5 comments about Schliemann of Troy: Treasure and Deceit.

1. According to Traill, Schliemann was not only a generally unpleasant character, but a liar and a cheat as well. Traill wants to dislike Schliemann, and he succeeds. Is the author biased, as a previous reviewer believes, or was Schliemann really such a rat? It's hard to trust this writer.

   It was a struggle to get through this book. I wanted a life of Schliemann without so much about the technicalities of archaeology, which I found confusing and uninteresting. Only brief glimpses of Schliemann the human being appear.




2. David Traill investigates the Schliemann biographies (largely based unquestioningly upon Schliemann's own writings and statements) and finds that most of Schliemann's story is fiction. In the process, Traill reveals Schliemann to be an enigmatic figure as bizarre as any fictional character. Phenomenally ambitious and extremely intelligent, he was also completely unscrupulous when it came to getting what he wanted. In his pursuit of fame, Schliemann reinvented himself a number of times, from county to country (he spoke several foreign languages with complete fluency and perfect pronunciation), business to business, marriage to marriage. Through his business dealings he became wealthy enough to devote all his time to his archeological interests. Archeology was a young science then and Schliemann was not a professional. The way Traill paints Schliemann, we are fortunate that the bulldozer had not been invented then. In his zeal to excavate Homer's Troy, he virtually demolished it. Traill builds a convincing case that Schliemann "salted" his diggings with fake artifacts both at Troy and Mycenae. The "Mask of Agamemnon" is probably a fake.

   The story of the marriage to the final Mrs. Schliemann is a fascinating one in itself. He virtually bought her from her parents in an arranged marriage when he was over 40 years of age. He molded her into the wife he wanted, forcing her to study night and day to become as fluent in languages as he was, converting a naïve girl into his helpmate and intellectual companion as well as his fellow archeologist.

   Traill probably goes overboard in his zeal to discredit Schliemann. He wants to make his case so strongly that he goes for overkill. There were times when I wanted to say to the author, "Yes, he was an S.O.B., but you said that already! Now get on with it!" As a result this book was not an easy reading experience for me. However, I feel that this book is essential reading for anyone who has an interest in archeology. It certainly reveals the importance of questioning evidence and investigating the sources. There are more balanced accounts of Schliemann available, but Traille's book gives a good context to place them in.




3. This book is easy to put down and never pick up again. Yet, it's disturbing enough that you'll never forget it. Anyone with the slightest interest in archeology will forever cringe when encountering the name "Schliemann." He destroyed so much while searching in all the right places. But hindsight, perhaps, has been unfair to him. Still, this book isn't that interesting of a read.



4. Many consider this book to be nothing more than a hatchet job on the famed excavator of Troy, Heinrich Schliemann. But author David Traill seems mainly interested in pointing out discrepancies and untruths that have surfaced in the life and work of the man. For example, almost every account of Schliemann's life and work makes mention of the "dream" Schliemann had as a child depicting him finding and excavating the Homeric city, but Traill believes that dream was an invention and finds no mention of it anywhere until after Troy was discovered and excavation begun. Is that proof enough of its falsity? Traill believes so. Traill gives other examples of Schliemann falsifying work, changing reports, or inventing scenarios. Schliemann claimed to have witnessed the 1851 fire in San Francisco, but Traill cites information that separates Schliemann from the scene by a month. This has little to do with archaeology, but Traill believes it establishes a pattern of behavior that casts shadows on the major work in the field that Schliemann did accomplish. Traill does not trash the man completely; he's impressed by his learning, perseverance, and even his accomplishments at Troy, Mycenae, and elsewhere. He just wants his readers to be leery of some of Schliemann's claims in his own writings. Seems fair enough to me. The book is also informative and well written - an enjoyable read.



5. Heinrich Schliemann, like it or not, is a historical figure. Most scholars do not like it, and try to kill the name of the man. Still, every one of them would very much like to do something similar to what Schliemann did. This is a book by such a scholar, and is unfair, because it concentrates only upon Schliemann's shortcomings. They were many indeed, but they have very little historical substance.
   
   Common mortals do not enter the great stage of History because they are gentle or honest or loyal or god-fearing. They do because they have large souls, and great vision, and strong will, (and good fortune).
   
   They may be liars, hypocrites, egoists, deceivers, even murderers (how many people suffered or were killed because of Julius Caesar's personal honour or Napoleon's personal ambition?). But they can see deeper, they can touch the hearts of men, they can make nations dream. They can create.
   
   Notwithstanding his shortcomings, Schliemann did create: he gave new life to archeology.
   
   But David Traill wants us to dismiss Schliemann and forget his achievements, just because he wasn't a fully honest citizen.

