3 comments about Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and the Family Feud That Forever Changed the Business of Sport.

1. Between the pages of this book lie the family saga of two brothers who ended up being torn apart due to war, personality and family. There is not really a happy ending although there is reconciliation among the posterity. Developing a better shoe and running a company are not necessarily the same thing as the players find out in this biography of two major shoe giant companies: Adidas and Puma. Although the book was good, it felt tedious and drawn out in place. I'm sure the author was trying to make sure that all the major players were included but maybe some of them should have been left out in the editing process. This was an interesting read into the world of sports and the attire accompanying the players and teams. Look for everyone from the soccer great Pele' to David Beckham and Joe Montana. I did appreciate the thoroughness that the author devoted to this work.



2. the book was in great condition and I am enjoying reading it! Thank you so much!



3. Most fascinating account of a family and the business that they started in a small community that reached such great heights. Especially interesting to me, because of a few day's visit to the German town of Herzogenaurach and nearby Army Base in Bavaria, several years ago.

5 comments about Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic.

1. I know it sounds inappropriate to describe a book about a mother finding out she is carrying a Down's syndrome baby as hilarious - but there you are. Also heartwarming and spicy! And I would love to know Adam.



2. She makes me laugh out loud - she is a fantastic writer.
   
   I read this book while I was pregnant - by accident - it really got me into my pregnancy. Her experience "carrying Adam" was AMAZING.
   
   I HIGHLY recommend all of her book. ALL OF THEM!



3. My wife insisted that I read this book. I would not have chosen it myself. Martha Beck tells a story about her son with Down's syndrome, a child that she was advised to abort. Her story is one that many will not believe. She has dreams that predict the future. She gets messages from her son through a medium. She receives aid from angels, or something very like angels. Through all of this, she remains down to earth, and freely admits the difficulty that she has with belief in such things. I, who am not inclined to believe in such things, believe Martha Beck.
   
   Her writing style is fluid and clear. She is a good storyteller. This book is easy to read, and not easy to put down. She tells their story with tremendous verve, and with love. The description of life at Harvard is accurate. I spent four years there. She writes well enough to make me suffer flashbacks.
   
   This is the story of a chance taken, a decision that the world disdains as foolish. In Beck's narrative it is a life affirming move. I responded to this book in an emotional way that surprised me. Her son teaches her more about living than Harvard ever could. If you read this book with an open mind, he will teach you too.



4. As the mother of an inspirational young son overcoming a rare musculoskeletal condition, I first ran across Expecting Adam excerpted in Exceptional Parent Magazine. I went on to read Martha Beck's memoir, which I found intriguing, thought-provoking, and full of the consolations of humor. Beck's book prompted me to write my own son's story, a book endorsed by Isabel Allende, Anne Lamott and others known for chronicling life's twists and turns with humor and hope. I am hoping that readers familiar with Martha Beck's memoir might consider reading Finding Magic Mountain: Life with Five Glorious Kids and a Rogue Gene Called FOP, a book meant to share hope, faith, humor, and raise disability awareness.
   
   Carol Zapata-Whelan



5. I almost wish I hadn't found out more about Martha Beck's life before writing this review. If I hadn't I'd say this is a very good book, with some great messages and inspirational content. I thought she was bit rough on Harvard and seemed to stereotype people who seemed to wrong her. On the other hand, I really liked the message to live your life simply, enjoy the little things, and know there's more to life than just the workaday narrow view.
   
   I had some problems with how much she talked about the morning sickness, and how Harvard people are, etc. Give the reader more credit. I got the picture pretty quick, and it just seemed to drudge on. But it was worth it, because Beck's a very good writer, with an excellent sense of humor and wry wit. All in all, I'd recommend the book.
   
   Now, back to her personal life. I won't go into details, but it sort of detracts from the credibility of this book. Sounds like she might have fabricated other stuff in her life, covered it up, or maybe exaggerated it. Too bad, because I'd really like to believe what she went through. There are just too many bizarre and questionable things in her bio for me remain in total acceptance of the book's contents.

5 comments about Flags of Our Fathers.

1. I'm an amateur World War II historian, a huge fan of the USMC, and I love the country of my birth, the United States of America. So please don't think this review is meant to be anti-soldier or anti-American.
   
   What's funny about this book is that the son/author TOTALLY misses the big points that his father/warrior tried to teach. Namely: (1.) if you have to serve your country in wartime, you do it AND THEN YOU SHUT UP, and (2.) the heroes of conflict are THOSE WHO DIED FIGHTING, not the ones who acted bravely and were lucky enough to survive. And I'm not making this up out of spite: I have read the book, and that's the understanding I derived from the description of the father/warrior.
   
   Yet in "Flags of Our Fathers," the flag-raisers of Iwo Jima are somehow superior to the thousands of GI's who died fighting on that island because the former were in an iconic photograph, and the ones who died weren't. The author of the book both milks that photograph (i.e., no photograph = no book entitled "Flags of Our Fathers") for personal glory and simultaneously shames the federal government of 1945 for cashing in on that iconic image.
   
