5 comments about Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.

1. The Truth: I'm a Girl, I'm Smart and I Know EverythingThe last time I really read the diary of Anne Frank, I was nine, in Sunday school in Connecticut and pretty miserable. I had my own issues-some of the girls made fun of me, I couldn't learn to read Hebrew (no one had recognized that I had a learning disability) and I wanted nothing more than to really belong. Anne's diary made me cry and feel even more miserable.
   
   This time, I'm a grown-up. In fact my kids are grown. I'm a psychologist in private practice, with an emphasis on positive psychology. That means I encourage hope and optimism in my clients. I help them look for their talents and even lost potential. And I just wrote a book in diary form, written by a 10-11 year old girl, to help girls and their moms get in touch with the best of themselves. Sooo, things are very different.
   
   My reaction to reading Anne Frank this time was as if I had blinders taken away from my eyes. Instead of just seeing a girl in hiding and feeling oppressed with the sadness of her unfulfilled life, I saw a profoundly real teen-age girl with unbelievable wisdom and hosesty. She seems to be the compliation of all the inner knowledge, wisdom, sexual and emotional development of all girls. She is almost like the western world's Shakespeare for girls. For example, as a psychologist and a woman who was once a teenager, I was enthralled with her intimate feelings and thoughts around her crush on Peter. Lots of girls fall in love or have a crush, but few know how to process their feelings. In fact that is why 'the girl' in my new book, The Truth, falls in love, to help kids learn how to share these sorts of feeling. Anne understood so much about the ego development of a person in transition from child to woman. What she is able to put into words about her crush should help any girl experiencing deep and complex feelings.
   
   I think every woman should take some time and re-read Anne Frank. You will certainly fall in love with her in a different way than the first time around. You may find yourself sobbing later, as I found myself, when her love of life and feelings and insights about growing-up, welled up inside of me with the realization that Anne never got a chance to do all the things that most of us women take for granted: the husband, the kids, the first apartment, friends over, pets, just getting out in the fresh air!
   
   Anne held on to her ideals and dreams and she hoped that there would be a time that she could carry them out. She didn't make it, but we have. And so if every woman who reads this book can just be a little more insightful, a little more caring, a little more loving, listen a little harder to kids and teens-then in a way, we have carried out, as best we can, her ideals. As a positive psychologist and woman, this is my opinion as to how to maintain hope, and fulfill not only her potential, but our own.



2. Anne Frank's tale is a snapshot frozen in time.
   
   Neither faded recollections nor hindsight feature here. This was written with the clarity of the present tense through the eyes of a young girl living through a terrible chapter of world history. This immediacy serves to empower the story further and move the reader in ways that so few books can.
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   Owen Zupp
   Author: "Down to Earth"
   DOWN TO EARTH: A Fighter Pilot's Experiences of Surviving Dunkirk, The Battle of Britain, Dieppe and D-Day



3. A classic that we all should read when we are young, and again when we are older. It emphasizes the fact that evil does exist in our world, and that evil often comes from a government. It belongs in all of our libraries.



4. Great read, highly recommend for all jr. high and Sr. high kids. I read this book in high school (many many years ago) and wanted to read it again because of the movie "Freedom Writers" and it's integral part in the movie. I highly recommend it



5. ACH, DU LIEBER!!!!
   
   That's the biting phrase that can best epitomize my personal feelings at the disconnect between the expectation of Anne Frank's diary and the actual reality of reading it. The Diary of Anne Frank is very, very, very disappointing and a humongous letdown!!!! To wit, I must implacably question and hold in contempt the judgment processes of the many, previous, sycophant reviewers who've been exaggerating the "beauty" or "grace" or whatever politically correct term of flattery they can invent for this diary. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most caustic examples of herd mentality-syndrome and mass hysteria among the many positive-rating, Amazon reviewers. In truth, this diary of Anne's is just plain, bloody awful and doesn't deserve its classic status to say the least!!!! I suppose the hordes of five-star reviewers simply turned off their brains, refused to analyze Anne's diary critically, and just subserviently jumped on the bandwagon of conventional wisdom, where her diary is hailed a "classic." BS!!!!
   
   After having thoroughly read this, I can assure you that it's no classic and D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y not worth your time or money...unless, of course, you get your kicks and jollies from plumbing the trivial and superficial mind of a fourteen-year-old. This stellar, brutally-but-intellectually-honest review of mine will analytically break down precisely what the hell's wrong with Anne's diary (plenty!) and warn you against reading it. If you're not narrow-minded and can take an analysis which intrepidly contravenes the discreditable conventional wisdom of the masses, then you'll be grateful for this review. If you're a hypersensitive sheeple, then I expect you to be appalled and shocked at the alleged "audacity" of this review, but that's YOUR problem, not mine. All I concern myself with is an intellectually honest review of this diary.
   
