The Art of Protest: Culture and Activism from the Civil Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle

Book Description

Imagine the civil rights movement without freedom songs and the politics of women's movements without poetry. Or, more difficult yet, imagine an America unaffected by the cultural expressions and forms of the twentieth-century social movements that have shaped our nation. The first broad overview of social movements and the distinctive cultural forms that express and helped shape them, The Art of Protest shows the vital importance of these movements to American culture. In comparative accounts of movements beginning with the African American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and running through the Internet-driven movement for global justice ("Will the revolution be cybercast?") of the twenty-first century, T. V. Reed enriches our understanding of protest and its cultural expression. Reed explores the street drama of the Black Panthers, the revolutionary murals of the Chicano movement, the American Indian Movement's use of film and video, rock music and the struggles against famine and apartheid, ACT UP's use of visual art in the campaign against AIDS, and the literature of environmental justice. Throughout, Reed employs the concept of culture in three interrelated ways: by examining social movements as sub- or countercultures; by looking at poetry, painting, music, murals, film, and fiction in and around social movements; and by considering the ways in which the cultural texts generated by resistance movements have reshaped the contours of the wider American culture. The United States is a nation that began with a protest. Through the kaleidoscopic lens of artistic and cultural expression, Reed reveals how activism continues to remake our world.

Customer Reviews:

public happiness.......2006-10-03

I ordered this book to use in my women's studies class. I know TV Reed and I knew it would be good. But I didn't realize how extraordinary this book was. I am reading it now along side my students, haven't even finished it yet, but I am so excited by it I just have to talk about it!

At one point Reed describes the pleasure that politics must have in various forms -- the book is full of the power and meaning of a range of arts, especially in community and popular culture. He refers to Hannah Arendt and the idea of public happiness, that sense of exhilaration that suffuses one's being in moments of political engagement and collective action. Reading this book is some kind of public/private happiness too. One feels taken up through his appraisals of arts into his histories of various movements. Murals, poetry, drama, music, graphic arts, movies -- they shape our creative politics and the possibilities of our attachments and engagements with each other and through and about political culture. All these connections are inspirational in their detail and for emulation.

Thus it is also a handbook for activists, full of wise counsel for how to do cultural work and how to participate in and care about mobilization, organizing and direct action.

I also love its great heart and intellectual breadth: activist honor, dignity and integrity. Reed's generous spirit combined with sharp analysis clarifies strengths and limitations within particular movement histories, things we have to know to do good political work and to be active beings creating social justice.

This is a history of social movements, a set of tools for cultural workers, an intervention into the way we critique each other's political practices, and a sharing of spirit among activisms and arts.

And I haven't even finished it yet! Now I want all my students to read it or to have read it! I want to give it to everyone I know!

Author's description.......2005-10-15

Imagine the civil rights movement without freedom songs or the politics of women's movements without poetry. More difficult yet, imagine an America unaffected by the cultural expressions of the twentieth-century social movements that have shaped our nation. The first broad overview of social movements and the distinctive cultural forms that helped shape them, The Art of Protest shows the vital importance of these movements to American culture.

In comparative accounts of movements beginning with the African American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and running through the Internet-driven movement for global justice of the twenty-first century ("Will the revolution be cybercast?"), T. V. Reed enriches our understanding of protest and its cultural expression. Reed explores the street drama of the Black Panthers, the revolutionary murals of the Chicano movement, the American Indian Movement's use of film and video, rock music and the struggles against famine and apartheid, ACT UP's use of visual art in the campaign against AIDS, and the literature of environmental justice. Throughout, Reed employs the concept of culture in three interrelated ways: by examining social movements as sub- or countercultures; by looking at poetry, painting, music, murals, film, and fiction in and around social movements; and by considering the ways in which the cultural texts generated by resistance movements have reshaped the contours of the wider American culture.

The United States is a nation that began with a protest. Through the kaleidoscopic lens of artistic and cultural expression, Reed reveals how activism continues to remake our world.

Book Description

Acclaimed photographer and anthropologist Martin Gray spent the last 20 years on an amazing pilgrimage: he visited 1,000 sacred sites in 80 countries around the world. His journey unfolds in a remarkable compilation of images that reveals just how devoutly pre-industrial cultures everywhere worshipped and respected our Earth. From the Western Wall to the Great Mosque of Damascus, Mt. Olympus to Assisi, Tibet’s Potala Palace to Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, Teotihuacán in Mexico to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, these are the awe-inspiring places from which all the world’s great religions sprang, along with our finest culture, art, and architecture. Gray’s stunning photographs and fascinating text provide unique insight into why these powerful holy places are the most venerated and visited sites on the entire planet. Maps adapted from the National Geographic Society show the locations of all the sites presented, and a thorough appendix includes a comprehensive list of over 500 of the world’s sacred sites.

