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by Padraig O'Malley (Foreword: Nelson Mandela)
ISBN: 0670852333
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 672 pages
Condition: New
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. No publisher marks, no shelf wear.
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Customer Reviews
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Real Insights
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-02-15
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is a vitally important book for understanding the transition to democracy in South Africa. O'Malley leaves no stones unturned and while much has been written about South Africa's transformation too few authors have asked the really hard questions and dug up the hard to find facts of what went on behind the scenes. O'Malley does this hard work. In this book readers will find never before published underground communications, look into secret missions, but most importantly understand the physical and emotional pain involved in being a true rebel. No film could equal the real life drama that unfolds in this story. Some of the early pages are a bit slow, but give this book time and you will be rewarded with a unique story of intrigue, violence, revolution, love, change, rise and fall-- and rise again. This is a beautiful and necessary work that should not be missed.
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by Andrea Mitchell
ISBN: 0786279869
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 733 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Light reading wear, light shelf wear. EX LIBRARY copy in a very good condition. Usual library marks present.
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Customer Reviews
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Entertaining, Smart and Educational
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-11-07
This book is thoroughly engrossing. I had always noticed Andrea Mitchell and admired her reporting, thought she was extremely articulate as well as nice-looking. I knew she married Alan Greenspan. I was open to finding out what it takes to be so tough-minded that enabled her to rise in her industry and spontaneously ask the tough questions of powerful people all over the world. But this book took me by surprise.
Andrea Mitchell is fast-paced and yet so well organized that she is very easy to follow. She expresses complex thoughts that put into perspective decades of our history, as she explains her role and presence at one significant event after another. In some ways this book is a description of how to succeed in a journalist career reporting on TV, and in other ways this is a history book, describing fairly the times in which we have lived. Andrea impressed me for being able to be so fast-paced and fair-minded. She reveals herself to be extraordinarily bright and tough, and seems to have dedicated herself to her profession to the extreme.
Accounts of each of the presidents she covered, and there were many, are insightful. She does a great imitation of Ronald Reagan and has interesting stories about each president. She has very complimentary things to say about each president as well as bitingly critical points. I think she treated George W. Bush differently than all the other presidents, as I waited but did not hear any positive points. Possibly the absence of even one compliment spoke volumes and possibly she was simply avoiding controversy. This was a mystery that hung at the end of the book without resolution.
Surprisingly, Talking Back made me like Alan Greenspan, a very difficult man to understand even after reading his Age of Turbulence. The fact that he became committed and married to such a strong woman speaks very well for him. Andrea addressed aspects of their relationship while maintaining a fair degree of privacy, but it's worth getting this front row seat to the tough reporter's view of fitting into America's aristocracy. Plainly, this tough reporter married into the top social strata of America. She cites occasions with friends of the couple, such as Al and Tipper Gore, Dick and Lynne Cheney as well as many other rich and powerful friends. Other than some fellow reporters, the word "friend" was exclusively reserved for people of high socio-economic status. I would have liked an explanation of the friendship with the Cheneys, but Andrea provided none.
The title of the book seemed a bit of a misnomer until Andrea described her visits to Cuba and interviews with Fidel Castro. I admired her for being so fair, diplomatic and yet not holding back on essential issues. I felt she represented America very well whenever she interviewed foreign leaders. It was clear that Andrea knows a lot more about many things that just about anybody I know, and her book is an authentic teaching document. For that, I am appreciative and recommend this entertaining book 100%.
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Knowing Everything Except What is Worth Knowing.
Rating  (2)
Date: 2007-11-05
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Talking Back: ...to Presidents, Dictators, and Assorted Scoundrels
By Andrea Mitchell
A Review
By
Colin J. Edwards
Whenever possible I avoid reading autobiography. I rarely read fiction, and essentially autobiography is fiction. Who can resist fine tuning ones achievements or smoothing the bumps of a relationship; not to mention flat-out lies? If such a paragon of virtue existed, writing an autobiography would be an anathema to them.
"Talking Back: ...to Presidents, Dictators, and Assorted Scoundrels", is an exception in so far as it is more a journalistic memoir than an autobiography. However, there are chunks of personal history that Lady Greenspan (Alan Greenspan was knighted by the Queen of England in 2002), chose to omit. Perhaps the most telling of these is the not inconsequential matter of a first marriage. There were also children, though non-biological, that she treated as her own. It is poignant that while she extols the virtue of her friends; even labelling their offspring as "...children she never had", she is silent about her own children. Would it be unreasonable to suggest that this might betray a propensity to edit out inconvenient truths? Alan Greenspan doesn't mention it either in his book "The Age of Turbulence". "But then statements of fact pertaining to both parties have been scrupulously edited and they don't differ even by a comma.
That said, Andrea Mitchell describes her three or more decades of journalism in a modest, balanced narrative which moves along at an exhausting pace. She resists the temptation to `drop names', but she does inflate the purity of journalism. I wonder how many people would crave a career in journalism if their contributions lacked a by-line? I have the feeling that the insatiable desire for a scoop would loose its appeal if the story was anonymous.
Ms Mitchell's volume does not betray anything about her. She tells us that she is Jewish. We can deduce that as a couple they are very rich because they don't spend any of their own money. Every event she describes; including her honeymoon, was funded by someone else. All their travel is tacked-on to official business somewhere in the world. If there is ant `self-funded' travel, she doesn't mention it.
