5 comments about A License to Steal.

1. I couldn't help but see the first review posted. This person declines to identify themselves. This book is not about the Dinner Set Gang. If you would read the book you would of seen that. This book is about a genius father and a disgruntled son. True there are references to the Dinner Set Gang. Walter was not an original member, but he was a member at one time. The original members stole from their own and when Walter realized that he left and started his own group. Since then others have cloned their methods. Walter was a great jewel thief who is no longer in business. He has been a family man and a wonderful husband and father. The original members of the Dinner Set Gang are still thieves and some are still incarcerated in prison. I would highly recommend the book. I happen to have been involved in a small way investigating this gang and Walter Shaw and found the book based on my research to be accurate and true. I would recommend it to anyone.



2. I have read several reviews of A LICENSE TO STEAL from the life story of Walter Shaw and his late father. As the writer of the screenplay of this man's life, I felt it was important to offer some thoughts. Every review I have read, thus far, has been positive and each reader to whom I have spoken has been intrigued - and for good reason. I did the original research on this family and after years of research, I can attest to the veracity and substance of the story. And I can attest to the extraordinary history on which this story is based. It is a history of corporate betrayal, shattered dreams, crime sprees, the Mafia, remarkable crimes, family tragedy and heartwrenching loss. Readers will note that Mr. Shaw is not "glamorizing" his life and so the book becomes a testament to the truth of the real tragedy - that of a family unwound and fractured by choices made by father and by son. I interviewed many parties in the writing of the screenplay and what becomes apparent is that Mr. Shaw is sad for his loss and feels the pain, mostly caused by impulsive decisions he made as a young man. Clearly, these decisions would impact many people over an entire lifetime. Mr. Shaw makes no claim to be a hero - far from it. And so while this is a book, it is also a testimony, a confession, a diary and a goodbye essay to his father and to lives unfulfilled. A LICENSE TO STEAL is an extraordinary American tragedy and a amazing read. - GM



3. According to the back inside flap of A License To Steal, author Mary Jane Robinson has written more than seventy-five personal histories over the past twenty years.
   
   It further mentions "that remaining true to the record, she succeeds in preserving the voice and integrity of each individual as the stories of their lives unfold, finding meaning in every chapter."
   In A License To Steal Robinson together with co-author Walter T. Shaw admirably deliver all of these elements and more as they narrate the story of Shaw's life as a master jewellery thief and his father Walter Shaw Sr.'s life as ingenious inventor who was once called the `Edison of the underworld.'
   
   As the story unfolds, it is pointed out that it is not a tale about the old Mafia or "wise guy" days. It is rather a story that is intertwined about a father and a son and what made the son become a germ, a mutant and a monster notwithstanding that he came from such a gifted human being as his father.
   
   Walter Shaw Sr. invented and held patents for the speaker phone, the alert system in Alaska that was installed for the security of the USA, the hot line between Washington and Moscow or sometimes called the red phone, call forwarding, conferencing calling, and voice recognition.
   
   Unfortunately, Shaw Sr. was never given the recognition he deserved and furthermore he had been shafted by his employer Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company where he had worked as an equipment engineer in their lab. Furthermore, had Shaw Sr. being able to protect his patents or if he had met up with legitimate investors, he might not have ended up the way he did, penniless and unrecognized for his brilliance.
   
   As we are informed, during his off time Shaw Sr. would experiment with all kinds of ideas and he always maintained that if he could draw something he could make it. One of his experiments led to the invention of the speaker phone and when he presented this invention to the senior executives of Southern Bell, they were flabbergasted and asked him to sign a preposterous contract with them that would have him give away all of his past, present, and future rights to all of his inventions made on their time as well as his own. He declined the offer and quit his job, however, on leaving he was informed by Bell Southern that he shouldn't try to hook up the speaker phone as Southern Bell would never approve of it being hooked up to their lines.
   
