5 comments about Character Counts: Leadership Qualities in Washington, Wilberforce, Lincoln, and Solzhenitsyn.

1. In a time when our nation (United States) no longer produces true statesmen with character such as Washington, Mason, Henry, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, I'm saddened that Abraham Lincoln is seen by the editor as a man of character. It would seem, if one is to be a thinking evangelical, that the horrors that Lincoln permitted in the South would un-nerve the most honest of scholars. Here, Os Guines has done a serious disservice to the orthodox Christian community. Abraham Lincoln rejected the Virginia Peace (which included former president John Tyler) accord and Sen. Critendem's compromise for peace. Surely had Lincoln accepted these plans for peace, thousands of lives could have been saved. But most of all, the total war theory Lincoln allowed is the most offensive and repugnate to any thinking Christian. Women and children were implemented in Lincoln's so called war to save the Union. He jailed opponents of his position, threatened the Supreme Court justice Roger Taney with arrest for writing against his war plan. Lincoln usurped the Constitution of the United States by declaring War against seceded states in violation of Article I sec. 8 (this is solely congress's domain). A nation birthed in secession hardly has the right to chastise those who operated from the same principle i.e. the right to govern themselves and self-determination. Os, you should be ashamed of yourself for lack of scholarship in this arena. Particularly over such a sensitive subject as the American War Between the States (Civil War). A man (Lincoln) who waged an offensive war against those who defended their rights and family against an unjust invasion has no place in a book where character matters. Maybe Robert E. Lee or Joshua Chamberlain could have saved you the embarassment. And no, Lincoln's war was not over slavery. Men do not take bullets so 10 % can own slaves. Character counts, so does scholarship.



2. In a time when our nation (United States) no longer produces true statesmen with character such as Washington, Mason, Henry, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, I'm saddened that Abraham Lincoln is seen by the editor as a man of character. It would seem, if one is to be a thinking evangelical, that the horrors that Lincoln permitted in the South would un-nerve the most honest of scholars. Here, Os Guines has done a serious disservice to the orthodox Christian community. Abraham Lincoln rejected the Virginia Peace (which included former president John Tyler) accord and Sen. Critendem's compromise for peace. Surely had Lincoln accepted these plans for peace, thousands of lives could have been saved. But most of all, the total war theory Lincoln allowed is the most offensive and repugnate to any thinking Christian. Women and children were implemented in Lincoln's so called war to save the Union. He jailed opponents of his position, threatened the Supreme Court justice Roger Taney with arrest for writing against his war plan. Lincoln usurped the Constitution of the United States by declaring War against seceded states in violation of Article I sec. 8 (this is solely congress's domain). A nation birthed in secession hardly has the right to chastise those who operated from the same principle i.e. the right to govern themselves and self-determination. Os, you should be ashamed of yourself for lack of scholarship in this arena. Particularly over such a sensitive subject as the American War Between the States (Civil War). A man (Lincoln) who waged an offensive war against those who defended their rights and family against an unjust invasion has no place in a book where character matters. Maybe Robert E. Lee or Joshua Chamberlain could have saved you the embarassment. And no, Lincoln's war was not over slavery. Men do not take bullets so 10 % can own slaves. Character counts, so does scholarship.



3. I'm dismayed to see the severely outdated political agenda of the Allens of North Carolina overshadow their opinions and reviews of Dr. Guinness' excellent book. I really doubt that the Oxford-educated Dr. Guinness should be "ashamed" of himself for his "lack of scholarship" in any area he chooses to write. Nor do I believe he is simply parroting the "Yankee propaganda," (referred to in another Allen "review") which is an entirely laughable concept.

   As for the book:
   A person's actions stem from their beliefs, which form their character. We have all seen examples -- at the corporate, political, and personal levels -- of those in leadership exhibiting less-than-ideal character, which corrupted their actions. This wonderful book provides a pleasant contrast to some of our contemporary leaders by examining the lives, actions, and beliefs of some truly amazing people; especially and including Abraham Lincoln, a wartime president who took extraordinary strides and went through unbelievable hardships to preserve our country.

   I'm currently reading my 4th book by Dr. Guinness, and have come to admire the author as a very strong Christian thinker and writer. As others have noted, he writes in the tradition of C.S. Lewis, and it is not hard to imagine him speaking to you personally as he guides you through his observations and reasoning.

