I like that there is a glossary of Spanish words at the end of the book, because I know that if I ever go to Mexico, I will know how to say thank-you and stuff like that (gracias). The idea of a maid teaching Josephina and Josephina being so eager to learn makes me stunned. I think that you will very much enjoy the pictures, as I did. I did not recognize the dyes that the girls used to dye the wool, but from the pictures I understood that they were very beautiful. (Carmelle, Age 8)

This is another one of the American Girls series about Josefina Montoya, a nine-year-old girl (almost ten!) living in the New Mexico of 1824. When a flashflood brings disaster to her father's rancho, Josefina's aunt Dolores suggests that they begin weaving blankets that they can trade. Josefina throws herself into the work, eager to help the family, but one of her sisters is holding back, and Josefina needs to find out why.

The final chapter of this wonderful book is a highly informative look at schooling in New Mexico in 1824. Jean-Paul Tibbles' illustrations are nothing short of excellent, and add so much to this wonderful story.

This is another of the excellent stories that American Girls presents. This one also has a fine lesson, while the story is highly entertaining. Also, I do enjoy the way the author has realistically woven Josefina's religion into her daily life; religion is something lacking in most American Girls stories. My eleven-year-old daughter and I read this book together; we both enjoyed it, and we both recommend it to you.

Nine year old Josefina Montoya is growing up on a rancho in New Mexico in 1824. When Josefina's Tia Dolores comes to visit to Montoyas, Josefina learns about a world beyond the rancho-a world of elegance. But Josefina and her sisters begin to worry that Tia Dolores will replace Mama, who died last year. And then disaster strikes. The Montoyas lose most of their sheep in a terrible flood. Tia Dolores comes to the rescue with the suggestion that the Montoyas weave blankets to sell so that they can get new sheep. But more and more, Josefina and her sisters begin to believe that all the new ideas their aunt has brought will make them forget all that Mama taught them. Then, Tia Dolores begins to teach the girls to read and write. Mama couldn't read and write, and Josefina and her sisters aren't sure she'd approve. More and more, Josefina must face many changes-both good and bad.

Josefina Saves the Day is about a girl age 10. She meets a american named Peter O'Toole, a scout for the wagon trail. Papa and Josefina trust Peter with their trades. Will Josefina get her trade? Will she and Francisa, and Clara, and Papa get what they want? To find out more read this book.

This is another one of the American Girls series about Josefina Montoya, a ten-year-old girl living in the New Mexico of 1824 (actually January of 1825). In this book, Josefina and her family travel to her grandfather's rancho to await the arrival of the wagon train from the United States. She meets her first American, Patrick O'Toole, a handsome scout for the wagon train. The family wants to trade blankets and mules with the Americans, but is this handsome young man trustworthy?

The final chapter is in an interesting and informative look at outdoor life in New Mexico in 1824. Jean-Paul Tibbles' illustrations, warm and filled with emotion, add a great deal to the story, and are a welcome addition.

My daughter and I both liked this book. The story has its scary parts, but it also has a nice lesson, and I enjoy the frank look at life then and there. This is another excellent book, a worthwhile addition to your library.

Ten year old Josefina Montoya, her father, and two of her sisters are staying with Josefina's grandfather and grandmother in Sante Fe while they await the arrival of an American wagon train. Josefina and her sisters trust a young American trader with a deal. But then, before he pays them, he leaves town. Has he cheated them? Josefina and her sisters must go on a daring late night adventure to find out.

Unfortunately Veronica Slater is seriously wrong about La Nausee. This book is not a gift from Heaven, nor could it be. It is a gift from Sartre, the existential atheist. If it were a gift from Heaven then Sartre would be a hypocrate, seeming as that he doesn't believe in God. This book is deep, but not for a Philosopher, nor for a true philosophy lover. It introduces the reader to the mind of Sartre, to the truly existential way of mind. It lets the reader know that not everything is as concrete as one has come to accept. And, it is true, the realization that things have no true meaning, that definitions are not of an object's essence, can be quite nauseating. So don't read this book after eating a full course meal...

