5 comments about Country Matters.

1. I found this book to be insulting to those from this charming area of New York. At first, I read this book hoping that his snobbery was done in jest. As it was made clear that the author was completely serious and his ignorant view of this town was incorrect and offensive, the book lost its charm, if, of course, it ever had any. I was surprised that such a small-minded story was to follow in this book since the author presents himself in the first chapter to be world-traveled. Clearly, world-traveled does not mean you travel well.



2. The typically tedious arrogance of East Coast intelligentsia must be overlooked while reading this book. It's just too funny to be dissuaded by Korda's sophomoric attitude. My husband and I kept reading lines to each other and laughing. We've taken the same road and we couldn't have said it better. It's a must-read for anyone who is planning a similar path...before you sign on the country dotted line. Oh, the days/weeks/months we sat waiting for the "remodeling crew" when we could have tracked them down at the local café. We laugh now every time we pass that café and see their trucks...now that our moving wounds have healed.



3. This book gives you a good picture of life in the country (country here meaning two hours away from Manhattan), if you have a British blonde model as a 2nd wife whose passion is foxhunting and horseback riding, four horses in the barn, two stable hands, a Hungarian mother and daughter team to cook your dinners for you, an interior decorator to dress your house in imported fabric from Italy, and a full-time help who mows your grass and takes care of all your country needs.
   
   In sum, the pleasure of moving to the country for Mr. Korda: looking at the forty acres and thinking: "it's all mine." And the tribulation: being snubbed by even richer friends because his estate is not as grand as the next person's.
   
   Do not even make the mistake of opening this book.



4. I was about halfway through this work when I began to read the reviews here. I was heartened to find that I was not alone in finding Korda's tone condescending, snobbish, and in its own way, extremely provincial. He seems to value his neighbors, if at all, for one reason: their utility. That is, their usefulness to himself! He displays very little genuine interest in these hardworking people in terms of their histories, their interior lives, their unique stories. They're just there to fix stuff and do the physical labor which is apparently beneath Mr. Korda.
   
   Despite the author's long-time position as editor at Simon and Schuster, I did not find the book particularly well-written. Indeed, I found it riddled with cliches, especially "in our neck of the woods." Did the editor not submit his work to an editor?
   
   I almost always finish books once I start them. In this case I made an exception. Life is too short to read unfunny and basically insufferable books like this one.



5. I have to agree with the other reviews that this book falls a little short of the target. I disagree, however, with criticism that Korda focuses his ridicule on the country folk. I thought he poked equal fun at his various big wig guests from the city. What struck me, and why I can't give the book a favorable review, is that I'm not sure that Korda is aware that he himself is ultimately one of the saddest characters - naive, gullible, short-sighted and arrogant. The only person in the book who seems to escape having fun made of them is Mr. Korda (even his wife comes across as a beautiful 'get-what-she-wants princess). A little self depreciation would have gone a long way.
   
   Take, for example, this final line from chapter seven: "The trick is to become just plain folks somehow, however you manage it - and if it takes the occcasional tuna melt, so be it". Lines like that inevitably indicate that Korda believes he is extraordinary, but for the good of the people around him, willing to stoop to the level of everyone else. That's why so many people are turned off by the book. The central character in the novel needs some development.

5 comments about Moses: A Life.

1. As someone who was raised in a multi-faith home (Buddhist mother, Catholic father) and who was always intrigued by Cecil B. DeMille's rendition of Charlton Heston as Moses, as well as Ben Kingsley's and Burt Lancaster's respective title roles, I wanted to find something less Hollywood about my favorite biblical hero in written form. This book was it, and very thought-provoking. I didn't find it offensive, but instead, found it was something along the lines of a written History Channel biography about Moses. This book moved me so much, I gave it to an Islamic co-worker as a gift, because Moses does transcend all faiths and appeals to us all. This is the 2nd book I've purchased from this author. Another good read, Harlot By The Side of the Road is highly-recommended.



2. There's a flippancy and glibness to Jonathan Kirsch's Moses that detracts from what one must assume "A Life" would seek to achieve. Kirsch's title implies a biography, but it's the rare biography that denies the historicity of its subject. Citing a bevy of bible scholars, Kirsch presents each view in a manner couched to suit a poorly disguised agenda. Thus, Martin Buber (cited repeatedly) "sniffs", "snaps", and "huffs" when it behooves the author to portray him as foolish, but merely "writes" and matter-of-factly "points out" when his views suit Kirsch's needs.
   
