In the summer of 1841; Mary Rogers disappeared without a trace from her New York City boarding house. Three days later; her body; badly bruised and waterlogged; was found floating in the shallow waters of the Hudson River just a few feet from the Jersey shore. Her story; parlayed into a long celebrated unsolved mystery; became grist for penny presses; social reformers; and politicians alike; and an impetus for popular literature; including Edgar Allan Poe's pioneering detective story "The Mystery of Marie Roget."In The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers; historian Amy Gilman Srebnick brilliantly recaptures the story of Mary Rogers; showing how Rogers represented an emerging class of women who took advantage of the greater economic and sexual opportunities available to them in urban America; and how her death became a touchstone for the voicing of mid-nineteenth century concerns over sexual license; the changing roles of women; law and order; and abortion. Rogers's death; first thought due to a murderous gang of rapists and later tacitly understood to be the result of an ill-performed abortion; quickly became a source of popular entertainment; a topic of political debate; and an inspiration to public policy. The incident and the city's response to it provides a fascinating window into the urban culture and consciousness of the mid-1800s. Indeed; in Rogers's name; and as a direct result of her death; two important pieces of legislation were passed in 1845: the New York City Police Reform Act which effectively modernized the city's system of policing; and the New York State law criminalizing abortion.The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers tells a story of a death; but more importantly it also tells the story of a life--that of Mary Rogers--and of the complex urban social world of which she was a part. Like the city in which she lived; Mary Rogers was a source of wonder; mystery; and fear; provoking desire; and inspiring narrative.
#466980 in Books Bernard Lewis 1994-10-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x .50 x 9.10l; .78 #File Name: 0195090616217 pagesIslam and the West
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Too much obscure materialBy PolancoThe first chapter of the book discusses the geopolitical relations between Islam and Europe; including an interesting treatment of Islamic law. However; the middle sections of the book are dedicated to very technical criticisms of other authors; some of whom wrote centuries ago; for their ignorance of arabic vocabulary; as well as reviews of earlier European books; some of which date back centuries; about Islam. The author is free with his criticisms of other writers whose knowledge of Arabic and Turkish clearly does not match his own. There is a chapter attacking the theory of "Orientalism" as propounded by the late Edward Said. Lewis and Said were free with their criticism of each other; and Lewis gives a full treatment of his side of the argument.All of this material is fairly remote from what I expected from the title and summary; especially from a well-known expert on Middle Eastern history and culture.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Should I recommend a book concerning to Western-Muslim relationsBy Emin BüyükHaving seen citations from this book again and again; I ordered it. This is a milestone in terms of containing very important details about Ottoman history. Should I recommend a book concerning to Western-Muslim relations; I would definitely say Islam and the West.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Anil C.Great source to understand the interactions between Islam and the Western world.
