Product Description
The SuicideGirls adult-entertainment website mixes the edginess, smarts, and attitude of the best alternative music and culture sites with an unapologetic, grassroots approach to sexuality. It is "empowered erotica," in which women outside of mainstream culture showcase their unique personal styles on their own pages, where they put up sexy pinup-style photos of themselves, post a personal profile, and keep online journals in which they discuss daily experiences (both naughty and nice). In this way, they are in charge of their own image and how they are represented. The Girls are from all over the world, including the United States, Canada, England, Finland, and Sweden. In addition to journal entries selected from the site and over 200 artful X-rated color photos, the book contains an introduction by Missy Suicide about how she got involved with this revolutionary culture and started the website. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (115)

Decadent
I call this book "decadent" and by that I mean an ignorant form of self-indulgence glamorized as something artful, and symbolizing the dumbing down and degradation of culture. Above all, sexist in the worst way.

Let me qualify where I'm coming from. I'm not a feminist, not a holy man, and not a "do gooder." I'm a professional cleaner and I came across this book during a suicide cleanup. The victim's last moments were spent looking at this book. What else should I say? Could I say this book reaffirms life and female power? It did nothing for my female, Hispanic suicide victim.

I want to let readers know that Hispanic female suicides are very rare, except in Santa Ana, California. So I'm inclined to say that this "book" does indeed raise suicidal ideation in those prone to suicide. Perhaps the correlation doesn't work, but the logic does, at least for me.
Avoid this book and discard it whenever possible.
Eddie Evans
[...]

Average... to say the most
I tried to love this book, believe me, I really tried, but the substance is just not there. First, I have never really visited the site, and just heard of it on an HBO special, so, I cannot compare the book to the online content.

Now, yes, I admit, the binding, quality of the paper and printing (ergo: everything not having to do with content) is fairly good, but let's be real! You wouldn't buy the thing if it was a bunch of ink jet prints on a three ring binder, would you?

The content, that's another story. Let me explain:

(1) The models are attractive young women who are not necessarily the typical Barbie model you find on most nude photography books, that was, perhaps, the biggest plus of the book. But they aren't either the "typical" goth/emo girl out there. Indeed, far from it.
(2) The photography style is very amateurish! Yeah, I am an amateur photographer myself, and maybe I wouldn't do a better job (and would have a harder time to find so many girls who want to pose naked for me), but I am not selling average pin up pictures as top notch counter culture nude photography! Nothing really memorable about the photographic technique.
(3) The girls, the poses and the backgrounds (all in doors) are relatively OK, but not much more than that. It looks like a slumber party of legal aged young ladies, mostly tattooed, who got curious with a camera, took a few thousand pictures during a weekend, and then picked the top 10%. Most of them are average, at most, a few are a bit above average, and for me, just two are memorable! (lower left corner on page 44, Rose's back, being the one I liked the most, curiously enough, a 2'x2' print only!).

Not really erotic, not really artistic, at least on my opinion. Having such a repertoire of beautiful tattooed women, they could have done a lot better job. I, for once, am not impressed. Indeed, I'm probably removing the rest of their books from my wish list!

a+
Great buy, fast service, and over al the book in great conditionlots of great pin-up in there!

Hot HOT and a couple that are questionable
I dig tattoos, I dig chiqs, I dig naked punk rock girls! If you do to, then this book is for you. Great work by Missy, she is HOT!

Poor pictures
I'm not famillair with the website ,so unless you're a fan don't buy this book .
Just common or ugly girls with tattoos and/or piercing pretending to be rebels ...To what and what for ? ... Read more

Product Description
Every seventeen minutes, someone, somewhere, chooses death by self-murder. In the wake of this horrific decision, other people are left to cope with the ripples caused. This book will provide knowledge and resources for those left in the wake of suicide.

Aftershock is a recovery book that will provide encouragement and support for survivors. Examining the complex emotions involved in grieving a suicide death, readers will come to realize they are not alone in their grief and will not be alone in their healing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

authors believe that being gay is a choice
I am about half way into this book, and feel a very strong need to comment before I even finish.This book is one more place that a person who is gay and possibly suicidal, will NOT feel validated.In the chapter on teen suicide, the authors acknowledge that gay teens are more likely than other teens to attempt suicide but then go on to say: "Even though the Bible clearly prohibits homosexuality and there is no credible scientific evidence to support homosexuality, a vulnerable or impressionable teenager who feels 'gay' will probably be predisposed to suicide."WHAT?The bible clearly prohibits homosexuality?There is no credible scientific evidence to support homosexuality?What does that even mean? The word gay in quotes? At the end of this same chapter, the authors suggest "if your teenager is struggling with sexual orientation questions, discuss these questions: Can you think of another "species" that does not have the ability to reproduce?If homosexuality is genetic rather than a learned behavior, why is homosexual union unable to reproduce?"ICK!This is what you're supposed to say to a vulnerable teenager?You're supposed to tell him or her that they learned to be homosexual and that they can control it?You mean I can learn how to become gay?Ooo the options! All sarcasm aside (I am really angry right now.)I am mostly concerned about these comments being in a book in which the authors offer advice and supposedly "solace" to both the survivors and those who are suicidal. I doubt that a person in the gay community will find comfort in their words.

"Aftershock......
I did not read this book, as I sent it to someone, but it was recommended to me by one who conducts a Grief-Share program at her church.

very insightful
after my husband's cousin committed suicide, the whole family was left reeling.this book has been helpful in understanding a lot of things.highly recommended.

Very healpful, and an easy read
I purchased two different books on suicide in hopes of finding ways to deal with my best friend taking her own life at age 41. This book was far superior to the second one I read and I an so grateful that I chose to buy two different books. "Aftershock" left me feeling more positive and hopeful(strange words for a book on this subject)than I thought I could possibly feel after less than 2 months from the day she died. The Scripture verses were very comforting, the examples were not over done, like the other book, and I found myself feeling like the authors knew how I was feeling - and what a comfort that was after so many people told me "you just have to get over it!" I only wish I had read this book months ago, could the out-come have been different? I hope it is read by many other survivors - and hopefully find it's way into the hands of someone considering suicide.

If you are seeking a book like this, I am so sorry.....
We lost our son in June (2007) to suicide.He was 16.This is the #1 resource we have used so far to help us make it through these dark days.Grief is not something you "go through" or "heal" from..... it is something that becomes a permanent part of your being.It is like growing a new and unfamiliar body part.You must let it become part of you and rely on God to learn how to accept it.

Thank you SO much to the authors for knowing how important this was to write.IDEA: I read this book 3 times before fully digesting it.The third time, I highlighted certain parts that I felt were pertinent to my son.I also wrote notes in the margins.Next, my mother read it (in one night, cover to cover).... and used a different colored highlighter and also wrote notes in the margins.We have now passed it onto his best friend who is doing the same.... with a different colored highlighter.It is our way of sorting through my son's very complicated brain and trying to make sense of his death.It is a structured method of sharing our knowledge of him, and why on Earth he chose death over life.It has truly helped all of us.My husband will read it at some point, and someday our younger children will read it.... with the wisdom and knowledge from those of us who knew and understood their brother the best.

I highly HIGHLY recommend this book.I don't think I would be doing this well (not that I am doing great!) at this point without it.God's truth and wisdom in my darkest days.

Jennifer ... Read more

Product Description
Rabbits. We’ll never quite know why, but sometimes they decide they’ve just had enough of this world. A Box of Bunny Suicides follows over two hundred bunnies as they find ever more outlandish ways to do themselves in. From an encounter with the business end of Darth Vader’s light saber to hiding under an elephant’s footstool, no stone goes unturned (or undropped, or uncatapulted) as these twisted little cuties sign off in style.

A Box of Bunny Suicides combines Andy Riley’s two cult favorite books, The Book of Bunny Suicides and The Return of the Bunny Suicides, and will appeal to anyone in touch with their darker side. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Funny bunnies, twisted humor
I purchased this boxed two-volume set as an Easter gift for my thirteen-year-old nephew. He's at an age when the traditional trappings of an Easter basket are a little juvenile for him, so this collection of cartoons -- depicting a variety of humorous (if somewhat twisted) scenarios wherein cute little bunnies might meet their self-inflicted demise -- seemed a good alternative. There's nothing too graphic in the black and white illustrations; most of the single-panel cartoons capture the moment prior to the bunny's end, leaving the actual demise to the imagination of the reader. Many parents would no doubt find the theme of these cartoons rude or sick, but for a thirteen-year-old boy the gags in "A Box of Bunny Suicides" are as lowbrow and humorous (and relatively harmless) as a Garbage Pail Kid sticker or one of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books. These bunnies meet their maker and make for a quick, fun read.

Hilarious
If you love seeing adorable, intelligent bunnies plot their demise in creative ways, this is the book for you!

If you laugh, you have to ask yourself, "How twisted am I?"
For some reason, it's completely endearing and hilarious for bunnies to try to commit suicide. Perhaps it's because the ingenious and absurd machines, traps, and situations they put themselves in require a tremendously dark wit, and we don't expect these dandelion munchers to express such cynicism.

There are a number of people who try to imitate Andy Riley's bunny suicide comics, and they sometimes come out all wrong. For example, they tend to show the death of the bunny. This is unfortunate, because the joke is in the reader's mind, trying to figure what the bunny is thinking and how the suicide will work, not showing the reader the gruesome death.

People with a dark sense of humor will enjoy this book, and judging from the way it has been out of stock at some bookstores, there are a lot of us out there.

SICK SICK series
Bunnies are innocent,sweet and loving creatures. The author and anyone who finds this funny are very sick persons. If you wouldn't condone this sort of stuff written about children then you shouldn't condone it about bunnies or any other animals!!

Very funny!
Okay, It's sick humor, but humorous it is!A few years ago, I hit a poor little bunny, but I could swear it was committing suicide. I was on a country road going about 25mhp and it ran under the car after the front wheels passed it. This book will actually make you laugh out loud! ... Read more

Product Description
Eavesdropping on the phone calls of U.S. citizens; demands by the FBI for records of library borrowings; establishment of military tribunals to try suspected terrorists, including U.S. citizens--many of the measures taken by the Bush administration since 9/11 have sparked heated protests. In Not a Suicide Pact, Judge Richard A. Posner offers a cogent and elegant response to these protests, arguing that personal liberty must be balanced with public safety in the face of grave national danger.

