5 comments about Jack: A Life of C. S. Lewis.

1. I have often expressed my love of biographies. I consider them to be among the most helpful of resources in helping equip Christians in their lifelong quest for Christ-likeness. We can learn much from the examples of those who have run the race before us. We can learn from what God taught them, learn from their triumphs and learn from the times they were defeated. I have a passion for biographies. I also have a passion for the English language. I love to see how we can use the language to craft works of art. I cannot express myself in the fine arts - music and art are both disciplines that escape me. But I consider myself a wordsmith-in-training. These two loves come together in Jack, a biography of C.S. Lewis written by a veritable master of the English language.
   
   George Sayer had what was probably a unique privilege - he met C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien at the same time. He studied English under the tutelage of both of these men while at Oxford University. He became friends with Lewis, growing closer as they grew older. As a friend he provides a unique perspective on what is surely a unique individual.
   
   I have never had the interest in and respect for C.S. Lewis that so many Christians afford him. Perhaps it is that I tend to see in black and white. Lewis exemplified some of the best and yet some of the worst in his understanding of Christianity. It seems that for every major doctrine he so brilliantly defended, there was another that he denied. For every brilliant insight there is a terrible oversight.
   
   Jack provides a glimpse into Lewis' life. This, combined with penetrating analysis from one who knew him well, makes this biography not only fascinating, but very credible. Sayer covers all of the foundational parts of Lewis' life - the death of his mother, his education, his infatuation with Mrs. Moore and his conversion to Christianity. The author looks also at most of Lewis' major writings. Having spent so much time with his subject, Sayer is even able to describe an average day in the life of C.S. Lewis - just the type of detail that is interesting, but is absent from most biographies.
   
   The detail, while interesting and often even necessary, is sometimes almost uncomfortable. Sayers goes so far as to detail Lewis' personal struggles with masturbation and fantasy as a youth, and his later fascination with his wife's body. Yet he does this not merely for the sake of being explicit, but always to help us better understand Lewis. He seeks to help the reader understand Lewis not just as an author, but as a person. He wants to show Lewis in the good times as well as the bad. He seeks to show Lewis as he really was.
   
   Thoroughly-researched and exquisitely-written, this is a brilliant biography of a figure whose importance to Christianity seems to be growing, even forty years after his death. With a major movie series coming to theatres beginning this year, we will surely hear a lot more about Lewis than ever before. While many biographies have been written about him, I would have trouble believing any could be better than this. No matter your opinion of the man himself, Jack, as a book, is a gem; a jewel; an absolute triumph.



2. This is a fitting tribute to the life, works and last days of an author who changed many lives through his writings. His MERE CHRISTIANITY reached out to non-Christians and showed them the way to a better life. But, I think he will best be remembered for the magical world of Narnia he created for children. He'd been born Clive Staples Lewis on November 29, 1898. In 1998, a series of special commemorative stamps was issued, "Magical World," featuring THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. In about two and a half months, the eagerly awaited movie, 'Narnia,' will be in the Regal theaters nationwide and will gather more fans for Jack (C.S.) Lewis.
   
   A musical portrait of his life toured Britain during 1998. Even Hamley's. England's toy shop, hosted a special one-hundredth birthday party in honor of this prodigious writer. It is sad that only fifty people attended his funeral toward the end of November, 1963. On his tombstone is engraved "Men ust endure their going hence" which had been on the Shakespeare Calendar the day his mother died. At a little past 5:30 p.m. on the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Jack gave up the ghost after two or three years of terrible pain from prostate cancer. So, in the passing of C. S. Lewis, all the world's eyes were on their television sets watching the events in Dallas, Texas, play out as Oswald purportedly killed the United States president.
   
   Autumn had always been Jack's favorite season so it is fitting that he ends his life in happiness. October's bright blue sky, even in England of 1960, was lovely as were the beeches which were in their "full glory of gold, russet, and amber." Keats called autumn "the close-bosomed friend of the maturing sun." That year, the hawthorne bushes were full of crimson haws, and the wild roses were loaded with hips. He came to Cambridge in 1962 to lecture and to finish his last book THE DISCARDED IMAGE. He was in the autmn of his life but he was enjoying an Indian Summer. He'd just finished SURPRISED BY JOY and his book A GRIEF OBSERVED after she died. Yes, he loved the American woman who entered his life so unexpectedly. He also wrote letters of encouragement for some time to an other American woman.
   
   His enduring legacy is the gift his readers receive, that 'sliver of wonder,' which enables them to see beyond the imaginary world to the living God. The lion in the 'Narnia' books was made to appear as Christ-like as he could manage. April is probably the best loved month in Western Europe, as it is here in Knoxville, Tennessee, our beautiful "Dogwood" celebration. Shakespear wrote of "proud-pied April, dressed in all its trim." In April, there is a revitalization of the earth as the birds sing their joyous songs for all to hear. The forget-me-nots are in bloom, and spring green covers the fields. My favorite time of year is the Spring with all of the pastel colors and the feel of life returning after a long winter's sleep.
   
   He was the precursor to all of the inspiration and self-help books which now abound. He had divine inspiration at times, but he was also human. A man with feelings and empathy toward others.



3. C. S. Lewis is one of the most well known Christians in modern history. I've read a couple of books about his relationship with Joy Davidman, so I figured it was time to check out a biography that spotlighted Mr. Lewis' entire life. "Jack" (Lewis' nickname) had the most accolades, so after warming up with the lighter fare of "Jack's Life" by his stepson, I dove into this book.
   
   George Sayer is a former student of Mr. Lewis', and he delivers a fascinating portrait of his mentor from birth to death. He also provides context by detailing the national background, family life, and period of history that shaped Jack. In addition, Mr. Sayer discusses a number of Jack's books, the creative process he used, and how the public initially received them (including book reviewers). Despite his distinguished academic credentials, the author writes in a manner accessible to the layman reader. I never felt bogged down, or condescended to, by his writing style.
   
