About
Greg Imlay is a guy who loves to read and loves books. My favorite genres are American and British fiction, U.S. and world history, 20th century art history, fitness books (weight lifting rocks!) and more. Oh yes, and my wife's eBay biz 'debscouture
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Reviews (11)
08 Jul, 2006
A taste of the exotic, mixing detective story with love
I read this book thinking it was based on the recent movie of the same title, and quickly found that it was not at all the same story. I was looking for similarities that would lead me to see a direct connection, which was fun for a while but eventually proved pointless. That being said, this is a great book in many different ways, even if a major part of this is not the kind of story that I (a 50-year old American male) would normally read (i.e., romance). That's because, more than just love between an American female Chinese interpreter and a Chinese archaeologist, this book probes the relationship between men and women, drawing on actual letters between the famous French Catholic philosopher/priest, Teilhard de Chardin and his American platonic friend, Lucile Swan, a female painter in mid-century China.
There is intrigue in the form of Chinese spies interested in the American and Chinese archaeologists searching for the long lost Peking Man fossils. There is sociological insight, as we see various levels of prejudice and misunderstanding by both Chinese and Americans. We see beautiful word poems describing Beijing, Sichuan, and Inner Mongolia, combined with intimate characterizations of both Americans and Chinese who are individuals and close (and sometimes distant) representations of stereotypes of their respective races. It's a fast read, though I bogged down in the last 50 pages when the love story became the final driving plot, but was pleased with the ending that left plenty to wonder about on all levels of this story.
This is the first book I've read by Nicole Mones. She has travelled widely in China and this clearly shows in her writing. The only thing I found distracting after a while was the use of Chinese transliterations, followed by their English translations in all dialogue. At first it was fun to try to learn the Chinese phrases, but soon I became annoyed by having to mentally switch my mind off as I scanned the meaningless words and skipped to the English. Overall, you'll enjoy this book if you have any interest in Asian culture, Archaeology, the relationships between men and women, and the relationships between daughters and their fathers.
05 Sep, 2006
Cassandra Wilson - deep beauty on Glamoured
Lately I've been getting more in tuned with Cassandra Wilson's many-sided talents in CDs such as this one. I fell in love with the first track "Fragile" as part of a compilation CD I acquired. Hearing that, I HAD to buy the CD to hear the rest of the tracks. This CD did not disappoint me in any way, and has become the CD I refer to when recommending a friend get acquainted with this bluesy, jazz-trained vocalist.
"Fragile" offers a poetic and subtle look at the relations between people - how we affect each other and how inside we are more fragile than we would like to admit. Cassandra's deep range on this track carry the most poignant moments - her voice seems to hover between tenor and mezzo soprano - although I am not sure what she would classify herself as.
In addition to her many original titles on this CD, there is also her cover of "Lay Lady Lay" by Bob Dylan. Again, a prime piece to share with friends who need an easy entree to her unique stylings as applied to this familiar title. Meanwhile, her dreamy side is exhibited with tasty highs in "Sleight of Time", a ballad about the mysteries of passing time.
She is backed by many talented acoustic musicians in this CD. The guitar is played an alternate tracks by Fabrezio Sotti, who certainly has a Brazilian flair in "Heaven Knows". Some tracks feature Brandon Ross, who shows a more driving Blues sensibility on both electric and acoustic guitarist. You're going to love both guitarists along with the entire ensenble featuring stand up base, various percussion, harmonica and even a washboard. Take a listen! This CD is available on eBay for a reasonable price, but will be a welcome addition to your library at any price.
15 Jun, 2008
One Man's Mission Leads to Better Education for S. Asia
1 of 1 found this helpful I just finished Three Cups of Tea and felt inspired to write this review. Brief synopsis: Greg Mortenson, former climber of the world's highest peaks, becomes impassioned about helping the remote villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan build schools, educating both girls and boys in these Muslim countries. He is clueless at first on how to gain financial support but eventually learns. He builds first one school, then goes on to build others in a countries cannot get their resources martialled to support education.
The reason I rated this book "good" rather than "excellent" is because I personally found it longer than it needed to be. The first half truly had me spellbound, but as the ending dragged along, I got impatient. Still, despite this problem (and maybe it's just me. . . ) this nonfiction tale truly offers a number of inspiring lessons. A western man who is open to the native culture can be accepted in Pakistan and make a difference. Here's a stupid thing to say, but it is a theme of this book: Despite widespread perceptions that Pakistan is full of Islamic radicals bent on destroying the West, most are just people like you and I, wanting to do the best for their families and especially their children. Education for these people is something they cannot take for granted, and because of that they cherish it all the more than many in the West. Thank you Greg Mortenson! I will be supporting the Central Asia Institute in hopes that they can continue to expand educational opportunities for children in South Asia.