M. Butterfly is ment to be a deconstruction of the "classic" story of Western-man-meets-Asian-woman imortalized in the Italian opera, Madame Butterfly, and the American musical, Miss Saigon. M. Butterfly is a biting social critique of the inherent racial, cultural, and sexual dynamics at play in the West's story of the East. The play is truly interesting in the way in which it deconstructs the West's imperialistic attitued toward the East and its women. The power in this relationship between an French dilomat and the Chinese opera singer seems to belong, as traditionally is the case, to the Western man. However, it soon becomes clear that the real power in lies in the hands of Song, who is actually a Chinese spy. It is a convoluted story in which all of the traditional roles are confused. And while it does a wonderful job of confusing the simplistic dominant-submissive binary construction along which we traditionally judge West and East, it does little to reverse the similar assumptions we as a society make when evaluating the male-female dicotomy. Throughout the play, while the power shifts back and forth between Eastern and Western characters, the weak character is consistently depicted as feminine while the power resides in whichever character is the most traditionally masculine at any given moment. In this way, Whang does both a service to society in breaking down the West's stereotypes of the East without likewise deconstructing our patriarchal society's imperialistic attitueds towards women.

M. Butterfly takes place in the mind of Rene Gallimard. While the play begins with him in a French prison, we are taken far away from this prison into the depths of his mind. His fantasies of Song Liling are both reality and illusionary. He will ultimately face the most shocking truth about the "woman" he thought he loved for twenty years. M. Butterfly takes a bold move in rearranging common roles set by our society, whether speaking for the present or from fifty years ago. This play dives deep into the pool of stereotypes and makes every turn imaginable. While the Eastern/Western dichotomy is presented with stereotypes of both sides, roles are soon reversed which gives the dichotomy a whole new meaning. Gallimard, initially portrayed as the Western dominant male, and Song, initially portrayed as the compliant Asian woman, will both eventually reverse their sexual roles although their enthnic identities remain in tact. Gallimard evolves from the controller to the controlled, while Song proves his power and control as his masculinity is revealed. All of this role and sexual confusion causes us to re-examine the stereotypes. Are they socially constructed or are they inherent in the person? You must read and decide for yourself!

This is a pretty interesting play..but I strongly recommend that you should read it first..and if you want you can watch the film..(J.Irons is pretty good). David H.Hwang combines the gender confusion with themes from G. Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly" which is briefly about an American man having a relationship with a Chinese woman. Hwang blends this with the facts in which he inspired by a 1986 newspaper story, where a French diplomat who was is trial for espionage had a relationship with a woman which turned out to be a man. This play is a gender complicated drama about clash between Western & Eastern cultures. Moreover, this may also be considered as a love story, which I think is a very sad one. Hwang creates stereotypes, and he makes these stereotypes vice versa. By changing the roles, Rene who is supposed to represent West & Song, East no longer represent those.Song becomes the masculine which is masked by the feminine disguise represents West & Rene who becomes submissive in the play represents East. In this play many of you may find Rene stupid and perverted but he is not. They were in love for a long time. Rene knew that Song was a man, but he is definitely not gay. Rene is in love with the idea that such a perfect woman exists. In reality, there is no perfect woman according to his standards. He is in love with a perfect fantasy. " it is true that only a man knows how a woman is supposed to act." By the word woman I am referring to the ideal woman of which every man dreams and Song fulfills this role so well that Rene does not want to discover that Song is a man, because he has a perfect relationship,and why should he ruin it ? He has the woman of is life, why lose it ? On the other, Song is a spy, an actress! and gay. He uses theater and wears woman dresses( In that time women were excluded from performing in a theater because of culturally constructed constaints.) Beyond this acting, under that disguise, Song gets what he wants. He gets a relationship in which he would never get if he was not an actor. There is so much to say about this play.. I think it is a great love story..I really felt sorry for Rene.. Having found his perfect woman, confronting with the reality, he realizes that his dream will never go on. I wont tell the end..but it made me cry..its a pathetic ending..

