1 comments about Caught in the Web: Inside the Police Hunt to Rescue Children from Online Predators.

1. This is an important text as it is designed for the lay-reader with an interest in the online circulation of images of child exploitation. It gives some details of how various law enforcement agencies apprehend the perpetrators of these crimes.
   
   Sher is a competent researcher and writer but I find a few things a bit displeasing. I sometimes feel as though the way in which he creates a narrative out of the facts and the language used to border a little on sensationalism. It feels akin to a thriller/spy novel in parts. I don't feel as though it's necessary to bolster this topic in such a way. I'm aware that Sher is wanting to generate a "public outcry" and so it's not unintentional that the text sometimes reads this way. I don't find it helpful though as I find that it glamorizes the work of law enforcement agents and even to an extent online paedophiles. Whilst the people who do this work deserve respect, I think more care should be taken not to make the police appear smug because I'm not sure that they should be feeling smug about the way they've managed this problem.
   
   Sher has listed the Australian arm of the Landslide related bust as 'Operation Ascent' (p.306) but I'm fairly sure it's actually 'Operation Auxin'. He listed it correctly as Auxin in other parts of the book but for some reason there's an error there. If I'm wrong about that then I'll happily retract.
   
   I also have to criticize Sher for repeating so much of the rhetoric that promotes the relationship between the online circulation of child pornography and capitalism. Whilst there is a black market of child pornography, I think that even the cases mentioned in this text demonstrate that the task of curbing the sexual exploitation is not really similar to curbing the abuse/sale of prohibited substances like drugs and I don't think Sher should let people who make such analogies pass without comment. I acknowledge the importance of drawing public attention to credit card companies and crime but I think there's a lot of silly statements in that chapter in particular. I think it has the potential to mislead readers about which issues are most pertinent in attempting to control this problem.
   
   If you've read this book and found it interesting then I recommend 'Beyond Tolerance: Child Pornography on the Internet' by Philip Jenkins. It's slightly more academic but still very accessible text. It focuses on one site of exchange in particular, so it doesn't have the scope of Sher's writing but it offers a lot more analysis of the problem and I think it answers some of the questions or at least helps us think about possible answers for some of the questions that Sher begs.

2 comments about Exodus 1947: The Ship That Launched a Nation.

1. This very moving book covers the story of the "Exodus", the unarmed ship carrying more than 4,500 Holocaust survivors seeking refuge in "British occupied" Palestine during 1947.

   The ship, a former tourist vessel designed to carry only 400 passengers, is described as having been rammed and boarded by the British Royal Navy which was determined to prevent the Jewish Holocaust survivors from finding refuge in Palestine. The entry of the "Exodus" into Haifa harbour is further described amidst a British military blockade. But the story in this book is not so much about the ship, but about the individuals on board, their history & personal suffering, together with what faced them following their arrival in "Palestine" and the process outlined with such clarity in this work, which saw them being used as "political pawns" by the British Government.

   The book begins with a description of the "Displaced Persons" camps of Europe, where those fortunate to survive the "Concentration Camps" were housed. The book recounts how some 70,000 Holocaust survivors "found their way out" of the "Displaced Persons" camps and made the tortuous journey across land borders, forests, mountain ranges, the Alps until they eventually located "secret" ports in France and Southern Italy where they climbed aboard a motley fleet of virtually obsolete vessels, including cutters, leaky fishing boats, cargo vessels, icebreakers, banana carriers, yachts & steamers (one called Exodus 1947) upon which they embarked upon their desperate journey to reach their ancient homeland of Eretz Israel, the "Promised Land".

   The journey on the "Exodus" itself is described as being endured under extremely insanitary and unbelievably cramped conditions, whilst always under the threat of being arrested as "illegal immigrants" during the British blockade.

   The book is replete with many photographs documenting the above and the story reaches the night of 17th July 1947 when "Haganah boys" pasted handbills on the shop windows of Netanya, Haifa and Jerusalem depicting the plight of the "Exodus" and describing it's cargo of 4,554 refugees consisting of 1,600 men, 1,282 women, 1,017 young people and 655 children. The posters also advising readers that the ship had been spotted by the British Navy and that five destroyers and a cruiser were closing in on the vessel.

