that nuclear power plants operate on some sort of Enlightened Self Interest (ESI). This assumption on rationality is never explicitly stated however, nor is it examined critically. But Rees argues from industry sources that nuclear plants strive to be safe, they compete with each other to be the safest, and that the nuclear industry provide INPO with muscle to make life difficult for those who either cannot or will not do so.
Surprisingly, many of Rees' examples have kind of a dualism. On the one hand, Rees' examples tell a story on how the Three Mile Island accident resulted in soul searching and catharsis, how the transformaton has resulted in increased industry responsibility, how new controls have been set up, and how INPO succesfully fulfills its policing role. But many of the examples could equally well be interpreted the other way around:
- that INPO has been given only weak powers - the so-called Management by Embarassment in closed industry fora. Not stong ones; because linking INPO evaluations and insurance cost, for instance, can affect stock price enormously (p94)
- that INPO is extremely cautious not to alienate its sponsor base (p145)
- that the "safety pays" notion is not widely shared across industry, to say the least, and that cost-cutting on safety is widespread
- that the wake-up call from Three-Mile Island is not received by all actors
For instance, take the example of the INPO crack-down in 1987 - eight years after TMI (!) - on a plant where all operators had fallen asleep on several occasions, leaving operating reactors unattended. Is this an example of a more fundamental free-rider problem in the industry and an opportunity to re-examine the rational ESI assumption ?- or is it an example of succesful INPO peer-pressure intervention? Rees only considers the latter.
It is a mystery to me why Rees has not exploited this alternative line of interpretation and the reason why I find the analysis disappointing.
Rees demonstrates that self-regulation can improve the safety of some plants, likely in ways that public regulation cannot achieve and possibly in a more efficient manner. But the analysis fails to demonstrate that self-regulation can replace public regulation, which is surprising, bearing in mind the "hostages of each other" setting of the analysis.
Persuasive Argument For Communitarian Regulation.......2004-09-09
Joseph Rees has written a superior account of the improvements in nuclear systems safety since the Three Mile Island accident. Without getting too deep into the technical details of nuclear systems or chemistry (other than a basic explanation of the general theory of plant operation and a bit of detail about the faulty PORV design), Rees analyzes TMI from a human factors and safety systems vantage point, and subsequently details the improvements made to the US nuclear power industry since the accident.
Rees especially details the workings of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), a non-governmental industry group which oversees safety more diligently than even the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in a system that Rees dubs "communitarian regulation." He details industry problems such as "nonconservative decision making" and provides useful analogies to other industries. The case of Consolidated Edison (p. 154) is of particular interest for those people interested in studying corporate safety systems and programs.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in nuclear power, and particularly to professionals and students with an interest in industrial safety, regardless of their specific field. This book has applications in every industry, and will improve the understanding of human factors and industrial safety for any interested reader.
Hostages of Each Other.......2000-05-29
This book is about how the Nuclear Energy Industry "bootstrapped" itself to improve operational and nuclear safety after the TMI accident. Prior to TMI, the NRC had been enforcing minimum safety requirements, not promoting operational excellence. The industry realized it might not economically survive another TMI, and while the fundamental design of the plants appeared to be safe, significant operational improvements were needed to reduce the chance another similar accident. The industry formed INPO (the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations) to share information and resources to promote excellence and safety in operations. The book is full of stories of what happened and quotes from the principles involved (no heavy technical stuff) and I found it an enjoyable, interesting read. The author is a professor at the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Tech, and I detected no pro or anti-nuke sentiment, just lots of well researched information. Probably the best book I have read on the subject.
Amazon.com
Orchidelirium is the name the Victorians gave to the flower madness that is for botanical collectors the equivalent of gold fever. Wealthy orchid fanatics of that era sent explorers (heavily armed, more to protect themselves against other orchid seekers than against hostile natives or wild animals) to unmapped territories in search of new varieties of Cattleya and Paphiopedilum. As knowledge of the family Orchidaceae grew to encompass the currently more than 60,000 species and over 100,000 hybrids, orchidelirium might have been expected to go the way of Dutch tulip mania. Yet, as journalist Susan Orlean found out, there still exists a vein of orchid madness strong enough to inspire larceny among collectors.
