5 comments about Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise.

1. I love this woman. She writes books that are full of information and fun. Always a good foodie read. I just wish she would write faster!



2. Reichl is a witty, smart writer who certainly knows her way around food. She has this uncanny ability to make food and the ritual of eating accessible to her reader, no matter how removed the reader may be from the actual setting. I recoiled in horror thinking about shrimp writhing as they died in the 'Dancing Shrimp' centerpiece in a chinese banquet, but nevertheless enjoyed reading her account of the events that unfolded on the evening in question.
   
   The characters that she works with are as colorful as the make-believe characters she invents, ostensibly to avoid being recognized as the restaurant critic of the New York Times. As she dons her various disguises, she adopts a whole new personality. The premise that adopting a new personality influences the experience of eating is as entertaining as it is revelatory. All in all, a refreshing, well-written book.



3. I found Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by former New York Times Restaurant Critic, Ruth Reichel as enjoyable as a warm plate of risotto paired with a glass of red wine!
   
   In Garlic and Sapphires, Reichel recounts the six years she spent contriving clever disguises to hide her identity as she gallivanted around New York City's restaurants and bistros writing reviews for the Times. Reichel's memoir focuses on three aspects of her life at that time: her personal life as a wife and mother, her restaurant patronizing as a critic, and her life as an employee of the venerable and mighty New York Times. Reichel's descriptions of her son are touching and heartwarming, her recounting of the extremes she went to in order to create and truly become her aliases are entertaining and amusing, and her telling of the behind-the-scenes goings-on at the Times are fascinating and fulfill the gossipy voyeur in all of us.
   
   Reichel is a talented writer and her truly joyous love of food, cooking, and eating are evident on each page of the book. The book is peppered with Ruth's favorite recipes and this adds a certain feel-good warmth to the tome.
   
   My only criticism of the book is that I had to be willing to suspend my good reason in order to believe that Ruth truly became the characters she created to the extent she described. According to Ruth, she was so immersed in these characters that she found herself unable to use her own judgment and mannerisms while inhabiting that character's persona. For example, is she was dressed as "Miriam" she was brash and rude and "Ruth" had no control over the rude things that came out of "Miriam's" mouth. This was slightly hard to believe - but maybe I just don't have the same amount of acting chops!
   
   The title Garlic and Sapphires is only briefly alluded to and comes from a poem written by T.S. Eliot.
   
   Overall, Garlic and Sapphires is a delicious romp of a memoir that I truly relished devouring - excuse the puns!



4. Reichl is a knowledgable food critic and a talented writer, however I was uncomfortable with her use of alter egos to get restaurant reviews. Her disguises went far beyond seeking anonimity; her true personality quirks were allowed out of their cages, where they normally are housed in polite society. Most of this was harmless, although there were times when she became quite catty. She belittled a person who had purchased her dining companionship for the benefit of charity. Even though the person was a bore, it was her duty to see the evening through without compaint, or she should have never auctioned herself off. I would have expected her to set some ground rules for the evening, rather than letting herself be abused (restaurant choice, length of the committment, etc.),then becoming resentful. It would have been easier for her to write the charity a check and excuse herself. On another occassion she dressed vampishly and led a man on. She was married and deceived a gentleman over the possibility of a deepening relationship, even though she paid for her own dinner. Her husband was uncomfortable with the deception, as was I.
   This book is a display of Reichl's self-absorbed, brattish behavior. Her reviews were fair and even inspired, however her behavior was not.



5. A truly enjoyable read. Ruth Reichl is more than an epicurean, she is a poet. Her memoir takes you through an intensively personal account of what it means to become the foremost food critic in America.
   People who love food will salivate reading her descriptions of many varied types of cuisine she enjoys in its best form,
   People who don't dine out at fine dining restaurants very often could learn a few things, namely:DON'T DINE AT A TOURIST TRAP

3 comments about Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson.

1. McKeen has quite simply put together the definitive biography on Thompson, a work that would have Hunter writing and sending screeds via fax to everyone, yet deep down secretly admiring for its depth and brilliance. There are many legends, but "Outlaw Journalist" sorts fact from fiction and gives an honest take of Gonzo from beginning to end. There would be no higher tribute to the good doctor than buying McKeen's book and throwing it on the expense account along with three bottles of Wild Turkey and some Doritos ...