   I also recommend "Fit Bodies, Fat Minds" and "Prophetic Untimeliness," as well as "The Call."




4. Following a rather politically charged introduction (the Lewinsky scandal is mentioned in the first sentence), the book has eight chapters, with two each apportioned to George Washington, William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, and Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. The inclusion of Washington is baffling: if did anything that required character, it is certainly not described in his chapters, which include a short biography and a summary of his views on religious liberty. The chapters on Wilberforce and Lincoln are good. Those on Solzhenitsyn are so brief (and heavily edited) as to be unmoving.



5. Guinness chooses four outstanding men, from the past 250 years, to demonstrate the moral leadership qualities that are sorely lacking in our world today. These individuals, George Washington, William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn all have left unmistakable footprints of integrity across the pages of time. By virtually any standard these are truly great men, and they are great because of their excellence of character. In an age that honors image and bows at the feet of spin-doctors, it is refreshing to be reminded that it has not always been so. And one can wish, if the Lord tarries, that we might once again live in a world in which integrity is back in style.
   
   That is not to say that all four of our heroes were true Christians. Wilberforce seems the best candidate, followed by Solzhenitsyn, Lincoln and Washington. This book however does not give any concrete evidence for the conversion of any of these men, save Wilberforce. Of course we are all rooting for them, but the sad truth is that while each possessed great virtues, most likely they lacked saving faith in Jesus Christ. This is almost certainly the case of Washington, who remained a Deist until the end of his life. And while honest Abe spoke much of God and often quoted Scripture, Christ and His saving grace is missing from his speeches and writings. Many have reported that Solzhenitsyn is a believer, but this volume provides no proof.

5 comments about Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey through Heartache to Activism.

1. I read the book and it gets one star. If I could give less I would since it is obvious she did not write it. But no matter, the woman with "total moral authority" has been abandoned by her former supporters in news, etc......They have finally seen what most of us have from the start..she is a moonbat.



2. I love Mrs Sheehan's book. She is very thoughtful and intelligent. She has done a good job of teaching herself about the realities of U.S. and world politics. Those people who gave this book a one star review most likely never read the booka and they should try getting their information elsewhere then Fox News.



3. Peace Mom is a powerful first hand account of one mother's struggle to find truth amidst violence and anger. Cindy Sheehan should be commended for her honesty and fiery energy that has arisen from her own personal tragedy; however, as a reader I was often annoyed and distracted by her poor grammar throughout her autobiography. At times, it seemed as if Sheehan wanted to fit her entire story onto one page. Too often, she digressed in the middle of a paragraph and then caught herself by saying, "more on that in the next chapter." She also decided to leave out much of her personal history or wrote it off as "abusive." This ambiguity left me wanting to know more about her past, so that I could better understand her metamorphosis into the "Peace Mom." Despite these misgivings, I felt that her palpable, simple writing was an effective way to describe her emotional state at crucial moments such as the day her son died, or the day she began Camp Casey.
   
   The chapter describing when she learned of her son's death was extremely poignant, but her pain was overshadowed by her anger toward the Bush administration. Her brash writing will obviously draw harsh criticism from the right and won't turn any hearts of those who are pro-Bush because of the offensive language she used to describe them. Also, I doubt this book will make any moderates still on the fence about Iraq (if any still exist) decide to become anti-war since she comes off as a bit manipulative and self-centered. This fact alone makes me wonder how many more people she would truly be able to reach and affect if she employed a bit more grace and tact.
   It is unfair to call Sheehan a puppet or someone trying to take advantage of her son's death because by simply reading about the impact her son's death had on her life, a reader will see that she truly is a mother who cared deeply for her son. This book, although not Pulitzer Prize worthy by any means, reminds Americans that it is our right to protest and question our government's decisions.



4. Cindy is a hero. She stood up to the most corrupt president in U.S. history.
   I keep a copy of her book next to my copy of the Bill of Rights. I can see the day when people will recognize Cindy Sheehan as a great American and Bush as a national shame.



5. What a terrible, awful little book. This book was horrible. Simply HORRIBLE. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. It was badly written, self-serving, self-centered, campy, corny, and overdone.
   
   Cindy Sheehan's book is full of poorly-articulated grief, anger, and the pain of losing her son Casey-- emotions to which she is certainly entitled. But it is also full of badly-composed political nonsense, mostly her deranged ranting and raving about the President's culpability in her son's death. On and on she goes, frothing like an angry dog about Bush's war, with all the requisite words changed just so, to little effect. "It's a war OF terror," she asserts. Yeah, Cindy, we get it, even without the bold or the italics. Neat little wordplay there.
   
