This book could have been so much better.....It is a fascinating story of psychiatry/psychology/psychoanalysis in the middle 1900s, but this book involves one person, and one person only: the author, Stephen Eliot. Why is there nothing about his family members? One photo is characterized as being a picture of his late brother....What? How did he die? Was it integral to the story? It is as though Eliot existed (exists?) in a vacuum, and things just happened to him for no particular reason. Why was he sent to the School in the first place? Why? What did he do, or what happened to him to cause his parents to spend so much money and send their son off to strangers to raise him? It is an interesting tale of Bruno Bettelheim and his practices, but he is a shadow figure in this book. I hope another student, or teacher, from the School writes a book someday that will include more than just one simple focus. Yes, I know this is an autobiography, but the author's self-centerdness, world-revolves-around-me-only got old after the first couple of hundred pages.

A wonderful autobiography from the eyes of a child who lived through a cutting edge treatment for his disorder in an era when mental health was never addressed with children. Uplifting and inspirational.The courage displayed by the author is to be commended. " For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't understand, no explanation is possible." From a parent of a current Orthogenic School student,
this author makes the explanation possible for all.

Steven Eliot has penned a most unique and stunningly written memoir of a most unusual childhood: his own spent at the former Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School, founded and run by the acclaimed Dr. Bruno Bettelheim at the University of Chicago.

Eliot has shown remarkable courage and clarity of inner voice as he both recounts his life at the world's most unique psychoanalytically-oriented treatment facility for emotionally disturbed children. At all times, Eliot is in touch with both his developing consciousness as a child being treated for emotional maladies, as well as a very wise and inner developed adult who aqpparently has made deep, and at times painful, sense of himself.

Eliot's writing is elegant, clear, free of complex jargon, and can soar to tears-inducing stunning power. Memoirs and autobiographies of 'bad childhoods', demon parents, trying lifestyles, Rags to Riches progressions and escapes from trying and crusihing times, forces and conditions abound, but Eliot's is the first voice that takes us not simply into what was the world's most unique and acclaimed psychoanalytic institition, but he takes on the far harder journey to recount---and indeed make--which is of course within himself. Most memoirs focus on the external pain inflictions and conditions causing the basis of the memoirist's tale. In Eliot's work, he takes us 'Behind Closed Doors' to what was a rareified, purposefeully kept private world( Bettelheim recounted his own experiences as the Orthogenic School's Director and 'star' in his own treatment stories, but he purposefully kept the media and most of the world out of the School for realistic fear that it could become a three-ring media circus if opened up. We also know that Bettelheim's treatment and other practices were highly controversial, and would not be tolerated in today's world, had they come to light when they occured). Moreover, most First-Person accounts of psychotherapy dwell on the dialogues with the therapist, or of issues that emerge in the decidedly one-dimensional world of classical psychoanalysis. To date, the world has not had as deep and forthright a view of what treatment, life and challenges are inside of a psychodynamically-centered milieu therapy institution as they have gotten from NOT THE THING I WAS.. Eliot, though, is not entirely within himself. He has a strong sense of community, and his often humorous, telling and varied anecdotes are within the context of his developing sense of personhood, and how this person came to live amongst others.

The 'Warp and Woof',rather than the sanitized perfect re-creation of the Orthogenic School that has prevailed in print is ably and dynamically captured by Eliot.

Eliot's inner and outer struggle, which was his process of growth and reocnstruction, is painful and challenging. In Eliot's work, we do not merely witness this process; we are forced deeply within it, and in so doing, we are forced to confront mainy painful universal truths about our own upbringing, formative experiences, and significant life cycle events. Steven Eliot's book is destined to remain read and re-read the world over for many, many years to come both for its elegance, clarity and stunning beauty, but also for its important 'travelogue' into a powerful and important inner and outer world.

