The Rise and Decline of Public Interest in Global Warming: Toward a Pragmatic Conception of Environmental Problems

Book Description

Even in the face of growing evidence that global warming is a very real threat to human social systems, global warming has received relatively little media coverage. This book explores the possibility that one reason for this limited coverage may be that on a phenomenological level proposed solutions offered for global warming have not provided closure to the loss of taken-for-grantedness associated with the problematic disturbance of the everyday life world brought about by the initial problem claim. This lack of closure manifests itself in both the quantity of global warming media coverage and the types of claims made about global warming. To explore this issue the public arenas model of social problems is extended through a discussion of social action and typification drawn from the phenomenology of Alfred Schutz. A content analysis of the literature about global warming suggests that the types of proposed solutions to global warming in these sources have largely not permitted the taken-for-grantedness of the life world to be maintained. As a result media coverage of global warming has declined over the last twenty years and much of this coverage has been in the form of counter claims resulting in the dismissal of global warming as an issue worthy of public attention. This important book sheds light on the impact of the media on an issue of central interest to humanity.

Customer Reviews:

A perfect companion on a religious pilgrimage to Rome.......1999-04-27

The Jubilee Guide to Rome focuses on the four great basilicas of Rome and how a visit to these churches can be an integral part of a Christian's preparation for the Jubilee Year. Through exquisite photography and descriptive text, the authors point out details that the untrained eye would miss during a visit to these churches. The section on St. Peter's Basilica is especially informative - it weaves the architectural and spiritual details together as one. I wish I had found this book before leading my first pilgrimage to Rome. It will be a regular part of our spiritual preparation from here on. (And the size is perfect to tuck in a purse, pocket, or fanny pack!)

Amazon.com

T. J. Jones is black, Japanese, and white; his given name is The Tao (honest!), and he's the son of a woman who abandoned him when she got heavily into crack and crank. As a child he was full of rage, but now as a senior in high school he's pretty much overcome all that. With the help of a good therapist and his decent, loving, ex-hippie adoptive parents, he's not only fairly even-keeled, he has turned out to be smart and funny.

Injustice, however, still fills him with fury. So when big-deal football star Mike Barbour bullies brain-damaged Chris Coughlin for wearing his dead brother's letter jacket, T.J. hatches a scheme for revenge. He assembles a swim team (in a school with no pool) made up of the most outrageous outsiders and misfits he can find and extracts a conditional promise of those sacred letter jackets from the coach. After weeks of dedicated practice at the All Night Fitness pool, the seven mermen get good enough not to embarrass themselves in competition. The really important thing, though, turns out to be the long bus rides to meets, a safe place to share the hurts that have made them who they are. Meanwhile, T.J.'s father, who has taken in a battered little girl to ease his lifelong guilt over his role in the accidental death of a baby, tangles with another bully--her stepfather--and his growing murderous rage.

Chris Crutcher, therapist and author of seven prize-winning young adult books, here gives his many fans another wise and compassionate story full of the intensity of athletic competition and hair-raising incidents of child abuse. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

Book Description

There’s bad news and good news about the Cutter High School swim team. The bad news is that they don’t have a pool. The good news is that only one of them can swim anyway. A group of misfits brought together by T. J. Jones (the J is redundant), the Cutter All Night Mermen struggle to find their places in a school that has no place for them. T.J. is convinced that a varsity letter jacket–exclusive, revered, the symbol (as far as T.J. is concerned) of all that is screwed up at Cutter High–will also be an effective tool. He’s right. He’s also wrong. Still, it’s always the quest that counts. And the bus on which the Mermen travel to swim meets soon becomes the space where they gradually allow themselves to talk, to fit, to grow. Together they’ll fight for dignity in a world where tragedy and comedy dance side by side, where a moment’s inattention can bring lifelong heartache, and where true acceptance is the only prescription for what ails us.

