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A Waste of Time
I listened to this book on tape. There were 7 tapes in the unabridged set. By the forth tape, I was fed up. All Teddy had to do was tell Lake when he first found out about the correspondence with Ricky. Lake would have given up on it and the Brethren would never have known about him. Instead the CIA sends its own letters and ends up screwing everything up and spending millions of dollars. If Teddy's ideas of dealing with terrorists are anything like his ideas of dealing with the Brethren, Grisham's imaginary America is in big, big trouble. The characters in this book are so trashy and the plot so unbelievable, I couln't wait to bring the tape set back to the library. I was particularly sorry because, for the most part, I liked The Testament. | 0negative
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Diappointing
It starts off well in the zoo, but I got completely bored with Pi falling in live with every religion he encounters.. I have put it down. a third the way through. I might go back if I get desperate. | 0negative
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An Appalling Junk
I don't complain of this story being a sloppy melodrama; I love sloppy melodramas. I don't disapprove the fiction that Admiral Yamamoto leads the Japanese task force himself and sails to Hawaii ; OK, the author just wanted to perk up the story. And I can live with some peculiar things written about Japan and the Japanese; that was predictable. But why does the Pentagon exist in 1941? Why is General Marshall is appointed the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff before the Pearl Harbor? Why is B-25 tagged as a four-engine bomber? Above all, how dare the author write that of the Dolittle raiders, "all but five would make it back to the United States alive"? (In reality, seven flyers could'nt get back home alive.) And what's the meaning of stating "Of the five flyers who died, two were executed by the Japanese inside Japan itself" (Why ignore the third flyer who was executed?) Won't this negligence scandalize American readers? There are many more inaccuracies, and most of them have nothing to do with "perking up" the story. If the author doesn't care about historical facts, he should write a fantasy story and refrain from preaching the significance of the Pearl Harbor Attack or fact and truth of history. Of all my forty years of reading experience I have never seen a novel that was more crowded with infamous falsehood and distortions. | 0negative
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The Ultimate Love Story
I have never been more deeply touched by any other story, book, movie, or play. The Notebook is a brilliant love story about eternal passionate love between two people that were placed on the face of the earth for no other reason but to love one another. Nicholas Sparks describes the love story like no one else can. This book will move the depths of your soul. If you are an avid reader, or if you are picking up your first book, read The Notebook. The sequel to this book - "The Wedding" is a must read as you will learn about the continuation of the lives of the most incredible characters you will ever get to know. The Notebook is a story that will live within your heart for the rest of your life. You will never be the same after reading it. Highly recommended to anyone who has ever loved. | 1positive
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Wonderful Book
This was the first book I had bought for my son (my wife had stocked up before he was born) and it was based upon reviews and some good things I had heard about the author. Well, after two weeks with the book, it is now my favorite bedtime book and more importantly, it holds my 4 month old's attention.I am so pleased with this book that I just ordered 3 other of Ms. Boynton's books, which I am happily awaiting.All in all, I advise anyone looking for a humorous, entertaining, child friendly book to order this one. | 1positive
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Lutes, viols and virginals
How changes in the theory and practice of music echoed and exemplified a crescendo of new natural philosophy, and an equal and opposite diminuendo of traditional natural magic, is the subject of Gouk's book, an harmonious work that comprises three movements. The first, 'Geographies', poses and answers such questions as how was music understood in the period; how was it taught; who performed it, and on what instruments; where was it played and appreciated; and who were its audiences. The second is an annotated 'Gallery' of illustrations -picturing, amongst other things, the Theatre of Instruments, the Division of the Scale, and the Harmony of the Spheres- taken from contemporary publications by diverse authors, among them Fludd, Kircher, Schott and Mersenne. The last part, 'Narratives' relates the history of the Royal Society's engagements with music and the new Science of Acousticks, then studies of the role of music in the lives and works of Hooke and Newton. The author shews that, over the course of the century in question, the pursuit of knowledge and truth via natural philosophy took on an increasingly public and collaborative character, and this trend had an analogue in the increasing prevalence of public performance of music that had previously been confined to the chambers of the elite: in both cases, a species of Performing Art was being redirected, outward, to a broad audience in a secular setting. This absorbing book is clearly a distillation of many years' study and thought, and the resultant brew is a potent elixir of images and ideas, which almost evokes, at times, the sound of a lute, a viol or a virginal. | 1positive
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A weak attempt to tell a Roman Empire Adventure
'The Tribune' is a weak attempt to tell a story of suspense, mystery, murder and political intrigues with the Roman Empire as a background. Some people - even some critics - commented that this book made for the Roman Empire what 'The Name of The Rose', written by Umberto Eco, made for the Medieval Age. That's really an absurd consideration. In fact, 'The Tribune' is one of these books which offered to its readers a compelling start but by and by the story misses the point and you really feel that the author loses his pace and objective along the way. The plot is developed with a peasant and unsatisfactory twists and turns and, in the end, the outcome proves that Mr. Larkin doesn't know what to do with his own premises. Anyway, if you're not a very critical reader, maybe you can find some amusement with this book. But if you really want to read a good ficcional account of the Roman Empire or some other great Ancient Civilization, I recommend you to take a look at 'The First Man in Rome' by Cullen McCullough or 'Gates of Fire' by Steven Pressfield. Compared with this two titles, I'm sorry to say that 'The Tribune' is just an ordinary stuff. | 0negative
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New Edition available
There is a new edition for this title which is A History of the World's Religion by David S. Noss. | 1positive
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Defending the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness
I decided to read Counted Righteous in Christ because Piper refers to it repeatedly in the footnotes of his more recent book, The Future of Justification, particularly when he is giving biblical support for the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness by exegeting relevant passages. Since imputed righteousness is one of my favorite subjects, how could I not check this book out?While the arguments in it are aimed at all challenges to the doctrine of imputation, this book is a specific response to arguments made by Robert Gundry, because Piper considers him to be "one of the most courageous and straightforward and explicit and clearheaded" of those who challenge the traditional doctrine. Besides, it was two articles Gundry wrote for Books and Culture in 2001 that served as impetus for Piper to tackle this issue.Gundry believes that God decided to count our own faith as our righteousness. There is no such thing as positive imputation of Christ's righteousness to those who believe. And justification, according to Gundry, includes freeing the believer from "sin's mastery," something that has traditionally been called sanctification and kept distinct from justification.The middle section and greatest part of this short book (66 of 125 pages) contains Piper's exegetical basis for the traditional Protestant view that justification includes the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer, and that it is not faith that is counted as as our righteousness. This bit is difficult reading. I had to work to follow the arguments, and there are sections I've marked to go over yet again. It was, however, worth the effort, because Piper builds what is, in the end, an airtight case for the historical Protestant view of justification as the biblical one.That's good news for me. My faith is unreliable and a pretty wobbly at times, and if it serves (along with Christ's death, of course) as grounds for my justification, how can I be assured of my justification? Christ's righteousness, on the other hand, is rock solid, and anything based on it is certain. As Piper writes, "the full meaning of justification, as pardon and imputed perfection, has proved to be a mighty antidote to despair for the saints."But more than that, writes Piper, the historical Protestant doctrine of imputed righteousness "bestows on Jesus Christ the fullest honor that he deserves. Not only should he be honored as the one died to pardon us, and not only should he be honored as the one who sovereignly works faith and obedience in us, but he should also be honored as the one who provided a perfect righteousness for us as the ground of our full acceptance and endorsement by God."Counted Righteous in Christ is an important book, one you'll want to read if you're interested in the doctrine of justification, and especially if you've been bothered by the attacks by some evangelical teachers on the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer. Be prepared to take the time to study carefully the 66 pages of scriptural exegesis. | 1positive
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Interesting and Informative...although Dated
The author presents a balanced view of Harding's failed presidency, but fails to offer the same balance to Calvin Coolidge. I believe it was written with what research material was available at the time, with more Coolidge papers now open for inspection and some very intense research published; although the same cannot be said of Harding. It remains in the 21st Century unfortunate that the Harding family continues, through the privately run Harding home museum, to conceal the bulk of the Harding papers (the few left after Florence Harding burned most of them), love letters to Carrie Phillips, and even pictures of the Harding family. The home and website are owned and run by the local Ohio Historical Society, which, in concert with the Harding family, keeps tight control on what is allowed out to the public. Their paltry website is one of the worst for doing online research about a president. Although a National Historic Site, it is not associated with the National Park Service.Nevertheless, Karl Schriftgiesser has correctly presented the facts that Harding should never have been President. He had neither the mind nor the moral stamina for the exalted position. He looked like a president, but he was a little man, a small-town editor, a small-town politician, whose prepossessing facade was a false mask for the emptiness inside. Yet, the American people did not know it then. And when he died, they mourned for him with that outburst of emotion and sentimentality of which the American people are always so capable...not since Abraham Lincoln. They didn't know.The author does a credible job, albeit too brief, of covering the Hoover years, and then, turns in the last chapter, to announce the obituary of Normalcy through the election of F.D.R. | 1positive
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Excellent treatment on U.S. Tank Destroyers in WWII
Steven Zaloga is one of my favorite writers on AFVs and Tanks. This new series does not disappoint. I was particularly interested in the performances of the M10 and M36 in combat, and Zaloga describes those in detail, in particular the inadequacies of the 76mm gun in combat and the effectiveness of the 90mm, especially against the German Panther and Tiger tanks in the Ardennes. What I really liked were the little charts that Zaloga inserts throughout the book, which shows statistics such as the armor penetration comparisons of the 76mm & 90mm, the production numbers of the M10 and M36 in 1943-1944, the combat losses, and the conversion numbers of M10s into M36s. As usual, the Vanguard series offers great B & W photographs as well as colored illustrations of the vehicles in the middle. Zaloga always includes a good bibliography and notes on the color plates. Zaloga is able to pack it a lot of information in 48 pages of text. This is an excellent treatment of the M10 & M36. If you're an armor enthusiast or a modeler, you'll enjoy this book. Highly recommended! | 1positive
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seems very dated
This book seems very dated for having been published in the 80s. The patterns are pretty simplistic, and, in my opinion, lack appeal. The book is 144 pages long, and there are only 4 pages in color. To me, the only redeeming point of the book is that is has some black-and-white photos of classic samplers worked in the 1700s and early 1800s. | 0negative
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Not worth it and here's why....
