Wilson's life history of Oscar is a classic in psychological anthropology. Writing after the heyday of Culture-and-Personality studies in American cultural anthropology, the author uses Oscar's life to raise trenchant questions about the interaction between the individual and the social environment, and between madness and its context. As a misfit, Oscar provokes readers to consider whether eccentricity is a matter of individual aberrations or whether the cultural life of Providencia (a Caribbean island) produces in some way the eccentricities within it. Still another way to read this problem is to consider how much volition Oscar exercises over his "madness" and whether his life is a chosen form of criticism and even satire of the day-to-day expectations of life on the island. All in all, the book is a bittersweet look at the encounter between the person of Oscar and his social world, and it is an absorbing work, for classroom use and for readers interested in these issues.

Oscar is an enthralling look at an isolated community and its love-hate relationship with one of its members: Oscar. This forlorn and supposedly insane character plays havoc amongst the inhabitants of a tiny Caribbean island. At a glance the man is mad, but on closer examination he is a master of chicanery and far from pity.

I am not a student of psychology and thus cannot recommend it as a study text. However, I will say that I read this book about 5 years ago and have been looking for it ever since. Its a great read.

I first read this book in elementary school over 10 years ago. It had such an impact on my memory that I recently bought it off of Amazon.com (...). It was worth it...I re-read it a decade later and had more fun with it this time than before! The story is about 3 children who are transported to an island through the means of a picture hanging in their house. It's full of adventure, fantasy, and excitement. As a child, I dreamed of being one of these characters, being able to escape to a secret island and explore all day and night!

Osprey Island is about three children who have figured out a way to meet when they are far apart during the school year (Vermont and Paris). The question is, what can go wrong. The magic can do some pretty wacky things that send Charles, Amy, and Lizzie heading into big trouble. This is a perfect book for all ages. Funny, clever and gripping, this book is a definite page-turner. I liked it because of the character development especially. A great book!

As a native New Yorker, I heard of many islands that occupied the waters that surrounded the five boroughs of the city. As I flew back into LaGuardia and JFK airports I even began to notice them from above. Obtaining information about these islands was very difficult, even from local libraries, and therefore when I found this book at a local bookstore, I was delighted that someone came up with the idea of publishing such a book.

From Roosevelt Island to Cuban Ledge, the authors give a very thorough and well researched book on the many islands inhabiting the New York archipelago. Many islands which were once islands, but have long since been connected to the boroughs by artificial landfills are also covered here (e.g. Coney Island-Brooklyn, Hunter Island-Bronx, Battery Park area-Manhattan, etc..) are also covered here.

If you live in the city or plan on visiting, please make sure to pick up a copy of this guide, and make sure to visit the many hidden treasures found in this city.It makes an excellent companion book while aboard a plane or even in the subway.

New York City is an archipelago of islands - this is a reality that has been paved under by centuries of development in this great city, but has been brought to light in this fun, excellent little book.

Besides Manhattan Island, Roosevelt Island, Staten Island, etc., there are a host of tiny lesser-known islands all around the waterways of the city, and this book describes them all. Each and every one of them has a unique history - most were settled at one time or another, most are abandoned now - as well as a unique ecosystem. The book does a great job exploring all these aspects, in prose that has just the right level of detail to inform and excite. The histories it relates are miniature, fractured reflections, serving to both highlight and contrast with the mainstream narrative of NYC history.

Here are a few islands you may never have heard of before - North Brother Island, Swinburne Island, Shooters' Island, and - my personal favorite - U Thant Island, named for a late U.N. diplomat. Yes, there really is a place within New York City limits called "U Thant Island!" Reading this stuff makes you want to go to these places. Most of them are illegal to visit, and unfortunately the authors are responsible, law-abiding individuals who won't tell you how to get to them. Too bad :)

For urban historians, this book is like a collection of lost pottery shards of NYC life. For ecologists, it is a testament to the resilience of wildlife in some of the busiest waterways in the world. And for aspiring urban explorers, it is a temptation to buy a raft, flashlight, and wire cutters....