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Funny, but not the kind of funny involving humor, hmm?

A certain brand of humor

Not one of the better New Yorker collections

Such a great book that I had to give it away!

The New Yorker isn't what it used to be

Fierce Pajamas: An Anthology of Humor Writing from The New Yorker (Modern Library Paperbacks)

Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0375761276
Release Date: 2002-10-15

Book Description

When Harold Ross founded The New Yorker in 1925, he called it a “comic weekly.” And although it has become much more than that, it has remained true in its irreverent heart to the founder’s description, publishing the most illustrious literary humorists in the modern era—among them Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Groucho Marx, James Thurber, S. J. Perelman, Mike Nichols, Woody Allen, Calvin Trillin, Garrison Keillor, Ian Frazier, Roy Blount, Jr., Steve Martin, and Christopher Buckley. Fierce Pajamas is a treasury of laughter from the magazine W. H. Auden called the “best comic magazine in existence.”

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When Harold Ross founded The New Yorker in 1925, he described it as a "comic weekly". And although it has become much more than that, it has remained true in its heart to the founder's description, publishing virtually every accomplished practitioner of literary laughter of the modern era: James Thurber, S. J. Perelman, Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Vladimir Nabokov, Donald Barthelme, George W. S. Trow, Groucho Marx, Veronica Geng, Ian Frazier, Garrison Keillor, Woody Allen, Bruce McCall, Roz Chast, Roger Angell, Steve Martin, Christopher Buckley, Susan Orlean, Wendy Wasserstein. This anthology will gather together, for the first time, many of these great writers' greatest work. It will include not only the straight parodies and spoofs for which The New Yorker has become the talk of many towns, but also humorous full-blown short stories, hilarious landmark reviews, and reporting as funny as it is informative. A wonderful gift for others or a delightful present for oneself, Fierce Pajamas will present the best examples of literary laughter in all its variations from a publication that for decades has defined America's heartiest and most sophisticated sense of humor.

Customer Reviews:

Funny, but not the kind of funny involving humor, hmm?.......2005-03-15

I was expecting this collection to be as funny and engaging as Nobody's Perfect. While the collection does have some highlights, notably Woody Allen and Steve Martin, a good bit of the book is more enjoyable as a historical observation on highbrow humor throughout the great magazine's long run. One of the fun parts about the book is trying to figure out when each piece was written, as you're reading it. That's one of the FUN parts. Hoo Hoo Hoo.

A certain brand of humor.......2003-09-19

Reading this anthology from cover to cover wouldn't be recommended. Think of this book as a newspaper; pick the headlines and titles that engage you and go from there. You'll be surprised at what you find. Some of the reviewers here are saying the pieces aren't laugh out loud; I think there's just a certain brand of humor the New Yorker tends to eminate. If you're into light or witty pieces, or if you'd just like a different kind of comedy, try this book.
I particularly enjoy Bruce McCall's pieces. "In the New Canada, Living is a Way of Life," he sarcastically marvels at the way Canadians deal with only one living room, one swimming pool, and are somehow able to answer his request for the time in perfect English.
Andy Borowitz's "Emily Dickinson, Jerk of Amherst" is a hilarious insight into a young man's (obviously fictional) relationship with the literary Belle. "Who, then, was the real Emily Dickinson? Daughter of New England in chaste service to her poetry, or back-stabbing gorgon who doctored your bowling score when you went to get more nachos?"
A wonderful collection of great short stories.

Not one of the better New Yorker collections.......2003-08-26

Although I am a big fan of The New Yorker, I'm sorry to say this book did not make me laugh. I found it too obscure and I felt stupid I was not familiar with all the proper nouns. The one story here that is an exception is Larry Doyle's "Life Without Leanne," a wonderfully-crafted and indeed funny short short. I was hoping for some basic humor in this volume about everyday life, which follows other recent collections The New Yorker has put out in recent years ("Wonderful Town," "Nothing But You," etc.), and am sadly disappointed.

