5 comments about When You Come To A Fork In The Road, Take It!.

1. In his famous poem, "The Road Not Taken" when "two roads diverged in a wood," Robert Frost "took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Yogi Berra, on the other hand, advises that "When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It" (the title of the book), and "you shouldn't look back." According to Mr. Berra, the "fork", is any decision.
   
   Drawing from his baseball experience, Mr. Berra tells 40 different "stories" all packed with memorable wisdom and insights. The stories range from commonly cited quotations such as "Slump? I ain't in no slump ... I just ain't hitting," and "It ain't over `til it's over" to less common sayings like "I'd rather be the Yankee catcher than the U.S. President," and "The future ain't what it used to be."
   
   For baseball fans, this little book is a necessary read. Each section (chapter) begins with a photo of defining moments in baseball. This book is inspirational. Read it for keeps.
   
   Amavilah, Author
   Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies
   ISBN: 1600210465



2. Yogi Berra is hilarious.
   
   Each chapter is built around a Yogi-ism, and are delightful to read. A lot of folksy wisdom from this man who fought at Omaha Beach on D-Day AND who played in more World Series than any other baseball player.
   
   The book emphasizes hard work, following your instincts, loyalty to friends, and the importance of laughter, family, and a lot of luck.
   
   Berra was raised on "The Hill" here in St. Louis. I used to play church-league softball at "Berra Park", located a block from his boyhood homesite. His values are good ol' Midwestern, Catholic, and conservative.
   
   Yogi is a national treasure, and he is as proud of American ways of doing things as he is of the Yankees baseball club.
   
   p.s. Do you know how Berra made quite a bit of the money he now has? Baseball? Nope. After baseball, he made some timely investments in bowling alleys and YooHoo chocolate drink!!! He cashed out at the peak of interest in both.



3. While the basis of this book is a collection of some of the Yogi-isms, which always contain a great deal of truth, the best part is that Yogi explains his thoughts on each one of them, While he was a great player for a series of great Yankee teams, Berra was always thought of as a bit of a simpleton. His most famous sayings, where he used internal contradictions to make a point, are funny and seem to indicate a lack of knowledge of English and how it is used. However, it is that internal contradiction that makes the point so well. For example, some of the -isms explained in this book are:
   
   *) It gets late early out there
   *) We have deep depth
   *) Always go to other peoples funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours
   *) You can observe a lot by watching
   
   After each of the -isms, Berra explains the context within which he made the statement and reveals a great deal of the history of his life, his thoughts about life in general and the directions that baseball is going. He comes across as a man who came from humble beginnings, yet has never lost contact with those roots and who was always in control of his actions. He harbors no jealousy regarding what modern ballplayers make, although he has some negative words concerning their off the field actions. He is also saddened by the decline in the popularity of young people playing baseball. It is a rare occasion when you see pickup games being played on the sandlots. He also laments the situation in organized youth baseball such as little league. Like all other youth sports, there is a fierce and counter-productive competitiveness that destroys the joy that children have the right to feel when they are playing engaged in sports.
   This is a book about and by a man that is close to being the most quoted person in the American society. His phrases are used in many facets of our lives, from sports to politics. Hardly a week goes by when I don't hear one of his phrases and I often use them myself. It was fun to read Yogi's explanations of them.



4. Yogi Berra has learned that when someone offers to publish your book, take it. Make the most of living, it can get late early out there. Better make your book forty chapters, the public may not be hungry for fifty.
   
   More of a look into the thoughts, values and beliefs of the baseball legend than a biography, Yogi keeps things pretty straight. Unapologetic and proud of his life, Yogi is not above owning up to a character flaw or two. If he seems to occasionally contradict himself, he comes across as all the more human. This is certainly preferable to the self-service approach others have taken in this type of book, making it a cut above the "self-help from athletes" genre. Every chapter is titled with a piece of philosophical advice, virtually all from Yogisms or in one case a Dimaggioism. Sometimes the content of a chapter is shoehorned to fit the title, but most of the time they mesh.
   
   The best part of the book are the photos that appear at the beginning of each chapter. Rarely seen family and career photos are incorporated with such gems as Yogi and Phil Rizzuto working during the off season at a men's clothing store. These photos tell more about the Yogi that you didn't know than the text does.
   
   If this review doesn't make you want to read this book, I'm not going to try and stop you. Then again, if these type of books get too popular, no one's going to want to read them anymore.



5. Yogi surprisingly give some good words of wisdom and convinces us that there is more to the mental make-up of one of the greatest ballplayers ever than the quotes that he is known for.
   
   Yogi provides a lot of insights to life in general and provides a lot of good advice in a book that I read in less than 2 hours. Based on the price it is probably better to take it from the library, than to buy it.

5 comments about Everyday Sacred: A Woman's Journey Home.

1. I was given a copy of this book many years ago..it sat on a shelf for a number of years before one day I picked it up and started to read it. It is one book both men and women should read. I have given it as gifts at least 60 times and just recently purchased 3 more for gifts. It truly hits the soul...if you want to do something for "yourself"...read it!! You won't be sorry.



