Book Description

Half a century after its debut, "I Love Lucy" remains the most popular and influential sitcom phenomenon in TV history. Jess Oppenheimer, "the brains" of "I Love Lucy," gives us an insider's view of this groundbreaking show, generously interspersed with actual recordings of classic Lucy performances--including her famous "Vitameatavegamin" routine. Sounding much like an episode of "Lucy" itself, Oppenheimer weaves a wonderfully entertaining tale of the creation of this landmark show. Lucy aficionados will also delight in his personal accounts of stars such as Desi Arnaz, William Frawley, Vivian Vance, and of course, Lucille Ball. Read by three-time "I Love Lucy" veteran Larry Dobkin, and featuring comedy performances by Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Gale Gordon, Hans Conried, Bea Benaderet, Frank Nelson, and more! Published in hard cover as "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time." ... Read more

Reviews (22)

"Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" is enjoyable from cover to cover!
"Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" is written by Jess Oppenheimer andhis son, Gregg Oppenheimer. Jess Oppenheimer worked formany of the legends of old time radio, including Fanny Brice, Fred Astaire, and Edgar Bergan and Charlie McCarthy. This book tells of Mr. Oppenheimer's career in writing radio scripts, and specifically deals with his writing for Lucille Ball. He wrote first for her when she performed in "My Favorite Husband," and then he tells about his creation of "I Love Lucy," the television series starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Mr. Oppenheimer not only created the idea for the series, he was also the head writer and producer of the program. Because of his unique inside perspective, Mr. Oppenheimer is able to provide information about Lucy and Desi that no one else could. There are a few things that make this book absolutely unique... Several appendices are included in the book which are very interesting. The first appendix shows an actual script (complete with hand-written changes) that was used during the production of "My Favorite Husband." But, what makes this book fascinating is the fact that a 65-minute audio CD is included, composed of twelve different tracks. The first track is a recording of the presentation of the script for "My Favorite Husband" included in Appendix A of the book. Another real plus for this book is the number of photographs that are included. The photos provide another dimension to this richly-composed book. This book is not only informative, it is very entertaining! Anyone who has ever seen an episode of "I Love Lucy" will want to own this book. It now occupies a prominent place in our family library. "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" will be read and re-read many times in our home.

Behind the Scenes of the Best TV Show Ever
I'd like to start with a clarification: this book is not a biography of Lucy, it is the creator's (Jess Oppenheimer) memoir. As such, there are many parts of the book that have nothing to do with Lucy, including episodes from Oppenheimer's childhood and young adult life.

However, this is still a GREAT book! It is well-written and full of entertaining annecdotes. "Laughs, Luck, and Lucy" follows Oppenheimer's slow rise to the top in the Hollywood radio industry. He describes Lucille Ball's program, "My Favorite Husband," which became the basis for "I Love Lucy." The book also includes some behind the scenes information about the making of "I Love Lucy."

The included audio cd is fun because it has clips from both "I Love Lucy" and "My Favorite Husband."

If you are only interested in information specifically about Lucille Ball, this might not be the book for you (try her autobiography, "Love, Lucy"). However, if you (like me) are fascinated with everything surrounding "I Love Lucy" and the Hollywood entertainment industry of the 1940s and 1950s, this is a great read!

A gripping read
The best "Lucy" book yet. Aside from providing amazing insight into the "I Love Lucy" show and behind the scenes, this book also makes the reader feel as if he has been right along side Jess Oppenheimer throughout all of his fascinating experiences in San Francisco and early Hollywood. By the time I finished the book, I felt like I was saying good-bye to an old friend. Laugh out loud funny and impossible to put down, the book is brilliantly written and feels like a hilarious conversation with a genious.

Laughs, Luck,...and Lucy
This book is full of insight on the show I Love Lucy; also on the radio show My Favorite Husband which inspired I Love Lucy. Lucille Ball stared in both shows. The book was written by Jess Oppenheimer and his son Gregg Oppenheimer. Jess Oppenheimer was the creator, writter, and producer of I Love Lucy. Sixteen chapters full of information for any Lucy Lover, would like to read about. The book has exclusive photos of the stars and other people behind the show. Each photo has a description about it. The book also comes with a Lucy's Lost Scenes CD. On the CD there are some episodes of I Love Lucy's lost scenes, also some episodes of other I Love Lucy episodes such as "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" There is also some episodes from My Favorite Husband. The book also has scripts from I Love Lucy and My Favorite Husband inside the book. The scripts are original scripts that as you can see when looking at it had lots of changes to make it better. Inside the book talks about the authors. Full of information that you probably wouldn't be able to get anywhere else. This is probably the best book to read it all from the beginning. How and why did I Love Lucy ever existed. Who better to explain it than the man who created it!!

Behind the Scenes with Lucy
Jess Oppenheimer, who was a producer of I Love Lucy and wrote many classic episodes, has produced a very enjoyable and engaging behind the scenes look at one of the greatest television shows ever. He provides a lot of insider tidbits on the production of the show and working with the cast. This book would be enjoyed by any fan of the series or of television's golden age. Very entertaining. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Comprehension beyond compare!!
As a practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism, and member of SGI-USA, I have found this book to be utterly enlightening, absolutely comprehensible, and totally fulfilling in way that makes Daisaku Ikeda's writings all the more valuable to me. His interpretation of the life of the original Buddha, Shakyamuni, has answered many lingering questions I've had on the fundamentals of Buddhist philosophy and I encourage anyone with an interest in Buddhism to read this book!!!

The Living Buddha
Ikeda's biography of Shakyamuni Buddha made him very real. The reader is taken into the life and times of Shakyamuni, providing a rich history that kept me turning the pages for more. I have read this book twice and eachtime I enjoy it more than the last. Most important, Ikeda uses language andconcepts that Buddhists and non Buddhists alike can readily understand.

A Down to Earth Rendering
This book is excellent ! The first in a series of three on the origin and history of Buddhism, it offers valuable insights from a unique perspective on the first man to reveal the Dharma and turn the Wheel of the ExcellentLaw. Dr. Ikedas' 'interpretive biography', approach is interesting andhonest in it's effort to aknowledge the difficulties of putting such a worktogether at such a great chronological remove, and I feel he has dealt withthese difficulties in a very useful way. I would reccomend this book toanyone seeking to acquire a knowledge of general Buddhist history, and evenmore so to those seeking to use this knowledge as the Buddha himselfintended; to improve their lives, and the world itself.

