Product Description

In this sweeping adventure story, Stephen E. Ambrose, the bestselling author od D-Day, presents the definitive account of one of the most momentous journeys in American history. Ambrose follows the Lewis and Clark Expedition from Thomas Jefferson's hope of finding a waterway to the Pacific, through the heart-stopping moments of the actual trip, to Lewis's lonely demise on the Natchez Trace. Along the way, Ambrose shows us the American West as Lewis saw it -- wild, awsome, and pristinely beautiful. Undaunted Courage is a stunningly told action tale that will delight readers for generations.Amazon.com Review
A biography of Meriwether Lewis that relies heavily on the journalsof both Lewis and Clark, this book is also backed up by the author's personaltravels along Lewis and Clark's route to the Pacific. Ambrose is notcontent to simply chronicle the events of the "Corps of Discovery" as theexplorers called their ventures. He often pauses to assess the militaryleadership of Lewis and Clark, how they negotiated with various nativepeoples and what they reported to Jefferson. Though the expedition failed tofind Jefferson's hoped for water route to the Pacific, it fired interestamong fur traders and other Americans, changing the face of the West forever. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (388)

Fantastic book...I learned so much
This book is a must read for anyone interested in American history.The prose is well thought out and flows like a river.The book is fully referenced and footnoted in a reader friendly way.I am giving it to all my friends.

Undaunted Courage
What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage.
The Cowardly Lion

A thin line separates genius and madness, recklessness and courage. For many great individuals, the very thing that drives their success is also instrumental in their downfall. At the youthful age of twenty-nine, Meriwether Lewis seemed an unlikely choice to lead one of the most important voyages of discovery since Columbus. Lewis's skill at military leadership on the frontier and intense intellectual curiosity was matched by his lack of political savoir faire and propensity for depression. Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage is as much about human tragedy as it is courage.

Ambrose's meticulously researched and crafted tale takes us through the entire journey of Lewis and Clark. Much more than a simple travelogue, the reader feels the extreme physical exertion, bitter cold, extreme heat, and debilitating sickness of their trip. One also gets a good look into the psyche of Lewis. His heroic strengths and tragic weaknesses are on full display.

It has become fashionable to parade the faults and foibles of our heroes before a frothing public. As quickly as we place individuals on pedestals, we seek ways to tear them down. However, Undaunted Courage does not fall into this trap. Rather, it provides an insightful view into the life of a talented, courageous man who overcame his youthful inexperience and psychological maladies to spark the opening of the American West. Like any well-written tragedy, this story is marked by pathos. It does not end with the hero living happily ever after, but in a gruesome suicide in rural Tennessee. For additional reading check out [...]

Fabulous account of the Lewis and Clark expedition
This is a well-researched and highly readable overview of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Ambrose deserves credit for taking such a daunting historical event and condensing it into a single volume. While the first part of the book perhaps goes a little overboard in describing the preparations and the role that Jefferson played, once the voyage sets off there's no looking back. The encounters with the Indians are fascinating. The reader really feels like he's along for the ride as the expedition makes its way towards the Pacific Ocean. With our roads and skies now filled with countless vehicles and airplanes, it's easy to forget just how massive the continent appeared to its occupants in the early 19th century. Ambrose does a good job of presenting the enormity of the task that these early explorers took on. Lewis and Clark tackled the continent's unknown dangers with gusto, and Ambrose has given us the opportunity to come along for the ride. Highly recommended.

Ambrose on the Lewis and Clark expedition
There is countless material available on Lewis and Clark and the "Voyage of Discovery". I have enjoyed the read and consider it a very good introduction to the subject and the material available.For those who want to do more, the Moulton edition of the Journals is essential. Also worthwhile is Bernard DeVoto, "The Journals of Lewis and Clark". The Ambrose book works for book discussion groups as there is plenty to keep the conversation rolling as our group discovered.

A great book
This is a very enlighting book. It is educational, but is like reading a novel. You will discover a lot about an important time in the history of the United States and what a visionary and genius we had in our thrid president,
Thomas Jefferson. This book started me on a quest for more knowledge about Mr. Jefferson that has not ended.

... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (11)

The ways of the world and the UN
This book was required for a course that I took. The course was an absolute bust as the instructor was inept and incompetent. The book was excellent. It is divided appropriately for the five one hour lectures that are part of the CBC Radio Massey Lectures. Stephen Lewis has an engaging writing style, where he can take some of the political situations that would look as though they are just the typical way of conducting business and yet in one swoop make the occasion look ridiculous as he points out the absurdities that are taking place. Is there a real "Race against Time" in the battle to fight AIDS in Africa? Absolutely! It is horrendous to see this situation occurring and Stephen Lewis gives us a first hand look just as if we are there.

The other aspect of this book is how the UN operates. Stephen Lewis gives the reader a snapshot of the inner sanctum of the UN and how it operates. What is very impressive is his willingness to point out some of the absurdities in how women are treated in the inner circles of international power brokers and the lack of willingness by many of the African countries to recognize women as partners in the future of their country. Women in much of Africa are truly second class citizens and this is reflected in the power circles of the African countries and the UN hierarchy. Wow!

The biggest culprit in the AIDS epidemic is actually the World Bank and its catering to the multinational corporations. These corporations are not only supported by the World Bank in efforts to control a developing country's resources but also by the G-8 governments. There is enough blame for everyone. Whether you agree or disagree with Stephen Lewis's politics or even my political views doesn't matter. What matters is you are getting a "front row seat and view" to the operation and business of the UN and how the World Bank influences policy in developing African nations. You also get to see how some of the UN agencies operate in conjunction with charities and other Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs). Some of the practices and the bureaucrats of these agencies will drive someone batty but you will also get to meet people who really do care. You will be surprised at the ingenuity these folks have.

This book is a worthwhile read. I wish Stephen wrote more about the possible solutions to the problems encountered in Africa. Maybe he can update his book again! Enjoy and read this worthwhile book.

A powerful read that makes you want to take action
This is a powerful account of how the world is failing to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals, which aimed to reduce poverty, hunger, AIDS, etc. by a certain amount by 2015. This book really made me want to do something about it, which I think is the ultimate sign of success. I'd recommend this book to anyone.

I have to admit that the fourth chapter dragged a bit--Lewis didn't really convince me that complete equality for women was as important as preventing starvation and death by disease, though he claimed repeatedly that without equality it wouldn't be possible to achieve the rest of the goals--but overall, the book was very readable and the message was certainly worth it.

Great
I haven't read the book yet, but it is in perfect condition and it was here in no time!

General insights, moving moments.
In superb English, Stephen Lewis proposes general, high-level solutions to the AIDS pandemic and makes a strong case for the increased recognition and empowerment of women world-wide. Here Here! Bold and sometimes scathing comment reveals how the wheels turn (or don't turn) in relevent UN departments. I was hoping for a bit more 'on the ground' stuff, although the very 'human' moments shared amongst devastating statistics are profound and sustaining. A good fast read.

Excellent
I could not put this book down. You could hear the author screaming out from the pages; his stories had me feeling angry and on the verge of tears at the same time. An excellent depiction of the UN organizations' role in fighting HIV/AIDS, their failures and what we could do to fight this disease. A must read for anyone interested in HIV/AIDS, Africa, activism or infectious diseases. ... Read more

Product Description
More than half a century after Einstein first described the energetic unity of the world in his famous equation, E=mc2, we are finally beginning to understand the spiritual and mystical implications of his discovery. Sanctuary: The Path to Consciousness is about the miraculous possibilities that emerge when we see the universe as a matrix of frozen light, the spiritual manifestation of our intuitive consciousnesses.

