Benjamin DeMott's Books

You Don't Say

Modern American Inhibitions

By: Benjamin DeMott

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

You Don't Say

Modern American Inhibitions

By: Benjamin DeMott

In this era of political correctness, it is often impossible to say things as one would like. Indeed, certain ways of feeling and talking that were once acceptable are now, in effect, forbidden. Of course, taboos extend further than speech. Social and sexual inhibitions are also evident. Benjamin DeMott argues that the very least a society should do is to try to understand the meaning of its own inhibitions. As he writes in this new edition of You Don't Say, "a supple awareness of the effective censorship of the day can toughen resistance to clich and stereotype, and is absolutely indispensable to the survival of sharp minds." At the center of You Don't Say is the proposition that the present age of personal liberation has created as many inhibitions as it has abolished. Some of our new-found freedoms could be employed with a sharper sense of tact. And some freedoms we have lost are worth remembering-or even recovering. In the essays that comprise You Don't Say DeMott reflects on the use of language, how modern man has claimed to be free of repression though the opposite is true, and how people who object to certain types of language and prefer verbal ambiguity do so possibly to assert their moral dignity and intelligence. The book is full of sharp observations, witty commentary, and empathetic description of the contemporary social and cultural scene. In an essay entitled "The Anatomy of Playboy," DeMott correlates the magazine's popularity with its reductionist tendencies: the world becomes reduced to the realities of sexual need and deprivation. In "The Passionate Mutes," the author reflects on the changing language of the greeting card throughout the years. "Dirty Words?" is a meditation on language itself, and on how mastery of the word was at one time a key to power. And in "Oyiemu-O?" DeMott considers the writing of "native" African and Indian authors in an age during which the colonialist viewpoint was considered authoritative. The author's new introduction discusses the essays in their historical context and how they are relevant to the present day, and describes how the book came into being. "[A] book distinguished by its beauty as by its wisdom for-although we may feel the pressure of inhibition against admitting it-intellectual courage can be as beautiful as bodies swayed to music. The intelligence of hope can be as passionate as sexual hunger."-New York Times Book Review Benjamin DeMott is an essayist, novelist, and journalist. He was professor of English at Amherst College, and a consultant and writer for National Education Television. He is the author of The Body's Cage, Hells & Benefits, a collection of essays, and Killer Woman Blues: Why Americans Can't Think Straight About Gender and Power.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

240

Publisher

Transaction Pub

Published Date

ISBN 10

076580851X

ISBN 13

9780765808516

The Trouble with Friendship

Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Race

By: Benjamin DeMott

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Trouble with Friendship

Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Race

By: Benjamin DeMott

In this book, a well-known social critic draws on evidence from films, television, literature and advertising to argue that many Americans have been lulled by the media into believing that racial problems can be mitigated by blacks and whites working together to reconcile their differences.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

232

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300073941

ISBN 13

9780300073942

The Imperial Middle

Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Class

By: Benjamin DeMott

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Imperial Middle

Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Class

By: Benjamin DeMott

Examines the concept of America as a classless society and reveals the social and political problems associated with the myth

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

264

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300054823

ISBN 13

9780300054828

Of Human Bondage

By: William Somerset Maugham

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Of Human Bondage

By: William Somerset Maugham

From a tormented orphan with a clubfoot, Philip Carey grows into an impressionable young man with a voracious appetite for adventure and knowledge. His cravings take him to Paris at age eighteen to try his hand at art, then back to London to study medicine. But even so, nothing can sate his nagging hunger for experience. Then he falls obsessively in love, embarking on a disastrous relationship that will change his life forever.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

684

Publisher

Signet Classic

Published Date

ISBN 10

0451530179

ISBN 13

9780451530172

Junk Politics

The Trashing of the American Mind

By: Benjamin DeMott

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Junk Politics

The Trashing of the American Mind

By: Benjamin DeMott

When George Bush's inaugural address stressed civility, compassion, and character, he was continuing a decade-long trend of American politicians trying to get "touchy feely" with the American electorate. Who could forget Bill Clinton's "I-feel-your-pain" chatter from the 1992 election, or the party conventions of 2000 where delegates recounted tales of privations endured and overcome. What this amounts to is the growth of no-politics politics—or "Junk Politics," as Benjamin DeMott — one of America's leading cultural critics — names it. DeMott explains that lack of character, civility, and feeling, rather than inequality and injustice, is seen as the root cause of our "national woes." Great causes—like the civil rights movement—nourish themselves on firm awareness of the substance of injustice. But those causes, DeMott warns, are losing their voice as junk politics gains ascendance. Junk Politics looks at the cultural influences and political signals of the last half century that have stamped the apolitical style of those in power. He focuses on some of the lesser-known but defining elements of Bush-era antipolitics rhetoric and action; that poverty is a character problem, that "leadership" is first of all an emollient, as he digs deeper into the cultural soil that has nourished these views.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

