"May be the best book ever written about jazz."--David Thomson, Los Angeles Times In eight poetically charged vignettes, Geoff Dyer skillfully evokes... the music and the men who shaped modern jazz. Drawing on photos, anecdotes, and, most important, the way he hears the music, Dyer imaginatively reconstructs scenes from the embattled lives of some of the greats: Lester Young fading away in a hotel room; Charles Mingus storming down the streets of New York on a too-small bicycle; Thelonious Monk creating his own private language on the piano. However, music is the driving force of But Beautiful, and wildly metaphoric prose that mirrors the quirks, eccentricity, and brilliance of each musician's style.

In his National Book Award–winning novel Augustus, John Williams uncovered the secrets of ancient Rome. With Butcher’s Crossing, his fiercely... intelligent, beautifully written western, Williams dismantles the myths of modern America.It is the 1870s, and Will Andrews, fired up by Emerson to seek “an original relation to nature,” drops out of Harvard and heads west. He washes up in Butcher’s Crossing, a small Kansas town on the outskirts of nowhere. Butcher’s Crossing is full of restless men looking for ways to make money and ways to waste it. Before long Andrews strikes up a friendship with one of them, a man who regales Andrews with tales of immense herds of buffalo, ready for the taking, hidden away in a beautiful valley deep in the Colorado Rockies. He convinces Andrews to join in an expedition to track the animals down. The journey out is grueling, but at the end is a place of paradisal richness. Once there, however, the three men abandon themselves to an orgy of slaughter, so caught up in killing buffalo that they lose all sense of time. Winter soon overtakes them: they are snowed in. Next spring, half-insane with cabin fever, cold, and hunger, they stagger back to Butcher’s Crossing to find a world as irremediably changed as they have been.

One of the most dramatic explorations of a German town in the grip of anti-Semitic passion ever written.In 1900, in a small Prussian town, a young boy... was found murdered, his body dismembered, the blood drained from his limbs. The Christians of the town quickly rose up in violent riots to accuse the Jews of ritual murder—the infamous blood-libel charge that has haunted Jews for centuries. In an absorbing narrative, Helmut Walser Smith reconstructs the murder and the ensuing storm of anti-Semitism that engulfed this otherwise peaceful town. Offering an instructive examination of hatred, bigotry, and mass hysteria, The Butcher's Tale is a modern parable that will be a classic for years to come. Winner of the Fraenkel Award. A Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2002. 4 pages of illustrations

We've all heard the rationale: "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere." Or "All religions are pretty much the same." But are they... the same? Does it matter which one you follow? In this insightful and compelling book, Michael Green invites readers into a relationship with Jesus Christ, the divine revelation and only pathway to the one true God. In a conversational style geared toward nonbelievers, Green compares Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and other religions to help spiritual seekers navigate the multi-faith maze. "But Don't All Religions Lead to God?" is an ideal reference and evangelism tool for churches and individual Christians as well. It offers scriptural references, looks at how divergent religious traditions view salvation and eternity, and answers difficult questions such as "What about people who have never heard of Jesus?" and "How should Christians regard other religions?" In the midst of our pluralistic and tolerant culture, here is an important and convincing argument for faith in Jesus-the only great teacher whose death and resurrection provided grace, forgiveness, and an eternity in the presence of God.

