Book Description

An outstanding new anthology that presents for the first time a comprehensive collection of Che_s writing on Latin America from the period of his youthful travel diaries to his final guerrilla mission in Bolivia.

To be published in English as Latin America: Awakening of a Continent in Spring 2004.

Reviews (3)

Excellent beginners' biography of Lee and Grant
Not everyone is excited by history or the Civil War or even biographies of historical personalities. My daughters (age 14) were required in home school to read biographies of famous Americans. They were easily inspired by biographies of women -- entertainers, leaders, women who overcame adversity. But men were less interesting. And men known specifically for their historical contributions were downright boring. One of my twins started reading this book and loved it. The side-by-side biographical sketches provided enough information to interest her and offered a format for making snapshot comparisons. She is definitely NOT a history buff and is NOT a lover of biographies; however, for a short piece of her life she took time off from the Hardy Boys and read about (and discussed) two great men, the Civil War, and pieces of American history. (She went on to read about Civil War photography.)

Utterly vapid
Unless you're purchasing this book for a child, avoid it. The text is written at the level of a fourth grader and the conclusions drawn are about as weighty. There are numerous errors pockmarking the book, some of them not inconsequential (Grant did not graduate from West Point in 1845, but 1843).

If you want a readable and scholarly book on either Grant or Lee, don't buy a dual biography. Each man is much too vast and important to cover in such a manner. Opt for Emory Thomas' Lee biography and Campaigning with Grant by Horace Porter. These books will illuminate the titans of the civil war much better than this sorry effort.

Great
I thought that "A House Divided: The Lives of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee" was a wonderful book. I especillay liked it because I'm a Civil War fenatic. It was not only intresting but accurate. It was a fun to read book. It tells about how Grant, a contry boy who grew up on a farm in Ohio who when he was about 17 went to West Point and graduated yet the sight of blood made him loose his apitate yet he went to war and won against Lee. Lee was a proper slave owner and grew up on his father's plantaion, he had manners and was a very good student at West Point. Yet he was one if not the 1st. person to graduate from his class at West Piont and still lost to gruffy Grant. Read this book if you want to learn more about Lee and Grant. It also has pictures of them. ... Read more

Book Description

This is an amazing record of the life of one of the most inspiring figures of the twentieth century, with over 300 photographs drawn from a comprehensive visual archive compiled over 12 years.

In one of the most extraordinary lives ever lived, Mahatma Gandhi (18691948) effected tremendous political change and wielded enormous influence. His teachings on non-violence elevated him in the eyes of many to the status of a saint. Among those profoundly influenced by his philosophy of peaceful resistance was Martin Luther King Jr, who adopted Gandhi's methods in his own struggle for civil rights. In Peter Rhe's book, Gandhi's life is told by means of an extraordinary collection of nearly 300 photographs, many never seen before. These pictures document Gandhi's early life in India, his law studies in London, his work in South Africa, and his return to lead the struggle for Indian independence, which won him the title of 'father of the nation'. We can see the sweep of world politics and the struggles of the poor in the life of one man whose impact on the world is matched by few in the history of mankind. As Albert Einstein said: 'Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever inflesh and blood walked upon this earth.' ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Photographs of Mahatma Gandhi...
Excellent book, the photo-biography on Mahatma Gandhi the Father of India was a real pleasure to read and a wonderful account of his life told in pictures. One forgets that Mahatma Gandhi wanted India to be one nation-state and not divided into India and Pakistan, it was Nehru, Jinnah and the British that separated India. Granted there would have been problems, but they would have been under one nation-state and not two as there is between India and Pakistan today...

Magnificent!
This book is an amazing compilation of photographs, in chronological order, telling you about the life and philosophy of Gandhi. The pictures tell the story themselves and help you get a feeling of how things really were and the true magnitude of the movement for an independent India.

This is a difficult book to read.
This is a difficult book to read.

It is a difficult read, not because of the historical writing of Peter Ruhe, who has done a commendable job, nor because of the photo editing by Sophie Spencer-Wood, a top rate job indeed; but because the publisher, Phaidon Press, choose to print the text using a very small type with a recessive color using glossy paper. Sad, especially when you open to the text section and see there are 2 ½" top, 2 ½" left and 1 ½" bottom margins. Go figure. To make the matter worse under each photo caption, the publisher uses an even smaller type and in a tan color.

Phaidon Press failed to consider that the audience most likely to buy to this book, will be, by majority, mid-aged or older. Thus, they, like me, probably will need reading glasses. However, even with good reading glasses, the smallness of type, the faded black ink (on the verge of gray) and the glaring glossy paper made reading this book very strenuous and difficult.