304

Publisher

Nation Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

156025565X

ISBN 13

9781560255659

You Don't Say

Modern American Inhibitions

By: Benjamin DeMott

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

You Don't Say

Modern American Inhibitions

By: Benjamin DeMott

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

229

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1351298860

ISBN 13

9781351298865

The Trouble with Friendship

Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Race

By: Benjamin DeMott

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Trouble with Friendship

Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Race

By: Benjamin DeMott

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

226

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300073941

ISBN 13

9780300073942

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

A Biography of the Song That Marches On

By: John Stauffer,Benjamin Soskis

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

A Biography of the Song That Marches On

By: John Stauffer,Benjamin Soskis

It was sung at Ronald Reagan's funeral, and adopted with new lyrics by labor radicals. John Updike quoted it in the title of one of his novels, and George W. Bush had it performed at the memorial service in the National Cathedral for victims of September 11, 2001. Perhaps no other song has held such a profoundly significant--and contradictory--place in America's history and cultural memory than the "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." In this sweeping study, John Stauffer and Benjamin Soskis show how this Civil War tune has become an anthem for cause after radically different cause. The song originated in antebellum revivalism, with the melody of the camp-meeting favorite, "Say Brothers, Will You Meet Us." Union soldiers in the Civil War then turned it into "John Brown's Body." Julia Ward Howe, uncomfortable with Brown's violence and militancy, wrote the words we know today. Using intense apocalyptic and millenarian imagery, she captured the popular enthusiasm of the time, the sense of a climactic battle between good and evil; yet she made no reference to a particular time or place, allowing it to be exported or adapted to new conflicts, including Reconstruction, sectional reconciliation, imperialism, progressive reform, labor radicalism, civil rights movements, and social conservatism. And yet the memory of the song's original role in bloody and divisive Civil War scuttled an attempt to make it the national anthem. The Daughters of the Confederacy held a contest for new lyrics, but admitted that none of the entries measured up to the power of the original. "The Battle Hymn" has long helped to express what we mean when we talk about sacrifice, about the importance of fighting--in battles both real and allegorical--for the values America represents. It conjures up and confirms some of our most profound conceptions of national identity and purpose. And yet, as Stauffer and Soskis note, the popularity of the song has not relieved it of the tensions present at its birth--tensions between unity and discord, and between the glories and the perils of righteous enthusiasm. If anything, those tensions became more profound. By following this thread through the tapestry of American history, The Battle Hymn of the Republic illuminates the fractures and contradictions that underlie the story of our nation.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

391

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199339589

ISBN 13

9780199339587

A Passion for Democracy

American Essays

By: Benjamin R. Barber

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

A Passion for Democracy

American Essays

By: Benjamin R. Barber

Benjamin Barber is one of America's preeminent political theorists. He has been a significant voice in the continuing debate about the nature and role of democracy in the contemporary world. A Passion for Democracy collects twenty of his most important writings on American democracy. Together they refine his distinctive position in democratic theory. Barber's conception of "strong democracy" contrasts with traditional concepts of "liberal democracy," especially in its emphasis on citizen participation in central issues of public debate. These essays critique the "thin representation" of liberal democracy and buttress the arguments presented in Barber's twelve books, most recently in his well-received Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are Re-shaping the World. In these pieces, Barber argues for participatory democracy without dependence on abstract metaphysical foundations, and he stresses the relationship among democracy and civil society, civic education, and culture. A Passion for Democracy is divided into four sections. In the first, "American Theory: Democracy, Liberalism, and Rights," Barber addresses issues of ongoing relevance to today's debates about the roots of participatory democracy, including individualism vs. community, the importance of consent, and the irrelevance of Marxism. Essays in the second section, "American Practice: Leadership, Citizenship, and Censorship" provide a "strong democracy" critique of American democratic practice. "Education for Democracy: Civic Education, Service, and Citizenship" applies Barber's theories to three related topics and includes his much-discussed essay "America Skips School." The final section, "Democracy and Technology: Endless Frontier or End of Democracy?" provides glimpses into a future that technology alone cannot secure for democracy. In his preface, Barber writes: "In these essays ... I have been hard on my country. Like most ardent democrats, I want more for it than it has achieved, despite the fact that it has achieved more than most people have dared to want." This wide-ranging collection displays not only his passion for democracy, but also his unique perspective on issues of abiding importance for the democratic process.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

