Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of Privilege

Book Description

Parker's compelling memoir offers a revealing glimpse inside corporate America through the eyes of a black woman "intruder." From a nurturing childhood in a middle-class black community, Parker rose in the ranks on Wall Street only to discover that racism and sexism still prevail at the top. Full of both outrage and regret, Trespassing is frank and unflinching but leavened with humor and compassion. "An important, keenly observed work that should be read by everyone who is interested in a good story, as well as by those intrigued by the gripping personal drama that comes from extending token access to a few black professionals and calling that phenomenon -- integration" (Lani Guinier).

Customer Reviews:

What every WHITE person needs to understand!.......2004-07-14

Trespassing is about so much more than the trials a woman faces in business. It is a clearly written portrayal of what it means to be black or a minority in the U.S.A. As a white person, I never understood how minorities felt or what they experienced. Gwendolyn Parker paints a picture that communicates the subtle behaviors and attitudes of prejudice so everyone can comprehend how it feels to be a minority and what people of color experience in this country and she accomplished this in a very compelling manner that is a joy to read. This is a must read that you don't want to put down.

From Another Sister Making that Journey.......2001-11-21

I read this book while in the 'throes' of my Doctoral program. I was so encouraged to read about another bright sister going through emotional pain and stress in a place of "higher learning" that was supposed to build you up, but seemed to be about destroying you at all costs. In fact, I had gone to an Ivy League school in Virginia for my Masters degree and did not nearly have the crushing discrimination and prejudice aimed at me that I did at this much less elite, (though well known), Texas University. Gwen's book made me remember that I wasn't alone in my experiences, nor crazy, and encouraged me to continue the fight.

A look at another slice of life other than the ghetto........2000-03-25

Let me say that the criticism aimed at this memoir because of the author's often touted privilege is a little misplaced. More often than not we are inudated with stories of African Americans who have overcome the worst odds living in poverty-stricken, dysfunctional ghettos. These are truly American stories and should be lauded. However, African Americans do not all have the same experiences and therefore have different views of growing up black in America and life in general. There are class structures in the African American communities as there are in other races. There are privileged Latinos and Asians as well as those who come from poor immigrant backgrounds. And so African Americans are not a monolith. We don't all have the same backgrounds and so we don't all think alike. Yes, it appeared that for the most part Ms. Parker had a smooth ride for most of her life but her priviledged background did not preclude her from racism. From the elementary school principal in the "good ole' north" who wanted to hold her back a grade because she had up until then been educated in the segregated south to the constant proving to others when she got to Harvard that she did indeed belong there. No, she did not have to overcome feeling economically out of place as is pointed out in one of the reviews that often blacks must overcome classism as well as racism. Does that make her any less black? I think not. When she got to the top law firm she still had to deal with all the stuff that goes on in white corporate America. And just maybe her privilege was a disadvantage the same way a deprived background was in that "uppity black folk" are constantly told by their families their color is not an obstacle and they can be and do anything as well as go anywhere they want. When they come up against racism it often shocks them to their knees or they choose to disbelieve it causing even more distress. Indeed maybe this story was not one of clawing her way to the top, but starting at the top, and sounds as if she is whining and complaining because she dared face racism is only evidence of her fraility. The fact that she does not appear to some to be sympathetic or helpful to those less privileged sisters and brothers is something that only she has to answer to. All in all this book like "Volunteer Slavery" is an example of when it comes to racism white folks look at us all the same way no matter how much money we have. We have to always work harder to prove ourselves. Let's not put a sister down because her background was easy.