This book, La Nausee, was certainly a gift from heaven. As I read it in front of the fire, over the shoulder of a gorgeous male, with a pathetic man at the window, I was struck by the poetry of the whole thing. La Nausee speaks about scruples, existentialism, and curmudgeons. Life is not all one big Remington Party, it points out. Au contraire, we must pay attention to love (the heart), honour (the crown), and friendship (the clasped hands). One can lose their soul in this book, so be careful not to get too involved. Not only is it extremely deep, it is also a very attractive book. Angelic!

This book, La Nausee, was certainly a gift from heaven. As I read it in front of the fire, over the shoulder of a gorgeous male, with a pathetic man at the window, I was struck by the poetry of the whole thing. La Nausee speaks about scruples, existentialism, and curmudgeons. Life is not all one big Remington Party, it points out. Au contraire, we must pay attention to love (the heart), honour (the crown), and friendship (the clasped hands). One can lose their soul in this book, so be careful not to get too involved. Not only is it extremely deep, it is also a very attractive book. Angelic!

Last night I read Jean-Paul Sartre's short manuscript Existentialism and Humanism, in which he set out to defend the existentialist philosophy against criticisms that had been made against it, particularly by Marxists, and particularly for its being (perceived as) overly subjective (amongst other things). I think there is a lot that Sartre says that is just right. Such as, every action is a moral action, including the action of doing nothing. And most importantly, Sartre makes the connection between freedom and morality. This is something that Musil is really sharp on, as well (particularly with the Moosbrugger case in The Man Without Qualities) -- in order for any action to be perfectly moral, it must be perfectly freely chosen; and to the extent that various extra-agent factors impinge on the action, the action is subsequently less moral. This is built into our very idea of what it is to be moral: an action you initiate is something you are morally accountable for; an action that happens from outside of you is something you are not morally accountable for. Now, if as (arguably) the Marxists say, the individual is inextricably determined by the social, there can be no morality, since everything is determined from without. Seen from this perspective, it is clear why many of the existentialists were Christians: Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, and Jaspers, for example. However if we are to take the atheistic line (which I believe with Sartre to be the most consistent with the existentialist principles) we say that even God couldn't help us act morally. Sartre illustrates the point with an example (which is appropriate, of course, since existentialism is a form of moral particularism, in that it says we need to act in each new case on the basis of information we have at hand, and no rules can guide us rigidly from case to case). A young man approached him (Sartre) and said that he had a choice to stay at home and care for his sick mother, or to leave and fight in the war. Caring for his mother had concrete calculable benefits over the short term; fighting in the war has abstract, generalised benefits that may, moreover, have been thwarted (he may have been stuck in a camp or pushing paper at a desk, or whatnot). Sartre says, what can guide the man here? No moral rule can determine what his course of action should be; the decision is the man's freely to make; and this free action is what confers the status of a moral decision on it. And so Sartre simply said to the man, do what you feel is right (or something similar). I think Sartre is absolutely correct to say that existentialism is not mired in subjectivity, or in despair. It is not mired in subjectivity, because your morality is something that is exhibited by your actions (we might even say there is no such thing as a moral thought, only a moral action: something that fits well with liberal political principles [as an aside, one of the interlocuters at the end of the manuscript accuses Sartre's moral system of being simply a variant of 18th Century liberal philosophy, a point which has, I think, some merit]). It is not mired in despair, because there is no correct reponse to the absolute freedom on which morality depends; despair is one reaction; glee is another; and none is more natural or correct than another.

This book will either make you want to read more about existentialism or it will lead you into making quite the opposite choice by leaving existentialism to others possibly more patient than yourself though not necessarily more intelligent.

Whatever your choice you will nonetheless be making a choice even if that choice is not to make a choice.

Or as Sartre would put it, in a far more philosophical manner, you can always choose but you must know that even if you do not choose that would still be a choice. For what is not possible is not to choose.