2. "Everyday Sacred; A Woman's Journey Home" by Sue Bender is a book about the author's spiritual journey while living amidst the Amish. Bender highlights that each day, and the 'everyday' within each day is sacred. There are many opportunities to experience sacred encounters in one's life, by focusing on appreciation of simplicity and the little things in life such as enjoying a warm cup of tea or noticing the beauty of flowers in your garden. All in all 'Everyday Sacred' offers clarity, optimism and hope amidst our modern world that is all too often hectic and stressful. What I enjoyed most about 'Everyday Sacred' is that reading the book really did take me on an experiental journey into the sacred; most remarkable! Congratulations Sue Bender on writing such an inspiring and successful book.
   
   If you like 'Everyday Sacred' then you'll love NEXUS by Deborah Morrison and Arvind Singh, a successful, new age debut novel, an absorbing guide to the dazzling universe of spirituality in terms of life's joys and sorrows. NEXUS enriches our understanding of heart-centered, soulful living, enlightenment and compassion. All over the planet people of all faiths and backgrounds are suddenly experiencing an intense attraction for the wisdom and knowledge of NEXUS, a book that has already achieved top 100 status on several bestsellers lists! Nexus: A Neo Novel



3. After witnessing the recent horror (school massacre) inflicted upon the Amish community, "Everyday Sacred" is a timely reminder that they and the human spirit will endure.
   
   It reminds us to ask not what we lack, but to appreciate, daily, what we already have. My favorite quote from the book is: "Don't try for perfection. Trying to be good enough will be plenty."
   
   I am giving it my highest recommendation because it is more than good enough - it is a spell-binding read!
   
   Reginald V. Johnson, Author, "How To Be Happy, Successful And Rich"



4. It's a great description of the Spritual Cure.... but we never analyze what was wrong in the first place... it's a type of Narcissism which in her case comes into conflict with her religious values and forced her to develop her spritual walk as a cure.
   
   And it's a good cure, often overlooked because we neglect to name the Beast thats at the core.So the spiritual cure goes untried.



5. This book fell into my lap at a time when I was "most ready" to hear it, so my review may be tainted. It was so inspirational to me, and I absolutely loved the analogies and word pictures that Sue Bender used. I refer to those illustrations in my mind nearly every day. I use this book as my nightstand "go to book" when I need a spiritual pick-me-up. It is beautiful, articulate, and powerful. I have sent copies to nearly everyone I know because I believe anyone and everyone, no matter what your spiritual beliefs are, can benefit from Ms Bender's eloquent writing.

5 comments about Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom.

1. If you've been unable to make sense out of the conflicting regimes and wars in Afghanistan during the past 2 decades, this intimate account of one young woman's life will help put it in a human prospective. Zoya is the nom de guerre of a 23-year old Afghan woman who fled her homeland after her parents were murdered on orders of the thuggish Mujahideen.
   
   I found the first part of the book more interesting than the last, as Zoya describes her life as a lively little girl playing in the streets of Kabul and as the beloved only child of educated parents. She becomes gradually aware that her parents are involved in clandestine activities to undermine the increasingly repressive political regime. One day her father, and somewhat later, her mother simply disappear. As more women are victimised in the streets and in their own homes, Zoya and her grandmother decide to take refuge in Pakistan. There Zoya grows to adulthood and joins the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA).
   
   Zoya is involved in assisting Afghan refugees and later becomes a spokeswoman and fund-raiser for the organization. There are brief accounts of secret travels to Afghanistan to photograph Taliban activities such as the cutting off of hands. I wish Zoya had been less vague about the work of her organisation and her actual role in it, but it is apparently necessary for reasons of personal security. Considering the venomous hate-mail she & RAWA received from American supporters & former friends after 9/11, it is understandable and very sad that they cannot afford to trust anyone.



2. I read this story about Zoya, the young Afghan woman and her story of refuge in Pakistan and trips into Afghanistan. This is an OK story, although I prefer My Forbidden Face, another Afghan woman's story. Zoya's comments about the Mujalideen being as bad as the Taliban has some truth. Her resistance to these two regimes through RAWA is brave and principled. It goes to show that Afghan society is very traditional in the sense of repressing woman throughout society. The Soviet regime was probably the best in representing women in the society, but of course they were invaders and Zoya was not happy about their occupation of the country.
   
   This is a pretty basic story detailing the crimes of the Mujalideen and the Taliban. Zoya loses both parents, probably to the Mujalideen. Then she is forced to flee and her opposition to the Taliban makes up the latter part of this book.
   Hers is a difficult position. Friends in RAWA place her in a school and she becomes liberated with knowledge. She refuses to leave her countrymen and lives in a refugee camp. Her life is spent for the betterment of her countrymen, including women.
   
   I like the other book better, but this is an OK read about the difficulties faced by Afghan women.



