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Far from a catalogue of I-gots that exemplifies some of the newer fiction by African Americans who are glibly portraying a non-ghetto way of life (see--I'm upper class! I have a Rolex! A Mercedes! I wear [designer of your choice here]), Lee's novel goes back to the incestuous world of interconnected black families from the Eastern Seaboard, parts of the South and Midwest, whose hallowed folkways reflect both racial pride and the ironic need to ape their white counterparts a parallel societal world. And whose foibles are as avidly watched and relayed, sotto voce, as any characters' in a nighttime soap opera.
Sarah Phillips explores what happens when post-Civil Rights progeny--children who had to be Ten Times Better Than the whites against whom they compete (and by whom they are judged, usually more harshly) to a wider world where race is noted, but does not serve as the invisible force-field it did for their parents. Sarah, with the confidence of her family history, is able to be both detached from her background and amused by it, even as she keeps it in reserve, if necessary, to shield herself from the glib snobbism of the Europeans among whom she's chosen to live.
Lee does not sugar coat Sarah's wish to be the Only One--the only black person--during her sojurn in Europe. But she makes Sarah three-dimensional enough that the reader understands well enough the urge behind the odd wish to be exotique in a foreign setting.
Readers who are revolted by the current urge of some black writers to trumpet their socially important connections will be refreshed by Lee's chronicle of this snippy, edgy young woman.
This is very much the real thing.
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(By the way, if you're in the US, unless you've seen the DVD, you've only seen part of the film. The US distributor, Miramax, cut around 20 minutes out of the film as it's seen in the rest of the world, making the already fast pace even faster.)
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The book has an excellent introduction to ASP.NET for web services. It probably is worth just going over the first two chapters to get a flavor of web services. Word of caution, I downloaded the VB samples, and they were a bit buggy. If you are a C# developer, the code in the book was fine. The VB code was not...
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This book has very interesting facts and an amazing story that is true, but there is a problem. No offense to the author, but the writing is poor. I give it a 1 star. The three is for the story and facts. A five would have to have a good author also. I do recommend it, though. I sped through it because I loved it, but don't get it for the author's writing (which is poor). Get it if you think this topic sounds interesting, and trust me, it is!
That said, I think the book was wonderful.The writing is well done for children's non-fiction, but also is able to capture adult readers. The book is a fascinating story about one of the few surviving children who rode one of the orphan trains as well as the general story of the trains history.
My wife, 11 year old daughter and I read the book (my wife and I in 1 evening, my daughter the next) and then we discussed the concept of the trains, the needs for them and why such things are no longer in use in today's society. It made for a good family discussion and we all learned from the experience.
This book has very good content, as well as interesting information about the sociology of this country's past. It was well worth the read for both adults and our daughter and we all enjoyed it.
Chapters alternate between historical information on the movement and personal details and memories of orphans like Lee Nailling and his brothers.
The most touching moment for me was when Lee, who had every reason to be bitter and hate the world, finally found a home. Fully intending to run away again before morning, he fell asleep and was awakened by a call to breakfast. As a part of "grace" said before the meal by his mother-to-be, the boy heard, "Father, thank you for sending our new son to us, for the privilege of allowing us to raise him."
Lee commented, "I'm sure my jaw dropped in amazement. Somebody was actually thankful I was there!"
There are also many excellent photographs.
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I think she has a tin ear for dialogue, yet she does a capable job of evoking a sense of place, and her most believable characters are the ones that I assume are largely autobiographical: the recently divorced and remarried expat American woman in Italy who is dealing with her children, her race, their new stepfather, and the echoes of her previously directionless, dissolute, yet financially comfortable life. The worst story is where the author attempts to render her pre-teen daughter in first person. The story sounds like a mother trying to imagine what her daughter thinks about, yet projects both her voice and her concerns upon the daughter. It's just awful. I was led to this collection of short stories by Lee's story in the New Yorker "The Prior's Room." In this story, Lee actually gives us an interesting woman, and the New Yorker story is far superior to anything in this collection. I recommend the New Yorker story, but not these stories.
I am looking forward to Andrea Lee's next book with eager anticipation!
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She and I were both struck during our time by the warmth of the Russian people to foreigeners, and the curiosity of meeting and talking with a "real American." However, her descriptions of her surroundings, the people she meets, and her overall experience are tainted by her own cultural arrogance. At least once in every chapter, she spoils the reader's enjoyment of her impressions with a subtle and perfectly placed insult to the cultural, artistic, or aesthetic sensibilities of the Russian People, if not merely their personal habits. The dormitory in Moscow where she makes her home is "vulgar." A friend eats "greedily, bending over her plate, mumbling through her food." Another friend's hat offends her fashion-conscious eye, and is dismissed as "absurd." Even St. Basil's Cathedral, the 15th-century Byzantine-influenced church standing in Red Square as the very symbol of Russia, cannot escape her critical and self-absorbed judgement: she pronounces it "preposterous."
Lee has a gift for descriptive writing, an ability to bring the reader, through her tastes, smells and sights, right there beside her on the Moscow Metro, in the steambaths, or the home of a Soviet journalist. Unfortunately, her impressive talents are invariable used to convey (perhaps unintendedly) her overall disdain with everything that makes Russia (and the Russian people) truly Russia; indeed, everything not American. Like poorly made borsch, her effort leaves the reader with a bad taste in the mouth.
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When one of the authors tried to discuss the difference between the executive, judiciary and legislative branches of the federal government, she forgot to describe the executive or perhaps didn't know what the president's function is.
One of the authors thinks that Black's is a common law dictionary. Perhaps she meant commonly used? No attorney would tolerate a paralegal or legal assistant with such poor communication skills as these authors possess; yet the book is supposed to teach the prospective paralegal to communicate in a legal environment.
While strong on the strategic side, PR Visionaries is a bit weaker on the tactical side. I don't hold the editors responsible for this, however, as this is not a how-to manual, per se. For the tactical side, I found Guerrilla PR: Wired by Michael Levine to be a more than adequate resource.
PR Visionaries, as the title says, has the giants of the public relations industry tell you how to get noticed, build a brand, develop and protect a reputation, and how to be effective with key opinion-leaders, including the CEO. While it might be overly dramatic to say the book spills their secrets, PR Visionaries covers the various facets on how to successfully manage a powerful public relations campaign on all levels, one that clearly resonates with key stakeholders and publics.