Book Description

From the editor of the phenomenal New York Times bestseller War Letters comes an even more powerful, more revealing collection of letters by soldiers and civilians from both sides in every major war in our history -- all discovered during Andrew Carroll's extraordinary journey to thirty-five countries around the world. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The reality of war revealed
Andy Carroll's last book - War Letters - showed what war is like by reprinting letters of American combatants who had ac-tually fought those wars.(I should confess that one of my letters about Vietnam was reprinted in that book.)

Andy's new book - Behind The Lines - shows what war is like with reprints of letters from both combatants and non-combatants - civilian women and children.This book also in-cludes letters written by non-Americans as well as Americans.

Andy limited the letters to those from the wars in which America was involved.Thsee wars range from the Revolutionary War (there's a great letter from a Hessian soldier [Hessians were German soldiers "leased" to Great Britain to fight as mer-cenaries] giving his impressions of America and the poor fighting ability of the rebels), the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam (there's a good letter from a soldier asking his parents to forgive him for having killed a man in combat), Kosovo and Gulf Wars I and II.

While many letters deal with combat, other letters show the many faces of war.At times, war can be terrifying, funny, ab-surd, touching and hilarious.(You know you've been fighting too long when the same incident strikes you as both terrifying and hilarious.)

One letter was a love letter written by a California woman to a Swiss national.In fact, the letter was complete fabrication.The Swiss national actually was a German spy traveling in Great Britain during WWII.The letter was created to make his cover seem more believable.

One letter was from a brother who had enlisted in the Union army in the U.S. Civil War.He wrote to berate his brother for having enlisted in the Confederate army.

One letter was from a German wife to her husband's company commander.She requested that her husband be given a leave "because of our sexual relationship."She wanted her husband to come home so they can have sex.The commander's sym-pathetic reply is included in the book.

One letter writer came up with a list of "The Army's Ten Commandments," which should bring a smile to anyone who served in the Army.Commandment number four is, "Thou shall not laugh at second lieutenants."

One writer came up with a letter filled with multiple choice op-tions.By checking various options, he could either proclaim his undying love or write about an upcom-ing/imminent/current/recent military offensive.

Several letter writers tried to warn their families that they should prepare for a slight adjustment period when the men come home.One Vietnam writer warned, "If it should start raining, pay no attention to his joyous scream as he strips naked, grabs a bar of soap, and runs outdoors for a shower."(As a Vietnam veteran, I found that letter puzzling.Doesn't everybody shower that way?)

The book is divided into several themes that illustrate the dif-ferent faces of war:friendship; combat; laughing though the tears; civilians caught in the crossfire; and the aftermath of war.

As a Vietnam Infantry pointman and squad leader, I view a book about war differently from most people.Andy's book showed me a side of war I had never considered - its impact on non-combatants - who could neither run away (what any sane person does when people are trying to kill him) nor fight (if you're going to die anyway, why not die fighting?).

The book also showed me what I already knew from my own experience:that war changes forever those touched by it.

One Vietnam veteran was haunted by the fact that several of his comrades had died rescuing him after he was seriously wounded.So decades after the end of the Vietnam war, he left a letter at the Vietnam Memorial thanking those men for their sacrifice.That letter is included in the book.

Don't buy this book if you are looking for stories about triumphant soldiers marching in victory parades in front of cheering, grateful crowds.That's not the side of war that Andy wanted to show.Instead, the book shows the side of war that doesn't make the 5:00 TV news.

You will need to read this book in small doses because the emotional impact of the letters can be overwhelming.In Los Angeles I attended a reading of selected letters from the book.One of the speakers read a letter he had written as a Jewish teenager while riding in a sealed railway car on his way to a German concentration camp.The letter told his sister how much he loved her.He pushed the finished letter through a hole in the side of the railway car and hoped that a kind peasant would find and mail it to his sister.One did.

incredibly moving book
This compilation is marvelously well-edited and includes an incredible variety of letters from soldiers and civilians from numerous wars.The author has put together a very nuanced, clear-eyed, resonant and moving collection and has written helpful, insightful descriptions throughout the book. This book would make a great gift. ... Read more

Amazon.com

From abortion to "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, Abrams vs. United States tothe Zenger trial, and abstract impressionism to Dr. Marie Zakrzewska, The Oxford Companion to United States History is an encyclopedic overview covering the pre-Columbian era to the election of George W. Bush in 2000.

The Companion examines the notable men and women and major events in U.S. history, such as wars or the Depression, as well as ideas and ideologies, technological innovations and economic developments, and long-term processes such as immigration and urbanization. Each entry is written by an authority on the subject, thoroughly cross-referenced in the 78-page index, and arranged alphabetically for easy reference. The alphabetic organization makes for some strange (or amusing) combinations ofpeople on the same page: Billy Graham and Martha Graham; "Mother" Jones andMichael Jordan; Persian Gulf War and Petroleum Industry; Income Tax, Federal,and Indentured Servitude.

A browser's delight, but full of solid scholarship, The Oxford Companion to United States History deserves the treatment its editors recommend--as "a work to be thumbed and worn out, not a book to be put behind glass on a shelf!" Absolutely essential for the well-stocked history library. --Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fails as a Guide to American History
Students and history buffs need a good, comprehensive volume on the significant people, events, movements and changes in the United States over the course of its history. This volume, from the leading publisher of reference books in the English language, fails and disappoints with regard to these goals. This Oxford Companion tries to be the United States History of Everything, as a result it misses key aspects of political history and what it does cover is often inadequate and incomplete.

The Companion tries to cover too many aspects of cultural history and its icons. As a result it sacrifices information on many important political and public figures. We get biographies of Michael Jordan and Marilyn Monroe but no separate bios of George Mason, William Borah, Hiram Johnson, Henry Cabot Lodge, Tom Watson, Joseph Cannon, Thomas Dewey, Nelson Rockefeller, Clarence Darrow, Sam Rayburn, Jesse Jackson -- and the list goes on and on. When they are covered it is often in snipets in subject area articles, which does not give a complete overview of their public careers.

What it does cover in cultural and intellectual history is often incomplete. The Companion has separate artices on the history of the blues, jazz and a weak article on rural country and folk music, but absolutely nothing on bluegrass or commercial country music and its pioneers. The index doesn't even mention the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Bill Monroe or Hank Williams. Yet country music far exceeds both the blues and jazz in popularity in terms of its fan base and are certainly deserving popular art forms for inclusion.

The selection of significant figures for separate biographies is often strange and arbitrary. The Companion offers a bio of physicist Eugene Wigner but not of Hans Bethe or Richard Feynman, like Wigner both Nobel Prize winners. Feynman is considered by many to be the most important theoretical physicist of the second half of the 20th century. This arbitrariness in selecting subjects for biographies can be repeated in many different subject areas.

The Companion contains 26 black and white maps, often of poor resolution, and follows the same arbitrary editing in terms of subject matter. You get a map of the properties of U.S. Steel, but no map on how the United States looked at the end of the Revolution or after the Louisiana Purchase, though there is a barely readable map of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. No reference tables and charts are included to tell the reader Presidential election results, who were the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, or who occupied important positions in Congress or the military over the course of American history.

On the positive side there are many good articles here on political and social history. However the reader must use this book carefully and supplement it with other Oxford Companions and reference books. At $... I would examine this book in a library before considering a purchase.

a vital and reliable companion to u.s. history today
This volume contains entries that deal with concepts, events, persons, and movements in u.s. history. The length of the entries is appropriate to the topic considered. In addition, the entires both inform the reader with up-to-date information and indicate how revisionist historians have resahped opionions or refocused the discipline. The entries are clearly written and eminently readable. They are persuasive in thier opionions, yet respectful of other stances. The cross references are helpful and ample. The same obtains for the bibliographies. The Oxford Companion to U.S. History far surpasses some other contemporary dictionaries in U.S. history. Its articles are treated in more depth and greater nuances. The entries in the other dictionaries are too short and far too superficial. I would highly recommend this for people involved in serious historical study and research. The price, especially the discounted one offered by amazon.com, is well worth the investment for scholars,libraries, and families.

excellent reference material
This book is a must have for anyone with an interest in American History. It gives a clear, concise explanation on most important aspects of the United States history and the history of the lands that would eventually become the United States. The most unique aspect of this book is that, unlike a school textbook, it explains a topics role throughout the history of the United States in on section. In other words, if you looked up Civil Rights, you would find a history of Civil Rights in America from the colonial period to present. All the background information you would need would be in one place, not scattered throughout the book. This is beneficial for teachers who need to quickly find some basic information to answer a student's question, or for a student who needs to quickly brush up on a topic. This is a work that I will definetly use for years to come. ... Read more

Book Description

Emphasizing social history, especially as it applies to discussions of race, class, and gender, The American People, 5/e presents the lives and experiences of all Americans--all national origins and cultural backgrounds, at all levels of society, and in all regions of the country. The narrative integrates discussion of public events such as presidential elections, wars, and reform movements with the private stories of ordinary Americans who participated in and responded to these events. As it unfolds the drama of American history, The American People highlights the political, social, economic, technological, religious, cultural, and intellectual events that have shaped American society. Appropriate for anyone with an interest in American history and the Social history of the United States. Previous ISBNs: 0-673-98577-6 ... Read more

Reviews (9)

very left wing bias
dont waste your time with this guy. I don't know where he gets his info. My son has one of Mr. Nash's textbooks for history and I have never seen so much left wing bias, especially in a textbook.