A disappointing story.......2000-01-25

Although I have no complaints about the writing style of this book, I thought Gwendolyn Parker's story was a disappointment. This book is a great example of how privilege and class can make you oblivious to the suffering of others. It also shows how people have a tendency to only compare themselves and their problems to poeple in the class above them, while completely ignoring the issues facing the people below. She was fortunate to come from a very privileged background and was given opportunities that few people have-especially black females. Yet she fails to acknowledge this privilege and what it brought her. For example, at American Express she was actually put in a program that taught her the secrets of moving up the corporative latter. Imagine having your company pay to teach you the inside secrets to success and I mean the real secrets like how to network and how to interact with upper/executive management. She does finally acknowledge that the fact that she came from a well to do family and attended an elite school was the reason she (unlike most blacks) was given this extraordinary opportunity. However, the first time she is turned down for a position (a position she didn't even want) she leaves the company. What a waste. I am all for following your dreams, but here is a black woman who has inside information she could share to help others. Instead of this book, it would have been more useful if she had written about the American Express get to the top training. Also, I got the impression that she is/was uncomfortable with lower class black people. She talks positively about her friends from similar backgrounds, but their is no positive mention towards the less fortunate black female. But she does take time to mention the lower class or less "smart" black people she met in her northern gammer school. She talks about wondering why there were no "ordinary/average" blacks at AmEx, but she says nothing about hiring any of them when she was in a position to do so. She comes across as the typical upper class black person, who only sees herself as black when she has a problem. At her law firm job she said that being female was the bigger problem although there were more females than black people. She in fact chose not to interact too often with the only other black person at the firm. Her's is a story of how privilege people live privileged lives and receive privilege not allowed the rest of us. When it was convient to be black she did so,otherwise she seemed to live in her perfect little privilege world. This book is an example of how significant the class issue is in America and how often it is overlooked especially by those privileged enough to come from the higher classes.

An enlightening, potentially life-saving, book. Must read........1999-02-21

Gwen Parker's story is one which sheds light on the plight of the upwardly mobile African-American woman. Well-written and engaging, it is an important guide for those who would follow in her footsteps, illuminating many subtle, seemingly innocuous pressures which accompany the path of those few chosen to sojourn. A potential life-saver for some sojourners who wonder why the emptiness, why the sadness, why the depression when most folks deem them privileged and competent. I thank Jill for her compassion, for making "stupid" a bad word in her home, and for telling the story with insight, compassion and intelligence. Godspeed, Gwen, in a career which requires the courage to turn your back on material temptations of comfort and illusions of security in order to fill a higher purpose - that of storytelling, a calling which benefits untold numbers of readers.

Average customer rating:

a must read, must buy book

Pregnancy Wishes & IVF Dreams: A Story & Lessons About Life, Love & Infertility
Kelley R. Taylor
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Nurturing Yourself Through IVF: Improve Your Experience, Maximize Your Odds of Success

The Couple's Guide to In Vitro Fertilization: Everything You Need to Know to Maximize Your Chances of Success

Laughin'fertility: A Bundle of Observations for the Baby-making Challenged, Second Edition

When Nature's Not Enough: Personal Journeys through In Vitro Fertilization

IVF: The Wayward Stork--What to Expect, Who to Expect It From, and Surviving It All?

ASIN: 1425108547

Book Description

Once upon a time, equipped with a solid marriage, driven careers, and a recently finished basement, my husband and I were ready to start a family. Like many 30-something couples, we thought it would be easy. Unfortunately, after nearly 18 months of doing things "the old fashioned way," my husband was diagnosed with a latent birth defect. It rendered us virtually infertile, not to mention devastated and confused.

The remarkable thing about confusion is that it can spur knowledge and strength. Infertility did just that for us. We moved forward to try to have a child with the help of science and technology. Before we could blink, we were in the midst of monumental efforts to finance our baby-making venture, ordering medications on the Internet, and undergoing multiple, sometimes risky, and invasive, procedures. We endured it all for a single chance to have a child of our own.

Pregnancy Wishes & IVF Dreams: A Story & Lessons About Life, Love, & Infertility is a compelling and insightful look at one couple's struggle with male factor infertility and everything that goes with it. From failed attempts at conception, batteries of fertility tests, and a devastating diagnosis, to IVF/ICSI, other treatments, and ultimately the birth of fraternal twin daughters, Pregnancy Wishes & IVF Dreams offers readers a sense of shared experience through a real-time, personal story. The book also provides first-hand insights, guidance, and quotes covering a range of universal issues including dealing with jealousy, great expectations, doctors, risk, finances, and family. Finally, Pregnancy Wishes comes full circle, leaving readers with twelve, invaluable lessons-learned about life, love, infertility, and numerous questions, and challenges in between.