   I went into The Diary of Anne Frank because it came to my attention that I hadn't read it in high school, whereas many of my peers had indeed had it mandated for reading in school. I attended a Catholic high school, and it's not like Catholics have something even remotely to be shameful about concerning their treatment of Jews in WWII. Why, in fact, educated people know that even N*zi Adolf Eichmann confessed in his diaries that the Catholic Church in occupied Italy was the only organization that loudly protested and opposed the mass deportation of Jews from their "ghetto" in Rome. So, I wanted to catch up on this apparent "classic" because it was missed reading at my old, Catholic high school.
   
   However, I absolutely regret and curse this misjudgment of mine due to the appalling quality and shortcoming of the content of the diary. See, as a new reader, I perceptively went into the Diary of Anne Frank with the reasonable expectation that it would, you know, perhaps talk about her feelings relating to--I don't know!--the genocidal, N*zi occupation, which had forced her family and some acquaintances into an attic, where they lived like imprisoned animals under extreme duress. That would make for an interesting read obviously because one would delve into the psychology of a person in such duress and try to relate. Conventional wisdom has it that that's what her diary mainly relates to, but in actuality...her diary's actually filled to the nauseating brim with her infatuation (nah, kids these days would call it her "crushing) on her attic-mate Peter; endlessly boring stories about preparing and storing vegetables in their attic; girl talk about her prior crush before she went into hiding; lurid tales about her discovering her budding sexuality; typical teen-girl angst about how she's never really had close girlfriends; grumbling about the adults in the attic always rebuking her due to her forthrightness; and how she hates her mother like a typical EMO teenager, just to name a few!!!!
   
   Anne disappointingly spends precious few entries (the vast minority) on the more interesting and valuable ruminations, such as those on human nature, persecution of Jews, and the terror felt inside the attic that came primarily from being discovered, or from the sounds and sights of war breaking loose outside her attic (on a couple of entries, she even recounts stories of downed fighter planes and their pilots' fate). That's the unpardonable fault of her diary because only these kinds of idiosyncratic entries actually material to WW2 are what would elevate her diary above that of any other, mundane, teen girl's. That so much of her diary is precisely so ordinary according to what one stereotypically expects from ANY teen girl's entries is the real pity in this exaggeratedly hyped work.
   
   I found the purpose of Anne's diary much more useful in detailing how more wonderfully conservative society was in the 40s--rather than getting the reader to empathize with WW2-era, persecuted Jews--compared to today's liberal nightmare. In example, Anne's many entries where she's "crushing" on her attic-mate, Peter, involve feelings of sincere, simplistic affection and puppy love, maybe quaint but still adorable in hindsight. For instance, in many entries, Anne swoons over attic-mate Peter's confiding in her or the way he merely looks at her; to her as a girl in the 40s back then, that already qualified as a "fantasy." Contrast this to the inarguable fact that in today's world, many 14-year-olds in Anne's shoes would probably have infectious thoughts of desiring to sexually please their crushes (and then do so!) just so they could feel like "true women!" Another unmistakable motif in Anne's experiences that comes through as a confirmation of how more wonderfully conservative things were back then is the constant reference to schoolwork, and, by golly, actually doing well at it! In some entries, Anne actually *gulp* takes pride in getting good grades in school and measuring herself as a person based on her work ethic in class, again, wonderfully "old-fashioned." Again, contrast this with many 14-year-olds today who--especially if they're in the NEA's public schools--can't read, write or do any `rithmetic, yet can tell you all kinds of things about the b*tches and h*es in rap music!!!!
   
   This latest edition of her diary, The so-called Definitive Edition, includes inexcusably AWKWARD entries involving Anne's sexual awakening, which is also a discomforting sign of the incrementing liberalism that's occurring societally, whereas her dad, Otto, wisely omitted these lewd entries from the original publication. For instance, on page 162, she writes, "Once when I was spending the night at Jacque's, I could no longer restrain my curiosity about her body, which she'd always hidden from me and which I'd never seen. I asked her whether, as proof of our friendship, we could touch each other's br*asts. Jacque refused. I also had a terrible desire to kiss her, which I did. Every time I see a female nude...I go into ecstasy." Gross!!!! This egregiously has nothing to do with WW2, or a person's feelings of being imprisoned in an attic while hoping the N*zis don't discover her. The inclusion of this lewdness was utterly ill-advised.
   
