2 comments about Flying With My Angel: Surviving Religion, Sex And Helicopters.

1. This is a remarkably candid self portrait that begins in a bubble of leftover 19th century Australian outback. Latz has an unerring, inexhaustible drive to remake himself and a never-ending appetite for nurturing machinery. There's lots of drinking, lots of enticing girls, and lots of aircraft problems that summon his ingenious solutions. By testing himself at extremes, he passes through many incarnations, each time jettisoning the identity that others would like him to occupy. By far the hardest abandonment is leaving the religion of his parents, and all the visceral restrictions that go with it.
   
   Graduating from cars to planes to helicopters, then to bigger and bigger helicopters, he redefines himself as if rising up a ladder a rung at a time. It's some sort of 20th century hunting and gathering whose principle he must have acquired from the aboriginal people he grew up with. Its momentum, however, leaves no time for contemplation and family life. The reckoning for all this comes when his wife leaves him.
   
   The writing is spare and functional, like the life it describes. My wife and I both had the same reaction: we literally couldn't put it down. The flow of the book is addictive, and its honesty remarkable. The subtext is dancing with death, and escaping over and over again--with the uncanny implication that Latz has not escaped religion at all. He's simply redefined it through living. One cannot evade a spiritual dimension no matter how rationally and scientifically one lives. Some force which he calls an angel has cared for him, and now it's time to look around. There are rules to the universe and Latz, unknown to himself, finds that he plays by them--and the universe responds in kind.



2. Flying With My Angel has been a joy to read because I worked with Phil in PNG and SE Asia. The sights, sounds, smells and chaos that came with working in these countries are well written by Phil. The pilots mentioned in the book are people that I have spent years with enjoying the joys of bush helicopter flying and having that special bonding that happens when you share life or death situations. This is a story that will never happen again because it was all new at the time. Anyone that would like to experience what it was like to be a pioneer in helicopter aviation will enjoy this book

1 comments about From the Harpy Tomb to the Wonders of Ephesus: British Archaeologists in the Ottoman Empire 1840-1880.

1. Former London museum employee and freelance lecturer Debbie Challis presents From the Harpy Tomb to the Wonders of Ephesus: British Archaeologists in the Ottoman Empire 1840-1880, an extensive study of British-backed mid-1800's archaeological expeditions. Exhaustively researched, From the Harpy Tomb to the Wonders of Ephesus covers the amazing true stories behind the intelligent and driven men who led expeditions, reconstructs their labors and rewards, and analyzes the ripple effect of their discoveries. Notes, a bibliography, an index, and a handful of black-and-white photographs round out this scholarly historical chronicle. A welcome addition to archaeological history shelves.

2 comments about Born to Heal: The Life Story of Holistic Pioneer Gladys Taylor McGarey.

1. Pioneer women still exist and the story that unfolds of the life of Gladys McGarey is just one such story in the modern day. In a world that seeks 'purpose' as a guiding life principle this woman's story shines out. Her life unfolds in the writing in a beautiful way, modest, yet bold and strong. Analea McGarey's writing comes from the heart and the hearth where stories of Gladys' life abound and she has woven them together into a beautiful tapestry which is both evocative and inspiring.
   The narrative takes the reader from her birth in India and the inborn love for healing through her life today. A pioneer woman on the front of women in medicine, holistic medicine, balancing family and vocation, internatial lecturing and always willing to live her life in the faithfulness that carried her through all of life's challenges.
   This is a book to inspire women and men of all ages to live their life to the fullest seeking always to be in line with God's will for their lives. Not the typical story for there are many challenges along the way.
   As I write this review of my sister-in-law's book Gladys is preparing for another adventure going to a 3rd world country to continue to share her healing hands with people in need.
   After you read this book you won't be surprised, but grateful to live in the world the same time she is here and challenged to live your own life to the full.



2. I have had the privilege of knowing Dr. Gladys in person, and it is just as much pleasure to read her life story. It is special that it is shared with us by her daughter. I feel as though I have experiended her lives with her! Analeah is a great writer. Gladys is a great doctor. This story would be enjoyable for anyone to read who likes life and people and adventure! I will read and re-read this one! It is ageless and priceless.