2. Sure we've heard about his famous friends, his Rolling Stone cred, all the legendary drug abuse, so much so that it's made him a pop culture caricature. William McKeen is perhaps the first to step behind the curtain, cozy up to the good doctor's real posse and find out just what made the man behind the gonzo tick. This is a history book written for pleasure readers, filled with storytelling, charm, wit and yes, pain. McKeen manages to step back from the HST fame cycle and look again at the writer, the journalist and the very flawed spirit and tell his story with a discerning eye. While other fame-seekers and hangers-on have delved into the mystique with their own bio books, this one brings you the most respectable and honest cast of Thompson and his crazy life. A history and bio that's hard to put down.



3. There are two books to have - "Hell's Angels" by Hunter and now this exceptional look at who and what Hunter was - simply an excellent read about one of America's best modern journalists in many, many years.

5 comments about A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland in the Forties and Fifties.

1. This is an excellent and heartwarming book about growing up in South Dakota. Brokaw, easily the most intelligent, fair and personable of the network news anchors, goes into what made him what he is today -- growing up in America's heartland, the struggles of his father and mother, his life growing up, and his temporary descent into idiothood -- before pulling back and marrying his college sweetheart.
   
   An excellent and highly literate book! I heartily recommend it to anyone who likes biographies.



2. Brokaw gives a seemingly honest and direct account of his formative years. His respect and admiration for his parents gives him guidelines for a life in the limelight where it may be easy to loose one's footing.
   
   It is interesting to get a glimpse of the life in the heartland of the U. S. in the forties and fifties when so much of my own perception of the U. S. from a Scandinavian viewpoint was formed.
   
   Congratulations to Tom Brokaw for a fine book!



3. One reviewer called this book "for simpletons by a simpleton." Well, as I have very little respect for today's mainstream media, especially Dan Rather and Katie Couric, Brokaw, though preachy, is better than most. This book is a simple book, but it's also pleasant and does lend insight into his modest upbringing in South Dakota---far different from what the elites usually value.
   
   I read it while I drove cross country, which is probably why I gave it 3 stars, rather than 2, as I appreciated it more.
   
   Brokaw may be biased and pedantic now, but he's no ninnyhammer either. He covered stories with some depth, and was rarely lazy or a liar, like Rather. And he worked hard to get where he was, without modern affirmative action. The stories of Big Sky country and the "tragedies" he observed befalling the "Natives" when he returned were unnecessary and awkward, though.
   
   He's still better than Brian Williams.



4. Been there and done that. Refreshing read! Stirred up many old memories and recollections.



5. Tom Brokaw has always projected to his viewers a caring, sincere presence
   as he outlined the happenings of the day in our nation and around the world. Even if the news he broadcasted was sad or shocking he gave us the feeling that we could get through this together. This book offers the same
   warmth and sincerity in describing my similar experiences in growing up
   during and after WWII.

2 comments about In the Hamptons: My Fifty Years with Farmers, Fishermen, Artists, Billionaires, and Celebrities.

1. Being a Long Islander who spents some time in the Hamptons and Montauk, I found this book interesting. Its chapters contained anecdotal stories of events and people. Nice, easy, summer read.



2. I've been around as long as Dan's Papers and remember in the early years Dan Rattiner had several summer papers such as the East Hampton Summer Sun. the Sag Harbor Pilot etc. The stories Dan wrote were always great and my favorite was local history. As Dan's business grew all these local summer weekly throwaways were incorporated into one paper, Dan's Papers. With the exception being I believe the Montauk Pioneer. Anyway, This new book from Dan is great. I remember alot of this stuff from the 60's and 70's, as it appeared in his paper, but he has rewritten it and it is still an enjoyable read. A book I would highly recommend to anyone. I still long for the time in the 1960's, when I could pick up a copy of the East Hampton Summer Sun at the A&P on Newtown Lane, but that of course is not possible. Thank you Dan for 48 years of pleasurable reading. P.S. Was anyone ever electrocuted for copying that local map you use to have in the back of your newspaper?