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious, moving & instructive.......2007-07-13

This book might win a Newberry Award if it were for younger kids and didn't use naughty language. That's the sort of thing I'd compare it to.
I've never written a review before, but this book, which I listened to in my car with my 12-year-old daughter, was wonderful. We both laughed out loud a number of times; it's extremely witty (and the audio narrator does an excellent job). It's heart-breaking at times (child abuse, loss). And it's very instructive for young people trying to make sense of the world, especially complex issues involving race, psychology, child abuse, and such.
It's arguably a bit much for a 12-year-old -- lots of questionable language (authentic, but "naughty"), and a few references to people having sex (nothing graphic, though). I'd prefer it for years 15 and up, but my daughter seemed to get a lot out of it, and the parts that worried me ... well, I hope they sort of went over her head. But I was delighted to have her hear about life from the perspective of a multi-racial kid, especially one who accepts himself but still has to put up with grief from morons in his high school.

Talking Whale?.......2007-06-13

Whale Talk

Do you have a big heart full of the kind of love that you would give a friend or even a complete stranger? That's how the Tao (pronounced The Dow) is in the book Whale Talk by Christopher Crutcher. The book takes place in Spokane, Washington. T.J Jones (The Tao) and his teacher, Mr. Simet, get together a swim team for Cutter High School. Mr. Simet has one reason for the swim team, and T.J. has another for the team, but it's the complete opposite of Mr. Simet. T.J. wants to help Chris Coughlin out of his bulling problem (Chris is handicapped). T.J. ends up going to the State championship and winning two events. But after the Championship, a tragedy strikes, one that will haunt T.J. until the day he dies.

My favorite part of the book is when Chris Coughlin gives T.J. some love back. Through out this book, T.J. shows Chris the love a friend would give a friend. This makes it special because T.J. loved Chris as a friend, that Chris gave him love, in the form of something, in return, even when it wasn't expected.

The theme of the book is love. This book shows that if the world doesn't have love, it has hate and if you don't have love, you have hate. With out love in the world, there would be no peace. It also shows us that even if you are a different color you still have the right to be loved.

This book was one of the best books I've read. I would recommend it to anyone who has a big heart with enough love for everyone in the world. I liked this book so much, because it caused me to stop and think, to check and see if I had enough lover in my heart for everyone in the world, just as the characters had.

Definitely worth the time to read.......2007-03-08

Whale talk was an incredible book. Not only was it written in a way that kept your attention every second of it, but it covered several important themes. Almost anybody in highschool or even older would enjoy this book because of its relevance to school life. The subject of racism in this book makes the reade think. The main character is one of the only non-white residents of their town, and even their area of the state. His struggles with racism are mainly in an attempt to make life better for another little girl in his town, not to stand up for himself. The main character is all about fairness, and he will do whatever it takes to stand up to people making life worse for someone else. He is responsible for starting a swim team at his school that makes it easy to get a varsity letter. The biggest reason why he did that was so that the brother of a now-deceased school hero can get his coveted varsity letter. Because their school is such a jock school, the team of misfits is not very widely accepted. The team is made of social outcasts and unlikely athletes, but they all end up very close to eachother. This book was inspiring athletically and thought-provoking socially. I'd reccomend it to anyone.

WHALE TALK IS A VERY , VERY GREAT BOOK.......2007-02-10

WHALE TALK WAS VERY, VERY GOOD. I LIKED IT A LOT. IT HAD A LOT OF SWEAR WORDS IN IT, WHICH MADE ME WHAT TO READ IT MORE. THE PEOPLE IN THIS BOOK SWEAR A LOT LIKE I DO. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT SWIMMING AND SPORTS IF YOU LIKE SPORTS AND LIFE AND LITERATURE, THAN YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A TEAHER I HAD EVER ASSIGNED ME A BOOK WITH THIS AMOUNT OF SWEAR WOODS WHICH WAS ODD. THIS BOOK WAS A LITLLE HARD FOR ME TO READ BY MYSELF. THIS BOOK WAS A 220 PAGE BOOK, I LIKE LONG BOOKS WITH THAT MANY PAGES. YOU SHOULD ALSO TRY TO READ THESE OTHER CHRIS CRUTCHER BOOKS LIKE IRONMAN, STOTAN,AND CHINESE HANDCUFFS. CHRIS CRUTCHER SOUNDS LIKE A VERY GOOD AUTHOR.
ERIC, 16 YEARS OLD MISS WATER IS MY TEAHER

A whale of a good book!.......2007-01-18

This is perhaps the best book Crutcher has penned. It is a good technical novel with plenty of literary merit, but more importantly it will put your brain on spin cycle if you ever thought you had your mind made up about just about any social issue. It will literally turn your soul and make you think about the power of what comes out of your mouth as you brush up against the human condition each day. You might think they are mere words, but Crutcher shows us that what flows out of our mouth has the power to curse, or to bless--no matter what you believe about God. If you have any reluctant readers in your world hand them a copy of this book. I have used it in the classroom for my more rebellious students, and I have yet to have a kid hand it back to me without finishing it and then asking for another Crutcher book.