Life of Buddha Brought Alive
Reading this book evokes the spirit of Shakyamuni as an enlightened person living in a troubled society who offers wisdom to humanity on how to overcome life's sufferings. The stories of his relationships with hisfollowers and the guidance he imparts to inspire them to live noble livestranscends any specific time or age. A wonderful book to pick up wheneveryou want to feel close to the Buddha within you.

The Early History of Buddhism
This book, "The Living Buddha, An Interpretive Biography" give the reader an glimpse into the life and times of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni.(Also known as Siddhartha Gautama).Unlike many other booksof its kind, "The Living Buddha" touches mostly on thepersonality of the Buddha himself, to help us understand his personalmotivations and experiences.

Shakyamuni, the "Enlightened One,"was a common mortal who achieved enlightenment as to the fundamental natureof life and the universe itself.

"The Living Buddha" is alucidly written biography by Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka GakkaiInternational, the world's largest Buddhist organization and a UnitedNations NGO.

Through his book, we see that the world and societyShakyamuni lived in is not so different than ours now - that he was facedwith the same type of problems we all face.The account of how heconquered these problems is what makes for an inspiring narrative. ... Read more

Book Description

Although a widely observed and respected practice in America, Buddhism is still difficult for many seekers to thoroughly grasp. Now, Adrienne Howley - personally ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and one of the highest ranking Buddhist nuns in the world - writes in a warm, simple, and engagingly humorous style that illustrates the life, ideas, and teachings of the Buddha and the religion and philosophy that he inspired. This charming guide demystifies Buddhism and shows how we can apply its teachings to our lives in useful and meaningful ways. Howley covers who Buddha was and how he came to formulate his philosophy, the three main Buddhist traditions, what ordinary Buddhists believe and practice today, and meditation: how and why. There are also answers to questions most commonly asked by non-Buddhists, including: How can Buddhism make me happy? How can I always practice generosity? and How can I move away from greed and hatred? The Naked Buddha is an accessible, down-to-earth introduction to this ancient Asian religion and a valuable addition to the literature on Buddhism. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Naked Buddha
This book is an essential guide for those people who are beginning their journey into buddhism. It offers straightforward answers to questions about this religion. As a buddhist, I found this book to be a helpful meditation starting point when stuck on topics to ponder. Adrienne gives a brief background into the life of siddhartha so that the reader can understand how buddhism came about. Then she explores the buddha's teachings. I especially enjoyed the last two sections where she answers the readers questions about buddhism. I would definately recommend this book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A well-publicized 1994 Sotheby's auction listed, among other musical artifacts and ephemera on the block, a lock of Beethoven's hair. The high-bidders of the hair, two Beethoven enthusiasts, were easy enough to identify by their oddball names: one was a doctor named Che Guevara, the other a retired real estate developer named Ira Brilliant. But the real story, as author Russell Martin attempts to explain in this book, is how did the lock end up on the auction block?More important, can we learn anything from a 175-year-old snippet of hair? Somehow, author Russell Martin attempts to weave biographical information about Beethoven's life with scientific findings about his hair (the two buyers had the lock DNA-tested), as well as trace the path the hair took, from the great composer's head right into the present.

It's a tall order and one at which Martin partially succeeds. His facts about Beethoven and Ferdinand Hiller (the original keeper of the lock) are solid, but he hypothesizes at length about how the hair ended up in a small port town in Denmark during the Nazi occupation. Likewise, he spends nearly the entire second half of the book describing the lives of Guevara and Brilliant, occasionally sounding more like a press agent than a journalist. Subtitled "An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Musical Mystery Solved," Beethoven's Hair doesn't truly solve any musical mysteries, but it is a fascinating, original read for Beethoven-philes who want to learn a little bit more about their favorite composer. --Jason Verlinde ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Not conclusive
Regardless of whether you are a classical music fan or not, Russell Martin's Beethoven's Hair, is a captivating mixture of biography, history, and modern-day scientific investigation.

When musician/composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel heard his good friend, Ludwig Van Beethoven, was near death in 1827, he journeyed from Germany to Vienna to say his farewell. In tow was his most talented student, fifteen-year-old Ferdinand Hiller. Hummel and Hiller visited the dying genius many times during his last two months. Upon viewing the body, Hiller asks, and receives permission, from Hummel to snip a locket of the graying-brown hair as a keepsake. It becomes the boy's most prized treasure. He has it mounted in an oval locket, and it becomes a family heirloom for the next 100 years.

After World War II, the locket turns up in Denmark, the custody of a doctor who helped hide, and maybe treat, Jews escaping Hitler's wrath. How and why the locket gets to Denmark and into Kay Fremming's possession can only be theorized. Martin does an excellent job in putting the facts he has been able to gather into a compelling and interesting tale.

In 1994 the locket came up for auction at Sotheby's. Ira Brilliant and Che Guevara (not the Argentine radical), both Beethoven zealots, purchase the locket and begin to institute a series of 20th-century scientific tests that ultimately reveals more about the physical deficiencies of the musical genius.

Beethoven's Hair is a written in an interesting style, alternating Beethoven's biography and the history of the locket with its sale and decision to perform scientific studies of the 500-odd strands of hair. The story of Beethoven's life and the history of the locket are intertwined and often confusing.... especially when Martin only refers to other musical legends (Bhrams, Hayden, Mozart, etc) without completely defining their relationship with Beethoven. The journey of the locket is the most fascinating part of the book. The tests performed upon the hairs and the creation of a Beethoven center at San Jose State University in California are a little dry, but well worth the time to read. I came away from Beethoven's Hair glad I had learned new information about the great man, intrigued by modern science, and totally captivated by the locket's 170-year journey.

A beguiling mystery; a celebration of artistic achievement!
In 1827, 17 year old music student Ferdinand Hiller visited Beethoven, accompanied by his piano instructor. The day after the master's death, young Hiller was permitted to take a lock of Beethoven's hair as a memento of the great man. Hiller went on achieve fame as a virtuoso pianist and music director in Cologne, Germany. At his death, he bequeathed Beethoven's hair to one of his sons. What happened from there is a beguiling mystery. How did it manage to turn up in the estate of a Danish doctor who had helped Jews escape from Nazi-occupied Denmark to Sweden?