1 comments about W. E. B. Du Bois and American Political Thought: Fabianism and the Color Line.

1. When most think about Dubois, one of the first theoretical formulations that come to mind is the oft-quoted "double-consciousness." In this work, Reed's central task is to situate African American political thought squarely within the material context in which it occurs using W.E.B. Dubois as the focus for this project. Along the way Reed slices and dices Henry Louis Gates and the new black intellectuals, as well as the troublesome concept of "double consciousness" that Reed shows to be overstudied at best. Clearly among the best works of its kind to come to light in some years.

1 comments about Baudrillard Live: Selected Interviews.

1. This book consists of Baudrillardfs interviews about various topics such as cinema, power, politics, and his books and articles. Time when he was interviewed varies but his insistence is consistent. Probably, this is because Baudrillardfs attitude toward his works is consistent and very prudent. The constitution of his interviews has no problem. He always answers questions clearly. Above all, I am impressed by his answer about his sociological or philosophical position. He considers himself neither a sociologist nor a philosopher: gTheorist? I agree. Metaphysician? Perhaps. Moralist? I donft know. My work has never been academic, nor is it getting more literary.h He is very free to talk about his works, which makes this book interesting. Therefore, this book is very helpful to understand Baudrillardfs thoughts and how he uses words such as gpowerh, gimageh, and gsimulationh. Moreover, this book contains index of key words, which is also helpful.

3 comments about Max Weber: Politics And The Spirit Of Tragedy.

1. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Max Weber was a modern thinker who defied categorization. Was he a philosopher, an historian, a political theorist or a sociologist? This leads to some confusion as to his message. For instance, contrary to what one of the reviews mentions, Weber didn't view Capitalism as an "iron cage", but it's modern derivative, bureaucracy as that cage. Few people will argue with that comment. Strangely enough too, as Professor Diggins indicates, the questions that Weber struggled with one hundred years ago are still very much with us today. Could that be because the situation of pre-World War I Germany burdened as it was with a dysfunctional political system and weak leaders, yet possessing a strong, vigorous economy and formidable military, is very similar to the that of America today? I found the author's discussion of Weber's problems of reconciling the "ethic of principled convictions" with the "ethic of responsibility" particularly timely. After finishing the book I found myself wanting to know more about Max Weber's insights into the modern condition.



2. I certainly agree with the earlier reviewer from Portugal as to the high quality of Diggins' book. However, the reviewer is wrong about the term "iron cage." Weber very clearly refers to capitalism as an "iron cage" in the powerful concluding pages of his book "The Protestant Ethic and the Sprit of Capitalism." Weber both admired and feared the economic system that he saw as our fate. In a world in which values inevitably conflict and unintended consequences are the rule, every social system and every social initiative will be tinged with irony and tragedy. Capitalism is no exception; it is a mixed bag, both beneficial and costly. For Weber, only by both responsibly safeguarding ourselves from its more dehumanizing features and at the same time measuring up to its demands upon individual initiative can the human spirit survive and in some measure determine its future. We are suspended, with no relief other than our own individual and collective will to act, between these perennial and contradictory demands. Weber harbored both hopes and doubts that human beings were up to the task. Diggins' book brings out this message very well.



3. While the treatment of Weber's life and thoughts is quite useful and rather well written, the text contains over thirty (30)errors of German and Latin expressions. These are orthographical,
   wrong gender endings, word distortions beyond recognition, etc.
   Even historical names, like Leibknecht (for Karl Liebknecht) and Sombardt(for Werner Sombart) have been mangled.
   For a work with "academic" pretensions -- the author is a professor at CCNY -- this is regrettable. One wonders what the numerous editors, proofreaders, and so on have done other than
   base their "imprimatur" on self-attested expertise.

No comments about Nobody's Child: A Woman's Abusive Past and the Inspiring Dream That Led Her to Rescue the Street Children of Saigon.

5 comments about Streets: A Memoir of the Lower East Side (The Helen Rose Scheuer Jewish Women's Series).

1. This book was written by a very eloquent author in 1922. At 23years of age, she carefully details her struggles of growing up inpoverty on the lower east side of Manhattan. This is one of a few books that deals with the difficulties faced by immigrants of to New York around the turn of the century. Her battles are those of a poor, Jewish girl growing up without a father in tenement housing. I thouroughly recommend this book to Jews, feminists and historians.



2. This is a coming of age story depicting the harrowing early life of an extraordinary talent. Told with an amazing eye for detail and a highly developed sense of humor, this is one of the most moving autobiographies I have read. Bella Spewack writes of her thirst for knowledge and determination. In later life Bella invented the Girl Scout cookie, became a noted journalist and wrote successful plays and movies. Streets tells of the difficult circumstances of her childhood.