Do your own research
It's amazing to me to read reviews of people who tout this book as "liberal propaganda" when it merely tells the truth about history. If you wanted the whitewashed version of history we were taught in high school, where Christopher Columbus had pure motives in the new world and didn't rape or enslave the native population, where the Native Americans were savages who were domesticated by the pilgrims who so graciously shared a Thanksgiving feast with them, where Woodrow Wilson's racism and hatred of women isn't mentioned...why did you bother taking a college history course, or bother going to college for that matter, at all? Pull your heads out of the sand! If you truly believe this book is socialist propaganda, I recommend you start doing your own research of America's past without using any high school or college textbook as a source of information - you'll find that this particular textbook has one of the truest pictures of American history available.

Finally, a balanced history text
Some of the reviews posted here are just bizarre - did they read the book? Yes, the book writes minority groups and women into the story - where they belong (gay Americans are not mentioned at all in the pre-Civil War volume; in the full edition they are not mentioned until the 1970s gay rights movement!). The book discusses farmers, urban artisans, and everybody else in early America. It also does NOT ignore the traditional subjects of history - politics, leaders, diplomacy, economic development. Events and dates? of course, with timelines at the end of each chapter. Good maps. The only flaw is that it tries to work too much material in, gets too dense. Recommended.

A bastion of liberal propaganda
I'm a high school junior in NJ, and I have to say that I have never met a single balanced history textbook throughout my education. "From the back cover: Emphasizing social history, especially as it applies to discussions of race, class, and gender..." And you wonder why all teenagers nowadays are all liberal Bush-haters, when they've been brainwashed by such biased history. Oh, conservatives are bad, right-wings are evil, this book preaches. And let's spend 10 chapters on Native Americans, 10 chapters on women, 10 chapters on slaves. Unbelievable.

So, this was history?
This book was horrible. I was forced to use it in a mandatory brainwash...er, history course for school. The book essentially goes like this:

We settled Massachusetts, and the indians, blacks, gays and women were persecuted.

Then, we started a westward expansion which led to persecution for indians, blacks, gays, and women.

During the revolutionary war some white guys fought or something, but it is important to note that the indians, blacks, gays...

This book is a proselyting tool, a transparent piece of propaganda. I didn't convert. ... Read more

Book Description

Supported by colorful anecdotes, first-person quotations, and its trademark wit, The American Pageant is one of the most readable, popular, and effective American history textbooks available.

Pedagogy includes chapter-ending chronologies, numerous interesting quotes from historical figures, and incisive part openers that contextualize six major periods in American history. The Appendix includes "Suggested Readings" for every chapter, an annotated Constitution of the United States with page references, and an extensive statistical profile of the United States.

Reviews (55)

Beats the heck out of Howard Zinn
This book handles its subject very well. It was the basic text for my 11th Grade history course, where it provided a good balance of mildly amusing wit and genuinely useful information.

The main advantage of "The American Pageant" is that the author is not trying to push a major political agenda. It lacks the patriotic drivel for which "traditional" history texts are often denounced. However, it also lacks the negative, depressing Socialist philosophy which makes Zinn's "People's History of the United States" so difficult to read.

The end result is a history text which does a history text's job: telling what happened. The book covers politics, economics, and major events in a style which is sometimes amusing and usually informative. Although not overly political, it also pays due attention to such important issues as race and gender.

Not a particularly "specialized" book, but an excellent survey text.

Kinda sucks
No, I'm not some ultraconservative saying that this book has a huge leftist bent, because it doesn't. For example, while in the final chapters it focuses more on the negative impacts of Reagan's economic program than the positive ones, it also talks about how the idea of New World discoverers simply being savage murderers of perfectly innocent, starry-eyed Indians is an exaggeration - so, while the former could be described as a leftist bent, the latter could be described as a rightist bent. But anyway, the true reason this book is obnoxious is because...well...it's obnoxious! Cheesy phrases like "oil, the black milk of the world's economy" abound, and the book seems to obsessively focus on issues such as women's rights, almost like they're required by law to include information about minorities and women every X pages. I'm not saying that white men own the history of America, but it could've flowed better.

This book is also anything but objective, but the biases seem to go both ways at times.

Worst. Book. Ever.
I may not be able to write all I can about how this book is really bad but the book, Lies My Teacher Told Me : Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong -- by James W. Loewen does a really good job with it. I just can't believe some people found this book ok to read. I had this book in school and I absolutely hated it.

This book personifies America A LOT for example on page 4 "The American continents were slow to yield their virginity." They uses a lot of metphors and flowery language.

Everything is very biased. He refered to the English as Anglo-Saxans. Just like Americans are Christian. (note the sarcasm)

The author likes to ignore some facts about history, like the existance of the Native Americans and believe me there was a LOT and their massacre is comparable to what happen to the Jews--- but more brutal. Of course I didn't learn that from this book. This book takes the existance of the Native Americans very lightly and passively.
-Page 4 "The American republic, which is still relatively young, was from the outset singularly favored. It started from scratch on a vast and virgin continent, which was so sparsely peopled by Indians that they could be eliminated or pushed aside."
-Page 10 "The English settlers, disagreeable though the thought may be, were more successful than the Spaniards in kiling off the Indians."
-Page 13 "The main attraction was hoped-for gold, although there was some desire to convert the heathen Indians to Christianity and to find a passage through America to the Indies."

Once again there's more that is wrong with this book. Just that I have to go to sleep now. But if you like flowerly language, a biased opinion on history, and the glorification of America then go ahead. I don't know about you but I just can't learn history like that, its a terrible way to try to improve our country if we don't learn the flaws or the wrong things that our country does.

The best textbook I ever read
I'm 32 now and this was my AP US History book in high school. I'm thinking about buying it and reading it again, as a refresher and a pleasure. The satirical quips made it a joy the first time around, and I still remember charming phrases like "Nebrascals" and Martin van Buren being a "veritable steam engine in breeches." I remember about nothing from the rest of my high school and college textbooks. The authors find their subject grand, tragic and humorous, and that's the way they present it. Even if you think the style is inappropriate, you remember what is said. Perhaps it's even gotten under your skin enough for you to spout about it online for fifteen minutes instead of cracking open a bag of Doritos and firing up the Playstation. I'd say that's a colossal achievement when it comes to high school textbooks. And in case you're concerned that the relevent facts are missing, I got a 5 on my AP test.

Not as bad as they say it is...
I'm using this book for my A.P. US History class. Some may complain about the flowery prose, but I absolutely love it. The authors' use of metaphors and other forms of figurative language makes it a joy to read. Is it leftist? I don't think so; for the most part, the authors present facts quite objectively. However, I think the authors are just a bit too obsessed with "women's issues." (It's no surprise: one of the authors teaches "gender and working class issues" at Harvard.) Don't get me wrong, I am a woman myself (though not a feminist), and I appreciate the fact that women are now integrated into public life, but it begins to get annoying when I am constantly reminded that women were perpetually chained to the kitchen but were just on the fringe of tasting the sweet fruits of "liberation." Excuse me, but I personally don't think that a woman needs a paycheck to improve her sense of self. I certainly don't. And the authors seem to be annoyed that women went right back into the home after both world wars. Nonetheless, the first few chapters, in which the authors chronicle America's gradual drift towards revolution, is just exciting, full of almost patriotic fervor. They clearly love the subject, and their enthusiasm shows. And besides, there is a fascinating discussion about the roots of modern conservatism near the end of the book. Overall, a fine textbook. ... Read more

Book Description

Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia Peabody were in many ways our American Brontes. The story of these remarkable sisters — and their central role in shaping the thinking of their day — has never before been fully told. Twenty years in the making, Megan Marshall's monumental biograpy brings the era of creative ferment known as American Romanticism to new life.
Elizabeth, the oldest sister, was a mind-on-fire thinker. A powerful influence on the great writers of the era — Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau among them — she also published some of their earliest works. It was Elizabeth who prodded these newly minted Transcendentalists away from Emerson's individualism and toward a greater connection to others. Mary was a determined and passionate reformer who finally found her soul mate in the great educator Horace Mann. The frail Sophia was a painter who won the admiration of the preeminent society artists of the day. She married Nathaniel Hawthorne — but not before Hawthorne threw the delicate dynamics among the sisters into disarray.
Marshall focuses on the moment when the Peabody sisters made their indelible mark on history. Her unprecedented research into these lives uncovered thousands of letters never read before as well as other previously unmined original sources. The Peabody Sisters casts new light on a legendary American era. Its publication is destined to become an event in American biography. ... Read more

Book Description

Almost everything--you know about American history is wrong, because most textbooks and popular history books are written by left-wing academic historians who treat their biases as fact.But fear not, Professor Thomas Woods has written the perfect antidote.This delightful book--funny and inviting, but factually sound-shatters the myths about American history and seperates fact from fiction. ... Read more

Book Description

The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu is universally recognized as the greatest military strategist in history, a master of warfare interpretation. This condensed version of his influential classic imparts the knowledge and skills to overcome every adversary in war, at the office, or in everyday life. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

are you kidding me
VERY DECEPTIVE. Makes it seem like its a hardcover book, yet it fits in the palm of my hand. its 3inches by 3inches. That is just ridiculous. On top of the deception, the "book" was a TOTAL RIP OFF.

Simply shoddy
``Don't judge a book by its cover.'' They could have at least gotten the Chinese characters the right way round -- the text on the cover is flipped left-to-right. I would not express surprise if this were representative of the contents (translation.)

I can't say I'm particularly impressed with this edition of an otherwise great classic. (Allegedly. I've yet to read it. :-/)

Way screwed
THIS IS A MINI BOOK IT ONLY 2 IN SQUARE!!!!!!!!

