Product Description

Thoroughly revised, the Second Edition of Peace and Conflict Studies sets the new gold standard as an accessible introduction and comprehensive exploration of this vital subject. The authors share their vast knowledge and analysis about 21st-century world events – including new coverage on timely topics such as terrorism, the truth and reconciliation process, and the clash of civilizations. With an encyclopedic scope, this introductory text chronicles a plethora of important global topics from pre-history to the present.

Key Features of the Second Edition

• Includes updated chapters and examines current conflicts, including the Iraq War

• Explores the important aspects of positive peace, individual violence, nationalism, and terrorism

• Provides numerous visual aids, questions for further study, and suggested readings

• Furnishes a comprehensive range of material to enlighten and enrich future discussion and encourage further academic pursuit

Intended Audience

This text is invaluable for students and professors in peace and or conflict studies, psychology and or the sociology of peace and conflict studies, international relations, comparative politics, history, and others interested in gaining a solid foundation about the global arena.

Praise for the First Edition

"Barash and Webel have penned a masterpiece that should appeal to seasoned scholars of peace and conflict studies as well as to others who have little knowledge of this multidisciplinary field."
--Daniel J. Christie, Ohio State University

Customer Reviews (4)

Enormously lacking in academic rigour
The book's blurb states the authors "present an unbiased look at issues related to peace and conflict studies to assist readers in forming personal and social opinions 'based on fact'". While I'm quite aware of the fact that blurb writers tend towards hyperbole, the authors certainly seem to care little for, at least, verifiable facts, as the book is entirely devoid of references, apart from those required for strict quotations; I've found less than a dozen mentions of researchers' names, both from their own and other fields (e.g., psychology, sociology) from which research is referenced. That this is even allowed puzzles me to no end; furthermore, there is not even a general bibliography of material used as background for writing this book.
The book is written in a quasi-narrative style, and is, as a consequence, sadly replete with sections that feel highly anecdotal in nature, a feeling that is hard to erase because they refuse to reference the social science research they're apparently referencing. This fact, along with their somewhat opinionated writing style, only helps to make me more sceptical of whatever information they're presenting, as well as convincing me that apparently they themselves don't think (methodical/verifiable) research should play a role in this field. Because of this, it only made it more annoying when I read something which to me felt like it was an odd(ly one-sided) explanation, especially because they seemed to have trouble accepting that choosing to go to war can (sometimes) be quite rational.

The authors are a psychologist/psychoanalyst/'philosopher' and an evolutionary biologist, both turned "peace researcher", and sadly, this is rather noticeable in their treatment of most other areas of research, especially when they use 'historical' examples to prove or support a point they're making: events are often presented without describing the relevant context, characterized so generally that there really is no point in referencing it at all, or sometimes just flat-out wrong.
One example of this last category is found when they state that "the defeat of the Armada in 1588 marked the end of Spain as a global power." (p.186) The sailing of the "Armada" really constituted only the first attempt to conquer England, so that, while you might call it the "beginning of the end", it certainly didn't result in the instant oblivion of the Spanish empire. While this could be seen as a minor problem if it was the exception, the issue I have with it is that they refer to research in lots of different areas of study, apparently all relevant to "peace and conflict studies", and yet, they apparently don't care enough to do even the most basic research before writing a book on it. To me, this only suggests that not even they take their own field seriously.
Continuing with my criticism, in another part of the book they ask the question whether population increases can be correlated with increased occurrence of wars, at which point they 'cite' as evidence the 100 years war as "a war that went on during the Black Plague", while the Plague arrived at least a decade after the (first phase of the) 100-years war had broken out. (p. 198) This proves absolutely nothing, especially because the 100-years war was a war with enormous pauses, whereas more recent wars have generally been shorter, and more intense, which all seem relevant considerations to me, but apparently not to the authors.
They also more than once reference "popular"/recent events without being very clear about what they're referring to specifically, which to me makes these insertions seem more like glib remarks or insider jokes than serious points they're making, which can rather confusing at times, especially when they extrapolate from anecdotes or single cases to trends. While this may sometimes lead to valid insights, it is not the way to do scientific research. (One example of this is when they allude to the YUKOS/Chodorkovsky affair. I personally don't know if Russia has done things like that before, but the reference seemed rather pointless without further explanation.)
The text also includes a discussion of Freudian/"psychoanalytic" motivation theories, which, in my opinion, should not have been included in a book printed in 2009. It was probably included in part because some researchers still take psychoanalysis seriously, but the biggest problem I have with the section is that they do not really refute this line of argument.

