Risking It All: My Student, My Lover, My Story

Book Description

Heather Ingram was one of the most respected teachers at a British Columbia secondary school. Trapped at age 30 in an unhappy relationship, Ingram found herself increasingly drawn to 17-year-old Troy, a rebellious student. Here, in unstinting detail, she describes their passionate relationship of several years duration that had the full support of Troy's family. She reveals the pain of going public, the loss of her job and status in the community, her trial and conviction, and the ten months she spent under house arrest. This frank, moving story offers an intimate look at why a teacher would risk everything and what it means to live as a convicted criminal for engaging in a consensual, if unconventional, relationship.

Customer Reviews:

Ick.......2007-09-26

Heather Ingram has lots of excuses and rationalizations regarding her decision to have sex with a student. A student who by her own admission, had lots of learning and social difficulities. Heather romantizes her relationship with "Troy" and she struck me as a really immature 29 year old, who never emotionally matured past the age of 15. She talked about Troy being the kind of kid who never would have looked twice at her when she was back in high school. So, this kid, Troy, made her feel young, fun, vibrant and sexy, and she could relive this weird adolescent based fantasy with him. I found the book creepy, she Heather Ingram strikes me as a very selfish and childish person.

It was bad enough that she slept with one of her students, but she ended up having sex with another teenager, Troy's best friend "because she was lonely" ohhh wah. What a disgusting woman.

Well-Written, Deluded.......2006-05-31

Heather Ingram is an eloquent writer. She explains how she had an affair with one of her students very well. However, she downplays the seriousness of her choices: "I'm just a girl who wants to dance with her boyfriend". She also makes the reader uncomfortable with the way she sees her student as a grown man who is ready for a relationship with her. "He does not appear to be shamed by his suspension; (for doing drugs)he looks as if he is beyond high school, beyond trivial rules and punishment." Her writing continues in this fashion, putting a Danielle Steel style spin on a damaging, selfish, irresponsible decision. Ingram's sweet spin becomes quite taxed as she sleeps with a friend of Troy's while he is away. Ditto when Troy is arrested for sexual assault, assault and dealing drugs. She writes about her punishment and probation, seeming to indicate that she does not feel she should be punished at all. "I sit in front of Sue (her house arrest supervisor) my emotions raging and raw but my face impassive". In the end, she seems angry at the society that punished her for having a affair with a student. "Part of me is angry. Why would I want to go back into society - a society I now see as created and perpetuated by people who are predominantly unhappy...?" She also cannot say that she would not do it again, "I would like to say that I would not do it all again if I could relive the past, but given my emotional state at the time I cannot be sure." Heather has recently has Troy's baby, Troy has been charged with possession of cocaine. They are not together anymore. Maybe now her Danielle Steel view of the world has finally matured to accepting her mistakes.

Very sad.......2004-10-19

I read this book in two days, found myself drawn to turn each page and it was definitely a good read, but Ms. Ingram is very sad, despite occasional mentions of her mistakes, she seems to have no remorse. I think it would almost have been buyable as a true love outside age had she not gone and slept (one night stand yet) with another student and friend of the original lover ! Agggh. Keep her away from the kids!

GREAT.......2004-10-05

I think this was an absolutely fantastic book. We, the people, not the accusers finally get an insight of what someone is thinking while commiting a crime over a time period. I loved this book, it was the best one i have read since Lovely Bones.

Risking It All: My Student, My Lover, My Story.......2004-09-18

I have to say I finished this in 1 day. Could not stay away from it. Story is soooo absorbing,
the woman its about is weak, and looking to be accepted but no weaker than a NORMAL woman is about a man (In this cause I use this loosely), but again most normal women have relationshiops with MEN age suitable. Great story, heartbeaking in its truth.
Hat goes off to author for reveiling heartfelt emotoin at the risk os sounding like a fool chasing your own youth. Makes you want them to STILL be together.

Amazon.com

Nobody raises a ruckus or even a loud voice at the Masters, the prestigious and very proper golf tournament that brings the best players and most ardent fans to Augusta, Georgia, every April. Nobody bashes a player to death with a nine iron and leaves the body in a sandy bunker on the 18th hole, either, except someone did just that to John McCree, whose best friend and fellow golfer, Conner Cross, wasn't playing his best game even before the murder. Three people die, including Jodie McCree--Conner's girl prior to becoming John's wife--before Conner unmasks a killer who'd do anything for a chance at the coveted green jacket of a Masters champion.