In my opinion, Russell Martin has done a masterful job of interweaving the story of this locket of Beethoven's hair with biographies of those we know who had come in contact with it, accompanied by relevant facts concerning musical history, politics, medicine and forensic science. This is a book that will inform you and stir your imagination. More importantly, it will enable you to enjoy the fellowship of people from all walks of life who love music in general and Beethoven's masterpieces in particular.

Ode to Boredom
As a Beethoven enthusiast and musician, I eagerly bought this book and thought that I wouldn't be able to put it down. Unfortunately, I put it down many times...and put it down about 3/4 of the way through and haven't picked it back up since. Its not as much about Beethoven as it is a flowery excursion into what might have happened with people who might have come into contact with the lock of his hair. It is all speculation and lots of back story, which drowns any seed of interest I had in it.

Interesting Story In Bloated Form
It is impossible to damage this book. That's because it has so much padding it probably could survive any shock.Initially you are expecting to read a story about how a lock of Beethoven's hair snipped by a 17 year old Ferdinand Hiller (the later composer) wound up by various means in the U.S. 200 years later. That interesting story could be told in about half the space taken up in this book.
Beethoven dies, the hair is snipped and then we get a mini biography of Ferdinand Hiller. Beethoven is next ressurected and we get a chapter of his first decade in Vienna with much repetition. Don't worry you'll get the rest of his life a chapter here and there. Then Hiller dies and we get his obituary which retells what we got two chapters back. You get the idea. Every now and then something else about the hair and later chapters about the 2 guys who bought the lock at auction.
What this book sorely needed was an editor to organize it and cut out the repetitions, paragraphs entirely made up of questions(most of which had already been answered) and unsupported speculation. When I tried to check the bibliography to find out where some of this stuff came from I was some how not surprised that there was none. Here is a case of a book that will probably work better in a Reader's Digest condensed version.

not worth 5 dollars
well i assumed that this book would be crap seeing as it is about beethoven's hair. however i read it in hopes that it would be about beethoven. it is not, it is about the nazis. honestly you read the book and it starts off with beethoven, then a name gets dropped of some famous composer or related family memeber. And in a matter of sentences you go from the death of beethoven to the rescuing of jews from denmark? what? yeah. its basically a 288 page ramble. However within those pages there are a few good quotes and some worthy information. Like someone said "who doesn't love beethoven," we all love his music and have a strong appreciation for him, but if i were you, i'd save your five dollars and buy some ice cream or something. ... Read more

Book Description

A simple, uplifting telling of the life of Buddha by an award-winning, best-selling author. This is the first account of the Buddha story that does not separate, but blends the elements of history, apochrypha, and the Buddhist tenets into a compelling, page-turning narrative: it establishes Buddha as an exceptional mortal who embodies the search for immortaility and the end of suffering.Not for Buddhist insiders, but for all readers, this tale reaches across time to those with similar yearnings and needs, because all humans wish to elude death. ... Read more

Book Description

A thorough, illustrated biography discussing the president's childhood, his career, his family, and his term as President of the United States. Includes a time line and glossary. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A juvenile biography of the first President George Bush
Sandra Francis's juvenile biography of George Herbert Walker Bush for the "Our Presidents" series begins by observing that although Bush was considered a hero for his handling of the Persian Gulf War and was skillful in dealing with foreign policy, he only served one term in the White House because of economic and social considerations. To explain how Bush became the first incumbent vice president since Martin Van Buren to be elected to the president, Francis divides his life into four chapters: A Privileged Childhood, The Best of Times, America's Vice President, and The Presidency. Young readers will learn that Bush was the youngest Navy pilot in World War II, started three successful oil companies, and compiled an impressive political resume as a U.S. Congressman, Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of the Republican Party, head of the U.S. Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and a professor at Rice University before deciding to seek the Republican nomination for President. Ronald Reagan won the nomination instead but selected Bush to be his Vice President.

Francis develops Bush's accomplishments as President and if she offers no more explanation for Bill Clinton winning in 1992 beyond the fact that Bush broke his "Read my lips--No new taxes" pledge, she is not alone in having trouble explaining how a President with a popularity rating in the 90s could end up being defeated for reelection. However, Bush does get a small measure of redemption when his son, George W. Bush, was elected President in 2000 (thereby making Al Gore the first incumbent Vice President to lose a Presidential election since Hubert Humphrey). Individual pages in each chapter are devoted to the story of Bush being shot down during World War II (with an actual photo of his being rescued by a submarine), his beloved wife Barbara as "Everybody's Grandmother," and the Persian Gulf War. Many pages contain Interesting Facts in the margin (the Bush rode bicycles in China, Bush hated broccoli, etc.) and the rear of the book contains a Time Line on Bush, Glossary Terms, and a list of Our Presidents. ... Read more

Book Description

A bombshell exposé of how a self described "media creation" gets caught up in an illicit "axis of amorality" and a right-wing revolution that’s divided and betrayed the American people and belittled our standing in the world.

From George Bush’s days in the busted oil fields of west Texas, to becoming Enron’s bagman-in-chief, to the real war on Islamic extremism, Saudi ties to terrorism and the WMD deception, the true character of W. Bush, his greed driven politics and the absolute lie of his war on terror are exposed in a clear concise language that all Americans can relate to and understand.

Bush Unplugged is not about tired, old, right-versus-left political bickering and backstabbing. It’s about right vs. wrong, according to time-honored American values and the fundamental principals that 99% of us chose to live and abide by. You won’t find any wild conspiracy theories here - only the little-known, yet documented truths behind the most controversial and divisive figure of the modern age.

Only by coming to terms with who Mr. Bush really is can all Americans honestly evaluate the deceptive, divisive nature of his government—of his special interests, by his campaign contributors and for the top 1 percent wealthiest Americans. And ultimately make a stand for building a renewed sense of American community based on truth, justice and the American way.

"In framing my thesis I took the advice of none other than Rush Limbaugh himself," says Author, Marc Umile. "When listening to Rush during the Clinton years, whether he was talking about Whitewater, Travelgate, Troopergate, this gate, that gate or even the Vince Foster suicide episode, ol’ Rush was always quick to tell his listeners, ‘if you ever want to get to the bottom of any political intrigue, my friends, follow the money! Follow the money trail!’"