   Though the Pentateuch serves as his main source, Kirsch fairly delights in Talmudic and Midrashic elaborations that push the Torah further toward the fantastic. While this might prove entertaining, it is no different than dismissing Moses because Cecil B. DeMille was over the top. Indeed, given the foundational arguement created by the multiplicity of Torah authors proposed and, therefore, the legitimate contradictions of the text itself, one wonders why Kirsch feels the need to stretch for additional ammunition.
   
   Though I found Kirsch's Torah narrative a decent refresher, the endless parade of revisionist scholars - Sigmund Freud not least among them - whose outlandish theories test the bounds of credulity, (not to mention the wise application of time), ultimately becomes annoying. Indeed, Kirsch's scholars present suppositions to deny the historicity of Moses far more fanciful than anything that might affirm it. The intent here is not to present a life, but to deny one, and the touchy-feely, "embrace the concept" message at its end does nothing to dissuade the reader that Moses: A Fairy Tale was presented despite the "Life" that was proclaimed. 3 stars.



3. Moses: A Life is a book by Jonathan Kirsch, an author, attorney, and book review columnist. This book is an argument against who the biblical Moses was. As Kirsch states, "Yet much of what we think we know about Moses is simply made up, and much of what the Bible does say about him is left out of both sacred and secular art"(Moses: A Life, p.1). Kirsch seems to not believe that Moses was a real person and that what we are left with is the deep wonder of who the real Moses was, if he did exist. In the book, there are many accounts of the biblical Moses that may be never spoken of to the common sermon hearer. Examples are that "Moses is shown to act in timid and even cowardly ways, throw temper tantrums, dabble in magic, carry out purges and inquisitions and conduct wars of extermination, and talk back to God" (Moses: A Life p.2).
   Unfortunately, Kirsch's book is filled with many mistakes in his argument. One of the problems is that Kirsch writes "It was Jethro, not Moses, who offered the very first sacrifice to Yahweh" (Moses: A Life p.8). This is incorrect. The Passover was the earlier sacrifice to Yahweh and it was done first by Moses and the Israelites. Next, Kirsch writes "According to a slightly revisionist reading of the Bible, Jethro was a sorcerer and Moses was his apprentice-an apprentice who eventually replaced his master" (Moses: A Life p.8, 9). There is no account in the Bible of Jethro, in any instance, being a worker of any magic or sorcery. Another poor sentence that Kirsch uses is "Only an eerie blood ritual performed by Moses' wife, Zipporah, managed to turn away the divine assault at the last moment and save his life" (Moses: A Life p.12) It seems to be neglected that all of the males of Abraham were to take part in the circumcision or be cut off from the people by divine judgment (Genesis 17 NASB). Here, Moses was saved from that judgment. Kirsch later states "And Moses wrote this law [torah], and delivered it unto the priests and the elders of Israel" (Moses: A Life p.14). Regrettably, Kirsch takes advantage of the meaning of the word torah. Torah can mean law and the Five Books of Moses. Here he uses the law form of torah to be used as the Five Books of Moses in this statement, thus taking a gain on the casual reader who is not carefully studying the text. It is not stated that Moses wrote the torah/five books. It is written that Moses wrote the torah/law. On the next page, Kirsch makes one more error before the reader. Moses' "father-in-law is identified as Reuel in one passage, Jethro in another, and Hobab in a third!" (Moses: A Life p.15). Again, after a quick study, the Bible reader will learn that Hobab is actually Jethro's son and not Jethro himself.
   Later in chapter seven, Kirsch expresses disagreement with the amount of people that were apart of the Exodus journey. He comments that the number of Israelites is not accurate because two different number amounts are given. One of the numbers is given in Exodus 12:37 and a smaller number in the Song of Deborah in Judges 5:8. When reading the Bible though, the reader will take into account that by the time that the Israelites left the desert excursion, all of the adults, except Joshua and Caleb, had died, leaving a much smaller amount of people as noted in Judges. Sadly, these adults died because they would not believe Yahweh (Numbers 14:29). Furthermore in the chapter, Kirsch writes that Yahweh "would punish and humble the Egyptians in a display of divine flash-and-dazzle. God even went to the trouble of `hardening' Pharaoh's heart yet again to make sure that the Egyptians played their appointed role in the set-piece battle at the Red Sea" (Moses: A Life pgs. 184, 185). Here too, Kirsch is ignoring that Pharaoh, as head and sovereign of the Egyptians, repeatedly chose to disobey God's commands that were spoken through Moses and the plagues that ensued as a result. This continual defiance brought about the consequence of death. One reaps what one sows.
   Afterward, in chapter twelve, Kirsch alludes that "Moses was now only a talismanic name and a faint memory, not a living presence" and "we find that Hosea could not bring himself to mention Moses by name when he recalled the events of the Exodus"(Moses: A Life p.360). Disappointingly, Kirsch uses the wrong verse. It is actually Hosea 12:13 that he means and in that verse, Hosea addresses Moses by his God-given title of prophet instead. The next inaccurate declaration that Kirsch makes is "and ultimately he is wholly discarded" (Moses: A Life p.360). Jonathan Kirsch does note that Moses is mentioned in Matthew 17:3, but he does not allow the reader to know that Moses is mentioned and referenced two more times in the Tanakh - Old Testament and seventy-seven times in the entire New Testament. A Bible reader may wonder what Kirsch means when he proclaims that Moses is "wholly discarded" after Hosea's words in light of this evidence.
   Finally, in the next four paragraphs, Kirsch proclaims his own liberalistic beliefs. He wants the reader to view Moses as a dictating barbarian and also as a "kinder, gentler" man (Moses: A Life pgs. 362-363). Kirsch states that "some narrow-minded people rely on the Bible to condemn their fellow human beings for the most intimate aspects of their private lives" and "some zealots claim to find a warrant in biblical law for the maiming and murder of their fellow human beings" (Moses: A Life p.362). Because Kirsch is using the term Bible and referencing portions from the New Testament, it can be assumed that he is referring to those who call themselves Christians. Christians have no right or justification to condemn any person. Christians are called to love, as when Jesus Christ stated "love your neighbor as you love yourself" (Matthew 19:19 NASB). The Apostle Paul too, refers back to Jesus, when he writes "For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, `You shall Love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:14 NASB). Kirsch is seemingly trying to convince the reader that Christians are foolish for believing on the biblical text when speaking on or referring Moses. Christians are free from the Mosaic Law. This is stated several times by the Apostle Paul in his epistles. Examples are "you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14 NASB) and "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified" (Galatians 2:16 NASB). Lastly, Kirsch does not even attempt to mention the Muslim belief upon the existence of Moses, which is rather sad. The greatest part of the reading is on page 15, when Kirsch informs the reader "The image of Moses that emerges from the Bible itself is a mosaic of odd biographical fragments, and we cannot know with certainty which of these pieces of a life are authentic" (Moses: A Life p.15). Here the reader learns that the premise of Kirsch's work relies upon "a mosaic of odd biographical fragments". This is not a justifiable and logical approach for subjecting a reader. An author, attorney, and book review columnist, as Kirsch is, needs to consider this when creating a book to be sold to and read by the public.



