Sunday, June 18, 2006

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

Tracy Kidder is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the author of the bestsellers The Soul of a New Machine, House, Among Schoolchildren, and Home Town. He has been described by the Baltimore Sun as the “master of the non-fiction narrative.” This powerful and inspiring new book shows how one person can make a difference, as Kidder tells the true story of a gifted man who is in love with the world and has set out to do all he can to cure it.

At the center of Mountains Beyond Mountains stands Paul Farmer. Doctor, Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant, world-class Robin Hood, Farmer was brought up in a bus and on a boat, and in medical school found his life’s calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. This magnificent book shows how radical change can be fostered in situations that seem insurmountable, and it also shows how a meaningful life can be created, as Farmer—brilliant, charismatic, charming, both a leader in international health and a doctor who finds time to make house calls in Boston and the mountains of Haiti—blasts through convention to get results.

Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity" - a philosophy that is embodied in the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. He enlists the help of the Gates Foundation, George Soros, the U.N.’s World Health Organization, and others in his quest to cure the world. At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains”: as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.

“Mountains Beyond Mountains unfolds with the force of a gathering revelation,” says Annie Dillard, and Jonathan Harr says, “[Farmer] wants to change the world. Certainly this luminous and powerful book will change the way you see it.”

--from hard cover edition

In my opinion, this book is a great account of what individuals have done to aid in the epidemics of the world. It is truly amazing that any one person could be capable of so much, to have such a large impact on the world of today. I highly suggest this book to everyone who loves a great read. Thanks!

Friday, October 28, 2005

Thank heaven for 'Altar Boyz'! by Kissel


(From left) Andy Karl, Ryan Duncan, Scott Porter, Tyler Maynard and David Josefsberg are singing and saving souls in 'Altar Boyz.'

ALTAR BOYZ
A musical by Gary Adler, Michael Patrick Walker and Kevin Del Aguila.
With Scott Porter, Tyler Maynard, Andy Karl, Ryan Duncan and David Josefsberg.
At Dodger Stages. $66-$69.
(212) 239-6200.

Any show that contains a reference to a teenage outcast threatened by "Episcopalian thugs" automatically wins my heart. I have a weakness for silliness, and "Altar Boyz," a new musical about an evangelical boy band, overflows with it.

The boys in "Altar Boyz" are named Matthew, Mark, Luke and Juan. For the sake of ecumenism, there's Abraham, a Jewish boy who dropped by church to deliver Luke a ghostwritten term paper, fell in love with the band's robes and started writing their songs.

Is that silly enough for you?

The Boyz are at the end of a cross-country tour, in which they have won hearts to Jesus, and are now tackling the toughest nut of all, New York.

To gauge the impact of their ministry, a "soul sensor" at the side of the stage measures how many members of the audience have been won over.

Early on I feared that however steeply the number of non-believers dropped, there might still be someone sitting along the aisle who might not be won over by their strenuous ministrations.

The aisle-sitter, having experienced mild anti-Semitism as a child in the Midwest, does not take kindly to the kind of anti-Christian humor that has recently become mainstream. As a result, he winced during one of the dance numbers when one of the steps mimicked the Crucifixion.

But because the cast is so talented and so appealing, even the hardhearted aisle-sitter found himself laughing giddily at songs like "Girl, You Make Me Wanna Wait" and "Jesus Called Me on My Cell Phone."

If laughter is a form of salvation, my soul is clean.

I can't imagine it's easy to find a hunk with a sense of humor, but Scott Porter fits the bill perfectly as Matthew.

Andy Karl manages to make Luke, a doltish lug, oddly charming. Ryan Duncan is poignant as Juan, and David Josefsberg gets laughs from the "straightest" part, Abraham.

The prize role is the rather swishy Mark, which Tyler Maynard plays with a doe-like gift for provocative eye-batting. The high point of the evening is his 11th-hour "confession," which is totally hilarious.

Yes, "Altar Boyz" is a long joke. That's what musicals seem to be these days. With excellent direction and choreography, though, "Altar Boyz" keeps you laughing all evening long.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

The Subtle Knife

In this stunning sequel to The Golden Compass, the intrepid Lyra finds herself in a shimmering, haunted otherworld-Cittagazze, where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and wingbeats of distant angels sound against the sky. But she is not without allies: twelve-year-old Will Parry, fleeing for his life after taking another's, has also stumbled into this strange new realm. On a perilous journey from world to world, Lyra and Will uncover a deadly secret: an object of extraordinary and devastating power. And with every step, they move closer to an eveng reater threat-and the shattering truth og their own destiny.