In the finest traditions of the right-wing attack machine, Umile takes Limbaugh’s advice and follows George W’s money trail back to his days as a west Texas oilman. And like a bloodhound on a hot scent he follows that trail all the way to the mother of all oil reserves in Iraq. After all, there is simply no better way to evaluate a man’s character, his leadership capabilities, and where he and his folks are really coming from than by FOLLOWING THE MONEY. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Please get off the fence and read this book!!!!
Bush Unplugged is a concise but encyclopedic collection of wrongs that GW, his family and his ilk have perpetrated on the American people and the world. This is truly a mind-boggling, eye-opening book. The research is valid and powerful - all culled from mainstream press and yet, strangely, completely overlooked by the American people. Lately, it seems the pendulum is beginning to swing back to normalcy and this is just the kind of read we need to inspire us to take back our country.

This is not a book for leftist wackos or right wing doughheads. This is a book for real Americans who genuinely care for this great country and are curious as to whether or not it is being shepherded as well as it truly can be?

Ben Franklin would have been PROUD to print this book. This is the exactly the kind of publication one would expect to have seen coming off his press when we were fighting that other enemy who believed in Elitism and Entitlement.

Amen, Mr. Umile. Amen. This book is definitely the medula oblongata of my collection. Thanks.

hardhitting journalism
Marc Umile's "Bush Unplugged," hits the bush administration right between the eyes with a 98 mph fastball. writing in a clear crisp, hardhitting style not seen since the days of the great gonzo journalist,Hunter Thompson, Umile strips the skin off George w Bush and reveals the ugly, dark, deceitful nature of the inner man who is now president of the united states. this honest, articulate assessment of George Bush is must reading for every patriotic american who believes in the america that our forefathers fought and died for. This book will light a fire underneath every American who reads it and inspire one and all with this overriding message: the american people must take back their country from the greedy, corrupt politicians and the powerful monied interests that put them into power. ... Read more

Book Description

Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 B.C. on the border of India and Nepal. At age 29, he left his family and life of privilege behind to become a wandering ascetic in search of enlightenment. He studied meditation with many teachers, and after six years of seeking, became enlightened under a bodhi tree. In the 25 centuries since the Buddha lived, his teachings have spread across the globe, inspiring practitioners as well as writers both famous and obscure. This collective portrait gathers writings from contributors including Hermann Hesse, Jack Kerouac, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jack Kornfield, religious scholar Karen Armstrong, and death-row prisoner Kevin Sack, and intersperses them with 150 color photos depicting Buddhism around the world. ... Read more

Book Description

Now in paperback . . . an insider look at the NBA phenom, including the Lakers' 1999-2000 championship season

When Kobe Bryant joined the glitzy Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 right out of high school, he faced a wave of media hype that declared him the next Michael Jordan. Now a veteran of five NBA seasons at the age of 23, Bryant has earned a place among pro basketball's elite. Mad Game documents his hard lessons on the road to stardom, his rapid rise through the NBA, and his conflicts with--and, at times, alienation from--his teammates, including his on-and-off-again relationship with Shaquille O'Neal. This is a story of triumph, of an unusually gifted young athlete trying to remain true to himself and his game.

Reviews (3)

Solid Book
Kobe Bryant is all Ready a Important Player but wait until a few years down the line His Best shall come.the Guy is a Good Balance of Talent&Flaw.He is gonna be Scary in years to Come.this Book brings all those Elements&More out.He has had to deal with alot of things On&Off the COurt but He is Headed for Something Special with His Career.the Sky is the Limit for Him.

Mad Game, now Mad NBA CHAMPION!
I read the book a little while back, and I thought it was a great read on the most electrifying basketball player today. At that time, Kobe was going through a lot of growing pains, a lot of failures, crticisms, bad chemistry with teammates. And now, this season, I've seen Kobe's maturation and improvement in the league, playing more under control, playing in Phil Jackson's triangle offense, having better rapport with Shaq and his teammates. His incredible performance in Game 4 of the NBA Finals in overtime was unforgettable and it is only the beginning. Now he is finally an NBA champion with the Lakers, and hopefully, this will be the beginning of another great Laker dynasty, the first of the 21st century!

#1
welcom to the world of kobe bryant this book is nomber 1 out of2,865 books i have read (still counting) this book doesnt just tellyou about kobe it tells you about the whol lakers history and abot how other players reflect on kobe bryant like m.j. & magic Johnson I've read this book 3 times and i never get tierd of it i could tell you at least 5 things kobe has remarked of the top of my head I'm 11 years old & for me to type this much I'd have to love this book! & allso the author r. lazenby is supurb! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Though famed in his time for his playboy image, all purple scarves and modish hairdo, former South Vietnamese prime minister Ky proved over time to have been a man of substance. In this revealing autobiography Ky recounts his rise to and fall from power and the errors great and small that led to his nation's defeat. "Corruption," Ky writes, "permeated every corner of the Vietnamese social order." Ky used his office to root out corruption and carve an independent path, often clashing with the likes of William Westmoreland and Nguyen Van Thieu in the bargain. Proudly relating those struggles, Ky also defends figures whom history has treated harshly, including Lyndon Johnson and General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, "the rarest of Vietnamese birds, the honest cop," who will forever be remembered for executing a Vietcong suspect before Eddie Adams's camera. "My biggest mistake was allowing the wrong man the opportunity to lead a guaranty of defeat. For this I beg forgiveness of those who fled into exile, of those who remained, and from those then unborn." So Ky closes this memoir, a work of considerable interest to students of and participants in Vietnam's long war. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Opportunity Lost¿Seizing Defeat From the Jaws of Victory
This was, in many ways, a painful book to read. I was in elementary school at a school for missionary children in northern Japan when I read in my Weekly Reader that Nguyen Cao Ky had become the new prime minister of South Vietnam. I remember the news gave me a sense of hopefulness about the war, which we were kept informed of by the Far East Network (armed forces radio) and the Voice of America. I can also remember my feeling of confusion when I read that Theiu had replaced Ky as Vietnam's leader.

Without belaboring the point, I have long been frustrated by the American handling of the war, which, I believe developed out of our abdication in Korea. I don't want to spend time talking about that, because it is a tired and painful subject. Suffice it to say that this book confirmed my feelings, but added some new insight.

