Ariel Reviews

Will and Ariel Durant were to history what Carl Sagan was to science: They breathed life into a subject considered lifeless by too many, and clothed the skeleton of recorded history in a garment rich in colorful detail and vast in perspective. "Lessons Of History" is, in my opinion, the finest 100 page non-fiction book ever written, and represents the capstone and encapsulating work of two authors who gave the world their ten thousand page "Story Of Civilization" over a period of 50 years.

Within this delightful book, one can view the enormous panorama of human civilization as it developed from, and was formed by, the matrices of geography, religion, science, war, and a host of other factors. The Durant's, in a writing style that should have been copyrighted, provide the reader with an engaging view of humanity that few readers will come away from without being touched and awed. To be sure, the Durant's works have had a few (very few) detractors, but they were almost entirely high-browed academics in narrow research areas who most likely envied them their commercial success. If I could give this synopsis of 100 centuries of history more than 5 stars I'd do it in a nanosecond.

For the person in a hurry, but who is also curious about history, I would recommend this book. It is the culmination of a survey of history that Will and Ariel Durrant did in the 1960's. I realize that some of the conclusions have been dated, such as concern about the Soviet Union, but that does not destroy the value of the work. Indeed, who is to say that the Soviet Union, or some neo-Tsarist regime, could not rise again?

Moreover, this book covers other topics, all of them revolving around the "Human Predicament," which is basically a choice between freedom and security. Or better yet, actual freedom, and claimed security, since if you chose security over freedom, you will lose both freedom and security.

This book is an easy read, written on the high-school level, so there are no excuses for not understanding anything. It is an essential in anyone's collection of "Great Books," since not only is the unexamined life not worth living, the unexamined civilization is not worth preserving. And we can make a change in things.

The Durant's show us that of all we might learn from History;the one thing it can't do is to help us predict the future.Even the Durant's were tempted to try in 1968 to predict the impact that lower birth rates would have in the US {see pg 23} totally missed the mark.They also had no insight into the collapse of Communism especially the speed.I do not fault them on this .Maybe they made these points to show how futile prediction really is despite an in depth knowledge of History.I think their line "There is no certainty that the future will repeat th past.Every year is an adventure" {pg 88}.

The Durants are gifted storytellers, however sometimes it seems they're more concerned with the art of the tale moreso than the veracity of the facts. That is not to say they are inaccurate, rather that aesthetics dominates their work. My reason for making such a claim is that it seems their spin is more of an interpretation of history than a simple conveying of facts. That spin is based in a materialistic mindset. They see historical figures as being motivated primarily by shallow concerns, which I don't think was the actual case. With that established, there is a lot of material covered in this book which makes for fascinating reading. The era of the King James Bible is described. The Puritans took the Bible as their guide for daily living. "Toward 1564 they began to be called Puritans--as a term of abuse--because they demanded the purification of English Protestantism from all forms of faith and worship not found in the New Testament" (pp. 23-24). The majority of the London Protestants and of the House of Commons were Puritans.
Private libraries among the well-to-do in England were common at this time. Interestingly, public libraries were rare. John Lyly wrote a book in 1579 proposing to show that "mind and character can be formed through education, experience, travel, and wise counsel" (p. 67). The Durands mention "old Parr", who in 1635 was presented to Charles I allegedly still in good health at age 152. There is a lot of history covered in this book. I would recommend reading it with an eye of receptivity to the facts, while disregarding the commentary inserted throughout, and taking into consideration the bias of the historians.

Will and Ariel Durant shine again in their seventh book of their history of European civilization. The given detailed attention to Shakespeare, Elizabeth I, Henri Quarte, Phillip II, Montaigne and many others.

The prose sparkles with wit, verve, pith and an unflagging interest and love for the subject of history and the homeland of my ancestors.

Highly recommended.