   After several years of bouncing around from one venture to another and being treated badly by corporate America, Shaw Sr. met Sylvester Glazer, a jeweller with connections to the Mafia. Glazer introduced Shaw Sr. to Archie Gianunzio, an important Mafioso, and as we read, it was this association with Gianunzio that ultimately led Shaw Sr. and his son Walter to their downward spiral into lives of crime.
   
   Shaw Sr. was a very naïve and trusting person and he didn't understand the repercussions in being associated with the Mafia. All he was concerned about was putting food on the table for his wife and children. He never aspired to live like members of the underworld nor did he ever adopt their lifestyle.
   
   However, sadly, his best work and one that led to his association with the "wise guys" was the "black box," a tool that could be attached to a telephone in such a way that it would not register as a toll charge but would show a busy signal. In other words, it would be possible to make long distance calls without the telephone company knowing and without been charged or paying taxes to the government. It was named the "black box" because it was encased in a black Plexiglass case. It was directly and indirectly that this "black box" ultimately led Shaw Sr. and his son Walter into horrendous lives of crime, prison time, poverty, dysfunctional families, social outcasts and many other tragedies.
   Shaw Sr. sold the Mafia other inventions that helped them in committing all kinds of crimes and although he was aware of the illegality of what they were doing, it was the money that talked to him due to the fact that before associating with them, he was broke.
   
   A License To Steal is a wrenching narrative skilfully providing us with numerous insights into the love and deep bonds existing between a father and a son and the necessity of forgiveness. It is an intensely moving portrait of two individuals who perhaps would have turned out quite differently if they had just one good break in life.
   
   With its down-to-earth writing and painful honesty, Robinson and Shaw have crafted a narrative that is a sincere and stimulating exploration of the darker corners of the world that may be foreign to most of us. Without doubt, A License To Steal is a fascinating yet heartbreaking read that will keep your interest until the last page.
   
   Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures



4. If you read the press on this book, or looked at the cover, you would think this is a book about crime, at least in part. It's not, it's a memoir of a guy sad about his father being ripped off and how that turned him into a thief.
   
   He won't talk about actual crimes or how me may or may not have committed them. A lot of time talking about what he couldn't or wouldn't talk about, which would have been the interesting stuff (the crimes).
   
   I wanted to like this book, but it was written in a disjointed manner that made it hard to follow. Even the rather pivotal moments, like how his dad got ripped off for his phone inventions, are described in a fuzzy manner as if he expects the reader to know the story already. I didn't! The timeline is not linear, it jumps backwards and forwards and it's hard to keep a story going to get interested in. This book was written by an author who must have had the story told to her by the principle, and I'm guessing she was confused by things too, but unable to afraid to go back to the guy and iron out the wrinkles before publishing it.
   
   Unfortunately, the only stealing that goes on here is your time.



5. True wonder to read. Shaws tale about his father and the plea for recognition of the fathers accomplishments was an engaging story. Everytime I use the phone now I will forever think about this story and the due credit that goes to his father. Walter seemed to stay on the edge of a blade the entire time and kept me on edge with him. My father-in-law lent me this book and its hard to give back.
   
   Definitely worth a purchase.

3 comments about A Cowboy Detective: A True Story of Twenty-two Years with a World-Famous Detective Agency.

1. True life exploits of Charles Roy Siringo in the old west bringing many fugitives to justive while enduring hard ships!



2. Charles Siringo was the real deal, the rare 1870's cowboy who experienced the trail rides of the Wild West, but also felt the need and had the desire to put his experiences in writing. The stories in his books seem to be honest and legit, not inflated or self-indulgent. He was a man of great courage and resoursefulness, and the stories in this book are full of real-life examples. I have read several of Siringo's writings, and have found this book to be the most enjoyable and fascinating of them all.



