1 comments about Lady Liberty: A Biography.

1. This is a wonderful book about the Statue of Liberty. It is very moving and I am very impressed with it. I teach ESOL students so immigration is a factor in all my students lives whether they are living here for the rest of their lives or just visiting here for a couple of years while their parents attend university here. I am also a big fan of Doreen Rappaport who wrote wonderful picture books about Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lennon. Lady Liberty tells her story by covering life stories of major figures involved in the creation of the statue. This is quite effective. I learned more about the making of the statue than I had before and I felt very in tune with the people who made the statue happen. The French governments and the US governments weren't all that interested in the project, they had other concerns on their minds and it was more of a bother than anything anyone wanted. It was the pushing of some people from both continents to make it happen and the rest liked it. The courage of the creators was enormous because at any time, people could have convinced them to call it quits. Human creatively and determination is always a good tale.

5 comments about Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership Nixon to Clinton.

1. Politics is such a contact sport, with the opposing party trying to bring down the President. A house divided cannot stand, yet here in America we no longer rally around the President after the election. The losing party tries to destroy him.
   
   I have always like Gergen and I appreciate his wisdom in this book. Even the most liberal Democrat will find much to admire about Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan if he reads this book with an open mind. Likewise, the most conservative Republican will find many positive traits about Bill Clinton, faults and all.
   
   These men were not perfect and they all had their weaknesses, which their enemies ultimately used against them. But these men all had what it takes to make great Presidents. Sadly, Nixon was forced to resign, Clinton was impeached, and Reagan survived the Iran/Contra scandal.
   
   Today in 2006, we hear that if the Democrats gain control in Congress, they might try to impeach the current President for his failings. Will we ever learn? Can a President ever serve an 8 year term without the threat of impeachment by the other side?
   
   All men have faults and we will never have a President that is perfect. In "Eyewitness to Power" we learn that anyone who becomes President must have leadership skills to be able to rise to this high office. Maybe future leaders can learn from the mistakes of past Presidents. They better because in today's political climate, the other side will be waiting for any misstep.



2. This book has been an eye opener to the strengths of even the most despised Presidents. I learned a lot about the importance of bipartisanship in getting a President's initiatives passed. It also made me realize that the press will not give me the real image of the "Big Guy." Going into an election year we need to realize that all of the slander politics are not as important as learning about the candidates' thoughts and hopes for their and our future. Reading the candidates' autobiography or biography may be a great way to really get an understanding about a person who thinks they have what it takes to run the most powerful country in the world. Look forward to seeing reviews on a few books from our upcoming candidates.



3. David Gergen provides important insights into leadership. He was worked for several Presidents and has observed what creates successful leaders. He lists his observations by President and concludes the following: Leadership is something one finds internally, it is driven by a compelling goal, it is successful when it persuades others, it requires understanding how the involved process works and how goals may be attained, it often uses an atmosphere of assurance from the beginning, it involving choosing and considering advice form good advisors, and it is able to inspire followers to work toward the goals. These are only a foundation of principles which do not assure success yet should be a guide to expand upon.
   
   The manner in which leadership is used does influence outcomes. A good knowledge of past experiences is valuable yet this knowledge must be used appropriately. The early periods of Presidencies often provide opportunities for achievement yet, simultaneously are also when some of the worst mistakes are made. David Gergen argues the Presidency requires someone who has an excellent knowledge of public affairs as well the proper temperament. He rates Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan as two of the best Presidential leaders.
   
   The book provides many direct insights from someone who worked for Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. He tells how Nixon was inspired by DeGaulle to rely upon both intellect and instinct, how Ford was a strong believer in the truth, how Reagan upped the ante in the arms race so the Soviet Union could no longer compete, and how Clinton understood history and established policy victories. This is a good book that uses first hand information and uses it to explain what leadership principles worked and which ones did not.