Like an understanding friend, Pregnancy Wishes & IVF Dreams will leave you feelings less alone, and more empowered as you cope with infertility.

Customer Reviews:

a must read, must buy book.......2007-04-11

Pregancy Wishes and IVF Dreams is an honest and touching account of a couples difficulties with conceiving a child. I have not had to experience infertility directly, but I have a sister and a friend who did. I could also relate to and empathize with Kelley's story as the mother of two children. Kelley Taylor's book is an inspirational story about the challenges that life can present to the reader. It's a must read book for anyone who is facing infertiltity as well as those who have a loved one or friend who is experiencing infertility.

Average customer rating:

The Real Stars Of Summer
Every bit as good as "The Boys of Summer"
A Solid Triple
A minor triumph
A Major League Book About Minor League Baseball

Good Enough to Dream
Roger Kahn
Manufacturer: Bison Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Baseball | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0803277792

Book Description

Roger Kahn’s first major league hit was a grand slam: The Boys of Summer, his runaway bestseller that immortalized the 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers. Now Kahn does the same for players whose moment in the sun has not yet arrived. Good Enough to Dream is the story of his year as owner of the Class A, very minor league Utica Blue Sox. Most of the Blue Sox will never make it to the majors, but they all share the dream that links the small child in the sandlot with the bonus baby who has just smacked one out of the stadium. It’s a dream Kahn learned from his father and, in the course of a season, passes on to his daughter—hours of practice for a moment of poetry; a hard living but a touch of legend.

Good Enough to Dream presents baseball unadorned, a game still sweet enough to lure grown men to leagues where first-class transportation is an old school bus and the infield is likely to be the consistency of thick soup. It is a funny and poignant story of one season and one special team that will make us hesitate before we ever call anything “bush league” again.

Customer Reviews:

The Real Stars Of Summer.......2006-09-25

With the explosion of coverage of minor-league baseball over the past several years, it is hard to remember a time the game did not merit a national nod on ESPN and regional-cable outlets.

Roger Kahn takes the reader back to that time in Good Enough to Dream. In 1983, the best-selling author is looking to purchase a minor-league team and ends up with the Utica Blue Sox in the Class A short-season New York-Penn League.

Without an affiliation with a major-league club that can stock the club with up-and-coming rookies and help underwrite other expenses, Kahn builds his team with minor-league cast-offs and undrafted players.

Kahn masterfully chronicles the building of the club and the frustrations & joys that go with a field of dreams for those chasing that one break or who want one final season before hanging up the spikes.

Though the transportation for road games is in an old school bus and the stadiums are hardly modern, Kahn links the reader not only to the child's vision of one day becoming a major leaguer and hitting that homer in the World Series, but importantly shows why we should aim for the stars in the batter's box of life.

Every bit as good as "The Boys of Summer".......2006-04-03

Lyrical, hilarious in parts, and true-blue as the sky over central New York in September, Roger Kahn's story of the trials, tribulations and all-around fun of owning a minor league baseball team is a joy to read.
I've read it twice, and enjoyed it as much the second time as the first.

A Solid Triple.......2005-08-10

Roger Kahn's lyrical narrative is not a page turner. Rather it slowly sucks you into the story with wonderful analogies, good charachter description and a flat out good sports story to tell.

It is the story of a baseball dreamer who decides to explore the sport first had running a bankrupt team in habited by an interesting roster of charachters. Whats great is that the author seems to know going in, that the business, money, and personell side of baseball will be a rough ride that might tarnish his school boy image of the sport. But he takes the plunge anyway _ almost as if saying I love this sport so much I want to see it all _ good bad and funny.

It has a happy ending too.