Screwed!
I expected a book not a pamphlet! Thank God I didnt pay alot or I really would have been Pis$#% Off!

I've been deceived.
This book fits into the palm of my hand. I feel the seller deceived me in not disclosing this detail in the product description. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Dutiful Daughters
Flora Fraser is the next generation in the fine biographical/historical tradition of her mother Lady Antonia Fraser and her late grandmother Elizabeth (Countess of) Longford.Like her forebears, Fraser combines scholarship with an elegant and witty writing style to produce books whichilluminate and engage.

King George III's six daughters tend to get short shrift from historians and biographers who focus on their father, their brothers, and their niece Queen Victoria. The prevailing picture of them is of six mousy women pushed into the background.Fraser has pulled Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia out of the shadows and let us see that they had strong personalities and lives of their own.

The six princesses were victims of circumstance even more than most eighteenth century royal women.Ordinarily they would have been married off to men they scarcely knew almost as soon as they reached puberty in order to strengthen Britain's alliances.George III, however, had been horrified by the ill treatment two of his own sisters received at the hands of unloving husbands, and he was determined that his own daughters would not suffer such a fate.Unfortunately his paternal affections did not extend to allowing his daughters to marry Englishmen they loved, and only meant that he turned down overtures from many foreign princes, usually without consulting his daughters at all. Furthermore, as the princesses reached marriageable age the French Revolution and Napoleonic Warsmeant many possible suitors were now the enemies of Britain and thus out of bounds. Finally, George III's bouts of madness/porphyria attacks made him unable to entertain marriage offers, and his wife Queen Charlotte's deep depression over her husband's malady meant that she could not be a matchmaker either.

Bereft of the chance to be proper wives and mothers (the only acceptable role for nearly all women of the period) the princesses lived under their parents' noses well into middle age.They developed literary and artistic interests and were patrons of British charities, and managed little flirtations and dalliances here and there with gentlemen of the court.One of Augusta's liaisons possibly ended in (an illegal) marriage, while Sophia actually produced an illegitimate child.The princesses were dutiful and loving children to their increasingly difficult parents and were supportive siblings to their rackety brothers, who were also denied the chance to legally marry women they loved.

It was only in middle age that some of the daughters married, Charlotte and Elizabeth to German princelings, Mary to an English cousin.Charlotte probably had the most adventurous life, living in Wurttemburg right through several invasions by Napoleon and having to flee for her life at one point (Fraser's description of her life in temporary exile, accompanied by two kangaroos, is among the most amusing of the many anecdotes in the book.)

The fine human qualities of the daughters are well portrayed here.I felt sorriest for Amelia, whose unrequited love for an English officer lasted until her death in 1810.I was impressed with the lovethe daughters showed for their parents and their brothers, and by the love their brothers gave them in return. (Usually the later Hanoverians are depicted asself-indulgent reprobates devoid of any finer qualities.) Finally, the love and regard the daughters had for each other, going to great trouble to visit when one was ill for example, is admirable.

The final years of the daughters were quiet, marked by illness and decline, but I was glad to see that they were not lonely ones, but rather filled with visits from their surviving siblings and other relations and friends.There is a charming photograph in the book of Queen Victoria with two of her children visiting Mary, the last survivor.It is a fitting end to this story of six women who, though related to some of the wealthiest and most powerful people of their time, enjoyed unassuming and generally unremarked upon lives.

Six Lives Stories, Well Told
Perhaps best known in the United States as being the British king who wanted the colonies to pay for military protection with things like the tax on tea, George III was King of England from 1760 until 1820. He fathered fifteen children, six of whom were daughters, this is their story.

The King's growing madness is heavily emphasized in this story. And this is fitting because this was a growing part of the lives of the children. Ms. Fraser did a remarkable job with this book. It is based on the extensive letters between Queen Charlotte and the six girls. It is not a typical biography talking of the major events of King George's rule, it is the personal story of this group of women trying to live a semi-normal life amidst life at the court.

It is a fascinating book that looks at a time far removed from ours. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Due to the timing of its publication, Unfit for Command could be dismissed as the sort of controversial, loaded book typical in a presidential election year: Either courageous and necessary, or untruthful and malicious, depending on one's political point of view. Filled with interviews of men who served in Vietnam at the same time as John Kerry, the book poses the following question: "Why do an overwhelming majority of those who commanded or served with John Kerry oppose him?" (Note that the issue of "service" has sparked investigation into its definition--in other words, just how close was the interaction between Kerry and those cited in the book during Kerry’s Vietnam tour of duty?)

Reviews (4)

A good biography of Brown with important cultural issues
When I was a child the name of John Brown was a grotesquerie.We sang about his body a moulderin' in the grave, but it was generally understood that he was some kind of crazy man who killed some people over slavery, had something to do with the Civil War, and we just shouldn't talk about it.And I am from Michigan rather than the South so this avoidance wasn't based on region.

In the sixties I was about as removed in time from the Civil War as today's young people are from the First World War.That is, the people who were alive during the war were all but past and the children born to those who had lived through the war were now old.Still, some of the received knowledge of the war came from tradition of those who had life experience rather than from books and scholarship.However, with the Great War in our Grandparent's lives, the Second World War in our parent's lives and the echoes of Korea all around us and Vietnam getting under its bloody way, the Civil War just seemed too long ago to worry about in real life.

I took extra time with this book because I wanted to wrestle with the idea of when a cause is important enough to justify personally initiated violence.In our present state of affairs, it is hard to conceive a wrong so great that righting it would involve action outside the political and judicial processes.At bottom, no matter how certain of the rightness and goodness of our cause, there is still some possibility that there is more to the issue than we understand and that those whom we would kill or murder might actually, in the cosmic view of things, not merit the death we would inflict on them.We have doubts enough with the state rendering a judgment of death, how much more would we doubt the rightness of a private judgment that concluded in the death of a human being.

The author, David Reynolds, does a solid job in telling the story of John Brown.We see Brown as a human being within his time.We see his faith in God, his Puritan sense of destiny, and his fury at the injustice of slavery.As we follow him through his life we understand why he acted as he did and the enslavement and misery of four million souls makes his actions in Kansas and at Harpers Ferry make some sort of awful sense.The last two chapters make clear that this author agrees with W.E.B. DuBois that "Brown was right".Reynolds does take on the modern terrorism of the left and the right.He takes on abortion, the environment, the Islamofacists, and more.He argues that Brown was different and exceptional.He notes the power Brown's words and how his cause was taken on by so many leading into, during, and after the Civil War.

Yet, in my own mind, if I grant that Brown is an exception I have to ask what was he exceptional with?And I note it was his eloquence in words.I still cannot help but disqualify his violence as just.His cause in freeing the slaves was certainly just, but if we allow his violence under what premise do we make that allowance?Abortion has taken millions of lives, environmentalism claims they are saving the whole planet, animal rights claims they are sparing billions of animals, and on and on the fever goes until it reaches into insanity.Whose conscience do we grant the privileged position of spilling everyone's blood?

Brown had the passion, conscience, and eloquence that he could have used to make a powerful case against slavery as he did after his trial.He would have had, I believe, and even greater impact against slavery with his preaching than with his sword.Remember, every other country in the world abandoned slavery without the violence of our Civil War.And even if we grant that the War freed the slaves in 1865 while a nonviolent approach would have taken decades longer, we also have to admit it was another century of work and too often bloodshed before the descendants of those slaves got close to the civil rights promised them.And don't forget that the man who did the most to move society to accepting those rights was Martin Luther King who preached nonviolence.Thurgood Marshall won Brown v. Board of Education without guns as well.

Yes, there is more to do.Certainly, there is cruelty and injustice almost more than we can bear in the world.But bear it we must as we work towards a better world.Our methods in that work do matter and we must not become deluded that our personal sense of righteousness actually grants us a special position from which we can deal injustice in the name of a higher cause.

This is a thoughtful book and deserves to be read.You will gain a lot from it and wrestling with these awful events will help you clarify what exactly it is you do believe.

There are better biographies of John Brown
Don't waste your time on this book. Find and read Otto Scott's "John Brown and the Secret Six" which has plenty of evidence of the terrorist roots of John Brown and his band.

Marvellous
Ideal for those of you who want to find out about John Brown, Abolitionist : The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights

A Christian Right Wing Terrorist
I'm not so sure that I agree with Dr. Reynolds subtitle.

John Brown didn't exactly end slavery. That took a little over two million men; 359,528 of whom died.

Did he spark the Civil War? Certainly he was one spark. Dr. Reynolds writes that the Civil War might have been delayed, except for John Brown's murderous raids and the seizure of the federal armory at Harpers Ferry. If it had been delayed, might it not have happened?

Seeding Civil Rights, OK! But if so, the growth and maturity of the Civil Rights movement took another hundred years and the actions of a lot of people.

From this you can guess the tone of the book. Dr. Reynolds presents Brown as a Puritan pioneer rather than a crazed fanatic. I wonder if he would present Timothy McVeigh and the Christian Right prople who blow up women's clinics in the same way.

