Subjects:  1. Gardening   2. Gardening / Horticulture   3. Gardening/Plants   4. Horticulture (General)   5. Reference   6. Regional - General   7. Garden design & planning   8. Gardening / General   

Subjects:  1. Biography   2. Biography & Autobiography   3. Biography / Autobiography   4. Biography/Autobiography   5. Christianity - Christian Life - Marriage   6. Composers & Musicians - Pop   7. Davis, Billy,   8. McCoo, Marilyn   9. Musicians   10. Religious   11. United States   

Mike Davis peers into a looking glass to divine the future of Los Angeles, and what he sees is not encouraging: a city--or better, a concatenation of competing city states--torn by racial enmity, economic disparity, and social anomie. Looking backward, Davis suggests that Los Angeles has always been contested ground. In the 1840s, he writes, a combination of drought and industrial stock raising led to the destruction of small-scale Spanish farming in the region. In the 1910s, Los Angeles was the scene of a bitter conflict between management and industrial workers, so bitter that the publisher of the Los Angeles Times retreated to a heavily fortified home he called "The Bivouac." And in 1992, much of the city fell before flames and riot in a scenario Davis describes as thus: "Gangs are multiplying at a terrifying rate, cops are becoming more arrogant and trigger-happy, and a whole generation is being shunted toward some impossible Armageddon." Davis's voice-in-a-whirlwind approach to the past, present, and future of Los Angeles is alarming and arresting, and his book is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary affairs. --Gregory MacNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

A political analysis of LA in the 70s and 80s
The spirit of the book is symbolized by the cover photo - a stunning but unusual high rise that upon closer examination turns out to be a high rise prison.

Although Davis is a leftist, he usually refrains from emotional rants, although it's safe to say he never met a person in a position of power that he liked. In any event, the excesses of LAPD have been too extreme for even an ardent conservative to defend. While outsiders think of LA as a bastion of liberalism, Davis describes how every aspect of the city is riddled by hypocrisy as Angelenos pursue selfish (and often racist) goals behind a facade of liberal rhetoric. The greatest flaw of this 1990 book is that its discussion of politics, focusing on the 70s and 80s, has become severely dated.

The seven chapters cover: (1) A history of LA intellectual thought, (2) evolution of the business elite from the 1840s to the 1980s, (3) the role of homeowners' associations as de facto municipal governments and their role of keeping renters and non-whites bottled up in certain neighborhoods, (4) the obsession with crime and how it has exacerbated anti-pedestrian design approaches, (5) the war between the LAPD and Black gangs, (6) internal politics of the Catholic church, and (7) history of the blue collar suburb of Fontana, tracing its evolution from farming community to steel-milltown to rustbelt.

Blowing the Whistle on the City of Angels
Mike Davis's white hot rant gives the great anti-city precisely the rhetorical slapping around it deserves. Don't be put off by the author's undisguised, unvarnished, old-fashioned Marxist biases--Chairman Mao once observed, "we Marxists disdain to conceal our views," and Davis makes his clear--because he's spot on: this is a city built by scoundrels on a foundation of perfidy and despoliation. Not a novel observation, true; mainstream historians, scores of journalists of every persuasion, and, yes, Roman Polanski also point this out, but Davis's narrative has far splashier colors and a high entertainment quotient. Alas, the book drops one star for what I judge to be its unevenness--the first two chapters are brilliant, the concluding chapter on Fontana is very fine, the remainder simply less so but still worthy. (Another, minor, beef--the excellent photographs, and there are many, are not given very respectful reproduction.) That said, City of Quartz is an indispensible tour of some of the darker corners of LA's famous story and an informative guide for those who have long looked for help in articulating precisely "why I really, really don't like Los Angeles."

Forgettable
As a student of urban development and politics, I can confidently say that this book is a forgettable work of a parochial mind. Davis offers a hardline Marxist view of Los Angeles that, by employing simply economic analysis, does not allow for the intricacies of the city's problems. Class warfare plays a much smaller role in the sprawl of Los Angeles -- anyone outside of the ISO should be discouraged from reading this baseless drivel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural   2. Los Angeles (Calif.)   3. Social conditions   4. Sociology   5. Sociology - Urban   6. Social Science / Sociology / Urban   

Customer Reviews (4)

Essential reference for modern programming
The Unicode character set is among the most widely used and least known of the international software standards. Java programmers have used it every day for a decade or so, but barely one in ten appear to know anything about it.