Critical of civil libertarians who balk at any curtailment of their rights, even in the face of an unprecedented terrorist threat in an era of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Posner takes a fresh look at the most important constitutional issues that have arisen since 9/11. These issues include the constitutional rights of terrorist suspects (whether American citizens or not) to habeas corpus and due process, and their rights against brutal interrogation (including torture) and searches based on less than probable cause. Posner argues that terrorist activity is sui generis--it is neither "war" nor "crime"--and it demands a tailored response, one that gives terror suspects fewer constitutional rights than persons suspected of ordinary criminal activity. Constitutional law must remain fluid, protean, and responsive to the pressure of contemporary events. Posner stresses the limits of law in regulating national security measures and underscores the paradoxical need to recognize a category of government conduct that is at once illegal and morally obligatory.

One of America's top legal thinkers, Posner does not pull punches. He offers readers a short, sharp book with a strong point of view that is certain to generate much debate.

OXFORD'S NEW INALIENABLE RIGHTS SERIES

This is inaugural volume in Oxford's new fourteen-book Inalienable Rights Series. Each book will be a short, analytically sharp exploration of a particular right--to bear arms, to religious freedom, to free speech--clarifying the issues swirling around these rights and challenging us to rethink our most cherished freedoms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Timely, Important Topic but Poorly Executed
Judge Posner's topic in this book is clearly timely and important.At the root of his inquiry lies an important issue: whether the definition and scope of civil liberties should remain constant through changing times.The judge's answer to that question is that they should not remain constant.Rather, what he calls civil liberties should have their definitions and scopes changed to reflect the changing times.Judge Posner's treatment is stylistically well-written and easy to read but his arguments felt underdeveloped and flimsy at times.The reason that I only gave this book three stars is because the judge's execution of his inquiry lacked in depth and in nuance.Thus, while it was a good, interesting treatment of a timely topic it fell short of the mark that I expected from this particular author.

My first objection to Judge Posner's treatment is his conflation of the concepts of privileges and of rights protected by the Constitution.Note I phrased the latter as "rights protected by the Constitution" and not "constitutional rights."Rather than recognize the substantial differences between rights and privileges, Judge Posner chooses to deal with them at a higher abstraction which obscures those differences.While privileges and rights can both be referred to collectively as "civil liberties," the author does violence to the distinctions between them when he deals with both of them as if they were identical.This is what Judge Posner does wrong when he argues for the ability of the government to redefine and alter the scope of "civil liberties."While the federal government is free to make those alterations to privileges, the very nature of a right prevents any government from making alterations to rights.Yet, the author simply ignores these differences without any explanation.

My other primary objection to Judge Posner's treatment is the lack of robustness in his arguments.Some of the arguments were logical and seemed well thought-through.Those were a pleasure to read, even when I disagreed with them.However, there were many situations where Judge Posner seems to make conclusory statements without much, if any, analysis.For example, on page 10, the judge argues in three sentences that the need for judicial intervention is lessened when the President and Congress agree.In that argument, the coup de grace was his statement that the Congress under the Republican Party was not simply a rubber-stamp for President Bush's policies.Similarly, on page 70 Judge Posner argues in five sentences that the Constitution implicitly grants essentially dictatorial powers to the President to prosecute a war because of a "law of necessity."In fact, this theme reappears several times when the author argues that it would be better to deny the President certain powers and then to have him exercise those powers in contravention of law than to grant him the powers and explain the limits on those powers.The author even argues that an "extralegal approach to the exercise of emergency powers" is an attractive alternative in emergency situations to delineating powers with which the government actors must comport.Coupled with, and magnifying, these rhetorical difficulties is the author's decision not to provide citations for his statements, instead relying on a bare bibliography at the end.The lack of footnotes or endnotes handicaps the reader from easily being able to fill in the gaps in the author's reasoning in the text.

Unfortunately, Judge Posner's book does not live up to the quality expected of his writing, especially when the topic is so controversial as this one.The flimsy foundations and unsupported conclusions of some of his arguments did his position a major disservice.The book actually felt like it was rushed and that if Judge Posner had spent more time elucidating his arguments and supporting them with at least endnotes, they would have been more persuasive.As it stands, this book is a better insight into Judge Posner's personal thoughts and feelings on the question of whether the federal government should be constrained by law during a time of national crisis than it is a decent treatment on the topic.

Not for the faint of heart...
To couch this review and Posner's argument, I paste a quote from Posner himself found the in The New Republic."If torture is the only means of obtaining the information necessary to prevent the detonation of a nuclear bomb in Times Square, torture should be used--and will be used--to obtain the information. ... no one who doubts that this is the case should be in a position of responsibility."Who will argue with this?One person versus millions?Obviously everything needs to be considered rationally, weighing the issues, looking at expected costs and benefits.If on average we can stop more terrorist attacks with torture, it is probably worth it from a detached perspective.

I expected better from Posner....
In another, perhaps better world, Judge Posner would have been a Republican nominee for the Supreme Court. His age reputedly barred him in this one.

Unfortunately, for this book, you could probably stop at the title, and that would give you the gist.

Judge Posner's thesis is that at a time of war, noone can be allowed to second judge the nation's security establishment. Moreover, he argues that judges are particularly unsuitable for the task. He offers examples from history to buttress his thesis.

Unfortunately, unless one starts out with the premise that his conclusion is intrinsically correct, his arguments read, at least to my eyes, as somewhat cyclical and self-serving.

After all, judges balance competing consideration in a vast array of other types of cases all the time. Why not in matters of national security? He also ignores key problems, at least in my reading:

1. Lincoln's actions WERE widely condemned, often fiercely resisted, and are considered by legal historians to be a blot on his legacy.

2. Korematsu, the Japanese internment case, was based on submissions to the Supreme Court that the Justice Department KNEW to be untrue. So the most famous instance of the Constitution not being a suicide pact was based on a lie, a lie that many DOJ official vigorously protested at the time.

As Judge Reinhardt said about Judge Posner, the problem is not in his writing. He is a fine writer, and his writing is enjoyable. The problem is with his thinking and conclusions.

Interesting introduction to constitutional law
As a layman I found Posner's book to be a very interesting way to learn about the issues with constitutional law not only in a time of crisis, but in general.He starts out with a discussion on how constitutional rights are created.It clarified many of the questions I had in my mind on how the constitution could be interpreted the way it is.It even made sense.He then explained how national security shapes those rights.He argues for a balance between security and rights.

The next four chapters discuss the rights against detention, the rights against brutal interrogation and searches and seizures, the rights of privacy, and finally the right of free speech.These chapters brought out the arguments based on security and also the arguments of civil libertarians.Posner tended to argue for a balance between those views that changes given the circumstances.In case of dire emergency, the president should be able to suspend some rights.I thought the discussion in the concluding chapter on Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus was a good way to illustrate his point.Should the constitution be amended to allow this action, or should it continue to be illegal?He brings up the pros and cons of each and his conclusion makes sense to me.

Posner's writing style is very clear and I found that as a layman this complex issue was understandable.Do I agree with all of his conclusions?Probably not; but the general concept of balancing personal security and rights does ring as a principle worth considering.I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in constitutional law and the current war on terror.

The Balance Between Liberty And Security
Federal Appeals Court Judge Richard A. Posner is known for being both prolific and controversial. In addition to authoring one of the most important academic treatises in the field of law and economics, he is also known for writing on more controversial topics ranging from the 2000 Presidential election to sex. And it's when he writes on these topics, covering areas that are both controversial and likely to be the subject of high-profile Constitutional case law, that he's often at his most interesting, even when you don't agree with him.

In Not A Suicide Pact: The Constitution In A Time Of National Emergency, Posner examines the questions and conflicts that have arisen between national security and individual liberty in the wake of the War on Terror and asks the question of just how far Courts should go in either protecting liberty or granting leeway to the state to deal with a perceived emergency.

Posner's entire thesis with respect to the roles that liberty and safety should play in Constitutional jurisprudence can be summed up in the paragraph that opens the conclusion to the book:

"Constitutional rights are largely created by the Supreme Court, by loose interpretation of the constitutional text. Created as they are in response to the felt needs and conditions of the time, they can be and frequently are modified by the Court in response to changes in those needs and conditions. A constitutional right should be modified when changed circumstances indicate that the right no loner strikes a sensible balance between competing constitutional values, such as personal liberty and public safety. A national emergency, such as a war, creates a disequilibrium in the existing system of constitutional rights. Concerns for public safety now weigh more heavily than liberties in recognition that the relative weights of the competing interests have changed in favor of safety. That is the pragmatic response, and pragmatism is a dominant feature not only of American culture at large but also of the American judicial culture."

If you're someone like myself who views individual liberty and the protections guaranteed by the Bill of Rights as immutable, a paragraph like that is bound to make your blood boil. And, I will admit that there were several times when I found myself wanting to argue with Posner over one obscure point or another (which I imagine would be a fascinating intellectual experience in itself).

Posner's approach, however, is entirely understandable for two reasons. First, it is entirely consistent with his broader adherence to law and economics, which is all about balancing, and pragmatism, and finding efficient outcomes, as a legal philosophy. Second, he's a Federal Judge and, with rare exceptions, the approach that he suggests in this book is entirely consistent with the way that most Federal Judges seem to view questions of the proper line to draw between individual liberty and public safety.

That doesn't mean that Posner is correct, though.

First, there's his view of individual/constitutional rights as something that are strictly judge made, rather than something that exist independent of the whim of the judiciary. Because of what Posner contends to be the inherent vaguenesss of the Constitutional text, it is up to Judges to determine the boundaries of constitutional liberty. The problems with this approach are replete and exist throughout the 200+ years that the Supreme Court has existed. All too frequently, judges have interpreted portions of the Constitution too narrowly, or too broadly, or just ignored it entirely and ruled based on how that though the case should be decided. Leaving the definition of civil liberties strictly and exclusively in the hands of an unelected judiciary is, in the end, a recipe for disaster.

Given Posner's views on the malleability of constitutional rights, it isn't entirely surprising where he comes down on the debate over when and how much individual liberty should be sacrificed in the name of public safety at a time of supposed national emergency, such as that represented by the War on Terror. With very few, though very interesting exceptions, Posner would give more power to the state to fight the threat posed by terrorism -- notwithstanding the fact that, except for September 11th, there hasn't been evidence of a single foreign terrorist plot on American soil in over five years -- at the expense of individual liberty and privacy.