   Some have accused the author of sugarcoating C. S. Lewis' life. Yes, Mr. Sayer wrote as a friend, and therefore wasn't out to write a sordid expose. But neither does he claim that Jack peed rosewater. For example, I had no idea that Mr. Lewis struggled with sadomasochistic fantasies and masturbation as a young man. He also smoked and drank quite heavily, habits that many churches don't hold in high esteem. In addition, the author doesn't shy away from discussing some of the charges against Mr. Lewis' character, such as the possibility of a homosexual relationship with his lifelong friend Arthur, and whether or not he and Mrs. Moore were lovers. I'm not sure what kind of dirt would erase the charge of whitewashing, but I felt that Mr. Sayer made Jack appear pretty down-to-earth. That is, except for Jack's statement that sexual fantasy can be "fairly easily overcome with prayer and fasting (p. 415)." The "fairly easily" part is a bit much for me to swallow (or perhaps a bit too convicting for comfort).
   
   Along those lines, I was intrigued, and a bit confused, by one aspect of Mr. Lewis' character: his distain for introspection and fantasizing. Jack considered heroic and romantic fantasy to be counterproductive, because in his eyes their self-centered focus prevented one from obtaining renown and love in real life. He even wrote a poem, "Dymer," that illustrated the dangers of forsaking reality for a dream world. As for introspection, he felt it was a danger to one's mental health. However, many of his works prompt readers toward both pitfalls. I couldn't help being somewhat introspective after reading "The Great Divorce" and "The Screwtape Letters." And who hasn't fantasized about charging into battle at Aslan's side while immersed in the Chronicles of Narnia? Of all Lewis' views, this is the one I'd like to investigate further because of my own disposition towards navel-gazing and daydreaming. Jack's views on the consequences of these actions are especially relevant in an age where pornography is a mouse click away, and one can live life vicariously through reality shows and online computer games.
   
   An unexpected result of reading this book was that I gained a greater interest in the life of Jack's older brother Warren. Both "Jack's Life" and "Jack" paint Warren as a tragic figure who did not live up to his potential. Yes, he was a raging alcoholic whose ambition did not equal Jack's. But considering that Warren served as an army officer in both World Wars, had a number of books published, and helped organize his brother's chaotic schedule, I can't help feeling that both authors were a bit hard on him. Perhaps he could've done better, but he also might've turned out a lot worse. I've always had a soft spot for the underdog.
   
   At any rate, I came away from "Jack" with more respect for C. S. Lewis as a person and a Christian. He's more accessible to me now, and I have a better appreciation for his ideas. And the insights into his character have challenged me to examine and evaluate my own shortcomings. I recommend that you read this book in conjunction with "C.S. Lewis & Francis Schaeffer: Lessons for a New Century from the Most Influential Apologists of Our Time," by Scott R. Burson and Jerry L. Walls. It provides a portrait of Lewis' doctrinal positions that might surprise you (as it did me).



4. It has been said that a great biography requires that the biographer respect and love his subject. Sayer certainly meets that requirement. As a friend and former student of Lewis', he is able to offer unique anecdotes and a personal perspective to illuminate his subject. He is also a student of literature, so that he is able to comment on Lewis' work in a professional and sometimes incisive manner. I particularly enjoyed the fact that he includes an Afterword in which he answers the most common questions he has received as one of Lewis' principal biographers. He also includes information which does not always reflect favorably on Lewis. While he loves Lewis the book is not idolatrous. He sees him as a living, breathing, flawed, but wonderful human being. My only problem with the book lies in the fact that Sayer does not linger over dates. From time to time the reader has to reconstruct the narrative by repositioning the book's events within specific years and decades. This is not a major problem, but it is a problem. All in all, this is an engaging study of an engaging subject. Highly recommended.



5. Insightful. Not as flattering and complimentary as it could have been considering the relationship of the writer to the subject, which is good. Well written, a good read. well worth the money.

5 comments about I Will Bear Witness 1942-1945: A Diary of the Nazi Years.

1. Victor Klemperer's diary of the years of the Hitler dictatorship and his recording of the day-to-day lives of the Jews of Dresden, his thoughtful and insightful commentary on the methods (particularly the language of the propaganda) of the Third Reich, the heart-wrenching stories of those who were taken away never to be seen again, his experience in the firebombing of Dresden in 1945 and his miraculous journey home should be required reading for everyone about the horrors of tyranny and war. It is also a tribute to the true human spirit and the power of the intellect. Klemperer never lost his determination to live, despite all the blows of terror that were aimed at him, his family, and his friends. That he believed there was something to live for--in the midst of utter barbarity--should inspire all of us to work for a better world. It did me.
   
   A remarkable record of a dark time. Reading it gives one the courage to carry on in the dark times that have come again.



2. Because my friends all know what a book-hound I am, people often ask me what my all-time favorite book is. Admittedly the answer to this would change over time, but, at present, "I Will Bear Witness" is the one that first pops into my mind.
   
   I found this very personal account of the days and nights of a German Jewish man--an inoffensive and formerly rather conservative German nationalist academic married to a Gentile--during the Nazi terror regime to be absolutely breathtaking. Indeed, I was so caught up in his account that I took an unexpected day of vacation from work just to not interrupt my reading once I had started.
   
   Further, I found myself sprawled on my bed, as is sometimes customary with me, surrounded by ancillary books, atlases, and maps --a behavior that signifies I'm reading a book that has utterly gripped me and a book that is expanding my horizons.
   
   Klemperer was (just barely) saved from being sent to a concentration camp due to his marriage to a non-Jew. However, he lived every day under the threat of torture and deportation to a camp and his journal tells of the years of grinding anxiety over his fate and the fate of his wife, friends, and relatives-many of whom were taken. It also speaks to the minutiae of life under the Nazi's--such things as their penchant for legalisms to justify their treatment of the Jews embodied in his incessant embroilment in Nazi demands that he take part in the legalisms of their confiscation of his property. Moreover, as the war draws to a close, he draws a stunning portrait of life as a war refugee--a picture that applies to war refugees the world over throughout time.
   
