The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially By Linda Waite & Maggie Gallagher

Editorial Reviews

The wages of the married are high, commitment is good for the libido, and, despite 30 years of arguments to the contrary, happiness may just depend on reciting the wedding vow, according to Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher. After sifting through the evidence and conducting their own studies, the authors conclude that marriage is beneficial and transformational, and that neither cohabitation nor swinging singledom are all they're cracked up to be. In fact, it turns out that marriage is a public heath issue: being single can take almost 10 years off a man's life, while wifely nagging really is good for his health. Getting and keeping a wife can also increase a man's income as much as an education. Waite and Gallagher debunk a number of myths about marriage, including the one that says men get a better deal. Acknowledging that there may have been some truth to this in the past, better equity in modern marriages means that women make out just as well as men, though in different ways. Divorce--not marriage--is especially bad for women's health; parenting young children--not marriage--is the usual source of depression seen in mothers; and battering is significantly more common in cohabitating couples.

So, what does threaten marriage? For one, the insecurity engendered by the cultural acceptance of divorce. Couples are now less willing to invest fully in each other, the authors write, while "commitment produces contentment; uncertainty creates agony." Cultural indifference towards marriage is the other big downer. Because marriage is a public commitment, it can "work its miracles only if it is supported by the whole society." Not surprisingly, divorce gets a very bad rap as Waite and Gallagher pull out the heavyweight facts, particularly when it comes to its effect on children. The good news, though, is that marriage is resilient--five years down the road most couples who considered but resisted divorce found that they were happy again. Since Americans are still the marrying kind despite the cynicism, fear, and laissez-faire attitudes, The Case for Marriage makes a reassuring and compelling case for keeping on keeping on. --Lesley Reed --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Waite and Gallagher overstate contemporary attacks on marriage, but they make a valid point that the revered institution has suffered stings lately. They cite the steady rise in divorce and in cohabitation, unwed parenthood, and the perception among some of marriage as a tradition. The authors note troubling trends that indicate that despite polls showing Americans rank a happy marriage as their primary goal, "when it comes to marriage, Americans have both high hopes and debilitating fears." The authors combat every negative myth regarding marriage--that it imprisons women or provides the context for abuse--with statistics showing its benefits: married people live longer, are healthier, have greater wealth and happiness, have sex more often, and provide a healthier, happier environment in which to raise children. Waite and Gallagher make their arguments in the context of the struggle between individualism and community interests, "between freedom and love." They also examine public policies that threaten to undermine marriage and what the government, courts, private sector, and individuals can do to strengthen this time-honored institution. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Advance Praise for The Case for Marriage:

"In this book Maggie Gallagher and Linda Waite make a compelling defense of a sacred union. The Case for Marriage is well written and well argued, empirically rigorous and learned, practical and commonsensical. It is a very valuable contribution to the debate about marriage in modern American society."
-William J. Bennett, author of The Book of Virtues
Get A Copy Of "The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially By Linda Waite & Maggie Gallagher"
"Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher have written a truly revolutionary book. Amassing powerful resources of data and theory, they attack the current anti-marriage conventional wisdom and devastate it. Married people are healthier, happier, more productive, and enjoy better sex. On reflection one wonders how anyone could have possibly thought otherwise. Future discussion of marriage and family will not be able to ignore this work, no matter how much the anti-marriage ideologues would like to."
-Reverend Andrew M. Greeley, priest, sociologist, and bestselling author

"This is an important book that makes the central arguments for marriage. In this cynical, high-divorce culture, this book is a MUST read for every citizen. We need to know the facts about what marriage does accomplish, and here, finally, are the facts, in understandable terms."
-John Gottman, author of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work and Why Marriages Succeed or Fail

"Is marriage just another lifestyle choice? If you think so, read this book. You will be surprised at how much harm has been done by the popular culture's seemingly benign and well-meaning efforts to characterize all family forms as equally valid. It is time to start talking about the 'M' word and this book should spark the conversation."
-Isabel V. Sawhill, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute


From the Hardcover edition.

