5 comments about Last Man Down: A Firefighter's Story of Survival and Escape from the World Trade Center.

1. I have had this book for a few years but have not been able to read it till recently.The story is quite interesting and astonishing (especially as it is a true story) but the writing is somewhat repetetive - I think this is done to make the story longer - and the Firefighter seems to be too full of himself always going on how great he is and how well he did what a good leader he is ...... and so on.Entertaining and interesting but the way the story is written spoils it.



2. As a firfigther who understands chain of command and the need to work with in an Incident Command System, this book perfectly explains how one FDNY Battalion Chief breaks all the rules, chosing to respond to the World Trade Center Disaster rather than remain responsible for his own Battalion, risks the lives of members of 110Truck to "sprint" to the 35th floor of the North Tower, ABANDONING them on the way to freelance some more in the burning tower, only to ultimately become stuck in the collapse of the North Tower where he goes on to shout at and berade a PAPD Officer who's lost his partner, a K9, to the collapse of the bulidng. This book is a shameful and embarrasing for all American firefighters, those silent heros who risk their lives daily.



3. I just recently read the paperback version of this book. The first half of this book is pretty interesting and heart pounding in detailing what it was like to be in the World Trade Center while it collapsed. The second half was very disatisfying. It was very self-serving and is mostly about Mr. Picciotto praising himself and his actions and criticizing absolutely everyone else. I also find it interesting that Mr. Picciotto said how hard it was for him to return to the site and that it took him a very long time do this. However, in the acknowledgment at the end of the book, he returns barely a few weeks after the collapse and with his collaborator of this book. He had already found the time to get a book deal and co-author!



4. I had wanted to read this book for a while, so I purchased it. Richard Picciotto is not the best writer, but he does give you a sense of what it was like to be under pressure and trying to survive the tower collapse. He doesn't pull punches as to who he blames for the loss of firefighters that day. Lack of adequate equipment, department cuts, etc. I think to a certain extent he has a valid point, but I also know that there were many other factors involved as well. Mr. Picciotto's focus is understandably on his personal experience and his emotions around what happened that day. I am glad that I read it, but I have to be honest and say it is what it is. Mr. Picciotto will probably not win a Pulitzer, but he calls it as he sees it and he was there and I wasn't.



5. Number one fact: Picciotto probably sensed the opportunity to make a few extra bucks from his ordeal in September 11, and seized the opportunity.
   
   Number two fact: It's strange to NOT like a book about September 1, but I did not like this book at all. Not because of the selfish and auto-congrulatory mode, but due to the literally (or lack of) characteristcis of the book. I think it's badly written, even with Mr. Paisner at the helm.
   
   As for Picciotto actions those days, only people under that kind of stresssful situation could know how they would have acted... Generally, I think he did the best he could for his city and for his companions and for the civilians he encountered.
   
   For all his detractors, I put the question: if he had died along with the shocking number of victims, even with all his "faults" he would have benn considered a hero, ego or no ego involved. Am I right?

5 comments about Like A Man.

1. This is an exciting book as real as the events it tells about. Like A Man begins at a very high level where the wartime mission is conceived and leads us through the turmoil of give-and-take espionage on the streets. Almost everything that can go wrong does for the two men who are told to carry out the assassination against all odds. That they did is a tribute to their courage. Chacko gets us on the ground from the first parachute jump and keeps us there all the way to the furious end.



2. LIKE A MAN is a first-rate read and a great piece of historical writing. The wartime atmosphere, the importance of the mission, two dedicated commandos, and well-drawn supporting characters, including Churchill, Hitler, Himmler, Heydrich, along with many members of the WWII underground, make for a fascinating picture of men under orders to do the impossible. They did it, and their story is one for the ages.



3. LIKE A MAN is a stirring book that keeps coming until the last page plus two. A real mission performed by real people becomes in David Chacko's hands a well-wrought tale of action and suspense. Anthropoid (which probably means "like a man") was a team that parachuted behind German lines into Occupied Territory. Their mission was to assassinate the man who coordinated--and usually ran--the most terrible Nazi policies of brutality and extermination. History remembers him, but would remember much better if he had lived to fulfill his destiny as Hitler's successor. That he did not is a tribute to these two men, who were eventually joined by a third man as they entered the wartime underground, disappearing from the Gestapo radar until it was time to surface and close out their mission. When they do, the facade of Nazi Germany invincibility is shattered in bursts of violence that are meant to terrorize. Instead, the outrage it inspired fed the Allied war effort. All the large historical figures are here to give background and tastes of their character--Churchill, Hitler, Himmler--but the men who took their mission to its end against the longest odds are the ones who should be remembered. They were men and this is Like a Man.