   Throughout the whole book, there is some sort of "you-can-have-it-both-ways" fog. For example (and I cite this example from another Amazon citizen reviewer), why is it BAD for the Iwo Jima flag-raiser Rene Gagnon to have tried to make money off his experience, and OKAY for James Bradley (who wasn't even born in 1945) to write a book and make money off the same event?
   
   Why is it commended in "Flags of Our Fathers" that the Marines are all about teamwork and brotherhood, but also okay for the Bradley family of suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to arrange a VIP trip for themselves to Iwo Jima in the 1990's to deposit a plaque on Mount Suribachi that mentions and honors ONLY their relative, and NONE of the other flag-raisers?
   
   This is a GREAT book about The Greatest Generation, and a great honor to a small group of brave, very young men who raised the flag over Iwo Jima on that hellacious day. No doubt! But this text is limned in insincerity, contradiction, and (what must be unintended) irony.



2. I am glad I saw the movie first. The book and its story of the real life men who raised the flags over Iwo Jima is far superior. Better yet is that the book focuses more attention on the Battle of Iwo Jima itself, whereas the film devoted a inordinate attention to the bond drive.
   
   FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is not just one story, but multiple tales about the Marines who stormed ashore on the black sands of Iwo Jima and raised the second flag over the pork-chop-shaped volcanic isle. Through the book we follow them through their very unremarkable varied beginnings through the survivor's post war battles with their fame. Author James Bradley had particular interest in the subject matter as his father, Navy Corpsman John Bradley, was one of the flag raisers.
   
   John Bradley rarely spoke to his son about his part in the flag raising. Indeed Bradley's method of coping with his horrific wartime experiences was to be a loving husband, good father, successful businessman and contributor to his community. James Bradley's search for his father's wartime experiences found his dad's story linked to that of that great battle and the Marines. Of the three surviving flag raisers John Bradley was the only one who was able to pull his life together and move on, albeit with occasional nightmares that left him sobbing.
   
   The book does a great job contrasting the lives of the surviors. Bradley's veteran years contrast sharply with that of fellow flag raiser and Pima Indian Ira Hayes. In the book we find the beginning of Hayes' downward spiral months before he even set foot on Iwo Jima. Hayes eventually sought post war refuge through alcoholism and inability to rise above anything other than living a hard life. Bradley's narrative highlights some intersting parallels in both men's lives. John Bradley harbored the true fate of his horribly tortured close friend Ralph Ignatowski, while Ira Hayes carried the truth about the misidentification of one of the flag raisers. Both men made their own pilgrimages to the families of the dead Marines to unburden their souls.
   
   A large portion of the book covers the battle itself. Twenty-two thousand Japanese defenders fought from caves, concrete blockhouses, and miles of tunnels carved through the volcanic tuff. For many Marines, supported by numerous quotes in the book, Iwo was Hell itself.
   
   There are very few good contemporary books written about Iwo Jima. Although FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS leans heavily on actions directly related to the flag raisers, it includes numerous vignettes representative of the overall battle. FLAGS is much better than Bradley's subsequentwork FLYBOYS. Where FLYBOYS straddles a potpourri of seemingly unrelated topics, FLAGS remains focused on the flagraisers.
   
   This book is available in several different editions, sizes, and print formats.



3. I'm so glad to have read this book. It created so much discussion among my social circles because I was amazed by the information. I learned more about WWII than I did in my history classes in high school and college because I was drawn into the book through learning about the lives of the 6 flagraisers at Iwo Jima. The book introduces you to each character, how they "joined" the war, their experience at the flagraising and their life after their service in the military. A GREAT read!



4. 
   This book is the story of the the amphibious landing, the battle for Mount Suribachi, the three airstrips, Nishi Ridge and finally Kitano Point. Sixteen of three hundred and 82 pages tells briefly of the stateside Bond Drive.
   
   Nothing in this book, approaches the moral ambiguity shown in the film of the same title, which shows only the amphibious landing as far as battles for the critical features of the island. With Bradley's book, there is only a respectful tone, and the heroism of the men is never brought into question. This is one of the great military histories concerning a critical battle in the South pacific.
   
   /



5. I'd read "Flags of Our Fathers" after the superb "Flyboys," and perhaps it was only too easy to be disappointed. "Flyboys" is an amazing book, both focused on the immediate and on the greater picture; even for people who've read plenty of history, there are fresh revelations on every page.
   
   "Flags of our Fathers," on the other hand, is a much more conventional history book, much more narrowly focused. Bradley does do a good job of reaching beyond his father, as he didn't have to do; but he doesn't do a particularly good job of bringing readers into the moment, or of putting them into the greater context.
   