The content of ISO standard 10646 (successor to 8-bit ISO 646), goes way beyond just a charcter set. It contains information critical to the correctness of any program that steps outside the English-language world, i.e. every program on the Internet, and many others sooner or later. This is the basis for correct handling of numerals (there's a lot more than 0 to 9), letters, and text. It's also the explanation for some program behaviors that might otherwise baffle a programmer, or at least a programmer with the wit to be baffled.

More than just crucial, the content of this standard is plain fun. Its snippets of information from every major world language give wonderful insight into how people express themselves. It drives home the delighful diversity of human language and experience. It's also a near-bottomless source of stump-your-friends trivia.

I admit, I'll never use every fact in this incredible assembly. I use a lot of the information, though, and I use it as the point of entry into every discussion of internationalization and localization of software.

New version of one of the most-used standards
One reason for the wide acceptance of the Unicode standard is that the Unicode consortium has made it so freely available. There's no point in my discussing in detail what is in this volume when you can peruse PDF files of the entire work on the Unicode website (minus only chapter division graphics).

Browse through the book just like you would in a bookstore or library. Print out parts of it or all of it for free if you want. Well, it is free if you don't count the cost of paper (about 1500 sheets or twice that for simplex printing), cost of a binder (or maybe two binders) and the time you would have to spend punching the holes.

If you are mainly or only interested in particular sections of the standard then printing only those sections may be a reasonable thing to do.

On the other hand the price is *very* reasonable for an 8½" × 11" hardbound book with 1,462 pages. If it's the sort of book you know you want for browsing and for reference then it is likely you will want it in this nicely bound copy.

Like the previously published versions of the Unicode standard, this book is a beautiful book that is useful to those who don't need or want to get into the technical details of character properties and rules for bi-directional display and other necessary rules for displaying the characters. But for the actual use of many characters you will have to consult other lists outside the Unicode book or files, e.g. dictionaries and grammars of various languages or explanations of symbols used in various fields of mathematics.

Language and writing systems are messy and inconsistant and handling them systematically and coherently cannot be made easy. Accordingly the rules and explanations in this standard are by necessity often long and involved and couched in technical language. It can't be avoided that, for example, one must sometimes distinguish carefully between _characters_, _glyphs_, _graphemes_, _grapheme clusters_, _ligatures_ and _digraphs_ and whether one character is a _canonical equivalent_ of another character or sequence of characters or a _compatibility equivalent_ of another character or sequence of characters or just similar to another character or sequence of characters.

The Unicode character set is still a work in progress. Version 4.0 may not even approach the half-way mark in encoding every character that has been used in normal text records by human beings for which a meaning is known. No-one has ever tried to produce a list of characters on this scale before. No-one yet knows how many distinct characters there are.

But 4.0 covers 96,382 characters from *almost* every script currently used for modern languages and from some ancient scripts as well including Ugaritic cuneiform, Cretan Linear B and the ancient Cypriot syllabary. (Sumerian/Akkadian cuneiform is being worked on and Egyptian hieroglyphics will eventually follow.)

Included are a plethora of technical symbol characters including mathematical characters, chess pieces, die faces, characters needed for modern western music notation, characters needed for Byzantine music notation, ornamental dingbats and so much more. All of it is now at the fingertips of every computer user -- that is if fonts that contain the characters are installed.

Finding fonts that display some of these characters is still a problem. :-(

But it would be a worse problem if these characters weren't assigned to a common character set. The past practice of numerous special fonts for various symbols and scripts which disagreed with one another on how the characters were encoded produced a horrible mess.

Large as it is, with 40% more pages than version 3.0, the book doesn't contain the whole standard. Increasingly as the standard has expanded tabular material has been dropped from the printed volumes and replaced with references to data files available on the website or on the CD that comes with the book.

The end of section 3.2 specifies six files found as Annexes on the website and on the CD which "are essential parts of version 4.0" including an explanation of the bidirectional algorithm which appeared in the printed text for earlier releases. And there are many mentions in the printed standard of other files available on the CD or website. A binder containing printouts of this material is necessary if you want a truly complete hardcopy of the entire 4.0 standard.

Unfortunately the 4.0 HTML files are carelessly laid down on the CD with external links pointing to files on the Unicode website and not to the corresponding files on the CD. Graphics are sometimes missing though the only file I think this matters with is StandardizedVariants.html which has a number of variant character images. (The data in this short file should have been in the book).

