Product Description
The Magic of Shirley Jackson: 3 Complete Novels: The Bird's Nest; Life Among the Savages; Raising Demons; Plus 11 Short Stories Including the Lottery ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of School Health, published by American School Health Association on January 1, 1993. The length of the article is 743 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Opening session comments: laying the groundwork. (speech by Shirley Jackson, director, Comprehensive School Health Program, US Department of Education) (Working together for the Future: 1992 Comprehensive School Health Education Workshop) (Transcript)
Publication: Journal of School Health (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1993
Publisher: American School Health Association
Volume: v63Issue: n1Page: p11(1)

Article Type: Transcript

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

laugh until you cry
Along with Life Among the Savages, this is one of my very favorite books. If you have children, or have ever been a child, you will love it! Jackson was such a talented writer and possessed of such enormous wit and perception about human nature, you couldn't find a better book to raise your spirits along with her demons. I grew up reading and rereading this book, and continue to reread and to give it to friends who need cheering up.

More about the Jackson family
This is the sequel to'Life among the savages', which describes the trials and tribulations of raising four children.Here we have more about the Jackson children as they grow older and more complex.Shirely jackson is wonderful at describing the weird behaviour of children, and the sometimes even weirder behaviour of adults.There's a wonderful description of the tensions that occur between mothers while watching a Little League baseball match in which her older son is playing, and a very funny account of a trip to New York, where her daughter Sally has her own unique view of the Empire State Building.Shirely Jackson describes the ups and downs of family life with great humour and a complete lack of sentimentality.She is very sound on the subject of husbands.Writing about the trials of being a faculty wife, she says "naturally a husband presents enormour irritations no matter what he is doing" (how could anyone argue with that?) Whether she is writing about a dangerous refrigerator, a daughter who does magic, or a husband judging a beauty contest, she is always very entertaining and very funny.

The Eisenhower Years and All Those Dears--With Attitude!
.
RAISING DEMONS is the second and last of mystery writer Shirley Jackson's autobiographical accounts of her life as a small-town mommy in bucolic Bennington, Vermont in the Baby Boomer Fifties.Although many of the chapters in this book were originally published as short stories in various women's magazines and the NEW YORKER, in final form together the work functions as a good chronological novel set in the "Together-ness" mid-fifties.

But if the prospective reader thinks that Shirley Jackson's acceptance of the roles of Housewife, Mother of Four and Faculty Wife doomed her to an empty-headed vacuity, think again:there's a universe of verbal subversion going on in her mind and on these pages.

At the time RAISING DEMONS opens little Barry, with the remarkably flexiblenomenclature characteristic of this family now called "Mr. Beekman," is headed firmly toward toddlerhood and the older children (counting upwards Sally, Jannie, and elder son Laurie) are all spaced conveniently three years apart.And that, to hear her tell it, may be just about the only orderly domestic act Mrs. Stanley Hyman, the social and familial name for Our Heroine Shirley Jackson, saw to conclusion.Not that her children were outrageously disruptive or combative (but perhaps a bit more than other people's kids, she worries) --but they certainly had their own ways of talking and thinking.

Laurie fell in love with jazz and jivester slang, to the point where his father started fining him for that "oleaginous jargon" as though terms like "real cool" were real obscenity.Jannie's take on logic was to enter a house filled with toxic gas from a dead, antique refrigerator and when her mother confronted her with "That sign says DO NOT ENTER," countered with "I didn't think you meant me."(And I thought that trait only emerged in adolescence!)Sally so desperately wanted to help Laurie find a critical gym shoe for his basketball game that she ignored Dad's edict not to perform white magic:
" 'Laurie's shoe is weaker and creaker and cleaker and breaker and fleaker and greaker . . .'Sally wound through the study, eyes shut, chanting.Barry came behind her, doing an odd little two-step. . .'Now wait a minute here,' my husband began. . . .'We're just untending,' Barry explained reassuringly."

Quite often Shirley graciously consents to make herself the butt of the humor--and then, like a good mystery writer, offers a twist ending as she barbs her way out.When her husband joins the faculty at Bennington College, watch how la Jackson confesses mixed feelings about hubby's (all-girl) students as she breaks dams of faint praise:"I never saw any student, of whatever year, kick a sick cat.They were, as I say, neat, well-mannered, and demure.Their clothes were subdued, sometimes so much as to be invisible. . . "

As with LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES, even the most trivial of domestic upsets turn, in Jackson's high prowess, into high drama.And RAISING DEMONS is consistently funny and consistently filled with a wide variety of humor:sitcom-but-twisty outcomes, barbed repartee, and perhaps best of all the legendary Shirley Jackson revelations of the occult on brilliant display, here a kind of mythical kiddie-occult that at times out-Tolkiens Tolkien.All from their own little minds, too, which makes it all the more endearing and frightening.I know Modern Moms who have read RAISING DEMONS and love it for its pinpoint accuracy of family life, archaic references to dry-clutch automobiles and afternoon newspapers notwithstanding.