A truly enjoyable story about a guy who's a ruthless, self-absorbed jerk. In a moment of blind panic, Henry Chase realizes that he's done a lot of damage in the past ten years while he tried to make his life something he can flaunt in the face of his high school love. But Henry realizes it's gotten him nowhere. Sophie, a would-be psychologist and part time hotel maid, urges Henry to make a list of the bad things he's done and do his best to correct them.
I enjoyed Sophie quite a bit, although she got pretty weird toward the end. Unfortunately for Henry, little revealed in the book shows him as The Assassin, except for his past exploits. I wish there'd been a little more Assassin in Henry throughout the present portion of the book, just for comparison. Besides, he's kind of a spineless wimp, it seems. But, it's a good read otherwise, and the way it is written keeps the reader entertained.

- Frequently hilarious
- Genuine emotion with only the tiniest bit of corniness for flavor
- Ballsy yet elegant prose ("...a gradual peeling away of the leathery cocoon Henry had wrapped himself in to ward off guilt and love and other sharp objects...")
- Hooked me enough so that I read four chapters while sitting on the bookstore floor, bought it, and then stayed up till 3am to finish the book

This book is a nice blend of humor, drama, and romance. It has a similar sensibility to the movie Grosse Pointe Blank, but with more psychology and less violence. It's the best fiction book I've read in quite some time. I look forward to reading John Scott Shepherd's future books.

i was completely absorbed from the first page. I think i read this book in 2 days and hated putting it down.
it is a pageturner for sure. i loved the characters and also his style of writing. it was very young and very fresh.
i agree that this should be made into a movie! but...john cusac and kate winslet please.

ths was a wonderfully refreshing book and i was dragged into Henry's world immediatley.

Yes, it's a great novel. Yes the language is rich, the story is subtle, and the psychology is complex. And yet, I didn't like it.

Of course, who am I to review Henry James? Granted, I read more books and watch less television than most of my peers, but still I think I might be too "late Twentieth Century" for this book. Maybe despite my strict avoidance of video games I just can't help detesting the millipede pace of this book. I've never had much affinity for drawing room conversations to begin with, and unlike my father I don't believe that wit must be meted out in tortuous sentences.

But it isn't my background or personal prejudices that make me recoil from "Wings of the Dove". There is something about the deliberate quality of Henry James that bothers me. He knows perfectly well what he's doing with his fat succulent sentences. He won't feed you a meal of lean pork and vegetables. He'll serve you tons of tiny truffles and oil-oozing, crispy skinned duck.

To read "Wings of the Dove" is like encountering a cookbook that decided to include as much of the delicious fatty foods as possible. Of course its a rare meal and quite wonderful in its way. But some how, it made me a little nauseous at the end.

First things first, it is a very nice novel, but very hard to follow. Personally speaking, sometimes I couldn't get very exactly what Henry James was trying to say, but I could understand the situation as a whole and be able to move on.

As everybody knows, Hery James is not an easy writer. His appeal is very difficult and complex although it doesn't read very old-fashioned. The story is very interesting and timeless, because it deals with passion, money and betrayal. The books follows Kate Croy and her beloved Merton Densher when then both get involved - in different degrees and with different interests- with the beautiful rich and sick American heiress Milly Theale.

Most of the time, the book kept me wondering what would come next and its result and the grand finale. But, that doesn't mean I was fully understand its words. As I said, I was just feeling what was going on. As a result, i don't think I was able to get all the complexity of Henry James. Maybe, if I read this book again in the futures, it will be clearer.

There is a film version of this novel made in 1997, and starring Helena Bonham Carter, Allison Elliot and Linus Roach, directed by Iain Softley. Carter is amazing as always! Kate is a bit different from the book, she is not only a manipulative soul, but, actually, she is a woman trying to find happiness. One character says of Kate, "There's something going on behind those beautiful lashes", and that's true for most female leads created by James. Watching this movie helped me a lot, after finishing reading the novel.