4. Objective and comprehensive. I enjoyed it as much if not more than his other work. Mr. Kirsch does not embellish Moses nor does he demean him. He makes him human. It is a biography compilled from numerous sources, rich in detail and broad in scope. The story of a man with all his human strenghs and weaknesses convinced by God to undertake a task he did not want and did not feel capable of.
   
   This work might be objectionable and unsettling to the faith based, but read with an open mind it rewards the reader with insight and new appreciation. A great tale in every regard that can nurture your spirit
   and reinforce your faith if read with an open heart and an open mind.



5. Good book overall. I especially like the author's analysis of the several distinct styles of writing contained in the first 5 books of the Bible. I feel, however, he misses several archeological facts to support the historical Moses (like the Ten Plagues). I don't think the author set out with an objective mission while doing his research, but the book is still worth a look.

No comments about Jane Mcdonald: The Autobiography, Follw Your Dream.

3 comments about Breaking the Ring.

1. This is a fascinating, well written book about the John Walker spy ring. The author does a great job giving the gory details about what it was that this guy did and how he finally got caught. It is amazing how a simpleton like Walker can get into a position of such authority. A breach of security on this level can really affect the lives of the young men and women serving in our military, to say nothing of our national security. I am not sure they can really come up with an appropriate punishment for a guy like this. The book also gives you insight into the workings of the KGB and the details about how these espionage operations work. You will enjoy it.



