Editorial Review

Few people outside certain scholarly circles had heard the name Robert D. Putnam before 1995. But then this self-described "obscure academic" hit a nerve with a journal article called "Bowling Alone." Suddenly he found himself invited to Camp David, his picture in Read more

Reviews (62)

Excellent review of the decline of community, but somewhat blinded to the causes
Professor Putnam has written a superb review of the decliine of community in the United States through the end of the 20th Century. He points to television, urban and suburban sprawl, generational change and changing work habits as being the major causes of the collapse of the American community.
An Essential Read
I can't add anything that isn't already on the backcover. Putnam has detailed research showing the loss of social capital in the U.S. and insightful analysis of the implications as well as possible solutions. It's a highly readable book for academics and non-academics alike. A vital read that will be relevant for years to come.

Well Worth Wading Through
This book definitely gets a little bogged down in statistics at points.A couple of the chapters could have been easily trimmed down by a couple paragraphs and tables (and boy are there a lot of tables).However, I still think this book is an important contribution to the discussion of american community versus radical individualism.
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Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. 20th century    3. Anthropology - Cultural    4. Community    5. History    6. Social Classes    7. Social Interaction    8. Social Science    9. Social change    10. Social conditions    11. Sociology    12. Sociology - General    13. United States    14. United States - 20th Century    15. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    16. Cultural studies    17. Social Science / Sociology / General    18. Social groups & communities    19. USA   

Reviews (4)

Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals
I have not had a chance to read the material yet.

A Powerful Mentoring Model
I was fortunate to attend a workshop one year ago which included this book and two of the three authors, DeVol and Dreussi-Smith. They highlighted the content of the book, to an audience of counselors, social workers, case managers, residential treatment staff for chemical dependency recovery, and prevention specialists.This book spotlights the culture of poverty, and the distinct differences in the way in which the poor, the middle class and the wealthy view the world from their unique vantage points.I was enlightened in learning to understand the frames of references of persons without savings, present time- orientation, and the differences in the way each class views, uses and perfects the resources of each cultural status.
stimulating book/novice reviewer
I'm currently furthering my education as an intern at a Catholic Charities branch whose Outreach Dept. -(small but succinct, assertive & powerfully proactive)- is building an 'Out of Poverty' program based on "Bridges," concomitantly constructing a more narrowily focused faith-based/interfaith version.The OR dept. received intensive & extensive training in a comprehensive & extended Bridges seminar presented -(rather dynamically I am told)- by Mr. Devol, CCDC/OCPC (I am under the impression neither Dr. Payne nor Ms. Smith MAEd/OCPC accompanied Mr. DeVol).Going from manual labor to the social services has involved much paradigmatic & theoretical integration -(& overhaul-and-reintegration)- for me as a professional; as a novice, my ruminations carry little weight.I am, however, surrounded by well-educated mentor-veterans who are dyamically implementing a variation of "Bridges" 'to the hilt.' -- I am priveleged to be a part of this pragmatic & collaborative dynamism.Whether this is ingratiative for the novice, a paragon for the veteran worker, or both, I am unsure; I can only say with infinitesimal (& anecdotal) authority that it is already helping me immensely.I am, in addition, confident that it will continue to abet my internship & catalyze my fresh work experience. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Physical    2. Poverty    3. Social Science    4. Sociology   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Anthropology - General    3. Applied anthropology    4. Archaeology / Anthropology    5. Ethnology    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Social & cultural anthropology    9. Social Science / Anthropology / General   

Reviews (9)

Bible of Open Space
This is a very good hand-book for open space newcomers.Easy to understand and easy to read.I strongly suggest this book for anybody who want to start learning open space technology