If you work online you probably won't notice anything wrong but you also are likely not to notice that after clicking on a link you are viewing a file from the Unicode website instead of a file on the CD. That may matter in the future if you need to reference a 4.0 file and don't observe that the file you are actually looking at is from the website and is a "latest version" file that has been updated beyond 4.0. If you are working offline you can avoid this, but it is annoying to have to manually search for the file by name because the link fails.

Also, although the Readme.txt file on the CD mentions "mapping tables" and files with "the extension .UNI", these useful conversion tables which were included on the CD's with previous releases are missing on the 4.0 CD. But they are available on the website.

This is a minor caveat. I suspect most people will use the website in any case rather than the CD.

An indispensable resource
This book is one that every programmer should have access to. Packed with all of information concerning the latest standards, with explanations, this is the reference that I use whenever I need data regarding Unicode mappings. I recommend it to all of my students and have asked all libraries where I have influence to add it to their collection.
There is also a CD included with the book. It contains a database of the current and all past versions of the Unicode mappings, a series of Unicode technical reports and an installable version of the Unibook Character Browser, a small utility for viewing character charts and properties. Invaluable if you prefer electronic versions of the data. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Coding Theory   2. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming   3. Computer Books: General   4. Computer Programming   5. Computers   6. Data Processing - General   7. Programming - General   8. Programming - Systems Analysis & Design   9. Programming Languages - General   10. Unicode (Computer character se   11. Unicode (Computer character set)   12. Computers / Programming / General   

Customer Reviews (46)

To all the "one-star" aggressors, back off, the jig is up.
This is an excellent, impassioned and rigorously thought out book. I am currently living in Boston, but had lived in Southern California for most of my life. As much as I enjoyed the area, it is a strange land, indeed. I enjoyed the author's earlier City of Quartz and recommend Ecology of Fear to anyone else who is interested/concerned about the social politics of L.A. Davis writes as one who cares enough to dissect and yes, criticize the city that he knows so well. To the earlier negative reviewers (who apparently thinks "Commie" baiting still works): come on, save your sabotage tactics for a city council meeting. If you really did read the book, you would know that you are only proving Davis' thesis...

History for a history-less city
We all think we live near glitzy Hollywood-style Los Angeles; we've sung the praises of its temperate weather. We complain a bit about smog; but when a hurricane hits the East Coast, we feel smug that we only have earthquakes.

Every one in Los Angeles who has had any of these thoughtsmust read the Ecology of Fear. Anyone who has ever wondered just how urban sprawl came about must read this book. Mike Davis has done the perenially-new Los Angeles a favor by gathering together the facts and insights of this book. The Ecology of Fear reveals how this very real place and its problems are founded upon a number of very poor decisions. This book demonstrates how much of Los Angeles' disasters are simply a function of decisions that are poorly-made in light of the natural environment. Even though we have built and paved mightily, L.A.'s natural surroundings are not going away. Earthquakes, coyotes, hunters, xenophobia, fires (wild and otherwise), land grabs and twisters are all part of what makes up the fear ecology of Los Angeles. If you have ever addressed your local City Council, or worked on a general plan, or wondered why open space was vanishing, or even voted, you should read this book. It will open your eyes.

trademark Mike Davis material
Not a sequel to City of Quartz, but a look at current and historical LA from an environmental perspective instead of Quartz's sociological view. Famous for its criticism as much as its content, Ecology Of Fear compiles a staggering amount of information into an informative and compelling story. LA's dynamism is a product of its people, land, water, air, wildlife, history, and future. This is the book that can tell you what life has been and will be like, for those who choose to live in the wilderness of Los Angeles. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. California   2. Disasters   3. General   4. History: American   5. Los Angeles   6. Los Angeles (Calif.)   7. Natural Disasters   8. Social Science   9. Social problems   10. Sociology   11. Sociology - Urban   12. Social Science / Sociology / Urban   

Customer Reviews (14)

Winner of 2002 World History Association Book Award!
The Annual Book Award Committee of the World History Association is pleased to announce that Mike Davis' Late Victorian Holocausts has won its 2002 prize, because it synthesizes scientific and historical data into a highly readable, well-documented and well-researched study of the interplay between the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and global political and economic imperialism in the late 19th century. It thus makes a very significant contribution to transregional history in a way that will and should reach a wider audience than academic historians.

