Book Review

Book Review

Repository, Anthology of Selected Writings

-Marc Weinblatt

If books had faces, then they would definitely reflect those of their writers. And, Repository, Anthology of Selected Writings, is no exception. A collection of writings done over the years, the book vividly reflects the extensive research done by the author of the book. The book that begins with Savoir Faire, the knowledge of just what to do in any situation, covers diverse topics such as Nature Sound, Polemology and Constitution.

An avid observer of life, the author has penned the results of his reading and research in a lucid manner. So, what has resulted is not merely reporting of what has happened, but a broad vision of how and why something was done and what is possible. This is the strength of the book.

A key selling point of the book is that it is largely written in an easy-to-comprehend manner. Thus it can be easily read by common people, developmental activists and government officers. Also, the book has plenty of data for scholars.

The book has nine chapters, a preface, glossary of terms used and a good bibliography

The detailed manner in which the various topics in the book are dealt with makes it easy-to-read. While each chapter has various sub-heads to explain the different concepts mentioned therein, the diagrams and sketches used along with them make the understanding of the book even simpler. Appropriate charts and tables add to the spice of the book.

It sure presents some powerful lessons based on the author’s learnings over the years.hy. All the main chapters are further broken down into smaller chapters for easy comprehension.

While the very first chapters, Savoir Faire and Savoir Vivre, deal with the knowledge of the world and ways of the world, the following chapter, Essay: Insight into the mind of Generalist-cum-Specialist, deals with the roles of a generalist and a specialist.

Further, Nature Sound: Music and Sound in the midst of Nature is an exhaustive account of the different kinds of sounds in nature, made by the three most important elements of nature – water, fire and air. Polemology, Conflict Resolution and Crisis Management Strategies deals with knowledge that aims at ending the scourge of conflict from human civilisation.

Framework: Academic Institution Framework, Organisation Framework, deals with the constitution of a model academic institution, taking stock of steps to be taken to supplement the human resource pool within the organisation and outside it.

Constitution, Model Constitution for a Nation-state, is a good account of steps to be taken to come up with a model constitution that can take the country forward. On the other hand, Proposition,

Art of Conducting Brainstorming/ Skull Session, is a good account of what points to be taken into account while conducting brainstorming sessions, and Revelation, Tortuosity-Consciousness revealed, deals with the study of curves, edges and shapes, where the very object having edges or curves simplify.

In passing, the observation has to be made. The reading of the book proceeds from a sense of wonder and ends up in awe. It sure is a commendable feat, considering this to be the author’s very first offering.

On book Repository Anthology of Selected Writings by L.Raghunanda

“The writing is intelligent, and also probably more intellectual that I would normally read” -Marc Weinblatt

	Marc Weinblatt has been a professional educator, theatre artist, activist, and workshop facilitator since 1980 having extensive experience with both adults and youth. Formerly Co-Artistic Director of the Seattle Public Theatre. Marc is an internationally recognized leader in the use of Augusto Boal’s ground breaking Theater of the Oppressed (T.O.) to stimulate community dialogue and social change. He has worked with diverse communities ranging from police to homeless youth, grassroots organizers and laborers to University deans. Internationally. Marc has worked with theatre activists in Canada, refugees in Azerbaijan, construction workers in South Africa, slum families in India, actors in the Republic of Congo, and victims of war, among others, in Afghanistan. Marc was recently named "Cultural Envoy" by the U.S. State Department for his work in the Congo in spring 2010.Marc regularly facilitates T.O. based diversity / anti-oppression workshops in a wide variety of contexts across the U.S. with a commitment to bringing a deep sense of spirit and humanity into social justice work. He also directs the multi-generational Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble which incorporates T.O. and Playback Theatre techniques to generate community dialogue on burning social issues. One of Augusto Boal's “multipliers”, Marc has trained thousands of people in the use of Theatre of the Oppressed techniques through his classes and annual week-long intensive trainings since the early 1990's