   The book documents the subsequent broadcast from the "Exodus" itself, which related how the Royal Navy had attacked the vessel at a distance of "17 miles from the shores of Palestine" in "international waters". The "Exodus" described as having been rammed from three directions and subjected to gas bombs and gunfire which left one Jewish civilian dead, five dying and some twenty wounded. The boarding of the "Exodus" by British troops is also detailed. Photographs of the damage to the vessel and the wounded Jewish civilians are also included. The book then describes the plight of the Jewish refugees as they are then forcibly ejected from the "Exodus". The ensuing public reaction is also described.

   As the story proceeds, the book cites the British authorities as describing the prison camps of Cyprus as being "too good" for the Jewish refugees and outlines how the British "decided to make an example of them" by returning the Holocaust survivors upon three ships to Port-de-Bouc in Southern France. A measure portrayed in the book as a deterrent to others who would "dare run the British blockade".

   Amidst further British threats to then transfer the Holocaust survivors to Germany the book shows the reaction on board ship as a British flag is painted with a "swastika" below the Union Jack. The described plight of the refugees is heartbreaking as they are disembarked in Germany where the book recounts so many having been murdered by the Nazi regime. (Being British, having served in our military & studied the Holocaust for many years, I feel very uncomfortable at the described behaviour of my "compatriots".)

   The book also details how, having been forcibly returned to Europe and incarcerated in these "camps" in Germany, many of these self same Jewish refugees/Holocaust survivors began repeating their individual, tortuous process of escaping. The book depicting how they once more embarked upon their journeys back to their ancestral homeland, with many having reached Israel when their nation was re-born on 15th May 1948. Many described as forming part of the fledgling Jewish forces which met the combined invasion from the surrounding Arab nations immediately after the Jewish nation's declaration of independence.

   This is an extremely moving, often disturbing book, about an often overlooked period of history. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Jewish history and events surrounding the re-birth of the Jewish state of Israel. The excellent photographs themselves are worthy of a special mention. Thank you.




2. Ruth Gruber's EXODUS 1947: THE SHIP THAT LAUNCHED A NATION
   In 1945, President Harry Truman, learning of the horrible DP(Displaced Persons) camps in Germany asked Ernest Bevin, England's foreign minister to open the doors of Palestine to 100,000 DP's. A committee was formed that voted to open the doors, but Bevin refused. The ship named Exodus 1947, carrying 4,554 refugees, met resistance for this destination of Palestine. As noted in Gruber's book, Exodus, 1947: The Ship That Launched A Nation, a predominantly Jewish city, Tel Aviv, was on strike to protest this as it shut down for an entire day.
   Following this, the ship, landed in Haifa as a battered vessel and Ruth Gruber documented the surge of heartbreak and hope, emotion and enormous anxiety to desperately reach the homeland. Exodus, 1947 came out in America recently and just came out in England after being banned for sixty years. It is now receiving rave reviews. One headline in London's Sunday Express read, "I SAW JEWS FORCED INTO SHIPS FROM DANTE'S HELL", and the article described the shameless way the Jews were treated.
   Some reporters wrote the Jews of the Exodus were sent to Cypress. It is not true. Bevin considered Cypress a prison hell hole of sand and wind-too good for the Jews of the Exodus. They were sent to Germany in three prison ships. Gruber was selected to represent the entire American Press aboard the prison ship Runnymede Park. When she climbed the top deck the Holocaust survivors raised a flag. They had printed the Swastichka on the British Union Jack. Gruber's photo of the flag became Life Magazine's photo of the week. These Jews were defying not only the British Empire. They were defying the whole world. The refugees managed to escape from the prison camps in Germany and were in Palestine when it became Israel on May 14, 1948.
   Gruber's words paint a picture of what the refugees endured between surviving the Holocaust and being settled afterwards. Her insight into the resourcefulness and creativity of people in the camps revealed a people with a fierce determination to rise above a sad past and still difficult present environment. Exodus 1947: The Ship That Launched A Nation chronicles the journey of hope and desperation for Holocaust survivors.
   