Veteran author William Bernhardt, best known for legal thrillers like Naked Justice and Murder One, has penned a well-paced mystery with plenty of inside dope and Masters history. It will provide a welcome diversion for golfers who get through the winter by dreaming of the greens and fairways of spring. --Jane Adams

Book Description

In the glamorous world of professional golf, one match is synonymous with excellence, tradition, and prestige. The Masters is played on the sweeping fairways of Georgia’s exclusive Augusta National Golf Club, drawing an annual pilgrimage of Lear jetting superstars, media, and throngs of fans. But this year, the tournament has attracted something else. A killer is coming to play a deadly game of his own.

For Connor Cross and John McCree, two pros who share a long friendship and a passion for golf, the competition is a chance to catch up on old times and calm each other’s nerves before the play turns serious. But when a killer strikes, things suddenly turn too serious. As Connor is drawn into the intrigue—in the company of an alluring female cop—he faces the greatest hazard ever. With one round left to play, and the body count rising while his scores are dropping, Connor Cross is the next in line to die. . . .

Download Description

In the glamorous world of professional golf, one match is synonymous with excellence, tradition, and prestige. The Masters is played on the sweeping fairways of Georgia's exclusive Augusta National Golf Club, drawing its annual pilgrimage of Lear-jetting international superstars, the spotlight of the media, and throngs of fans. But this year, the tournament has attracted something else. A killer is coming to play a deadly game of his own.

For Connor Cross and John McCree, two pros who share a long friendship and a passion for golf, the April competition is a chance to catch up on old times, joke around, make some ill-advised bets, and generally calm each other's nerves before the play turns serious. But while John has always been able to get a grip on his game by tee time, Connor has never quite figured out how to throw the switch and focus. Then a killer strikes -- and for the reigning bad boy of the PGA tour, everything changes in a hurry.

The victim's wife begs Connor to try to find a murderer who threatens not only to kill again, but to destroy the Masters. And as Connor is drawn into the intrigue, a most remarkable phenomenon occurs. This maverick player shoots a sizzling round of golf. Suddenly, Connor is conquering a vicious slice, cleaning up his short game, and even listening to his caddie as he uncovers some jaw-dropping personal secrets of his fellow pros.

But as Connor -- in the company of an alluring female cop -- unravels a mystery of murder and uncovers the mystery of his inner game of golf, he also faces the greatest hazard of all. For with one round left to play, and the body count rising while his scores drop, Connor Cross is the next in line to die.

A gripping thriller set against the elite world of pro golf -- the way it looks when the cameras aren't turned on -- Final Round is the ultimate novel for anyone who has ever suspected that while golf may be the greatest game ever invented, playing it well can be murder.

Customer Reviews:

the publishers should be ashamed of themselves.......2005-11-02

This is probably the worst book ever written. Obviously Mr. Bernhardt knows nothing about golf and Ballatine Books should never have published it. Now I know why it was only $1 at our library sale. It is a 'tee box' not a 'tee off', people 'play golf' not 'golf' and who would even think that a 9 iron would be an alternate club to a driver? Augusta should sue for defamation of character. Aside from the golf gaffs, the plot was perdictable and stupid. Do even ask about the dialogue. Don't waste your time.

FORE! Warned..........2005-04-09

The dialogue is so bad that it makes you forget how ridiculous the plot is. Do not, under any circumstances, even look at this book. Its only purpose in life is as a paper weight.

If you're a golfer -- stay away from this book!.......2004-12-06

Let me make this quick. I really like Ben Kincaid and have no intention of discontinuing buying and reading Mr. Bernhardt's books. However, I wish I had read the reviews posted on Amazon before picking this book off the bargain table at a not-to-be-disclosed local bookseller. It was below average as mystery and just plain awful as a golf story. STAY AWAY!

The worst book I've ever read.......2004-09-03

This is it first time I've reviewed a book on amazon and I'm only doing it because this is the most poorly written book I've ever read. Or attempted to read, I couldn't make it past page 31.

