5 comments about My Country Versus Me: The First-Hand Account by the Los Alamos Scientist Who Was Falsely Accused of Being a Spy (Nova Audio Books).

1. 
   
   Dr Lee told his story in this book. As a naturalized American citizen, he does his professional job, raised a family with a typical middle class profile. But he was the wrong man as in the Chinese saying "The city gate fire victimized the fish in the pond" in the struggle of two parties ugly politics. Reading this book creates the following questions.
   
   1. Where is due process for Dr. Lee?
   2. What is the role of free press in democracy?
   3. Why a free press is enthusiastic to make a guilty assumption on him?
   4. Why there is silence on the spy on Crown Jewel Rocket secret afterward?
   5. Why US Court Judge Parker ended the case with an unusual apology to Dr. Lee, an alleged felon in 9-month solitary confinement with 59 charges?
   6. Why there is a plea bargain for one small charge to cover up lost face?
   7. Why this case is important relating to US Constitution and the rule of law?
   
   Dr Lee warns readers "Do not talk to FBI without your lawyer." This book gives the reality lesson of politics, humanity and justice.
   All men are created equal - some are more equal than others?



2. This book is a self-serving woe-is-me diatribe against the US government because it dared to charge a non-white individual with the crime of espionage. Lee claims this happened to him by virtue of the fact that he is Chinese, and in spite of the fact that he is a naturalized American citizen. Hence, the title.
   
   First, I do not consider naturalized citizens to be American in the full sense of the word. It is simply amazing that people like Lee get hired to positions such as the one he held.
   
   Second, having served in the US Air Force with a top secret crypto clearance, I know from experience that people working in the intelligence community are very aware that they are not to share any sensitive data with anyone unless he/she has the appropriate clearance as well as "the need to know." Yet Lee downloaded all kinds of classified data onto his home computer, a huge no-no for anyone working with sensitive data. And why did he do so, pray tell? What was he going to do with the data he stole? Are we to assume he had no intentions of sharing this information with anyone? According to Lee, to think otherwise makes one a racist.
   
   Third, when the story first broke in the media, I knew it was only a matter of time until Lee or his attorneys would play the race card. If you go to Lee's website and check the names of those that have signed a petition in behalf of Mr. Lee, you will notice that the vast majority are Chinese. How many of these signatories put their names on the petition out of a knee-jerk tribalistic instinct rather than through a sincere effort to discern the truth?
   
   And now we have the case of Chi Mak, a Chinese-born engineer recently found guilty of handing over classified data on electronic propulsion systems for stealth submarines to the People's Republic of China. One wonders why Chi Mak did not play the race card as did Lee. One wonders how many signatories to a petition he could garner from fellow Chinese living in the United States. One wonders what he was doing in such a position to begin with. Maybe we'll find out when Chi writes his book.



3. The book is an interesting account of Lee's "persecution", but anyone who reads the book without understanding that the author is writing about HIMSELF - not exactly an impartial source for the facts - will come to the conclusion that he was a victim of an insane government.
   
   If you don't have time to read the book, here's a synopsis - The US government knew that classified material was getting from Los Alamos to China, and targeted me for investigation not because of my admittedly suspicious and illegal activity but because I'm Asian.



4. Mr. Lee is an amazing author and does an excellent job portraying the "all-righteous" government so many americans think that we have in this country. The truth is that corruption does exists, which is evident in all of the ways that the FBI, DOE, courts, and all of the other Federal organizations dealt with Mr. Lee. My hat is off to him for his courage, fortitude, and skill in creating a wonderful written work straight from his heart.



5. In December 1999, when the threat to national security posed by Elian Gonzales had yet to be discovered and neutralized by the Reno Justice Department, another plot, equally dastardly, was uncovered by the FBI. Wen Ho Lee, a Taiwan-born American, was found to be working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory alongside America-born Americans on our nation's most sensitive nuclear secrets. With an alacrity that impressed even Reno's political opponents, the FBI clapped Lee into leg and arm shackles and an orange jumpsuit and put him into solitary confinement in a prison in Santa Fe. In so treating him *before* he had committed his crime, Reno was able to stop him from doing the sorts of things that Timothy McVeigh and Ramzi Yousef had done to get themselves the same sort of rough justice. Of course, Mr. Lee is not happy about these preventive measures, and it shows in his book, but the reader must keep in mind that he was born in Taiwan and doesn't understand our ways.
   