   The story of the men in the famous -- almost ignored -- photo is one that could be told, and should have been told, and was told well enough in "Flags of our Fathers." It's just hard not to wish for something a bit more, as when the author caught his voice in "Flyboys."

5 comments about The Journals of Lewis and Clark (Lewis & Clark Expedition).

1. I recently took a college class about the hidden history of the West--and it was a great class, one of the best ever--but one of the books we read in there was all about the Native American perspective of the Lewis and Clark expedition and while it was interesting to hear that take on the subject, I couldn't have been more at odds with the discussion that followed, most of which had to do with the low characters of the men of the expedition, the subversive agenda behind it all, and the thought that the world would have been a better place if the entire undertaking had never taken place.
   That's because, to me, there has never been anything cooler than the Corps of Discovery, than the journey West, than Lewis and Clark and their whole ragged crew.
   Actually, I take that back: the journals they kept...those are even cooler.
   From Lewis's insightful reflections, to Clark's lyrical descriptions, to their hilariously bad attempts at spelling, to the thought of moving unknowing into America at its most pristine, these journals have it all. This is the quintessential American adventure story, an amazing account of men against the unknown. This edited collection of the journals, well-compiled by Bernard DeVoto, is one of the greatest things I have ever read, and ever since reading it, I have had an undeniable love for Lewis and Clark, and for their expedition.
   Words fail me, but they didn't fail these guys, because here is the West of 1803, vividly rendered for us all to see today. When I first read these in 1999, they convinced me to move into the wild, onto the water, and I spent seven months afterward living out of a canoe...keeping a journal of my own.
   If you haven't read these journals, do yourself a favor, and do so now: read them. DeVoto has already made it easy for you, by picking out all the most interesting parts, and by putting them in context with a well-written introduction. You need this book, and you may not even know it.



2. This work has been edited for the general reader. Many entries have been considerably shortened in the hope of gaining a wider public. For the most part only the highlights are kept, being the actual journal in its full version is so extensive. Most of the original punctuation's and spellings are kept (this gives it a feel of nostalgia). There is repetition. But this, I would think would be impossible to overcome. DeVoto has "produced a straight forward text which could be read without distraction".
   
   The introduction is lengthy; discussed are: the importance of the Louisiana Purchase; the history and purpose leading up to the exploration; earlier expeditions, such as Thompsons' and Mckenzies'; and Lewis' and Clark's background. This was said of these two great men: "The two agreed and worked together with a mutuality unknown elsewhere in the history of exploration and rare in any kind of human association", and "Ingenuity and resourcefulness [by Lewis and Clark] in the field are so continuous that a casual reader may not notice them".
   
   Each chapter is identified by the author whose journal it is taken from, such as Lewis, Clark, Biddle, Orduray, and others. The journal writings have been left as original, giving it that early America mystique. On the 14th of May, 1804, 32 men embark in search of a trade route from the Atlantic to the Pacific:
   
   Dangers lurk around every curve. Indian, grizzly, and immense animal herd encounters are prevalent throughout the journey. To think of the rich bounty contained in the wilderness of the past is beyond comprehension. With leadership that is both strong and wise, Lewis and Clark take this large party of men on a blind epic journey. And on looking back, it was relatively safe. The treatment of the Natives is to be commended, even though many tribes were untrustworthy and warring to other Nations. Trade with the Indians was essential if they were to survive. Also recorded were observations and behaviors of the different tribes. A few of these tribes possessed a huge wealth in horses. Lewis and Clark's party purchased these horses both for traveling overland (which I was never aware) and for food. They did not seem to be displeased with eating horse-meat, dog or roots, which they bought and traded for. The days spent on the Pacific coast were to be the most miserable. The medical remedies used were almost comical; some that were proved beneficial have since been lost through time. The journey ends over 28 months later on the 25th of September, 1806.
   
   I don't know if we can understand completely, how important this expedition was for our country. The undertaking involved in putting this book together from the hundreds of pages of numerous journals is truly amazing. And finally: Appendix I contains Jefferson's instructions; Appendix II is the personnel (32+); and appendix III is the list of specimens brought back.
   
   Wish you well
   Scott



3. I would use one word to characterize this work: Timeless. To relive the great expedition through the words of Lewis and Clark themselves is a fantastic experience. I think that most people who enjoy American history will love this book. People who are not inclined to read or enjoy historical non-fiction might find it tedious (such as students forced to do so for class assignments), as it is long and detailed.
   
   I previously read Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" (which itself is excellent), which contains many passages from these journals, but the journals themselves are unsurpassed.



