Sunday, December 6, 2009

Irish in the South 1815 1877 or In the Path of Hizbullah

Irish in the South, 1815-1877

Author: David T Gleeson

The only comprehensive study of Irish immigrants in the nineteenth-century South, this book makes a valuable contribution to the story of the Irish in America and to our understanding of southern culture.

Lawrence J. McCaffrey

David T. Gleeson demonstrates that Irish America comes in different shades of green. In his perceptive, well-researched, and readable The Irish in the South, 1815-1877 he reveals its regional diversity.



Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Forgotten People of the Old South1
Ch. 1The Irish Diaspora10
Ch. 2Urban Pioneers in the Old South23
Ch. 3Earning a Living38
Ch. 4Family, Community, and Ethnic Awareness55
Ch. 5Keeping the Faith74
Ch. 6The Irish, the Natives, and Politics94
Ch. 7The Know-Nothing Challenge107
Ch. 8Slavery, State Rights, and Secession121
Ch. 9The Green and the Gray141
Ch. 10Irish Confederates158
Ch. 11Postwar Integration173
Conclusion: Irish Southerners187
Occupational Status Classification195
Notes197
Selected Bibliography239
Index269

New interesting textbook: Bear Stays up for Christmas or Fancy Nancy

In the Path of Hizbullah

Author: ANizar Hamzeh

This book serves as a road map for understanding not only Hizbullah but also other Islamist groups and their challenges to contemporary politics. Ahmad Nizar Hamzeh examines the Hizbullah of Lebanon through a structural analysis using original and archival sources. Employing a theoretical framework drawing on a broad range of studies on crisis conditions, leadership, political parties, and guerrilla warfare, In the Path of Hizbullah stands alone in its qualitative and quantitative exploration of one of the most complex contemporary Islamist organizations and offers a thoughtful perspective on the party's future.

Choice

What makes Hamzeh's book unique is that it focuses not so much on Hizbullah's ideology but on its complex, sophisticated organizational structure. More than anything else, it is Hizbullah's structure that guides its operational choices and explains the inner workings of the organization's structural components. This illuminating and timely book looks objectively at the dynamics of one of the most important yet least understood forces in contemporary Lebanon and the Middle East. . . . Essential.



Saturday, December 5, 2009

Does It Take a Village or The Selected Letters of Dolley Payne Madison

Does It Take a Village?: Community Effects on Children, Adolescents and Families

Author: Alan Booth

Does It Take a Village? focuses on the mechanisms that link community characteristics to the functioning of the families and individuals within them--community norms, economic opportunities, reference groups for assessing relative deprivation, and social support networks. Contributors underscore those features of communities that represent risk factors for children, adolescents, and their families, as well as those characteristics that underlie resilience and thus undergird individual and family functioning.

As a society we have heavy investments both in research and in programs based on the idea that communities affect families and children, yet important questions have arisen about the validity of the link between communities, children, and families. This book answers the question of whether--and how--it takes a village to raise a child and what we can do to help communities achieve this essential task more effectively.

Booknews

Focuses on mechanisms that link community characteristics to the functioning of families and individuals, discussing community norms, economic opportunities, assessment of relative deprivation, and social support networks. Highlights those features of communities that represent risk factors for children, adolescents, and their families, as well as characteristics that strengthen individual and family functioning. Material originated at a November 1998 symposium held at Pennsylvania State University, where the editors teach. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Book about: Streetwise Athens Map Laminated City Center Street Map of Athens Greece Folding Pocket Size Travel Map With Metro or Bill Brysons African Diary

The Selected Letters of Dolley Payne Madison

Author: David B Mattern

From modest Quaker beginnings as the child of financially insecure parents and the wife of a stolid young lawyer to the excitement and challenges of life as the nation's first First Lady—arguably the most influential role in the American government's formative years—Dolley Payne Todd Madison (1768-1849) led an extraordinary life. David B. Mattern and Holly C. Shulman have culled a particularly rich selection of her letters to illuminate the story of the woman widely credited with setting the standard for successive generations of Washington's political women. This collection will prove an invaluable resource in current political and historical circles, where the role founding mothers played—both as supportive family members and as crucial political negotiators—is increasingly recognized and studied.

Organized chronologically into five sections reaching from her correspondence as a young adult in late-eighteenth-century Philadelphia up to the letters of her widowhood in 1840s Washington, and with a helpful contextualizing introduction to each section, The Selected Letters of Dolley Payne Madison provides a long-overdue biographical sketch of one of the early republic's most fascinating personalities.