   It is distressing to all patriots that a judge ordered Mr. Lee's release before the Justice Dept was able to fully punish him for what they thought he might have done. Lee's lawyers cleverly played on the so-called "no evidence" loophole to get him sprung after a mere nine months in prison.
   
   Espionage and treason investigations are usually begun when there is evidence of a government employee in a sensitive post spending beyond his or her means: Clyde Conrad with his stash of gold coins; Ed Wilson with his vast Virginia real estate holdings; John Walker with his yacht. Lee's lawyers were able get him freed on the "no evidence" technicality before the FBI had time to find out what it was about Mr. Lee's lifestyle that made them understand that he was a spy. We know now that his stated hobbies of gardening and fly-fishing might well have been covers for illicit activities. Rare coins, might have been buried under the carrots. The whereabouts of an excellent trout pool in a New Mexico creek might have been only the first in a long line of secrets that Lee might have disclosed to the Chinese communists.
   
   Given that the FBI was not accorded sufficient time to uncover his crimes, the whole investigation appears to have rested on Mr. Lee's own admission of the fact that he was born in Taiwan, which has a clear link to China, which in turn is one of our nation's greatest enemies. It sends a chill down my spine to think of how many others might have used the "great scientist" guise to spy on us. Albert Einstein, to name only one, was allowed access to some of our most sensitive data on physics relating to atoms and neutrons and so forth, and no one seems to have noticed that he was born in *Germany*, one of our chief enemies in Europe during World War II. He managed to infiltrate the community of America-born scientists and might well have passed on a massive amount of vital intelligence to his erstwhile compatriots, the Nazis. In fact, it's no exaggeration to say that if he'd been properly incarcerated like Mr. Lee, the war in Europe might have ended many months sooner.

1 comments about A Childhood in Scotland.

1. A Childhood in Scotland is a delightful and insightful book. Despite its size(90 pgs.), it is remarkably full of intriguing details of the author's castle itself and her adventures growing up within its walls. It seemed amazing to me that Christian had such a vivid recollection of her few short years there. Her writing clearly showed how much she loved the out of doors as opposed to the bleak, cold, impersonal life within the castle itself. With that in mind, it doesn't surprise me at all that at the age of 58 she took a bicycle ride from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. She had learned at a very early age that the outside world held many wonderful adventures for her. I do wish, however, that there could have been more information about her siblings and what became of them in their latter years. She did such an excellent job of recording and reporting about her childhood that I have been left with a strong desire to read more books about castles and the life of the people who lived in them. I plan to share this book with several of my friends and will undoubtedly give it as a gift to some of them. It was one of those books that makes the reader wish the final page would never come. My four star rating is only because of that fact - I wish it could have been longer.

5 comments about The Lives of the Great Artists (Biography).

1. A good introduction to Medieval, Renaissance, and Mannerist artists written by someone who lived around their time and had actual contact with some of the artists, as well as personal painting experience. He is, however, colored by his personal relationships with the artists, hyperbolic, and constrained by the Zeitgeist of the era. In exploring the relationships of artist and patron he is able to shed light on their social situation and the constant struggle of the elevation of the art of painting among the liberal arts. In English, some of the grandeur of his writing is lost, and it lacks the poetic ease of the Italian original. If you want a fuller version, I suggest (especially for bilingual speakers) a translation with the Italian original on the other side of the page.



2. No artist, or aspiring artist, should go without this book. While it is sometimes exhausting to read through the author's detailed coverage of the works of each featured artist, it should be considered mandatory reading for artists and art historians -- so that all can see the pillars of art on which civilization is built. The author covers both the works and the private lives of the artists, although I would have personally prefered more emphasis on the personal lives. It would also be very nice to have pictures of the specific works in each bio, so I guess that might be a future book purchase here at Amazon(!) -- a visual reference to Renaissance Art. In spite of those two drawbacks, I highly recommend the purchase of this book.



3. My daughter took Art History and loved this book. She kept it and insisted I buy her a copy so her teacher could have the new ones.



4. This book was a text for a grad school seminar I had. After nearly 500 years, Vasari remains the best "eyewitness" to the lives and works of his contemporary artists. Although he does take some liberties, such as trying to fit many artists into the traditional hero mold of child prodigy/discovered by master/quickly surpasses master, he also gives us a glimpse into the glorious time that shaped so many artistic geniuses.