   Review by Phyllis Johnson, author of Being Frank with Anne- the poetic interpretation of Anne Frank's diary- Community Press

No comments about Run, Bambi, Run.

No comments about The Great Railroad Adventure - a True Tale from the American Civil War.

No comments about Unsolved Crimes: Great True Crimes of the Twentieth Century.

5 comments about Hunting Eric Rudolph.

1. Hunting Eric Rudolph is an awesome read. The authors deliver the story of Rudolph's entire life, often with an insightful and somtimes humorous backdrop. It goes in depth to explain the reasons for Rudolph's perplexing psyche and the culture in which it was cultivated.
   
   The real value of the book however is the context in which it is delivered. Schuster explains why this story was not only significant in our past, but what we can extract from it to prevent similar types of domestic terrorism in our future. Thoroughly researched and masterfully presented, this was definitely a book that I could not put down.



2. This is one of the best true crime books I've read in a long time. Really well done. Highly recommended!



3. This account of Eric Rudolph was very interesting. I found the book a little more interesting than the average reader probably will because he was born in my hometown, I lived in B'ham and I was also vacationing in Murphy in the summer of 98 when the fbi had helicopters and officers searching the entire nantahala area.The only complaint I have about the book (and it's minimal) is that I thought that they spent too much time on details about his family in the middle of the book and it kind of slowed down the pace. Having said that, the pace is still as good as any fiction novel/mystery novel i've ever read. If you enjoy a fast paced, puzzle solving-type story, this book is right up your alley.



4. This is a gripping story, very well-told. From that bomb explosion at the Atlanta Olympics, through the Richard Jewell madness, and then subsequent attacks on abortion clinics, this tale is told with the detailed knowledge of a true insider -- an agent on the case -- with a skilled journalist's perspective and context. The psychological profile of Rudolph, the criminal mastermind,gives it special depth. Schuster and Stone really deliver. I enjoyed it immensely.



5. The authors present their extensive research with an entertaining style. Henry Schuster has spent much of his life reporting on terrorism and closely followed the Rudolph criminal proceedings. Charles Stone was involved with the manhunt and provides details from the point of view of one of the hundreds of law enforcement agents determined to bring Rudolph in. I would also like to suggest "Life's Been A Blast," written by one of the bombing survivors. "Life's Been A Blast" (available on Amazon) provides the view of someone who was standing in direct aim of one of Rudolph's bombs and lived to tell about it.

5 comments about Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935.

1. "Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935" by Patrick Downey is by far the best and most complete book on New York City's underworld during the early 20th century. This book chronicles in detail well-known and some forgotten mobsters of New York City. This book is a goldmine of history with new research into facts into what really happended in the underworld during this time period. Great photos cover the pages of this book as well as gangster related addresses, which can and will be useful for future researchers. Buy it!
   
   Mike Koch, Author of "The Kimes Gang."



2. I loved this book! Their are many reasons, but the main reason is I found the author to be investgative as well as just telling stories about gangsters. He doesnt give you the usual already told before versions that some other authers do by quoting other books. He actually questions them and gives credible and rational reasons. For example, it is widely known that Lucky Luciano set up Joe Masseria in a Coney Island restaurant by going to the mens room when Joe the boss was killed. The author raises valid questions and refers to newspapers of the time and no newspapers report that Lucky was even there! He even questioned the hit team and driver(Ciro Terranova) If you are a Gangster book reader then you must read this book! I found the lesser known gangster for which the author was trying to tell about fasinating! I found myself wanting to go to the NYC municipal archives myself to see some of the pictures he put in the book.