This is the first book I have read about existentialism so I cannot judge whether it is a good introduction to this philosophical movement yet the very fact that the purpose of the lecture delivered by Sartre is to offer a defence of existentialism against certain reproaches laid against it, seems by itself to shape the content of the lecture into an attempt by necessity to capture the essence of existentialism. In particular, in relation to the reactions existentialism has provoked.

There are certain key ideas that are very plainly put across to the reader which may well capture one's attention and actually lead to a further exploration of other books about existentialism.

For example, Sartre after referring to the two kinds of existentialists that there are and declaring that he is a representative of atheistic existentialism explains that if God does not exist there is at least one being whose existence comes before its essence, that is to say a being which exists before it can be defined by any conception of it.

That being, of course, is man.

Thus, existence precedes essence. Man first exists and then defines himself.

Basically, in conclusion to his reference to atheistic existentialism, Sartre adds that the first principle of existentialism is that man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. Not as what he conceives himself to be after already existing but that which he wills himself to be subsequent to a necessary leap towards existence. Basically, man only attains existence when he is what he purposes to be. Whereas, before that projection of the self, nothing exists.

Doubtless this first principle of existentialism gave rise to a reproach against the subjectivity of existentialism. Other ideas and terms used are also examined always with reference made to the particular reproaches Sartre has to answer in relation to such ideas and terms.

All in all, he makes out quite a solid and intelligible defence of existentialism as he explains that the first effect of existentialism is to put every man in possession of himself with the entire responsibility of his existence being placed on his shoulders.

The emphasis in the doctrine presented by Sartre is that there is no reality except in action. Man is described as nothing else but what he purposes with his existence being attained only in so far as he realizes himself. Man is therefore, nothing else but the sum of his actions.

He clarifies further this basic idea by stating - rather poetically in fact - that for the existentialist (though also in reality) there is no love apart from the deeds of love, no potentiality of love other than that which is manifested in loving and no genius other than that which is expressed in works of art.

Throughout the lecture the basic theme delivered by Sartre is that reality alone is reliable and dreams, expectations and hopes serve only to define man negatively and not positively since man is nothing else but what he lives.

One can easily understand how a basic idea such as this could give rise to a reproach for the pessimism of existentialism. Yet, Sartre manages to turn around this reproach and to declare that what people reproach existentialists with is not their pessimism but the sternness of their optimism.

As to the structure of the book, this is divided into three parts each of which can be enjoyed in its own right even though the parts are actually interrelated. First, there is a rather helpful introduction, then the lecture itself and finally the actual discussion that followed the lecture.

An additional benefit to the newcomer to the study of existentialism is the slimness of the book. This means the entire book or any part of it can easily be read time and time again. No doubt each fresh reading will be to the advantage of the reader as it will add to his understanding of the ideas expressed while simultaneously increasing his appreciation of the manner of their expression.

EXISTENTIALISM AND HUMANISM did not start life as a book. It is actually a translation of a lecture delivered by Sartre in Paris in 1945 at a time when the term "existentialism" was being bandied about rather loosely. My 1947 copy also incorporates the discussion which immediately followed the lecture. It is interesting to note that, after a few legitimate questions, the discussion became a series of challenges to the existentialist philosophy by a M. Naville who was a leading French Marxist in post World War II Paris.

Contrary to some comments contained in reviews of Sartre's books and collections of his essays, existentialism is not an easily understood philosophy and there were, and still are, differences of opinions regarding existentialism, and what it might mean, between major proponents of the philosophy such as Sartre and Gide. (Sartre alludes to this in this lecture.) For this review I will attempt to stick to the opinions stated herein by Sartre.

He led off his lecture by making the point that existentialism was under attack by The Church on one side and the Marxists on the other. He stated that both attacks were based on misunderstandings of the existentialist philosophy.

As is to be expected, his starting point for his discussion is the basic concept that existence precedes essence, or, putting it into his own words, "Not only is man what he conceives himself to be, he is also only what he wills himself to be." Carrying this to its logical conclusion; man, individually and collectively, is responsible for his own choices and actions. No excuses accepted.