   Surprisingly, though, some of Anne's entries include reflections which prove she possessed moral clarity and, unlike today's liberals (the arbiters of moral relativism), had the ability to judge between good and evil with regards to WW2. For instance, on page 334 (from July 21, 1944), she writes, "Now, at last, things are going well!...An *ss*ssination attempt has been made on H*tler's life, and for once not by Jewish Communists or English capitalists, but by a German general...This is the best proof we've had so far that many officers and generals are fed up with the war and would like to see H*tler sink into a bottomless pit..." Here, Anne clearly demonstrates that she confidently feels it's perfectly all right to be happy at the prospect of your enemy being killed in a war. Further, she also interprets the *ss*ssination attempt in a pro-Allies, anti-German way, suspecting that H*tler's generals are turning on him. Contrast that to today's dreadful, modern liberals who would have a hell of a hard time rejoicing about the prospect of Bin Laden's death or any terrorist's, for that matter, because they're too obsessed with getting them "legal rights" through habeas corpus and moving them onto the US mainland for detention purposes!!!!
   
   Still, Anne's diary is soooo disappointingly off-the-mark that I want anyone even flirting with the idea of reading a fourteen-year-old's musings to just boycott it. It's so dreadful because it mostly evades reflecting on WW2 and the hardships of attic life. Mainly, it reads like every other fourteen-year-old girl's diary from the beginning of time to infinity, and, so, is an absolutely superficial read!!!! To get an idea of how WW2 affected people, you can get a better read almost ANYWHERE ELSE. If you want to get inside a fourteen-year-old girl's trivial head--which Anne's diary is really mostly about: crushes, boys, resentment of parents, etc.--you should just steal your kid sister's. What's that? Don't have a kid sister?! Well, then steal the diary of your friend's or neighbor's kid sister because you'll get the same trivialities there as in Anne Frank's diary.

5 comments about Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation.

1. This book had to have been written while Cokie was doing Coke. It is all over the place. The chapters are misaligned with the text, ie: Abigail Adams personal tidbits preceded the chapter bearing her name. Here and there scattered throughout the book were interesting facts, however, the book rambled so much I am shocked it was published by a journalist!



2. In general, I've found Cokie Roberts' book, "Founding Mothers" to be an interesting if not fascinating work: she has done an excellent job of digging into the frequently ignored role of women in the development of the American Republic during the revolutionary era; and has presented her findings in an easy to read and thought provoking narrative, structured as a series of mini-biographies of each of her subjects - most (but not all) of whom were prominent in the society of the time: women like Martha Washington, wife of George Washington; Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams; Peggy Shippen, wife of the traitor Benedict Arnold; and Kitty Green, wife of General Nathaniel Greene.
   
   Building mainly upon the correspondence each of her subjects exchanged with their husbands, families and friends, you get a real sense of what life was like at the time: the challenges these people faced as war ravaged their homes, and the homes of those they loved; how frustrated they were with the complete lack of consideration that the political system and society of the time had for women; their hopes that this new country would turn a new page and allow women a voice in the political arena; and how they sought to influence the men they knew and loved, most of whom had major roles in the revolutionary effort.
   
   While I find this book to be a very informative and interesting read, I get the impression from time to time that Ms. Roberts is stretching a bit to present the points she wishes to make. Some of the evidence she presents is a bit thin, and the arguments she makes based on that evidence sometimes goes beyond what I feel is reasonable. On the other hand, as Ms. Roberts herself says: women and their contrbutions to the cause simply were not valued, and so often were not preserved at all, or are very hard to track-down. So, I cannot fault her on this point, and feel that even when individual statements might go beyond the evidence, the central themes of the book are definitely clear, and compelling.
   
   These women were strong, intelligent, creative, interesting people. Cokie Roberts does a great job of helping us learn who they were, what their lives were like, and how contributed to the building of the American Dream. Great book!



3. "Founding Mothers" tells the story of women, famous, not so famous and obscure, who contributed to the founding of the United States. In this, as in her other works, Cokie Roberts has told an excellent story.
   
   Some of the women, such as Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, we know well. Others, including Mercy Otis Warren and Eliza Pinckney, are mothers and wives of lesser known men, who influenced the crucial roles their sons and husbands played in the early Acts of the American Pageant. Some, such as Molly Pitcher, are so obscure that their actual identity is not known with certainty.
   
   This book is divided into sections pertaining to the Revolution, the writing and adoption of the Constitution and the establishment of the National Government. Some of the subjects, such as Martha Washington, play roles in more than one section.
   
   This book is well written and presents its stories so as to hold the reader's interest, regardless of whether the story is familiar or not, and central or peripheral to the development of the nation. I am always suspicious of books in which the author tries to make the subjects into something that they are not. I do not think that Ms. Roberts tries to do that in this book. Her renderings of the activities of the Founding Mothers are very believable. She seems to keep their involvement and influence, as significant as it is, within plausible limits. As readers of my reviews are aware, I have read several books about this era of our history. (See my Listmania Lists, "The Story of the American Revolution" and "Founding Presidents.") "Founding Mothers" presents, in an enchanting fashion, a perspective of the history largely absent from other books.