3. This is a great book if you're into the American West, The Wild Bunch, or just a detective fan.
   Charlie Siringo must have been one of the toughest men who ever lived...15 years in the saddle as a cowboy, followed by 22 years as a Pinkerton detective!
   Charlie writes as a detective would...mostly, it's just the facts. He writes in an easy to read style that seems to flow from him in a natural manner. His stories are amazing, and he was surely a 'walking national treasure'in terms of his first hand knowledge of the American West 1865-1900.
   I can't believe he is so 'forgotten' as one of the west's real and true heroes. A terrific insight into the times and the man.

No comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Forensics, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to).

2 comments about White-Collar Crime: Classic and Contemporary Views, 3rd Edition.

1. This is a great book, especially for those in Wise's legal research class.



2. This is a fine text and usually required reading for anyone in a white collar crime class. The text has a steady flow of vital information regarding one of the lesser exposed elements of crime in the United States. This may not be the stuff of primetime television, but it is the true representation of what will put people in prison for years. Recommended for the research student!

4 comments about Murder at Holy Cross (Berkley True Crime).

1. This is a very well written and very well researched book about a sordid crime that gripped South Florida. I followed the case closely when it first broke, so I found the book especially interesting. The author, a veteran true-crime journalist, did a remarkable job revealing never-before-disclosed details about the goings-on at Holy Cross. He delves deeply into the characters of the victim, a nun, her killer, and the clerics who lived and worked at Holy Cross. He also provides historical context, especially concerning the Catholic Church. True crime fans will find this book very compelling. It is a real page-turner and a terrific read.



2. Students of American history may find Murder at Holy Cross somewhat reminiscent of the early 19th century lurid accounts of the purported goings on inside Catholic convents and monasteries. Two hundred years later we are still shocked by the immorality exposed by the author at this Florida monastery. A very frank account of what can happen when people( here the head monks) have absolute control over the lives of young men who are studying to become members of the order. Highly recommended for true crime mavens.



3. MURDER AT HOLY CROSS is the story of the murder of Sister Michelle Lewis, a nun at the Holy Cross monastery in Miami, by Mykhaylo Kofel, a young Ukranian monk-in-training. Holy Cross, though on the surface a mainstream institution, was in fact anything but. The founder and head man, Abbot Gregory Wendt, specifically chartered his operation so as to be totally independent from either the Catholic or Byzantine Churches. And Holy Cross specialized in recruiting teenage boys, an unheard of practice in usual monastery tradition, from the Ukraine to train as monks. Holy Cross was, then, essentially a rogue operation responsible to no controlling authority, with Wendt as the head rogue. When Sister Lewis was murdered, Wendt and his right-hand man, Father Damian Gibault, did not cooperate with investigators, concerned only with controlling the damage that the murder, and Kofel's allegations of sexual abuse at the monastery, would do to their fiefdom.
   
   Peter Davidson has written, intelligently and professionally, a fine book.
   He eschews the tired soap opera trotted out by lesser writers, sticking to a journalistic approach. His research into the backgrounds of the young Ukranians and of Michelle Lewis are good. And the allegations of homosexual abuse by Wendt and Gibault are dealt with in great detail.
   My only minor complaint is that I wish there had been considerably more background information on Wendt and Gibault, but it is unlikely that Davidson would have received their cooperation.
   
   MURDER AT HOLY CROSS is not a "big" book, but neither is it a rush to print trasher. It is short, an easy read, and highly recommended to true crime lovers.



4. Abott Gregory Wendt and his priestly partner, Father Damien Gibault, established Holy Cross Academy as a Catholic school which also boasted a small monastery for young monks in training. However, things were not as they seemed. Wendt was not really an Abott as he lacked the proper credentials and training. He just assumed the title because he felt himself worthy of the title. In addition, Father Gibault, who should have been under supervision, was not. And, unbeknownst to Sister Michelle Lewis, a nun who worked tirelessly at Holy Cross for 10 years, she was not really a nun. You see, Abott Gregory Wendt did not wish to follow the rules of the Catholic Archdiocese, so he effectively "divorced" Holy Cross Academy from the Archdiocese... a legal maneuver that left Sister Michelle without a convent, and Abott Gregory Wendt accountable to no one.
   