   Kudos to those who elevated this book to number one among the history choices-it deserves it and in my mind deserves even more.



3. This is actually the second volume of Klemperer's diaries, published in two volumes. I highly recommend that you buy both volumes as a set and read from the beginning how a bureaucratic mindset advanced towards ultimate evil.
   
   In the end, Klemperer's diary doesn't fully answer the haunting question, "How could it have happened?" But you will find some definitive answers here to questions that Holocaust scholars have debated over the years.
   
   For example, Klemperer's experience answers the charge that virtually all Aryan Germans knew from the beginning exactly what the Third Reich's intentions were towards the Jews. Klemperer's actual interactions stand as refutation of this blanket indictment. Often when he visited Aryan acquaintances to conduct business - he would then jovially be invited to come back that evening for schnapps. Klemperer had to explain that he couldn't come back later for schnapps - that as a Jew, he was prohibited from boarding any vehicle of public transportation after 6:00 PM, that he had a general curfew, and that of course, he had long since been banned from owning his own car.
   
   Klemperer was always circumspect in recounting these laws he labored under to his "Semitophile" acquaintances. (That's an awkward translation of the German phrase Klemperer probably used to refer to Aryans who were sympathetic to Jews. But it is perhaps the only word that was available to Martin Chalmers, who otherwise has produced a generally fluid translation of Klemperer's journals.) At any rate, Klemperer was careful never to appear too whining or too critical of the restrictions placed on him. He didn't want to alienate these Aryan allies. Nevertheless, he repeatedly found himself in the position of having to enlighten them about the government's latest round of restrictions. And his listeners were almost always genuinely surprised to hear about these laws. Their ignorance in the face of all the anti-Semitic propaganda blared daily from radios, blazoned from the newspapers, seemed to be more a function of people's tendency towards plodding self-preoccupation than an indication of any active complicity with the advancing evil.
   
   I think you'll find that Klemperer's account also carries a very relevant warning to us in our current pursuit of terrorists at all costs. Klemperer survived the early rounds of call-ups for the concentration camps because he was a decorated World War I hero, and because he was married to an Aryan. For these reasons, he was given some initial grudging dispensation from the worst Nazi reprisals. However as the War progressed, his past service to Germany and his Aryan affiliation came to count for less and less. Finally his number was up and he, along with the last handful of Jews remaining around Dresden, were scheduled for transport. The only thing that saved him was the Allied bombing of Dresden. Most local Nazi records were destroyed in this notorious bombardment. So Klemperer and his wife, having survived the bombing, were also able to survive those last most brutal months of the Nazi regime by assuming new identities and wandering through the German countryside from town to town, passing themselves off as a typical displaced Aryan couple. If the Nazis' meticulous records (documenting family lineages and confirming who was where) had remained intact, Klemperer would certainly have been deported to the gas chambers.
   
   So if you don't already have doubts about the increasing surveillance measures being taken in the U.S., presumably to guard against terrorists and other "evildoers" - reading these journals will give you pause. One of the lessons of Klemperer's journal is how tyranny proceeds by little increments of paperwork. Its power is in keeping tabs.
   
   Klemperer risked his life to write the entries in these journals, because it eventually became a capital crime for a Jew to possess paper or any pen/pencil. So it feels almost sacrilegious to make any criticism of this supremely brave and literate account. However I do have one small criticism. And that is Klemperer's common masculine tendency to put his wife in the background of his life. Eva Klemperer comes off in the diary as a shadowy adjunct to the importance of Victor's work producing these pages.
   
   She is mentioned, more frequently in the first volume of the diaries, but this mention is usually limited to reports of the fact that she had another hysterical fit that day, or that she engaged Victor in another round of angry lamentation, or that she suffered some physical malady. He does acknowledge her collaborative bravery. She also risked her life every time she smuggled the pages of his work out of their small assigned apartment into the hands of friends for safekeeping. But we never directly hear Eva's voice in all this. The reader is only left to guess at the actual substance of her outbursts.
   
   You will probably feel impelled to read between the lines to flesh her out. Perhaps Eva wasn't the prettiest girl in school, so she took the one marriage proposal that came her way. She married the intellectually accomplished Victor. Victor was available because Aryan prejudice, even in those early years, already limited him socially. We can imagine her outbursts of recrimination as the Nazi noose grew tighter around their yoked necks. Why did you have to be Jewish? Why have you dragged me down with you? I could have led such a happy life. And instead, look at me - scrounging for rotten potatoes, under constant threat of beatings and death - and all because of you!
   
   If only Eva had written her own diary, we might have had some additional fascinating insights into why and how a couple stays together under such trying circumstances. We might have gained a greater understanding of the ties of love and the chains of having nowhere else to go. As it is, we have only Victor's side of the story. But that is a powerful, must-read insight into how tyranny grows, brick-by-brick, petty edict by petty edict.



4. And I will get the other years of this author's diary. This is not a fast paced WWII battle book; this is the diary of a poor soul who had to live through every moment of a terrible regime, to endure even more when he thought he'd reached his limit. If you're interested in what it was like to live day to day in Hitler's Germany (as a Jew or a gentile)--to understand what it was like to watch it begin and grow and eventually implode--this is an excellent read. I would say it is for those deeply interested in the psychology of the times; not a passing interest. I'll get the other books and read them in order of the years they cover. I really want to understand how the Third Reich could ever BE.



5. One should read this book only after the first volume covering the years 1933-41. The story of Victor & Eva's survival of detention in the Jews' house, the Dresden bombing and subsequent wanderings stunned me. But Victor's courage in continuing his secret diary for 12 years comes through - as does his humanity ad personal growth.
   
   The diary jotting sryle means you pick it up and read a section at a time, but you will most likely be drawn into finishing it within a short time.