I'm an infrequent golfer that rarely breaks 100 but even I know that the errors in this book are as bad as writing a book based in the United States and having car drivers drive on the wrong side of the road. Nearly every "fact" regarding golf and in particularly professional golf is wrong in the first 30 pages. By page 30 when there were so many errors I couldn't finish the book, I decided to write this review. And I was stuck on a plane with several hours to go with nothing to read, and I still couldn't continue the book.

Page 30...
The progessional golfer only has ONE ball that he FOUND the day before in a sand trap on the Masters course that apparently someone had left there for him to find, yet his caddie told him he had just BOUGHT some balls for him. The golfer with the one ball is said to be in the ROUGH at the Masters and needed a machete to get out.

No professional golfer would lose a ball in a sand trap so none could have been found.
Pro don't buy balls, they receive them as part of endorsement deals.
There is no real rough at the Masters, anything off the fairway that could be called the rough is lower than your front lawn, and certainly not junglelike.

etc. etc. I could go on but why bother.

In addition to be totally wrong with every golf fact, quite frankly, the book is just poorly written. Every attempt at humor is flat and there is just nothing to suggest it will get better in any way.

Dead is Pretty Final.......2003-10-11

John McCree and Conner Cross have been friends and golf pros for years and they're both playing in the Masters. Conner finds John's dead body in the sand trap at the eighteen hole. Grisly as the murder was, the game goes on. John's wife asks Conner to investigate, since the police don't seem to be getting anywhere, and then another body shows up.

This is a great five star story with nice humor. That said, it always bothers me when an author's fans get upset because the writer tried something new. I don't know why readers expect writers to keep churning out the same book again and again. So what if this one's a little different than Bernhardt's previous books. To that I say "Bravo," because anybody can steer along the safe road, it takes courage to take a different path.

Amazon.com

The Dodsons always knew where to go to solve their problems: the golf course. For decades, father and son took refuge there together; in the game, they found connection. Dodson fils's memoir of his last lyrical golf excursion with his father, taken through England and Scotland in the months before his father's death, is alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking. Final Rounds is as straight a shot into the heart of golf's magnetic hold on golfers--and the tie that binds fathers and sons--as a 300-yard drive that splits the fairway.

Book Description

James Dodson always felt closest to his father while they were on the links. So it seemed only appropriate when his father learned he had two months to live that they would set off on the golf journey of their dreams to play the most famous courses in the world.

Final Rounds takes us to the historic courses of Royal Lytham and Royal Birkdale, to the windswept undulations of Carnoustie, where Hogan played peerlessly in '53, and the legendary St. Andrews, whose hallowed course reveals something of the eternal secret of the game's mysterious allure over pros and hackers alike.

Throughout their poignant journey, the Dodsons humorously reminisce and reaffirm their love for each other, as the younger Dodson finds out what it means to have his father also be his best friend. Final Rounds is a book never to be forgotten, a book about fathers and sons, long-held secrets, and the lessons a middle-aged man can still learn from his dad about life, love, and family.

Final Rounds is a tribute to a very special game and the fathers and sons who make it so. -->

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Final Rounds.......2007-06-19

ISBN 0553375644 - I started reading this book hoping for the touching story of the father and son and was vaguely disappointed. Not to say the story isn't there, because it is in it's own way, but the golf far overshadows Dodson and his father, making this a far better book for golf fans than non-fans.

James Dodson and his father finally get around to planning that dream trip: all the best courses in great company. Just before they are to leave, his father calls with bad news - the trip will have to be postponed because the cancer of years ago is back. With a small laugh, the man Dodson calls "Opti the Mystic" tells him the prognosis: he has a month, maybe two, to live. Dodson realizes that this means that the trip may never happen, but another call comes soon after and the trip is on. There are conditions and one of them is that when his father says it's time to go home, it's time to go home, no argument. Opti has "things to do", clearly the tying up of loose ends in his life.

The men set out on the golf trip of a lifetime and, honestly, will bore the non-golf-fan cross-eyed with the details of games and players. If you've gotten that far, barrel through - the point of the book isn't the game, or the courses, it's the relationship between father and son. Golf is just the medium in which they relate to one another. Knowing, all along, that Opti is going to die doesn't detract from the sorrow when the time comes and, oddly, his death doesn't detract from the happier side of the story. Opti the Mystic, with an eye always for the silver lining, gives his son some incredible gifts and Dodson does his best to share them with the reader.