1 comments about Snowmobile Adventures: The Incredible Canadian Success Story from Bombardier to the Villeneuves (Amazing Stories).

1. This book is essentially the story of four pioneer Canadians who made history in the early days of snowmobile. They are Joseph Armand Bombardier, Yvon Duhamel, Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve. All four are important figures of that industry for they created, developed and shaped the machines the way we still know them today. The book is short and makes for an entertaining read. I learned a lot of things while reading it and it made me realize how big the sport is in North America.
   
   The story starts with the life of J.A. Bombardier who left us a legacy that extends way beyond his own wildest dreams. But Aksomitis makes it clear for us that he did not invent the snowmobile. Like Galileo who had not himself invented the telescope, but by turning it to the sky for the first time changed our view of the universe for ever, Bombardier and his revolutionary Ski-Doo design altered decisively our perception of winter. The rest of the book summarizes the careers of three racing legends.
   
   Half a dozen pictures illustrate the book and a good bibliography can be found in the back. The writing style is descriptive and fast paced. I read the book in the middle of summer and it made me look forward to next winter! The reason I dropped a star is simply because I wanted more. The book could have been easily twice it's current size if the author had elected to give us more details and explanations. It would have made my pleasure last longer.

2 comments about BERNT BALCHEN; Polar Aviator.

1. Bernt Balchen is perhaps the most underappreciated hero of our times. A master flyer, an artist, a negotiator, and most of all, a soldier, Balchen's unassuming personality belied the fact that he had one of the most fascinating careers in aviation history. Balchen, unfortunately, was the victim of a vendetta by a man for whom he had done much, Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Byrd feared that Balchen would reveal that Byrd's famous first flight over the North Pole was in fact a fraud, and waged a life-long war against Balchen. Glines is a highly skilled biographer (Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner) and he makes the most of his talents here. His research is excellent, and he portrays Balchen in his true colors as a patriot who fought the Russians with the Finns in the First World War, then conducted clandestine operations with the Norwegian underground in the second. He was the confidant of the great flyers of the era, including Amelia Earhart, and was among the first to be capable of true instrument flight. Bernt Balchen Polar Aviator would make a fantastic movie, for it has everything--exploration, romance, combat, skullduggery, and most of all, heroism. Balchen was a strong, handsome man who would have been an Olympic boxer for Norway if he had not elected to learn to fly with the Norwegian navy. He became an expert in Polar matters, saved many lives, was important during the Cold War, and had thousands of friends who knew just what a hero he was. The United States government, however, allowed Senator Harry Byrd to block Balchen's promotion to general, forcing his retirment, and at one time, deported him! This is a great biography of a great man, done by a great biographer!



2. The existing review of this book that appears on the Amazon site is an excellent one that gives great details about the book. All I wanted to say is that as a fellow author, and of Norwegian descent, I regretted every time I had to put this book down.
   There is a song by the late Canadian Stan Rogers that includes the line: "Now you know what it is to scale the heights and fall just short of fame, and have not one in ten thousand know your name."
   That was written about someone else, but it sure fits in Balchen's case. A man always on the verge of being at least as famous as Admiral Byrd. A man of incredible courage, inventiveness, and grace in the face of hostilities, both of nature and of Byrd himself. This is an awesome biography that ought to be the catalyst for the re-writing of every history textbook. I thank Carrol Glines for making the enormous effort.

No comments about Blood Sweat and Lions.

No comments about A New Voyage And Description Of The Isthmus Of America.

5 comments about Lawrence: The Uncrowned King of Arabia.

1. This book fails in many ways. The reason it gets 2 stars instead of one is that it's hard to discuss Lawrence without some fascinating things coming through.

   First, Asher makes himelf part of the biography. He discusses his own personal travels in a manner that add absolutely nothing to the reader's understanding. The final paragraph of the book begins with "I." Further, the frequency and manner in which he interjects himself in the book is highly annoying.