4. Quick turn around and received the book, just as it was listed. Thanks. I'll look for your books again.



5. I was fortunate enough to hear David Gergan speak at my daughter's commencement last month. After hearing him in person, I couldn't wait to purchase his book. I am not normally interested in political history due to the dull reading of most, but David Gergan really makes the information come alive. His elaboration of the former presidents really gives you a tremendous sense of his deep interest & admiration of each of these men. While being truthful with the information, he finds the good to present to us in an honest way. I purchased this book for an upcoming young leader in our family, who I hope will gain insight & wisdom from reading this book. I only wish that he too will feel the same way & have the opportunity to hear David Gergan live. It is certainly rare for me to be just as interested in listening to a speaker at the end of their presentation as I am at the beginning of it. David is as good an author as he is a speaker. An excellent read for present & future leaders!

5 comments about Marie-Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette's Daughter.

1. I checked this out of the library...that, in combination with caring for little ones 24/7, meant I didn't have much time to read. As such, I had planned to simply skim through this book during my few spare moments in order to get the gist of it; however, I quickly found myself becoming engrossed and spending far too many nights staying up late reading. The first 1/2 to 3/4 of the book was particularly fascinating. The last 1/4 was slightly less so. Still, it was quite a good book, in my opinion, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in this subject.



2. Marie Therese is the story of the only surviving child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI of France. Because of their tragic end on the guillotine, the royal couple is a favorite of biographers and historical novelists, and the first third of the book recounts the circumstances that led to their execution, the difference being that, in Marie Therese, we are looking at these events through the eyes of a young girl. The downward spiral that began with the storming of the Bastille and led to the Reign of Terror started when Marie Therese was only 11 years old. While at Versailles, "Madame Royal" was forced to hide from armed mobs screaming for her mother's blood and to step over the butchered bodies of servants.
   
   Three years later, the king, queen, Marie Therese, and her brother, the Dauphin, Louis-Charles, are incarcerated in the Temple Prison in Paris, and the horrors begin: the execution of her parents, the prolonged torture of her little brother who would die of neglect, and her own imprisonment. When she is finally released 3-1/2 years later, she is allowed to join her mother's brother, Emperor Franz II, in Austria. However, "The Orphan of the Tower" is now a young woman of steely resolve and one who recognizes the importance of her role as a representative of the Bourbon dynasty in exile.
   
   In the years following her release from prison, Marie Therese and her husband, the Duc D'Angouleme, live a peripatetic existence, finally ending up in England, where they watch the events unfolding in France. With Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, the Bourbon dynasty is again restored. For the next 15 years, France will be Marie Therese's home until, once again, the French want to be rid of their king, Charles X.
   
   Marie Therese is an exhaustive, highly detailed account of the life of Madame Royal, the French Revolution, and the complexities of European politics in the early 19th century. In addition to the great events in the lives of the royals, minutiae, such as travel itineraries, meals, the appearances of numerous pretenders to the throne, are recorded. At times, the inclusion of so many mundane details bogs down the book, but for anyone who ever wanted to know what happened to the only surviving child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, they will have to wonder no longer.



3. I liked this book very much. As with the other comments not too many
   books were offered on the daughter of Marie Antionette. Marie-Therese
   Charlotte was a fighter and one heck of a survivor.
   
   And I thought I'd be the only one ordering this book, I'm glad I was wrong.



4. Superbly written, fascinating subject, close bond between author and subject...what more could you ask for in a biography? I'm a great fan of books on the French Revolution and its aftermath but had never run across any book on Marie-Therese before. Sheds wonderful light on the Bourbon family and other nobles; an interesting new perspective on France in 1789-1850. Describes MT's strength of character, courage, determination and intelligence without fawning, and presents a well-rounded portrait of a woman with a backbone of steel (see Napoleon's compliment) without falling into the error of retroactive anachronistic feminism - MT was very much a product of her times, religious and outwardly subservient to her male relatives while managing to outshine so many of them and determinedly pursue her own agenda and her family's goals. One of the best books I have ever read on any subject. Please write another soon!