Another often misunderstood term used in defining existentialism is "anguish." In layman's terms, anguish in existentialism has to do with the doubts surrounding making choices. Sartre uses "the anguish of Abraham" to illustrate. When Abraham was instructed to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham had to decide if the instruction really came from a messinger of God, or, conversely, was the messenger a tool of Satan. Then, when he was told not to perform the sacrifice, he was faced with exactly the same dilemna.

What I have covered in the last paragraph was merely the beginning of Sartre's discussion on anguish.

Another aspect has to do with being forlorn. In oversimplified terms, this means that we have nothing such as "human nature" or some predetermined value system to fall back on. Even when relying on someone else's advice our final decision is our own. We are truly responsible for our choices. How much more alone can one get.

Although Sartre discusses many other aspects of the existentialist philosophy, I'd like to leave these discussions to those who choose to read this lecture. I would, however, like to sum up with the following quotation.

"(Existentialism) can not be taken for a philosophy of quietism, since it defines man in terms of action; nor for a pessimistic description of man--there is no doctrine more optimistic, since man's destiny is within himself; . . . . It tells him that action is the only thing that enables man to live. Consequently, we are dealing with an ethics (sic) of action and involvement."

There's a lot more depth to those few aspects of existentialism that I did touch upon. For those who are tempted to use the term, "existentialism," to categorize a school of writing or as an excuse for certain excesses of behavior, or for inactivity, I would recommend reading this lecture as a starting point in understanding the term you are using. If it interests you, you might decide to expand your investigation to include other works on the subject and, perhaps, to further expand, and investigate other philosophical thoughts of both classical and contemporary thinkers.

I think other people should read it because it's nice how her father gives her something valuable to her. Also because it's kind of fun how they repair the church. I think Josefina took good care of the goat, Sombrita. [Karla Cortez]

Josefina is glad that her birthday is coming up. 9 going on to 10 was a great age to be! She could go on top of the church to replaster the church and help Tia Magandla, the healer, also her god-mother! She saved a life and got a kid named Somberetia, little shadow. To find out more, read this book!

This is another one of the American Girls series about Josefina Montoya, a nine-year-old girl (almost ten!) living in the New Mexico of 1824. In this book, Josefina finds joy in the work around her father's rancho, particularly nursing a newborn baby goat that has lost its mother. When she spends the day with her aunt Magdalena, the town's healer, she begins to think that she would also like to become a healer. But, there are big responsibilities that come with such a career. Tia Magdalena says that if she is to become a healer she will know...and Josefina may be about to find out!

The final chapter of this wonderful book is a highly informative look at growing up in New Mexico in 1824. And, as always, Jean-Paul Tibbles' beautiful illustrations make a wonderful addition to the text.

This book certainly goes a long way towards maintaining the tradition of excellence that one associates with the American Girls books. My daughter loves the stories, while I like the lessons that the author gently weaves throughout the book. My daughter and I both highly recommend this book to you.

Sartre for Beginners by Donald Palmer (whom wrote a few of the 'For Beginners' books) gives a fun look at the popularizer of existentialism. Drawing from Sartre's life experiences, biography and influences to show how Sartre came to his theories. An easy read, although one must still contemplate on some level the philosophies that are presented before them. A good beginning book for anyone who wants to learn more about Sarte and existentialism in general. A good addition to the For Beginners book series.

I have to agree with the Reader from New York below. _Sartre For Beginners_ from Writers and Readers Publishing was indeed a good place to start, unlike _Introducing Sartre_ from Totem Books.

The writing style was clear and concise, and the illustrations appropriately complemented the material. The book is well structured, with a short Biographical section, a lengthy section on Sartre's Existentialism (focusing primarily on Being and Nothingness), and ending with a short section on Sarte's Marxism. The Glossary was greatly appreciated as was the Sources of Quoted Passages and Bibilography.

While I don't agree with half of what Sartre has to say, Donald Palmer's introductory presentation of Sartre's Philosophy is first rate, and thus I gave it 5-Stars.