5. "Do you admire a beautiful tower resounding with sacred sound?
   By my design this tower also reached for the stars.
   But I am Giotto, why cite such deeds?
   My name alone is worth a lengthy ode."
   [From the Live of Giotto di Bondone]
   Classic masterpiece containing selection of lives of famous Italian masters of art, written by their (almost) conterporary. This work is tedious and difficult to read at times (Vasari is describing at length all importatnt works of old masters). But still, this account is valuable for particular details about techniques used by old masters or condidtions under which their masterpieces were created... Kind regards, Mario.

5 comments about The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom.

1. After reading snippets of this book for years, I finally got it. The story was interesting and entertaining from the initial captivity in the European prisoner camp, through the trek to the Siberian camp, until the end of the long walk that led from Siberia to freedom.



2. This book was impossible to put down. If I hadn't known it was a true story, I would have thought it fiction. The human spirit and longing for freedom is truly the basis for their endeavor.



3. "The Long Walk" is Polish Army officer Slavomir Rawicz's gripping account of an escape from a Soviet labor camp in Siberia in 1941. According to his story, Rawicz and his comrades walked South across the interior of Asia to freedom in British India. This journey across a winter landscape in Siberia, the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, and the mountains of western China and Tibet, is, if true, an unparalleled acount of suffering and human endurance. The BBC claims to have found records indicating that Rawicz was in fact released by the Soviets to a refugee camp in Iran during the Second World War. If these records are accurate, the main event of "The Long Walk" is an enthralling work of fiction. Readers will have to make their own judgement.
   
   Rawicz was a young Polish Cavalry officer taken prisoner by the Soviets when Hitler and Stalin divided Poland in 1939. He is tortured by the Soviets and sentenced as a spy to 25 years in a labor camp in Siberia. The suffering of the winter journey to the labor camp is bad enough, but once there, Rawicz and six of his fellow prisoners hatch an escape plan. One night, they slip away, carrying a small amount of food, a hand axe, and an improvised knife. They will travel cross-country South to Mongolia, along the way picking up a young Polish female who has also escaped from detention. The eight will dare unbelievable hazards, including a chronic lack of food, water, and shelter, to steer more or less South toward India. Only four people will reach safety in India.
   
   Rawicz's narrative is rather bare bones, possibly the result of translation from his native Polish. Traveling by the sun, the small group never has much more than a general sense of where they are or what is in front of them. Their survival is the incredible result of ingenuity and pluck, as the travelers plumb the absolute limits of human endurance and receive timely help from strangers along the way. The reader cannot help but be caught up in the terrible suspense of the story.
   
   Other reviewers have commented that Rawicz's story seems a little too good to be true. Certainly the hazards of the journey would have killed many parties far better prepared; Rawicz and his comrades seem to enjoy astonishingly good luck. "Mr. Smith", the Russian-speaking American in the group, seems especially mysterious and preternaturally self-possessed in the face of their many obstacles. The alleged encounter with two Yeti in the Himalayas strains credibility. Perhaps the best advice for readers is to put aside their skepticism and enjoy the story as presented.



4. I bought this book with great anticipation, having read and enjoyed other survival tales such as "Endurance" and "In the Heart of the Sea." I've been slogging through the uninspired language for the past month with great difficulty. The lack of passion Rawicz brings to his writing is perhaps a clue that this is not a true story, as some have attested. Or maybe it's a problem with the translation. Either way, I don't find this to be the gripping tale it could have been.
   
   I should add that I have been reading this under the assumption that it was true. So discovering now that it may not be true has not in any way affected my review; I thought it was boring before then. I wish I had known about the controversy and had picked a different book. Other reviewers have stated that it is an exciting and remarkable story, true or not. I disagree. If it is true it is a dull and lifeless transcription of a remarkable feat. If it is fiction than the author has not only lied but written a boring book.



5. Sunday, March 26, 2006
   "The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz, © 1956
   This is an amazing story. It is incredible that the torturers in the U.S. Army did not read this or take lessons from the KGB, because some of their tortures are very similar to what is described in this book. But that is only in the first two chapters. The rest of the book is the story of Mr. Rawicz's walk with his cohorts from United Soviet Socialist Republic labor camp in Siberia to India. The walk starts with advise to walk south, not east, to avoid the obvious route and, therefore, obvious pursuit.
   The oddest part of this story is that one of the particpants is known only as Mr. Smith. He is an American of unknown origins. No one on this trek is cognizant of the reason of their incarceration, but Mr. Smith is so unknown that even his Christian name is never known. The next oddest part of this story is in the preface. It was supposed to be a story about people who have encountered Yeti. These fellows saw some on their walk through the Himalayas, so the assistant to the author, Ronald Downing, reseaching for a story about the Yeti, came across this amazing story.