5 comments about Up from Slavery (Dover Thrift Editions).

1. Very interesting perspective on slavery from someone who actually lived through it. All slave tales are not alike.



2. This book is one in a vast library of African American literary history that I posses. It is academically written, yet very easy to read. The contents of this text continue to inspire my will to be a great humanitarian, world citizen, and advocate for African education, science, medicine, and unity



3. Booker T. Washington never blames slavery for his problems. Instead he looks forward to the future, and works hard to create a school that helps
   black people.
   He has a positive attitude which attracts the help he needs to build his school. We can all learn from Booker T. Washington.
   Very inspiring.
   I loved this book.



4. Washington was born into slavery as a result of his mother having been raped by her master. This autobiography is a recounting of his struggle from slavery to freedom and on to getting an education and becoming a teacher and then an educational administrator as well as a "Black politician."
   
   In American culture, this narrative is cast as the quintessential "raise yourself by your boot strap" kind of story. In fact when I was in the First Grade, I can remember my First grade teacher, Mrs. Pogue, singing the praises of "the Great Booker T. Washington."
   
   And while there is a great deal to admire about Mr. Washington, there is also a side that only came to light after hearing the other side of his story. Washington was called an "accommodationist," "or "the great compromiser," which in the context of the times were euphemisms for being an "Uncle Tom," or the HNIC. He was good at maneuvering his way around in a racist white culture thinking that he was doing his people a great deal of good when in fact he was being taken advantage of, or when he was in fact consciously "selling his people out." By making a "virtue, out of personal necessity," Washington always had a good justification for his action and eventually became the prototype of this kind of black politician. Many Black preachers still use the Washington template for handling cross-racial situations. Plus how else were blacks to negotiate the difficult racist political terrain of those difficult times?
   
   In the book, for instance, he eschews and discourages blacks from seeking a liberal arts education and from attending college, as being frivolous. He argued for the more practical area of the "manual arts," and "the trades." While this may have been useful -- even good advice -- in the context of the times, there were others of his contemporaries, such as WEB Dubois, who saw Washington's approach as strictly a formulaic kind of Uncle Tomism. And the embarrassing treatment of him at the 1905 World's Fair, kind of sealed this image of him as a Black Uncle Tom by blacks and a "stooge" by whites.
   
   While the book is a good read, in retrospect, it shows Washington to have been very naïve politically, and too trusting of "the white man," who it seems never quite saw the world as he did and neither had Washington's, nor the black race's best interests in mind. Maybe it is a bit harsh to judge his action after the fact, but all other black leaders are judged by the same criteria and they come out unblemished, while Washington's accommodationist methods do not seem to have held up well over time nor have they bore any fruit.
   
   Three Stars



5. Up from Slavery, autobiography by Booker T. Washington, is a true classic in African-American literature. Washington opens Chapter 1: "A Slave Among Slaves" with his vivid recollections as a Negro child growing up in the South: a slave on a plantation in Virginia, a white father he never knew, illiterate and living in horrid conditions. After the emancipation of slaves, Washington's family moves to West Virginia where he labors at the salt furnace and in the coal mines. In his precious few moments of spare time, he learns to read and gains enough confidence to leave everything behind to journey to the Hampton Institute. Later, because of his success at Hampton, he is given the opportunity to start Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Tuskegee Institute is successful partly due to Washington's extensive travel to the North to solicit funds for the school. The students at Tuskegee, in addition to the day-to-day traditional class work, are expected to learn an industrious trade and to work at mastering that trade. Based on his own life experience, Washington believes that the most prudent way the Negro race will persevere is through this combination of education, hard work and service to others. He believes that the White race will come to appreciate the Negro race only if the Negro people prove their worth to society. Because of his passive stance, many, such as W.E.B. DuBois, et. al., labeled Washington as "The Great Accomodator." In other words, accommodating those who were the enslavers instead of advocating for the rights of those who were enslaved. You can get a sense of this in Washington's most notable speech, the address to the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895:
   
   "The wisest among my race understand that the agitation of questions of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather than artificial forcing."
   
   This speech brought national acclaim to Booker T. Washington and, at the time, placed him in the forefront as one of the leading authorities of his race.

5 comments about The Headmaster: Frank L. Boyden of Deerfield.

1. From 1902 to 1968, Frank Boyden was the Headmaster of Deerfield, a private boy's school in the countryside of Massachusetts. When Boyden arrived, the school had 14 students, transportation was by foot or horse drawn wagon, and he intended to stay only long enough to get enough money. 66 years later, Deerfield was one of the leading prep schools in America, the equal to Exeter and Andover. Best of all, the school wasn't an imitation of British schools, as so many prep schools of the first half of the 20th century were. Boyden had turned Deerfield into an outstanding educational institution while keeping it uniquely American. Demanding, even a bit of a despot, Boyden shaped the school and its students into something special, a school where the students come first, then the faculty.

   Only John McPhee could tell the story as it deserves. Boyden and all the other residents of Deerfield come alive under McPhee's pen. The little touches, like the Headmaster's rejuvenating midday naps, followed by letter writing and inspections tours, make it seem as if the reader is there.

   I doubt you'll be able to read this book, and not wish you could have been a student under Boyden. For several generations, Deerfield under his leadership was what a school should be.




2. McPhee has written a highly readable account of the impact of a single individual on one of New England's important boarding schools. This work is particularly interesting when juxtaposed against similar works on the history of Groton School, St. Paul's School, or Exeter/Andover when viewing how one person can cause an entire school culture to take root. Found most often in schools where strong headmasters have either founded the school or contributed a life of service, Deerfield Academy comes across in McPhee's work as the true child of Boyden whose various quirks in no way detracted from his personal mission of making a difference in boys' lives. While by no means a critical work, "Headmaster" is nevertheless an important document in understanding the history of an important boarding school.