It seems to me that some people take way too much meaning out of certain books. To me, books should be like music. The message should be in the words, not by deciphering "now what was the meaning of the tattered book in the hut?" Many praise this book as literary genius, but I think it was no more than a boring story (hard to get through it's measly page number). If you want the story told in a good way, rent Apocalypse Now; it's based (albeit more loosely) on the book. | 0negative
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one of shakespeare's finest plays
Though usually overlooked, this is a play with a finely woven plot (even though it does not all mesh together until late in Act V), complex characters, and echoes and allusions from such disparate plays as "Othello" and "Macbeth". The poetry here is Shakespeare at his finest - Leontes' soliloquies are fascinating and offer a pitch perfect glimpse at one whose jealousy blinds him completely,while Perdita and Hermoine are part of the same theatrical pantheon as Rosalind, Miranda, and Viola.Those who only enjoy realistic plays (well, Shakespeare's version of realism anyway) may find the plot much too far-fetched; it is a fairy tale with psychological depth, a wondrous mixture of genres that almost out Cymbelines' "Cymbeline".As usual with Arden, the introduction and notes are informative without being intrusive. If you are a lover of theater you will love this play. The recogntion scene in the last scene is one of the Bard's finest, most dramatic and moving scenes. Of all the editions available, this is by far the best. | 1positive
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Great Sowell Book
Thomas Sowell is a genius. He tells us the stories in brief, easy to read chapters, filled with lots of interesting info. Goes straight to the point. Mr Sowell is the ideal teacher. And he is a pleasure to read. I am sure I have learnt more about Italians, Irish, Blacks, Jews, Germans and Mexicans in America than I could have by reading thousands of pages by other authors.Thomas Sowell is the greatest mind in America. | 1positive
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Unintelligent tripe...
Never before in my entire existence have I encountered a piece of work that is worth my going on-line to decry it. Alas, this is it - Ellis's AMERICAN PSYCHO, perhaps the most atrocious piece of literary garbage to come out of the 20th century. Putting aside the obvious criticisms which I'm sure everyone is already aware of, I can only say that this book serves solely as an outlet for Ellis's crude imagination. If you take away this book's shock-value, you're left with no story, no conflict and characters thinner than the paper they're written on. Ellis seems to have constructed his protagonist out of what skimpy details he could remember about personality disorders from his ninth grade psychology class. He never attempts to answer the question: Why does this killer do what he's doing? I'm attacking this work NOT for its excessive graphic violence, and more for its extreme lack of substance. Ellis knows about as much about his subject matter as most of us do about quantum physics; giving the whole work an amateur feel and making it a laborious-at-best read. It's a waste of time, money and trees. | 0negative
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Boring
I too had been anxiously awaiting the next in the series of "Earth's Children". Reviewing earlier plots was fine with me because I had forgotten a lot since the last book. But the book was basically boring. I was anxious for it to end. The worst segment was the complete details about the burial of the man who was crushed by a bison. It just went on and on and on. I wouldn't want to know that much about the burial of any person. And she kept repeating that poem about mother earth. I kept waiting for some conflict with the persons that didn't like Ayla but it never happened. The characters just sounded too modern for the era it represented. | 0negative
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Excitement all the way!
Clive Cussler does it once again - he has written yet another Dirk Pitt adventure worthy of a place in classic popular literature! This time Dirk Pitt, Al Girodino and assorted colleagues discover the artifacts from an ancient civilisation which was wiped out by a comet hitting the Earth in 7120 BC. This part forms a fantastic prologue. Then we move to 1858 AD, where a British galleon is found in the Antarctic ice filled with treasures from a distant age . . . then in 2001, Dirk is back! What is the significance of a mysterious German billionaire and his family holding Nazi treasures? When he learns that such family, the Wolfs, are responsible for trapping them in a Colorado mine and covering up the evidence to stop others seeing the artifacts, Dirk once again uncovers more than expected - a villian more diabolical than any other he has encountered! When I read what the bad guy's ultimate aim was, it was pure James Bond material, of course, but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the book. Clive Cussler is the master of escapism. The prose is simple to follow without too much in the way of technobabble, the pacing is fast and consistent and the story is surprisingly believeable at times. And the ending was both a surprise in itself and very amusing! We also meet a certain character called Clive Cussler during the second half. 'His name sounds vaguely familiar,' says Dirk Pitt in the narrative. I don't know why people dislike Clive writing himself into the story, I think it's great fun myself. But this book ranks as one of Cussler's finest moments, along with SAHARA, DRAGON, NIGHT PROBE and TREASURE. Don't miss this one! | 1positive
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A light bulb went off!
After taking an adult course in French at the Walt Disney Studios and studying 52 lessons on tape with another series, I still didn't grasp the concept of French like Michel Thomas explains.He uses mnemonic devices to help you remember words such as explaining where the root of the word originated. He also explains guidelines to go by and you can apply these rules 100% to other sentences. A light bulb went off for me when I understood the concepts. I've never been good at English grammar but have a very clear understanding of French sentence structure and how the verb conjugation works now...and he makes it easy and fun to learn!! You want to listen to more. I wish he had intermediate and advanced courses. I'd buy them in a second.After listening to 2 CDs in French, I immediately ordered the German ones as well. It helps if people have had a course in pronunciation first before buying the CDs.The only drawbacks are that the female student is REALLY annoying...she sounds like she smokes about 5 packs of cigs a day and has lost a huge amount of brain cells because of it....Also, he doesn't get into the past and future tense as much as I would have liked....BUT the program is so good and so worth it, you can overlook this after awhile.Thank you Michel!! You saved me!!! | 1positive
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exceptional reading material for lovers of garcia-marques' m
The triangle love story will takeyou thru the main characters' whole life.An amazing caribean town, as well asthe people who live in this book.Only "100 years of solitute" has a betterregards in my heart.If you have never read garcia-maquez' masterpieces, I would urge, suplicar,that you read, and once you have read,you will know, what millions have come to know. | 1positive
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A very down to earth review of life at that time,and now
I loved it , it was just what i was looking for in a book. It didn't have any of that fantasy crap it was like a true story somthing you could realy beleave . I loved the characters and the way they were introduced into the story. all i can say is S E Hinton if your reading this PLEASE keep writing | 1positive
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Did TC do this on purpose?
While reading this book, I couldn't help but wonder if Clancy purposefully screwed up this book to keep us all off his back for future Jack Ryan adventures. Afterall, it is so distasteful and unrealistic in parts, what other conclusion is there to draw?I guess we could assume he's bored with Ryan and just forgot to do research, or maybe he became fanatical about using this book as a political forum and nothing else mattered, or perhaps he is just simply an angry man.Whatever the reason, the gratuitous sex, the excessive profanity and vulgarity, and the dim-witted antagonists (wasn't Roscoe P. Coltrane a character somewhere in this book?) all seem blatantly uncharacteristic of Tom Clancy. It seems to me that he doesn't want to do another Ryan book and had to piss enough of us off so we don't flood him with emails for a sequel.I wouldn't give this book a complete TURKEY rating, but compared to his previous books, it is glaringly loose (was there an editor?), heavy-handed, and, in my opinion, offensive.Because I want to remain a Clancy fan (is there anything better than "Clear and Present Danger" and "Executive Orders"?) I'm choosing to believe that "Bear" is a calculated, intentional screw-up, rather than believe that Clancy has turned himself into a distasteful, uncreative, run-of-the-mill author. | 0negative
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A must read
I was tempted to take off a star for the way the second half of the book tales off and becomes so concerned with Dorian Gray's decadence. However, it's a classic, even if parts of the book are disappointing. Nevertheless, the beauty of the prose and the depth of Wilde's words are such that one can't fault the author for not living up to the standards he set for himself. If you're an astute reader and care to analyze the text, the points made by Wilde can change your life and why this book is a must read. | 1positive
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All the stuff I forgot I liked!
I love this book. Parts are silly, and another reviewer found some typos, but this book just makes me smile every time I pick it up. This is not some definitive guide to lines, characters, or plots, but pages and pages of observations from past shows.If you didn't watch way too much TV in the past, then these quips probabaly fall flat. But if just reading the title of the section on 'How to tell the difference between Heather "The Fall Guy" Thomas and Heather "T.J. Hooker - Melrose Place" Locklear' makes you laugh, then it's a riot. | 1positive
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Real "Living History." Well done!
Robert Dallek is a scholar with integrity. He feels the record on JFK should be honest, fair, and balanced, and he succeeds on all counts. This book brings to life a portrait of a unique, but controversial historical figure, born into wealth and privilege, who, rather reluctantly, chose public service over an easy career as a journalist or a writer. JFK is treated here in very human terms, not worshiped and not denigrated. We are given glimpses of his motivations for his obsessive womanizing, but all of that pales in the face of JFK's intellectual depth, complex independent personality, and larger than life presence in these pages. Kennedy tried to live every day to the fullest, and understood the context of American politics in the world order. How different from presidents that followed him.I recommend this book highly, if for no other reason than to spend time again with Kennedy, his family, and his times. I don't think we'll see his ilk among us again any time soon, and that's our great loss as a nation. | 1positive
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sensationalistic, at best.
A decent story, but overly sensationalistic. I would like to see bestselling fiction stand more on well crafted writing & good story telling and less on terror-out-to-grab-you events. | 0negative
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The work published by Kafka in his lifetime
This collection was edited by Kafka's great friend, the man who saved his writings from the flames, Max Brod. It contains the work which Kafka published in his lifetime, including 'Meditation' 'The Judgment' The Metamorphosis' ' The Country Doctor' ' In the Penal Colony' and three pieces of travel- writing.Had Brod obeyed his friend's instruction and burned his work, then this present collection would be what we have of Kafka. We would not have the Journals, the Letters to his Father, Milena, and others, the novels, The Castle, the Trial, most of Amerika.Nonetheless even from what there is in this volume alone we can see that we are dealing with one of world Literature's great originals. The uncanny and mysterious character of Kafka's writing, those strange riffs of reasoning which take us to places in imagination we have never been before pervade this volume.Two illustrations. First, the Bucket Rider a small story , a parable of the human soul in search of heat, and help meeting the cruelty of winter cold and the merciless human heart. The other, ' Metamorphosis' in which Kafkean self- contempt seems to find its most perfect embodiment, and in which we observe Gregor Samsa struggling to communicate with his family and the world to remain alive, only to be rejected in the end by those he loves and cares about.Camus said that Kafka is a writer that must be reread and reread if he is to be addressed properly. The element of parable in his writing is a major element in urging us to this rereading. In the famous 'Before the Law' and in the 'Imperial Messenger' we have two examples in which there is that improbable Kafkean combination of a special fate and chosenness combined with a cosmic impossibility and failure.I would have preferred to see introductions to each seperate piece here including details of the first publication of the work, and if possible of Kafka's considerations regarding each work. That is I would have preferred more extensive editorial work here.But this lapse cannot detract from the remarkable power of these stories. Rereading them after quite a few years away from them I am again struck by how wholly different Kafka seems from any other writer. I don't think that even Borges could teach him how to better write his Parable. | 1positive
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Not the book I ordered!!