A minor triumph.......2004-08-13

Though a little paternalistic, this is a baseball book I pick up every few seasons. Roger Kahn follows the fortunes of the Utica Blue Sox and makes you care about the results of the 1983 New York Penn League Class A championship. The relationships in this book work, because they are frankly about work. Anybody who has been forced into tight living, or working quarters with a group who share skills, if not temprament can relate to the players, management and hangers-on who populate this rich story. The life lessons go down easy, the epiphanies are done lightly, the love of the game shines brightly. The title, spoken by a minor member of the minor league team, is another of this sweet stories many hits

A Major League Book About Minor League Baseball.......2000-10-02

In 1983 Roger Kahn went in search of a minor league baseball team to buy. After his first choices fell through, he ended up owner and president of the Class A Utica Blue Sox in the New York-Penn League. Lacking a major league affiliation, he put together a rag tag group of players who had been dropped by various major league club's minor league affiliates or who were never drafted. This book establishes Kahn's life long love of baseball and then follows the Blue Sox from opening day to the final game of the 1983 season. Many books on baseball have used this inside the clubhouse format. Jim Bouton's "Ball Four" and Pat Jordan's "A False Spring" come readily to mind. "Good Enough to Dream" is different from the others in that it is told from the perspective of the front office.

The machinations of the front office, the relationships among the players and the manager, the descriptions of the long bus rides, the dreams and hopes of the players, and the hardships that all involved are willing to withstand for the love of the game are all interesting and well told. The one area which failed to hold my attention was the long narrative of the Blue Sox's run for the league title. Kahn attempted to heighten the drama with repeated illustrations of why the team felt that the league office was working against their success and he left no doubt about the strong will to succeed that drove everyone in the organization, but in the final analysis I just couldn't seem to care enough about who won the 1983 New York-Penn League championship to do more than skim through the last one hundred or so pages. That having been stated, this is a very good book about a part of baseball that few fans ever get a chance to see.

Average customer rating:
Good Enough to Dream

Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HYW0PW

Average customer rating:
Good Enough to Dream, signed book by the American baseball writer.
Roger KAHN
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MXJM22

Average customer rating:
GOOD ENOUGH To DREAM.
Roger. [Baseball Fiction]. Kahn
Manufacturer: Doubleday,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MZAM06

Book Description

Poe Ballantine’s risky, personal essays are populated with odd jobs, eccentric characters, boarding houses, buses, and beer. He takes us along on his Greyhound journey through small town America (including a detour to Mexico) exploring what it means to be human. Written with piercing intimacy and self-effacing humor, Ballantine’stories provide entertainment, social commentary, and completely compelling slices of life.

Customer Reviews:

Poe's best!.......2007-01-09

I became a fan of Poe Ballantine through reading his articles in The Sun magazine. This collection of short stories is just great. They are all autobiographical stories about his stays in different areas of the US and Mexico. The editorial, or maybe confessional, "twist" he puts on each experience is what makes the narrative so interesting.

Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and Poe Ballantine.......2006-11-15

If life were a greyhound bus, you would find Poe Ballantine out on the front bumper, experiencing it sooner and more intensely than the rest of us. This book is a collection of dispatches from the road, and what they have to tell us is edifying, entertaining, terrifying, and reassuring, as well as utterly authentic. Some readers have likened Ballantine to Charles Bukowski, and certain common themes suggest the comparison, but Ballantine's sympathy, wry understanding, and cheerless optimism have more in common with the themes of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Hank Williams.

Things I Like About America.......2006-07-26

Whether one believes this work of Poe Ballentine's is fact or fiction, what he says is deeply rooted in truth. He tells the stories of the "little people" and gives the peons and the nameless faceless grunts of this country a voice. He paints a gallery of portraits that reflects the real day to day struggle of a vast majority of people in this country, who live minute by minute because that is as much of a future as they dare to expect. Sort of like a modern day Woody Gutherie, rather than ride the rails, he rode Greyhound and brought back the kinds of stories Woody would have sung. When I finished the last page of the book, I imagined that this must have been the way his friends made along the way must have felt when they saw him board that bus and leave them behind. They were hopeful he would find something better, sad that it all had to end.

