Buy this CD. But, be ready to experience the spirit when it gets to you

David Gascoyne's elegantly measured prose provides the reader with the rare instance not only of how a visionary poet reads his contemporaries, but of how he blueprints ideas which provide the instructive dynamic informing his poetry.

Gascoyne's mind is awesome. An isolated spiritual journeyer in a materialistic century, Gascoyne's integrity stems from his belief in visionary imagination as inspired interface between conscious and unconscious worlds. From his first youthfully audacious paper, Gascoyne distinguished between poetry as activity-of-the-mind and poetry as means-of-expression. His powerful affirmation of the superior value of an imaginatively alive poetry over one that simply describes was from the start his inspired credo.

This book is a moving human document of what it means to be a poet, and to survive by that means alone, in a society radically unsympathetic to this calling. Having experienced the defenceless vulnerability of being a committed poet in a capitalist ethos, I find Gascoyne's survival heroic, his courage paradigmatic to the poetic calling.

Although David Gascoyne writes warmly of the darker aspects of T.S. Eliot's psyche, Eliot was in large to prove the prototype of the poet deserting his art for the sanctuary of an editor's desk. Many poets have done an injustice to poetry seeking personal security in acceptable professions. They relegate art to the status of a consuming hobby. How can one be fully open to the possibilities of experience if one's days are given over to immersion in establishment values? Gascoyne is among the best antidotes to this duplicitous trend.

Gascoyne's poetry of imploded mystic hallucination sounded a completely new, revolutionary note in British poetics. He found, for the English language, visionary continents already mapped out by Lautreamont, Rimbaud and the surrealists. He was to encounter madness in the process, often the way for those who pursue the journey to the interior. He says: "I am a poet who wrote himself out when young and then went mad. I tried to write poetry again and succeeded to a certain extent but it is not the same as the poetry I wrote before." Gascoyne's greatness hinges on this tragic concept of burning out.

Collateral with the inspired poetry he was writing in the 30's came the equally eventful prose essays which form the early part of this book, chief amongst them being Gascoyne's preface to his book of free translations Hölderlin's Madness (1938). This particular essay is one of the finest ever written on the subject of visionary poetry. It achieved an empathy for its subject's plight prophetic of Gascoyne's own. At only twenty-two his declarative statement in defence of poetic vision was published. Already he inhabits the great night of the German romantics in which the poet anticipates imagination becoming reality."They are poets and philosophers of nostalgia and the night. A disturbed night, whose paths lead far among forgotten things, mysterious dreams and madness. And yet a night that precedes the dawn, and is full of longing for the sun. These poets look forward out of their night: and Hölderlin in his madness wrote always of sunlight and dazzling air, and the islands of the Mediterranean noon."

To have realised this at such a young age was also an initiation experience into the excruciating social isolation which comes of holding these secrets. Gascoyne was not only set apart from the predominantly social concerns of British poetry in the 1930s, but from the main thrust of twentieth-century British poetry, with its attempts either to repress or sanitise the imagination. "Persistence is all" Rilke was to advise, and David Gascoyne, as poet, has never wavered. The price has been high. Lacking any support structure for his undertaking, David Gascoyne the private man has been broken by his quest. He returned home to his parents in middle-age, broke, ill, conceiving himself a failure in their eyes.

In 1965, his Collected Poems were published. He felt it was some sort of justification for having lived, some vindication of an identity denied him by a capitalist ideology. These are the sufferings inherent in pursuing a poetic vocation, as opposed to writing poetry as an avocation to a career. Gascoyne is one of the few who in every generation are prepared to sacrifice their lives in the interests of poetry. In his "Note On Symbolism" Gascoyne further enforces his conviction that the way to apprehending spirit is through the inner evaluation of experience. He writes: 'Each man must undertake alone and in silence the task of objective and empirical reality's changing and uncertain surface.'