For example, this book adds some insight into the resentment that many Vietnamese nationals felt toward the French, whose colonialism was largely exploitive, and financed by the Americans in amounts that Everett Dirksen would call "Real Money." In addition to that, I did not know, until I read this book, that Westmoreland was fully informed of the North Vietnamese intention to stage a major invasion during Tet, but decided to keep this from the South Vietnamese army! This appalling mismanagement of the crisis produced a disastrous and completely unnecessary problem for the Cao Ky, but it was a challenge that the South Vietnamese met and overcame. While Tet had a demoralizing effect on the American public, it was actually a victory for South Vietnam, and a major defeat for the North Vietnamese.

The book also addresses some more familiar themes, such as the legendary ineptitude of McNamara, but the most poignant event in this book is Nguyen Cao Ky's impulsive decision to abdicate leadership in favor of Thieu. Nobody (including Nguyen Cao Ky himself) knows why he did this. Perhaps it really was a selfless act of a patriot who had no interest in promoting himself, and was just trying to do what was best for his country. Or, perhaps, he had become bored with the monotony of leadership, and decided to abandon his responsibility, just as he discarded his wives, one after another, when he got tired of them.

To his credit, Nguyen Cao Ky takes full responsibility for his fateful decision. And it would not be fair to say that he abandoned his country completely, because he was always ready to serve, and to lead when the chips were down. In that sense, we must give credit where credit is due, and call him a patriot. But this is small comfort for the painful realization that the war effort was doomed by his decision, although I am still not sure if I believe that it was more significant than the moral exhaustion of the American culture, which rendered the Americans all but impotent to save Vietnam.

Read this book. Nguyen Cao Ky is a very good storyteller, and a man of adventure who liked to live on the edge. You will almost certainly come away better informed about the first war the Americans lost. It is a sad story, but one which can have a certain measure of redeeming value if we are able to learn from our mistakes, and adapt to the very different place that east Asia has become.

Fascinating at times
This is a must-read book for those who want to understand that period of history when the United States
became mired in the Vietnamese quagmire. It is an easy read, despite some obvious spelling and grammatical errors,
and it is a unique look into the life of one of the most colorful players in the Byzantine game of Vietnamese politics
of that era.

Westerners, usually from the media but also others as well, often describe Nguyen Cao Ky as flamboyant,
when they are not using other words such as "swell-headed" or "shallow". He lives up to his reputation
in this book, and some of the stories that he tells, from his courtship of a young woman in the seaside town of Nha Trang
to his dealings with American generals and politicians, are indeed fascinating, even if some anecdotes are not
sufficiently detailed. The book is rather thin for this genre, but there is no presumption that it is scholarly,
or that it should be pored over by academicians in search of another explanation as to why the most powerful country in the world
could not overcome the Communist violent takeover of South Vietnam. Rather, it presents the point of view of a man
who at a young age came to lead his young nation in its darkest moments.

History is not kind to losers, and we in America have a tendency to think that the good guys usually win. But once
in a while, those who were defeated have a decent story to tell, and Ky is trying to do that with his book. He explains
the dilemma of Vietnamese patriots who wanted to fight against the French but could not swallow Communist
ideology, even at the cost of a twenty-year civil war. He is most clear-sighted when he points out that a good majority
of the South Vietnamese leadership consisted of French-trained men who took greed, religious, and regional rivalries to
extremes, even at the detriment of their struggling nation. He also asks some interesting questions that beg for answers from
those who had a hand in conducting the war in this country: at the start of the 1968 Tet offensive, why did US forces
not come to the help of their South Vietnamese allies until the morning after? Why did the US wait until 1968 to begin
giving more modern weapons to the same allies, while the Communist soldiers from the North had the best from Soviet and Chinese arsenals?

At the end of the book, Ky pleads for the Vietnamese diaspora, which numbers some 3 million people living outside of their
native country, to forgive and forget because the old Communist hard-liners in Hanoi are disappearing through natural attrition.
He wants the younger generations to go to Vietnam to help their counterparts inside the country rebuild it. But as a man who has
traveled widely throughout the world since the fall of Saigon, it is telling that Ky himself has not found the time to go back to the country of his birth.

Important historical book
How could it be anything else being written by one of the players. I think Cao Ky Nguyen confirmed many truths and it was important for that to come from a South Vietnamese leader. All that you need to do is keep in mind that he is trying to portray himself in a more favorable light than he deserves as he was just as politically immature as the rest of the inept leaders he comments on.

The American lessons from Vietnam in essence are the old sayings that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, and that if you want something done right do it yourself. When you put Nguyen's rationalizations in a more accurate perspective, he makes this clear.

I could not put this book down.
It is hard to know where to start in writing a review about this book; in one weekend, you will learn over two decades of intricate history; so few Americans, including myself, understood the VietNam Conflict. After you read this book, you will want to go and meet the authors; it is like they are talking to you in your living room. The book is a fair review of the corruption on the South and the brutality of the north. It has numerous pearls about leadership and life as well as a great historical read.

Breaking silence - Long awaited South Vietnamese perspective
Hindsight is always 20/20, especially with over 3,200 published titles on the Vietnam War and its outcome. American journalists, politicians, and veterans have been pointing the finger at the inept South Vietnamese and its shady leaders. "Blame corruption for our loss in Southeast Asia." Without a voice, America's former friends led silent, unremarkable, sometime angry lives in exile since the end of the war. Buddha's Child is an exceptional reflection by one of South Vietnam's top leaders 27 years after Soviet-made North Vietnamese tanks clanked unopposed through downtown Saigon.

My family lived across the street from Gen Ky during the waning days of South Vietnam. My father flew with the South Vietnamese Air Force and served under the General for many years. Many revered him. Beneath the flair is a leader of integrity with plenty of loyalists even to this day. His story reveals a young officer serving a divided country led by inexperienced men caught in a middle of a civil war backed by two superpowers. One has to wonder if Gen Ky ever felt safe after the assassination of Pres Diem? Gen Ky also regrets not pursuing better PR in America during the war. It is doubtful that he would have resonated with Americans amid the social turbulence of the time.