In order to demonstrate some of the issues I have with their writing style, consider the following passage:

"The role of individual leaders may well have been unduly glamorized, and decision makers often receive credit - and blame - they do not entirely deserve. Sometimes, leaders represent the culmination of currents within their societies, and they may catalyse other events. Nonetheless, people such as Alexander the Great, Genghis khan, Charlemagne, Joan of arc, Napoleon, Bismarck, Hitler, Stalin, de Gaulle, Mao Zedong, Saddam Hussein, and G. W. Bush, have acted as lightning rods for popular discontent, and, often, as precipitators of war. Less often have leaders of this ilk achieved renown as peacemakers." (p.171)

There are a number of problems with this: First off, what's with the banalities? This book says it will explain stuff relevant to understanding why wars and peaces happen. However, you can't really explain things using unsubstantiated generalities (the book is rather lacking in references).
Secondly, what kind of logic/criterion was used to assemble this list? Joan of Arc, Charlemagne, Genghis Khan seem like fairly distinct and different figures, living in different times, leading or living amongst different peoples who experienced different problems, and yet, the authors seem to imply that somehow all of the mentioned "strong leaders" were "lightning rods for [some sort of otherwise unspecified:] popular discontent", and further that leaders of "this ilk" were relatively uninterested in making "peace". One, fairly obvious, reason why none of these people were known as peacemakers was because they didn't insert any peacemakers into this listing. Seriously, what connects Genghis Khan to Joan of Arc, De Gaulle and Charlemagne? They're not even all war starters (esp. Joan). So what does it mean to talk about people of "their ilk"?
Thirdly, and more profoundly, as the authors themselves have argued in different sections of this book, peace is not always a rational choice, nor is war necessarily horrendously "bad", let alone "evil". Should Joan of Arc have chosen not to fight, and let France be ruled by England? Should Alexander have stayed home and let the Persians take over Greece some time down the road? I haven't the faintest why the authors think the answer to this question is obvious, yet they don't reference any other research (e.g., research that shows how Alexander or Genghis Khan served as a "lightning rod" for "public discontent"), nor do they explain why it is relevant to worry about the "ilk" of the leaders. I have no problem with the suggestion that it is possible for leaders to lead people in a certain direction, but what does all the other stuff have to do with that statement being true or not?
Now, I'm fine with writers using anecdotes, even slightly unfair ones, but presenting tendentious remarks like that as though they're deep insights worth pondering seems trite at best, and not at all appropriate for a putatively academic text. One doesn't read a work like this to be entertained or overawed, one reads this because one expects a rigorous if not exhaustive analysis of the relevant factors at play.
At the bottom of the page we find another, rather odd statement, with which they are apparently trying to tell us something: "many leaders may be moved by the desire to go down in history as peacemakers." (ibid.) Now, one of the key "problems" with "war" is that it sometimes can be advisable, or even required (to ensure your group's survival) to go to war. War is not necessarily evil, and, as such, it is only politically 'good' for you to 'go down in history as a peacemaker' when there is popular support for such a move; yet they seem to think it 'obvious' that every population would prefer this.

Their economic commentary is at times downright ridiculous:

"governments typically obtain military forces by paying for them."
[...]
"Military spending is perhaps the most inflationary way for a government to spend money. By using up major resources without producing consumable goods, military spending reduces supply while also increasing demand for raw materials, thereby contributing doubly to inflation. Moreover, costs tend to rise yet further when the supply of money and credit increases without corresponding increases in productivity." (p.210)

I have, quite honestly, absolutely no idea what they're trying to tell me here. I included the first line only to show you how lazy their editors were, but if we look at the second line, they seem to be saying something about credit simultaneously in- and decreasing, and that the money, while being spent, is not received by anyone. Yet earlier, they told the readers about how Haliburton made a killing providing services to the government. I am unsure how to combine those two facts, and I'm equally unsure what to make of their suggestion that money spent on capital intensive goods causes more inflation than money spent otherwise. Why do these statements not deserve more of an explanation? I am, in any case, at a loss in trying to figure out what they mean. Lastly, where does the stated "increase in the supply of money and credit" come from?