Hard to over rate the importance of this book
There have been droughts and other major agricultural
failures in China, India, and Africa for millennium,
but the accompanying mass starvations and ecological
catastrophes that we tend to associate with these
regions did not start occurring in earnest until
the British Empire imposed its 'free' market discipline
on these societies using the end of the barrel of
a gun as their means of persuasion.

Who shaped the glass through which most of us
unconsciously consider India, China, and Africa?
19th century Brits. Their strategy was simple:
paint them as ignorant, progress-resisting savages,
then rob them blind and, when they starve by the millions,
as they also did in conquered Ireland, tell the
world it can't be helped.

The episodes Davis writes about are in many ways still ongoing
because the pattern of ecological mismanagement and social
disintegration set off by the British in these regions has become the 'modern' norm. We're just one shift in the weather from even larger catastrophes.

For the record
Marxists are routinely (and not surprisingly) confronted with the effects of their acts and theories. Yet the market system is never confronted with the facts of the case, nor are these allowed to impinge with any critique of ideology. Anyone with reveries intact here should read this book, a very well done account of the interaction of global climate (the El Nino phenomenon in action, by hypothesis), colonialism, and imperialism. A sort of Black Book of capitalism. Add fifty million to King Leopold's ten and we are not far short of the Bolshevik world record. The vignettes and detail here are excellent, a gripping tour into archival amnesia. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General   2. History   3. History - General History   4. History: World   5. Modern - 19th Century   6. Modern - General   

Customer Reviews (6)

3.4 stars, three books in one
This interesting work on San Diego, one of the few Republican cities in the United States, basically consists of three works in one, of varying quality. The third consists of a series of accounts of people from the other San Diego, overseen and edited by Kelly Mayhew. We here from a founder of CORE, a teacher at San Diego college, a Vietnamese refugee who has now become a peace activist, some environmental activists and trade unionists, as well as several surfers who are trying to stop environmental degradation. These accounts are interesting, but they're not footnoted and they show only parts of the picture of San Diego without revealing the whole. The second book consists of an account by Jim Miller that demonstrates the conservative elite's contempt for free speech. The value of this section depends on what you already know about California history. If you have read "City of Quartz" and other works by Mike Davis, you will not learn much. If you haven't, you will learn about how vigilantes supported by the city elite used strong-arm measures to keep the IWW off the streets of San Diego. The "respectable" conservative press smirked at beatings, tortures, sexual assaults, while calling for lynch law. You will also learn how powerful farmers used fascist methods in the thirties to keep Mexican immigrants in line. This included using actual fascists of the KKK and the Silvershirts while assaulting the Communists who tried to help and threatening their lawyers. We also learn of the city campaign against Herbert Marcuse, easily the most distinguished teacher the University of California at San Diego ever had, and the University administration's mealy-mouthed failure to assist him. (They decided to rehire him, then instituted a mandatory retirement policy that only applied to him). We also learn of threats against the small anti-Vietnam movement and the small alternate press, as well as the city's racist past.

It is the first book, by Mike Davis, which is the most valuable as it gives a history of the San Diego ruling class. Like California Republicans in general, the San Diego elite is fiercely anti-Liberal and anti-Democratic, even though San Diego's prosperity depends on copious government spending (the military). Also not unlike Republicans elsewhere, the San Diego elite affects a high moral tone, even though they are also the main supporters of Tijuana's free spirited economy and the beneficiaries of the investments of Hoffa's Teamsters and the Midwest mob. There is also a steady stream of corruption in San Diego's history, from the unscrupulous transactions of John D. Spreckels in the beginning decades of the last century, to the elaborate ponzi schemes of C. Arnholt Smith in the sixties and seventies. One mayor in the eighties had to resign because of massive campaign fraud. Another mayor in the seventies barely escaped conviction. Powerful friends assisted them in many ways. Nixon probably assured one mayor's acquittal by preventing a key witness from testifying. A Nixon appointed judge fined Smith $30,000, to be paid over 25 years with no interest, for a bank collapse that had cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation more than all the other bank failures up to that time since 1933. Davis notes how the San Diego elite wines and dines the military brass, while the army rank and file has to struggle to get decent jobs and affordable housing. (The military subculture also encourages a docile and uncritical population, though Davis could have expanded this point more). Davis also notes the selfish, short-sighted city planning, designed to benefit various real estate lobbies. The result has been beautiful land marred by freeways and "concrete commercial sprawl," with residential areas built with no schools or libraries and until relatively lately no supermarkets. We also learn of the false dawn around Pete Wilson, who appeared to offer an environmentally friendly form of "clean" government, but who instead engaged in cosmetic reforms, encouraged converting rental apartments to condominiums and sold city land at below-market prices, regardless of possible conflicts of interests. Although the City elite has changed over the years, the essentially conservative regime and one-party press still continue, with special favours to San Diego's greedy sports teams being the hallmark of the nineties.