The Man Who Talks to Whales: the Art of Interspecies Communication

Average customer rating:

An Interesting Tidbit about Talking With a Raven.
A singularly fascinating read!

The Man Who Talks to Whales: the Art of Interspecies Communication
Jim Nollman
Manufacturer: Sentient Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0971078629

Book Description

This book is a dramatic true account of close encounters with the wild animals of our planet and the surprising events that unfold when one man talks to the animals and stops to listen to their response.

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting Tidbit about Talking With a Raven........2005-09-11

This environmental activist and music composer had one of his essays on nature writing included in THE GIFT OF BIRDS. Not only does he talk and communicate with whales, he also had a relationship with a 'touchy' raven in Northern Canada at the Arctic Circle. Together they took a hike over the Delta plain of the MacKenzie River, the raven leading half the time and serving as a sentinel at his tent in camp.

One of my favorite writers, Poe, felt far more vindictive about his own raven which he considered as a symbol of Death, going back to the Middle Ages where ravens were companions to witches, like the bird which counseled the evil queen in 'Snow White.' The Catholic Church maligned the raven because this midnight-black scavenger has a keen intellect. But talking to one out in the middle of nowhere?

Ravens possess a great variety of calls like parrots, mynahs, and mockingbirds. They are mechanical, like Whitt, the engineers of the avian world. Their calls correlate so closely with social behavior that it could be the rudiments of their own type of language. This underfed one purred like a housecat from a parallel universe down in the baritone range, at half the speed of a normal contented housecat like Star. They had a cat and mouse game on a treasure hunt for walrus ivory one thousand years old. I do believe Mr. Nollman has a good imagination.

First, they made eye contact which was difficult as birds have eyes on each side of the head and humans on a flat plane. He moved his head in concentric bird-like ways, cocking his long beaked face in differing positions. His long, intimidating scimitar beak which was three inches long and black as coal, started making sounds: croaking, squawking and cooing in a whispery, soothing tone. Together they made music with Jim using a Japanese Jew's harp (my dad called it a French harp) -- really a harmonica in syncopated four-four time.

"Immanuel Kent wrote that the human hand is the most visible aspect of the human sensibility." He's right, some hands are more slender and sensitive; in 'The Last Supper' the culprit who turned Christ in at the Garden where he prayed, was pictured as having one female hand.

According to raven protocol, there will be no touching. Human touch is taboo, the kiss of death among wild animals, and showed disrespect' thus, causing a rift. Like E. A. Poe's 'The Raven,' he squawks "nevermore" in Raven language, then forgave the indecent affront and continued to be the human's 'sentinel,' with his black silhouette stooped in a submissive pose. "Both of us striving to cultivate the novel 'camaraderie' that binds us to a middle ground of our own invention." Their relationship was elevated to a new level; "Let bygones be bygones."

Generic man is the meanest-spirited and most dangerous species in all of creation, a personification of evil. Some used birds for target practice. Sometimes a raven makes like a rooster escaped from the coop, sometimes considered a trickster, a comedian of birds. They were the first shamen, a true grodigy among animals. He claims that they had a good talk about the meaning of life, and the raven had written a sentence in his journal! Now, what could a raven write but "Nevermore'?!

Jim Nollman has also written SPIRITUAL ECOLOGY, THE BLEUGA CAFE, DOLPHIN DREAMTIME, ANIMAL DREAMING and THE CHARGED BORDER: WHERE WHALES AND HUMANS MEET. This essay is as good as any Brothers Grimm fairy tale, and as believable. What about ravens?