Conclusion:
While the book at first appears to be highly organized, after reading it 1.5 times for a course, I've come to the conclusion that the text contains an enormous number of redundant passages, as well as information that is presented in different sections of the book when it would have been far more logical to put them together. Furthermore, literally dozens of (sub)sections contain paragraphs that present points that are entirely unrelated to the section heading under which they are presented.
Extrapolating from this, far too little time was spent weeding out redundant passages like the one cited here, and the reader is, throughout the book, confronted with a veritable deluge of weasel words (especially "may be", "may have", "could be", "has possibly", and worst of all "perhaps") employed in order to "make points" without really making them, or at least without having to defend them. (The most painful, and one of the most irrelevant ones, was probably "The Earth's protective ozone layer has been thinning, perhaps dangerously." p.399) It's not clear to me at all why statements phrased that way should even be allowed to be in academic texts, let alone why they belong there, as they have very little explanatory value, and are often little more than (redundant) restatements of points made earlier, presented in the form of a conclusion.
The book as a whole certainly contains some useful information and insights, but there sadly is also an enormous amount of fluff, which are presented as equally valid.
While the scope of the book is certainly broad, it's terribly lacking in academic rigour. And although I'm sympathetic to the authors' plight, I cannot seriously recommend this book to anyone.

Errors in Environmental Section
I have not read the book other than the section on envrionmental conflicts, where there is a basic, and fundamental, error. The author calls "use of resources" a tragedy of the commons. In fact, as long as there are clear property rights to resources this is incorrect. The authors write "It may be inconvenient to recycle and, in fact, easier for individuals simply to throw their garbage away, or to use more than their share of scarce commodities." This, however, is not based on the tragedy of the commons but an arbitrary concept of fair share. This is ideology masquerading as analysis.

Many have claimed to know what the proper level of resource use is and promised that the end was near due to overuse. These predictions have universally proven false because the price mechanism is far superior to any claim to knowledge by doomsaying professors. If the rest of the book is based on simliar thinking, it is useful only in reifying a particular ideology but probabaly offers few insights.

Great compendium of research on the subject
It's a great text. Highly recommend for anyone interested in violence, war and peace research.

Peace and Conflict Studies
Very broad and objective overview of the nature of conflict, conflict resolution and peacebuilding.Well recommended for students of conflict resolution as well as for anyone interested in the subject.Well written and reads very easily. ... Read more

Product Description
"For those endeavoring to approach peace, there is no shortage of challenges, practical as well as intellectual. Fortunately, there is also no shortage of inspiration and insight."--From the preface

Approaches to Peace: A Reader in Peace Studies, Second Edition, provides a unique and interdisciplinary sampling of key articles and short literary selections focusing on the diverse facets of peace and conflict studies. Featuring both classic and contemporary work, it enables students to read highly influential articles while also introducing them to the most current perspectives in the field. Timeless classics from Leo Tolstoy, the Bhagavad Gita, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Henry David Thoreau are included alongside contemporary pieces by Johan Galtung, Betty Reardon, and many others. Updated to address current concerns, the second edition incorporates seventeen new articles, including selections from Al Gore on climate change, Jeffrey Sachs on Third World economies, and Desmond Tutu on reconciliation. A new chapter on terrorism offers work from Eqbal Ahmad, Richard Falk, Samuel Huntington, and others.
Ideal on its own as a foundation text in any introductory peace studies course, Approaches to Peace, Second Edition, is also compact enough to use as a supplement with more specialized readings. Each selection is prefaced by a short introduction highlighting the author's background, the work's historical context, and the selection's significance in terms of the "big picture." Study questions and a list of suggested readings at the end of each selection also provide useful resources for students. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One of the most complete and solid readers on Peace
This updated edition of Barash's book is well worth the reasonable price (as textbooks go). I will be teaching a university course from it beginning next week (upper level undergrad political science) and am very pleased with the broad range of essays and other materials. I trust it will stimulate discussion. Barash pulls together materials from many disciplines, which makes this even more valuable - and from many eras. Using this reader in combination with another on war, this will provide some excellent background and foundation to students who are interested in approaching both of these issues intellectually. Barash has brought together materials both thoughtfully and provocatively - not an easy balance to achieve.

