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Book reviews for "Radichkov,_Yordan" sorted by average review score:
In Their Words: Interviews With Fourteen Canadian Writers
Published in Paperback by House of Anansi Pr (December, 1984)
Authors: Bruce Meyer and Brian O'Riordan
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An oustanding collection of engaging interviews
Meyer and O'Riordan do an outstanding job of engaging their subjects in this fascinating look at the minds behind some of Canada's best writers. Now, more than 13 years after the release of this volume, the interviews are still fresh -- especially with many of the authors who are since deceased. This book is a valuable record of the ideas of such great writers as Elizabeth Smart, Shelia Watson, Eli Mandel, Gwendolyn MacEwen and Milton Acorn. It also features a rare and poignant interview with Canadian troubador, Leonard Cohen, at the moment in his career when he was reinventing himself as a spiritual spokesman for "the world to come." We recommend this book for any students, readers or enthusiasts who want to learn more about the world of Canadian literature. See also Meyer and O'Riordan's second volume of interviews, "Lives and Works" (Black Moss Press, 1991) for further engaging conversations with Margaret Atwood, Bronwen Wallace, Patrick Lane, Lorna Crozier, D.G. Jones, Adele Wiseman, Neil Bissoondath, Joy Kogawa and others.

International Politics of Sport in the Twentieth Century
Published in Paperback by Routledge mot E F & N Spon (April, 1999)
Authors: James Riordan, Arnd Kruger, and Jim Riordan
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The International Century
This is the international century, so it is most appropriate that authors from 5 countries came together under the expert partnership of Kruger & Riordan who have coedited an international anthology of worker sport (of which there is a chapter here in the book) before. The book is a perfect overview which would serve a university course well. All chapters (one exception on Afro-American sport) were written exclusively for the book, and some in fields not before explored: Kruger's history of homosexuality and sport is timely and superb: If the rate of homosexuality is 10 p.c. in sport, do the two football players on the field who are gay enjoy the tossing and tumbling differently than their straight co-players? His comparison of fascism and sport in Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany and Franco's Spain shows that a lot was actually invented in Italy and later on refined by Germany. Wedemeyer puts terrorism and sport (Ireland, Palestinians etc.) into an historical context. Bill Murray (author of 2 world histories of soccer)is the best expert on the history of the international soccer organizations. Gudrun Doll-Tepper, president of the disabled organisations, gives a structural analysis of her sport.etc, etc. You name a world expert and you will find it in the book.

Little Bunny Bobkin
Published in Paperback by The Watts Publishing Group (25 June, 1998)
Author: James Riordan
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A delightful preschool counting book.
Little Bunny Bobkin wants to learn how to count, but nobody will help him! Mother Duck shoos him away when he tries to count her ducklings, and the honey bees chase him away when he tries to count their poppies. When he finds he has wandered into the wild wood and is trapped in the foxes' den, he must use his counting skills to outwit Mother Fox and avoid becoming rabbit stew! Tim Warnes full color illustrations perfectly showcase James Riordan's charming little story that will enhance the counting skills of young readers ages 3 to 7.

Making It in the New Music Business
Published in Hardcover by Writers Digest Books (September, 1991)
Authors: James Riordan and James Roirdan
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THE BEST BOOK *EVER* FOR ASPIRING MUSICIANS

This is BY FAR the best book I've EVER read about becoming a successful musician.

It takes you step by step towards achieving your dreams. It's a world apart from most music biz books that just tell you what a record deal is.

This gets into the philosophy. The work ethic. The mental approach. AND the specifics of the industry!

A truly amazing book, that I'm shocked to find on the "hard to find" list. Worth having Amazon search for.

I did an interview with the author. It's posted on this website...

The Shadows of Creation: Dark Matter and the Structure of the Universe
Published in Paperback by W H Freeman & Co. (September, 1992)
Authors: Michael Riordan, David N. Schramm, and Stephen Hawking
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Some light over the darkness
You'll be hooked by this book just like if you were reading a romance! Only with a few knowledge on physics, you will enjoy the reading from the Stephen Hawking's foreward to the last pages. The autors lead us through the search for the missing (or invisible) part of the Universe. The origin and the fate of the Universe in 11 parts!

Stress and Strategies for Lifestyle Management
Published in Paperback by Georgia State Univ Pr (July, 1992)
Authors: Kenneth B. Matheny and Richard J. Riordan
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Excellent for people serious about stress management
I had the good fortune to study under Dr. Matheny for my Masters Degree. He is very engaging in the book as well as in person and is an authority on the physical and psychological effects of stress on the individual and how to develop better coping mechanisms for warding off stress illnesses. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is serious about understanding the impact that stress has on the body and about learning how to better handle stress. While this book is used in graduate-level courses, I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone I know who has a problem with stress (which these days, is just about EVERYONE I know). It is a very down-to-earth, practical approach to understanding stress and dealing with it.