5. I confess I had some hope that Nagel's biography of Marie Antoinette's daughter would reveal fresh insight supported by new, revelatory research, but alas, my hopes were dashed but a few chapters into this obvious attempt to exploit a recent rush of Marie Antoinette-mania. Nagel's efforts to reveal her subject as a character worthy of our sympathy falls embarrassingly short of reaching the mark, since many previous, and frankly dismissive, historians nonetheless acknowledge the uniquely tragic circumstances that together formed the foundation of Marie Therese's years as Dauphine and beyond. Indeed, Marie Therese's psychological make-up isn't so difficult to understand: Her parents, king and queen, were executed, and instead of rising to the challenge of a united France that was clearly set before her, and in fact asked of her, she instead chose to nurture those old wounds, to all appearances becoming a vivid personification of national guilt and regicide. The withered, bitter center of a small, uninteresting circle of intimates, Marie Therese unsurprisingly offers little of herself to posterity, yet Nagel manages to stretch the uneventful majority of Marie Therese's adult years into a yawning soap opera with few, if any, enlivening details that might keep our interest. Moreover, Nagel attributes particular qualities to her subject, but without substantiating statements. For instance, we are asked to believe that at age 13, Marie Therese was acutely aware of her father's poor reputation among the crowned heads of Europe, though the author doesn't bother to support the claim. As many biographers of Marie Antoinette have pointed out, Marie Therese certainly inherited her mother's hauteur, but none of her charisma - a quality that makes Marie Antoinette 'good reading' today, just as it had in her own lifetime.

5 comments about No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life.

1. Very great story. It's one thing to tell a kid that they can do anything they put their mind to when they're born with a body that's not "normal".
   
   But it's another thing for a man like Kyle to SHOW people that it's possible. He's served as an inspiration to at least 2 of my patients and their families, because they can see the possibilities of life as an adult, defining and projecting who you are as a man, rather than letting society tell you who you are supposed to be.
   
   Excellent read. Highly recommended.



2. It is a great book. It proves that the mind can overcome any physical disablilities.



3. This book is truly inspiring!
   Read it, with a box of Kleenex tissue handy. This book will put iron in your spine!
   Then buy copies for everyone in your family . . . and friends . . . and.
   Do not! Repeat- Do not miss out on the rich blessing this book delivers.



4. Kyle's story is one that helps you to believe in love of family and power of the human spirit.



5. The next time you think that life has dealt you a bad hand, you should pick up this story about Kyle Maynard, the congential amputee athlete. I found the story very inspirational and motivating. While I was hopeing that Kyle would talk more about other aspects of his life, like career, it was impressive reading about how he trained for football and wrestling. There is also the amazing amount of faith and caring from Kyle's friends and family.
   
   Next time that you get self-conscious over a blemish or do not feel like exercising, take a few minutes to flip through this book about an amazing human being.
   
   Doug Setter, author of Stomach Flattening

5 comments about Who Was Albert Einstein?.

1. This book contains many facts about Albert Einstein that may be new to you. Although I have several books about this man, this remains my favorite. In fact when a student's father accidentally spilled his coffee on it, I knew I had to get a new one for the classroom library.



2. I thought this was a great book for my daughter who is in 3rd grade. She enjoys biographies and was interested in getting to know more about Albert Einstein. She read this one in about a week, a faster reader could finish it in a day or two. I have a few other selections from this series in my wish list.



3. I thought Who Was Albert Einstein? was a great book. Hats off to Jess Brallier! I have read this book two or three times, which is rare for me, since I do not like to re-read things, so that must tell you how good this book is! I learned a lot of things like he was born on March 14, 1879, he had two wives, he wasn't the best father (in his own words), his brain is floating around in a jar today, 52 years after his death, and many more interesting things! You should read this book, and I would even recommend it to adults!!!



4. I thought it was great and exsiting im in 5th grade and i love social studis and history my mom cinthia trys to get me all the who was books collection



5. Jess Brallier did a terrific job presenting facts about Albert Einstein. The book included every single detail about Einstein's marvelous life. It will surely intrigue readers.
   