Review
Advance Praise for The Case for Marriage:

"In this book Maggie Gallagher and Linda Waite make a compelling defense of a sacred union. The Case for Marriage is well written and well argued, empirically rigorous and learned, practical and commonsensical. It is a very valuable contribution to the debate about marriage in modern American society."
-William J. Bennett, author of The Book of Virtues

"Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher have written a truly revolutionary book. Amassing powerful resources of data and theory, they attack the current anti-marriage conventional wisdom and devastate it. Married people are healthier, happier, more productive, and enjoy better sex. On reflection one wonders how anyone could have possibly thought otherwise. Future discussion of marriage and family will not be able to ignore this work, no matter how much the anti-marriage ideologues would like to."
-Reverend Andrew M. Greeley, priest, sociologist, and bestselling author

"This is an important book that makes the central arguments for marriage. In this cynical, high-divorce culture, this book is a MUST read for every citizen. We need to know the facts about what marriage does accomplish, and here, finally, are the facts, in understandable terms."
-John Gottman, author of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work and Why Marriages Succeed or Fail

"Is marriage just another lifestyle choice? If you think so, read this book. You will be surprised at how much harm has been done by the popular culture's seemingly benign and well-meaning efforts to characterize all family forms as equally valid. It is time to start talking about the 'M' word and this book should spark the conversation."
-Isabel V. Sawhill, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute
Get A Copy Of "The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially By Linda Waite & Maggie Gallagher"

From the Hardcover edition.

Book Description
A groundbreaking look at the most basic and universal of all human institutions, this authoritative and provocative book reveals the benefits-emotional, physical, economic, and sexual-that marriage brings to individuals and society as a whole.

Everyone knows that we are experiencing an epidemic of divorce; rates of single-parenthood and unmarried cohabitation are skyrocketing while marriage rates continue to decline. Yet 93% of Americans still say they hope to form a lasting and happy union with one person, though fewer now believe that this is possible.

Numerous books have been written about the impact of divorce on men, women, children, and society at large. But no one has yet studied the long-term benefits of being and staying married. The Case for Marriage is a critically important intervention in the national debate about the future of the family. Based on the authoritative research of family sociologist Linda Waite and other scholars, the book's findings dramatically contradict the anti-marriage myths that have become the common sense of most Americans. Today a broad consensus holds that marriage is a bad deal for women, that divorce is better for children when parents are unhappy, and that marriage is essentially a private choice, not a public institution. Waite and Gallagher flatly contradict these assumptions, arguing instead that by a broad range of indices, being married is actually better for you physically, materially, and spiritually than being single or divorced. Married people live longer, have better health, earn more money and accumulate more wealth, feel more fulfilled in their lives, enjoy more satisfying sexual relationships, and have happier and more successful children than those who remain single, cohabit, or get divorced. Statistics show, for example, that violence is less prevalent in married households and that divorce reduces male life expectancy on the order of a pack-a-day cigarette habit.

While their book is not primarily a work of moral exhortation, the authors argue that in order for marriage to do its beneficial work it must be treated as a socially preferred option, not merely one choice among others that are equally valid. Combining clearheaded analysis, penetrating cultural criticism, and practical advice for strengthening the institution of marriage, the authors provide clear, essential guidelines for reestablishing marriage as the foundation for a healthy and happy society. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Get A Copy Of "The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially By Linda Waite & Maggie Gallagher"
Inside Flap Copy
A groundbreaking look at the most basic and universal of all human institutions, this authoritative and provocative book reveals the benefits-emotional, physical, economic, and sexual-that marriage brings to individuals and society as a whole.

Everyone knows that we are experiencing an epidemic of divorce; rates of single-parenthood and unmarried cohabitation are skyrocketing while marriage rates continue to decline. Yet 93% of Americans still say they hope to form a lasting and happy union with one person, though fewer now believe that this is possible.

Numerous books have been written about the impact of divorce on men, women, children, and society at large. But no one has yet studied the long-term benefits of being and staying married. The Case for Marriage is a critically important intervention in the national debate about the future of the family. Based on the authoritative research of family sociologist Linda Waite and other scholars, the book's findings dramatically contradict the anti-marriage myths that have become the common sense of most Americans. Today a broad consensus holds that marriage is a bad deal for women, that divorce is better for children when parents are unhappy, and that marriage is essentially a private choice, not a public institution. Waite and Gallagher flatly contradict these assumptions, arguing instead that by a broad range of indices, being married is actually better for you physically, materially, and spiritually than being single or divorced. Married people live longer, have better health, earn more money and accumulate more wealth, feel more fulfilled in their lives, enjoy more satisfying sexual relationships, and have happier and more successful children than those who remain single, cohabit, or get divorced. Statistics show, for example, that violence is less prevalent in married households and that divorce reduces male life expectancy on the order of a pack-a-day cigarette habit.