One of the most valuable books in the world
As Brookings revealed in 2000, most of the world's 10000 biggest organisations don't yet have the measures to govern the vast majority of value now produced in services and knowledge businesses because as our networking age blossoms value dynamics are mainly intangible, deeply woven into the human relationships we self-organise, not for precise planning and overpowering command and control from the top. Value multiplication is a core gravity which should be embedded in everyone's right to work, learn , behave openly. a "How to" book
I recommend using open space tehcnology and/or other large scale intervention techniques to mine the collective emotional intelligence of a group of people (this may be your company, or people from an acadamic field you belong to). Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Communication - Meetings & Presentations    4. Business/Economics    5. Conference rooms    6. Congresses and conventions    7. Cultural And Social Anthropology    8. Decision Making & Problem Solving    9. Employee Participation In Management    10. Entrepreneurship    11. Group decision-making    12. Management - General    13. Planning    14. Spatial behavior    15. Project management    16. Trade fairs & exhibitions   

Reviews (4)

Excellent collection, a standard in anthro -- and the 12th is DIFFERENT from the11th
I've used this collection off and on for years in teaching Introduction to Cultural Anthropology.It's a great book, a real standard in anthropology.Honestly, I think the relevance and quality of the essays varies from edition to edition.I liked the 11th more than the 12th.Sometimes a 'favorite' essay gets replaced; and then in the next edition it is returned.Go figure.
Good stuff
The book came fast and it was brand new.The book was crisp.It's a soft covered book but it still made that new hard-textbook sound. :0)

Excellent introduction to cultural anthropology!
This text was used in my introductory anthropolgy class, and I thoroughly enjoyed the readings. The text includes many case studies of differing cultures without being overly technical. I found this text easy to read, but very thought provoking. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Cultural And Social Anthropology    5. Ethnology    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Social & cultural anthropology    9. Social Science / Anthropology / General   

Editorial Review

It's an inspired idea--to better understand the human diet, explore what culturally diverse families eat for a week. That's what photographer Peter Menzel and author-journalist Faith D'Alusio, authors of the equally ambitious Read more

Reviews (17)

Wonderful Look at the World
If you enjoy the Material World series, you will love this book.It is a fantastic look at something that we all share, food, and how it can be so different around the world.Like traveling without leaving your couch.

Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today.Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Hungry Planet.I loved seeing the photos of each family representing a country on this great planet. It made me think about how much I pay for food during the week,and what my family eats. It also showed that the countries that ate more vegetables and less processed foods seemed to have less diseases and spent less.I also liked to read how members in thefamilies helped each other out with daily chores. I especially found the essay titled, Baked, Boiled, Roasted and Fried interesting. It was about how humans are the only species on Earth that cooks their food and that humans are not carnivores, but cookivores. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading other books by the this author and photographer team.

i was in the book
My name is Tyrone Demery and i am the younger son from the Revis family.
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Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Diet    3. Food    4. Food habits    5. Photo Techniques    6. Photoessays & Documentaries    7. Photography    8. Photography Of Specific Subjects    9. Pictorial works    10. Regional & Ethnic - International    11. Subjects & Themes - General    12. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/General    13. Food & Drink / Cookery    14. Photographs: collections   

Reviews (7)

Thought Provoking
This book is written primarily for academics. Wenger challenges educational institutions to re-think their basic assumptions about learning (e.g., its social aspects, its relationship to practice, and the role of teaching).
A foundation book that helps to put KM in perspective
You'll struggle to work through "Communities of Practice." Yet, if you persevere, you'll have gained a sound basis for evaluating and keeping in perspective the relative business value of all the recent advances in knowledge management. brilliant
One cannot be practically effective without being grounded in a philosophy. Philosophy leads to strategy, and strategy leads to a coordinated set of tactics and the opportunity to be proactive. Without it, tactics are reactive.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cognitive Psychology    2. General    3. Personality    4. Psychology    5. Anthropology    6. Learning, Psychology of    7. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality   

Reviews (7)

"Civic-ness" and Democracy
In the early 1970s, political power was decentralized in Italy.The power once held by the central government in Rome was reallocated to the newly created regional governments. Constitutionally, the regions possessed similar political institutions.However, the regions varied socially, economically and in political context.Putnam, seeing a ready laboratory for social science, chose to study the role of environmental factors on institutional performance in the new regional governments.Institutions serve as Putnam's independent variable, while a number of environmental factors act as the dependent variables.As such three main research questions emerged; 1) how does institutional change affect identity, power, and strategy of the regional political actors, 2) how is institutional performance a function of history, and lastly 3) which features of social context most powerfully affect institutional performance (8).
A Classic Text of Modern Political Science
Robert Putnam's work has become a Political Science classic.His work is part of new area of research -- civic participation.During the past decade, this area has exploded from obscurity twenty years ago to being one of the most popular fields today.Putnam's works have had a profound impact on many other areas in the Political Science world, from local governance to international political theory.Regardless of whether you agree with his theories, if you are at all interested in Political Science, it is a must read.Moreover, either "Marking Democracy Work" or "Bowling Alone" are becoming standard texts used in most 100 & 200 level undergraduate courses.