7th volume in Durant's great Story of Civilization, this chronicles European history from the reign of Elizabeth I to the Thirty Years War, including the stories of Mary Queen of Scotts, Henry IV of France, and Cardinel Richelieu.

I know that I will read it again and again and pass it around to all my Mommy friends. Basically it's all about giving yourself a break and realizing that you do NOT need to be perfect to be a good mom. Perfect is an impossible notion. Good enough is good enough. Amen. Guilt is such a large part of being a parent - not being enough, not doing enough, not making enough, not having enough time, and on and on. Guilt is an unnecessary and debilitating emotion. It breeds a lack of confidence and it kills joy - two really necessary emotions for successful mommying. Ariel Gore, the author of the book is a single mom, as well as the founder and editor of Hip Mama - a 'zine for women (www.hipmama.com). She believes that conventional advice books are "scary", and she shares her story in short essay form. There are essays about her dreams, her pregnancy, her bouts of depression, her battles with the "system" and family court, as well as her breakthroughs and personal insights. Make time for yourself (if you are unfulfilled or empty inside, you will not have anything to share with your children), throw out the concept of having it all (it's a myth and a dangerous goal to attempt to attain), be an individual (your kids will love you for it, even if you do embarrass them), and spend "no more than an hour a day on housework." I see this book as a sort of literary high-five to women everywhere. Believe in yourself and your mommying skills. Stand up for yourself. Love yourself and love your children

...from her past with tales from other mamas in hew newest winner, The Mother Trip. Their combined words remind us that we are not alone and that most inportantly, we need to be honest with ourselves about who we are and what we need to feel personally fulfilled. She addresses the combined feelings of joy and isolation that motherhood beings upon us. It isn't easy to be a mom, and while our generation has received so many mixed messages about what a good mother is, she reminds us that the world in which we live has no room for the strict patriarchal parenting styles of our grandmothers' time.

While I honestly believe and support Ariel's message, I can't help but feel guilty for not practicing what I preach. I feel as though some of my words quoted in the book were used against me, but for that reminder I am surprisingly thankful.

Thanks Ariel for writing such a kick-ass book. This book helped me to totally relax and realize I am doing what is right for me and my baby and have been doing it all along. Also, it helps to hear wanting ME-time is not selfish but keeps you sane. Some of the ideas in this book were things I was feeling but couldn't put into words. I passed this book along to my sister who also let out a little sigh of relief. We both agree that the time is now for redefining motherhood. In this sense Ariel's book is revolutionary.

Will Durant's fifth volume--The Renaissance--out of his magisterial work the Story of Civilization, is an excellent introductory source to this age of rebirth from Francesco Petrarca (1304 AD) all the way to the death of Titian (1576). Durant's primary focus is to furnish the reader with all the pertinent aspects of life in Renaissance Italy. He accomplishes this with his customary talent for providing the reader with a lively narrative that brings the characters and the stage of history to life. Durant's critiques of renaissance art and architecture, his overviews of the manners and morals of the time, his summaries and comments upon the principle pieces of humanist literature, philosophy, and poetry, are all carried with remarkable brilliance. This work, in short, is the extended version of Paul Johnson's pocket-sized book, "The Renaissance: A Short History." Both are highly recommended.

A previous reviewer accurately described Wil Durant as a "macrohistorian." Durant's technique is to give the reader a breadth of the issues surrounding a period in history. His style is to cover such diverse topics as art, literature, politics, religion, and philosophy. He's adept at evaluating a historical period vis-a-vis each of these disciplines.

Durant has a propensity for reviewing art and architecture ad nauseam, but not to the detriment of covering the other topics. This is forgivable in this context, because the Renaissance period is arguably most noted for its art. I am not an art connoisseur, so I found detailed descriptions of paintings tedious. There are pictures of artwork in the book, but they are of such poor quality that it is difficult to appreciate the quality that Durant assigns to the original works (the photos are poor resolution black and white).