4. Great ability to make these stories fascinating. Much info this Revolutionary Era buff did not know. The Women were great! I still do not understand why men were so fearful of giving Women the vote and the right to own property of their own. The book relates their stories effectively and with humor.



5. I made the dreadful mistake of trying to read this book. Are we honestly to be expected to take a work of history by Cokie Roberts seriously? I don't know why anyone would take her political commentary seriously, much less whatever she tries to pass off as history. There are plenty of serious studies of women in early America that do not feature this books flaw's. I suggest you turn to any of those. This book is poorly written. It seems to have no major theme or argument. It has absolutely no documentation, meaning that it is impossible to tell where the information actually came from. Give me a break!

1 comments about The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom.

1. There are 2 facets of Simon Winchester's work that make him one of my favorite authors. Firstly, he brings amazing players in History forward that I very often have never heard of. Secondly, he makes reading History tremendously fascinating. The latter should be a given, how can our past be anything but fascinating? The reality is that History books can be painful to read.
   
   Noel Joseph Terrence Montgomery Needham is the subject of Mr. Winchester's 19th work, sound familiar? Not to me. However by the end of the book I look forward to seeking out more about this man as Mr. Winchester has a knack for catalyzing a reader's interest well beyond the book he offers. Professor Needham was a astonishing man who filled his 94 years with remarkable travels, eccentric behavior and a decision so poor the reader will ask was he a fool or a knave? (Question posed by the author)
   
   What is not in dispute is the marvelous history of China Professor Needham documented through first hand investigation over thousands of miles traveled in China (many in war time) and the decades of research that followed. The only other historian that comes to mind as being so single minded in his pursuit of a subject is Sir Martin Gilbert and his decades long work on Sir Winston Spencer Churchill.
   
   The work is also timely as it coincides with China's re-entry as a focal point for the world. China's existence is best measured in millennia and her scientific contributions when listed are nearly as long and often pre-date conventional wisdom on who was first with a given invention. Think you know where printing was first documented, suspension bridges first built, how about the compass, blood circulation or perhaps a flame-thrower?
   
   China's recent history is no indicator of its fantastic past and the latter may more likely be an indicator of what is yet to come. This is another great read by a wonderful author who never disappoints.

5 comments about John Adams.

1. This is an excellent book about a man that I previously knew very little about. Very interesting and flows well. It gave me a new perspective on some other historical figures as well, including Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. I highly recommend this book.



2. I can't put the book down. It's a well written story, very entertaining and educational. I'm learning so much about our founding fathers and the birth of this nation that I didn't learn in school.



3. Of course it is only a metaphorical question, but if there were more politicians around who adored their wife and their country, America would be a pretty different place. He said what he thought and he thought deeply. He had a strict moral obligation to his God, country and his family and would never consider going against any of these things. This book reveals all these things about a complicated man. It is not a dry academic novel but a fascinating story. You cannot find too many of these out there and I have had to read many of those to get through bachelors degree and halfway through my masters. One of the things that impressed me the most was the level with which he treated his wife. In the time that he lived this was phenomenal.



4. There are many more erudite descriptions of John Adams. I decided to write a review because it is my favorite non-fiction book and I felt that the HBO series took the wind out of Adams' sails in so many ways. The HBO miniseries, which I long awaited, bored me to tears. There was none of the excitement in the series that I read in the book. Paul Giamatti's Adams could not speak above a whisper and did not convey, at least to me, the spirit of John Adams, which I read in 2001 and still remember vividly. John Adams had such an interesting and varied life, that to distill it as it was done in the HBO series leaves the viewer questioning how this complex man was anything more than a bombastic autocrat.
   
   David McCullough's use of primary sites and his use of the many letters written to his wife Abigail makes this book one of the most memorable and romantic of all the founding fathers. He clearly writes about his personal life - his treatment of his children, the favoritism of John Quincy, his life-long love affair with his wife and their juxtaposition with his duty to his fledgling country as well as his interest in his own epitaph. He brings to life a human who was so multi-faceted and brings most of those facets to life.
   
   I am not an historian, so I realize there are many things missing knowledge of John Adams. However, that which was included was readable, interesting and kept me turning those many pages with ease.



5. David McCullough is to history was John Grisham is to literature: he's lite fare, easily digestable but not particulary nourishing. To me, the book seemed like a watered-down and streamlined portrayal of an important historical figure. It's reasonable well-written and moves along at a good clip; it just seems superficial. I guess that's o.k. if your target audience is people who don't normally read history. If you fall into that category, the JA is probably the book for you. Personally, however, I usually like to read "serious" works of history. History-lite just doesn't seem worth my time....
   