I've carried on a love-hate affair with The Wings of the Dove for more than 20 years. In that period of time, I started the novel (the same beautiful little Signet paperback edition) at LEAST 15 times and could never get past page 30 or so. But it kept nagging at me to read it. Last summer, I plowed through its dense prose thicket, and I felt as though I were peering through a glass darkly. Several times I felt like tossing it aside. I've studied Enlish and literature all my life and yet I had one heckuva time with those daunting banks of prose. But I'm glad I read it. It's masterful. Worth all the effort. Those scintillating scenes in Venice. Nothing like them! I just read The Golden Bowl, another difficult but rewarding book. There are astonishing scenes in it, like when the husband of the busy-body watches her in a pensive mood as if she were in the middle of a lake, coming closer. It's just an extraordinary scene! I love early James too, like that perfect jewel of a book, Washington Square. Sometimes, great as the late books are, I really do think they lose something of the wonderful clarity James achieved earlier. There are still a few scenes in Wings and Bowl, for instance, in which I have NO IDEA what James was trying to express. Talk about super subtle! But do make the effort, folks, they're incredible books.

No doubt it is true. A must for everyone who has seen the movie 'Ghost & the Darkness'. Story of two man eating lions slaughtering railway construction workers in Tsavo, then the British East Africa and how they were eliminated. If you have ever hunted or had a brush with wild cats in the wild you will get the same feeling of nervousness and helplesness again. It is also very informative regardng african tribes and the customs we rarely see even on television these days. The movie was good the book just makes it better.

The Man-Eaters of Tsavo is an exciting account of the author's pursuit of 2 man-eating lions that are disrupting the progress of a British railway. While I was disappointed the lions were dispatched early into the book (all suspense ruined by the chapter title "death of the first man-eater"),the rest of the book shows us a bit more about Lt. Colonel Patterson, Africa, and the era Man-Eaters of Tsavo was written in. Even if the man-eaters are dead, Patterson still manages to recount other hunts and adventures he has in Africa while the railroad is being built.
Also of note are the stunning photographs of the wildlife, land, and natives. They add immensely to the book, although it can be argued a good book needs no pictures. The pictures, in addition to the large font, make this book a short, but enjoyable read.

You don't have to be a hunter to enjoy this book--I'm not, and I loved it. Contrary to the title's suggestion, this book is not merely about the Lions of Tsavo. In fact, both lions are dispatched fairly early in the book. Nevertheless, Patterson's account of their carnage, and efforts to kill them, are detailed and exciting, and probably unlike anything that will ever be written again.

This book is also gives a micro-social look at British imperialism in Africa around the turn of the century...an interesting slice of Africana, especially through our arguably hypersensitive, politically-correct modern eyes.

Generally, an easy read, filled with local color, hunting, and excitement.

As a big fan of the first two Bech collections, I carefully rationed my reading of this one, limiting myself to one story per day. All was well until I reached "Bech Noir" in which our hero takes murderous (yet flippant) revenge on his literary enemies. This was so ludicrously out of character that I kept waiting for the authorial signal that it was just the protagonist's fantasy. Unfortunately, it never came. I don't know whether Updike was being contemptuous or just plain stupid. But not only did his trashing of my suspension-of-disbelief ruin this book for me, it cast a retrospective pall over the previous ones.

Ironically, a new first-rate Bech story appeared in The New Yorker some time later. Presumably, it will be included in the omnibus Bech edition being published in 2001. I only pray that Updike, who is known for his post-publication tinkering, will come to his senses and leave "Bech Noir" out.