trite conclusions, flawed methodology... but engaging prose
It's unfortunate that given the opportunity and resources to study the birth and development of regional government in Italy over the course of twenty years, the best conclusions Putnam was able to draw from his observations are hackneyed paraphrases from Tocqueville. Most of his most careful fieldwork yields results that are stultifyingly obvious; and it's hard not to think that his questions and indicators were not deliberately chosen to demonstrate foregone conclusions. Probably most irritating to me is Putnam's irresponsible use of history as a tool for proving continuities that are largely imaginary.Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Government - U.S. Government    3. History & Theory - General    4. Political Science    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Central government    8. Italy    9. Local government    10. Political Science / History & Theory    11. Political Science and International Relations    12. Political science & theory    13. Political structures: democracy    14. Sociology    15. c 1970 to c 1980    16. c 1980 to c 1990   

Editorial Review

Among his many gifts, Joseph Campbell's most impressive was the unique ability to take a contemporary situation, such as the murder and funeral of President John F. Kennedy, and help us understand its impact in the context of ancient mythology. Herein lies the power of Read more

Reviews (104)

What a Wonderful Book
Joseph Campbell knows his subject, mythology and religious stories, so well that you can tell it has become instinctual for him to tie all the world's imagery and symbology together in a way that connects human beings in a truly transcendent way. This book clarifies how similar we all really are, at the core of our beings, despite where we live and in what millenia we are living in. So full of rich, thought-provoking conversation, I would recommend this to everyone, from young to old. It is just an awesome book that makes you fall in love with humans and human nature -- bad and good alike.

Brilliant
Both Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyer create a must read from their historic interview.This book has become my blueprint.

A book that seems to make religious nuts bitter.
Well versed and thought out, this book stands out and has been used in many of todays religion studies.Though some of his points can be perceived as "stretched", he is still a scholar in his field.It seems that the people that often criticize him and his works have little to no experience or education on the subject at hand and do it solely on the fact that it sometimes criticizes the monotony of modern and ancient religion.I recommend this book to everyone. Read the book and make your own educated determination. It could open your eyes and your mind.Or you can close your mind, avoid the book, and start a "crusade" against the author for speaking his opinion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1904-    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Campbell, Joseph,    4. Comparative Religion    5. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    6. General    7. Interviews    8. Myth    9. Philosophy    10. Religion    11. Religion historians    12. Religious    13. Sociology    14. Sociology of Religion    15. United States    16. Campbell, Joseph    17. Myths & mythology    18. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (63)

Could have been a lot better
The book is separated into 7 chapters, covering a pretty impressive variety of Halloween lore, beleifs and activities.
Halloween Traditions, Divinations, Recipes, Crafts and More
"Harvest moon, velvet sky, pumpkins glowing, children laughing, costumes, candy, snapping breezes...scary stories, Indian corn, haunted houses, smiling scarecrows, blowing leaves...apples, parties, spindly spiders, dancing bats, grinning ghosts, sparkling stars...hayrides, dances, screeching cats, big bonfires...just where did this autumn gaiety begin?" - Silver RavenWolf
My Favorite Holiday
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. In here the history of the holiday Halloween is explored as well as the second half is interesting recipes for Halloween goodies. Halloween is actually a neopagan holiday but a lot don't celebrate it because it scares them. Well it doesn't scare me. Finally a book that is a non-condemning tome about the subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    2. Body, Mind & Spirit    3. Divination    4. Halloween    5. History    6. Holidays (non religious)    7. Holidays - General    8. Magic    9. Manners And Customs    10. New Age    11. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    12. Witchcraft    13. Witchcraft & Wicca    14. Body, Mind & Spirit / Witchcraft & Wicca    15. Customs    16. Occultism & quasi-religious beliefs    17. The Americas   