Such a great book that I had to give it away!.......2003-07-27

I bought this book to take on vacation and my hosts loved the book so much that I had to leave it with them...and since I couldn't finish all the essays, I'm going to have to buy it again. It's so funny. I'm going to buy it for gifts... It's a riot.

The New Yorker isn't what it used to be.......2003-02-21

I was very disappointed in the book. Perhaps I shouldn't be, because it's been evident for decades that The New Yorker has deteriorated sadly since the days Harold Ross was editing it. After all, what can one think of a magazine that published 'The Greening of America'?

I found several humorous articles, but they were all written before 1950.

If you're interested in humor, a MUCH better bet is Muir's "The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose". It contains many articles which first appeared in The New Yorker, along with other funny pieces from all over the world

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Fierce Pajamas: Selections from an Anthology of Humor Writing
Finder, David, Henry Remnick
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B00005UPU1

Book Description

Since its release on Ash Wednesday 2004, The Passion of the Christ has become a commercial success of astonishing proportions, already ranking as one of the highest grossing films of all time. At the same time, it has created a torrent of controversy and debate, provoking passionate responses—both negative and positive—from people of widely divergent backgrounds and beliefs. It has exposed fundamental differences of opinion and belief about everything from the historical truth of the Bible to the political power of Hollywood.

Perspectives on the Passion of the Christ gathers together contributions from theologians, journalists, academics, and philosophers representing a wide spectrum of views and backgrounds. From the film's theological and historical underpinnings, to its cinematic and cultural implications, here is a balanced and thought-provoking exploration of the vital questions raised by The Passion of the Christ. Jews and Christians, evangelicals and agnostics, filmmakers and scholars—the film elicits fascinating responses from all. Among others, Jon Meacham of Newsweek looks hard at the historical record and asks, "Who Really Killed Jesus?" Rev. Susan Thistlethwaite asks why such an exceptionally violent movie has been embraced by so many conservative Christians and argues that The Passion of the Christ presents Jesus as a hero in a war movie; Rabbi Eugene Korn considers the movie's potential impact on interfaith relations; and Steve Martin offers an oblique comic view, from the perspective of a Hollywood insider.

Full of insight into a phenomenon that has raised so many burning and complex issues, this collection is the indispensable guide to understanding the cultural lightning rod that is The Passion of the Christ.

Customer Reviews:

Good Cross Section of Controversy But...........2005-05-28

This book did a good job of positing MOST (but not all) of the disparate perspectives generated by this movie. Indeed, I came away convinced that Gibson's assertions that this film was an honest representation of the Gospel to be disingenuous at best. He clearly had a medievalist, anti-Vatican II agenda to promote, a MelGibsonian Cult spinoff of Catholicism better suited to 14th century Germany than anywhere else. As a a non-denominational Christian (that in itself will make "true believers" question my sincerity), I was offended by the constant pre-screening debate over the implied anti-Semitism, and concluded this was the product of the Jewish Media's Instant Counterattack Mode on anything that even remotely resembles a stain on Hebrews or their religion. But, reflecting on the film and the criticisms in this book, I have reluctantly concluded there is some merit to the comments. Gibson could have shot the scenes in a different way and remained faithful to the sketchy, inconsistent Gospels. However, having said that, the critics seem to want to have this two ways, select the parts of Scripture they like, while denigrating or minimizing the clear message that the Jews WERE responsible for Jesus' death, with the Romans puzzled partcipants in what was to them a heathen socio-religious internal battle.
This statement will doubtless level at me the tired accusations routinely delivered to those who repeat the Truth, but in doing so my accusers will naturally miss the point entirely. Jesus' death at the hands of his own people represents the sins of all men who would rather murder a countryman than face the demons in their mirrors.
In conclusion, this book is a worthy contribution to the discussion on troubling questions we have as a society with one foot in this century and one or two toes still lingering in the last 300 years.

Needs a Bit More Perspective.......2004-09-07

The film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST has certainly caused a stir in the United States and abroad. The film has its defenders as well as its critics and has been labeled a Godsend by some and controversial by others. It has also led to many discussions. To aid in discussion of the film, a book PERSPECTIVES ON THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST has been published. The book is a collection of essays which talk about significant concerns of the movie. The contributors are from a variety of backgrounds, both Christian and Jewish, and do their best to point out the problems and difficulties in this film. Many of the contributors were advisors on the Gibson project, and we learn as we read that some of their concerns were well received, and other concerns ignored. There are essays which state the concerns that the movie could be interpreted in anti-Semitic ways. Given the fact that there are people who still use the scriptures as a basis for anti-Semitism and extremist groups love food for fodder in their atrocious activities, concerns about the film are justified and necessary. There are also essays regarding the ways Catholics view the film as opposed to Evangelical Christians and discussions about Jesus Christ in America today. There is even a tongue-in-cheek essay about the movie industry by comic Steve Martin. All of these essays are well written and give the reader something to ponder, and religious educators points which should be covered if the film is used in an educational setting.