   I take issue with her failure to explain how the President is directly responsible for the actions that killed Casey, or how his death is unique compared to the 4,000+ others that have also occurred in the war so far. I did a tour in a Iraq and have lost three close friends so far, with many more wounded and bearing emotional scars that will last them a lifetime. Similarly, my father's generation had Vietnam, and his father had World War II. Cindy Sheehan fails to see the circularity of this logic, that war is a condition of human interaction, and George Bush is not the one man responsible for Casey's death. While I honor Casey Sheehan and his decision to serve, I think it is safe to say that he would be appalled by his mother's behavior today if he were alive to see it.
   
   Bottom line: Terrible book, save your money, even if your opposition to the Bush/Cheney/Wolfowitz legacy is at a fever pitch; this book adds nothing to the conversation. There are many more insightful books about civil disobedience and/or protest and/or parental loss due to war that you could spend your money on; this steaming turd of a book doesn't deserve one more dime.

5 comments about The Long Pursuit: Abraham Lincoln's Thirty-Year Struggle with Stephen Douglas for the Heart and Soul of America.

1. Abraham Lincoln is probably the most famous past president in our history, with the possible exception of George Washington. Lincoln was a great man, but most people don't remember that for much of his life, he was largely a political failure, if a principled one. The chief reason for this was a political rival, a Democrat named Stephen A. Douglas. Douglas was a powerhouse in the Senate for a quarter century, forging compromises and legislation, arguing the cause of compromise with the South so that discord didn't destroy his party and country. Douglas and Lincoln met in debate repeatedly, and were rivals in Illinois politics for a considerable time.
   
   While they were rivals, they were also at least cordial, if not outright friends. Finally, in 1857, Lincoln was nominated for the Senate seat Douglas held, and the two met in a series of debates. Douglas won the election, but had to say things in the debates that alienated the South, while Lincoln managed to engage, even energize the Republican sentiment in much of the country with his side in the debates. Within two years, Douglas was a weak candidate for president, fatally wounded by a rival Democrat nominated by the Southern Democratic party, and so Lincoln triumphed in the presidential election in 1860.
   
   The story of all of this is very well-recounted in this book by Roy Morris Jr. Morris is careful to give Douglas his due. Frankly, Stephen A. Douglas should be a better-known figure in American politics. When Lincoln won the presidency in 1860, Douglas, in spite of the animosity that had permeated the election, immediately endorsed Lincoln, and castigated the South for their threats to secede. This sort of politics is today very unusual, and you wonder whether anyone today thinks they could learn from the past.
   
   I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in Lincoln or the 19th Century.



2. It is a common observation that we are shaped, morally and intellectually, by the people we choose as friends. As demonstrated by this book, we may be shaped even more dramatically by our enemies and competitors.
   
   Abraham Lincoln was such an amazing president that we often forget how difficult was his climb from obscurity. As Roy Morris makes clear, Stephen Douglas was essential to Lincoln's training. The competition between these two men brought out the best in Lincoln, and forced him to refine his political skills and ideas. In particular, it forced Lincoln to define a moral yet measured approach to limiting the scope of slavery in the territories, with the hope of sending the institution to its ultimate extinction.
   
   My main surprise was Morris' limited treatment of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. However, he makes up for that deficiency with many insights into related issues, such as Douglas' struggles within the Democratic Party at the time of the 1860 presidential election.
   
   Morris weaves into his narrative many interesting opinions and suppositions about Lincoln's subjective reactions to the events swirling around him. However, at times Morris seems to get carried away, and projects onto Lincoln opinions that are inconsistent with the historical record. For example, he makes a passing reference to the "notably irreligious Lincoln," which is hard to reconcile with Lincoln's profound religious beliefs, reflected in his many speeches and letters, and culminating in his powerful Second Inaugural address. (See e.g. White, Lincoln's Greatest Speech)



3. Coming, as I do, from the Land of Lincoln, new books on our 16th president are always of interest. Rarely do they seem to take a new tack on an old story. Though some are better written than others, many seem to cover the same ground. Morris, however, does something interesting in his book, The Long Pursuit. He gives us a look at Lincoln through the long-standing relationship/rivalry between Lincoln and the other important Illinois politician of the time, Stephen Douglas.
   