Table of Contents:
Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Editorial Method
Introduction1
Quaker Beginnings, 1768-18019
A Washington Education, 1801-180938
The Politics of War, 1809-181790
A Well-Deserved Retirement, 1817-1836216
Washington Widow, 1836-1849317
Biographical Directory393
Index417

Friday, December 4, 2009

Small Strangers or The School Choice Hoax

Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in America, 1880-1925

Author: Melissa Klapper

Children are the largely neglected players in the great drama of American immigration. In one of history's most remarkable movements of people across national borders, almost twenty-five million immigrants came to the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries-from Mexico, Japan, and Canada as well as the more common embarkation points of southern and eastern Europe. Many of them were children. Together with the American-born children of immigrants, they made up a significant part of turn-of-the-century U.S. society. Small Strangers recounts and interprets their varied experiences to illustrate how immigration, urbanization, and industrialization-all related processes-molded modern America.

Garrett Berger - Virginia Quarterly Review

Small Strangers captures the essence of what it meant to be one of the many children whose families immigrated to America around the turn of the last century.

What People Are Saying

Roger Daniels
"Her culturally sensitive survey fills a gap in the histories of childhood and of immigration."--(Roger Daniels, author of Not Like Us)


Alice Kessler-Harris
"This small, provocative book is a gem . . . Small Strangers touches on an astonishing range of key issues...indispensable."--(Alice Kessler-Harris, author of Gendering Labor History)


Marilyn Irvin Holt
"[A] careful blending of personal accounts with the larger social issues and reform movements of the period."--(Marilyn Irvin Holt, author of Children of the Western Plains)


Kriste Lindenmeyer
"Skillfully shows how the experiences of immigrant children highlight the dramatic shift from farm to factory...[A]n engaging synthesis."--(Dr. Kriste Lindenmeyer, author of The Greatest Generation Grows Up)


Jonathan Zimmerman
"Klapper has written a brief gem of a book, examining immigrant children in all of their diversity, tragedy, and triumph."--(Jonathan Zimmerman, author of Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools)




Table of Contents:
Preface     xi
Acknowledgments     xvii
Childhood and Immigrants: Changing Ideas at the Turn of the Century     3
The Landscape of Early Childhood     18
At School, at Work, at Home, at Play     54
Adolescent Years     108
After the Door Closed: The Effects of Restrictive Legislation and the Depression     161
Immigrant Children and Modern America     177
Notes     183
A Note on Sources     195
Index     211

New interesting textbook: Ordinary Vices or Beyond Liberalism and Fundamentalism

The School Choice Hoax: Fixing America's Schools

Author: Ronald G Corwin

This book argues that the autonomy granted to choice schools has been a counterproductive dead end. Its authors see no proof that freedom has produced the outstanding results that charter school advocates promised. Nor has the competition from charter schools spurred the improvement in public schools that charter advocates predicted. Instead, charter schools and education vouchers promoted competition among schools that should be cooperating. Overburdened public school districts are faced with rivalry from schools that are merely duplicating conventional programs and competing for some students while ignoring others. Since choice schools are not meeting the expectations touted by their advocates, the authors maintain that they should be planned, monitored, and operated by school districts.



Wednesday, December 2, 2009

W E B Du Bois or The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations

W. E. B. Du Bois: Writings (The Suppression of the African Slave-Trade, The Souls of Black Folk, Dusk of Dawn, Essays)

Author: W E B Du Bois

The library of America is dedicated to publishing America's best and most significant writing in handsome, enduring volumes, featuring authoritative texts. Hailed as the "finest-looking, longest-lasting editions ever made" (The New Republic), Library of America volumes make a fine gift for any occasion. Now, with exactly one hundred volumes to choose from, there is a perfect gift for everyone.



Read also Rich Dads Guide to Becoming Rich Without Cutting Up Your Credit Cards or Currency Trading for Dummies

The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations: The Struggle for the Soul of the Twenty-First Century (Culture and Religion in International Relations Series)