This book is a joy. I knew nothing about Sartre or Existentialism and found this book very clear and easy to follow. Unlike another Sartre book claiming to be an easily understood introduction, this one contains graphics and cartoons that aren't just caricatures of the people involved (how is knowing what they looked like going to help me follow the facts?). The graphics in this book are simple, funny visual descriptions and explanations of a rather complex subject. Not complex at all since I read this book. It's not a vastly detailed scientific study of Sartre's work. It is what it promises to be: A Beginner's Guide to Sartre. With no knowledge of philosophy, I found it fascinating and easy to follow, and it's whetted my appetite for further reading. There are others in this series, about other philosophers, and I'd recommend them all if you just want a little basic knowledge to enhance your knowledge of the world!

Which came first: the anti-gentile or the anti-semite?
A semite is a racial type: kinky hair, aquiline nose, olive complexion.

The Arabs and Jews both are Semites, while many converts to Judaism are blond straight-haired, pug nosed people.

Sarte's book is confusing.

.
There is an implied racist ideology in the Chosenness theme of Judaism. Chosenness is a form of ethnic (and economic) supremacy, as is clearly revealed in The Torah.

Exodus 22:25: If you lend money to any of My people (Israelites, Jews) who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, you shall not charge him interest (as you would to Gentiles).

Leviticus 25:43-46: And as for the male and female slaves whom you may have from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves . . .and they shall become your property. And you may take them as an inheritance for your childdren after you to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. BUT REGARDING YOUR BRETHREN, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, YOU SHALL NOT RULE OVER ONE ANOTHER WITH RIGOR.

Thus, The Torah, the Jewish Law, well establishes the ethnic and economic supremancy theme of Judaism. It is the Anti-Gentilism of Judaism that has traditionally provoked mistrust of people who do not embrace Judaism.

Sartre has borrowed the concept of "authentic" and "inauthentic"
from Martin Heidegger, a German Nazi, who used the term inauthentic to describe an alienated German worker, who was exploited by capitalist industrialist-bankers.

The Nazis and the Arabs, as well as some radical Christian groups have so resented the Chosenness theme of Judaism that they have turned the tables on the Jews of Judaism and declared themselves the "chosen people."

Anti-Semitism is not created by Gentiles. It is created by the philosophy of Judaism, which designates the Jews themselves as appointed by God (as revealed to Moses) to rule the Earth. Any Jew who denies this is in my opinion guilty of what Sartre himself calls "bad faith." Bad faith is when one lies to himself about the true meaning of his own acts.

Freud used the term projection, an ego defense mechanism in which one attributes one own unacceptable impulses or attitudes to others.

Once again, it is not the Gentile that has created anti-Semitism, but the pervasive chosenness theme of Judaism, which is undeniably fascist. There is no getting around it!

One more point might be made, that it is the Arab, who is also a Semite, who is indeed one of the greatest foes of Judaism.

Sartre seemingly can't see the forest for the trees!

The so-called anti-semite is a figment of the imagination of Sartre, Freud, and others like them. The philosophy of Judaism is based on the Law of Moses, which designates the Israelites as the Chosen people, with the Moses-given right to enslave the other nations of the world, as is clearly revealed in Leviticus 25:43-45.

Today, such a philosophy endorsing ethnic supremacy (which is the real meaning of Chosenness) would very appropriately be designated fascism.

Sartre's Anti-Semite & Jew is an exercise in what I would call Jewish paranoia, which in my opinion is a mask to conceal
the Anti-Gentilism of the Jew! It is sort of an exercise in what Freud himself called "projection," an ego defense mechanism in which one attributes one's own unacceptable impulses or attitudes to others.

And as other scholars have already said, Sartre shows a blatant inability to comprehend the psychodynamics of the Jewish religion and of Jewish history. To use his own term, "bad faith," Anti-Semite & Jew is indeed an exercise in bad faith.

"Bad Faith" is when one lies to one's self about the true nature of one's actions.