3. Having grown up with the priviledges of living in the United States one can only imagine the devestation this amazing young woman has gone through in her short, inspiring life.
   At the tender age of 7, this courageous girl already started her early beginnings helping her mother work for RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan). Living in a country that had been overtaken by the Russians in what they called "the puppet regime", one couldn't imagine that life could get worse in this destitute country, ravaged by war and poverty. "The bleeding wound" Gorbachav called it.
   Zoya's graphic, heroic and saddening story told with such detail brings you to a life, I would say you "could just imagine", but I can't imagine that life. orphaned at a young age, under two controlling fundamentalist Moslem regimes, life in Afghanistan only seems to grow worse. Under the control of the Taliban, you will read of the most inhumane, torturous treatment. The taking of lives. I always knew how awful the Taliban was, but I never knew from an individual's personal experience what it was REALLY like to live there.
   This incredible young woman has done so much for the woman and people of Afghanistan, helping refugees, teaching women to read and write in a country where 90% of the women are illiterate, spreading the words of freedom, where her life can be taken at any time. Zoya is a true hero and inspiration.
   There is one line in the book that I will never forget, and I believe it is how Zoya truelly loves and feels for her country. It is a line from an old Afghan folklore "I am ready to die for my love, but I want my love to be ready to die for my country." This is the passion Zoya lives with on her crusade to make life better for people in Afghanistan.



4. zoyas story is a tale of one girl whose mother was an advocate for womens rights, and she followed suit after her mothers death and after discouraging life changes. living under the taliban was a historically tragic event for all women who endured this horrific regime that ruled afghanistan without mercy or compassion for women or their rights. zoyas entire life has been uprooted and yet she has such a strong heart and mind and will not let her people suffer alone, he courage and strength is a guide to those who have equally or more suffered and lost all theyve ever had. an example to live by, a great inside look into an awful time in afghanistans history. this book will also take you into pakistan where many refugees fled, and zoya continued to be a help to many people.



5. I loved the book and love the courage of Zoya. Women like Zoya should become all oppressed women's role models!
   This book is entertaining and the same time educating!

5 comments about Woodrow Wilson (The American Presidents).

1. H.W. Brands has written ambitious biographies of American historical figures, including a major work on the life of Andrew Jackson. Here, in keeping within the format of the American Presidents Series, Brands has writtten a shorter, but nontheless, insightful work. Wilson might have been a great president but, he was flawed. He was stubborn and uncompromising. Although he suffered a major stroke in his second term, he evidentally had suffered other, less serious strokes over the years. It is difficult to say whether his physical condition led to his unwillingness to yield but, much that could have been accomplished through compromise never came to fruition.
   
   An early sign of Wilson's concreteness appeared during his presidency of Princeton University. There was a dispute as to whether the graduate school should be located on the main campus or at another site. Wilson, a proponent of locating it on campus refused to negotiate a compromise and the project was stalled.
   
   Wilson was a Virginian and his racial attitudes were that of the Jim Crow South. However, being president of Princeton established his credentials as a New Jersey resident and Democratic party leaders put him up for governor of that state. He was elected and he showed remarkable independence as he proposed reforms that disappointed the party leaders and led them to consider him to be an ingrate. Later, when he was elected President of the United States, he continued his reform path in domestic matters.
   
   What defined his presidency was World War I and its aftermath. After the war, Wilson traveled to Europe to negotiate the peace treaty. On a tour of Europe, he was cheered wildly whereever he went. He was a genuine hero. However, in the negotiations England and France sought to impose harsh terms on Germany whereas Wilson sought more leniency. The heart of Wilson's Fourteen points proposal was a League of Nations. This League was included in the treaty and Wilson's next major battle was to get the Senate to ratify it. Here is where Wilson's stubborness did him in. Rather than negotiate with Republicans in the Senate, led by Henry Cabot Lodge, Wilson bypassed them and took his case to the people in a speaking tour. This was not the way to win favor in the Senate.
   
   Wilson's most egregious error, probably compounded by his stroke, was his total unwillingness to yield on one point regarding the League of Nations; i.e. a clause that required members to come to the aid of other members militarily. Republicans in the Senate were concerned that this clause might weaken US sovereignty. They noted that under the Constitution, it was the Senate, not the President who decalred war. Paul Johnson, in his "History of the American People" noted that if one of Great Britain's colonial possessions, such as India, had been attacked, the treaty might require the United states to get involved militarily. Anyway, Wilson refused to allow a reservation which would clarify the United States' understanding of the clause to the satisfaction of Lodge and other concerned Senators. Accordingly, the treaty didn't pass the Senate.
   
   The tragedy of the Wilson presidency is that so much more could have been accomplished. He was a great reformer on domestic issues and was a popular war president. However, his one major flaw kept him from achieving true greatness. Brand does a good job in capturing the essence of Wilson and I recommend this book.



2. You must guard your expectations on a biography (especially of a two term president) that only reads 138 pages. However, I thought that H.W. Brands could add his typical free flowing style and story-telling ability to make a completely satisfying short-read. Unfortuantely, Brands delivers his least inspired performance in telling the story of Wilson. Obviously, the context of the project (a short "taste" on the life of Wilson) curtailed Brands style, which I found to be my biggest disappointment.
   
   As a whole - the life of Wilson is fascinating - a great turning point in the life of "liberals" (While Wilson would certainly not be considered a "liberal" by today's standards). Wilson implemented the 8 hour work day, the FTC, and stiffened anti-trust laws.... not to mention a monstrous epidemnic of the flu... and oh yeah.... World War I. Unfortunately - most of these issues are just briefly touched on (The flu epidemic was not even mentioned).
   