1 comments about Harry Crews, a Childhood: The Biography of a Place/Readings.

1. I KNEW HARRY AND ROOMED WITH HIM ONE SUMMER SESSION AT U OF F. I HAVE SEEN HIM SEVERAL TIMES SINCE. HE SOUNDS THE SAME AS HE DID IN 1960. THE TAPE IS EXCELLENT BUT TOO SHORT AND CONTAINS A VERY GRAPHIC BUT SMALL PART OF HIS LIFE STORY. HARRY READS SO WELL I WISH HE WOULD DO SOME MORE RECORDINGS.

5 comments about A Brother's Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse.

1. Excellent perspective form the brothers point of view & how child abuse does not stop at one child



2. Thanks for the fast delivery and great book - it was in excellent condition. I will definitely purchase from you again. Thanks.



3. good book! i like the part where richard's mom makes him eat garbage, and tabasco sauce! read it if you like richard pelzer as much as me!



4. Excellent book! I loved hearing from the brother's point of view. I couldn't get enough of learning about this amazing story!



5. I loves Dave Pelzer story from his childhood i enjoyed both " A child called It" and " The lost boy". But when i found out that his brother richard was abused also i found the book and had to read it. It is a great book. If you like Davids books you will surely love his brother. Its definitly sad but its reality.

5 comments about Blown Sideways.

1. Claudia takes us on her journey... and in doing so makes a name for herself. This is a well written and thoughtful book. A one woman show! A standup and take notice comedy!



2. When I look back at the multitude of menial jobs I've worked in my life, I see that I could easily write a book about them, but Ms. Shear has beaten me to the punch! If I didn't know better, I would think I had written this book!She, like me, has worked a variety of jobs that run the gamut. If you've just up and quit your job, read this book. If you're shlepping away at a menial ball-and-chain, read this book. If you're floating from one occupation to another in the hope of finding the perfect career, read this book. If you've been working at the same company for 20 years and have no intention of ever leaving, read this book. If you're a CEO pulling in a six-digit salary, read this book. If you're independently wealthy and don't have to work, read this book.Regardless of which of the above statements applies to you, you will come away a more enriched person for having read BSTL.



3. As Ms. Shear says, "Everyone has a story that would stop... your... heart." I caught her show late late one evening on NPR as I was getting ready to do another speech to hopefully inspire some young people to leave Job Corps and do good with their life - I was burnt out and uninspired myself and just listening to what she had to say - nevermind watching her magnificent presence on the small screen - brought me back up. It took me years to find this book in a library; and I'm glad to be able to buy another copy - maybe another 10 copies to give to people I know need it. Anyone who has ever felt beat down by their work and their lives melded into an amazing wash of effort to keep one nostril above the waves; anyone who has ever felt walked on by the world will be inspired by this wonderful woman's story.



4. Blown Sideways Through chronicles Claudia Shear's search for the true job, and the 64 jobs she had to enjoy/endure so far) before she she found the job (or career) that was right for her. Brunch chef at Fire Island, nude model,proofreader, receptionist at an brothel; Shear always spins a good story, and amuses us with life's wierdness. This is also a truthful look at the life many of us live. We have jobs, not careers, working where we can to make the money we need to live our lives. Shear makes no apology for the meandering work path she has chosen. There is dignity and humor in her retelling of seemingly menial jobs (some of them were pretty horrid). I think her rant of the observed rudeness of a donut store patron, and the pevelent attitude of "looking down" on service industry people is a must read for every person. Funny, insightful and honest, this is a book that deserves a reprint.



5. I had imagined that every working adult would like a copy of this book. I've so-far owned two copies, both of which were lent out and never returned. I imagine that somebody out there (well, two actually) must have liked it as much as I do and I'm not mad at them, as the third time I went for a copy I found the book on tape, read by the author.

   I realise that it is now hard to find with no new printing in sight, but if you ever do spot a copy somewhere, you need it. If you went to university and ended up flipping burgers, buy it. If you've ever found yourself in a strange place after having lied your way into employment and about to do something you're having second thoughts about, buy it. If you're just entering the work force for the first or sixty fourth time, buy it!

5 comments about The Worst Journey in the World: Library Edition.