The essays are generally "just the right length", too - important when one wants to cover a certain amount of material in 15-16 weeks!

The book is fairly priced, and beautifully printed/produced; that counts for a lot at a time when some companies are putting out books on flimsy paper with poor cover stock - and charging $75 and up for them (recent experience with one of those -- NEVER AGAIN!)

I consider this book a "keeper"; it will remain on my shelf as an excellent survey of a great deal of the most important literature on Peace and the various approaches from which it can be viewed and studied.

One of the best, but still falls a bit short
I've used David Barash's _Approaches to Peace_ several times in my college classes on peace and justice.This is unusual in itself, because I rarely use anthologies, preferring instead to go straight to the original sources themselves.I like Barash's approach, though, because it tries to be inclusive as possible.

The anthology begins by looking at the definitions and possible causes of war, moves on to analyses of how to prevent war (negative peace), then to considerations of how to create structures of justice that eliminate the necessary conditions for war (positive peace).The rest of the book is devoted to readings that discuss nonviolence, religious pacifism, and historical peace movements.All of these general categories are exactly what one would want in a "peace studies" text.

The problem is that the readings included in each category aren't always the best (or at least aren't the ones I would've selected).The single best two sets of readings are in the chapters on positive peace and nonviolence.The single worst (and I do mean *worst*!) set of readings are when Barash deals with religious pacifism (it's as if he feels uncomfortable in this arena).In the section on peace movements, Vaclav Havel's essay is the single best piece, but one wonders why it(and perhaps the entire chapter) doesn't serve as the prologue to the anthology.

Still, no anthology perfectly pleases everyone.Barash's is the best one out there I've discovered.Perhaps some changes will be made in a second edition.Regardless, I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Ho-Won Jeong explains and assesses major approaches to dealing with ethnic conflict, communal violence, inter-state war and social injustice. The book analyzes not only the sources of violence and conflict, but also how to manage and prevent them. As peace is relevant to improvement in human well-being and the future survival of humanity, the volume encompasses a variety of themes, ranging from alternative security policies, methods of peaceful settlement, human rights, self-determination, environmental politics, global governance and non-violence. Reflecting on the current thinking and drawing lessons from the past, the book can be considered an introduction to the field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ew
In theory it would be an interesting book for a class--however it's really HARD to read.And I'm an AVID reader. ... Read more

Product Description
The Excellent Wife was proven seaworthy on its maiden voyage and now the Revised Edition is impacting lives and marriages in an even greater way. Here is a scripturally based blueprint for the woman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

A terrible book for someone who needs real healing
The very premise of this book is terrible. Women are told over and over how they should feel and judged as unchristian if they don't.I am a lay counselor with over 35 years experience, most with women who have been sexually molested.This book denies women the right to feel, the right to need, the right to have emotions.They are specifically told that normal desires from their husbands are sinful.It is FULL of shame.For the hurting, wounded woman who knows only performance, it is a cruel handbook indeed.There are more shoulds and shouldn'ts in this book than any I have seen.So they think, "if only I do one more thing he'll accept me."Just like dad.This book is bondage...Christ is freedom!

Not Worth Your Time
This is the worst bible study I have ever read. It was used at a women's bible study that I attended. After half way through my husband asked me not to go. His words as a man were, "I don't like this book because it enables men to be lazy and selfish and makes women enable them". I agree. This book tells women to serve their husbands by meeting their every need. It tells women to get their needs met by God and not expect their husbands to meet their needs. It tells women to go to God for their needs. That is a half truth, as women should go to God, but women are made to get their needs from their husbands as well. This book is not biblical, as my husband pointed out the scripture that men are to love their wives as Christ loves the church. Every time I read from this book to my husband he became angry enough to want to burn it. It is horrible manipulation of sciptures. I guess some churches might like it because it teaches women to enable men to be selfish and irresponsible. I don't think Jesus would like this book either.