3. Being business-oriented, I wish this book had talked more about how he had built up this school and ran it. It does do that but not to the level where this could be considered a business biography. From a business standpoint, this is a book about leadership and how great leadership can do great things for an institution.

   Oh, and the drawings spread throughout the book really help convey the man. There's a number of photographs as well, but the drawings add nice touch.

   If this man was really as good as the book portrays him, this won't be the last book about him and, if so, I look forward to reading those as well.

   While not a great book, I would recommend it. It is a thin book of nice light reading.




4. I read this book when it was first published in 1966. Not long afterward, I had the privilege as well as pleasure of visiting Deerfield Academy and was given a tour of it by its headmaster, Frank Boyden. At that time, I was a Master of English at Kent School (Kent, CT). I recently re-read this book and another of John McPhee's, A Sense of Where You Are. The title of the latter work correctly describes Boyden's total understanding of his relationship with a once tiny school (founded in 1797) located in what remains a rustic village. Throughout his years as headmaster (1902-1968), he knew exactly where he was as well as where exactly he wanted Deerfield to be (and remain) under his leadership. Just as Mr. Boyden gave me a tour of Deerfield Academy during my visit so many years ago, McPhee enables his reader to take a comprehensive "tour" of the unique and compelling relationship between a remarkable educator and the school community he headed for 66 years.
   
   Of special interest to me is what McPhee reveals about Boyden's style of leadership (autocratic but compassionate) and his obsession with maintaining "proper" appearances (e.g. manicured grounds, only the very best athletic equipment, the most impressive-looking athletes first off the bus). With regard to his relationships with faculty members, "The more you cooperate with the headmaster, the more he imposes on you," according to a teacher who had been at Deerfield for 25 years. "He expects a fantastic commitment. If you give it, he expects more. If you don't give it, he carries you, but you don't exist."
   
   As a father of four and a grandfather of seven, I also found many valuable lessons to be learned from Boyden's relationships with Deerfield's students. For example, his emphasis on courtesy in athletics. "No matter how able a Deerfield player was or how close a game had become, if he showed anger he was benched." For Boyden, athletic competition must demonstrate "a moral force." He played on Deerfield teams until he was about 35, and was head coach of football, basketball, and baseball until he was nearly 80. He loved sports. He often observed that "it's better to lose in a sportsmanlike way than to win and gloat over it." Point made, he would then add, "Now, boys, let's not let up on [the given opponent] for a minute. Let's win this one, if possible, by forty points." Frank Boyden had a sense of where he was as well as of where everyone else associated with Deerfield Academy should always be. The values to which he dedicated his life often require personal sacrifices which -- apparently -- many parents, educators, and young people today are unwilling and/or unable to make.



5. John McPhee's second work is part of a dynasty that currently stands at twenty-seven works of uncannily good non-fiction. Rarely in the annals of modern literature has such a feat been approached. Stephen Jay Gould's record-breaking essay streak is the only comparable feat of what Richard Rhodes aptly terms "verity". The so-called non-fiction novel was invented during the 60's with Truman Capote's brilliant "In Cold Blood", but the book devoured Capote, leaving John McPhee with a twenty-six book lead and a magnum opus entitled "Annals Of The Former World."
   
   "The Headmaster" is a 1966 profile of a remarkable educator called Frank Boyden and follows McPhee's first work "A Sense Of Where You Are" (1965), a prescient college-basketball biography of Bill Bradley who went on to have a successful pro-basketball and political career. McPhee's third work "Oranges" is the next book in the series. Not only does each and every John McPhee book receive 5 stars over four decades; the majority of McPhee's work is actually about the state of New Jersey, where he resides.

5 comments about The Long Haul: An Autobiography.

1. This is more propoganda. Checkout the FBI's research first.
   
   Vandalism, threats, strikes, and lies. That is the Highlander Story.
   
   http://foia.fbi.gov/hfschool



2. This book gave me a sense of clarity regarding my own values and beliefs when it comes to creating and sustaining learning relationships with others. It also lit a fire in my heart for the work...the work of developing learning and instruction in ways that are truly empowering of others. It was a jolt of energy in my own life journey. I'm humbled and grateful to have been introduced to the ideas and life of Mr. Horton - as well as the story of the Highlander learning community. Social change will always be a natural outcome of true learning and instruction in a world that confirms its being alive through the ever-changing, interdependent evolution of its cultural soceity. Change is good.



3. I was first introduced to THE LONG HAUL as a consequence of teaching a community organization course for which I had not been assigned for over 20 years. I felt I was out of my element. In seeking to prep myself for this course, I consulted key people in the US and my local community. I was prodded to read THE LONG HAUL. I must admit I was not enthusiastic. BIG MISTAKE!
   
   After 30 years of reading social science research monographs, research proposals, dissertations, MSW theses, and textbooks, I would say that THE LONG HAUL is one of the most (and perhaps the most) profoundly important piece of literature I have read addressing the social service arena. Although it is an autobiography, it offers critical insight into the failure of social service delivery. Prior to reading THE LONG HAUL, I believed that the major failure of sociology and social work was the inability to construct a meaningful theory of cultural diversity. Social work's failure to shepherd recipients off of TANF is associated with a lack of cultural understanding. Clearly, what we need is a theory for guidance.
   
   In his autobiography, Myles Horton takes us to the threshold of theory construction. Much of what "works" is counterintuitive. For example, if the police are monitoring Horton's actions because the authorities fear he will instigate a communist upraising, Horton will seek out the police. He would thank them for escorting him to his destination and explain to them his plans. The police move into a state of utter confusion. They are put in a position where they must walk with him rather then concealing themselves. Clearly, he knows what he is doing, but is unable to explain his actions that would enable readers to generalize these actions. The capacity of generalize and to use this generalization for an alternative environment is the heart of sociological theory. We learn how society functions by identifying patterns and see if they exist (or work) in other arenas.
   
