Someone I know, thinks fiction is a waste of time. The other day he was praising the brilliance of the movie, An American Beauty(I didn't call him on the fact that it was a work of "fiction" he happened to be praising). I had rented the film because I still give the genre or medium its chances, but had to inform him directly that I pressed the STOP button on my vcr before too long. It was obvious that I'd insulted his sensibilities, but since he knew my reverence for serious fiction and had no problem insulting mine, I felt it was a fair trade. I have no idea why this book is not praised or offered as a benchmark of what stories can contribute to the fabric of humanity. Old Jack must have it pegged, "The Modern Ignorance."

I arrived at this book after first reading Wendell Berry's recent novel, JAYBER CROW (2000). This earlier novel is about an inner journey. Having "lost his life," 92-year-old Jack Beechum finds it again (p. 122) by travelling into the "deepest depths of his memory" (p. 110), the part of Jack "that holds nearly all of him" (p. 9). Born in 1860, Jack was once known as "a dancer, a drinker, a wencher, a fighter" (p. 38), and as a horse breaker (p. 86). Berry also describes Jack as "a limited man," though "satisfied within those limits" (p. 50), and the "incarnation of his solitude" (p. 61).

Also set in Port William, Berry's beautiful novel opens in the "first cool morning of September, 1952" (p. 7) with Old Jack's vision turned inward from the "stillness of his old age" (p. 79). "More and more now the world as it is seems to him an apparition of a cloud that drifts, opening and closing, upon the clear, remembered lights and colors of the world as it was" (p. 17). "His mind," Jack thinks, "would do well to settle down and be quiet, for pretty soon he is going up on the hill for the long sleep that most people he knows have already gone off to" (p. 24).

"Meditating on his memories" (p. 116), Jack revisits one of "the most powerful themes of his life," the "anger of regret" (p. 31). Among other things, he confronts the silence of his lonely marriage to Ruth, "a silence he was less and less able to bear" (p. 49), and his extramarital love for another woman, Rose. Ruth "remained to him an unknown continent. She offered him no welcome" (p. 45). Jack remembers "they fought it out among those trivial issues that later would show them both the failure of each of them to be what the other desired" (p. 89).

Berry's writing here is as honest as the sweat and dirt of the field on his characters' clothes. Like silence, Old Jack is a good teacher. "The modern ignorance," he observes shortly before his death, "is in people's assumption that they can outsmart their own nature. It is in the arrogance that will believe nothing it cannot prove, and respect nothing it cannot understand, and value nothing it cannot sell" (pp. 141-42).

G. Merritt

A wonderfull book, subtle and true. Berry's writing reflectsthe land that he writes of - not ostentatious, but brimming with life.You will not find cheap sentiment or flashy colors but you will findrealness in Memory of Old Jack. I highly recommend.

Pat Getz-Gentle draws upon thirty-five years of meticulous scholarship and research in Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture, the latest contribution to the outstanding University of Wisconsin Press series, "Wisconsin Studies in Classics" Here presented is a 185-page definitive work on Cycladic sculpture provides a wealth of new material and fresh insights into a artistic tradition which is rooted in the Neolithic period spanning the third millennium B.C. The reader is treated to a an informative and challenging review of this tradition of artistic express as Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture gives special emphasis on the stages leading to the reclining figure with folded arms that is the unique and quintessential icon of the early Bronze age culture at the center of the Aegean. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture also focuses on the discernibly unique styles of fifteen specific carvers. By introducing little-known pieces attributable to these sculptors, Pat Getz-Gentle superbly illuminates various phases of their artistic development. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture is enhanced with a special chapter by European art history and lecturer Jack de Vries, a profusion of photos and drawings illustrating 212 different works of Cycladic sculpture. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture is an impressive, seminal, accessible, original body of work that will prove to be an invaluable addition to Art History Studies in general, and Hellenic Sculpture Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections in particular.