In this remarkable novel, you will find a new energetic model of the body, the spirit, and the nature of the physical world. It points the way to unlimited possibilities of absolute, eternal transformation, and you will find out that it is readily available now!

After reading this book, you too can take advantage of the techniques of energetic Quantum-Consciousness Evaluation, and be able to identify and remove subtle-energy imbalances to attain and integrate physical, emotional, and spiritual harmony! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

Sanctuary a real wake up for health
Sanctuary is for those with an open mind. It is in fact mind blowing to anyone who believes that the body is material and that there is nothing else. The treatment of people's ills and problems in Sanctuary are so ahead of what the masses can imagine that it would be a fairy tale to some - but not to me and not to the growing masses who believe and know in their hearts and souls that we are all one and we are all energy. Treating our energy for whatever apparent problems we encounter in this lifetime is what the future of medicine is all about. A great read for we believers and a great eye opener for the seeker.

Sanctuary, the path to consciousness
I recently purchased and read "Sanctuary, the path to consciousness" by Stephen Lewis and Evan Slawson. The book is promoting the AIM program, which was developed by Stephen Lewis and Evan Slawson, though it is very well written into a novel type format.I found the book to be very interesting,as well as a little disturbing. Let me just say, I will be very cautious who I allow to take my picture! One of those things that could prove to be a double-edged sword, depending upon how it is used.

Great Lakes Lu
Everyone needs to read Sanctuary: The Path to Consciousness.Everyone needs to be on the AIM program.I highly recommend this book!

IT IS REAL!Try it for yourself.....to self heal!
Yes, the proof is in the experience.For all those that have written their "view" of an purely experiential process without participating in this spiritual self healing technology....I say to you - TRY IT!For someone who says it is to good to be true and not try...well, one has already pushed away their good.

The book shares Stephen Lewis' revelation and insight into the beginnings of this Spiritual Healing Technology.Energetic Balancing that began partly as Homeopathy. Although the story is "fiction" the premises is very real.

Check out the AIM program at [...]

I and many others, are on the AIM Program of Energetic Balancing. I have been on it for 3 years.It is real.It is self healing.You heal yourself.No different than as we bring up to our consciousness those imbalances within us through deep meditation, revelation, corrected thought, forgivness, etc....the AIM Program allows you to do it FASTER, QUICKER, BETTER.It is not "something of the future", it is NOW. I have witnessed healing after healing after healing....and my own.And yes, you may cough while on the program!LOL!And yes, you do de-tox many things....from hereditary frequencies to daily man made frequencies of bio war fare.

It is a blessing to have an opportunity to have a CHOICE in my OWN SELF HEALING.At first, it was hard to believe, but then allergies disappeared, IBS was healed in addition to feeling stronger emotionally, choosing higher options for myself and more. Prayer is energy.Thought is energy.So, sending frequencies (not unlike radio or prayer) are sent to you to allow you to balance imbalances is real, it works.Period.

When I sat next to people week after week in AIM meetings and listened to each personal story, I was overwhelmed.It WAS hard to believe.Could this really be, I asked myself?But, each week, as these "people" began to become my personal friends and I, for my self, saw, witnessed and observed their lives and health improving....I thought I was worth it to see if it worked for me.I did and I would not be without it. It has allowed me to be a better me, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually and more!

Stephen Lewis is brilliant.He is dedicated his entire life to finding healing balancing frequencies to allow others to heal.He does this endlessly.

There are scholarships available to those with Down Syndrome and Autism. It is FREE for those people to be ON the program.I encourage everyone to try the AIM program.

It may not be for everyone, this path.To choose to self heal, does take courage as one must face the emotional, mental and physical aspects of releasing imbalances.Not everyone is likely to choose this.

Like everything we as humans do in this existence, we have a CHOICE.I choose the AIM program because it works, and as science is catching up to meet Spirituality, and quantum physics and technologies are closing the gap on the unknown metaphysical aspects of our being....it won't be that long till this is mainstream. There is nothing here that can not be proven real...if you just take the time to read, learn, do and experience.

If you TRULY had the chance to heal yourself...what would your choice be...and WHY?

Caused me to explore more theories and ideas.
Although it reads like a novel, the reader can easily understand that the underpinnings of this book are actually based on more than circumstance.This was an introductory book for me as I own a similar biofeedback device as used in the novel.It was inspiring and evoked a desire to explore other research and information.Other books I have read since this once include:The Field, by McTaggart, The Biology of Belief, by Lipton and Vibrational Medicine, by Gerber. ... Read more

Product Description

Lewis and Clark’s Voyage of Discovery defined the American spirit like no other event of the 19th century. Now, in celebration of its bicentennial, Stephen E. Ambrose offers a refreshing look at the explorers and their legendary journey in this IMAX® bicentennial edition of Lewis & Clark: Voyage of Discovery. In a new illustrated introduction, Ambrose talks about the making of the film and its significance in commemorating and documenting the expedition, and the land it crossed, 200 years later. Voyage of Discovery is an exceptional work of history and photography that National Geographic is proud to feature in coordination with the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council and their celebration of 2003-2006.

Customer Reviews (14)

great book
Stephen Ambrose added a lot to the Lewis & Clark literature.
Undaunted Courage is a must read for L&C enthusiasts.

Lewis and Clark: Voyage of Discovery
This was so interesting and beautifully filmed.I learned alot from it. Jeri Hartman

A good overall Lewis & Clark Book
Good photos, although I would have liked to have seen more that were site-specific and tied directly to the text.Ambrose writes well, as usual.Very enjoyable read.

Very good in some ways, very Stephen Ambrose in some ways
The historical account is great for the most part, but I have two complaints.

The first is that, as one other reviewer notes, Ambrose injects himself and his family too much into the narrative. Jumping from past to present is bad enough if not necessary, but doing so for "look at me" reasons is worse.

Then again, it is Stephen Ambrose, and it's not totally surprising.

The book does also have some degree of the "American triumphalism" view of history that's par from him.

And, the treatment of the various Indian tribes in the context of their times, while decent, was nothing fantastic.

The pictures are indeed great. Of course, you can find many of the same from other great photographers, or from other National Geographic books.

Awesome man
This is like the Journey of Lewis and clark man. It is totally cool. The author tells about their journey as he himself moves along their path. There are totally cool pictures of western america, The book is totally awesome dude!! ... Read more

Product Description
In the Fifth Edition of this nationally acclaimed book, students learn the management skills and competencies that will enable them to meet the challenges they'll experience as leaders in tomorrow's dynamic, rapidly changing business environment. The authors focus on key management principles and how they apply in real business practice, as well as on the skills and competencies students will need as they move into the workplace. In this leadership-focused book, students discover how proactive leaders respond to both the opportunities and challenges of global management, diversity and ethics issues, team-based management, service management, and other developing trends.In emphasizing the competencies and skills needed by contemporary leaders, MANAGEMENT: CHALLENGES FOR TOMORROW'S Leaders translates theory into practice, showing students how to fully develop their skills in teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and adapting to change. The authors further broaden students' understanding by applying the concepts of management to the various functional areas of organizations of all sizes, illustrating that leaders emerge from all areas- production, finance, accounting, sales, and marketing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Crap!
This has to be the world's #1 most boring textbook ever. It is not engaging at all and has the nerve to be expensive. Just the thought of having to read it for quizzes makes me sick to my stomach. Professors have to find a better book if they really want their students to learn about management because if this is as good as it gets then I am glad management is not my major.