Rashomon
The authors suffer from the same thing they seek to address: a singled minded, slanted bias. It's a real shame how some people are blind to their own bias while screaming about it in others. If the authors looked more closely, they'd see that they are no different than those they write about.

Much of what is told in here needs to be written about. If it were written from a non-strident, balanced point of view it would make for interesting reading. Instead you spend most of the time wondering about the authors rather than the subject.

I suppose if you take all the slanted views of a story, you can get to the truth if you try. The problem is that not all of us have time to wade through it all.

San Diego deserves a well balanced in depth study of it's history. This is not it. Another reviewer got it right: if you like Howard Zinn, you should love this.

The scary thing is that the authors are teachers. God help our youth (that's just an expression. I'm sure I'll be labeled a relgious wacko now).

Highly recommended!
Compelling and well researched analysis of San Diego. Gripping and engaging. This book is an important corrective to the conservative myths that San Diego has embraced and made its own. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century   2. California   3. Government - Local   4. History   5. History - General History   6. Interviews   7. Political activists   8. Right and left (Political science)   9. San Diego   10. San Diego (Calif.)   11. Social Science   12. Social classes   13. Social conditions   14. Sociology   15. Sociology - Marriage & Family   16. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)   17. United States - State & Local - General   18. United States - State & Local - West   19. United States Local History   20. Urbanization   

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels   2. Fiction   3. Fiction - General   4. Fiction - Horror   5. General   6. Graphic Novels - General   7. Graphic Novels - Horror   8. Fiction, Graphic Novels, General   

Customer Reviews (5)

Davis Does It Again
Mike Davis's political writings focus on Latinos in Los Angeles in this book. Of course, this book NEEDED to be written given how Latinos were largely absent in his CITY OF QUARTZ. I agree with the reviewer who says there is nothing really new here; Davis repeats a lot of what Latino scholars have already said (check out his footnotes). On the whole, a decent introduction to Latinos in urban contexts.

....and mystical gang bangers rejuvenate small town USA
Davis is sympathetic, but like a typical lefty, places his faith in the labor movement to unite the diverse groups of latinos migrating to US cities. Yeah right. Another pipe-dream that the left can smoke. Hey Mike, how do like Hawaii? Come check out the ****holes like Modesto, Fresno, Salinas and other enclaves in CA that Mexicans are 'reinventing' and then blow back to the islands for your next book on how racist whites are for failing to accept this ridiculous fate for their home states and regions. The heck with the racist angle, how about the population question. How wonderful the world will be when CA has 60 million people, many of them poor, plenty in gangs, and ignorant. Or is that world already here? Aloha.
I gave this book 4 stars because the author's views are old school commie, a rare perspective to maintain as the world fails apart from both capitalist and communist excess.

Searing prose & difficult truths
Although each chapter takes on a different topic--bilingual education, anti-Latino violence, the politics of school funding and the staggeringly high Latino drop-out rate, and labor divisions and income discrepancies, to name a few--a unifying theme is present throughout. Essentially, the book describes the Latino influx, particularly that of the past ten or so years, the effects it has had on U.S. cities, and the Anglo backlash to this "Latinization." Obnoxious back-cover review excerpts not withstanding, the "Magical Urbanism" is not about Jennifer Lopez and the new Anglatin popular culture; it addresses more substantial issues than such reviews give it credit for. The numbers Davis presents are disturbing, but the reasons for finding them so will depend on your perspective: For those who seek to preserve the current Anglo power stucture, the degree of Latinization that the country is undergoing (or simply the sheer number of Hispanics it is absorbing) will be terrifying. To those more sympathetic to the plight of people of color seeking to gain a foothold in this country, the details about the poor living conditions and antipathy toward Latinos will be equally disturbing. The book focuses primarily on New York, Miami, Chicago, and especially southern California, but it provides a good overview of the Latino Condition--though it is worth noting that Davis never loses sight of the heterogeniety of the various peoples encompassed by the term "Latino"--nationwide. Don't let the gravity of the subject matter throw you, though, if you're simply looking for a compelling read; Davis is a master of his art, and "Magical Urbanism" is as hard to put down as a good novel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American   2. Current Affairs   3. Demography   4. Minority Studies - Ethnic American   5. Minority Studies - General   6. Politics/International Relations   7. Sociology   8. Sociology - Urban   

Customer Reviews (9)

Author's perspective -- invaluable
From the perspective of a disability claims examiner, Mike Davis effectively articulates the importance of the completeness of the application and also the communication with doctors and the claims examiner. Volumes of documentation are critical, and Mr. Davis helps claimants through this process. Mr. Davis returned my emails promptly and provided a great deal of support. I would highly recommend this book to anyone filing for SSI or SS Disability Insurance.