While I do appreciate the points of view of many of the contributors of this volume, I do not believe it really gives the reader, for lack of a better word, perspective. Perhaps this is the reason, I found the book lacking. While critical essays are important, we also need essays by people who actually liked the film. As someone who saw the film, appreciated its merits while agreeing with some of the criticisms, I saw something else going on in the minds and hearts of most people I know who have viewed the film. The movie touched people in a way that very few films do, at least films that are as mass-marketed as THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. If we really want a book that gives perspective, we need to read about the ways that this film moved people and what it says about faith in America. We need essays which tell us why more people saw the film than attend Church on a regular Sunday and what churches are doing right and wrong when it comes to evangelization. How do people of different cultures view this film? What doe this film tell us about suffering and injustice? When people I know talk about this film, these are the issues that arise.

If there is one thing that THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST succeeded in doing, it is getting people to talk about Jesus' death on the cross. In America, we like our Jesus to be the guy in sandals preaching love and justifying our points of view. We only look at part of Jesus. "The Passion" made us look at the part we like to ignore, but cannot ignore. THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST has made people look at faith once again, and wrestle with ancient texts in a modern world. Regardless of how one feels about the actual film, this new discussion is a good thing, and perhaps a second volume of perspectives, which highlights some of the positive ways the film has impacted Christians would be helpful.

Progressive and probably right, but one-sided.......2004-08-19

As an active Protestant who went to see "The Passion," I found myself having quite an unexpected reaction. I'd assumed that I'd find the violence too much to bear, and that I'd walk out of the theater angry with Mel Gibson for trying to strengthen my faith (or convert me) by making me feel guilty about my sinfulness. However, I actually walked away from the movie primarily with a desire to do more research into the relationship between Jesus' human and divine characteristics. Jesus' suffering was something I'd never before contemplated; the movie helped remind me that Christ was indeed human and suffer like a human (regardless of the disputed nature of the extent of that suffering). I also found the resurrection scene, which critics have described as brief and depicting a "war-like" Jesus marching off (to fight his "killers," whomever they may be, suggests one "Perspectives" author), to be succinct, yes, but incredibly powerful, and contrary to the reviewer who saw a warrior-like grimace on Christ's face, I saw a smile. However, despite my gut reactions to the film's message and images, I intellectually had problems with the historical depictions of times, places and people.

That being said, I felt conflicted as I read "Perspectives." As much as I agreed intellectually with the authors' concerns about the historical accuracy about the nature of the suffering, the comparative roles of Pilate and Caiaphas in Jesus' sentencing, and the depictions of the Jews as a blood-thirsty crowd, I couldn't help but feel that essays that failed to see ANYTHING positive in the movie were somehow attacking Christianity. I know that's a ridiculous sentiment seeing as how many of the authors were actually Catholic theologians (priests, etc.), and the unspoken emphasis was on how horrified these Christians were to see Christ's message distorted (or ignored) by Gibson, but I still think it says something about the book.

Overall, I think that the book is a thought-provoking collection of essays that emphasize history over religiosity and take issue mainly with Gibson's depictions of "the Jews" and of Pilate's queasiness (historically inaccurate) to execute Jesus. What these scholars fail to take into account, however, is that Pilate may have in fact recognized, in some capacity, that he was dealing with no ordinary rabble-rouser. I would have enjoyed reading an essay or two by someone who completely supported Gibson's effort (though I would not necessarily have agreed with it). A fine book, but not one that can be called unbiased.

Sample proves tempting.......2004-08-02

I picked up this book a Barnes & Noble today and flipped it open to the essay by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite. This was a fantastic quick read. She critiques both the movie and the theology behind the movie. If the rest of the essays in this book are half as thought provoking as this one, it will be a real find for those interested in exploring the polemics between modern, progressive theological thinking and the more orthodox, fundamentalist point of view.