Certain stuff wrong.
When I got the book the corners had no corner protectors on them, so the edges were smashed in pretty bad.I didn't return it, but complained about it.The material in the book is written very well.The introduction and foreward section has several words in it that could cause confusion i.e. they are more sophisticated and out of context with the main reading level of the main text.Once you stack up several misunderstood words and don't look them up, you will not understand the main text.This happens more frequently now that dictionaries have been removed from schools in favor of adaptation to psychiatric dogma.By that I mean adapting to how words make you feel rather than understanding their true meaning.Not to put down criminally insane prison guards or anything.The free infotrac subscription was a total scam.My password was not excepted and I could find noone to contact in order to resolve my issue.I couldn't believe that something so disorganized and fraudulent could be allowed by the publishing company.Infotrac is a facade.Hope it accepts your password, it didn't mine.A lot of care went into the writting of the book and its being used heavily by the colleges in my area.I highly recommend it.It has highlighted words that might cause you trouble, but be prepared to go online or possibly subscribe to a business reference service to get words defined like "team management" for example.The specialized words requiring more than a couple sentences of explanation are left for you to use your feelings to feel your way through.

Management: Challenges for Tomorrow's Leaders (with InfoTrac® 1-Semester)
The book is ok for the class but the is the only thing i can say about this book. The comprehension level of the book is not the greatest. The book lacks interpretation. ... Read more

Product Description
The extended study guide for Management was updated by Tish Matuszek, Troy University. For each chapter, this comprehensive guide includes learning objectives with detailed descriptions; a chapter outline; multiple choice and agree or disagree questions with answers; exercises; and a chapter summary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Maybe too stingy with the literature part
The following is a write up I found online to aid anyone interested in this item; * table of contents provided:

Philosophy and literature are natural allies--
philosophy supplying perennial themes raised anew from one generation to the next, literature providing vivid illustrations of the meaning and poignancy of abstract thought.

Illuminates basic philosophical concepts through literary works
This unique text introduces students to philosophy through the medium of great literature. The book is divided into seven parts, each devoted to the illumination of a basic philosophical concept-such as Knowledge, Truth, Personal Identity, Ethics, and justice through the use of literary selections from Sophocles (Oedipus the King), James Joyce (Araby), Kafka (The Metamorphosis), and John Dos Passos (The House of Morgan), among many others. The editors have given special attention to choosing the right combination of literary piece and philosophical issue to ensure that the story or play lend itself to philosophical scrutiny.

Selections of the best philosophical writings
The questions raised by these selections are then explored further through some of the best philosophical writings available, including the writings of Aristotle, William James, Plato, Locke, John Stuart. Mill, and many other classic philosophers, as well as contemporary pieces from Richard Rorty, Peter Unger, John Rawls, John Hick, and others. In each chapter, the editors have attempted to include the clearest presentation of a particular point of view, sometimes going back to an earlier article not generally found in other current texts. Throughout, they have made an effort to balance the analytic tradition with hermeneutics and feminist philosophy.

Excellent introduction for students
Every chapter is introduced with an essay by the editors that provides a unifying thread through the various philosophical and literary pieces that follow. Each chapter ends with discussion questions and suggestions for further study. The result is a volume that will provide students with a valuable tool for illuminating timeless, as well as contemporary issues, and an introduction to philosophy that they will remember and to which they can return over and over again.


CONTENTS
Preface xiii

PART 1
KNOWLEDGE
Literary Introduction: What Do We Know? 3
JAMES JOYCE
Araby 6
Philosophical Discussion: What Is Knowledge? 10
PLATO
Knowledge as Justified True Belief 17
EDMUND L. GETTIER
Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? 25
RENE DESCARTES
Meditations on First Philosophy 29
PETER UNGER
A Defense of Skepticism 62
RICHARD RORTY
Philosophy Without Mirrors 75
Discussion Questions/Suggestions for Further Study 79

PART 2
TRUTH
Literary Introduction: What Is the Truth? 83
RYUNOSUKE AKUTAGAWA
In a Grove 85
Philosophical Discussion: What Is Truth? 91
ARISTOTLE
from Metaphysics 97
J. L. AUSTIN
Truth 102
BRAND BLANSHARD
The Nature of Truth 110
CHARLES SANDERS PEIRCE
Truth 115
GILBERT HARMAN
Inference to the Best Explanation 121
DAVID INGRAM
Hermeneutics and Truth 126
Discussion Questions/Suggestions for Further Study 140

PART 3
PERSONAL IDENTITY
Literary Introduction: Is This The Same Individual? 143
FRANZ KAFKA
The Metamorphosis 147
Philosophical Discussion: What Is a Person? 175
PLATO
from Phaedo 181
GILBERT RYLE
Descartes' Myth 185
JOHN LOCKE
The Prince and the Cobbler 193
DAVID HUME
Of Personal Identity 196
ANTHONY QUINTON
The Soul . 202
E. VICTORIA SPELMAN
Woman as Body 213
SAUL KRIPKE
from Naming and Necessity 222
EDDY M. ZEMACH
Looking Out for Number One 224
Discussion Questions/Suggestions for Further Study 242

PART 4
ETHICS
Literary Introduction: What To Do? 247
FRANK O'CONNOR
Guests of the Nation 250
Philosophical Discussion: What is the Difference Between
Right and Wrong? 258
ROBERT C. MORTIMER
Moral Authority 267
BRIAN MEDLIN
Ultimate Principles and Ethical Egoism 275
JOHN STUART MILL
Utilitarianism 280
IMMANUEL KANT
Passage from Ordinary Rational Knowledge of Morality
to Philosophical 294
A. J. AYER
Critique of Ethics and Theology 305
GILBERT HARMAN
Ethics and Observation 312
LOWELL KLEIMAN
Morality as the Best Explanation 317
BRUCE BROWER
Virtue Concepts and Ethical Realism 325
KURT BALER
Why Should We Be Moral? 337
Discussion Questions/Suggestions for Further Study 345

PART 5
JUSTICE
Literary Introduction: What Is Just? 349
STEPHEN CRANE
An Experiment in Misery 353
JOHN DOS PASSOS
The House of Morgan 359
Philosophical Discussion: What Is Justice? 363
PLATO
from The Republic 373
JOHN STUART MILL
On the Connection Between Justice and Utility 384
JOHN RAWLS
from A Theory of Justice 398
J. J. C. SMART
Distributive Justice and Utilitarianism 411
MILTON FISK
Economic Justice 416
Discussion Questions/Suggestions for Further Study 423

PART 6
RELIGIOUS BELIEF
Literary Introduction: Why Is There Evil? 427
MARK TWAIN
from Little Bessie 429
from the Book of Job 433
Philosophical Discussion: Does God Exist? 442
J. L. MACKIE
Evil and Omnipotence 450
JOHN H. HICK
The Problem of Evil 456
YAAKOV D. HOMNICK and SIDNEY HOOK
On God and the Holocaust 462
WILLIAM JAMES
from The Varities of Religious Experience 468
SAINT ANSELM and GAUNILON
A Dialogue on the Ontological Proof for the Existence 484
of God
NORMAN MALCOLM
Anselm's Ontological Arguments 487
SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS
The Existence of God 499
SAMUEL CLARKE
A Modern Formulation of the Cosmological Argument 501
WILLIAM PALEY
The Argument from Design 502
DAVID HUME
Reply to the Argument from Design 504
BERTRAND RUSSELL
What Is an Agnostic? 511
Discussion Questions/Suggestions for Further Study 514