   In a series of tragic events leading to a death, Sister Michelle Lewis was bludgeoned and brutally stabbed in her small bedroom on a hot, summer evening. A trail of bloody footprints led to the monastery on the campus grounds, where Mikhaylo Kofel was quickly identified as the murderer. When he confessed to police, he also disclosed the shocking details of two pedophilic priests who controlled every aspect of the young monks lives, and insisted that some of the boys sleep with them at night. Police investigators soon found themselves investigating not only a murder, but allegations of child sexual abuse.
   
   Without disclosing all pertinent details, I will state without reservation that MURDER AT HOLY CROSS is a book well worth the investment of time to read it. I do wish there had been more individual and familial history available pertaining to Abott Wendt and Father Gibault, but these two losers refused to submit to any formal interview with police investigators and "lawyered up" befor Kofel could even make a full statement about the murder of Sister Michelle or the abuse he suffered for years at the hands of Wendt and, less often, Gibault. Attempts by the author to contact both men went ignored.
   
   As a practicing psychotherapist, I have given the murder of Sister Michelle Lewis a great deal of thought. Mikhaylo Kofel reported that Sister Michelle was often angry with him and treated him unfairly. Perhaps she did. However, I doubt Kofel murdered Sister Michelle simply because she was perceived as an overbearing, "mean" nun. It is much more likely that Kofel lashed out at one of the few persons available as a target for his building rage and fear. Allowed almost no contact with anyone outside the monastery and having been effectively imprisoned in the United States during the crucial formative and adolescent years of his devlopment, Kofel had nowhere to go and no way to seek assistance from his family in the Ukraine. Too afraid to act out against his aggressors and unable to physically overpower Wendt or Gibault, Kofel unleashed his anger on the only person over whom he could exercise power or reclaim some sense of self... a defenseless nun asleep in her bedroom.

5 comments about The Unquiet Grave: The FBI and the Struggle for the Soul of Indian Country.

1. Mr. Hendricks' book is burdened with the same dichotomy (Multiple Personality Disorder/schizophrenia) as the Euro-invaders' ever-shifting policy/pendulum on what to do about "the Indian problem." The first part of this book does a salutary job of explaining to the unfamiliar some historical bases of the white "Westward Ho!" "Manifest Destiny" expansion across the North American continent, its effect on Native Americans, and the rise ("AIM is good") of the American Indian Movement. But parts of the second part - the fall ("AIM is bad,") could pass for being ghost-written by nemesis J Edgar Hoover and his COINTELPRO'd FBI.
   
   Though flawed in some "facts" and reporterage, Unquiet Grave is marketable and intelligible to the masses and it is important that wider cultures read this (in the Aretha Franklin sense to RESPECT the Native cultures, delight in diversity, and abhor forced "assimilation and "THINK") about what the US Government did - not only in the Miner's Canary sense (If the US Government so cavalierly abrogates/ignores its treaties with the First Nations before this Nation - what does that tell other sovereign nations with whom we seek to entreat?) but also the Santayana sense ("those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.")
   
   For a fuller understanding of Wounded Knee I (1890); Wounded Knee II (1973,) and context, this reviewer recommends my List "The water's still running and the grass still growing, so .? " including
   
   Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto (Civilization of the American Indian)
   and
   Robert Redford/Sundance Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story
   
   What did Bill Janklow do? /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer "What do you mean 'illegal alien,' Pilgrims?"