Durant's views on religion are more balanced in this book than previous volumes in this series. "Our Oriental Heritage" was an unabashed attack on religions that espoused monotheism. In my mind, this tendency hurt his credibility as an objective researcher. However, Durant shifts his attention to the practitioners of the faith in "The Renaissance." He appears content to expose the excesses of the religious leaders, focusing on the individuals' failures rather than attacking religious precepts.

This is the fifth book in the series I've read. In each book Durant displays an ability to provide trenchant analyses of events and individuals.

After the long Middle Ages, finally there comes the Renaissance. Like all Durant's other books, this one is very good. Like always, you get everything besides history. This is also a nice treat for the Art student. There too many figures to keep track of though. The reader must read carefully and make many mental notes of names. You get some interesting biographical accounts of all the Renaissance masters. The price of the book is good too. The work provides a good background to the casuses of the Reformation.

I found this book while I was reading my way through the library's fairy tale shelf. I didn't understand any of the symbolism at the time, but I still liked it. I don't understand all of it even now, but the more I read (especially of C.S. Lewis, who admired MacDonald's work), the more interesting the book becomes. I like the way the shadow-lands idea seen here gets more fleshed out in C.S. Lewis' Narnia book The Last Battle, and both are probably derived from the cave allegory in Plato.

Some people will probably be turned off by the allegorical aspect. I think of it as an interesting little puzzle.

Afterward by W. H. Auden. This "great work" as C.S. Lewis described The Golden Key, tells of a boy and a girl, and their mysterious journey. J.R.R. Tolkien said "The magical, the fairy story . . . may be made a vehicle of Mystery. This at least is what George MacDonald attempted, achieving stories of power and beauty when he succeeded, as in The Golden Key." I heartily agree as did my children!

Since the story "The Golden Key" can be found in several collections of MacDonald's fairy tales, this book's main strength lies in Maurice Sendak's illustrations. These black and white drawings by the creator of "Where The Wild Things Are" add a touch of whimsey to this rather obscure short story by the Victorian novelist/pastor/poet. Like all of MacDonald's fantasies, this adventure about a boy and a girl who are looking for the land where the shadows fall can be read and enjoyed on multiple levels.

Durant may have researched his subject well enough but he comes across as a very poor historian because he injects too much of his personal opinion and comments on the subject. What the neophyte knows of history is only through the historian, good or bad, biased or objective. Ultimately the historian is always biased regardless of how objective he or she tries to be. Thus so I have removed Durant from my library and seek much more objective writings on ancient Greece.

All about the Greek Civilization. Includes art, politics, philosophy, daily lives and all.
Do not expect that you will get detailed information about Aristo's philosophy or Spartan wars but you get the feeling. I wish author used more current city names or approximate locations so that one could visualize locations. To me mythological part and literary part seemed to be more than necessary but it is part of the civilization. I liked the way author translated cost of things in dollar terms, such as Aristo's lessons was $20 an hour based on buying power of today's values.

I heard about Will Durant, and his Story of Civilisation, from general meandering through the reviews on Amazon. It is to the shame of the UK, where I live, that he is virtually unknown here and his works unobtainable.

I bought this book via one of the used book suppliers on Amazon and the mystery of Durants' obscurity in England has only deepened. Here clearly is one of the major historical writers of the last century, possessing a skill of verbiage and phrase the equal of Churchills.

The Life of Greece is well named. You trul;y are lead by the hand into that long ago civilisation. You are shown its cities, its institutions, its armies, its arts, its gods, its hopes, its fears, all to a background cacophony of slaves chisels clinking in the silver mines at Laurinium, or the howls of outrage from the crowds in the theatre over Euripides' savage potrayal of the Gods' caprice and cruelty. You really feel that you begin to understand the ancients, and to a degree see through their eyes.

The book is very much for the general reader with a thirst for knowledge. One immediately feels upon finishing the book that further readings will be required, and enjoyed, because the is such a depth of detail in the book that it would be impossible to absorb more than a fraction of what is there.