The book's final pages cover Gen Ky's poignant departure from Saigon and his difficult early years in America. When the war ended, his American peers went home, wrote bestsellers, led corporations, ran for Congress, and retired as four-star generals. Gen Ky had to start his life over in America like the million plus refugees who fled Vietnam. This is a must read book for those who want to understand the mistakes made in Vietnam by all involved. ... Read more

Book Description

In a series of powerful strokes, the music of Beethoven's last years redefined his legacy and enlarged the realm of experience accessible to the creative imagination. Maynard Solomon's Late Beethoven investigates the phenomenon of the final phase, focusing especially on the striking metamorphosis in Beethoven's system of beliefs that began early in his fifth decade and eventually amounted to a sweeping realignment of his views of nature, antiquity, divinity, and human purpose. Using the composer's letters, diaries, and conversation books, Solomon traces Beethoven's attraction to a constellation of heterogeneous ideas, drawn from Romanticism, Freemasonry, comparative religion, Eastern initiatory ritual, Mediterranean mythology, aesthetics, and classical and contemporary thought. Through these often arcane sources, Beethoven gained access to a vast reservoir of imagery and ideas with the potential to expand music's expressive and communicative reach. This "multitude of productive images," writes Solomon, "provided kindling for the blaze of his imagination." Late Beethoven is a rich tapestry of original perspectives on Beethoven's music. Solomon sees the Seventh Symphony as a deployment of the rhythms of antiquity in an effort to revalidate the premises of the Classical world; the Ninth as an essay on the prospects and limits of affirmative, monumental endings; and the "Diabelli" Variations as a doorway to the universe of metaphoric significances that attach to beginnings. In the Violin Sonata in G, op. 96, Solomon finds a restoration of the full range of pastoral experience that the ancient poets had known. In the Grosse Fuge he locates issues of fragmentation and reassembly, and he suggests that pivotal passages of the last sonatas evoke sacred states of being. These stimulating perspectives illuminate the inner world within which Beethoven dwelled during his last fifteen years and the ways in which his thought and music may be interrelated. Written in accessible and eloquent prose, and with numerous music examples, Late Beethoven is a serious contribution to understanding this miraculous quantum leap in Beethoven's creative evolution. Illustrations: 5 figures, 61 music examples ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Solomon on Late Beethoven
Maynard Solomon has followed-up his distinguished biography of Beethoven (rev.ed. 1998)with an outstanding study of the music of Beethoven's third period and of the intellectual and emotional changes in Beethoven's outlook that likely contributed to Beethoven's late masterworks. These works include the Ninth Symphony, the Missa Solemnis, the Diabelli Variations, the final string quartets, including the great fugue, and the final five piano sonatas.

Solomon's biography of Beethoven was both notable and controversial for its psychoanalytical approach. I find that approach mostly lacking here. For his approach to Beethoven's inner life and development, Solomon draws extensively on Beethoven's Tagebuch, which Solomon describes as "the intimate diary [Beethoven] kept between 1812 and 1818 to which he confided his innmost feelings and desires" (p.2). Solomon finds a "sea change" (as he titles his Prologue) in Beethoven's system of belief beginning in about 1810. Following Beethoven's comparatively fallow period as a composer between 1812-1816, this change in Beethoven's beliefs bore its consequences in the works of his final maturity. In general, Solomon finds Beethoven's beliefs changed from the rational, enlightment, classical thought that characterized, for Solomon, the first and second period works, to a more romantic belief system that focused on inwardness, theology, (I found it fascinating that Beethoven showed awareness of and interest in Eastern thought in the Tagebuch), nature, and imagination. In sum, Beethoven in his final period came more under the influence of romanticism (whatever that notoriously vague term might mean) than is sometimes realized. Furthermore, with his nearly total deafness and the failure of his attempts to establish a lasting relationship with a woman, Beethoven tried mightily to devote his life to the pursuit of his art rather than to his own personal, less exalted ends.

The book consists of twelve chapters, some of which were earlier published, which Solomon has worked into a coherent whole. Of the twelve chapters, seven are examinations of the sources of Beethoven's thought and deal in broad concepts. Thus two chapters explore the relationship between concepts of classicism and romanticism -- highly slippery concepts as Solomon realizes-- and argue that Beethoven's final work and thought show an increased romantic influence -- particularly in its transcendent element. Two chapters discuss the possible influence of Freemasonry upon Beethoven while an additional chapter discusses the increased religious dimension in Beethoven's final works, including the influence of Eastern thought.

The remaining five chapters focus on individual works. The Diabelli Variations receive two detailed chapters. The first of them explores Diabelli's waltz theme and the attraction it might have had for Beethoven while the second is a detailed analysis of the pattern of each of the 33 variations, including copious musical illustrations. There is an outstanding chapter on Beethoven's opus 96 violin sonata and its source in pastorale. There is a chapter on the seventh symphony (not usually considered a late work) and on the influence it shows of Greek poetical meters, and a thorough chapter on the Ninth Symphony. This description only briefly touches the scope of the book as Solomon has provocative things to say about the last quartets, particularly on the opus 130 quartet and on the question of its two finales: the grosse fugue and the much simpler rondo which Beethoven substituted for it. And, as I mentioned, Solomon says much about the last piano sonatas, the Missa Solemnis and about the song cycle "An die Ferne Geliebte" even though these works do not have a specific chapter devoted to them.

I found it a joy to read this book. It combines a love and emotional understanding of Beethoven's music with deep erudition and a love of learning. Beethoven's music and intellectual development are well-discussed even if the reader finds himself not agreeing with all Solomon's arguments. The book is full of detailed consisderation of specific works including quotations from Beethoven's scores. It is probably a book that will be most appreciated by those who have some familiarity with Beethoven's music, particularly the works of the third period, rather than by those coming to the music for the first time.

This is a difficult, challenging, and revealing study of late Beethoven combining scholarship, philosophical thinking, and a love and understanding of Beethoven's music. ... Read more

Book Description

Detailing the childhood lives of famous artists, this series begins with composers, showing young readers some of the amazing things that have been accomplished by children. The stories both educate and inspire children to be creative, work hard, and follow their dreams.

Niños famosos esta dedicado contar los cuentos sobre las vidas infantiles de los músicos, artistas y escritores, mostrando su genialidad, creatividad, y sus obras a todos los lectores pequeños. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good reading, but...
This book may be well received by young readers; however, the author uses some words that may be unclear to them. For example, "waistcoat" is used to describe his dress for school and some musical terms may need explaining. Also, there seemed to be no flow in telling the story. It was as if each two page spread was a mini-story in itself. Even so I think young readers might find it intersting. ... Read more

Book Description

Like Jesus's apostles...the main disciples of the historic Buddha were transformed by his awe-inspiring spiritual force! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Priceless
This is a really good resource for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge in addition to the prose of all the ancient Pali texts. As the title of this book suggests, what you are setting out to read here is ultimately an exploration into the careers and character of the Buddha's greatest disciples. He covers tough subjects such as their ambiguous and esoteric past lives and their aspirations towards enlightenment. Sometimes Nyanaponika, when possible, gives us an account as to the nature of the individual's death. For anyone who studies the Pali Cannon, or who wants to further their understanding of Buddhist theological history - this is your book.