Unfortunately, and for no reason I can fathom, RAISING DEMONS is out of print as of this emendation (January 2006), except for a two-in-one edition of LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES and RAISING DEMONS put together by the Quality Paperback Book Club people.If DEMONS proves difficult to purchase, the neophyte might want to try out LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES first, because it is cheaper and comes first chronologically.Dollars to (1950s) donuts 'most all readers will be more than happy to scout out RAISING DEMONS after that!

Excellent
Shirley Jackson proved with this book that she is not only an excellent mystery writer, but by writing Raising Demons and Life Among The Savages she can have the reader laughing until he cries!

very funny!
This book should be included in the recent printings of "Life Among the Savages." (especially as "Life" is much too short!) It is very funny and also serves as an historical peek into the flavor of it's time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Classics of the Supenatural
Edited by Peter Haining.

Whenever I come across a book with the name Peter Haining, I know that it's a collection worth considering. Haining has edited dozens of anthologies on horror, crime and fantasy and his selections are usually preceded with a knowledgeable introduction informing the reader about the author and the background to the story.

This collection, originally called "Ghost Movies," but also published as "Classics of the Supernatural," follows his usual high standard and authors include James Herbert, M.R. James, John Carpenter, Robert Bloch, Daphne Du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, Nigel Kneale and others.

The premise of this collection is to present original stories on which famous motion pictures are based. Similar to "Reel Movies," a collection by Sebastian Wolfe. Unfortunately,the volume is soured by the fact that he hasn't been able to obtain all the original source material. Some movies were based on novels or scripts, so they are not reproduced here. Instead, he's substituted a similar story by the same author to represent the omission.

So you don't really get the original stories for "Haunted," "The Old Dark House," "The Uninvited," "The Haunting" and "Beetlejuice." This may dissuade some readers from the collection. The "Ghost Movie" title is also a bit misleading as many stories don't feature ghosts.
The ratings below are out of five.

"Halloween's Child" by James Herbert.
A substitute story for the film "Haunted." A driver encounters a strange creature on a lonely road on Halloween night. Gripping little chiller. (5/5)

"Night Sequence" by J.B. Priestly.
A substitute story, with a similar premise, for the film "The Old Dark House." A couple seek refuge in an old house when their car breaks down at night. Dated but amusing ghost story. (3/5)

"Sir Tristram Goes West" by Eric Keown.
Original story for the movie "The Ghost Goes West." A stowaway ghost causes mischief. Disappointing. (2/5)

"A Smoky Lady in Knickers" by Thorne Smith.
An early Topper story to represent the film "Topper." Light, amusing fluff abouta couple of ghosts who are husband and wife. (3/5)

"Samhain" by Dorothy Macardle.
A substitute story for the movie "The Uninvited." Atmospheric, creepy story about the festival of the dead. (4/5)

"The Extraordinary, Horrible Dummy" by Gerald Kersh.
Original story for one part of the anthology film "Dead of Night." The segment about a ventriloquist and his dummy. Surprisingly ordinary. (3/5)

"Casting the Runes" by M.R. James.
Original story for "Night of the Demon." Two men are brought together by supernatural occurrences. Dated. (2/5)

"The Bus" by Shirley Jackson
Substitute story for "The Haunting." An elderly woman's bus journey takes some strange turns. Memorable chiller. (4/5)

"The Trespassers" by Nigel Kneale.
The BBC television production "The Stone Tape" was a screenplay but it's concepts were first explored in this short story by the same author. Unspectacular poltergeist-in-the-house tale. (2/5)

"Lucy Comes to Stay" by Robert Bloch
Filmed as a segment for the movie "Asylum." Classic psycho-thriller that plays with reality (5/5)

"Don't Look Now" by Daphne Du Maurier.
Original story for the Nicholas Roeg feature film of the same name. Visually and psychological treat. (5/5)

"Harlequin" by John Carpenter.
Original story from which "Halloween" was devised. Very different from what you'd expect but satisfying in its own right. A rare gem. (5/5)

"Halley's Passing" by Michael McDowell
Substitute story for "Beetlejuice." A cold, calculated serial killer has a hidden secret. Original and surprising. (5/5)

Overall, a solid collection weakened by some lesser stories but worth purchasing for those rated 5/5. ... Read more

Book Description
Shirley Ann Jackson sees the unseen. She's an expert in the invisible particles that make up everything in the universe, including you. Shirley is a theoretical physicist, a scientist who studies the subatomic world using only paper, pencils, computers, and the most important tool of all: her imagination.