   In fact, if the truth be told, Douglas was the more important of the two figures right up to the point that Lincoln won the presidency in 1860. Throughout the 1850's, Douglas was the powerhouse Democratic senator from Illinois and perennial candidate for president while Lincoln remained, if not an unknown, certainly a small-time, provincial politician. It was, of course, his series of debates with Douglas and the resulting fallout during the senate election of 1858 that finally took Lincoln to national prominence and gave him his shot at the presidency two years later.
   
   In some ways, it is too bad that Douglas has been all but forgotten except as Lincoln's foil in those all important debates. (Can you tell I'm from one of the cities in which those debates took place?) Considering his impact during those antebellum years, Douglas deserves better. And, to his credit, Morris does him justice here. We are offered plenty of fair insight into Douglas's character here and how he tried to navigate his way through difficult times while being a powerful leader. In many ways, I feel I know Stephen Douglas much better from reading this book.
   
   Still, this is Lincoln's story. And it is Lincoln's story under a spotlight focused on a very particular period of time. We get very little of Lincoln's youth, now well-passed into legend. The story really picks up with Lincoln's arrival at New Salem, Illinois, as a young man, soon to enter political life. It follows Lincoln through his ups and downs in Illinois, his encounters with Douglas (including details on those all important debates), his positioning as the Republican candidate for president, his improbable yet inevitable election, and finishing up with his swearing in as president. Nothing is mentioned of his years in the White House. Which is just what this book needs as it tells a different story. Within months of Lincoln's swearing in, Douglas was dead.
   
   In the end, this is an excellent book. In a well-ploughed field of history, it is unique. Not only that, it is well-written and informative about a period of Lincoln's life that is less well-known and brings back to life Stephen Douglas--a man who, but for some twists of fate, could be as well-remembered as Lincoln (if not as well-respected, perhaps). For anyone interested in Lincoln's life, this is a book that should be read.



4. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were the two preeminent Illinois politicians of the pre-Civil War era, and their debates are an important part of American political history. On the eve of the 150th anniversary of these debates comes the release of "The Long Pursuit," which chronicles the complicated political relationship of these men far beyond these famous debates. I'm a neophyte to Lincoln history, so I approached this book with some trepidation. Fortunately, the book is well-written and straight-forward enough that I was able to follow along without knowing a great deal of Lincoln history.
   
   The average person knows Douglas mostly through his debates with Lincoln, and Roy Morris Jr. notes with irony that most people think that Douglas lost the political race in which the debates occurred. Instead, Douglas won the Illinois Senate race against Lincoln; he was considered a star in politics, whereas Lincoln remained essentially a relatively obscure country lawyer. When Douglas became an obvious Democratic nominee for the Presidency, these debates actually ended up helping Lincoln, as his supporters in the Republican Party could argue that Lincoln knew Douglas and his debating style so well that he could match up well with Dougles, despite the earlier loss. Fortunately for Lincoln, his stance against the spread of slavery into new territories gained greater acceptance in the North than did Douglas' appeasement approach, and he managed to spring to the Presidency over the better known Douglas (helped by the entry into the race of several third party candidates).
   
   Indeed, throughout his early career, Lincoln seemed to be inexorably tethered to Douglas, although history obviously has dimmed the reputation of Douglas, who was known as the Little Giant in his day. "The Long Pursuit" is interesting reading, and the material is certainly timely given the anniversary of their famous debates. Roy Morris Jr. does a good job placing their relationship in historical context and including enough interesting stories to keep this Lincoln newbie interested. I was a bit disappointed that the Lincoln-Douglas debates were not covered in greater detail; however, that simply may have been beyond the scope of this book, and that material does seem to be covered in many other texts. What this book did do is whet my appetite for more information and to seek out other books on the topic.



5. This title is essentially a dual biography of the political lives of Douglas and Lincoln. Although well-researched and informative, with numerous personal anecdotes covering both men, it never quite brings Lincoln or Douglas to life.
   
   Instead, Morris emphasizes the growing struggle of words, political parties and ideas as America grappled with its "irrepressible conflict." The author conveys Douglas as a capable conventional politician with "practical solutions to political problems" who nonetheless "failed to recognize that many northerners and southerners had moved beyond mere politics into a realm of theoretical certitude as exacting and precise as a hard-shelled Baptist's understanding of sin." (p. 193) Douglas strove to stand on a middle ground that was dividing like a geological fault line. The chasm opened and Douglas fell through - obvious with historical perspective but not so to Douglas and his followers in the late 1850's.
   