3. Streets: Memoir Of The Lower East Side was written in 1922 and published for the first time in 1955. This remarkable memoir of a young Jewish girl's coming of age in the tenement slums of New York's Lower East Side is gritty, candid, vivid, engaging, sensitive, and streetsmart. Bella Spewack overcame obstacles of gender, background, and religious discriminations to succeed as a celebrated journalist, playwright, and screenwriter. Streets is highly recommended, articulate reading and will prove of special interest to students of American Jewish history, Women's Studies, and biographies reflecting the triumph of the human spirit over social and cultural barriers.



4. this is my favorite book. if anyone has similar taste to me then i highly recommend them to read it. i was getting so into reading it that i never wanted it to end. to last forever. so i tried to do so by reading a limit of pages each day. i live in NYC and by reading the book i had grown a stronger love for the city and thats another reason i loved the book. the down fall of the book? well, it was and made me sad. it was kinda a depressing book. you now. like a heart-acher.

   it was indeed a pleasure to read and in the future, if you do read it, i hope you injoy.

   thats my review! i hope i helped!




5. this is my favorite book. if anyone has similar taste to me then i highly recommend them to read it.

   i'm going to describe it as a story of a girl growing into a women on the streets of the lower east side of manhattan. she tells of different jobs and the boarders that her and her mother board to help pay the rent. its very hard for me to describe becuase of 2 reasons 1) you can't describe it you have to read it 2)i read it a year ago.

   i was getting so into reading it that i never wanted it to end. to last forever. so i tried to do so by reading a limit of pages each day. i live in NYC and by reading the book i had grown a stronger love for the city and thats another reason i loved the book. i also loved the stories she has of her childhood. the down fall of the book? well, it was and made me sad. it was kinda a depressing book. you now. like a heart-acher.

   it was indeed a pleasure to read and in the future, if you do read it, i hope you enjoy.

   thats my review! i hope i helped!

5 comments about Mayflower Madam: The Secret Life of Sydney Biddle Barrows.

1. This book clearly etablishes that prostituion fgr women need not be a degrading profession. As the Madam has suggested women could beenift from being prosituites. They receive a crash course in dealing with the male sex without sacificing their sense of femininity. The book is written without a hint of apology. Plus this book is brilliant in exploring reasons men use prostitutes. This book is a must for any woman who wants to understand men.



2. Sidney Biddle Barrows was groomed to be a people person all her life and, because of it, took the prostitution biz to the next level. She saw what was wrong with the industry and fixed it, big time. As I read through the descriptions of excellent client relations that her service, Cache, provided; I found myself wishing my name was in the little black book.

   In addition to reading about an interesting illegal business (which really shouldn't be), the book also fills the reader with vivid imagery of NYC in the early and mid 1980's.

   The best book on the interworkings of the flesh-trade I've ever read.




3. Self-serving, Self-righteous, Self-promoting. Sums it up in a nutshell.

   First of all, no pictures. "True Life" books require pictures and Sidney couldn't even spare a few of herself?

   Further, the book is a shameless self-promotion by a woman who broke the law and committed illegal acts. Sidney takes great pains to point out throughout the book that SHE never met any of the men and that SHE doesn't believe in gratuitous sex yet she freely peddles the young flesh of her "girls" without a second though in her quest for the almighty dollar. What about going to college and getting a real job? She had the means...shame shame!!

   Sidney also repeatedly tells us that prostitution is a "victimless crime" yet tells of an incident where twice there was an outbreak of a virulent STD being passed among her hookers and the johns, none of whom used condoms for safety. I'm sure the wives of those 100+ infected or exposed men would beg to differ with Ms. Biddle-Barrows that there are no victims of her crimes!

   As Ms. Barrows was arrested and tried in the early to mid 1980's AIDS wasn't as "known" as it is today. Victimless? What did these "young ladies" aka "HOOKERS" pass along or pick up aside from Gonorrhea? How many beautiful and healthy young girls did Sidney kill in order to earn a few dollars and to have a nice wardrobe of designer clothes? How many innocent and unknowing wives were infected? How many had children and passed the AIDS virus along? None? One? Ten? One is too many and we'll obviously never know the extent of the sexual havoc Ms. Biddle wreaked on New York and further in her hapless "business" venture.

   Ms. Biddle of course plays up her "Mayflower" and "high class" breeding but in actuality she is the worst kind of low-class trailer trash. Lacking the courage,conviction and chutzpah to embark on a career in "entertainment" herself she instead sold the bodies and in the end the souls of our young people, girls who were young, naive and easily used for profit.