4. This book gives you a good feel for what it must be like to drop behind the lines, try to blend in, and carry out resistance operations. It moves right along, not too fast or slow, and builds to the tragic climax. If you like WW II fiction this is a book for you.



5. I ordered three of this author's books and have to say I am not a fan. I found the writing flat and uninteresting. The story idea is better than the actual story. I would not recommend these books.

5 comments about Abu Nidal : A Gun for Hire : The Secret Life of the World's Most Notorious Arab Terrorist.

1. The value of this book is not just the portrait it paints of its subject, Abu Nidal. His entire oranization is clearly and thoroughly documented: its structure, incidents (with dates), movements, and interworkings. Through his penetration into the organization and subsequent writing, Patrick Seale has written this remarkably detailed intelligence report. Anyone with any interest in international terrorism should go out of their way to procure a copy of this book.



2. Seale, a noted expert on Middle East affairs, uses his expertise to create an engaging story about Abu Nidal and his terrorist organization. Not only does the book provide a detailed history of Abu Nidal, but it explains the whole of the Palestinian problem in relation to Abu Nidal and his efforts. With close ties to influential sources Seale is able to add a thread of authenticity to the tale. In some parts of the book, Seale acts out the role of a private detective, piecing together clues about Abu Nidal and his possible ties to Mossad. However, the book is entertaining and educational, a great addition to one's library.



3. The book is a very interesting account of this terrorist's career. It covers many of the different organizations he is part of or works with and the countries that use him or support him. The book also tried to give the reader a better understanding of the Israeli / Palestinians war and why it effects Nidal. I found the most interesting part was just the detailed accounts of what he has been involved in; this is a very sick person that is out for as much death and destruction as possible. The book is well written and detailed. The author keeps the books going in a straight timeline. I would say that it could use an update on what he has been up to the last ten years. If you are interested in terrorism, and right now who is not, then you should pick up a copy of this book.



4. Abu Nidal purportedly committed suicide in Baghdad a few months ago by shooting himself in the head a few times. As English author Patrick Seale probably would agree, Nidal's mysterious death was appropos of a murky life given to terrorism for profit from whatever financial source was available.

   Abu Nidal: A Gun for Hire has many of the characteristics American readers find so grating about British journalism. Among these are the author's penchant for injecting himself into the story and then indulging in a baseless conspiracy theory which requires the writer to make every fact fit his premise (in this case, a far-fetched theory that Nidal worked for the Mossad). All that said, this book probably is more relevant in the aftermath of September 11th than it was when published a decade ago. The author gives textured explanations for the root causes of terrorism, and provides the mechanics of how these horrific crimes actually are implemented.

   Seale also gives us a look into the sad history of Abu Nidal and other Palestinians who suffered at the hands of Israeli settlers. He follows Nidal as he evolves from a young expatriate into the recipient of patronage from the likes of Saddam Hussein, and finally into a quasi-businessman who becomes a freelance killer for profit. As an interesting aside, Nidal had been expelled from Iraq at the time this book was written. The terrorist Seale portrays is essentially a cowardly, bigoted man who loves money and whiskey more than radical politics and the Palestinian cause. In fact, as his career gains momentum Nidal murders far more Palestinians than he does Israelis and other Westerners. To underscore his actual motives, in one grimly amusing vignette Nidal has an in-law slain to settle a business dispute.

   Abu Nidal: A Gun for Hire was published shortly before serial killers, terrorists and other criminals became media darlings and topics of the talk show circuit. It is interesting to read a relatively recent book that required the author to gather actual facts rather than rely on the self-serving declarations of his subject matter. Even with all its flaws, Seale's book is a valuable tool to understanding terrorism.




5. Patrick Seale's "Abu Nidal: A Gun For Hire" is addictive and non-stop reading. A book tracing the inner working and operations of Abu Nidal's terrorist organization. Abu Nidal started a resistance group which splintered from the mainstream palestinian opinion in the 70's. Abu Nidal's would transform his group from an extreme palestinian group into a work-for-hire organization that would carry out terrorist attacks against the enemies of his sponsor of the day. Most importantly Abu Nidal broke early on with the PLO and did everything he could to destroy the moderate palestinian voices.
   