The Orchid Thief centers on south Florida and John Laroche, a quixotic, charismatic schemer once convicted of attempting to take endangered orchids from the Fakahatchee swamp, a state preserve. Laroche, a horticultural consultant who once ran an extensive nursery for the Seminole tribe, dreams of making a fortune for the Seminoles and himself by cloning the rare ghost orchid Polyrrhiza lindenii. Laroche sums up the obsession that drives him and so many others:
I really have to watch myself, especially around plants. Even now, just being here, I still get that collector feeling. You know what I mean. I'll see something and then suddenly I get that feeling. It's like I can't just have something--I have to have it and learn about it and grow it and sell it and master it and have a million of it.
Even Orlean--so leery of orchid fever that she immediately gives away any plant that's pressed upon her by the growers in Laroche's circle--develops a desire to see a ghost orchid blooming and makes several ultimately unsuccessful treks into the Fakahatchee. Filled with Palm Beach socialites, Native Americans, English peers, smugglers, and naturalists as improbably colorful as the tropical blossoms that inspire them, this is a lyrical, funny, addictively entertaining read. --Barrie Trinkle
Book Description
In Susan Orlean's mesmerizing true story of beauty and obsession is John Laroche, a renegade plant dealer and sharply handsome guy, in spite of the fact that he is missing his front teeth and has the posture of al dente spaghetti. In 1994, Laroche and three Seminole Indians were arrested with rare orchids they had stolen from a wild swamp in south Florida that is filled with some of the world's most extraordinary plants and trees. Laroche had planned to clone the orchids and then sell them for a small fortune to impassioned collectors. After he was caught in the act, Laroche set off one of the oddest legal controversies in recent memory, which brought together environmentalists, Native Amer-ican activists, and devoted orchid collectors. The result is a tale that is strange, compelling, and hilarious.
New Yorker writer Susan Orlean followed Laroche through swamps and into the eccentric world of Florida's orchid collectors, a subculture of aristocrats, fanatics, and smugglers whose obsession with plants is all-consuming. Along the way, Orlean learned the history of orchid collecting, discovered an odd pattern of plant crimes in Florida, and spent time with Laroche's partners, a tribe of Seminole Indians who are still at war with the United States.
There is something fascinating or funny or truly bizarre on every page of
The Orchid Thief: the story of how the head of a famous Seminole chief came to be displayed in the front window of a local pharmacy; or how seven hundred iguanas were smuggled into Florida; or the case of the only known extraterrestrial plant crime. Ultimately, however, Susan Orlean's book is about passion itself, and the amazing lengths to which people will go to gratify it. That passion is captured with singular vision in
The Orchid Thief, a once-in-a-lifetime story by one of our most original journalists.
Customer Reviews:
Orchids and those who love them.......2007-09-16
This is an interesting book about the obsessions and lengths of the people who love and collect orchids. There are ups and downs in this account.
The story is well told. The main character is John Laroche, a huckster in trouble with Florida authorities for poaching orchids from public lands. Orlean tells Laroche's story, while using it as a springboard to examine the various aspects of the obsession with orchids some people have. There are stories of orchids being stolen from growers, certain strains fetching high prices from foreign buyers, and an obsession bordering on madness in collectors of the flower. There are very few lengths to which collectors and poachers will not go to get their hands on prize orchids.
Laroche himself is a complicated figure. On one hand, he is a criminal who has always tried to come up with get rich quick schemes to avoid working. He has a broken moral compass and thinks nothing of doing things to people not accepted by society. But, Orlean also explores the backstory that made Laroche who he is. We learn of his failed marriages, bad family life, and the crummy luck he has experienced. He comes out as being a complicated character. By the end of the book, I didn't know if I should root for or against him.
The main drawback is that Orlean sometimes goes into too much detail about side issues and minor stories. These digressions take away from the general flow of the book rather than enriching it.
This is a good nonfiction book, especially for those interested in environmental matters.
Good Writing.......2007-08-21
I expected this to be more about the Orchid Thief, so I was disappointed somewhat by Ms. Orlean's sashaying into Florida history and Seminole history.
When I came to the conclusion that it was as good a book as I'd heard it to be, I was happily surprised!
I've been introduced to hydroponic orchid growing, and it was important to get a feel of the hobby/art!
FORCED TO READ IT.......2007-07-23
this book really didnt keep my interest. but i had to read it for school. so yea.
