4 comments about The Prisoner: An Invitation To Hope.

1. This book is a special and important story of redemption and forgiveness. It follows the life of Jim Townsend, from his troubled youth, to his commission of a horrible crime, to decades spent in jail, and finally to a life of promise and hope. The lessons that Jim learns throughout his life help him finally to see his self-worth and prompt him to work on behalf of youth and inmates in this country. I found the story harrowing - and the take-away incredibly meaningful. While Jim's life is dramatic, its messages resonated with me (and, I wager, with all of us): forgiveness, freedom, love, self-worth. I highly recommend this book.



2. This book is very good. I was skeptical at first, but I realized that the change in the man happened over a long period of time.



3. A very compelling true story...It's very hard to put the book down. I read the book in 3 days, at work, at home and where ever I could get 10 minutes of spare time.



4. An excellent book and a keeper. I have bought it for several of my friends.

No comments about A Murder of Passion: The Astonishing Truth About the Life and Crimes of the Last Woman to be Hanged in Britain (Blake's True Crime Library).

5 comments about Three Boys Missing: The Tragedy That Exposed the Pedophilia Underworld.

1. Incredibly insightful, powerful, and personal look at a horrible crime from the detective that lived it. I was unable to put the book down from the moment I opened the cover. Dedicated Detective James Jack took it quit personally and was relentless in his pursuit to apprehend the person or persons responsible for these crimes.
   I would recommend this book to anyone who reads true crime stories. This book is an eye-opener from a point a view most of us will never experience. The pain, conviction, and dedication to capturing this killer is evident in every page. Information is power for those who keep childrens safety at the top of their list. This book is a must read- the suspense is undeniable.



2. Based off the experiences and 1st hand accounts of Detective Jim Jack this is an incredible yet sad story of 3 innocent children who lost their lives. The book puts you right in the middle of one of Chicago's greatest manhunts. I highly recommend this book to all.



3. James "Jimmy" Jack has laid out in vivid, chilling detail the trail real Chicago detectives followed to close the infamous cold case of one of the City's most horrendous crimes. In a city where crime never takes a holiday, Jack exposes the sickness that dwells in the heart and mind of one man hellbent on committing the unpardonable sins of pedophilia and murder. This crime story, which grabbed national headlines in 1955, is poised to seize the nation's attention again in the Chicago-style writing of Detective Jimmy Jack in "Three Boys Missing." Must read!



4. Set In a much more naiive time-the apple pie America of the fifties-One cannot imagine how horrifying these brutal murders must have seemed. James Jack is the ideal narrator, balancing insight with detail ; I hope we are lucky enough to read more stories written by this man



5. i had little knowledge of this crime before reading the book, the book is very informative and put together well, and it is also interesting to see it from the eyes of a detective that worked the case.

5 comments about No Lights, No Sirens: The Corruption and Redemption of an Inner City Cop.

1. This book relates the authors experiences in the N.Y.P.D. from his days as a rookie at the Police Academy thru his early career as a gung ho idealistic officer and then his frustrations dealing with the mopes and low lifes in the toughest parts of Brooklyn. Did he at times step over the line? Well, if so, I'm glad he did. Unfortunately, with crime friendly juries often selected in N.Y.C. sometimes such conduct may be for the greater good of society.



2. What a great recounting of a career spent trying to get true bad guys off the street. It's no wonder Cea butted heads with the desk jockeys on the force.
   
   A must-read for anyone wanting to see what now-Yuppie Brooklyn was like in its former incarnation.



3. As a sworn police officer I always have to wonder, at what point will America get enough of this garbage? Robert Cea, if his account is to be believed, is a criminal. The fact that he did what he did while wearing a police uniform is irrelevant as far as that's concerned. Men like him are a disgrace to all the officers who actually do their job the right way. I'm sick and tired of hearing the excuses. "My pay is low", "The Job doesn't care", "Crime was here before I came on, and it'll be here after I leave" etc. This man is, by his own admission, guilty of perjury, assault, conspiracy and a host of other crimes. He writes about routinely violating the rights of individual citizens, but that's A-Okay because they're bad people and because he includes the obligatory handfull of lines about his struggles with what kind of man he's turning into. You know what? That doesn't cut it. This book isn't about redemption. It's about Robert Cea making money by entertaining people with an account of his criminal behavior and sexual antics. While performing law enforcement duties I have been cursed, attacked with weapons and all the rest. I've never used it as an excuse to line my pockets or lie under oath. As the old saying goes "Adversity does not build character, it reveals it." Robert Cea went to Brooklyn and was faced with a daunting task. In the end his character was revealed and it was non-existant. Don't line the pockets of a corrupt cop. You can find it funny or amusing while you're reading this book in your living room but if you ever got pulled over by a police officer you wouldn't be laughing if it was a man like Robert Cea.