   Too intellectually intense to be a simple "good read," this book nonetheless conveys well a recurring theme in politics when a paradigm shift suddenly renders a "reasonable" viewpoint out of date. In ordinary times, the experienced and capable Douglas might have become president. But times were not normal, and so a rustic, funny man with a gift for speaking and a latent consistency of purpose rose to become America's president in its hour of greatest need.

1 comments about Citizen: Jane Addams and the Struggle for Democracy.

1. This is a book about a woman who made a difference. It is also the story of a woman's triumph over Victorian ideas about a woman's place and over personal uncrtainties. Jane Addams became a leading humanitarian and spokesperson for women but she also led struggles which enhanced the notion of democracy in this country and the world. Ms. Addams did not see democracy as neoconservatives see it today. She was not a fighter for capitalism or Republican values but rather for participation and inclusion. She was also a crusader for world peace.
   
   Jane Addams and her colleagues were not like 21st century Americans. She was practically humorless and was moved by moral imperatives almost unknown to us. However, she, aside from being the "real thing", was famous for her kindness to immigrants and children.
   
   This book deals with her early life and her humanitarian efforts in the United States. It discusses the founding of Hull House, one of the first settlement houses in this country, and relates the operation of Hull House to the awakening of Addams' interest in many important causes.
   
   The book is a good read for those who are interested in women's history or in the history of reform and, indeed, radicalism in this country (for she was a radical). It is well researched and written and does not try to turn Addams into a midwestern Mother Teresa.

4 comments about Wellington: The Iron Duke.

1. The book aims to be realistic - the fog of
   war is foggy indeed, and Wellington sometimes makes mistakes. The
   casualties at Waterloo are appalling, and the battle almost lost.
   Lt.-Col. Trant of "Sharpe's Rangers" fame actually appears, an excellent soldier but "the most drunken dog there ever was" in Wellington's words.

   Unusual is the emphasis on Wellington's Indian campaign and on the
   Peninsular War - the period of Sharpe's Rangers is the most important in
   the book. The Battle of Waterloo is treated as somewhat of an
   afterthought, as I suppose it was (if Nap had won it would have been a
   very different matter, of course). There are a number of good plates,
   including a daguerrotype of the Iron Duke himself in his mid-70s, looking
   buth shrewd and oddly sympathetic.




2. This is one of those books that once you take it up, you can't put it down!

   Its balanced treatment of Wellington the man, the military man and the politican, has meant that this is not just a book about Waterloo.

   One is left with the impression that Wellington was a great man, with equal weight given to his 'greatness' and his 'humanness'.

   Very readable and highly recommended.




3. Richard Holmes's "Wellington - The Iron Duke" is a well-written survey of the active life of the First Duke of Wellington. In just 300 pages, Holmes presents a balanced, even nuanced view of a man who was both the quintessential military professional and a complex human being. Through Holmes' efficient prose, we see Wellington as an extradinarily dedicated soldier who mastered his profession in ways few of his contemporaries did, yet who sometimes paid a price on campaign for his insistence on micromanaging his armies. Wellington comes across as a remarkably honest and duty-bound public servant; as a young man, he was also relentlessly ambitious, and as an older man, sensitive about his military reputation.
   
   Holmes provides some useful insights. He suggests that exhaustion and strain were responsible for Wellington's uncharacteristically poor performance at the Siege of Burgos in 1812. Holmes examines the academic dispute over Wellington's relationship with the Prussians during the Waterloo Campaign; he tellingly notes Wellington's responsibilities to his alliance partners and to the British Government and finds that he served both. Holmes acknowledges Wellington's extramaritial activities but resists the urge to obsess over them or to indulge in psycological speculation.
   
   Serious students of the Duke and of the Napoleonic Wars will find no new scholarship here; indeed, Holmes readily acknowledges his debt to earlier works such as Elizabeth Longford's exceptional biography and Jac Weller's battlefield narrative trilogy. Holmes has provided an accessible biography for the general reader, supported by well-chosen quotes from the Duke' contemporaries and by a nice selection of illustrations.
   
   This book is highly recommended to the general reader with an interest in the man and the era.