Watch "Adaptation" after you read it.......2007-07-22
Actually, watch Being John Malkovich before you read it and Adaptation (Superbit Collection) afterwards.
Adaptation deals with the problems that Charlie Kaufman, played by Nicolas Cage, had adapting this book into a screenplay. It is remarkably true to the book, and Meryl Streep is wonderful as Susan Orlean.
I read the book after seeing the film, and wish I had done it in reverse order.
Like many other reviewers, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but have nothing to add to their comments.
Interesting magazine article with a lot of filler........2007-01-04
This book is interesting yet, as has already been mentioned in other reviews, it probably should have stayed a magazine article. The book, which is already printed in large font, has a lot of sections that are obvious filler to increase the page count. I could forgive these off topic filler sections if they were at least entertaining but unfortunately they are not.
Book Description
In the years following World War II, the world's biggest dam was almost built in Hells Canyon on the Snake River in Idaho. Karl Boyd Brooks tells the story of the dam controversy, which became a referendum not only on public-power expansion but also on the environmental implications of the New Deal's natural -- resources and economic policy.
Private-power critics of the Hells Canyon High Dam posed difficult questions about the implications of damming rivers to create power and to grow crops. Activists, attorneys, and scientists pioneered legal tactics and political rhetoric that would help to define the environmental movement in the 1960s. The debate, however, was less about endangered salmon or threatened wild country and more about who would control land and water and whether state enterprise or private capital would oversee the supply of electricity.
By thwarting the dam's construction, Snake Basin irrigators retained control over water as well as economic and political power in Idaho, putting the state on a postwar path that diverged markedly from that of bordering states. In the end, the opponents of the dam were responsible for preserving high deserts and mountain rivers from radical change.
With Public Power, Private Dams, Karl Brooks makes an important contribution not only to the history of the Pacific Northwest and the region's anadromous fisheries but also to the environmental history of the United States in the period after World War II.
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Let Them Eat Precaution: How Politics is Undermining the Genetic Revolution in Agriculture
Jon Entine
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Food, Inc.: Mendel to Monsanto--The Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest
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ASIN: 0844742007 |
Book Description
This book brings together experts from a variety of perspectives on bioengineered food, which holds the promise of radically reducing hunger in the third world but which is mired in political controversy.
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- Essential for an understanding of (New) Labour's recent development
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The Struggle for Labour's Soul: Analysing the Political Thought of the Labour Party
P. Plant
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415312841 |
Book Description
What is the future for New Labour? This book is an excellent account of the state of the Labour Party's political thought which discusses the historical political traditions from which the Labour party originally drew its philosophy and the problems it now faces as the ruling party in 21st century Britain. It features contributions from academics, politicians such as Gordon Brown MP, Tam Dalyell MP, Joe Haines, Roy Hattersley and Ken Coates and journalists such as The Guardian's Polly Toynbee and David Walker.
Customer Reviews:
Essential for an understanding of (New) Labour's recent development.......2006-02-22
This edited volume takes as its starting point the charge that the Labour party is a party of values, but often not of ideas (p.1). It argues however that ideas are indeed important to the party and sets out to provide a coherent outline of the political philosophies which have guided Labour - both in power and opposition - since the post-war period. Whilst aiming to provide analytical clarity on this point, the book does not seek to provide a binding canon of Labour thought; on the contrary, the editors express their desire to "provoke some debate" (3) and this they achieve through their judicious selection of contributors from academia, politics and journalism.
The book's structure is clear, consisting in three parts, the first of which takes a look at Labour's landscape, from Old Left through to New, then to the Centre, then from Old Right through to New Labour, immediately positioning the current government's ideological leanings.
In chapter 1, Anthony Arblaster characterises `The Old Left' as strongly socialist, yet anti-Soviet. In favour of broad state ownership of key industries, Old Leftists such as Crossman and Foot were early proponents of a `third way' between communism and unbridled capitalism. Arblaster also believes that the Left's over-dependence on the charismatic Nye Bevan did not provide the clear direction needed against the revisionist Right.
Chapter 2, `The New Left' by Mark Whickham-Jones charts the rise of key players such as Benn and Holland in the post-Wilson years. The chapter details how the New Left placed great value on economic efficiency, equality of outcome and sought greater mechanisms for democratic accountability and nuclear disarmament. This programme was not widely endorsed, and general disunity in the Labour party brought about the Bennite Left's decline in the early 1980s.