You can certainly say that Dr. Reynolds presents a strong viewpoint almost praising John Brown, yet at the same time he does point out that the actions of John Brown would today mark him as a terrorist. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's wrenching attempt to find meaning in the horror of the Holocaust is technically a novel, but it's based so closely on his own experiences in Birkenau, Auschwitz, and Buchenwald that it's generally--and not inaccurately--read as an autobiography. Like Wiesel himself, the protagonist of Night is a scholarly, pious teenager racked with guilt at having survived the genocidal campaign that consumed his family. His memories of the nightmare world of the death camps present him with an intolerable question: how can the God he once so fervently believed in have allowed these monstrous events to occur? There are no easy answers in this harrowing book, which probes life's essential riddles with the lucid anguish only great literature achieves. It marks the crucial first step in Wiesel's lifelong project to bear witness for those who died. ... Read more

Reviews (744)

Lifechanging experience
Night, by Elie Weisel, is a book different than any other I have read. Many opinions about history, and even life in some cases changed while reading Night. For a very long time I believed that Josef Stalin was the most evil man to live in the twentieth century. After reading Night I believe that Hitler and his relentless "fight" to exterminate Hebrews from the face of the planet is the most evil act of hate ever. Elie Weisel is a 12 year old boy living in the town of Sighet. Untouched by Nazis until about 1942, Elie begins his long tour of numerous concentration camps throughout Europe. This book is about the lengths a human will go through to survive. Night is about love, hope, determination, and the spirit of humanity to survive, forgive, and to inform us, the readers, that we must never forget the lives lost during the years of Nazi occupied Germany. We must never forget how 12 million people just like you and I were executed because of differences. Night is a book that should eventually be read by all high school students. I am still humbled by Night.

Non-Stop Reading for the Mind and Soul
Reading Night by Elie Wiesel began as a simple two-day assignment for my freshman English class. At first glance, I expected this quick read to be simply one more trite account to the terrible atrocities committed during wwii Germany. But after getting only 15 pages into the storyline, I found myself immersed in the detail, precision, and striking ability with which Wiesel describes his own adolescent struggle. At the age of only 15, he was faced with the daunting task of realizing that not everyone is good deep down inside. As his family is herded from its town of Sighet into trains, and then unkonwingly into concentration camps, the universal good in man which young Eliezer had once believed was stripped from his soul. This emotional weekend read is capable of being devoured all in one sitting. However, while reading this book in our living rooms or at the beach, we must remember what our fellow men and women around the world have been through. As readers, we should take time to celebrate the courage and hope that men like Elie Wiesel have possessed. Without this strong passion for life our world would be so much different than it is today. The few hours we spend reading this book are special. But they are nothing compared to the days, months, and years that thousands of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and slavs spent in concentration camps. If you have ever felt low or alone, read Night, and you will see just how lucky you are to be able to breathe, to eat, to love, to feel, to even be alive.

Horrifying Account of the Holocaust
Night is the story of Elie Wiesel's experience in the German concentration camp Auschwitz during World War II. He calls it a "nightmare-" this is an understatement. One can wake up from a nightmare. The horror Wiesel lived had no outlet.

A Jew from Transylvania, Wiesel grew up with a strong religious background. He found an unlikely teacher in a man named "Moshe the Beadle." Moshe taught his pupil that man could not understand God's answers to man's questions; man could only ask God the right questions. Would Elie's time in Auschwitz destroy his budding faith? The book explores faith in a searing way. A must read for all. Ages 16 and up.

Searching for Themes in Night
Night is a story about a young boy's life during the Holocaust. He uses a different name in the story, Eliezer. He comes from a highly Orthodox Jewish family, and they observed the Jewish traditions. His father, Shlomo, a shopkeeper, was very involved with the Jewish community, which was confined to the Jewish section of town, called the shtetl.
In 1944, the Jews of Hungary were relatively unaffected by the catastrophe that was destroying the Jewish communities of Europe in spite of the infamous Nuremberg Laws of 1935-designed to dehumanize German Jews and subject them to violence and prejudice. The Holocaust itself did not reach Hungary until 1944. In Wiesel's native Sighet, the disaster was even worse: of the 15,000 Jews in prewar Sighet, only about fifty families survived the Holocaust. In May of 1944, when Wiesel was fifteen, his family and many inhabitants of the Sighet shtetl were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. The largest and deadliest of the camps, Auschwitz was the site of more than 1,300,000 Jewish deaths. Wiesel's father, mother, and little sister all died in the Holocaust. Wiesel himself survived and immigrated to France. His story is a horror story that comes to life when students in high school read this novel. Even though many students have not witnessed or participated in such horror, they relate to the character because Wiesel is their age. They cannot believe someone went through the nightmare he did at their age.

This book focuses on many themes: conflict, silence, inhumanity to others, and father/son bonding. We see many, too many, conflicts this young man faces. Eliezer struggles with his faith throughout the story. He believes that God is everywhere, and he can't understand how God could let this happen, especially as Eliezer faces conflict everyday in the concentration camp. He also learns silence means. He says he says it is God's silence that he doesn't understand. He feels that God's silence demonstrates the absence of divine compassion. Another silence that drive confuses Eliezer is the silence of the victims. He cannot understand why they don't fight back, especially with the inhumanity that is forced upon them. It is because of this inhumanity that he loses faith, not only in God but also in men. He tells how at the beginning, the Germans were "distant but friendly." However, when they reach the camps, the soldiers are transformed from men to monsters. As part of this inhumanity and lack of faith is the instances when a son betrays his father. He sees this several times and can't comprehend how a son, in order to save his own life, betrays his father. Luckily for Eliezer's father, Eliezer's love and bond is stronger than self-preservation.
How can students relate to this story when they haven't experienced anything near what Wiesel did. Maybe they haven't experienced these acts, but they have experienced conflict, silence, inhumanity, and bonding, and if a teacher focuses on these themes, the students will relate.
Works Cited:
Sparknotes.com. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/night/themes.html

Overpowering and Humbling....
l am a Christian and was absolutely stunned by this book. To read -and more importantly to re-read and reflect - about the trials and tribulations of a devoted Jewish family as they went from a loving, religious/spiritual home to a ghetto, then to the railroad yards, then to a Concentration Camp...is to be transported to a nightmarish journey and world that must never be taken for granted, that must be understood deeply, and which must be respected with our hearts more than with our minds.

To criticize any victim of the Holocaust for doubting or questioning their G-d is to live in a fantasy world. Unless one has lived through the horror and degradations of the Holocaust, he should be quiet. As for me, whenever l see or think of the child-victims and their parents of those terrible days, l think of me and my own children in their place...and it keeps me very humble. ... Read more

Book Description

Overthrowing the conventional image of Stalin as an uneducated political administrator inexplicably transformed into a pathological killer, Robert Service reveals a more complex and fascinating story behind this notorious twentieth-century figure. Drawing on unexplored archives and personal testimonies gathered from across Russia and Georgia, this is the first full-scale biography of the Soviet dictator in twenty years.

Service describes in unprecedented detail the first half of Stalin's life--his childhood in Georgia as the son of a violent, drunkard father and a devoted mother; his education and religious training; and his political activity as a young revolutionary. No mere messenger for Lenin, Stalin was a prominent activist long before the Russian Revolution. Equally compelling is the depiction of Stalin as Soviet leader. Service recasts the image of Stalin as unimpeded despot; his control was not limitless. And his conviction that enemies surrounded him was not entirely unfounded.

Stalin was not just a vengeful dictator but also a man fascinated by ideas and a voracious reader of Marxist doctrine and Russian and Georgian literature as well as an internationalist committed to seeing Russia assume a powerful role on the world stage. In examining the multidimensional legacy of Stalin, Service helps explain why later would-be reformers--such as Khrushchev and Gorbachev--found the Stalinist legacy surprisingly hard to dislodge.

Rather than diminishing the horrors of Stalinism, this is an account all the more disturbing for presenting a believable human portrait. Service's lifetime engagement with Soviet Russia has resulted in the most comprehensive and compelling portrayal of Stalin to date.

Reviews (5)

We return again to the subject of Stalin
Gangster! Evil dictator! Georgian Al Capone!Robert Service uses all of these terms to describe Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhughashvili, known as Stalin, in this new biography.That he also uses terms such as intellectual, paterfamilias, singer of songs and lover of wine, to describe the `man of steel' disgusts and alienates some readers.Apparently, we must distance ourselves from such a man, make him somehow inhuman, in order to fit him into our modern worldview.More interesting, and more useful, is a biography that seeks to understand the human factors, for Stalin was not some alien dropped from outer space, but a man.

This is the work of a professional historian who is deeply immersed in both the primary sources (many newly available) and the historiography of Stalin. Service seeks to undertake a multidimensional approach, looking at political, economic, personal, international and many other factors of both Stalin and the world in which he lived. Among the more interesting points Service brings out, is the importance of Stalin in the pre-revolutionary period, including his importance and high place (although less visible than some of the others) in the party structure, debunking the myth that Stalin came out of nowhere, suddenly and mysteriously knocking the Bolshevik train off track. Stalin was Lenin's protégé and student, and although he differed on several key points, there was continuity between the two. In a sense this is the sequel to the author's works on Lenin.

If there is one thing I wish could be added to a generally excellent work, it would be while Service sufficiently discredits both Leninism and Stalinism I would have preferred, since he was on the subject,a discussion of the failure not only Bolshevism but of Marxism in general. Admittedly it is slightly beyond the scope, but it seems to leave open the question, could a Marxist state under some more benign leadership have worked?It is my belief that the historian of the twentieth century has already before him evidence to answer this question, and anyway, (with sincere apologies) let us hope no one will ever undertake such an experiment.That being said, in all a very good biography suitable for all readers.

Yes please!
Quit Stalin (stalling) and buy this book! (that was a joke but this is a good book).

A Biography That Tries To Humanize Stalin
The author tries to humaninze Stalin and view him as a more intellectual person than he is viewed in earlier biographies. Stalin's vast and terrible crimes against the persons in his own country are almost pure evil and the reader will be disturbed at the author's effort to "rehabilitate" Stalin.