   As a whole - I found this to be a fair brief glimpse into the life of Wilson. However, I would have love to read one of Brand's standard 400 pagers on the life of Wilson.



3. No one can truly understand the issues of the modern era without knowledge of of the man who mid-wifed it into existence, Woodrow Wilson. In his biography of Wilson's presidency, Professor H.W. Brands brings his insightful style and keen sense of relationships between critical events. One learns enough from this rather short book to ask the next set of more interesting questions.

   Absent Wilson, would there have been a central bank, the Federal Reserve, in the U.S.? How did the Wilson presidency effect the direction of the national income tax? What did Wilson do to foster the growth of centralized federal power in the U.S.?

   Absent Wilson's inept diplomacy, would the U.S. have become so involved in World War I, first by funding Britain and France, and then by participating in the combat? Would the Great War have lasted so long and caused so much damage to the fabric of European civilization and colonial influence? Would the world ever have heard of Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini, veterans both of front line combat?

   Absent U.S. participation in the European War, would a pedestrian lawyer, and middling state-level politician named Franklin Delano Roosevelt have found his first federal job as Assistant Secretary of the Navy? Would the U.S. ever have bred such soldiers as Douglas MacArthur and Harry Truman, and most of the rest of the list of future political-military leaders of mid-century?

   Absent events put into motion by Wilson, would Russia have broken up and descended into a Bolshevik Revolution? Would the Ottoman Empire have dissolved, to spawn the modern politics of the Middle East? Would the concept of League of Nations/world governance ever have gained the traction it did?

   Had Wilson never been president, would the U.S. and the world have had a far different 20th Century? Or was Wilson just one man in a particular time of great change? Germany and Italy had been building centralized, debt-financed governance for 40 years by the time Wilson walked into the White House. So did Wilson make history, guide history , or was he merely governed by historical forces whose time had come?

   Like it or not, we lived the 20th Century in Wilson's Century, and in the 21st Century we still follow the path he blazed. Wilson's ghost hovers over the plains of the Republic, walks the halls of power in every government building, and touches the lives of every person who draws a breath.




4. H.W. Brands' output over the last five years has been enormous. From huge biographies on Theodore Roosevelt and Benjamin Franklin to fair-sized books on the California Gold Rush and several major U.S. business figures to a slim volume on Americans' relationship with their federal government, the Texas A&M historian has published at least six books over the last five years that I'm aware of. The four which I've read have had the same qualities: solid scholarship and writing, but nothing flashy or standout about them.

   Brands' biography of Woodrow Wilson fits in this pattern. The book is an easy and enjoyable read. The scholarship is solid (I enjoyed reading the short but striking comments for each of the books mentioned in the "selected bibliography"). Occasionally, Brands is even eloquent as when he describes the effect on Wilson of the death of his first wife.

   Nevertheless, as with every other book of Brands I've read, "Woodrow Wilson" never soars to become a great work. The reason eludes me. Brands seems to have all the gifts to write a memorable history or biography, but his work remains a little too flat and it fades too quickly from the reader's mind. He does not break out of this mold with "Woodrow Wilson".




5. The American Presidents series, condensed biographies of individual presidents by eminent historians, makes the lives of our nation's readers accessible for general readers. That said, the books work better when resurrecting the memory of nearly forgotten minor presidents such as Rutheford B. Hayes than they do documenting the accomplishments of major historical figures like Woodrow Wilson. Simply put, Wilson's life was just too full to be given real justice by a 40,000 or so word manuscript.

   Limited by the format, Texas A&M Professor of History H.W. Brands gamely gives it his best shot. The author of such first rate works as "TR - The Last Romantic" and "The Age of Gold" recounts Wilson's life, devoting most of the mere 139 pages of narrative to his presidency. It's a good overview, and one that will likely whet the appetite of many readers to know more. Wilson was a strong, controversial and enigmatic leader. A progressive and idealist on the international front, for example, he was still very much a son of the South who strongly supported segregation at home. Brands deals with such events as World War One, the failed battle for ratification of the Versailles peace treaty and Wilson's debilitating 1919 stroke, but doesn't delve much into the details.

   Overall, a good if all-too-brief overview of Woodrow Wilson's life.

5 comments about In the Hands of Providence: Joshua L. Chamberlain and the American Civil War.

1. 
   In the Hands of Providence is a very well researched look of the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Alice Turlock presents a definitive biography of this modest professor from Bowden College, who met challenge after challenge to become one of the greatest leaders in Civil War history. Chamberlain had extraordinary observational and superb writing skills. His persistence at recording the historic events, which included his emotional reactions, gave Trulock's wonderful historic accounts for her book.
   The book starts by giving us an in depth look at his obscure Christian upbringing in rural Maine, and follows his processes of becoming a great young man. He was an exceptional college student, receiving the praise of his instructors. He was also highly regarded by his neighbors and towns' folk alike. Many considered him to have the highest moral and ethical standard. He was so trusted and respected as a young man in his home town that an older business man of Maine, who was an acquaintance of Chamberlain's, entrusted him with the dealings of his estate.
   