PART 7
FREEDOM, FATALISM, AND DETERMINISM
Literary Introduction: What Will Be, Will Be. 519
SOPHOCLES
Oedipus the King 521
Philosophical Discussion: Can We Be Fated,
Determined, and Free? 553
ARISTOTLE
The Sea Battle 560
GILBERT RYLE It Was To Be 562
RICHARD TAYLOR
Fate 574
BARON d'HOLBACH
Are We Cogs in the Universe 580
WILLIAM JAMES
The Dilemma of Determinism 581
MORITZ SCHLICK
The Free Will-Determinism Issue is a Pseudoproblem 591
C. A. CAMPBELL
Is "Free Will" a Pseudoproblem? 597
JOHN HOSPERS
Meaning and Free Will 604
B. F. SKINNER
Freedom and the Control of Men 611
J. L. AUSTIN
from Ifs and Cans 615
Discussion Questions/Suggestions for Further Study 617

LOWELL KLEIMAN is a professor of philosophy at Suffolk County Community College in New York and executive editor of the Journal of Critical Analysis. Recent publications include Ethics and Science, in Ethics for Today and Tomorrow, edited by Joram Graf Habor (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 1997) and co-author of Ethical Issues in Scientific Research (Garland Publishing, 1994).

STEPHEN LEWIS is a professor of English at Suffolk County Community College.

... Read more

Product Description
While literary critics have given disproportionate attention to the work of Auden and MacNeice, this commentary gives equal attention to their contemporaries - Day Lewis and Spender. The author offers insights to their poetry, identifies undetected sources, and elucidates obscurities. By placing their poetry in its biographical and historical contexts, he demonstrates how four poets with similar social and educational backgrounds responded to the stresses of private life and uneasy times, while remaining continuously aware of each other's work. His chronological survey of their entire poetic output over 60 years dispels the notion that their chief interest is as representative writers of a single decade, "the 30s". ... Read more

Product Description
This charming memoir tells the story of a little boy who grew up during the Depression in a world of privileged comfort in the heart of New York City. In 1931, when Stephen Lewis was a toddler, his family moved into a four-room suite at the famed Taft Hotel when his father became its manager, a position that he held for 33 successful years. Growing up, his grade school classmates were awed by the free lunch that Steve's mother served every day in the Lewis's 15th-floor suite and were later impressed with the limitless supply of ice cream available to the Lewis boys. While the other kids from school grew up in Hell's Kitchen, Steve learned how to use a swizzle stick, brought girls home to dance in the ballroom at lunchtime, and generally lived the high life at the beautiful Taft Hotel. His recollections, filled with vivid and rich detail, are of a New York that most people know only in their dreams. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Brings back great memories!
What a treat it was to stumble upon this book in a now-defunct catalog (Common Reader) and then ordering it from Amazon.I stayed at the Hotel Taft many times in the late 1970's while in high school.Our choral/acting group would take a bus trip to NYC every spring from South Georgia.And we stayed at the Taft every time.So reading this book was a trip down Memory Lane for me.Reading what went on behind the scenes opened my eyes to what it really took to run a full-service hotel like the Taft.My main memories are the mezzanine and the dry cleaning door on the back side of the room door.I'd never seen one before.And actually haven't seen one since.Read this book to be transported back in time to the earlier years of the theatre district!I'm ordering one for all of my girlfriends who took that yearly trip with me!

greatbook
I've stayed in the michealangelo several times and this is such a great description of the hotel and nyc.

engaging account of a bygone era
If you've ever enjoyed old movies set in the glamourous world of New York in the 1940's, you'll love this book. The author's father was general manager of the legendary Taft Hotel in New York in the Big Band era of the 1930's & 1940's. The family lived in a suite in the hotel, were waited on by hotel staff & dined in its restaurants. The cover photo (of my hard-cover edition) shows them all dressed up in the hotel dining room - even the children are in suits - & his mother wearing a frilly collar & one of those Big Hats tilted rakishly over one eye.

By the age of 12 Stephen had an encyclopaedic knowledge of food and wines but no idea of what normal home life or play was like for the rest of us.

One example of the gaps of ignorance that would plague him through life occurs at age 40 when he marries and buys a house. The basement is full of extra windows, which his wife explains are "storm windows". "Are you crazy," he says, "there's no way I can get all this up in time before a storm". Ironically, with the ubiquitous thermal windows of today, the concept of "storm windows" will soon pass away from the ken of another generation. As he recalls some of the worldly advice given to him by his father, "take the swizzle stick out of your drink so that you don't poke yourself in the eye with it" was of little relevance to his own children -a problem that occurs, I suspect, with a great deal of inter-generational communication.

"Hotel Kid" is an engaging account of a fascinating era that is gone forever.

Stephen Lewis Makes Old New York Come Alive Again...
I must say, "Hotel Kid" by Stephen Lewis, is the best book I have ever read, and his writing style is exquisite.I absolutely loved it and it has touched me deeply, in fact, moved me to tears.I miss the old Hotel Taft very much, as well as New York as it once was.So much has changed over the years and the things I held dear are now gone.Stephen Lewis makes old New York come vividly alive again.
I first stayed at the Hotel Taft 33 years ago when I was 12 years old and it has held a special place in my heart ever since.I've stayed there many times since then, including a three week stay starting the day after I graduated from high school in 1978, after which I moved to New York.I loved the Taft back then, but I had no idea till now, after reading "Hotel Kid", how much more the Taft had to offer in it's hey day.I wish I could have experienced that time frame also, as it sounds even more spectacular than the era I was in.Thanks to Stephen Lewis, I can vividly picture and feel a sense of what it was like to be there.
It breaks my heart to see the Taft butchered up into condos and the diminutive Michelangelo.Less than a year ago I was walking with a friend through Times Square and we stopped to rest.I was telling him about the Taft and I looked up at the street sign to see where we were in relation to where the Taft was and realized I had been leaning up against it the whole time.I hadn't even recognized it.
Thank you Stephen Lewis for sharing so much and giving such an enlightening and fitting tribute to the much loved Taft.

Delicious fun
Stephen Lewis, a teacher of memoir-writing, was raised during the 30s in a NY hotel where his father worked as general manager. In this gently amusing memoir, he recreates the experience for us, his readers, ushering us into a world in which everything was provided to the family by the hotel and its purveyors. Bathroom supplies were mysteriously restocked; meals arrived by room service; beds were made and floors swept; clothing was ordered by phone and appeared in drawers and closets.
Hotel Kid is a gentle and affectionate portrayal of New York's Time Square area as it once was, and of a very unusual childhood lived amid the then-splendor of the theater district. Very nice; an easy read. ... Read more

Product Description
Kevin certainly doesn"t look cool like the rest of the band—but he"s so funny and friendly it doesn"t matter a bit. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

are you cool?
Mr Cool is all about a young boy named Kevin who is thinks he's not very cool.He has friends, Ricky, Micky, and Nicky that are "cool".They look cool, dance cool, and dress cool.They start a band and Kevin really wants to join!They decide, after much thought, that he may join them.The band gets famous and gets a record del but there is one problem!The manager doesn't think Kevin is "cool" enough for the band.Find out what happened when the fiends take a stand and let the manager know that Kevin will be in the bad or they will not take the deal!


The book was quick and easy to read. Young readers will enjoy the cute illustrations.This is also a grea friendship theme story for classroom read alouds.


I would recommend this book to kids 5-8. It is part or the "I am Reading" series.