After reading her book, you come away with the impression that she is a very modest person in most things. There is one area where I perceived a little insecurity. She wants to be judged as an intellectual. She reminds us that she went to an Ivy League college. Whilst this is technically true, it is stretching the distinction a little. She tells us that she was accepted for a woman's college at Cambridge, but she doesn't tell us which one - and there are only three. Her attention for detail in other areas exaggerates her amnesia about Cambridge, even though she mentions it twice.
Her writing style is predictably journalistic and a little tedious, but none-the-less an excellent commentary on current affaires of the last three decades. There are no attempts to take credit for successful events; indeed she describes everything with brutal honesty - warts and all.
Ms Mitchell shares few personal details with us, and the work is the poorer for it. One is left with the impression that she is the definitive spinster married to the definitive bachelor. She does her thing and he does his and they meet occasionally at the White House for dinner.
If you are already a student of current affaires, then this volume will add nothing to your fund of knowledge. However, if you need a crash course in the happenings of the last thirty years, then this is a book for you.
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Talking Back....
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-08-11
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is a fabulous read...you can hear Andrea speaking as you read ...descriptive, exciting and historically fascinating.
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It's a journalism memoir, not an autobiography
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-05-20
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
And people who are expecting a tell-all, fully detailed account of Andrea's life had better look elsewhere. This book is about her rise into the national broadcasting media. (If people want a detailed account they should read Magdaleine Albright's book "Madame Secretary.") This is not a book revealing every secret, ever detail of every person she interviewed or her feelings of all the events she covered. She's more "Just the facts, Sir" type of writer.
Now, with that out of the way, this is an easy-to-follow chronology of events as Andrea Mitchell saw them starting her days as a Philadelphia reporter for KYW and then the Jonestown massacre in late 1978. But it was later with Three Mile Island in March 1979, her first national exposure as an energy correspondent that brought her to the forefront as an aggressive reporter. It was a line on page 46 that summed up Andrea's personality, when she wanted to be there to cover the Three Mile Island melt-down but was denied her chance to report because her supervisor, an elderly and paternal Sid Davis didn't want Andrea, as a woman of child-bearing age, be exposed to potential nuclear radiation: "Men's testicles were as vulnerable to radiation as women's ovaries. I was on a plane to Three Mile Island the next day."
She was there for the rise of Ayatollah. She spoke well of Reagan as a gentleman, but also reported on his often-noticed fatigue, disorientation and his lack of detail which he delegated to his advisors. She was much less forgiving of Reagan's Chief of Staff, Don Regan.
Had Mitchell written with greater detail there's no doubt that this book would have required many more pages. One thing I can fault her with is not revealing much about her personal life and how her profession often dictated her personal life. She was very careful not to reveal too much about her early years with her now-husband Allan Greenspan.
The Paperback edition also provides additional reporting since the hardback book was published, which gives Condoleeza Rice much credit for her stance in the Middle East.
I will agree with Bill O'Reiley when he described Andrea Mitchell as one of the more non-partisan reporters. This book reflects that.
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Interesting read
Rating (4)
Date: 2007-05-14
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
If you enjoy a mix of autobiography, history and current events, this book will delight you. Andrea Mitchell covers the American scene through the eyes of a journalist who, as husband of Allen Greenspan, was, at times, participant. Fair and balanced. Goes well with a shade tree and glass of lemonade.
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by Alice Sebold
ISBN: 0316677469
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 304 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Book in good condition with minimal reading wear. EX LIBRARY copy. Library markings present but no further markings or imperfections.
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Customer Reviews
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Garbage
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-09-03
After reading the Lovely Bones (one of very few books that has made me cry), I read Lucky and was thoroughly disappointed. With Almost Moon, I want the 13 bucks I paid for it back, and also the whole day I spent reading it. I gave it two stars instead of one because I loved the characters and how Sebold describes them. I liked the subject-- dark and original. But, as far as reading it, the only reason I didn't quit was because I wanted to see what would happen. I now see that was a waste of time.
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Mental Illness Ain't Logical
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-08-19
Not surprised that this book got so many negative reviews... the author deals with REAL life tragedy and suffering- rape and murder of a 14 year old girl (The Lovely Bones); rape (Lucky) a true story about this author's experience with this violent crime; and her second novel about a daughter killing her mother.
Best Selling "MONEY" author's would never write about such theme's or plot lines, because it's not the stuff readers will BUY. Some authors write multiple books each year (i.e. James Patterson) and people buy them... no matter that many are published to enhance the author's and his publisher's bank accounts... these "novel's" are just short story's if you delete empty pages and double spacing, large type... they do have a HOOK that "forces" people to buy them.
The Lovely Bones was an exception as a novel, as was Lucky an auto-biography... the former a smash bestseller, and the latter a VIEW of the effects of rape on the victim which received a higher rating in this crib than her bestseller.
Readers who gave both books few stars and negative reviews didn't get the MESSAGES being sent by the author to the audience. The Lovely Bones does an excellent and realistic job of explaining what an entire family goes through, their entire life after a child dies (rape/murder being the most horrific for parent's, et al family members to "accept"). The readers get comfort knowing that Susie is in limbo/heaven trying to help her family survive her death, without such comfort the book would very likely not have been such a success on the market. The movie required double the box's of eye tissues cause you SEE Susie, her family and killer... not just read words on paper.
Her 2nd novel doesn't have a anti-depression "pill" while covering a topic people don't want to think about (matricide)... let alone read. People (book readers) who have had family members with mental illness, suicide, etc. may find the book on target and give it a tad more stars cause mentally ill people ain't like you and me ("normal" people) who THINK rationally and logically... not just the opposite.