A Step in the Wrong Direction.
Robert Service's book is the newest addition to the recent spate of books on Joseph Stalin.While a meticulously researched effort, it is disturbing that the author is at pains to "humanize" Stalin and to understand his behaviour. I quote from a review of the book in The Economist, 6 January 2005:

"Here the reader is told that Stalin's crimes, while vast and terrible, were things which a sane, intelligent, sometimes kindly human being might do for understandable if not defensible reasons. It does not feel like a step in the right direction."

I would recommend, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore, and as a companion volume, Stalin and His Hangmen: The Tyrant and Those Who Killed for Him by Donald Rayfield as giving superior treatment to the subject.

Ground Breaking
Reading this biography one becomes aware how much previous biographies of Stalin were affected by Trotsky's work and perspective. A good deal of scholarship about the Soviet Union depended on documents that were carried out by him and his written works were influential. Some of the more influential writers of Soviet history were in fact disciples of Trotsky such as Isaac Deutscher.

Broadly Trotsky hoped to gain power in the Soviet Union following Lenin's death. He was however outmanoeuvred by Stalin. Trotsky was contemptuous of Stalin's ability and he thought he was a nonentity. This is reflective in his writing and accounts of Stalin's career and rise. As a result he portrayed Stalin as a nothing who had arisen not through his own ability but through a mysterious numbers game in the party which preferred hacks to people of real talent.

Stalin after in his road to power was happy to portray himself in a similar way to the Trotsky caricature of him.That is an ordinary practical man who could empathise with the problems of workers and peasants and have real solutions to problems rather than overblown rhetoric.

This book suggests a very different picture of Stalin's rise. In reality he was only General Secretary of the party for a short time before the power struggle to oust Trotsky. He had little time to stack the party and the reason he won was because he was a better political operator. In fact Stalin had always been an important figure in the Bolshevik movement holding important positions such as being the editor of the party newspaper. Although a poor public speaker he was a person of considerable intelligence and he was a skilled writer. Broadly Trosky was a person who was somewhat egocentric and he had little ability to read people and depended on his charisma and ability as a speaker. By the 1920's a bit more was required to gain power in the Soviet Union.

The main power of the book is to show that Stalin was in fact an intellectual figure. It deals in less detail with the historical background of Stalin's rule skating over the oppression of the peasants and the development of industry. In fact the chapter on the second world war makes at least one mistake suggesting that the battle of Karhov was the first Soviet offensive of the war obviously forgetting the attacks on the German forces by Zhukov in late 1941.

Never the less the power and importance of the book is to show how previous biographies were written and influenced by ideas around Stalin's rise which when put to the test are shown to be wrong. In looking at Stalin's personality it is also clear that he was not a person who suffered from what would be described as a mental illness. His actions were to purposeful and systematic for that. Despite this the book is perhaps better at showing what could be described as the evil of Stalin's rule. Not only the effects on those who were killed by his regime but the brutal and irrational nature of the regime he created.
... Read more

Reviews (5)

America's Saudi problem
Saudi Arabia is officially an ally of the United States. It very often is the OPEC member that adds on to the oil supply , and so keeps the price down. It has huge holdings of US financial instruments. It has especially good personal connections with many of American leaders, among whom are the Bush family. It has been considered an ally of the United States since the time of President Franklin Roosevelt.
However Saudi Arabia is also the home of Wahabi Islam. This radical xenophobic form of Islam is the principal ideology of Islamic terrorism. Saudi Arabia 's school - system preaches violent anti- Americanism. Eleven of the fifteen terrorists of 9/11 were Saudis. The largest contingent of foreign terrorists operating against the Iraqi regime, and US forces in Iraq are Saudis. The Saudis through Islamic charitable organizations ( as Posner makes clear in this book) are major funders of terror in the world.
Thus the US- Saudi connection is an important, problematic, and questionable one.
Posner in this research addsevidence regarding the negative role Saudi Arabia plays in the whole struggle against Terror, and in the US effort to push toward Democracy in the Middle East. He provides evidence showing how Saudi influence has penetrated and corrupted law-enforcement and political agencies in the United States.
This book even addsthe somewhat unlikely and not fully provedstory of the Saudis having in fear of a US invastion and takeover attemptcompletely mining their oil- fields.
Aside from the questionable character of this storyPosner does present a well- documented picture of Saudi double- dealing toward the United States.
It too points out how the Saudi connection has prevented the US from going all out in the war on terror. For to do this the US would have to also confront and transform the Saudi regime itself.
Whoever reads this book and studies the present US- Saudi connection will leave it having considerable worries about the present course of US foreign policy, and in fact the future of Western democracy in an energy hungry world.
A vital work for understanding one of the great threats to American democracy today.

Based on Newspaper Articles; Nothing New
This book is almost all based on secondary sources like newspaper articles and op-eds. It basically rehashes SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL by Robert Baer and HATRED's KINGDOM by Dore Gold. If you have read those books, you can dispense with this one.

The only new thing Posner offers is a chapter on a supposed "scorched earth policy" the Saudis have to blow up their oil facilities. The only source given for this is an ISRAELI intelligence official (unnamed, of course). Ahhh, how Posner loves his unnamed sources, and how silly that looks after the Newsweek fiasco!

Now, you don't have to buy into silly Zionist conspiracy theories to realise that an Israeli just MIGHT want to spread around that kind of info about Saudi Arabia...

Apart from that, you'll have read everything -- and I mean everything -- Posner has to say on the opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

You would do better to spend your money on INSIDE THE MARAGE by Thomas Lippman or SAUDI ARABIA EXPOSED by John R. Bradley. At least those two authors have BEEN to Saudi Arabia, and Bradley speaks Arabic too. Lippman admittedly is a bit dry and he goes on about Saudi Aramco for ever, but Bradley's book is a riot and worth the price of all the books I mentioned here put together!

SECRETS OF THE KINGDOM, in short, is VERY disappointing. What kind of a "secret" can be attributed by an author to the mainsteam US media??? I am sick of all these unnamed sources!

"Secrets of the Kingdom" reveals, and reveals, and reveals
As one "Secrets" reviewer wrote, 1973 was a pivotal year when the Arabs attacked Israel.After reading Gerald Posner's "Secrets of the Kingdom" it looks as though they also began their attack on the U.S. in 1973!As Posner notes (by the way, don't miss any of the footnotes and chapter notes) 1973 is also the year the radical Islamic Association landed on the doorstep of the U.S., founded by the Muslim Brothers from whence it made several mutations to launch fundraising fronts for Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Al Qaeda causes.

This latest Posner true-crime thriller discreetly cries out for help -- from Capitol Hill policymakers to the U.N. -- to get to the bottom of the "scorched earth" scenario played out in the pages of the book.And as aptly noted in Posner's first chapter, "who let our ransom go?"Who let Ahmed bin Salman, now dead Prince Ahmed bin Salman, sally forth from Lexington, KY to London, England in a private jet on September 16, 2001 with nary a detailed interview?And then let him back into the U.S. to enjoy the Thoroughbred racing season through the running of the Preakness in 2002, evidently with nary a question? What did the Saudi royals know about the planned 9/11 attack?

This book is a gem, and puts into perspective contemporary Saudi history as no other book has. It captures your interest.It is provacative. Tuesday I was watching U.S. Senate hearings on the Iraq oil diversion scheme to enrich Saddam.Curiously, former French Minister Charles Pasqua was named a reputed beneficiary of the kickback scheme.And so was British MP George Galloway.Then, when I read "Secrets of the Kingdom" Wednesday, I saw that name again, Charles Pasqua, and noted that he had investigated Saudi charities as a source of terrorist financing and had tried to get assistance from the Saudis who turned a deaf ear in 1994 ... As to British MP Galloway, why in 1994 and 1996 it seems he helped Saudi dissidents who fled to England seeking assylum. Since charges against the above were reputedly falsely leveled by Tariq Aziz and other Iraqi detainees under CIA control, it makes me wonder if those Saudi interpreters used by the CIA aren't double agents working their own agendas, cutting deals for Saudis,for Aziz and others, and working for the Royal House of Saud.We know the royals are looking for any way they can to "sack" people whose views are critical of the House of Saud.

An excellent read, highly recommended.

Lois Ann Battuello
Napa Valley CA USA

Over a barrel
This may be one of the most important books of the year as it points out not only the bargain with the devilwe make when we ally ourselvesmorally bankrupt countries but the larger problem of our dependence on oil and the continuing missteps we make in trying to secure that resource.
I see Posner's book as balanced and carefully researched. In my opinion as a journalist he does not seem betray any liberal or conservative bias.
Saudi Arabia was somewhat of a backwater as well as a country whose survival was in question until oil was discovered there by Americans in the 1930s.
Posner gives usbackground of life in Saudi Arabia before the days of oil. The picture is not a pretty one. It was a society both intolerant and brutal.
But when oil was discovered the US, originally through Aramco, a dance began with this peculiar culture.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia long has a history of being anti Jewish and later anti-Israel.
The UShas been trying to perform a balancing act for decades betweenits support for Israel and while trying to maintain a good relationship with Saudi Arabia. In the meantime the Saudishave been waging an ideological war in both fundingthe Wahabis in their own country and funding projects in our own universities.
Posner points out how we have and continueto defer to the Saudis time and again.
This brings us to 9-11-01 and these post 9-11 days.
Posner exposes members of the House of Saud that had, and may still have, direct connections to al-Qaeda. He also account chilling plans the ruling familyhas to detonate their own oil fields with radiological devices in the event they are overthrown.
The authors does a wonderful job showing how the interests of Saudi Arabia and the US have become complicatedly entangled despite the fact that the two countrieshave vastly different goals.
Highly recommended.