4. I read books in a wide variety of topics. I decided to read about Lewis and Clark because I felt I just did not know enough about it and I felt that I should. When I received the book, I opened it and was fearful that I made a mistake because it was made up of journal entries, day by day in Lewis and Clark's own words. I started reading and I found myself immmediately engrossed in the story. I mean immediately. You can read the letter from Jefferson containing the instructions and mission of the expedition- just fascinating. Then you get the story of the expedition, day by day, straight from the horses' mouth. I could not put this book down. I could not stop talking about it. I used Google Earth (so cool!!!) to follow the Missouri River into the Rockies, across the mountains, finally to the Columbia to the Pacific and then back. Canoeing up rivers, down rivers, fighting bears, trading and smoking with indians, fighting with some indians, at times overheated, at times freezing. Surving on the land with strategy and forethought. I learn an incredible amount of information about that time in our country's history. I was blown away. And the greatest part, I had to keep reminding myself of, is that it was absent all of the politically corrected revisionism we read today. This story is straight from them. They are sitting down at night and recording what they experienced in 1804 (05-06). Those notes are delivered to you via an author Bernard Devoto who uses only the most relevant parts of the journals (leaves out the volumes of strict scientific research data). Then, when he has to make the occasion insertion of a letter or two to make sure a misspelled word is not misinterpreted, he gives very clear instruction on how he has denoted the change. He also, upon occasion will give a summary of events, or a note of interest.
   The end result is a splendid story, rich in historical information, written by the men who lived it, about one of the most important events in our country's history. I leave you with this excerpt, logged Sunday August 18th, 1805 by a man who is in the middle of the American West, where no white man has tread before, trading and smoking with Indians, shooting bear and deer to survive, canoeing upriver for 2000 miles;
   "This day I completed my thirty first year, and conceived that I had in all human probability now existed about half the period which I am to remain in this subluminary world. I reflected that I had as yet done but little, very little indeed, to further the happiness of the human race or to advance the information of the succeeding generation. I viewed with regret the many hours I have spent in indolence..."



5. I am not an accomplished reader so it has to really hold my attention to finish a book. This book is written exactly from L&C's journals. Lots of mispelled words and some confusion. Sometimes hard to follow. Sometimes the minute details are a bit much. They don't really expound on things. I guess what they go through on a day to day basis is somewhat mundane at times. Overall a decent read IMO...I wouldn't get it again if I knew what I know now. Oh well. Enjoy!

5 comments about The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer.

1. This is a reprint of the review I wrote for my book review website Letters On Pages (www.lettersonpages.com)
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Horrifying.
   
   That is really the only good way to describe The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo. The book itself isn't horrifying...in fact it is fantastically written. What is horrifying is Richard Kuklinski and the things the did during his lifetime.
   
   You see...Richard Kuklinski was a Mafia hitman. He killed people for money. He also killed people because they upset him in some manner, like flipping him the bird while driving. The middle finger was a particularly terrible affront to Kuklinski...one that would likely earn you the death penalty. But those killings aren't where he made his mark on the world. Richard "The Ice Man" Kuklinski is known as one of the most dangerous mob related people ever. I say mob related because he was Polish, and you can't officially join the Mafia unless you are Italian. You can still work as a hired killer though apparently.
   
   Kuklinski was a giant (literally at 6'5" 280lbs) psychopathic, sociopathic, anti-social, paranoid person. He had the classic serial killer upbringing: hyper-abusive parents, picked on by local bullies, enjoyed torturing animals...etc. His home life was so abusive that his father actually killed Richard's brother by beating him. So obviously there was no love in his house, or anywhere throughout his childhood. This, combined with his genetic disposition for violence and personality flaws, turned him into one of the most prolific killers ever. Kuklinski killed over 200 people during his life, most of them mob/organized crime related. His lack of conscience and inability to feel remorse meant that he was a perfect killer. He could "go see somebody", torture (if that's what the client wanted), kill, and dispose of the body with no second thoughts.
   
   In fact, he had a family and loved them dearly. Actually, I don't know that he had the capacity to love. But he cared for them quite a bit. His home life was like Jekyll & Hyde though: sometimes he would be the most caring, thoughtful person around. Other times he would go on a rampage, destroying furniture and beating his wife. He never harmed his children, however. In fact, he would kill people for abusing children. He was a regular vigilante.
   
   This book is amazingly interesting and I couldn't put it down. To read the stories that this man told were shocking. Carlo does a pretty good job of not being too explicit though. There are a few stories that are especially bad...but otherwise it's OK.
   
   I (like a lot of other people) am interested in serial killers and why they do what they do. For some reason they are really interesting to people. I'm sure there are plenty of psyche people who could explain why. Kuklinski is one of the ultimate serial killers, and therefore, garners a lot of attention. That he did all of this while leading a relatively normal family life only futhers the intrigue.
   
   Three HBO documentaries of Kuklinski were filed while he was in prison. I have seen one of them and it's pretty riveting stuff. It's actually frightening to watch him cavalierly describe taking another man's life. Sometimes he gets mad and glares at the interviewer...which is a haunting view for that person I'm sure.
   
   I very highly recommend this book to anyone interested in True Crime, serial killers, or the Mafia. Be prepared though.
   