4. What makes No Lights, No Sirens the ultimate cop memoir is the brutal honesty and depth of storytelling by author and former NYC cop Robert Cea. Hold your breath and hold on to something comforting, because Cea is about to pummel you with the anxieties, fears, and and tragedies that made up his tenure as a NYC cop.



5. This book is fairly darn good. As an ex policeman myself I understand his dedication to the job. The book also shows the side of him that makes him a human. I think this book is a good read.

5 comments about Family Circle: The Boudins and the Aristocracy of the Left.

1. This story of a leftist/progressive family and their radical daughter is a microcosm of the intertwining social and political trends that helped shape the 60s. Nice insights into family dynamics and generational friction, the search for "authenticity" (black panthers, bomb-making) by white, middle class kids, and a glimpse of what life was like among the radical fringe. For a West Coast take on the same period, look at Peter Coyote's "Sleeping Where I fall." Both explore the confluence of the personal and the political in a volatile era.



2. This book has all the flaws of a poorly written biography - unsubstantiated claims to understanding characters' thoughts and motivations, lots of irrelevant details, broad generalizations, inferences treated as facts, and amateur-psychologist diagnoses. Perhaps with serious editing, this could be a decent book. As it is, learning about the people and the times keeps me going, though my annoyance at the author's careless approach to a serious story makes me want to stop. I am not surprised Kathy Boudin did not cooperate.



3. I enjoyed reading this book very much, and recommend it to all readers. It was a fascinating look at Kathy Boudin and those radical student leftists known as the Weather Underground who declared war on America in protest to the Vietnam War.

   Kathy Boudin's treachery resulted in the killing of two policemen, for which she served 22 years in prison. That may not matter to the leftist readers who have given this finely written book low ratings. Ignore their hateful rantings, and judge for yourself how a bright young woman of privledge could make such a bad choice to pursue terrorist goals.

   Kathy left her baby with a sitter to drive a getaway van full of Black Panthers who robbed a Brink's armored truck, and actually expected to return on time to pick up her child! Instead, she was captured after the two policemen were killed, and her child was abandoned.

   The picture on p. 353 of one of the Weathermen stomping on an American flag gives the reader an indication that these radical leftists have no remorse for their past behavior.

   There is ample material on the internet concerning how leftists were able to get Kathy released on parole in 2003. Her victims left behind families that will never forget her treachery.




4. I enjoyed this study of the colorful, unconventional Boudin family. I agree with other readers that there was too much space given to the father, Leonard Boudin, an intense, civil rights attorney, who specialized in representing the radical left. So it's not surprising that his daughter, Kathy Boudin, became a radical protestor of the Vietnam War and a loud, snarling member of the Weather Underground. While other members of this pathetic group finally threw in the towel and turned themselves into the law after careers as bombers, killers and trouble-makers, Kathy Boudin stuck it out. You read in horrified fascination how she became a key member of the killers who murdered two police officers in a foiled Brinks truck armed robbery. Even behind bars for 21 years, she played the role of wronged martyr. I remember during the sixties, when the Weather Underground was at its peak of fury. My college roommate dubbed them, The Marx Brothers of Terrorism. He hit the nail on the head. No one knew really what these rich, wealthy white kids were protesting. None had ever worked anywhere in their lives. Even when they supposedly went underground, their wealthy parents and friends supported them and gave them safe houses. Yet, you caught occasional glimpses of them on television as they shrieked and cursed and acted like lunatics. In their own pathetic little reality, they dramatized themselves as great revolutionaries who would foment a nation wide revolution to destroy America's values. No one knew what they wanted to replace them with.