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It didn't end!? ***Spoiler Alert***
Rating  (3)
Date: 2010-08-17
I loved Sebold's "The Lovely Bones," and I was excited to read more of her work. Unlike other readers, I didn't have a problem with the dark content or the overall theme of this book. I thought it fit very well with the writing style we know of Sebold, and I was hooked on the story right until the end.
The end--what end??? There is no resolution. The main character doesn't make a decision, doesn't get caught, and doesn't die. What was the point???
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This Is A Hard One.
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-08-10
Right from the start, let me say that I understand why so many readers were put off by this book, inparticularly the violent aspects of the story. It wasn't quite as graphic and disturbing as many of the reviews made it sound but again, I see how one would feel offended by the story. That being said, if you're not an individual that can objectively read such sensitive subject matter, you should not pick up this book to begin with.
At times, I found myself feeling as most readers have, just completely disgusted with Helen's character and wanting nothing more than to put the book down, but I decided to keep reading. I assumed that as the story went on, an actual background would reveal itself, and it did.
Having come from a very disfunctional home, I feel that I was able to read this story with a little more understanding. Not understanding for the act of murder, but understanding as to how someone's emotional and mental resolve can weaken so much.
Overall this story was not fun, not entertaining, and it did not draw much sympathy out of me for any of the characters....especially not for the mother. There were some graphic descriptions that put a lump in my throat, which usually doesn't happen to me.
To sum it up, this was a very sad depiction of what mental illness can do to a family and what emotions and thoughts lie behind many troubled relationships between adult children and their parents. I do applaud Sebold for her willingness to put on paper what others wouldn't dare discuss. It's unfortunate, but I feel that Alice Sebold tapped into sunject matter that exists for many, many people but that most wouldn't even acknowledge to themselves.
Just my two cent but, as for me, I'll not read this book again.
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Disappointing
Rating  (1)
Date: 2010-08-04
I struggled through this warbled tale, which sends the reader back and forth through time, confusing them with names of characters that are not well-defined enough for us to recall who the heck they were to begin with...None of the characters are sympathetic, so it's hard to really to connect or care about any of them. In a nutshell, not a good read, at all.
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by Alice Sebold
ISBN: 0316677469
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 304 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Book in good condition with minimal reading wear. EX LIBRARY copy. Library markings present but no further markings or imperfections.
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Customer Reviews
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Garbage
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-09-03
After reading the Lovely Bones (one of very few books that has made me cry), I read Lucky and was thoroughly disappointed. With Almost Moon, I want the 13 bucks I paid for it back, and also the whole day I spent reading it. I gave it two stars instead of one because I loved the characters and how Sebold describes them. I liked the subject-- dark and original. But, as far as reading it, the only reason I didn't quit was because I wanted to see what would happen. I now see that was a waste of time.
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Mental Illness Ain't Logical
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-08-19
Not surprised that this book got so many negative reviews... the author deals with REAL life tragedy and suffering- rape and murder of a 14 year old girl (The Lovely Bones); rape (Lucky) a true story about this author's experience with this violent crime; and her second novel about a daughter killing her mother.
Best Selling "MONEY" author's would never write about such theme's or plot lines, because it's not the stuff readers will BUY. Some authors write multiple books each year (i.e. James Patterson) and people buy them... no matter that many are published to enhance the author's and his publisher's bank accounts... these "novel's" are just short story's if you delete empty pages and double spacing, large type... they do have a HOOK that "forces" people to buy them.
The Lovely Bones was an exception as a novel, as was Lucky an auto-biography... the former a smash bestseller, and the latter a VIEW of the effects of rape on the victim which received a higher rating in this crib than her bestseller.
Readers who gave both books few stars and negative reviews didn't get the MESSAGES being sent by the author to the audience. The Lovely Bones does an excellent and realistic job of explaining what an entire family goes through, their entire life after a child dies (rape/murder being the most horrific for parent's, et al family members to "accept"). The readers get comfort knowing that Susie is in limbo/heaven trying to help her family survive her death, without such comfort the book would very likely not have been such a success on the market. The movie required double the box's of eye tissues cause you SEE Susie, her family and killer... not just read words on paper.
Her 2nd novel doesn't have a anti-depression "pill" while covering a topic people don't want to think about (matricide)... let alone read. People (book readers) who have had family members with mental illness, suicide, etc. may find the book on target and give it a tad more stars cause mentally ill people ain't like you and me ("normal" people) who THINK rationally and logically... not just the opposite.
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It didn't end!? ***Spoiler Alert***
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-08-17
I loved Sebold's "The Lovely Bones," and I was excited to read more of her work. Unlike other readers, I didn't have a problem with the dark content or the overall theme of this book. I thought it fit very well with the writing style we know of Sebold, and I was hooked on the story right until the end.
The end--what end??? There is no resolution. The main character doesn't make a decision, doesn't get caught, and doesn't die. What was the point???
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This Is A Hard One.
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-08-10
Right from the start, let me say that I understand why so many readers were put off by this book, inparticularly the violent aspects of the story. It wasn't quite as graphic and disturbing as many of the reviews made it sound but again, I see how one would feel offended by the story. That being said, if you're not an individual that can objectively read such sensitive subject matter, you should not pick up this book to begin with.
At times, I found myself feeling as most readers have, just completely disgusted with Helen's character and wanting nothing more than to put the book down, but I decided to keep reading. I assumed that as the story went on, an actual background would reveal itself, and it did.
