A cultural history of New England examining the notions of regional identity and its transformation between 1865 and 1900

Representations and coverage of S&M have become quite common nowadays, whether we see them in the fashion industry, commercials, the news, on television, film, the internet, and so on. But in the population at large and in the academic community, too, it is still persistently stigmatized. This marginalization, along with its ambivalently persecuted status, is a result, significantly, of a nineteenth century legacy. This legacy begins with Kraftt-Ebing’s designation of sadomasochism, along with gay and lesbian desire, as a perversion, and continues in the popular and expert (mis)understandings which prevail. More generally, most people today will recognize that all human relations are power relations. Yet most people will also deny this and mask these power relations by invoking all sorts of things, like romantic love, sentimental attachment, companionate marriage, friendship, peace, non-violence, harmony, and the list goes on, ad nauseam. Not that these do not exist in a sadomasochistic relation, but sadomasochists are unflinching in their recognition that all of these are also permeated by power relations. It is not only impossible to purge these relations of power but for sadomasochists it is also undesirable to do so. It is not only more honest to acknowledge the power that saturates these relations but also more instructive in the sense that S&M provides a context in which one learns to exercise power and to submit to it in a responsible way. Even in scholarly critical and theoretical discussions of S&M, the prevailing opinion is that the power exercised in sadomasochism is not “real.” It is of course not real in the sense that slavery and violence no longer has a legal status. But reality cannot of course be gauged or even approximated by its legal status alone. For most practitioners, it is hard to deny the reality of pain, of humiliation, of degradation, in the moment of its enactment. One can hardly deny the reality of bringing the whip down on someone’s back or of having it sear across one’s buttocks.

Potentates is a fictitious portrayal of the world of politics and power. Ren, an innocent ex-priest, accidentally finds himself thrust into the political arena when he is hired as the office manager for the beautiful and ambitious Margaret Hall. He is not prepared, however, for all of the secretive manipulations and unbridled greed that pervade our political system. As Margaret climbs the political ladder, Ren finds himself living life constantly on the edge. Eventually, he realizes he is being torn between his sense of moral dignity and the thrill that permeates him every time he wheels and deals.After experiencing the drama of Potentates, read the non-fiction section of the book, entitled Micro and Macro Power Warriors for insight into the following problems: *Power abuse -- a national epidemic *Power addicts in politics *Power scandals *Power games played by CEOs *Abusive personal power relationships *Preventing power addicts from manipulating you*Alternatives to power games

A History Book Club Alternate Selection. "A controversial and provocative study of the fundamental differences that shaped the South ... fun to read", -- History Book Club Review