They sent me a copy of Little Women, but a COMPLETLEY DIFFERENT EDITION from what I ordered. Now I have to go through the hassle of returning it. They said that that was the edition they had on hand, so they sent it out!!They thought I wouldn't notice. I ordered a pocket edition and they sent me a large book, and a large print one at that!!!I would give them NO stars if I could! | 0negative
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Insightful and Encouraging
Entertaining read. Main gist of the book is to follow your gut, and follows good reasons as to why. I really liked it. Great conversational book too, or to read on plane rides. | 1positive
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I really wanted to like this book.
I really wanted to like this one because King's Mary Russell books are so extraordinarily good. This first Kate Martinelli book introduces several interesting characters. But it didn't hold my interest at all. I guess I just didn't care about the characters -- I was never totally drawn in. I kept setting the book down and picking up a different one. The climax was intense and exciting, as King's always are, but then there's a lengthy epilogue that made me want to fast-forward through it. I DID finally finish it, but the book was just too long. One of the hardest jobs of a writer is knowing what to leave out, and one of the hardest jobs of an editor is telling the writer that. I can't recommend the book unless you're a die-hard Laurie King fan. But DO pick up "The Beekeeper's Apprentice." That's one of the best of the genre. | 0negative
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Dean Koontz...where are you??
After reading Intensity and looking forward to Tick Tock, I don't know what went wrong. This book was not horror it was horrible. I was actually anxious to finish it (actually amazed that I bothered to) to find out what the rating was from Amazon readers. I am astounded that the average review for this awful book was 4 stars. It's nice that one reader allowed her 10 year old to read it, but that is not what adult readers expect from Koontz. The characters in this book - being chased by a cursed doll - wise-cracking and cutting up all the way thru car and boat wrecks and murders. Tommy Phan's mother was the most frightening thing about this book. If this had been the first book I read penned by Mr Koontz, I would not bother reading another by him. It was silly and juvenile and, as if that wasn't enough, had no point, no plot and no purpose. | 0negative
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A great book
In College we saw the movie as part of American Literature class, I bought the book after. This is a short story that is good from the first to the last page, the fraternity beetween two men, traveling together looking for work, one of them is very big, but not very smart, so he is constantly getting in trouble, the other one, George, looks out for him. They have dreams, but times are hard, until they meet an old man that is willing to invest so the three of them buy a ranch. I dont want to go into the ending, but I can say it is sad and beautifull at the same time, I really recomend this book, for all ages. I have read some comments about people complaining about foul language, I dont agree, it is much worse on most movies today. | 1positive
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Worst book for women
This is one of the worst books. It is all about manipulation and how to lie to get what you want. It is cloaked in a dirty robe of religion. God never asked us to manipulate people to get what we want. To act childish to get a man to love you is to have a man who never grew up himself. This writer is dysfunctional and so are the men she writes about.I was raised on this book by my Christian school. It did more damage to me than I can say in this short review. The big keys are obedience & submission. Both are not godly end all be all qualities. Sometimes the godly thing is to stand up to your man and defend your child or someone else. Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself so that you are not abused. This book sets you up so that other people will run all over and abuse you. I can't say that enough.Follow it to your own peril. | 0negative
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Few laughs, fascintating not
I read this one after finding it mentioned in Bill Bryson's Made in America. Since the former isn't very interesting, it's no surprise that this one isn't either. If you want chatty anecdotes about the inventors and their madness, this is for you. If you want to see how inventors have really made an impact on the twentieth century and living standards, then you'll have to dig a bit harder. | 0negative
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An informative, fun, but sometimes scary pop-up/action book.
If your kids like pop-up/action books, this one is full of things to play with and see. There are lots of flaps to look under, things to move, and creatures popping out of the pages. However, some of the content includes animals hunting other animals, and some of the animals in this book can be scary. (A big tarantula, bats, coyotes, a scorpion, a rattle snake, etc.) I was a little nervous when I first looked through the book, but my son (2 1/2) loves it and was not afraid of it. He reads it over and over, and shows me what is behind every rock, bush, and cactus. I would recommend it with the caution that it could be scary for some kids. | 1positive
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The Story of Humanity?
The point being, presumedly, that humanity is incomprehensible to humanity? How is my understanding of, or sympathy toward, humanity improved by attempting to read and decode the word "Bababadalgharaghtakamminnarronkonnbronntonneronntuon- thunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoordenenthurnuk"? There are many far greater works that not only tell the same story, but are readable and even enjoyable. My apologies to those who like Finnegan's Wake, but humanity is not best served by having its story told in gibberish. | 0negative
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reader from Israel
I wish I could give this book a stronger review then 2 stars but that is already being generous. Mr. Eco really drew me in with the ' Name of the Rose' and I expected more of the same with this title . Such was not the case. Being a Hebrew speaker and novice cabalist I thought I had a better chance of grasping this work then most others.... perhaps slightly but the overall read was laborious and painful. To say I did not get would be accurate. I have one more book by him to read and I'm hoping that this next one delivers a better rate of return.Mr. Eco is a wonderful writer all in all and if I had to pick someone to be deserted on an island with he would be a good choice. | 0negative
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Mockingbird can't be mocked
This is a book I just never read while growing up, and when my 15-year old son began reading it in school, his interest in it pulled me in. I checked it out of our local library but had to return it before finishing. That led me to do an Amazon search. Admittedly, I was disappointed I wasn't able to find it cheaper than I did, but it truly is a book worth having in our home library and is an excellent read. I enjoyed Harper Lee's style of writing, and the setting and plot were gripping and significant. The topics of the worth of a human being, freedom, and prejudice of various kinds, are substantially addressed in this great read, while maintaining a sense of enjoyable fiction. It is most likely for these reasons that it has become an American classic. If, like me, you are on the other side of high school and have yet to read To Kill a Mockingbird, I strongly recommend that you do. At some point in life, it is a MUST READ for everyone. | 1positive
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Surprised how much I liked it
I choose this book more or less randomly and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. The story is told from the point of view of the woman who would come to be known as Moll Flanders. It's a cautionary tale of sorts shared so the reader may learn from Moll's experiences as a thief (and other things). Defoe's writing style (which maybe was common for the time it was written) took a little getting used to, but once I got past it, I enjoyed the story. | 1positive
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not much help
There is very little information in this book. It is fattened up with a lot of irrelevent filler: long boring "jokes" & anecdotes. | 0negative
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Everyone should read this book who travels.....
Everyone should read this book who travels, expecially abroad, as well as those that may consider moving to the United States permanently from a foregin country. Ms. Erten has put a perspective on this book like no other I have seen... and I lived in Europe for many years as child growing up in a military family. I wish we had a book like this that could have helped us back then! Ms. Erten's style and poise comes through clearly in her words----and it makes a remarkable story and an interesting read, one that surely will be read over and over in my household! Five stars to Ms. Erten and I hope she writes another story someday soon! | 1positive
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Great... If you like the Patty Read's Doll
The Red Badge of Courage is the worst book I have ever read. The book does not have any cliff hangers. It is really boring the author makes the book so boring you could fall asleep if someone is reading it to you. The author could have made it way more exiting by making more people die. This book should tell you about more characters it only tells you about and describes at least six people. If you have already read it it has wasted allot of your time. | 0negative
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frighteningly on target
to be perfectly honest, after i'd completed '1984', i feared for us all. partly because i am a perpetual worrier, partly because this book so easily depicts what can, and already has begun to, happen to us as a race. 1984 intricately details a world shot to hell by mass propaganda, scapegoating, blatant lies and brainwashing. the story is told in third person, through the jaded and frustrated eyes of one winston smith, just another poor soul gone wrong. we see what the world has become: a machine, cold, colorless, dangerous. the government, known only as the Party, literally rules each and every aspect of life, down to the thoughts in one's head. the storyline sounds somewhat complex, but in actuality it's easy, almost too easy, to understand and relate to. the saddest, perhaps, part of this book was the fleeting love affair winston becomes involved with, and its eventual, and inevitable, demise. towards the end of the story my heart sort of dropped, because it does not necessarily end in triumph. i cannot give a good enough description of this book, it's hit too unbelievably close to home. i bought it not too sure of what the premise was(which i do often because i am a fool), but once i'd opened the book, i could see i held a real gem. | 1positive
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Review by Patricia's Particularity
The Snowy Day is the perfect book to read at the start of the winter season. The weather is finally cold and snow has finally arrived. The Snowy Day is told through simple words and simple images, yet the simplistic joy of playing in the first snow of the season is beautifully told. What child doesn't love to wake up to see a blanket of white covering the entire city? A playground awaiting!Ezra Jack Keats uses the simplistic joys of snow to tell this story: snowball fights and snow angels. Keats' illustrations and use of color give you images that stand out, again using simplistic styling. Peter stands out against the snow in his red coat. Keats uses paper to convey different textures, a technique that is rarely executed beautifully.There is nothing as simple yet beautiful than a child, as with anyone, enjoying the simplistic joys provided by nature. This is a must read for every child and adult who enjoy the winter season and all it has to offer. | 1positive
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It was horrible
This is definitely, unmistakably the worst book I have ever read. To anybody who is considering buying it, I strongly discourage them. Never have I read such poorly written trash in my life | 0negative
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Poor writing, but good plot line delivers
The plot of the book could have been condensed into fewer pages. The book was so long that the reading became tedious and repetitive. All together, the plot line was intriguing and kept me interested despite the poor grammar and writing style. I would like to know what happens in the next book. This story would make a great action movie if all of the books were condensed into one story. | 0negative
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A crucial book in the St. Germain series
I have been reading this line of novels for about five years, and have often had to read them out of sync since they can be very hard to find at the chain stores (and I have no good local stores to go to). I must say that this book should be one of the first that you read if you are beginning the series (which I HIGHLY recommend). The story is set in Nero's Rome and introduces two of Yarbro's main characters (Roger and Olivia) to the story arc. The writing is magnificent, and the attention to detail in the historical background is wonderful. Rome is portrayed as a wonderfully alien place rather than "Americans in Togas" that some historical writers seem to go for. I have a few more Yarbro novels waiting in my read pile now (Thanks Amazon!) and I can't wait to read more. | 1positive
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A really good Michener book.
