Customer Comments

This books makes an excellent gift for the student just starting college, or for anyone who wants to know how to write well. Unlike other, better known "how to write" books, this is more than a compendium of rules. The reader learns not only about correct grammar, but also about how to make a logical, coherent presentation of what she wants to say.

A true gem! Forget all the "how to write books" that are full of fussy little rules (yes, I'm talking about you, Messrs. Strunk and White). This is the book for anyone who wants to learn effective, honest prose writing.

It almost sounds like a wine review: this book was dark, yet compelling. Like the best American noir thrillers, the crime and its solution are little more than pretexts for examining the darker reaches of humanity,only the darkness lies within all of us, not just in a corrupt world. Think Raymond Chandler writing a screenplay for Ingmar Bergman. While the "mystery" in this book is not a real hard one to figure out, its solution raises more mysteries that may or may not be resolved by the end of the book.

A broad scope for such a slim volume. Professor Demos does an excellent job of putting witch hunts in their historical contexts. Two minor quibbles: italics seem to be overused, and, based on recent political rhetoric, I would scarcely say that the "Red" bogeyman has been put to rest.

This is a thorough, relatively current overview of evolution. Not a lot of time is spent arguing against creationists, but references to sources that do that are given. The general reader will want to have a scientific dictionary (other than the book's glossary) close at hand, as no punches are pulled with the technical vocabulary.

Cultural Amnesia is a richly rewarding book, but there are a couple of hints for the reader which should be passed along. First of all, do not try to read this book all-at-once, or straight through. There is far too much here to take in en masse. You will want to go deliberately, to be able to digest what you read. Second, have pencil and paper at hand while you read it. You will, I promise, want to make notes for further reading--authors you've never heard of, or whom you've forgotten, or whom you didn't know might be worth reading. The best way to read this book is to take it as the author's suggested starting point for further exploration.

You will come away angry after reading this book. Yes, justice is done in the end, but at what price? Coyote Warrior reminds us that the "Indian Wars" did not stop when the guns were silenced. The battle just shifted its venue.