How to Get SSI and Social Security Disability
This book has been invaluable to me. Michael Davis describes the application process from the perspective of a professional who, for 7 years, made social security disability claims decisions. He emphasizes the importance of completeness and accuracy, and "spoon feeds" you with what the claims examiner is looking for and how you can help him/her obtain all the details necessary to make an informed decision.

The social security disability application process can seem daunting, but Mr. Davis breaks it down into simple terms.

I highly recommend this book.

a full five stars in my opinion
This book really helped me to get ssi. His email address is in the back of his book and he actually answered me in one day when I asked a question. I was doing the wrong things and sending stuff in that didn't help me. The book explains what you need to do and not a lot of theory-it's a real how to. Thumbs up!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General   2. Legal Reference / Law Profession   3. Personal & Practical Guides   4. Poverty   5. Public Policy - Social Security   6. Reference   

Customer Reviews (4)

Radical Urbanism
"The ground on which you walk is the tongue with which I talk" -Saul Williams

Mike Davis gives voice to just what the hell we've done to our environment, what's transpiring in the gaps in our relationships with each other, and what goes on underneath the deep and wide footprint of our rampant urban development. Dead Cities is a postmortem excavation of our postmodern urbanscape, a conjugation of all the verbs at work in the human condition.

From the chaos of the "Miamization" of Southern California ghettos and the sprawling ennui of suburbia, to the unfathomable waste of natural resources in Las Angeles and Las Vegas and the groaning discontent of the earth itself, Mike Davis follows every vector that juts out of Main Street, USA. And there's bad news around every corner - especially for the next generation of leaders, planners, and plain old citizens. As he told Mark Dery in an interview for 21C magazine, "Increasingly, the only legal youthful activities involve consumption, which just forces whole areas of normal teenage behavior off into the margins... Irvine, which is the last generation's absolute model utopia of a master-planned community, is producing youth pathologies equivalent to those in the ghettos simply because in the planning of Irvine there was no allotted space for the social relationships of teenagers, nowhere for them lawfully to be - the parks are closed at night, they're not allowed to cruise, and so on. So you get these seemingly random acts of violence." The geography of nowhere is cultivating its very own nihilistic culture -- even in the "perfectly planned" gated communities.

The most commendable thing about Mike Davis and his exhaustively researched books is their propensity toward the margins. Not that he meanders around the subjects about which he writes, rather Davis always includes that extra story that makes the core concepts resonate that much stronger. Whether it's the seven deadly sins of Los Angeles, the dynamical behavior of earth as a closed system, or the plight of the immigrant computer-smashers who moved here "to work in your hi-tech economy," Davis always gets to the core of the issues at hand with his feet firmly on the ground -- and Dead Cities is his most all-encompassing work yet. As he writes at the end of the book, "We don't need Derrida to know which way the wind blows or why the pack ice is disappearing."

good essays; bad publisher
reading this collection of davis' essays, which are all as breathless and intriguing as the rest of his work, you get the impression that the new press has laid off its proofreaders. this is a great collection, and yet, there are egregious misspellings and punctuation errors nearly every five pages. granted, the new press is a nonprofit, but this work deserves better than the shoddy presentation it recieved in this edition. let's hope for a second paperback edition that corrects the countless errors.

The Dead and the Dying
Whether it strictly is or not, Dead Cities feels like the third 'instalment' in Mike Davis' exploration of the nature of the modern and postmodern American city, sitting alongside Ecology of Fear and the superb City of Quartz. Once again, it is his vacillating love/hate relationship with the deserts and metropolises of California in particular, which forms the centre of his work.

Despite the fact that it's Preface would have you believe Dead Cities is a meditation upon post-September 11th urban America; it is rather a collection of essays and articles written during the last decade which each provide a broadly different 'take' upon the notion of the dead or dying city. Dead Cities examines the fragility of our urban infrastructures, threatened by man-made or natural factors, providing us with a fractured journey through parts of America in which the apocalypse has already taken place and where the destruction of the twin towers seems an almost inevitable climax.