   Perhaps theory construction is not possible. Perhaps cultural influences are so uniquely situated that a generalization from one arena to another is not possible. What is the common theme found in all of Horton's successes? I think the answer is LISTENING. However, Horton's form of listening is not the type of listening I was taught nor the kind of listening I read in cutting edge research and respected textbooks. It is, in fact, NOT the empathic listening. I do not believe that words exists which capture the essence of this type of Horton's listening, but I believe the concept of "blind" listening comes close. In addition, sociological frameworks such as Interactionalism and Phenomenology employ terms like "bracketing." Bracketing comes close, but does not hit the bull's eye. Social workers must spend more time understanding Horton's methodology of listening, analyzing what he heard, and acting upon his analysis.
   
   I do not recall reading any book that had such a profound effect on my thinking. This autobiography is not merely the story of Myles Horton's life but rather a roadmap for improved social service delivery and empowerment. Every social worker should read this book -- even clinicians. In fact, I would say that any social work student who does not thoroughly enjoy this book, needs to change majors.



4. Miles Horton's The Long Haul an Autobiography was a book I could not put down. This book inspired me to take a look at my own life and where I am going and to really evaluate the expectations I have for myself. The book details Miles Horton's struggles to achieve his life long goal to develop a form of education that will result in a change in society. The path he takes to fulfill his dream is not an easy one but seeing his determination to open the Highlander School was an inspiration to me. Throughout the book, Mr. Horton gives insight to his practical way of thinking about problems and people. I have had my eyes opened to what really motivates people to do what they do and why they do it. Although I try to stay away from politics as I have never been interested, this book gave me a desire to learn more about the political system as I read how Mr. Horton, often humorously, viewed and dealt with the political issues that seemed to follow him throughout his life. After reading that Martin Luther King and other strong leaders were influenced by Mr. Horton, it is no surprise that I too have been changed by reading his book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to see a change in society and is willing to look inside to begin the transformation.



5. Great book. Insightfully and eloquently written. Interesting viewpoints. Great for a new look at politics.

5 comments about The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle.

1. While it is laudable that Dan Brown chose a particularly challenging forum for his debut teaching job, he appears much too susceptible to the influences of his tag team book tour partner, Jonathan Kozol.
   
   The character Richard Dadier, as played by Glenn Ford, in the 1955 film "The Blackboard Jungle," was no proponent of the Kozol educational ideology. While Dadier believed in discipline and order in the classroom, Kozol prefers recalcitrance and anarchy. Kozol is of the impression that education must not be politically neutral. Guess which political ideology he prefers? Considering he wrote "On Being A Teacher," after his return from Cuba, the answer is self evident.
   
   Let's hope that Mr. Brown stays true to his own ideals and does not embrace the radicalism of Kozol, at least not while he has a captive audience in a public school classroom. It is one thing to act the martyr in a low-paying, essentially thankless job as an inner city teacher, expecting the students to follow you to the stake is counter productive. To paraphrase Kozol, there is nothing worse then soporific socialism to "deaden children's souls."



2. As a second year New York City Teaching Fellow, I can attest that the stories Dan tells in this book are still stories that we as teachers face every day. From the students living in shelters and floating from address to address to the micro-management of such things as bulletin boards, it's all very much the world in which I live. The book is heartbreaking in its realism ~ but it gives me hope to know that I am not alone.
   
   I definitely second the motion that this become required reading for anyone entering aternative certification programs. It's less Pollyanna-ish than "Ms. Moffett's First Year" which, while somewhat realistic, doesn't really get to the heart of the matter, and more realistic than "Educating Esme", which, unless you ARE Esme, really isn't realistic at all. While I wouldn't change my path into teaching, I wish I'd had someone really tell it like it is before I started as Dan has done here.



3. Dan Brown surpasses the similarly named charlatan by the second page of this tender recollection, so enough conversation about how one is not the other, eh? Anyone comparing the two (myself included) is drawing a tenuous, superficial connection. Simply put, it would be a discredit to this Mr. Brown to be associated with that one.
   
   The Great Expectations School is a story from the intersection of reality and idealism. Mr. Brown acts as interlocutor between an impoverished section of society and those too caught up in disbelief or willful refusal to recognize it. Harsh conditions are much easier to stomach when they are limited to 30 seconds on the news.
   
   Mr. Brown is brave to harrow the experience that he reports, but the more courageous act by far is to then report on it, in all of its bleak grandeur. This reader is very thankful that he did.



4. Beware this is not Dan Brown the auther of "The Da Vinci Code". Different people!!!!!!!!!



5. You gotta sing as you kick them, that's the message of the 20th century. The low expectations of the "Great Expectations School" stand out, but the author persuades us that all is not lost. This author goes a long way toward adding some realism back into the great fantasy known as "all children can learn." When you stop laughing at that, let the author's humor take you even further into the nightmare of public education. Wit is one of the first things to go when you enter this profession. Brown's possession of it is the first sign that this guy wasn't born to be a teacher but rather an observer and commentator. So be it, his astute observations bring out the best and the worst of finest prison system known to man, the New York Public Schools.

5 comments about Black Ice.

1. The author of Black Ice is Lorene Cary. This book is mostly about racism, and a young girl named Lorene being highly educated] and working with whites in a restaurant. I think anybody older than twelve and up will enjoy this text; Black Ice was mostly talking about Lorene's childhood.
   This book was quiet interesting. In order to see if a book is going to be good, read the reference page. If its interesting then read the first page. If you not, ask for assistance.
   This novel will be a good book for fifth graders. It will help them know more about the past between blacks, and whites. It will help increase your vocabulary, and give you more history out of the story. By a chance, you will probably enjoy reading Lorene Cary's autobiography of her childhood life.