3. Author Patrick Downey sifted through New York's municipal archives in an effort to make sense of the city's criminal history. That he undertook such a project is impressive in itself. That he delivered a coherent and readable book on such an enormous topic is amazing.
   "Gangster City" deals with organized crime before, during and just after Prohibition. Without entirely neglecting the popular Mafia characters of the period, Downey gives appropriate weight to other ethnic criminal organizations. "Legs" Diamond, "Mad Dog" Coll, "Killer" Madden and Monk Eastman take their rightful places in Big Apple organized crime history.
   Though the book does not break as much new ground as one might have hoped, it is an excellent and readable work.
   By the way, New York-based readers and city tourists should enjoy Downey's second appendix. In it, he pinpoints the locations of major underworld events. The book also features a decent index and sixteen pages of photographs. (A couple of maps would have been nice.)



4. A very enjoyable book, and long overdue. Anyone interested in the evolution of the New York City underworld during the first part of the twentieth century will find it a pretty good read, fast-paced, accurate, and full of little-known facts about the local hoodlum community. While it does not quite rate a five star review in my humble opinion, it is still highly recommended.



5. "Bang bang...you shot me down..bang bang..that awfull sound...bang bang.."
   
   And so goes the old Sonny and Cher song of the early 60's. If, ever a book deserved a "theme song" then, "Gangster City; The history of the New York Underworld 1900-1935 by Patrick Downey wins..."Hands Down!"
   
   These "Gang-Bangers" (original gangsters) of the early part of the 20th century were just as ruthless and unforgiving as the times and place in which they lived. The book puts the reader's eye into a cultural kaleidoscope of Italian, Irish, Jewish, and Chinese mobsters who apparently only lived in order to die in hail of bullets. These early "Bad Boys" like "Petto the Ox," "Little Augie," "Fats Mc Carthy," and "Mad Dog Coll" seem to have sacrificed themselves like the Kamikaze pilots of WWII.
   
   Murder and mayhem greet the reader on almost every page, with a few snippet comments by the author to bring a smirk, and gallows humor to even the toughest of crittics (i.e.: "As Patsy Del Greco and Fiore Basile were planted in that Schultz-Coll depository known as St. Raymond's Cemetery....p.219).
   
   The book is superbly researched, however I would have enjoyed just a little bit more information in Chapter 3 entitled "Big Trouble in Little Chinatown." A small ethnic percentage and geographical area (especially at the time), and yet...a Gang killing spree that easily rivaled all of the other ethnic groups combined. A few photos of the Chinese Tong leaders would have been appreciated as well.
   
   None the less, this is a superbly researched and written book. The subject matter would make any normal man or, woman in today's world truly grateful that they were not raised on the streets of New York when "Legs Diamond," "Dutch Schultz," and that dispicable "baby killer," Mad Dog Coll fought and died for underworld supremacy.

No comments about The Krays and Me: Blood, Honour and Respect. Doing Porridge With the Krays..

5 comments about Shattered Sense of Innocence: The 1955 Murders of Three Chicago Children (Elmer H Johnson & Carol Holmes Johnson Series in Criminology).

1. I bought this book as a gift for my husband. He saw a write-up about it in the newspaper and wanted the book. We were kids ourselves when these murders happened. The price charged on Amazon was about 33% less than the book store and it arrived in less time than indicated. My husband has read the book and now my daughter is reading it. Highly recommend.



2. I found this book to be very interesting as I was a kid in that time. I remember the murder case very well as I know a lot of the places they stopped at and where they lived.



3. This book completely held my interest and that of several friends who read it at the same approximate time. We spent hours discussing it. After fifty plus years, the triple homicide described in "Shattered Sense of Innocence: the 1955 Murders of Three Chicago Children" is still chilling and disturbing. The book established a strong sense of time and place. The authors succeeded in recreating the fear and dread that gripped an entire community that will bother you long after you have finished reading. These things were not supposed to happen here, not in a quiet residential district bordering upon the suburbs.
   
   As a person who drives through the Jefferson Park/Norwood Park area of Chicago on a regular basis, it is impossible for me to pass certain intersections now without thinking of the three victims: that was the location of the police station where their parents looked for help; that was the bowling alley the boys visited; the three youths were last seen on that corner before accepting a ride from a passing vehicle.
   