   For me reading about someone special like Einstein is a prize because you get to learn about someone's remarkable life and at the same time explore another world.
   
   Einstein's biography will inspire readers because of his lifelong lesson-to keep on learning and never give up!
   Albert Einstein is my role model. He was a hardworking and a kind person who donated so much to the world.
   
   I recommend this book to people who are interested in Albert Einstein and those who want to change the world!
   
   by Emily P. (soon to be in grade 4)

5 comments about Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography.

1. Couldn't put this book down.....Jean Baker wrote a truly remarkable narrative non-fiction. I had previously read another fictional "Mary" book and was surprised to see that both books were similar in historical data surrounding her (Mary's) life. One can only imagine losing so many children and then one's husband, and NOT being driven to doing odd things. The psyche is a strange science marked by extraordinary and mysterious sensivities to outside pressures.



2. This is the seminal biography for Mary Todd Lincoln and one of the best biographies you will ever read. After reading dozens of books about Mrs. Lincoln to write my novel about her insanity trial (A Warrant For Mrs. Lincoln), I always came back to Jean Baker's book for information and insight into the Lincoln family. If you have an endless fascination for the Lincoln family, this book is a must.



3. very comprehensive study of a woman who began life as a spoiled child, but got kicked in the butt by life. she sedated herself with extravagance and meaninglessness. one of the most tragic things in her life was the betrayal by her son, who used his influence to have her declared insane so that he could obtain control over her money. that had to be as painful to endure as the assassination of her husband and the deaths of her two younger sons. i feel nothing but empathy for this poor woman.



4. Mary Todd Lincoln had a rough life. From the early death of her mother to the treatment she recieved from her stepmother, to her husband's assissination and was committed to an asylum by her own son. Reading the biography it was hard not to feel sorry for her. I knew naturally (as everyone) about her husband's assissination but I was surprised about how hard the rest of her life was. Her son Robert committed and she had to fight to get out of the asylum. Her early years Mary spent having to put up with a stepmother who wanted her husband's first set of children completely forgotten. Poor girl.



5. This book is a complete biography of Mary Todd Lincoln starting out with her grandparents which surprised me. This book is not an overview of Mary's life it is very detailed. I think it is a fair account of her life and there are some things I never would have guessed. I must admit I haven't finished the book as yet it is not one of those books you finish off in one afternoon, but I have read enough of it to know that a 4 star review is accurate.

No comments about Big Russ & Me: Father and Son--Lessons of Life.

5 comments about Twenty Chickens for a Saddle: The Story of an African Childhood.

1. After finishing this book I was left with a rather strange feeling of nostalgia for someone else's childhood. In part I think that's a testament to the quality of the writing, as the setting of rural Botswana, and the many colourful characters encountered in the book, are rendered with a vividness and eye for detail such that you almost feel like you've been there.
   
   The other aspect was a recognition that the type of childhood described in the book is all too rare. What kid wouldn't want to grow up in Africa being free to ride horses through the bush, keep snakes and monkeys as pets, and swim in rivers with crocodiles?
   
   The darker side of life in southern Africa is referred to as well, with entrenched racism, the looming economic collapse in Zimbabwe and the spectre of the AIDS epidemic described in anecdotes that bring home the personal impact of these issues far more effectively than statistics and news reports can.
   
   Overall this book serves as a great memoir of a unique childhood and a window into an Africa that many never get to see.



2. I loved this book. I am so excited to see that there is another writer on a par with Alexandra Fuller. I enjoyed Robyn's descriptions of her life growing up in Botswana - she is incredibly funny. I especially liked her horseback adventures and her description of the ticks on her horse as being the "welcoming committee" was hilarious. Each time I picked up the book, I felt transported back to my own African childhood. I really respect the way the author writes without ego or judgement. I will definitely buy this book on audio CD and wait in anticipation for her next book.



