This is a wonderful and at times wonderous book. Some terrific passages about our celebrity driven culture and our "remoteness." Some of the book is hilarious, some it is sad. I especially liked the section about the allure of women in glasses. Brillant. The passage about David "NYPD Blue" Milch is powerful. Autobiography or allegory or both, this book is unlike anything you have read or will read. It deserves another life back in print.

In "Remote", David Shields tells his own story through the printed and recorded parts of America. One of Shields' central themes is the difference between life and virtual-life: major events in his memory are linked directly to some form of media. His story is based on "almost fame," or as a frequent title explains, "the nimbus of her fame makes a nullity of us all." The idea of media remoteness is explored in amazingly honest detail, often with humor and a delicious taste of irony at the ridiculous. Through his obsession with "the filmed familiar," Oprah, America's Funniest Home Videos, and anecdotes too numerous to mention, Mr. Shields' essays capture the confusion and separateness that America feels at the power of its entertainment industry. This book is a must for anyone who claims to be media-savvy or enjoys a concise, entertaining and intelligent autobiography. There isn't much that this book doesn't cover, but much more impressive is the advice that it manages to suggest. As Mr. Shields' observations add another dimension to your understanding of this world, you'll find yourself underlining and circling while smiling drily.

David Shields' Civil Tongues and Polite Letters traces the development of the concept of civility as evidenced by the formation of social rites and their corresponding literatures in British America. Shields argues that just as Americans developed their political and legal traditions to accord with traditional British values, they also defined their concept of civility and genteel culture from metropolitan European ideals of fashionability. He explains that these socially acceptable forms of public discourse originated in the taverns and coffeehouses of 17th century England as the bourgeoisie and minor aristocracy came to replace the courts of nobility in dictating desirable behavior. The valuation placed upon politeness, gentility, and especially wit remained hallmarks of upper and middle class society throughout the development of colonial culture in the 18th century, and served to unite colonists in an otherwise still developing society while it provided a means by which to discuss their differences as well.

Using the letters, poetry, and published essays of the new gentility, Shields begins his study in the male dominated taverns and coffeehouses of early 17th century England, where merchants, professionals, and landowners congregated to discuss business and engage in pleasurable diversions. By mid-century, these social gatherings had expanded to include upper class women as their locales shifted to include more fashionable spas. The pretentiousness, licentiousness, and irreligious nature of spa culture came under attack by conservative observers in the 1690s, but even critics of the bourgeoisie employed the same literary techniques to express their disapproval. Similar literary cultural sparring was carried on between Quakers and socialites in Pennsylvania, "sensible" women and misogynistic critics of feminine culture, college students, and political rivals in the colonies. Indeed, perfection of literary graces became the ticket to social inclusion throughout the metropolitan cities of the New World, and even as society divided into clubs and associations of specialized interests, the upper classes were all marked by the same concepts of civility.

As a professor of English, Shields' work is heavily marked by literary interpretation unusual to more standardized histories, which may prove frustrating to some historians. Nonetheless, he has clearly shown that the culture of politeness was critical as an American institution, especially in the early years of the Republic when Americans were still debating which other standards would become hallmarks of nationality. Especially enlightening is his treatment of female essayists and social arbiters. In most studies of upper class American culture, women as independent and original thinkers have been treated as practically nonexistent, and it has often been asserted that we cannot divine their motivations and aspirations because they seldom left written commentaries. Shields has proven that assumption to be patently incorrect, and social historians of other fields would do well to incorporate the evidence he has provided into more general studies of early American life.

As a recovering alcoholic with over 15 years of sobriety, I found myself "stuck" in my recovery program. I started exploring going back to church, and found this book along the way. It helped change my perspective on God, that God loves me and isn't the man in the sky shaking his finger at me, pointing out all the bad things I've done. The book helped me see that we are all hurting, with hang ups and hurts and stuck areas, whether or not we are in a formal recovery program (such as a 12 step program), and helped me to see that I needed to bring my relationship with the God of my understanding to a deeper level. I wasn't getting all that I needed in my recovery program, and through this book (and other Christian recovery materials based on the 12 steps) I'm coming to a deeper level of surrender. The book talks much about taking personal responsibility and gives scriptural suggestions and references as to how to change my life. Let me just say that I was NOT a Christian until a few months ago, and I'm not here to preach or convert anyone, but I simply want to let people know that if you keep an open mind, and give yourself a break, you might discover something new that works. "Contempt prior to investigation" kept me stuck, and I'm beginning to find some answers. This book has some very good insights to help people get "unstuck."