Another area which Posner brushes over is the fact that national emergencies have, in the past, served as the justification for increases in the size, scope, and power of government. Posner briefly addresses this issue by citing examples from the Post-WW2 and Cold War eras of government regulation that has since abated. In reality, of course, the end of each of these supposed emergencies still resulted in a Federal Government that exerted more control than it did at the time the "crisis" started.

Of course, much of that is explained by the fact that local incumbents in law enforcement find it in their interest to point out how bad things would be under a second term.

There are some points one which I must admit that Judge Posner is right. There is a distinct difference between law enforcement and intelligence gathering. And there seem to be far fewer Constitutional limitations on intelligence gathering, which logically must be considered part of the Article II power of the Executive Branch, than on law enforcement, which finds itself limited by the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments, just to name a few.

And maybe that makes sense.

The purpose of intelligence gathering is, or at least, should be, preventing attacks on the homeland, whether from terrorists or foreign nations, from happening. Law enforcement steps in only after an attack has occurred. In the case of terrorism, law enforcement is an admittedly ineffective tool.There's no point in filing criminal charges against the 19 men who hijacked planes on September 11th, but if we'd been able to break up that conspiracy on September 9th........well, that wouldn't have been a bad thing after all.

In the end, as Posner points out, and as reluctant as I may be willing to admit, it may well be true that there is a trade-off between liberty and security that we all will have to make a decision on in the near future.

On each side, there's an extreme that is entirely unpleasant. Too little government vigilance in the face of a real terrorist threat could lead to the deaths of millions. Too severe a restriction on individual liberty could lead to a free reign for destruction. ... Read more

Product Description

Like many people in America and around the world, Talal Asad experienced the events of September 11, 2001, largely through the media and the emotional response of others. For many non-Muslims, "the suicide bomber" quickly became the icon of "an Islamic culture of death"& mdash;a conceptual leap that struck Asad as problematic. Is there a "religiously-motivated terrorism?" If so, how does it differ from other cruelties? What makes its motivation "religious"? Where does it stand in relation to other forms of collective violence?

Drawing on his extensive scholarship in the study of secular and religious traditions as well as his understanding of social, political, and anthropological theory and research, Asad questions Western assumptions regarding death and killing. He scrutinizes the idea of a "clash of civilizations," the claim that "Islamic jihadism" is the essence of modern terror, and the arguments put forward by liberals to justify war in our time. He critically engages with a range of explanations of suicide terrorism, exploring many writers' preoccupation with the motives of perpetrators. In conclusion, Asad examines our emotional response to suicide (including suicide terrorism) and the horror it invokes.

On Suicide Bombing is an original and provocative analysis critiquing the work of intellectuals from both the left and the right. Though fighting evil is an old concept, it has found new and disturbing expressions in our contemporary "war on terror." For Asad, it is critical that we remain aware of the forces shaping the discourse surrounding this mode of violence, and by questioning our assumptions about morally good and morally evil ways of killing, he illuminates the fragile contradictions that are a part of our modern subjectivity.

Customer Reviews (3)

A scathing and powerful critique of the liberal consciousness.
No book to date has so cleanly highlighted the insidious depth of the cruelty and violence on which contemporary liberalism stands.It forces us to consider, in earnest, is the form of suicide bombing even something which can be considered a product of anything but liberal politics (mind you, hearing this before reading the book may do some damage to its argument).

the best yet on the topic
This book based on the Wellek lectures at U.C. Irvine is the best book on the topic of suicide bombings.As the other reviewer stated, it's approach brings "depth" to the topic, especially an understanding of Islam and the Arabic language, both of which tend to be seen as insignificant not only in the mainstream press but also in academic circles.Asad demonstrates why cultural anthropology has contributions to make to a topic and a region dominated by political science with its biases in which meaning lies away from "the ground up" and for the people it presumes to represent.

Some highlights that struck me--Asad's point that suicide bombing is about histories and the fact that in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the history of Israeli expansion and Palestinian dispossession is always bracketed out, so that various kinds of political violence are abstracted from this political context.Another point he made is about the "West's" own "culture of death."I was very struck by his discussion of colonial and contemporary warfare waged by the West and the development of advanced weaponry designed to beat out at every turn surgical skill.Israel, prior to its departure from Lebanon last summer, left over cluster bombs AFTER the cessation of hostilities.There was no military point, no self-defense or security involved in that act.This act was aimed at a civilian population for no reason at all other than to maim and kill.The U.S. State Dept. "regrets" that Israel still hasn't turned over the maps that show where the cluster bombs were dropped, so that they can be safely disarmed.This is part of a culture of death in which beheadings are seen as more cruel than the machinations of the West's advanced weaponry, not because of any objective measure of "cruelty," but because non-Europeans do it to Europeans and their descendents.

The other point that Asad makes that I found profoundly intriguing was that in the West we impose a Christian understanding of martrydom--i.e.the crucifixion--onto public suicide bombings, but there is nothing redemptive about the suicide, so that leads Westerners to a problem in interpretation which we retreat from via righteous anger.

Asad doesn't try to pretend that the West is just obsessed with suicide bombings because of the media, although his quoting Mai Jayoussi on the I.D.F. figures which show that only 4% of attacks by Palestinians on Israelis are suicide bombings, was startling even to me, and I've lived and done research in the Occupied Territories.He takes on public suicides and shows how interpreting their meaning confounds assumptions in the West about the relationship between the state, the law, and public death.

Looking for the real answers - ask the right questions
Rather than giving us more "imaginary" scenarios of what "might be goingon in the mind of a terrorist" (as if modern torture methods or any other methods could definitively uncover intentions - a witch hunt mentality), Talal Asad is asking the right questions.What makes terrorism so terrifying that it has to be labeled distinctively - rather, than say, a gun-wielding student running amok at a university, killing 30+ people and then himself?Why does the topic of suicide bombing cause overwhelming horror over and beyond the scope of other horrific acts by state armies or school shootings - the disproportionate maiming and killing of civillians, women and children from far range by modern military weapons?The author doesn't attempt to give simplistic answers and wave the problems away, nor does he apologetically defend any perpetrator of terror - individual dissident or modern government.

What he does is uncover the disturbing truth that the double standard exists in our media and liberal democracy discussions: as soon as a modern government labels a dissident regime or country or religious group as "barbaric" or "uncivilized", it gives itself the right to kill "their" citizens or attack "their" defenses just as it has been previously attacked.Where is the line crossed?

Very deep reading.The author touches on Islamic and Christian culture and compares and contrasts what living and dying mean in each.This was one of its strongest aspects.Once the ideas of living, dying, and sacrifice are understood in terms of a particular culture, only then can its stance on suicide or bombing or terrorism be correctly understood.Do proponents of terrorism or suicide bombing abide by the tenets of their religion or is it a subversion of their teachings?Or does it even depend on their circumstances or our reading of it as a foreign culture with the necessary misinterpretations?It is a highly engaging book and covers many more relevant and related areas.I am glad it covers a side of the issues that is sorely missing and needed and has been missing from the contemporary media and intellectuals/academics who, as usual, are like a flock of sheep, saying about terrorism and the Islamic world just what everyone else does. ... Read more

Product Description

Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year’s Day to find himself in the hospital. Make that the psychiatric ward. With the nutjobs. Never mind the bandages on his wrists, clearly this is all a huge mistake. Jeff is perfectly fine, perfectly normal—not like the other kids in the hospital with him. They’ve got problems. But a funny thing happens as Jeff’s forty-five-day sentence drags on: the crazies start to seem less crazy. . . .

Customer Reviews (11)

Good Book
It was a good book; interesting, entertaining, plot twists, surprising. My friends loved it too, though it did bring a lot of strange looks when reading it at school.

A Must Have in Anyone's Personal Library
Michael Thomas Ford has done it again; melded humor and tears upon pages that remain with the reader long after the final page is turned. Both he and Suicide Notes do not fail to surprise as well. There were several occasions when I literally closed the book in awe of a story-line twist. A must-read for anyone whether they are nine or ninety. Thank you Michael.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Jeff is fifteen years old, from a good family, and he's just woken up in the psychiatric ward of the hospital.

Over the next month and a half he will take part in group therapy, individual counseling, and even those excruciating sessions with his family. And through all of this, everyone will realize that he didn't really mean to kill himself. Right?It was just a misunderstanding.

His group therapy sessions aren't his favorite; he's only going so that everyone can see how sane he really is. There are four of "them" in his group: Alice, who lit her mom's boyfriend on fire; Juliet, who seems to have no direct relationship with reality; Sadie, who tried to drown herself; and Bone, who primarily just wants the world to know that he doesn't know Juliet and is not her boyfriend.

Jeff tries to make it clear that he is only there because of a misunderstanding. But, it's hard to misunderstand the bandages on his wrists.

Over the next 45 days, Jeff's story will unfold and new pages will be added. Was it really a girl that caused this whole "misunderstanding?"Allie has been his best friend, but was she more than that? Was he jealous of her new boyfriend or did she reject his advances?

And now he has new friendships forming while he's in the hospital, and each of those will test his ability to deal with new pressures and unexpected situations. And may lead him closer to confronting the events that led up to his hospitalization.

Reviewed by:JodiG.

Suicide Notes
This was a very engaging enciteful book.A good look into the mind of a young adult.There was wit, sadness,sponteneity, and twists.As in real life just when you think you understand something you dont unless someone trusts and is willing to open up.I have shared this book with young adults and adults.Thank the author for his courage to delve into a taboo subject.

A book that hits home
This book was wonderful. I have a best friend who cuts and I picked it up thinking it might be a good read and maybe help me understand a thing or two... without all the text book mumbo jumbo. If I'd had the time I would have easily finished it in one sitting. I was laughing, gasping, squeaking with joy and surprise and anger, and coming so close to crying on many occations.
The main character, Jeff, reminded me so much of my friend. When people questioned her she threw up defensive walls and became sarcastic, not wanting anyone to be helped. In a way it helped me see some reasons as to why she did what she did.
I loved every second of every page and wished that I could just keep reading about him after I finished the final page. I've reccomended it to all my friends who are willing to want to think consider the concepts faced in this book.
In short, it's a wonderful read that I highly reccomend! ... Read more

Product Description

Almost every week, suicide bombers attack. We know the danger—suicide attacks kill more people than all other forms of terrorism—and in response we have sacrificed the lives of soldiers and civilians, trillions of dollars, and America’s reputation abroad in a futile quest for absolute security. But do we really understand what drives people to deliberately kill themselves on a mission to harm the innocent?