Bech at bay consists of five stories about the life of Henry Bech. He ages from mid-sixties to mid-seventies in the course of the book. The first story has Bech visiting Prague before the comunists have been thrown out. He visits Kafka's grave, hangs out with the ambassador, and talks with the local literary celebs who are still intimidated by the Bolshies. This story is aimless, and the weakest of the five entries. The second is Bech Presides.HB is talked into heading a NY literary organization. It's a brilliant study of cultural trends and hidden motives. It's brilliant, the best of the book. Third, Bech is sued in LA for libel. HB's conflicting feelings about himself and his accuser make this story appealing and engaging. Updike releases rage at unappreciative critics in Bech Noir.(JU, I'm praising the book, no need for vengeance with me.) It's wonderful fantasy at getting back at those who have harmed us. Tip! Use a sponge to seal your mail. Bech wins the Nobel prize in story number five. Bech doesn't know what to say, and uses a Giuliani-like technique at the podium. It's a good story, not great. Overall, stories 1 & 5 are very good. 2,3,4 are brilliant. Please read. Thank you.

"Bech at Bay" presents five comic stories about the novelist Henry Bech, starting out with a visit to Communist Czechoslovakia when he is 63 and ending in his acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Literature when he is 76 years old (with his infant daughter held struggling in his arms). Through these Bech stories, Updike takes a satirical look at the the Manhattan literary scene, pokes fun at the absurdities of the big city life and even takes a moment or two to ponder the Eternal Verities (but not too seriously). As his life enters its last phase, Bech finds himself in some interesting new situations: president of the The Forty, an intellectual society hopefully modelled on the French Academy but without its sense of self importance; as a caped avenger "ridding literary Gotham of villains" (read critics); as a septuagenarian father. Through all this absurdist comedy, the old Updike magic is constantly with us. Bravo!

Have you ever sat and thought, man, I wish someone would write a book about living? And possibly loving? Well, Henry Green has gone out and done just that. I had never thought that a book about going to parties might be necessary, but after reading it I think that Mr. Green has indeed performed a valuable service. This wonderful collection of novels is, quite frankly, a comprehensive exploration, and no new books need be written on any of these subjects.

In any case, the writing made my jaw drop in spots, it was so good, and Green way of looking at things is funny and humane while being mercilessly clear-eyed. The only reason I think they've stopped teaching his books in colleges is because they don't have the sort of things one can write papers about: complicated networks of imagery and whatnot that can be dug out of the text and have a title slapped on them. Green's book are too alive to have anything particularly systematic going on in them, while retaining the structure and unity of true works of art. Amazing books, go out and read them.

If John Updike is a writer's writer, Henry Green is a writer's writer's writer! This volume is an excellent introduction to this little known, fascinating, 20th century British writer.

"Loving" reminds one of "Remains of the Day" but even though it was written decades earlier is richer in theme (notice the peacocks in the book).

"Living" is my favorite of Green's novels, a lovely evocation of working class life that contains some of the most beautiful prose of the 20th century (stylisticly, Green eschews the use of articles, and this gives his prose an other-wordly poetic quality).

"Party Going" is at once more existential and more funny... upper class silly young things (kindred spirits of Bertie Wooster) are caught in an Ionesco-esqe fog that traps them in a train station (notice the pigeons in the book).

If you love Green as much as I did after finishing this volume, you'll quickly seek out his other 6 books.

"Loving" is one of the better books of the century. In prose that is singularly musical, Green limns the lives of the English servant class. Somehow, also, the book is about war, honor, and human love. Please read it-- Green is to good a writer to be ignored.

I am now speaking to you as an anatomist and as a professor of human gross anatomy -- Student Beware. This is not the book that you think it is.

Look carefully. Gray's Anatomy currently comes in two english editions. The British Version (now in its 39th edition) retails for about... The American Version (now in its 30th edition) retails for about ... If the edition you are looking at costs considerably less than those prices ASK YOURSELF WHY!. You are probably considering the "classic collectors edition" which is a reprint of the 1901 American Edition. There is nothing wrong with that edition, if you are interested in the history of science. However, much of the terminology has changed and in 100 years we have developed a much deeper understanding of human anatomy.

Know what you are buying. If you are a serious student of anatomy, you probably do not want this to be your first (or only) edition of Gray's Anatomy.