I'm not a fan of golf and found myself just skimming very big sections of the book. The stories OFF the course were far more interesting and I wish they'd been given more ink, but Final Rounds is still a very good book.

Final Rounds: A Father, A Son, The Journey Of A Lifetime........2007-03-08

Fanstic read. This will touch the heart of any golfer that has ever had the chance to play with their Dad.

Inspiration for a trip with my sons.......2006-01-26

I lost this book while I was vacationing with my wife in Italy for her 40th birthday. I couldn't wait to get home to buy another copy and finish it. That was 9 years ago. I was so moved by the story that I made a pledge to try and take my sons on a similar trip one day. Well, I've lost 3 jobs since then and have been paying college expenses for 6 years, the last 4 years for 2 kids at a time. However, my current job allowed me to go to Aberdeen, Scotland 6 times last year alone. While reading the book again, I dog earred places I wanted to include on my trip. I have also been saving magazine articles as well as itineraries from acquainteses who have made similar golf excursions. And during my trips to Scotland I've developed friendships and they have helped with insights to add my catalog of information.

Well, the trip is planned. I compiled a notebook for both my sons with our planned itinerary, a route map showing the courses along our journey and website information on all the courses. I gave it to them for Christmas. They are pumped. Both are very good players and we have played alot together. My oldest is getting married in October and my yougner son plays for his college team and will graduate in May. For their birthdays they each will get a copy of Final Round to read as a prerequiste to the trip schedlued June 6-21. We will play both the famous and the hidden gems. We'll play Carnoustie on Father's Day and then drive down to St. Andrew's and watch the final round of the US Open in a pub 100 yards off the 18th green of the Old Course. Our last round will be on the Old Course. This book provided a dream for a once in a lifetime trip. I'm going to share it with two of my favorite people.

A great story for father and sons regardless if they golf.......2005-05-16

I picked up this book at a used book sale on a lark. I love Scotland and thought a book on a father and son golf trip to the old courses would be fun. What I didn't expect was such a great book about the relationship between a very optimistic father and his earnest son. Just before the trip the father discovers he has cancer and not long to live. They go on the trip anyway and we get to know two interesting people and how life's lessons can come in many places including on a golf course. I lost my father a few months before I read this book. I took my time reading it, not wanting it to end. It helped ease the pain of my loss and to direct my energies and lessons I have to offer to my sons.

Fantastic and Moving .......2005-03-02

I am scottish and learnt the game of golf from my father when I was 8. My father and I played courses all over scotland as well as in the united states. The game taught me much about myself, but also much about my father. Though nothing like "Opti", my father had his own valauble pieces of advice that he passed to me. I moved to Japan at 22 and two years later found out my father had a year to live. I was stunned and returned immediately to be with him. In fact he only lived 2 months, but in that time he and I played two more games of golf, only a stones throw from the course mentioned in this book, Gullane.
Now only 4 years on I found this book and on every page it strikes a chord with me. I remember my father and thank him for teaching me this wonderful game. As a scot, I of course have an unrelenting love for the game and reading this book and seeing courses in there that we played together is truly moving.
Not often does a book compell me to write a review, this book however makes me feel like a simple review will never do justice to how much I enjoyed this book.

Average customer rating:

I could not put the book down. James was me.
One of the most touching stories I've ever heard.
Poignant and relevant to father-son relationships and golf

Final Rounds

Manufacturer: Random House Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Golf | Sports | Subjects | Books

Golf | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

Sony WMFX479 Walkman

ASIN: 0553478079
Release Date: 1996-10-01

Book Description

In Final Rounds, James Dodson offers a touching, heartfelt, often humorous tribute to his father and the game they both loved as he tells the poignant story of his father's last days and how they set out to celebrate them with the golf tour of a lifetime.

To James Dodson, an editor of Golf magazine and a premier authority on the sport, his closest moments with his father were on the links. With his father approaching eighty, Dodson planned a dream golf trip through England and France, where the elder Dodson had first discovered his love for the game as an airman during World War II. But when he learned his father was suffering from an advanced form of cancer, the trip took on an added urgency. For Braxton Dodson had been given only a month or two to live.

