The third book in this genre-busting series is certain to enlarge Kinney's presence on the bestseller lists, where the previous titles have taken up residence for the past two years. Kinney's spot-on humor and winning formula of deadpan text set against cartoons are back in full force. This time, Greg starts off on New Year's Day (he resolves to "help other people improve," telling his mother, "I think you should work on chewing your potato chips more quietly") and ends with summer vacation.
"Straw" which O'Neill feels is his best piece of work, he describes as "a tragedy of human hope." It is a play of tuberculosis, and all the action takes place in a sanitorium. At the same time it is not morbid nor in any sense pathological. "My whole idea" he says "is to show the power of spiritual help, even when a case is hopeless. Human hope is the greatest power in life and the only thing that defeats death."
Never has the relationship between art and nature been more complicated and more fragile, but also richer and more fascinating. The artists and architects in Natural Architecture have transformed the act of building into an art form capable of sparking new relationships with nature, landscape, and the environment. Though far from basic or primitive, these creations are built from humble elements branches, twigs, pebbles, straw, stone found at their site. Fulfilling a wide variety of intentions sometimes structural, sometimes sculptural, sometimes sacred the works presented here inspire a sense of awe and reverence for the forces of nature.
Straw bale houses are easy to build, affordable, super energy efficient, environmentally friendly, attractive, and can be designed to match the builder's personal space needs, esthetics and budget. Despite mushrooming interest in the technique, however, most straw bale books focus on "selling" the dream of straw bale building, but don't adequately address the most critical issues faced by bale house builders. Moreover, since many developments in this field are recent, few books are completely up to date with the latest techniques.