   Second, there are numerous factual problems with the book. At one point Asher refers to Turks shooting their rifles at Bedu who are over two miles away. Even a trained sniper with modern equipment wouldn't take that shot. Further, his description of Lt. Junor's plane crash is at odds with other accounts. Asher says the plane erupted in flames even though there are published photos of the crashed plane that show otherwise. Lastly on this point, Asher doesn't use Tunbridge's writings on Lawrence's days in the RAF as reference material. It's a surprising omission.

   Third, as other reviewers noted, Asher writes extensively about Lawrence's psyche. This would be sensible if Asher was either trained in psychology or referenced studies by those who are; unfortunately, neither is the case. Instead there are a few bibliographical references to works on psychology, but none specific to Lawrence. Asher's vehement discussion of Lawrence's mother makes the reader wonder whether the author or the subject had the greater maternal relationship issues.

   Fourth, is Asher's style, or more accurately, styles. At times he uses the contemporary jargon of British soldiers, whereas at other points he writes in a very stilted manner adding unnecessary Latin phrases to the text. His best writing is when he's providing background or contextual material such as the discussion of British military actions elsewhere in WWI.

   Lawrence was one of the most fascinating personalities of the 20th century. He deserves a much better biography.




2. This is a large and invovled biography of T E Lawrence, written by an author who starts out as an admirer, and remains so to the end, though to a much lesser degree.

   Though there is a lot of information about the battles in the desert, i found this book most interesting when the author explores Lawrence's psyche and personality, and attempts (not always successfully or believably) at the truth behind the myth. He tests a lot of the claims about the great man, and mainly finds them wanting. This book is especially strong when it admits that it comes to no definate conclusion - rather, the author presents the facts as he sees them and lets the reader decide.

   This book is probably one of the better Lawrence biographies out there at the moment (though i would not say nearly the best) as it delves into the contradictions of the man and the myuth, and isn't afraid to 'pull punches' and not make excuses for the more troubling aspects of Lawrence's personality.

   I finished this book wondering why such a genius felt compelled to fabricate so much about his life, but also seeing him as more ' three-dimensional' than the common myth.




3. I am by no means a Lawrence scholar. I picked the book up at a discount because at the time I was preparing for a deployment to Iraq and was reading everything I could on the recent history of the Middle East. I found the book well written and fascinating. Historicaly accurate? Who knows? But it was a great introduction to a Western icon closely tied with the rise of the Saudi kingdom and the current map of the Middle East. After reading this I read Lawrence's own "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" and who knows what the absolute truth was regarding Lawrence and his exploits. All I know is that this book made for a good reading. I appreciated Asher's insights into Arabic culture and customs. Certainly as we struggle to win the "hearts and minds" of the people in Iraq, any scholarship that helps us to understand how a Westerner can succesfully interact with the Arab peaple is a welcome read.



4. Whether or not you truly want to delve into the life of Lawrence of Arabia and this particular biography depends, I think, on whether you want to preserve the dynamic image of him as portrayed in the movie Lawrence of Arabia by David Lean or want to dig deeper into the eccentric world of the real T.E. Lawrence. I myself am no Lawrence scholar and have something akin to a passing interest in him as a sort of mythological figure like Wyatt Earp or Daniel Boone. This particular book was picked up randomly at a library book sale for a quarter to supplement my knowledge of T.E. Lawrence beyond the movie and to help me prepare to read his memoir Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which I've heard is quite literary and even difficult without a bit of background on Lawrence and the Arab revolt.
   
   As a writer and a scholar, Asher is reasonably capable and has adequate credentials to tell his tale. What has been mentioned in other reviews and which I'll echo here is that he unfortunately wants to interrupt the flow of Lawrence's biography by interjecting his first-person accounts of his travels around the same areas Lawrence traveled. Although this story-telling technique doesn't ruin the book, it slows down the pace and adds little if anything the reader needs or wants to know. To me, it serves as an annoying distraction. It's typical also for Asher to want to pick apart the mind of T.E. Lawrence and give some debatable theories about the motives behind Lawrence's actions. Certainly, Asher appears to do his homework and his assumptions about Lawrence seem well supported, but what is hard to take is the unequivocal nature of Asher's assertions. He himself never doubts his assumptions.
   