   The book recreates Abu Nidal's operations, its mode of operation and some missions it carried out by interviewing collaborators, defectors and opponents. The book starts by tracing the steps of a new recruit in the group, and then exploring the claim from a senior PLO officer: that either Abu Nidal's Organization was infiltrated by the Mossad or Abu Nidal himself was working for the Mossad. The exploration of this claim takes the rest of the book as Patrick Seale reconstructs the various terrorist strikes carried out by Abu Nidal. In this book, Lebanon appears only as a backdrop to the mainline story.
   
   In any case, Abu Nidal's strikes consistently undermined the efforts of the PLO and the palestinian cause which he claimed to be assisting. Attacks would set back any attempts from the PLO to become a political force to represent the interests of the Palestinians in the exile and on the occupied territories.
   
   It was Abu Nidal's group who carried out the attempt to assassinate the Israeli ambassador in London in 1982. This give Israel the excuse to start its long-planned invasion of Lebanon in 1982 by claiming that the the cease fire had been broken by the PLO.
   
   In addition to the detective work, the interviews and the puzzle that the book tries to assemble there are various bits of insight on the events of the 80's and early 90's on the Middle East which will help understand the mood in the region.

2 comments about Full Metal Panic! Volume 9 (Full Metal Panic (Graphic Novels)).

1. Sadly, this is the last graphic novel for the FMP series, according to the illustrator's notes in the back of the book. That said,
   
   It does clear up and finish the main plot that has been building with Gauron, the Tuatha de Danaan, and Chidori. At the end of book 8, Kaname, worried about Sosuke as he returned from a mission, was verbally rebuffed by him and fled, crying, making her examine her purpose on board the TDD. As she flees, she runs into Guaron and two traitors, who hold her hostage and then take over the TDD in book 9!
   
   Gauron, to assert his power, reprograms the computer to listen only to him, and then commences an attack on an innocent battleship nearby, but only after setting up a false Fire Drill to isolate most of the crew. Sosuke, feeling as though something is wrong, and realizing that he had been harsh to Chidori, defies direct orders and joins Kurz in a mission to save the ship and Kamane, who is just as determine not to "be annoying" and to save herself. Then Tessa plays her hand to rescue the day and her crew, but it is Kaname that saves everybody at the end (not spoiling it!). For another variation, see the end of the DVD series--Kaname's part is beautiful!
   
   For more books on the FMP series, check out the Boku-Tachi website.



2. This is the final volume in the Full Metal Panic manga which brings it right up to the point where the first anime ended. Gauron has gained control of the Danaan and holds Tessa and Chidori's lives in his clutches. One false move and he won't hesitate to kill them. While Gauron knows that both of the girls are "Whispered" he has no idea that they can communicate telepathically. The girls hatch a desperate plan to take back control of the ship. Meanwhile, the Danaan's crew are virtual prisoners, locked by Gauron in the hangar, and he's thinking about cutting off their oxygen! Only Sousuke and Kurtz have gotten out and set out to rescue Tessa and Chidori, but they'll have to contend with some of the crew that turned traitor and now serve Gauron.
   
   If you've already seen the Full Metal Panic anime series, there's really nothing new here. But that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of seeing a different interpretation of the same material. Retsu Tateo's art is spot-on and she has handled the mix of humor and action quite elegantly throughout the entire series. Most of volume 9 is missing comedy but the artist does a good job of conveying the energy and suspense leading up to the final battle between Sosuke and Gauron. The manga does a better job of conveying the affection between Sosuke and Chidori than the anime did. I'm sad to see this series end.

1 comments about El Salvador.

1. It seems like so long ago now, the conflict in Central America of the 1980s. Not only was it viewed as a peripheral Cold War conflict, which encouraged the US to support notoriously corrupt and brutal regimes, but it was also a series of extremely complex dynamics in small sovereign nations that virtually no one knew much about. El Salvador, along with Guatamala and pre-Sandinista Nicaragua, was one of the worst countries "down there."
   
   This book offers an intimate portrait of a gathering revolution, cataloguing the injustices and casual brutalites in a frightening indictment. The bottom line is that a layer of evil people simply must be swept away and the US has no business standing in the way of it. In other words, it is the classic argument for "indiginous revolution," dismissing the claims of cold warriors that the revolutionaries are communists supported by Moscow, etc. While this is only of historical interest, it is a useful case study of misguided policy, which we would do well to study today.
   