2. How this tome ever got past the editors and into print I will never know. What is the author trying to say? It is never clear. The first part of the book seemingly is about, among many, many, many other things (way too many if you ask me), the murder of Annie Mae Aquash - and great detail is included about the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her death. Abruptly at some point in the 2nd part of the book, we find ourselves at the trial of one of three people accused of her murder (none of whom were ever mentioned in part one, and, as to whom there is virtually no biographical detail included). At the same time, the book includes voluminous biographical detail and digression about many, many, many other individuals, for no particular reason it seems. I finished the book because I wanted to see if the author was going to bring this tangled mass of trivial and unimportant details together in some coherent way, but alas, all I got for the effort was high blood pressure. Among the book's many other flaws are these: the author reports on at least one trial, but seemingly has no grasp of trial tactics or evidentiary rules - he chastises lawyers for not bringing up details that (a) would have been irrelevant; and (2) would have been inadmissible; the author too often says things like "but we will never know . . . " about things that are perfecty checkable, things he could have fact-checked if he had chosen to; and, the author seems to believe in a big conspiracy or two that must explain all of the loose ends he leaves, but he never explains what those conspiracies were about and who was in them. Has he ever heard of topic sentences? I am astounded to read the other positive reviews posted here about this book. I consider it to have been an utter waste of my time, and a disservice to the topics he attempted to cover.



3. Steve Hendricks did the best job of any in documenting what happened during this period of time between American Indian people and no-Indian people in one document.
   I was deeply committed and involved within the Indian communities because for some strange reason yet unknown to me I have been very close to Indian people since my youth.
   I suffered and experienced the daily abject poverty with them in their homes and could not realize why they could never share what most of the people called the American Dream. I knew part of the answer was almost a
   total culture of poverty rather than the Indian cultures I had learned about in school.Multi-generational abuse,physical,sexual,and substance abuse,was the direct cause of much dysfunctional behavior I witnessed.I decided early in my life and to do whatever I could do to help change whatever I could in my lifetime that would stop this injustice. I would give my own life to change that.
   I always deplored most organizational efforts to accomplish anything however I joined the Michigan Chapter of the Great Lakes Indian Youth Alliance and the American Indian Movement. The reason why I joined is because for the first time in my life I could feel the surge of self respect,self actualization and spirituality within these organizations,and the individuals and Indian Communities involved at that time.It was a refreshing healing wind of change like you feel after a thunderstorm.
   I actually thought the young brilliant Indian Warriors were street/woods wise and spiritual enough to avoid the pitfalls of other dominant culture civil and equal rights organizations but ultimately as far as I am concerned the movement became more and more corrupt exactly like the enemy as it matured.
   Individual's like Russell Means,Dennis Banks,Ed McGaa,Floyd Westerman and others less visible continued to self actualize and work hard to individually accomplish the original goals of their and our youth in rather unusual ways after AIM died. I know that each one is committed to do what they can do to improve the lives of their families,extended families,and Indian Nations. Sometime being human they fall short of our and even their expectations. They do what they can as Warrior in spite of almost total overwhelming repression by the United States Government and the American society. However humanly flawed they remain in my mind truly contemporary Warriors of this century.
   I also feel Steve Hendricks and many others are doing their best to bring out the truth and documentation of constitutional and personal injustices of those days.I expect other individuals with information to come forth with their knowledge and writing because our society is even much farther away from the truth and principals that this Country was founded on today.
   As far as I am concerned whoever killed the active committed lives of the Freedom Fighters,Ray Robinson,Anna Mae Aquash, Neogeshick Aquash the FBI Agents, and the others made a serious mestake and destroyed the purity, beauty,and Sacred Place of the Movement. The murderer or murderers who called for the hit on the precious Warrior Anna Mae Aquash in that instant killed AIM with the same bullet. They will pay for that decision deep within their soul.
   I was pleased to see a that the Law Library at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law purchased the copy of The Unquiet Grave I am reading for their students.
   It is my hope and prayer that the youth of today will read everything they can get their hands on work, and commit to make justice a reality in their lifetimes.
   As long as this abuse, poverty, and injustice remains in our society no one will be free. Until the truth is known we will all be in a "unquiet grave" just waiting for the next shovel of dirt.
   If you want to broaden your knowledge,be alive,and aware at least read this book and those that will be forthcoming.