5 comments about The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World.

1. Essentially, Jacobs uses the Encyclopedia Britannica as a tool to describe a year of his life. Although nothing unusually interesting happens in his life during that time (albeit his wife becomes pregnant and he does appear on Who Wants to be a Millionaire), the book works because he seamlessly weaves his humor, philosophical musings, and encyclopedia entries with the mundane everyday happenings in his life. I also enjoyed the book because the idea of reading the encyclopedia from A-Z is something ridiculous that I would do (I once tried to watch all the foreign films at the local video store from A to Z in order - of course Jacobs does much better because I only made it midway through the As). Finally, I liked Jacobs' humor because it is similar to Augusten Burroughs. I'm looking forward to reading The Year of Living Biblically.



2. Once I started to read this, I couldn't put it down! It was a great read and provides a lot of interesting info about the Bible.



3. This book is a great read; interesting, funny, and not mentally taxing. I had to read it with 'google' close at hand- he mentions so many interesting facts that I constantly was looking them up to read more. If I had one complaint it would be that I get a little tired of Jacob's complaints on the difficult/ time consuming/ stressful aspects of reading the encyclopedia. Other than that it is great- Jacobs seems just like the kind of guy you'd enjoy having a beer with.



4. Arnold Jacobs, Jr. chronicles his quest to be the "Smartest Person in the World" by reading every word of all 32 volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, with a smattering of autobiographical information to spice it up. For instance, we learn that Arnold Jacobs, Sr., author of 24 legal books, is the holder of the world's records for the most footnotes in a legal article, with 4,824 footnotes in one published article. Arnold Jr., who goes by "A.J.," also has literary talent, being an editor for Esquire magazine.
   
   A.J.'s quest to be the "Smartest Person in the World" included becoming a member of the elite organization, Mensa (although A.J. was accepted on the strength of his old SAT scores, having failed the actual Mensa test). This entitled him to receive the Mensa Bulletin, which has announcements for Mensa's special interest groups, like M-Prisoned, for Mensans who are incarcerated. A.J. particularly enjoyed finding typos in the Mensa Bulletin, which gave him a "special immature thrill."
   
   The Encyclopaedia project allowed A.J. to interject new knowledge into daily conversation. For example, he and Julie, his wife, visited friends for a summer barbecue and some quodlibet (free-ranging conversation on a topic of choice, as in "Louis IX allowed his courtiers to engage in quodlibet after meals"). Friends and family of A.J. did not find this practice endearing. In fact, Julie started fining A.J. for every spontaneous fact that was not directly relevant, such as, "Did you know that René Descartes has a fetish for women with crossed eyes?"
   
   A.J. does point out some very significant historical facts unfamiliar to many people, including the Taiping Rebellion and the Tunguska event. The Taiping Rebellion occurred in south and central China from 1850 to 1865. The import of this rebellion is that it resulted in about 20 million military and civilian deaths! In comparison, our own bloody Civil War took less than 700,000 lives.
   
   The Tunguska event was a massive aerial explosion in central Siberia in 1908 that flattened more than 80 million trees over approximately 830 sq. miles. The energy of the explosion was equivalent to that of 10-15 megatons of TNT. Although the cause of the blast is still unclear, it was likely the result of either a large meteoroid or comet fragment exploding 3-6 miles above the earth.
   
   I can't say that I felt saddened when A.J. finished reading the last entry of the last volume, "Zywiec," as I did when I read the last paragraph of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," but the Encyclopaedia project was interesting, educational, and, sometimes, laugh-out-loud funny. I also remain solidly in the observer status of this quest, with not even a hint of desire to read the entire Britannica, or any other encyclopedia.



5. If you're thinking about buying this book, BUY IT now and stop wasting the precious time you could be spending READING this thoroughly delightful and enlightening book. It is my favorite book of all times. It is brilliantly funny, poignant, insightful, fascinating (both in the content he covers and journey he takes in the process) and one of those books that you wish wouldn't end. I've already given this book as a gift many times (the recipients also loved it) and have actually re-read it several times. The only other book I've read multiple times is "A Confederacy of Dunces." A.J., if you're reading this, PLEASE, PLEASE write more. Skeptics out there, if you're reading this, here's my disclaimer: I don't know the author or anyone in his family or his circle of friends or probably anyone in his zip code. I asked a librarian at the Larkspur Public Library what the funniest book she ever read was, and she handed his book to me. Thank you, librarian, and thank you A.J. Jacobs!!!!!