This book is a seminal, comprehensive body of work on the human anatomy. It contains seven hundred and eighty illustrations, of which one hundred and seventy two are in color. While this is, no doubt, a book that every physician should have, lawyers with a personal injury practice or prosecutors who try assault or homicide cases should have more than a passing acquaintance with this book. It is a wonderful resource, explaining the human anatomy clearly, and is, with good reason, the premier text on this subject.

Gray's Anatomy is a "classic" book on Anatomy. Unusual for a classic, it is everything you have heard. The drawings are beautiful, accurate, and interesting. At the same time, this book was a standard text for Anatomy since 1901. As such, the drawing are only part of this book. The book's main effort is to explanation human anatomy. It does so wonderfully and clearly, with words. The drawings are only there to help with the text's explanations.

A quick warning. Since this book has been around since before 1901, there are many, many different versions. Make sure you check the printing date of the one you buy. The human body has not changed since this first editions, but our access to it has. As such, while some of the earlier books are beautiful to look at, the later editions are more valuable as a reference tool.

The Collins Cobuild was developed for non-English speaking persons, but is still very useful for native English-speakers. It has an extremely unique style and it tries hard to present the idiomatic language in a manner that is easily assimilable. While it may not please all the people all the time, on many occasions I've turned to it for a definition when my Webster's New World, American Heritage or Oxford Concise ran dry. The definitions include much description of the meaning, with very illustrative examples (not mere sentences). I don't use it as a primary dictionary, but for those hard-to-find definitions, it proves very handy.

Cobuild has been with me since my very first steps in English. It always helped me in all the stages of my learning. It won't matter how good your English get or if you're a seasoned English speaker, Cobuild will always have much to offer. Its down-to-earth explanations and rich examples give very precise definitions and understanding of the words and expressions. The pronunciation is easy to learn, and the differences between the major English variations are pointed out when necessary. It's so good to use this dictionary, that I get myself reading it for very long. Sometimes you just get it to take a look at one definition, and then you feel like exploring and reading on and on (which is great for who's learning; you learn even more!). Another important thing is that, once you get used to Cobuild's Dictionary, it'll be easier if you get other Cobuild publications, because their layout and structure are pretty the same. You won't be disappointed at all if you buy it. As another substitute for Cobuild I would also suggest the Longman Series for Learners. Both Longman and Cobuild, have unique features. Which one you're going to choose is up to you and it's a hard choice. To avoid having to choose do just like me and buy both.

It is a shame this dictionary is so hard to find. It's an excellent source book for anyone, but especially for people to whom English is a second language. Definitions are almost exclusively through examples of usage. There are not quite the number of definitons as a major dictionary like Webster's International or the big Random House dictionary, but the definitons are much more user friendly.

I was hoping to get some interesting insight into Doc Holliday by one of his ancestors and this book does provide information on his early life that you don't usually find. However, there was a little too much information about his family - parents, uncles, aunts - that I personally did not care about. There is also a section of Doc Holliday's genealogy that I felt could have been left out, although actually there was a tidbit of information there that was useful to me. I didn't feel that there was much detail brought in to certain events, but then, there are other books that provide practically second by second coverage of the Tombstone gunfight. His death was not written in detail and his famous last words were left out of the book. That said, I would still recommend this book to someone wanting to know more about the life of Doc Holliday away from Tombstone. It is also an easy, to the point read.

This isn't a classroom textbook. It's an extremely informative read for those interested in the life of Doc Holliday as well as those around him.

As someone who grew up in the areas in which Doc did prior to his move out west, I found this book to be so informative and engaging that I actually used it as a virtual tour-guide when going back to both Fayetteville and Griffin as well as Atlanta to see the places the book studiously describes. I plan to do the same on my next trip out west.

Insofar as we can know much at all about people in a period of time in which recorded information was not kept that accurately this book is very informative if for no other reason than the author's access to familial anecdotes, stories, and artifacts.

Very well researched and written- thanks for the enjoyment!