Cutting the Fuse offers a wealth of new knowledge about the origins of suicide terrorism and strategies to stop it. Robert A. Pape and James K. Feldman have examined every suicide terrorist attack worldwide from 1980 to 2009. Their work fundamentally changes how we understand the root causes of the most important terrorist campaigns today and reveals why the War on Terror has been ultimately counterproductive.

Since 2004, the number of suicide attacks—whether within a country or transnational—has grown with shocking speed. Through a close analysis of suicide campaigns by Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel, Chechnya, and Sri Lanka, the authors provide powerful new evidence that, contrary to popular and dangerously mistaken belief, only a tiny minority of these attacks are motivated solely by religion. Instead, the root cause is foreign military occupation, which triggers secular and religious people alike to carry out suicide attacks.

Cutting the Fuse calls for new, effective solutions that America and its allies can sustain for decades, relying less on ground troops in Muslim countries and more on off-shore, over-the-horizon military forces along with political and economic strategies to empower local communities to stop terrorists in their midst.

“Pape and Feldman are the world’s experts on suicide terrorism. In this carefully researched yet highly readable book, the authors lay bare the causes of suicide terrorism and demonstrate that our current military strategy serves only to breed a new generation of terrorists. This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about America’s role in the world.”—Steven D. Levitt, author of (em)Freakonomics(/em)

“Robert Pape and Ken Feldman mine a unique library of data to arrive at a radical diagnosis of what motivates suicide terrorists. I think you'll find it persuasive, I am convinced.”—Thomas C. Schelling, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics

“Pape and Feldman offer a powerful analysis of the factors underlying the rise in suicide terrorism in recent years and bring clarity to a complex and challenging subject. I commend this book to both scholars and policy makers with a serious interest in U.S. national security policy.”—Lee H. Hamilton, Co-Chair of the 9/11 Commission

“In this impressively researched book the authors question our conceived wisdom about the motivation of suicide bombers. If they are correct (and I suspect they are) it calls for a total reexamination of U.S. military strategy. (em)Cutting the Fuse(/em) should be required reading for policy makers.”—Thomas Kean, Co-Chair of the 9/11 Commission

Customer Reviews (6)

"...because you're down here."
There is an axiom in academe: Most things that can be measured aren't especially interesting, while the really interesting issues can't be measured (because they are a product of complex systems). So I don't have a dog in the fight over Pape's statistical methodology.

My research (which is primarily qualitative and ethnographic) in counter-insurgency and terrorism spans decades.I agree Gerald Larose comments and with Pape's thesis that military occupation by foreign troops causes terrorism.Perhaps most eloquently stated in the following quote from the American Civil War historian, Shelby Foote:

"When asked about the American civil war, Foote resorted to an anecdote. Early in the conflict, he used to say, a squad of Union soldiers closed in on a ragged Johnny Reb. Figuring that he did not own slaves, nor had much interest in the constitutional question of secession, they asked him: "What are you fighting for, anyhow?" The Confederate replied: "I'm fighting because you're down here." Foote regarded that as "a pretty satisfactory answer".

In the process, Americans have been convinced that a people in a remote desert country actually present a national security threat to the Nation. This, even taken at face value, is an absurd proposition.

Airborne!
John Marke

Old wine new bottles
Having your undergrads write chapters which you then put your name is problematic to say the least. The book is blind to the fact that much of what Pape has said about occupation cannot explain the increasingly sectarian violence in which more suicide terror is aimed at Muslim by other Muslims than against foreign occupiers. The chapters are uneven (in part reflecting the different students who did the writing). There is nothing new in this book that has not already been discredited previously both in terms of content and methodologically on the pages of the APSR.

This book is based on scientiific research and hard data
I am amazed that how much time and energy is put into this research based fascinating book which proveswhich already has been said by knowledgeable and wellinformed Americans that we are producing lots more Suicide. Bombers byattacking and fighting those wars which has made us less safe and has killed thousands of innocent people across the board including Americans.

Finally someone speaks the truth!
As a retired combat arms NCO with significant experience in counter insurgency warfare I can tell you that the author hits the nail right on the head. He provides the very clearly stated facts and statistics that prove something already well known to Special Ops types and other snake eaters. And that is that our brain dead foreign and military policy is creating far more terrorists than we are killing.

That is indisputable. Iraq, for example, was a mortal enemy to Al Queda before Desert Storm II. It also acted as a buffer to Iran. Thanks to Bush's bumbling efforts Al Queda now has free reign in Iraq and that country has been essentially handed over to Iran.
Now this is something that the neocons, chickenhawks all, refuse to admit. Thats why you see the hate speech you see here, undoubtedlyfrom living room commandoes eager to send your kids to die.

They also have apparently never read a history book and feel that we can turn Afghanistan, The Eater of Empires, into a 51st state. What complete idiocy. For every local, terrorist or not, killed by US forces or a drone, you can bet 10 more are created.
Keep in mind that history teaches us that tyrants NEED other tyrants. How else can the profits keep rolling in for the war machine?

The author was recently briefly interviewed on Fox News. I say briefly cause as soon as the author made his key point which is anathema to the voice of the Israeli lobby that is Fox News he was quickly cut off.
The auhor is 100% correct.

Academic Scheme to Inflate Book Sales
This book is phony!

University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape, whose research finds religious extremism has a limited role in suicide bombings, is working secretly with a suspected Hamas front to pump up sales of his new book, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned. That includes a secret agreement by CAIR to have its chapters around the country to buy them in bulk so they can manipulate the sales to move up the bestseller ranks. Pape is also scheduled to appear at this weekend's national banquet for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It, is Pape's latest project touting his thesis that religion is not a prime factor in suicide bombings. Rather, it is a response to occupation, he argues.

That's appealing to CAIR, which court records show was part of a Hamas-support network in the United States. Prosecutors say CAIR, which touts itself as the nation's leading Muslim civil rights organization, never withdrew from the conspiracy to support Hamas politically and financially. And the FBI cut off communication with CAIR in 2008, saying it won't resume until
"we can resolve whether there continues to be a connection between CAIR or its executives and HAMAS."

Emails reviewed by the Investigative Project on Terrorism show Pape reached out to CAIR this past summer, hoping to have the Hamas-front group buy 1,000 advanced copies of his new book. Pape asserted in his emails and other communications to CAIR that the book would advance and reinforce CAIR's ideological views that it is the occupation of Arab lands that causes suicide bombings. CAIR's officials responded with enthusiasm to Pape's thesis and to his proposal for bulk purchases to artificially boost his rankings into the best seller lists.

We are in the midst of a war. This is like plugging Mein Kampf and other Nazi propaganda during WW II.

... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (20)

Sent me the wrong book, not this one
I really recommend Native American Spirituality, the book Belltower Books sent me instead of this. However, Hello Cruel World also looks really interesting. I am enjoying the other book so much, though.

101 Alternatives
It was an okay read, but isn't anything I haven't thought or heard of before so it didn't help me as much as I thought it would. Still, it's nice to know that the author is thinking of creative outlets for suicidal/freaky people.

Books like this that make me worry about our youth.
As an adult, I stopped each time the F word was used, when teens were counciled to "Kill every last one of the MotherF.....s. *(Okay, not really)", or they are told that anorexia, sex, drugs, and alcohol, while not the best alternatives, are stillalternatives - really?!

So, I stopped for a minute and stepped back asking myself why the author used such shocking language throughout and shocking suggestions and I thought perhaps it was because she was talking to teens in really tough places that needed shocked. But then I thought, you know what? That's really disrespectful to think that that is the only way you can talk to a teen. They are a lot more savvy than we often give them credit for and I appreciate it when authors write to and for teens with humor and respect.

This book does not do that. I would not recommend it for anyone.

Much love, respect and experience went into this
I just got this yesterday and am so impressed with it.This is not just rehashed or safe, "approved" information here (although she does cover those options), but she obviously really worked to create something that might save somebody's life at almost whatever cost, except for doing anything that would hurt someone.

The 101 Alternatives are awesome and this is really a book you can USE, again and again.It also inspired me to want to write something that could help other people someday.It gave me some hope that I might actually be able to live a decent life.Again, totally impressed with how much is packed into this book, I plan on carrying it around with me for awhile.

Saved my life a few times.
I was given this book by a school counselor on our final session. I had just graduated and my school health insurance was ending, but I was still depressed and suicidal. This book ended up being a 'portable counselor' - and actually helped me more than counseling sessions did.

The book is written as though she's talking to you. Reading through this book is like talking to an **experienced** friend who has all sorts of suggestions. With each suicide alternative she usually also refers to other books/media to check out if you're interested.

I've read the first part of the book 3 times since it was given to me less than a year ago. Yet, I still haven't entirely read through all the alternatives - I typically find something that I can work on that helps me feel better. Hello Cruel World *always* helps if I can remember to reach for it, but sometimes I just can't even make it to my bookshelf. This book is especially helpful if you're dealing with LGBT and gender issues.

The best part about Hello Cruel World is that it's easy to read when you're depressed. Nothing is easy to read when you're depressed, right? It was written intimately and warm and each of the alternatives is written with a brevity that makes it bearable. Her cheesy humor somehow works when you're wanting to kill yourself. Just flip to something that sounds interesting and it's hardly a chore to read it.

I let a friend borrow the book a couple weeks ago but this is one of those books that I need to keep track of because I never know when I'll need it again. I'm actually here to purchase a copy for that friend because I really need mine again. =P

BTW: Just a tip - If you're transgender MtF I recommend Julia Serano's "Whipping Girl" before reading Kate's "Gender Outlaw" or any other trans specific books. ... Read more

Product Description

In semiautobiographical stories set largely in David Vann's native Alaska, Legend of a Suicide follows Roy Fenn from his birth on an island at the edge of the Bering Sea to his return thirty years later to confront the turbulent emotions and complex legacy of his father's suicide.

Customer Reviews (11)

A Groundbreaking Gasp-Out-Loud Work of Real Fiction
In the postscript to this astoundingly original book, David Vann quotes Grace Paley in saying that "every line in fiction has to be true.It has to be a distillation of experience more true to a person's life than any moment he or she has actually lived."

Through that definition, Legends of a Suicide is a true book.James Edward Vann - the author's father - did, indeed, kill himself when David was only 13.But the circumstances described here are that of mythology - a real-world event that is imagined, transformed, repackaged, reimagined.The book holds fast to the truth of the suicide and how it affected the author, even when it diverges significantly from the facts.