5. This fascinating book will make uncomfortable reading for committed progressives, so I am not surprised by the many negative reviews. Progressives no doubt also loathe David Horowitz's book RADICAL SON, which was a thoughtful description of the underside of the idealistic 1960s and its aftermath. FAMILY CIRCLE covers similar material and provides much food for thought.
   
   What both books make clear is that it was not a coincidence that idealistic progressives with a particular group of personal qualities and beliefs morphed into violent domestic terrorists, despite their early idealism and desire to help make a better world.
   
   The key elements seem to be:
   
   (1) Legitimate, but blown out of proportion, social grievance
   
   The terrorists who formed the Weathermen Underground: Boudin, Dohrn and Ayers and their comrades were initially motivated by legitimate issues. Their original issue was the shameful treatment of black Americans by the white American majority, and subsequently their other major focus was their opposition to the Vietnam War.
   
   But what was the connection between the awareness of legitimate social issues and the decision to kill other human beings? The link is by no means obvious, and few individuals who shared similar outrage over the same injustices took the step of turning to violence.
   
   (2) Family values that justify treason or violent revolt
   
   One of the best predicters of an individual's political party affiliation is the political affiliation of their parents. This is a somewhat humiliating confirmation of Schopenhauer's contemptuous (but overly sweeping) dismissal of the idea of free will, and it turns out to be particularly important when the political behaviour involved is extreme. When an individual decides to set out to kill people and become an enemy to one's society and government, it apparently helps to have deep, subconscious confidence in the support of loved ones for those violent acts.
   
   Kathy Boudin's parents (like David Horowitz's parents) were Communists and her father Leonard was a famous radical lawyer who defended many Communists and traitors who have subsequently, since the opening of KGB files after the fall of the USSR, been proven to have been guilty--a fact that Leonard, who was hostile to his adopted USA, probably knew when he was defending them. Tragically, Leonard Boudin went from defending Fidel Castro in the late 1950s to unsuccessfully defending his daughter Kathy in the early 1980s from charges that arose out of her participation in the violent robbery of a Brinks truck and the murders of a Brinks guard and two policemen.
   
   So just as Microsoft founder Bill Gates' father was a prominent and wealthy Seattle lawyer, it seems that that treason and terrorism often reach full flower in the nurtured next generation.
   
   But what were the values that these families specifically inculcated in their children?
   
   (3) Heroic immortality and hedonism
   
   Boudin's father was a materialist and a Communist who was flagrantly sexually omnivorious--behaviour that was well known to his family.
   
   The great advantage of being a materialist with no belief in the after life like Boudin and her father is that one doesn't have any eternal punishment to endure for one's earthly actions. In fact, it is a very liberating philosophy.
   
   In fact, weirdly, this is creates a direct connection between the Weather Underground and today's Islamic terrorists--the mullahs and extremist Islamic theologians goading young men and women to their deaths are pushing the functional equivalent of materialism and atheism. Ironically, there is little functional difference between killing policemen in Nyack, New York because you think that after death there is nothing at all, and blowing yourself up in an Israeli shopping mall because you think you'll spend eternity having sex with virgins.
   
   The multi-partner sex that was practiced as part of their political indoctrination by the Weathermen Underground had the same function as the mullahs' loopy lure to suicide bombing.
   
   Both sets of political killers expected to be remembered for their heroic acts of violence, and to either experience extinguished consciousness after years of hedonistic sex, or to be about to embark on an eternity of hedonistic sex. A truly wierd confluence of the motivations of Western domestic terrorists and Islamic terrorists.
   
   Of course, if Islamic terrorists and materialist Western traitors and terrorists are attracted to sexual hedonism with no fear of any consequences, so are many if not most ordinary people who don't go on to kill innocent strangers. What is the final link?
   
   (4) Grandiosity and psychopathic narcissism
   
   Why was Kathy Boudin a convicted killer and pleasure-seeking Mick Jagger not a killer? (Boudin denies any active role in the murders, but other witnesses claim that she played the key role of persuading the police officers to put down their weapons just before the Black Panthers attacked with automatic weapons blazing).
   