While their book is not primarily a work of moral exhortation, the authors argue that in order for marriage to do its beneficial work it must be treated as a socially preferred option, not merely one choice among others that are equally valid. Combining clearheaded analysis, penetrating cultural criticism, and practical advice for strengthening the institution of marriage, the authors provide clear, essential guidelines for reestablishing marriage as the foundation for a healthy and happy society. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover
Advance Praise for The Case for Marriage:

"In this book Maggie Gallagher and Linda Waite make a compelling defense of a sacred union. The Case for Marriage is well written and well argued, empirically rigorous and learned, practical and commonsensical. It is a very valuable contribution to the debate about marriage in modern American society."
-William J. Bennett, author of The Book of Virtues

"Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher have written a truly revolutionary book. Amassing powerful resources of data and theory, they attack the current anti-marriage conventional wisdom and devastate it. Married people are healthier, happier, more productive, and enjoy better sex. On reflection one wonders how anyone could have possibly thought otherwise. Future discussion of marriage and family will not be able to ignore this work, no matter how much the anti-marriage ideologues would like to."
-Reverend Andrew M. Greeley, priest, sociologist, and bestselling author

"This is an important book that makes the central arguments for marriage. In this cynical, high-divorce culture, this book is a MUST read for every citizen. We need to know the facts about what marriage does accomplish, and here, finally, are the facts, in understandable terms."
-John Gottman, author of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work and Why Marriages Succeed or Fail

"Is marriage just another lifestyle choice? If you think so, read this book. You will be surprised at how much harm has been done by the popular culture's seemingly benign and well-meaning efforts to characterize all family forms as equally valid. It is time to start talking about the 'M' word and this book should spark the conversation."
-Isabel V. Sawhill, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author
Linda J. Waite is a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and the author of New Families, No Families. She lives in Glencoe, Illinois.

Maggie Gallagher is Director of the Marriage Program at the Institute of American Values, a nationally syndicated columnist, and the author of Enemies of Eros. She lives in New York City. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Western Medicine: An Illustrated History By Irvine Loudon

From Library Journal
This comprehensive and visually intriguing chronicle extends from ancient Greece to the present. Prepared under the editorship of Loudon, research fellow at the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine at Oxford University, the book consists of chapters by 20 historians from England, Germany, and the United States. An introductory chapter describes the long historical relationship between medicine and the visual arts. Seven subsequent chapters offer a chronological history of medicine, including a discussion of the influence of Islamic medicine on medieval and Renaissance physicians. The 11 final chapters deal with medicine in its social context, such as histories of childbirth, nursing, and mental illness. A chronology and glossary are appended. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs and reproductions of paintings and medical illustrations, including 37 colored plates. This volume follows The Cambridge Illustrated History of Medicine (Cambridge Univ., 1996), edited by Roy Porter, who contributed four of its ten chapters, which takes a topical rather than a chronological approach. Although the two volumes are complementary, libraries preferring a more scholarly approach should choose Oxford's Western Medicine.?Kathleen Arsenault, Univ. of South Florida at St. Petersburg Lib.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The New England Journal of Medicine, July 2, 1998
This beautifully produced book has two purposes. The first is to answer the question posed by the editor, Irvine Loudon, who is both a medical historian and an artist: "What is medical history, and who are medical historians?" Here are 19 diverse essays on the history of medicine, each by a different historian; many of the contributors are from the United Kingdom. The book stands as a showcase of what medical historians are doing in the 1990s, and how they do it. Loudon does not attempt to be encyclopedic. The essays are broad, thoughtful, lively, and written for the general (educated) reader, and they are of uniformly high quality. Seven essays take us from medicine in the classical world to medicine in later centuries in Europe and Islam, and on to medicine at the end of the 20th century. Eleven essays focus on specific topics, such as childbirth, the mind, and the spread of Western medicine. The book succeeds in demonstrating both the richness of medical history as a field in the 1990s and the centrality of health and medicine in the history of Western culture.

The second purpose of the book is skillfully explored in the first essay, by Martin Kemp, a professor of art at Oxford University and a specialist in scientific visual representation. Kemp makes a compelling case for the deeper integration of visual images into the history of medicine, arguing that there is nothing obvious about the images we make and those we have inherited. This book is intended to be an illustrated history in the sense that the reader is expected to learn from the images as much as from the text. The 180 illustrations in the book make a strong case for the importance of visual images in understanding how medicine works; what it is; how it is viewed by patrons, patients, and practitioners; and what part it plays in culture at different times and in different places.