Having come from a very disfunctional home, I feel that I was able to read this story with a little more understanding. Not understanding for the act of murder, but understanding as to how someone's emotional and mental resolve can weaken so much.
Overall this story was not fun, not entertaining, and it did not draw much sympathy out of me for any of the characters....especially not for the mother. There were some graphic descriptions that put a lump in my throat, which usually doesn't happen to me.
To sum it up, this was a very sad depiction of what mental illness can do to a family and what emotions and thoughts lie behind many troubled relationships between adult children and their parents. I do applaud Sebold for her willingness to put on paper what others wouldn't dare discuss. It's unfortunate, but I feel that Alice Sebold tapped into sunject matter that exists for many, many people but that most wouldn't even acknowledge to themselves.
Just my two cent but, as for me, I'll not read this book again.
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Disappointing
Rating (1)
Date: 2010-08-04
I struggled through this warbled tale, which sends the reader back and forth through time, confusing them with names of characters that are not well-defined enough for us to recall who the heck they were to begin with...None of the characters are sympathetic, so it's hard to really to connect or care about any of them. In a nutshell, not a good read, at all.
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by Neil Baldwin
ISBN: 0312325436
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 272 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. No publisher marks, no shelf wear. This is an ex editor's copy and has VERY MINIMAL pencil writing in the margins. No further imperfections.
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Customer Reviews
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ten interesting biographical essays
Rating (4)
Date: 2006-08-25
2 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
The premise of these ten biographical essays is to concentrate on individuals who brought "fundamental Americanism", values at a time in which our leaders prefer polarizing the people to consolidate power via the money mechanism needed for reelections. Readers may disagree on the choices (no presidents), which is part of the fun of this tome. For instance, this reviewer expected Lincoln as the influence of changing from state-centric to national-conscience, but instead he failed to make the cut and some that were selected I never heard of before. Historical buffs will enjoy reading about values of this country from the seventeenth century: John Winthrop; eighteenth century: Thomas Paine and Pierre Eugene Du Simitiere; nineteenth century: Ralph Waldo Emerson, John L. O'Sullivan, and Henry George; twentieth century: Jane Addams, Israel Zangwill, Carter G. Woodson, and George C. Marshall. Written somewhat like the required reading of an American History 101 course, Neil Baldwin presents a fascinating concept supported by his chosen ones who he argues lived the American ideal of individual freedom and rights.
Harriet Klausner
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American Incomprehensible
Rating (2)
Date: 2005-12-14
4 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book reminds me of the pretentious, mind-numbing courses on intellectual history I suffered through in college. Clearly, it was prepared with a great deal of thought and scholarship, but the sum is not a fraction of its parts.
While I'll give the author credit for coming up with an interesting premise and giving credit to some lesser-known thinkers/doers, I can't call this book an enjoyable or illuminating read. It's so choppy and written so strangely that long sections are incomprehensible. Most inexcusable is the author's decision to put quote marks around every possible phrase, as if to prove he read all the original texts and related texts he references. There are literally scores of examples in which he puts quotes around one or two words -- and not important words, either -- which destroy the flow of the book. Furthermore, because he's doing short sketches that include a person's biography and historical context, he scants attention to the thing he purported to write about: their intellectual contribution to America.
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Ideals developed by some minor historical figures
Rating (4)
Date: 2005-09-14
8 out of 9 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book is a collection of ten short biographies of people who had an enormous influence in the growth and development of the United States. Each person was significant in the creation and implementation of a major ideal of the American nation. They are in order:
*) City On a Hill - John Winthrop, 1630. John Winthrop was the Governor of the Massachusetts colony established by the Puritans and the ideal was that of establishing a place where people could freely practice the religion of their choice.
*) Common Sense - Thomas Paine, 1776. More than anyone else, Paine described the reasons for the American Colonies rebellion against King George. Widely circulated, his "Common Sense" was the chief item of propaganda in favor of independence.
*) E Pluribus Unum - Pierre Eugene Du Simitiere, 1776. Historically obscure, Du Simitiere was a Swiss artist that was hired to create the Great Seal of the United States.
*) Self-reliance - Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841. A talented writer, Emerson espoused the American pioneer spirit of doing things yourself, blazing new trails into whatever "wilderness" you encounter.
*) Manifest destiny - John L. O'Sullivan, 1845. O'Sullivan was the person who coined the phrase "manifest destiny" to describe the role of the United States in the world.
*) Progress and poverty - Henry George, 1879. George was one of the early commentators on the problems of poor people living in a wealthy state. He argued that labor was the key resource, "labor is the employer of capital."
*) The Sphere of action - Jane Addams, 1902. Addams was one of the founders of Hull-House in Chicago. It started as a place where "ragamuffin" children could attend kindergarten classes and grew into a beacon for neighborhood social work. Addams then became a pioneer in the ideals of how the better off could assist the poor.
*) The Melting-Pot - Israel Zangwill, 1908. Zangwill described the United States as "the greatest idealistic experiment in government." He wrote extensively on how so many different people of so many different backgrounds were able to come together to construct a nation.
*) The Negro in our history - Carter G. Woodson, 1922. Woodson was a scholar whose focus was on capturing and describing the history of black people in America.
*) The Marshall plan - George C. Marshall, 1947. Marshall was the chief architect of the massive program whereby American aid was sent to Europe after the end of World War II. By giving so freely of its' treasure, the United States remained a world power and stopped the advance of communism in Europe. It is no exaggeration to say that it was the most significant act in the American victory over communism in the cold war.