4. Richard Holmes is an eminent historian and a splendid TV presenter but, though I found his study of the great Duke of Wellington an enjoyable biography that I couldn't put down until it was finished, I also found myself being irritated on too many of the 303 pages (hardback edition) by mis-spellings and stylistic and punctuation inconsistencies. An example of the latter was the mixed and varying use of inverted commas (quote marks). My own preference is for the end of a phrase or a sentence to appear thus: '................... end,' or '..................... end.' Too often the style was thus '........................ end', or '........................... end'. Mr Holmes ought to have made up his mind which way his work was to appear or his editor ought to have been sacked!
   
   Another niggle was that the Duke's Hampshire home was named only once as 'Strathfieldsaye,' with '[sic]' to follow. Mr Holmes should have been aware that that was the original spelling and that 'Stratfield Saye' is the more modern name of the house and estate.
   
   I mustn't criticise too much, however, because I learned a lot from a very good book and I recommend it to other lovers of our British history and other admirers of one of the greatest and most courageous Britons ever to have been born.

5 comments about A Personal Odyssey.

1. Perhaps nothing profound is in this book, but it
   can lead the reader to suspect that Thomas Sowell
   has written other, deeper things. It is full of
   stories about various sorts of irrational bureaucrats
   in academia, in government, and in the military,
   maybe not _quite_ as extreme as the pointy-haired
   boss in _Dilbert_, but definitely the sort who could
   have inspired that character. Thomas Sowell could be
   considered a sort of minor patron saint (or "patron
   hero" if such a thing exists) of the virtues of
   sticking to one's guns, calling the shots as one
   sees them despite heavy pressure from those who
   don't understand, refusing to follow any party
   doctrine as if it were infallible dogma, and caring
   about one's students.



2. I first became acquainted with Dr. Sowell through his weekly articles in our local paper and am really impressed by the things he writes about, so I jumped at the chance to get this story of his life. He is a black man who moved from a hard beginning to what I consider great heights. He is a man who will not compromise his convictions no matter the cost. A very inspiring read of a fellow traveler through this time on earth and I would recommend it highly.



3. Sowell's autobiography leaves a lot to be desired in terms of literary style. His writing is mostly stilted, and you feel that he is writing at you rather than taking you along on his "personal odyssey". There are far more "literary" books in this genre, two of which I recently read, one of which I reviewed: Into My Own: The Remarkable People and Events That Shaped a Life. Nevertheless, Sowell's book provides valuable insights and lessons from his struggles and circumstances with which he dealt.
   
   Sowell comes across as someone who was, from a very young age, very aware of his situation with respect to others, and keenly knowledgeable of actions he needed to take to improve his lot. This he models when he advocate for a better class placement in elementary school, for example. The same goes for the rest of his career, including his stint in the military.
   
   He demonstrates a very rational, economics-type mind, before becoming an economist, making decisions such as whether to clean his rifle for inspection based on the probability that his specific rifle would ever be selected for actual inspection. For someone like me who is generally a rule follower, its almost painful to see how Sowell "got away" with so much while most of the time he was just practicing good reasoning.
   
   He leaves a lasting impression as someone who always puts principle before practicality, though he sometimes seems too uncompromising. But he lives and dies by the sword, and he more than once left a job or project for reasons of principle, most of the time with little to fall back on.
   
   While his comments and anecdotes on academia, economics, politics, racism, social policy and other issues where interesting and stimulating, I was left wanting for more in terms of introspection or revelation.



4. This is an inspiring book overall, and for me personally. My views are very similar to those of Dr. Sowell and, like him, I'm a PhD economist. Like the author, I have worked in government, the private sector, and academia, so I very much understand the frustration he faced at various stages of his career and his reasons for moving from job to job during the early part of his career, despite taking pay cuts at various points along the way.
   
   What I most admire about Dr. Sowell is his refusal to compromise, his consistently high standards, and his keen eye for the truth. These are what make him truly unique and, in my estimation, almost heroic. It is very difficult to make one's way in this world without compromising your standards and eventually giving in to mediocrity. A clearly brilliant man, he never tolerated stupidity from those who should know better. Most definitely a person to be admired and emulated (if that's possible).



5. If you are interested in Thomas Sowell and enjoy some of his other books, then this book will be the perfect compliment explaining this great man's life. Built off of all personal accounts, Dr. Sowell takes you through his journey from a youngster to today's life.
   
