1 comments about Divorced from the Mob: My Journey from Organized Crime to Independent Woman.

1. This book left me confused. It's really difficult to identify with Andrea. In spite of the fact that she's able to look back on her life within a community of crime and admit to her mistakes, there's a certain edge to her that teeters between likeable and detestable. That said, the book is good. It seems to be a genuine account of her life and struggles. For those interested in non-fiction accounts of mob life, this is an incredibly interesting read. In spite of any feelings I had about Andrea's choices, I continued to root for her throughout the book. It must have taken a lot of guts (which the author is in no short supply of), not to mention personal suffering to get this out on paper. My only real critique is that I would love to know how she spent the last ten years of her life away from organized crime.

2 comments about The Martyr's Oath: The Apprenticeship of a Homegrown Terrorist.

1. The Martyr's Oath is a thoroughly researched and highly readable account of how a young man who was raised and educated in Canada became a key organizer for al-Qaeda in Asia and played a major part in plans to kill large numbers of Westerners. A particularly interesting section of the book is Bell's description of how Mohammed Mansour Jabarah was "turned" by Canadian security authorities and induced to provide a wealth of valuable information on al-Qaeda and its operations.
   
   While Bell does not claim to have all the answers to the complicated question of what goes into the making of a home-grown North American jihadi, he takes the reader through a fascinating review of the various contributing factors. The Martyr's oath is a must read for students of terrorism concerned about increasing efforts by al-Qaeda and related terrorist groups to recruit new members in Western countries.



2. If you didn't read Martyr's Oath last fall when it first came out, you're probably like most Canadians sitting there wondering how seventeen nice Muslim Canadian boys came to be arrested on terrorism charges in Toronto last week. Don't wait to be enlightened by the terminally politically-correct CBC. Instead check out Stewart Bell's book. Not only is it prescient in warning about the spread of the new phenomena of "homegrown" terrorism to Canada's tolerant shores, it is a very good read, conjuring images of Osama bin Laden wannabes wandering around in exotic Middle Eastern deserts, AK-47s in hand.
   
   Stewart Bell thoroughly researched his book, dauntlessly tracking the Jabarah brothers, who swears the bayat or "martyr's oath" of loyalty to Osama bin Laden, from their middle class home in St. Catherines on the Niagara Peninsula to Kuwait, Pakistan, Afghanistan, South East Asia, and beyond. Although he never got access to either of the boys - one being in the Manhattan Detention Centre and the other already in Paradise enjoying his reward of seventy two virgins, he spent much time with the boys' alienated father Mansour whose own fundamentalism and anti-Western ways, as described by Bell, may have planted the seeds of the boys' own peculiarly Islamic spiritual quest.
   
   As an experienced and award-winning investigative reporter on the national security beat for the National Post, Bell managed to get his hands on many intelligence reports and court documents. Bell's book just invites comparisons between the Jabarah brothers and the Toronto 17. It is also much harder to ignore in the light of what almost happened.

No comments about Donnie Brasco.

2 comments about Confederate Spies at Large: The Lives of Lincoln Assassination Conspirator Tom Harbin And Charlie Russell.

1. Tom Harbin and Charlie Russell were two southern spies during the American civil war and through their involvement in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, became the most wanted Confederate agents of that conflict. In "Confederate Spies At Large: The Lives Of Lincoln Assassination Conspirator Tom Harbin and Charlie Russell" by John Stewart provides a fascinating account of these two men, their activities in behalf of the Confederacy, their genealogy, and their contribution to the killing of an American president. "Confederate Spies At Large" is a unique and strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, or community library Civil War reference collections and reading lists.



2. My wife is an amateur genealogist and has discovered she is related to the Queens and the Harbins of southern Maryland, who were instrumental in planning Lincoln's asassination and helping John Wilkes Booth with his unsuccessful escape. Not close enough though that she needs to exonerate her name as Tom Gates does in the movie "National Treasure II". Fascinating reading! Also see American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies

2 comments about Smokescreen: One Man Against the Underworld.

1. Collaboratively written by Paul William Roberts and Norman Snider, Smokescreen: One Man Against The Underworld is the true story Carl Broeker, an ordinary businessman who was betrayed by his partner and forced to confront a deadly, blacklist world of organized crime and illicit trafficking. Drawn into undercover work with the Secret Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Broeker found himself caught up in a deadly thrill ride of lies, deceits, crime in this compelling biographical narrative of international crime lords, illegal smuggling operations, and political corruption. Smokescreen strips away the subterfuge and lays bare the heretofore murky underworld or organized crime on both sides of the Canadian/American border.