   Not terrible but not recommended.

5 comments about The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

1. Very informative book! Weir manages to give us a detailed description of the personalities of each of these six queens. What makes this book such a success is that its very easy to read making it impossible to get bored!



2. The Six Wives of Henry VIII
   Wonderful book. Very well written. It has increased my desire to know more about Henry the VIII and his times.



3. What I liked most about this book is also what since distresses me most about films circulating on this topic. Weir so thoroughly researches the profusion of biographic material available (besides Britain, courts throughout Europe had documention on the wives of Henry and him) that it is clear there is no need to fictionalise this fascinating story (you wouldn't even try to imagine it). And although it lends itself so well to a series (or a film) once you have read this book the inaccuracies in (Gregory's, for example) fictionalisions on the screen tend to get annoying. Wonderful book -the story is historic and timeless at the same time. (If you can recommend a good, unembellished biographic DVD, please do.)



4. The book is great so far. I ordered it because its my ex girlfriends favorite book and i trust her taste in books.



5. I recieved this book in perfect condition and it came a day before the estimated time of arrival. Thank you.

5 comments about Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

1. This book was a page-turner. There is not a false note or a deficient section or arrangement in it. The author does an excellent job in telling Lincoln's story from cradle to grave, with the emphasis of course on his political years, but with enough background to inform and enlighten the discussion of the political years. Even more amazing, the book weaves in substantial biographies of major figures like Seward, Bates, Chase, Stanton, and the Lincoln family. This complex effort could have collapsed under its own weight, become plodding, or become confusing. Nothing of the sort happens. Instead, the pieces fit together very nicely and you feel yourself learning and sinking into the era as you make your way to the tragic ending. The detailed research is impressive, as is Goodwin's ability to relay it in an engaging and clear style. Abraham Lincoln came to life like never before. I finished the book on April 15, the day he died, and found myself sad for his ending and grateful for the skill and dedication with which he led this country through a terrible trial. I highly commend this book, and a visit to Springfield, to tour Lincoln's home and visit his tomb, to those wishing to learn about, and honor, a great man.



2. This is one of those books that, when you are finished, you need a few minutes to sit and let it all sink in. It is a powerful, wonderful, insightful book that I was almost sorry to finish, for multiple reasons -- it was engrossing, and of course it didn't end well.
   
   Goodwin does an excellent job of bringing Lincoln to life and showing his incredible talents for managing people. I had some knowledge about Lincoln, but when I finished this book, I was left with a feeling of sadness, not only for him and his friends and family, but for the country, because we were deprived of four years of Lincoln's leadership. And who knows how things would have turned out in the South and the country as a whole had he been able to preside over the infant stages of Reconstruction.
   
   The relationship between Lincoln and Seward was a pleasure to learn about, as well as the way Lincoln dealt with the various personalities around him without creating personal enemies. Reading about his interactions with Frederick Douglass was also a special part of the book.
   
   While this book may be long (about 750 pages) for those with only a casual interest in history, I would still recommend it to anyone. It is a remarkable book about a remarkable man.



3. There is no other word for it, this book is brilliant. Coming into it, I thought I knew a fair amount about Lincoln and workings of the war. However, the way the author depicts Lincoln and his cabinet is incredible. There is such depth, honesty, and intricacy to it. Although there is not a lot of background info on the war itself, that, for the most part, is not missed. The book focuses on Lincoln and his cabinet, and how he, in his own political genius, pulled together varying factions of the new Republian party to solve the crises facing the country. It's a fascinating insight into one of the great political and moral minds of history. It is not to be missed.



4. His assassination and coronation at such an early age both preserved the mystique and obscured the mystery that surrounded Abraham Lincoln and made him one of the the best-documented men in history. Lincoln has been mythologized beyond criticism or comparison in the historical lexicon. This book brings him back from mythology and puts him into his proper political realm so that he can be criticized and compared to other mortals, whereupon you realize how far beyond criticism and comparison Lincoln is when it came to his political and personal leadership.
   
   Goodwin's Abraham Lincoln is a political leader and wise human being beyond any other, perhaps even Solomon himself. Of the people whom history has documented thoroughly enough to compare, he may be the greatest human being ever in terms of communicating, understanding, empathizing , and motivating others.
   
   Why does every leader since pale by comparison? Is there never to be another Lincoln? Part of the problem is that in Lincoln's time, one man could still control most of his environment. Lincoln created ways to work, study, and think that allowed him to apply his knowledge and wisdom to the problems he faced and come up with the best solutions. The realm of control is much smaller today.
   