   The stories in the book are truly horrible. One young army officer, for example, raped a young aristocrat but was let off from prosecution because he appeared "promising." As scary as they are, I have since discovered that some of them are inaccurate. For example, the future president of El Salvador, whose name I think was Napoleon Duarte, was reported to have been tortured and that the tips of his fingers on one hand were cut off during interrogation. It turns out that he lost them as a construction worker. This diminishes the credibility of the book somewhat, but it is still very powerful.
   
   Recommended for a look at the COld War mentality and as a guide to the self-deception that can go on in Washington DC.

1 comments about Christian in an Age of Terror, The: Sermons for a Time of War.

1. This is a collection of sermons from WWII and the early part of the cold war.
   
   The author started out as a physician and then became a pastor. He has analytical skills seldom found in pastors and theologians.

5 comments about Barn Burning Barn Building: Tales of a Political Life, From LBJ to George W. Bush and Beyond.

1. Why would anyone read a book about a Texas politician whose political career, which never reached higher than lieutenant governor, spanned a total of twelve years from 1960 to 1972?
   First, Ben Barnes is a Texan, which means he can spin a hell of a good yarn. Second, his friendships with national political leaders during one of the most dramatic periods of political change in the nation's history put him at the center of the controversy. Third, he continues to be active in the political arena--former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle once called him the "51st Democratic Senator." And, finally, in a manner similar to that described in J. Brian Smith's John Rhodes, Man of the House, Barnes practiced the true spirit of the bipartisanship before it became just another rhetorical tool to undermine one's opponents.
   
   This is a tale of the fall of the Texas Democrats from almost complete control of the state to the status of a minor party and links that to the fall of the national Democratic party. "Where once the names Johnson, Rayburn, and Connally were synonymous with political power, the 21st century brought us Bush, Rove, and DeLay."
   
   Democrats are still asking, "'How did we get to this point?' and "Where do we go from here'?" In response, Barnes begins when Democrats ruled the roost and shows how events, large and small, created cracks in what was once thought an unshakable foundation. The value of the book is that he largely succeeds. (Ironically, many of the cracks in the Democrat's apparently invulnerable foundation seem to be appearing today in the Republican Party.)
   
   The Democratic rise to power began with Franklin Roosevelt's first presidential victory in 1932, and Texans were in power virtually everywhere--including getting one of their own, John Nance "Cactus Jack" garner, elected VP. It also didn't hurt that Texans headed eight of the major House Committees. Sam Rayburn emerged as one of the most powerful Democrats in the country, starting his run as the longest-serving Speaker of the House in 1940. When Lyndon Johnson took over the leadership of the Senate in the 1950s, it was hard to imagine how the Texas or national Republicans could ever recover.
   
   Barnes came somewhat late to the game in 1959, at 22 winning a seat in the Texas State Legislature. Born on a central Texas farm in Comanche county, he grew up thinking long hours and hard work were simply the way everyone lived. His first experience with the power of government came during the depression, when Roosevelt forced through the Rural Electrification Administration which brought electricity to the farms in rural Texas.
   
   "From then on," he writes, "I thought of government as something that helped make people's lives better." He also cites Sam Rayburn who said, "Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one....These days there's a lot more barn burning in politics than barn building." Barnes was determined to be a barn builder.
   
   He was brilliant, pragmatic, and, most of all, driven to succeed. "That first year I made it my goal to visit every single of the other 149 members of the house." He'd shake their hands, admit to being young and wet behind the ears, and told each how much he'd appreciate them letting him know if he screwed anything up. He asked for advice and offered help on their legislative programs.
   
   However, the Democratic dominance in Texas had long carried the seeds of its own destruction, dating back to the early 20th century and the battle over prohibition with liberals against it and conservatives--mostly from dry counties--for it. Over time, the conservatives gained the advantage by positioning themselves as pro-business as the oil, gas, aviation, and other industries flowed into the state, and, as is almost always the case, with money comes power and influence. The liberals focused more on social issues.
   
   The irony is that the same seeds that were growing into thick weeds in Texas were also affecting the national party.
   Barnes had a knack for making powerful friends, including John Connally (who as governor was riding in the car and injured when John Kennedy was assassinated,) Sam Rayburn, Lyndon Johnson, Robert Strauss, Barbara Jordan, and a host of other powerful D.C. pols. But by 1960, when there was no external enemy against whom to rally the troops, the internal dissention flared. The two factions--liberals versus moderate/conservatives--had maintained an uneasy alliance, "but absolute power is a dangerous thing."
   