The scope is vast, ranging from what some may find to be the rather dry economic and statistical data about corrupt town planning in LA; to fascinating and disturbing chapters on the expansion of suburban Las Vegas, and America's secret nuclear weapons testing. Davis also takes in the Compton race riots, extremes of weather in Canada, and there's even a chapter on the bombing of Berlin in WW2. What the spectre of 9/11 adds to this collective is a retrospectively portentous significance; the sense of an interminable social trajectory.

The one drawback of Dead Cities is that it is easy to lose sight of it's central argument. It is not, like Davis' previous works, a narrative which steadily gains momentum, but rather ponderings around a central subject. Whilst this means the strength of a core argument is at times obscured, is also serves as the text's strength, making it easy to dip in and out of. The subject matter in itself almost seems more suited to this layered approach, drawing together a montage of images and ideas, all held in place by Davis's remarkably acute eye for human pathos and contemporary social mores.

It's difficult to define exactly where Mike Davis's work should sit in terms of literary genre, for he is at once a geographer, an economist, a sociologist, a psychologist a journalist and an architectural critic. Where you will find him is under the rather vacuous heading of 'urban theorist' which in truth combines all of the above and more. It is however, this diversity which gives his writing its appeal, and it is admirably represented here. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural   2. Social Science   3. Sociology   4. Sociology - Marriage & Family   5. Sociology - Urban   6. Urbanization   

Customer Reviews (10)

Intoxicating Land of Magic and Mystery
Although deservedly touted as a "Science Adventure," Mike Davis's novel is much more than this. Certainly one of the most unique features of Davis's novel is its ability to stimulate further reading and interest in the geography and history of Greenland and the science and technology of Arctic exploration. However, "Land of the Lost Mammoths" also imagines a land of magic and mystery, of places that cannot be named and of persons that give name to dreams.

As the first in an anticipated series of adventures, Davis's novel is engrossing, imaginative, and magical. His trio of male and female protagonists (Julia, Conor, Jack and Qav) are inspiring not only for their accomplishments, but for their response to the discovery of a lost world. Moreover, Julia and Davis's rejection of traditional "damsel in distress" adventure scenarios in the course of the novel is inspired. Davis has clearly offered a novel that will appeal to the imaginations of readers of all ages.

A Good Read With Your Child
As a mom who enjoys reading to her son at bedtime, I found Mike Davis' Land of the Lost Mammoths: A Science Adventure to be a real treat. The story moves quickly and is compelling, but most of all, it's refreshingly intelligent. So many books for kids today are "dummied-down" as though the authors are afraid to use language that might force a child to use a dictionary! Here, Davis informs and educates as well as entertains his readers. My son was thoroughly engaged and it raised some interesting discussions as we tried to figure out what would happen next. Also, my son loves science and the characters in this book reinforce the notion that science is a "cool" thing. A great message for a parent to share with their child.

A book with conscience
Mike Davis, as urban theorist, has always impressed me. With his effortless language and compelling way of sharing information it's no wonder that his first attempt as young adult novelist would be just as impressive. The book is certainly entertaining and action-packed, but more importantly it strives to teach young people valuable life lessons, such as non-violence and the meaning of friendship. In a time when most children are inundated with violence on a daily basis (movies, tv, videogames) it's a nobel effort. So get your kid to drop his/her Playstation and pick up this book instead. They just might develop a conscience. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure   2. Adventure and adventurers   3. Animals - Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures   4. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Fantasy   5. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Science Fiction   6. Children: Grades 4-6   7. Fantasy   8. Fiction   9. Juvenile Fiction   10. Science & Technology   11. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic   12. Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Dinosaurs   

Customer Reviews (1)

A union-based perspective on Las Vegas
This book consists of 22 articles and over 60 b&w photos covering organized labor, feminism, and state politics. It is uneven in style and tone, ranging from first-person narratives to academic essays. The focus of the book is the city's underclass, which seems to be defined as unionized casino workers. (Many of these writers are oblivious that there are several strata of less-well-off people below unionized employees.) Much of the book is a paean to organized labor. For example, the longest article is titled "The Recent History of the Culinary Union in Las Vegas." Entrepreneurs are the villains of this book, while the heros are union leaders and (perversely) mafioso - there is some nostalgia for the good old days when gangsters ran a tight ship and took care of the little people.