   Part of the problem is the pervasiveness and immediacy of communication (the media), part of it is the complexity of the environments, and part of it is the complexity of the problems.
   
   Even a leader of Lincolnian proportions would not be as successful as Lincoln in today's world. Of leaders since then who approached that power on the world stage: FDR, Reagan, Castro, maybe Papa Doc Duvalier--on a small island scale, a lesser man can loom larger, and without a great ethical compass, accomplish much for the wrong purpose!
   
   One great example of Lincoln's abilities: with conservative cabinet member Seward's resignation on his desk because of accusations from liberal Senators (based on inside information from liberal cabinet member Chase), Lincoln agreed to meet with the Senators alone at the White House. After hearing their complaints in a long meeting and promising to think on it, the next day Lincoln called all the cabinet together except Seward, told them about the meeting and told them to come to the White House that night to meet with the Senators, knowing that as a group the cabinet would defend its own against charges from outsiders.
   
   Chase, who had provided the information to the Senators, especially charges that the cabinet was seriously divided and uninvolved in presidential decision-making, was in a panic throughout the meeting when the cabinet members did indeed defend Seward and Lincoln and present a united front during a long 5-hour session with the Senators.
   
   The next morning, Chase came to the White House to submit his resignation to Lincoln because of his mortification in front of the Senatorial delegation (when the delegation was discussing afterward how Chase could have painted such an incorrect story of the cabinet unity and involvement, one Senator remarked dryly "He lied."). When Chase pulled the paper from his pocket, Lincoln eagerly grabbed it and read it with a smile on his face. "This unties the Gordian knot," he exclaimed, as he recognized that Chase had just given him the answer to his dilemma. He wrote out a letter to both Chase and Seward, rejecting both resignations, thus keeping his cabinet and the warring Republican party united.
   
   This example is multiplied many times by Goodwin throughout the book, highlighted each time by Lincoln's quiet confidence in his ability, his moral authority, and his political authority. His self-assurance was reflected in the way he always accepted other's ideas (and gave credit) when better than his, seldom held grudges, and never paid back ill for ill, a trait that paid off many times in his political career, as those he could have made enemies became valuable compatriots in the war for the Union.
   
   How could a man with such humble beginnings, with so little formal education, who was basically a minimum-wage day laborer until the age of 25, when he learned the law on his own and began a faltering political career--how could this man harbor such ability and confident expectation of success?
   
   It is easy enough to say it stems from his determination, after a bout of suicidal depression in his mid-20s when the first love of his life died, that he did not want to die until he had made a mark on the world. A noble and worthy determination to be sure, and one made--and forgotten--by many of us, as time, ability, and circumstance leave us satisfied with some lower place. But 20 years later in the White House, while talking with his best friend from that earlier time, Lincoln reminded his friend of that pledge and acknowledged his readiness to die now that he had met it. Lincoln had not forgotten his pledge, and had fully intended and expected to meet it as he did! What gave him this ability to satisfy his fully expectant confidence?
   
   One can say it is God's hand of providence working in human history to preserve the United States. That may be the most likely driver, but why through this gangling "great ape" who was mocked and denigrated until met in political or personal arenas where he quietly and gracefully managed every relationship for the best of all parties? Was Abraham Lincoln a committed Christian? Not by most standards of orthodoxy, although he knew the Bible from hours of study, and not in comparison to Chase, whose studied religiosity was belied by his shady financial dealings and unethical manipulation of others.
   
   Regardless, with war in Iraq and economic gloom descending over most of the world, God's providence in the placement of a humble servant leader like Lincoln would surely be welcome.



5. With great writing and fabulous storytelling, Goodwin takes us deep into the inner workings of President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet during the Civil War and into the minds and lives of the key players. This is not another Lincoln biography or a history about the Civil War battles or generals, although we do meet and get a greater appreciation of the good and bad generals -- Grant and Sherman vs. McClellan -- and focus on Lincoln's leadership skills and style. In some ways, you could say this extremely engaging read is a biography of a particular institution -- Lincoln's cabinet and its members -- at the key moment when America's peculiar institution of slavery is being fought over. However, I am glad that I read Shelby Foote's three-volume narrative history of the Civil War before Goodwin's book so that I had the biggest picture first.

5 comments about Night (Oprah's Book Club).

1. Regardless of how many times I return to this book, it never fails to shock and inspire. An indispensable recollection of the horror of the Holocaust and one survivors struggle to reconcile his experience and his faith.



2. There are no words worthy to describe this epic and true tale of the Holocaust.
   
   Buy the book, but prepare yourself for this tragedy that is our world history.
   
   Never again.
   