In ways, one can describe this book as a howl in the dark;the tentacles of the father's despairing act reach through the years and ensnare the author for decades. The book - opening and closing interweaving short stories and a novella - are mostly set in Ketchikan and the isolated Alaska woods.

What emerges is the portrait of a self-absorbed, clinically depressed, damaged man.At one point, the fictional-but-real father says, "I need the world animated and I need it to refer to me.I need to know that when a glacier shifts or a bear farts, it has something to do with me..."

Half-way through the book, there is a gasp-out-loud moment that will totally transform the relationship between the father, the son, and indeed, the reader.Everything is suddenly reconfigured and as the book takes form again, the reader begins to realize exactly how the suicide has affected the author.I will not reveal this spoiler, but it is one of the most astonishing feats I've seen in reimagined fiction. And although the reader understands that he or she is truly in a psychological wilderness, it does not take away from the truth of the experience.

There are hints of Tobias Wolff and even Hemingway in the author's control of the style, but make no mistake:this is a very authentic new voice.At the end of the day, it's about a vulnerable son who does not have the mental apparatus to deal with an emotionally ill father who desperately seeks to stay on top of his life while falling through the crevices.It will transport you to unchartered territories.The friend who recommended this book told me, "THIS is why we read."I wholeheartedly agree.

A Brilliant Book About the Legacy of Suicide
David Vann's Legend of a Suicide: Stories (P.S.) consists of a novella and short stories that are semi-autobiographical.Vann spent his early years in Ketchikan, Alaska where his father had a dental practice. His father sold the practice and bought a fishing boat that he hoped would provide a living.His father invested unwisely and lost a lot of money.On top of that, the IRS was after him for some investments he made in other countries.Vann's parents divorced when Vann was about five years old because his father was unfaithful.Vann was witness to some horrific fights between his parents.His father was mercurial of mood, likely with manic-depression that appears to have been undiagnosed.After his parent's divorce, Vann moved to California with his mother and sister.When Vann was thirteen years old, his father asked him to spend a year in Alaska with him.Vann declined.Two weeks later, his father shot himself.This book is Vann's attempt to get his head around his father's suicide, along with his own feelings of guilt, shame, anger, denial and fears.

Vann states in an interview that he believes that it is important to read this book in order.In the book, David refers to himself as Roy and his father as Jim.The opening story, 'Ichthyology', is a beautiful and painful story about the impact of his parent's divorce on Roy's behaviors.He becomes oppositional and vandalizes his neighborhood.No one appears to connect his behaviors with what is happening in his life at the time.The story is told against the backdrop of Roy's aquarium and a blinded iridescent shark that manages to survive a horrific attack and continues to live, gradually learning to make its way in the tank without bumping into things.

The novella,'Sukkwan Island', is in two parts.It took my breath away with its wildness, beauty, pain and anguish.In the first part, Roy goes with his father to Sukkwan Island, an uninhabited island in southeast Alaska, where his father has purchased land and a cabin.There, he has to deal with the horrors of his father's anger, unpreparedness and depression.His father cries most every night and `confesses' to Roy about the mistakes he's made in his life.Roy doesn't know what to do.He wants to leave the island but he is afraid of hurting his father.His father ends up taking his life.In part two,Roy walks in and witnesses his father holding a pistol to his head.His father gives Roy the pistol and walks out.The action of suicide and the reactions to it are what give this novella its power and grace.What leads up to suicide or attempted suicide is a psychological study of the human psyche lost in pain and despair, choosing to go into the unknown rather than live another day.I have never read such an achingly painful testimony to grief and survival.

In the short story `Ketchikan', Roy is a young man of 30 who returns to Ketchikan to try and learn something about his father.Though he is not very successful, he does re-enact some of his rage and anger towards his father by replicating the vandalism of his youth.

This is a book of metaphors, layers, and attempts to build meaning out of nuance and emotion.It is a brilliant book, one that left me feeling raw and numb but also in awe of having read something that will stay with me forever.

Suicide as entertainment
David Vann's book is not conventional.The title and the first short story reveal where the plot is heading, so I do not think this is a spoiler.I read the book twice to enjoy the beautiful descriptions of Alaska, and the fascinating descriptions of survival off the land.Vann is as talented as Jack London in describing Alaska.
The format of the book is unusual.It consists of six related short stories, of which the longest probably is a stand alone novella.The unconventional aspect is that the object of the suicide changes in the two plot threads: in several, the decedent is the father, and in the novella, the decedent is the son.Since Vann uses the same two characters in all of the stories, I found this unsettling, until I relaxed and appreciated this as a collection of lovely short stories. When I quit evaluating the book as a novel, which it is not, I appreciated it more.
Vann's description of the father's mental illness is beautiful and nuanced.He never tells the reader what the father's ailment is, and then proceeds to describe the pain and suffering of a bipolar disorder.As a reader I found myself becoming impatient with the father, wanting him to just "straighten up".This book made me focus on my own attitude toward mental health issues.When I see someone in a wheel chair, I feel sympathy.When I interact with a mental patient, like many people I wonder why they don't just behave themselves.Vann's treatment of the disturbed father is a fair and painful treatment of the suffering of the mentally ill, the pain they inflict on others, and their inability to receive relief withoutmajor intervention.I thought of the old observation as I read about the father, that if I knew my pet was suffering as much as the father through his depression, I would put down the pet.
This book is essentially a treatment of two fictional suicides.It does not seem to rely on classic studies for explanation or plot development.For example, there is no comment on Durkheim and anomie as an explanation.And yet, both of the decedents were deeply alienated from friends, family and meaningful relationships, compounded by isolation in the magnificent Alaskan wilderness.
One should probably read this book while in a stable mental condition, as it presents disturbing images and interaction.
Vann has the potential to be a major force in fiction.

powerful and moving
Roy Fenn is the autobiographical version of David Vann as he explores his father's suicide. Legend of a Suicide is made up offive short stories and one novella. Most of the stories take place in Alaska, except one with Roy as an angry teen in California, watching his mother date a myriad of men. The novella, Sukkwan Island, is in two parts and takes place on a remote island off Alaska, reachable only by small plane, where Roy, age thirteen, and his father are to live for one year.

my review:
I thought these stories and the writing was very powerful. I was moved by Roy and felt his pain. Sukkawan Island was a fascinating look at time spent in a remote wilderness. Roy's dad, Jim, dumps his emotional baggage on Roy and I felt him crushed by the weight of it. Just two people unequipped to deal with their surroundings, one man unequipped to deal with himself, and a thirteen year old boy unequipped to deal with his father's issues.
The novella didn't seem to go with the other stories, so I don't think they were meant to tell just one story but several different ones. This did not detract from the experience of this book though.
These are not sentimental stories, but stark, truthful words to make a powerful reading experience that I highly recommend.

my rating 5/5

A family of characters and some possibilities of their destiny
David Vann's "Legend of a Suicide" is a collections of short stories - a very peculiar one, by the way. The five - or 4 stories and a novella - features more or less the same characters, but the stories aren't really linked or related. The author writes about possible lives for these people - all the time focusing of loss, suffering and the attempt the recover, or, at least, survival.

The best and longest one is "Sukkwan Island". It is about a twice divorced father and his son, spending a time in a remote and isolated island in Alaska. These two people could be the same ones in a previous story named "Rhoda" - the name of a woman to whom a divorced father gets married. The second wife of the father in the novella is also named Rhoda, but who can be sure the story is about the same people. They could be, but, also, they could not. That's one of the beauties of this poignant book, in which Vann seems to think how the destiny of a group of people could unfold.

Another beauty of "Legend of a Suicide" comes from the language. In the back of the book, the author acknowledges some other writers who have influenced him. Among them are Comarc McCarthy and Marilynne Robinson - two of the best American writers working nowadays. From McCarthy comes a clear sense of language, and the narrative voice. The third person narrator of "Sukkwan Island" (all the other stories are told in the first person) has a voice likely the one in McCarthy's "The border trilogy", especially in "All the pretty horses".

"In the morning, Roy remembered the crying, and it seemed to him that this was exactly what he was not supposed to do. By some agreement he had never been witness to, he was supposed to hear at night and then by day, not only forget but somehow make it not have happened."

From Robinson, Vann has acquired the pace and some of the depth - especially in the father-son dynamics. "The thing is", the father says once, "something about me is not right. I can't just do the right thing and be who I supposed to be. Somethingabout me won't let me do that".

But while Vann is inspired by elements from these two - and maybe some other - writers, he is not copycatting anything. In "Legend of a Suicide" we find a writer who can make his own style, his own prose and build characters with depth and humanity.

It is known that Vann's father committed suicide himself. This is a fact that somehow is present through "Legend of a Suicide", but with sometimes subverted. If writing the book was a personal catharsis for the writer, for the reader it is a touching experience. Like an iceberg at first we are able to see only the tip, but the more you dig in the book, the deeper the stories are, we realize.
... Read more

Product Description
Paperback ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

FIND A PIECE OF YOURSELF
This is her best book in my opion!! It has something for everyone. Full of colorful characters that everyone can relate to with a no holding back choice tongue. Travel through experiences from a woman sick and tired of hearing her man's apologies to another woman's dilemma of watching her vietnam tortured boyfriend drop their children out the window. I think the beauty of this choreopoem is that every woman finds her little gold at the end of her own rainbow. Enjoy.

A book that celebrates woman even when she is weak. Rich!
Shange's imagery is hypnotizing.She immediately creates a realm of intimacy between you, her word, and colored girls.Shange takes you through a personal journey of yourself through the girls.

wonderful workdisplaying the joy, and pain of colored girl
shange uses the arts of poetry, music and dance to create a spectacularrainbow of beauty,sorrow , joy and pain brought to the readerin a sometimes funny , sometimes serious manner in "laugh but don't laugh" imagery she creates. it's a celebration of life, struggle and woman ... Read more

Product Description
Vanity Fair called this intensely erotic story of a young woman's sexual and psychological odyssey "a provocative tour through the dark side." Jesse, a beautiful twenty-nine-year-old, is adrift in San Francisco's demimonde of sexually ambiguous, bourbon-drinking, drug-taking outsiders. While desperately trying to sustain a connection with her bisexual boyfriend in a world of confused and forbidden desire, she becomes the caretaker of and confidante to Madame Pig, a besotted, grotesque recluse. Jesse also falls into a dangerous relationship with Madison, Pig's daughter or lover or both, who uses others' desires for her own purposes, hurtling herself and Jesse beyond all boundaries. With Suicide Blonde, Darcey Steinke delves into themes of identity and time, as well as the common - and now tainted - language of sexuality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

interesting
good book but sometimes i didn't know what was being described ... my fault most likely for being slow (lol). very sexual but dark. its interesting.