Of extreme interest are the two autobiographical essays: "The Most Astonishing Book In The English Language" and "Self-Discharged." In the first of these Gascoyne describes having discovered in the early 1940s at Watkins bookshop an extraordinary book named OAHSPE: A New Bible. Its prophetic contents are subscribed to by a cult called Kosmon, purporting to expound the secrets of the visible and invisible universes. These became inextricably linked to the delusional promptings about apocalypse which eventually led to Gascoyne's confinement. (The poet at one time believed it his mission to break into Buckingham Palace and alert the Royal Family to the coming of a new spiritual awareness.) The consequences of his compulsive actions were to have Gascoyne sectioned, and in 'Self-Discharged' he describes life inside the dystopian precinct of an asylum.

Gascoyne's prose and poetry are of the highest significance, products of an imagination in discourse with the archetypal Kingdom. If both Hölderlin and Rimbaud "believed the poet to be capable of penetrating to a secret world and of receiving the dictation of a transcendental inner-voice," David Gascoyne did, too. The poetry stopped. His continued celebration of the exalted visionary dynamic did not. His later criticism, especially of surrealism, involves a generosity of spirit which is in itself a monumental achievement.

This book represents poetic truth as we seldom encounter it, and as such should be a touchstone for all future poets. A hard-won achievement of a great poet.

This is one of my favorite books in my Shaker collection. This book brings the personalities back to life for me. As a Shaker enthusiast, I enjoy seeing the picture of the people written about in other works. The author has done a good job selecting photographs that best illustrate the life and work of a great people.

Palmer's "The Shining Path of Peru", which is actually a collection of essays by noted Latin American scholars, offers perhaps the most comprehensive study of the Shining Path that I've read. The topics range from historical perspectives of the group to speculations about its future. The book provides an excellent, extremely in-depth look at Shining Path and holds a wealth of information for the political and/or terrorism student or enthusiast.

Sir David Mathew, a historical 15th century member of author Odell's researched family tree, proves larger than life, not only by his physical size but by his strength of character and endurance throughout personal and family crises as well as on the field of battle during the period of the Wars of the Roses. Fighting for his Wales homeland, Sir David leaves his wife to go off to yet another war during his later years after their twelve children have been raised. His journey carries him across the clearly depicted countryside of England, into the camps of foot soldiers who wear armor in hand combat, into the private counsels of generals who control the fate and direction of political rule of the British Empire and eventually into the hovel of a barmaid who later produces him a son.

Torn by issues of fidelity and responsibility, Sir David's dilemmas are as poignant now in contemporary times as in the 1460's, at the hands of Odell's sensitive portrayal of personal conflict, religious belief, tragedy, courage, friendship, parenthood, grief, transformation and resolution. The author's background in ministry and therapy lend a convincing edge to his characters, rendering them in humble simplicity and honest detail. Sir David's obsession with his estranged son is literally felt by the reader, along with his undying devotion to his wife and homeland in Odell's well-edited first novel.

The story is complemented by pictures, drawings, maps and details of the period, lending convincing evidence of accuracy and dedicated research by the author. Contrasts and comparisons to current times are well-disclosed by adherence to facts of warfare, geography and psychology.

This probably couldnt have been presented better if there was someone there doing the work for you. It takes you through easy to follow steps. Allround an esenchal peice of litriture.

One of the best books of it's kind in print. Cyril Scott lays out in lament easy to understand terminolgy the philosphy of the way christianity should be viewed and taught, and not traditionally believed. Gives plain and simple explanations on how scriptures can be misrepresented, and how wrong thought process can discourage the novice christian believer.

Jesus the master is seen from a most wonderful, realistic, down to earth point of view. The writer paints a Jesus or Nazerene that is for the most part real and beliveable.

Ender's Game is a compelling novel about the difficult first years of Ender Wiggen. This is by far the best science fiction book I have read, and has become one of my favorite stories of any genre. Orson Scott Card wonderfully portrays life on our future Earth. I could clearly visualize each setting because they were described with such detail.
Ender is a young boy (6 to about 13 throughout the book) who is a military tactical genius. He is sent up to a Battle School in space where he and other remarkable children his age are trained in to fight and command in a zero gravity "battle room." Aliens have attacked Earth twice and are expected to attack again sometime soon. The Military is hoping to select students from the school to lead the defense. Ender always wins all the games and is by far the most promising of all the kids. He is isolated and pushed to his limits in all of his training. He is so good that he is sent to Command School where he further continues his education. He fights battle simulations against his teacher, who is surprisingly, as smart as Ender.
I would strongly recommend this book to any reader even if you're not into sci. fi. This novel flows along without a glitch, and all the plot twists will keep you from ever putting it down. It is one of the books that makes you sad when you finish it, just because it's over. I would not be surprised if you read this book in one sitting because I know that you will enjoy it as much as I did.