You'll fall in love with this guy!.......2006-05-01

Dang it. I don't know how to write reviews.

All I know is I liked Poe Ballantine's writing immediately. He is funny as hell, brilliant, honest...different. Give him a try, you won't be disappointed!

Things I like about America.......2004-04-30

Poe is my newest hero. He speaks of things that anyone who has traveled America knows of. He puts it in sometimes hilarious terms, sometimes tear jerking terms. He makes being human ugly, beautiful and boring. What an amazing book. I am a new fan and I am seriously considering driving from Colorado to Nebraska to meet him. If you like this book then you are alive.

Book Description

Here is the book that Tolkien fans have needed for half a century--a detailed, book-length chronology of J. R. R. Tolkien's complex tale. Whether you are a serious Tolkien fan or simply someone who enjoys reading the story over and over again, this is the book for you. It's the first totally new reference for The Lord of the Rings since the 1970s.

Beginning over 1400 years before the major events in Tolkien's epic, it describes, year-by-year, the amazing and imaginative background history that Tolkien created for his masterpiece. Then for the main narrative, it becomes a day-by-day reference, describing what each character does on that day and all the places where those events are described in Tolkien's writings. You can find out, for instance, what Merry and Pippin are doing as Sam perpares rabbit stew on the morning of March 7.

Probe deeper into Tolkien. See why someone as serious as Gandalf was interested in fun-loving Hobbits. Discover an exciting new plot, based on Tolkien's notes, that begins when Aragorn captures Gollum. Follow along as the Black Riders and Gandalf race for the Shire. Decide for yourself whether Sauron and the Ring have any ties to Hitler and Stalin. Explore what Tolkien believed about nature and technology.

A few facts illustrate how helpful this chronology is. Most of narrative is a deliberately confusing sea of next days and third days that leave readers as confused as the tale's main characters.The middle 60 percent of The Lord of the Rings gives the current date only once. In the narrative as a whole, the date is given only 23 times, or once for every 43 pages, and most of those come when the plot is moving slowly. That's why those who want to dig deeper and understand better what Tolkien was saying will find this book a must-have.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Resource.......2006-12-10

Perry has done a wonderful job in untangling the very intricate tale woven by J.R.R. Tolkien. Of particular help are the copious margin notes which reference exactly where Perry is drawing the information contained within that section of his book. The commentary made by the author is a welcomed pause for reflection on the events that are taking place and keep the book from being a mere listing of dates and events. I teach a course on J.R.R. Tolkien and have found Untangling Tolkien a valuable resource, since it covers the entire history of Middle-earth: what comes before The Hobbit and what takes place after The Lord of The Rings. Bravo Mr. Perry, I look forward to reading your other books.

Knits up the ravels.......2004-10-31

An amazing accomplishment by a dedicated Tolkien fan.

That is how I'd sum up the book Untanging Tolkien. Michael Perry has first unraveled all Tolkien's "dates" -- which can be extrapolated from phases of the moon -- and then knit them together again in a cohesive outline, presented in much greater detail than Tolkien's own timeline (found buried in Appendix A of LOTR). By incorporating information from other Tolkien writings, the author of Untangling Tolkien collates additional facts about all the characters and the circumstances surrounding the War of the Ring, folding them all into this detailed chronology. He includes material that sheds light on possible parallels between Tolkien's work and events that were contemporary, and he provides original commentary that suggests some additional motivations for Tolkien's characters. Sidebars offer references to every source for the information presented and for each conclusion the author has drawn.

I found the format, with quick-reference bulleted lists and clearly delineated sections and subheadings, well-organized and easy to use.

NOTE: I read the third printing that was published in May 2004. Apparently the author has corrected many of the errors that David Bratman objected to (below). You won't find a better overview or a more throrough treatment of time and dates in LOTR than Perry provides in this book.