"The story gallops with ferocious momentum [and] Pullman is devilishly inventive." -The New York Times Book review

"As rich and complex a fantasy novel as any adult reader could wish for." -San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

Saturday, August 06, 2005

The Heir Hunter

HE'S YOUNG. HE'S AMBITIOUS.
HE'S GOT LESS THAN A WEEK TO FIND THE HEIRS
TO A $22-MILLION ESTATE.
NOW EVERYONE HE SEES IS TRYING TO KILL HIM.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF NICK MERCHANT,
HEIR HUNTER.
Nick Merchant is in the business of finding heirs. As payment, the San Francisco-based private investigator gets a percentage of the estate. So when Gerald Jacobs is found dead in a creaky old house in upstate New York, Nick thinks he's about to score the payday of a lifetime. Unfortunately, he's got some pretty stiff competition. Working with his partner--and former girlfriend--Alex Moreno, Nick races against the clock, narrowly eluding his rivals, dodging bullets, and unearthing a history a lot of people would rather keep buried. Moving from San Francisco to New York, from Switzerland to Washington, D.C.--and dozens of points in between--they struggle to uncover the guilty secret behind a rich man's fortune. But as Nick and Alex close in on the truth, they are about to find out just how deadly this game can get...
"Great pacing...fascinating." -The Washington Post
"Original and cool...a masterly bit of suspense writing." -The Denver Post
"Engrossing...tantalizing read." -The Portland Oregonian

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses. And yet . . . As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate--and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince. So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort--and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

**Warning: Spoilers included within the replies to this post. All discussion is unlimited and free. Have Fun!!!

Friday, July 15, 2005

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code

After being held prisoner for years, Artemis Fowl's father has finally come home. He is a new man-an honest man, must to Artemis's horror. He makes his son promise to give up his life of crime, and Artemis has to go along with it. Bit not until he has completed one last scheme.

Artemis has constructed a super-computer from stolen fairy technology. Called the "C Cube," it will render all existing human technology obsolete. He arranges a meeting with a powerful Chicago businessman, Jon Spiro, to broker a deal for the C Cube. But Spiro springs a trap-he steals the C Cube and mortally injures Butler. Artemis knows his only hope of saving his loyal bodyguard is to employ fairy magic; so once again he must contact his old rival, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police.

It is going to take a miracle to save Butler, and Artemis's luck may have just run out...

Part of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.

The Golden Compass

Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible stuggle-a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, young Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle.

Philip Pullman's award-winning The Golden Compass is a masterwork of storytelling and suspense, critically acclaimed and hailed as a modern fantasy classic.

Le Diable au corps

"Raymond Radiguet partage avec Arthur Rimbaud le terrible privilége d'être un phénomène des lettres françaises." -Jean Cocteau

Un dimanche d'avril 1917, François, seize ans, fait la connaissance de Marthe, dix-huit ans, qui est déjà fiancée à Jacques, soldat combattant sur le front. Une idylle s'ébauche entre les deux jeunes gens et lorsque Marthe, qui s'est mariée au cours d'une permission de Jacques, habite seule l'appartement conjugal, ils deviennent amants et commettent mille imprudences. Marthe s'aperçoit alors qu'elle est enceinte. C'est en enfant que va se conduire François dans une aventure d'homme.

Just before leaving for a walking tour of two colleges in Oxford. Posted by Picasa

Most of the group sitting in Trafalgar Square. Posted by Picasa

The Summit Ensemble in front of the fountains in Covent Garden, London, England. Posted by Picasa

This is me having dinner at the Navigation Inn in Kenilworth, England right before our concert at St. Peter's Church. Posted by Picasa

Lindsey, Sarah, Katherine, and I sitting on the steps of a garden maintained by Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon. Posted by Picasa

The Summit Ensemble before leaving Bangor-on-Dee, Wales. Posted by Picasa

This is me standing on one of the watch towers in Edinburgh Castle. Posted by Picasa

J.B., Me, Cyndi, and Ben standing by one of the outer walls of Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, July 14, 2005


bus in edinburgh Posted by Picasa

bus to edinburgh Posted by Picasa

airplane to glasgow Posted by Picasa

airplane to glasgow Posted by Picasa

airplane to glasgow Posted by Picasa

airplane to glasgow Posted by Picasa

airplane to glasgow Posted by Picasa

airplane to glasgow Posted by Picasa