The lives depicted here demonstrate that indeed upholding spiritual ideals are apparently documented as having paid off. And not necessarily by means of having gained some "thing." Here are examples of people who struggled against their human existence as much as we all do. Only through faith in the Buddhist path and their practice, were they able to transverse the mundane realm of existence into the realm of the spiritually noble. What a wonderful book we have here. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Real live superheros and heroines
People who can fly, walk on water, multiply themselves or have x-ray vision are usually associated with comic books. According to Buddhist teachings, these powers are accessible to those who can perfect their concentration. Apart from including biographies of some individuals credited with the above sorts of psychic abilities, it also has equally gripping accounts of the more ordinary aspects of these and many other disciples of the Buddha most of whom became enlightened. It is thus an account of the principal individuals after the Buddha who were supposed to have finished everything that needs accomplishing with no further burdens or debts to pay having gained superknowledge.

The book includes several self contained short biographies, mainly by the Germans Helmuth Hecker and the late Ven Nanyaponika. It is sadly short on details on the great female disciples. Perhaps more room can be created later.

A must for anyone inspired by Buddhism and the potentiality of the human mind for lasting freedom.

Brilliant, Inspiring and Moving
One has to read the work on Sariputta and Ananda to know that great virtues do live in the heart of mankinds. Especially at the reading of 'Last Debt Paid' concerning to last days of Sariputta, I cannot help but to be moved by the details of the event. Each reading, makes me feel the presence of the Great Disciples near me. So inspiring and motivating. A good read and re-read for the future. A must have!

Poorly written, but containing valuable information
Well, I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about Buddhism. I did learn more, but it was painful. The information in this book is valuable and important, but the book is poorly written and, frankly, boring. I suppose that good writing is another aspect of worldliness that the authors have shunned.

Brilliant
A unique book that collates all the relevant material on the key disciples of the Buddha Gotama. Beautifully and movingly done. An inspiration. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Summaries of ten recent Presidents.
This is a composite book from ten different authors about ten different Presidents. Since these are all well known authors, the writers know their subjects and boil their personalities down in twenty to thirty pages. One cannot get more well known than David McCullough and Steven Ambrose. The writing is great and flows well.
If I have any problem, it is that some of the authors are more generous than others. Reeves makes Kennedy look pretty low on the morality issue and Noonan inflates Reagan a little too much. Of course, this is subjective writing, and since the authors know their subjects well, one can probably count on some bias. All in all a great read on some of our more recent Presidents, with the exception of Clinton and Bush II.

Informative, entertaining, worth rereading many times
We all have a book or two that's a favorite; one you cherish a bit more than others. This book is that kind for me. Studying our country's presidents is a hobby of mine so I snatched this title up at the local bookstore a few years ago. Even today, I still read specific sections about any one of the Presidents from FDR to George Bush. This is the perfect book for your summer reading list. You'll get the insights into each President that never appears on the evening news. An excellent book!

mistake, I believe
You have 'Character Above All' listed under the writings of Robert Anton Wilson. I believe this is incorrect.

Excellent writing and interesting insight
Some of the best biographers/historians/speech writers put together one very well written book. My favorites were McCullough's Truman piece, Doris Kearns' FDR section, Ambrose's Ike selection, and the section on Carter. While most of the authors are a bit biased towards their president/topic, they write well and make many good points. The book is a fast read. Noonan's piece on Reagan, also incredibly well written, simply bipasses the Iran-contra scandal with but a mention of what Reagan tried to do for the Contras. That is all well and good but it is difficult to read something about a president's character and the biggest scandal of that president's administration is conveniently left out. That would be like discussing Nixon's character and never bringing up Watergate or mentioning Clinton and not the Lewinski scandal. Fact is, those events are integral parts of a president's tenure. Such is life; still incredibly fun to read. ... Read more

Book Description

Hang on for a Wild Journey through the Political and Spiritual Adventures of the Baby-Boom Generation

Join Wes "Scoop" Nisker as he takes us on a hilarious, wild ride through the heyday of the Beats and the Hippies and the birth of the modern environmental movement, and the surge of Buddhism in the West.

Reviews (4)

A Personal Story of Spiritual Journey
Wes Nisker has here presented a rather light-hearted account of his own spiritual journey into Buddhism. He takes us through the Beat, Hippie, and New Age movements to the present, more mature, spiritual association with Eastern philosophy and Buddhism in particular. While not a deep book, it does give some insight into the history of the Buddhist movement in the United States and why Buddhism is as popular as it is now.To a large degree this popularity is due to the common sense approach of Buddhism to every day life and the unspectacular claims it makes. It also does not require exact literal belief and is thus quite open to science. In essence we are told that there is nothing to be gained because we have the ability for enlightenment within each of us.We need only connect to that awareness within. Despite this apparent simplicity, the practice of Buddhist meditation is far from easy.It requires commitment that takes time to develop, yet is open to everyone.

I do not agree with Nisker on every detail (it would be unusual if I did).For example, I'm not sure that I would quite give the blank check he gives to the evolutionary psychologists. This is, however,a minor quibble. I don't expect him to be one with all of the scientific arguments of the day.

All in all this book is a very enjoyable read and I very much recommend it to be read if you are on an airplane as I was when I read it.

As It Is
This book endeavours to discuss about Buddha-nature with humour and using the author's life experiences.The author's life could be considered as colourful as he travelled to the East various times seeking for the truth, a DJ-journalist-activist, an ex-hippie who embraced the peace & loving messages.He talked candidly about science & spirituality, of how they intertwine with one another & how prophetic the Eastern philosophies are as they mentioned what's been proven or suggested by contemporary scientists thousands of years before; he questioned about the benefits of knowing the absolute truths & if they do bring any betterments to our well-beings; pondering the question of why do we feel so empty even when our standard of living is far superior than five decades ago; consumerism; George W. Bush & the world that we are living now after 9-11; suggesting USA to resign from its post as the world's superpower & back to its origin & perhaps, this world would become a better place; how the world is becoming smaller & assimmilations of various religions & beliefs; relevancy of spirituality towards saving our precious environment, & so forth.Wes writes differently from Jack Kornfield (another established author upon spirituality), who happens to be his friend as well.Overall, this is quite a enchanting book to read.As Buddha-nature, we have to sense "the" moment.Whilst this book doesn't fully convey the Buddha-nature, it does give us some insight about the ups & downs of keeping up with the practice in order to embrace this world fully.Highly recommended

A Fine Spiritual History of the Baby Boomer Generation
Wes "Scoop" Nisker, a self-professed Buddhist traces the spiritual history of a generation from the questioning of our parents values to living under the current George W. Bush conservative climate.