This my favorite Michener book out of the ones that I've read so far. It had a very good story tracing back several generations of Hawaiians starting from the original settlers from Bora Bora and Tahiti. It covered several interesting periods in Hawaii's history, including the arrival of Catholic missionaries, the immigration of Chinese and Japanese, the unionization of the sugarcane workforce, the WWII period, and the drive for statehood (I guess the book was finished before HI became a state). It's a big book (1,000 + pages) but if you like historical fiction you can finish it rather quickly. | 1positive
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Pride and Prejudice
I love this book...it is a look into the window of how people use to behave in such a comical fashion. | 1positive
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Good overview, but needs to include real-world case studies
Data mining could be considered to be "Artificial Intelligence Lite", since it deals with many of the same issues in learning, classification, and analysis as they occur in the field of artificial intelligence but does not have as its goal the construction of "thinking machines." Instead, the emphasis is on practical problems that are important in business and industry, even though the solutions of many of these problems makes use of techniques that a thinking machine should be expected to have. Data mining has become an enormous industry, and has even been the subject of political and legal concerns due to the efforts of some governments to mine data on its citizens. This book gives a general overview of data mining with emphasis on classification and associative analysis. Anyone who is interested in data mining could read the book, but some rather sophisticated background in mathematics will be needed to read some of the sections. Pseudocode is given throughout the book to illustrate the different data mining algorithms. There are also exercises at the end of each chapter, but noticeably missing in the book is the inclusion of real case studies in data mining. The inclusion of these case studies would alert the reader to the fact that data mining is of great interest from the standpoint of business and industry, and would lessen the belief that data mining is just another academic field or just another branch of statistics.Speaking somewhat loosely, the goal of data mining is to find interesting patterns in massive amounts of data or the classification of such patterns. This entails of course that one have a notion of what is "interesting" and one of the main problems in data mining is to find suitable `interestingness measures'. And since one is typically dealing with large amounts of data, one must use various statistical sampling and preprocessing techniques to massage the data and obtain a `representative' sample of the original data. In addition, one must be able to handle data that is `anomalous', i.e. data that has characteristics that are markedly different from most of the other data, or that has attributes that are unusual if compared with typical values for those attributes. These issues and techniques are discussed in detail in the first three chapters of the book, where the authors outline some of the bread-and-butter topics needed for effective manipulation of data.The real substance and power of data mining comes from its role in classification and for discovering interesting patterns in huge data sets. The authors, in chapters 4 - 7, discuss various powerful techniques for data classification and association analysis. Association analysis in particular has been used quite extensively in recent years, due to the use of market basket transactions in on-line purchasing and the goal of marketers to learn the purchasing behavior of their customers. Association analysis uncovers relationships in the marketing data in the form of `association rules'. For disjoint itemsets X and Y, an association rule is a logical implication expression between these itemsets that has a certain `strength' that is measured by its `support' and `confidence.' The support measures how often a rule is applicable to a given data set, while the confidence measures how frequently the items in Y appear in X. The support reflects the ability of the rule to be not due to chance alone, while the confidence measures the reliability of the rule inference. The collection of all association rules that can be formed from a data set is too large to be practical and so strategies must be developed to prune the number of rules. The authors discuss in detail various methods for dealing with this computational drawback, such as `frequent itemset generation' and `rule generation.'The detection of anomalies consists of the identification of `outliers', which as the name implies are data objects that lie "far away" from the other data objects. It remains of course to quantity what it means to be "far away" and for this reason this branch of data mining, as the author points out, is sometimes called `deviation detection' or `exception mining'. The omission of outliers is sometimes justified, since they are merely artifacts that only serve to alter the statistics of a particular data set. However, sometimes their presence signals important information, if not a major scientific discovery. Data mining therefore must contain tools that detect anomalies intelligently and efficiently. The authors discuss anomaly detection in fair detail, emphasizing the statistical techniques that are available to do it. They classify the techniques for anomaly detection as being `unsupervised', `supervised', and `semi-supervised'. As the name implies, supervised anomaly detection requires the existence of a training set with both anomalous and "normal" data with each class being labeled as such. When these labels are unavailable, one has to perform unsupervised anomaly detection, and for this approach to work the anomalies must be distinct from one another. If the normal data is labeled but the anomalies are not, one must do semi-supervised anomaly detection. The only weakness in the authors' discussion is that they do not include real-world case studies that illustrate the different techniques, such as clustering and density methods. | 1positive
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At times uneven but often fascinating.
I love Ms Atwood's writing period. I mean,in my opinion she could write about the phone book and keep me engrossed. You may not agree with me,I know,I just wanted to state that before I review this book,which while not her best work of the ones I've read so far, still resonates. The three woman are so well-drawn that you feel like you are snooping in on some very good friends. All quite flawed, but still the kind of friends I wish I had more of. Also, There are,unfortunately,"Zenias" in this world,although most don't operate on such a high-level of manipulation as she does. The stark reality of these woman's lives is a vivid,though at times,a bit unbelievable parallel to this woman who seems to exist only for her own selfish needs. It's a scary,sometimes funny and often sad book that will keep you wondering what will happen next. | 1positive
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Hannibal doesn't come close to previous novels.
Much will be made of the gory, sinister nature of Hannibal, the violence and the strange, disturbing ending. What concerns me the most is that in previous efforts Harris made the FBI seem as a capable law enforcement agency. In Hannibal the FBI doesn't appear at all. The agency knows Hannibal is back in the U.S. but little is written about attempts to capture him. Further, the manipulation by bureacrats to ruin Starling's career is hamhanded and ludicrous. In short, there are so many plot flaws and holes in this story that it is unenjoyable. One minor peeve: Harris or his editor should know how to spell sizable (no e) and buses as applies to the vehicles, not busses as a kiss. I waited six years for this book. I hope Mr. Harris will use the next six years to return to the good form demonstrated in Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon. | 0negative
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OVERrated
In the first twenty or thirty pages, I was pleasantly surprised by Dickens's humor and had great expectations for his storytelling and prose-writing talent.I mean he is hailed as one of the greatest literary giants of English literature, as well as one of the most popular novelists of his time.But alas, my great expectations were dashed mercilessly, and I found myself - not unlike how Pip finds himself in the last portion of the novel - banging my head against the hard, boundless boredom that permeated the first 300 pages of non-drama, non-action, and non-story whose only saving grace was that it was not endless.In the beginning, Dickens sustains the story with action, and there's nothing wrong with that as it makes the story more engaging. But aside from that in the first interminable and insufferable two stages of "Pip's Great Expectations" that span exactly 300 pages, I was thoroughly disappointed in Dickens. Other than Pip getting rich all of a sudden, NOTHING happens: no desire, no real conflict, no gaps, no turning points.As far as the story is concerned, the 300 pages is crap.I said it. Don't gasp.The story finally, finally, finally picks up when Pip finds out the identity of his benefactor, goes through rather inexplicable mental ordeals about accepting the truth along with free money and sentimental outbursts with his "dear friend" Herbert about pretty much everything, followed by an incredibly maudlin confrontation with the guilt-stricken Ms. Havisham and a final showdown with the villainous Orlick into whose clutches Pip idiotically falls with a stupid letter that gives him little reason to risk the whole grand escape plan he and Herbert hatch for the next day.My conclusion: this book is overrated.Why is it that academics pick these boring books that can't tell stories as part of the western canon? I love reading classics, thanks, but THIS?The book displays a glaring lack of storytelling talent, psychological insight, and restraint. His prose is dense, sprawling, and unseemly as sentences are connected by ugly semicolons and don't flow beautifully at all. The scenes are more told than shown to the detriment of the flow of the story, and characters burst out into mawkish sentiments left and right.Yuck.People are irresistibly drawn to anything related to themselves. I have a sneaking suspicion that the academics who bill this book as "most fascinating" and "greatest and most sophisticated work" see THEIR prominent characteristic in it.Cloying, verbose, mediocre at best in the story composition, and irresistibly boring for the first 300 pages, it's "most fascinating" in the perplexing literary status it garnered over the years, "greatest" in its unnecessary length,and "most sophisticated" in the exquisite boredom it creates at that threshold pitch that is above sleep-inducing but below engaging.I won't be reading another Dickens in a long time.Read something else and save your time. | 0negative
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Review comment
I do not recommend this book to anyone because there are too many unsubstantiated claims by the authors. Some are half truths and the rest are made up . | 0negative
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New Age Crap, Not Christian Prayer Book...
Don't settle for a little "g" god, who is namelessand avoids mention of Jesus Christ. Buyer beware... | 0negative
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excellent
this is one of the best set of contracts i have ever used for my office and it really paid of to do so. I usually had problems with rushing into the nearest office to get a pre printed contract but with this set I have all I want just a click away . I found out that the contracts were easy to use and each had an explanation that sorted all of my problems. Now i can just print, fill out and file, brilliant. | 1positive
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DEFEATED, BUT UNBOWED
THIS YEAR MARKS THE 66TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASSASSINATION OF LEON TROTSKY-ONE OF HISTORY'S GREAT REVOLUTIONARIES. IT IS THEREFORE FITTING TO REVIEW THE THREE VOLUME WORK OF HIS DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHER, THE PROPHET ARMED, THE PROPHET UNARMED, THE OUTCAST.Isaac Deutscher's three-volume biography of the great Russian Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky although written over one half century ago remains the standard biography of the man. Although this writer disagrees , as I believe that Trotsky himself would have, about the appropriateness of the title of prophet and its underlying premise that a tragic hero had fallen defeated in a worthy cause, the vast sum of work produced and researched makes up for those basically literary differences. Deutscher, himself, became in the end an adversary of Trotsky's politics around his differing interpretation of the historic role of Stalinism and the fate of the Fourth International but he makes those differences clear and in general they does not mar the work. I do not believe even with the eventual full opening of all the old Soviet-era files any future biographer will dramatically increase our knowledge about Trotsky and his revolutionary struggles. Moreover, as I have mentioned elsewhere in other reviews while he has not been historically fully vindicated he is in no need of any certificate of revolutionary good conduct.At the beginning of the 21st century when the validity of socialist political programs as tools for change is in apparent decline or disregarded as utopian it may be hard to imagine the spirit that drove Trotsky to dedicate his whole life to the fight for a socialist society. However, at the beginning of the 20th century he represented only the one of the most consistent and audacious of a revolutionary generation of mainly Eastern Europeans and Russians who set out to change the history of the 20th century. It was as if the best and brightest of that generation were afraid, for better or worse, not to take part in the political struggles that would shape the modern world. As Trotsky noted elsewhere this element was missing, with the exceptions of Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Liebknecht and precious few others, in the Western labor movement. Deutscher using Trotsky's own experiences tells the story of the creation of this revolutionary cadre with care and generally proper proportions. Here are some highlights militant leftists should think about.On the face of it Trotsky's personal profile does not stand out as that of a born revolutionary. Born of a hard working, eventually prosperous Jewish farming family in the Ukraine (of all places) there is something anomalous about his eventual political occupation. Always a vociferous reader, good writer and top student under other circumstances he would have found easy success, as others did, in the bourgeois academy, if not in Russia then in Western Europe. But there is the rub; it was the intolerable and personally repellant political and cultural conditions of Czarist Russia in the late 19th century that eventually drove Trotsky to the revolutionary movement- first as a `ragtag' populist and then to his life long dedication to orthodox Marxism. As noted above, a glance at the biographies of Eastern European revolutionary leaders such as Lenin, Martov, Christian Rakovsky, Bukharin and others shows that Trotsky was hardly alone in his anger at the status quo. And the determination to something about it.For those who argue, as many did in the New Left in the 1960's, that the most oppressed are the most revolutionary the lives of the Russian and Eastern European revolutionaries provide a cautionary note. The most oppressed, those most in need of the benefits of