4. Usually works with this amount of research end up a boring read and destined for the bottom of the book pile. Not so with Unquiet Grave. Good thing I'm retired as I was glued to Steve's book for three days. Whether you are from this part of Indian country or elsewhere, you will find this book a remarkable storytelling backed by solid documentation and a balanced critique of all the players from that era. We complain about journalists who concoct a regurgitated version of the news. This author was not afraid to wade knee deep in a significant analysis of historical events that shaped American Indian civil rights. What disturbs me here is that the author or any citizen for that matter must seek legal action to obtain records from OUR government that are clearly records open to the public through the Freedom of Information Act. That should bother us all.



5. A number of important books have examined the role of AIM in awakening the American Indian to the plight they have been subjected to. These include Russel Means Where White Men Fear to Tread: The Autobiography of Russell Means and Dennis Banks Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks And The Rise Of The American Indian Movement. While the movie Incident at Oglala - The Leonard Peltier Story has added to the story, this very insightful story examines the role of the FBI on the American Indian reservations, especially Pine RIdge and others in the Mid West. It deals extensively with the mysterious 1976 death of Anne May Aqash. This is a heavy book that makes the FBI out to be a truly negative influence and examines the continuing negative role of the U.S federal government vis-a-vis the reservations.
   
   Thoguht provoking and important.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman

No comments about The Science of Fingerprints: Classification and Uses.

5 comments about Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster: The Incredible Life and Times of Mickey Cohen.

1. A comprehensive, thorough expose of the early Mafia days of New York, Hollywood, and Las Vegas. A fascinating read!



2. I liked this fascinating story of a criminal who didn't believe he was one. Before this very little was known about Mickey Cohen. I found the design descriptions of the night clubs and Cohen's houses and apartments very interesting. This underwold figure was made real, human, and surprisingly likeable. Each chapter revealed another intriguing facet of his life. Highly recommended. It is unusual for a history/biography to be such a fun read.



3. This is a firts bio of Mickey Cohen but it's much more and in fact covers a whole period in Mafia history centered on the West Coast. Made lively by hundreds of anecdotes, this book is very satisfying and fills a huge gap in the known history of the Jewish Mob, its political and business ramifications and the incredible reach of some of its memebers. From Bugsy Siegel to the rat Pack: all the Hollywood "gangs" are shown here and Mickey was almost like a puppet master pulling strings! A must read.



4. Mickey Cohen certainly was a product of his time. Edward G. Robinson only played LITTLE CAESAR on screen, Cohen was the real thing. He was made to measure for dominating the crime in and around Hollywood. From fixing prize fights and horse races to shaking down movie stars and politicians.
   Then there are the six murders that he freely admits to, not counting all those he doesn't own up to. Still, ask any waiter, car hop or bell boy and they're all tell you what a great guy he was -or rather a great tipper.
   
   Mickey Cohen fitted right in with LA. His exploits commanded the front pages and gossip columns of the day. Brad Lewis' book is well researched, but for me not all the loose ends were tied together. Cohen's relationships with his bosses -the mob, are detailed better in Gus Russo's book SUPERMOB.



5. When most people hear the word "gangster", Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel or Meyer Lansky spring to mind. These were brilliant, charismatic, ruthless men who built financial empires on the backs of illegal activities, and often, other peoples misery.
   
   I had never thought of Mickey Cohen as a first rate gangster of the magnitude of the aforementioned, but in reading this book, it is clear that he cut a wide swath through twentieth century American history.
   
   The book is well written, although details of Cohen's life remain surprisingly sketchy. The author never does get a handle on where Cohen's opulent wealth comes from, although he does hint that prostitution and gambling are it's main source.
   
   Cohen and Benny Siegel moved from East Coast to West to capture the vice at the request of Meyer Lansky, and each had a storied career. Siegel's has been told many times. Cohen's, normally as an adjunct to Siegel's.
   