There are not many anthologies of which you can say they are needed, but this is may be one of them. Eliot Weinberger, best known as a translator of Latin American poetry (especially that of Octavio Paz), has done an admirable job here of articulating how innovation in American poetry was taking place from the 1950s through the 1970s and even into the 1990s. The volume's subtitle, "Innovators and Outsiders," can be misleading, as many of the thirty-five poets included here are now among the most familiar to contemporary readers, few of whom would consider the likes of Williams, Pound, H.D., Creeley, Ginsberg, etc. "outsiders." Yet, all of these poets were or are innovators. Weinberger has put together a fascinating "narrative" and a refreshing, personal rereading of poetry in the U.S. from around 1950 on. (You can quibble all you want with the selection, and some readers, myself included, will find some of the poetry here just awful, but Weinberger's justification for this volume in the brief introductory note is outstanding.) Just as importantly, his brief essay following the selections, "American Poetry Since 1950: A Very Brief History" is offers an excellent and insightful overview of how major creative tendencies have followed one after another in the past fifty years.

This is an excellent cross-section of late twentieth century poetry....of course it leaves some favorites out and includes poets I am not particularly enamored with but ultimately I have used this book a great deal.....highly recommended...I am especially pleased with the inclusion of Ronald Johnson......very interesting work....

As a big fan of Eliot Porter's color nature photography (so real it's surreal), I bought this book for his unique take on the strangest continent on the planet. That Porter was nearing 75 years of age when he went to Antarctica on this NSF sponsored venture makes his accomplishment all the more amazing. This is some of his best work. One only wishes, now that he's a decade gone, that there were 50% more pictures...

The travelogue/diary style text dragged at times for me, though especially those who share Porter's interest in bird behavior will maybe find some useful information in it. There's a little bit of interesting history, as well as some geology, but few insights into how these remarkable photos were made or the deeper thoughts of the man who made them. This is probably good, because if Porter had spent his time being a great writer we probably wouldn't have as much extraordinary photography.

This will surely become a keeper "coffee table" book fo any mildly interested reader. Photography is unique and extremely well presented, and the writing is equally acceptable. Enjoy if you can find a copy!

The scandal of the 1919 Black Sox is probably the most disilluisioning chapter in the history of baseball. Asinof captured the feeling of America and its reaction to the scandal on and off field. The story is told accurately and with great insight. "Shoeless" Joe was a wonderful player who made bad decisions. He can be both admired and loathed by fans who now know that he wasn't completely innocent as the Sox threw the Worl d Series. It shows how baseball perserviered throught the gambling. Baseball tradition has kept the game alive through many adverse situtations and when gathered together make the history of baseball very rich. A must read for ALL baseball historians and fans.

A great book that shows what led to this infamous scandel with the 8 White Sox ballplayers. Not only will baseball fans want to read this book but anyone who likes to read. It also makes you wonder if throwing games is still going on today.

In reporting the discovery of the Americas the popular focus of historians has been on the voyages of Columbus and others in the southern latitudes. The early northern explorers, in search of the elusive north west passage to Cathay, sailed in waters far more hostile than their southern compatriots. Morison has a great love for his subject and wealth of knowledge. He clearly details the personalities of the leaders of these early expeditions and the dangers they faced. This is a most enjoyable read filled with wit and knowledge, which has left me searching for other titles by the author.

In this volume Morison goes back to the voyages of St. Brendan and the Irish monks as well as those of Norsemen such as Leif Erickson. The first post-Columbian voyages the author describes are those of John Cabot in 1497-1498 and the book ends with a discussion of the experiences of the second Virginia colony in 1587.

Morison is an entertaining writer who offers many original insights.

Some of his thorough research was done as a passenger on a small twin-engined plane flown along the same coasts which were discovered by Cabot, Cartier and Verrazzano.

T. S. Eliot's second play is loosely based on Aeschylus' "Eumenides," though set in modern times. The integration of classical elements is only partly successful: the Greek chorus of meddlesome relatives is oddly effective, but the several appearances of the Furies are forced and strange (as Eliot himself came to conclude). Furthermore, the play is awfully talky -- lots of setup without much payoff in dramatic action.