This emphasis gives the reader unexpected pleasures and often a sense of immediacy -- of making the past concrete -- that cannot be provided by text alone. For example, a charming map of the medical school at the University of Montpellier in the 16th century shows how easy it was for medical students to walk to the St. Denis cemetery to find bodies for dissection, making Lisa Rosner's points about instruction in anatomy real and vivid and provoking the reader to wonder which route the students took. Full-color, glossy reproductions of manuscript illustrations accompanying Michael McVaugh's essay on medicine in the Middle Ages give this period a similar immediacy: pictures of an operation for cataract, examination of a wounded patient, and (in a 15th-century manuscript of Avicenna's work) a physician at a walk-in clinic. Picasso's painting on the death of his sister puts the patient squarely between the representative of medicine and that of religion, underlining Anne Digby's study of the patient's view. Jane Lewis's essay on politics and the state includes an advertisement of the benefits of the British national health insurance scheme, introduced in 1911. Anne Summers's fresh look at the history of nursing before and after Florence Nightingale includes stunning photographs: two cheerful, liberated nurses in full uniform pose for the camera smoking cigarettes, presumably during World War I (the images are not always adequately labeled).

This is a book to dip into, savor, and contemplate. Were it not for its high price (presumably reflecting the cost of high-quality reproductions), the book would be a good source for teaching medical humanities or medicine in a cultural context. I came away from my reading thinking how mysterious medicine has always been, and how difficult; how medicine and religion have been woven together consistently, arguably to the present; and how humans behave consistently (dreadfully) in epidemics.

Reviewed by Rosemary A. Stevens, Ph.D.
Copyright © 1998 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

Review
`What should one demand of a good history of medicine? My choices would be accuracy, lucidity, coherence, balance, and enough individuality to mark it out from its competitors. On these criteria, this book scores high ... All the authors have good things to say, and say them well ... the volume fully deserves to be on the shelves of all those interested in the history of medicine ... No longer can readers only of English complain at the lack of suitable general histories, and professionals will find much to ponder and debate.' Vivian Nutton, Medical History

`has some excellent individual chapters.' PW, TLS

`This beautifully-produced book boasts so many stunning illustrations, including 37 colour plates, that it runs the risk of being dismissed as a 'coffee-table' production. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are 20 contributors, all of whom are distinguished medical historians and experts in their respective fields.' Anthony Storr, The Observer

`it is the pictures and their captions that bring the book to life and create lasting impressions of ancient and modern medicine ... a book whose chief purpose is to explain the nature, purpose and impact of visual imagery in medicine' The Times Higher Education Supplement

`this is the most informative, well written and beautifully illustrated text on medical history I have so far come across' Alan E.H. Emery, Neuromuscular Disorders 7 (1997)

`The quality of the illustrations is complemented by some intelligent writing and several essays ... Altogether the book makes for a very accessible introduction to medical history.' James Le Fanu, The Daily Telegraph

`this richly illustrated history of medicine offers information and insight on a wide variety of topics ... Authoritatively and accessibly written by an international team of leading medical historians and including a helpful glossary, a chronology, and a full index, this is a fascinating introduction to medicine in the West from its beginnings to today.' Linacre's, Summer 97

`has some excellent individual chapters' Times Literary Supplement

`exceptionally high quality with many wonderful illustrations ... There has clearly been a tight overall view of what was needed and who was to do it.' British Medical Journal

`This engrossing history of medicine begins with Ancient Greece and carries on to the present day. This is a fascinating insight into a profession which all too often sees its history in the form of practitioners and institutions.' Contemporary Review

Book Description
Covering all periods from Ancient Greece to the present day, this richly illustrated history of medicine offers information and insight on a wide variety of topics. The great milestones of medical history - among them the discovery of the circulation of the blood, vaccination against smallpox, the invention of the X-ray, the development of penicillin - are charted. They are set against the social context of medicine, with accounts of more neglected areas such as patterns of epidemics, the emergence of the medical profession, the history of nursing, unorthodox medical practice, the spread of western medicine beyond Europe and the US, and the patient's viewpoint. Authoritatively and accessibly written by a team of twenty distinguished medical historians and including a helpful glossary, a chronology, and a full index, this is a fascinating introduction to medicine in the west from its beginnings to the present day.

About the Author
A former GP and Research Fellow at the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, University of Oxford, Irvine Loudon's books include Death in Childbirth: An International Study of Maternal Care and Maternal Mortality 1800-1959 (Clarendon Press, 1992).

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Bunny Williams' Point of View: Three Decades of Decorating Elegant and Comfortable Houses By Bunny Williams

Book Description
An Affair with a House continues to be a top seller for STC, with more than 45,000 copies in print. Shows readers how to realize their own taste and design preferences.