Chapter 3 begins with an exposition of the difficulties of locating the middle ground conceived of as being the party's `Centre'. At times, Noel Thompson argues, the party has lacked a centrist critical mass of support. Where identifiable, centrist discourse has been based on planning, organisation, and the public good, though recent developments have led to greater emphasis on competitiveness, entrepreneurship and the free market. Thompson refers to many post-war party manifestos to demonstrate his points.
Chapter 4, written by Kevin Jefferys discusses `The Old Right', based on revisionism and social democracy. Two main points permeate Jefferys' discussion: that social democratic ideology accommodated a good deal of fluidity and often disagreement; and that revisionist ideas, though often highly influential, were never fully endorsed.
The next chapter by Matt Beech establishes New Labour as the `new right', essentially a group of powerful modernisers and by no means the majority of the Party. Beech shows how New Labour's political philosophy is firmly sited in the economic and social globalisation thesis it holds to. Its approach to equality is arguably vague, though its communitarian emphasis is unequivocal and its conception of liberty, positive.
The second section of the book follows, taking six key themes of Labour thought as they intersect traditional left-right positions.
Raymond (Lord) Plant opens this section with his essay on the complex development of social democratic thought on `Ends and Means'. Beginning with Marx, his discussion in chapter 6 progresses through Keynesian philosophy and culminates with questions surrounding the effect that globalisation is having on the very goals of social democracy.
The topic of chapter 7 is `Equality' and Kevin Hickson examines the differing attitudes towards equality expressed by various strands of Labour party thought. Of particular interest to any reader should be Hickson's challenging questions regarding New Labour's achievements on equality of opportunity and social inclusion as a result of their equality policies .
The following two essays deal with Labour's economic policy. In chapter 8, Anthony McGrew shows how New Labour's response to `Globalisation' represents a serious effort to engage with globalising forces, restructuring social democracy to fit the resultant conditions. The contradictions of globalisation are mirrored in the contradictions of Labour's policy responses.
Chapter 9, written by Stuart Holland, further develops this discussion of economy policy in the context of `Ownership, Planning and Markets'. Different from the other chapters with its `story-telling' manner, the chapter nevertheless presents insightful first-hand accounts and viewpoints on developments in Labour's approach to public shareholding, Planning agreements and social contracts.
Eric Shaw presents his view of `Labourism' in chapter 10, examining trade union involvement in Labour from the perspectives of Marxism and what he calls `Proto-New Labour'. Issues of class and the wider labour movement are debated and shown to be the basis of a useful conception of Labourism, as opposed to a stringent catch-all doctrine or ethos. That said, Shaw's conclusion is that the empirical significance of labourism as such is diminishing due to the repositioning of New Labour on the electoral spectrum.
The topic of chapter 11 is New Labour's set of constitutional reforms. Dilys Hill takes a wide range of `modernisation' reforms proposed to institutions such as devolved governments, parliament and the monarch, human rights and Europe. She argues that while the UK now boasts a more open system of government, the overall direction of these and further constitutional reforms is still not entirely clear.
The last chapter in this section is Brian Brivati's contribution on the changing approaches of foreign policy in Labour's post-war years. Brivati points out how the positional terms adopted thus far in this book do not accurately reflect divisions in the twentieth century Labour party regarding foreign policy at distinct points. He contends that over the course of recent years, socialist internationalism has given way to patriotism, as well as ethical/Christian morality, and is now at the forefront of Labour's attitudes to organisations such as CND, Europe, NATO and recent armed conflicts.
The brief final section gives space to five authors who would broadly adhere to each of the ideological positions identified and discussed in this volume. `Father of the House' Tam Dalyell muses on how the Old Left might have responded to current domestic and international issues, while Frances Morrell, representing the New Left, seeks to establish the relevance of the struggles faced by Labour in the 1970s to today's party. Journalist Joe Haines suggests that Harold Wilson epitemised the centre of the Labour party while the most passionate centrist leader was Hugh Gaitskell. He concludes that "the centre is very British, very unspectacular, but it works. That is its justification." (p.260), while the conclusion of Austin Mitchell MP, in his discussion of the Old Right, is that "Blair is the ideology but he hasn't any" (p.266) and "As the old politics return, the ideology of Labour's Old Right becomes relevant again. Finally Polly Toynbee and David Walker reflect on the recent years of New Labour government, asking pointedly if it has gone further towards the right than it `needed'.