   Rating: 5 out of 5



2. Great book about one of the most notoriously unknown killers of all time!
   
   Richard Kuklinski was a very interesting man to say the least, his family life, his secret life of murder and his long list of petty crimes and schemes!
   
   When you finish "The Ice Man", you'll feel as if you know the guy. The book starts off talking about Richard's horrible childhood and how/when he committed his first murder and takes you through his early days of crime and his association with the Mafia!
   
   "Big Rich" as he was known to his friends killed over 100 men, possibly as many as 200. He killed using almost every means possible. Kuklinski claims to have killed the infamous Jimmy Hoffa and ruthless mobster Roy DeMeo. He not only killed for money, he killed without a reason. Strangers, punks, thugs and the homeless all felt the wrath of the Ice Man, but never women or children according to Richard.
   
   Many people, including Richard Kuklinski believe he was poisoned while in prison, which ulitmately led to his death. Richard was going to testify against Sammy (the Bull) Gravano, he died in prison days before!
   
   You can buy the dvd's here at Amazon of Richard's HBO interviews, they can also be found on Youtube! The interviews are excellent, they give a real life perspective of Big Rich!
   
   Great read, very interesting stuff, truly a natural born killer!



3. i am no book reviewer but at first i thought this is one crazy dude.several times i stopped to try to find out how many people wererolled up into this one guy.the photos and discription of him didn't seem to jibe with the dates.it'sfun to read but itt can't all be fact.



4. It's completely believable. (did someone say it isn't totally believable?) It was the first experience I'd had reading any first-hand telling by someone as he in his teens kills his worst bully. His cold disposing of that body and getting away with it. Horrific. But what was meaner than his own father? The ice-man was hit, bashed for reasons that weren't clear to him at the moments his father came down on him. Out of the blue. Bad enough, child battery, when daddy states his reasoning. The iceman even believes that this daddy beat over and over his older brother until that child died. Hello? Mom? where was Mom? Right there! The beatings and other humane neglects formed warm pulsating heart into permafrost in he who became Ice. Ok. Life tells us there are no sufficient provocations for violence. but there are things done to soft and cuddly humans while they are dependent and trusting of the big humans who are in charge of such tenderness that screw their wee minds and there you go. What the Iceman did to his victims is unreadable. You lay (throw?) the book down and gasp and take days to recover and reluctantly give it your time yet again. A horrific read or did I say that? Yet Mr Bruno, you did good. Why did you not have to stop over and over to vomit as you related what are facts of such vile magnitude I'll never figure. maybe you did. Utterly unforgettable, and I tentatively thank you for reporting/writing it.



5. This book was an intense read. It's definitely filled with everything you might expect from reading the Amazon description. The one flaw is its lack of credibility, but I guess if a killer is as good as this, he wouldn't leave a trail of evidence to prove his stories are true later on.

5 comments about The Bush Tragedy.

1. As a translator from Mexico, I'm keen on all kinds of issues, from medical and psychological to sociological to political, etc. Having an especial interest in U.S. history and how the Bush Dynasty ended up wreaking so much havoc in the U.S. citizenry fabric as well as in peoples formed by human beings -not "illegal aliens"; not "collateral damage"- but Human Beings (i.e., for Christians, brothers and sisters), I find the existence of this kind of book almost offensive. I know already what unfortunate circumstances led Mr. George W. Bush, himself a spoiled kid and human being, to spoil not only his presidency, but also billions of human lives out there that Mr. Jacob Weissman is not considering. It would have been better that this kind of psychoanalysis be made as a preventative measure. Is this candidate amenable not to react hysterically in the face of a new 9/11? Perhaps she would know in advance of such an event? Could she be so evil? Can this other candidate surround himself with wise counselors, does he himself, knowing right from wrong, have the mental capacity to do so? Then the U.S. democracy would stand a better opportunity to really work, but then, the U.S. nation has survived so many dubious presidents it didn't seem necessary to take special precautions in Mr. Bush Jr.'s case. Having read Robert Parry's non-pareil book: Secrecy and Privilege: Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq, it is not difficult to know how exactly your great nation got where it stands now. I will posit the Bush tragedy commenced since Republicans decided there couldn't be more Watergates, politicized objective CIA analysis of the true weakness of the Soviet Union, that way Reagan -that criminal who almost finished some Central American nations and Chile too- and the Elder Bush would not have negotiated behind Carter's back to get elect. And, as another book that seems to exculpate Bush Jr.'s fatal mistakes, I will agree it was the delusions of neo-cons and of the (anti-)Christian Right that pushed Bush Jr's presidency through the mud, and many of the world's nations with it. But above all, are not a country's people entitled to the knowledge that this candidate, and that candidate, really know right from wrong? And if they do, isn't a great Nation like the U.S. entitled to recognize an electoral fraud and disavow it? I conclude it is good to know the reasons why the Bush tragedy occurred, it would be best to go back to basics, separate Church from State, really heed the most honest intentions of the U.S. Founding Fathers, and elect individuals who truly can perform the job of governing domestically (inside) and through wise diplomacy (outside). And no matter whether Bush Sr. spoiled his kid and his entourage pushed Bush Jr. into evil. It takes a wise electorate to choose a Man who'll serve the people who elects him, & won't merely act as the head of an administration that administers the interests of the already powerful and wealthy, to the chagrin of all the "globalized" and market-"freed" weaker nations involved.