2. Dear peer,
   The first thing that you need to know about Black Ice is the author which is Lorene Gary. I liked this book because I learned that you can make mistakes of doing drugs, but you can quit just in time to have a better future.
   This book is about a girl named Libby; she went to a boarding school at St. Paul's High
   School. She once went to a forest to smoke weed and pot with a group of friends. Also in this text Libby was forced to have relationship with this boy. He gave Libby a necklace of engagement, because he really liked her a lot. But Libby did not like him, so she threw the necklace away and Libby's mom picked it up and she wore it on her neck.
   This story is short in length, but difficult to read. It was difficult because, a lot of event happens in every chapter and you have to read it carefully so that you could know what is happening.
   My opinion about this text is that it is very interesting and it kept me entertained while I was reading the story. That is my opinion and the reason I think this book is very interesting because, I like reading Auto-Biographies. I really enjoyed reading this publication about Libby life.
   Thank you peer for taking your time and reading this essay. I hope you make your decision and read this book. So that you could know everything that happens in this master pieace.



3. 
   This review is for the students. The title of the book is Black Ice and the author of the book is Lorene Cary. To me I say this book was very interesting. The reason why was interesting, because it talked about how blacks and whites used to be segregated. They were both segregated and both races were treated differently. For example, the whites had better facilities then the blacks. That is why I thought the novel was interesting, but others who might have read this book over the summer maybe they did not think this book was as interesting. Therefore, I say this book is not made for everyone to read the masterpiece, just because one person may like the book does not mean that everyone likes the story. If someone who has not yet read the novel but would like to it would be better if they asked someone who has already read the book if the text would be a good novel for them to read or not to read. The student who has not yet read the publication would need to know what the text is about so they can determine if they would like to read the novel or not read it.
   The students who may like to read about how people different races are treated differently. They might like to read this novel to learn more about all of their backgrounds.



4. This book is horrible. The writing is badly done, and it is so drawn out and boring. It felt like one hour to read one chapter it was so bad.



5. This book is interesting, and the author actually spoke at my school (Temple University) which was awesome. She goes into detail within the book and leaves you guessing.

5 comments about To Sir with Love.

1. I remember having read an extract of "To Sir with Love" during my school days and have been wanting to read it ever since. Unfortunately I never got around to doing so for quite a while. Recently while browsing in a bookshop, my eyes fell on the book and I decided to pick it up.
   
   The book is an extremely inspiring autobiography which chronicles the life of a 'coloured' teacher in a particularly rowdy neighbourhood of London.
   
   Written in an extremely touching, charming (and ocassionally witty) style, the author talks about how he has to deal with racial sterotypes. It is uphill all the way for Braithwaite as he counters the cynicism of his impressionable students and, ocassionally, that of his colleagues also. Slowly, he wins over the minds (and in the case of Pamela Dare, heart) of his students as he tries to wipe clean their minds of prejudices (racial or otherwise).
   
   The book was also filmed starring the ever-charming Sidney Poitier in the lead role. See the movie after reading the book.



2. During my school days, we had an extract from this book as one of the lessons in our English subject. The lesson was named "In the Grip of Prejudice". After reading the lesson, I just wanted to read the whole book. ER Braithwaite has handled a touchy subject aesthetically.
   
   Highly recommended! :-)



3. A very enjoyable book. Braithwaite tells an inspirational story about both teaching kids but also overcoming prejudice as a black man in post WWII England. I'm a new teacher and hope to develop the type of relationship he had with his students with mine some day.



4. When I was in school, 10th grade, we had a chapter in English Literature. This chapter, named In the Grip of Prejudice, was from the book 'To Sir With Love'. That was such a gripping chapter, that I decided to buy the 'To Sir With Love' immediately.
   
   Amazing book and fantastic movie (with excellent performance of Sydney Poitier). The book has been with me for more than a decade and re-read multiple times. Very intelligent book that teaches the basics of right human existance.
   
   Excellent!



5. I just saw "Amazing Grace" about William Wilberforce
   and the ending of the British slave trade. There is little doubt that the Ricky Braithwaite who is a relatively young black teacher in England
   is the breeding product of such slaves used by sugar planters
   in British colonies. In arriving at their destination a large percentage died in the crossing. An even larger number usually died each year as
   a result of over work and underfeeding. Genetically this actually tended to make the black slaves superior to their white masters in many ways.
   Survival makes very good people.
   But the question is not if Braitwaite was as good teacher a teacher as
   he is a writer, but have conditions improved since 1959 when he first published this. From hearing about the life of Amy Winehouse who is a very popular British singer, one tends to think they may have actually gotten worse in London's East End, not better?
   So for all the popularity of the book and movie of this book,
   not a lot of attention was really paid to his lessons in understanding
   and care for the poor and hard pressed of all races.
   Amy Winehouse was expelled by a Weston type for being independent and different. Progressive education has been replaced with regimentation and discipline. Braitwaite made the point that music, even classical music, got through to these children, but in California we spend money on contact football instead? In California E. R. Braitwaite wouldn't be allowed to teach in an high school. He doesn't have a recognized teaching credential.

5 comments about Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan.

1. Bruce Feiler shares his experience as a new teacher in Japan and how he accommodates himself to the culture of Japan and its school system. The book includes many humorous episodes as well as studies in how to adapt to new surroundings and to people who have different behaviors from those of our own. The reader will develop a greater appreciation for the way in which the Japanese education system works at the levels described in the book and in how one must develop a thick skin and a great sense of humor in order to be accepted when traveling or working overseas. The characters in this book are real and are brought to life on paper quite effectively. This is a story of shock, adaptation, and, ultimately, but with a lot of hard work - success.



2. This book by Bruce Feiler is not just about the Japanese educational system but about the Japanese themselves. While it does touch on how students and teachers work together, teen suicide and cram school, it also deals with the problems of racism, the way the Japanese balance their lives and their duties to society, and even a few chapters on Japanese dating and marriage. It is full of humor, insight and clear thinking. Mr. Feiler clearly but a lot of thought into his visit and is just as clear in explaining to us what he feels is the important and major issues that Japan has to deal with - not just then but now and in the future. A must for any library on Asia or Japan.



