What is wonderful about Olin Wright is his clarity. When you don't agree, you know exactly why, because he has taken you through his argument stage by stage with no tricky rhetorical devices. Seeing that only truth is revolutionary, hiw rok can only help us revolutionaries. His concept of "contradictory class locations" solves easily the old "problem" of the middle class and its role in society. The one theoretical fault of the book is a confusion between nationalization and socialism, which takes the core of marxism (workers power) out of the equation. Indispensable reading. JM

Dr. Wright's work "Classes" is thoroughly deserving of praise from the Sociological community. A successful union of economic analysis and Marxist thought, "Classes" conveys both the broad theoretical structure of Dr. Wright's work as well as its specific operational criteria simply and effectively. The work begins with a summary of the state of the art in Marxist thought and an analysis on the deficiencies contained within it. "Classes" then proceeds to illuminate the process through which new concepts are generated, how they were operationalized within Dr. Wright's work and finally the results of a solid empirical investigation. This book is a must for social scientists in general and for Sociologists in particular. Whether you possess a PhD, a BA or merely an amateur interest in Sociology or Marxism, this is a book you MUST read. Highly recommended.

When I was visiting Port Angeles Washington around March of 2000 I was sitting overlooking the Juan De Fuca which is a body of water about 20 miles wide which seperates the USA and Canada. You can barely make out Canada over the sea. Canadian radio would come over to Port Angeles and it was during this moment of relaxation that I first heard of Eric Wright. He gave an interview about his newly released book Always Give a Penny to a Blind Man. It's about his childhood in London in the 1930's and his struggles and eventual immigration to Canada. I'm not sure exactly why I found it so fascinating but the way he tells this story is wonderful. Perhaps because it's so entirely human. Like an Oliver Twist story this is a bigger than life story of someones ordinary life experience. If you come from the uk and now live in the USA, Canada or Australia, you would probably find that this book will lead you down a path of self discovery that you may have long forgotten over the years. It might shake you up. The characters come to life and touch you.

This is one of the best book I've ever read!

As a builder, I'm in awe at what this man did with materials. Why are we not all living in houses that inspire like these do? Have we forgotten that life lived fully is about beauty and adventure? Wright didn't. This is an exceptional book.

Sometimes the movie biz can be murder. Is it malicious mischief, or something more sinister? That's the question for Staff Inspector Charlie Salter, working undercover as a police "adviser" to a movie crew shooting in Toronto. A fake fire alarm, a missing can of film, a damaged sound machine, and a kidnapped actor are merely opening salvos in what appears to be an attempt to halt production on this ill-fated film. Yet who among the bickering cast and crew would want to see the movie fail? Could it be the Easter European actor who's made a name for himself playing villians; the arrogant, egocentric star; the flakey first assistant director; or the obnoxious screenwriter who's on everyone's hit list? It's a reel-life mystery that has Charlie Salter dreading the next scene. But when the leading man is mugged and a prime player is found with a dagger through his chest, Salter takes the lead in a homicidal drama that stretches from Toronto to Bucharest, on a trail steeped in blood, retribution, and corrosive memory.

Mr. Nash's book is full of wonderful color photographs and an in depth chronicle of events in Frank Lloyd Wrights(FLLW) life. The book describes the hardships Wright endured, how he got his start, his turbulent and tragic personal life, his bold architectural philosophy, his defiance of contemorary styles, and much more. Anyone interested in FLLW should take a look at this book. It offers both a great starting point for those interested in learning about the architect and a great reference for those who already know about him.

I've had this book for several years now, and the results have always been wonderful. I have many cookbooks, but my first choice when I have guests, are the books of Le Cordon Bleu (I have a collection of them). You can always count on their excellent results, even when it is the first time you cook a particular recipe. Go on and buy iy without fear.

For the pure baseball fan, this book is a must have. It tells short stories about players who used their heads to create new strategies, and it explains how some of the rules today were made. Besides laughing your head off, you really learn a lot about the great game of baseball.

Eric Wright is the author of the Charlie Salter mysteries set in Toronto. This past year he wrote "The Last Hand" which is to be the last in the Charlie Salter series, so I decided to go back and read any novels in the series that I had missed. "The Night the Gods Smiled" is the first Charlie Salter mystery. David Summers, a professor at Douglas College in Toronto, is murdered in Montreal during an academic conference. When the Montreal police ask for help, Salter is called in on the case. He finds that Summers had attended the conference with many of his colleagues, one of whom disliked Summers very much. Salter must wade through a lot of suspects before he identifies the killer. This is a very good debut novel for this excellent police procedural series from Canada.

The novel is definitely funny. I had the strange luck to read it during my internship at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, which is where scenes of Joshua's infirm wife took place. Richler easily gets me to belly-laugh. BUT, part of his humor is based on homophobia. Joshua is mistaken for gay and his mother enthusiastically and misguidely marches with PFLAG. I think such humour is of the "lowest common denominator" variety. In this as in other books of his, Richler relies on gay people, or misidentified straight people for a cheap laugh, which I don't appreciate.The rest of the book is great and I recommend it.

Mordecai Richler definitely came out of hiding with the release of Joshua Then and Now, a literary marvel that made me roll in my chair with uncontrollable laughter. This novel has many features worthy of praise. First, Joshua's character can go both ways in terms of admiration: some readers admire this crude character while othere despise the man who is a mere image of Richler. Second, continual flashbacks to different periods and settings make Joshua Then and Now a page-turner. The novel also had its lows. It was evident that Richler took a shortcut in producing this novel as Joshua Shapiro's character was a reflection of his own. Also, the novel could have done without scenes dealing with the William Lyon Mackenzie King Memorial Society as this did little to advance the novel. All in all, Joshua Then and Now was a success, preaching audiences about the importance of moral and sound family values. Mr. Richler, your comic energy and satires will be missed forever.

This book is classic Mordecai Richler:

His main character, Joshua, is a Montreal Jew who is opinionated, cynical and comes from a seedy background: and yet, is able to survive, become successful and marries into a well-off family that have their own set of closet skeletons. The story has many interesting twists and emotions vary from the serious, sad or sometimes, to the very funny. Like many of Richler's characters, there is a gutsy determination, a sense of purposeful indignation about Joshua that you can admire and identify with.

The novel is well written and easy to read and uses sporadic explicit language.This is sure to please anyone who has enjoyed other Richler books such as "Barney's Version" or "St. Urbain's Horseman". A recommended read!