Final Rounds takes us to Royal Lutham, where Bobby Jones captured his first Open championship in 1926; to the Royal Birkdale, where the same rains that swirled around Arnold Palmer in '61 fall upon the Dodsons; to Carnoustie, where Hogan played peerlessly in '53; and finally to the legendary St. Andrews, where the younger Dodson discovers something of the secret of the game's mysterious allure over pros and hackers alike.

But like golf itself, Final Rounds is about much more than just a game: it is about a journey of discovery between a father and a son, about long-held secrets shared, and about the valuable lessons a middle-aged man could still learn from his father on the importance of life, love, and family.

Customer Reviews:

I could not put the book down. James was me........1999-04-14

As James and his Dad take a final trip to Scotland, he and his wonderful Dad get to know each other and the love for each other, which had always been there becomes very personal. Golf is the game each loves and becomes the expression of their love for each other. They communicate and connect for long or short drives, it doesn't matter. The game of golf is there spoken and unspoken language. Opti, Jame's dad, has a few months to live, and his pain is numbed by playing and being near his son. They truely connect and James reads his dads words and remembers every detail of his life. The man is certainly teeing of with Bobby Jones, Julius Boros and Old Tom Morris. Waiting and watching are Love, Strange, Watson and a host of others who have shown the same respect for the game. Every golfer who was taught the game as a child by a parent (my Mother was my Opti) will relate and cry thru the last chapter, just as I did.

One of the most touching stories I've ever heard........1997-09-20

Truly an outstanding story wonderfully told. A love story about Dad's and son's that anyone with a heart will enjoy.

I listened to the tapes on a long trip. Upon returning home, the last tape was not complete so I sat in the car for 30 minuites to hear the end

Poignant and relevant to father-son relationships and golf.......1997-07-04

Even though I'd read the book, I recently bought the audio for a new long commute. James Dobson's reading of his own words is a poignant description of the journey he and his father make towards the end of their relationship. As with many aspects of life, golf and this journey reflect upon each other. The goals on the course mirror those in life; balance, harmony, relaxation while trying to achieve important goals. James Dobson narrates this journey, on and off the golf course, with compassion and humor. It has helped me in my thoughts about both golf and my father..

Final Four Records, 1939-1991: The History of the Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Including First and Second Rounds, Regional, and Tournament (Ncaa Final Four Record and Fact Book)

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Final Four Records, 1939-1991: The History of the Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Including First and Second Rounds, Regional, and Tournament (Ncaa Final Four Record and Fact Book)
Triumph Books , and National Collegiate Athletic Association
Manufacturer: Triumph Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1880141027

Bull-dog Drummond: His Four Rounds with Carl Peterson. (Bull-dog Drummond; The Black Gang; The Third Round; The Final Count.)

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Bull-dog Drummond: His Four Rounds with Carl Peterson. (Bull-dog Drummond; The Black Gang; The Third Round; The Final Count.)
Sapper [Herman Cylil McNeile]
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J1JJV6

5 Books - 1) - 365 One-Minute Golf Lessons: Stroke-Saving Tips / 2) - Golf - The Practice Book, (In Slipcase) / 3) Golf for Dummies / 4) Final Rounds: A Father, A Son, The Golf Journey Of A Lifetime / 5) Tiger Woods, The Making of a Champion (Unboxed Set of Golf Training & Motivational Books)

Average customer rating:

5 Books - 1) - 365 One-Minute Golf Lessons: Stroke-Saving Tips / 2) - Golf - The Practice Book, (In Slipcase) / 3) Golf for Dummies / 4) Final Rounds: A Father, A Son, The Golf Journey Of A Lifetime / 5) Tiger Woods, The Making of a Champion (Unboxed Set of Golf Training & Motivational Books)
Robin McMillan , Joerg Vanden Berge , Jorg Vanden Berge , Gary McCord , John Huggan , Kevin Costner , James Dodson , and Sports illustrated
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VYEY7K

Product Description

5 Books - 1) - 365 One-Minute Golf Lessons: Stroke-Saving Tips / 2) - Golf - The Practice Book, (In Slipcase) / 3) Golf for Dummies / 4) Final Rounds: A Father, A Son, The Golf Journey Of A Lifetime / 5) Tiger Woods, The Making of a Champion, in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.