But what talk it is! "The Family Reunion" was written in the interregnum between the first and second of "Four Quartets," and the play develops and amplifies many of the same themes as the poems. We return to the "Alice in Wonderland" rose garden of "Burnt Norton" (the first Quartet) -- "I only looked through the little door / When the sun was shining on the rose-garden: / And heard in the distance tiny voices" -- while looking forward to key passages from later poems: "Or the distant waterfall in the forest, / Inaccessible, half-heard. / And I hear your voice as in the silence / Between two storms ...."

Though "The Family Reunion" may be justly criticized for its dramatic problems and weak conclusion, the writing is vintage Eliot and will prove both enjoyable and enlightening for devotees of his poetry.

T. S. Eliot masters the craft of play-writing, and his verse adds to this powerful and imaginative tragedy. He manages to keep his many characters separate and portray every one of them with acute individuality. Reading this book leaves the reader without any doubts as to why Eliot was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Felix Holt combines themes of political responsibility and social concern amidst the background of a community that is facing problems involved with the rapid industrialization of the country. Eliot depicts a village caught in a battle between tradition and progressivism. The characters who make up this struggle are brilliantly portrayed. There is even a sweet romantic twist to the story that renders it even more enjoyable. Eliot gives one the impression that in order for society to make advances for the good of all, some people must willingly give up the prosperity and status that accompanies a largely capitalistic state. It is through such noble acts that those less fortunate can gain a voice in a system that constantly represses them. This is the major theme of this incredible novel.

I've heard a lot of moaning this year about how democracy is dead and how much better things were in the good old days. Eliot's unromantic view of human nature is the perfect cure for all that. As she tells it, people were dumb, and cunning, and selfish back then - just as they are today. The biggest difference was that most people weren't allowed to vote: "universal suffrage" was about as beyond-the-pale then as gay marriage is today.

Here's the TV preview version: _Felix Holt_ is a lively mix of barroom treating, soapbox preachers, riots, bribery, "irregularities," and a courtroom scene with a shocking finale! One caveat: readers spoiled on modern pap may find this novel difficult going. But it's worth it.

The discovery of the new world is one of the most exciting periods to study. Here is a book that has not only has Drake, Magellan, and Columbus but has the story of less famous mariners as well. This is not a book that has to be read all at once. You can read about one of the explorers and when you are sick of reading about storms and starvation put it aside for awhile.

As usual Morison's work is a superior example of both scholarship and writing. Many of his sources for research were not written in English since most of the historians who have studied the voyages of discovery south of the Caribbean have been either Spaniards, Portuguese, Brazilians, Uruguayans, Chileans or Paraguayans.

I was impressed by the level of detail this book had. It focused on even the smallest of engagements in the war. Deffinately recomend it

This fourteenth and final entry in Morison's epic series concludes the voluminous narrative with a look at the war's final days, including an account of the delivery of the first atomic bomb by the USS Indianapolis and that vessel's tragic return voyage, and the triumphant visit of the USS Missouri to Tokyo Bay. As with the other entries in this series, Morison brings excitement and immediacy to an incredibly well-researched and detailed narrative. Not to be missed.

I found this book to be a useful compendium of essays that are usually scattered or incompletely represented in anthologies. It's an excellent supplement for a course on Eliot's work or to learn more about his critical perspectives and how they shifted over time. Very worthwhile.

A good selection of prose from T. S. Eliot. After years of reading, I still find his prose more effective and more useful than his poetry. (I know -- sheer heresy.) Eliot places great emphasis on The Tradition and on an impersonal approach to art, an emphasis which aspiring writers of today would be wise to heed. Like Matthew Arnold, Eliot's criticism is dogmatic, and right. The reader's only wish is that this collection included more.

Eliot's reputation has taken a beating in the last 20 years. He has been charged with anti-semitism, racism, elitism, and even misogyny. All of these charges are basically true. Nevertheless, as a critic his judgements are sound and dead-on. Read either "Traditon and the individual Talent" or "Dante" from this book and tell me if you think I am wrong. The book is worth the price for these two essays alone.