You learn from people with great taste,” says Bunny Williams. She should know. As a novice, Williams worked for legendary decorators Sister Parish and Albert Hadley, absorbing everything she could of their peerless design sense. Striking out on her own, she rose to the top rank of the interior design profession, where she has stylishly remained for the last 30 years. Now, it’s our turn to learn from her.

Part memoir and part how-to manual, Bunny Williams’ Point of View showcases many of the drop-dead chic but always cozily comfortable residences whose interiors Williams has designed during her astounding career. As Williams tells it, every design decision she makes is based on a bedrock principle: “Knowing what you value is essential.” Her conviction that every person’s home should manifest their personality guides her as she creates environments that fit each client precisely, “like a couture suit.”

By showing you how to plan and then accomplish that plan for each room of your house, Williams inspires you to take account of your own values—and to realize your personal vision of how you want to live. As she says about the book: “My point of view will help you discover yours.”

About the Author
BUNNY WILLIAMS, a world-renowned interior designer and garden expert with her own Manhattan-based company, is the author of Stewart, Tabori and Chang’s An Affair with a House. Her work is regularly featured in such publications as Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House & Garden, the New York Times, and Town & Country. With her husband, antiques dealer John Roselli, she owns Treillage Ltd., a home and garden decor shop in New York City. They live in Manhattan and Connecticut.

Fast-Dog "Fast-Dog" (sewickley, pa USA)
I have liked Ms Williams other books a lot, those about her own home and garden and I own both. Here she seems to have had the need to showcase a few nouveau riche clients' houses in the form of a thrown-together book of glamour (?) photographs of little merit and text with almost no worth. This was a REAL let-down and what's more it sadly shows how she'll use her talents to, what one terms, "whitewash a pig" .......the new, empty caverns of her recently rich Wall Street clients.

Usonian33 (United States)
I was fortunate enough to see Miss Williams give a lecture on this book, complete with slideshow presentation. It was a delight to hear this funny and engaging woman relay the stories behind these interiors.

That personal touch doesnt really come through in the book. It's telling that the most interesting parts are about her own NYC apartment and her home in Costa Rica. Her previous book--about her Connecticut farmhouse--is like sitting down with an old friend (it even has recipes). This isn't in the same vein, and thus all the disappointed reviews on here.

Still, Williams is a legend, and the work she has done for her clients is worth studying. Many of the interiors look as though they have evolved and been collected over time, which is a hallmark of her style.

Her rooms are at least more interesting than the sterile, joyless snoozefests featured lately in Architectural Digest and Elle Decor.

Her best advice: pick neutral finishes for your kitchen cabinets, and above all a neutral backsplash, using accessories to satisfy your color cravings. Your tastes will (or should!) evolve over time...and that expensive turqouise backsplash wont be easy to replace. All Americans need to read that chapter and sign it!

Classicdude (River City)
Regular readers of decorating magazines will have seen most of this before; probably about 90% of these projects have been previously published. And within the book many of the rooms are repeated several times, adding to the feeling of deja vu all over again. Despite the decorator's talent and the attractive photos, most readers will not feel satisfied after thumbing through this book. Undoubtedly some clients declined to have their homes in the book, but it hardly seems like three decades worth of work. It looks more like a decade and a half presented here. And besides, if she worked for over 20 years with Parish-Hadley and about 20 years with her own firm, how were the first 10 years spent -- answering phones, getting coffee, and returning samples? If the same effort spent to publicise this book had gone into the development, one cannot help but think it would have produced a much better result. While the architecture of the houses and apartments is generally top notch, and nothing about the decorating is objectionable (well, with the exception of some hideous taxidermy prominently featured in one project), there is not much substance to either the decorating or the text. This is not necessarily a book one would return to over and over to pick up subtle nuances of design. But it would be an attractive additon to any coffee table.

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Shame By Salman Rushdie

Editorial Reviews
The New York Times Book Review, Robert Towers
Shame is a lively, amusing and exasperating work .... What he invents, with enormous gusto, is "a sort of modern fairy tale".... I found Mr. Rushdie's style a source of delight, a bright stream of words that lifted me happily past the most threatening snags and whirlpools of this impossible tale. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Sunday Telegraph
There can seldom have been so robust and baroque an incarnation of the political novel as Shame. It can be read as a fable, polemic or excoriation; as history or as fiction.... This is the novel as myth and as satire. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"Shame is and is not about Pakistan, that invented, imaginary country... The theme is shame and shamelessness, born from the violence which is modern history. Revelation and obscurity, affairs of honour, blushings of all parts, the recession of erotic life, the open violence of public life, create the extraordinary Rushdie mood." -- Malcolm Bradbury, The Guardian