Good investigative reporting, not shocking
I was very impressed with Gerald Posner's book, "Case Closed," so when I saw this book, I was eager to read it.And I was not disappointed.It shows the same careful and thorough approach.

It begins by showing the legacy of Saudi extremism, slavery, racism, bigotry, intolerance, and chauvinism.And then we get to the subject of oil money.That money, combined with King Faisal's preoccupation with Jews and Zionists (whom he saw as evil) was a toxic mix.It resulted in pressure on Aramco as well as on the United States government directly to try to help change American foreign policy in the Middle East.

Of course, for the United States to abandon an ally in that region would have unpredictable but almost certainly fairly serious and negative consequences.So when the Arabs attacked Israel in 1973, the United States soon found itself aiding its ally, much to the displeasure of Saudi leaders.And we see the result of this displeasure: boycotts, embargoes, Saudi funding of terror, and Saudi contributions to American universities (in an obvious attempt to promote the teaching of Saudi racism here).

Posner also shows us some of the American response to this.There has been plenty of American timidity, especially in the State Department.But there has also been an anti-boycott law, as well as some state condemnations of Saudi intolerance.

This is a well written book and I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. In this "artful, informative, and delightful" (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Societies that had had a head start in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage, and then developed religion --as well as nasty germs and potent weapons of war --and adventured on sea and land to conquer and decimate preliterate cultures. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, the Rhone-Poulenc Prize, and the Commonwealth club of California's Gold Medal. ... Read more

Reviews (625)

Impressive Achievement
Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel sets out a huge goal for itself, the examination and explanation for the direction of 13,000 years of human society around the world. It would be foolish to spend much looking at the points where his thesis may fail instead of spending more time marveling at the mighty achievement he did accomplish. Of course, taking such a large chunk of history and creating a theory to explain all of its shifts will not always be a perfect but it is wonderful to see just how much of history can be explained by his wonderfully all-encompassing ideas. With the soul of a scientist, Jared Diamond has created a wonderful synthesis to explain the development of writing, agriculture, conquest, disease and many, many other factors. Historians may balk at the largeness of such ideas, not seen Karl Marx found a convenient explanation for all human history, but it is a wonderful book to read, whether it is delighting or frustrating. It gives the reader much to think about and hopefully allows a new perspective to blossom among all of one's older, inherited ideas. A marvelous book.

A whole new way of seeing the world
This 400 page summation of 13,000 years of history is hard to put down when it begins and hard to finish when you reach its final quarter. Diamond's friendly style draws the reader in immediately, making the book feel not only lively but vitally important as well. What could be more important or interesting than the reasons why the world has turned out the way that it has?

Without a doubt, this is an important book, and not because it won a Pulitzer. Diamond makes a convincing case as he argues against notions that were quite popular when he wrote this at the close of the 90s. He refutes the notions of The Bell Curve, which used pretend science to claim that blacks were destined by genetics to be less intelligent than whites and Asians. Instead, he shows that the reasons why Europeans ended up dominating most of the world instead of Africans or native Australians or Americans are myriad, but boil down to a reasonable set, including: Eurasia's size advantage; the fortunate combination of ancient plants and large animals available for domestication; its east-west axis, making the spread of plant and animal domesticates easier by keeping them in the same climate; and its relatively mild barriers, like the Urals, which posed less a division than rain forests, high mountains, and deserts in the Americas and Africa.

The thrilling opening and friendly style are eventually tempered by a repetition of these primary causes; Diamond explores numerous situations around the world, from New Guinea to the New World, and makes essentially the same arguments about each region, adding only nuances for the particulars of each place. It's the beginning of the book that's got the goods-the fourth part, especially, is a litany of details that are less captivating because the reader has learned enough to predict many of them.

Still, this is a very useful book for understanding the world, and it will arm you with facts to use against anyone who claims that a person's intellect can be predicted by his or her race. Diamond also shows how present conflicts on the world stage are very similar to ones that have been going on for 40,000 years, casting modernity in the same light as prehistory. And, while the fourth part is slower than the rest, the epilogue explains why Europe leapt ahead of Asia in the last millennium, an explanation that is both fascinating and worth learning from.

Why did Europe colonize America and not the other way around? If you'd like to know, read this book. It's weighty stuff, but it will reward you richly.

Good for all types of readers.
I read this book purely for pleasure, unlike a lot of people I know who have read it for class or as part of an academic exercise. I simply like to pick a book that will challenge me in between fiction books. This book did not disappoint.

This is a rare work in that it can appeal to academics and pleasure readers. The knowledge and research behind the concepts in the book are complex and detailed, but Diamond does such an excellent job of explaining things, that you can easily sometimes forget the vast amount of information that he had to assimilate in order to put forth this hypothesis.

There are also two main points from the book that I took. One is the merely academic and scientific data that you learn from the book. I do not have a science, anthropologic, or linguistic background, so I learned a great deal from this book. But secondly, there is a very clear goal of this book to discount the foundations of racism. This is a lesson that every reader from this book can take with them and actually use in real life. I was struck at how this book can have such a dual purpose, and this makes it truly unique in my opinion.

Sure, there are vast generalizations that are made in a work such as this, just as there are in any history book, but this book has excellent points, is well researched, and makes solid arguments. I would definitely read another book by Jared Diamond and will definitely not forget the lessons I learned in this book.

Great if you ever wondered how our cultures got here
If you have curiosity about how the big picture of civilizations emerged - for example, why it was the European civilizations dominating with ships and guns and not the American civilizations - you should really enjoy this book. Yes, Jared Diamond has biases (he clearly doesn't like people who believe whites are genetically superior to other races) but he weaves a fantastic story with scientific facts and elegant reasoning. Many facts (relating to plant and animal science) are clearly and concisely presented. Other facts are obvious once pointed out (the lack of domesticatable animals in sub-Saharan Africa, or how long it takes for domesticated plants to adjust to different climates) you have these great "Aha" moments while reading. I loved how his arguments came together.

Are there cons? Well, certain chapters in the second half of the book do repeat parts of the first half. It adds to the clarity (showing how the same principles can apply to different parts of the world), but if you "got it" the first time, some parts of the book can get long. Given how this book can change the way you look at different peoples and cultures, I can forgive him for repeating himself.

If you like science and are curious about how environment shaped, or better, limited civilizations, get this book.

NO PIGS!
Because a new crop of bushy tailed Ivy League students are sure to be required to pick up a copy of this book before their orientations, before even being allowed on campus, there are a few things that you should know about this book before you do start.

Even though there are plenty of wild pigs in New Guinea, which could have been domesticated at any time during the last 100,000 years, Jared Diamond describes the natural fauna in New Guinea as if it were the most protein deficient wasteland on earth. No protein, hmmmm, what could this mean? Why, those poor people!

And even though you would think that this work might lose all credibility if when discussing human cultures, he were to leave out such a grossly significant fact, as the observation that the rugged terrain of the thousands of square miles of the New Guinea highlands is most well known, among educated people, as the home of a people that have been nothing for thousands of years but stone age men without a written language, or any metal tools, but with a human bone or a nasal shell through their septum because they are the world's most feared cannibals.

Yet not one word will you find in this book about that, but with a subtle nod of Jared's head for those in the know, wink wink, that oh, their natural diet has no protein. So, of course, the same trade routes and tasty plants that led other peoples to great things, through no fault or effort of their own, left these poor people in New Guinea very hungry. Very hungry for protein!

You will kill anyone who disagrees with you, by the end of this great work, about the fact that all cultures just have different ways of solving the same universal problems, like protein deficiency for example. And that socialism and capitalism and communism and cannibalism are all just different ways of accomplishing the very same things. Except for capitalism, of course, which is grossly unfair to the poor and to be despised!

You will always have a warm feeling in your stomach, as well, at the secret thoughts that you will imagine that you only realize to yourself after reading this book, about how white boys aren't really anything special after all, despite what you had previously been tricked into believing, in how they just happened to find themselves on east west trade routes near plants that just happened to contain protein.

Of course, you will find many other new ideas in this book, such as Jared Diamond's suggestion in the introduction, that Western civilization encourages white boys to pass on their genes, no matter how intellectually deficient they might be, because Western civilization makes so few demands upon its citizens. Which is why you must be given this book to read even before your orientation, while you are still unlearned enough to not even know about the famous conch shell collecting New Guinea cannibals. ... Read more

Book Description

In the early stages of the Second World War, the vast crescent of British-ruled territories stretching from India to Singapore appeared as a massive Allied asset. It provided scores of soldiers and great quantities of raw materials and helped present a seemingly impregnable global defense against the Axis. Yet, within a few weeks in 1941-42, a Japanese invasion had destroyed all this, sweeping suddenly and decisively through south and southeast Asia to the Indian frontier, and provoking the extraordinary revolutionary struggles which would mark the beginning of the end of British dominion in the East and the rise of today's Asian world.

More than a military history, this gripping account of groundbreaking battles and guerrilla campaigns creates a panoramic view of British Asia as it was ravaged by warfare, nationalist insurgency, disease, and famine. It breathes life into the armies of soldiers, civilians, laborers, businessmen, comfort women, doctors, and nurses who confronted the daily brutalities of a combat zone which extended from metropolitan cities to remote jungles, from tropical plantations to the Himalayas. Drawing upon a vast range of Indian, Burmese, Chinese, and Malay as well as British, American, and Japanese voices, the authors make vivid one of the central dramas of the twentieth century: the birth of modern south and southeast Asia and the death of British rule.