   The answer is contained in a statement that Kathy Boudin made during her ultimately successful quest for parole after 20 years' imprisonment, which was not included in FAMILY CIRCLE but is still available on the Web. She wrote,
   
   "Sitting with young women dying of AIDS, creating a quilt for those in our community who are no longer with us, I face the deaths for which I am responsible. As I work with mothers on rebuilding their relationships with the children they left, I am overwhelmed by my own responsibility for leaving a group of children with no hope of ever seeing their own fathers again. Now I can ask: what if it were my father, my husband, or my son who had been killed or hurt? What would I feel? I understand the rage that the victims' families may feel towards me. "
   
   Terrorists have no regard for the feelings and sufferings of the human beings they are about to maim or kill, or for the grief of the loved ones of their victims. This is a key component of the psychological make-up of psychopaths--an inability to emphathise with other human beings, or an evil pleasure from inflicting pain. Most terrorists probably do not derive pleasure from inflicting pain--although their controllers and motivators may well be psychopaths in this sense--but they are so narcissistic that the are indifferent to the pain inflicted on others by their murderous actions.
   
   An ordinary human being may be narcissistic, but only a criminal or a terrorist is psychopathically narcissistic to the point that they are indifferent to the suffering of the people whom they kidnap, maim or kill. This is the realisation that Kathy Boudin has apparently come to through her years in prison.
   
   Bound up with this psychopathic narcissisim is grandiosity. This is a belief that one is so special, so gifted, such a distinguished and great person that one can affect the course of history by one's daring actions--even though those actions are condemned by one's government and society. It is interesting that Boudin pursued increasingly extreme measures precisely when it became objectively obvious that her interpretation of history was absolutely incorrect--or at least it was obvious that almost all support for her interpretation had vanished.
   
   Boudin had started out in the protest movements of the 1960s, and she lived underground during the 70s as the US made steady progress on civil rights and the Vietnam War ended. It became clear that whatever public support for the violent Left had evaporated, and Weathermen founders Dohrn and Ayers had even turned themselves in to the authorities and escaped punishment. But Boudin persevered through the early 80s, getting mixed up with Black Panthers who were little more than pimps and drug dealers, and it was a pure criminal act that Boudin was involved in when she abetted the violent robbery of the Brinks truck and the murders of the two policemen.
   
   Grandiosity was an element in the mental outlook of Boudin--she was so sure of her greatness, or at least the greatness of her cause, that she couldn't accept the plain evidence of reality all around her.
   
   Taken together, FAMILY CIRCLE and RADICAL SON reveal very interesting truths about the ultimately tragic vision of the most extreme wing of the idealistic Left, despite the originally good intentions and the many sacrifices of some its most committed practitioners.

5 comments about Without a Doubt.

1. I have read most of the books written about the O.J. Trial. All have been more about setting forth that particular author's personal/ or political agenda and not about true analysis.

   What I fail to find in any of these books is what role did the media play in turning a simple crime of passion into the racial mess that this trial came to symbolize?

   This story is simple. Man and woman have a very sick/tormented relationship, where many sick games are played. One day man loses his head and murders woman and the poor guy who comes to her rescue. Man goes to trial. Man goes to jail for a crime of passion. End of story.

   Instead the SCLM (So Called Liberal Media) as described in the Eric Alterman's book, "What Liberal Media," enters the picture driven by the almighty dollar and turns this simple crime into the trial of the century simply for the profit margin.

   We still trust the media to inform us and they failed miserably as they have done in every important story of our generation. There is no liberal media bias. It's all about the money and polarizing the country to fuel the tragic story of the Simpson case was more important to the Media than actually telling the real story.

   They forgot that Nicole and O.J. loved each other and created two very lovely kids together. Race had nothing to do witth it until the media focussed on it.

   Marcia Clark lost her case, because she drank the Kool Aid from the media and followed their narrative as opposed to trying the case for what it was a crime of passion.




2. It wouldn't have mattered who prosecuted this case. The jury were never going to convict OJ after the race card was played.
   
   Pretty good account of the trial, and an interesting insight into the author's ordeal in handling such a nightmarish case. She lays into Judge Ito & the cyncical tactics of Cochrane.
   
   You come away doubting that the jury system really delivers justice.



3. I read four books after the trial. I read the Schiller 1000 page saga, Outrage, the present book and a book on Johnny Cochrane. Each book was different and gives us different insights.
   
   I think it is clear to any reasonable and unbiased thinking person that O.J. did in fact kill Nicole and Ron and it is just as it is clear that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. Also it is clear from the other reviewers that Marcia Clark evokes a certain emotional response that colors their view of the book. If you still think O.J. is innocent then I think that is a personal problem or internal devil that you must deal with but it is not related to reality. As the title says "Without a Doubt" he was guilty.
   