A singularly fascinating read!.......2002-03-29

The Man Who Talks To Whales: The Art Of Interspecies Communication is the revised and updated edition of "Dolphin Dreamtime," a serious, meaningful, and true account of wild animals and a man who "talks" to them and carefully takes in their responses. Author Jim Nollman is a charter member of the Participants School of zoology, and has gotten physically and emotionally close to grey whales, buffaloes, dolphins, and much more in his search for direct communication between human and animal. A thoughtful book about dialogues and reaching out to better understand who we share this world with, The Man Who Talks To Whales is a singularly fascinating read especially recommended for all who have tried to see and understand the world from an animal's point of view.

Average customer rating:

The Boy Who Wanted to Talk to Whales
Robert Minden Ensemble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1896653014

Discover April 2002 - Where Did Everything Come From? Genetics: Closing in Fixes on Diabetes & Alzheimer's, When Plants Talk Bugs Listen, Does Sonar Kill Whales (The World of Science, Vol. 23 No. 4)

Average customer rating:

Discover April 2002 - Where Did Everything Come From? Genetics: Closing in Fixes on Diabetes & Alzheimer's, When Plants Talk Bugs Listen, Does Sonar Kill Whales (The World of Science, Vol. 23 No. 4)

Manufacturer: Discover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Alzheimer's Disease | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000NEA7L0

Whale Talk.(Review)(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine

Average customer rating:

Whale Talk.(Review)(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine

Manufacturer: Horn Book, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Horn Book Magazine, published by Horn Book, Inc. on May 1, 2001. The length of the article is 1037 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Whale Talk.(Review)(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article)
Publication: The Horn Book Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2001
Publisher: Horn Book, Inc.
Volume: 77 Issue: 3 Page: 320

Article Type: Book Review, Young Adult Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

The Man Who Talks to Whales
Jim Nollman
Manufacturer: Sentient Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MC412E

Time flies by like a great whale: A talk given in the American Poet Greats Series hosted by Jim Cohn at the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado, 13 ... collection of Richard Taylor (Fell swoop)

Average customer rating:

Time flies by like a great whale: A talk given in the American Poet Greats Series hosted by Jim Cohn at the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado, 13 ... collection of Richard Taylor (Fell swoop)
Anselm Hollo
Manufacturer: Fell Swoop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

Provides overview of ylide and imine chemistry of phosphorous. Contains over 3,150 references. Focuses on their application, particularly in organic synthesis. Presents up-to-date understanding of structure, bonding and behavior of each type of ylide. Covers ylide preparations, handling and decomposition. Features theoretical descriptions of the bonding in ylides and the reactions of phosphorous ylides with transition metal compounds.

Studies on ylides and imines of phosphorus and arsenic: With particular regard to their reactions with carbonyl compounds

Average customer rating:

Studies on ylides and imines of phosphorus and arsenic: With particular regard to their reactions with carbonyl compounds
Paul Frøyen
Manufacturer: Kjemisk Institutt, Universitetet i Bergen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Average customer rating:

YLIDES & IMINES OF PHOSPHORUS
A. William Johnson
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N66A4Q

Book Description

The study and application of N-body problems has had an important role in the history of mathematics. In recent years, the availability of modern computer technology has added to their significance, since computers can now be used to model material bodies as atomic and molecular configurations, i.e. as N-body configurations.

This book can serve either as a handbook or as a text. Methodology, intuition, and applications are interwoven throughout. Nonlinearity and determinism are emphasized. The book can be used on any level provided that the reader has at least some ability with numerical methodology, computer programming, and basic physics. It will be of interest to mathematicians, engineers, computer scientists, physicists, chemists, and biologists.

Some unique features of the book include: (1) development of turbulent flow which is consistent with experimentation, unlike any continuum model; (2) applicability to rotating tops with nonuniform density; (3) conservative methodology which conserves the same energy and momentum as continuous systems.

Average customer rating:
A method for determining approximate initial conditions for interplanetary trajectories
L. N Rowell
Manufacturer: Rand Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007I0CMQ

Average customer rating:
The phenomenological theory of the (N,Î±) reaction on the heavy nuclei (Sto czterdziesta sioÌdma pozycja serii Rozprawy Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego)
MirosÅ‚aw KozÅ‚owski
Manufacturer: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007AVXXQ

Average customer rating:

Brilliant!

Typical Gu Long....Excellent!

Which is the more sensitive gender?