A further reading will have to wait however. My copy of Caesar and Christ has just arrived - and I'm off to ancient Rome for a while.

I actually wanted to give it 3 1/2 stars, but that wasn't possible. ... I received this book for Christmas, being the DMB fan that I am. What I encountered left me mildly intrigued at times, frightened by the unmitigated idolatry at others, grinning at certain moments of inspired sarcasm, but mostly not terribly impressed with the diversity (or lack of) in the stories. I have never encountered uber-fananaticism such as the examples in this book, such that I started to seriously question the line between passionate interest in a musical experience and tragic obsession, but that's another review.... Although I can not relate to the level of dedication and sheer time expenditure many of the contributors displayed in their efforts to connect with the band in person, I can appreciate the adventures many of them had and the exuberance with which they want to share their experiences. The stories were just very similar and saccharin in many ways and that is mostly why I'm reserving a higher ranking (For e.g. - There was a ton of this sort of stuff. "I was high as a kite (naturally or chemically) at the performance. I waited outside the venue for the tour bus. I followed the tour bus to the hotel. I waited outside the hotel. I flirted with a roadie and got into the hotel/backstage/on the bus. I cried and shook, or was overcome with effusive emoting in some form, when I saw Dave in person. I got a picture as proof.") In general, I think with the number of submissions they claimed to receive in the assembling of this book, the editing job was quite flawed and likely not representative of the submissions because 1) I'd make a rough guess that 80% of the stories were just about Dave Matthews. They were interesting, but it would have been nice to read more about the other band members as well. There was almost nothing about LeRoi for example. 2) Pretty much all of the stories painted the band as a gaggle of saints with endless reserves of patience- incapable of anything but the most gracious, diplomatic expressions of appreciation for one's fanship no matter how invasive, persistent, or flat out inconsiderate the fan(s) in the story happened to be. Then again, maybe the ECW Press deemed that fans who would want this book would only want to hear those types of stories, as opposed to something more real (and more human...) I find that last part ironic because I believe one of the draws of DMBs music is its raw humaness. Anyhow, maybe the next installment of FanFare will be different.

I was actually one of the people that was chosen to have their story published in Fanfare. It was a highlight for me to be recognized in this way for being a fan of one of my most favorite bands.In this book you read about others experiences and have it verified that DMB are truly the people that we envision them to be.

This is an exciting book filled with revealing and exciting stories about the Dave Matthews Band and its fans. This book is a must for all true DMB fanatics such as myself. Not only did I enjoy seeing my own story featured on page 53, I have absolutely loved reading about the experiences of other fans. This book is fun to read because it not only features exciting and entertaining stories, but it also reveals the off camera characters of Dave Matthews and the band. An great book to own!

The color pictures and good care advice make this a useful first book on turtles. Some incorrect information is mixed in (e.g. the Asian box turtle[tropical and aquatic] is said to be cared for like the Chinese box turtle [temperate and terrestrial]). And the lack of an index makes it useless at a quick resource.

I really enjoyed the book. It had a lot of information, and answered a lot of my questions.

I really enjoyed this guide. It is well written, easy to read, and manages to give the information that is most important for the turtle enthusiast in a condensed fashion. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in turtles.

It's now creeping up on 25 years since this book first came out, but the subtitle still seems as valid as it would have been then... a NEW psychology of love, traditional values and spiritual growth. Because Peck speaks so deeply of the needs and longings that cut to the very fundamental elements of human nature, a post-millennial reader (perhaps as yet unborn in the 70's) can still find Peck's "new" insights relevant and even revolutionary. So many of the truths found here along The Road Less Travelled are timelessly true. For instance, how "timely" would be a new worldwide appreciation of Peck's definition of love, which is "the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth." The pages that follow that definition, along with his explanation of how "falling in love is invariably temporary" are in themselves worth the purchase of the book.