   Johnny made buckets of money as a criminal attorney. Both he and Shapiro could make sums of money in hours that only the rest of us can dream about. Johnny drove a Rolls and Shapiro rubbed elbows with the LA movers and shakers.
   
   Marcia is more like the average citizen, working for the DA's office, probably driving a Chevrolet or Honda. She was a single divorced mother that commutes to work. After the trial she had decided enough was enough, and she wrote the book along with everyone else. And I say good for her! Make a buck or two! Its America.
   
   Now for the book. It is what you might expect. It is the story of her involvement with the trial. It presents some prior background on her life and earlier trials and then goes in detail through the O.J. saga and what it was like from her perspective. I think is a well written book and for the most part entertaining. "Outrage" is a bit more gripping and Schiller's "American Tragedy" longer and more comprehensive. But this book is what we would expect. It deals mainly with her role and it is a solid job. She was basically a civil servant and she was the front "man" facing a raft of America's most famous lawyers including the above mentioned plus F. Lee Bailey. Then to complicate things, the whole mess was presided over by the star blinded Judge Ito. Together they faced essentially 12 black female jurors who loved Johnny and O.J.
   
   Could she win? "Without a Doubt" she could not win, but it was nothing to do with her.
   
   Recommend. 4 stars.



4. Any reasonable person who listened to the evidence at the so-called "trial of the century" knows without out a doubt that O. J. Simpson killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, the hapless waiter who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyone who watched the announcement of the verdict and saw the shock and disbelief on O. J. Simpson's own face, as the not guilty verdict was read, would know that even the defendant knew he was guilty.
   
   The prosecution never had much of a chance, because the presiding judge, Lance Ito, was a bumbling idiot who could not control his courtroom and make sound evidentiary rulings. . Instead, Lance Ito allowed his courtroom to become a three-ring circus. As a career prosecutor, I was appalled at the time at what went on in that courtroom, and Lance Ito's courting of the media was reprehensible. It was also clear that he was awed by and enthralled with the celebrity of the defendant appearing before him. One need only look to the civil trial in the matter to see how an effective judge controlled his courtroom. There, Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki made sound rulings on evidentiary matters and remained in control of his courtroom at all times. Consequently, justice was obtained in the civil case.
   
   This tell all, no holds barred book is a well-written, engaging behind-the-scenes account of the "trial of the century". While Ms. Clark does include some personal information about herself, it is in the context of why she became a prosecutor and makes for a more fully fleshed account of how and why she may have acted as she did under the circumstances. She admits to some mistakes, and probably one of the biggest was having been lulled into a false sense of complacency about the competence of the criminalist assigned to the case, rather than going with her gut instinct to get whom she thought would be the best person for the job. Consequently, she was saddled with criminalist Dennis Fung, who for his incompetence in such a high profile case should have been summarily fired thereafter.
   
   As for the defense "Dream Team", having watched their antics on court TV during the course of the trial, it was clear that they were playing to the media for all it was worth, and the media was lapping it up. So much of what the defense did went beyond what was sanctioned by evidentiary rules and the rules of professional conduct that I was both amazed and appalled. That they got away with this kind of behavior was reprehensible. The only one able to call them on it, however, was Judge Lance Ito, and he failed to do so. The blame, therefore, for all the shenanigans that went on during the course of the trial lies squarely on Lance Ito's shoulders. He definitely gets the prize for one of the greatest failures in American jurisprudence.
   
   Still, one cannot forget prosecutor Chris Darden's ill-advised decision in proceeding to have O.J. try on the bloodied, weathered gloves found at the scene and at his home, rather than waiting for an exact duplicate pair to be delivered by the manufacturer. In light of the fact that the manufacturer had advised the prosecution that the original gloves would have shrunk as much as fifteen percent due to repeated exposure to dampness and extremes of heat and cold, it was downright stupid for Chris Darden to proceed to have the defendant try them on. While Ms. Clark had counseled Chris Darden not to proceed with this demonstration, but rather, to wait for the new duplicate pair, he did so anyway with disastrous results. As the lead prosecutor in the case, however, the fault for this debacle lies squarely with her on this issue, rather than Mr. Darden, because when you are the lead prosecutor, the buck stops with you. Ms. Clark need look no further than herself for this major faux pas and for the ensuing creation of Johnnie Cochran's famous, catchy sound bite, "If the glove doesn't fit, then you must acquit". Never mind that the new, duplicate glove fit O. J. to perfection!
   