2. What a scumbag, if spying against our country was not bad enough, this complete waste of a man drags his family and friends into it. All for like $ 1 per page, how did someone this dumb get into the position he was in to do so much harm? The story is very interesting, I could have even written the story and it would be entertaining. Luckily that did not happen and the author did a great job. He constructed the details and time line very well and easy to follow. The explanations of what info Walker was giving out was also presented well. If you are interested in this area then I would suggest getting this book, it is well worth the time and money.



3. I don't need 1000 words on this one......It's so damn good that I called in sick for 2 days (of course I was'nt sick). But no...literally folks, this is one of those "can't put it down" type books.....Bill Goldstein ...... billgold1@visto.com ................

   I'd love to get some e-mail opinions on this

5 comments about Cork Boat.

1. Self-promoting? Yes. Poorly written? No doubt about it. Filled with annoying, saccharine-sweet vignettes about one man's pseudo-problems and his triumph-of-the-human-spirit approach to overcoming them? Absolutely.
   
   But in spite of all this, I'm almost ashamed to say that it's still a really good book. This story is bound to appeal to everyone. Anyone who still has a childhood dream unfulfilled; anyone who sometimes yearns for a simpler time when life wasn't so complex; anyone who occasionally wishes that the world could be divided into just two groups - those who save corks and those who don't; anyone who thinks it would be fun to sail the Douro River while seemingly an entire European nation rushes to the river banks to cheer you on; anyone with a soft spot in their heart for sappy stories with happy endings is going to find some joy in this little book.
   
   You'll probably also found yourself rolling your eyes at times - like when it suddenly dawns on you that this guy is an awful writer but somehow managed to land a job writing speeches for the most powerful man on the planet. And you'll probably think at least once or twice that this is the guy that you always wanted beat the crap out of in high school because his attitude was way too positive. But that won't stop you from enjoying the magical journey that this book takes you on.



2. While this book doesn't rank as great literature in my opinion, it did read well if one is already inclined to enjoy travel articles. Yes, some of the personal material was surprisingly embarassing in it's clumsiness, but the overall storyline made it a pleasant little read. Certainly not Paul Theroux for travel, but that would be a very high mark indeed. But c'mon: a boat made of cork? Quirky enough to like.



3. The author, a former speechwriter for a Congressman and Clinton, quits his job to build a boat made out of 165,000-plus corks held together by rubberbands, which he then sails with friends down the Douro River in Portugal. It sounds like a fairy tale, and it practically is, a heart-warming true fantasy story of childhood dreams and adult sacrifice and priorities and adventure. Pollack is, of course, a gifted writer, adept at spinning a tale and interweaving personal remenisces, anecdotes and a few strands of history here and there. But it's Pollack's determination and optimism, though, that make this such a sweet story. After the descriptions of camraderie, community, despair and dedication, I felt like cheering along as they pulled into Porto on the final day.



4. As a child, one of John Pollack's favorite bedtime stories was Holling C. Holling's Paddle-to-the-Sea, the story of a carved toy canoe that, over the course of several years, makes its way from the north shore of Lake Superior, through the Great Lakes, out the St. Lawrence river and, finally, to the Atlantic. Kind strangers aid the canoe's perilous journey and, in the happiest of eventualities, the man who was once the boy who carved the canoe learns of its progress.
   
   Cork Boat, a recounting of John Pollack's lifelong endeavor to build and launch a boat made entirely of wine corks, tells a similar tale of individual determination, a supportive community, and sheer serendipity.
   
   Pollack first turned boatwright at age six, building a craft from orange crates and firewood. It went straight to the bottom of the marsh at the end of the Pollacks' street. Undaunted, he decided then and there that his next boat would be made out of corks. His parents began saving corks, and thus the Cork Boat project began.
   
   By 1999, Pollack was in his 30s, disillusioned with his career as a Capitol Hill speechwriter, and ready to chuck it all in order to devote himself to building his cork boat. At the time, his parents' cork collection topped 3,000. Some quick calculations revealed that Pollack would need at least 60,000.
   
   He quit his job, kicked cork collection into high gear, and took on a partner - a young architect named Garth Goldstein, who soon upped the estimated number of corks needed to 100,000 (the completed boat would actually top out at 165,321 corks). Design work began in earnest, and design solutions (a hexagonal "disk" of corks held together by rubber bands) were stumbled upon entirely by accident.
   