Where the Echo Began: And Other Oral Traditions from Southwestern Alaska
Published in Hardcover by Univ of Alaska Pr (September, 2000)
Authors: Hans Himmelheber, Ann Fienup-Riordan, Ester Vitt, and Kurt Vitt
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Excellent observations of native peoples
Where the Echo Began covers oral traditions from Southwest Alaska, recorded by Hans Himmelheber and observing the life patterns of the southwestern Alaskan peoples as observed by a young university graduate who recorded their lives. Where the Echo Began features the translated contents of Himmelheber's notes, with the editor's notes and discussion of his role as an observer supplementing excellent observations of native peoples. Black and white photos round out the presentation.

A Word from the Loki
Published in Paperback by Faber & Faber (November, 1999)
Author: Maurice Riordan
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An excellent book
A Word From the Loki combines poetic genius and personal experiance to create a masterpeice. Riordan is up there with the greats, Keats, Yates. Eliot. The book contains poes about the authors childhood in Ireland as well as object-oriented poems and to top it all A Word From the Loki, creative, imaginative. A true marvel.

Break on Through : The Life and Death of Jim Morrison
Published in Paperback by Quill (October, 1992)
Authors: James Riordan and Jerry Prochinichy
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The Lizard King
This book depicts this controversial man's life from hischildhood until his death. It contains 544 pages of detaileddescriptions of the rise and fall of one of rock music's most influential stars. More importantly, the author did not write a monotonous book of facts. Instead, the author creatively portrayed Morrison, covering all aspects of his life: his childhood, his relationship to his parents, his high school and college years, his decision to become lead singer of The Doors, his abuse of alcohol and drugs, his controversial brushes with the law, his impact on society, and his death. One reason why I liked the book so much was the way that it was divided up into chapters that focused on different periods of Morrison's life. It would be wrong for me to say that James Riordan objectively wrote this biography. This is especially true when writing about Jim Morrison, one of the most controversial men in rock music. Riordan glorifies Morrison, and at times, I thought that Morrison was his hero. He speaks of Morrison's exploits with pride and literally compared the man to God. This is the first biography that I have ever read about a person that doesn't just point out dates and facts. Instead, Riordan wrote about who, what, when, where and how Jim Morrison came idolize youth and the 1960's. I highly recommend this book to people of all ages and backgrounds because the book intricately talks about the life of a man who changed society. Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison, is unlike any book that I have ever read and I enjoyed it very much.

Morrison's Acclaim
"Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison" was fantastically written and exquisitely explained. James Riordan put out a hundred and ten percent in the writting of this book. His excellent choice of words added to the great research provided by Jerry Prochnicky. As a consistent reader of the Doors, I feel that this is by far the most thorough and conclusive book on the subject of Jim and the band. I have not read a book that even comes close the superb quality that "Break on Through" possesses and do not expect to see one in the future. The highest hat goes off to the finest and most avant-garde writer and researcher of the subject material.

Brilliant, of course I am biased on this one!
If there was but one biography I was able to read for the rest of my existance, I would consider this one being the one I select. I have loved The Doors and Jim Morrison for as long as I can recall, and found the practise of alternative religions and shamanism interesting long before I learnt that Jim was more than just dabbling in Shamanism, but believed he was posessed by a medicine man. Hence, this novel, with all its poetry clippings, information regarding shamanism, a somewhat more accurate portrayal of Jim, and the writer's zealous attitude regarding Jim ( it was clear the writer found Jim Morrison to be the most marvellous person to have existed), combined with the simple, factual and well written book presentation, this is one of the most passionate and beautiful biographies I have ever encountered. It is clearly meticiously researched (as is seen by the poetry excerpts scattered throughout) and obviously of huge interest to the author. Although I can't imagine it being of great interest to those not particularly interested in Jim Morrison, as there is much less emphasism on The Doors, and basically solely revolves around the chrismatic lead singer. I feel, however that it will certainly provide entertainment for most willing to see it through to the close, simply because Jim Morrison was an enigmatic and highly interesting personality. This novel centres much around the idea that Jim was a poet, and not a rock star, and while this can prove repitious, the case is presented in a way that allows us to excuse much of Jim's outward behaviour. A brilliant overview of a brilliant genius.

Gulliver's Travels
Published in Library Binding by Bt Bound (May, 2000)
Authors: James Riordan, Jonathan Swift, and Victor G. Ambrus
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A classic, but still a good read.
I have trouble reading classic literature. I am an avid reader and I want to enjoy the classics, but just find it difficult to understand the meaning in some of the writing.

This, however, was a pleasant surprise. Although written in the early 1700s, the story itself was fairly easy to follow. Even towards the end, I began to see the underlying theme of the satire that Swift has been praised for in this work.