Agriculture in the Uruguay round of GATT negotiations: The final stages : proceedings of a conference jointly sponsored by the George Morris Centre, University ... Ministry of Agriculture and Food (AEB)

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Agriculture in the Uruguay round of GATT negotiations: The final stages : proceedings of a conference jointly sponsored by the George Morris Centre, University ... Ministry of Agriculture and Food (AEB)

Manufacturer: Dept. of Agricultural Economics and Business, University of Guelph
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0889552134

Dallas Stars (The Official Game Program, Round Three/Conference Finals)

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Dallas Stars (The Official Game Program, Round Three/Conference Finals)
nhl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VUPAL8

Product Description

official game program /round three/conference finals May 2000

Final ACT Embodying the Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations

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Final ACT Embodying the Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations
United States
Manufacturer: Office of the United States Trade Representat
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0160430372

Final Four Records 1939-1992: 1993 Ncaa Final Four : The History of the Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Including First and Second Rounds, R (Official NCAA Final Four Tournament Records)

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Final Four Records 1939-1992: 1993 Ncaa Final Four : The History of the Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Including First and Second Rounds, R (Official NCAA Final Four Tournament Records)
National Collegiate Athletic Association
Manufacturer: Triumph Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Basketball | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1880141221

Book Description

How Hysterical reads scenes from the films Light It Up, Remember the Titans, Three Kings, Paris is Burning, Boys Don't Cry, and Magnolia alongside biblical texts from Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Matthew, and Revelation. An innovation in studies on Bible and film, How Hysterical is less centered on direct citation of the Bible in film than on analyses of hypostasized biblical influence in culture. Here, through accessible engagement with feminist, queer, postcolonial and ideological critical theories, Erin Runions discusses the processes by which biblical and filmic texts can both bolster and disrupt identifications with the norms that drive politics and culture.

How Hysterical: Identification and Resistance in the Bible and Film

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How Hysterical: Identification and Resistance in the Bible and Film
Erin Runions
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTK0QG

Book Description

In a book full of playful irony and striking insights, the controversial social philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky draws on the history of fashion to demonstrate that the modern cult of appearance and superficiality actually serves the common good. Focusing on clothing, bodily deportment, sex roles, sexual practices, and political rhetoric as forms of "fashion," Lipovetsky bounds across two thousand years of history, showing how the evolution of fashion from an upper-class privilege into a vehicle of popular expression closely follows the rise of democratic values. Whereas Tocqueville feared that mass culture would create passive citizens incapable of political reasoning, Lipovetsky argues that today's mass-produced fashion offers many choices, which in turn enable consumers to become complex individuals within a consolidated, democratically educated society.

Superficiality fosters tolerance among different groups within a society, claims Lipovetsky. To analyze fashion's role in smoothing over social conflict, he abandons class analysis in favor of an inquiry into the symbolism of everyday life and the creation of ephemeral desire. Lipovetsky examines the malaise experienced by people who, because they can fulfill so many desires, lose their sense of identity. His conclusions raise disturbing questions about personal joy and anguish in modern democracy.

Customer Reviews:

Lipovetsky: A new hegelian thought.......2002-01-12

In this book Lipovetsky makes explicit ideas that one could find in a more timid way in earlier books. The basic idea of his thought is that fragmentation of society does not, in the way it is thought commonly, mean destruction of morals or democracy. On the contrary, democracy is formed by the powers that are able to join fragmentation and continuity. This is what he shows with fashion. Fashion is from where he can understand what is "the essence" (although it isn't an essenciallist thought)of Western Culture. He uses the concept of fashion to synthetize the opposites: fragmentaed indivilualistic society and universal democratic society. As Hegel, he sees the union of both opposites through the whole reconstruction of Fashion. Not science or Reason but fashion is what explains us better what we are and why we are like that.