"A pitch black comedy of public life and historical imperatives." -- The Times

Book Description
Winner of the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger

In his brilliant third novel, first published in 1983, Salman Rushdie gives us a lively and colorful mixture of history, art, language, politics, and religion. Set in a country "not quite Pakistan," the story centers around the family of two men—one a celebrated warrior, the other a debauched playboy—engaged in a protracted duel that is played out in the political landscape of their country.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap
In this brilliant novel, Salman Rushdie masterfully combines history, art, language, politics, and religion. Set in a country "not quite Pakistan," the story centers around the families of two men -- one a celebrated warrior, the other, a debauched playboy engaged in a protracted duel that is played out in the political landscape of their country. Shame is a tour de force and a fitting predecessor to the author's legendary novel, The Satanic Verses.

From the Back Cover
"Shame is and is not about Pakistan, that invented, imaginary country... The theme is shame and shamelessness, born from the violence which is modern history. Revelation and obscurity, affairs of honour, blushings of all parts, the recession of erotic life, the open violence of public life, create the extraordinary Rushdie mood." -- Malcolm Bradbury, The Guardian

"A pitch black comedy of public life and historical imperatives." -- The Times

About the Author
Salman Rushdie is the author of seven novels, including The Satanic Verses, The Ground Beneath Her Feet and Midnight’s Children for which he won the Booker Prize and the “Booker of Bookers.”

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Ewomack "ewomack" (MN USA)
This, Rushdie's third novel, explores the universal theme of shame in the context of an - somewhat imaginary but simultaneously all too real - Islamic society. The characters swim up to their necks in the stuff. From the three sisters, Chhunni, Munnee, and Bunny (who remain locked up in "Nishapur" with their deadly dumbwaiter), who think more of their inheritance than their father's death to the immaculately conceived, fat, passive, and eternally inverted Omar Khayyam (but rumors fly that the sisters - who share in all the burdens of Omar's birth - scandously seduced Angrez men) to the self-proclaimed "simple soliders" who ultimately turn into brutal dictators (and some shamelessly use Islam to gain public support) to the public that grieves "Did we really do that? But we are ordinary people..." shame fills up and drowns every letter of this novel. And not just "shame", but the nearly untranslatable ultra-nuanced Urdu word "sharam". Even the "family tree" at the beginning of the book, with its numerous nicknames and references to "illegitimate children", seeps with shame. Most of all, the central character (according to the opening of part II), Sufiya Zinobia, physically and metaphorically embodies all of the horrors that shame can produce. The most violent and stomach-churning scenes in the book involve the manifestation of this "Beast" inside of the tiny, innocent girl. By the end of the novel she takes on the role of the classical Greek furies. She leaves a venegeful sopping bloodbath on her way to President Raza Hyder's compound. But, as always with Rushdie, the expected doesn't occur.

Much like Rushdie's second novel, "Midnight's Children", "Shame" contains an obstrusive narrator. This character (Rushdie himself?) pokes in and out of the story to make salient points or to "clear up" matters of language and history. This nameless narrator intrudes far less than Saleem Sinai. And one wonders if he also feels the sting of shame and so meekly hides behind the paragraphs. Regardless, this narrator admits early on that "The country in this story is not Pakistan, or not quite. There are two countries, real and fictional, occupying the same space, or almost the same space." He also states that he's writing a "modern fairy tale", which arguably suggests a moral. Even so, a cursory glance into the history of Pakistan will reveal that many of the events related in this book reflect the actual history of that young country. The real General Mohammed Zia ul-Haq gets fictionalized as Raza Hyder; Zulkifar Ali Bhutto becomes the comic-tragic Iskander Harappa; and Benezir Bhutto receives the name Arjumand Harappa. But this knowledge only expands the book's possible intentions. It does not preclude enjoyment of the actual text. Enough universal themes and cliffhanger stories scatter the words as to make their potential source in reality almost irrelevant. Though it does admittedly increase the controvery of the book. And, as we all know more than twenty years later, Rushdie has a flaming penchant for political and religious controversy.

"Shame" has a very similar literary voice to "Midnight's Children": funny, sad, comic, and tragic all at once. It contains stories about the rise and fall of dictators. It ruminates on the oppression of women (the ayahs, the lonely wives of military men, the female children, the burden of creating sons, the heavy weight of child bearing - see the story of "Good News", and the shame of having illegitimate children). It exposes some hard to digest truths about human behavior via the concept of shame ("Did we really do that?"). In some ways it suggests that we reap what we sow, and if we reap shame, well...

