No comments about Golden odyssey: John Stroud Houston, California's first controller and the origins of state government.

3 comments about Termite.

1. Once I got into this book I simply could not put it down. It is the story of a man's struggle to fame in boxing and then a heartbreaking failure which helped him find his true calling decades later. Termite's story is truly inspirational, and he helped out a cause much bigger than himself and truly made a difference. I can't even begin to imagine the struggles and the danger he had to endure in Iraq. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone!



2. Excellent!! Uplifiting and inspirational. I could NOT put it down. A must read!! You will not be disappointed. Hopefully this is not Suzy Pepper's last book.



3. An outstanding, one of a kind, story about an American hero. From an humble working class neighborhood, to the world's best athletic training centers, Termite Watkins exemplified the "can do" American spirit. By thinking on his feet, he negotiated many difficult political and social challenges. During his time in Iraq, he focused his efforts on helping the Iraqi people.
   
   This book chronicles his many acts of self sacrifice, and the rewards that followed. The examples of leadership, documented in the book, are riveting. The emotional highs and lows, brought me to tears. An outstanding, hightly recommended, book!

No comments about The pioneer story.

No comments about Treseder: Man of Adventure.

No comments about Secret Riches: Adventures of an Unreformed Oilman.

No comments about Genealogical records of the African American pioneers of Tampa and Hillsborough County (Tampa Bay History Center reference library series).

1 comments about Jimmy Simpson.

1. This was a throroughly enjoyable read.

   It was an entertaining and descriptive history of my newly adopted home. The author describes in vivid detail what the area was like 100 years ago and one doesn't need look too hard to find the footprints left by Jimmy Simpson and his friends.

   A good read that has inspired me to read more of the original frontiersmen, the area and those who documented it (eg. artist Carl Rungius).

5 comments about KON-TIKI: Across the Pacific.

1. I made some Mormons angry over my reviews of books that defend the Book of Mormon, and they have been slamming my reviews. Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks
   
   On Kon-Tiki: I absolutely got lost in this magnificent adventure. Nevertheless, Heyerdahl's theory that civilization was spread around the world by some lost white race is simply bogus racism. Still, I enjoyed all his books, including "The Ra Expeditions," and "Aku-Aku."
   
   It is sad to think that Heyerdahl's career as a fearless adventurer is marred by his zealous devotion to a dated idea. Yes, Peruvian Indians could have crossed the Pacific, but it is more likely that contact came from the other way. At any rate, Heyerdahl manufactured the archaeological evidence he found on Easter Island.
   
   In the July 2002 issue of the "Smithsonian Magazine," Richard Conniff demonstrated that Heyerdahl actually paid the natives to make reed-boats relics (Kon Artist?" was the title). "A good story," said Conniff, "can be so compelling that teller and subject become entrapped together in its charms...." (p. 28). This astute observation could apply to novels claimed to be actual history, and anyone interested in the Book of Mormon should give it long thought.
   
   Heyerdahl wrote about Pedro Pate, an Easter Islander and how Pate found a two-masted reed boat in a cave. Conniff wrote: "I showed Pate a two-page photograph of the reed boat from Heyerdahl's book, and he grinned. He'd carved the boat himself, he said. Dubious, I offered him $100 to carve such a boat now, 37 years later, and he accepted." "A few days later, he presented me with the 18-inch-long reed boat he had carved. It was as good as the one in the book" (p. 29).
   
   In "The Ancient American Civilizations," Friedrich Katz asked some very hard questions of Heyerdahl's theory.
   
   "If the Polynesians really do come from America, why do their chronicles record the exact opposite direction, naming South-East Asia as their place of origin? Why is their language first and foremost related to South-Asiatic and Malayan languages? Finally, as Trimborn remarked, 'Were not the Polynesian Vikings, rather than the Indians, not the sailors who crossed the high seas?'" (p. 18).
   
   Heyerdahl should also be criticized for playing word games, selecting a word here and there, but ignoring the whole language. Many linguists criticized this erroneous method of relating two ancient peoples. See Robert Wauchope's magnificent little book, "Lost Tribes and Sunken Continents: Myth and Method in the Study of the American Indians." See my review. Lost Tribes and Sunken Continents Myth Method in the
   
   Mormon writers frequently cite Heyerdahl because he proved that ancient voyages across the oceans were possible--an idea going back hundreds of years and not new with Heyerdahl. Very few scholars ever denied that such ancient voyages were possible.
   
   But ah, there's the rub, as Hamlet said. If they occurred, what would be the effect on an entrenched native culture? The Book of Mormon has ancient voyages (the Jaredites were supposed have crossed the ocean on a 344-day voyage in eight submarines in about 2,000 BC). It is primarily about the great civilizations the Jaredites and Nephites established in the Americas.
   
   Robert Sharer summarizes the modern state of knowledge in his heavy and authoritative book, "The Ancient Maya." Sharer writes:
   
   "After more than a century of gathering and analyzing archaeological evidence, we have discovered nothing to support the idea of intervention by people from the Old World." "This is not to say that accidental contacts between the Old and New World peoples could not have occurred before the age of European exploration" (p. 6).
   