Excellent & non-condescending look at the rise of fashion.......1995-07-25

Unlike the stuffy American academics who turn their nose up at the world of fashion, Lipovetsky realizes the importance of fashion - not just as a result of liberalism and/or capitalism - but as a contributor to these structures. Lipovetsky basically argues that modern fashion contributes to democratization by allowing individuals more choices and also by obscuring social classes (Does Bill Gates dress signify his social or financial superiority in any way?). He also gives a pretty concise and coherent history of fashion which helps us understand where we stand today. On top of all that, it's well written. I don't know whether to thank him or Porter for that. All and all, an outstanding and entertaining rejection of the tedious, reductive Marxist explanations of fashion.

Book Description

Come, sit next to me, says Grandmother. Take this chalk in your hand. Now draw a dot and concentrate all your energy into this one dot. It is the beginning and the end, the navel of the world. So Fawzia Al-Rawi describes her grandmother's first lesson about the ancient craft of Oriental dance. Grandmother's Secrets always circles back to this grandmother and this young girl, echoing the circular movements of the dance itself. Al-Rawi has written a strikingly graceful and original book that blends personal memoir with the history and theory of the dance known in the West as belly dancing. It is the story of a young Arab girl as she is initiated into womanhood. It is a history of the dance from the earliest times through the days of the Pharoahs, the Roman Empire, to the Arab world of the last three centuries. It is a personal investigation into the effects of the dance's movements on individual parts of the body and the whole psyche. It is a guide to the actual techniques of the dance for those who are inspired to put down the book and move. Al-Rawi conveys in this book not only the history and technique of grieving and mourning dances, pregnancy and birth dances, but the spirit of these age-old rituals, and their possibilities for healing and empowering women today. Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi grew up in Iraq and Lebanon and was educated at the Universities of Cairo and Vienna. She is an expert in Arabic studies and ethnology, and the author of Golden Sky, Red Earth: Women's Lives in Palestine. She lives in Jerusalem and Vienna, where she teaches belly dancing.

Customer Reviews:

Tired "secrets" of women's spirituality in Middle Eastern garb.......2006-11-04

Al-Rawi's account of her own introduction into a middle-eastern inflected version of women's spirituality is charmingly told, if occasionally a bit too good to be true. Perhaps the rose-colored glasses of recollection are to blame rather than any conscious attempt to manipulate the narrative...and the reader. However, when the focus shifts from personal reflections to general discussion of the titular "secrets," we are handed yet another variant of the women's spirituality mythology that appears in Eisler, Sjoo, Walker, Stone, Gimbutas, and even in the works of late 19th/early 20th century patriarchs like Engels, Bachofen, Jung, and Neumann. Of course, there are always good political reasons to perpetuate this story. The political goals have shifted several times over the past hundred years or so, and the interpretations offered alongside the mythology have been adjusted accordingly. In a way, it's refreshing to see this old torch taken up by a new, multicultural generation, and Al-Rawi gamely and competently spins a veil of Eastern mysticism around this tired narrative. Grandmother's Secrets is a fun read if you haven't already been overexposed to the alleged secrets. If this is a story you've already heard from other writers, the cosmetic changes made to it here will not hold your interest.

Grandmother's Secrets.......2006-08-23

This is a wonderful book beginning with personal experiences by the author who is from a Middle Eastern culture that is followed by historical information and then a more practical guide for belly dancing. It gives insight into what belly dancing is really meant to mean and how it glorifies the woman's body without shame. I don't think many people (maybe Americans) realize this because it came to our country after the wars and was done strictly for entertainment of men who looked upon women as objects for their enjoyment. On a less serious note, it is indeed an enlightening book and I thoroughly enjoyed it...you will too---man or woman!

Healing Power of Belly Dancing.......2005-10-12

A very informative book on the subject of Belly Dancing with clear meaning as to the Why's and Where's of movements

Great History.......2005-10-07

This is a story of one woman, and how dance was used as a metaphor for life. Great, insightful, and a valuable lesson to others. It also brings to light the inaccurate way most Westerners view traditional Muslim women. I think we typically believe that Muslim women are background decoration and repressed, but this book showed that even in the 1950's, the women held their own ground. I loved the book!

Beautiful Memoir .......2005-04-07

You won't find any direct instruction about how to belly dance here, but it's a lovely book that details the author's childhood and beliefs about the philosophical and spirtual aspects of belly dance. This book would make a nice gift for a beginning belly dancer or someone who's interested in knowing more about the dance.