Author: Scott M Thomas

"Here undoubtedly is a book that is both helpful and insightful for those of us who feel there has got to be a better way to promote global security and global welfare,"--from the foreword by Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Nobel Peace Laureate"Scott Thomas' work should be read not only by scholars interested in international relations and development, but also by leaders in civil society - in the NGO's, in the corporations, and in the churches. We neglect religious factors in contemporary history to our great peril. One may quibble with his treatment of certain theorists of "modernity," but he sees key global trends clearly, and argues artfully for policies could correct today's intellectual and moral blinders."--Max L. Stackhouse, Rimmer and Ruth DeVries Professor of Theology and Public Life, Princeton Theological Seminary, Author/editor of the series, God and Globalization"Post Cold War and post 9/11 politics have witnessed the global resurgence of religion, nationalism and ethnic identity and underscored the failure of international relations theory to anticipate and adequately address the role of religion and culture. Scott Thomas' The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations is a powerful corrective, demonstrating how and why religion and culture are significant forces world politics that have transformed our understanding of IR theory." --John L. Esposito, University Professor, Georgetown University and author of Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam"The Global Resurgence of Religion is a vital topic on which mainstream international relations research has been oddly silent. In clear andmeasured prose Scott Thomas explicates the reason for our intellectual failures and develops an original, eclectic perspective that gives new relevance to the constructivist turn in international relations theory. More importantly, Thomas succeeds in illustrating empirically how and why religion matters in world politics. For those interested in regaining their voice on a crucial topic in world politics this book is essential reading."--Peter J. Katzenstein, Walter S. Carpenter Professor, Jr. of International Studies, Cornell University"To the surprise of most academics and many politicians, religion has become one of the most dynamic forces in 21st century world politics. Scott Thomas's insightful analysis of this phenomenon fills a gaping hole in international relations theory and should help policy-makers and thoughtful citizens alike think more clearly about the ways in which profound religious and moral convictions can help build a measure of order in world affairs."--George Weigel, Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center

Foreign Affairs

The global resurgence of religion has been widely noted, and this book provides a thoughtful reflection on its implications for Western ideas about modernity and international relations. The conventional view is that the upsurge in fundamentalism, particularly in the Middle East, reflects a stalled transition to modernity, giving militants an ideological kinship with previous antiliberal and antimodernist movements. Thomas, in contrast, asserts that the revival of religion — including among evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians in the developed world — is part of a more wide-ranging global phenomenon that represents a crisis of modernity itself. The grand narrative of Western progress is under challenge, and a search for "authenticity" is underway inside and outside the West, with communities of the faithful seeking to refashion political life in line with moral and religious values. This provocative claim is never convincingly established, but Thomas' more general point is well taken: Western scholars and policymakers need to rethink how the potent mix of religion, nationalism, and globalization is wreaking havoc on old traditions of diplomacy, development, and Western hegemony and transforming international affairs in the process.



Table of Contents:
Introduction : the struggle for the soul of the twenty-first century1
1"The revenge of God?" : the twentieth century as the "last modern century"21
2Blind spots and blowback : why culture and religion were marginalized in international relations theory47
3In the eye of the storm : explaining and understanding culture and religion in international relations71
4The soul of the world? : religious non-state actors and international relations theory97
5Wars and rumors of war? : religion and international conflict121
6"Creating a just and durable peace" : rethinking religion and international cooperation149
7Soulcraft as statecraft? : diplomacy, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding173
8Funding virtue? : rethinking religion, civil society, and democracy197
9Where faith and economics meet? : rethinking religion, civil society, and international development219
Conclusion : how shall we then live?247

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Comparative Politics or Give Me Liberty

Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges

Author: Charles Hauss

This comprehensive text focuses on traditional issues and concepts in comparative politics, using a unique theme: domestic responses to global challenges. The author examines the growing interdependence among strong and weak states and discusses 12 countries, including the U.S. and the European community, to help students develop their skills of comparison, synthesis and interpretation, the author organized the text by economic development.



New interesting book: Prophetess of Health or The Face Lift Sourcebook

Give Me Liberty!: An American History

Author: Eric Foner

Adopted at over 600 universities, colleges, and schools across the country, Eric Foner's Give Me Liberty! is making a difference in the American history survey course. Featuring a single author and a single, comprehensive theme, Give me Liberty! presents American history with unparalleled clarity and coherence. The study tools in the book and the companion print and electronic package ensure student success in the course.

The Second Edition builds on the success of the first, retaining the unifying theme of freedom while becoming more comprehensive, and adding stronger coverage of Native American and immigration history. In addition, the pedagogy has been strengthened with new Voices of Freedom-paired primary sources in each chapter, chapter-opening chronologies, key terms, and more. Overall the presentation remains concise and crisp, free of the encyclopedic detail that clogs so many other survey textbooks.



