Reviews

Over the past several years that this space has existed I have touted the heroic experiences of the American Civil War pro-Union black volunteer regiment, the Massachusetts 54th Infantry many times. Recently in preparing materials for this space to be posted in honor of Black History Month I noticed that I had not reviewed the subject of this entry, the Oscar-winning film "Glory". I make amends here. This fictionalized version of the creation of an all black volunteer regiment (at least in the ranks) hews pretty closely to the actual events in that process, taking into account the inevitable dramatizations required by the "laws" of cinematic license. And that fact is important. In other commentary on the history of the 54th, and in previous recollections of my own personal history of "discovery" of the regiment I have noted that in my high school years in the 1960s no mention was ever made of the exploits of this hardy band of soldiers fighting for their freedom and the preservation of the American union. None. And that, my friends, was here in Massachusetts the home of the regiment and of the famous, if then obscure, Saint-Gaudens memorial plague to the regiment that in front of the State House that, at one point in my life I passed every day. Lincoln and other Northern war leaders hesitated to create all black regiments for a number of reasons despite the need for man power on the battlefield as the war drew out inconclusively for a long period. Those reasons did not include the fact that the likes of the revolutionary black abolitionist Frederick were clamoring for black soldiers not only to preserve the union but to actively gain their own freedom, to prove their manhood and worth in the parlance of the time. This film details the struggle by hard abolitionist Massachusetts Governor Andrews and a significant portion of the white Boston citizenry, including the eventual leader of the regiment, Robert Gould Shaw and his parents, to create such a unit. The film goes on to look at the actual creation of the unit , its training, the troubles over pay, the racial animosities on both sides of the class line that were then current in that American time, the deployment of the regiment South and the mauling that it took at Fort Wagner, including the deaths of Shaw and many brave black soldiers. I will tell you the best part though, although this is not brought up in the film. At war's end what was left of the Massachusetts 54th marched through Charleston, South Carolina, in many ways the ideological and political center of the Confederacy, singing "John Brown's Body". That seems just about right. Hat's off to the 54th. Note: I have not mentioned the very good performances here by Denzel Washington as a testy recruit and Morgan Freeman as the wise old man of the regiment. Let me put it this way, if you had a choice, wouldn't you have this pair in this type of film. No-brainer, right? Matthew Broderick also shines in an understated performance as Colonel Shaw.

This 3 time Academy Award winning movie tells the account of the first black regiment in the U.S. army. Set during the civil war, this awe-inspiring movie tells the story of friendship, brotherhood and fortitude. See how racial barriers were broken as the blacks and their white commanders fought side by side, but most importantly, see how they died side by side. This film contains one of James Horner's best movie scores of all time that will leave you moved to the point of tears. Starring an all-star cast: Mathew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington and Carey Elwes.

Historical war drama about the Civil War battle at Antietam, and the formation of the first black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry. Glory is a masterful piece of work that will leave you breathless. Matthew Broddrick plays Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and performs him masterfully. Denzel Washington's performance was powerful as well. This movie stands as a great achievement, that could very well be called a classic.

Great movie. Plenty of action and drama. Too bad we treated the Negro soldiers like that.

This was a great movie. The cast was amazing. Sets, direction. Everything was great but when the troops would go into battle I kept thinking what horrible field strategies they were. It was like the troops were just marching into the line of fire. I have read a little about american history but I have not read about this battle (yet) but I find it hard to believe that the strategies of the north for this battle was this stupid.

Reviews

Over the past several years that this space has existed I have touted the heroic experiences of the American Civil War pro-Union black volunteer regiment, the Massachusetts 54th Infantry many times. Recently in preparing materials for this space to be posted in honor of Black History Month I noticed that I had not reviewed the subject of this entry, the Oscar-winning film "Glory". I make amends here. This fictionalized version of the creation of an all black volunteer regiment (at least in the ranks) hews pretty closely to the actual events in that process, taking into account the inevitable dramatizations required by the "laws" of cinematic license. And that fact is important. In other commentary on the history of the 54th, and in previous recollections of my own personal history of "discovery" of the regiment I have noted that in my high school years in the 1960s no mention was ever made of the exploits of this hardy band of soldiers fighting for their freedom and the preservation of the American union. None. And that, my friends, was here in Massachusetts the home of the regiment and of the famous, if then obscure, Saint-Gaudens memorial plague to the regiment that in front of the State House that, at one point in my life I passed every day. Lincoln and other Northern war leaders hesitated to create all black regiments for a number of reasons despite the need for man power on the battlefield as the war drew out inconclusively for a long period. Those reasons did not include the fact that the likes of the revolutionary black abolitionist Frederick were clamoring for black soldiers not only to preserve the union but to actively gain their own freedom, to prove their manhood and worth in the parlance of the time. This film details the struggle by hard abolitionist Massachusetts Governor Andrews and a significant portion of the white Boston citizenry, including the eventual leader of the regiment, Robert Gould Shaw and his parents, to create such a unit. The film goes on to look at the actual creation of the unit , its training, the troubles over pay, the racial animosities on both sides of the class line that were then current in that American time, the deployment of the regiment South and the mauling that it took at Fort Wagner, including the deaths of Shaw and many brave black soldiers. I will tell you the best part though, although this is not brought up in the film. At war's end what was left of the Massachusetts 54th marched through Charleston, South Carolina, in many ways the ideological and political center of the Confederacy, singing "John Brown's Body". That seems just about right. Hat's off to the 54th. Note: I have not mentioned the very good performances here by Denzel Washington as a testy recruit and Morgan Freeman as the wise old man of the regiment. Let me put it this way, if you had a choice, wouldn't you have this pair in this type of film. No-brainer, right? Matthew Broderick also shines in an understated performance as Colonel Shaw.