   Portions of the immediate neighborhood are largely unchanged. The former police station on Gale Street is still standing, but it houses other city offices today as a newer and larger police headquarters has replaced it. The forest preserve opposite East River Road where the three naked bodies were discovered still draws stares from passing motorists who can remember the banner headlines and the startlingly graphic images broadcast on local television during the nightly news (the book contains these photo images). Some older adults can recall being kept inside their homes for several days by parents who were afraid to allow their children to play outside until the unknown criminals were arrested by the police.
   
   The initial police investigation was badly botched by the political hacks competing for jurisdiction over the crime scene. The murderer and his accomplices took care to dispose of the bodies in a location where multiple agencies and officials could quarrel over who was in charge of the investigation. For decades afterwards, the murders would remain unsolved. The determined efforts of an arson investigator seeking to determine who the culprits were in a series of fires at various riding stables set in motion the revival of the murder inquiry decades later and resulted in the controversial trial of the one the surviving suspect.
   
   The book contains some conjecture as to what transpired on that fatal night. Some facts can only be guessed at, but the authors review several theories and offer plausible interpretations of the possible chain of events. The actions of several of the now deceased accomplices can only be imagined.
   
   Be forewarned, this is not a pleasant book to read nor will it be easily forgotten once you have finished it. Readers will be introduced to sexual predators, petty thieves and pornographers who gather in amusement parks and recreation halls where children and teenagers loiter. There is danger to be found near the merry go round and the pony rides. Some of the smiling monsters walk amongst us in the bright sunshine, dressed in casual clothing and projecting a false facade of friendliness and respectability. The unspeakable evil committed in 1955 continues to reverberate today. I cannot begin to imagine how many lives were damaged by the accomplices and the perpetrators of these three murders.



4. I typically avoid books where the only reviews on the dust jacket come from other authors (as opposed to newspaper and magazine critics whose reputations are on the line) and certainly wish I had followed my instincts with this one. "Shattered Sense of Innocence" is an incredibly long, detailed, confusing and, above all, boring ramble about the killing of three boys in 1955 Chicago that is much better recounted in "Unbridled Rage"--a book that, interestingly, the authors do not cite as source material. "Shattered" lacks continuity and focus and I found it all but impossible to stay interested. The authors apparently dedicated their efforts to ensuring that every single fact they unearthed, no matter how esoteric, found its way into the narrative and this makes for a book that reads more like a droll textbook (hence the publisher, I suppose) than what should be an interesting "true crime" work. In addition, their constant harping on "innocence" (as in neighborhoods and 1950s Chicago) was something that I found to be very irritating--in fact, the book should have been titled "Shattered Sense of Security" because it was the sense of security that these neighborhoods lost, not innocence. One of the "reviews" on the cover calls this "the new 'In Cold Blood'"--that could only have been written by (a) a friend, (b) a family member, or (c) someone who never read Capote's classic. If you're interested in this case, pick up "Unbridled Rage"--it's much better written, more succinct, and you can actually understand the flow of events. With only 40 pages left to go, I couldn't take this one any more and tossed it in the trash. $29.95 down the drain, but the loss of the jack was less painful than continuing this punishing read.



5. I am the co-author of "Shattered Sense of Innocence," one of 12 books I have authored dealing with compelling Chicago subject matter. I am not in the habit of responding to editorial reviews by the readers of my books. I am always grateful to them for the time they have taken to comment on my work - for good or bad. Legitimate, objective commentary, offered without bias or self-serving motive is what this process should be all about. However in recent years I have regrettably observed an ominous trend developing in the AMAZON review process. Too many reviews are being posted by the friends and relatives of authors - and in some cases the friends and relatives of authors of competing works who take a personal delight in "slamming" the work of the first author for whatever spurious motivation, usually based in envy or disappointment. "Shattered Sense of Innocence" has received outstanding reviews from the Chicago Sun-Times and other publications, and the highest testimonial from Vincent Bugliosi, author of "Helter Skelter," one of the finest true crime books ever published. I wish more authors would have the courage to speak out on this issue when a book is slandered by a reviewer with an axe to grind, a personal motivation or simply has been encouraged to do so by a frustrated or disppointed competitor. Thank you for allowing me to make this statement - with the hope of seeing a greater level of professionalism, integrity and ethical standards practiced by the contributors and reviewers to AMAZON.