The most touching essay is by Constance Devereaux who writes of her experiences conducting a class inside a Nevada prison, juxtaposed with her finding the body of her murdered husband in their bedroom as a result of a bungled burglary. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century   2. Economic conditions   3. History   4. History - General History   5. History: American   6. Las Vegas (Nev.)   7. Social conditions   8. United States - General   9. United States - State & Local - General   10. American history   11. Local history   12. Nevada   13. Social history   

Subjects:  1. Economic Conditions   2. History - General History   3. Political Science   4. Politics/International Relations   5. Sociology - General   6. United States - General   

Subjects:  1. Government - State & Provincial   2. History & Theory - General   3. Political Process - Elections   4. Politics - Current Events   5. Social Science   6. Sociology   7. Sociology - General   8. Social Science / General   

Subjects:  1. Anarchism   2. History & Theory - General   3. Philosophy   4. Political   5. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism   6. Politics - Current Events   7. Political Science / General   

Customer Reviews (2)

Garfield is all wrapped up!
You better watch out, you better not cry...Garfield is coming to town in this rib-tickling collection of Christmas tales! Whether he's waging the years biggest snowball fight, serving Santa's hungry little helper, or saving Christmas from some weird space aliens, Garfield will always find a way to keep Ho-Ho-Ho in the holidays! Garfield's five stories include: Garfield's Sweet Deal, The Great Snowball Fight, Santa's Hungry Little Helper, and The Rat Before Christmas! Greatly illustrated by Mike Fentz.

Garfield is the best !
This book was great . Garfield goes on zany adventures to either help a snowball fight , save santa from aliens , even makeing friends with a rat . This is a good book to read on christmas eve before you go to bed it gets you prepped up for the next day .If the stars could go higher I would give this book never ending stars . ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cats   2. Children's 4-8   3. Children: Grades 2-3   4. Christmas   5. Fiction   6. Holidays & Festivals - Christmas   7. Short stories   

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure   2. Animals - Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures   3. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Fantasy   4. Children: Grades 4-6   5. Juvenile Fiction   6. Science & Technology   7. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic   8. Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Dinosaurs   

Customer Reviews (5)

Garfield and the mysterious Mummy
My book review is over Garfield and the mysterous mummy.Its by Jim Davis.He is the creator of Garfield.Im going to tell you about this book and how i rate it and feel about it.
Garfield and the mysterious mummy is a reallly good book.My rating of this book is a 5. I liked it because it's a good mystery book and its funny! The book is about Garfield and Odie when they accidentally get left in the meuseum one night. Then strange things start to happen. So Garfield and Odie try to get through the night while being chased by the mummy or a thief trying to steal priceless artifacts.
I like the book but I wouldn't recommend it for preschoolers.It would be a good book for 3rd 4th or 5th graders.

Garfield and the msterious mummy
I read GARFIELD AND THE MYSTERIOUS MUMMY

I thought it was a good book because it was cool. And I like the dog Odie. First Garfield family got lost there dad went home. And a mummy came out . I would recommend this book to 3rd graders because I like it you will to.

A great series for your young Garfield fan
These are great chapter books for your early reader Garfield fan. My son loves them, I just wish there were more in the series. Unfortunately there are only four books in the series, so once they have read these four that's all there is. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cats   2. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General   3. Children: Grades 2-3   4. Comics & Graphic Novels   5. Comics & Graphic Novels - General   6. Fiction   7. Humorous Stories   8. Juvenile Fiction   9. Museums   10. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories   11. Mystery and detective stories   12. Short Stories   

Customer Reviews (2)

Terrific Adventure
I really enjoyed this book. First, I have to mention the design because it contributes to the reading experience. The cover, the sepia drawings and photos and the ruffle edge pages all are remind the reader of an old voyage log. The story is great. The adventure, the discomoforts(the Alaska back country in July is not nice)the sights and sounds are amazing. It is a very exciting book. Despite the hardships the men are very upbeat and bathe the whole trip in prayer. I decided to read Call of the Wild afterwards.

Good Book!
This book is a quite an adventure story! Best of all it's true! As they make thier jorney through Alaska they did make it despite a lot of troble on the trip there! My favorite part is when they find a dinosaur bone and well you'll just have to read it and find out! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Theology - General   2. Philosophy & Social Aspects   3. Religion - Contemporary Issues   4. Social Science   5. Sociology   6. Sociology - General