   This book makes clear that Cohen's life and influence far surpassed "Bugsy's". Cohen not only controlled much of the traditional vice along the West Coast, he had in's with Senators, Presidents, Hollywood icons, and even The Reverend Billy Graham.
   
   Through it all he comes off as an upstanding, decent, and charismatic person.
   
   He survived up to twelve attempted "hits", two extended prison stays, and not least, two marriages.
   
   He is a piece of American folklore I would like to know more about, and for anyone who feels the same, this book is an excellent chronicle of a twentieth century enigma.

5 comments about Crimson Stain: The Shocking True Story of the Only Amish Man to be Convicted of Homicide (Berkley True Crime).

1. Eddie Gingerich is a pretty frightening example of the downside of living in an isolated, doctrinal community. He was headed over the edge and there wasn't much in his community frame of reference to get him the help he desperately needed. The book is impossible to put down. The publisher has helpfully provided an unintentional promotional gimmick by printing "Crimson Stain" with such cheap, smelly inks and paper that you begin to sympathize with Eddie as he works away in his shed, inhaling the "petrochemical fumes" which allegedly contributed to his insanity. It's a whole new way to bring the reader into the book's world. Fisher is a good true crime writer, and it's involving from start to finish.



2. I remember when this crime occured, but only recently saw this book. It was a great read. I thought it was very inciteful, as opposed to a lot of "true crime" tabloid-type accounts.

   A few quick comments:
   - The details leading up to the crime and the murder itself were well described. As other reviewers have mentioned, the section on the trial was weaker. The author could have started with describing the trial and presented the details in various flashbacks at appropriate points. I've never written a book myself, so I find it hard to be too judgmental.
   - Given the reluctance of the major figures in the book to become involved in the trial or any other activity outside their own community, I was very curious as to how the author was able to compile such detailed accounts. A preface or additional material on the method he used and the main players he interviewed would have been nice.
   - The story was great in providing a complex look at the Amish society which is usually only seen in cliched calendars and tired stereotypes - the peaceful, simple folk, who shun the evils of the outside world. This would make such a better movie than "Witness."
   - A very minor point. The author wrote disapprovingly about the local residents who drove by the murder scene after hearing of the crime. I thought that this was pretty ironic in that the disapproval appears in a paperback account detailing the lives and personal problems of the people involved. Curious nonparticipants are exactly the kind of people that would be reading the book...If another edition ever comes out, hopefully it would include some additional information about the participants in the intervening years.




3. The book is a meer thin paperback that took me months to read and I didn't even get to finish it I was so bored to tears.

   Jim Fisher repeated himself over and over in every chapter. One was like reading the other. I read about 5 books a month, this was the most boring book ever in my life to read. Don't waste your money on this book ... if you "must" read it try your local library, or buy it through Amazon.com for a buck 75 or less/




4. Ed is shunned from his Brownhill Amish community and is allowed to see his children for one hour once a year. He writes and receives letters from them and his family. He is currently at a specialized Amish community with people of his faith who also have similar mental problems, where he helps counsel, and works 15 miles away for a Mennanite farmer doing mechanical work. He recently rebuilt a molding machine that can be used to make tongue and groove flooring.
   
   He's staying on his medication regimen and communicates "normally", and clearly. He sounds like he is in fairly good spirits over the phone. I talked to him for about a half an hour on October 30, 2005 and we talk several times a year.
   
   Katie's mother moved to NY state to get away from the area and the memories of all that had happened. Katie's brother, Emmanuel Shetler, built my house and several out buildings.
   This entire tragedy would have never happened if his community and family understood that mental illnesses do exist and that Eddie suffered greatly. By simply saying "the Devil" was in him or made him do it, is a poor summary of the situation. With the proper medication, from the right doctor, this could have all been prevented.
   
   And for those of you who labeled Eddie as a quick-tempered bully, I've known Ed 2 years before the tragedy and never heard him raise his voice. We drove 6 hours to Lancaster, PA to look at a diesel engine that he saw advertised in an Amish paper, and when we got there and saw the engine, it was not as described in the ad. He did not show any anger or hostility. Not one negative comment.