   Notwithstanding the glove debacle, the forensic evidence against the defendant was overwhelming, despite the bungling of criminalist Dennis Fung. Unfortunately, the painstaking forensics case put together by the prosecution was lost under the smokescreen set off by the defense. The "Dream Team" played the race card to perfection to a sound bite crazed media that helped create a public frenzy, no doubt aided by the celebrity of the defendant. The defense team's cries of police mis-conduct and the Fuhrmanizing of the trial was a pulp journalist's dream come true. It was also a travesty of justice, as all the hoopla and media distortion masked what the trial was really about, the savage and wanton murders of two innocent human beings. Moreover, while much has been said about this being a crime of passion that the prosecution tried as dispassionately as possible, one must keep in mind that Judge Ito tied the prosecution's hands in large part, while giving the "Dream Team' an unprecedented free rein.
   
   This book will keep courtroom junkies enthralled with its war stories and sneak peak into the "trial of the century". Ms. Clark gives an excellent analysis of what went wrong, and while some of it may be a bit self-serving, she is right on the money for the most part. This is a riveting, page turning account, and she doesn't hold back any punches. Ms. Clark painstakingly goes through the evidence that was presented at the trial, as well as that evidence that Judge Ito, in his infinite wisdom, did not allow the prosecution to present. Anyone who reads this book will be outraged by the obvious miscarriage of justice, as it will be clear as a bell why O. J. Simpson is, without a doubt, guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman.



5. Yeah, I am a white guy. And you can call me any names that you would like, but it is upon you to prove it. Marcia Clark has written a book and has laid herself open to all the negative attention and snide remarks that she endured during the case that IMHO was a gut wrenching travesty. Marica proves to me that she is a mighty fine lawyer, a great mother and even more important a real LADY that dealt with extremes with the utmost integrity and honesty. She should be held up as an American heroine for what she endured, doing battle daily for more than a year with the "Dream Team," and their race baiting and a judge that was oh so very weak. I can't remember ever reading a book that made me want to meet and honor such a very special person as I do Marcia Clark. The trial was all about race and nothing that the prosecution could do would change that. They are the heroes. But instead, they are held up to ridicule for what they did or did not do. Orenthal James Simpson is guilty of snuffing out two lives with vicious and bloody attacks and if you don't get that message from this book, you have a serious lack of comprehension or you just don't get it. It would be a great honor for me to be able to meet Ms. Clark, just to thank her for what she went through while trying to find some sort of justice while fighting all of the elements that she came across. Great book. I am proud to live in a nation that has people like Marcia Clark. being an attorney, mother or just a lovely person. Ms Clark. Good Job!!!!!!

5 comments about Pretty Boy.

1. I read this book in one sitting. It has a fascinatting account of all the trouble and strife Mr Shaw went through. A tale of overcomming the darkest mental and physical abuse of leading institutes , and of how he has made the transition from barenuckle boxer to successful businessman. Well worth the money and a great read



2. Roy Shaw is a great character, with an amazing strength. This is how to prepare for a life on the streets, i recomend this to any teenager with an appatite for success.



3. this book will pass your time while allowing you to gaze into the pit of dimentia. roy's adherence to his own brutal codes and his colorful memories of the characters that made up london's miscreants. his life was hard, and his choices make that very clear. not to "pop" this up too much but if you enjoy the sopranos you'll probably love roy shaw -- prettyboy.



4. roy shaw's life story is a fascinating tale.his transformation from picked on boy to a machine of ferocity is amazing.he is one of the toughest men ever to breathe in britain.roy was the hardest man lenny "the guvnor" mclean ever met !!! this is a good read.



5. If you are a fan of books about British gangsters/tough guys, you pretty much have to read this book, as Shaw is one of the most famous (or infamous) of that genre. Personally, this was not my favorite book of the genre. I liked it, but Shaw spent a lot of his life in prison, so naturally a large portion of the book talks about his time there and after a while it just got a little boring for me. I liked McLean's "The Guv'nor" better.