socialist revolution, are mainly wrapped up in the sheer struggle for survival and do not enter the political arena until late, if at all. Even a quick glance at the biographies of the secondary leadership of various revolutionary movements, actual revolutionary workers who formed the links to the working class , generally show skilled or semi-skilled workers striving to better themselves rather than the most downtrodden lumpenproletarian elements. The sailors of Kronstadt and the Putilov workers in Saint Petersburg come to mind. The point is that `the wild boys and girls' of the street do not lead revolutions; they simply do not have the staying power. On this point, militants can also take Trotsky's biography as a case study of what it takes to stay the course in the difficult struggle to create a new social order. While the Russian revolutionary movement, like the later New Left mentioned above, had more than its share of dropouts, especially after the failure of the 1905 revolution, it is notably how many stayed with the movement under much more difficult circumstances than we ever faced. For better or worst, and I think for the better, that is how revolutions are made.Once Trotsky made the transition to Marxism he became embroiled in the struggles to create a unity Russian Social Democratic Party, a party of the whole class, or at least a party representing the historic interests of that class. This led him to participate in the famous Bolshevik/Menshevik struggle in 1903 which defined what the party would be, its program, its methods of work and who would qualify for membership. The shorthand for this fight can be stated as the battle between the `hards' (Bolsheviks, who stood for a party of professional revolutionaries) and the `softs' (Mensheviks, who stood for a looser conception of party membership) although those terms do not do full justice to these fights. Strangely, given his later attitudes, Trotsky stood with the `softs', the Mensheviks, in the initial fight in 1903. Although Trotsky almost immediately afterward broke from that faction I do not believe that his position in the 1903 fight contradicted the impulses he exhibited throughout his career- personally `libertarian', for lack of a better word , and politically hard in the clutch.Even a cursory glance at most of Trotsky's career indicates that it was not spent in organizational in-fighting, or at least not successfully. Trotsky stands out as the consummate free-lancer. More than one biographer has noted this condition, including his definitive biographer Isaac Deutscher. Let me make a couple of points to take the edge of this characterization though. In that 1903 fight mentioned above Trotsky did fight against Economism (the tendency to only fight over trade union issues and not fight overtly political struggles against the Czarist regime) and he did fight against Bundism (the tendency for one group, in this case the Jewish workers, to set the political agenda for that particular group). Moreover, he most certainly favored a centralized organization. These were the key issues at that time. Furthermore, the controversial organizational question did not preclude the very strong notion that a `big tent' unitary party was necessary. The `big tent' German Social Democratic model held very strong sway among the Russian revolutionaries for a long time, including Lenin's Bolsheviks. The long and short of it was that Trotsky was not an organization man, per se. He knew how to organize revolutions, armies, Internationals, economies and so on when he needed to but on a day to day basis no. Thus, to compare or contrast him to Lenin and his very different successes is unfair. Both have an honorable place in the revolutionary movement; it is just a different place.That said, Trotsky really comes into his own as a revolutionary leader in the Revolution of 1905 not only as a publicist but as the central leader of the Soviets (workers councils) which made their first appearance at that time. In a sense it is because he was a freelancer that he was able to lead the Petrograd Soviet during its short existence and etch upon the working class of Russia (and in a more limited way, internationally) the need for its own organizations to seize state power. All revolutionaries honor this experience, as we do the Paris Commune, as the harbingers of October, 1917. As Lenin and Trotsky both confirm, it was truly a `dress rehearsal' for that event. It is in 1905 that Trotsky first wins his stars by directing the struggle against the Czar at close quarters, in the streets and working class meeting halls. And later in his eloquent and `hard' defense of the experiment after it was crushed by the Czarism reaction. I believe that it was here in the heat of the struggle in 1905 where the contradiction between Trotsky's `soft' position in 1903 and his future `hard' Bolshevik position of 1917 and thereafter is resolved. Here was a professional revolutionary who one could depend on when the deal went down.No discussion of this period of Trotsky's life is complete without mentioning his very real contribution to Marxist theory- that is, the theory of Permanent Revolution. Although the theory is over one hundred years old it still retains its validity today in those countries that still have not had their bourgeois revolutions. This rather simple straightforward theory about the direction of the Russian revolution (and which Trotsky later in the 1920's, after the debacle of the Chinese Revolution, made applicable to what today are called "third world" countries) has been covered with so many falsehoods, epithets, and misconceptions that it deserves further explanation. Why? Militants today must address the ramifications of the question what kind of revolution is necessary as a matter of international revolutionary strategy. Trotsky, taking the specific historical development and the peculiarities of Russian economic development as part of the international capitalist order as a starting point argued that there was no `Chinese wall' between the bourgeois revolution Russian was in desperate need of and the tasks of the socialist revolution. In short, in the 20th century ( and by extension, now) the traditional leadership role of the bourgeois in the bourgeois revolution in a economically backward country, due to its subservience to the international capitalist powers and fear of its own working class and plebian masses, falls to the proletariat. The Russian Revolution of 1905 sharply demonstrated the outline of that tendency especially on the perfidious role of the Russian bourgeoisie. The unfolding of revolutionary events in 1917 graphically confirmed this. The history of revolutionary struggles since then, and not only in `third world' countries, gives added, if negative, confirmation of that analysis.World War I was a watershed for modern history in many ways. For the purposes of this review two points are important. First, the failure of the bulk of the European social democracy- representing the masses of their respective working classes- to not only not oppose their own ruling classes' plunges into war, which would be a minimal practical expectation, but to go over and directly support their own respective ruling classes in that war. This position was most famously demonstrated when the entire parliamentary fraction of the German Social Democratic party voted for the war credits for the Kaiser on August 4, 1914. This initially left the anti-war elements of international social democracy, including Lenin and Trotsky, almost totally isolated. As the carnage of that war mounted in endless and senseless slaughter on both sides it became clear that a new political alignment in the labor movement was necessary. The old, basically useless Second International, which in its time held some promise of bringing in the new socialist order, needed to give way to a new revolutionary International. That eventually occurred in 1919 with the foundation of the Communist International (also known as the Third International). Horror of horrors, particularly for reformists of all stripes, this meant that the international labor movement, one way or another, had to split into its reformist and revolutionary components. It is during the war that Trotsky and Lenin, not without some lingering differences, drew closer and begins the process of several years, only ended by Lenin's death, of close political collaboration.Secondly, World War I marks the definite (at least for Europe) end of the progressive role of international capitalist development. The outlines of imperialist aggression previously noted had definitely taken center stage. This theory of imperialism was most closely associated with Lenin in his master work Imperialism-The Highest Stage of Capitalism but one should note that Trotsky in all his later work up until his death fully subscribed to the theory. Although Lenin's work is in need of some updating to account for various technological changes and the extensions of globalization since that time holds up for political purposes. This analysis meant that a fundamental shift in the relationship of the working class to the ruling class was necessary. A reformist perspective for social change, although not specific reforms, was no longer tenable. Politically, as a general proposition, socialist revolution was on the immediate agenda. This is when Trotsky's theory of Permanent Revolution meets the Leninist conception of revolutionary organization. It proved to be a successful formula in Russia in October, 1917. Unfortunately, those lessons were not learned (or at least learned in time) by those who followed and the events of October, 1917 stand today as the only `pure' working class revolution in history.An argument can, and has, been made that the October Revolution could only have occurred under the specific condition of decimated, devastated war-weary Russia of 1917. This argument is generally made by those who were not well-wishers of revolution in Russia (or anywhere else, for that matter). It is rather a truism, indulged in by Marxists as well as by others, that war is the mother of revolution. That said, the October revolution was made then and there but only because of the convergence of enough revolutionary forces led by the Bolsheviks and additionally the forces closest to the Bolsheviks (including Trotsky's Inter-District Organization) who had prepared for these events by the entire pre-history of the revolution. This is the subjective factor in history. No, not substitutionalism, that was the program of the Social Revolutionary terrorists and the like, but if you like, revolutionary opportunism. I would be much more impressed by an argument that stated that the revolution would not have occurred without the presence of Lenin and Trotsky. That would be a subjective argument, par excellent. But, they were there.Again Trotsky in 1917, like in 1905, is in his element speaking seemingly everywhere, writing, organizing (when it counts, by the way). If not the brains of the revolution (that role is honorably conceded to Lenin) certainly the face of the Revolution. Here is a revolutionary moment in every great revolution when the fate of the revolution turned on a dime (the subjective factor). The dime turned. (See review dated April 18, 2006 for a review of Trotsky's History of the Russian Revolution).One of the great lessons that militants can learn from all previous modern revolutions is that once the revolutionary forces seize power from the old regime an inevitable counterrevolutionary onslaught by elements of the old order (aided by some banished moderate but previously revolutionary elements, as a rule). The Russian revolution proved no exception. If anything the old regime, aided and abetted by numerous foreign powers and armies, was even more bloodthirsty. It fell to Trotsky to organize the defense of the revolution. Now, you might ask- What is a nice Jewish boy like Trotsky doing playing with guns? Fair enough. Well, Jewish or Gentile if you play the revolution game you better the hell be prepared to defend the revolution (and yourself). Here, again Trotsky organized, essentially from scratch, a Red Army from a defeated, demoralized former peasant army under the Czar. The ensuing civil war was to leave the country devastated but the Red Army defeated the Whites. Why? In the final analysis it was not only the heroism of the working class defending its own but the peasant wanting to hold on to the newly acquired land he just got and was in jeopardy of losing if the Whites won. But these masses needed to be organized. Trotsky was the man for the task.Both Lenin's and Trotsky's calculation for the success of socialist revolution in Russia (and ultimately its fate) was its, more or less, immediate extension to the capitalist heartland of Europe, particularly Germany. While in 1917 that was probably not the controlling single factor for going forward in Russia it did have to come into play at some point. The founding of the Communist International makes no sense otherwise. Unfortunately, for many historical, national and leadership-related reasons no Bolshevik-styled socialist revolutions followed then, or ever. If the premise for socialism is for plenty, and ultimately as a result of plenty to take the struggle for existence off the agenda and put other more creative pursues on the agenda, then Russia in the early 1920's was not the land of plenty. Neither Lenin, Trotsky nor Stalin, for that matter, could wish that fact away. The ideological underpinnings of that fight centered on the Stalinist concept of `socialism in one country', that is Russia going it alone versus the Trostskyist position of the absolutely necessary extension of the international revolution. In short, this is the fight that historically happens in great revolutions- the fight against Thermidor (from the overthrow of Robespierre in 1794 by more moderate Jacobins). What counts, in the final analysis, are their respective responses to the crisis of the isolation of the revolution. The word isolation is the key. Do you turn the revolution inward or push forward? We all know the result, and it wasn't pretty, then or now. That is the substance of the fight that Trotsky, if initially belatedly and hesitantly, led from about 1923 on under various conditions until the end of his life by assassination of a Stalinist agent in 1940.Although there were earlier signs that the Russia revolution was going off course the long illness and death of Lenin in 1924, at the time the only truly authoritative leader the Bolshevik party, set off a power struggle in the leadership of the party. This fight had Trotsky and the `pretty boy' intellectuals of the party on one side and Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev (the so-called triumvirate).backed by the `gray boys' of the emerging bureaucracy on the other. This struggle occurred against the backdrop of the failed revolution in Germany in 1923 and which thereafter heralded the continued isolation, imperialist blockade and economic backwardness of the Soviet Union for the foreseeable future.While the disputes in the Russian party eventually had international ramifications in the Communist International, they were at this time fought out almost solely with the Russian Party. Trotsky was slow, very slow to take up the battle for power that had become obvious to many elements in the party. He made many mistakes and granted too many concessions to the triumvirate. But he did fight. Although later (in 1935) Trotsky recognized that the 1923 fight represented a fight against the Russian Thermidor and thus a decisive turning point for the revolution that was not clear to him (or anyone else on either side) then. Whatever the appropriate analogy might have been Leon Trotsky was in fact fighting a last ditch effort to retard the further degeneration of the revolution. After that defeat, the way the Soviet Union was ruled, who ruled it and for what