I'm not much of a sci-fi reader; when I do delve into the genre, it's usually into cyberpunk type stuff. That said, after all the praise I'd seen heaped upon "Ender's Game," I figured I'd give it a go... And thank the Hegemon I did! (You'll find out what the Hegemon is in the book.)

The book is set in a future society where human beings live in constant fear of being invaded by the Buggers, who in a previous invasion nearly wiped out humanity forever if it hadn't been for the skilled Mazer Rackham. Years later, the government has taken to breeding children and monitoring them to see which ones have potential as military leaders and pilots; those who fit the bill get shipped off to Battle School. Ender is one of these prodigies, but it quickly becomes apparant that he's not like the others. He advances quickly through the grades and learns even quicker how to take care of himself as he's put through hell at the hands of both his jealous schoolmates and the government officers (portrayed at the beginning of each chapter in a very cold dialogue, adding a "big brother" feeling to Ender's situation) who wish to test him to his very limits.

Much of the novel is spent showing Ender performing in the Battle School. The game they play is a fascinating one, sort of a futuristic, zero gravity laser tag game. Watching Ender as he plays the game is fascinating and exciting and exhilirating. It's narrative action at its best and in and of itself makes the book a pleasant read. But where "Ender's Game" really impresses is in its portrayal of society and in Ender's internal struggle with his desire for peace and kindness, but his talent for violence. There is a much celebrated ending that really twists the entire novel around on its head in a fascinating and shocking way. The concluding chapter is a beautiful and compelling one which paves way perfectly for the books in the series to follow.

While "Ender's Game" sticks pretty consistantly to Ender's story as he progresses through his military schooling, there is a side story that arises concerning Ender's brother and sister. The side story is a pretty interesting one: they become anonymous political activists when they're adolescents! Nonetheless, it feels a little bit tacked on in the midst of the book, and while it does wrap up pretty nicely by the end of the novel, the side story seems more important to the series of Ender books as a whole, rather than just a well developed subplot in this self-contained novel. Nonetheless, I can only wholeheartedly recommend "Ender's Game" to anybody interested in reading something very, very good.

Ender's Game was written by Orson Scott Card in 1977. Since I was born, I have never read such a compelling, gripping, and intense story such as this one. Ender's Game is truly a masterpiece; it completely blows away any competition it might have had since its publication. I would absolutely, positively, without a doubt, recommend this book to every single person on this planet, and perhaps beyond.

Ender Wiggin, the main character of Ender's Game, is one of the most developed characters to ever be portrayed in all of literature. The reader encounters immense amounts of information regarding him. However, it is never in the form of direct statements of fact. Instead, Card reveals Ender through his various actions and dialogues. For example, at the beginning of the book, Ender is being physically tormented by another kid named Bernard. Ender waits patiently for Bernard to punch him once more. Then, Ender is able to catch Bernard's punch and throw him to the opposite wall. Instead of Card explaining how intelligent and patient Ender is, Card shows these qualities solely through Ender's actions. This alone suggests that Orson Scott Card is an outstanding writer. However, as one continues to read Ender's Game, Card's skill as an author is clearly evident by the beautiful construction, as well as the story line, of the novel.

The science-fiction aspect of this novel serves only as the setting. Ender's Game really has little to do with science-fiction, aliens, and other planets. Instead, it is a passionate tale of strength and weakness, courage and fear, love and hatred, and ignorance and knowledge. Ender is a tool which Card masterfully uses in order to convey these intense emotions. In addition, Card expertly creates feelings of suspense, anticipation, and trepidation. All of these emotions combine to produce one of the best books ever written.

As one reads Ender's Game, he or she will become completely absorbed in it. The book will become impossible to put down, and the reader will devour pages by the hundreds. Time will seem to stop for the reader, and he or she will become so engrossed in the novel that finishing it will become a top priority in the reader's life.