1. You will NOT be sorry to embark upon this wonderfully written, dramatic, brave and heartbreaking story by a man who survived infinitely more than you and I ever will. With typical English stoicism, but with a beautiful and compassionate effort, he tried to understand Scott and all the others who travelled with him.
   And when you're finished, read "Cherry", an authorized biography by Sara Wheeler for more of his life and times.
   And sit by your warm fireplace...



2. The Worst Journey in the World (purchased on 04/05/2008)
   by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
   
   This order has NOT been received. Please advise as what has happened to it.



3. i had been meaning to read this book for ages and when i started it i could not put it down.....what a read. thank you Amazon and keep up the good work.. yours Fintan.



4. Cherry-Garrard is a literate,educated man, writing his experiences as well as including the memories, and journals of the other expedition members. Interesting how this young man of means who is accustomed to comfortable living,could endure such extreme hardship without complaint. The hardship and adventure begins with the terrible storm experienced on the ship from New Zealand to Antarctica. The description of this ordeal grabs hold and they haven't yet reached the Southern continent. The first year on the ice and the sledge trip during the winter months is gripping.
   
   A compelling aspect is the matter of fact descriptions of the unbelievable [to us] hardship and daily rigors of living, sledging, carrying out scientific experiments, etc., in -20 to -70 degrees. Wind conditions that regularly must have sent wind chill factors [they never recorded such a thing] to -80 to -100 degrees,and the physical exertion. They regularly experience frost bite, hunger, occasional ptomaine from spoiled food, symptoms of Dysentary, and scurvy. Yet, they are able to recover. They never lose their spirit and comeraderie.
   Until discovering the Pole parties' bodies the following year, Cherry-Garrard writes of his contentment and pride in being a member of this expedition.
   In the subsequent years, until he writes the book in 1922, he becomes guilt ridden as to whether he and the other survivors could have reached and saved Scott before they died,[it seems apparent they could not have reached them. [In fact, rescueres would probably have died in an attempt]. It's impossible to imagine living in such conditions for 3 years. Constant cold, diet of seal, penguin, sometimes dog and horse, blubber, biscuit, and tea. Occasionally, chocolate, butter and sugar as a treat.
   I agree with other reviewers that there is redundancy and repetition but I found it interesting to read how different members experienced the same events.
   I thought from reading other books that Scott was somewhat naive and a dreamer when it came to planning and preparing for this expedition. I now feel differently. Scott prepared and planned diligently. He was well liked and respected by his men, in general, he was a strong leader. A terrible mistake was deciding at the last supply depot, to take 5 men on the final push to the Pole rather than the 4 which was the original plan. The 5th man, for which they did not have adequate supplies and the physical collapse of one member after reaching the Pole, probably cost them their lives.
   Reading of a group of men living for years in these conditions, survival aways in doubt, out of touch with the rest of the world, gives perspective and toleration for what we think are trying experiences today. Early explorers are compared to to our astronauts. However,when one considers that communication is constant with space travelers. These men left and were never heard from again until they returned, if they did return, years later.



5. If you watch films like "The yourney of the penguins" you get not the slightest idea how brutally hostile for humans the environment of the South Pole is. If you read "The Worst Yourney In The World", you do. The book is a detailed description of the whole Scott Expedition, complete whith descriptions of packing lists, frostbite, snowblindness, awful food, recalcitrant ponys, and heroic English gentlemen. But the unpoetic language is exactly what makes the book such a worthwile read: The description is written in simple, honest words, that it gets your own imagination going. It reaches its climax with the Winter Yourney, where a small goup of men undertook a journey that was painful and horrific to a downright ridiculous extend, just to get their hands on some penguin eggs. Any romantic exaggeration would have destroyed the impact of this event in the readers mind, it is the simple, honest, sometimes even technial language that transforms this event into a classic tale. The character and the Winter Journey live on in literature, for example in Thomas Pynchons "V". The stuff of legends, on of my alltime favourites.

1 comments about The Ark's Anniversary.

1. In this book, the legendary Gerald Durrell (author of The Amateur Naturalist) uses the occassion of the 'birthday' of his zoo and conservation trust to reflect on a long career of adventures and misadventures with animals (human and otherwise) in the service of saving the planet. There are many laugh-out-loud funny moments, many triumphs, and a few depressing failures looked at with head-on honesty. A recommended read for all Durrell fans and animal lovers.

No comments about Murder On Safari, By Elespeth Huxley, Unabridged 6 Cassettes, 8.25 Hours, Narrated By Jill Tanner.