5 comments about Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas.

1. I bought this book for my boyfriend for christmas, and I ended up reading a few chapters before I gave it to him! Klosterman is a hilarious author who really grabs the readers attention and holds it. In this book he writes about the interviews of famous people he has conducted and analyzes them in a humorous way.



2. If you're familiar with Klosterman, then you probably don't need these review. If you're not, then I highly recommend that you start familiarizing yourself with either this book, or his "Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs." Both are quick, smart, and humourous books.
   
   Chuck's a talented writer. "IV' is his latest work. I'm eager for my next installment of Klosterman.
   
   If you're into pop culture and taking something pointless and moronic and emphasising its importance and influence on our lives (the essay from "Sex..." concerning "Saved by the Bell" comes to mind) then I hihgly recommend Chuck Klosterman. This might be his best yet.



3. Chuck Rambles at Times. He is Also a Bit Crude.
   Yet All in All He's a Pretty Brilliant Writer.
   Fresh Read.



4. Contains previously published interviews and essays on personalities and topics as disparate as Britney Spears, Radiohead and the phenomenon of Latino Morrissey fans. Generally speaking, this is a pretty fun read. Klosterman's Advancement Theory is one of the most brilliant hypotheses I've ever encountered and it almost makes sense....kind of. At times, though, his analysis of social issues makes him sound a bit condescending and he has a tendency to over simplify issues (such as his take on international political dynamics). Fortunately, there's more than enough mirth and playful self-deprecation to make up for these slight lapses.



5. Klosterman's work reflects creativity and interesting insights into American culture. His major frame of reference is modern-pop music. Interesting read with fascinating "what if" scenarios. Good basis for discussion with friends. Worth the quick read.

5 comments about The Tender Bar.

1. I enjoyed reading this book, especially when J.R. talks about the book he wanted to write, especially the chapter in which J.R. includes a number of anecdotes & jokes he meant to include in the book he imagined. I enjoyed the process aspect of this book--the process through which we see Moehringer realize his insecurities and identify his alcoholism, problems with women, and the role the bar plays in his life. It's a little bit like watching someone you care about grow up.



2. The less than 5 star reviewers are not understanding this story. JR's memoir is not about a bar, not about avoiding a life of achoholism, not about whining over misfortune, and not about overcomming childhood challenges. The real story here is sharing boldly and courageously what it is like to grow up fatherless. JR speaks for all of us men who grew up without fathers and his medium is great storytelling. While "growing up" we really were always searching for the right templates for manhood. We would grab ahold of anyone who paid attention! That could be good and that could be bad, but fortunatly for our author, the men at the bar were ultimately a good influence, not all of them as career path role models, but certainly as "man models" and that is what was needed. It is impossible (no criticism) for individuals who grew up with a father to empathize. This is not whining, it is just plain being honest and sharing what it is like. JR's memoir resonates with all of us "fatherless boys" and he must be reviewed from that perspective. For those of you who would like to know what goes through our minds and our orientation to the world, this is great primer/story. BRAVO JR.



3. Unbeleivably honest and extremely inspiring. Despite of what he has been through, he is now a successful journalist and a Pulitzer Prize winner. What is ironic is that his book ended up on the NY Times bestseller list. It is as if Moehringer is sticking his tongue out to the senior editors who previously declared him as "non NY Times material". It is a lesson in perseverance and endurance. One should always keep trying and never give up.



4. As someone who primarily reads fiction--and much of it adolescent lit due to my career--I found this memoir fascinating to read and thoroughly engaging. The men in JR's life are quite the collection of characters (as are his many family members), and their stories kept me entertained as much as--or even more so--than some of the fiction I've recently read. I cared about JR and his conflicts, and not once was I bored or let down by his storytelling. This was a great book, one that could be put down and picked up again easily, and one that left me thinking about the author and the course his life has taken. I definitely recommend this!