I have never been a 'die-hard' baseball fan till this year when Ichiro stepped up to the plate. He put the fun back into baseball. Thanks to David Shields we now have an idea of just how much fun Ichiro is having as a baseball player. This book of Ichiro's quotes on baseball- from lighthearted and whimsical to thought-provoking words of wisdom- can be applied to our everyday life. This is a must-have book for any baseball fan. You'll want to share this one with your friends.

This book, especially for Mariner fans, was a nice look at one of Seattle's most loved baseball players. The book holds a nice variety of quotes from various newspapers from the East coast to Japan. By reading this amusing and highly enjoyable book, the reader is able to learn a number of different things about Ichiro, such as his success in Japan to his struggles (not many, but some) in spring training. A nice touch to these quotes is that each time Ichiro speaks, his words are put in italics. This book portrays Ichiro as who he is: a man here to play baseball.

What a terrific way to find out about the inscrutable superstar! His batting average is matched by his efficiency with language. Even my 3-year old son enjoys the short quips in this book.

I was extremely disappointed after seeing this book thinking it was the the Arthritis Cure, which was written a year earlier. It's not, only a cheap imitation which appears to try and capatilize on the success of the 1997 book. Even the font used on the cover of Doctor's Cure is a blatent copy. Shame on you!

This book so hot!!! Couldn't put it down until I read it cover to cover! Uses safe,natural non- prescription disease-modifing medication easily available in the nutritional supplement section of most any retail grocery store, down the isle from the aspirin. Because it is safe without any drug interaction whatsoever may use without advise from their doctor, it is that safe. This book provides the resource section with names of organizations who are familar with this supplement who will be of help to you in the healing process of Arthritis. Yes, healing process rather than todays conventional painkiller approach using drugs, therapies which can be harmful and costly. Using diet, what foods can trigger arthritis- like beef and dairy, cured meats, preservatives,wheat,corn, to name a fewcommon triggers in some patients. This is healing using the bodys own natural healing powers promoting a longer and more healthy life. The key to arthritis suffers to relieve pain and stimulate joint re-generation in a completely safe natural way without drugs or surgery. This book gives a wealth of references as well as resources to dedicated doctors who teach thier patients how to heal and stay healthy. I particularly enjoyed the shoppers guide to healthy joints and bones. Using old fashioned natural health strategy-exercise-no gyms,no special equipment just good endorphine release.This is the bodys natural morphine-like substance giving you all benefits of natural healing powers of the body without side effects of drugs.This group of physicians and educators realize arthritis,especially osteoarthritis,and rheumatoid arthritis suffers deserve healing nutrients to heal and have healthy independence and the freedom from potentially dangerous treatments and drugs cited. These physcians have helped thousands of arthritis patients over the years regain their health. This book will change your life as it has changed real life cases of patients included inside these pages stories of rejuvenation using the bodys own healing powers. This is the book of the year for every arthritis sufferer.

If you want a book that goes beyond the every day box scores and cliche quotes, and actually gets you to think about important issues such as race, this is the book for you. Shields dives into the NBA season and comes out with a perspective on how he and other white people view blacks, black athletes and the world both races live in. It had me thinking more about race than I ever have. In an arena composed of rich, white fans watching former poor black athletes rise to the top of the sporting world, Shields breaks it all down for us, and candidly reveals his own shortcomings and faults regarding this issue. It takes guts for a writer to take on himself. An excellent book on an excellent topic: race. Basketball is the sub-topic. If you want to THINK about race and have perhaps some of your own perceptions changed, get this book.

I do hope the sensible among you will ignore the two reviews posted before mine. These people are, simply put, missing just about everything important about the book. I truly doubt they did more than skim the chapter headings. Shields is, as literate people know, an astute and frequently brilliant excavator of the American psyche, and Black Planet is his most mature and unrelentingly provocative book yet. If you have courage, and appreciate a writer who can combine great wit, personal revelation, probing sociological analysis -- all while telling a strangely thrilling story of an NBA season, in diary form -- then please read this book. It is a truly important book. Shy of the work of Stanley Crouch, this is perhaps the most raw and honest work about race in America published in the last ten years.

David Shield's account of the Seattle SuperSonics' 94-95 season is one of the most honest accounts of the relationship between White men as spectator and Black men as players - predomominately. So many accounts of sports - written by White and Black men - do not even acknowledge this relationship. It is honest, thought-provoking, and entertaining! Kudos to Mr. Shield for his candid and humorous examination of this subject.

This book, following the modern trend towards "relating to the people" loses all overview of Menander. Upon reading this book, one does not ask himself the age-old question, "Does Menander imitate life, or does life imitate Menander?"