   Intriguing chapters include ones about being in the military, his son's inability to speak early on, and his mental conundrum about whether to get his PhD or not.
   
   I personally enjoyed every page in the book and now feel like I know the man as a personal friend. Thank you Dr. Sowell!

3 comments about A Breach of Privilege: Cilley Family Letters, 1820-1867.

1. Eve Anderson has created a most remarkable work with A Breach of Privilege. It is simultaneously a fascinating and truly authentic account of daily life in the early 19th-century, an engrossing chronicle of several generations of an amazing American family, and an eye-opening history of a young United States.

   The events and personalities of A Breach of Privilege virtually leap off the page, and become as familiar to the reader as those of any novel. In fact, it's difficult to believe that the members of one family could have been witness to as many remarkable events in American history as were the Cilleys, but it is all true. From the quiet hills of New England to the marbled halls of the Capitol and dusty battlefields of the Civil War, their thoughts, prayers and fears come alive as can only happen in private letters.

   Anderson has done a wonderful job of weaving delightful anecdotes and insightful facts into the narrative, blending them naturally with the Cilley letters themselves. As a result the lives of the characters flow seamlessly with the events of the time, an era in American history that is little studied and only vaguely understood today. It was a time of tremendous turmoil and remarkable change, and it all comes to life through the words of a Jacksonian Congressman, his pious wife, and their sons, officers in the Union Army and Navy during the Civil War.

   The letters are transcribed exactly as they were written, complete with spelling and grammatical errors, by the members of this singular family. They speak of a time when death was as common as life, when children were lost with frightening regularity, when the horrors of war were secondary to its glory, and when the survival of the nation was all but certain. This is a book of history, authentic to the last detail, but beyond that it is a fascinating story.




2. Via the medium of personal letters written between 1820 and 1867, the author has succesfully brought to life an era in the history of our early republic. She has defly connected them into a cohesive narrative. Her historical insights enhance the story. What I liked best was that it is a good read for the general public.



3. This is a wonderful book. A great read for anyone even if they aren't related to this historic family. The letters bring to life the people and life in the early 1800's. They did a wonderful job transcribing the letters and the Author has done a great job with explainations on how life was then.

5 comments about Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology.

1. This book is a collection of cyberpunk stories assembled by Bruce Sterling. It is supposedly the definitive cyberpunk fiction collection. There are some really good stories in the book such as the Gernsback Continuum, Solstice, Freezone, Till Human Voices Wake Us, Stone Lives, and Mozart with Mirrorshades. These tales had advanced technological concepts and more importantly, good stories. The stories touched on gene engineering, time travel, cybernetics, and other popular cyberpunk themes. Some of the other stories were pretty interesting, but some just didn't seem to fit. For example, Tales of Houdini and Petra seemed out of place in this collection. Though they were both sci-fi tales, they didn't seem to be cyberpunk.



2. This is simply a fantastic collection of the best stories of my favorite literary subgenre, the Cyberpunk Movement in the 1980s and early 1990s. While I may not like William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, I am not ignorant when it comes to their importance in popularizing and shaping the genre. Also here are Rudy Rucker, the acting grandfather of the genre; and Pat Cadigan, the Queen of Cyberpunk (even though she had very little, if any, real competition).

   While there are a couple newer Cyberpunk collections, The Ultimate Cyberpunk coming to mind, the first is still the best. Not only are the stories fantastic, but the anthology didn't have to rely on a nostalgia effect, like those that are being published now.

   A good introduction to the genre, as well as an essential item for one's collection.




3. Bruce Sterling's anthology Mirrorshades announced the existence of cyberpunk. A more modern type of street level, urban science fiction in a lot of cases. While the authors here have done better work elsewhere this is still a very interesting and influential collection, and certainly of use to people with an interest in that sort of science fiction.
   
   Cadigan, Gibson and Shirley are all here, for example.
   
   Mirrorshades : The Gernsback Continuum - William Gibson
   Mirrorshades : Snake-Eyes - Tom Maddox
   Mirrorshades : Rock On - Pat Cadigan
   Mirrorshades : Tales of Houdini - Rudy Rucker
   Mirrorshades : 400 Boys - Marc Laidlaw
   Mirrorshades : Solstice - James Patrick Kelly
   Mirrorshades : Petra - Greg Bear
   Mirrorshades : Till Human Voices Wake Us - Lewis Shiner
   Mirrorshades : Freezone - John Shirley
   Mirrorshades : Stone Lives - Paul Di Filippo
   Mirrorshades : Red Star Winter Orbits - William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
   Mirrorshades : Mozart in Mirrorshades - Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner
   
   
   
   Not a fan of retro sf design.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Serpent brain wartech is problematic.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Direct mental music.
   