A Radiograph of LotR........2003-12-27

This book is layed out as a chronological record of the events covered by Tolkein's masterpiece with prefaces that explain the calender system created by Tolkein and its conversion to our more mundane (and possibly inferior) system. The type is clear, and margin citations clear and present for every entry. It's primary utility, at which it succeeds admirably, is as a kind of radiograph of Tolkein's work that reveals its astonishing complexity more clearly and allows one to admire, and more importantly, explore the book itself more quickly, easily, and deeply.

The book also contains copious notes inline with the chronology. These vary from informative to tangential, but at worst do not detract from the book's primary function. Mr. Perry is perhaps foremost as Lewis scholar, and so C.S. Lewis, a close acquaintance and friend of Tolkein, makes a number of appearances. Also making appearances in the notes are William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill.

All in all, a unique book which will save anyone who wants to do an in depth study of LotR a lot of time.

Splendid Tolkien Reference Work.......2003-12-21

Superb, exhaustive chronology of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga. Perry does a superior job in untangling a number of thorny chronological issues in Tolkien's narrative, and he employs some fine literary detective work in reconstructing what events are happening across Middle Earth on any given date. Especially admirable is his reconstruction of how much moonlight there was during each day of Frodo and Sam's journey into Mordor.

In addition to chronology, Perry supplies a lot of background information about Tolkien's themes and sources, as well as biographical tidbits about Tolkien. For example, there are fascinating discussions of Tolkien's views of technology, freedom, and totalitarianism. Perry also discusses Tolkien's stance toward the misuse of Germanic myths by the Nazis.

This is a great resource for Tolkien-lovers everywhere.

a giant mass of undifferentiated trivia.......2003-12-21

A year-by-year, later day-by-day, chronicle of the war against Sauron from the founding of the Shire to the glorious conclusion seems at the outset like a good idea. Perry calls LOTR's Appendix B, the Tale of Years, "far from complete" but it covers the whole period: what he means is that it's not detailed enough for him. Appendix B won't tell you which day Sam cooked coney for Frodo; Perry will.

But alas, the book does not stop there. The entries are written as bullet lists like a PowerPoint presentation, and many add pointless little flowcharts such as two-generation family trees. They reduce Tolkien's magnificently complex subcreation into a giant mass of undifferentiated trivia. And each yearly or daily entry comes with its commentary, whether directly relevant, side points, broader considerations, or dogmatic essays in applicability. The unrelieved banality and inappropriateness of these must be read to be believed; as also the author's clumsy, grammatically inept style, and his smug superiority to the characters. (He frequently criticizes the good guys' "blunders," all of them more complex than he implies.)

There's actually some good chronological analysis and speculation hiding in here. But how can someone who knows his Tolkien that well say that the wizards were Valar, or that Rohan gave Isengard to Saruman (it wasn't theirs to give, and Saruman was made its warden, not a freeholder), that Boromir and Faramir had a sibling rivalry (Tolkien specifically says not), or suggest that Galadriel should have sent daily eagles to check up on the Fellowship?

These are not isolated examples: the bloopers and misconceived ideas go on and on. The whole book is like that: it has the soul of a PowerPoint presentation. I can't recommend it on any terms.

Average customer rating:
The Siege of Minas Tirith (The Battle of the Pelennor Fields)

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FEDWJW

Average customer rating:

"I know who the murderer is, Lord Denethor"

Murder at Minas Tirith
John Ruemmler
Manufacturer: Berkley Pub Group (Mm)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0425086887

Customer Reviews:

"I know who the murderer is, Lord Denethor".......2005-09-17

It is believed that this book, although announced and possibly written, was never published due to the demise of ICE's "Middle-earth Quest" series of solo gamebooks. Similar instances of confusion over the existence or non-existence of certain titles plague the gamebook field, the most infamous instance being "Bloodbones", the never-published final volume in the "Fighting Fantasy" series.

The title of this book is certainly tantalizing; alas, we'll never know who was murdered, who solved the murder, or how well the story was told and how well it fitted into J.R.R. Tolkien's fascinating imaginary world.

Average customer rating:
Shader X4 Advanced Rendering Techniques
Wolfgang Engel
Manufacturer: Charles River Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K69WE4

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books