Ender's Game is certainly one of the best books ever written. I would adamantly urge everyone to read it

Well, I read Ender's Game and was definitely looking forward to reading the second book in the series...Speaker For The Dead. Let's just say I was quite disappointed.

This book was definitely a hard read. The first 200 pages had me wondering if anything was ever going to happen. Card spent way to much time setting up the ending of this book. The concept of a "Speaker for the Dead" wasn't exactly the idea I would have built a novel around. Quite frankly it was rather dull. The begining of the book started out exciting...then one of the xenologers was killed and he spent the next 150 pages telling us how terrible Novinha's and Marcao's marriage was...the problems with their children and so on. We learned very little about the alien species until the end of the book. Why the need for the use of the portuguese language? For a scifi book, there sure seemed to be a lot more talk about the catholic church than the alien species. Card should have entertwined the mystery of the "descolada" much earlier in this book.

So, to make it short, he spent to much time telling us about dysfunctional families and not enough time on the aliens or the "Descolada". If you can stand to be bored through the first half of the book, the last 100 pages gets you turning the pages.

This is an incredible book, and well worth your while. Speaker for the Dead picks up nearly 3000 years after the first novel in Orson Scott Card's series, Ender's Game. Ender Wiggin, also called The Xenocide and Speaker for the Dead, is summoned to the planet of Lucitania to Speak the death of several scientists. Through his quest to "Speak" the dead and discover their truths, he becomes tangled in several mysterious occurrences on the planet, concerning relations with other inhabitants. The questionable relations are with the Piggies, Lucitanian aboriginies that seem as alien as the Buggers of 3000 years ago. However, in an effort to make up for the Xenocide of the past, and in order to keep the Piggies from becoming too inteligent, humans have established very limited relations with them. Ender, in his quest to speak the dead, understand the Piggies, and deliver the Hive Queen to a new destination, takes us on an incredibly thought-provoking and gripping adventure.

While the plot can be understood wtihout previous knowledge of Ender's Game, the underlying comments and questions about human nature are better appreciated if the reader has experienced Ender's Game first. Speaker for the Dead moves at a slower pace than Ender's Game (though much more quickly than the next books in the series, Xenocide and Children of the Mind), and spends more time developing characters and situations rather than advancing the plot. Like Ender's Game, this book appeals equally to Sci/Fi buffs and haters because of its omnipresent themes. This book affected me incredibly- Enjoy!

Speaker for the Dead is more mature than and, in my opinion, superior to the prequel Ender's Game. In order to partially atone for the xenocide he committed in Ender's Game, Ender Wiggin now spends his time traveling to various planets to speak for dead people upon request, usually many years after the death due to the relativistic effects of near light speed travel. Before each speaking, Ender researches and attempts to figure out what the dead person would have said about his or her own life.

Well, that's mostly what Ender's been up to since his Battle School days and how he's been able to learn extraordinary empathic skills, but it's not what this book's about despite the title! A new intelligent alien species has been discovered on a planet called Lusitania, where a small Catholic community of Portuguese colonists has established the settlement of Milagre, partly in order to be isolated and safe from non-Catholic influences. The community now includes two scientific posts: a xenologer who studies the aliens (the humans call them piggies due to their appearance) and a xenobiologist who primarily works on improving agricultural productivity on this alien world.

One fateful night transforms the colonists' perceptions of the piggies. The aliens torture and butcher Pipo the xenologer in cold blood, keeping him alive as they open his body with a wooden knife and remove organs. Soon after, Ender is called to speak Pipo's death by Milagre's young xenobiologist named Novinha, who was very fond of Pipo. Novinha is crucial to the story because she has sole access to computer files holding the terrible secret of why the piggies killed Pipo; she has sealed them with multiple layers of security to prevent others from learning the secret and dying the same way Pipo did. Due to relativity, Ender's voyage seems to take about a week for him but when he lands on Lusitania twenty-two years have gone by. Novinha is a widow with a large dysfunctional family. Her late husband Marcao has died of a strange congenital disease. Pipo's son Libo has met the same horrible death as Pipo at the piggies' hands. But otherwise, nothing much has changed. Not much significant progress has been made in learning about the piggies.

