Nicholas RogersReseñas
Autor de Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night
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29th Street South: Coming of Age in the Sixties por Nicholas Rogers
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tamarack804 | otra reseña | Jun 12, 2021 | ' “God damn the man who shot President Kennedy!” Robbie Doyle said out loud without thinking. The class turned as one and stared at Robbie. Miss Rodgers actually dropped the book she was holding. '
It seems that an entire generation can recall what they were doing when they heard about Kennedy's assassination, but Robbie's response drew me to read on. The sheer absurdity of being sent to the principal by the teacher, the conversations and the people Robbie met that day, created an illusion that I was there, watching and listening to real people. This uncanny immersion continued as the story progressed, and news headlines entwined with Robbie's private life. I cannot say that I liked everything I read – the hatred during the civil rights demonstrations, Robbie's friend almost raped – but the bad things did not spoil the story. It has dark moments in a rich canvas with many bright episodes.
Alas, Robbie's high-school days passed too soon. I wished I could continue reading about his amazing friendship with Nick and Sam, his crush on Christie, his struggles to become “someone” in high-school. But in the summer of 1967, normalcy was increasingly overshadowed by the danger of being drafted and sent to Vietnam.
I rarely read about wars, but at this point, I was immersed in Robbie's life and had to know the rest of his story. It was worth reading, even the gory descriptions that I normally skip (there are a few, but they are powerful). I had to read it all, the beautiful and heartwarming along with the horrifying and the ugly, because the entire story is larger than each part. It is much more than a piece of life combined with social commentary. To me, the story seemed to beat like a heart.
It seems that an entire generation can recall what they were doing when they heard about Kennedy's assassination, but Robbie's response drew me to read on. The sheer absurdity of being sent to the principal by the teacher, the conversations and the people Robbie met that day, created an illusion that I was there, watching and listening to real people. This uncanny immersion continued as the story progressed, and news headlines entwined with Robbie's private life. I cannot say that I liked everything I read – the hatred during the civil rights demonstrations, Robbie's friend almost raped – but the bad things did not spoil the story. It has dark moments in a rich canvas with many bright episodes.
Alas, Robbie's high-school days passed too soon. I wished I could continue reading about his amazing friendship with Nick and Sam, his crush on Christie, his struggles to become “someone” in high-school. But in the summer of 1967, normalcy was increasingly overshadowed by the danger of being drafted and sent to Vietnam.
I rarely read about wars, but at this point, I was immersed in Robbie's life and had to know the rest of his story. It was worth reading, even the gory descriptions that I normally skip (there are a few, but they are powerful). I had to read it all, the beautiful and heartwarming along with the horrifying and the ugly, because the entire story is larger than each part. It is much more than a piece of life combined with social commentary. To me, the story seemed to beat like a heart.
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tkflor | otra reseña | Apr 11, 2021 | Interesting historical review, but when covering recent history spends too much time on politics and not enough on how Halloween became an adult party night for straight people. (There is good coverage on how it became a gay party night, though.)½
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argyriou | otra reseña | Jan 16, 2012 | Rogers covers a wide range of ideas related to the dark holiday, particularly given the book's length. It also helps that he writes well, so you breeze easily through even some of the more fact-and-figure intensive sections. Interesting, informative, and a great October read.
The book addresses the origins of Halloween, its history in Britain and North America, its similarities to Mexico's "Day of the Dead," urban legends and popular reactions to the holiday, its representation in Hollywood, current celebration trends, and some guesses about the holiday's future.
The book addresses the origins of Halloween, its history in Britain and North America, its similarities to Mexico's "Day of the Dead," urban legends and popular reactions to the holiday, its representation in Hollywood, current celebration trends, and some guesses about the holiday's future.
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erichoefler | otra reseña | Oct 22, 2007 | Este sitio utiliza cookies para ofrecer nuestros servicios, mejorar el rendimiento, análisis y (si no estás registrado) publicidad. Al usar LibraryThing reconoces que has leído y comprendido nuestros términos de servicio y política de privacidad. El uso del sitio y de los servicios está sujeto a estas políticas y términos.