PERSPECTIVES ON THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST: RELIGIOUS THINKERS AND WRITERS EXPLORE THE ISSUES RAISED BY THE CONTROVERSIAL MOVIE

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PERSPECTIVES ON THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST: RELIGIOUS THINKERS AND WRITERS EXPLORE THE ISSUES RAISED BY THE CONTROVERSIAL MOVIE

Manufacturer: Miramax Books New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IACZTQ

Book Description

Detroit in the 1960s was a city with a pulse: people were marching in step with Martin Luther King, Jr., dancing in the street with Martha and the Vandellas, and facing off with city police. Through it all, Motown provided the beat. This book tells the story of Motown--as both musical style and entrepreneurial phenomenon--and of its intrinsic relationship to the politics and culture of Motor Town, USA.

As Suzanne Smith traces the evolution of Motown from a small record company firmly rooted in Detroit's black community to an international music industry giant, she gives us a clear look at cultural politics at the grassroots level. Here we see Motown's music not as the mere soundtrack for its historical moment but as an active agent in the politics of the time. In this story, Motown Records had a distinct role to play in the city's black community as that community articulated and promoted its own social, cultural, and political agendas. Smith shows how these local agendas, which reflected the unique concerns of African Americans living in the urban North, both responded to and reconfigured the national civil rights campaign.

Against a background of events on the national scene--featuring Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Nat King Cole, and Malcolm X--Dancing in the Street presents a vivid picture of the civil rights movement in Detroit, with Motown at its heart. This is a lively and vital history. It's peopled with a host of major and minor figures in black politics, culture, and the arts, and full of the passions of a momentous era. It offers a critical new perspective on the role of popular culture in the process of political change.

Customer Reviews:

Powerful episodes in a work that dispels Motown myths.......2007-03-10

Motown is inescapable these days. I was talking with a friend on the phone today and she was mentioning how Michael Jackson was on TV in Tokyo. Motown directly and indirectly has influenced black culture so much and this Dreamgirls moment is a mighty opportunity to peer beyond the veil and see some of the less talked about sides of Motown.

Many focus on the content of Motown music but Motown as a case study in Black Capitalism is a more prickly topic. Suzanne Smith chooses to highlight several episodes in Motown's history against the history of Detroit that was taking place behind it. In this book you're getting exposed to some lesser known events in Motown's history along with community history of Detroit. This book will be of greatest interest to scholars in the music business and urban history. I don't feel that this is the best place for those to turn who just like the sound of Motown's music and want to learn more.

Suzanne Smith's perspective is that Motown had to be a Black Business due to the nature of its times and the affect that its music had on its surrounding community. In a little bit over 250 pages of text [thorough academic references take up the rest], it's hard to make a rock solid case for that point. Conventional wisdom is that Berry Gordy was a *family* capitalist more than a black capitalist and Motown was more about making money for the Gordy family than the Detroit community. Motown struggled to scale up when the Supremes hit big at the same time that the nation lost its faith in coalition politics. Rather than go Black Power, Gordy became focused on Hollywood and abandoned the grassroots foundation of Motown. I feel that's more the interpretation in other books that I've read on the topic and this book wasn't thorough enough to overturn that perspective.

On the other hand, this book certainly spices that conventional wisdom up a bit. I recently purchased and read Perniel Joseph's "Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of the Black Power Movement". This book offers an effective cultural complement to that work. Joseph talks about Rev. Albert Cleage, father of popular novelist Pearl Cleage. In Dancing in the Street you learn more about the cultural battles that Detroit leaders like Rev. Cleage and Rev. C.L. Franklin, father of Aretha Franklin, were fighting to raise the status of black people in a city that was losing industrial jobs.

There are some stories in this book that add complexity to my understanding of Motown. I did not realize that Langston Hughes had recorded for Motown. I did not know that the Supremes had recorded a public service movie for a campaign to raise money for a local charity and that Florence Ballard was included in the movie despite Cindy Birdsong's replacing her to maintain ties to the hometown fans! Like Barack Obama in 2007, Motown had a delicate balance to maintain with national and international ambitions as a goal even as they had to continually convince local talent to be part of the Motown family at submarket wages. I think that this book was written well before the documentary Standing In the Shadows of Motown, and that makes it seem a little hollow at times. On the exploitation of artists, this book focuses more on the Holland, Dozier, Holland suit as an example of exploitation and chooses not to engage in the biographies of the artists as much.

I feel that this book would have needed to be more detailed and have more primary interviews with living Motown artists and some new interviews with Berry Gordy by the author to be a highest priority read for Motown heads. As it stands, this is still a good book for those interested in urban history and some of the less frequently told tales of the Motown empire.