Shirley's passion for science blossomed during her childhood, with bumblebee experiments and go-cart races. But it's her talent for math and her drive to succeed that have taken her career in amazing directions. Shirley uses her knowledge of electrons, neutrinos, and other particles of matter to better the lives of others—from solving important technology problems to teaching college physics to making nuclear power plants safer. A natural-born leader, Shirley has always seized opportunities and broken down racial barriers, not only for herself but for others.

Strong Force is the compelling story of an African American scientist and her science. To tell this true story of adventure, author Diane O'Connell drew on firsthand accounts from Shirley and her friends, family, and colleagues. How did a young bee collector grow up to be a world-renowned physicist? The life story of Shirley Ann Jackson will intrigue and inspire readers of all ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A surprising anthology of horror classics
I originally ordered this book thinking it was just a small collection of short stories. However, the total in this book is a whopping 56 stories, and only acouple under 10 pages. Keep in mind though, this is no small book. It's more on the size of a dictionary then a novel, weighing in at almost 3 pounds and clocking over 1000 pages.

The book contains a massive collection of stories by about 50 authors, everyone from dickens, poe, lovecraft, to king. very few authors have more then one story in the book, with the exception being stephen king who has three (one I've never read before [The Reach], the others have been released in his other collections of short stories [The Monkey, from Skeleton Crew, and Crouch's End from Nightmares and Dreamscapes, i believe]), and h.p. lovecraft with two stories.

It also contains a rather interesting introduction to the whole anthology that sheds a bit of light on not only the book, but the history and importance of short stories; as well as very short, interesting and informative introductions to the stories themselves and the authors.

If you're a fan of horror stories, and enjoy the oddities that come from the short stories then this book is highly recommended. The stories range from everything horror and spread almost the entire history of the genre. ... Read more

Product Description
I am totally exposing myself to my family, and to the world. When I realized I was not alone with my demons I decided to share my fate with others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY CARRIES ON...
This story revolves around a family that has sustained a major tragedy. Apparently, most of the family was murdered at supper one day via the introduction of arsenic into their food. Only three family members survive, sisters Constance and Mary Catherine Blackwood, and their elderly Uncle Julian. Constance, who always cooked for her family, was charged with their murder but aquitted at trial. The surviving three Blackwoods now live in splendid isolation in their mansion, as they are reviled by the villagers.

Mary Catherine, the younger sister known affectionately as Merricat, is a strange girl. Bright, imaginative, and compulsive, she has an assortment of rituals that she carries out in her daily activities, which are somewhat limited. She rarely ventures beyond the curtilage of her stately home, except for trepidaciously entering the village to get necessary supplies. Her sister Catherine, however, never ventures beyond the immediate perimeter of her home, though this is clearly something that she wishes to do. Uncle Julian is an invalid, living out his remaining days trying to figure out the mystery behind what had happened to his family that caused them all to be poisoned.

They are truly alone, except for the rare visitors who knew their family prior to the tragedy that took place. Even these few visits are almost too much for them. Still, Constance does her best to entertain them, although Merricat clearly wishes they would not come. Their highly structured world, however, is slowly torn apart, when Charles, a cousin, comes to visit them. He inveigles and tantalizes Constance with visions of having a normal life. Needless to say, Merricat and Charles do not get along, as she perceives him to be the enemy, seeking to disrupt her orderly, though dysfunctional, world.

The writing style is spare, taut, and, at times, quite compelling, as well as darkly humourous. Still, what happens to Constance and Merricat is no real surprise. What is problematic is one never really understands what makes Constance tick nor what makes Merricat do what she does. There is no resolution in the book, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks.

While I admit that I am in the minority, as I found this book to be a little disappointing, I do I find it hard to believe that Time magazine, at one time, had named it one of the ten best novels of the year. While this a moderately enjoyable work, readers would do better to seek out Ms. Jackson's dazzling story, "The Lottery", a much better, and more satisfying, book. ... Read more