Wonderful Bible Study Tool
This is a wonderful companion to The Excellent Wife bible study book.It helps to personalize and delve deeper into the study, versus reading the study on its own.

Great book!
I read this book a year ago and now I am starting a Bible Study with this book.I am looking forward to really going in depth on what it means to be a "biblical wife".Great book...every christian wife should read this.Our society has no clue how to or why we need to submit to our husbands and treat them with the love and respect they deserve.

Encouragement for Bible-loving Women
This book was excellent, even though I am not married.It has also been a great help to my married friends. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (117)

The Anatomy of Peace
We read this book recently for our neighborhood book club. I highly recommend this for anyone who has any kind of relationship with other people...which is all of us! It is very helpful in making you understand your own reactions to others' actions or words. It teaches you to be true to your own self and to be at peace with those around you. If we all learned this, wars would cease.

If not for all the fake 5 star reviews...
I probably would have given this review 2 stars... but because the author obviously gamed the review system with a bunch of fake 5 star reviews (seriously... go read them... they make the book sound like it's the greatest book ever written, which by the way sucked me into buying this piece of crap), I will now happily give it one HALF star.Realistically, it's a 2 star-ish pretentious pile of poop with an entirely too long and boring parable that doesn't even come close to providing any of the detail suggested by its title or introduction.The author obviously wanted to write fiction and failed because the fictional conversation-only story is bad, and because the insights held within it are lackluster and freshman year philosophy-ish at best, Buy it if you hate money and have absolutely nothing else to read.

The Anatomy of Peace is A W E S O M E
I have read many books, about self-awareness and management, and other issues, but I have NEVER read a book like this. The Arbinger Institute nailed it. Wow. Everyone should read this book, and every manager, and every head of state, and every General.

Change the World.
This book is the simple answer to the needof our World.
The drastic idea of not 'taking sides' is clearly an advantage to a peaceful life.
To activate the philosophy,each person needs to re-think and then practise keeping his heart at peace.
Having dealt with ourselves, we can put the book into the hands of our local council/government personel and wait for a change of attitude.
Remember 'big trees from little acorns grow'.

A MUST READ for EVERYONE
Everyone should be required to read this.
Should be a required "reading" in all Psychology classes.
Simply put, and an easy read with basic, practical, understandable
principles to produce peaceful living in yourself and those around
you. Follows the Biblical concept of "If you know the right
thing to do, and do not do it, it is sin". ... Read more

Product Description
Forgiveness is a door. It's the way to peace and joy. But it's a small door, and it can't be entered without stooping--or kneeling. And sometimes it is very hard to find. When we hurt the people we love, how do we go about restoring the relationship?When we suffer the pain of betrayal or injury or rejection from someone else, how do we deal with the anger and resentment we feel? In eight studies, Douglas Connelly leads the way to help you discover, understand and practice what the Bible says about forgiveness.This LifeGuide Bible Study features questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each study. ... Read more

Product Description

This major Handbook provides a cutting-edge and transdisciplinary overview of the main issues, debates, state-of-the-art methods, and key concepts in peace and conflict studies today.

The fields of peace and conflict studies have grown exponentially since being initiated by Professor Johan Galtung half a century ago. They have forged a transdisciplinary and professional identity distinct from security studies, political science, and international relations.

The volume is divided into four sections:

• understanding and transforming conflict
• creating peace
• supporting peace
• peace across the disciplines.

Each section features new essays by distinguished international scholars and professionals working in peace studies and conflict resolution and transformation. Drawing from a wide range of theoretical, methodological, and political positions, the editors and contributors offer topical and enduring approaches to peace and conflict studies.

The Handbook of Peace and Conflict Studies will be essential reading for students of peace studies, conflict studies and conflict resolution. It will also be of interest and use to practitioners in conflict resolution and NGOs, as well as policy makers and diplomats.

Product Description
What is the standing of a sovereign nation and what are its rights relative to other sovereign nations?

What is our obligation to pursue peace?

Can intervention in the affairs of another sovereign nation be justified?

Who, if any one, has the right to intervene?