That said, I found Peter Ruhe's writing balanced and refreshing. He chronologically lays out Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's life in an engaging, investigative manner. Ruhe is an admirer of Mahatma but not enamored enough to be a blind devote. He points out the times that Gandhi's belief in satyagraha (truth-force) blinded him. One such time, related to the evil of Nazi Germany, "Gandhi insisted that Hitler was merely misguided. In his mind the German leader could be dissuaded from further conquest by the power of reason or, if necessary, satyagraha". Though Gandhi had achieved mystical status, to Ruhe he was still a man, although, one of the world's greatest.

The 400 Black and White photos curated by Sophie Spencer-Wood are excellent They illustrate the time line of this great man's life. The reproduction of the photos is top rate, and this alone makes the book a worthy addition to any Mahatma Gandhi collection. Gandhi's body was cremated, January 31. 1948. The words of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, eulogize Gandhi even today, "the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, our beloved leader... the father of the Nation is no more." Recommended ... Read more

Reviews (3)

psychological perspective
you might want to read this book for his concept of psychosocial development of stages. but if you want to know about Gandhi, go find a different book.

Gandhi's Truth . . . plus 300 pages of other stuff
Gandhi's Truth is a psychoanalysis on Gandhi performed by the famed psychologist Erik Erikson. Although the psychoanalysis is done after Gandhi's death by a man who's never met him, I still think it could've been done effectively.

Unfortunately, Mr. Erikson spends half of the book going over himself. Why he wants to analyze Gandhi, how Gandhi is really very similar to Freud, and various ruminations on the inherent problems of getting to know the "other." Another quarter of the book is simply wasted on senseless words. Mr. Erikson seems to have real trouble using one word when thirty will do. The portion of the book that actually talks about Gandhi is solid and enjoyable. Too bad it makes up such a small portion of the book.

I have not read other books about Gandhi. Specifically, I haven't read his autobiography. Maybe it's just really dificult to get solid information on this incredibly famous man. Maybe Erikson included the sum of what was known about Gandhi in his work. Somehow, I doubt it.

I find Gandhi to be fascinating and I'm very interested in learning more about this impressive man. Unfortunately, I picked the wrong book to start with.

This text reviews the historical presence of Gandhi in India
I found this book very interesting, as well as culturally diverse. It gave me a whole new perspective into a world much different from my own. I learned that Mahatma Gandhi has profoundly influenced leaders that have been involved in nonvoilent liberation movements, such as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.. I now have a deep admiration for this abstruse, insightful man because Gandhi beleived that truth is always essential in the political arena. "Gandhi's Truth" is an introduction to the challenges of poverty, religious difference, and ethnic tensions we all must accept and try to deal with as we head into the everchanging 21st century. I strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in or wishing to study politics. Happy Reading! ... Read more

Book Description

The making of The Great One. An informative biography of the legend of Wayne Gretzky told by Mark Messier, Brett Hull, Walter Gretzky, Gordie Howe, and others. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

If you love Gretzky, you'll love this book/ fantastic photos
An easy to read and interesting account of Gretzky's career. He is truly a hero and this book really tries to capture his spirit. This book is appropriate for hockey lovers of all ages - I bought it for my 11 year old son and found myself enjoying it immensely. The photos are fantastic and there are many of them. This book is great for any hockey player or coach and ours is kept on our coffee table. ... Read more

Book Description

The question follows Lorna Luft to this day: "What's it like to be Dorothy's daughter?" Although by appearances glamorous and truly thrilling, growing up as the daughter of Judy Garland was anything but a journey over the rainbow.

With unsparing candor, Lorna Luft offers the first-ever insider portrait of one of Hollywood's most celebrated families: a rare story of a little girl, her half-sister Liza, and her baby brother trying desperately to hang on to the mother whose life seemed destined to burn brightly but briefly. Lorna makes an extraordinary journey back into the spiral of love, addiction, pain, and loss that lurked behind a charmed facade.

Filled with behind-the-scenes dramas, hilarious untold stories, and little-known details of Garland family life, Me and My Shadows is a tribute to Lorna's victory over her own past, a story of hope, of love and its limitations, and a deeply moving testament to the healing powers of embracing one's past and charting a course of self-love and discovery. ... Read more

Reviews (62)

A real page-turner; I couldn't put it down
Lorna Luft tells her personal story about growing up the daughter of an adored and afflicted mother. As the child of one of the world's truly legendary stars, Luft tells what it was like to love and live with the tragedy and triumph that was Judy Garland. She pulls no punches, opens herself up honestly, presenting both the positive and negative sides of all the members of this difficult family from her own perspective. Yet, the the love and admiration she has for all of them is clear. Her feelings are honest and open (for good or bad). Luft givews you an insight into the real life that the publicity mills hid. Her devotion to her mother AND her father is a testament to true love which loves in spite of as much as because of who you are. Her ability to rise above her own fears and weaknesses, problems and addictions as well as her vivid storytelling makes this a real page-turner. Is it all true? Is it exaggerated? Is it fair? I'm not here to judge that. It's a great read. THAT, I can judge.