purposes all changed. And not for the better.In a sense if the fight in 1923-24 is the decisive fight to save the Russian revolution (and ultimately a perspective of international revolution) then the 1926-27 fight which was a bloc between Trotsky's forces and the just defeated forces of Zinoviev and Kamenev, Stalin's previous allies was the last rearguard action to save that perspective. That it failed does not deny the importance of the fight. Yes, it was a political bloc with some serious differences especially over China and the Anglo-Russian Committee. But two things are important here One- did a perspective of a new party, which some elements were clamoring for, make sense at the time of the clear waning of the revolutionary ebbing the country. No. Besides the place to look was at the most politically conscious elements, granted against heavy odds, in the party where whatever was left of the class-conscious elements of the working class were. As I have noted elsewhere in discussing the 1923 fight- that "Lenin levy" of raw recruits, careerists and just plain thugs which enhanced the growing power of the Stalinist bureaucracy was the key element in any defeat. Still the fight was necessary. Hey, that is why we talk about it now. That was a fight to the finish. After that the left opposition or elements of it were forever more outside the party- either in exile, prison or dead. As we know Trotsky went from expulsion from the party in 1927 to internal exile in Alma Ata in 1928 to external exile to Turkey in 1929. From there he underwent further exiles in France, Norway, and Mexico when he was finally felled by a Stalinist assassin. But no matter when he went he continued to struggle for his perspective. Not bad for a Jewish farmer's son from the Ukraine.The last period of Trotsky's life spent in harrowing exiles and under constant threat from Stalinist and White Guard threats- in short, on the planet without a visa -was dedicated to the continued fight for the Leninist heritage. It was an unequal fight, to be sure but he waged it and was able to cohere a core of revolutionaries to form a new international, the Fourth International. That that effort was essentially militarily defeat by fascist or Stalinist forces during World War II does not take away from the grandeur of the attempt. He himself stated that he felt this was the most important work of his life- and who would challenge that assertion.But one could understand the frustrations, first the failure of his correct analysis of the German debacle then in France and Spain. Hell a lesser man would have given up. In fact, more than one biographer has argued that he should have retired from the political arena to, I assume , a comfortable country cottage to write I do not know what. But, please reader, have you been paying attention? Does this seem even remotely like the Trotsky career I have attempted to highlight here? Hell, no.Many of the events such as the disputes within the Russian revolutionary movement, the attempts by the Western Powers to overthrow the Bolsheviks in the Civil War after their seizure of power and the struggle of the various tendencies inside the Russian Communist Party and in the Communist International discussed in the book may not be familiar to today's audience. Nevertheless one can still learn something from the strength of Trotsky's commitment to his cause and the fight to preserve his personal and political integrity against overwhelming odds. As the organizer of the October Revolution, creator of the Red Army in the Civil War, orator, writer and fighter Trotsky he was one of the most feared men of the early 20th century to friend and foe alike. Nevertheless, I do not believe that he took his personal fall from power as a world historic tragedy. Moreover, he does not gloss over his political mistakes. Nor does Trotsky generally do personal injustice to his various political opponents although I would not want to have been subject to his rapier wit and pen. Politicians, revolutionary or otherwise, in our times should take note.REVISED JULY 25, 2006 | 1positive
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Armageddon is coming... Saturday afternoon
I hope you're ready, because the world is about to end, this Saturday! At least, that's what Agnes Nutter predicted in her book of prophecy, the only completely accurate book of prophecy known to exist. Too bad she was burned at the stake, eh?This novel was captivating and hilarious, from the cast of characters to the "bonus material" at the end. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett are immensely talented, and have a great gift for comic timing and suspense. The interactions between the human characters are spot on, which only makes the intrusion of the supernatural characters that much more absurd.What pleased me most of all is that my kids (precocious young teens) can both enjoy this book - I am not concerned about adult material in it that they're not ready for. I know they'll love every page of it, just as I did. I just wish it could be a movie! | 1positive
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A handy guide to spanish!!
This book is just perfect for your visit to Mexico! With all of the introductory vocabulary and conjugations, this reference guide is just what you need to feel comfortable and confident with your spanish. Not too wordy, and clear with explanations, you'll want to take this book everywhere on your spanish adventures! | 1positive
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Innovative Concept
The concept of different swing planes is a breakthrough for instruction on the golf swing. Jim Hardy is a very reputable golf instructor. I found the DVD set to be very professionally done, but to contain too much explanation. While there are a number of examples and demonstrations of the principles that are presented, after more than 30 minutes of viewing, I found it very difficult to remain attentive to Jim's talkative teaching style. My 2-star rating applies more to the method of presentation than to these remarkable concepts. Other more skilled golfers than I have told me that they LOVE the DVD series. I suspect that experienced, skilled students of this very demanding sport will too. As for me, a high handicapper who has been playing regularly for less than a year, I found it to be "too much". | 0negative
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Not good for kindle
I have the book as well as kindle edition. The kindle edition is extremely low resolution. It won't be useful at all as its barely readable. Big disappointment. | 0negative
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Fabulous Book!
I am not a spiritual person. I received this book as a present. i started reading it and couldn't put it down. It really gives you a good description of women in Biblical times without getting all caught up in the "history" of the actual Bible. Every turn of events was surprising and shocking. I did not want it to end. I wanted to continue the story of Dinah. I then gave it to a friend and she called me to tell me she is totally completely caught up in this story and she cannot work but to read this book! Thanks for a great read. | 1positive
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hey guys, like lattes? eldredge says you're a pansy
As a twenty-something heterosexual man who owns a miniature poodle and enjoys strawberry margaritas and massages, I don't really identify with much of this book.Eldredge, bless his heart, is so frantic to prove this idea of macho masculinity that he grasps at any and all Biblical content that can be twisted into proving his point. Quite simply, his exegesis is hurried and his hermeneutic is careless.In the end, there seems to be no focus or point at all. It's just a fountain of strangeness. There are much better works on Christian manhood available. Practically anything is better than this. | 0negative
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Good learning tool
This is a great way to break into reading real Japanese books. It is rather complex though, so do not start this until you have a firm grasp on grammar. Each page will tell you all of the kanji and vocab, but too little to help explain quirks of grammar.All of the stories have their readings posted on the books website. This is great! As you can work on your listening and reading. I recommend this book for all students, but if you are just starting, you can wait. However, eventually you will want this book. The sooner you start trying to read real Japanese, the sooner you will be able to. | 1positive
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BORING! VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!!
As someone who for a long time considered himself a Hannity fan via watching Fox News' Hannity and Colmes, I was disappointed to find out he isn't much on his own. Sampling the radio show and purchasing the book (audio book), he comes off as being very subdued and not enthuised. 98% on the War on Terror, while other authors such as Bill O'Reilly and Michael Savage tackle a host of issues head on, is it's essential flaw. I wouldn't recommend it. Sorry Hannity and Hannity fans. :( | 0negative
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Mere christianity
I felt that I was given pieces of a jig-saw that I did not know were missing, and this enabled me to see pictures I was not aware God had been preparing. If you know the code this book will be a revelation. If not I pray for you. | 1positive
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very disapointed by Lone Eagle
Do not waste your money on this book. I am usually a big reader of her books but this one was slow,boring and the guy for his age needed to grow up . There is no good part in this book sorry to say. I hope her next book is better. Maybe she needs to take a long rest between writing her books. I'm glad my sister lent me this book. | 0negative
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Leckie's book
While not as good as Sledge's "With the Old Breed", this book by Robert Leckie "Helmet for my Pillow" is good. Recommend both but would start with the Sledge book. | 1positive
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Good summary
The pictures are very well done, and it's a good introduction to the real book for a late elementary student. I still recommend reading the complete book, because this summary leaves out a lot. | 1positive
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Fine book impossibly packaged
I never thought I would write something like this, but it must be said. I buy hundreds of books a year and this work was unique. A fine book fatally flawed in its physical execution, and monumentally overpriced. Rakov, Amazon, and publishers take note. This shameful 'product' might have been acceptable even with its extravagent price were it not for the disgraceful binding that ran the text into the tightly bound spine. Books are meant to read, not wrestled. I had to return my copy because of this bit of publishing garbage - which cost me the postage. Shame on you all. | 0negative
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Classic
Interesting storyline but this book does have some dry spells of boring marine information. Overall formatting was great other than a degrees symbol coming up as a ? | 1positive
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Truly amazing book
This is a truly amazing book. It changed my life.The thing that I really like about this book is that it teaches you to be a good person. It teaches you to be real by being your best self.It shows you how to interact with people in a positive way for you and for the other person. It is timeless, and I'll read it about once every three years for the rest of my life. | 1positive
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Transcribed past the language barrier by Buddhists
The Sixth Patriarch's Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra is an impressive and "reader accessible" English translation of the fundamental text of Ch'an Buddhism encompassing the life and teachings of Master Hui Neng, the Great Master the Sixth Patriarch, as penned by one of his disciples. Effectively rendered into English by the Buddhist Text Translation Society, and enhanced with commentary by Triptaka Master Hua (an orthodox Buddhist leader), The Sixth Patriarch's Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra presents a Buddhist text transcribed past the language barrier by Buddhists in behalf of a western readership, in order to better spread wisdom and understanding among men and women of all faiths. Highly recommended reading, The Sixth Patriarch's Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra is an especially recommended contribution to Buddhist Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists. | 1positive
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what is six times nine? 42? it just doesn't work
I think this is a perfect book for the mind that is looking for anarchy in today's world. The book had me on the edge of the page as I read it and laughed out loud as Ford, Zaphod, Trillian, and the lovable Arthur move through the universe on a hoopy journey. I suggest reading it upside down and backwards, but don't listen to me. | 1positive
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Almost Perfect, only one flaw
I found only one flaw as I dug through this thoroughly enjoyable new installment in the Ender saga. Because this one flaw involves Bean doing the one thing he has spent half the novel warning other people never to do, it puts his character development on shaky ground. However, SHADOW OF THE HEGEMON nonetheless proves itself a complicated, intelligent new science fiction thriller.In the future world-stage, three great superpowers have arisen with the collapse of the Hegemony: India, Russia, and China. Asia, and Southeast Asia in particular, is quickly becoming a battleground; unlikely alliances are forged, nations fall under great tides of political and militaristic force, and agendas are furthered by webs of intrigue and deception far too complex to be controlled.And, behind it all, is the sociopathical Achilles, who has escaped from the nuthouse and has devised a grand master plan to reunite the world under his rule. He has several Battle School graduates kidnapped, including Petra, who for some reason the author decided would make a good damsel in distress.The only one that can stop him is Bean, who needs to choose sides and fast as world wars ignite. He goes to Peter Wiggin, who hopes to one day restore the Hegemonial Office to its former glory. The Peter of SHADOW OF THE HEGEMON is very different from the Peter of CHILDREN OF THE MIND, and is perhaps the most complicated character of the entire series. Bean gives Peter a plan to become Hegemon while still in his teens, and Peter in turn helps Bean detirmine what it is that the treacherous Achilles is really plotting.Throughout all this, the International Fleet becomes very important. Legally, they can only interfere with Earth events by preventing the use of nuclear weapons, but the Polemarch is confronted with many moral dimellas as the fighting heats up. Peter seems to need the current Polemarch to accomplish his goals as well, but it is unlikely that Locke can bend him to his desires.All in all, SHADOW OF THE HEGEMON is a worthy sequel and quite on par with ENDER'S SHADOW. | 1positive
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Great book for C++ developper and clarify your darks areas
Fabio wrote a great book ,he is going deeply in every aspects of XML and how to use it in a c++ environment,He is giving us good running c++ examples.The bonus : I sent a question to Fabio about XSLT and he answered me instantly with an example . A great book,a great guy . | 1positive
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Another 'pop religion' book for lemmings and sheeple!