2. Molly Ivens warned us all about Dubya in the nineties, when he was wreaking havoc in Texas. So what has happened is no surprise. However, The Bush Tragedy makes me see him and his family entirely differently, as failed humans rather than as the characatures the world sees. The Senior Bush rises somewhat in stature as I see him now, and the son sinks even lower. But each newsclip, each Great Moment in Presidential Speeches, now seems three dimensional rather than like posterboard. Read this book. We have to get smarter.



3. This is probably the most devastating critique I've read of the Bush president, and the reason it's so powerful is that the author isn't a hell-bent partisan. You get the sense that he truly would have preferred that Bush live up to all his best intentions, so when he fails (and fails spectacularly) Weisberg's critique is especially poignant. There are so many factors that lead to this tragic presidency -- the competition with his father, the unexamined substance abuse problems, Rove, Cheney, the Bush/Walker dichotomy -- and Weisberg gives them all fair treatment. I probably hate Bush less as a person now, but I despise his impact on this country all the more.



4. Drawing on some distorted form of Freudian analysis and dabbling in Shakespeare, Weisberg is at some pains to show how George W. Bush's family heritage formed the President's personality. The son is continually referencing his father in comments and actions, while at the same time trying to distance himself from the 41st President . This isn't the first effort along these lines, nor will it surely be the last. In this well-written, but terribly narrow assessment, the author carefully traces how W.'s actions are a reflection of his reactions to his President father.
   
   The account opens with a summary history of the Bush and Walker families. Their rise, successes and especially their personalities lay the groundwork for what follows. Weisberg carefully follows W.'s life in Texas and his attempts at an education in the East. Yale was not a happy time for the young man, and his reaction to the alien world of "The Eastern Establishment" set patterns he would follow throughout his career. As he haltingly moves toward becoming the Republican nominee [although little is given of that process], Bush begins collecting the men - and a woman - who will become his "inner circle". Karl Rove is a sycophant with a dream, manipulating Bush while being subjected to W's banter. Rove is later joined by Dick Cheney, two men with a dream of remaking the Presidency and US society. It's a compelling, if highly disturbing picture.
   
   The Iraq invasion is, of course, the pivot point for Weisberg's analysis, calling the crusade against Saddam Hussein a total blunder. Yet Weisberg, in his depiction, makes a major gaffe of his own. After making serious effort to show how Bush makes decisions with little consideration, then sticks to the choice against any contending opinions, tells us that the President had not chosen to invade until almost the final moment. This is an astounding reversal of what Weisberg has been presenting throughout the book. The author accepts that the Bush regime "honestly" felt Hussein was a threat and the war decision justified on those grounds. Weisberg lightly passes over those such as Richard Clark or Christopher Meyer who testified Bush had decided on "regime change" long before. He ignores Colin Powell's admission that he was fed a lot of "BS" to present to the UN. Indeed, the contrived WMDs the Bush regime touted so vehemently were declared missing by Hans Blix, who receives not a drop of ink here.
   
   Nothing is offered for why US voters should have returned this misfit to the Presidency. It will be the greatest tragedy in US history if Bush leaves the Presidency without facing charges, but this eventuality never enters Weisberg's account. In fact, no real assessment of the long-term impact of the regime's many Constitutional violations is given. We are given the portrait of a vulnerable man, with the most superficial talents holding sway over government procedures and policies unfit for a democracy. Does Weisberg think any one or a generation of successive Presidents is going to be able to set right what the Bush regime has wrought? Any new President will not be able to purge the Supreme Court of the witless hacks Bush has placed there. Worse, the deep penetration of appointments vetted more for their sympathy to "Christian" evangelical views than for any abilities is not easily uprooted and dispensed with. Weisberg may have well fulfilled the mandate he set himself, but as far as the author's concerned, that will all pass into history's assessment when Bush leaves office. The effect on society will endure. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
   
   ** with thanks to Thomas Keneally



5. The service to get it to me was great, faster than expected. The book is outstanding. What an insight to the man we didn't elect twice.

1 comments about Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer (Civil War America).