Starred Publishers Weekly review (3/16/98)
"It's a funny thing about the past. If you don't watch out, it will become the present." In this candid and often moving autobiography, Luft demonstrates the truth of that observation as she recounts the tribulations of growing up as the child of a show-biz legend (and as the younger sibling of another famous performer, Liza Minnelli). The book's first half chronicles Luft's hectic, often traumatic childhood. By the time Luft was 10, Garland's marriage to Sid Luft was over and her addiction to prescription drugs has grown steadily worse. Here, as in the book's later sections, the author's matter-of-fact reportage ("At twelve years old, I would become my mother's keeper") makes the harrowing episodes all the more believable--and tragic. The book is no Mommy Dearest wannabe, however; Luft repeatedly talks about her abiding affection for her mother and takes pains to clear up commonly held "facts" about Garland's decline and fall. The book's second half covers the years after 1969, when drugs claimed Garland. Luft, then 16, had already embarked upon a performing career--a path that led her to replicate much of her mother's destructive behavior. It's to Luft's credit that, while she pulls no punches about Garland, she is equally frank about herself, her drug addiction (from which she is now free) and her problems with men. Though Luft's life has had its share of melodrama, her tale is far from bleak, as it's spiced up by many humorous asides and incidental dish--and its sales could go through the roof and over the rainbow. Photos. (Major ad/promo; Literary Guild, Doubleday Direct and Stage & Screen Book Club selection; film rights to ABC TV for a four-hour miniseries; author tour. Apr.) (Copyright Publishers Weekly)

Brilliant
I loved this book. Although i wasn't really a fan of Judy Garland's (i had only ever seen her in The Wizard of Oz), i was by the time i finished this book. This book is beautifully written, and i thought the mini-series was fantastic. Lorna writes honestly, covering both the good and bad points of Judy's -as well as her own- life. It is particularly sad at times, but there are some happy, joyful memories that Lorna has of her mom. As Lorna once said, 'I didn't know her as a legend, I didn't know her as an icon, all i knew her as was my mother', a mother who loved her children fiercely, even in her final years of addiction. There is no doubt that Judy Garland was a brilliant and gifted performer - and if she had not had the tradgies of being co-dependent on her pills, or if addiction had been more understood - she would still be alive today, instead of being alive only in the memories of her loved ones.

buy it and read it! completely brialliant.
I thought this book was fantastic. All true Judy Garland fans should read this because it is brilliant. Luft seems to tell the whole truth and it does contradict some other books which makes me feel a lot better.
In Anne Edwards book "Judy Garland Biography" it says that L.B. Mayer hated Judy Garland. It says he treated her like rubbish and didn't care about her at all but then in Lufts book it says Mayer loved Judy like a daughter and she never once complained about him. Although Luft probably does exaggerate some of it and she probably can't quite remember everything so she has to do her best, even if its not true, it is still a fantastically detailed review of the ups and downs of Judy's and the family's life.
At one point Luft says that the night of Judys funeral, she was on the balony looking at the stars and she felt her mothers presence. I thought that was lovely and it really touched me. All the things about Judys ghost haunting Liza is absolute rubbish from the press. I don't know how some reporters can be so harsh and not even seem to care. As Lorna said, if her mother was "haunting" Liza, it wasn't "haunting", she was simply trying to comfort her because she is her daughter.
I love Judy Garland and hope wherever she is that she is very happy and has finally found piece.
This book is fantastic and, as I said before, any fan of Judys should read it and if you still come of loving her as much as you did when you started the book, or more, then you are a true fan of a fantastic legend.

