Bissell, Tom. God lives in St. Petersburg, stories.BISSELL, Tom. God lives in St. Petersburg, stories. Random House, Vintage, 212p. c2005. 1-4000-7542-4. $13.95. A These stories set in Central Asia and Russia are really about Americans--scientists, missionaries, Peace Corps volunteers, sons of ambassadors and journalists. The stark surroundings in the stories are described with wit and caustic humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was , and are used to isolate the characters in such foreign settings that their Americanism stands out in stark relief, in a none too flattering way. In these six stories, the reader meets a selection of misguided young people whose true nature is put to the test in difficult circumstances they chose for themselves. For example, in one story, a young man has no life other than that of a parasite on his parents' wealth and position. When he befriends a young missionary, his debauchery Debauchery See also Dissipation, Profligacy. Debt (See BANKRUPTCY, POVERTY.) Alexander VI Borgia pope infamous for licentiousness and debauchery. [Ital. Hist.: Plumb, 219–220] Bacchus (Gk. leads to disaster for everyone connected to him. A scientist studying the Aral Sea Aral Sea (ăr`əl), salt lake, SW Kazakhstan and NW Uzbekistan, E of the Caspian Sea in an area of interior drainage. To the north and west are the edges of the arid Ustyurt Plateau; the Kyzyl Kum desert stretches to the southeast. is kidnapped Kidnapped caught in the intrigues of Scottish factions, David Balfour and Alan Breck are shipwrecked, escape from the king’s soldiers, and undergo great dangers. [Br. Lit.: R. L. Stevenson Kidnapped] See : Adventurousness by a man who forces the young woman to witness the effect pollution has had on his children. A young married couple with money to spare take expensive trips to nowhere and put themselves in danger for no good reason. The language and good-humored depravity make this book one difficult to recommend for high-school students, but the insights into the culture of the countries described and our own country and its consumerism consumerism Movement or policies aimed at regulating the products, services, methods, and standards of manufacturers, sellers, and advertisers in the interests of the buyer. and misguided do-gooderism will appeal to early cynics Cynics (sĭn`ĭks) [Gr.,=doglike, probably from their manners and their meeting place, the Cynosarges, an academy for Athenian youths], ancient school of philosophy founded c.440 B.C. by Antisthenes, a disciple of Socrates. among them. Nola Theiss, Sanibel, FL A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries. |
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