5. I loved this book! It is always entertaining, at times heartbreakingly poignant, and very difficult to put down.
   
   This book beautifully marries form and content. The book is J.R. Moehringer's autobiographical memoir, spanning from his elementary school years into young adulthood. Much of the book revolves around the hours Moehringer spent in a neighborhood bar on Long Island, trading stories and having friendly but impassioned arguments with the other barroom regulars. As you read the book, you almost feel like you're in the bar listening to the conversation. Each chapter is really a barroom story in itself; you can almost hear Moehringer, lubricated by a few drinks, sharing yet another anecdote from his life history.
   
   Some of the stories Moehringer recounts seem too good to be true. Perhaps, like any good barroom raconteur, Moehringer embellishes a little for dramatic or comic effect. At first I wondered if the stories really were factual. By the end, I decided that I enjoyed the book even more for not being sure.
   
   I don't drink much, have rarely been in bars, and have spent little time on Long Island. Nonetheless, I had no trouble inhabiting Moehringer's world.
   
   I highly recommend this excellent memoir!

5 comments about Travels with Herodotus (Vintage International).

1. Ryszard Kapuscinki's final book is a wonderful synthesis of historical musing and inquiry with his own observations during his travels as a journalist. He draws on Herodotus' Histories, quoting from them extensively while drawing the reader into his own fascination with the ancient writer's motivations and sense of wonder at the episodes he recorded. This aspect of the book weaves seamlessly with the author's equally entertaining descriptions of the people and places he is personally experiencing while traveling to some of the 20th century's dark corners of the world.
   
   A perfect blend of historical essay and journalistic reportage that is never boring.



2. The last book by this great journalist. It makes perfect sense that he traveled with Herodotus, and that this ancient Greek writer, the first historian, or the first reporter, was like a companion to him. History is stories. Kapuscinsky was most wise in always remembering this and he learned it from Herodotus. His writing is transparent. He writes so you can know. He never forgets that nothing is definitive. He has some very wise things to say about Africa. I like that he sees Africa as part of the world and not as a special case. Herodotus did too. Herodotus wrote before the psychopathology of racism became a kind of law. Kapuscinsky writes in the aftermath, as the damage trickles down. He narrates in vivid snapshots. In this book he tells you where he came from. He describes Poland after WWII. He describes life under Stalin. He shares his first travel experiences. India! Completely unprepared! Culture shock! In this book you get to understand where his abiding clarity came from. I just loved it.



3. A poetic view into the experiences of a Polish man raised with Stalinist-era values, and how he deals with these values' total deficiency in helping him understand and cope with the rest of the world. A little-kid-in-big-city book. I can't dissociate myself from my classicist leanings enough to know what to do with his expansive interpretations of Herodotus, though. Try to enjoy them as fiction, as musings? Tough to do!
   
   Sadly, the book seems to me to lose steam halfway through: it becomes a regurgitation of Herodotus's stories about war (the LEAST interesting bits of Hdt., I think), literally paraphrasing Hdt. for chapters on end. I'm not enough of a literary gal to sustain the attention necessary to make these expansive retellings interesting as new literature. If I wanted to read Hdt., I would. And it would be far more interesting, because I'd get the neat ethnographic and mythological excurses mixed in with the boring accounts of battle formations.



4. This book steals the reader away from the present in a journey through time. Although his own stories and narratives are fascinating, Kapuscinski's enlivening of Herodotus becomes what holds you. You can't help but feel excitement for the reading journey ahead when you pick the book up after having put it down for a break. Furthermore, his analysis of a certain type of "traveler" (versus tourist) will haunt (or inspire) any of those who find themselves more the former than the latter. In the realm of memoirs, this book is of par excellence.



5. Kapuscinski reports on the people and political culture of the third and fourth worlds( the third being countries like Iran and the fourth countries like the Congo).
   
   He is very humble to recognize that it is difficult if not impossible to report on a country if a reporter does not speak the foreign country language such as India and Iran.
   
   He laments the total chaos of countries in Africa, the total anarchy !
   
   He also made us realize through Herodotus Histories that a good reporter is more than the reporter who provides snippets of sound and images clips for immediate daily consumptions.
   