I really enjoyed this insightful masterpiece. I have visited the Bay Islands on numerous occasions over many years. I can honestly say that this book very accurately depicts the consequences of tourism on the people, communities, and environment. The book really opened my eyes to the fact that if development of the tourism industry continues at such a rapid pace, then in time the paradise that I enjoy so much may not turn out to be such a paradise after all. Thank you.

- One of the best academic books of the year, The Other Side of Paradise reviews tourism, conservation and development in the Bay Islands. The author has focused on tourism and development for many years and this volume is a well-written synthesis of her findings. She explores the historical legacy of the Bay Islands and the expansion of the international tourism market. All is not well in Paradise as she documents the negative impacts on the communities and the local ecosystems. Maps, black and white photos and illustrations compliment the text.

This heartwarming but level-headed book entertains and informs the reader on varied levels.

First, there is the simple tale of falling in love with a PLACE and following the dream of building a home there. That'll appeal to those of us crazy enough to create our dream house. Whether a person builds with straw, wood, or bricks, he or she earns membership in the dubiously grand brotherhood of homebuilders. Fellow members: you will recognise your project in this book; you'll laugh, groan and perhaps sob, along with the author, whose slightly dry, self-deprecating humor buoyed her in times of good and bad.

Secondly, the book focuses on the author's cultural clashes with the Balinese. She is never condescending, never patronizing, & refreshingly never glorifying towards the Balinese. Little by little, through trial and error, Louise and her husband learn about how to communicate with, how to get along with, and how to employ these unique people. Expatriate westerners living in Bali will see themselves in the foibles and complications arising in the author's interactions with the Balinese.

Thirdly, it's a great little taste of Balinese culture, circa 1935. If you're going to Bali, or have been to Bali, or you just like the IDEA of Bali, you'll find much to appreciate in the intimate, non-travelogue descriptions by this author/artist.
A delight.

Pepper Publications just republished this title. New ISBN is 9814097020.

Maybe I like this book because I recognized so many of the things that have also happened to me, with a similar college background in New Haven, then moving to an island in Washington and trying to "fit in" among the reserved and elitist locals. In his case the island was Bainbridge, in mine it is Orcas. The author seems to have made the adjustment to the wet cold weather and the cold reception rather well. His warm sense of humor and training in the colder winters of the East may have had a lot to do with it. Most of the chapters are short.. a few pages.. and will leave you with a smile.

I wish I could write like this; I'd love to tell my own story, but it wouldn't be as funny.

A thoroughly entertaining book. Excellent first-read for a Seattle newcomer, as am I. Provocative descriptions of the mountains (especially Rainier!), water, towns, people, animals. He writes beautifully, and his words paint clear, wondrous pictures. I missed my bus stop twice when I was buried in this book. I bought copies from second-hand bookstores in the Seattle area and sent them to my mom, daughters and friends.

An outstanding book on what has become a not so well known battle at the beginning of WWII. The author did a great job of research in bringing this book to life.All of the men who fought and died on those 3 islands and the ones who lived we owe a never ending debt of gratitude.What they endured during their capitivity and how each man delt with the punishment and cruel conditions makes this book a must read for anyone interested in history,especially World War II buffs.Great book!

"Those guys are legendary in the Navy and Marines for what they did, and whenever one is around you pay him the highest respect." - a fellow Marine describes a Wake Island defender.

Author John Wukovits has selected the perfect title for his new book, "Pacific Alamo." Like the famous stand of Colonel Travis and Jim Bowie that helped win Texan independence, the battle of Wake Island in December 1941 was a hopeless cause that turned into a tactical victory as the gallant and vastly outnumbered defenders managed to buy enough time for their comrades-in-arms to organize for eventual victory. In the process, the defenders of Wake gave America a much-needed rallying cry as it regrouped from the initial disaster at Pearl Harbor.