   A major rift occurred in 1952 when conservative Texas Democrats suddenly found themselves more in alignment with Republicans than their own party. Then Texas Governor Allan Shivers, furious over the Truman's administration's position on mineral rights issues in the Gulf Of Mexico, started "Democrats for Eisenhower in 1952 and '56." The state twice voted for a Republican president.
   
   As the dissention continued, the potential for healing it came in 1960 with Lyndon Johnson's presidential run. It wasn't to be, and Johnson accepting the number two slot turned out to be "so divisive, in fact, that some have argued that the downfall of the Texas Democratic party can be traced to that moment." Johnson's allies as well as many others couldn't believe that he would support someone perceived as so liberal; in addition, they didn't think Kennedy had a chance of success.
   
   The Kennedy/Johnson victory didn't help, although it temporarily covered over problems as the Democrats nationally and in Texas dominated the political landscape. But the underlying issues were growing more divisive. "This was the essential mistake the Texas Democratic party made during these years....They'd start to devour each other in fits of spite, allowing the Republicans to gain vital footholds in the state," such as the election of Republican John Tower as a Texas Senator and the beginning of the exodus of Texas conservative Democrats to the enemy.
   
   Barnes' climb up the political ladder was as impressive as it is instructive. Taking bipartisanship to heart, he got along with almost everyone, although not without making a few costly mistakes along the way. He also treated every event as a learning opportunity. After the assassination of John Kennedy, a meeting with now President Johnson and Connolly, where they fought over what to do about Bobby Kennedy, "pointed up the continuing problem...of ill feeling between the liberals and moderates."
   
   The tragedy is that, even though Johnson took up Kennedy's legislative agenda--in particular, civil rights--and succeeded where the latter had failed, that did nothing to ease the intense dislike between Johnson and Bobby Kennedy and their respective camps.
   
   Soon after the 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed into law, Johnson told Barnes, "' Ben, I'm proud of these Civil Rights bills, but they're going to hurt the party in the long run'." This anecdote is just one of many that make this book so valuable: Johnson, the consummate power-hungry politician, sacrificing his party for a nobler cause.
   
   He was right. Southern conservative Democrats began a shift that eventually turned the south into a Republican stronghold, when, despite Johnson's landslide victory over Barry Goldwater in 1964, Goldwater carried five deep-south states.
   
   Throughout the `60s, Barnes gives credit to Governor Connally for holding the Texas Democrats together despite the ongoing feuds. By then Barnes was the 26-year-old Speaker of the House and supported both Johnson and Connally in their progressive agendas to build bridges between the business community and the progressive side of the party. "This is another element of the party's strength that we've lost today; we need to find and cultivate business leaders who care about more than just profit, and who'll work with us to improve the state." The same applies nationally.
   
   On March 31, 1968, Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not run for president, and that "immediately changed everything about the game, both nationwide and in Texas [which] for the first time in decades, lack a national leader in Washington." Connally had already announced he wasn't running for governor again. Texas Democrats were on the verge of meltdown. And when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated just over two months later, on June 5th, there was no national Democratic leader of his stature to take over.
   
   The Vietnam War was tearing the country apart, Martin Luther King's assassination just four days after Johnson's announcement, inflamed both blacks and whites, and the Democratic Convention in Chicago that year was a disaster for the party.
   
   Nixon's campaign created the new Republican playbook that's still in use today: "Divide and conquer, using the rawest, most emotional issues in American life as a bludgeon and wedge." While the Texas Democrats did well in the 1970 elections, they didn't know that Nixon had already targeted them. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations, illegal IRS audits, and Justice Department investigations not only took down Barnes, but, as he says, "Nixon had orchestrated the destruction of Texas Democrats." The infamous Nixon tapes verify Barnes' claim.
   
   Nationally and in Texas, the Democrats were in freefall. Connally became a Republican, partially to run for president but also because of his disgust with the '72 convention that nominated George McGovern.
   
   Barnes concludes with an analysis of the difference between Texas and the country under Republicans and Democrats, and, given what he'd gone through, one can excuse excesses such as when he says of the 1988 Bush/Dukakis race, "For the first time in American politics, a candidate ran primarily on a platform of tearing down his opponent."
   