306

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

069122790X

ISBN 13

9780691227900

American Music Documentary

Five Case Studies of Ciné-Ethnomusicology

By: Benjamin J. Harbert

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

American Music Documentary

Five Case Studies of Ciné-Ethnomusicology

By: Benjamin J. Harbert

Documentary filmmakers have been making films about music for a half-century. American Music Documentary looks at five key films to begin to imagine how we might produce, edit, and watch films from an ethnomusicological point of view. Reconsidering Albert and David Maysles's Gimme Shelter, Jill Godmilow's Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman, Shirley Clarke's Ornette: Made in America, D.A. Pennebaker's and Chris Hegedus's Depeche Mode: 101, and Jem Cohen's and Fugazi's Instrument, Harbert lays the foundations for the study and practice of "ciné-ethnomusicology." Interviews with directors and rich analysis from the disciplinary perspectives of film studies and ethnomusicology make this book a critical companion to some of the most celebrated music documentaries of the twentieth century. Hardcover is un-jacketed.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

319

Publisher

Wesleyan University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0819578029

ISBN 13

9780819578020

The Forger

By: Arthur Benjamin Reeve

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Forger

By: Arthur Benjamin Reeve

This early work by Arthur Benjamin Reeve was originally published in 1914 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'The Forger' features super-sleuth Professor Craig Kennedy who is sometimes referred to as "The American Sherlock Holmes" due to his astounding ability at crime solving and his Watson-like sidekick Walter Jameson, a newspaper reporter. In 'The Forger,' Kennedy has to solve a case involving forged checks. Arthur Benjamin Reeve was born on 15th October 1880 in New York, USA. Reeve received his University education at Princeton and upon graduating enrolled at the New York Law School. However, his career was not destined to be in the field of Law. Between 1910 and 1918 he produced 82 short stories for Cosmopolitan. During this period he also began authoring screenplays, and by the end of the decade, his film career was at its peak with his name appearing on seven films, most of them serials and three of them starring Harry Houdini. Reeve later continued to write detective stories for pulp magazines, but also covered many celebrated crime cases for various newspapers, including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, and the trial of Lindbergh baby kidnapper, Bruno Hauptmann. In 1932 he moved to Trenton to be near his alma mater. He died on 9th August 1936.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

Publisher

Read Books Ltd

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473371309

ISBN 13

9781473371309

Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs

By: James Dixon,Justin Henry,RD Reynolds,Benjamin Richardson

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs

By: James Dixon,Justin Henry,RD Reynolds,Benjamin Richardson

To level up to the pedestal of World Championship Wrestling and end the ratings disparity of the Monday Night Wars, Vince McMahon knew he had to reinvent his business come the dawn of 1997. But the question was, how? The time-tested ethos of World Wrestling Federation programming and booking was about to be cast to the wind, trampled beneath the sudden embrace of excessive violence, adult themes, and the fostering of internal conflicts to be served up to a gawking audience. Through those conflicts, McMahon had to make extremely bold decisions in regards to the population at the top of his roster. One particular controversy would forever change the perception of the World Wrestling Federation, with shockingly positive implications. The perceived 'second-place' promotion suddenly came roaring back, ironically looking to draw blood after previously disallowing it. Through McMahon's glaring eyes, 1997 was the year that the 'good guys' broke all the rules to regain the edge."--Page [4] of cover.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

280

Publisher

Lulu.com

Published Date

ISBN 10

1326685597

ISBN 13

9781326685591

Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults

eBook without Multimedia

By: Paul Tornetta III,William M. Ricci,Robert F. Ostrum,Michael D. McKee,Benjamin J. Ollivere,Victor A. de Ridder

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults

eBook without Multimedia

By: Paul Tornetta III,William M. Ricci,Robert F. Ostrum,Michael D. McKee,Benjamin J. Ollivere,Victor A. de Ridder

