In the sixth century; an Indian monk journeyed across the sea to China and changed the face of Buddhism forever. The Patriarch of Chan tells the life story of Bodhidharma; from his education as a youth in India to his travels in China where he denounces the actions of the emperor; spends years in meditative practice; and establishes the Chan lineage; a tradition of meditation masters that shapes Buddhism even today. With the striking brushwork of Guo Haoyun and a heartfelt script by Wang Meizhi; The Patriarch of Chan is a stirring graphic novel biography of this important figure.
#2626144 in Books 2013-12-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .63 x 5.98l; 1.00 #File Name: 1927970040202 pages
Review
300 of 315 people found the following review helpful. The Truth Shall Set You Free of LiesBy MaryAnnGrowing up in the North;I had always found it hard to imagine that slavery not only existed in this country;but flourished.Through the years;I have read many an autobiography or history book concerning slavery and thought I knew it all. And yet I was blind.Until I read Solomon Northrup's "12 Years a Slave." Where has this book been? It is a masterpiece of history;of one man;one free man's life. A true picture of 'The Old South'.Mr. Northrup was a free black man with a beautiful wife and two daughters living in Saratoga;NY. He was lured from his home by slave traders who specialized in the awful practice of kidnapping free black citizens and selling them into slavery. Torn from his home and family;Mr.Northrup endured the worst that can happen to a human being;and still live.And yet;he remained fair and honest;never stooping to the level some of his white masters did.I am not going to rewrite the book in this review because I recommend reading it for yourself. Slavery was and is a vile institution.Solomon Northrup is my new inspiration.This book will shock you. But you will be the better for having read it.My highest of fives.209 of 217 people found the following review helpful. Extraordinary book; but there are better versions on KindleBy J. JohnstonAs slave stories go; this one is; in my view; without peer. Northup's s captivating tale -- which has gained attention because of the movie that shares the book's title -- is told in exacting detail with an easy prose. He sets the stage masterfully; describing people and places before proceeding into the narrative. Unlike works of fiction; this book is so compelling because; by all accounts; it is true. There is no polemical axe to grind; as with Uncle Tom (a novel at one point wryly referenced by Northup). Here you see both the brutality of slavery and the moments of kindness by slaves and even some slave owners. Solomon tells the story with clarity and intelligence.The free versions on other sites I found were pretty poorly formatted; so spending a dollar for a polished version on is worthwhile; but this one is not the best of them. Granted; the book is formatted adequately; and any typographical errors in this version seem to be simple reproductions of the original.However; the supporting material is a letdown. I read the version that includes the introduction by novelist Dolen Perkins-Valdez. That introduction is borderline insulting; as it makes only a weak attempt to separate accounts with fictional elements like Roots from an authentic account like this one. Worse still; Perkins-Valdez can't resist indulging in repeatedly referencing her own recently released slave novel; even going so far as to quote herself. There are almost no historical elements to this version beyond the main book -- no mention of Northup after the book; no mention of he writer who helped him pen the book; nothing. There is more information on the writer of the introduction than there is the author. One other oddity worth mentioning: the original book's preface -- the one done by the man who helped Northup write the book -- has been curiously excised from this version too. That makes this version something less than complete.For those looking for a better version; you might consider Twelve Years a Slave - Enhanced Edition by Dr. Sue Eakin Based on a Lifetime Project. New Info; Images; Maps; which contains a robust amount of supporting material and; better still; is right now the same cost as this version.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book. Valued for it's historical significance. Should be required reading for every American.By ArthurI bought this after watching the movie. I am a college student that works full time; so I usually don't have much time for reading things that aren't school related. I finally got around to finishing this. This is an extremely difficult book to read. What this man went through was astoundingly awful. It is an important narrative though. If you want to understand southern culture as it is today; if you want to get a deeper understanding of race relations in America; or if you just want to read a good book; I highly recommend it. You get a real picture of what institutional (versus man to man) racism is. You will also understand how far our country has come from it. If one black man can triumph over adversity in that day; all of them certainly can now. A history professor once told me that it's not enough to just say that the south was wrong; you have to understand why they thought like they did. This will definitely shed some dark light on the subject.