Being someone who reads primarily science fiction and fantasy novels, I thought this might be an opportunity to culture myself while also enjoying a good story. I was correct in my thinking. Even if you can't pick up on the satire, there is still a good classic fantasy story.

Essentially, the book details the travels of Lemuel Gulliver, who by several misfortunes, visits remote and unheard of lands. In each, Gulliver spends enough time to understand the language and culture of each of these land's inhabitants. He also details the difference in culture of his native England to the highest rulers of the visted nations. In his writing of these differences, he is able to show his dislike with the system of government of England. He does this by simply stating how things are in England and then uses the reaction of the strangers as outsiders looking in, showing their lack of respect for what Gulliver describes.

I found it very interesting to see that even as early as the 1700s there was a general dislike of government as well as lawyers.

I would recommend this book to anyone who reads the fantasy genre. Obviously, it's not an epic saga like so many most fantasy readers enjoy, but it's a nice break. I would also recommend this to high school students who are asked to pick a classic piece for a book report. It reads relatively quick and isn't as difficult to read as some of the others that I've tried to read.

Not just for kids!
It's amazing how our perspective changes as we age. What we thought was important as children may now seem completely insignificant, replaced by entirely new priorities, priorities children wouldn't even understand. At the same time, things we used to take for granted, like having dinner on the table, being taken care of when we're ill, or getting toys fixed when they are broken, have become items on adult worry lists.

Your perspective on literature can change, too. Reading a story for a second time can give you a completely different view of it. "Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, which I enjoyed as a sort of an adventure story when I was a kid, now reads as a harsh criticism of society in general and the institution of slavery in particular.

The same thing is true of "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. The first thing I realized upon opening the cover of this book as a college student was that I probably had never really read it before.

I knew the basic plot of Lemuel Gulliver's first two voyages to Lilliput and Brobdingnag, home of the tiny and giant people, respectively, but he had two other voyages of which I was not even aware: to a land of philosophers who are so lost in thought they can't see the simplest practical details, Laputa, and to a land ruled by wise and gentle horses or Houyhnhnms and peopled by wild, beastly human-like creatures called Yahoos.

While this book has become famous and even beloved by children, Jonathan Swift was certainly not trying to write a children's book.

Swift was well known for his sharp, biting wit, and his bitter criticism of 18th century England and all her ills. This is the man who, to point out how ridiculous English prejudices had become, wrote "A Modest Proposal" which suggested that the Irish raise their children as cattle, to be eaten as meat, and thereby solve the problems of poverty and starvation faced in that country. As horrible as that proposal is, it was only an extension of the kinds of solutions being proposed at the time.

So, although "Gulliver's Travels" is entertaining, entertainment was not Swift's primary purpose. Swift used this tale of a guillable traveler exploring strange lands to point out some of the inane and ridiculous elements of his own society.

For example, in describing the government of Lilliput, Swift explains that officials are selected based on how well they can play two games, Rope-Dancing and Leaping and Creeping. These two games required great skill in balance, entertained the watching public, and placed the politicians in rather ridiculous positions, perhaps not so differently from elections of leaders in the 18th century and even in modern times.

Give this book a look again, or for the first time. Even in cases in which the exact object of Swift's satire has been forgotten, his sweeping social commentary still rings true. Sometimes it really does seem that we are all a bunch of Yahoos.

The finest satirical novel written.
Swift's classic satire of English and European governments, societies, and cultures should be required reading of every college student. (Except for those who appear to be in law school as is the earlier reviewer who referred to Swift as being an "18th century Unabomber." Swift may have been conservative in his beliefs and not cared much for individuals such as Robert Boyle, who is satirized in the book, but he was not violent. Perhaps our "law student/reviewer" is offended by Swift's biting satire of lawyers and politicians in part four.) The version I read was an annotated edition by Isaac Asimov and contained many passages that had been deleted by previous publishers. Asimov's comments enable the reader to more fully appreciate Swift's satire. In part one of the novel, a ship's surgeon, Lemuel Gulliver, is shipwreaked and finds himself on the island of Lilliput, the inhabitants all being only six inches high. This section is great satire of English politics and wars. Royal ponp, feuds amongst the populace, and wars are made to look rediculous. In the second part, Gulliver finds himself in Brobdingnag in which he is only six "inches" tall (relatively speaking). This part forms another satire of European governments. In part three, Gulliver visits the flying island of Laputa where shades of ancient scholars can be called up. This section is a satire on philosophers and scientists. Scientists are portrayed as men so wrapped up intheir speculations as to be totally useless in practical affairs. Absurd experiments are described (for example, extracting sunlight from cucumbers (but, extracting energy from cucumbers and other plants is no longer so absurd Jonathan)). Also described in this third part are the Struldbergs, men and women who are immortal but who turn out to be miserable and pitiable. In part four, Gulliver travels to the Land of the Houyhnhnms, horses with intelligence but who have no passion or emotion. The word "Yahoo" originates in this part. READ IT!

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