   "On the basis of the available evidence, then, the courses of cultural development in the New and Old Worlds seem clearly independent of each other and devoid of significant contact until 1492" (intro., p. 7).
   
   The ancient Maya civilization, Sharer continues, "are to be `explained' not as a product of transplanted Old World civilization, but as the result of the processes that underlie the growth of any culture, including those that develop the kind of complexity we call civilization."
   
   "The idea, which either explicitly or implicitly asserts that the peoples of the New World were incapable of shaping their own destiny or developing sophisticated cultures independently of Old World influence, is still popular in quarters."
   
   "But this is but one more popular myth devoid of fact, for the evidence points unmistakably toward the evolution of civilization in the New World independently of developments in the Old World." See Sharer's book and my review. The Ancient Maya, 6th Edition
   
   None of these serious criticisms of the claims of Mormons or of Heyerdahl's theories, however, should detract from Heyerdahl's great adventures. His accounts of his raft voyages are breathless and compelling reading.
   
   For a masterful telling of Polynesian history (especially about Easter Island) by a scholar with a Moari heritage, read the essential book "Vikings of the Pacific," by Peter H. Buck. Click here to read my review:
   Vikings of the Pacific



2. It's a great read and an epic journey. What amazed me, even more than the raft itself, was that the crews' relationships with each other survived the trip. I don't know many (any) people I'd want never to be able to get out of sight of for months on end...
   
   Read and be impressed, be very impressed!



3. This was one of my summer reads and I found it incredibly entertaining. The story of how a bunch of crazy Norwegians, many of whom were WWII vets, floated across the South Pacific on a balsa raft during the middle of the 20th century is one of the best adventure stories I have ever read. The line between scientific investigation and insanity is thin on this one. The men set off to prove a link between Ancient Peruvians and Polynesians by proving that the Peruvians had sailed as far as Polynesia on balsa rafts. The group procures its wood from the dangerous, lawless countryside of Peru, floats it down a river to the sea, and sets forth on an epic adventure on a scrappy looking sail driven raft they slapped together using diagrams based off ancient documents.
   
   The accounts of flying fish, battles with sharks, and struggles against the elements are highly entertaining. They drifted across seas drawn by the currents through areas of the ocean free of shipping lanes, an adventure unparalleled for its time. Their raft literally became a home to hundreds of sea creatures. They encountered sea creatures that nobody had ever seen before. Although their voyage seems crazy, it was really done and I was actually relieved when the raft broke up on a reef on a South Pacific Island and the men were able to swim to safety.
   
   If you've ever dreamed of doing something crazy in the name of scholarly pursuits, or if you like a good adventure tale, this is a good read. Its also an interesting piece of history and Thor Heyerdahl went on to receive hundreds of awards for his incredible accomplishment.



4. A very wow story.
   
   When the author was told that a particular people's migration was impossible, given the ocean going technology and distance involved, he set out to prove it wasn't.
   
   Crazy, brave, or whatever, but a pretty impressive real-life adventure tale, along with a spot of first-hand scientific historical research.



5. This book was in great physical condition...it just looks way older than I expected...you know how old paperbacks get...kind of yellowish and pages don't totally lay flat...It won't stop me from reading it, and it was a bargain for the price, but I am not sure it was LIKE NEW.

1 comments about Fourteen Years in the African Bush: An Account of a Kenyan Game Warden.

1. I liked this book so much that I just ordered two additional copies to give to two friends with similar interests. Its an easy read. No slow spots. The author seems to be very objective and realistic. The stories do not seem to be embellished, nor do they seem to be a celebration of the author's greatness as a hunter. The author was a student of his trade and therefore experimented with various shot placements and various calibers during his fourteen year career as a Kenyan Game Warden. The thing I enjoyed most was piggybacking off of his learning process regarding shot placement and cartridges. I have read a half-dozen or so books of this type and this is by far my favorite. I also very much enjoyed Taylor's book, but this one is a little more current -- 1950's and 1960's. If the allure of the African Safari has grasped you, this book will too.

1 comments about 5 Giants of Advertising.

1. If you love advertising and are looking for a basic and simple read... this is the one! The book breaks down into five sections covering the beginnings of the five greatest ad-man of all time - founders of Lord & Thomas (Lasker), Leo Burnett (Leo Burnett), O&M (Ogilvy), Publicis (Bleustein-Blanchet) and DDB (Bernbach). The book basically covers simple facts about their lives and how the business began, what clients they served and the famous campaigns they did. The book did not however, go into the full details on how the campaigns were conducted, why they did what they did, etc, etc... It's not a heavy read and took me just a few hours... interesting as I did not know much about Lasker, Bleistein-Blanchet and Bernbach. In terms of personal enhancement... the book will not make you a better ad-man nor copywriter... just an interesting read... recommended for the starters...