   One by one, difficulties mounted and were surmounted by Pollack and Goldstein's creative thinking, personal connections, determination, and charm. When Washington restaurants and bars failed to come through with the corks they promised to save from the millennium New Year bash, Pollack secured a corporate sponsor - a cork manufacturer who donated tens of thousands of corks. When the completed boat was found to be too large to fit on the boat trailer hired to take it to its launch site, Pollack and Goldstein bought 10 furniture dollies, strapped them to the bottom of the boat, and hired a tow truck to take the craft to the marina.
   
   Not even the horror of September 11, 2001 could sink the dream of the Cork Boat. Though Pollack was certain that none of his volunteers would want to think of something so frivolous in the days after the attack, the opposite was true - volunteers came flooding back because the boat was frivolous. After 9/11, many people were looking for hope wherever they could find it, and the Cork Boat was a hopeful project.
   
   When Pollack's corporate cork sponsor proposed a voyage down Portugal's Douro River, the whole world took notice - everyone from major news networks to the most modest Portuguese villagers. Everyone was determined that the Cork Boat should succeed in winding its way through the Douro to the Atlantic, offering tips for outsmarting customs officers, and tows when the current was too forceful to row against.
   
   Pollack acknowledges that the Cork Boat will probably never sail again. The magic of its trip down the Douro came from the fact that the boat was so unique -- it's sort of a "been there, done that" approach. The story of the Cork Boat, recounted in this book, is an exciting, amazing testament to Pollack's vision and the power of community. Definitely worth reading.



5. So what? Who cares? That was the basic impression I was left with after reading about two thirds of this sophomoric, self-congratulatory ego fest. I could not finish the book. The combination of his cliche-ridden style, his bursts of self-promotion, and his unchecked rants against his "friend" Garth was more than I could stomach. Any emotional capital he may have earned (his sister's death, the all-nighters to finish the boat) was just squandered. This would have made a great magazine article, but it makes a terrible book.

5 comments about Laughing Allegra.

1. Excellent and true story about a family dealing with their beloved daughter and a major learning disabilty.



2. I purchased this book many times, it is one that I keep in my car. I use it to help teachers, friends and family members understand my children and others like them. It has helped me understand why I feel the frustration when my kids "don't get it" or need extra guidance in different situations or in the public school system. It is a book that I give to their teachers in hope that they will take the time to read it. As I read this book for the first time, I highlighted many sentences, example - page 17 - quote "She was so funny and effervescent and her behavior was so far frm being considered " a problem" that my mother gave up all attempts at discipline or even expressions of disapproval".... I can remember so many times my kids - acting out -- but in a way that was just "their way" they are so full of expressions and life.
   
   most important - page 39 - There is more then enough heartace involved in coming to terms with the fact that your child is disabled. .... this is the truth, but with this book it helped me come to terms with it and I am trying to help others. Please take the time to read this book it will help you, empower you and your child. You are the voice for your child, you are their confidant. You need to read this book....another wonderful book is Legacy of the Blue Heron, Living with Learning Disabilities by Harry Sylvester.



3. I have read many books out there, and this is the best one that I have found. This book is much better than Dana Buchman's book called "A Special Education" in which she constantly refers to her daughter's mild mental retardation as a "learning difference". In this book, the author is honest and tells it like it is.... she does not sugar coat it like Buchman's book. In Buckman's book, she talked too much about herself instead of her daughter. The only negative part of Anne Ford's book is that she constantly talked about the private schools refusing to let her child attend, but if she had picked a public school, it is the law that they would have to allow her child to attend. Most regular private schools would not have the resources that her child would require. For instance, speech therapist, occupation therapist, physical therapist are not necessarily found in private schools, but public schools would have these resources because they are required by law to teach all children. Anne Ford did note this in her book. Finally, here are some quotes from Anne Ford's book that might be helpful...
   
   "a learning disability affects a person's ability to interpret what they see and hear or their ability to link information from different parts of the brain, because their brain is 'wired' a little differently. These differences can show up as specific difficulties with spoken and written language, with coordination, self-control, or with paying attention. People can have learning disabilities in reading, writing, math, and processing information."
   
   "Most children with LD can read words, but comprehension may be another matter entirely."
   
   "Children with LD can and do succeed in school."
   
   "Adults with LD can and do succeed in the workplace."
   
   "LD can be treated successfully, and children with LD can go on to live happy, normal lives."
   
   In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to all parents who have special needs children, and the teachers who teaches them.



4. This is a wonderful book for any parent, written in an honest, unvarnished manner. Very insightful..... with lessons on supporting, loving, and accepting one's child no matter that the child's reality differs from the parents' dream.