Very easying reading. In my opinion the best as well as very non-bias view of the life and events surronding John Henry "Doc" Holliday. The author spends a great deal explaining the life and family of J.H. Holliday before the Tombstone incident. In my opinion also gives a non-bias view of the O.K. Corral shoot-out. The only thing i could NOT find in this book that i feel should have been in this reading was how exactly how J.H. Holliday got his nickname "Doc". I have read other accounts as to how he got his famous nickname but i was extremely interested in reading how he got his nickname from THIS author. Overall i would recommend this book first and foremost to anyone interested in Doc Holliday.

I'm the General Manager Don Freeman that this book "Fish Tales" refers to in a full chapter who worked for Sprint. The great thing about this book Fish is that it outlines in detail what we were already trying to do before learning about FISH years earlier. It defined it in a way that assisted us in bringing a greater level of understanding and participation for all our employees. "Fish Tales" now brings it to a level showing it works and can be adapted in many different work groups. I implemented it in our call center but I was dressing as Elvis long before reading FISH. This book helped me legitimize my creative fun leadership style with my peers and show that work is fun. The great thing about this book is that you can see in Fish Tales that you have to find your own employee culture and way of making the FISH PHILOSOPHY work in your own Company or Department. It will depend on the type of work being done, product and location in the country. This book gives many ideas on possibilities and helps to open the creative juices!! You don't have to be Elvis! I found the creative "Board of Director meetings" (mentioned in the book) and acting those activities out a fun way to get participation and great fun for all employees too. Go Fish!!
While having fun, it is important to keep the vision and purpose of your business as part of the philosophy. Fish Tales is a great book with wonderful examples you can use. It works well with other work culture initiatives too.

I'm the General Manager Don Freeman that this book "Fish Tales" refers to in one full chapter who worked for Sprint. The great thing about the book Fish is that it outlines in detail what we were already trying to do. It defined it in a way that assisted us in bringing a greater level of understanding and participation for all our employees. "Fish Tales" now brings it to a level showing it works and can be adapted in many different work groups. I implemented it in our call center and dressing as Elvis was something I had done before Fish. This books helped me legitimize my crazy personality!. It was fun.. The great thing about this book is that you can see in Fish Tales that you have to find your own employee culture and way of making the FISH PHILOSOPHY work in your Company or Department. It will depend on the type of work being done, product and location in the country. This book gives many ideas on possibilities and helps to open the creative juices!! You don't have to be Elvis! I found the creative "Board of Director meetings and acting those out great fun, participative and great fun for all employees too. Go Fish!! While having fun, it is important to keep the vision and purpose of your business as part of the philosophy. Fish Tales is a great book with wonderful examples you can use.

As I was looking for the next offering to read from the authors of Fish!, I was astonished--shocked, in fact-- to read the negative, cynical reviews from other readers. It made me wonder what some of these folks were doing while they were "reading," since my experience and opinion of both of the fish books is extremely positive. So, I felt compelled to share my opinion.

I used to be cynical about this "touchy feely" stuff. But, I've been around long enough to have experienced a lot of the opposite--complex, "50,000-step, multi-phased initiatives" implemented by expensive consultants that ended up as dismal failures.

The Fish Tales book was even better than the first because of the "real" examples. These companies actually took the simple concepts and made them work. You can't argue with their success. I know. I have had the experience of employing similar strategies and activities in the places I've worked, and the whole tone and outlook of my work teams changed for the better. You can't underestimate the power people have when they've committed to working on a few, simple things that make positive differences. Confidence builds. They get better at their jobs. And they know that they are doing something special--something worthwhile.

Fish Tales shows what is possible. The beauty of it is that it tells how to reach the hearts of employees and customers. How to connect with people and accomplish great things. It doesn't always take an expensive, complex initiative. We didn't need complex initiatives for galvanizing people to do great things after Dec.7,1941, or 9/11. It took an instantaneous connection and reminder about what life is about. Fish Tales will help people feel what is truly real in life. Simply, inexpensively, enjoyably, energetically. Profitably.