3. Many of the previous reviews have pointed out Mr Feller's haughty condescension but what really makes his book a drag is how breathtakingly boring it is. Naked with other men in a hot spring bath? Good gracious me! As another reviewer pointed out, anybody who comes to Japan will experience virtually everything in this book in the first week; what that other reviewer failed to mention is that nobody else will decide to write a tedious book about it all. Filled with shallow 'insights' and yawn-inducing 'adventures', Feller's book is a soporific account of a dull year as lived by a dull individual who managed, somehow, to con a publisher into releasing this dull book. The fact that it's still in print boggles the mind.
   
   If you're interested in a good read on Japan look for either of Alan Booth's books (Looking For The Lost & The Roads To Sata), John Morley's Pictures From The Water Trade, Will Ferguson's Hokkaido Highway Blues, or anything by Lafcadio Hearn. All of those authors deliver. Mr Feller's book might be useful for chronic insomniacs but everybody else should steer well clear.



4. As I made my way through Feiler's account, I was primarily amused by his humorous initial encounters with Japanese culture: the often awkward questions frequently posited him by his friends, coworkers, and students; the stark dissimilarities between the Japanese and the American-style classroom; the extent to which Feiler's foreign appearance and personality caused him to stand out amid an otherwise fairly uniform populace. In nearly every chapter, I found myself laughing out loud. As the book progressed, however, I became disturbed by the author's general exclusion of personal reflections on his experiences. For example, it remains ambiguous whether the author is interested in trying "nanpa"--a procedure in which strangers "pick up" on women in bars, discos, or similar environments, mostly popular among young Japanese men--out of a genuine desire to procure a Japanese girlfriend, or merely in demonstration of a detached cultural curiosity. He interjects almost no explicit discussions of his feelings or emotional reactions toward the many shocking, challenging, and even tragic events that he encounters throughout the narrative. As someone interested in going to Japan to teach English, and curious about the types of experiences had by Americans who have done so in the past, this particular quality of Feiler's narrative was a bit disappointing.
   
   By the end of the book, however, I came to the realization that the very inclusion of certain information in Feiler's memoir speaks volumes on the nature of the clash between Western and Japanese culture. The details that Feiler includes on the overbearingly autocratic leadership style of his school principle, the structure of a seventh-grade fieldtrip to Disneyland Tokyo, and the reaction of Japanese students toward his unorthodoxly American pedagogical style all attest to the impression that Feiler was deeply moved and challenged by his interactions with Eastern culture. And the laughter and tears that several of his anecdotes drew forth compel me to conclude that these passages were not written without emotional affectation.
   
   In my preparation to move overseas to teach and live among an unfamiliar society, I found this book deeply enlightening and encouraging. As previous experiences abroad have taught me, being a foreigner in a new country can be a direly lonely and often stressful experience. Feiler has given us an insightful and meaningful account of what Americans moving to Japan ought to expect from the culture clash, as well as detailed many interesting aspects of Japanese society that outsiders interested in the country might not otherwise consider. I highly recommend it.



5. "I came to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese Ministry of Education . . ." indeed! Feiler has a very high opinion of himself. And isn't it a bit inappropriate for a teacher to kiss the hand of a junior high girl, let alone a junior high girl of another culture? I've been reading a lot of Japanese non-fiction and travel essays since a recent visit to Japan and so far this book ranks low in terms of enjoyment, educational value and insight because of its pretentious tone.

3 comments about Maria Montessori: A Biography (Radcliffe Biography Series).

1. This book covers Maria Montessori's life very thoroughly. It covers her life well, but it would have been nice to include something of an afterword on what happened to the Montessori movement after her death, it's re-emergence in the US, a little of what Mario Montessori did with AMI, etc. Rita Kramer gave me a good understanding of how Montessori was able to rub some people the wrong way, which had an effect on the success of the movement here in the US. I don't really begrudge her trying to keep tight control over the movement, and I can see it from her point of view, after all, as Kramer points out, the movement had her name attached to it, for good and ill. If it had been presented as a neutral method, or if she had taken an academic post, and therefore didn't have to be so invested in the didactic apparatus, her ideas may have spread farther. I was also interested in what happened to the method in the US after WWI, since Kramer points out that, for example, the Rhode Island school system adopted Montessori for its public schools in something like 1910. When did they go back? Kramer did do a good job of explaining why the method caught on in some countries and not others. The real tragedy was in Vienna, which had a thriving Montessori community in the 20's and early 30's, but which was wiped out in WWII. This book gave me an appreciation for Maria Montessori I didn't have before, and reinforced my opinion that, politics aside, with the grown-ups talking and arguing about committees, names and priorities, what's important is where the rubber meets the road, that is, in the classroom. In the classroom, when you're down with the kids watching what they do, you can see the fundamental truth in Montessori's approach.



2. Right away there was the happy possibility that I would have a positive response to Maria Montessori: A Biography since the book was written by -none other than - Rita Kramer. She is also the author of the investigative account Ed School Follies: the Miseducation of America's Teachers. She has also been a contributor to some solid periodicals, such as The Wilson Quarterly, American Heritage, and the American Spectator. And she is certainly a reader of that great French-born American teacher, the venerable Jacques Barzun (99 years old!). Ms. Kramer seems to have accepted an offer to write this particular biography based on her expertise in early education, her reputation for solid research, and an objective journalistic approach to her work, but presumably not as a Montessorian. What the reader gets is a factual, historically accurate, rolling account of a person worth the biography. Granted, I'm sold on Montessori anyway, regardless of the struggling doctor's genius or shortcomings, so this story for me is more for a good read on how it all came together. And a good read it is, by any standard.



3. This is a well written* and compelling book. It sets out quite clearly the strengths and weaknesses of both Dr. Montessori and her method.
   
   It is an important read for anyone considering closer ties to the Montessori movement (in its various forms).
   
   And like any good art, it raises as many questions as it answers...
   
   ...some of which could make Montessorians quite uncomfortable!
   
   
   *there are some annoying typos