Sartre borrowed the concepts of "authentic" and "inauthentic" from Martin Heidegger. Interestingly, Heidegger was both a German and a Nazi, and Heidegger used the term to describe working class German workers who were exploited by industrial-capitalists and bankers. However, Sartre use of the words is in my opinion inappropriate. In other words, the Jew's problem is that he refuses to accept the FACT that it is his identity with an implicitly fascist social-political philosophy that understandably provokes the mistrust of others.

The problem for the Jew is that he wants to have his cake and eat it to.

I've read all the Josefina books! They are great! If you have a daugter who is 6 and up and interested in different cultures Buy her Josefina books. They are a little over priced.

Josefina (pronounced "ho-sa-FEE-nah") is a nine year old Hispanic girl growing up on a large rancho in New Mexico in 1824. The first story opens up with Josefina and her three older sisters finding comfort in daily chores while thinking about Mama, who had died a year before. Then, Abuelo (Grandfather) returns from a trip to Mexico City, bringing with him Tia (Aunt) Dolores. From then on, Tia Dolores is the catalyst for change. The educated, independent young aunt brings new beliefs about a woman's role and challenges the more tradional role that Mama had played in the family. Fortunately, Tia Dolores is a wise and gentle teacher who teaches Josefina that learning new things or doing things differently does not mean forgetting the old. Memories of Mama can be found in learning to read and write, repairing her embroidered altar cloth, celebrating Christmas, and in learning to care for the family and household. Josefina learns that her heart can embrace her cultural traditions while her spirit flies free on the wind of personal, family, and cultural changes.

New Mexico Hispanic traditions and the historical lifestyle are accurately portrayed through Josefina's daily routines. The focus on Josefina and her world makes the stories relevant and interesting to the readers. Readers learn about laundry, cooking and baking, food choices, gardens, trips to the river for water, friendships, family roles, manners and codes of conduct, and celebrations. Josefina's family faces tragedy in a flood, hard work to recover losses and maintain daily existance, the emotional conflict of change, and other choices appropriate to the world they live in. Additional historical information for each story is at the back of each book, making this a history lesson that goes down with a spoonful of sugar and much enjoyment.

Each book is only 4 chapters long, and if all you want out of it is a nice story, then this series will deliver it in a historical setting that is new to many readers. Because of the excellent research that was done, this series can be used for new students (children and adults) of Southwest history. However, those who want to look deeper will find that the themes of the stories work well with New Mexico history of the time. In 1821, the Santa Fe Trail opened up, bringing Americans to Santa Fe. They brought new goods, created a merchant class, and brought values that were more materialistic than either the Hispanic or Pueblo people had lived by. Josefina, like other members of the younger generation, would spend a lifetime learning about choices, change, and deciding what traditions to hang onto. The Hispanic culture did change, and the wealthy merchants adapted to an Americanized world while rural communities sought to continue to live by their cultural traditions. Either way, the world that Josefina and her sisters inherited would not hold for them the same roles, expectations, and choices that their grandmother had. It is a credit to the Hispanic people that they held onto so much because they did it against discrimination, and in the face of change. To this extent, Tia Dolores is the symbol of this coming change, and Mama is the traditions that they must choose to remember and honor. I reread this series occationally, and it still brings much to my life. Although the brevity of the books is deceptive, I would stick with the publishers recommended reading age of 8-12 (about second through sixth grades) because there is so much that can be learned and enjoyed in these books that a younger child may miss.

As a grown up, hispanic woman who grew up in New Mexico (whose grandmother's name was actually Josefina), I must say that these books are very factual and well written. Hispanic culture does not change much from generation to generation, and the depictions of the culturally rich traditions of a hispanic family from that area of the country are perfect. These books are a joy to read!

Along with No Exit (and three other plays), this is a wonderful place to begin one's journey into Existentialism. J. P. Sartre presents the reader with a nice array of stories that encapsulate many of the juiciest of Existentialist themes. I suggest that one concentrate on the feelings of the characters when reading each story - and read it slowly and carefully: philosophers like Sartre deserve the time. I suggest Jeff Reynolds' fine review for the themes of each story. I also want to give praise to Lloyd Alexander (Translator) for his brilliant, readable translations. I have noticed other French-to-English translators who struggle terribly to construct English statements with substance. Alexander captures Sartre's thought with awesome force and detail.