   While finishing his studies at Bowden, Chamberlain married his sweetheart Frances Caroline Adams. They had a very close and loving relationship. But during the war, the constant distance between them put a great deal of strain on their relationship. After graduation, he accepted a position as a professor at Bowden, and held that position for several years. Chamberlain maintained a very close relationship with his family, and he was especially close to his father in law George Adams.
   
   When the war broke out in 1861, Chamberlain ask for a leave of absence from Bowden to enlist, but was turned down. Not to be left out of the war, he again applied for a sabbatical to study in Europe, and this time it was granted. He had no intentions on going to Europe, and instead immediately enlisted in the army as a lieutenant colonel, and never looked back. He played a huge role in the recruitment of the men for a regiment, which would later come to be known as the 20th Maine.
   
   With no military experience, Chamberlain showed great promise in his leadership shills and military expertise. He became friends with his unit's commander, Colonial Ames, who became his tutor. According to Trulock, Chamberlain held a great deal of respect and admiration for Ames, and he gave Ames credit for his military success.
   
   Trulock's description of Chamberlain's military life is extraordinary, and she supplies us with great details about the battles in which he was involved. At the battle of Antietam, Chamberlain was not directly involved in the fighting but was brought up in reserve the next day. Trulock gives a very vivid description of horror that Chamberlain witnessed upon arriving at the battlefield that day where 22,000 lay dead or wounded on the field. It was the bloodiest, one day battle in the Civil War.
   
   Next, she transports us to the Fredericksburg, and the final assault by the North on Marye's Heights - the charge that involved the 20th of Maine. All the other divisions that day were either driven back, laid dead or wounded on the field. She describes tremendous courage that Chamberlain and his men showed as they made their charge on the now famous wall at Marye's Heights, the wall that was heavily guarded by Confederates. The division suffered great loses that late afternoon. They remained among the dead or wounded for 2 days and nights before the order was given to retreat.
   
   The episode in history that Chamberlain is most remember for is the courage and heroism he displayed at the battle of Gettysburg. He was ordered to the top of a hill known as The Little Round Top where he was placed at the far left flank. There, Chamberlain was instructed to hold that position at all cost. The 20th Maine repelled assault after assault by the Confederates that day. When ammunition ran out, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge, an event that many historians say was the turning point of the Civil War.
   
   Trulock also gives a very detailed account of the battle of Petersburg, where Chamberlain was horribly wounded. After hearing of his heroic actions during the battle, General Grant immediately promoted Chamberlain on the battlefield to Brigadier General. This was the only battlefield promotion ever issued by Grant. Somehow, Chamberlain survived his wound, due to the skilled surgery that was preformed on him that night and next day. Chamberlain's two close friends, Dr. Shaw and Dr. Townsend worked for hours repairing the damage inflicted by the mini ball. The wound he received that day would trouble him all of his life and required numerous surgery's to repair the damage.
   
   His persistent heroism and outstanding leadership were the deciding factor when Grant chose Chamberlain to receive the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. He showed great respect for his fellow countrymen that day when he gave the order to his men to give a solders salute to the surrendering confederate men. His honorary actions that day were later critized by many people.
   
   This book contains a lot of historic photos of Chamberlain's family, friends, fellow soldiers and numerous battle maps. The book also gives a great account of Chamberlain's life as Governor of Maine and President of Bowden College, but these accounts do not compare to the bravery and patriotic devotion that Chamberlain displayed during the Civil War. His actions made him a hero to his men, and the country he served.
   
   Trulock has given us a great biography, not only one of the Civil War's greatest commanders, but one of the United States most distinguished citizens. The book flows very smoothly while covering details of battles that would interest even the most die hard Civil War enthusiast.
   
   Finally, a book that does justice to an astonishing person. I highly recommend this book.



2. Chamerlain's heroism is similar to Teddy Roosevelt, Alvin York, and Audie Murphy who came behind him, but have been better publicized.
   
   The difference is that his act of confidence, courage and decisiveness may have been the one that changed the outcome of the Civil War, the 1864 election and the future of America.
   
   In The Hands of Providence is the story of Chamberlain's exemplary character before, during and after that momentum changing moment. All Americans should read and learn this story.
   
   - Richard V. Battle - Author of The Four Letter Word That Builds Character



3. I found Alice Trulock's biography on Joshua L. Chamberlain to be quite readable, well researched and well grounded. Considering the length of the book, Trulock's book read quite well for most readers of any level. Well, it may not be good as the one written by John Pullen but it definitely is superior to the one written by Edward Longacre. I put that in just for comparison purpose.
   
   I think this biography may served as a good introduction to Chamberlain who's name have definitely reached near mythological level nowadays among Civil War readers thanks to Jeff Daniels and his role in that movie "Gettysburg". Of course, most readers would probably be disappointed that Jeff Daniel's portaryal of Chamberlain will not jive with Joshua Chamberlain of Trulock's book.
   
   The biography covers all aspects of Chamberlain's life. The book does a good job covering Chamberlain's military career which proves to be the most important period of his life from which Chamberlain's life will be centered around until his death. I do wish to make a point here. He died at the age of 86, a very ripe old age and I doubt if his wounds he got from Petersburg really hasten his death, it may have cause him a lot of pain but even in modern days, most people don't live that long!
   