5. While the topic was interesting, the cause for the book was tragic. But let's talk about the actual writing of the book.
   
   I found the introduction of the characters and locations incredibly tedious and laid out in a manner that was very hard to follow. I nearly tossed the book after the first couple of chapters due to this. Introducing a large family in alphabetical order makes about as much sense as introducing the extended British Royal Family in alphabetical order, especially when many family members have the same first name. Sure, in the book, the family list identifies middle initials to distinguish the people, but the middle initials aren't used in the rest of the book. How about presenting the families in chart form, such as a basic family tree? That would have been so much easier to sort out.
   
   I also found myself getting really bored due to repeat information (nearly throwing the book out again many times) and *hoping* that something unexpected would occur, not because I thought the underlying story should have such twists and turns, but because the writer tries to entice us into believing there are possible twists of the story, and then leaves us flat because those events didn't really happen. I kept thinking, 'a-hah! the prosecution will call so-and-so as a witness" based upon the writing, but alas, false hopes all around.
   
   And, I don't think I'd be giving anything away here, after all the cover of the book states "The Shocking True Story of the Only Amish Man Ever Convicted of Homicide", but I don't understand why Fisher tried to make it sound as if there was a possibility that Mr. Gingerich might be acquitted of homicide in the latter portion of the book. The cover clearly states he was convicted. By the end of the book, I started just skimming paragraphs to find out what the sentence was for Mr. Gingerich's conviction. If I did pause to read a paragraph, I was faithfully disappointed.
   
   All in all, I'm so glad that I bought this book at a $1 store and didn't pay regular price for it. Had it been a library book, I would have just returned it without ever finishing it. I usually donate my used books, but this one is going straight to the recycle bin.

4 comments about Eye in the Sky: The Story of the Corona Spy Satellites (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight).

1. The genesis of this book was a conference in May 1995 which brought together many of the main players in the CORONA project at the time it was declassified. The book contains chapters by different authors on specific aspects of the project including its historical context, technical development, impact of the resulting intellignce, etc. A short chapter on the corresponding Soviet "Zenit" project is also included. The different chapter authors bring interesting perspectives and specialist knowledge at the expense of some repetition. The photographs are also very nice. This is a more scholarly and comprehensive treatment than the Peebles book on the same subject.



2. >This book is less a narrative and more a series of accounts byindividuals throughout the life of the CORONA project. As such, itreads a bit differently from a single-author non-fiction book. However, this form adds detail, personal perspective, and color to the account of the project. I hope that future books can be written using this material and the newly declassified government material to write a full account of the CORONA program and its heirs and its impact to international affairs. END



3. Of the 3 books on this subject which I have so far read, this was the first book I obtained and read. The book is a compilation of papers/speeches of a meeting. The most accurate picture can be gained by having all three books (sorry, but more $ to Amazon, and you may tire of seeing certain images again). This book represents rare original source material from cold war history. There are some good pointers in the Appendix. Careful reading of papers talk about computing (++) and what is now regarded as "virtual reality" (++). Day's book has a chapter on the Soviet Zenit program lacking in other books (++).

   Peebles' Corona book has more chapters on the human side of the recovery and process (minor Day--).

   The most technical, expensive, longest-delivery time, and most professional is McDonald's ASPRS book on this same meeting. A chapter details the Corona earth model (++, math). The appendices include redacted original reports (++) and some marginally reproduced space images (++). The book also has a pointer to the breast cancer X-ray ID which the NRO/CIA claim to have released. These will not be found in Day.




4. This was a nice summary of the Corona program. There is some redundant text becuase of the way various chapters were written by different people but overall it was a fine book. It explained the Corona program well and had some funny anectdotes. I just am amazed that the government had the smarts to keep funding it even with all the early setbacks. Today, we'd probably just give up (if it isn't a quick fix, then it isn't worth doing).