Editorial Review

First published in 1970, this extraordinary book changed the way Americans think about the original inhabitants of their country. Beginning with the Long Walk of the Navajos in 1860 and ending 30 years later with the massacre of Sioux men, women, and children at Wounded Knee in South Dakota, it tells how the American Indians lost their land and lives to a dynamically expanding white society. During these three decades, America's population doubled from 31 million to 62 million. Again and again, promises made to the Indians fell victim to the ruthlessness and greed of settlers pushing westward to make new lives. The Indians were herded off their ancestral lands into ever-shrinking reservations, and were starved and killed if they resisted. It is a truism that "history is written by the victors"; for the first time, this book described the opening of the West from the Indians' viewpoint. Accustomed to stereotypes of Indians as red savages, white Americans were shocked to read the reasoned eloquence of Indian leaders and learn of the bravery with which they and their peoples endured suffering. With meticulous research and in measured language overlaying brutal narrative,Dee Brown focused attention on a national disgrace. Still controversial but with many of its premises now accepted, Read more

Reviews (134)

Tragedy as history
This book details the atrocities and lies that propelled the U.S. through one of the most savage campaigns of destruction and theft in the history of the world.I couldn't put it down and I couldn't feel good about any of it.The machinations and manipulations have never been clearer to me than what Dee Brown presents.It's a must-read for every American who wants to know what this country was like a couple generations ago.

How the West was lost
This is a fantastic classic detailing the demise of the plains Indians and deals with them incident by incident, tribe by tribe, chief by chief from around the 1850s to the early 20th century.
Rebalancing Process
This is a harrowing book to read, yet withal it is very informative and gripping. It was first published a considerable time ago, yet its impact is still great - one can't fail to be moved by the plight of the Indians when faced with the tidal wave of white emigration. It struck me that this could almost be described as a nineteenth century version of the execrable film "Independence Day" except that there's no implausible happy ending.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: American    5. Indians of North America    6. Native American    7. Native Americans    8. United States - General    9. Wars    10. West (U.S.)    11. American history    12. Indigenous peoples    13. Western & Pacific Coast states   

Editorial Review

Geraldine Brooks spent two years as a Middle East news correspondent, covering the death of Khomeini and the like. She also learned a lot about what it's like for Islamic women today.Brooks' book is exceedingly well-done--she knows her Islamic lore and traces the origins of today's practices back to Mohammed's time. Personable and very readable, Brooks takes us through the women's back door entrance of the Middle East for an unusual and provocative view. ... Read more

Reviews (129)

Disappointing rehash
I guess it is a good market now for anything about Islam. This is all old news, looks like reworked columns. Not insightful, not fresh, just tired old stuff mainly about middle to upper class women. Save your money.

Slightly dated but still very informative book
Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks details, as the subtitle says, the HIdden World of Islamic Women.Brooks is an Australian reporter who spent the late 80s and early 90s doing a lot of Middle East reporting, and spent a lot of time with Muslim women in various Middle Eastern countries at a time when fundamentalism was on the rise and had already triumphed in a few countries.She spoke with women who embraced a return to traditional women's roles (often symbolized by taking on the veil or chador or otherwise covering oneself and turning away from Western fashion and styles) and those who resisted it in countries like Egypt and Lebanon, which had had a more liberated tradition, and those trying to negotiate for greater liberalism for the first time in areas like Saudi Arabia and the gulf states. A Peek Under The Veil
What a wonderful read!I love all of Brooks' book, but I think this is the best by far!She takes the reader into a forbidden world.What a journey! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. Islam - General    4. Middle East    5. Muslim women    6. Muslims    7. Social Science    8. Social conditions    9. Sociology    10. Women    11. Women in the Koran    12. Women's Studies - General    13. Islamic studies    14. Social Science / Women's Studies    15. Women's studies   

Reviews (2)