Since its first edition over 60 years ago, Rockwood and Green’s Fractures in Adults has been the go-to reference for treating a wide range of fractures in adult patients. The landmark, two-volume tenth edition continues this tradition with two new international editors, a refreshed mix of contributors, and revised content throughout, bringing you fully up to date with today’s techniques and technologies for treating fractures in orthopaedics. Drs. Paul Tornetta III, William M. Ricci, Robert F. Ostrum, Michael D. McKee, Benjamin J. Ollivere, and Victor A. de Ridder lead a team of experts who ensure that the most up-to-date information is presented in a comprehensive yet easy to digest manner.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

8998

Publisher

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Published Date

ISBN 10

1975211618

ISBN 13

9781975211615

The Gothic's Gothic (Routledge Revivals)

Study Aids to the Tradition of The Tale of Terror

By: Benjamin Franklin Fisher IV

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Gothic's Gothic (Routledge Revivals)

Study Aids to the Tradition of The Tale of Terror

By: Benjamin Franklin Fisher IV

First published in 1988, this book aims to provide keys to the study of Gothicism in British and American literature. It gathers together much material that had not been cited in previous works of this kind and secondary works relevant to literary Gothicism — biographies, memoirs and graphic arts. Part one cites items pertaining to significant authors of Gothic works and part two consists of subject headings, offering information about broad topics that evolve from or that have been linked with Gothicism. Three indexes are also provided to expedite searches for the contents of the entries. This book will be of interest to students of literature.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

402

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1317206584

ISBN 13

9781317206583

Fiduciary Law and Responsible Investing

In Nature’s trust

By: Benjamin J. Richardson

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Fiduciary Law and Responsible Investing

In Nature’s trust

By: Benjamin J. Richardson

This book is about fiduciary law’s influence on the financial economy’s environmental performance, focusing on how the law affects responsible investing and considering possible legal reforms to shift financial markets closer towards sustainability. Fiduciary law governs how trustees, fund managers or other custodians administer the investment portfolios owned by beneficiaries. Written for a diverse audience, not just legal scholars, the book examines in a multi-jurisdictional context an array of philosophical, institutional and economic issues that have shaped the movement for responsible investing and its legal framework. Fiduciary law has acquired greater influence in the financial economy in tandem with the extraordinary recent growth of institutional funds such as pension plans and insurance company portfolios. While the fiduciary prejudice against responsible investing has somewhat waned in recent years, owing mainly to reinterpretations of fiduciary and trust law, significant barriers remain. This book advances the notion of ‘nature’s trust’ to metaphorically signal how fiduciary responsibility should accommodate society’s dependence on long-term environmental well-being. Financial institutions, managing vast investment portfolios on behalf of millions of beneficiaries, should manage those investments with regard to the broader social interest in sustaining ecological health. Even for their own financial self-interest, investors over the long-term should benefit from maintaining nature’s capital. We should expect everyone to act in nature’s trust, from individual funds to market regulators. The ancient public trust doctrine could be refashioned for stimulating this change, and sovereign wealth funds should take the lead in pioneering best practices for environmentally responsible investing.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

398

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1135941130

ISBN 13

9781135941130

Annals of the Classis of Bergen

By: Benjamin C. Taylor

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Annals of the Classis of Bergen

By: Benjamin C. Taylor

Reprint of the original, first published in 1857.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

530

Publisher

BoD – Books on Demand

Published Date

ISBN 10

3375163991

ISBN 13

9783375163990

Book's by Benjamin DeMott

You Don't Say

You Don't Say

The Trouble with Friendship

The Trouble with Friendship

The Imperial Middle

The Imperial Middle

Of Human Bondage

Of Human Bondage

Junk Politics

Junk Politics

You Don't Say

You Don't Say

The Trouble with Friendship

The Trouble with Friendship

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

A Passion for Democracy

A Passion for Democracy

American Music Documentary

American Music Documentary

The Forger

The Forger

Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs

Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs

Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults

Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults

The Gothic's Gothic (Routledge Revivals)

The Gothic's Gothic (Routledge Revivals)

Fiduciary Law and Responsible Investing

Fiduciary Law and Responsible Investing

Annals of the Classis of Bergen

Annals of the Classis of Bergen

Username

Password

Username

Password

Password again

Birthday

Email