Very Interesting Life
The book starts off with the story of Lorna Luft's grandparents (Judy's parents) Frank and Ethel Gumm and tells the story about how they met and the family they raised. The book then goes into the story of Lorna's mother Judy Garland growing up baby Frances Ethel Gumm. Lorna tells how her mother loved to perform and loved living in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (were she was born) and hated living in Lancaster, California where they moved when Judy was 4.
Lorna then goes into the story of the MGM years of Judy's life going from a radio singer to the star of The Wizard of OZ, one of the greatest hits of MGM's history all in the space of a year. After that, it was all pretty much down hill as far as MGM goes for Judy according to Lorna. Judy started on drugs to help her lose weight and help her sleep, and they soon controlled her life. Lorna tells that when Judy was 18 she got married to David Rose and after only a short period of time divorced him. She did this to get out of Ethel's hair because she could not stand being near her after the death of Frank and Ethel's marrying a man exactly four years to the day after her father's death.
Lorna then goes into the sorted affair that was Judy's marriage to Vincent Minnelli and the birth of their daughter Liza. After only a few years though they divorced and Lorna goes on to talk about the next man in Judy's life, Lorna's father Sid Luft.
Lorna tells the story about her father being raised by a bon-vivent and a Russian Jewish designer in New York City. Lorna also tells a ridiculous story that her father once heard his father tell his mother about a mysterious note a woman wrote to him when his family was in Europe one summer.
Lorna tells about her parent's early relationship and how she never knew that she was actually on the way when they decided to get married. She tells the story about her early years in the house and then the hubbub of having little Joey come into the world. Lorna tells the story about how when Joey was a little boy she actually went into his crib and scratched him so hard that to this day there are still scratch marks on his face.
This leads into the story about Lorna's own life. Going from one step-father to another constantly moving, never being able to see her father, until at the age of 15 she moves in with her dad and several months later finds out that her mother was dead.
After her mother died, Lorna moved to New York to work in plays and things and had some love affairs (one with Barry Mataloe.) She tells about her dabbling with cocaine for several years and the diabolical that was her relationship with Burt Reynolds until she found the absolute wrong man for her-her husband Jake Hooker.
Lorna vividly details her relationship of almost 20 years with her husband. She tells about at first they were fine, and then after their son was born it was more like they were client and clientele instead of husband and wife and their daughters birth only made it worse. She details how their marriage broke up when their daughter was an infant and how only a week later she met the next man she was to marry.
Last, but not least Lorna describes her relationship with her sister Liza Minnelli. She tells that because Liza was seven years older than her she does not really have any memories of her when they were young, but she has a lot when they were older. Lorna details the struggle Liza had with drugs that culminated in Lorna virtually kidnapping her sister and taking her to the Betty Ford Center in about 1984. ... Read more

Book Description

Here in one volume for the first time are three individual titles - Angels, How to Be Born Again, and The Holy Spirit - from Billy Graham, the foremost evangelist of our time who has reached more people with the Gospel than any other person on earth. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Gandhi close-up
This, by any standards, is a remarkable story of a remarkable man, and of course part of the history of India's struggle for independence. All this makes it a compelling read. Fischer details Gandhi's struggle against the South African government, and then the fight against British rule in India. But as important was the problem of Indian national identity - was there any such thing, and was the road to Partition inevitable?

I couldn't help but reflect that Britain was very fortunate in facing an adversary like Gandhi - the end of British rule might have been even more messy and bloody than it was had it not been for his influence. Could any other culture have produced a figure such as Gandhi, who recognised the damage that imperialism did both to India and to the British.

Fischer's biography was published originally in 1951, only three years after the death of Gandhi. This adds value to the work, not least because the author met Gandhi on a few occasions and was able to add accounts of these meetings enliven his book. To be fair, this is a much more balanced view of Gandhi than I expected. Although Fischer's writing comes close to the hagiographic at times, he manages largely successfully to avoid going over-the-top.

Perhaps what is lacking is a sense of distance and context. I was not looking for a biography which either attacked Gandhi or tried to debunk his reputation, but as he said himself, he was no saint. Perhaps a different biographer would have been able to assess Gandhi's role and influence (both in India and South Africa) more dispassionately.

But that is to quibble. This book is still well worth the read.

G Rodgers

A Great Book
Louis Fischer does his subject justice with a fine account of Gandhi's life. Despite the long duration of the Mahatma's struggle, the author keeps the book interesting pretty much throughout. Fischer's two first hand accounts of his meetings with Gandhi serve as a plesent break in the course of the book, giving it greater life, as well as providing a more personal insight into Gandhi. Thankfully the author remains well clear of blind adoration for the man, highlighting both his flaws and weaknesses. The only short coming is that the book was written before the rise of M.L. King and Nelson Mandela, thus fails to address the full influence Gandhi had and will have beyond India. Overall, I whole heartedly recommend this book of such an important subject, which was also the inspiration for the film. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

He's not Whine Bratzky for nothin'!
In an Sports Illustrated tribute issue on Gretzky, Rick Reilly claimed that getting him to talk about himself was like pulling teeth. Well, if that's the case, Gretzky must be wearing dentures!