   However, if the reader can accept that Asher's views are valid, then the reader should also be prepared to discover that Lawrence was more than a little eccentric, something bound to undermine the beautiful myth around the man. Aside from the details given about Lawrence's truly weird need for self-debasement in the form of flagellation as well as his decision to spend his adult life after Arabia as an enlisted man in the military, what bothered me most about Lawrence as discussed by Asher was his tendency to play with facts, an inclination apparently noted by other biographers. Given the reality that reality is often subjective, I do like to know the facts as accurately as they can be reported. Apparently, Lawrence seems to have appreciated the value of propaganda and chose to exploit it to achieve his ends, which are not terribly clear. Therefore, it's hard to know the whole truth about what happened during the Arab revolt, and Asher finds numerous holes in Lawrence's story. I'm happy to report that Asher does make clear that Lawrence accomplished much of what he claims to have accomplished, so Lawrence was indeed a dynamic fellow and the right person at the right time to do what he did, but he also makes clear that there are bizarre, masochistic motives that drive Lawrence. Therefore, if you want to truly know the man behind the myth, read on. If you want to preserve a myth, watch the movie, and then read an encyclopedia for broad details about Lawrence's life and the Arab revolt.



5. Having read a few books about T.E.Lawrence and his own tome I found Michael Asher's book easily the most enjoyable of the lot. Any man who took the time to physically visit the routes Lawrence (claims) to have made, has something to say. A very worthwhile book.
   
   Damien in Dublin.
   
   Sands of Death: An Epic Tale of Massacre, Cannibalism, and Survival in the Sahara
   Two Against the Sahara: On Camelback from Nouakchott to the Nile

1 comments about Pioneers of the Olympic Peninsula.

1. In this work, Leroy smith paints a vivid picture of the olympic peninsula from his early childhood through his adolescence and adulthood. Many of the events in the book happen between 1895 and 1920, and include milestones such as the early homesteads and the building of highway 101 through the northwest corner of the peninsula.
   
   Apart from forays to Port Angeles for mail and to respond to the draft for WWI, the location for this personal chronology mainly stays within the northwest quadrant of the peninsula - focusing on the Hoh river valley, and the Bocachiel store (which the author owned for many years).
   
   This work, although mostly anecdotal and based on the authors personal experiences rather than setting out to make a real history of the peninsula does achieve its goal of making real a portion of this country in a time that has now passed into mere memory.
   
   This part of the peninsula is just as wild today as it was in Leroy's time: perhaps now even moreso, since wildlife has had a chance to recover from the effects of hunters early in the last century. We cannot know where we should go without knowing where we've been - and for its part this book does a good job of showing how things came to be the way they are today.
   
   Encyclopedic by no means, this book was still a pleasant read and a good account of the life of one man growing up on the Olympic Peninsula.

5 comments about The Man Who Would Be King: The First American in Afghanistan.

1. If you enjoy history, especially military history, then you will enjoy this book. Written in much the same style as Byron Falwell's "Armies of the Raj," this amazingly true yarn about a Quaker who becomes, if not a king, the Prince of Ghor will keep you wondering just what is going to happen next. I absolutely enjoyed the book. My only negative comment is that the later years of his life are glossed over rather quickly, but, that is understandable since the last years were no where near as exciting as the first 40. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history or biographies. Enjoy.



2. Considering all that's happening in Afghanistan today, this is a timely and fascinating story of an American who travled there in the early 1800's. Fast paced book that's hard to put down and it gives a glimpse into early 1800's life in a country that most people still don't understand today.



3. Most people who pick up this book will already have read some of the travelogues of the "mad dogs and Englishmen" who wandered through Central Asia in the 19th and early 20th century: Burnaby and Nazaroff's memoirs, as well as any of Peter Hopkirk's books on the era.
   
   But here we have a real fish out of water story, and a fascinating one at that: an American Quaker leading, or joining, armies through Afghanistan and elsewhere in the name of, variously: the sitting ruler of Afghanistan, the deposed predecessor, his Sikh neighbor, the British Empire, and arguably himself as "Prince of Ghor."
   