These short biographical bits describe principal American ideals by describing the lives of people who are for the most part not part of the mainstream of historical study. They are well written and worthy of study. It is a valuable lesson that many people who made major contributions, but are rarely mentioned in the history books also built this country.
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Not a bad read
Rating (3)
Date: 2005-08-05
5 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
The 10 ideas that shaped America is quite an important topic of conversation, really. Why DID we get this way, exactly? How did we come about? Why do we have the dichotomy of a nation founded by religions, but a government free of them? Why did we shun socialism when Europe embraced it? Unfortunately, after reading this book I did not feel that any questions were answered.
Neal Baldwin is easy to read, that much can surely be said. But each chapter was so divorced from the other as to leave the reader imagining that he were reading a simple volume of selected essays from various sources with no overriding theme. To be fair, Mr. Baldwin does warn that he didn't intend any overarching theme, but that sort of makes the book a bit hollow.
And, my biggest problem with this small tome is that he ignored the Founder's ideas of representative democracy leaving it out of the mix. These ideas were the bedrock of our nation without which we would not have had an America in the first place. I believe his second chapter should have been on the Declaration of Independence.
Also it would have helped to have some thread enlightening us as to how the preceding chapter foreshadowed the next. After all, enlightenment ( that of showing the reader what great ideas led Americans to today) was the goal of Mr. Baldwin's work.
Still, the book did lead me to seek out some other sources and that is valuable in and of itself.
So, I give it three stars. An interesting read, but not what it could have been.
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A Thought-Provoking Narrative
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-06-10
17 out of 18 customers found this reveiw helpful
Americans love political discussion and debate. From colonial days when pamphlets and town meetings were the mechanism of discourse, to modern times when talk radio and political blogs stimulate discussion of important public issues, robust political debate is a crucial element of American life. For many, an important element of current debate centers on the historical perspective. From documents and speeches such as The Federalist Papers, George Washington's farewell address and Lincoln's second inaugural address, great respect is often given to the intellectual contributions of America's founding fathers. It is a rare day when the opinion pages of major print media or television commentators do not make reference to the written word of bygone centuries.
THE AMERICAN REVELATION: Ten Ideals That Shaped Our Country From the Puritans to the Cold War, by Neil Baldwin, is both a thought-provoking and thoughtful narrative of important examples of ideas that have shaped American thought, life, and our unique American identity. The ideas selected by the author pre-date the founding of the United States as a nation and traverse nearly four centuries of American life. By the author's own admission, they are not intended to be exhaustive. Rather, they are a selection, a few out of many ideas, concepts and phrases of American history and how they came to be part of the American lexicon.
Baldwin's list is neither political nor polemic. His first selection, "City on a Hill," the remarks of John Winthrop to the Massachusetts Bay Colonists in 1630, has been quoted by proponents of diverse political philosophies --- President Ronald Reagan and Governor Mario Cuomo, to name just two. Baldwin's discussion of The Marshall Plan, the American effort to rebuild a shattered European continent after World War II, is probably the finest example in American history of truly bi-partisan foreign policy in action. In each chapter Baldwin provides the reader with a brief biographical note of the author of an important contribution to American thought, the times in which the author lived, and the impact of the ideas on the American nation. In a nation that still fiercely debates the words and deeds of its founding fathers, it is important to stimulate debate about American values throughout the life of our country in order to understand what those values truly are.
It is Neil Baldwin's belief that our nation is currently suffering the consequences of a deeply divisive political debate. The pulse of 21st century America, he writes, "often sounds as if it is emanating from two separate heartbeats." Americans need to turn to core beliefs that can provide a unifying focus for our thoughts and our lives. There have been times in the life of our nation when such unifying thoughts were presented to the nation. They may have been, in the words of Thomas Paine, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry George, Jane Adams, or any of the ten sculptors of American thought whose words serve as the foundation of THE AMERICAN REVELATION. The perilous times in which we live demand an idealism that leads to a new definition of patriotism and national character. That critical goal begins with one citizen and one reader at a time.
--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
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by Jo Ann Beard
ISBN: 0316085545
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 224 pages
Condition: Used: Acceptable
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. This copy appears to have minimal reading wear but is listed as acceptable because of underlining/ highlighting on the inside.
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Customer Reviews
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Not a Fan
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-07-20
0 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
I don't typically rate books that I didn't like. Many times, like in this instance, the author has poured their heart and soul into the book, and who I am to negatively judge? However in this case, I feel obligated to do so because the majority of the reviews are so spectacular, and because of that I could not wait to read this book. I WANTED to like this book, I even tried to FORCE myself to enjoy it, but it was downright impossible. I felt like I was reading something that everyone else in the world understood but me. I closed the book and thought "what am I missing?". I'm glad I read it to the end, despite my brain begging me to move onto the next book, because it has a handful of very redeeming qualities. The second half of the book is infinitely better than the first half and her stories from adulthood are much more compelling and easy to relate to than those from her childhood. Because of that, I can say that there were some stories I was fond of and will keep the book on my bookshelf because of it. However, I just wanted to forewarn those who do as I do and buy dozens of books based solely on reviews and amazon trends because they don't have time to really look into what the book is all about. This is one of those instances that you should use the amazon preview reader and really get a feel for her writing style and subject matter before you make a decision.
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I want more Jo Ann Beard!