Poor story, contrived characters, but good translation

Good translated work

The Eleventh Son: A Novel Of Martial Arts And Tangled Love
Long Gu , and Rebecca S. Tai
Manufacturer: Homa & Sekey Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Asian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Deer and The Cauldron

The Deer and the Cauldron: The Third Book

Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain

Legends of Wingchun: Embers of the Shaolin

Outlaws of the Marsh (Chinese Classics 4-Volume Boxed Set) [BOX SET]

ASIN: 1931907161

Book Description

On one of his missions, Xiao (the Eleventh Son, known as the Great Bandit) meets Shen, the fairest woman in the martial world. By the will of fate, he rescues Shen several times, which plants the seed of love in both of them. However, Shen is married to a rich young man who is also an outstanding martial artist. As if things were not complicated enough, Xiao has his own secret admirer, Feng, an attractive swordswoman with a quick temper.

Xiao is drawn into a messy fight for a legendary saber, the Deer Carver, and is accused of stealing it. Xiao finds out that the person who has set him up is a mysterious young man with an angel's face and a devil's heart. Before he can pursue any further, Shen's grandmother is murdered, and Xiao is named the killer. It appears that things are spinning out of control…

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant!.......2007-06-02

The Eleventh Son: Xiao Shiyi Long, the master swordsman, is starred in this wonderful translation of Gu Long's masterpiece. A richly assorted set of villains await: the Little "Mister", the Hawk King, and, the cleverest of all, Count Carefree. Although one of the focuses may be wuxia, it also delves into character issues, romance, and psychology. Tai has translated this classic to be understood and treasured by all.

Typical Gu Long....Excellent!.......2007-03-28

I think those who are criticizing the story are all new to the "Wuxia" novel genre, and unfamiliar with the writing style of the venerable Gu Long. Short paragraphs and short fighting scenes are two distinct traits of most of his works. If Jin Yong is the harbinger of light or optimistic writer in this genre, then Gu Long would have to be the ambassador of darkness and pessimism.

The one reviewer is correct that Gu Long is a polarizing writer, but in my case, my Chinese friends all love him --as do I. I have a hunch that Ms. Tai chose this novel to translate, because more than any other, it more a story of unfulfilled love than it is a story about martial arts.

The translation of this novel is first-class, and if not for Ms. Tai's efforts, I sadly would never have had the chance to enjoy it. I heartily recommend this for those who want to explore this untapped, yet rich genre of literature.

Which is the more sensitive gender? .......2007-03-16

I am the translator. I appreciate every reader's comments about this book. It's not my place to judge the value of Gu Long's work. I was just trying my best to translate Gu's story based on my own understanding and interpretation. However, I do have to defend my translation. Gu never wrote "Men are more sensitive than women." The comment in question is from p. 217. Please see the third line from the bottom of the page. I will give the quote here: "Women are much more sensitive then men." I wouldn't say this comment is universal truth or common sense. No matter what Gu did write, someone would be offended. However, to tell the truth, if Gu had indeed said it the other way around, I might not have been inspired to translate this novel in the first place.

For those who are curious about what this story is really about, below is a book review from YellowBridge, a Chinese-American guide:

Despite the popularity of movies such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "House of Flying Daggers", the English reader does not have too many choices when it comes to finding the martial art novels that inspired these type of movies in the first place. The first modern master of the genre to be translated into English was Louis Cha, who was based in Hong Kong and is the undisputed giant of the genre. With the translation of "The Eleventh Son", we have an excellent sample from another great writer, Gu Long, who was based in Taiwan. Gu Long ("Ancient Dragon") was the pseudonym for Xiong Yaohua (1937-1985), who is considered one of the top martial arts novelists. He wrote sixty nine over a twenty-five year career that was cut short at age 48, when he died due to liver failure caused by excessive drinking. "The Eleventh Son", published in Chinese in 1973, was a popular source for several movies and TV series, including Swordsman and Enchantment, a 1978 hit movie. Gu Long also published a sequel to the novel in 1976 but "The Eleventh Son" stands complete on its own.