Table of Contents:
List of Maps, Tables, and Figuresxvii
About the Authorxix
Prefacexxi
Part 1American Colonies to 1763
1.A New World4
The Expansion of Europe7
Peoples of the Americas12
The Spanish Empire15
The First North Americans23
England and the New World30
The Freeborn Englishman35
Voices of Freedom: From Henry Care, English Liberties, or, The Free-Born Subject's Inheritance (1680)40
2.American Beginnings, 1607-165044
The Coming of the English47
Settling the Chesapeake51
Origins of American Slavery57
The New England Way62
Voices of Freedom: From John Winthrop, Speech to the Massachusetts General Court (July 3, 1645)64
New Englanders Divided69
The New England Economy73
3.Crisis and Expansion: North American Colonies, 1650-175078
Empires in Conflict81
The Expansion of England's Empire87
Voices of Freedom: From William Penn, England's Present Interests Discovered (1675)93
Colonies in Crisis94
The Eighteenth Century: A Growing Society101
Social Classes in the Colonies110
4.Slavery, Freedom, and the Struggle for Empire to 1763118
Slavery and the Empire121
Slave Culture and Slave Resistance130
An Empire of Freedom133
The Public Sphere138
The Great Awakening145
Imperial Rivalries148
Battle for the Continent151
Voices of Freedom: From Pontiac, Speeches (1762 and 1763)156
Part 2A New Nation, 1763-1840
5.The American Revolution, 1763-1783166
The Crisis Begins169
The Road to Revolution176
The Coming of Independence180
Voices of Freedom: From Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)185
Securing Independence189
6.The Revolution Within200
Democratizing Freedom203
Toward Religious Liberty207
Defining Economic Freedom212
The Limits of Liberty215
Slavery and the Revolution220
Voices of Freedom: From Petitions of Slaves to the Massachusetts Legislature (1773 and 1777)224
Daughters of Liberty228
7.Founding a Nation, 1783-1789234
America under the Articles of Confederation237
A New Constitution246
The Ratification Debate and the Origin of the Bill of Rights253
Voices of Freedom: From James Madison, The Federalist no. 51, and Anti-Federalist Essay Signed "Brutus" (1787)254
We the People261
8.Securing the Republic, 1790-1815270
Politics in an Age of Passion272
Voices of Freedom: From Address of the Democratic-Republican Society of Pennsylvania (December 18, 1794)281
The Adams Presidency283
Jefferson in Power290
The "Second War of Independence"298
9.The Market Revolution306
A New Economy309
Market Society319
Voices of Freedom: From Josephine L. Baker, "A Second Peep at Factory Life," Lowell Offering (1845)328
The Free Individual330
The Limits of Prosperity335
10.Democracy in America, 1815-1840344
The Triumph of Democracy346
Voices of Freedom: From "The Memorial of the Non-Freeholders of the City of Richmond" (1829)348
Nationalism and Its Discontents353
Nation, Section, and Party358
The Age of Jackson363
The Bank War and After373
Part 3Slavery, Freedom, and the Crisis of the Union, 1840-1877
11.The Peculiar Institution386
The Old South389
Voices of Freedom: From John C. Calhoun, Speech in Congress (1837)398
Life under Slavery400
Slave Culture409
Resistance to Slavery414
12.An Age of Reform, 1820-1840422
The Reform Impulse424
The Crusade against Slavery434
Black and White Abolitionism441
The Origins of Feminism445
Voices of Freedom: From Angelina Grimke, Letter in The Liberator (August 2, 1837)448
13.A House Divided, 1840-1861456
Fruits of Manifest Destiny458
A Dose of Arsenic470
The Rise of the Republican Party477
Voices of Freedom: From William H. Seward, "The Irrepressible Conflict" (1858)484
The Emergence of Lincoln487
The Impending Crisis495
14.A New Birth of Freedom: The Civil War, 1861-1865502
The First Modern War504
The Coming of Emancipation514
The Second American Revolution524
Voices of Freedom: From Abraham Lincoln, Address at Sanitary Fair, Baltimore (April 18, 1864)525
The Confederate Nation532
Turning Points536
Rehearsals for Reconstruction and the End of the War539
15."What Is Freedom?": Reconstruction, 1865-1877548
The Meaning of Freedom551
Voices of Freedom: From Petition of Committee in Behalf of the Freedmen to Andrew Johnson (1865)558
The Making of Radical Reconstruction562
Radical Reconstruction in the South572
The Overthrow of Reconstruction577
Appendix
Documents
The Declaration of Independence (1776)2
The Constitution of the United States (1787)4
From George Washington's Farewell Address (1796)14
The Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions (1848)18
From Frederick Douglass's "What, to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July?" Speech (1852)20
The Gettysburg Address (1863)23
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address (1865)24
The Populist Platform of 189225
Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address (1933)28
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)30
Tables
Presidential Elections32
Admission of States40
Population of the United States41
Historical Statistics of the United States
Workforce42
Immigration, by Origin42
Glossary43
Credits63
Index67