Highlighting the words and experiences of 16 mixed race women (who have one white parent and one parent who is a person of color), Silvia Bettez exposes... hidden nuances of privilege and oppression related to multiple positionalites associated with race, class, gender, and sexuality. These women are "secret agent insiders" to cultural Whiteness who provide unique insights and perspectives that emerge through their mixed race lenses. Much of what the participants share is never revealed in mixed - White/of color - company. Although critical of racial power politics and hierarchies, these women were invested in cross-cultural connections and revealed key insights that can aid all in understanding how to better communicate across lines of cultural difference. This book is an invaluable resource for a wide range of activists, scholars and general readers, including sociologists, sociologists of education, feminists, anti-oppression/social justice scholars, critical multicultural educators, and qualitative researchers who are interested in mixed race issues, cross cultural communication, social justice work, or who simply wish to minimize racial conflict and other forms of oppression. "Theoretically grounded and with vivid detail, this book amplifies the voices of mixed race women to trouble and expand our understandings of race, gender, hybridity and education. Silvia Bettez fills a stark gap in the research literature, and sets the bar high for what comes next." - Kevin Kumashiro, editor of Troubling Intersections of Race and Sexuality: Queer Students of Color and Anti-Oppressive Education "In But Don't Call Me White, Silvia Bettez accomplishes the difficult task of presenting complex theories in accessible ways while introducing the reader to the intersectional nature of identities in the 21st century. Through the voices of her participants, Bettez illuminates aspects of gender, race, sexuality and social class that cannot be discerned when examined in isolation, and she does so in an engaging manner. In addition to presenting a model of excellent qualitative research, the book makes a valuable contribution to mixed race studies, gender studies, and education." - Kristen A. Renn, Associate Professor at Michigan State University "Silvia Bettez has given us a window into lives that are marked by borders of our own racist creations. Yet these women soar and inspire. They are insightful and beautiful. They teach us the limits of racism and the power of a future where race is mezcla not marker. " - George W. Noblit, Joseph R. Neikirk, Distinguished Professor of Sociology of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Silvia Cristina Bettez teaches about issues of social justice and is an Assistant Professor of Cultural Foundations in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Birmingham served as the stage for some of the most dramatic and important moments in the history of the civil rights struggle. In this vivid narrative... account, Glenn Eskew traces the evolution of nonviolent protest in the city, focusing particularly on the sometimes problematic intersection of the local and national movements.Eskew describes the changing face of Birmingham's civil rights campaign, from the politics of accommodation practiced by the city's black bourgeoisie in the 1950s to local pastor Fred L. Shuttlesworth's groundbreaking use of nonviolent direct action to challenge segregation during the late 1950s and early 1960s.In 1963, the national movement, in the person of Martin Luther King Jr., turned to Birmingham. The national uproar that followed on Police Commissioner Bull Connor's use of dogs and fire hoses against the demonstrators provided the impetus behind passage of the watershed Civil Rights Act of 1964.Paradoxically, though, the larger victory won in the streets of Birmingham did little for many of the city's black citizens, argues Eskew. The cancellation of protest marches before any clear-cut gains had been made left Shuttlesworth feeling betrayed even as King claimed a personal victory. While African Americans were admitted to the leadership of the city, the way power was exercised—and for whom—remained fundamentally unchanged.

He loves me. He has a really sweet side. I am all he has. If only his boss wouldn't put him under so much stress. At least he doesn't hit me. He won't... do it again. I can't do anything right. In this compassionate book written for victims of domestic violence, Joanna V. Hunter helps women face, head on, the excuses they tell themselves that keep them in abusive relationships. Using expert advice complemented by her story and the stories of dozens of other women who have survived and turned away from domestic violence, Hunter teaches women to identify the lies they've accepted understand what healthy thinking sounds like give themselves permission to stop taking the blame for their partners' behavior identify power and control plays stick up for their own needs and plan for their safety practice forgiveness  'Healing from abuse means you've taken back your power . . . My hope is that this book will help you shed labels, transcend the past, and walk into a better life—the one you've always hoped for.' Readers will develop the tools to operate not as victims, but as survivors, understanding the power that they hold to change their lives.

Through anecdote, classroom vignette, and his own experience as a writer and teacher, Barry encourages teachers of any grade level to start a writing... program tomorrow and not wait until they have attained perfect understanding. Barry's motto: Let's learn along the way! For use with Grades K-12.

One in three girls will be in a controlling, abusive dating relationship before she graduates from high school – from verbal or emotional abuse to... sexual abuse or physical battering. Is your daughter in danger? Dr. Jill Murray speaks on the topic of dating violence at high schools around the country, reaching more than 10,000 students, teachers, and counsellors each year. In every school she visits, she is approached by teenage girls in miserable relationships who, when confronted with the option of breaking up with the boy, exclaim, "But I love him!" Many young women – and their parents, aren't even aware of the indications of a potentially abusive relationship. What's most alarming is that these warning signs are also some of the behaviours that girls find most flattering: A boy pages and calls a girl often – but as a form of control, not affection. He wants to spend all his time with her, but eventually won't allow her to spend time with her friends. He says "I love you" very early in the relationship. These behaviours can escalate into blaming, isolating, manipulating, threatening, humiliation, and sexual and physical abuse. In But I Love Him, Dr. Murray identifies these controlling, abusive patterns of behaviour and helps you get your daughter out of the relationship without alienating her. You will learn what draws her to this type of relationship, why she has a hard time talking to you about it, the special barriers teens face when breaking off a relationship, and what's going on in the mind of a teen abuser. Dr. Murray will help you show your teen what a respectful relationship looks like, and teach her the importance of respecting herself. edition.