The title character of "The Eleventh Son", Xiao Shiyi Lang, is an atypical hero even in the colorful pantheon of kung fu heroes. He is a true free spirit who, having no permanent home or family, aimlessly roams the land as he likes. He is highly skilled in the martial arts but he does not have the reputation for selfless service we come to expect of kung fu heroes. On the other hand, the established martial arts community is led by a group of exalted gentlemen whose martial skills are apparently only matched by their virtues. In fact, their reputation is such that the core group of six members is known as the "Six Ideal Gentlemen". Although Xiao's alleged crimes have never been witnessed by anyone, the "Ideal Gentlemen" have already labeled him as the "Great Bandit", a ruffian that needs to be stopped lest he sully the reputation of the whole martials arts community.

These two worlds collide when Xiao happens to rescue Shen Bijun, the most beautiful woman in the martial world, from repeated kidnap attempts. Shen is the daughter of a prominent family and happens to be married to Lian Chengbi, an accomplished martial artist from an equally respected family. In other words, Shen was already married to her perfect match, at least by the standards of Chinese society. Unfortunately for Xiao, Lian also happens to be one of the "Six Ideal Gentlemen" who are out to get him. Because of injuries they sustained as well as lies spread by Xiao's enemies, Xiao and Shen spend weeks on their own and on the run from the "Ideal Gentlemen" as well as from the person who tried to kidnap Shen in the first place. Although Shen is never unfaithful to her husband and Xiao's behavior towards her is always aboveboard, Gu Long is able to weave an ever more intense web of emotions between the characters even though they never actually reveal their inner feelings to each other. To make things more complicated, Xiao is not without his female admirers. His sometime drinking buddy and probably only friend is another free-spirit martial artist called Feng Sinian, who is probably secretly in love with him. It was Feng's scheme to steal a famed sword that put Xiao in the path of Shen Bijun in the first place.

The powder keg environment that Gu Long has created is perfect for the novel's twin themes of love and hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is dealt with straightforwardly. Without giving too much of the plot away, we can say that the "Ideal Gentlemen" simply aren't so ideal after all. They all have skeletons in their closets that are the real reason they are all so bent on killing the presumed bandit. But in the subject of love, and more specifically, the pain of love is where Gu Long really shines. I have never read a novel in which the pain is so palpable even though the presumed love between the two protagonists is never actually spelled out. Both Xiao and Shen are mindful of what the proper behavior between two unrelated person of the opposite sex would be. Neither ever considers running away with the other. There's never a spoken expression of love or even a kiss. And yet no stronger bond of love could ever be created. Each is prepared to sacrifice himself or herself to save the other. Whereas many a writer has written about unrequited love, Gu Long has made a strong case that requited love can be even more painful.

As only the second martial arts writer in English translation, Gu Long is certain to invite comparison to Louis Cha. The two writers, who actually knew each other, are equally adept at surprising and entertaining their readers but use very different techniques. Both writers were well-read in both Western and Chinese novels and thus brought new vigor to the Chinese novel. Louis Cha tends to infuse his novels with historical facts and freely weaving historical personages, both real and mythical into novels. His novels tend to have a large cast of characters and they often interact with the historical figures. The result is that his novels tend to have an epic quality to them. Gu Long, on the other hand, as the translator reminds us, was very conscious of how novels, even those set in ancient times could be interpreted by government censors as commentaries on the present. To avoid possible censorship, he explicitly avoided historical references. As a result, the novel does not give much clue to identify the specific time period. The number of key characters is relatively small but they are described in rich detail. There's also an underlying sensuality that is usually lacking in kung fu novels. The overall effect is a much more human-scale novel that is the perfect laboratory of human emotions.

As translator Rebecca S. Tai writes in the introduction, Gu Long, introduced a unique writing style characterized by very short paragraphs, many just one sentence long. Gu Long also sprinkles very interesting personal observations about human behavior throughout the narrative. His wry observations, a few of which could appear dated or politically incorrect to a Western reader, help understand the motivation behind his characters.

Poor story, contrived characters, but good translation.......2007-03-14

Few martial arts novels by major writers have been translated into English, so we're grateful for the few translators like Rebecca Tai, who does a great job translating this novel into idiomatic English. Unfortunately, content-wise, the novel's characters start out interesting but become increasingly contrived as the story progresses, which sucks both the fun and the drama out of the story.

The story starts out with a description of Feng, a wild, uninhibited and beautiful bandit girl who is a great, fun character. She has a crush on Xiao Xiyi Lang, an infamous bandit and awesome martial artist who is the "Eleventh Son" of the title. The book is fun as long as these two bandits are flirting and quarreling.