2. What a tale. Tight and beautifully told. Smokescreen is a real insight into the the world of criminal activity in Canada. Certainly one of the great books about smuggling. On a par with Howard Mark's Mr Nice.

4 comments about The Shooting: A Memoir.

1. Kemp Powers tells his story about an unimaginable moment at 14 when he accidentally killed his best friend in a gun accident. The actual shooting is described in just a few pages, the remainder is Kent Power's life before and after, impacted forever by that moment.
   
   The real pull of the book is the undercurrents about life and fate. There are no answers except the story.



2. I loved this memoir. I related to Kemp Powers' story of depression, guilt, loss and determination. We are all on the quest (at least I hope we all are) to make something of ourselves and to do something meaningful with our lives, yet many of us don't pursue this goal with the burden of having taken a life on our backs. This is a must read!! Here is hoping a paperback is coming soon so I can pass it on to the many young boys I know who would benefit from Powers' story!



3. Eloquently written and vividly detailed, the Shooting is a story of a child who make a stupid mistake (as children do) that cost his best friend his life. Although he does not end up doing any jail or juvenile time, he ends up paying for it psychologically for decades. It is obvious that Powers has played out the incident in his mind on an endless loop, going over the "what ifs?" thousands of times.
   Also, the imagery of his childhood growing up in New York City is fantastic. I never heard of this book before coming across it on Amazon and buying it because it was listed under used books for just a couple of cents. But it is by far one the best memoirs I've read, and I've read a lot. Even though I may have nothing in common with a black man from Brooklyn, it touched my heart, made me laugh, and made me cry. It took alot of guts to write this book, and I hope Mr. Powers has made peace with that one defining moment all those years ago.



4. I ran across this when I googled Kemp's name years back. I went to Howard with Kemp and just wanted to see what he was up to. I had read a few of his pieces in this or that magazine. I was shocked and excited when I saw he had published a book and this was it. I ordered it and it was awesome.
   
   Memoirs have always been kinda suspect, but his one written by a dude in his 30s, was so genuine in its recollection of events and emotions. it pulled me in, sucked me under, pulled me up, revived me, patted me on my butt and sent on my way with a perspective of - what would I do, how would I feel after a life altering event. How do folks cope after loss? How would I?
   
   By the grace of God go I...

No comments about Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned: True Stories of Women Who Kill.

5 comments about No Greater Deception: A True Texas Story.

1. I read this book in only a couple of days. It was pretty good for a first-time author. I got a little confused with all the characters. However, I could visualize the story coming to life in my mind's eye. Hopefully there will be a sequel.



2. I bought and finished this book in two days. I can't wait to find out how this winds up. I hope Sydney and her family get their rightful share of their dad's inheritance. This kind of thing happens way to often.
   
   I hope the sequel comes out soon. Hopefully pictures will be in the next one. It makes it more real to know what each person looks like.



3. This book needs to be read when you have the time because you will not want to put it down. My husband is not a "reader" and he couldn't put it aside either. I could not wait to find out if justice prevailed. It's really hard to comprehend that people can be so evil and deceptive, but Sydney Newsome Dodson did a terrific job of telling her, and her siblings horrific experiences. Her documentation and attention to detail is superb. I can't wait to read her follow-up book!!! Read and enjoy, we really did.



4. Maybe this vanity self-published (1st Books) memoir "couldda been a contender" in the True Crime book genre. But there's more rotten in the State of Texas and this book than just the allegations that Stepmomma forged Daddy's will. Daddy had six kids with wife #1. When he dies, married to wife #2, the kids in Family #1 are unhappy that Daddy didn't leave them the proverbial farm and all the underlying Texas mineral rights thereto. So, two of the Family #1 daughters waltz across, zig zagging back and forth around, Texas trying to prove that Wicked Stepmomma forged a Will not giving them what they feel to be their due.
   