3.5 stars.

--SD

Szatmary, Amazon's reviewer, is a bit "naive" himself........2004-09-11

Professor Suzanne E. Smith' project *Dancing in the Streets: Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit* is a well-written and fascinating work of revisionist, myth-busting history. For perhaps no other musical institution has been given such a large free pass for (mis)representing its founder's ideology as the company's actual history.

The story of Motown is usually told as the early story of Berry Gordy, a member of an Black entrepreneurial family who borrows $800 from his other family members and ends up the king of a musical empire, thus proving the Horatio Alger myth that anyone (even an African-American) with a little grit and determination can succeed in America. But such a story fails to account for much of the instituional, and ideological factors that made a specific type of entrepreneurial cultural production possible in Detroit, Michigan. Along with churches, temples, businesses, newspapers and activists, we are treated to a history of Motown that is deeply inscribed in an underclass familial net of relationships and social networks, given a boost by black media and a history of both jazz production and humanistic training for songwriters and musicians in the Detroit educational system. Not in the least, there was the automotive industry, which was both a source of Black humilation, frustation, and yet inspiration for adapting technologies and industrial processes of streamling and assembly-line production. Motown literally manufactured its artists using the same separate teams for songwriting, backup production, etiquette and image cultivation for all its artists. As the business grows the model remains, although soon Motown is a multi-million dollar international industry, and no longer a small paternalistically run family operation.

Throughout it all, Motown is given a both a special place in the Black community and a difficult role in attempting to market its product to a larger white (and mostly teenage) audience. Indebted to the civil rights ideologies of Booker T. Washington and Carter G. Woodson, Motown maintains an ambivalent relationship with the fracturing civil rights movement and its divergent leaders and interests. As the tumultuousness of 1967 and 1968 come forth, the fissures at Motown erupt, as many artists demand a greater profit-sharing, and more creative control over their music and roles at the company. We see and follow the careers and songs of the Supremes, Little Stevie Wonder, Martha and the Vandellas, and well as The Miracles and Marvin Gaye. Smith builds a woven patchwork of cultural history and its emergent politics around several different themes, such as the rise and ultimate failure of Black capitalism to remain tied to its original community, the uses or Motown for the greater Detroit black community, and the role of other Motown among other institutions in ameliorating economic and political hardship for the Black community, both locally and nationally. We get to set not only the production side of Motown, but also the myriad ways that the music was inextricably interwoven and read into the lives of those who held it dear to Detroit' heart.

Methodologically, Smith does all this by using the theoretical perspective of Raymond Williams, who coined the concept "cultural formation." In Williams' view, it is impossible to understand "an intellectual or artistic project without also understanding its formation." Cultural formations are "simultaenously artistic forms and social locations." The relationship dynamic between the two structures the formation that emerges as a result of the synergistic effects of the individual projects, agents, and institutions involved. Each functions as a distinct agent with its own agendas and motivations, constituting a complex mosiac of reactions, relationships, and tensions. This is particularly well suited to an analysis of Motown Records, precisely because of the culturally mythological status it has acheived---an American everyman's music. But even the deep seated agendas and motivations that gave birth to this acheivement of seemingly apolitical universalism are themselves deeply political and reflect political consequences of judgments. These judgments to aggresively pursue a project of Black capitalism modeled on the industrial production of the automotive industrial ("assembly line production" of hit songs) are the efforts of Detroit's most famous "cultural producer," regardless of how the company may have attempted to steer clear of explicit poltical messages in its products as much as possible.

All in all, the book is a significant addition to recent scholarship. In depth for the cultural historian and Motown fan, but very easy and user-friendly for the casual reader. The book has been criticized for its approach to Black capitalism, but Smith's perspective is in no way "naive." Rather, it is solidly based in historical political economy of African-Amercan underdevelopment as discussed by Manning Marable, among others. Her criticism of Gordy is tempered, and is presently more as the inevitable consequence of becoming a large impersonal corporation that still uses paternalistic rhetoric towards its cultural workers and larger community while acting solely in its own self-interest. If Smith draws largely on black newspaper accounts, autobiography and insider media, it is not because she wishes to avoid "primary" sources, but is instead interested in drawing a picture of the relationships and interactions that emerge at the time among institutions as well as people--something not easily obtainable from interviews and other types of so-called "primary sources" years later. Of course, the political and hermeneutic assumptions inherent in classifying some sources as primary and others as secondary are themselves sometimes suspect. But that is a discussion for another time and place.