The west figures much smaller here than in "Midnight's Children". Rushdie said in a 1983 interview that "...there is a tendency in Pakistan - and I do it myself - to blame the west for all the problems, and I thought it would be worth writing a book to say that there's no point in blaming other countries, because actually we're doing it to ourselves." Though "Shame" never comes off as didactic, politics evidently lies just beneath the surface. It quickly becomes difficult to conceive of "Shame" as mere fiction, mostly due to the anonymous narrator. So here, just as in "Midnight's Children", fiction and history dance, intertwine, and mingle. This fact makes Rushdie a thrillingly provocative read. And though his methods hadn't caused him any great personal trouble up to 1983, his next work of fiction would have him literally running for his life.

S. O SPEARS (Tokyo, Japan)
I was not sure what to expect, this being my first Rushdie novel, but I was not disappointed. The story from the start struck me as stepping a good ways away from the cut and dried storytelling method may narrators use today by conciously making the narrator a highly judgemental one, and not simply letting the story tell itself.

We start out with a mythical birth: a man destined to become a fat, decidant doctor whose intellect is matched only by is weight. He finds himself, eventually, positioned between political factions desperate to cover their own rears while taking what they can for themselves from the government and country. What we see throughout is a mix of straitforward illustration of greater events mixed with fable for the day to day lives of the characters, a mix which is very appealing in such a tale.

I would not recommend this book for everyone. Probably only a few, in reality. Many will get bored with it soon, where others will get drawn in. Try reading the first part (30 pages or so) at a local bookstore or on-line if possible to see if you can get into things. If so, you will not be disappointed with the rest.

Tim Lieder "Founder of Dybbuk Press" (New York, NY)
I have to say that I found this book much more comprehensible than The Satanic Verses. It's basically about Pakistan with all of its contradictions, faults and absurdity. It's eitehr a love letter or a hate letter to his home country and it's a history told in the magical realism style where every major political movement is started by a private incident and evey private exchange is fraught with dangers. He also calls Bhutto Virgin Ironpants - which I'm sure would have annoyed many feminists as much as the Ayatollah passages in The Satanic Verses annoyed the entire country of Iran. (oh, I'm sorry the official stance is that it was the Muhammed passages)

But for all its brilliance and nuance what I and my friends remember is the debate among the rebels over whether to have sex with teh docile sheep or the wild goats. Not even the people fighting the hostile regime are safe from scorn and ridicule.

The central metaphor is in two characters - one a man without shame and the other a woman who is embarrassed and overtly modest from birth. When she loses her modesty, she becomes a vicious animal destroying all in her path. I think that is the theme in that the country might be run by the shameless and the crass, but when the silent ones are pushed too far - watch out.

Even as a minor book this proves Rushdie's clarity of vision and his place as one of the greatest writers of teh 20th century.

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The Horrors of the Half-Known Life: Male Attitudes Toward Women and Sexuality in 19th. Century America By Barker-Benfield

Product Description
With an updated introduction, the revolutionary book that changed our understanding of the history of gender in America is now back in print. Controversial and considered ahead of its time, The Horrors of the Half-Known Life is a startling portrait of male attitudes toward masculinity, women, and sexuality in nineteenth-century America. Through an examination of the elimination of midwivery, the origins of gynecology -a horrifying history-and general attitudes and advice about sexuality, Barker-Benfield brilliantly illuminates the state of manhood and misogyny in nineteenth-century America.

Now a classic in the field, The Horrors of the Half-Known Life is an important foundational text in the construction of masculinity, female identity, and the history of midwivery.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

By A Customer
I write this as something of an antidote to another review, which I believe missed the point of the book (astute prospective buyers may realize that the contents of the book are still controversial for some!). The reviewer's last phrase may explain the negative reaction: "...if you want to find out what women's lives were like, from a legitimate medical point of view, a century and a half ago."

The book is not about what women's lives were like; it is about the attitudes of a certain group of male physicians toward women. This WAS the "legitimate medical point of view" for many then and, unfortunately, now. (Many physicians of my generation recall vividly being taught in med school about hysterical female patients and have seen some pretty primitive attitudes toward women -- and toward patients in general, frankly -- being inculcated into interns and residents during our training.)