5. that all those schools turned Allegra down, her being from the prominent family she's from! Maybe the schools weren't really right for her, but I guess I assumed some would have done cartwheels (and made some adjustments) for the privilege of having a Ford in their school.

5 comments about Displaced Persons, Growing Up American After the Holocaust.

1. i loved this book. i felt as though i was right there with him and his family through every phase of their lives. this book had everything going for it, sadness, chaos, happiness, tragedy. it was so personal and you just felt as though the author let you in to share with him.



2. Joseph Berger has written a story that needed to be told, but he has included too much extraneous material about his own life. Much of what he tells reveals what it was like growing up as the child of a refugee, but who cares whether or not he dated in high school?

   The best parts of this book were those about his mother's life and about how she managed in the United States as a refugee. Berger's writing is more journalism than story telling. He's got all the facts, but none of his descriptions flare above the mundane. His mother's reminisences are far more artistic, and reveal more than the words on the page.




3. My father's story parallels Joseph Berger's in eerie ways...they were both at the Schlactensee DP Camp and the Landsberg-Am-Lech DP camp...Berger's mother's story of her youth could be my grandmother's, from an unpleasant step-mother to the flight East to Russia. My father was born during my grandparents' refuge in the USSR, and crossed illegally with his family into Poland after the war ended. I have always been close to my grandparents, but this book brought clarity and insight into topics they don't generally discuss...the duality that immigrant survivors (the displaced persons) felt between their new lives in America and the tragedy and loss left in Europe. When I look at my grandparents' happy faces at family occasions---graduations, weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties---I wonder if the events make them remember times similar back in Lithuania. Berger's story, beautifully written and researched, is a must-read.



4. This book will be enjoyed by all who read it for it is a story of survival from the ashes of the Holocaust. This book is also an excellent book club selection that will spark much thought and conversation.



5. This book resonates on many levels. It is a compelling and vivid narrative detailing the acculturation of Holocaust survivors in New York City, specifically, during the immediate post-war period. But this is no dry text. You feel the bewilderment of these brave souls as they desperately try to make a home for themselves in their newly adopted country while, at the same time, deal with the perpetual anguish of searing, catastrophic loss of family, country, and hope (or faith, or optimism). This is all presented through the lens of the author's memory in a series of poignant vignettes, capturing just the right detail to press itself into your heart, time and time again. From the particulars of these experiences, it deepened my understanding for what my own mother went through when she immigrated -- she is considered a Holocaust survivor because she experienced Kristallnacht in Vienna, but she was fortunate enough to have come to America pre-war -- and strengthened my compassion, empathy, sense of kinship and profound respect for all survivors of catastrophe due to war, or abuse, or illness, etc., who have nonetheless managed to make reasonable and productive lives for themselves. So...get the book and treasure it!

No comments about Over to Candleford (Isis Series/5 Audio Cassettes).

3 comments about Trapped at Pearl Harbor: Escape from Battleship Oklahoma ("Now Hear This).

1. The author-Stephen Bower Young-served as a gunner on one of the main turrets of the battleship U.S.S. Oklahoma. He was aboard the ship when she was torpeodoed during the surprise Japanese attack. This story is about his personal experiences during the December 7, 1941 attack and the escape from the ship when it rolled over.
   Young offers recollections about the life aboard the battleship and the sailors he served with. Many of these sailors would not survive the attack (448 died).
   The majority of the book was about the attack and the subsequent escape. I was most interested in Young's successful escape, when other sailors drilled holes into the bottom of the ship so those trapped could escape. A most interesting read.



2. This book is absolutely spellbinding. Once you open this book, you won't be able to put it down. The impact of this first-hand account of being trapped inside the capsized hull of the battleship USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor is resounding. Buy it for yourself but share it with anyone upon whom you wish to impress the courage of what has come to be called the Greatest Generation. The next time you hear someone complaining about how tough they have it (perhaps your kids or grandkids whining about not having the coolest sneakers or the latest Nintendo), give them this book to read. Perhaps the reality of how pampered our current lifestyle really is will sink in. I suspect this book will also help you put your own problems in perspective as well.



3. The author recounts his days in the pre-WWII navy with candor and affection. Honest without being coarse or too sentimental, he talks of his experiences and shipmates, good and bad. The account of USS Oklahoma's sinking and his later rescue is thrilling. I read it in one sitting.

No comments about John Adams (John Adams, John Adams).