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-05-20
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I bought Ms. Beard's The Boys of My Youth, her collection of fictionalized essays, and finished it in short order. It was a delight. Then I went back and read parts of it again. Then I tried another "quirky" writer a friend had recommended, but soon found myself rereading ALL of The Boys of My Youth. So there you have it. I love this writer. I think "Fourth State of Matter" is just about the most perfect piece of writing. Ever. So whenever you're ready, Jo Ann, we're out here, like one of your faithful dogs, waiting so hard.
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A Masterpiece of Creative Nonfiction
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-02-03
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I rarely do reviews of books, but Beard's "The Boys of My Youth" has forced me to make an exception; this is a wonderful collection of stories, all of which are beautifully written. She has a style that makes you feel like you're five feet away from the action, and her descriptions of things, even the most inconsequential things, are so well-crafted that it makes one wonder how such a thing like a simple drive can go unnoticed. This is one of the most absorbing books I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and hands-down one of the best written--Jo Ann Beard' s talent is immense, and I can only hope she has more stories to tell.
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fresh, surprising, raw, subtle
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-06-26
Beard's intimate prose is unselfconscious and unabashedly focused on the moments in relationships which we rarely realize are the most important ones. The one exception is an essay in the middle of her novel which tells the story of a traumatic event in her adult life. Beard lapses into cliche not because she is incapable of better, but perhaps because all the words to describe such an event have been pre-ordained by the reporters and cops whose mouths form the syllables of murder. Even in the midst of cliche, and starkly plain language, she finds ways to remember details that evoke. A wonderful new book... everyone ought to read it.
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My favorite book
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-03-23
This is what writing means. Gorgeous, pitch-perfect prose. Sensory details that speak for themselves.
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by David Maraniss
ISBN: 0684862964
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 112 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride. Gently read copy in like new condition.
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Interesting analysis
Rating (3)
Date: 2008-02-11
An interesting analysis of President Clinton by one not part of the "great right-wing conspiracy." Making use of the four-minute speech in which the president finally confessed to lying under oath regarding an affair with "that woman, Miss Lewinsky," Maraniss (who wrote the Clinton biography First in His Class) claims this speech tells us everything we need to know about Bill Clinton. Get the audio edition, which contains the entire speech.
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Clinton Caught
Rating (3)
Date: 2005-02-07
1 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
David Maraniss was on Slick's side at one point. Maraniss wrote some not so positive things about Slick, and now Maraniss is the classic example of how the Clintonistas will freeze the media out by ignoring them when they question the almighty Slickster. This book breaks down the infamous speech Slick gave on TV the night he admitted to the improper relationship with Monica - the relationship he had denied having. There are some very good looks back into the life of a criminal that show how that speech was no different from any other time Slick has been less than truthful (he's lied).
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Gives Powerful Insight into Bill Clinton
Rating (5)
Date: 2004-05-28
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
Only Clinton's autobiography will do a better job at realistically assessing the behavior of this very unique president. He was such a blend of good and bad.
The author captures this perfectly. Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"
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OK quickie, but read _First in His Class_
Rating (2)
Date: 2003-10-02
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
David Maraniss is a real pro and I recommend his books and articles, but I wish he would not have written this little book. It is an interesting idea -- to extrapolate a man's life from a four minute speech -- but I found it to be somewhat self-serving. For example, Mr. Maraniss makes something of a to-do about the fact that the president of the United States would not make time for him. Mr. Maraniss had been critical of Clinton in some ways, and that might have dampened the president's enthusiasm for meeting with him; but Maraniss is only an author. Bill Clinton was president of the United States. One other little example: Mr. Maraniss makes something of a deal out of the fact that Clinton once said to him, "Nice tie," and then later someone else told him (D.M.) that that remark should be interpreted as a "F- you." Hm, a pretty far-out interpretation.
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A one-man smear-campaign!
Rating (1)
Date: 2001-09-27
5 out of 10 customers found this reveiw helpful
As a foreigner who has seen the US from abroad throughout the last decade, I must say I was very disapointed by this book. How is it possible to create so much garbage and put it indise a cover, and then get it sold?!!! For a long time I followed the US-debate over the Clintons. And for a long time I thought Hillary Clinton's acusations about a conspiracy was a bit over the top. But after reading this I am in no doubt: The Clintons have recieved a lot more negativety than they deserve! And thruth be told, Bill Clinton was a leader we in the rest of the world had confidence in. He was though on behalf of his nation, but he was a leader in wich we felt trust.
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by Colin Evans
ISBN: 0425210073
Binding/Media: Paperback - 336 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Previously UNREAD copy which has been removed from our store shelves.
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Fascinating work on one of the first great forensic scientists
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-11-02
This is a chiefly professional history of the life and work of Sir Bernard Spilsbury, one of the great forensic scientists in English history. When he began his career, forensic science was beginning to develop, but was regarded with skepticism in England. A master of self-presentation, as well as a brilliant scientist, Spilsbury's courtroom appearances, combined with the excellent work of himself and his colleagues, convinced the courts and public of the value of forensic science.
Colin Evans focuses on some of his most famous cases. One thing that I particularly appreciated was his notes in which he updated the information. In some cases, for examples, things that could not be tested for then can be detected now. In addition, forensic work has once again fallen out of favor owing to contentious expert-witness testimony.
A very interesting read for people interested in forensics, and a good explanation of the care and dedication required for such work. Not so very useful as a personal biography of Spilsbury.
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Totally Enjoyable Read!