So Adorable!
This is one of the CUTEST preschool books I've ever read! 10 Little Mosters is an exceptional read for little ones--with amazing pictures and cute lyrics, it completely keeps the child's attention all the way through... I definitely think this short book is a keeper for any preschooler! :) ... Read more

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Product Description
Why did the Zapatista rebellion occur in Chiapas and not in some other state in southern Mexico where impoverished, marginalized indigenous peasants also suffer a legacy of exploitation and repression?

Stephen Lewis believes the answers can be found in the 1920s and 1930s. During those critical years, Mexico’s most important state- and nation-building agent, the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), struggled to introduce the reforms and institutions of the Mexican revolution in Chiapas. In 1934 the administration of president Lázaro Cárdenas endorsed "socialist" education, turning federal teachers into federal labor inspectors and promoters of agrarian reform. Teachers also attempted to "incorporate" indigenous populations and forge a more sober, "defanaticized" nationalist citizenry.

SEP activism won over most mestizo communities after 1935, but enraged local ranchers, planters, and politicians unwilling to abide by the federal blueprint. In the Maya highlands, federal education was a more categorical failure and Cardenista Indian policy had unintended, even sinister consequences. By 1940 Cardenismo and SEP populism were in full retreat, even as mestizo communities came to embrace the culture of schooling and identify with the Mexican nation.

Fifty years later, the delayed, incomplete, and corrupted nature of state- and nation-building in Chiapas prevented resolution of the state’s most pressing problems. As Lewis concludes, the Zapatistas appropriated the federal government’s discarded revolutionary nationalist discourse in 1994 and launched a rebellion that challenged the Mexican state to contemplate a plural, multi-ethnic nation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Good Book on Chiapas
This book on the Mexican state of Chiapas from 1910 to 1945 is well written and researched thoroughly.It provides fresh research and interpretations on this Mexican state that did not play a very important role in the Mexican Revolution, although the book provides a very good historical background for those interested in modern day Chiapas. Its main weakness is the last chapter, where the author attempts to link the years and events under study (1910-45) to the Zapatista rebellion which broke out in Chiapas in 1994.The author does not convincingly achieve the task.Nonetheless, it is a good read for students of Mexican history or for anyone interested in the state of Chiapas. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the most extravagantly dark works of Gothic fiction ever written in English, admired by the likes of Lord Byron and the Marquis de Sade, The Monk drew a firestorm of criticism when it was published in 1796. Contemporaries condemned it as "lewd," "libidinous and impious." "Lust, murder, incest, and every atrocity that can disgrace human nature," one critic cried, "brought together, without the apology of probability, or even possibility." Of course, it was an immediate best seller. Written by Matthew Lewis at the tender age of nineteen, The Monk tells of the violent downfall of the monk Ambrosio. Idolized by all Madrid for his spotless character, the proud Ambrosio is privately tormented with lust for Matilda and, once sated, with overpowering desire for the pure and innocent Antonia, whom he rapes and murders in the crypt of Saint Clare. Sentenced to death by the Inquisition, he sells his soul to the devil, with unusually bad results. But the plot is only part of the book's appeal. The Monk is a bubbling cauldron of Horror characters and motifs. Ghosts, murderous banditti, the Wandering Jew, a gypsy fortune teller, the Bleeding Nun, the Grand Inquisitor, and Satan himself all have roles in the drama. Characters are buried alive, tortured, tempted by demons, and torn apart by riotous mobs, in settings that include castles, monasteries, and dungeons. Stephen King, in his introduction to this edition, calls The Monk "a black engine of sex and the supernatural that changed the genre--and the novel itself--forever." Everyone who loves the novels of King will find this book irresistible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Wonderful for Gothic lovers, Plain for Others
The introduction written by Emma McEvoy observes with a clinical eye the failures and triumphs of The Monk within the Gothic genre. Many spoilers are revealed, but her analysis is so concrete that it lacks the shock usually accompanied by most spoilers. Instead you are told about the strengths of the author, the genre, and the reception of this book during the life of the author.

It is interesting to note that many of the same critics today that find certain books to be ungodly such as the critics of Harry Potter and The Golden Compass were just as rampant during Matthew Lewis' life. The reception of the book was well received though overtime people feigned interest in the novel. A censored version was published and having read the original I can say that the censored version would lack the horror produced by the original.

Ambrosio, his accomplice Rosario, and the Prioress nun exemplify the worst in Catholicism. The Prioress commits crimes all in the name of saving the reputation of her convent and entering the good graces of Ambrosio as he is well respected in Madrid. Once Rosario's secret is revealed we learn the depths of Rosario's dissent from God. Rosario does not simply bend rules, there is a marked effort to break them with glee and ease. Each one of these characters care little for their victims.

The victims of these players have misfortune, naivete, and timing stacked against them. One of the central character's Antonia is placed as the tragic damsel in distress. Her victimization appears to be more of a story arc ploy, then serving the character any true growth. Her purpose is simply to be the young virginal victim.

The novel also suffers greatly for its ill pacing. Their are segments of the novel where it seems to drag on possibly causing readers to want to set the book aside. Once the reader passes the stagnant prose, the story picks up and becomes interesting once again.

Speaking of the pacing the ending was also a bit awkward. The conclusion itself is satisfactory and a bit shocking, but the way Lewis placed the two alternate endings seemed a bit odd. One would get the sense that the story could have ended with either ending and this was the product of bad editing.

There are strengths about this book that I do enjoy. I do think that within the Gothic tradition the novel exemplifies the best and worst of Gothicism. I especially enjoyed this novel when reading it for a Gothic literature class. The book parodies the genre at times and at other instances falls prey to the very same criticism it parodies. However, when reading it a second time, without an academic eye the book lacked its original luster.

The story is haunting and riveting, but it's downfall is the pacing. I think this is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Gothic literature. A lot of the imagery of the villains' fall into dissension is overly dramatic, but it can be forgiven on the basis that this is one of the earlier Gothic novels published and Lewis' theme, that true good is not simply ascribed to people of faith. True goodness is based upon one's daily actions and inner intentions.

I don't recommend this as a casual read, because without an interest in Gothicism the novel can be seen as an utter failure. Not knowing its background the reader will lose interest. The concept behind the book though unique, is not sustained and thus the novel fails in that respect.

I give this book 2.5 stars out of 5.

a definite page turner
I didn't get the horror aspect of this novel, because I was not horrified by the tale.But it is really enjoyable to read.I couldn't put it down.The writing is almost like poetry.The tale is engrossing.Everything comes together.Others provide a more descriptive review, so I won't.For someone considering this book to read, do it.

Gothic Horror Defined
I recently came across the phrase "gothic horror" while reading the reviews of the somewhat mediocre novel, The Keep, by Jennifer Egan, and after doing a little digging around, determined that if one were interested in such a thing--or even what such a thing was--The Monk would be the place to go.Well, I recently went there, and was quite delighted.

One would surmise that the word gothic, when applied to literature, would have to do with castles and dungeons and such things, and the Monk certainly has those in droves.But beyond that there is a religious element also.In Christian nations throughout the ages--at least until very recently--boys and girls were regaled with tales of the terrors that await them in hell should they misbehave, that evil lurks in the hearts of all men, and that the devil, literally, walks among us.What makes the Monk so great is that it incorporates these elements into its story in a completely straightforward and unironic manner.This has the effect of elevating the horror that occurs within it to an even higher degree, in that in the recesses of our minds we continue to harbor the uneasy suspicion that these things are true.