5 comments about Until the Twelfth of Never: Until the Twelfth of Never.

1. At first glance, the average person might be able to relate to the Brodericks with their wealth and social position. However, this book deals with so many universal themes: The inequity in divorce laws, parents who lash out in anger at each other and children caught in the middle. This is such a sad story for everyone involved, especially the Broderick children, who were not only victims of their parents anger, and of course, the murders, but also victims of a mother who refuses to take any responsibility for the pain she has brought to so many people. The author did an excellent job of telling this story and tying all the pieces together. I pray that the Kolkena and Broderick families find some peace of mind.



2. If Betty could not satisfy Dan perhaps she had the problem. What were Dan's needs? That should have been her question. Actions speak louder than words and Betty's actions were a direct result of dysfunctional reasoning. I feel for their family and all touched by the ultimate devastating incident.



3. You'll need to speak with Betty yourself, and yes, she's willing to talk but I think Bella Stumbo did a very fantastic job of telling the story from both sides.
   
   Yes, I had to make a judgement call on the "Dan and Linda" side. They are both dead.
   
   If you are interested in this case, get a copy and read the story. If you are REALLY interested, drop Betty a line. She'll probably write you back.



4. Stumbo's account is extremely interesting and well-researched. I found it a compelling story of how anger can turn into a murderous obsession.
   
   Frankly, I have no sympathy for Dan OR Linda; Dan was unfaithful to Betty for *years* before finally admitting his ongoing affair with Linda, and Linda knew she was sleeping with a married man who had 4 kids; presumably she knew that was wrong. I think that Betty became sick, and that at some point she lost control over her actions; my impression is that it became literally intolerable for her to
   
   think about how she had helped Dan get where he was and then, just as the big money was starting to come in, be tossed aside for someone else. She had been pregnant nine times during the marriage and suffered several miscarriages - that has to leave scars on a woman. Betty's initial anger was not an abnormal reaction, but as the years went on, and Dan just systematically antagonized her, her hatred took on a life of its own. The worst thing about it is that it blotted out the importance of her
   
   children, who were used by both Dan and Betty in their war against each other.
   
   As I read this account, I kept marvelling at Dan's supreme arrogance and stupidity in handling relations with Betty. He could have done better, and he should have. But evidently, he thought he didn't have to, which turned out to be the wrong strategy.
   
   I am not saying Betty should be treated as a completely innocent victim, and she's not treated as such by the author. But Dan KNEW she was out of control and still kept deliberately tormenting her with petty "punishments" despite the fact that his tactics had never worked. And I think that's why he's dead - not because he was unfaithful, but because he (and apparently, Linda) messed with Betty once too often.
   
   That's how I see it. But, no matter how you come down on the ethics of the parties involved, Until The Twelfth of Never is definitely good reading.



5. I have read some of the reviews here and actually wonder if they read this book or are just commenting on the case in general. Stumbo does an excellent job of giving both sides of the story, whether Dan is still alive or not. Neither one is made out to be a Saint. Betty was raised to be a perfect wife and mother, with very little support or encouragement from her family that she could do anything else. To be dumped for a younger woman as your youth is slipping away could be devastating to ANY woman. Just as Dan and Betty had reached the pinnacle of their lives and should have been enjoying the fruits of all their labors, Dan changed partners. Betty definitely behaved in an obsessive and calculating manner, unable to "let go" and move on, even though she eventually found another partner. This was her downfall. On the other hand, Dan used his legal maneuvers to taunt Betty and to save himself some money, making it his (literally) fatal mistake. Stumbo pulls no punches; by the end of the book, one is left with a sad feeling for the children who have gone through hell and practically lost both parents, as well as Betty, who has pretty much drifted into a state of denial while trying to recreate a perfect world in prison. It will be interesting to see what happens when her parole comes due.
   
   Bella Stumbo has done an excellent job of researching the book as well as putting it together in a riveting tale.