   He forces us to realize that men in their psychological makeups are still the same as in Herodotus times.
   
   Through the Histories of Herodotus underatand today's events.

5 comments about Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72.

1. For me this is Hunter's masterpiece - Its what crystallises all of his skill and insights as a writer. Fear and Loathing is an excellent book but its also a head trip which gives first time readers the wrong impression of Thomphson but its Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail that will show you the real Hunter in all his savage intelligence and wry observational skill - its a tour de force which shows so often the sharp mind behind the stories of drugs and debauchery - if you've only read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas then you don't know Hunter at all - this is a good starting point.
   
   Its a picture of an America which has torn itself to pieces - the 1972 elections were a watershed in American politics, the death of Bobby Kennedy at the hands of Sirhan Sirhan in 1968 tore the heart of out the Democratic faithfull and was the major hinge of a series of events that led to the election of Richard Nixon in 68 when a country burned out on the divisive LBJ presidency voted Republican. The failure of the Democratic party to present a strong candidate in '68 led to the McGovern collapse in '72 as the party tore itself to pieces internally, consumed in infighting and political infighting that left it weakened and damaged.
   
   Thompson's insights into the system go beyond mer reportage, he has an ability to get inside the process and lay it bare and clear and at the same time present a picture of the US on the eve of a recession and worn out from a long and divisive war. Oh and somebody mentioned how Hunter seemed unfair on Humphrey in the book - On the contrary he more than explains his reasons why he dislikes the candidate and some reading on Humphrey and history would enlighten - for one thing he won the Presidential Nomination in '68 without winning a single primary - Thompson and other democrats were quite justified in seeing him as the a political hack controlled by the likes of Chicago's power broker Mayor Daley.
   
   Seriously. Read it. Distilled Hunter in so many ways and if youre expecting some sort of balance then youre in the wrong place - Hunter is here as always un comprimising - bitching about bias is missing the point - he never sets out to be balanced.



2. As I write this review, a dozen and a half presidential candidates are revved up to fly around the US, spending (all told) billions of dollars of Other People's Money, talking out of several sides of their mouth, slinging more mud than a construction crew, and falling over each other to get into the TV and newspaper spotlight.
   
   It is astounding how much this book, written 35 years ago, can teach us about what is going on today. I have vowed to read this book again in 4-5 years.



3. Another classic from HST, in fact maybe my favorite work of his. The setting for the book is the presidential campaign of 1972 pitting Gorge McGovern against Richard Millhouse Nixon. It begins with Thompson being sent by Rolling Stone to be the Washington D.C. correspondent for the magazine. From there the rollercoaster ride begins. HST chronicles the campaign from first, covering the Democratic primaries and running to the nomination of McGovern at the Democratic National Convention, and finally the Presidential election itself.
   HST pioneered his own unique style of gonzo journalism and this book, along with the classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, defined him and his craft. Stark in its style and approach, the prospective provided by HST of what it is like to be out there on the campaign trail is unique to my knowledge. A dramatic inside story of the battles of the campaign trail emerges and fills in significant gaps in other press coverage of the time. HST's quest for truth, politics, and the eternal buzz paint a picture that the straight press never could because of restrictions like `objectivity' and the like. The result is perhaps the best account to date on what is really going on behind the scenes of a campaign for the highest office in the land.
   The only drawback about reading HST is that it always gives me an incredible urge to drink and act in a semi-crazed style. It is says something about the infectious nature of his work and one often finds oneself wishing there were more gonzo journalists writing today.
   This book is essential reading for anyone interested in politics and the machinery behind it. Even if politics aren't your cup up tea, HST brings a new dimension to any subject that he writes about, one that can be appreciated for its raw truth as well as its unconventional delivery. Although HST only provides one way of looking at politics out many possible, readers would be doing a disservice to themselves by passing over this book. Other views are widely espoused by many journalists and pundits, but to my knowledge no one else has tread where HST has dared to go.
   This one gets 5 stars for being original, highly entertaining, and remaining relevant to this day.