The story mostly has to do with a Spanish monk, who is at the beginning of the novel looked upon as a paragon of virtue and godliness and people from miles around flock to hear him speak.But he is proud and arrogant to such an extent that eventually he believes he can do no wrong.His first slip becomes another and then another until he eventually abandons his faith and succumbs to unbridled lust.He loses everything he had worked for--both here and in the afterlife, see above--a fact that is demonstrated in the last couple of pages of this novel in about as powerful a way as any horror fiction you could ever read.

But there are a number of other threads as well, intermingling to some degree with that of the monk's, all of which are equally compelling.There is the journey of Raymond and the story of Antonia, there is the terrible castle ghost that appears but once a year, the cave in which its body was left, the noble who it torments, the innocent nun unjustly imprisoned in the dank catacombs, the bandits in the German forest, rotting corpses, base sexual behavior . . . and pacts with demons signed in blood.

It must be said that it starts off a little slow.The reader is immediately introduced to several characters--one of whom is an old lady--in the setting of a church, no less.But once Don Raymond's narrative begins about fifty pages in this thing moves along like a freight train, and despite the fact that it was written more than two hundred years ago, it is nevertheless quite descriptive, if not quite as explicit as these sorts of things are nowadays.It's quite enjoyable if you enjoy quality fiction and creepy, gruesome horror.

By the way, you may safely skip the Stephen King introduction.It adds absolutely no insight whatsoever, and in fact manages to get the name of one of the major characters wrong!Why must the world continue to suffer the ramblings of this ubiquitous mediocrity?

Shocking, horrifying, thrilling
Lewis' "The Monk" will satisfy any reader who is longing for a story to chill and horrify, the classic way. The tale of a monk whose lust proves destructive and his tragic downfall is filled with visions, superstition, bandits, uncontrollable passions, and gruesome details of death and base mortality.
The monk Ambrosio is esteemed by the whole of his community in Madrid as the most upright, unblemished and holy man as well as a moving and inspirational speaker. His exterior proves to be only a superficial skin for inward vanity, selfishness and sexual obsession. As the novel progresses, we horrifyingly witness Ambrosio's seduction and first sexual experience with Matilda, a sorceress who later becomes the key encouragement and accomplice in his sexual ambition for the young, innocent and beautiful Antonia.
The novel is in parts heartwrenching as we feel deeply for Antonia, whose goodness and naivete is countered by Ambrosio's ever-increasing desires and corruption. To say that it was written in the 1700s, the novel is shockingly risque in its depictions of full-on sexual lust, so not surprisingly it was received at the time with much critical negativity. The subplots, whose characters are woven into the monk's tale seem to mirror his own, involving a young nun, Agnes, who is punished inhumanely by her superiors for the consequences of a moment of passion with her lover, Raymond.

In a tale so filled with corruption, violence and lust, there is still room for Lewis to dabble in more haunting sides of the gothic genre, such as several main apparitions which visit the main characters throughout, and even lighten the mood at times with some satire and humor. Nevertheless, this is a heavy read and, while it hits all the right spots for the lover of gothic and horror, it perhaps leaves little to be desired for the general reader and the faint-hearted should certainly steer clear.

There is a certain fascination in the horrific, and Lewis allows us to indulge in this with a truly thrilling novel - I have even more respect when I find that he accomplished it in ten weeks at the age of 19.

Delightfully Lurid
It's no coincidence that the opening epigraph of Lewis' one and only novel is from Shakespeare's _Measure for Measure_.Both works have pillars of public moral rectitude collapsing after encountering their first major temptation of carnality.Monk Ambrosio figures in for a penny, in for a pound, and starts the slide from mere sex to murder, incest, despair, and damnation.

Lewis' streamlined prose abandons the detailed descriptions of Gothic architecture and Alpine vistas favored by his model Ann Radcliffe.And, in a plot of not two but four frustrated lovers, he crams many a gruesome incident and image.No Radcliffean rationalism for Lewis.Despite frequent criticms of thesuperstition of Spain during the Inquistion, this plot revels in the supernatural with curses, ghosts, Bleeding Nuns, Wandering Jews, and the Prince of Demons himself.

Yet, despite the melodrama, there is an air of psychological realism in how Monk Ambrosio rationalizes his escalation of evil.Perhaps more disturbing is the mind of Matilda, his first lover, and her willingness to advise and aid his evil even after he has sexually spurned her.

Stephen King's introduction is, like many such introductions to classic works, an unfortunate spoiler of much of the plot.However, most of his observations are valid and interesting though I'm dubious that all English novels before Horace Walpole's _The Castle of Otranto_ had moral purposes.(Lewis novel seems to have no serious moral statement except, perhaps, that the chaste life of the convent and monastery is unnatural.)

Oxford University Press seems to have taken the typesetting of this edition from an earlier one.A lot of asterisks show up in the text without accompanying footnotes.A minor annoyanceto a novel that holds up well after more than 200 years. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (11)

Is this About the Book or about Touting
I believe I counted 11, count 'em, 5 stars for this book, and it appeared that all 11 reviews were from the same person, all in glowing terms.Maybe this book is good; maybe it is bad.Maybe it is great scholarship.However, until I go to the University of Scranton and look at this work, I am highly suspect of 11 glowing reviews, and nothing else, on one book, and from one reviewer, who acts as his own football team.I will change my review after I look at the book, or after I see some convincing proof that the hydra-headed praise here is independently warranted.

Research Made Interesting
This book was a lifesaver. As a book collector, I cannot tell you how important a bibliography formatted like Pastore's can be. I wish he would write more. BRAVO to him for writing and to AMAZON.COM for carrying thisbook.

Honest and concise
This book provides the most honest and concise bibliography of one of the foremost authors of our time and Mr. Pastore has essentially re-engineered how a bibliography should be written - that "thin" can be betterthan "fat".

REFRESHING AND INTELLIGENT
All (ALL!!) bibliographies should be this clear and TO THE POINT. I hope this bibliographer works on some other authors. What value!!!

Clear and concise
Intelligent and thoughtful analysis of a very difficult author. Quite nice, really and beautifully presented. ... Read more

Product Description
Stephen Lewis launches a new series of historical mysteries, set in 17th century New England, featuring wealthy widow and midwife Catherine Williams aided by a defeated Pequot sachem Massaquoit, who form an unlikely crime solving team. In The Dumb Shall Sing, they discover the truth behind the sudden and violent death of a newborn. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

17th Century New England
This is the third colonial New England book we've reviewed whose main protagonist is a midwife! Catherine Williams, a respected, wealthy widow, serves as midwife to her Connecticut Puritan settlement just at the end of the 1637 Pequot War. Although the English and their Indian allies have subdued the Pequots through a bloody massacre, Catherine manages to save one, named Massaquoit. Over time their tentative master/servant relationship develops into a kind of mutual respect as they both try to establish the innocence of an Irish Catholic servant girl who has been accused of murder. Although the plot sometimes takes odd twists unrelated to the mystery, the book provides an authentic feel for the period through its use of 17th century language, and descriptions of the settlement's superstitions, rigid class and gender hierarchy, and sometimes unsettling violence.

Lewis says he loosely based Catherine on Anne Hutchinson, a charismatic religious leader whose unorthodox views resulted in her eventual exile from the Puritan community. Hutchinson's beliefs and her stance within Puritan society, however, were much more complex than are those of Catherine, who anachronistically is so much more forward thinking and enlightened than her fellow Puritans. Massaquoit's dignity and uprightness, too, seem a bit unreal. More interesting is his reluctance to forego his Indian way of life while understanding that his survival depends on his willingness to become "English." .