"The Wall and other short stories" is a triumph in literature. Each story explores the depths of human thought and reason through an existential point of view. Each story can be interpreted different by all readers, therefore making this a great book for discussion.

"The Wall" is the first story presented. It consumes the reader because of its brilliant writing style. The story is narrated by a man named Pablo Ibbieta, who is in a jail cell with 2 others awaiting execution the following morning. Every event that transpires that particular night is analyzed almost too thoroughly thus leaving the reader in a trance. I wont get into it too deeply, but believe me, this story is worth reading...i guarentee it will have to be read again. After finishing the story, I felt as though nothing mattered. Who cares if the dishes were not washed, who cares if I would be late for work. Believe me, this story will have a profound impact on the way you think. Don't be surprised if you have a new appreciation for life. This story enlightens the mind.

Another great story from this book is called "Erostratus". Erostratus was a character who wanted to be famous, so he burned down the temple of Ephesus, which was one of the 7 wonders of the world. This is the central symbol of the story, the quest for glory. It also brings up an interesting point when the narrator asks one of his colleagues "Who built Ephesus?" and the colleauge did not know, he only knew who burned it. "Erostratus" in short is one mans decent into madness because of his quest to be remembered. The ending of "Erostratus" is filled with suspense and makes your heart beat in fear. It serves as a grim reminder that there are people of this type, and we should be prepared at any time for them to strike.

There are also 3 other stories, that being "The Room", "Intimacy", and "The Childhood of a Leader", which also draw the reader inside the workings of the mind through an existential window (ie: we are all here by accident, man is condemned to choose).

In short, these stories are all perfect, and leave the reader with a feeling of enlightment. Sartre is an extremely intelligent and clever writer. This is evident in these short stories. So turn off the television, buy this book, and start questioning your existence, you owe it to yourself. Besides, they are short stories, so you will be able to get through at least one a day...that isnt much to ask considering the benefits you will reap by reading them.

'The Wall' rises up as a catalogue of man's solitary and free application of the existentialist's understanding. Sartre leaves no dark corner unlit in what could be considered his most biting renderings of the human condition's anguish in the face of meaninglessness.

'The Wall' itself is an astoundingly suspenseful glimpse at the fine line between life and death, the insanity in ultimate human will-power, and the psychological effects of foreknowing one's own time of death.

'The Room' is stark and vague. Interpretations abound, all from absurd (in itself) to Sartre's most profound writing. Nevertheless, the story's 'insanity' brings about many insights into the world of the individual of nothingness.

'Erostratus' follows quite well, asking whether it is moral, immoral, right, or wrong, to kill and whether a modern man is truly free to commit conscious evil. Furthermore, it questions our modern society's knack for making celebrities of villains.

'Intimacy' is a wonderful story with heavy-handed, deadbolt dialogue, well-crafted absurd heroes, and philosophical wit, wound up in a woman's tale of love, adultery, loyalty, friendship, impotence, and existence.

Finally, 'The Childhood of a Leader' reveals the facist's facade of strength, the soft scar-tissue of their idealistic youth, the true childishness of their anti-semite reactions, and the way in which men allow themselves to follow or hunger to be followed.

I got this little kit a few months ago. What interested me was a visit to New Orleans. And to that famous VooDoo queen Marie LeVeau. I learned that it is for fun and entertainment and the little doll who comes with pins is cute but I don't believe I'll be trying to put a spell on anyone. Relieve stress any way you can. If this helps, great!

Hilarious too. The humor is worth a month of psychotherapy sessions. A great stress reliever. Save money on psychotherapy bills, try this instead.

I bought this book for some fellow "inmates" at work. It is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. What a wonderful way to relieve stress. This book sure does the trick. I probably could buy dozens and give them out to a lot of people here - I've already got four people asking me where I got it because they want to buy one for a friend or relative. What a clever idea. Thanks for making work fun.