Unfortunately for the reader, two things happen: First, the fun Feng disappears from the story. The major female character becomes Shen, beautiful, married and virtuous, and much more boring than Feng. Second, Xiao Xiyi Lang's character changes: he ceases to be a wild, fun, uninhibited bandit and instead becomes a noble, misunderstood sad sack, a morally perfect saint and object of pity who is unjustly accused of countless crimes he did not commit.

After the fun Feng disappears from the story, we meet the married and virtuous Shen, "the most beautiful woman in the martial world", but whose martial arts are overrated-- her only skill is hurling golden needles. When she runs out of needles, as she does early on, she's a helpless damsel in distress, so Xiao must rescue her over and over. (At least Feng, though less beautiful and less virtuous, could take care of herself-- I guess beauty and virtue are inversely proportional to self-reliance.)

Early on, we are led to believe the story will center around a famous blue sword called the Deer Carver. Xiao Xiyi is framed for its theft. But the story thereafter becomes centered on Xiao saving Shen over and over. A romantic conflict is set up as Shen feels attracted to him, but she is too virtuous to cheat on her husband. The plotline about the Deer Carver is abandoned; we never find out what happened to the sword, who stole it, etc. Instead, the plot mostly consists of Shen learning over and over how misunderstood and unfairly slandered the hero is.

Xiao is made into an object of extreme pity, rather than a real, breathing person. Nobody, nobody, understands poor Xiao (except maybe the beautiful Shen.) He is framed and victimized by all the book's other male characters. It's not clear why they all pick poor Xiao Xiyi Lang to frame for crimes, but anyway, the world is against him.

The protagonist is an alcoholic, and given that the author Gu Long was an alcoholic, one cannot help feeling Xiao is a stand-in for the author. This by itself is not necessarily bad, as many drunk authors have created drunken alter-egos of themselves. But if we compare this with, say, F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night" or Kerouac's "Dharma Bums", those authors create drunken alter-egos, but do not encourage us to see them as victims of external cruelty. When an author creates an alter-ego, he must observe two rules: A. don't make him the noblest person in the room, and B. don't ask us to see him as a pitiful victim of external circumstances. Gu Long breaks those rules, and portrays alcoholism as a sentimental malady, a symptom of romantic disappointment. That ain't realistic.

As for the writing style, as others have pointed out, Gu Long has a unique style, consisting of short paragraphs maybe containing just one sentence, and minimal description, with the kind of spareness that some consider profound. Rebecca Tai's translation captures the feeling of the original style, so my Chinese friends tell me. But you may not like the style.

The author constantly inserts comments about human nature, psychological/emotional "insights". Some of these "insights" are obvious, and others are questionable or wrong. On p.302, he writes, "Most women are slightly more optimistic, because they don't look as far into the future." Now that point I dispute. Most women think further into the future than men, worrying about house downpayments and/or having babies etc., while most men rarely think further into the future than the next orgasm. (Note: when I first wrote this review, I misquoted this, getting it mixed up with the quote on p.217, "Women are much more sensitive than men," a point I do not dispute. The translater, Ms. Tai, pointed out my mistake.)

Later on p. 302 he writes, "Dying is a painful thing for most people." Gee, ya think?

Clearly Gu Long's style is very polarizing, some love it, some hate it. Most of the other reviewers posting below love him. The Chinese people I know (who have read the original) hate him.

There are few enough martial arts novels translated into English, and I would hate to discourage the few translators in the field like Ms. Tai. So I don't much enjoy giving this book a low rating. But a man's gotta be honest.

At any rate this is not the translator's fault, and I hope she goes on to translate more martial arts authors.

Good translated work.......2007-01-16

There are not too many English translated work of Chinese novels, especially books in the Chinese martial art genre. From a translation perspective, this is a good one. But from a story perspective, I did not like it as much. There is not too much details in the fighting scenes, just summary of it. The focus seems to be more of a relationship between the 2 main characters. Also, the ending is anticlimatic. I was a bit disappointed with the build up and then it just ends with little hint of what eventually happened. It seems like a unfinished story and definitely left room for a sequel of some kind.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books