   Overall, an very good biography on one of Union's more natural soldiers. A non-professional who performed better then most professional soldiers.



4. The Duke of Wellington supposedly stated that it is impossible for a Christian to serve in the military. Too bad he wasn't around during the American Civil War! Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson from the South and Joshua Chamberlain and Otis Howard from the North are notable exceptions to Wellington's thesis.
   
   Trulock has written what is the best account of the hero of Little Round Top and who personally oversaw the surrender of Confederate troops at Appamattox.
   
   Among the important events in Chamberlain's life covered include:
   
   1. Birth and Christian upbringing in rural Maine.
   2. His days as a student and adminstrator at Bowdoin College.
   3. His early Civil War service including the formation of the famous 20th Maine Regiment.
   4. Fascinating accounts of his involvement in major Civil War battles: Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg, and other engagements.
   5. The horrible wound suffered at Petersburg that eventually killed him some 50 years later.
   6. His loving yet strained marriage to Frances Caroline Adams.
   7. Postwar public service as President of Bowdoin College and Governor of Maine.
   
   Reading the book was a joy - the narrative flowed smoothly while covering several details of a fascinating character. The author managed to keep the story from becoming too bogged down in dry detail without insulting the reader's intelligence. Oh, how I wish more biographies were written like this!
   
   The book also contains excellent battle maps and numerous photographs of the main characters: Chamberlain, his wife, parents, sister and brothers, many Civil War officers, and other important people in Joshua Chamberlain's life.
   
   All in all, an excellent and highly recommended read. Read and enjoy!



5. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was the epitome of the American citizen-soldier. Since the birth of the republic, American soldiers have left home and hearth to serve the nation and many of them have come home physically shattered and haunted by what they have seen while still others have not come home at all. Thrown into the breech, some of the citizen solders found they did not have the fortitude for what was asked of them while many others have excelled, performing better than graduates of West Point or Annapolis, America's most prestigious military academies. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a citizen soldier who became a great hero of the Civil War, a man who met challenge after challenge and became a great leader of men and afterward, the course of his life was forever altered. An academically inclined young man, Chamberlain left Bowdin College and his studies and teaching in theology to accept a lieutenant colonel's commission in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The modest young professor took part in most of the important battles of the North's Army of the Potomac. He was a participant in the Battle of Antietam, still the bloodiest single day in American history. Today, we can walk the battlefield off Sharpsburg Pike, in rural Maryland and see "Burnside's Bridge and the cornfields where so many men fell and get some small measure of what men like Chamberlain went through. We can also visit the battlefield at Fredericksburg and see the heights that he and his 20th Maine and the Union Army tried to take in bloody frontal assaults into the teeth of Confederate guns and under the pounding of their artillery on the hills. Today Chamberlain's comrades - as well as the fallen Confederate troops - are buried on the commanding heights they failed to take, one of the Civil War's bitter ironies. Colonel Chamberlain then immortalized himself at Gettysburg's Little Round Top where he anchored the Union left, repelling assault after assault and winning the day by leading a charge down the slope that broke the Rebel troops. He was given a general's star by General Grant at Petersburg and was honored to receive the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. His heroism and leadership qualities helped him win the Governorship of Maine no less than four times, after which he retired to the Presidency of Bowdin College, his alma mater. Alice Trulock who wrote this book, was not a professional writer and after her retirement from civic affairs, this book took her ten years of careful research, writing and rewriting to complete. She based her work on a great deal of new research and handles the account of infantry combat beautifully. Unfortunately, Trulock died before the book was released and so she wasn't able to accept the accolades that were due to her for such a well-written and moving biography of an emblematic Civil War figure.

3 comments about Elizabeth.

1. I approached this novel as an accompaniment for a trip to Florida. In other words, I thought it would be a run of the mill, rehashed but pleasant reading for me. I am delighted to be affirmed in my expectation. There is so much to be delved into in Elizabeth I history, and I am excited that David Starkey has thoroughly and carefully presented others learnings in a concise and somewhat chronological order.
   
   The writing is dry, unadorned and significantly presumptuous in its presentation. I had hoped to find some embellishments or adornment to Mr. Starkeys' novel but there were none. It is not a matter of not having the material to create with, as so much the possible decision to shorten his pot-boiler to the core. Even with a description of the crowning ceremonies, I felt that the lack of color in his writing left me feeling like I was reading just another published medical journal. Here are the facts, the dates of completion and action; the reader must internalize and review the data.
   I love words and I was not disappointed in this novel to learn or attempt to learn perhaps 100 new and obscure words. Did Mr. Starkey write this compendium with a word processor set on "Oxfordian Thesaurusian"?
   I did also sticky note perhaps fifty facts that Mr.Starkey presented that gave me pause, and desire to continue my research with. There were various passages that time after time, were alluded to, that were not concluded to, in Mr. Starkeys' novel. No definitive statements here! ie: Seymours alleged dalliance with Elizabeth is presented with no forensic aside of proof or conclusion, only assumptions, and those taken from the usual sources. This encompasses pretty much all his facts within this novel. His sources are few and paraphrased continually.
   Is my review harsh? I don't think so. I am researching Elizabeth I and try to give all my history sources a fair shake. A few pleasant words of encouragement, but, not here in this instance. Starkey gets a few points for compilation of events, but loses his credibility with his inability to keep the years presented with the days.