This 3 time Academy Award winning movie tells the account of the first black regiment in the U.S. army. Set during the civil war, this awe-inspiring movie tells the story of friendship, brotherhood and fortitude. See how racial barriers were broken as the blacks and their white commanders fought side by side, but most importantly, see how they died side by side. This film contains one of James Horner's best movie scores of all time that will leave you moved to the point of tears. Starring an all-star cast: Mathew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington and Carey Elwes.

Historical war drama about the Civil War battle at Antietam, and the formation of the first black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry. Glory is a masterful piece of work that will leave you breathless. Matthew Broddrick plays Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and performs him masterfully. Denzel Washington's performance was powerful as well. This movie stands as a great achievement, that could very well be called a classic.

Great movie. Plenty of action and drama. Too bad we treated the Negro soldiers like that.

This was a great movie. The cast was amazing. Sets, direction. Everything was great but when the troops would go into battle I kept thinking what horrible field strategies they were. It was like the troops were just marching into the line of fire. I have read a little about american history but I have not read about this battle (yet) but I find it hard to believe that the strategies of the north for this battle was this stupid.

Reviews

These PJs are nice, but they run small. Quality product but check the size before you buy.

Reviews

I am very happy with this product! It arrived quickly, which is why I chose this company, because they said it would arrive by a certain date and another company could not get it to me by that date.

Reviews

I've read Wife Dressing four times in two months. It's so much fun and even after all these years the fashion advice still works. I haven't worn white shortie gloves since the last family funeral and haven't worn a petticoat since last week but the basic theme works just fine. Let's face it, all you have to do is go to Target or Walmart on a Friday night and you'll see that a lot of married women look bad. Curlers in the hair, pajamas or stained sweats, bedroom slippers, and fat rolls escaping from their tops. They figure that hey, they're married and their man aint going anywhere so why make an effort? Anne Fogarty, who sounds very much like the fabulous top girl in high school that you longed to hang with but were just a tiny bit scared of, would've hated women like that. She was a wife but a business woman first and possessed incredible discipline.She was smart enough to realize that nobody can have it all or do it all. She had a staff at work and a housekeeper at home. When she was away from work she lavished attention on her husband. When the marriage didn't work she tightened her girdle and moved on. From her 18 inch(!) waist to her glistening white gloves and ability to plan her whole day like a war campaign, Fogarty didn't believe in ugliness, laziness or a letting a chance to find beauty in everything pass by. I've learned, I've laughed and I'm using the tote bag trick.

Don't be fooled by the title. Even though the book is vintage 1950's the attitudes towards selection of clothing, maintenance of clothing and dressing tips are very timely.

I was so happy to read in the fashion blogosphere that Wife Dressing has been dusted off and brought back into print. My first edition copy has crumbled to dust, and I am so pleased by Glitterati's reprinted it. The new illustrations are fabulous, and I love Feitelberg's new introduction that does a stellar job of contextualizing the book. I've bought a copy of it for my 26-year-old niece, who is getting married this spring, to give her fashion advice and to make sure that she appreciates feminism! As a young girl growing up in suburban Chicago in the 1950s, I saw my mother and her "ladies that lunch" friends emulate Ann Fogarty's advice. My mother lectured me from the pages of that book on dressing with elegance, and when Fogarty wrote about packing 19 steamer trunks of clothing for a trip to Europe, my mother made sure to bring 20. Back then, us girls expected to go to college, maybe teach or nurse for a few years, before retiring into the home. And look, now, fifty-odd years after Wife Dressing was published a woman is making her way to the White House. Now don't be too hasty in judging Wife Dressing because of the era that it came out of, not only does it have some very useful fashion advice, the book also shows the ways in which women could still have their way. I would even call parts of it subversive. Sure, it's not Betty Freidan, but Fogarty shows how women can assert their authority and independence within the confines of their stereotypical 1950s gender role. Fogarty was no housewife--she spent many years as a model and a fashion designer, even after her marriage. It's a book about working from within the system, which can be a valuable skill, and after all, marriage in any era still requires a great deal of diplomacy.