He cover the beatniks, hippies, drugs, the importance of music, the disillusionment with the sixties, the turn towards introspection and fascination with eastern philosophies, the "me" decade of the eighties and the subsequent current apathy.

This is a fine documentation of a unique generation that grew up during a time of unprecedented prosperity and had trouble figuring out what to do with it.The author is not only a witness to this process but is also a participant and shares many personal stories from each many eras. As a former disk jockey from the once very progressive San Francisco KSAN radio station, he met and interacted with key players who influenced this generation like Allen Watts.He is also honest enough to write about his own doubts, misgivings and personal confusion, which is symbolic of this generation.

In many ways this generation path, in this reviewer's opinion, was predicted by the psychology of Abraham H. Maslow who postulated a hierarchy of needs(this used to be taught in Psych. 101 courses, I wonder if it still is?).A human being is always in dynamic interaction with its environment and once basic needs such as air, water, food and shelter have been met, then new needs emerge; belonging, relationships, the need for self expression and the need to understand our relationship to the rest of the universe.It's easy to understand when your hungry and you need food, however it is not as easy to understand what you need when you seemingly have everything and yet have an underlying feeling of restlessness and dissatisfaction.Indeed, there is no universal agreement about the meaning of one of Maslow's most famous postulation, the need for "self actualization".

Scoop's book does a nice job of capturing the essence of a generation faced with dealing with questions that were mostly unprecedented, at least on a mass scale, by any previous generation.Unfortunately, it seems like the beginning of the new century is more about dwindling resources and back to the concerns of basic survival needs.The subtitle of this book could also have been, in the words of rock star-philosopher David Crosby,(It Was) " A Long Time coming, Gonna Be A Long Time Gone".

A great book!
I found this book to be hilarious, insightful, fun and informative. The sheer scope of Mr. Nisker's life experiences is mind-boggling and his retelling of these adventures and explorations makes for a very entertaining experience for the reader.

I'm at the tail end of the Boomer generation but I found plenty to relate to. Music, politics, religion, mysticism, culture...it's all there. And Mr. Nisker's wonderful sense of humor shines through every page. At times laugh-out-loud-funny, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in popular culture and world events. ... Read more

Book Description

The thrilling story of a prince who renounced worldly luxury to find the way to self-perfection and became the Buddha.

More than 2,500 years ago, an Indian prince, Siddhartha, achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha, "the Awakened One." However extraordinary he was, he was no divinity but a self-perfected human being who brought a radical message to mankind.

Walter Henry Nelson, a renowned scholar and author, offers readers perhaps the most uniquely accessible and authoritative life of Buddha and his teachings. In an essential, gripping, and inspiring introduction, Buddha explores the ancient legends surrounding Buddha. It looks at how the simple story and profound struggle of Prince Siddhartha, who died 500 years before the birth of Christ, was transformed into one of the world's great religions. From tales of incredible feats of Gautama's strength to the intervention of gods in his journey, Nelson takes the reader through the life and principles that are the foundation of a religion and philosophy of vital importance to all those searching beyond materialism for the true aim of life.

Today, with life's modern contradictions and paradoxes, one can find order and wisdom in Buddhism's teachings. Indeed, in the pages of Buddha, the radiance of the enlightened Buddha shines as brightly as ever.

Illustrated with black-and-white photographsGlossaryBibliographyIndexEndnotes ... Read more

Reviews (2)

"Be your own lamps, Your own refuge"
This book is a good introduction to Buddha the man. There are times that it drags a bit, but in general it was a fast read and provided the fundamentals of Buddha's life and a beginning understanding of his teachings. I liked the discussion of the Four Noble truths and the Eightfold path which made the teachings straightforward. All to often we get mired in the ennumerable teachings that exist in a religious/ philosophy/ psychology such as Buddhism or Yoga and forget that the purpose of these teachings was to make our lives simple, balanced, honest and it is not all that hard to do. Reading a book like this brings us back to our essence.

Siddhartha's inner struggle.
In man's "fathom-long body," the Buddha observed, lies the rising of the world and the ceasing of the world. I read this 133-page biography of Siddhartha Gautama today, absorbed, and in a single sitting. (It has been many years since I read Hesse's classic, "Siddhartha," which I also recommend.) Here, Nelson examines the extraordinary life and inner struggle of Siddhartha, from his birth in 563 BCE, to finding enlightenment at age 35, to his final words just before death at age 80, "work out your own salvation through diligence" (p. 120), while also offering an overview of Buddha's teachings. Along the way, Nelson includes many revealing anecdotes about Siddhartha, such as his pre-"Enlightened One" encounter with an injured lamb, whereupon Siddhartha observes that it is "far, far better for a man to comfort even one small animal, than to sit and watch the sorrows of the world, passively among the praying priests" (p.72). I enjoyed reading this book. END ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Hubris
Fortunately for Napoleonic scholars J.M.Thompson's masterful biography has reappeared in a new, affordable paperback edition. Less hagiographic than Cronin, less expensive than Chandler, and more comprehensive than Markham or Ellis, this volume, though first published in 1952, has aged well and remains a sound investment. Its success, no doubt, is owed in part to the author's reliance on primary sources and his decision to base the foundation of the work on Bonaparte's own personal correspondence. Thompson's facile writing ability plays no small part as well.

While chronicling the rise and fall of Napoleon, the author displays a keen apprehension of the repercussions of decisions and actions while finding time to apprise the reader of the roles of those on the sidelines; a Saliceti, a Fouche, a Madame de Stael. The enormous sweep of time is succinctly capsuled by the author and one comes away with a far better understanding of the era thanks to Thompson's critical analysis while being entertained by a master storyteller.

Neither incomparable saint nor inconceivable devil, Napoleon comes through as a tragically flawed genius,