Reviews (2)

Insightful study of the war in British Asia
Few events in the twentieth century did as much to shape the world in which we live than the fall of the British Empire.Every corner of the globe bears some stamp of its once-mighty presence, yet only now are we beginning to understand its true impact and legacy.In this book, Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper focus on British rule in southern Asia -India, Burma, Malaya, and Singapore - during the Second World War, showing not just how that conflict accelerated the collapse of their empire in the region but how it set the parameters of the subsequent course it took in history.

The authors chart this progress from events immediately prior to the Japanese invasions of 1941-2, depicting a region at the crossroads of change.On the surface, British rule continued in the routines of rule that had existed for decades, with colonists engaged in their intricate social rituals at the top of a racially stratified society.Yet beneath these placid assumptions, a growing nationalism was beginning to erode the sureties of the British presence.Bayly and Harper's coverage of these groups is one of the many strengths of the book, as they describe the numerous racial groups and the complicated politics of their interactions with impressive breadth and confidence.

Japan sought to exploit this nationalist sentiment by posturing as liberators seeking to create an "Asia for the Asians."Yet the success of their conquest was due more to British weakness than the success of any Japanese appeal.Stunned by the rapidity of the Japanese advance, British forces collapsed in a matter of weeks, irreparably damaging the imperial prestige upon which much of their rule rested.Racial attitudes only exacerbated tensions, as white colonials often "pulled rank" in their eagerness to escape the Japanese onslaught.The memory of this would color relations in the region for years after the war.

Though the Japanese advanced as far as northern Burma, overstretched supply lines and the annual monsoons brought an end to their offensive in the region.Yet with their forces shattered and their resources strained, initially the British could do little to dislodge them.Here the authors turn their attention to the suffering brought about by war, particularly a devastating famine in India, the result of wartime disruption, a devastating cyclone, and British misgovernment.With tensions high and many leaders of the Indian National Congress in prison, the Japanese tried to take advantage of the situation by sponsoring an Indian independence movement under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose.Yet this, like their efforts in Burma and Malaya, soon fell victim to the brutality and abuse of Japanese rule, which alienated the native populations and fueled resistance throughout the region.

With the failure of their U-Go offensive in the spring of 1944, the end of Japanese rule was increasingly apparent to the peoples of the region.Yet even as the British prepared to reassert imperial rule, their former subjects were positioning themselves for independence.Here the authors illustrate both how much the experience of war had changed the region and how blind the British were to these changes.For all of the insincerity of Japanese motivations, the rhetoric of independence and the creation of local military forces had fanned nationalist hopes and accelerated what ultimately became an irreversible end to the British Empire in Asia.

Bayly and Harper have provided an excellent history of the war in southeastern Asia and its role in decolonization.The breadth of their coverage is impressive, particularly in their examination of Asian perspectives towards both British and Japanese rule - something all too often absent in histories of the conflict.Though the narrative often suffers from stilted writing, the insightful analysis the authors offer more than compensates for the lack of polish in the prose.In fact, the abrupt termination of their account with the end of the fighting left me hoping for a follow-up volume that tracks these developments to their eventual conclusion - independence and the creation of a new Asia.

Excellent
This is a short overview of the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia and the fall of British colonial rule at the beginning of World War II. It is clear that the consequences of this war are still felt throughout the region today. The writing is excellent. ... Read more

Book Description

Jon Krakauer’s literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits.In UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, he shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders.At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by two Mormon Fundamentalist brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a revelation from God commanding them to kill their blameless victims. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this “divinely inspired” crime, Krakauer constructs a multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, savage violence, polygamy, and unyielding faith.Along the way, he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America’s fastest-growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.

Krakauer takes readers inside isolated communities in the American West, Canada, and Mexico, where some forty-thousand Mormon Fundamentalists believe the mainstream Mormon Church went unforgivably astray when it renounced polygamy.Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the leaders of these outlaw sects are zealots who answer only to God.Marrying prodigiously and with virtual impunity (the leader of the largest fundamentalist church took seventy-five “plural wives,” several of whom were wed to him when they were fourteen or fifteen and he was in his eighties),fundamentalist prophets exercise absolute control over the lives of their followers, and preach that any day now the world will be swept clean in a hurricane of fire, sparing only their most obedient adherents.

Weaving the story of the Lafferty brothers and their fanatical brethren with a clear-eyed look at Mormonism’s violent past, Krakauer examines the underbelly of the most successful homegrown faith in the United States, and finds a distinctly American brand of religious extremism.The result is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of nonfiction that illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behavior.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Reviews (379)

Read it between the lines...
Hmmmm...have some of these harsh critics actually read the book?

I knew nothing about Mormonism before I read this story. But by the last hundred pages, I was thinking very emphatically to myself that Mr. Krakauer took GREAT PAINS to emphasize that the devil here were these two murderers, neither the Mormon religion itself nor even fundamentalist Mormons (although the latter are portrayed as being less blameless).

I did not pick up this book intending to come away with a comprehensive history of Mormonism. I did not pick up this book intending to read a true crime story.

No, contrary to some "misled" individuals who claim to have read this book, I picked up this book intending to read EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE FRONT COVER, Einsteins. It states right on the cover, and I directly quote:

"On July 24, 1984, a woman and her infant daughter were murdered by two brothers who believed they were ordered to kill by God. The roots of their crime lie deep in the history of an American religion practiced by millions..."

What does this sentence mean to you? It doesn't say, "The Evils of the LDS Church" or "...two Mormon brothers..." For anyone reading those critiques that so harshly pan the book because it "wasn't what they expected," please read the quote that I have written here, and then tell me what you expect to read. I promise you that what you read into that quote is what you will get when you read this. These brothers' roots were indeed in LDS...that does not mean that LDS is wicked, and I never once saw it that way, even without any prior conceptions about LDS.

And as for you critics who think that Mr. Krakauer is biased because he is agnostic, I find it hard to believe that you could forgive him his well-researched and well-balanced, conscientious manuscript, no matter WHAT his spiritual values. If he was Jewish, you'd find something "biased" about that. And ditto if he was Lutheran, Catholic, or Mormon himself. No matter what religion he was, because he's writing about religion, you'd say he was biased.

Of course, the only "unbiased" person is the completely ignorant one. Everyone who learns something has an opinion about it. I dare any critic to tell me otherwise. But as far as this book is concerned, Mr. Krakauer has taken the utmost care to make the condemnation of this crime of which he writes as narrow and as specific as possible.

Mr. Krakauer points out to us time and time again that these are resentful, looney-tunes, fundamentalist, ex-communicated-Mormon brothers who murdered their sister-in-law. So unless you are a resentful, looney-tunes, fundamentalist, ex-communicated-Mormon brother who wants to murder their sister-in-law, know in advance that this book does not set out to offend you.

Read it to learn, not to judge, and ye shall be the wiser.

well written, well researched
Jon Krakauer has long been a literary hero of mine. As a fellow agnostic, I have found his works to be a fecundity of insight and self-examination that result in an acute, if not critical understanding of the human spirit.

This book reads incredibly well and weaves the stupefying history of the latter day saints with the horrifying murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty. Ultimately, Krakauer makes the tacit polemic that the legacy of the LDS church, which is replete with both violence and polygamy, should not be underestimated when trying to understand the motives of the murderers--Ron and Don Lafferty. Although the LDS church is quick to distance itself from fundamentalist Mormon groups, which happily embrace polygamy, the history is undeniable. Both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were devout polygamists, and believed polygamy to be the most sacred of God's commandments.

Many from the LDS church (and reviewers on this site) decry the book as being one-sided. It most certainly is not. Rather ironically, it seems that the ruling patriarchy of the church is the one in fact that is bent on presenting a dubiously researched and one-sided view of its history. To be sure, Krakauer treats all parties mentioned in the book with respect and dignity, remaining an objective narrator throughout the text. This is definitely a recommended read.

An objective, eye-opener
I had read this author before and liked his work. I checked this book from the public library. I could not have guessed that he grew up Mormon until he tells the reader near the end of the book. There's so much here that I did not know. Fascinating.

Right on the Money
Jon Krakauer is a superb writer who has taken a controversial subject and not only explained it objectively, but made it entertaining as well. I have read a great deal about the Mormons, my interest spurred by the fact that two of my grandmother's first cousins were wives of John Doyle Lee, and it is incomprehensible to me that any modern woman would tolerate for one moment the abuse and subjection that the church imposes in the name of religion. In the old days, most women were at the mercy of their husbands, but the brainwashing of today is criminal. This is a powerful plea for universal public education, as well as an alert Department of Human Services.

Great story, but author interprets history
This was a fascinating book, but when I finished the last page I felt like I had read a 365-page story from the National Enquirer. The book oozes with juicy descriptions of fundamentalist Mormons, murderers who kill in the name of God, and the checkered history of the Mormon Church.

If you're expecting a clinical dissection of a murder, skip this book. It claims to focus on two brothers (Ron and Dan Lafferty) who murdered a woman and her baby two decades ago, but only one-third of the book really talks about the murder. Another third covers the history of the Mormon church, and the final third is a startling (and equally gossipy) survey of polygamist communities from Utah to Canada to Mexico.

As a story, the book hits a home run. Krakauer is a great writer, and his eye for detail is devastating. You read descriptions of the polygamist communities and you feel like laughing at the crackpots and crying for the victims at the same time.

Unfortunately--and this is why I give the book only three stars--Krakauer can't merely document the history and describe the events. His book quietly advocates two stealth theses. They don't belong in a book like this, at least not secretly, and I think the second thesis is wrong anyway.