   This saga is all relayed to the reader in screenplay fashion - via expository cell phone conversations and faxes in the present (so she goes to Betty's and like, opens the door and goes...) Valley Girl lingo tense as the amateur sister sleuths try to grab the Texas gold. The author (Sister Sleuth # 1) writes of herself in the 3rd person. There is totally too much extraneous information and conversation in this 553 page tome that would have greatly benefited from an experienced editor and proof reader at a "real" publishing house. Grammatical and syntactical errors abound. And buried in the middle of it all, warranting only scant mention, is the bomb that maybe Daddy was involved as an assassin of JFK (!)
   
   At the end of all the traversing of Texas, the reader knows little more than she did at the start of the journey about who did what to whom - except that those Newman girls think all attorneys are idiots.
   And, Owen, there are no pictures here.
   /TundraVision esq Amazon Reviewer



5. for me, the story is marred by grammatical errors, over use of commas and exclamation points, and numerous mispelled words. I found it difficult to read for any length of time, but made my way through it.
   The story itself is excellent, full of twists and turns and the angst that only family can provide. Despite the drawbacks mentioned above, I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Zarqawi: The New Face of Al-Qaeda.

1. This book is by a man who said he wrote a report for the United Nations. The United Nations said he gave them a report he already wrote.
   
   I get the idea he had his answer in mind when he wrote this book and made whatever facts he happened across fit this answer.
   
   This book is really pretty useless. The author is not reliable and the book reads like it was translated in about an hour. There are conspiracy websites with better information, and at least you know not to take them too seriously.



2. This is one of the few books I have ever returned.
   
   I do not have a lot to add to the other reviews. I really got upset when I learned that his Senate Testimony had been removed AND that he never really wrote a report for the UN.
   
   The writing is not good, and it is obvious that you can't trust anything he says.
   
   If you need to learn about Zarqawi, go to the BBC site and read their profile. It is not full of conspiracy theories like this book and they don't lie about what they have done.
   
   About the only good thing I can say about the author is that is blog is entertaining. Nothing to do with terrorist money but a lot to do with how much time he spends in court getting sued by rich Arabs.



3. I think Brisard should try his hand at spy thrillers. There is a market for them and they don't have to be true.
   
   Brisard has a problem with truth. He gets facts wrong and pushes his own agendas. I've read about the libel actions but this book sure shows why he has problems, he just can't deal with the idea of getting facts and presenting them clearly.
   
   I read his other book and this is more of the same, cut and paste with a bit of wild commentary thrown in.
   
   If he were freed from the need to even appear factual, this wild stuff would make for great novels or even films. Would be fun to see all of the terrorists conspiring with world leaders and rooms full of gold and jewels and so on. He could even throw in some sexy Russian girl spies to keep it interesting!
   
   But as a factual account of Zarqawi I have to say no way. Brisard has never met Zarqawi, apparently has never even met anyone who has met Zarqawi so where are the facts?



4. Very helpful in identifying the sort of man we were looking for in 2005. It establishes a very firm timeline for Zarqawi's involvement in al-Qaida and talks enough about his background to give you a "feel" for his mindset.
   
   It also gives you a very good idea of the sort of animal we put down for good in 2006.



5. There is obviously some factual controversy over Zarqawi, but I found this to be a very quick, accessible read. The overall facts of Zarqawi's life seem to indicate a drift from a listless life as a tattoo-laced drunkard to a radical and brutal Islamist. He was not a great brain, but he was an awful brute, and we can be thankful that he is dead. As to when Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden, that may be debated. Brisard does illustrate will that the connections between Al Qaeda and Saddam's Iraq were virtually non-existent. I would recommend reading this book, and then deciding for yourself.

2 comments about A Checkered Past.

1. The author has been incarcerated in Florida for most of his life, starting at age eleven. His book is well worth the read, particularly for those who want a better understanding of such matters in Florida.

   He recounts his life, both committing crimes and incarcerated, as well as his many escapes. For a person who has been incarcerated most of his life, he is a good writer and gives very worthwhile descriptions of Florida "justice": Way too many law enforcement officers lie about him, causing him to have even less respect for our quite flawed criminal justice system.

   He also recounts the injustices that others have suffered in Florida's "correctional" institutions.

   And after he had been arrested for felony murder along with Frank Valdez, the death row inmate who was murdered by the prison guards in the late 1990s, he has a very powerful conversion experience to Christianity.




2. Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. It was well worth the read, though, especially what happens toward the end of the book. He is working on publishing another book, "The Third Pillar of Wisdom". I've read the manuscript and it is another excellent read. It will be available soon.