1. Wade Hampton III who was born in 1818 and whose life spanned the century (he died in 1902) was an important figure in South Carolina and in the American South. He was born to near-aristocracy, his father having fought in the War of 1812 and his grandfather in the Revolution. He was a wealthy plantation owner, one of the wealthiest in his state. He was also a conservative who opposed the break with the union, but when called upon to do his duty went to war and raised his own regiment known as 'Hampton's legion'. He served in the Stonewall Brigade and then took over JEB Stuart's cavalry units after the battle of Yellow Tavern. He served to the end with Lee. His son died in the war and his house and properties were destroyed by Sherman's union army in its march to the sea. After the war he was drafted to run for Govenor by the Democrats but relented waiting until 1877 to take the helm of his state as a passionate opponent of reconstruction and northern meddling in southern affairs. Later he served as a Senator.
   
   This book is not an fawning biography but rather a more critical one that examines the importance of this influential leader whose life mirrored that of his southern compatriots and that of his class. He was the embodiment of the south and as the title suggests, both a warrior and a redeemer whose efforts and politics hang over the South today.
   
   A very interesting, well written account that will appeal to devotees of Southern history and the Civil War.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman

5 comments about Why Women Should Rule the World.

1. I enjoyed this book. The beginning starts out a bit angry but she quickly moves into a compelling, interesting, and balanced book about the role of women in helping to change the world. Myers does not disparage men in this book, but rather offers a balanced look at the contributions women have made.
   
   Myers offers a number of eye opening examples of womens positive influence in business, politics, education etc. She speaks to the importance of educating women around the globe. One paragraph reads, "When Larry Summers was chief economist at World Bank, he argued that educating girls probably produced better returns than any other investment in the developed world....If fact, when women's incomes go up, child survival rates improve by an astonishing twenty times more than if a mans income increases by a similar amount....And children's weight measures improve eightfold."
   
   Myers addresses the role of women in the corporate arena. She writes "Women make the vast majority of consumer decisions in this country - by many accounts, more than 80 percent. But we still don't have enough influence at the top of corporations that make and sell those goods and services. True, women now fill about half of all managerial positions, but among Fortune 500 companies, women account for only 16% of corporate officers, 5% of top earners - and an anemic 2% of CEOs".
   
   Myers uses Revlon as an example to illustrate her point. The company is known for making womens products and yet "all of the company's senior managers and all but 3 members of its board were men".



2. dee dee myers is brilliant in everyway.the thing that bothers me is women know this.really women knew this for over 100 years or more.im having my daughter and my girlfriends read this cause even though we know everything dee dee is saying.nothing is done and why oh why?i if we women voted to our potentiel wede be running this country rite now.maybee the more women that read this and other books like this they would understand that its not fantasy but fact.women should and will rule the country.its just a matter of us taking back what was once ours and if we do and it shouldnt be to hard im laughing .then it will be the same as now only women will set the laws and that would(have)to be better then what man is doing now.i read somewere on the net oh i wish i could remember her name .women are gaining fast while men are becoming the women of the 1950 s.that is soooo true.read it.see it.hear it.man kind is shrinking at a rate so fast it seems womankind has really already surpassed the still shrinking male role.i remember a long time ago my aunt telling me dont blame the men.we made them.lol yup.now its up to us women to take control.thank you dee dee



3. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2SW8VFXLFH3QQ Here's my video review. I should warn readers though that Myer's book is more a memoir than an analytical work. Thanks for clicking in, Bernard



4. I bought the book for my wife, who was complaining about how unfair the world is to women--and quite rightly so. Speaking for myself, I agree with Dee Dee Myers thesis, but it is hidden behind a lot of wonky poli-sci verbiage.



5. I have followed Dee Dee's career since she worked for Bill Clinton, and i find her book funny, and informative. I'm certain that if women ruled the world, we would be in better shape then we are. Thanks Dee Dee for putting my beliefs on paper.

5 comments about Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich.

1. As with the classic pick-and-roll - where it takes the solid work of two players to make the offensive play successful - Pete Maravich would not have been the "Pistol" without the guidance of his father, Press (Peter).
   
   And in this dual biography, author Mark Kriegel brings the legend of Pete and Press to life, on and off the court.
   
   Press - who had a cup of coffee in the pro game, with Youngstown and Pittsburgh - used basketball as a means to have an escape from a tough childhood. Though he set out early in Pete's life to develop his basketball skills, this is not a classic case of an overbearing father forcing his will on a son.
   
   As Pete emerged as this larger-than-life figure - whose shooting, ball-handling and passing brought a wonderful brilliance to the hardwood floor - he became Showtime, Inc. He took a struggling Louisiana State University program - with Press as the head coach - and turned it into a SEC power, going 20-8 overall in his senior year, while averaging an amazing 44.2 points per game in his varsity collegiate career.
   
   A new, state-of-the-art, arena came into being at LSU, based on Pete popularizing the program, which had been playing home games in a facility designed for livestock shows.
   
   But with these triumphs, both found later that the breaks in the game of life can find the ball rolling out-of-bounds, never to be the same when retrieved and put back into play. And that may be the biggest lesson of all.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



2. I read PISTOL during the last week when my brain was in gear, my emotions high and my persona not cracked. Good thing, too. If I had been depressed, I might have eaten more junk food than my diet allows.
   