He imagines the kids who played with and against him growing up hated him because of his God-given talent. He takes a perverse pride in impregnating his wife 4 months before their wedding. He resentfully informs us that if a family member or friend wants to go to a game, the player has to buy the ticket. He gratingly talks about himself in the third person. Yet, his egomania is almost understandable, though not inexcusable. In an amazingly frank 1990 interview with the L.A. Times, he revealed how Walter Gretzky got his jollies toying with his boy's psyche and pushing him unforgivingly to make it beyond the 3rd line of his pee-wee team (the apex of Gretzky pere's career).

He slams everyone from his houseboy (for not being a coffee expert even though he comes from Columbia) to a woman at a newsstand (for demanding he pay for an issue of Time he was on the cover of). But he saves most of his bile for Peter Pocklington. True, he would've become a mega-star anyway, but Pocklington came along at a time when the NHL wouldn't touch him due to his age; for that alone, Gretzky should be thankful. Promblem is, he doesn't know the meaning of the word...I don't know what bothers me more, how he paints himself as the hapless victim of The Trade (he wasn't) or the smirk on his face on the cover. If Gretzky proves anything, it's that he's petty, emotionally immature, at times, a real jerk, and even something of a bigot ...anything but the "class act" the media - and himself - believes he is.

Not the goody-two shoes I thought he was
Who knew that Wayne's so opinionated? In that respect, this book was a real surprise. I thought I was getting the usual sports bio, "We went into game 5 tired and spent, yada yada yada..." While Wayne does include things like that, he does provide insight on what it feels like to be a highly recognizable person. Most celebrities are too egotistical to admit to feelings of lonliness at the top, for instance. Wayne admits these feelings, yet also enjoys his moments. I also liked how he pulled no punches when it came to his feelings about Peter Pocklington. You'll want to get into a hot shower and scrub yourself red, after reading the chapters on The Trade. He also occasionally decries The Supreme Lord Sather. Nice to see someone in the game not worship at the altar once in a while, isn't it? Yet he's still the greatest ambassador hockey has had. This book is better than Kevin Lowe's gloss-job, I'll tell ya that.

it was an exelent book all of the quots were great
I loved the quotes. once I started to read it i could not stop. I could not belive I read a book that was that long. Wayne Gretzky is the greatest man who ever lived. It is amasing when you think about it how many peaople try to idolise him. go into a hockey rink and look to see how many people actally do idolise him. And it is all because his jursey was too big for him when he was playng with the 17 year olds. My favorite part was when walter Gretzky quotes "I did not build a rink to watch my son grow up to be a pro I did it so I could watch from the kitchen where it is worm"

This was a great book!!
I thought that this was a great book. It tells about his first ten years in the NHL and how he broke tons of records. If you are wanting to learn more about Wayne Gretzky I would recommend reading this book. I just picked up this book the other day when he retired just to see how great of a hockey player he was and forever will be. I especially enjoyed this book from a hockey players view since I have played hockey for nine years and enjoy this sport verry much. So if you want to read a great book by a great hockey player read this book.

Great Reading Material
I thought it was a great book. I read it when I was in middle school and as soon as I picked it up I couldn't put it down. It had a lot of information and it was really interesting to see just how good he really was when he was little. ... Read more

Book Description

Gandhi the Man tells how Gandhi remade himself from a shy,tongue-tied, average little man to a Mahatma whose life can serve as aninspiration for our own transformation. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great book for understanding Gandhi's Spiritual Side
My church used this book as a weekly study of Gandhi's spiritual legacy. It was wonderful. It is full of penetrating quotes and delightful pictures. It's a short read and immensely inspiring. It reminds me that we all have the potential to be a Gandhi. Note that the publisher of this book has a free study guide on their site as a companion for the book. Go to www.nilgiri.org and then click to the page where you would buy the book. I've also found other books from this publisher to be very good.

a good place to start
In October, which is his birth month, everyone who has ever been affected by the teachings of the Mahatma turns to refresh themselves about who he was & what he gave to us. Because of my parents' antipathy toward this rabble rouser, I naturally wanted to know more about him. It was the Mahatma's tenets that I learnt as a volunteer during the early anti-apartheid marches in London after Nelson Mandela was incarcerated, & which stood me in good stead in Chicago during the Civil Rights Movement.

In GANDHI THE MAN, Eknath Easwaran offers a simply read primer, with lots of photographs, into who the man was & how he came to his way of life. Definitely for those who have ever wondered about this great soul & about how to transform the quality of their lives.

A perennial Rebeccasreads recommendation. Then explore all the other offerings from Nilgiri Press & the Blue Mountain Center for Meditation.