3. If you enjoy Alexander McCall Smith's books based in Botswana, you will probably enjoy this book very much. It tells of a young girl growing up in a rather eccentric family in Botswana. Her father is a doctor who works in a number of small clinics, and her mother chooses to home-school, albeit in a very unconventional fashion, her three children. Their adventures (even when they weren't looking for adventure) will keep you laughing. I look forward to the next novel by this author!



4. Robyn has a beautiful descriptive style, painting such vivid pictures that I almost feel I've been to Africa. Some parts have an almost lyrical beauty, while others are deeply depressing or thigh-slapping hysterical. Her parents, brother, sister, and grandparents -- especially the absolute character of Grandpa Ivor -- are so intriguing you want each of them to have a book of their own by the end. I absolutely recommend this book.



5. While set in Botswana and praised by Alexander McCall Smith as a "striking portrait of one of the world's most beguiling countries," the deeper subject of Twenty Chickens for a Saddle turns out not to be Africa at all. Rather, Robyn Scott has written a searching portrait of the limits of individualism and an exploration of education in its several forms.
   
   Ordinarily, the problem with being idiosyncratic is that there you are, all by yourself. In this story, however, there's an entire clan of stark, raving individuals who totally delight one another and somehow come together as a family of eccentrics. I knew a family much like them when I lived in Botswana for three years in the 1970s, learning to speak Setswana.
   
   What constitutes a good education? What makes a family, a culture, a nation? How does the individual fit into these gathering units? What is the trajectory of a marriage? What are the limits of change? How is the dignity of a human being colored one way or another? Searching for Robyn Scott's views on these basic questions kept me reading. Clearly, this is more than an exotic memoir of a faraway country and people having nothing to do with the rest of us except to entertain.
   
   It is with a sense of homecoming that I enter Robyn Scott's Twenty Chicken world. Her family is one of a maverick breed of outlanders that has loved this country and contributed to Botswana's peaceful and harmonious development.
   
   Seven-year-old Robyn came to Botswana in 1988, about 11 years after I returned to the United States. She was homeschooled by her mother until 1995, when her formal education began. A successful adult, she appears to have suffered in no way from her early fluid education of learning by doing, by observing, and by being read to.
   
   Graceful asides define Botswana's history, culture, and challenges, including the AIDS crisis, which is told in frank language. Written mostly from the point of view of a child, this is a coming-of-age story of the best kind. As Robyn matures, she takes us through Botswana's changing fortunes in the Selebi-Phikwe area of the Limpopo River and later on a game farm closer to South Africa. This is an environment that both embraces her and allows her to grow up on her own terms.
   
   Twenty Chickens is particularly good at describing Botswana's plant life and wildlife and the freedom of the bush land. The narrative is complemented by photos, a rough map, endearingly drawn icons, and glossaries of Setswana and Afrikaans. An index would make the book even more accessible.
   
   One of my favorite sections is Chapter 16, The Whole Family's Half of an Island. Here, more than in other chapters, we are given a direct sense of Botswana culture and relationships and the heartfelt hospitality lavished upon extended family, even if part of that family is white. There is playfulness and ingenuity here, and a demonstration of natural Batswana diplomacy which is wonderfully revealing of this quiet people living in a vast land.
   
   by Janet Grace Riehl
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women

5 comments about Lakota Woman.

1. This is a very powerful book about Mary Crow Dog's experiences growing up as a Lakota (Sioux) woman on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. It should be required reading for anyone who feigns ignorance of the ways that Native Americans continue to be treated in the US today. Local whites, the state of South Dakota, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the rest of the power establishment have their inhumanity exposed.
   
   Crow Dog writes in a very sparse style, and writes of brutal incidents in a matter-of-fact way. While this style makes the book compelling, it is also responsible for a major weakness of the book. Throughout the book, Crow Dog is never introspective. Things happen (she uses drugs, starts shoplifting, chooses men poorly) or happen to her (she is raped, among other things), but she doesn't think about why these things happen. She conveys neither a sense of her own agency in these events, or a sense of her own lack of agency.
   