   Wolfe



3. I have been to Germany, toured Dachau and have been interested in reading about the holocaust ever since. Reading "Night", was nothing short of amazing. There wasn't one page where I lost interest and by the end, I felt conflicted. I was happy that such a sad story was over, but sad that such an amazing book was done. Elie Wiesel is hero, a survivor, an excellent son and a gifted author. It's so sad that all this greatness came at such a personal cost. Would I ever love to sit and talk with this man... amazing from cover to cover.



4. Elie Wiesel's story will stay with you forever. Stark, powerful and written in simple prose, it will haunt you. How does one go on after surviving the Holocaust? 'Night' should be read in schools the world over.



5. I loved this book! It made me feel so grateful for the freedoms we enjoy. But, it is sad to think that mankind can be capable of such horrors.

5 comments about Man's Search for Meaning.

1. Dr. Frankl is an author-psychiatrist who takes care of patient's problems by using logotherapy. In "Man's Search For Meaning," he tells readers about his experiences in Auschwitz concentration camp, and how he discovered logotherapy by going through this horrible experience. In case you are wondering, the object and challenge and challenge of logotherapy is to put together ties of meaning and responsibility in people's lives, and actually make themselves feel important.
   Dr. Viktor E. Frankl was a long time prisoner in various concentration camps. There he was stripped of his feeling of existence. His mother, father, brother, and wife were sent to gas chambers and killed. Everyone in his family, except his sister, unfortunately died in these concentration camps. He went many days without eating or sleeping, in brutally freezing temperatures. Knowing that every single day he was on the brink of extermination, how did he still find life worth living? That is what this book really sums up in one word, logotherapy.
   All of Frankl's stories in this book ring true to anyone that suffered the tortures of these concentration camps. He views the human spirit with compassion and truth. It really makes his experiences worth listening to. Even though I, certainly, have never been in a concentration camp I felt that Frankl's words and feelings were shown greatly in his writing. It is definitely not a cakewalk to talk about your past when it has such a difficult history. This really shows that you do not have to be quiet about dark emotions. Do not feel burdened to be silent when you know you were the one who experienced such tragedies.
   I have never liked reading about the concentration camps in Europe, because those thoughts are not comforting to someone who does not want to face the reality of it. This was very detailed and specific on all the accounts in the camps. Although, it also was very clear on logotherapy, so needless to say it was very dry. The message that the book made obvious to me was that we cannot forget the past, but cannot dwell on it either. The grass is always greener on the other side, and we always must move on no matter where life takes us.



2. My daughter needed this book for a High School project. My review of this is neutral, but I see no reason to not buy it, if you need it for homework, ha ha



3. I've been meaning to read this book for years and finally got around to it. WOW WOW WOW! That just about sums it up. The amount of thought provoking passages increased with each page. I was in tears several times. I've gone back and reread many sections that touched me. I think I'll read the entire book again very soon. There are already so many great in depth reviews here, so it's not necessary to go into detail. Just read it if you haven't yet! It'll make you count your blessings and give thanks.



4. MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING is an incredibly deep and optimistic exploration of the best that man has to offer in the worst of times. This should especially be read by anyone under the age of 30. We live in a different world today, but today's generation can benefit from the philosophical gold of yesterday's generation. Some books transcend their time. This is one.



5. This is one of the most important books that I have ever read. It, along with certain books by Elie Wiesel, also a survivor, have helped me maintain a hold on life and have kept me from going under in times of despair. For me, its message is priceless. I don't know if my review can really do it justice, because it has struck such a personal chord with me that it would be difficult to objectively describe.
   Just read it, you may never see life quite the same again.

5 comments about The 48 Laws of Power.

1. I am an attorney in a large law firm in a large metropolitan area. I bought the book in 1999 and have returned to it often. I was very skeptical of its ideas at first. However, as my career has progressed, I have witnessed that ALL of the 'laws' contained in the book are practiced regularly by my superiors and peers. Does that mean that they are all reading and using the book? No. It just means that Greene has keenly distilled human nature as it relates to the practice of 'power.' I can't say that I've used the book in a proactive way. But I have used the book with great effect in a DEFENSIVE way. Familiarity with the laws have given me a 'third eye' with which to blunt and repel ill-actions in the workplace. That in itself is a GREAT reason to own and read and consult this book. And it is also a moral reason to do so. Power is power. It is practiced at all levels of society. It is human nature. Decry the methods, if you will--but ignore the reality of their existence at your peril. Get the book. Read it. Then use it as a shield in your climb up the ladder.
   
   Also recommended: Thick Face, Black Heart, by Chin Ning Chu



2. Just what is power? I believe that through the amoral approach demonstrated in the 48 Laws of Power, Greene has gotten much closer to this answer and at the same time, gotten around many of the issues that plague discussions of power. This does not mean that ethics is not important when handling power, but rather, that power is morally neutral and is a tool that one can utilize within their own ethical systems. Everybody from the subjectivist to the altruistic individual can make use of power as it is defined in this text.
   