The real reasons Ender comes out to Lusitania and leaves his beloved sister Valentine behind are to understand the piggies and explain them to humankind and to carry out a promise he made to the one remaining survivor of the species he destroyed at the end of Ender's Game. But he gets more than he bargained for when he encounters this mysterious race whose ways are completely different from our own. Once again, Ender pulls off the impossible by revealing their mysteries. And in doing so, Ender turns the whole town of Milagre upside down!

It's a great plot the whole way through and a couple times I had to force myself to put the book down to do other things (minor things like eat, sleep, go to work, etc). I liked Ender's Game but this one definitely surpasses it for adult readers. Very highly recommended!

It does not take much skill to catalog the various ills of our modern society, particularly the unhealthy influences of Madison Ave. and Hollywood. This book does a fine job summarizing today's cultural pressures to spend and consume, to make more money and spend more time making it, all at the expnse of our families and personal sanity. Indeed, many books do the same thing; pointing out what is wrong with our spend-spend-spend culture these days is like shooting fish in a barrel. The authors provide several good examples of folks who got caught up in the world of consumption, credit card debt and keeping up with the Jones's. If you are looking for practical solutions for simplifying your life on an everyday, prectical level, however, this is not the book to read. As I feared they would, the authors rely almost exclusively on radical, unrealistic eco-solutions based upon environmental activism to recommend ways of living more simply. That might be OK for states, nations and communities to use, but for the individual looking for ways to cut back, relax, spend more time at home with loved ones, Affluenza is decidedly lacking. For folks trying to find realistic ways of not working so many hours and spending too much on possessions, the authors' recommendations of not eating red meat and eliminating your annual vacation to the beach border on absurd. Even more absurd is the conclusion: this book recommends heavy-handed, intrusive governtment solutions (including legistlation to cut back the work week) as "the answer" along with radical environmentalism. Nowhere do the authors recommend religous or spiritual ideas to help people reduce their work hours and conspicuous consumption, a serious flaw to this study. Big government is not the answer to this issue.

It's hard sometimes to live a simple life surrounded by "affluenza" and its effects. So for me, the book "Affluenza" has been really helpful in reminding me what's important in my life - it's not the "stuff." It's my life that I value. It's not all that's advertised to make me hungry for what I don't want. It's remembering what I do want in my life, and prioritizing that above those tantalizing baubles that are offered over and over again to deplete my bank account - to put me in debt - to put me in slavery to my possessions.

So, thank the authors for writing this important book that reminds me again and again who I am and why I have chosen to step back from all the glitter and acquisition. It reminds me why I work a 30 hour week, instead of a 40 hour week, and why I even hope to pare that down to a 25 hour week - so that the rest of my time can be spent on my life!

I like it that "Affluenza" isn't preachy or grim. It's light and humorous. It's fast-paced, like a television program - only without commercials. It's stock full of information about how we got to this place where money and things outweigh time with our families and time volunteering to make our communities stronger. And it gives examples and ideas about how to move forward into a place where each of us can get out of debt, and shift our priorities to what we truly value in this life that we only get to live one time.

David Horsey's cartoons are right on the money. They're witty and apt. The writing is visual and well-paced. Can you tell - I like this book! And it couldn't have come at a better time. A lot of us need to see its message. As for me, it's one of those books that I'll keep around to refer to when I feel particularly plagued by the lure of keeping up with any Joneses.

I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit, but I was saddened to see just how materialistic American society has become. The average American household carries over $7000 in credit card debt. My question is "What the HECK are they buying and WHY do they need itso badly that they would go into debt for it?" I was brought up to only buy things you need and can afford - what was everyone else teaching their children? Money doesn't buy happiness, but the average person doesn't seem to know that. Or, if they do, they don't know quite how to stop the rampant consumerism from ruling their lives. I didn't realize exactly how much of a burden our consumer society is on the planet until I read this book. The authors did a fabulous job of exposing the facts about our economic conditions while making the book entertaining at the same time. There's even a quiz to help you see how badly you are infected with the Affluenza bug. A great read, especially if you borrow it from the library!