2. She sure was the helluva queen, and this was one real man-size exhibition. Incredible images, straight-talking text. Boy, was that a woman.



3. A great book. After you read this book, you will have more sympathy and respect for Elizabeth I. A neglected early childhood, loved and protected by faithful servants to whom she was loyal until they died. Finally accepted by her Father at heiress at the age of 10, she came to love and admire her distant father. Her mental capabilities were prodigious and her wit and learning allowed her to die an old woman beloved in memory. She may not have been perfect, but she was remarkable.

5 comments about House to House.

1. Read this outstanding book on my recent flight to DC and back. It is a great account of urban warfare. Recommended read for others.



2. the so-called "synopsis" posted for this book is really a slanted mini-review where the writer can barely hide his disdain for this book, the author and anyone who may find it interesting. Amazon needs to save this for the review section.



3. Fallujah, a city in Iraq's infamous Al Anbar province is located 40 miles west of Baghdad, and a hotbed of Wahabi Sunni extremists. In March, 2004, four Blackwater military contractors were removed from their vehicles, beaten, burned, dragged through the streets and hung over a bridge crossing the Euphrates river, culminating in the first attack of US forces on the city in April, 2004. As the civilian death toll mounted, the first battle of Fallujah ended with an agreement that members of the city's local population, the "Fallujah Brigade" would keep insurgents out. Upon the quick collapse of this group, the city was overtaken by insurgents yet again.
   
   With the city in complete control of insurgents and laced with IEDs, booby traps, fortified sniper positions etc., in November 2004, the insurgents prepared to battle with U.S. forces in operation Phantom Fury, which was partially and magnificently captured by Army Staff Sergeant David Bellavia in House to House.
   
   Bellavia's account captured the essence of what the U.S. military called "the heaviest urban combat since the Battle of Hue City in Vietnam."
   
   SSG Bellavia takes the reader through a seemingly surreal experience of many days of urban fighting with detailed accounts of important battles, including one harrowing hand to hand combat similar to the one near the end of "Saving Private Ryan" involving Private Melish, albeit with a more desirable outcome.
   
   Mr. Bellavia and his team faced just as formidable a foe in diarrhea and fatigue as the insurgents. How anyone can leave behind a wife and a young son over conditions such as this is beyond me, but Bellavia eventually left the military and committed himself to his family.
   
   It is thanks to books such as House to House that everyone can catch a glimpse of and appreciate the sacrifices the U.S. military makes on a regular basis.



4. Great book to read. I just returned from Iraq and found this book accurately describes events over there and is very well written. Haven't read a good war novel like this since reading Black Hawk Down over ten years ago. More importantly from being an action novel it really tries to describe the brotherhood that is the combat arms in the military. Thankfully Anabar province has calmed down at the sacrifice of many in this book. Also shows the struggle that many in the combat arms go through with personal struggle with their loved ones and brothers in arms.



5. My husband was in 2-2 together with SSG Bellavia. I knew the battle for Fallujah was bloody and fierce, but thanks to SSG Bellavia I now fully understand what my husband and all the other brave men of Task Force 2-2 went through.
   This book was very personal and emotional for me, but I have to say it is the best book I have ever read. After I started reading it, I could not put it down. SSG Bellavia delivers a gripping account of the fighting in Fallujah and doesn't hesitate to share his feelings and emotions with the reader. I was so drawn in by the story, I felt like I was part of Bellavia's platoon while I was reading the book. I was laughing, crying, and sweating, the hair on my neck was standing up and my heart was racing.
   This book was written by a hero as a tribute to the heroes of Task Force 2-2. I salute you, SSG Bellavia!

5 comments about Memories, Dreams, Reflections.

1. "Memories, Dreams, Reflections" is the most insightful autobiography of Carl G. Jung's life and his humble experiences. I have read his other works, including Man and His Symbols and Dreams, and never fully understand them until I read this last book of his to which brings it all together in terms of his scientific approach. This 400-page book is a window into his inner world, and it is such a remarkable read.
   
   In this book, Jung revealed much wisdom and insights from his early years up to his remainder of his life. One even can learn about oneself from his life. It is very much worth reading. It is both fascinating and inspiring.
   
   My favorite line of Jung from this book:
   
   "As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being."



2. Wow!
   
   I've always admired Carl Gustav Jung, and this book, a biography of his inner life, has helped me to understand him much better. It was fascinating to read about his boyhood, his adolescence, his days as a student, his time as a doctor (most all of his adult life) and his travels. And the best part was the insights he shared about his inner life.
   
   Perhaps the biggest surprise in reading this book was the extent to which I identified with him. As a child I had a rich imagination and sometimes thought that I was some kind of an odd-wad. And like Jung, not only did I have trouble with algebra when I was in junior high, I also, like Jung, had thought it was a plot! It was nice to find out that a highly intelligent person like Jung had experienced many just-like-it-only-different events as I had.
   