   While some may become disgusted at the ammorality and the examples that often show a "low brow" use of power, this does not take away from the value of this book, and in fact probably adds to it by showing how power can be used to harm others; someone could probably even apply Law 7 (which in part refers to using the wisdom of others) in order to create examples that show positive uses of power.
   
   Overall, I would recommend this book for anybody, but especially those studying Leadership and/or Politics.



3. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to live an independent life. You will encounter the challenges Greene writes about, and this book offers useful strategies for overcoming them.
   
   I know Greene's thinking is sound because I've tested it. With no business or technical education, I managed to increase my income 400% in just a few years. With my own money and leverage, I bought a house in the most expensive city [housing-wise] in America.
   
   Maybe your ambitions are different. Whatever you want, you won't get it without planning. All along the way, you must deal with people. You must get around or through them. This book is a great help. It is a masterpiece. I can't recommend it too strongly. I've read it through twice, listened to it on CDs and dipped deeply into Greene's bibliography. Read this book, you will never regret it.



4. This book is being used by all the wrong people.this is like a bible for some gangs in prison.They are using it to get over on staff, and there own family.most people dont know what hit them untill its to late.The 48 Laws of Power



5. When I were in high scool I used too alwayse get picked on buy other kids and I new that one day I would be powerfull. People made fun of me working at McDonalds at first but then something happended. I found this AWESOME book! now i have the last laff. One kid even bumped into me the other day and asked me for some money and I said your not powerful and spit in his face. i got beat up but felt better later on that week. my mom didnt buy me a GI Joe aircraft carrier when I was yong so I slashed all her tires and disconnekted the ocygen bottle just to show her who has the power now! I even make my cowworkers look really bad at work by doing small things to make them mess up and makes me look better. Thanks to the athor of this book. Finally a book that i can understand AND it makes sense to me also! I feel like i am the powerfullest man in the world and I no that I am everyday when i put on my brown uniform and look into the mirrer and tell myself that i am better than god and that he kooldnt ever sweep the floors at mcdonals like better than I can sweep the floors!

5 comments about A Remarkable Mother.

1. What a disappointment. I adored Lillian Carter--Miss Lillian--during the Jimmy Carter years in the White House. I also greatly respected his presidency. And I have read all of Jimmy Carter's other books, each of which would earn at least a four-star rating from me. And the anti-Israel one earns a five-plus! But this is sentimental and so atypical of Jimmy Carter. Miss Lillian was a remarkable woman who deserves so much better than this little book that is highly over-rated and definitely over-priced. Sorry, Mr. President, but you didn't do your mother proud on this one. Eric Selby



2. I read about one book a week. This book must have been the worst book I have ever read in my life. I loved Jimmy's stuff in the past. What happened?? I'm not sure he even wrote this book. Very slow and pointless content.



3. Anyone who doesn't remember the Carter Presidency will meet in this book a truly extraordinary woman, as salty and outspoken as she was generous, good-hearted and commonsensical--perhaps the only President's mother in recent times (at least prior to the current occupant of the Oval Office) to make a noteworthy impression in public consciousness. For those who do remember her, Jimmy's fond (but not overly or needlessly sentimental) portrait will help clarify the origins of the qualities that were manifest on the surface. Rather than being a clinging or protective parent she was a "do-er," someone who taught by example. In many respects, she bears no small resemblance to the strong Southern black women with whom she had an affinity--a character with the integrity and resilience of Dilsey in Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury."
   
   The entire Carter family--Miss Lillian, Ruth, and Billy--were utterly unique individuals, and little has been written about the personal grief that Jimmy must have endured upon the passing of his mother and both siblings, even as he continued to direct his attention toward humanitarian causes that would benefit a wider human family. Unfortunately, there is no Brother's or Sister's Day, but some of us hope the enviable energies of the former President do not fail him before he has had a chance to do at least equal justice by these two remaining members of a First Family that, however dissimilar in background and social status, attracted a level of interest not seen since the Kennedy era.



4. Jimmy Carter has penned an insightful and inspiring book that chronicles the amazing life of Miss Lillian Carter- Peace Corp volunteer at the age of 70, registered nurse, pecan grower, university housemother, early civil rights advocate, and enthusiastic Brooklyn Dodgers fan. "A Remarkable Mother" is an engaging, uplifting read that makes for a terrific Mother's Day gift regardless of the recipient's political persuasion.



5. I highly encourage all to read this book. If nothing else, to gain more insight into some remarakble people, and to gain more love, compassion, and sensitivity towards this very special person in many of our lives, our mother.One Man's Love Story - A Near-Death Experience