No comments about Like a Thief's Dream.

5 comments about Agent 146: The True Story of a Nazi Spy in America.

1. Erich Gimpel narrates Walter Mitty-like escapad-es, with absolutely no corroboration Characters are imply initials or phoney names. Some incidentsreported simply did not happen, such as a "JoanKenneth" knocking at the Military Commissionhearing room, asking to testify in favor of Gimpel. The record of trial and witness list show no such appearance. Also, it would have been impossible tobreach the security at Governors Island. So beware! There are many more fictions presented as fact. Hisaccount of his escape attempt at Leavenworth doesnot jive with the Bureau of Prisons account, whichled to his transfer to Alcatraz.The "true" story of a spy in America? Not in my book. There is no record that he sent a single message (transmitter was never assembled---FBI found the parts in a box after his capture).His performance for the Abwehr was consistent with the failure of German intelligence throughout WW II.



2. Sure there are things in this book that question the credibility of the author, but isn't all history written looking back when memories, sometimes are not the best? Rose colored glasses are used when recalling impossible situations? I don't know. But what I am sure about is Agent 146 was impossible to put down. From start to finish I was captivated in the life of danger, the inside look at Nazi Germany and the hair raising cat and mouse chase through New York City. Maybe some of it is hyped up, maybe not, but I couldn't put this book down and I encourage anyone with any interest in World War II to read it!



3. I "read" this book as a book on tape. I found this book enjoyable to "read". If you want to read something interesting about clandestine spying in The US during WWII, read this! I think reading this book was "time well spent". Email:boland7214@aol.



4. Erich Gimpel did not die in 1956 in Germany as the official review at top states. He was living in South America as of 2002, with photographic proof if one simply searches the web carefully enough. I don't know where that death date comes from, but as far as I know he was still living in his '90's even as of 2004.



5. A casual read of this book reveals its many inconsistencies. A careful read and a knowledge of US history reveals that this text is full of lies.
   
   Gimpel states that he has been referred to as The World's Most Dangerous Spy. A spy who appears to have never fired a shot at anyone and who claims to have never killed anyone is the world's most dangerous spy? Ha! Gimpel is merely trying to convince readers (and perhaps himself as well?)that he was an excellent spy, a lady's man, a master of several languages, and on and on. At the same time, his book details how he told his girlfriend in Berlin that he was leaving with an American to travel to the US. (The three of them go out drinking the night before his departure, and his girlfriend begs him to stay in Berlin with her, instead of going to America.) Why would a professional spy (and the world's most dangerous one at that) tell his girlfriend details of his upcoming trip to spy on a foreign nation? [Answer: either he didn't really tell her and is just lying to readers, or he did, indicating that he wasn't a very good spy.]
   
   The author reports that he spent several years in Alcatraz. He speaks highly of the dining hall, stating that "you could easily imagine yourself in a hotel." Ha! I have visited Alcatraz as a tourist, and can hardly imagine the dining hall being mistaken for a dining room in hotel. He mentions that Al Capone spent the last years of his life in Alcatraz. On the next page, he quotes someone on a tour boat traveling the waters off of The Rock as saying (over the loudspeaker) that Al Capone died of a brain tumor in Alcatraz. News flash: Capone was released from prison in 1939, spent some time in a hospital, then lived his last years at his estate in Florida, where he died in 1947. Even if Gimpel himself was unaware of this, his editor(s) should have caught this error.
   
   Alcatraz visitors could only be family members, and they were not allowed physical contact with prisoners. At one point (pp. 256-7) Gimpel says that he was visited by two men (neither of whom was related to him), and that they spoke to him in German. All visits in Alcatraz were monitored, and the prisoners instructed concerning topics which were not allowed to be discussed. Would the guards at the prison allow a prisoner and two visitors to carry on a conversation in a foreign language? Gimpel then goes on to say that during a second visit with these non-family members, he was allowed to visit with them in an ordinary room (no glass between them, no phones used for communication, etc.).
   
   The author talks about his former partner at one point being alone in New York and without money. A couple of pages later he speculates that the former partner "still had some money" (from the $5,000 that Gimpel gave him). Later in the text, he talks about how, after the two of them separated, his former partner went on a two-day drinking binge (difficult to do without money). So which is it: did he or did he not have money?
   