   But he is right that, "Today, that kind of negative politicking is everywhere you look." Both sides have demonized the other, and "political discourse...has turned into little more than name-calling." As a politician with the ability to skillfully maneuver the shark-infested waters of government, he also believed that government had a responsibility to the people, and he demonstrated that over and over.
   
   "Today's politicians too often govern with an eye on the next election, rather than on the future, and the people they represent are suffering as a result."
   
   "Barn Burning, Barn Building" is an important book. In an era of cynicism and distrust, it reminds us of a time when government and politicians believed in more than their own self-aggrandizement.



2. Damned good book about a time not too long ago, when there were gentlemen of integrity leading us; men and women who cared deeply about the future of their state and country.
   
   They walked the talk ....



3. I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Ben Barnes, even as a diehard Republican and former Republican congressional aide. It is well written, concise, and tells a story that moves along quickly and keeps the reader's attention since there are no extraneous details to bog one down. The story is one of Barnes's meteoric rise through the ranks of Texas Democrat politics, after graduating fron the University of Texas, as state house member, Lieutenant Governor, and candidate for Governor - all the while serving as a sounding board and kitchen cabinet member for President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Governor John Connally. It is also the story of how the LBJ and Connally Democrat machine in Texas ultimately gave way to the John Tower/George H.W. Bush/George W. Bush/Karl Rove Republican machine. Barnes also tells the interesting story of his part in the controversial placement of George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War.
   
   There is very little Democrat partisan posturing, and such occurs only at the very end of the book, where I think Barnes could do a better job of admitting, reporting, and codemning (despite his experience as a target of the Richard Nixon enemies list) the politics of personal destruction that both parties have practiced. I would have also liked to see Barnes report more about the conversion of John Connally from LBJ Democrat to Richard Nixon Republican given how much time he spent with Connally as a political crony and business partner.
   
   It seems to me that Barnes tells some wise political lessons that national politicians of all stripes can learn from - keeping discourse and debate civil, reaching out to those on both flanks, building individual relationships, establishing personal trust and integrity, and choosing policies from both conservative and progressive spectrums in order to attract the broadest possible coalition - especially in an era where an undeclared war (in Iraq) threatens to undermine current Republicans much as it did the Democrats and LBJ in the 1960s.
   
   I can understand why LBJ thought and spoke so highly of Barnes, who clearly has a gift and passion for politics. His stories are fascinating and include many sagacious political observations that those interested in history and public policy can learn a lot from.



4. Ben Barnes, together with Lisa Dickey, produces a whirlwind political autobiography covering Barnes’s twelve years in elected office. In a quick, engaging style Barnes tells of the events that inspired him to contemplate the political life, and how he, an unknown 21-year-old, defeated a popular local war hero to win a seat in the Texas house. The narrative flows in a modest, vernacular style, providing an insider’s account into some of the most pivotal moments of the twentieth century. Barnes, through his roles as associate to Jim Connolly, governor of Texas, and leading member of the planning committee, reveals details of the incidents that led up to President Kennedy’s tragic trip to Dallas. The only other person in the room when Gov. Connolly let loose on Hubert Humphrey, he provides an inside account of the dramatic Democratic convention of 1968. Later, Barnes witnesses Connolly browbeat Pres. Nixon into resurrecting the political career of George H.W. Bush. And finally Barnes provides a first-hand account of the dirty politics of Nixon, who used all the power at his command to end his political career, defeating LBJs confident predictions that Barnes would become President.
   
   Among these historical events, Barnes provides an entertaining and eye-opening account of his political life as member of the Texas house, then Speaker, and finally as lieutenant governor. Through it all, he emphasizes his observations of what works in politics, and what doesn’t. He shares his wisdom about the need of Democrats to engage business leaders to join in the efforts of creating progressive policy in response to social needs. Barnes stresses the necessity that politicians think not just of their immediate needs and projects, but to think of the people’s long-term needs and goals, and what must be done to reach them. His prime example of this is LBJ, who wounded his own Democratic party for the greater good of advancing civil rights. Finally, Barnes laments today’s incivility and breakdown in communication between parties, a hostility which results in policies detrimental to our long-term, and even short-term, interest.



5. I was drawn to this book when I read in the obituaries for Lady Bird Johnson that the blurb she wrote for Barnes' book was the last thing the talented former First Lady wrote for publication and that, oddly enough, the blurb he has on the back of the book from Ann Richards was the last thing SHE wrote as well. It shows you, don't write blurbs for Ben Barnes I guess! Now I'll be waiting for the other blurbers to kick off, a new version of the internet "Death Pool," and I'll tell you, neither of them are spring chickens and one of them--Walter Cronkite--is already in the top 75 of the Death Pool list.
   