Book Description

Ask network administrators what their most critical computer application is, and most will say "email" without a moment's hesitation. If you run a network powered by Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange occupies much of your time. According to Microsoft, 110 million Exchange seats have been deployed, but 60% of you are still running Exchange 5.5. That's a problem, because the difference between version 5.5 and the more efficient Exchange 2000 and Exchange Server 2003 is profound. Don't fret. Exchange Server Cookbook offers you a comprehensive how-to guide to these newer versions of Exchange. You'll find quick solutions for the most common tasks you need to perform--everything from installation and maintenance to configuration and optimization, with proven recipes for the most useful tools and utilities. The book also has solutions to some uncommon tasks (that you may not know are possible) and advanced procedures that aren't part of day-to-day operations. These include tasks for critical situations, such as using a recovery storage group. Our reliable desktop reference even shows you how to write scripts for Exchange management and deployment tasks. That's right. While not every Exchange job can be scripted, many can, and we provide lots of working VBScript examples for accomplishing particular goals. Whatever your particular need, you'll find it quickly, because chapters in this Cookbook are laid out by recipe, with cross references to other pertinent solutions in the book. With this guide, you'll learn:

The relationship between Exchange and Active Directory
When to use the GUI, the command line, or scripting
How to prepare forests, domains, and servers
How to use Group Policy to control Exchange
Diagnostic logging, measure performance, and administrative privileges
Recipient management: user accounts, mailboxes, mail-enabled groups
Mailbox and public folder database management
Message routing and transport functions
Security, backup, restore, and recovery operations

For every question you have about Exchange 2000 or Exchange Server 2003, our Cookbook has the answer--one that you can find and implement without a moment's hesitation.

Customer Reviews:

Fast answers to common questions.......2006-05-24

I find this a great resource when you need to administer Exchange, especially for 5.5 to 2003 admins. Everything is well written, with examples given using the GUI, command prompt and scripting.

As a recent 5.5 to 2003 admin, it's very handy for those situations where you know 2003 can do it, but haven't memorized how. Overall, a very good cookbook for your server kitchen.

SIMULTANEOUS COVERAGE FOR BOTH 2000 AND 2003 EDITIONS.......2006-04-19

It is not easy to judiciously cover successive editions of any given software in a single book, but I must say that the efforts of the authors of this book are commendable. Any system administrator who shares his time working with both Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003 would find this book indispensable. Its contents prove that getting to understand new versions of mission-critical technologies do not always mean starting from scratch.
Whether it entails a fresh installation or an upgrading path, this book shed comprehensive light on each topic. All the important issues regarding Routing and SMTP controlling, as well as Outlook, Outlook Web Access, POP3, and IMAP4 management and security were nicely explored. In fact, nowhere have I seen the concepts of Mail Transport and System Monitoring better summarized than in this book. The same could be said of Managing and Controlling folders, Backing-up, Replication, as well as Restoration of data (on the same or on different servers).
This book's coverage of Active Directory Integration, along with its associated controls and monitoring is without blemish. It is simply emphatic. Each chapter presented a set of solutions, which were complemented by a series of well-grounded analyses. They are extensively cross-referenced too.
However, the downside of this kind of book is that the authors' efforts to covered two successive editions (of the Exchange Server) compelled them to concentrate more on only the features that are common to both editions. Still, it remains a valuable desk manual for any e-mail-oriented system administrator.

Handy set of recipes for Exchange administrators.......2005-09-30

The cookbook style really works for a topic like Exchange server maintenance. The style defines a set of recipes where each recipe covers a single question; e.g. Rehoming Public Folders. Then it discusses the problem, gives a solution, and then discusses how the solution actually works. It gives you insight into the workings of Exchange within a practical framework.

The writing is good. It's a little stiff, but you would expect that from this type of format.

try the command line or scripting?.......2005-08-06

Many useful ideas about running your Exchange Server. Some of which presuppose a reasonable facility in writing VBScript. Other recipes [I guess that's the preferred term] assume you have an Active Directory server on your network, and show how to integrate your Exchange Server with it.

The usage of command lines and of writing scripts may be the best way for you to learn this material. While the GUI methods are the easiest, the other approaches steer you towards actual programming of the Server, and of a deeper understanding.

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