Folks, use common sense and logic in living your precious, finite lives. Life is short, and often unpredictable enough as it is, and you certainly don't need some fad pastor TELLING YOU his skewed version of reality and why we are here, while he rakes in the millions! The fact is, MORTAL MEN conceived of and wrote ALL religious books, tomes, and manuscripts throughout history, INCLUDING 'The Bible'. And we can't prove nor disprove the existence of a 'superior being', or 'god'. So we are ALL agnostics, and many of us don't even know it (or will admit to it!). Fortunately, LOVE, ETHICS, and MORALITY are NOT predicated on or dependent on any organized religion or other fairy tale, so take it from there. There are millions of people living 'purpose driven lives' here on Earth without organized religion, or some pastor practicing 'mind control' on you. Thanks for 'listening'! | 0negative
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Good Book that will be enjoyed by inmates for years to come! Used as an art class tool Very creative use.
Good Book that will be enjoyed by inmates for years to come! Used as an art class tool Very creative use. | 1positive
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Innacurate about Judea
In this novel Men of Bronze the narrative takes us the Holy Land-it mention the Jews there-even though they had returned from exile in Babylon by then and were the majority there. You mainly focus Philistines, Canaanites (the latter which had long ceased to exist) etc. Also you refer to Judea as 'Palestine even though the name Palestine was only vreated by the Romans in 70 CE. why is that???? | 0negative
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Literally The WORST book I've ever read: Case Closed.
I've had an interest in Jack the Ripper for the last couple of years, and when I found out that Ms. Cornwell was going to be investing such a massive amount of money and "scientific study" into determining who the killer was, I was ecstatic. What a great idea for a fiction writer to do right? Unfortunately, I was caught up in the tremendous amount of hype that surrounded this book and failed to see the glaringly obvious flaw: this was a FICTION writer. This fact becomes painfully clear on the first page of the book."Portrait of a Killer" would make for a somewhat decent work of fiction. It would make for a mediocre "historical" fiction novel based on a real event. As a "non-fiction novel, it is absolutely horrible, and definitely the worst non-fiction book I have ever read. I've never read a Cornwell novel before, but it seems that she is trying to use real people to create fictitious characters. Walter Sickert is the man she is convinced held the secret identity of Jack the Ripper. Cornwell's entire premise for this book is that she would be using the scientific method, and more interestingly, DNA analysis, something that has never been done on the Ripper case. When her DNA analysis and scientific studies fail, she STILL uses the unconvincing results to try to draw definitive conclusions that Sickert was the killer.The DNA "evidence" that is Cornwell's main link to Sickert and the Ripper, is actually mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA. This type of DNA is actually very common, and is shared by anywhere from 1-10% of the population. Furthermore, Cornwell cannot even state with certainty that the DNA she tested was even Sickert's. How does she explain away all of the eyewitness alibis Sickert had for 4 or the 5 murders, placing Sickert in Paris at the time? She doesn't, she simply ignores them. Her ENTIRE book is based on a wide amount of circumstantial evidence that doesn't even come close to being "scientific." Most of the letters she attributes to the Ripper have been widely recognized as hoaxes by the Ripper community.From reading her book, one would think that Cornwell had some sort of personal vendetta against Sickert, as she attempts to portray him as an insane psychopath. What does she use to support this claim? Mainly Sickert's sickening tendencies to take walks at night or paint!Cornwell failed miserable with "Portrait of a Killer." She attempted to spend 1 year stepping into a completely unknown field. A field that has been explored by people studying the Ripper and the evidence for decades. Her only advantage over other authors on Ripper books was her budget and access to Ripper documents and testing laboratories. However, when this fails to turn up a single bit of conclusive evidence that Sickert could even possibly be the killer, Cornwell loses her ground and proceeds to recede back to what she does best: writing fiction. Even if her evidence proved without a doubt that Sickert was the killer, the book is so horribly written and jumps around so much, there is no way I would ever recommend it to anyone else. | 0negative
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do not read.
This book was horrible, in my opinion. And I will give reasons.For those of you, like me, who enjoy a book that has deep development and interesting characters, with more to them than a name, this book is NOT for you. Not only are the characters incredibly weak in personality to a point where you cannot get at all attached to this book in any way, the plot just if ridiculous. The fact that this book was combined from THREE SEPARATE novels is insanely horrible. Just reading the "first book" was like reading a chapter to a story -- it ends with little said in it to be wanting the reader to continue and little established.I could not finish this book because it was so horrible, by the "second book" I just tossed it aside. There is not adventure, no sense of being involved in a fantastic tale of intrigue, fantasy, or warmth, or even EVIL to the point where I hate or like anything. I mean -- come on? When I read a book I want to be INVOLVED. I want to be able to relate to characters, to FEEL the characters, to know them...and the adventure, it better be something, not "let us trape around for a while, perhaps battling one or two foes then kill the a witch with little difficulty".Don't read if you happen to like a very interesting plot, or at least decent one, developed characters, villians who can actually be recognized as being somewhat threatening and put up a hell of a good fight before inevitably being felled.Other than this nothing to say. | 0negative
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Vets Might Fly
BEWARE, I purchased this series thinking they were a continuation of James Heriot's first four but to my disapointment the publisher riped off the public by reprinted the original stories under a new title. I tryed to return them but gave up and donated them to the local library | 0negative
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A Positive View On Aging
I thought this book was very good. It specifically talks about the power of our thoughts and words on our reality as well as on aging. It also talks about what one can do to age well and reverse negative signs of aging, such as exercise, diet, meditation, etc. The research and citations back up his ideas thoroughly and prove that aging is very much within our control, more so than most people believe possible. | 1positive
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Amazing Read - More than a book
There is an excellent reason why Les Miserables has been rated as one of the best books to be ever written and the writer deserves every bit of credit he has received.Les Miserables is more than a read; it's a life experience. It gives the reader the pleasure of digging deep into what life can and does offer to people living in different conditions, though it tends to focus on those who face abject poverty. There are so many complicated thoughts expressed in the book, it'll be difficult for you to perceive the material for a train of philosophical thoughts. Philosophy has debate written all over it, meaning that 'you're never wrong as long as you argue correctly'; 'there are two sides to every coin'. But, after reading this book, you'll be surged with ideas that will be incontestable to the very last page.Victor Hugo has an intimate understanding of human nature and his writing reflects that in the best way possible. You'll be amazed as to why you kept yourself from reading this book before. A note to those who like their read to be precise :: you know the saying "patience is virtue"...this is where it'll be worth working on that phrase. I am not sure how the abridged format of this book fares, but one thing is for sure and it's that the unabridged version will definitely not disappoint you. At the end of the read, I found myself comprehending this "If people like Jean Valjean exist, I hope I will be fortunate enough to realize when I meet such a person"....I believe that good thoughts/ideas usually are inspired by events from the past, so I'm sure there is some basis to where this story comes from. I have thoroughly enjoyed the authors style of writing and will highly recommend this book to a novice as well as a regular reader. Every great book leaves it's reader with a joy of learning something valuable and Les Miserables hits the mark splendidly. So, get hold of your copy soon and experience the great feeling which people all over the world share on this book. Enjoy! | 1positive
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Fascinating book
I love trivia stuff. I'm not exactly Ken Jennings, but I enjoy learning information that most people don't know. My wife calls me the "vat of useless information." I accept that title with great pride.It is because of this title that I could not wait to get "Why You Say It" by Webb Garrison. "Why You Say It" shows the stories behind over 600 words, phrases, idioms, and jargon that we use today. Have you ever wondered why we say "Flying off the handle" or "On cloud nine" or "Life of Riley"? This book answers all of those and much, much more.What I found most interesting about this book were things it included that I didn't expect to see, like "O.K." and "baby" and "balk." Who knew that the phrase "O.K." started with a U.S. President?If you love trivia, you will love this book. It's not exactly a reading book as much as a reference book, but if you are like me you will easily find yourself hooked on reading it and saying, "Huh," a lot.I teach business at a career college and have used this book in class when discussing idioms and jargon. It is really a great tool for any classroom and makes for a great icebreaker. Buy it and you'll find out how many peole want to read it. | 1positive
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Pharmacy exam review
This book was an excellent resource, it was easy to read, and very informative....I would recommend it to all pharm. tech. students. | 1positive
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Very Good; 4.5 stars
About a decade ago, Patterson published an excellent survey, Grand Expectations, of the postwar years from the end of WWII to Nixon's resignation. He now follows Grand Expectations with a fine book covering the period from Nixon's resignation to the election of 2000. One of the major themes of Grand Expectations was the sense felt by many Americans that life would bring them increasing prosperity, freedom, and American power. A second major theme was the so-called Rights Revolution, the great expansion of individual rights that occurred with the Civil Rights movement and allied phenomena. These themes continue in Restless Giant. In the present book, Patterson follows the ups and downs of Americans' expectations regarding their lives and the direction of the nation. A recurring theme is that despite continued economic expansion and the considerable successes of American society, the last generation has seen persistent anxiety about the prospects of Americans as individuals and America as a society. Patterson also shows the continuing evolution and success of the Rights Revolution. This revolution consists not only of the expansion of perceived rights but also of a variety of Federally sanctioned entitlements accompanying them. Over the last 50 years, the expansion of rights and entitlements has included a substantial waning of anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic prejuidice, the guarantee of legal and civil equality for African-Americans and other ethnic minorities, the emergence of disability rights, the increasing equality of woment, and even a gradual though grudging acceptance of homosexuality. An important part of the book covers the rise of Republican conservatism. Patterson shows well that despite the considerable political success of this movement, it has succeeded only in perhaps slowing the Rights Revolution but not reversing it. In one of his rare astute comments, the conservative journalist George Will once