What kind of reader will NOT like this book? My answer would be, one who needs to think simplistically, and is in denial of the paradox that makes up nearly every day of normal adult life. This reader needs a formula, tends to think one-dimensionally... perhaps when he reads the opening sentence "Life is difficult" this type of person will think "Really? I had no idea!"

What kind of reader WILL like this book? One that knows his present day problems may require something beyond "that one thing Grandpa once told me" and someone who is willing to be attentive, to learn, to think multidimensionally. Rather than ramming his head into the sand, this person will respond to the opening sentence "Life is difficult" with something like "No kidding! Tell me about it!" The Road Less Travelled will not disappoint this second type of reader.

One dismal day, while wallowing in the depths of despair, I came upon a wonderful saviour: "The Road Less Travelled" by M. Scott Peck. This is the only comprehensive and thought provoking psychology of love, life, and spiritualism I've ever encountered. Every other book I've ever read on the subject has been completely irrational, preachy, unwavering, or worse. M. Scott Peck has struck a delicate balance between guiding the reader and letting the reader guide herself. The concepts covered in this book ring true universally, and the exploration of self that is the result of having read this book is nothing short of spectacular. A must-read

Not an easy reading but worth every second and all the effort that you put in it. This is a book about living, but it is about living in a way that sets you apart. It is about Life. Everything and anything that is life.. love, relationships, solving problems, dealing with pain, growing, religion, discipline and the challenges of doing all of that in our limited lifetimes. They're all things that we take for granted, they're all things that we usually 'do' without thinking about them. 'The Road Less Traveled' forces you to think about them in ways that you have not done before.

Scott Peck combines years of psychotherapy with a natural writing style that attracts the reader and challenges his/her mind. It is not the writing style that makes the book difficult reading, but the continuous challenge to you mind and to your preconceived ideas. Peck demands that you examine your mind, your feelings and your heart deeply and objectively. Most of us find that difficult.

Peck comes across his book as a warm and sensitive person and he makes you feel at ease instantly... What else would you expect from whose opening sentence is "Life is difficult." !

I found Ariel's Crossing difficult to put down. In fact, I skipped Morrow's reading in New York for fear of something being revealed that I had not yet learned. Not only does Morrow tell a fascinating, multi-layered story, he creates wonderful characters. I was struck with the realization mid-way through the book that I really LIKED all the characters (except David, but that is his own fault), not so common an experience. Which is not to say that they are some kind of exemplars, they are ordinary, flawed human beings who make mistakes, but grow; people who I could care about.

I found Ariel's Crossing difficult to put down. In fact, I skipped Morrow's reading in New York for fear of something being revealed that I had not yet learned. Not only does Morrow tell a fascinating, multi-layered story, he creates wonderful characters. I was struck with the realization mid-way through the book that I really LIKED all the characters (except David, but that is his own fault), not so common an experience. Which is not to say that they are some kind of exemplars, they are ordinary, flawed human beings who make mistakes, but grow; people who I could care about.

I have been waiting for this book for five years, and it is so worth the wait! I fell in love with Morrow's "Giovanni's Gift" and went on to read everything I could get my hands on, and my favorite was "Trinity Fields", which is the sister book to "Ariel's Crossing". But now that I've read "Ariel's Crossing", it tops my list. Ariel is a wonderful, inspiring young woman whose journey to self-discovery, through some amazing yet completely believable twists of fate, so often resonates for me personally. I also love Franny (aka Mary), who discovers herself by simply re-inventing herself as someone else, and Sarah Montoya, the wise mother who guides her whole family (adopted and otherwise) with wry intelligence. (Not to mention Francisca, the ghost whose very presence seems to make a place home.) Also, Morrow's use of language is sublime---so rich and lush---and yet, unlike so many writers, it enhances his storytelling rather than interfering with it. You really *live* with these characters, you feel like you're walking through the landscapes with them---you're right there on horseback with Ariel when she---but I won't blow it for you--you've got to read this book!