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-10-21
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Evans' writing is very compelling and pushes you easily along the dateline of modern forensic techniques. His storytelling skills are marvelous and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I am only part way through and find myself trying to savor every page by reading only a little at a time. I don't want this book to end!
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Another Great Book by a Great Author
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-08-25
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Colin Evans has written a number of excellent books on forensics and this one is just as much of an edge-of-your-seat page-turner as the others, if not more so. The book's focus is on a subset of the many cases in which Britain's Sir Bernard Spilsbury was involved as the much revered, indeed legendary, forensic pathologist. The main highlights of Spilsbury's life are also included. The author's writing style is as witty as it is engaging, often tongue-in-cheek. The words that he uses to describing these many cases seem to be very carefully selected and put together. But it is much more likely that this excellent style of writing simply comes naturally to this most gifted author; I cannot praise it enough. This book will be indispensable to anyone who enjoys reading well-crafted true crime stories in which forensics plays an important role. Very highly recommended!
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Excellent Examination of an Early Forensic Pioneer
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-08-06
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I've read accounts of other forensic pathologists at the turn of the century, but this one is easiest to digest. It has a smooth reading style, lays out the crimes in sufficient detail that you can follow the 'plot' and then shows how Spilsbury and his associates helped lay the forensic groundwork for conviction. Cases include such well-known murders as "The Brides in the Bath," among others.
Besides the fascination at watching the growth of forensics at the hands of the pioneers (Spilsbury doesn't get all the kudos in this book) you also catch a glimpse of the personal toll exacted by the long hours and hideous conditions.
For readers keen to see a glimpse of early forensic technique and the men behind the emerging technology, I highly recommend Evan's informative book.
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by Todd Balf, Dennis Boutsikaris
ISBN: B000H2ME9G
Binding/Media: Audio Cassette
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Ex library copy. This audio book is in a very good condition.
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Customer Reviews
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great
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-08-24
The book The Last River I have odered came fast and in excellent condition. I was very satisfied.
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Tsang-Po: The Everest of Rivers
Rating (3)
Date: 2009-02-12
Todd Balf chronicles a team of kayakers as they embark on an incredible journey to paddle the dangerous whitewater of the remote Yarlung Tsangpo River as it carves out one of the deepest gorges through Tibet while flowing away from the Himalayas. Despite record high level waters which made running the river exponentially more difficult and dangerous, the team decides to boat what they can and portage the rest. Early on, team member Doug Gordon inexplicably takes a dangerous line over a waterfall, fails to right his kayak, and is swept down the river to his death. The team is devastated, ending the water portion of their exploration and they begin the arduous trek out of the region. They are greeted by waves of criticism and accusation, ultimately drawing few lessons from the tragedy and coming to the simple conclusion that they practice a sport with inherent risks clearly known to all involved - any day on a river could be their last.
Balf has written an engaging and comprehensive account of the ill-fated Walker-McEwan expedition. However, the story itself is rather short and more than half of the book takes place before anyone has set foot near the river. For the non-boating reader, the lengthy intro may make for less than engaging reading. In addition, the book suffers from its incessant comparison with Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and Everest mountaineering in general. The designation the "Everest of Rivers" and the constant comparison with Into Thin Air distracts the reader from the story at hand. Unfortunately for adventure writers everywhere, the coincidental circumstances which occurred on Everest in 1996, and the fact that a reporter with mountaineering skills just happened to be there to cover them, may never be duplicated and volumes such as Todd Balf's The Last River would benefit by leaving the comparisons out.
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The last river, Todd Balf
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-05-13
Great book! Unbelievable attention to detail, I felt like
I was on the river with them. The story has a great flow
and ease of readindg that makes it a joy to read from the
first page to the last! I am looking forward to reading other
books by this gifted author. In my opinion Todd Balf is one
of the best authors of our time.
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If You Liked Into Thin Air...
Rating (1)
Date: 2006-12-30
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Todd Balf did not do himself a favor by allowing the editors to include phrases such as the above into the dust jacket reviews. While "Into Thin Air" was certainly has its merits, Balf struggles with a number of limitations that keep his book from attaining the popular standard that was set by the aforementioned.
First and foremost is that Balf's account is not first hand, and as a result, lacks the authority and clarity of Krakauer's book. Second, is that there are no photographs. Descriptions of the big water, the individuals, and the challenges they faced would have been a lot less abstract than the scenarios created by Balf (tho I recognize the National Geographic's contract with the team probably did not allow photos from the trip to be used).
A different level of writing might have corrected the above ills - his prose was sometimes difficult to plow thru, and often times his descriptions of the rapids and environs, which were meant to envoke, only served to dull. To boot, on numerous occasions he would reference an event or conversation in the book as tho it was the first time, when in fact it had been referenced before.
Lastly, the photo of the kayak and the skull on the cover appears contrived and sensationalistic.
All of the above could be passed off as minor irritants to be sure. However, having journeyed to some remote corners of the globe, and being a sucker for anything that intersects my interests in Tibet, travel and kayaking with extra-ordinary individuals, I expect a more adept handling of the subject.
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Not for the armchair adventurer
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-07-25
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
Like others, I wondered at the number of people who slammed this book, which I found to be gripping, enjoyable, and in places hard to read for all the right reasons. The answer is simple: this book is not written for the armchair adventurer, for someone who will watch the Discovery Channel but never actually go to any of those places they'll see on the screen. It tells some hard truths, and I can easily understand why those who bought the book hoping to be entertained by someone else's tragedy would be greatly disappointed. If, however, you've ever been closer to real adventure than picturing yourself in an SUV ad, I have a feeling this book will work for you.