--

In this short essay, Kant completes his political theory and philosophy of history, considering the prospects for peace among nations and addressing questions that remain central to our thoughts about nationalism, war, and peace.

Ted Humphrey provides an eminently readable translation, along with a brief introduction that sketches Kant’s argument. ... Read more

Product Description
The Western Sahara conflict has proven to be one of the most protracted and intractable struggles facing the international community. Pitting local nationalist determination against Moroccan territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional tensions with Algeria and the geo-strategic concerns of major global players, including the United States, France, and the territory s former colonial ruler, Spain. For over twenty years, the UN Security Council has failed to find a formula that will delicately balance these interests against Western Sahara s long-denied right to a self-determination referendum as one of the last UN-recognized colonies.

In the first book-length treatment of the issue in over two decades, Zunes and Mundy examine the origins, evolution, and resilience of the Western Sahara conflict, deploying a diverse array of sources and firsthand knowledge of the region gained from multiple research visits. Shifting geographical frames local, regional, and international provide for a robust analysis of the stakes involved. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

New Western Sahara Book Recommended Reading
This outstanding book by two acclaimed authors is one of the best works in more than a decade on the long-running Western Sahara conflict.It is highly recommended reading.Scholars, diplomats, civil society activists and students of international affairs will benefit from the exceptional insights and significant research presented in the book.The Western Sahara is one of the world's last post-colonial conflicts, holding important lessons for the rule of international law, self-determination of peoples and the stability of nation-states, particularly in Africa.This book will be a cornerstone of literature on Western Sahara for many years to come. ... Read more

Product Description
Much is said and written today about mentoring. A mentor is a guide, a teacher, a counselor, an advisor; all words that apply to the Titus 2 woman. Becoming a Titus 2 Woman is a tool to train older ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Great book!!!
I purchased this book looking for something biblically sound but practical to grow my understanding of women's discipleship, intentional spiritual development, and then to help with my own walk in the Lord. OVERALL, Peace is very honest and approachable and the bible study that is included in the book points directly to Scripture as a means to develop understanding of The Word rather than someone else's convictions. WONDERFUL!!!

Valuable lessons
Mrs. Peace takes the reader point by point, through the verses in Titus 2 to become the woman that God would have her to be. I felt some of her points and illustrations did not have the depth I would have liked. It does get the reader thinking, however, and considering how her life measures up to Scripture. A good study for the woman who wants to align her life with God's Word.

A Life-Changing Study
This is a wonderful bible study and teaching tool for women.It is effective in preparing the older women to train the younger.The chapters are most enjoyable to read, and very informative, and the chapter questions are great for small group discussion.

Becoming a Titus 2 Woman
A really great book.Just what women need to help mentor younger women in their walk with Christ.

easy read
No new news, but great information to confirm what I already knew.
great book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Gay? Not the point
In this era of "Brokeback Mountain", when many heterosexual filmgoers are finding out to their surprise that even the most masculine of men may form unexpected emotional attachments, it's worth taking another look at "A Separate Peace" to consider whether the long-implied homoeroticism of the story is true, and whether it makes any difference.

I first read "A Separate Peace" as a sexually questioning male college student at a small isolated liberal arts school, much like the mythical "Devon". I experienced homoerotic infatuations with two Finny-like characters, both of whom became "best friends" with me and neither of whom became sexual partners (nor did anyone else until I was 38 years old). I felt a remarkable affinity with Gene and with his conflicted idolization and envy of Finny, whose Pied Piper attractiveness I could neither avoid nor imitate. I just re-read the book this weekend, shortly after turning age 50, now in a long-term monogamous relationship with another man and much "sadder but wiser" about the whole question of sexual orientation.

Here are some factors that would favor a homoerotic interpretation of "A Separate Peace": 1) as far as I can recall, there is not a single mention of teenage girls anywhere in the book. To think that a bunch of straight teenage boys imprisoned in bleak all-male dormitories in the frozen winter wouldn't even talk about girls late at night strains credibility. 2) The Devon boys never attended mixers with girl's schools, nor was there any evidence that any of them ever snuck out at night in search of sexual gratification. 3) When Gene and Finny rode their bikes to the beach and spent the night, there is no reference to the girls who surely must have been there. Gene talks only about Finny, about Finny undressing to go in the water, and about their intimate conversation just before going to sleep in the dunes. 4) Actually, the only references to women that I can remember at all are generally unflattering descriptions of professors' wives, hardly the objects of male teenage fantasies.