Reviews

My Wife and I live on Saipan. She is a former garment worker like the author. I knew her job was somewhat as the author discribes. My wife feels the book is spot on!! We know many Thai, Philpinne, Mongolian women caught in pages of this book. I enjoyed it couldn't put it downand feel it is a must read for Americans purchasing desinger clothes. Rob Engelhart

I tend to enjoy memoires, as they recount so many aspects of life: aspirations and goals vs. misadventures and swindlers; the culture and psychology of a society vs. one's desire to find his/her own way; the details of a community and locale at a distinct phase in history vs. its character today. In reading novels, I generally sense a author constructing a text, his/her approach, structure, sensitivity, relative intelligence and tastes - and in the end I see one person's construction of a fictive story written for profit and out of some creative urge. But in this book and other great memoires I've read, I identify with the author who is also the protagonist and feel as though we face challenges together - sometimes challenges I might not have accepted - challenges against an invisible starter's gun, dreams of achievements before our clock runs out. Chicken Feathers's style I enjoyed. Direct, modest, honest, seeking what's good, yet world-wise and open-minded. The character evolves and her (and our) perceptions of Saipan change as time passes. There are elements of fatalism, people who cannot change, people we cannot help, and indeed - all too often - we cannot help ourselves or those most dear to us. To analyze this book throughly from my point of view would require me to write a real essay, which I do not have the time to do - thus I'm just writing spontaneously at the moment. Among works of well-known authors, I would compare this book to Bukowski - but Chun Yu Wang is far, far more genuine. probably my favorite memoire of all time is Recuerdos del Pasado (1814-1860) by Vicente Perez Rosales in which as a teenager he experienced the slave trade in Rio de Janeiro - later became a gold prospector in what was yet to become San Francisco - became involved in Chilean conflicts for independence - and became an ambassador to Germany, etc., etc. I would NOT wish Rosales' adventures on Chun Yu Wang - but they both have a lot in common - a spirit of adventure, a willingness to work, and an open mind.

I know Chun (on her new job) and others like her, and what amazes me is their strength and courage to leave home into the unknown for possibly a better life and to send financial support back to their families. Imagine if you will, you are going to work in China with a different culture and language, and on the faith of what your labor recruiter told you, and then when you get there, be subjected to hours and days of confusion, changes of rules, and general hassle. Chun wrote a good account, and it was probably a catharsis in a way, to keep her sane and moving forward in a productive manner. Just like the song "I Will Survive" and Chun did. Good for her and the other garment workers that have prospered and progressed, some of whom blended successfully into the American way of life.

After reading Chun's tale of how she arrived on Saipan from China I have been given an intimate glimpse of the trials and struggles of the garment factory workers in the world. I feel awed at the bravery and determination of the young women and men who left their homes in order to support their families; I also feel disgust at the harshness and cruelty in which they were treated. Chun, I hope everyone has a chance to hear your poignant story which I am sure, is the story of many women in the world today. Truly "Chicken Feathers & Garlic Skin" touched my heart, my mind and my humanity. Thank you.

What an eye-opener to the garment industry! The author willingly endured so many things that we snobby Americans workers would NEVER tolerate (but we'll wear the clothes created in that enviroment). A facinating peek into the industry. The author shows the garment industry from a very different perspective-- from the eyes of a woman seeking to leave her homeland to make her fortune. A view from the very bottom of the world's economic food chain. It is a sad but real story told in a simple but beautiful manner. I read it in one afternoon/evening because I couldn't put it down. Everyone who wears clothes, or has ever heard of Saipan should read this book. THIS is the garment industry of the Jack Abramoff scandals.

Reviews

I have always been interested in makeup, cosmetics, hair, etc and the history of such. Anyone else who is also will enjoy this book.

I collect vintage makeup, and was very interested in this book. I found most of it to be fascinating. The author relies heavily on patent information and includes many drawings of the inventions that changed the way women looked through the decades. I do wish it had been longer, though. Many of the subjects deserved longer chapters.

I have found this delightful page turner invaluable as I try to teach the complexities of cultural critique: Riordan's book helps us revise the usual reading of the beauty industry as repressive and male-produced. She's never pedantic and lets the objects and their histories speak for themselves. It's a thoughtful, and at times gleeful, women's history.

Inventing Beauty is a fascinating and fun book to read, not only for its entertaining aspects but also for its intensely researched historical information. It brings to light information about women and what they thought about back in the 1800s, which is vastly similar to many things that the woman of today thinks about in terms of beauty. The book did cover many different aspects of the body that women tried desperately to change, however I wish that it did even more. It was really interesting to read and find out what people were thinking and came up with but I felt that it stopped abruptly and that it could have gone on. It would be great if Riordan came out with a second volume about more modern day beauty inventions. The ones in this book are interesting, however it only covers from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century.

I thought the portions of the book dealing with makeup to be the most interesting. What some women put themselves through! I definitely saw some parallels to our society today. Yet when it came to the chapters about hair removal and clothing, I was bored senseless. Is it, however, fascinating to see how our definition of "beauty" has changed over the years. I especially like the old advertisements and pictures the author included. Not bad, but those not specifically interested in women's clothing styles of years past may be a bit bored in some sections.