   Oh well, in any case the book is a good read, particularly for those of you who, like me, don't know much about Texas politics. Barnes was a mere boy when he was elected to the Texas Legislature, when he quickly became the pet of aging speaker Sam Rayburn, the man they called "Mr Everything," and befriended Governor John Connally and President Lyndon Johnson. Ben came from the hill country, in the days before electricity came in and changed everything, and in this book he gives us a quick glimpse of what Camelot was like for a really young man with a lot on the ball and a lot of ambition. Texas Democrats were riding high back then, but within ten years it was all to change, and this story, which of course mirrors the larger political story of the bigger US, is sobering indeed. Barnes doesn't hesitate to name names, and he blames LBJ for pushing civil rights issues so hard that he alienated the conservative element that might have given in with more grace if given more leeway. At the same time he knows that it was the right thing to do, just a path that led to unfortunate developments which the Democrats' traditional enemy found a way to exploit and overturn.
   
   At the beginning of the book, Rayburn whispers to Barnes that the significant event of the 1960 election was not that JFK won the thing, but that "Richard Nixon got hisass beat." Like a phoenix however, Nixon was to rise again and by the end of the book he had destroyed the Democratic hegemony of Texas and it has never really recovered. Barnes outlines the incredible "dirty tricks" campaign that brought him down. Strange to think that this rising young star, a young man whom LBJ said he would support "money, marbles, and chalk" became a hasbeen by the time he was 33--sort of like a rock star. He had red hair, sort of like Opie, but that crinkly kind so that in black and white newsphotos of the 1960s his head looks like it was topped with a waffle cone, the kind they sell at Carvels. He pleads with us to return our nation to the spirit of generosity and non partisanship that led to the creation of the Peace Corps. He has a whole "back to good government" program which will not please the Bush family, but so be it.

4 comments about Quiller Solitaire (Quiller series).

1. There is a lot more info on the Quiller series at www.quiller.net, a fan site.



2. Elleston Trevor honored me with a rare author's proof and I have a particularly soft spot for this Q caper, not least because it demonstrates his nom-de-plume Adam Hall's absolute determination to give readers full value, starting with each story sending Q down an even more suicidal hole than the one before.
   
   Of all the adventures, 'Solitaire' is the one that most resoundingly drives home a lesson taught by 9/11, namely that you can wire and bureaucratise your spook setup all you like, but it counts for naught unless you have the requisite 'ferrets' working the dark side and able to deliver the right intelligence for the automatons to crunch.
   
   This is an assignment Q wants - badly. He owes a man a death and he'll get it. Mission: thwart a terrorist group, for which (as so often) Q needs to be drawn into the opposition's den.
   
   The 9/11 connection takes the form of Quiller aboard a jetliner with only seconds to defuse a bomb.
   
   My opinion is neither here nor there: everything this spymaster poet delivered was exquisite and brutal and this is one of his best. With book trade heros like Otto Penzler doing their thing, we'll perhaps see Hall recognized for the master he is, and a new generation of readers flock to the Quilliad.
   
   Full marks to Amazon's editors of these reviews to permit the link to the fine homage page to Trevor's work.
   
   Anyone who enjoys top-rate thrillers and hasn't yet discovered Quiller is in for a major treat.



3. ...this author did to the spy thriller--don't be put off by the number of pages, each is fast-paced and the writing style is both accessible as well as being completely original--with all the hoopla over Brosnan quitting the Bond series, Broccoli and co. could do no wrong using this character and series as a template--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!



4. This was the first "Quiller" novel I have read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a "thinking persons" book. It read a chapter at a time only to be put down to absorb the logic and planning of Quiller. I won't give anything away, but reading Robert Littel's endorsement was chilling...if the CIA didn't read this book, perhaps some others did. This is a good read and I hope you enjoy it as I did.

3 comments about Equal or Greater Force: A Delta Force Veteran Teaches You How to Survive Crime, Terrorism, Natural Disasters and Other Calamities.

1. After reading Haney's Delta Force book, I wanted to find something that was practical, accessible, and thoughtful. Haney is great about teaching you some pretty practical things in his narrative (e.g. ammonium in a water gun as protection? I would have never thought of that!). As such this book sounded like it was perfect, since Kit Cessna hails from the same distinguished group as Haney, and the tagline of this book implies some level of it being a survival-manual.
   