Disappointed.... =[
I bought this book absolutely excited, by its title, I love these kind of books, and the few good reviews I read. I don't have a very harsh judgment on books, nor do I ever really dislike many books. BUT this book for one, is not long AT all, so I should be done with it in one sitting right? WRONG, I got to the 4th chapter and was already bored out of my mind. Which by then I SHOULD be extremely into the book. Instead all I knew by the 4th chapter was that she was dick whipped, and the man was gay, weird, and wandered off... Honestly, she did better at describing every single object in her surroundings.... That is what the majority of the book is... A description of walls looking like vaginas, cat object, people sitting, and.... everything else you can imagine....

I was very disappointed by this book.

horrible but could have been good
I bought this on sale here and am very unsure how to write this review except to say I had to write it. The story, unbelivable, disgusting at times, depressing all the timewith characters such as Pig, an obese woman, Madison, who is so hateful even when the author tries to give her authenticity through giving us snippets of Madison's diary, didn't work. Event after horrible event, when you think it can't get worse it does, but in a false way. I did read it fast, so I am thinking why? It was the tidbits of pearls here. The truth is the author speaking through Jessie, a woman who knows heartbreak and despair. I felt that truth that made her write such a horrible book. I read it for those pearls, her prose which comes out unexpectedly and grabs you. Like, "I thought, Even love has it's limits, and I couldn't believe this hadn't occurred to him. and "Liars attracted me because I was one myself"This book lies yet doesn't. The author writes what she knows, Despair but it has no redemption, no happiness, no reality and even the most horrible life has joy. This book had no joy, only despair. The author has the ability to write a good book if she starts caring about the readers and less about herself. Shock value has its place but give us all the truth even if it hs less violence and less despair

It was okay
This book was okay. I think it tried too hard to be dark and sullen. I prefer other books, such as Brass.

Suicide Blonde
This book was a good guilty pleasure. It really wasn't about suicide at all, which is what I was expecting. I would only read this book once. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a frank, compassionate book written to those who contemplate suicide as a way out of their situations. The author issues an invitation to life, helping people accept the imperfections of their lives, and opening eyes to the possibilities of love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Read this book first! It could save your life!
"...most people who attempt suicide do not succeed." ~ pg. 116

It is very troubling to know someone who thinks suicide is the only answer to the problems in their life. What do you say to someone without hope? How do you convince them that life is worth living when all they know is despair? I read this book with these thoughts in mind.

While listening is good and you should take the person seriously it seems one of the best ways to save them is to give them a book that explains all the reasons why suicide is the worst idea ever. It doesn't solve any problems and they could end up worse off than before. The most shocking part of this book is the revelation that most people don't succeed at committing suicide. According to this book killing yourself is not easy and the attempt could leave you disabled.

Of all the books I've read that talk about suicide and depression I think this is one of the best. Paul G. Quinnett's arguments make complete sense. This book will guide the suicidal person through the topics of loneliness, hopelessness, depression, fear, losses, anger and stress. Each chapter deals with a different problem that might be causing a person to think of suicide. The only time the author comes across a bit harshly is in the chapter to teenagers. I think the last few words of the last paragraph should be deleted in future printings. What he says is a reality check but still it seemed harsh.

"Suicide The Forever Decision," reads like a pep talk that is much needed in a country where suicide has become an epidemic. I wish everyone who was suicidal could read this book. It takes a lot of bravery to keep on living at times. This book helps you organize your thoughts and encourages you to find out why you are really suicidal.

While this book mentions God a few times it doesn't really focus on spirituality. There is a short section on thinking about your philosophy of life. This book does not really discuss mental disorders that could be responsible for suicidal thoughts. Sometimes medication is really needed for depression but this book doesn't really discuss anything beyond a short mention of lithium.

So whether you are suicidal yourself or you know someone who is, please read this book or give it to someone you love. It could literally save a life in a matter of hours. The arguments in this book are very convincing!

One word of caution if you are giving this to someone else. I would advise you to tear out the last two pages in the book. The author "mentions" a book that tells people how to kill themselves and I think that is a very bad idea. What was the author thinking? If the publisher is reading this: please consider removing that information!

Warning: This review and this book are not substitutes for medical advice. Please see your doctor immediately and tell them you are suicidal if that is the case. According to this book you can feel better in a matter of days with the right medication. Although I must say from what I've read some medications can take weeks to work.

~The Rebecca Review

Suicide: The Forever Decision.
Even with its no-nonsense approach, to me the start of this book was rough as a self-help book aimed towards suicidal thinkers. If someone was in the state of mind to where they were very much depressed and suicidal, yet reaching out for help the words might bite back at them in a bad way.
This might be a helpful book for those who are dealing with a suicidal person, but I wouldn't recommend a non-sympathetic toned book to be given to someone who is suicidal themselves. I would find a book with a warm, calm and relaxing tone to ease their brains into accepting the help they need.
I suppose it would all depend on the person and how they handle criticism. I would imagine that most people in a suicidal state are fragile mentally and should have much more care and thought put into any words that reach them.

Utterly Stupid Book
This book is totally stupid and so is its author. It's just some dumb shallow theories. Don't waste your money on this piece of garbage.

Not For The Truly Desperate
I found this book disappointing.It might be okay for a person who is only slightly depressed.I actually laughed out loud when I got to the part where the author "helpfully" points out that there are suicide hotlines which are open.Ya think?Those hotline counselors are poorly trained although I am sure they mean well.I think they are mainly to call EMTs for life-threatening situations.

This might be worth a read, but I do not recommend it for someone who has unsolvable, daunting problems.I feel the author trivializes people's crises, although he claims not to.

definitely 5 stars
Quinnett's appraoch is straightforward. His knowledge of suicide is well-researched, especially the advice he lends to people thinking about or considering suicide. I rated this book 5 stars because it was so helpful and SO VERY thorough. -Chris Palmer, author VOICES BEYOND THE STREAM. ... Read more

Product Description

Too often people suffering the aftermath of a suicide suffer alone. As the survivor of a person who has ended his or her own life, you are left a painful legacy -- and not one that you chose. Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One will help you take the first steps toward healing. While each individual becomes a suicide survivor in his or her own way, there are predictable phases of pain that most survivors experience sooner or later, from the grief and depression of mourning to guilt, rage, and despair over what you have lost.

You may be torturing yourself with repetitive questions such as "What if...?" "Why didn't we...?" and "Why, why, why?" Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One will steer you away from this all-too-common tendency to blame yourself and will put you on the path to healing and recovery. Remember, your wounds can heal and you can recover. Filled with case studies, excellent information, valuable advice, and a completely up-to-date reading list and directory of suicide support groups nationwide, this valuable book will give you the strength and hope to go on living. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Grieving sister
My sister killed herself two days ago and I am so lost and heartbroken. I went looking for a book to help me get through the pain. This book was not helpful. It seems like the author is trying to educate you on the subject of suicide rather than help you deal with it. I dont want to read a book full of other peoples stories. I am living my own nightmare I dont need to hear about other people's horrible experiences. It tells you the normal symptoms a suicide survivor experiences and tells you that they are normal, so what. I dont need to be told its normal to have nightmares, I need to know what to do about it. This book might be better for someone who lost someone several years ago and wants some things explained to them, but for someone experiencing a recent death this book does not offer any comfort, I am returning it.

Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One
This book was well written and very sensitively written.The whole topic of suicide is often left and not talked about.This book really helped me and my family and knowing others have gone through the same nightmare and survived, is also helpful.I would recommend this book to anyone suffering loss.
M. Duffin

Suprisingly frank
To write a book with a subject of this magnatude is diffucult as there are so many variables that are unique in each suicide case.I was able to indentify mine, and learn from others.This book, or any like it, will not cure your pain, but will open the door of understanding.Worth the read.

not as good as some other books
Helpful but general - to simplistic. I thought No Time to Say Goodbye was much better written. Maybe because the author lived through this hell herself.

Very Helpful
This is a wonderful book...it was very helpful in helping me understand why someone would take their own life.It helped me understand that what I was feeling was very normal.I recommend this book to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (24)

We are at war and they know it
-----Islam is at war with the west and we pretend they are not.
----With oil money Iran is fronting Islamic Jihad like no other State.
----Sadly, Obama is negotiating with a hated regime that his own people want to throw off.Tough talk has weakened the regime but Obamas soft touch with them emboldened the leadership structure into pushing for a crooked election.After the election the people who knew the west abandoned them panicked and rose up only to be crushed while Obama and the West split hairs on carefully worded statements so as to not defend our enemy.
-----Irans people must wake up and throw off their backwards masters. Their leaders have threatened to wipe out israel and are in pursuit of nukes.Meantime they back the revolts in Afghanistan, Irak and Palesinte with thier money and IUD's.Soon Israel will stop their nuclear program and it will get ugly.Irans people need to throw off their government before its too late.
-----The West needs to push nuclear power in its own nations, mass transit, and at the same time pressure terrorist sponsoring states as harshly as they can to while encouraging dissenters within.Its either that or direct intervention and that is much more expensive in terms of blood & treasure.Obama needs to work hard as hard to undermine terror supporting states (overtly & covertly) as he is instead foolishly trying to nationalize our economy (nationalization was the euro modela, it didn't work and they are all backing away from it).

tribal fanaticism will win unless we change
The beginning of this book is excellent explaining why the societies of reason will loose in this battle with tribalism.I understand a lot more now.The middle of the book was way too bogged down for me with a history lesson about the Frence Revolution etc etc. I thought it was very boring.The last of the book was interesting but frankly he states we have lost in Iraq which may have been true when the book was written but if indeed the surge keeps working, it seems to undermine many of his main 'assertions'.
An interesting read at least at the beginning.

Guaranteed to put you to sleep
A real bore. This guy quotes so many people from the beginning of time to the present, that you wonder if he's at all original. In fact, if you took away all his quotable quotes, this book would only be half as long a bore as it is.

The usual drivel about Islamic fanaticism vs. Western thought and the [our] "way of life." This hack takes us back for a history lesson and calls us "actors;" in which will soon grate on your nerves when he does that one too many times. Of course we "Westerners" are just a bunch of ignorant, materialistic "actors" who will never understand what makes the fanatic tick. Like he's the only "enlightened one." Run-of-the-mill "know-it-all" that may put you to sleep just by reading the Preface. I did....fall asleep, that is. Don't waste your time or money on this one.