More important than any of these circumstantial evidences is the relationship between Gene and Finny. Based on my own similar experiences in college, I would guess that any homoerotic feelings were all on Gene's part: he knows exactly how much Finny weighs and how tall he is; he provides an almost lyrical description of the way Finny's muscles flow smoothly from his legs up to his neck; he misses no opportunity to report Finny being unclothed, from not wearing pajamas in the dorm to the final visit in the hospital, when Finny for no apparent reason is not wearhing a shirt.

Gene's terrible feelings of resentment toward Finny that caused Gene to jounce the tree limb could well have had their roots partly in repressed sexual frustration--I threw a couple of totally irrational fits toward my own objects of affection in college for that very reason.

So does it matter whether "A Separate Peace" has homoerotic overtones? Only if you think that "Brokeback Mountain" was nothing more than a "gay cowboy movie" and to heck with the fine acting and directing. The emotions that "A Separate Peace" expresses are universal and cross-cultural. That's why the book will always be a classic. ... Read more

Product Description
A stirring anthology of writings about peace and nonviolence from Buddha to Arundhati Roy As you read this, America is at war. President Bush declared a "war on terrorism" and 90 percent of the American people believed he was doing the right thing. But is there another way? From Buddha in the pre-Christian era to the most recent declaration of peace principles by Nobel laureates, nonviolence has always been an alternative.

With an introduction by Howard Zinn about September 11 and the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks, The Power of Nonviolence presents the most salient and persuasive arguments for peace in the last 2,500 years of human history. Included are some of the most original thinkers and writings about peace and nonviolence—Buddha, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," Jane Addams, William Penn on "the end of war," Dorothy Day's position on "Pacifism," Erich Fromm, and Rajendra Prasad. Supplementing the classic voices are more recent advocates' arguments for peace: Albert Camus' "Neither Victims Nor Executioners," A. J. Muste's impressive "Getting Rid of War," Martin Luther King's influential "Declaration of Independence from the War in Viet Nam," and Arundhati Roy's "War Is Peace," plus many others.


Arranged chronologically, covering the major conflagrations of the world in the last hundred years, including the war in Afghanistan, The Power of Nonviolence is a compelling step forward in the study of pacifism, a timely anthology that fills a void for people looking for responses to crisis that are not based on guns or bombs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great Collection
The book is exactly what the title proclaims, a great collection of Writings by Advocates of Peace. It's a nice reminder that there are people in the world that think outside the box and have clear and sane thoughts.

Nice addition to the library
Reading through the writings of the included authors, you learn that their message is truly -timeless- and is just as relevent today as it was then.

This compilation truly brought to my attention that history repeats itself, especially if we allow the same force of violence to repeat itself.

A Must Read
This book offers good food for thought about the issues facing our world today.Even though there are works that were omitted, the ideas presented here are very worth reading.

Strong selections
I must admit that I am a bit surprised that this has received two poor reviews in a row.A quick look at the original book shows that The Power of Nonviolence was a true revision of the 60's book.The previous volume, with over 100 selections, was a haphazard affair with so many pieces that you got lost trying to keep the thread of the argument.I think that Professor Zinn should be commended for cutting out a lot of dead wood from the old book.It is curious that previous reviews have pointed out the selections because as I compared the two books I noticed that many of the selections picked out as poor choices were, in fact, part of the original volume carried over to The Power of Nonviolence.

I think the selection are top notch...I mean who really has heard of Tim Wise other than in this anthology?Which brings me to my last point:That it is the easiest criticism of any anthology to critique what it left out.By definition, an anthology should be judged by what is actually included...or so it seems to me.As a first step toward the study of nonviolence, it should be read and considered a success.