Great Book; Great City; A Time Not To Be Forgotten.......2000-05-16

Suzanne Smith deserves tremendous credit for transforming her love of Detroit, her home; her love of Motown, the soul music of her generation; and her love of historical analysis, the career she has chosen, into a remarkably readable and indeed breathtaking review of a city, a time, and a musical genre that is too often neglected. Sure, the most celebrated heirs of the Motown legend, the Jackson family, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, achieved fame and fortune. But Barry Gordy's Motown -- the Motown of European-Americans like Suzanne Smith, and the Motown of all of Detoit's people of color, needs to be remembered often and with affection. That Suzanne Smith can tell the story of Detroit in the turbulent 1960s with such style and grace, is a testament to her skill as an analyst of culture and her skill as one of the next generation of honored historians. Presently at George Mason University in Virginia, look for Professor Smith to soon teach from a tenured chair in Ann Arbor, Michigan; New Haven, Connecticut; or Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Come And Get These Memories!.......2000-04-13

This is Motor City history from the inside outward, and if you know the REAl city, from the Graystone Ballroom to the Chit Chat Club to WJLB and the City Wide Dry Cleaners, then you KNOW what I'm gettin into. A beautiful job of history that moves like the music of Hitsville, U.S.A. did. You go, girl!

Incisive Social History.......2000-03-25

An incisive combination of music journalism and pathbreaking social history about the city, people and circumstances that gave rise to, participated in, supported,and finally watched the physical exit from the Motor City in the early '70s of Motown Records. A vivid and unforgettable study of the roots of an important facet of American cultural history. Excellent.

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Star Wars Minis Accessories

Just as good as the first two

LOVE THIS GAME...This book is a great asset

NEW MISSIONS! NEW MAPS!

Ultimate Missions: Revenge of the Sith (Star Wars Miniatures: Accessory)
J. D. Wiker
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Champions of the Force Booster Pack (Star Wars Miniatures Product)

Star Wars Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Saga Edition

Alliance and Empire Booster Pack: A Star Wars Miniatures product (Star Wars Miniatures)

ASIN: 0786938420
Release Date: 2005-06-23

Book Description

A new handbook that helps players enhance their use of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Miniatures.

Third in a series of titles that accompany each Star Wars miniatures expansion, Ultimate Missions: Revenge of the Sith provides extended information and gameplay suggestions for anyone looking to maximize their Star Wars Miniatures experience. In addition to game-related content, this full-color product also contains a fold-out poster map and new color terrain tiles to diversify gameplay.

Customer Reviews:

Star Wars Minis Accessories.......2007-07-10

This book was not available in local stores as it is out of print now. Amazon had a copy of it brand new. Showed up in perfect, unused condition and in a timely manner. Glad I was able to find it here and at a great price!

Just as good as the first two.......2006-08-15

The Ultimate Missions for Revenge of the Sith pretty much mirrors the format of the first two books in the series, and is easily worth purchasing just for the new maps if nothing else (and there is a lot more). This book also shows (begins?) the trend of mixing the minis game and RPG info, as the last several pages are devoted to Episode 3 character RPG stats, which is outside the scope of the minis game, but fun to have nonetheless. As with the other books, some of the attempts at recreating movie situations make for terribly difficult missions, but this book should provide players of the game with many hours of ideas. A side note; most of the illustrations are excellent -- it's a very sharp looking book.

LOVE THIS GAME...This book is a great asset.......2005-08-02

If you love the Star Wars Universe you can probably make up your own senarios for the game, however, this book like the ones before it really make living the movies through the game easy to jump into. If nothing else the new maps alone make this worth the purchase.

NEW MISSIONS! NEW MAPS!.......2005-08-02

These Ultimate Mission books are brilliant. The maps are, as in past Ultimate Mission offerings, reason enough to get the book. But the wide range of missions is very welcome. Of course there are missions based on Episode III, but missions of highlight would be the addition of missions based on the events seen in the Clone Wars animated series from Cartoon Network. There are a few missions that use the maps found in the Revenge of the Sith starter game box set and the Clone Wars starter set as well. There are a couple missions that, if your collection of miniatures allows anyways, the choice to use miniatures from various sets, not just the Revenge set. It's cool to see one of these books acknowledge past sets and maps, not just stick to the new stuff.