"Believe what I believe or die!"
An important book changes your view of your world.Harris' "The Suicide of Reason" succeeds in doing this and points out serious threats to the survival of Western Civilization from the inside and the outside.Harris shows that the most important message that America's leaders have failed to grasp is that not everybody sees the world the same way.Harris' "rational actors" act to change their culture out of enlightened self interest whereas his "tribal actors" act to preserve their culture.Nominally the conflict is presented as fanatical Islam's tribal actors versus the West's rational actors, but his paradigm applies to groups within the West as well.As you read this book you will recognize "tribal" views in many rabid Democratic Party supporters, Chicago Bear's fans and Intelligent Design advocates, among others.These people have ceased listening to any counter-positions.

The "tribal mind" dominated Earth until The Enlightenment.How did this revolutionary change come to occur?Harris invokes Hobbes, Spinoza, Condorset, Locke, Marx, Huxley, Voltaire and others to show how it took root in the time of the French Revolution and came to fruition in America.

Is it inevitable that the rational actors' democratic ideal will come to dominate the world? It looks like it will be unlikely to survive without a prompt change of direction by the West.Recent western generations have ceased acting in ways to protect their hard won culture. They are now dissipating this monumental asset in the name of political correctness."Right thinking has replaced real thinking."

Harris' rephrased titular question, "Does reason commit suicide when it blinds itself to the reality and the power of the irrational?", presents the West's primary problem: its leaders live under the delusion that everybody looks at the world the same way.They must consider that different groups have very different perceptions of the world.All problems can't be resolved by win-win positive thinking; inevitably testosterone will enter into the equation.The most rational among us must accept that in the world of the blind the one-eyed man isn't king by divine right.

This is an exceptionally insightful book that deserves to be read by serious people seriously concerned about the survival of their political and cultural traditions into the next generation.

Nonsensical whitewash of non-Muslim religious fanaticism
The author offers --very briefly-- a fairy-tale version of Orthodox Judaism, whitewashed by Martin Buber and explained away as totally assimilationist in America. He dares not speak the words "rabbinic fanaticism." He's never heard of the Shas party rabbi, Ovadia Yosef, who demands the annihilation of the Palestinian "Amalek" on Talmudic grounds, or of the settlers in the occupied territories motivated by religious fanaticism and hatred. He doesn't want to go there because his audience of neo-cons, who are not really interested in stemming the tide of fundamentalism and advancing reason, would drop out of his cheering section if he did. As Evelyn Kaye ("The Hole in the Sheet") and Israel Shahak ("Jewish History, Jewish Religion") have testified, the world's most ironclad dictatorship over the human mind is the rabbinic dictatorship. There is nothing reasonable about supremacist Talmudic religion, but the author will not countenance these facts. During the Enlightenment era, Judaism was classed with Islam as a black hole of tyranny. The "West" of this book is a sanitized version in which the Orthodox rabbis and Voltaire are united in defense of reason. Preposterous! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (7)

This is the book I was looking for.
If you were a child when you lost a parent to Suicide this book will be a great help to you.It talks about how suicide effects children as young as toddlers.The book is divided by the age the child was when they lost their parent.

Very Informative
This book is very informative.I would highly recommend it to children that are left behind.The stories in the book are very relatable and give one insight into this difficult subject.

Sons and Daughters of Suicide Speak Out
This book is a manual, a dissection of the anatomy of a most painful, shameful, silent trauma, which affects generations--suicide. I cannot imagine a book that would be more challenging to read and, at the same time, as healing. The validation of thoughts, memories and experiences has given me the courage to speak to my own family members.

Judy Fox and Mia Roldan have studied suicides from the years before the suicide through the years beyond. Their book is written from the voices of those who have experienced it their own lives, engaging the devastation of silence--speaking out is a way to break the cycle.

As a survivor of my own suicide attempts, my parents' attempts and a family member who succeeded in the suicide, I found that Voices of Strength tells the stories that have been unsaid. The book offers suggestions for survivors, clergy, therapists, family members, friends and those that may be facing the thought that suicide is an option. Judy and Mia end the book to say, "This book is one of our ways of creating something positive from our own tragic events." Speaking out is a way to break the cycle.

I recommend this book to anyone who has been affected by suicide.

by Carol Waid
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Thoughtful and Useful Book
Voices of Strength, Sons and Daughters of Suicide Speak Out fills a void in the literature available for the survivor of suicide community.As a 15 year survivor of my father's suicide, I found this book revealing as I learned new things myself from the commonalities and experiences of others described.The survivor stories, combined with practical and professional input from both Judy and Mia and others make this book a great resource for a diverse audience including survivors, families, friends, mental health professionals, medical professionals and anyone with an interest in learning more.I strongly recommend it.

Exceptional Resource for Survivors of a Parent's Suicide
Having read many books on the subject of suicide since my mother's suicide over 19 years ago, I can say, without hesitation, that "Voices of Stength" is an exceptional resource. I was particularly touched by themulti-dimensional and comprehensive treatment of the experiences shared by surviving sons and daughters. I noted so many parallels in the tender feelings that I experienced and continue to experience at times. It is also heart-warming to know, as Mia and Judy have so ably demonstrated, that we can not only heal from our grief, but also thrive and live with joy again! ... Read more

Product Description
In our lifetimes 85 percent of us will have some up-close experience with the suicide of someone we know.  And more than 20 percent of us will have a family member die by suicide.  Journalist Eric Marcus knows this better than most people.  In 1970, his father took his life at the age of 44.  In 2008, his 49-year-old sister-in-law took her life as well.

In a completely revised and updated edition of the landmark original WHY SUICIDE?, Eric Marcus offers thoughtful answers to scores of questions about this complex, painful issue from how to recognize the signs of someone who is suicidal to strategies for coping in the aftermath of a loved one's death.  

No matter what the circumstances, those of us who are affected by suicide are left with difficult and disturbing questions:

* Why did they do it?
* Was it my fault?
* What should I tell people when they ask what happened?
* Is someone who attempts suicide likely to try again?
* What should I do if I'm thinking of killing myself?

Drawing from his own experience, as well as interviews with people who have been touched by suicide, Eric Marcus cuts through the veil of silence and misunderstanding to bring clarity, reassurance, and comfort to those who so desperately need it. ... Read more

Product Description
The Book of Bunny Suicides and Return of the Bunny Suicides have introduced millions of people around the world to those cute bunnies always looking for new ways to end it all. Published for the first time in a unique paperback format, with a dozen new cartoons, this is the ultimate collection for fans of the fluffy little bunnies who just don't want to live any more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Suicide... funny??
For those of you who find books such as the Bunny Suicides funny, please take a few moments to also read the obituaries of children who chose to end their lives due to hopelessness, despair, and confusion - might you also find them funny? Andy... be a difference maker... now that you have everyones attention... consider this next book title... "The Book of Bunny Therapy!"

Hysterical
My son bought the individual books as a Christmas present for one of his bandmates who likes anything to do with bunnies but also has a good sense of humor. We leafed through them before wrapping them up. I liked it so much I bought this compendium version for us.

HILARIOUSNESS!
I own all the bunny suicide books, they are hilarious.A running gag that you can't help but laugh at, for the sheer Rube Goldberg-esque manners in which the try and die.Great fun, and not meant in anyway seriously.Highly recommended.

Fail to See the "Humor"
This being National Suicide Prevention Week and having been suicidal myself, I truly fail to see any taste in the giggles about suicide, no matter how "cutely" the subject is presented. I can't accept suicide as something to guffaw about, nor probably do the families of the 35,000 victims each year.

Until your family has been touched by the horror of suicide, I guess you will see it as "cute" and funny. A sad commentary on society today.

Perhaps the next piece of hilarity could be "Bunny Genocides." Guffaw.

Bunnies just want to die
Bunnies are cute, fuzzy, cuddly, and not very bright. And in Andy Riley's works, they're also very suicidal.

In fact, you can guess just from the title of Riley's "The Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides" what it's about -- lots and lots of cute cartoon bunnies offing themselves. Both books in this set are full of one thing -- near-wordless cartoons of bunnies disposing of their cute fuzzy selves in unique, creative, and sometimes overly complex ways.

It's a running gag, but you'll never guess how many of these bunnies choose to off themselves -- just a few of their complex methods involve corkscrews, DVD players, stalactites, cigarettes, seppuku, garden gnomes, lemmings, palm trees, Harry Potter books, pointy-nose jets, Christmas trees, colanders, and many other seemingly harmless (or at least not VERY harmful) ordinary items.

Some of the methods become more and more complex as time goes on, like an elaborate contraption involving a grandfather clock, a ladder, a candle, and a can of gasoline. One even has a bunny taking the direct way out, even with a bunch of dynamite on a precarious ledge over him.

There are even some pop culture references, which are handled with utter hilarity. The bunny prepares to beam down from "Star Trek," gets toasted by the Terminator, hangs atop the Tardis, and infiltrates the legendary duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Not to mention irritating the Eye of Sauron, and using Gollum for some bunny-stretching.

Yeah, it's basically a one-gag kind of humour,, but Riley manages to keep the chuckles rolling along through the entire book. Part of the humor is in the ridiculous stubbornness these bunnies have to off themselves (for no apparent reason -- it's not like they need a motive), and Riley's creativity in coming up with surreal methods for suicide.

There are a few duds, admittedly -- the deli counter one took me several reads to understand, since you have to pay very careful attention to even spot the bunny in this one. The overpass gag simply doesn't make much sense (okay, what happened there?), and some (like the cheese grater) are just squicky. They're funnier when they're clever.

Riley's artwork is simple and clean, and his bunnies are amusingly stoic as they chase down death. And he shows a variety of bunny deaths -- some are gory, some are physically impossible, and some simply involve bunny parts flying bloodlessly. Some, in fact, only hint obliquely at the bunnies' demises -- and these tend to be the most hilarious of all.