   3.5 out of 5
   
   
   Escape master movie.
   
   2 out of 5
   
   
   Team survival is tricky.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Bioguru woman's Stonehenge drug binge unhinges into cryogenic desperation.
   
   4.5 out of 5
   
   
   Gargoyle boys and girls.
   
   3.5 out of 5
   
   
   Mermaid clone affair ends quite fishily.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   America losing, rock is dead, gay bar's an escape.
   
   3.5 out of 5
   
   
   Corporate anarchy watching brief blackout provides relative promotion.
   
   4.5 out of 5
   
   
   Cosmonaut crapout space station hitchhikers.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Let them wear leather bikinis and crave recording deals.
   
   4 out of 5



4. A battered copy lives in my nightstand at all times. Between novels, I always come back to this, flipping through the pages until a word catches my eye. Such a diversity of talent, mixed together quite well here.



5. Either I do not believe the book has a good selection of Cyberpunk stories collection, or there are not that many good Cyberpunk stories?? Being a classical Sci-fi fan reading all those Asimov and classical stuff, this sort of new blood stories doesn't live up to it. May be I haven't seen the real good Cyberpunk story yet. But certainly not this collection.

5 comments about Boxing For Cuba: An Immigrant's Story of Despair, Endurance, & Redemption.

1. Wonderful insight into the life and struggles of a refugee child, his relationship to the parents who had to send him on alone to a new land, and his thoughts on both Cuba and the US. Very personal and open.



2. Guillermo Vidal's richly detailed writing makes the heart ache as he recounts his family's immigration from Cuba to the United States. An intimate family portrait emerges from the struggle and conflicts this family endures and ultimately overcomes. A worthwhile and inspiring read.



3. What a brave man, Guillermo Vincente Vidal (a/k/a "Bill") is for putting his life into words for all the world to experience! Boxing for Cuba is one of those books that really makes you "feel". You can't help but feel Bill's joy, his pain, his sadness and loneliness, his excitement, his fear and above all, his love for his family and his heritage. Boxing for Cuba is one of those rare finds that once you start, you simply can't put it down and even after you've devoured the final page you're left longing for more.



4. I know the author. Very large gaps in life story, but the main part was the Operation Pedro Pan. Very interesting



5. Bill Vidal's portrait of pre-Castro Cuba compellingly reveals how the regime change of 60 years ago affected both his family and the island's other well-to-do residents. Initially supportive of the new government, his father lost both his property and his livelihood, resulting in a decision by him and his wife to send their three boys to the U.S. on one of the so-called Peter Pan flights, along with 14,000 other Cuban children. Despite their parents' very dysfunctional relationship, life without family and homeland proved an almost overwhelming challenge. Instead of the promised foster home, the children ended up in the startlingly abusive environment of a Catholic orphanage in Pueblo, Colorado, until their parents were able to rescue them and once again establish a home. Readers will empathize strongly with the efforts of the boys' father to reestablish himself in an alien environment, and with their mother, who finally leaves the family to be near family in Miami. Bill's eventual success as Deputy Mayor and Manager of Public Works for the City and County of Denver offers hope and inspiration. The rapprochement between Bill and his complicated parents before their deaths is a poignant testimony to the power of family and the character of the man. Reminiscent of Carlos Eire's moving memoir, "Waiting for Snow in Havana," Vidal's book is more gritty, more personal, more frank, more open.

2 comments about Narrative of Sojourner Truth (Penguin Classics).

1. I thought this book was written a little differently, but I also found it helpful. It was cool how Sojourner Truth's Book of Life was written inside of it along with a whole separate book. There was a lot of good information in it. I used this book for a school project and it worked out great. The book was useful and interesting to read because there are letters from people she knew that were written to her. I enjoyed reading this also recieved info from it.



2. This book is an excellent biography. It goes a little further into the creases and crefices of the life of this great woman. I used it for a presentation in one of my doctoral courses and found it on a level that fit my needs.