Wukovits's outstanding military history is a fitting tribute to the military and civilian personnel who fought and died on Wake Island in the dark days immediately following the Japanese attack on Hawaii. The author sets the stage by introducing key figures who fought there and describing the political situation that led to the Japanese first strike. The accounts of the battle itself are particularly well rendered, mostly told through the recollections of the defenders themselves. The accounts several Japanese soldiers are also included, helping to provide balance to the battle descriptions.

Equally important, Wukovits doesn't end the book with the American surrender, but instead goes on to describe the experiences of the survivors in Japanese captivity. The description of their three-plus year ordeal of beatings, starvation and appalling living conditions are as harrowing as the accounts of the battle. In the final chapter, Wukovits describes the fates of the survivors of the battle after the war. In the end, the picture that emerges is of a group of reluctant heroes who did their duty when their country called.

Overall, "Pacific Alamo" is a compelling work of narrative military history that should appeal both to history buffs as well as to general readers.

i read this book so many years ago, but i can still remember
how good it is. this book is not only about the underwater
world but also about the goings-on in a typical barrio in
the philippines. it has a socio-economic aspect to it that i
found quite realistic, having been born and raised in that very
same third world country. it amazed and pleased me that a
foreigner like hamilton-paterson could,quite accurately, capture
the very essence of filipino rural life---like the old woman who

he suspects isnt so aloof and taciturn as she seems
and the children of the barrio who frolick in the water and
in their humble amusements, oblivious of the shortcomings of a
third world upbringing. the book is an unusual stew of underwater
adventure and an unpatronizing account of a life among the natives.

Paterson is living on a small island in the Philippines and he is joining the natives in diving (i.e. fishing) for a living. We scuba-divers, as we only come for 1-2 week vacations, often are not experiencing the reality around our dive sites. Paterson's book was helping me understanding more of the countries I was visiting. Very instructive are his personal insights about ecology in a third world country and the connections to the economical and social structure. I found it very valuable that the insights do not follow the well known beaten paths about the third world but are rather well founded, personal observations. This makes this book a much more interesting read than any other book about the subject that I have ever read before.

Stella Kramrisch is transporting us in another world where we have to put aside our Western conditioned mind and to fully open our heart to grasp the complex world of the hindus Gods and particularly of Shiva, the Great God. But more than unveiling the secret stories of Shiva, this book is actually highlighting the "real presence" of Shiva in our current turmoiled World. A premonitory book !

Stella Kramrisch has done a brilliant job bringing Shiva to life. I have many other books which contain the stories of Shiva and Parvati; but no other does justice to his fantastic, immense, amazing, mind-blowing qualities. Shiva even has the power to kill with his 'lingam' which can be used as a weapon to annihilate his enemies. For those of you are interested in tantra and Kundalini, you will be delighted to understand that snakes form Shiva's ambience and that this ascetic is also master of the erotic and dance. Stella's translations will stir you imgination back to a more auspicious time. The stories make the conquests of today's corporate rulers seem pathetic.

This book provides hours of creative enjoyment and is just plain fun for the child, and everybody else too. All will enjoy these books. Puzzle Island is about " Sam" who is junior pirate, and must find a skull and crossbones badge in a hidden chest full of treasure which is somewhere on Puzzle island. "Horatio " wants to beat Sam to the treasure and he is hidden on all the double pages, but you don't know where and must find him! Puzzle Island is also home of the " pink elephants " and you must locate these and how many also on each double pages, with the BEST illustrations! Then in each of the double pages you need to find items from the "Pirate Kit ". These items range from all the stuff, which make a great pirate. A compass, Eye patch, hook, gold earring, hat, telescope and so much more. You don't know what page which item is on so you must remember these items. This fun adventure takes you around the island, across the leafy lake, across a safe bridge, the place where you spot animals and many more. Each set of double pictures also has a puzzle, full of mazes, searches, matching, and spotting. This really is great fun, and the reading level is pretty simple but these puzzles were great for all ages and really great for a group or just some great family fun using creative memory, problem solving and a great eye!

My boys and I love the Usborne Puzzle Books and this one is no different. The kids really dig into them without me forcing them to. The puzzle books make them think and problem solve.