Roy Hattersley's afterword draws this fascinating and significant volume to a close. The well-written and pleasantly readable essays fit together impressively, and successfully map the presence and development of ideology and substance in post-war Labour thought. Students of contemporary British politics, members and supporters (even opponents) of Labour - old or new, left or right - and laymen who wish to be informed will undoubtedly find this volume a vital read and a valuable contribution to future debates on Labour philosophy and policy.
Darren J. Paffey, School of Humanities, University of Southampton, UK.
Book Description
""This book is a comprehensive ethnographic survey of the uses of tobacco in nearly three hundred Indian societies in South America. . . . This meticulously written book . . . is an awesome piece of scholarship which should be of interest not only to Wilbert's fellow anthropologists but also to scholars in medicine, pharmacology, and history, especially ethnohistory.""-Virgil J. Vogel, Ethnohistory
Customer Reviews:
Reads like some one's masters thesis.......2004-01-31
This book is nothing but a survey of previous literature. It's an exhaustive (and I mean EXHAUSTING) list of every mention of tobacco in the notes, logs, and published works of early explorers, scientists, and missionaries in South America. There were a few interesting things - I didn't fall asleep EVERY time I tried to read it, just almost every time. It took me 2 years to get through this book. Don't look here if you want to understand the role of tobacco in South American medicine.
Entheogens: Professional Listing.......1999-05-03
"Tobacco and Shamanism" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy
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- Time to revisit nuclear power
- Corporate Propaganda
- Excellent, readible text on why nuclear energy is needed.
- America the Powerless: Facing Our Nuclear Energy Dilemma
- EYE OPENING-VERY INFORMATIVE-REDUCES THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
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America the Powerless: Facing Our Nuclear Energy Dilemma
Alan E. Waltar
Manufacturer: Medical Physics Publishing Corporation
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ASIN: 0944838588 |
Customer Reviews:
Time to revisit nuclear power.......2007-01-30
Corporate propaganda? Only if you are so closed minded you won't accept truth and logic.
Stewart Brand (the Whole Earth Catalog) and Patrick Moore (Greenpeace founder) have both come to the conclusion that nuclear energy has a significant role to play in the future energy mix.
This book clearly and fairhandedly addresses the objections and myths about nuclear energy. Dr. Waltar does not hide or downplay issues or problems, including Three Mile Island or Chernobyl, but he explains them without the hysteria exhibited by the popular media.
Am I biased in favor of nuclear power? Sure I am. But for good reason. This book explains those reasons.
Corporate Propaganda.......2004-02-12
If you like reading corporate propaganda, this is your book.
Excellent, readible text on why nuclear energy is needed........2000-07-19
This book is the best I have read on nuclear power written for the reader with no to little technical background. The author, a former president of the American Nuclear Society, addresses all the common arguments used against nuclear energy. His arguments are clearly presented with informative tables and figures.
America the Powerless: Facing Our Nuclear Energy Dilemma.......1999-12-31
An absolutely great book for understanding this complex issue and explaining why the US needs to develop more nuclear power facilities. Waltar writes the book in a very approachable, non-technical manner which allows just about anyone to understand the concepts and issues related to nuclear energy. The book is structured so each chapter provides a rebuttle to the long standing, traditional key arguments (nuclear waste disposal, pollution, radiation, reactor safety, nuclear bombs, etc.) against nuclear energy. Excellent background references are provided for each chapter and good illustrations and charts are used throughout the book to provide emphasis and help compare the various qualitative issues. By the end of the book all the arguments against nuclear energy have been refuted, leading the reader to the obvious conclusion that we should pursue nuclear energy. This book should be read by anyone who wishes to be better informed about key issues in our country's (and the world's) future.
EYE OPENING-VERY INFORMATIVE-REDUCES THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT.......1998-07-19
TELLS WHY THE USA needs a comprehensive ENERGY POLICY.Tells us how to maintain our standard of living.Explains why ELECTRICITY produced from and by commercial nuclear reactors is not only the safest but also the best for the ENVIREMENT. We could sign the KYOTA agreement if we produced more electricity from NUCLEAR PLANTS.No one has ever "died" from an accident related to commercial nuclear power production. The same cannot be said for COAL,GAS,OR HYDRO.