   Fast-forward 70 pages in, and what I'm reading is a very different book. While the first 50ish pages are certainly thoughtful, they are focused on pretty gruesome details of victims who didn't have a 'survivor' mentality, as well as a history of why America is a nation of sheep that have fallen into mental weakness. The explanation is rife with political commentary and Mr. Cessna is clearly dissatisfied with the state of affairs in America in this 9/11 era.
   
   While I agree with some of his views, I certainly didn't sign up to read a book about them. His political beliefs and his interpretation of our country's social history are pretty strongly a part of the content, and skipping ahead a bit I see that the meat of this book springboards from this and focuses on developing a 'stay-alive' mentality in the general sense.
   
   There are plenty of books that discuss this mentality. I was hoping for something more unique in its content, more specific, more practical. Something like, "moss always grows on the north side of a tree if you get lost" or "if you're trapped in your house during an earthquake, stand in the doorway of the kitchen". Discussing mentality is definitely good too -- I was hoping for mentality advice such as "If you get trapped somewhere in the wilderness, if someone knew your route of travel then focus on staying put and surviving rather than trying to find a way out". With his intelligence and training as a Delta Force operative, I was hoping for this kind of read. Anyway, if no one has written a book like this, someone definitely should.
   
   All in all, I'm not that excited to finish the book, given the content that is mentioned above. While I do respect this man's extensive professional experience serving in the military and police force, I was expecting the subject matter that he focuses on to be more in line with it.



2. This little book really deserves a review because it's just that important a read. The topic is simple. The world can be a dangerous place, get over it. You have two choices in life, either be a victim or deal with it. If problem comes your way, be a man (or woman) about it and give'em hell.
   
   This is a book about mindset and the practicalities of fighting from a man who's "been there and done that." It dispels the myths of Hollywood and puts the facts on the table where you can read them for yourself. What this book is not, is some kind of odd guide showing you how to sucker punch someone. This is an introductory guide that examines the topic of defense by encouraging you to develop your most critical weapon, your mind.
   
   This book came recommended by one of the world's finest firearms instructors and a friend of mine, Bill Jeans. The book is now something I may include in every class I teach. It's real. Hell, it belongs in every police academy as a guide for new recruits. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this book.
   
   So buy a copy, take what you can use, put it in your range bag, pull it out every once in a while and get a dose of reality. And if anyone ever questions why you train, let them read it. My copy will end up dog eared and toyed with over the years.



3. Equal or Greater Force is a very good book regarding survival and self-sufficiency. I was not sure just what it would cover when I purchased it, but the subtitle A Delta Force Veteran Teaches You How to Survive Crime, Terrorism, Natural Disasters, and Other Calamities seemed to fit well with my studies and teachings. I was not disappointed in the least. I enjoyed the book and added to my knowledge on survival and self-defense.
   
   Cessna's number-one rule for survival is that nobody has as much of a vested interest in keeping you alive as you do. Therefore, the party primarily responsible for your continued existence is you. I don't know how many times I have taught people this same message. I couldn't agree with Cessna more.
   
   This book deals primarily with the attitude and mind-set necessary to survive a violent attack. When it comes down to it, a person's attitude and mind-set are much more important than the physical skills practiced. I'm glad Cessna added this book to the books on self-defense and survival, because I do not think anyone can be too prepared when it comes to mind-set and attitude. You must possess the drive to survive, and that is just what Cessna wrote about in this book.
   
   The stories Cessna uses to illustrate his points are right on and his teachings on how to develop a stay-alive mind-set are invaluable. I also enjoy quotes, and Cessna peppers this book with many quotes that will help you remember important points. While the book is not a book of self-defense techniques, Cessna does include a chapter on weapons that are available. I agree with him that the best weapon to have when defending yourself from an attacker is your ability to think. He also briefly discusses weapons such as chemical sprays, bats, firearms and knives as well as martial arts in general.
   
   This is an excellent book on the topic of mind-set for self-defense. Cessna ends by saying that no one can see the future, we can only try and be ready for it when it comes. I sincerely hope you never have to face any of the violent things Cessna wrote about. But if you do, having read this book, Cessna's advice may just be what enables you to survive.
   
   Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author, speaker
   Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks, Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and The Lock On Joint Locking series

No comments about The Roots of Terrorism (Democracy and Terrorism).