wrote that, "Americans are conservative but they want the New Deal." It would be more correct to say that Americans are conservative but they want the Rights Revolution and its accompanying entitlements.Patterson organizes this book by alternating chapters giving social history with chapters on political history, using Presidential terms and the experiences of each administration. This works quite well and Patterson is quite evenhanded in his treatment of controversial issues. Reading these chapters will bring back memories for many readers, some of whom may be surprised by what they find. For example, most people today will think of Jimmy Carter as a leftist democrat. Patterson shows President Carter as relative moderate who preferred fiscal restraint, who appointed Paul Volcker as Fed Chairman with the knowledge that he would aggressively pursue deflationary policies, and whose foreign policy in the last 2 years of his administration anticipates some of the Reagan policies. Indeed, Carter in some respects was tougher than Reagan as he embargoed grain sales which the Reagan administration would later permit.Patterson is a very good writer and the narrative and analysis flow smoothly. Despite its considerable virtues, this book has some minor defects. Patterson does quite a good job on social history but could have covered more economic history. He appropriately cites a lot of statistics but this always done in the text. Patterson, like many historians, doesn't seem comfortable presenting this type of data in charts or graphs which often make looking at this type of data easier. In discussing events and personalities, Patterson is perhaps too evenhanded. In discussing individual presidents, for example, he often says things like, "Reagan's critics said...", rather than presenting a judgement. But, for many of these events and person it is possible to render judgements. If Gerald Ford and Bush 1 are underestimated, as implied by the narrative, why not say so? It should be possible to make a reasonable judgement about Reagan's role in the end of the Cold War rather than avoid the issue. Its a shame that someone with Patterson's perspective and depth of knowledge isn't more willing to make critical statements. While he describes nicely the success of conservative Republicanism in electoral politics, he doesn't deal well with the fact that Republicans largely abandoned their conservative principles about the size and role of the Federal government and become a vehicle for business group lobbying, a phenomena that the political scientist Theodore Lowi called interest group conservatism.Finally, its impossible to read this book, with its extensive and fair descriptions of our recent Presidents, and not think about the performance of our present President, Bush 2. Even compared with Presidents who came to power in unpropitious circumstances or committed serious self-inflicted wounds like Clinton and Reagan, Bush 2 comes off poorly in terms of leadership and vision. | 1positive
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Booster Boy-Rott
This is a boring one as far as they go.It is about Winston wanting to be a cheerleader(funny..you can picture the little skirt hey)and there is focus on BORING! kids like ..Nora I think it was.Tatattata | 0negative
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We killed a tree for this?
It is obvious within the first ten pages that Martin Hart-Landsberg has never lived in Korea and equally clear through his spelling errors in the names of his Korean sources that he does not speak Korean. Although not a prerequisite for an objective study of U.S. policy in Korea, it would certainly lend some credibility to his research which did not use a single reputable authority on Korea. Through the use of questionable or uncited claims, irrelavent issues, and rhetorical fallacies easily disproven by any college freshmen, Hart-Landsberg talks equivocally around his thesis while objectively proving nothing but his love for North Korea. Stick to economics, Landsberg. You know nothing about Korea. | 0negative
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Inspirational and Eye Opening
I first heard about this book in a newspaper review and decided to buy it for my Mum for christmas. We live in Melbourne, which also made it extra special, although anybody would be able to appreciate the art. The book is beautifully presented and also very interesting to read as each artist has their own bio accompanying photographs of their work. I recommend this book to anybody who has an interest in street art, design or is just look for a unique coffee table book. It also makes for a great gift. | 1positive
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Great Read
I enjoyed yet another of Lisa Wingate's books. I met her a couple of years ago and she is a very real yet sweet spirit. She lives not too many miles from me and it is really neat to know one who writes so well who lives so close. Lisa weaves a wonderful tale and it was a great read. Loved the story line. | 1positive
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Faith and Family
Goldsmith's only novel, The Vicar of Wakefield, is, as another reviewer pointed out, a modern (1766) version of the book of Job. In the book of Job, Satan attempts to make a fool of God and at the same time attack Job. Satan accomplishes this by arguing that the godliness of Job, who is God's beloved, is motivated by self-interest alone. God allows Satan to test Job in order that God and Job be vindicated.In Goldsmith's story, Dr. Primrose is a priest with a loving wife and 6 wonderful children. They have an elegant house, the respect of their neighbors and the means to help others less fortunate. We are barely introduced to Dr. Primrose and his family when they are beset by misfortune. Their wealth is stolen and they must give up their family home and move to a distant village. From this point on, a series of ever increasing calamities occur.Through it all we know that Dr. Primrose and family will persevere even if we can't anticipate all the twists and turns in the story. With that said, Dr. Primrose is not perfect. The introduction makes clear that he is possessed of intellectual pride. This measure of sin lends the story an air of authenticity that would be missing if Dr. Primrose was perfection personified. As a side note, the Penguin edition of this book does have a useful introduction which helps to frame the issues Goldsmith was trying to communicate as well as providing context for the times. The end notes are also of tremendous help.The ending may be unlikely but the message of faith and family love endures. Don't let the age of this classic novel prevent you from enjoying its wit and wisdom. | 1positive
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This book is based on opinions of the author.
I've read many fasting books and this one was very disappointing. Patricia Bragg offers many opinions non of which are based in the facts I was looking for. The best book I've read so far on fasting is: "Fasting and Eating for Health : A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease" by Joel Fuhrman and Neal D. Barnard, which offers many medical references. | 0negative
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I PRAY THIS BOOK STAYS OUT OF PRINT
I love the novels and poems of Erica Jong, but I pray that FANNY stays out of print. It's her only mistake in a glorious career, and readers should forgive her. FANNY is, in a word, unreadable. Even if you overlook (ha! just TRY to) the way it was written, you will find yourself yawning before Our Beauteous Heroine flees Lymworth. The plot is paper thin and predictable--and flat out unbelievable. Too many coincidences mar an already weak plot.Quite frankly the nnarrative is punishing. I wanted to wring Fanny's neck. I'faith, it will make You tear out Your beauteous auburn Hair! Jong should be embarassed and so should her publisher! In fact, this is not the author's fault, but the editor's. For shame! Someone should have said, Look, Erica: This book is neither here nor there. Either make it a "normal" historical or go back to writing the contemporary novels that made you famous.Then again, it could've been the author's fault. Perhaps bestsellerdom convinced Our Authoress that anything she penned would automatically sell like hotcakes! If this book ever appeared on any bestseller list, I daresay it was due to print run and nothing else.I think I know what she was trying to do--to mimic an 18th century novel and to impart a sense of the dialogue of the day. It was an admirable attempt, and if any author on this earth could pull it off, Jong was the most likely candidate. However she failed to write a book for every sort of reader--even literate readers found FANNY irritating. It failed to find a niche, a genre. If a novel lacks an audience, it becomes dangerous to the author. Sad to say, it probably took her years to write the bloody thing.Read INVENTING MEMORY, if you like fiction, or FEAR OF FIFTY, if you like essays. If you like historical fiction, read Dorothy Dunnett or Jane Austen (depending on your tastes, of course). But do yourself a favor and stay away from this deformed novel. | 0negative
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over rated guide book
This was a disappointment, especially when the Title promises so much more. Standard Audubon's still provide the best. We wished more unfortunately received much the less | 0negative
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Everyone should read
A book about common knowledge that isn't do common after all. Wonderful and insightful tips on public speaking and how to stay focused with confidence. A must read for anyone and everyone!! | 1positive
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Worst book I've ever read
It looked promising, but I found the characters shallow, insipid, and one-dimentional; the dialogue seemed contrived and each time a person's eyes "welled up with tears", I felt the urge to scream! Good story idea, but poorly written. Sorry. | 0negative
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This series is the best series created!
This book and all others in the series recieve my highest rating as an opera singer and a teacher. The translations and IPA references make it a wonderful resource for any teacher, or college student who has taken a diction class. The CD comes with a reading of the poem and then a call and response part for you to perfect your pronuciation. The accompianments are also done beautifully, the sound quality is very clear with good volume. I have to rate these books the best all around books for my studio and wish the other publishers would follow their example. | 1positive
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Darcus @ Starcrossed
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of those classics that I have been wanting to read for quite sometime. Years ago, when the movie version, starring Johnny Depp, was released, I absolutely loved it and fell in love with the story and characters. Well, this is one of those cases of wrongfully watching the movie before reading the book. They were so utterly and completely different.In all honesty, I didn't really like the book. It's really short and there was really no mention of the horseman until about twenty -seven pages in (36 pgs total). It just wasn't for me.I'll stick to Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, thanks. | 0negative
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INCREDIBLE - ANOTHER GRAND SLAM FOR KURSON
I read Shadow Divers last year after many good friends told me how good it was. And they were right - it was fantastic. Crashing Through is every bit as good. Kurson's specialty is non-fiction stories that are a perfect blend of entertainment, information and inspiration. The main character is a man named Mike May. Blinded at age three in a freak accident - May didn't allow his blindness to limit him in any way. The story of his "blind" life is incredibly inspiring. Parents everywhere should read this book. May's mother was a quiet study in courage. She was tough enough to allow her son to reach his potential even when the process was terrifying to her. A rich educational experience, Kurson clearly explains the complex, multidimensional process of human vision without glossing over the details. And just like Shadow Divers this book has a generous and evenly mixed helping of intensely painful and exceptionally funny moments.No doubt Kurson could have readily converted his Harvard law degree into a high paying career at a large law firm. Fortunately for readers everywhere he has the courage to go his own way and create a unique and beautiful type of Art. | 1positive
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