This book shows content area teachers in middle and high schools how to boost student achievement by including lessons and strategies which focus on... students' reading comprehension without detracting from content area focus. These mini-lessons and strategies are research-based and address the specific literacy challenges of each particular subject area (social studies, mathematics, science, etc.). The author has provided a large number of reading examples from texts, sample tests and assessments, and actual mini-lessons, their content areas identified by marginal tabs.

From Andy Warhol's Brillo boxes to provocative dung-splattered madonnas, in today's art world many strange, even shocking, things are put on display.... This often leads exasperated viewers to exclaim--is this really art? In this invaluable primer on aesthetics, Freeland explains why innovation and controversy are so highly valued in art, weaving together philosophy and art theory with many engrossing examples. Writing clearly and perceptively, she explores the cultural meanings of art in different contexts, and highlights the continuities of tradition that stretch from modern, often sensational, works back to the ancient halls of the Parthenon, to the medieval cathedral of Chartres, and to African nkisi nkondi fetish statues. She explores the difficulties of interpretation, examines recent scientific research into the ways the brain perceives art, and looks to the still-emerging worlds of art on the web, video art, art museum CD-ROMS, and much more. She also guides us through the various theorists of art, from Aristotle and Kant to Baudrillard. Throughout this nuanced account of theories, artists, and works, Freeland provides us with a rich understanding of how cultural significance is captured in a physical medium, and why challenging our perceptions is, and always has been, central to the whole endeavor. It is instructive to recall that Henri Matisse himself was originally derided as a "wild beast." To horrified critics, his bold colors and distorted forms were outrageous. A century later, what was once shocking is now considered beautiful. And that, writes Freeland, is art.

On December 20, 2005, a US district court in Dover, Pennsylvania, ruled in Kitzmiller et al v Dover Area School Board that teaching Intelligent Design... in public school biology classes violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The judge explained that Intelligent Design is not science and 'cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents'. This case was just the latest attempt by proponents of Intelligent Design or Creationism to undermine the teaching of evolution in high school biology classes. The emotionally charged controversy, which has been going on since the publication of Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species", shows no sign of letting up. This excellent collection, now fully updated, will inform readers about the history of the debate and bring philosophical clarity to the complex arguments on both sides. The editors, both of whom served as expert witnesses in two different court cases, start by chronicling the heated discussion that surrounded the publication of Darwin's famous work. In the next part, they present articles that explicate modern evolutionary theory, including philosophical critiques by Karl Popper and others. The selections that follow discuss so-called Creation Science, focusing in particular on the 1981 McLean court case in Arkansas. In the final section, the philosophical issues surrounding the distinction between religion and science in the most recent Kitzmiller case are considered.

For more than two centuries, Butler's Lives of the Saints has been hailed as the authority on the Christian patron saints. Now, in this new edition of... the original classic, Michael Walsh has culled the ruch resources of earlier editions to accentuate the more modern and best-documented saints. Echoing the charm and style of the eighteenth-century edition, Walsh's volume has been edited to make the fascinating and inspiring lives of the saints easily accessible to readers today. This edition features saints from many nations and backgrounds and includes new articles on recently canonized saints. The index offers the list of saints from the complete edition, and includes all new canonizations and new dates, making it eh most up-to-date listing of saints available. Butlter's Lives of the Saints remains a remarkable reference source and, through its comprehensive biographies, a valuable aid to devotion and a rich source of historical information.

Taking a "cultural pragmatic" approach to meaning, the contributors suggest a new way of looking at the continuum that stretches between ritual and... strategic action. They do so by developing, for the first time, a model of "social performance". This volume offers the first systematic and analytical framework that transforms the metaphor into a social theory and applies it to a series of facinating large-scale social and cultural processes--from September 11 and the Clinton/Lewinsky Affair, to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Willy Brandt's famous "kneefall" before the Warsaw momument.

This ground-breaking collection provides hours of enjoyment for the general reader and a wealth of materials needed to develop course units on black... women; political theory, literary essays on major writers, guidelines for consciousness-raising about racism, and surveys of black women's contributions to the blues. "Important and innovative."--Feminist Bookstore News