This is the first of Stephen's Catherine Williams New England mysteries. It opens with an "Explanatory Note" that helps set the historic stage for the narrative that follows.

Solid first entry in an intriguing series
First Line: The sloop Good Hope, its crowned lion figurehead pointing to the sea, rode the outgoing tide past the mouth of Newbury Bay toward deeper waters whose color changed from light blue near shore to an almost midnight black.

We first see wealthy widow Catherine Williams on board the Good Hope. It's New England in 1638. The Pequot War has ended, and all the Pequot leaders are ready for "justice" on deck. Since the agreement the Puritan leaders of Newbury made was with Catherine's deceased husband, they think they can conveniently forget about it. Catherine deems otherwise and manages to save the life of one of the leaders, Massaquoit, who will now live with her.

Catherine is a well-respected midwife and healer in the community. When a healthy baby she recently delivered dies, she is called upon to testify. The baby's mother is struck dumb with grief, and the father accuses both Catherine and his Irish Catholic maid of having had part in the infant's demise. Catherine believes the maid to be innocent, "guilty" only of being Catholic, and she begins to work to find the real reason for the baby's death.

Lewis uses setting and characterization to good effect in this first book in the series. Seventeenth- century New England comes to life, and Catherine and Massaquoit make a good team of investigators. The only weakness I found in the book was that it was glaringly obvious to me what had happened to the baby. That one flaw aside, I found The Dumb Shall Sing to be a strong start to the series, which to date only contains three books. I'll be looking for the other two, The Blind in Darkness and The Sea Hath Spoken. Strong female characters in this time period should not be passed by!

superb, intelligent colonial who-done-it
In 1638 Newbury Bay in the American Colonies, the British Army massacres the Pequot Indians.The Governor drowns the few surviving captives except for their leader Massaquoit.The widow Catherine Williams, using theinfluence of the loan her late spouse provided the British, saves theIndian leader's life.Massaquoit objects because he wants to die with histribesmen rather than be a slave, but has no say in his fate.The briefwar leads to greater mistrust between the settlers and the natives.

Catherine learns that a baby died a few days after she helped deliverthe child.The father accuses their Irish serving girl of committingmurder while the mother remains in muted shock.Catherine thinks this isanother case of prejudice, but needs to obtain proof that the serving girlis innocent.With the help of Massaquoit, Catherine begins her owninvestigation into the death of an infant.

Fans of colonialmysteries will gain much pleasure from Stephen Lewis' THE DUMB SHALL SING. The who-done-it aspects of the tale are entertaining while the noveldepicts early seventeenth century Puritan life in the Massachusetts Colony. The fifty-year old Catherine is an intrepid character whose fight againstprejudice of all types rings loud and true throughout the tale.The nearlysilent, but extremely intelligent Massaquoit serves as a superb partner tothe boisterous Catherine.The support cast adds the feel of the austerityof life in that era.Stephen Lewis provides historical mystery buffs withan arousing novel that deserves sequels.

Harriet Klausner ... Read more

Product Description
"I have spent the last four years watching people die." With these wrenching words, humanitarian Stephen Lewis begins his personal, often searing insider's account of Africa's plight and the wealthy world's betrayal. Lewis recounts how in 2000, global leaders agreed to eight Millennium Development Goals, promising the poor such essentials as primary education, basic health and a reversal of AIDS by 2015.In audacious prose, alive with anecdotes ranging from maddening to hilarious to heart-breaking, Lewis shows why and how the promises can't be kept. Race Against Time probes the appalling gap between vision and current reality, but also offers bracingly attainable solutions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Great audio book.
I purchased this audio book from this author for my husbandprior to his attending his lecture at Rice University.He love it.Both presentations (from the book and as a lecturer)truly showed the alarming disparity of health care for HIV/AIDS sufferers in Africa his great passion and compassion for these people.A must have for anyone (especially health care professionals) who share this same passion.

Race Against Time
Race Against Time is the published version of the 2005 Massey Lectures, a five-part series delivered by Stephen Lewis and broadcast by the CBC in November 2005. Lewis, the UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2005, does not mince his words: the current situation in Africa is comparable to the Holocaust, and it is immoral for anyone, from you or me straight to the top of every government and international body, to be silent in the face of such tragedy.

Not very diplomatic for a diplomat. It is more than clear what a risk it was for Lewis to deliver these lectures, and he acknowledges as much. No one is safe from his criticism, not even himself. In essence, he depicts both the United Nations family of organizations and the leadership of most industrialized countries as untruthful and ineffectual hypocrites when it comes to human rights in Africa. Quite simply, I'm amazed he still has his job, and I fluctuate between being inspired by his fearlessness, delighted at his straight talking and worried for his future. And yet, even at his most cutting, Lewis makes clear his unfailing and constructive commitment to actively making things better.

These lectures, which cover everything from debt to trade to education to gender as they relate to Africa and AIDS, are a must read for everyone. Better yet, get yourself a copy of the CD version (Lewis himself acknowledges that his true vocation is the spoken word) and hear the master orator at work. The most powerful of the lectures capture the profound humanity of what is happening in Africa, and jarred me out of a comfortable slumber from which the crisis can seem so immense and far off that it is difficult to engage on more than an intellectual level. Wide awake, I was in awe of his ability to lead me through the most complex and profoundly distressing issues while keeping both my emotional connection and hope alive.

The points at which his focus tends to move away from the humanity of the crisis and towards its macro-organizational aspects are where his words lost some of their power for me. And on finishing the final lecture, entitled "Solutions: A Gallery of Alternatives in Good Faith," I couldn't help wishing he'd thrown a bit of activism for the individual citizen into his direct calls for national and international reform and accountability. But I can't be too hard on the guy. After all, he is a hero in the truest sense of the word, and his principled courage is an example to all of us.

Rage and Hope
"I have spent the last four years watching people die..."

Thus begins this passionate account of the victims of the AIDS pandemic in Africa, the people who struggle to survive and the efforts of those helping stem the tide. Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary General's special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, has been criss-crossing Africa documenting the ongoing dramas and the rest of the world to raise awareness, commitment and funds from the richest countries. The book comprises five separate, interrelated lectures, the CBC Massey Lectures, that Lewis delivered in the fall of 2005.They were broadcast across Canada and beyond. Lewis is a commanding orator, well known for his engagement in humanitarian causes. You can hear his powerful voice through the text of this slim volume. The style is direct and very personal.The reader shares his frustrations, sadness and despair and, finally, his energy and optimism that, eventually, the battle against AIDS will be won.It is a book that everybody should read.

Lewis talks about his deep love for Africa stemming from years living and working in different countries during his young adult life. Throughout his career, he was in positions that took him back to that continent, whether as special advisor on Africa or as deputy executive director of UNICEF.Each lecture focuses on one aspect or another within the wide range of issues that require attention in the context of HIV/AIDS in Africa.In his first lecture he sets out the context and historical perspective. He then moves on to his personal encounters with victims and their supporting families. In the next lecture he singles out education as one vital component to prevent the spread of the disease.He expresses anger at the lack of investment for literacy and basic education in many African countries, resulting in extremely low literacy levels, in particular among women.His frustration at missed opportunities and blasé attitudes by the UN and the international community in general is palpable. He provides examples and arguments for his critique.

Another devastating development is the topic of the fourth lecture: the increasing prevalence of women and in particular young women and girls suffering from the disease. They have not only been disadvantaged by lack of access to education, they are victims of traditional discrimination, violence and extreme poverty. At the same time, Lewis is deeply moved by the grandmothers. Often destitute themselves and poor in economic resources, they have become foundation to keep families and communities alive. Everywhere, they are taking on a new role as "heads of household", looking after and providing for the quickly growing number of AIDS orphans of their extended families. Lewis is full of praise for their lifesaving efforts and admires their dedication and stamina.