His theses, which are never spelled out completely but nevertheless lurk below the surface in every chapter, are that (a) religion is a waste, and (b) the mainstream Mormon church has infused its followers with such a spirit of violence that it must share in the blame when its fanatic followers go berserk. These are perfectly valid topics to contemplate, but if you put them forth you should come clean and say so out loud, and then give data to prove them. Krakauer's book tries to prove these theses with anecdotes, extremely narrow vignettes of deranged persons, and sensationalized histories of century-old events. For example, we never hear what the "mainstream" polygamists think of the Laffertys' crime. I think they would probably denounce it, but Krakauer isn't going to give them voice in his book because it would weaken his second thesis. Instead (surprise, surprise) the last chapter revolves around an ex-fundamentalist who found his salvation in atheism. What's his connection to the Lafferty crime? None.

Krakauer is extrapolating a line from a single point. Can you really draw general conclusions about a worldwide church from the actions of two fundamentalist kooks? Krakauer thinks you can. Worse, he conflates three very different things (the mainstream Mormon church, the fundamentalist polygamists, and the Lafferty brothers) to the point where naive readers will start thinking they're all the same thing.

The author has right to ask hard questions about religion and the Mormon church, but I think it's wrong to write contentious things by making unilateral interpretations without giving all sides of the story.

The Appendix to my edition of the book (Anchor) contained a negative review of "Under the Banner of Heaven" by a Mormon official. Krakauer engages him and debates fair and square for a few pages. What the shame the rest of the book wasn't like that. ... Read more

Book Description

To live in a pristine land ... to roam the wilderness ... to choose a site, cut trees, and build a home ... Thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. Here is a tribute to a man in tune with his surroundings who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

One of the great journals of wilderness living
This is a powerful book and has quite a following. I was given the book by one of my best friends, which I consider a wonderful gift. This book has it all, beautiful photos, Richard's journal notes are amazing in their insight to his thinking and how this adventure unfolded. It is a simply wonderful book, and has people traveling to Alaska just to see the setting for such a balanced book. This book lays claim to new territory, and the claim is valid. No wonder it sells well, it is captivating reading and makes you look hard and close at your own life.

One Man's Wilderness
This has to be one of my very favorite books. I have read it front to back at least 7 times! It is written with the true adventurer in mind. Every detail of his experience makes the reader wish it were he/she that was there with him. If you have ever wished you could just go off into the woods, build a cabin and be self-sufficiant, This is the book for you.

A wonderful "Alaskana" read
Sure the writing style isn't polished and there is little action, but I think that is what helps makes this such an enjoyable book. The observations and opinions presented in the closing pages (chapter 9) will cause most any reader to consider their place in their world. There is enough good here for me to add this to my extensive Alaskana library for long term keeping.

One Man's Carpentry
The book is entirely journal entries that for the most part describe how the author builds his wilderness cabin and goes about other day-to-day tasks. This is not the book for those seeking accounts of extraordinary Alaskan adventures but it is an impressive account of craftmanship. It is a story of impressive feats of carpentry and resourcefulness. You do get a few descriptions of encounters with wildlife but I didn't find that to be a strength of the book. Great pictures, too.

Interesting details, but slow for me
I like books that contain the kind of real details that this book contains. Properly presented, fact can be more interesting than fiction. The book reads somewhat like a journal. For me, however, it deserves 3 stars because of writing quality, and because it failed to keep me reading past midnight. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The war on terror has created near unanimity on many points, at least within the American press and political leadership. One essential point of agreement: al Qaeda specifically and radical Islamism in general are stirred by a hatred of modernity. Or as President George W. Bush has articulated repeatedly, they hate freedom. Nonsense, responds the nameless author of this work and 2003's Through Our Enemies' Eyes (the senior U.S. intelligence official's identity became an open secret by publication date). Indeed, he grimly and methodically discards common wisdom throughout this scathing and compelling take on counterterrorism. Imperial Hubris is not a book that will cheer Americans, regardless of their perspectives on the post-9/11 environment. We are, the author notes, losing the war on terror. Hawks will squirm as the author heaps contempt on U.S. missions in Afghanistan (too little, too late) and Iraq ("a sham causing more instability than it prevents"), but opponents of Bush administration policies may blanch at Anonymous' suggestion that what's needed is for the West to"proceed with relentless, brutal, and, yes, blood-soaked offensive military actions until we have annihilated the Islamists who threaten us." Quoting the at-all-cost likes of William Tecumseh Sherman and Curtis Lemay on one hand and contending that unrelenting military measures be accompanied by concessions to the ideology of the militants on the other are unlikely to curry widespread support from either side of the divide. And how will readers conditioned to references to Osama bin Laden as a deranged gangster or simple-minded fanatic with deep pockets digest the respect accorded "the most popular anti-American leader in the world today"? Imperial Hubris clearly wasn't written to win friends, though the author believes it's essential that his words influence people at the top. Whether it will is debatable, but that this blunt, forceful, urgently argued polemic recharges the discussion is a foregone conclusion. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (15)

CIA Strikes Back
It is important to realize that this book is not a lashing out at the current administration but a clarification of a state of affairs in the United States and abroad. The scapegoating of the CIA by the administration for faulty information on WMD possession to justify its invasion of Iraq has perhaps resulted in the need for the CIA to respond in the only manner it can, anonymously. Read this book not as a defamation of a president or an administration but as a genuine critique of imperial overstretch and its consequences for America's war on terror.

C'mon...
I have read this book. I think the people giving it one star are ideologues who couldn't open their minds to ANYTHING outside of bombing muslims to make them submit to our will.

The author sounds like the few CIA workers who have TRIED to wake up the agency AND our government to the realities of Islamic terror. I, for one, do not think this book's detractors are average joes. They sound like ideologues who do nothing but discredit ideas and opinions to suit their agendas. Do you critics understand the CIA's role? They give intelligence advice to the President and Congress so foreign policy decisions can be made. Sorry, but you can't ALWAYS shoot the messenger. The person interpreting the data needs to have a good head.

Sure the CIA dropped the ball on 9/11 and with regards to the invasion of Iraq (even though I think Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney helped speed the misinformation up to get what they wanted) but from what has come out in these 9/11 hearings, the President and his cabinet refused to listen when information contrary to their agenda was given to them. I do remember the CIA saying back in November of 2002 that they DID NOT think Iraq was an IMMINENT threat. I do remember this and then ALL OF A SUDDEN politics took hold and they changed their tune (hmmm...sounds like POLITICAL PRESSURE!)

Reading this book, I realized that the author is completely on target with his observations. If he is truly the man who was in charge of chasing Bin Laden, I would assume he is steeped in vast knowledge of the Middle East, it's cultures and personalities. His viewpoint makes sense. We need to change our approach if we wish to purge extremists from the Middle East. No, I do not think Muslims are "humiliated" by our successes, they are humiliated because America treats everyone of them like terrorists and supports Israel wholeheartedly.

I am not saying we should ditch Israel, but like any friend, we need to have more stern dialogue with them and change some things.

I dunno...the Middle East is a mess, but since I have strong knowledge of the region, I can say that we helped in this mess and we MUST clean it up. The author has a point of view that may help break it down for my other countrymen to understand the situation better.

No Secrets Revealed
Sorry, no secrets were found but Anonymous has good insights when "analysis" runs into the "message".

Given the recent stable of anti-Bush books, you would think this book is part of the race for first-place in that crowded field. I would disagree. "Hubris" belongs with Steve Coll's "Ghost Wars" or Robert Baer's "Sleeping With the Devil..." and "See Know Evil..." If you must be political... read "America Alone" by Halper and Clarke. "Hubris" will compliment the reading of any of these books and if you have not read them... I suspect you will.

Any way you read "Imperial Hubris", it is likely you will not be disappointed.

Enjoy the book!!!!!!!!
I knew long before all this. I came from Europe (not France). You never asked yourself why Europe a traditional partner of USA was opposing the war in IRAK? Everything written in this book is no secret anywhere else but America, because on national television stations were aired plenty of documentaries showing the reality. I welcome this book. The American people needed to know the truth about the so called "War on terror". Only by knowing you can address the issue correctly. Enjoy the book.

Definitely Not 5 Stars - Much Hype and Book Saturation?
People tend to rate this book one star or five. Clearly it is not 1 star. Anyone assigning one or two stars to this book is an idiot. But similarly anyone thinking this is dramatic and new material has their head in the sand. There have already been a zillion books and opinions.

We have been on an overdose of these books. I recently many books including House of Bush, House of Saud by Craig Unger (excellent book) - the biggest tell all blockbuster (my opinion), The Choice by Zbigniew Brzezinski, Disarming Iraq, by Hans Blix, Noam Chomsky's Hegemony of Survival, Thirty Days (about Tony Blair) by Peter Stothard, and Price of Loyalty, Paul O'Neill (excellent book), Why America Slept by Gerald Posner, Against All Eneamies by Richard Clarke, and more. I put together a "listmania" list of the 25 best books - the best books - mainly non political, no strong bias conservative or liberal - a spectrum of opinion when you take them all together

So is there really much new in this book that we did not already read, know, or could surmise or figure out on our own? The short answer is no. I think we are reaching the point of book saturaion on Iraq and Bin Laden, plus there is an unhealthy mixture of patriotic propaganda all mixed into the debate.

This book sadly has had more pre-printing hype than new information and I do not think it is "a buy", so I cannot recommend. There are many better books especially by Craig Unger, Richard A. Clarke, Brzezinski and others. This is just one more coming late to the table. Also the author's theme here is really not much different from what Chomsky has been saying for decades.

3 or 4 stars and do not run out and buy.

Jack in Toronto ... Read more