   I could go on and on detailing the problems and inconsistencies in Agent 146. In the end, once you start to see that the author is contradicting himself and in some cases outright lying to the reader, it is very difficult to believe anything that he has to say. Even the book jacket--printed in 2003--contains lies. To wit: that Gimpel was given a last-minute pardon, that he returned to Germany in 1947, and that he and his partner were the only Nazi spies to reach American soil.
   
   Save your time and money, and read one of the other books on WWII espionage such as Between Silk and Cyanide by Leo Marks or Behind the Lines by Russell Miller.

5 comments about Al Capone and His Gang (Famous Dead People).

1. Al Capone was a real life mob boss from the 1920's and this is his story

   from beginning to end. The author describes the man, Chicago, and organized

   crime in the 1920's perfectly. It's almost like your with Al Capone on his daily

   routs, on the streets and in jail. Money, booze, and women are what gangsters

   desire and this is what the book is about.

   The book was very written, and is very easy to read. The book seams like it

   is at a sixth grade reading level with cartoons and hand written notes said to be

   written by Al himself. It was in perfect order so you the reader could under

   stand where the story was heading.

   This book is a good read for anyone who likes old gangsters, prohibition, and

   Organized crime. I liked this book because it wasn't strenuous to read and had

   great info. about Al Capone and his gang. I give this book a four star rating.

   It's not a five star rating due to the lack of information on his wife and kid.




2. Al Capone and His Gang by Alan MacDonald is a great book about Al Capone. It describes his life in a comic book way. It also tells about his bootleg career. The quote I like best is, "I love my job,thats what I'm good at," because I don't see how anyone could think killing is fun. This book also reveals Al's secret diary, and it's the number one source for gangster slang. I like this book because the life of Al Capone is really interesting and full of surprises. I recommend this book to teenagers who love biographies that are suspenseful and full of surprises.



3. Very good book. I bought it for school because I had to do a report on a biography, and I'm very happy I chose it. It has all the facts you need to give a great presentation on a biography, and it includes lots of fun extras that will make you want to read more!



4. From the first to last page, this book will keep you readin. Telling the full story of Al Capone, from his birth to his entry into gangs to his rise then fall, and his death. This book also has accutual gangster slang with translations. Also, it uses kid friendly comics, words, and police reports. It also dispells many rumors you may have heard about Al Capone. All in all, a great book. A must buy!



5. "I think Al Capone's name was mentioned in every news report today," a reporter once said. This was exactly how Capone liked it, as demonstrated in the biography, Al Capone and His Gang, by Alan MacDonald. I think Al Capone was nicer than many people thought - what do you think? Read this book to form your own opinion on whether Capone belonged in prison. Capone was an infamous gangster who gained fame and fortune and wanted everyone to know. MacDonald clearly portrays Capone in this fast paced book with short chapters, and keeps the book interesting by including Capone's journal entries. Those who enjoy adventure will enjoy this Capone biography. Read this book to learn why the police had trouble convicting Capone of any crimes.
   
   Capone was born in New York, then moved to Chicago, where he completed a lot of his mischief. Most of Capone's life experiences, as covered in this book, took place near his Chicago and Miami homes. Later, Capone was considered the most famous gangster that served time in Alcatraz Federal Prison. This was reinforced as I read about his life of gambling, betting on fixed games, murder, hiring hitmen, and bootlegging. Capone was so powerful that even the police were scared of him!
   
   Al Capone was the main character in this biography about him. Other gangsters (enemies), police (enemies), and important people (sometimes helpful) were also mentioned in the book. Capone was my favorite character in this biography that covered his life history. I was amazed at what Capone got away with, as described throughout the book. He could have been caught many times but police didn't gather much evidence on him. I was more amazed that Capone looked out for less fortunate people, as described on page 161. He handed out $100 bills to the needy and opened a soup pantry. Capone had a nice side for those on his good side!
   
   Reading this book went pretty quick, though it covered Capone's entire life as a gangster. I would recommend this book to any male middle school student. This was a pretty straightforward book, since MacDonald was presenting Capone's life history, and nothing was questionable. There are no other books directly related to this book.
   
   Capone was a gangster who rose from nowhere, achieved financial success, and will never be forgotten!