   Ms. Biddle is an unusual example of a classic sociopath. She has no concience or moral values, not a single true thought for others, just for herself and her wallet.

   Not the worst book I've ever read, it was an easy and quick read....just nauseating in content.




4. This was such an entertaining book and I couldn't put it down. It was so interesting to read about a life that most will never participate in, but are nonetheless curious about. The book was written while she was still single in the 1980s, and I can't help but wonder if some of Mrs. Barrows' views have changed a bit since she got married (and I assume still is).



5. I'll admit when this first came out, I wasn't interested. In my journey to become better at marketing, this book made learning about the importance of the sales process - from the second of the first customer contact to setting your company up for repeat business - fun and easy to understand. From phone scripts to "packaging," you get all of it.
   
   Use your imagination to transfer the sales process Sydney details in her book to your product or service. Your bank account will be glad you did.

3 comments about Mary Wollstonecraft.

1. I truly enjoyed this book, as I had to read it for a paper. It tells of Mary Wollstonecraft and her travels, focusing mostly of life after A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman becuase it is heavily documented.

   This is not a simple book. I found myself going to the dictionary a lot but those words help in the showing of this book as an intelligent piece of work.

   Janet Todd has gone into a lot of detail when describing Wollstonecraft's life. If it described more, we'd be reading about how she held her fork and what exactly the bread looked like. Thoses details paint a more brilliant picture of MW than expected but can make the book move slowly. So much information is packed into the pages making the book a bit hard to swallow all at once.

   I sincerely recommend reading the book in more than one sitting.




2. This is a very good book. It is based on comprehensive research, extremely detailed, well written and sensitive. It is the best biography of Mary Wollstoencraft ever written and will remain so for a long time.

   The really curious thing that comes through is that Wollstonecraft was less of a feminist than one might think. In fact she was an intelligent, sensitive, somewhat high-handed and dominant, woman. Her dearest wish in life was to find a man worthy of her; her dearest fear, to be abandoned by him.

   At the time she wrote her most famous work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, she was thirty years old and a virgin. The volume drips with contempt for women less talented, and less chaste, than herself. This is what makes her interesting; she is a textbook-case. Is it possible that with her, as with so many others, feminism at bottom is simply an attempt by women who do not have a man to avenge themselves on those who do?




3. I had the pleasure of reading this book while doing research for my biography, "Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy" (Corinthian Books, September 2002). Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects" (London: J. Johnson, 1792) had a profound influence on U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr, who became one of her earliest and most influential supporters in the United States. He immediately embraced Wollstonecraft's concepts of equal education and incorporated them into creating, through his teenage daughter, Theodosia, his model for the ultimate woman of the future: an exotic new intellectual hybrid embodying the education of a man with the natural qualities of a woman who possesses both the ability to reason -- and a soul (!!). Janet Todd's insightful telling of Wollstonecraft's life and her careful explanation of how Wollstonecraft's credo developed was both enlightening and enormously instructive. Todd's clear writing style makes her subject come alive. As a scholar writing a biography of Aaron Burr's daughter, I bought this book and read it because I had to. But I was so delighted with it that I then went back and re-read it because I WANTED to!

3 comments about Ever After: A Father's True Story.

1. William Wharton, author of DAd and Birdy writes a moving account of his daughters death in Oregon and of his attempt to bring attention to the dangeous practice of field burning by large seed companies. An intensely moving experience, especially if you have children. Highly reccommended



2. A year and a half ago I read the, then latest book, "Ever After," by my favorite author, William Wharton. The author of "Birdy," "Dad," and most recently, "Houseboat on the Seine," depicts the horrendous 23 car pile up on Oregon's Interstate 5 in the summer of '88, that occured due to field burning near Albany, Oregon. Seven deaths resulted out of overt negligence on the part of Oregon laws, businesses, political action committees and the farmer(s) involved. The author dealing with the personal impact of this tragedy, eventually decides to take action and attempts to pursue legal recourse. The book outlines the tremendous forces that come into play within our business/legal/political system(s) when it comes to assuming responsibility/liability for both the personal and ongoing environmental disasters that evolve out of negligence and irresponsibility. This book stirs even the apathetic into action



3. My father was a close freind of the deceased in the book. He never met the author, but he knew the family. He was described in the book as building his own house (which is fictional, because he never built a house). This book is very graphic in how the bodies were found, and how the family was killed. Wharton makes up some of the names and of course some of the events in the book.

No comments about A Misfit's Manifesto: The Sociological Memoir of a Rock & Roll Heart.