"The Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides" compiles the two deliciously dark comic books, and they're just right for people with a sick sense of humour or a hatred of bunnies. Or both. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether you are struggling with fresh grief at a loved one’s death by suicide or your loss happened years ago, you should know that you are not alone. 5 million Americans are affected—directly or indirectly—by this tragedy each year. And it sends us on a lifelong search for answers, both to the practical questions and the deepest question of all: Why? In this definitive guide book, Michael F. Myers, MD, a leading psychiatrist, and Carla Fine, author of the acclaimed No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One, combine their perspectives as a physician and a survivor to offer compassionate and practical advice to anyone affected by suicide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Highly Recommended for ANY Survivor
I recently lost my Mom to suicide.Before this experience, I had little to no knowledge of suicide.This book has helped me tremendously with the many questions, emotions, feelings, thoughts, and basic understanding of such a horrific experience.Losing my Mom is hard enough, but this book has opened my eyes to understanding the many other emotions that have come my way.Carla provides first hand insight, and Dr. Myers gives medical insight.Both provide guidence and open the door to healing.Thank you for this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Two locked room murders!
Carr has long been known as the king of the locked room mystery, and in this book we get two actual locked-room mysteries.One appears to be a suiciide and one is a murder, but neither one is straight-forward.In true Carr fashion, he keeps us guessing until the very end.But thank goodness crime fighter extraordinaire Gideon Fell is on the scene and he finds his way through the maze.This book has Carr's trademark black humour as well, and kept me laughing all the way through.The antics when the characters get into the famous in "Doom of the Campbells" (which happens to be a particularly strong whiskey)are incredibly funny!I love the way Carr plotted his stories.His mysteries are highly intelligent, complex and he is the unrivalled master in his particular genre.

High-Style Wit And A Clever But Gimmicky Plot
Among the most popular mystery novelists of the 20th Century, John Dickson Carr was famous for his "locked room" plots--and the 1942 THE CASE OF THE CONSTANT SUICIDES presents us with no less than three locked room, two mysterious deaths, and one equally mysterious assault.

Angus Campbell has plunged to his death from a tower of his home in Scotland.But was it suicide--or murder?This is an important question for the Campbell family: a verdict of suicide will void Angus' life insurance policies, and the financially strapped family needs every penny it can get.In an effort to clear up the matter once and for all, the family calls upon the famous (and in some respects notorious) Dr. Gideon Fell.But no sooner is Fell installed on the premises than there is a second plunge from the tower heights.

In addition to his way with a plot, Carr was also noted for his wit, and THE CASE OF THE CONSTANT SUICIDES crackles with laugh-out-loud incidents and dialogue.And fortunately so: this is actually one of his more gimmicky novels in terms of plot, and while Carr is able to hold all his elements together for most of the novel, Dr. Fell's final solution rings false on several levels.Even so, the charm of his characters and the wit of his style make the journey more than worth the effort.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

The Doom of the Campbells
"The Case of the Constant Suicides" (1941) is a fun read and one of the author's more interesting mysteries--three men die and the reader must determine who committed suicide and who was murdered.This book is very much of a howdunit as well as a whodunit. Carr's serial detective, the humungous Dr. Gideon Fell, galumphs into view about a third of the way through, after one man is already mysteriously deceased.Old Angus Campbell meets his end after plunging out of the window of his locked tower bedroom. The door has to be broken down in order for the deceased man's bedroom to be examined.The only unusual object in the tower room is an empty animal carrier, its wire-mesh door tightly shut.

Professor of history, Alan Campbell and his second cousin Kathryn Campbell meet on the train taking them to Scotland and immediately dislike each other.Too bad, because they are forced to share a sleeping compartment on the crowded, blacked-out train.They bicker all the way to the Castle of Shira at Inverary where Angus had jumped or was forced from his bedroom window the previous week.

Here they meet the insurance agent, the Castle's lawyer, and Angus's brother Colin arguing about whether Angus was murdered or done himself in.Carr's serial detective, Dr. Gideon Fell wheezes and chuffs through the castle like an off-the-track steam engine, dropping mysterious hints as he goes.Colin decides to spend a night in his brother's former bedroom, just to lay rumors of ghostly goings-on, and he too defenestrates himself.

When a third man is found hanging in a locked fishing cabin, Dr. Fell sorts out the murder and attempted murder from the suicide, rewards the innocent, and sets a murderer free if only he will sign a fake confession.

John Dickson Carr takes a turn to heavy-handed humor in "The Case of the Constant Suicides."Most of the roistering is caused by a malt whiskey called 'the Doom of the Campbells.'A pesky American newspaperman is drenched, shot at, and hunted from the castle grounds whenever the Doom is flowing through the inhabitants of the castle.

This isn't my favorite Gideon Fell mystery--for one thing, I'm not sure the murder weapon is really quite as effective as the author seems to assert--but it was fun to read.There were more smiles than shudders, which suits me fine.

LockedRoomPuzzle
There were airstrike warnings.Alan Campbell, professor, found his sleeping compartment on the train to Glasgow.Campbell was involved with another person of the same name in a dispute currently lining the letters pages of an historical journal.He met his adversary, a woman as it turned out, on the train.Unwillingly they had to share the compartment since there had evidently been a mistake in the booking of the train and no other seats were available. They were both going to the Castle Shira.A distant cousin, Angus Campbell, had been murdered.By accident they took a journalist named Swan with them to the castle, they had believed that he was also someone distantly related to Angus.

Angus would not have committed suicide, he had insurance policies with suicide clauses; nevertheless, it seemed that he could not have been murdered, either.Angus had had a common law wife, but she was so filled with the idea that she must be respectable that she had probably filched Angus's diary to prevent others from seeing his private musings and discovering his relationship with her.

Not finding the diary impeded the investigation of Dr. Fell and others called to the scene.Amusingly a journalist, a lawyer, and an insurance agent were all present to sort out the details of Angus's death.In the course of their highly interesting stay at the castle, the two Campbell cousins become interested in each other to a great degree.Two other men encounter danger and the death of one ensued and the near death of the other occurred prior to the ultimate unraveling of the mystery.

The story is clever and highly satisfying to the reader.The Scots atmosphere is delightful.

a really good novel by a great mystery writer
I read this book a few years ago.This book is one of my favorites of all his novels. This is a masterpiece of '40 mystery novel and it has its unique flavor.The scene in which a murder happens is a lony castle in Scotland.This murder also belongs to the so called"impossible"crime that no one dares to reason out why suchunbelievable murder case could happen in our real world.And the maincharcters are simply three person.The old man who occupies the old castleand his daughter and her lover. As there are few characters you would thinkit is easy to find who is the murderer.But not at all.That is the power ofhis craft. The scene is wildy like a description in a novel "WutheringHights".Carr's description of the scenery is always remarkblyoutsupassing.He makes a scenery never forgettable. I think this book is oneof his three greatest ofDr.Fell series with "the three coffin"and "the crooked hinge". ... Read more

Product Description
Terrorist organizations have been able to market mass murder under hysteria’s banner of alleged martyrdom. But when it comes to understanding Islamic suicide terrorism in particular, there is much more to it than martyrdom. In this groundbreaking book, Nancy Kobrin dismantles the psychological dynamics of suicide terrorism to help the reader gain a new perspective on one of the most destructive forces the world has witnessed to date.

Until now, no one has explained why the mother-child relationship is central to understanding Islamic suicide terrorism. The Banality of Suicide Terrorism exposes the very ordinariness of one of the deepest yet most poorly understood causes of the suicide bomber’s motivation: a profound terror of abandonment that is rooted in the mother-child relationship. According to Kobrin, this terror is so great in the would-be suicide terrorist that he or she must commit suicide (and mass murder in the process) in order to fend off that terror of dependency and abandonment. Suicide terrorists seek a return to the bond with the mother of early childhood— known as maternal fusion—by means of a “death fusion” with their enemies, who subconsciously represent the loved (and hated) maternal figure. The terrorist’s political struggle merely serves as cover for this emotionally terrifying inner turmoil, which can lead down the path of ultimate destruction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

horrible and disappointing
Not the most profound work on this subject, the author frequently misses their mark. After having read some of her interviews in the media, I should have probably known better but the source of the publication is a think tank and not an academic press which tells you much about the quality of the book.

The Banality of Suicide Terrorism
I agree with one of the author's premises that women are devalued in Islam and are victimized too readily. To explain terrorism mainly from the psychoanalytic perspective, however, is quite dangerous, as it emphasizes the causality of terrorism from the terrorist's relationship with his mother. The explanation of suicide terrorism is considerably more complex. While psychotherapy, in general, is a helpful mental health treatment modality, especially when also taking into account biochemical/genetic factors, the specific psychological theory of psychoanalysis has been disproven for decades by research in determining human behavior. Human behavior is influenced by many social, environmental, and genetic factors and cannot be explained by, for example, displaced rage against the mother. Suicide terrorism is probably the most dangerous threat to humanity and to the future of our civilization. It is irresponsible to use a highly subjective theory to explain and rationalize the despicable act committed by extreme religious fanatics of mass murdering innocent civilians.

The relation between islamic terrorism, psychoanalyze and the Borderline DSM IV diagnostic
I have been deeply interested in reading this book.
First to appeal to me, Doctor Kobrin shows deep analyzing insights
and sensitivity to some very important societal issues.

After reading this book, it may sound very reasonable to believe
that Islamic suicide bombers share some symptoms with Borderline Personality Disorder.
Borderline diagnostic seems to point to a sense of a psychological black hole
that may be caused by an early emotional sense of abandonment between mother and infant
that are very deep and frightening for any infant victim.
One of the only way to sustain this lifelong terror is to act it out through a very destructive rage.
Islamic girls are abandoned by their family and their entire society
in the way they are made ashamed of their own body, identity, and sexuality.
Those women are the black holes, hidden behind veil and burkas.

In quoting Doctor Kobrin, the terrorist is not in contact with the terror inside but has
become her/his own terror in projecting it outside onto victims.
This is, I believe, one among other truly fascinating ideas inside this book.

I also admire many different other ideas, the huge research work
and also all the different knowledge exchanged with different helpful and insightful persons
that this book reflects throughout.


Laurence

A fine survey for any college-level psychology or social issues library
The Banality of Suicide Terrorism: The Naked Truth About the Psychology of Islamic Suicide Bombing belongs in any library strong in terrorism issues and science. It explains how the mother-child relationship is key to understanding Islamic suicide terrorism, analyzing the psychology behind terrorist suicide actions. A fine survey for any college-level psychology or social issues library.

The Banality of Suicide Terrorism
The writings of Dr. Kobrin was courageous to say the least.The in depth knowledge that she brings to light is a lesson for all those that either want or need to know about the inner mind of the middle eastern terrorist.It is hard for a western mind to fully grasp how a male is reared in the middle east but she brings this to light better than anyone thus far.I, personally benefited from reading this book. ... Read more