   The tale is fascinating because it's so poorly-known, despite the fact that Kipling's fiction, which I understand to be inspired by Harlan and other adventurers of the time, is so well-known.
   
   Undoubtedly, Harlan's own financial misfortune and quiet death contributed to the obscurity of the narrative, but Macintyre does a great job of weaving the scraps together, and keeping the story's pace. An interesting read, and a bit of history which has earned its place in Central Asian lore.



4. A fascinating read in every respect. Macintyre is a fluid writer and the book is a real page turner. Apart from vivid details of the remarkable adventures of the first American in Afghanistan; the intrigues, machinations and sheer depravity of virtually all the players in the great game are in plain sight. The book also provides rare insights - via Josiah Harlan's prism - of British mendacity, misrule and astounding arrogance. Harlan's account of British shenanigans may have a tinge of exaggeration owing to his eventual deep hatred of the Empire and many of its emissaries but the substance of Harlan's writings can be corroborrated in other accounts such as the Great Hedge of India by Roy Moxham (another British author) and in more substantive form with relevant data in Angus Maddison's The World Economy. Macintyre deserves considerable praise for presenting the unvarnished truth, albeit through Harlan's pen, about the largely negative legacy of the British Empire. It is a shame that Harlan's story, despite this wonderful book, remains largely unknown both in the US and the East.



5. In Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King, a young adventurer named Daniel Dravot penetrates feudal Afghanistan disguised as a cleric. In this nonfiction account with a similar title, MacIntyre, a columnist for The Times of London, tells the story of the real life adventurer who may have been Kipling's inspiration. He describes the life and adventures of Josiah Harlan (1799-1871), a young Quaker from Chester County, Pennsylvania, who set sail for China in 1822, telling his fiancée that they would marry when he returned. Upon reaching Calcutta, Harlan received a letter announcing that she was marrying another man. He resolved never to return home.
   
   So began his adventures. After a failed stint in the Indian army--an action for which the Quakers excommunicated him--Harlan met Shujah al-Mulk (1792-1842), an Afghan king exiled to India in 1809 after just six years on the throne. Harlan offered a deal: he would raise an army, subdue Kabul, and restore the kingdom. In exchange, he would become vizier, the equivalent of prime minister. The deal struck, Harlan began recruiting native troops, using the U.S. flag as his own. In 1827, he and his army began their long march. But he soon had second thoughts about his army's loyalty. He picked a trusted team, paid severance to the others, and launched his Plan B: dressed as a dervish, he made his way to Kabul, arriving in 1828 just as an epidemic of cholera ravaged the city. Years passed and Harlan changed his allegiance to Shujah's rival, King Dost Muhammad Khan (1793-1863), to whom he became aide-de-camp. This Afghan king granted Harlan's wish for power. The itinerant Pennsylvania Quaker and stilted lover became prince of Ghor, today a province in central Afghanistan.
   
   Harlan's story is riveting. MacIntyre describes his adventures, disillusionments, and eventual return to the United States as the only Afghan general to serve in the U.S. Civil War.
   
   Harlan was not alone in his adventures. In the nineteenth century, a handful of men made dangerous journeys through Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Tibet. Not all survived. Author Peter Hopkirk has chronicled their stories.[1] But it is rare that so much new material surfaces in one book, and for this MacIntyre deserves special credit. After learning of this curious American from cursory references and footnotes in old travelogues gathering dust in the British Library, MacIntyre made it his mission to uncover the saga of this historical Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern. His quest took him to Punjab and Pennsylvania, Kabul and California. He scoured through the official records of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore and poured over the intelligence archives of imperial India, whose agents were suspicious of Harlan's plots and schemes. Finally, in a Chester County museum, MacIntyre found a long-lost manuscript replete with love letters and sketches. Explanations of historical and cultural context weave together in his fluid prose. The result is impressive and well-worth reading.
   
   Note
   
   1. See for example, Great Game (London: Murray, 1990); On Secret Service East of Constantinople (London: Murray, 1994); Trespassers on the Roof of the World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001)
   
   Michael Rubin
   Middle East Quarterly
   Fall 2006