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Athens
A History, From Ancient Ideal To Modern City
By
Robin Waterfield
Published
by Basic Books
In this engaging and readable narrative, noted classicist and author
Robin Waterfield traces the life and history of the city of Athens,
with an emphasis on the classical period when, in the space of a century,
Athens reached the pinnacle of its power and fell due to arrogance
and shortsighted self-interest. Focusing on Athens' social and cultural
history, as well as on the powerful and fascinating individuals who
left their mark on the city, Waterfield explains Athens' rise and
fall, and shows us how-through centuries of war, occupation, and destruction-Athens
emerged as a burgeoning modern European city. For over two millennia,
the memory of the city's glorious past has ensured that Athens remains
synonymous with democracy, civilization, and culture.
Reviews:
"To appreciate just how significant the city once was...look
at Robin Waterfield's breezy history, Athens."
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Waterfield's narrative is clear, well-organized, reasonable
in its judgments, and eminently readable."
— Los Angeles Times
"[A] patient retelling of more than three millennia of the city's
social, cultural and political history up to the present day."
— Newsday
This
website: Copyright © 2006 Dream
World Media, LLC. / Urban Mozaik Magazine. All rights reserved.
The opinions expressed in Urban Mozaik Magazine are not necessarily
those of Urban Mozaik Magazine and the publisher cannot be held responsible
for them. This website/publication, in whole or in part, may not be
reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
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They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky
The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan
by
Judy Bernstein, Alephonsian Deng, Benson Deng, Benjamin Ajak
Published by Public Affairs Books
Benjamin, Alepho, and Benson were raised among the Dinka tribe of Sudan.
Their world was an insulated, close-knit community of grass-roofed cottages,
cattle herders, and tribal councils. The lions and pythons that prowled
beyond the village fences were the greatest threat they knew. All that
changed the night the government-armed Murahiliin began attacking their
villages. Amid the chaos, screams, conflagration, and gunfire, five-year-old
Benson and seven-year-old Benjamin fled into the dark night. Two years
later, Alepho, age seven, was forced to do the same. Across the Southern
Sudan, over the next five years, thousands of other boys did likewise,
joining this stream of child refugees that became known as the Lost
Boys. Their journey would take them over one thousand miles across a
war-ravaged country, through landmine-sown paths, crocodile-infested
waters, and grotesque extremes of hunger, thirst, and disease. The refugee
camps they eventually filtered through offered little respite from the
brutality they were fleeing. In They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky,
Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin, by turn, recount their experiences along
this unthinkable journey. They vividly recall the family, friends, and
tribal world they left far behind them and their desperate efforts to
keep track of one another. This is a captivating memoir of Sudan and
a powerful portrait of war as seen through the eyes of children. And
it is, in the end, an inspiring and unforgettable tribute to the tenacity
of even the youngest human spirits.
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