   Oddly for an autobiography, Mary Crow Dog is the object, not the subject, of this story. Even at Wounded Knee, she doesn't really understand why she is there, other than the fact that she has followed the male authority figures of the movement into the siege. She made her choice and put her body on the line but can't really explain why. How life on the reservation produces people like this is certainly worth reflection.
   
   This siege at Wounded Knee provides the centerpiece of the book, and its natural climax. Crow Dog has a very different view of these events than the accounts provided by the leadership, who knew their history and knew what they were trying to do. Crow Dog also talks about the aftermath of the siege, and the period when her husband was in jail. At this time, she also followed him into the practice of Native American religion, and - - more implicitly than explicitly - - explains why this religion is attractive to many.
   
   Finally, this book also provides a valuable insiders' perspective of the dysfunctional communities on Pine Ridge. It's interesting that the politically correct crowd condemns Ian Frazier's "On the Rez" while praising "Lakota Woman"- - both paint similar pictures of the same reservation. It's true than a Lakota insider brings perspectives not available to outsiders, but a white outsider also bring perspectives not available to insiders. Read them both and make up your own mind.



2. The book came in perfect time and is in excellent condition. I have added it to my collection of Native American History



3. An interesting look at the American Indian's struggles in the latter half of the 20th century. The perspective of Mary Crow Dog is helpful for those who have no similar life experiences to compare to it. Very good insight.



4. An autobiographical account of Mary Crow Dog's life, this includes experiencing the events that happened at Wounded Knee, and her relationship with her husband, as well as the politics and experiences associated with the AIM political movement.
   
   A look at the disturbing state and problems these people were facing at the time, very interesting.



5. I learnt so much from this book, and felt myself getting angry because of her experiences. good on her for telling her story. L'Ohanna

5 comments about How I Became a Quant: Insights from 25 of Wall Street's Elite.

1. It seems almost every chapter is a variation on this answer to the question:
   
   i) You don't become a "quant", because nobody can really defin what that is, but thanks for asking
   ii) I got where I am today through skill, work, and (lots of) luck
   iii) here's my well-polished story
   iv) story
   
   Still, it's a good read, mostly. Many chapters are interesting for the further reading they suggest, or questions they raise.



2. decent account about their career paths, but nothing parituclarly revealing. That's all I can say.



3. I read this book in a bookstore. It is interesting to see how people from completely different backgrounds transition into finance. For me, this book will serve as a good past time reading (I'm not in finance and I'm already too old to make this kind of transition), but it may be inspirational for newbies and students. However, this book seems to give the impression that only those who came from Ivy League/top schools are smart enough to make this kind of transition. What about those people who are not? Still, this book is a good read.



4. This is a nice little collection that is fun, insightful, and worth the price. However, these have been collected and printed because, well....theses stories are interesting. Keep in mind that that is a narrative skew and selectivity bias. Lots of quant, risk management, and even front-office jobs are dull dull dull. Often the $$$ makes up for the dull, but there are quant grunt jobs that are thankless traps. Lots of the info from these seasoned pros will help you selsect and direct your own career path with better utility, but also keep in mind that the wild west is tamed and the pioneering days are fading with the sunset and the wall of silicon thrown at all quant problems. Sure there are mottled ducks, but even obscure probability distributions will be tamed and models made tractable. What was once woodlands with wild beasts becomes a strip mall in the suburbs, and the career of a quant is no exception.
   
   Four stars because ...well, you always want more and this is no candidate for the Nobel prize. But very very good.



5. This book is a must read for all those who are entering or considering entering the world of Quantitative finance. Whilst there might be some omissions like Hull, Joshi, Rebonato, Jaeckel, Carr, Dowd , Thorp and the like (hopefully these will be featuring in the next edition), the mix between academics and practitioners is just about right. Anyone who studies the footnotes carefully and reads the seminal papers mentioned in the book will have a better appreciation of the significant contributions made by some of those featured and of the range of knowledge required to be a quant.
   
   Peter Urbani, Head of Quantitative Research, Infiniti Capital