4. I read this book as an appetizer for the current US presidential election campaign. And what an appetizer it is - akin to a halopenio shrimp cocktail with mescalin! It would have been an even better starter for the 2004 election, with which the 1972 election (featured here) shared many features: An incumbent hated by all the progressives at home and everybody in the rest of the world, an opponent who stands for nothing but not being that incumbent (defeated in the primaries in 72) and a murderous, immoral and expensive war on the other side of the world, which nevertheless didn't cost the US president his job.
   
   When the great HST covers the 1972 campaign, the verb "cover" takes on a whole new meaning. He immerses himself in the broadcast of a pro football game in order to adopt the same mindset as pro football fanatic Richard Nixon. He almost drowns in the Atlantic ocean in Miami in sight of his friends at a democratic primary-night party. At the republican convention, he joins the young republicans and talks to them about acid (they think he is referring to proton donors, like hydrochloric acid). Not despite, but rather because of this famous "gonzo" style of journalism, HST's book is rich in insight about US politics and politics in general. He goes so much further than the horse-race type coverage commonly fed to the public. Thompson provides an intelligent assessment of the moods and trends in the US population and a really smart analysis of why people vote for whom. He has excellent insight into the dynamics of the individual campaigns and how they are molded by the characters and agendas of the candidates, the interactions with their campaign workers and their relations to the party apparatus. HST doesn't think of elections as some kind of stunt happening every couple of years, but he explains them as deeply interwoven with the social and demographic workings of the USA.
   
   Some of my most favorite political quotes are from this book. Thompson really loves his country, he says "it could have been a testament to some of man's best instincts", but he is in despair over the crocks (Nixon and cronies) who have taken it hostage. This emotional state of his and the worry about the direction the US will take in '72 got him to write an intense and fiery book.
   
   Do yourself a favor - stop following the electoral coverage on the corporate media for a week, use your time to read this book, and then go back to the current campaign and you will view it in a new light.



5. This book's setting is eerily similar to the current state of affairs going on in with the 2008 Presidential Election, with the Democrats picking themselves apart while the Republicans sit back and enjoy the show. Richard Nixon is shown as the abomination that he was and HST's writing is as animated and humorous as I have ever seen it. This book surpassed my expectations and was a surprisingly fast read at 496 pages. I was left begging for more political insight and HST wit. A must read for any HST fan or anyone interested in the inner workings ( mostly the dark side) of politics. A great book that shows that HST was and is probably better than his already sizable legend permits.

5 comments about Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America.

1. Brigette Gabriel does an awesome job of showing what Islam really intends to do on a world scale. I have been researching Islam for over a year, and this book only adds the personal testimony of a person who has lived through the result of ignorance regarding Islamic intentions. I anxiously await the next book to be written. If Brigette comes to my area I will definitely go to see and hear her myself.
   Pastor Dave Aune