Finally, in his last lecture he pulls together ideas, suggestions and recommendations aimed at fighting back the pandemic. Lewis challenges the silence that has prevailed regarding the root causes of AIDS that include poverty, exploitation and neglect in many parts of Africa. He deplores the lack of affordable medicines and basic health services. He calls on government leaders, international agencies and all of us to engage and participate in the struggle to fight AIDS. It will be hard, but it is possible.[Friederike Knabe]

The world spends twenty times more money on weaponry...
...while antiretroviral, preventative care, and medicinal treatments for HIV/AIDS receive less than a paltry fifty billion.

A trillion for weapons.

Fifty billion for HIV/AIDS.

The most astonishing thing about reading Stephen Lewis' book is not from the mass of appropriate statistics he presents on the scourge of the pandemic (as part of a Massey Lecture Series).

It's not in his eloquently- and convincingly-presented fulminations on the absolute futility of the global community to do anything of substance and efficacy in the face of the spread of HIV and AIDS.

It's not even in the cogent manner in which Lewis presents his views as part of his convincingly stepwise dialectic how to - at the very least! - make a small but significant dent in the growing cataclysm of HIV/AIDS.

No.

It's by way of a reveal from his recent last trip to Africa, to Zambia. In his own words, as he sat in front of a group of young women suckling their young, backed by a gathering of grandmothers, now co-opted into taking care of their young grandchildren and the children of others orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

As he describes it, he asks them where have their young men gone?

A hushed murmur descends upon the swelling mass. In this township - or illegal (unincorporated) settlement on the fringe of the capital Lusaka's cityscape, as in many other cities across this once-illustrious continent -- men (males, that is) hardly exist!

They've been murdered by the global community.

That's right, decimated by a global community which spends - to the ludicrous tune of a 20:1 ratio - more than one trillion dollars (!!!) on the international arms trade. Opposing this mighty industrial mass is a global humanitarian attempting to scrounge together (I was going to use the word 'cobble,' but your reaction will require something much sterner than that!) a mere fifty *billion* for Africa's AIDS-ravaged?!

Pathetic! Really.

Lewis sets out to shock, and shock you - dear reader - he mightily does.

As if the book's content weren't reason enough to buy it, I picked up Lewis' book because I respect the whole Lewis family tremendously. Presently comprised of Stephen, his columnist spouse Michelle Landsberg, their various children, including Canadian TV host, filmmaker, and activist Avi Lewis (of counterSpin fame), and his famous writer/activist wife Naomi Klein (of NO LOGO fame), plus their children.

They, as I, are Toronto, Canada natives. Essentially, it means we were all subjected to similar centrifugal forces that had and still swirl about these parts; perhaps from differing generational standpoints, yet all the same. What I'm trying to say is that it's nice to read how the growth of this big city hasn't dulled the sensibilities of my fellow cityfolk to the condition of others in dire need on the planet. Africa has remained at the front and centre of the Lewis agenda, despite the fact that Toronto's "earn/spend" ratrace has spiralled completely out of control in these fair Canadian climes.

I have certain criticisms of the book as well.

For one, I'd have liked Lewis to expand on these appropriately scathing comments to encompass a more detailed treatment of exactly *why* the continent of Africa appeals to him so much.

Okay, he does go into his youthful meanderings to some degree, somewhere around the middle, during the sixties. Heady times for the African continent. I've made a mental note - because of the colourful manner in which Lewis tells about these formerly newly-democratized African colonies - to look up several sources on the theme.

However, I do understand why Lewis' pickings have been slim in this regard. For one, it's his "position paper." This is a speaking series. There's no time for pie-in-the-sky reminiscences, since every minute of what he's on about counts. In the time I've taken to write this, and in the time you've taken read this, something *already* could have been done.

I'm also a little miffed how someone with as much experience as Lewis, how he's not able to supply strategems for the lowly "(wo)man on the street" to come to weigh with their own bodily (and other) contributions.

Again, I don't necessarily fault him for this either - RACE AGAINST TIME is precisely that. Lewis perhaps doesn't have the time - and this *shouldn't* be read with a hint of humour on my part - to waste on supplying the ones without the necessary financial means to come to the rescue. Nevertheless, if he ever considered a sequel to this - or, as Irshad Manji has done with her own site - he might perhaps provide a forum for those of us so inspired to weigh in.

Ideas all...

What frightens the hell out of this here reviewer is what the situation will be like within a mere decade to fifteen years. Lewis yanks down a dark shroud of reality. What is totally assured is that there will be even more deaths. There will be even more suffering. There will even be countless more numbers of orphans living without parents - and this is no pithy statement considering Africa's culture thrives on close family ties, unlike North America's.

The world will continue to make justifications for its financial and other inactions, and UN and other so-called humanitarian personnel agencies will continue to fence-sit and dilly-dally while more "arithmetic calculations" are being made about things like "prevalence rates," "natural rates of death and birth," and minuscule victories about the reduction of the spread of the disease.

All this without a single thing being done to back it up - nothing of substance, that is - for the ones who are already severely afflicted, by what this here reviewer claims is a curable affliction.

Ach, I'll just say it - the world doesn't give a hoot about Africans, nor their continent, nor their cultural offerings. With the expectation that our planet's population is set to balloon to nine BILLION souls by 2020, it's eerily understandable how the world might prefer to cull away at its swelling numbers on the most vulnerable continent: Africa.

Lewis didn't admit to this - and I can understand why. He's already in enough hot water as it is (he's an international rabble rouser, bless 'im), and in his own words he's only a "part-time envoy" of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. But I'll say it here for him.

It's sad.

It's tragic.

It's insane.

Read this book if only to wrest your comfortable self from the seemingly safe confines of your lifestyle. Thank goodness for men like Stephen Lewis. Men who aren't afraid to take a chance.

Anyone who's set foot in Africa will realize how precious a legacy it is...

But hearing him speak is even better
I first heard about Stephen Lewis while flipping the channels and came across him giving a speech on PBS.I didn't know who he was and I almost changed channels, but he was telling a lot of great jokes with a strong presence (despite the fact his punch-lines were all polysyllabic).So I kept listening.Then his topic changed from pleasantries to his real issue - the crisis in Africa.It was one of those things you don't forget about.I listened to him for an hour and - when I read parts of Race Against Time two years later, I can still hear him.And my only real critizism of this book is that, strong as it is, Stephen Lewis is an orator and his words are best heard, not read.I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Africa or the Third-World, those (like myself) pursuing careers or already in the health care community, those with strong social consciences for the underprivilaged and have links with political or charitable organizations that can help, or just anyone who wants to heard compleling true-stories of death, life and strength out of African communities from a gifted mind.There are a few pieces of "boring politics and economics" in here that might confuse and annoy some readers (I'll admit, I don't understand it all), but I believe the rest is a must read. ... Read more

Product Description
?If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.? This classic Woody Allen line reminds us of the age-old difference between goats (skeptics) and sheep (believers). Goats are looking for some evidence, while sheep think that the evidence is all around, albeit coded, or the demand for evidence is itself a sign of impious arrogance.
Today, as the new wave of atheists and theists are enjoying a pugilistic popculture moment, it pays to reconsider their immediate predecessors; Freud and C.S. Lewis.
An essay by Stephen T. Asma ... Read more