Book Description
A collection of sixteen challenging and thought- provoking essays rarely tacked in mainstream garde n writing, such as the philosophical meaning of gardens, the notion of the garden as a form of installation art, and more.
Book Description
My name is Tax'a Leon and this book is about my family and my people, the K'iche' Maya. My father was murdered three years ago. I still have my mother and 12 brothers and sisters. Nothing was done to solve the murder of my father or the people that turn up every day in the cornfields machetied to death. After all the things that have happened to our family there are times when I feel fear and sadness and despair in humanity. I wrote this book to tell people about the armed conflict that is still taking place in my country, Guatemala. The interviews were conducted in my native language K'iche'. People have trusted me and told me their stories. They told me with fear and anxiety in their eyes. Painting was also a way they could express how they feel without having to come up with words that consciously commit them to forming an opinion. The violence continues because no one wants to remember the past and our lips are sealed. We are afraid.. Not long ago, 200,000 people were murdered only 750 miles from Miami. There are people today in our governments who may not want you know about the worst violence that the Americas have seen in this century. This is a portrait of the Mayan people, written by a young Maya K'iche' artist, Tax'a, and her American husband Harvard Medical School researcher Douglas London. Eighty-one paintings by Mayan artists, including K'iche' children's art and photos, accompany graphic testimonies by Maya witnesses. "We Were Taught to Plant Corn not to Kill" is a stunning art book, an uncovering of the secrets behind the silence of the Mayan people and a look at the daily life and culture of the K'iche'. The Maya need your help because history is still happening to them.
Customer Reviews:
A profoundly important book that should be a part of every academic and community library collection.......2007-06-10
"We Were Taught To Plant Corn Not To Kill: Secrets Of The Silence Of The Mayan People" is about the family of young K'iche' artist Tax'a Leon and the genocide of the Mayan people in Guatemala. Her father was found in a corn field having been machetied to death three years ago. After her father's murder (which was never solved by the authorities) Tax'a continues to live with her mother and twelve brothers and sisters. Just a few years ago some 200,000 Mayan people were murdered within 750 miles of Miami, Florida. Illustrated with 81 paintings by Mayan artists and co-written with her husband Doublas London, the articulate and revealing story Tax'a presents is one of daily life and culture among the K'iche', as well as a plea for help to a people to whom incidents of racially driven mass murder is still happening. "We Were Taught To Plant Corn Not To Kill" is a profoundly important book that should be a part of every academic and community library collection, and read by students of Anthropology, Native American Studies, Human Rights, Latin American Studies, and Mayan Cultural Studies.
We Were Taught To Plant Corn Not to Kill.......2007-03-21
Like many Americans I had vague understanding Middle and South American politics. I knew there had been terrible conflicts. I knew that we, shamefully, had overthrown governments in one or more "banana republics" at the bidding of large corporations, in fear that their enslaved peasant workers would rise up and demand basic human rights. I knew there had been terrible atrocities committed in armed insurgent conflicts and, regrettably, my government always seemed to back the side of repression. I knew these things, but with so much conflict in the world, it was difficult keeping track of all the parties involved. It seemed like every week there was yet another story of some poor victimized group being hacked to death by yet another poor victimized group.
I came to this book because I had an interest in the pre Colombian Mesoamerican cultures, fueled in part by the romanticism of "lost civilizations" and ruins hidden in tropical jungles. These civilizations had great cities, an accurate calendar, a mathematical system that included a zero at a time when my northern European ancestors were barbarians living in small hunter gatherer societies. I have learned that the Maya today in Guatemala, have survived in large numbers, in spite of the collapse of their city/states, the Spanish conquistadores and their diseases, and the destruction of their written history. They have survived in small self governing communities, in lands that they have occupied since before the birth of Christ, only to be treated as hostile aliens, and a threat to be eliminated, by their own government.
The first step of genocide is dehumanization of the victims. The authors, through their unique perspective, have managed to give a face and a name to Maya of Guatemala. Their passionate desire is to bring the light of world attention to the darkness of dehumanization and genocide that threatens to be the final destruction of these ancient and proud peoples. This book is a must read for anyone who has an interest in Native American cultures or basic human rights.
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- Practical Golf
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Books Index
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