When lives are dominated by hunger; what becomes of love? When assaulted by daily acts of violence and untimely death; what happens to trust? Set in the lands of Northeast Brazil; this is an account of the everyday experience of scarcity; sickness and death that centres on the lives of the women and children of a hillside "favela". Bringing her readers to the impoverished slopes above the modern plantation town of Bom Jesus de Mata; where she has worked on and off for 25 years; Nancy Scheper-Hughes follows three generations of shantytown women as they struggle to survive through hard work; cunning and triage. It is a story of class relations told at the most basic level of bodies; emotions; desires and needs. Most disturbing - and controversial - is her finding that mother love; as conventionally understood; is something of a bourgeois myth; a luxury for those who can reasonably expect; as these women cannot; that their infants will live.
#1116443 in Books 1980-10-13 1980-10-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.06 x 6.10l; 1.31 #File Name: 0520040988424 pages
Review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Where does Evil arise? Is Karma the answer?By Aaman LambaThis is a rare and detailed analysis of the origins of theodicy in Hindu mythological tradition; looking at diverse sources; and not just the popular epics. The key questions addressed are related to whether karma is sufficient to explain why evil exists or if the conception of evil as a force is older than even the philosophical conception of karma.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CrimsonArrowWendy Doniger is amazing6 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Western theodicy stood on its headBy MWinVery interesting. Salvation is reversed: men try to save the gods. Both Indra and Shiva must come down to earth to expiate their sin and thus regain lifeblood. Hindu gods removed the impurity of death from themselves; and gave it to the men. This was the reason behind the fall of man. Maybe this portrays the background story of what underwent in the garden of Eden. This could give some insight into the origins of evil. It is a full-scale scholarly work.