   Yes, PISTOL deserves five stars. The lives of Press Maravich and his son, Peter Press Maravich, are, however, Pittsburgh bleak, covered with soot and anchored by the angst of control and chaos.
   
   Basketball should a fine, fun game, but this book proves it doesn't have to be any fun at all. It can merely be twisted.
   
   The sun is shining now, and the temperature is crisp. I think I can forget all Pete's "showtime" moves, the suicide of his mom, the manic control of his dad and the up-all-night drinking bouts.
   
   What I can't forget, yet, are all the tortures his sons went through when they tried to honor their dad by playing basketball, too. One coach in particular at LSU needs to be put down for his cruelty.



3. I BOUGHT THIS BOOK TO INCLUDE IN MY GRANDSON'S PACKAGE THAT WAS HEADED FOR IRAQ. HE LOVED THE BOOK BECAUSE HE GREW UP IN THE PITTSBURG AREA AND PLAYED SPORTS AT SOME OF THE SCHOOLS THAT WERE MENTIONED IN THE BOOK.
   
   NEEDLESS TO SAY, HE ENJOYED IT FROM COVER TO COVER AND I AM A HAPPY GRANDMA. ACTUALLY, I'LL BE HAPPIER WHEN HE GETS BACK TO THE USA.



4. As others have stated, this is an extremely well-written book. But it is also the first book I ever remember reading that had a dark cloud hang over every page. The quotation by Magic Johnson to Pete's children at the All-Star game naming the Pistol as one of the top 50 in NBA history is memorable. "Your father was Showtime before there was a showtime." You always hope sports heroes have happy endings. I wish Pete could have experienced more of it.
   
   It is a must read.



5. I admire the fact that Mark Kriegal had the guts to devote about a third of the book to Press Maravich, Pete's father. But it got tedious to hear the endless details about who scored what during which game, and so on. Perhaps that's common to most sports books, I don't know. I understand why the author wrote this book: Pete Maravich's life is a fascinating story. Unfortunately, I had mixed feelings about Pistol overall. Yes, I got bored with the first third of the book about Press Maravich, although it did give you a nice overview of the origins of pro basketball, if you can call it that. I also felt that the last 30 pages devoted to Pete's sons was overkill. Just my opinion. The middle part of the book about Pete was superb, though. There were so many touchstones that were handled exceptionally well----on race, the marketing and growing popularity of basketball (college and professional), the complexity of Pete's relationship to Press, Pete's various obsessions with UFOs, vegetarianism, martial arts, etc., plus his alcohol abuse. Pistol, for all its stylistic virtuosity, was a little too sentimental sometimes. Nonetheless, I'm glad I read it.

5 comments about My Guy Barbaro: A Jockey's Journey Through Love, Triumph, and Heartbreak with America's Favorite Horse.

1. His last comment is "I hope I've done him justice." He most definitely has! This was a truly heartwarming story of the magnificent rapport between a jockey and a wonderful horse. They shared a kinship, and throughout the book, the reader is able to feel and rejoice in their bond. Sadly, Barbaro had to ultimately be euthanized, but you never doubt that he really felt the love that surrounded him.



2. While jockey Edgar Prado certainly has a compelling story to tell, so much of it is about his own life rather than Barbaro's.



3. I purchased this book to learn more about Barbaro's life and career. I was disappointed in the major content of the book dealing with Edgar and not the horse. I know that the jockey only rode Barbaro four times and visited in Pennsylvania twice-I guess it's difficult to pull a whole book together on that.



4. This book tells the true story of a great race horse, the friendship of the jockey & horse, as well as the unselfish love of family. It is sad, yet wonderful. Well worth the read and a good book for your library.



5. I am so proud of Edgar for writting this book! It is wonderful to get the jockey's perspective, as I have read just about everything I could get my hands on about BARBARO...but, this book makes the circle complete. The heartbreak in this man's life and the triumphs of joy, make this book one you cannot put down! I very much appreciated the jockey's life story, incorporated with BARBARO...the two were a divine intervention, destined to be together. It is enlightening to see someone of meager beginnings, set a goal and achieve it! This book did make me wonder if ALL jockey's are as caring and understand their job on their mounts, as Edgar does. The day of the Preakness, he had a "gut feeling" that something was wrong; unfortunatley it took 100 yards for the ultimate breakdown of BARBARO, but it could have been so much worse if not for Edgar. This book made me feel that I was right there...it made for many tears too. The pictures were an added bonus. I am a Thoroughbed owner (non-racing), so I understand the bond that cannot be broken. My life was in a downword spiral, during the eight months BARBARO struggled to live...and to this day he is still my inspiration, giving me the courage to go on. Without Edgar, who knows how the story of BARBARO would have been told. THANK YOU EDGAR PRADO FOR WRITTING THIS STORY FROM YOUR HEART & SHARING IT WITH US*****