By Aficionado "Aficionado" (St. Louis, MO)
This book has achieved 'classical' status among a certain segment of the population that views history through an ideological lens without the need to process factual information. Unfortunately, this work is lightly regarded by professional historians who take competence seriously. The author has no competence in either the history of medicine and therapeutics, or clinical gynecologic pathology. The work relies primarily on secondary sources, is full of anachronisms, and is useful mainly as a good example of what medical and social history should NOT be. Thoughtful readers might like to read the devastating review of this book in the Bulletin of the History of Medicine. Don't waste your money on this one. Start with Shorter's A History of Women's Bodies or Irvine Loudon's classic Death in Childbirth, if you want to find out what women's lives were like, from a legitimate medical point of view, a century and a half ago.

Get A Copy Of "The Horrors of the Half-Known Life: Male Attitudes Toward Women and Sexuality in 19th. Century America By Barker-Benfield ."

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Kiss - Kiss My A** (2005)

# DVD Features:

* 1. Parasite - Stereo
* 2. Do You Love Me - Stereo
* 3. Radioactive - Stereo
* 4. Move On - Stereo
* 5. Love Gun - Stereo
* 6. NY Groove - Stereo
* 7. She (Performed By Anthrax) - Stereo
* 8. Makin' Love - Stereo
* 9. Christine Sixteen (Performed By Gin Blossoms) - Stereo
* 10. I Love It Loud - Stereo
* 11. C'Mon and Love Me - stereo
* 12. Hooligan - Stereo
* 13. Shock Me - Stereo
* 14. I - Stereo
* 15. Take Me (Rehearsal) - Stereo
* 16. She (Full Kiss Version) - Stereo
* 17. Black Diamond - Stereo

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Eric Mehta "Horror Film Enthusiast"
Finally Universal DVD did something right by releasing KISS' awesome trilogy of home videos on DVD. KISS in the early nineties gave their adoring fans quite a bit in terms of home video documentaries and concerts releasing no less than four long form videos between 1992-1995. These were KISS-X-treme Close-Up, KISS Konfidential, KISS My A** and KISS MTV Unplugged, of all of these the first three are finally in print with MTV Unplugged having been discontinued for reasons unknown and fetching upwards of $100.00 on Ebay.
Of all of these, KISS My A** which accompanied the release of the ill fated KISS tribute album of the same name remains my favorite. Eschewing the campiness and comedic approach of KISS Konfidential and offering a plethora of unabridged vintage performances (X-Treme Close-Up only offered brief clips), this is the total package KISS DVD release and is required viewing for even the most casual KISS fan.
The DVD offers a ton of vintage make-up era footage interspersed with incisive and informative interview segments with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer. The quality of the archive footage is stellar on DVD and has never looked better, in particular the songs taken from the 1977 Madison Square Garden performance are breathtaking.
'Parasite' is black and white footage taken from San Francisco 1975, one of the earliest KISS concerts professionally filmed from the 'Hotter Than Hell' tour. 'Do You Love Me' and 'Makin' Love' are taken from the aforementioned 1977 Madison Square Garden, NY gig. The solo album tunes, 'Radioactive', 'Move On' and 'New York Groove' are taken from Largo, MD 1979 on the Dynasty tour. 'C'mon and Love Me', 'She' and Black Diamond' are taken from the January 1976 performances at Detroit's legendary Cobo Hall. 'Hooligan' and 'Shock Me' are taken from the Love Gun tour in Houston, TX 1977-truly the pinnacle of the live KISS experience in the seventies. Also included is 'Love Gun' from Auburn Hills, MI 1992, 'I Love It Loud' 1982 Italian TV appearance, 'I' lip-synch 1981 at Studio 54 without Ace, and a great rehearsal for 'Take Me' from 1976 without make-up. Throw in a bunch of vintage tv commercials from the seventies and rare tv clips and you have a winning formula. The DVD even features a KISS themed Saturday Night Live skit featuring the late Jim Belushi.
Conspicuous by its absence is any footage from Anaheim 1976, Sydney, Australia 1980 or Rio De Janeiro 1983. Footage from the 1980 and 1983 tours would have been particularly effective as a tribute to the talents of the late, great Eric Carr.
The only complaint that could be aimed at this DVD is the lack of 5.1 audio, alas only 2.0 is included, this would sound awesome in a 5.1 mix.
With its unique and entertaining format, this is one music video that I never tire of watching, now let's hope Universal/Mercury gets off their butts and re-issues KISS MTV Unplugged. Also, recommended on dvd-KISS Exposed, KISS-the Second Coming and The KISS Symphony.

Shandi Stanley
I bought this used thinking it was the same old stuff. However I was suprised. This is probably one if not my favorite KISS "story". It is a well done DVD with loads of info for the new KISS fan or the old-timers like my self. Very good and highly recommend.

Rebecca Wesenberg
This is a great addition if you are a collector of Kiss Stuff.

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