It is not a fun book. No book with a tragedy at its center should be fun or light reading, really. But it is fascinating, compelling, a page-turner. It is highly educational, particularly for those who are inclined to view adventure athletes as brain-dead adrenaline junkies. By taking the reader through the expedition members' hard work and preparation, the hassles and hardships they endured, the book forces us to see them as being in many ways the antithesis of the stereotype: they are patient, painstaking, and thorough.
The bottom line is that this book isn't the literary equivalent of America's Most Death-Defying Videos. It's not written to titillate the folks back home. It seeks to tell the truth about a pursuit that many people find simply incomprehensible. If read with an open mind and without an expectation of being thrilled by death-defying feats, I think it will give the reader that understanding.
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by Michelle Herman
ISBN: 0803224265
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 214 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Book in good condition with minimal reading wear. EX LIBRARY copy. Library markings present but no further markings or imperfections.
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Customer Reviews
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Required reading for mothers AND daughters
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-11-13
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
There's so much in this book that should be thought & talked about that I've put it on my book group's list for this winter--we're a bunch of new or new-ish mothers and usually we DON'T read motherhood books or parenting books because the point of our reading group is to take a BREAK from thinking about being moms. But this book raises so many important issues, I think we have to break our own "rule." And it doesn't JUST talk about parenting issues, either. It also talks about what it means to be a girl and a woman in our world without, what friendship is FOR, and what it feels like to go through menopause--its like a one-volume encyclopedia of femaleness. Plus Herman writes about the one huge issue all new mothers have to deal with, which is how do you know what the right thing to do IS? She doesn't have answers but she asks all the right questions. As a mom of a bright and kind of challenging 4-yr old, I found every page interesting (and I am going to lend MY copy to my mom). My only complaint is that its kind of expensive. Wish it were in paperback!
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Real motherhood, Real honesty
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-10-25
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Not since Anne Lamott's "Operating Instructions" have I felt so...connected to a fellow mother - and the mother part doesn't even really get rolling till the final part of the book!
I loved reading about Michelle's process of 'getting there'... all the relationships we form, for better or for worse; the friends we make and lose; the loneliness and love... all that stuff we go through as women before we enter the most challenging relationship of all - that we have with our children. Thank you Michelle for baring your soul - I feel like I've found a friend.
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In Whose Best Interest?
Rating (3)
Date: 2005-10-18
8 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
I almost had a nervous breakdown just reading this book. Herman's writing for three quarters of the book is about herself and "restless" does not begin to describe the way she analyzes relationships. It's tedious and self-indulgent. The most interesting parts of the book is when she describes her daughter and the "breakdown". I will give her credit for being brutally honest about herself. As a mother, the most interesting thing said in the book is the criteria the doctor recommended when deciding what actions to take: "Is this for you or for her?" So in using this guideline, how wise is it to publish a book on your own child's psychological problems? A child who is probably still under 18 and cannot consent? How will she feel having such personal issues being aired out by the mother that actually caused them? How is this benefiting the child?
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Something new and completely different...
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-08-21
3 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
I just read this book and I feel like I have to point out that (for me, anyway) what was great about it WASN'T the whole mother-daughter thing that the publisher and the reviews I've read concentrate on. There's stuff in this book about friendship, about BEST FRIENDS, that I've never read anywhere else. No one talks about this! I felt this jolt, like, FINALLY! My best friends have been my mainstay since I was little (and I'm 38 now!). I love my husband, I love my son, but it's my best friend Joanna and my second-best friends (they won't mind being called that, I'm their second or maybe even third-best friend too) who keep me sane. (I also think that Herman says some things about motherhood in general, in the last part of the book, that needed to be said and that NOBODY EVER HAS. Read it! I should be ashamed to say that I didn't buy it, I got it from my library, but I just ordered a copy for Joanna!)
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my daughter, my self
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-04-15
5 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
Extraordinary, highly recommended, poignant, powerful, entertaining, insightful, playful and profound. May provoke laughter and tears. An amazing frank, disarming and charming collection of essays on daughterhood, motherhood, adolescence, the artist as a middle-aged mother, romance, puppy love, the Beatles, need and want, and on the joys and sorrows, successes and failures, fears and hopes, pleasures and pains of being a mother, a daughter, and a hopelessly idealistic and romantic seeker of perfect love, perfect friendship and perfect communion. Through four interwoven essays spun around the author's relationship with her daughter from womb to eight years old, and the author's own lonely adolescence, a rich tale of yearning and discerning females from Brooklyn to the Midwest casts its spell with amusing anecdotes about growing up, about the phenomenon and need of best friends, about boys (answering her daughter's questions about all her old boyfriends, even the first loves who never knew) and men and pop songs and talking snakes and childhood dreams of stardom. Inspired by the author's all-abiding love and devotion to her daughter, the ultimate irony of this powerful book is revealed in the heart-wrenching episode of the daughter's near breakdown at age 6, when a conflict of needs--the mother's and the daughter's--grows out of the mother's overprotective love and provokes the daughter's crisis of individuation--her social and emotional adaptation to the world beyond her mother's orbit. Thankfully, all ends well, with the daughter gaining her own highly individual selfhood and the mother learning to let go and still support the neverending dream. And the reader learning about the heart in conflict with itself, and the courage it takes to be a parent and to admit faults, to forgive and to find yourself in your darkest fears. A moving tribute to the perils and ultimate power of love. Bravo.
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