Not quite what I hoped for
When I purchased this book I was hoping for a detailed account of Gandhi's life from beginning to end and how he effected people and politics.What I got was a limited account of Gandhi's life with emphasis on his spirituality and very little detail of the actual events.Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book and it was a useful introduction but it left me yearning for much more.

If you are looking for and introduction to Gandhi's spirituality this is interesting.If you want a detailed history of Gandhi's life, keep looking.

Uplift Your Life with the Essence of Gandhi!
Gandhi is one of my key personal heroes, and I expect he will continue to be for the duration of my life. One of the primary reasons for this is that I draw such inspiration from someone who transformed his life from the mire of confusion and failure that many of us experience, to become a beacon of inspiration, accomplishment and near-flawless integrity. Gandhi's life also identifies the exact ways, means and principles surrounding how integrating and extending spiritual energy can help us in achieving any goal, no matter how daunting it may seem. I have read several books on Gandhi, including "My Experiments with Truth" -- which I recommend with the caveat that it is very laborious reading. "Gandhi the Man" on the other hand, cuts to the chase -- and helps readers to see the essence of the greatness of Gandhi, while also pointing us to the tools that will help us achieve greatness in our own lives (integration of thought, word and deed, meditation, focus on service, etc.). Highly recommended!

An uplifting story
The first book I read on my spiritual journey, and a marvelous sendoff.Illustrates the immense power of love, patience and focussed energy that anyone, even the most ordinary or average person, is capable of.Immenselyuplifting. ... Read more

Book Description

From April 1864 until the end of the war, Horace Porter served as lieutenant colonel attached to Grant1s staff. He accompanied him into battle in the Wilderness, Cold Harbor and Petersburg campaigns and was there at the courthouse at Appomattox. His portrait of his two years with Grant has emerged as the most readable first-hand account we have of the General in action. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Place to Start in a Study on Grant
The personal anecdotes are truly amazing. This was written by one of Grant's closest aides during the Eastern Theatre campaign. This book shows and disputes the old arguments of Grant as a Butcher. An Important read for those who want to find the real Grant!

Engrossing.
These are the personal reminiscences of Horace Porter, Aide-de-Camp to General Grant. He joined Grant April 4, 1864 and served with him for 9 years, 1864-1872. So by definition expect Federal bias and a father like depiction of Grant. That said, this is a very good Civil War learning tool, insightful as only the reflections of someone who was privy to the highest councils of Union command could be.

From his promotion to General-in-Chief until the end of the war, Grant had to make many tough decisions. Porter reports a number of these in this book. But he also reports on Grant, General of the Armies. My comments to come are not intended to in any way denigrate Robert E. Lee. Let's face it, Lee's performance was awesome. However, Grant's performance was much better, if for no other reason than Grant's authority was greater than Lee's. Until the very last days of the war, Jeff Davis acted as his own General-in-Chief. For all but 3 weeks, Lee only commanded the Army of Northern Virginia. Grant, however, commanded all Federal armies. Thus, as biased as Porter's work necessarily is, Porter does give us the first and best look at a true modern general. Grant's political awareness, his understanding of logistics, close coordination with the navy, handling multiple armies, ability to improvise, understand and forge new methods of warfare such as Sherman's march, "mark him as the exceptional general of the nineteenth century".

Porter book gives us a unique view of how Grant's abilities evolved. Equally important we get in-depth reviews of a variety of Union participants everyone from Lincoln, to Hancock, Dana, Meade, Sherman and Sheridan just to mention a few. These personal reflections are quite worthwhile.

This is one interesting book, written by a well positioned observer. It is a book that adds greatly to understanding the Union participants of the Civil War.

Partisan writing shrouds the truth
Porter writes as if the North was never wrong, its commanders never fooled or mistaken, its armies never disspirited, and that the Union campaigns always succeeded. We all should know better. According to Porter, every time the Confederates didn't hold a field they were "repulsed handsomely." Every time the Union didn't hold the field, they were merely "compelled to retire." You will see these gross aberrations throughout this stale and shoddy work. His characterizations add nothing fresh about the famous personages surrounding him, and certainly his military perspective offers less in quality of insight than the diary of any Union private. There are many great books on the Civil War by the figures who fought it: this one can wait until you've exhausted everything else.