2. Brigitte Gabriel paints a grim picture of the islamic threat to U.S. and western civilization. Along with Noni Darwish's book Now, They Call Me Infidel Because They hate sounds an alarm that Americans should heed. Gabriel, a Lebanese Christian journalist details her experience under the Islamic Jihad that created the civil war in Lebanon. She also reveals that even the Christian maronite parochial school which she attended demonized the Jews and the Israeli's. So what else is new. The Christian faith continues to demonize the Jews. During WWII The Catholic Pope was the first foreign state to recognize Hitler. The Pope made a deal with him. If the nazi's left the jews converted to Catholicism alone, the Pope Vatican would turn a blind eye to the suffering of Europe's Jewish citizens. Now that Chritians too are under attack, they are sympathizing somewhat with their Jewish brethren. Too often in the past they were sacrificed as expendable to placate the hateful policies of other countries and nationalities including the Nazi torture and persecution of an entire people and civilization. Roosevelt knew what was happening and did nothing about it. Now as a nation we cannot afford to ignore the evil intentions of Israel's Muslim neighbors. As she says in her book "First comes saturday and then comes Sunday." This Arab phrase means "First we kill all the Jews. Then we kill all the Christians." Make no mistake. This is the fundamentalist intention. They are using our bill of rights against us. Spewing hateful speech to incite violence, they cite their first amendment rights to prevent any government action to stop it. While I applaud Brigette Gabriel's bravery in coming forward to speak publically about this threat, I do think she has gone a bit far. After reading these two books I not only support ethnic profiling, but I encourage it. Controlling discourse on campus and religious institutions is another ball of wax. Once we start down that slipery slope who knows where limitations on our 1st amendment rights of free speech, free press, and free religion will stop. Since the essence of a democracy is freedom of speech, press, and assembly, we could end up selling our American soul to preserve it. Then what would we have saved. Perhaps, more important would be to give equal funding and access to speakers like Noni Darwish and Brigitte Gabriel on college campuses and other forums. Gabriel's characterization of the entire democratic leadership as indictable for treason goes a bit too far. These comments indicate that she doesn't really understand the democratic process set up in this country. I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 for three reasons. First, that she draws the line too far. Second, her prose is often repetitive, and thirdly, it is not elegant. I still think that this book is a must read for every American. This woman is in constant danger because of what she states publically. I think that she and Noni Darwish are alive only becasue they are women who are viewed as inconsequential in the Muslim culture. Assasinating her would give her credence. She lays to rest the western belief that female suicide bommbers are participating out of feelings of desperation. They are participating after being harrassed and cajoled and accused of honor violations for which they will be killed. Particularly telling is the incident of the Arab girl raped by her two brothers and then killed by her mother because she had sexual intercourse outside of marriage. Her mother suffocated and beat her for 20 minutes before she died. How can we ever hope to understand this culture and win it over by conciliatory means? They understand and respect only force and strenght. Gabriel puts and end to the notion of Islam as a peaceful religion. The issue presented is where do we draw the line to protect ourselves without giving up completely what makes us Americans. First, I think we should use the Israeli Mossad for security profiles and follow their recommendations on profiling. The petrochemical complex already uses ex mossad agents for their security. One is unaware of this heightened security when entering the plants, but it is there. Like England we need more video surveillance. We must pay senior intelligence and FBI agents competitive salaries so that we don't have agencies run almost entirely by 'junior pilots", because the senoir people have left for more lucrative jobs in private industry. We must see the fundamentalist muslim threat as immediate and real. We must be politically incorrect at times to deal with the danger. College campuses must remain vigilent that professors treat students of any faith or nationality with equal respect. If Arab professors present a pro Muslim viewpoint equal class time should be given to talented speakers presenting the opposing view. Thus, students will not be unduly influenced by a polarizing Jihadist, anti-western, anti-Israeli view. Most troubling to me was the chapter on the fifth column at college campuses. The students who will be our future leaders and captians of industry are at a very impressionable age. It is too easy to imbue a professor with mentor like qualities held up as an ideal to be followed. We must also be vigilent on the true recipients of charitible donations. However, when it comes to Mosques preaching hatred and death, we must tred carefully. Any law abridging such speech could also be used to curtail legitimate government critisizm, a hallmark of democracy. Certainly, Barak Obama's pastor's speech would fall under this umbrella. I deplore what the Rev. Wright and his progeny have said, but I defend his right to say it. Where should we draw the line and how? Gabriel gives some suggestions, but I think they go to far. I do agree with her section on profiling. We could present more options for patriotism in classrooms such as reciting the pledge of allegiance. We could keep books such as this one and the Darwish book on school and public library shelves. We could also place the books on recommended reading lists on high school and college campuses so that students are assured of getting both sides of the argument. Right now they are primarily hearing the pro-muslim side only. Keep up the good work, Brigitte. However, I think



3. This is a very personal, emotional book to read - you have to prepare yourself. It is so moving, visual and shocking. Brigitte is an excellent writer and really knows how to express herself - you feel as though you're right there in the bomb shelters with her and her parents as they suffer unimaginable horrors. I'm so glad I was able to read this book because it is a real warning for America not to fall into complacency - that we all need to stay vigilant and know and understand our enemies. This story is so inspiring; it'll make you feel like you can accomplish anything after reading what she went through to beat the odds and become an American success story.



4. My husband loved the book. He said it was the best book he has read in a long time. The author gave a lot of personal experiences that gave in-depth insight into Islam. Because of his enthusiasm I can't wait to read it.



5. A MUST read for anyone concerned about our future. An eyeopening firsthand account of a group that exists in our country today.