Thrown Together?
I stand second to none in my admiration of the writings and life-work of Howard Zinn.But I'm afraid this anthology is a sad disappointment, reading as if it were thrown together with too little forethought and too much regard for quick marketability. Some of the selections are more judicious than others:the Penn essay is a gem, and Emerson on war is both good and little-printed.

But many of the other selections have been printed so often that one wonders why they need to be trotted out in yet another anthology.Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" and Camus' "Neither Victims Nor Executioners" immediately come to mind.Not that these essays aren't worthy of being read; it's just that they're utterly predictable--and badly edited, at that.Other selections are so abbreviated that they appear mangled.Selections from the Buddha, Gandhi, Ikeda/Pauling are examples here.Finally, other selections seem absolutely ... well, irrelevant.Scott Nearing's selection, and Zinn's own piece on Vietnam fit into this category.Writings on Vietnam, in fact, are way over-represented in the anthology, once again causing one to suspect that old standbys were conveniently trotted out for this anthology.

There are many other better anthologies--e.g., David Barash's *Approaches to Peace.* ... Read more

Product Description
This book should be of interest to introductory courses in peace studies, political science, international relations and philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

55 hours of listening to a fine reader
I was not familiar with Davidson as a reader, but he seems well-suited to the classics.I do agree with one reviewer that Pierre was a bit stuffy and 'bufoonish' for someone who is actually the hero of the piece and not as old as the reader made him sound, but I will also say that I looked forward to my time in the car and to see what was coming next in his narration. I thought he did an adequate job with the feminine voices, a fine one with the males, and was perhaps best suited to the non-dialogue portions.

Listener beware!The last 12 'chapters' are Tolstoy's ruminations on humanity, society, and religion and really detract from having finished the actual narrative.While Tolstoy was obviously a man ahead of his time and a great intellect, he repeats himself in these essays, and I would have rather read them (or not).The essays should have been clearly marked as separate and in some versions of "War and Peace" they are appendices, as they should be.In this version some of these ruminations are interspersed with the story, and they do make sense in their placement as they always brought the reader back around to the tale; but the last pieces failed to do this and left me feeling a little disappointed that the story was done and he had messed up the ending for me (even though I already knew how it ended).

Flawed But What The Hell!
Frederik Davidson, aka David Case, was a ubiquitous voice on the audiobooks scene before his death a few years ago. He excites widely varying reactions: some find his languid, rather campy recitations rivetting; others find them merely languid and rather campy to the point of having-to-turn-the-damn-thing-off! Immediately!

I think he's highly variable. He tells a good yarn but his penchant for imitating all the various voices of the characters - EVEN young girls - is offputting because he quite often makes a hash of them. Other readers "suggest" the voices; Davidson tries to play all the parts as if he's performing a one-man play.

Happily, his reading of "War And Peace" minimizes (comparatively) the annoyance-level. He occasionally messes up: his voice for Dolokhov veers between "aristocratic" and "working-class" depending on the situation and his voice for Pierre is a little too buffoonish for comfort but for me his reading stays on the enjoyable side of "languid" and "campy". Besides, it's such a great story that it's almost impossible to completely ruin. And the price is an amazing bargain.

However, try the audio samples to see if you can bear Mr Davidson' style of delivery before parting with your money.

Very Well Read
First off, I wouldn't pretend to be a scholar of classic literature. This review is written by a regular working guy with a good job that allows me to listen to audiobooks. Having listened to this reading of War and Peace I gladly feel obliged to leave comment.

Narrator Frederick Davidson is a pleasure to listen to as he gives life to all the various characters both male and female. This was no chore to listen to, nor is the story all that complicated as the characters appear and reappear throughout the story. I actually took notes during the first cd in order to remember who was related to who, the various princes and rank of officers and gentry. This may have helped the sometimes feeble memory to get the characters straight however this may not have been entirely necessary. It didn't hurt to have the reference notes close at hand.

I can now rest comfortably knowing that, when my day on this earth is done, I am a better man for having this translation of War and Peace read to me by this wonderful narrator. ... Read more

Product Description
In this title in the Learning to Love Series, Dr. Peace focuses on learning to love God. God is alive and personal, but He is also spirit. So having a relationship with Him is different than having a relationship with any other person. This study will help you discover how you can grow and nurture your relationship with the living God. ... Read more