The next-best-thing to Grant's "Memoirs"
I read Grant's "Memoirs" on the recommendation of a cigar-chomping friend. It was a revelation. I began reading with ambivalence about Grant. By the time I was finished, he became a hero for me, for entirely unexpected reasons -- the clarity of his writing, for one; his modesty and straight-forward manner, for two others. I followed it with other volumes about Grant (including Bruce Catton's set) but it wasn't until another friend whom I discovered shared my feelings for Grant's genius recommended Horace Porter's "Campaigning with Grant" that I discovered an equally satisfying successor. Horace Porter's "Campaigning With Grant" is the next best thing to Grant's "Memoirs." Again, the clarity of writing, the descriptions of Grant's decision-making process, the anecdotes from the Wilderness Campaign on through the sieges of Richmond and Petersburg, and on to Appomatox come as a revelation -- at least, in part, when you realize this is one of those "source documents" all the great historians of the era have relied upon.

Apparently Porter assisted Grant in writing his "Memoirs" although there is not much (if any) dispute that Grant wrote them himself. While this may explain some of the similarity in style and substance, it probably says more about "like minds" than anything else. No matter. This is well worth the read and very rewarding.

A Masterpiece!
If you had to read one book about U.S. Grant as a man this is it. Horace Porter knew Grant quite well and thought he book was written in 1896, it still retains a vibrancy and modernity to it. Porter wrote the book in an almost conversational style which is entertaining and interesting. Do you want to know how much Grant weighed or how tall he was? What kinds of foods he liked? How about a description of him necking with his wife in full view of Lincoln and his staff officers? Look no further than between the covers of this remarkable book. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down! ... Read more

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These 1966 and 1967 diaries of the late Cuban leader were written during his attempt to establish a guerilla insurrectionary movement in Bolivia. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Bolivian Diary
The Bolivian Diary of Che Guevara is pretty fascinating, because when I thought about the Bolivian Adventure, Che being a horrible comandante and guerrilla leader always came to my mind. When I read the book I found that there were many aspects that didn't let Che prevail in Bolivia. From Mario Monje and PCB Party's betrayel, Fidel's lack of re-establishing contact with the guerrillas, lack of peasant recruiting to create a people's army, lack of conditions being right in country for an insurection, etc. Even with all these things stopping Che I was very amazed on how far he got, any other leader wouldn't have lasted 2 months. Che's tactics in his ambushes was incredible and even with lack of guerrillas he wiped out mostly all army forces that opposed him. Che was doing superb until US intervention. To understand Che's mission and how he failed is to understan Latin America today. ... Read more

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A biography of Mahatma Gandhi, whose mission in life was to help the 350 million people of India free themselves from British rule. ... Read more

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Told in flowing and succinct prose, this portrait of Ruth Bell Graham, the world-famous evangelist Billy Graham's wife gives the reader a first-hand glimpse into some of the great events of the second half of this century. It follows Ruth Bell Graham first as a missionary child from war-ravaged pre-Revolution China and Korea, to peaceful Wheaton, Illinois, and then as a famous evangelist's wife, to the Deep South, Post-War Europe, and the events in America since the 1950s.

Far from showing us "The Revival Widow," Patricia Cornwell depicts Ruth Bell as a woman of extraordinary strength, will, and faith, who has influenced the face of modern Christianity. Inseparable from her husband, we learn much about Billy Graham's beliefs, his background, the evangelist's private life, and witness his rapid climb to world prominence, and Ruth's invaluable contributions, support, and sacrifices to her family, and his.

Patricia Cornwell, with this impressive account, has written a magnificent biography of a great American lady. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Flattering biography
The most interesting part of this book was in the descriptions of Ruth Bell Graham's early life in China. Her later life with Billy Graham was confusing. Since I'm not from her generation I found it hard to understand why she chose to marry Billy Graham. She wanted to be a missionary like her parents. Some of the details of their life struck me as odd (seperate bedrooms), but nothing was written that was offensive. This is a book you will read if you're really interested in Ruth Graham, but it will never be a mainstream bestseller.

Valuable and informative
An interesting story of a remarkable woman with unusual strength and deep insight into faith, Christ and christian living. Thus defenately worth reading. Yet the book left me spiritually hungry; I would have wanted to hear more Ruth's own voice, get closer to her and her way of figuring things out. That would have also brought more warmth into the biography. A book called "Coffee and conversation with Ruth Bell Graham and Gigi Tchividjian" fills that kind of needs better.

Ruth Graham: today's great role model!
A well written biography of one of the best examples of a Godly woman

Fascinating story of one of America's most famous wives
Ruth is a remarkable woman, with an interesting childhood, young adult and adult life story. She is a picture of a godly, submissive wife who is not a doormat....(something this world needs more examples of!) I recommend it, especially for young Christian women who are engaged or newly married.