Bourdieu kicks Foucault's ...
How could anyone put Foucault above Bourdieu?Bourdieu has a rigorous sociology behind his work & provides a real theoretical groundwork to reconcile materialist, interpretive/symbolic and interactionist perspectives.Foucault on the other hand has led anthropologists down a slippery slope of prevarication, vagueness, grandstanding and an obsession with a hollow & impoverished idea of what constitutes a "critical" stance.

excellent ideas, a lot of ethnography
For anyone interested in cultural studies or in ethnology/ anthropology/ sociology, _Outline_ is a must read.Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Ethnology    3. Kabyles    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. Sociology - Social Theory    7. Kabyles - Addresses, essays, lectures    8. Social Science / Anthropology / General    9. Social theory   

Reviews (6)

A lot of text but many unanswered questions
I take no issue with Christian Ratsch. He is a prolific writer and someone with influence in the world of ethnobotany. However, I want to write a valuable and honest review here. This book is enormous. I know of no other book worth buying that contains as many plants as this one (in relation to a mind enhancing context). In this regard, the book is highly valuable. There are also plenty of photos which give it an artistic quality.
All in one place.
Save time and research.This book is huge and packed.Has information on just about any natural drug source legal or not.This book is so big and packed full of information it would be hard to ever get tired of thumbing through this book.

Perfect
This book is absolutely essential for anyone interested in the topic of entheogens and their use/history. Buy it now! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Body, Mind & Spirit    3. Encyclopedias    4. Ethopharmacology    5. Healing - General    6. Herbal Medications    7. Life Sciences - Botany    8. Medical Anthropology    9. Nature    10. New Age    11. Pharmacodynamics    12. Plants - General    13. Psychiatry - Psychopharmacology    14. Psychotropic plants    15. Botany & plant sciences    16. Drug-induced states    17. Medical / Drug Guides    18. Pharmacology    19. Reference works   

Features

• Box set

Subjects:  1. Anatomy    2. Anatomy, Comparative    3. Animal Anatomy    4. Anthropology - Physical    5. Central nervous system    6. Life Sciences - Anatomy & Physiology    7. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    8. Neuroanatomy    9. Neurology - General    10. Science    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Vertebrates    13. Evolution    14. Gehirn    15. Medical / Neuroscience    16. Neurosciences    17. Vergleichende Anatomie    18. Wirbeltiere    19. Zentralnervensystem    20. brain    21. comparative anatomy   

Editorial Review

By a recent count, the continent of Africa comprises some 1,300 cultures. Some of them number millions of people, some only a few families; some are thriving, while others are in danger of disappearing, the victims of acculturation or, in extreme cases, of genocide. This diversity--and the dangers to it--is little known outside Africa. PhotographersCarol Beckwith andAngela Fisher highlight both matters in Read more

Reviews (12)

Book is good, but the supplement CD is...
There is no-doubt about the photos are more than good.
See it before it disappears
A beautiful look at cultural conventions that may soon be relegated to the quaint and unusual.

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
HOW CAN ANYONE SAY THAT THESE CULTURES DON'T EXIST ANYMORE, OR THIS IS AN AFRICA THAT NO LONGER EXISTS. THEY TOOK THESE PICTURESWITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS.. DIDN'T THEY ? DUH ?EVERYONE KNOWS THERE IS A COMMON EVERYDAY AFRICA.. GOING TO WORK GENERAL LIVING ( JUST LIKE US HERE IN AMERICA FOLKS) BUT STILL THERE IS AFRICAN TRIBAL SPLENDOR. JUST LIKE IN AMERICA INDIAN'S GET TOGETHER FOR TRIBAL POW WOWS. THEY STILL EXIST TOO. THE PICTURES IN THIS BOOK ARE SHOCKINGLY GORGEOUS...AFRICAN PEOPLE STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL. PLEASE! THE MEN ARE HANDSOME, THE WOMEN WONDEROUS. IT JUST MAKES ME WONDER WHY THE EUROPEAN STANDARD, HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE "STANDARD" OF BEAUTY. THIS REVUE MAY SOUND SHALLOW, BUT IF YOUR INTO THE HUMAN HAS ART FORM ...BUY THIS BOOK!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Africa - General    3. Anthropology - Cultural    4. Customs & Traditions