Parenthood In America: Undervalued, Underpaid, Under Siege is a compilation of contributions by professionals engaging in research and discussions about "parenthood" as it is being experienced in the American culture today. After succinct and compelling analysis of the current stresses and problems involved with parenthood, a body of recommendations emerge in behalf of having family-friendly workplaces and decent child care options; family health care for all members; programs aiding the development of children in addition to their physical health; recognition by professionals of parental expertise regarding their own children; alternatives to vapid or violent games and television programming; prioritization of family meals, talks, chores, and activities within the parenting schedule; valuing caring relationships above the accumulation of wealth or the acquisition of possessions; an appreciation of cultural and religious diversity; and family support in community settings. Highly recommended for both child development professionals and interested non-specialist readers alike, Parenthood In America is a welcome and much needed addition to academic and community parenting studies reference collections.

Parenthood In America: Undervalued, Underpaid, Under Siege is a compilation of contributions by professionals engaging in research and discussions about "parenthood" as it is being experienced in the American culture today. After succinct and compelling analysis of the current stresses and problems involved with parenthood, a body of recommendations emerge in behalf of having family-friendly workplaces and decent child care options; family health care for all members; programs aiding the development of children in addition to their physical health; recognition by professionals of parental expertise regarding their own children; alternatives to vapid or violent games and television programming; prioritization of family meals, talks, chores, and activities within the parenting schedule; valuing caring relationships above the accumulation of wealth or the acquisition of possessions; an appreciation of cultural and religious diversity; and family support in community settings. Highly recommended for both child development professionals and interested non-specialist readers alike, Parenthood In America is a welcome and much needed addition to academic and community parenting studies reference collections.

This book is an awesome journey into what CAN happen when marriages break up and wives are vindictive. This man is so innocent he CHOOSE prison over walking away and saying he did something he didn't do.

It can be used as a text book on False Allegations of Child Abuse and should be read by anybody falsely charged with this henious crime. By reading this book, you could save yourself years in prison. Buy one for yourself, your family and your attorney.

Mr. Berry's story is typical of a national crisis of child abuse hysteria in America today. The false accusation, an incompetent attorney, a prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit - it CAN happen to you! I highly recommend this book not only for the compelling story, but for the reader to learn how to protect themselves.

Hello,

this book is good basis to reflect on the differences between "how to see" and "how to observe" and is a must for every teacher or university teacher who observes young students while teaching or observing professionals while working. It shows clearly differences in attitudes towards observation. Positivistic research vs. action research or naturalistic research .. where are you placed? The book is full of good stories teaching you good principles .. one of the best books I have discovered in this field ..go for it.

Mr. Berry creates characters that are well developed which propel the story line forward at a wonderful pace. This was a fascinating romp through the heartland of America and the dynamics between the classes. You are engrossed in the struggle of a promising talent trying to find himself and his purpose with the help of some very interesting people, while he battles his own demons, past and present. You want to take hold of this book, find a comfy place and immerse yourself in the story line. Hard to put down. Twists and turns keep the reader engaged and at times off balanced. A very enjoyable read.

Rynn Berry's "Famous Vegetarians and their favorite recipes" presents an overview of famous vegetarians in history. Each biography of the 30 famous vegetarians is about 3-6 pages long. It is by no means a comprehensive nor referenced work (not that I'm questioning his sources, but that being that this book features short pieces of fascinating individuals, it only makes sense to provide a "works cited" list or a reference list for those who are interested to pursue their research). If you are looking for great vegan/vegetarian recipes, you are at the wrong place. Most of the recipes are not too appetizing.

The author has come up with authentic recipes(or reasonable fac-similes thereof) reflecting the tastes of famous vegetarians throughout the ages. Anecdotal sketches give life to each of the 32 celebrities from Plato and Pythagoras to Tolstoi, Gandhi and George Bernard Shaw along with "contemporaries" like Paul McCartney and Isaac Bashevis Singer. Mr.Berry writes gracefully, and the 80 recipes are not only fascinating, but have been kitchen tested tested by the author for "savoriness." Many recipes are unfired. The book is fully referenced with footnotes(in the back). This is a superb book!