There is no one in the world quite like Ruth Graham.
There is no one in the world quite like Ruth, not even Ms. Cornwell does her justice. Sure she indured much being the wife of the great Billy Graham, but not even he could begin to understand the many facets of this incredible woman. Only the Lord Himself truley knows, but I look forward to knowing her better in Heaven. ... Read more

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Che: The Photobiography of Che Guevara chronicles the life of Che Guevara, the passionate Argentinian revolutionary who aided Castro in the liberation of Cuba.Using over 300 black and white photographs, most never before seen, Christophe Loviny chronicles Guevara's life as the child of a privileged Argentinian family, his activism in South America, Africa, and Cuba, and his notorious death.Intermingled with text that includes excerpts from Che's letters and his diary, Loviny's work gives the reader a rare and intimate glimpse of a life often obscured by the revolutionary mystique peculiar to the man known to the world as Che. ... Read more

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President Grant Reconsidered shatters myths about America's 18th president. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Revisionism At Its Best
This is probably the bravest Grant book ever written. Even those biographers favorable to him have a tendency, like so many sheep, to parrot the same old lines about him as the bumbling, inept politician who presided over one of the most corrupt administrations is American history. It does not seem to bother these historians that they are, for the most part, simply repeating partisan attacks that had been made against him by his political enemies for their own questionable (to say the least) reasons.

Frank Scaturro is the first writer I have ever seen to use a fresh approach to the Grant presidency, pointing out not only that the much touted scandals of his term in office were frequently based on weak or exaggerated evidence, but that Grant himself was a strong, enlightened leader who accomplished more than most want to admit. It seems that the victor of Vicksburg and Appomattox was not all that different from the man who occupied the White House, after all.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who wants to hear "the other side of the story" of Grant's oft-belittled political career.

Finally- A Honest Account of the Grant Presidency!
During the 50 years following the Civil War, the presidency of U. S. Grant was completely distored in an attempt to diminish the accomplishments of the Grant era (Civil Rights) and to take away some of the luster from the man who saved the Union.

The Democratic party- particullary of the South- stiffled the great civil rights efforts of the Republicans during reconstruction. As time passed, and voting rights and other legislative initatives of the Granta administration were dismembered by the Southern Demacrats, they constantly sought to sully the memory of Grant. One of the keys to that effort was portraying the Grant administration in a bad light in terms of corruption. This was done by distortion history, and the outright falsification of the facts involved in the Grant administration. To a large extent these distortions have not been challanged.

Grant Reconsidered presents the historical record in a straight fowrward manner: The Grant presidency offered tremendous acomplishments- and really offered a bridge from a slave nation to a nation where all men have the same rights. An outstanding book!!

A book that reshapes debate about an underrated presidency
Readers looking for a history of Grant's presidency will be sorely disappointed. The author assumes that the reader has at least a passing familiarity with previous biographies of Grant and of such events as Reconstruction, the Crédit Mobilier scandal, the Whiskey Ring and the Treaty of Washington. Nevertheless, "President Grant Reconsidered" is an important book that should help reshape debate about these events and rehabilitate the reputation of perhaps the most underrated President in American history.

Interesting but uneven
Scaturro does a thorough job debunking some of the interpretations of history which keep plunking Grant in the "worst President" realm. For those interested in Grant this is a must read. As a Grant fan I was happy to see a defense come out in favor of Grant's accomplishments, however, Grant's shortcomings as a President (be they created by bad luck, bad spin, or bad policy) were manifold and I would have liked a more even-handed approach. Still, I enjoyed the book.

An Object Lesson in How History Can Be Distorted
At a time when one of America's most famous historians defends a President against rape charges by arguing that "gentlemen always lie about sex," this book is a welcome reminder that historians can greatly distort their subject matter. President Grant, as shown by Mr. Scaturro, was one of the great civil rights Presidents and a strong chief executive. That he is remembered as a failure says less about him as President than it does about the sheeplike quality of American academia who have tarnished his reputation. All Presidential Administrations probably have a certain level of corruption and the amount of publicity such corruption receives has nothing to do with the actual level of venality. This is one of the crucial books on American history. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Author-illustrator Demi has created a simple, straightforward, andreverent biography of India's "great soul." So simple and factual, indeed, thatit might be a rather ordinary book, except for Demi's memorable,color-saturated, very Indian illustrations. We follow Gandhi from his hard,lonely education and apprenticeship in England and South Africa through thenationwide strike he led after the Amritsar massacre, to Independence and hiseventual assassination. No major milestone in his life is left out, and each isdealt with in a short paragraph (typically 50 words), on its own page withaccompanying illustration; 8 or 9 of these may want more substance. In between,however, this is an excellent introduction to the subcontinent's most famousson. (Ages 5 to 10) --Richard Farr ... Read more