Average customer rating:

Small Giants

Decent Examination of the Small-Scale, but Lacks Figures & Facts

breath of fresh air

Great Thought-Provoking Book

Small Giants

Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big
Bo Burlingham
Manufacturer: Portfolio Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1591840937

Book Description

How maverick companies have passed up revenue growth—and focused on greatness instead

Most books about successful businesses focus on public companies, where the definition for success is steady growth in revenue and profits. Yet there are many excellent, privately held companies marching to the beat of a different drum; they have stricken revenue and profit growth from the top of their mission statements. Instead, they define themselves by their passion for their products and their commitment to their employees, customers, and community—embracing a clarity and loyalty to purpose that's an anomaly in today's environment.

Small Giants is a fascinating book about the unconventional people who run these purpose-driven companies. Longtime Inc. magazine editor Bo Burlingham takes us deep inside these companies to determine the secret ingredient, the elusive “mojo” that makes them great.

He profiles fourteen of the best, including Anchor Brewing, CitiStorage, Clif Bar Inc., Righteous Babe Records, Reel Precision Manufacturing, and Zingerman's Community of Businesses. These companies are consistently profitable yet have consciously resisted convention by staying small and great instead of becoming large and mediocre.

For anyone who wants to explore America's most innovative and inspiring small business successes, this unique book is the place to start.

Customer Reviews:

Small Giants.......2007-09-21

I highly recommend this book to the business owner that wants a vision for his company. It doesn't have to be all about profits. They will come when you take care and build a relationship with your employees, customers, suppliers, and your community.

Decent Examination of the Small-Scale, but Lacks Figures & Facts.......2007-09-09

After reading Jim Collin's seminal work Good to Great, I became enamored with the idea of "scope" as it pertains to business success. I recalled hearing about Gore, the company, and how they do not allow any one of their offices to grow beyond 250 people - setting 250 as the magic number, above which intimacy, norms of reciprocity and mutual assistance are not possible. I started to crave a book that might address those very ideas from a Collins-esque standpoint. After some search, I found a book that Jim Collins had reviewed: "This well-written book should inspire thousands of entrepreneurs to reject a mantra of growth for growth's sake in favor of a passionate dedication to becoming the absolute best. Bo Burlingham reminds us of a vital truth: big does not equal great, and great does not equal big."

That was enough of an endorsement for me, and I dove right into reading. I came away somewhat disappointed by the less-than-rigorous methodology, but also energized by the ideas presented. Burlingham does not use the same exactitude in selecting the companies he features (largely because the financial reports are not public for the private groups he chose to focus on). Thus, it is difficult to appreciate his findings in the same way as I can appreciate Collins'.

However, Burlingham writes like the capable and clever journalist that he is (editor at Inc. magazine) and the pages turn easily. His chapters are divided as logically as possible, given the lack of concrete data. Much of what he presents is based off feeling, interviews, observation, and contemplative conclusions. He does not hesitate to label the success of these businesses as "mysterious" - following from "mojo" or (my preference) "spiritual terroir."

Read this book if you want to read some incredibly articulate leaders talking about their perspective on business. It is one of the best compilations of leader interviews I have read. The book groups the commentary together when appropriate, or allows one leader to dictate the chapter content entirely. Either way, Burlingham does a marvelous job of letting these men and women speak for themselves and their hard-won success. It is refreshing. The owner and CEO of Anchor Brewing, Fritz Maytag, is downright moving in his eloquence. Jay Goltz, head of Artists' Frame Service is brazenly pragmatic, but uses stories to speak to the underlying support of this leadership approach (managing is "also about learning how not to demotivate [your people]").

Do not read this book if you are looking for applicable solutions or step-by-step recommendations.

breath of fresh air.......2007-07-02

An intelligent analysis of successful small businesses. Comprehensive stories of small business done right. Inspires you to start your own company!

Great Thought-Provoking Book.......2007-06-27

I work for a small company that wants to be great. After reading the book I feel good about what we are doing and challenged to do better in some areas. If you are looking for a "how to be great" book, this is probably not the book for you. If you looking for a book to provoke some deep thought about the relationship between size and greatness, then I highly recommend this book.

Small Giants.......2007-05-17

This book has had a significant impact on our professional practice. It helps to explain why it is better to emphacize quality of service to both staff and consumer rather than growth for growth's sake. I would hope this book will be read by all small business owners.

Floyd W. Woods M.Ed.,O.D. bub7340@aol.com

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