   The biggest thing I appreciate about Carl Jung is his attitude towards the individual. I think he has one of the best treatments of individualism that I've read. The "individuating" process he outlines will make us better members of the community. Like Jung, I have always felt that the community is only as healthy as the individuals in it.
   
   I continue to learn about his approach to dreams and to learn new insights from this book. It's very much worth reading.



3. As much as I would have liked to learn about Jung's life I just couldn' finish this book. Jung comes across as so incredibly self-absorbed - it's only me, I, me, I and me again. He writes hundreds of pages about his most detailed inner experiences, yet there is not a single word about his relationship to his wife, children and mistresses. If I hadn't known that he was married with five children I would have assumed he was a complete hermit. Loving relationships seem to have meant nothing to this man. I honestly wonder how he could have been a good therapist. I also wonder why so many women have followed his teachings when quite obviously he held them in such low regard. I only hope that the reality was better than this book makes him out to be.



4. This book is sublime, a GEM. In his subjective view of the world -"with half closed eyes and somewhat closed ears, to see and hear the form and voice of being" he arrived at an inspiring insight about life: supreme meaning of being can consist only in the fact that is,not that it is not or is no longer; nature, the mystery of love, the psyche, life, human beings, a state of lively contemplation of images is divinity unfolded (the greatest of miracles)-being conscious of this can come to you not through emptiness, imagelessneess or wanting to be freed from nature or yourself.
   Here's a passage of the book that reflects the quintessence of his wisdom:
   No language is adequate for this paradox. Whatever one can say, no words reflect the whole; for only the whole is meaningful...love "bears all things" and "endures all things". These words say all there is to be said; nothing can be added to them. For we are in the deepest sense the victims and the instruments of cosmogonic "love"- a unified and undivided whole. Being a part man cannot grasp the whole. He is at its mercy. He may assent to it, or rebel against it; but he is always caught by it and enclosed within it. He is dependent upon it and is sustained by it. Love is his light and his darkness, whose end he cannot see. "Love ceases not"-whether he speaks with the "tongue of angels", or with scientific exactitude traces the life cell down to its uttermost source. Man can try to name love, showering upon it all the names at his command, and still he will involve himself in endless self-deceptions. If he possesses a grain of wisdom, he will lay down his arms and name the unknown by the more unknown- ignotum per ignotius-that is, by God. That is a confession of his subjection, his imperfection, and his dependence; but at the same time a testimony to his freedom to choose between truth and error.
   If we understand and feel that here in this life we already have a link with the infinite, desires and attitudes change.



5. Jung's work is often difficult to read. This is an excellent introduction to his thinking, and a fine outline of his life. Man and his Symbols is also a good intro to Jungian thought.
   
   However, over long, somewhat pompous comments are really not appropriate. Jungians would call this inflation.

5 comments about Boy: Tales of Childhood.

1. This hilarious book from Roald Dahl that tells about the funny things that he had done throughout his life. People who enjoy other books Dahl wrote will laugh on this one. For instance, Roald and his friends put a dead rat into a jar of Gobstoppers. IF you read the book, you should read more of Roald Dahl's adventures. I will recommend this book to people who like nonfiction and funny stories because it has both great and funny story.



2. My 15 year old brother-in-law enjoyed reading this book with me. I enjoyed it myself!!



3. Good book about growing up and some of the great stories you're expect from your grandfather. Could have used less information on the beatings headmasters used to give students.



4. So says Roald Dahl in the introduction to his autobiogrophy,BOY. The book is a collection of his childhood memories, from the magical summers in Norway to the dreary days at St.Peters boarding school. As in all of Dahl's works the characters are quirky and memorable,but more fascinating here because they really existed. The auther recounts the adventures of his childhood with tenderness and dry humor.
   
   BOY,TALES OF CHILDHOOD is a terrific book, much more interesting than the average autobiography!
   
   RATING:A



5. I'm a Dahl fan, a writer for both adults and children. I think the key to his success as writer for children is that he doesn't think children are stupid or don't understand what they see. From my own experience, and now as a father, I know that children see, hear, think and make conclusions with their experiences.
   
   This book is a collection of sketches of Dahl's school years. It makes you understand many of the stories that appear in his books: he was born in a well-to-do family, and enjoyed always a high living standard even in the depression years. He attended exclusive british public schools, etc. Then he found a good job at BP.
   
   The book is full of family love, anecdotes about a child's view point (adenoidectomy, the mouse plot, etc) which will make you smile or even laugh aloud. Some of those, together with the fact that his mother saved all his letters and family fotos and mementoes, which sprinkle the book, makes it a delightful read.
   
   It's true that some of the chapters are sombre, because for us it's shocking to know that children were so abused (beaten with a cane and deprived of affection, or bullied by older thugs who made them fag), but Dahl succeeds in making us loathe that supposedly elitistic education system. He doesn't make it sound as "the good old days, they had some bad things but not all..." In that sense, it's much better than "Tom Brown Shooldays" or Kipling's "Stalky and Co".
   
   But all in all, he brings us the sense of a fantastic childhood, surrounded by family love, affection, and well being. I grew up in a partly similar context (the lack of affection in education, but not the beatings or the comfort)and it serves me to try to be a better father, more intent into giving my children nice emotional and intelectual experiences.
   
   Enjoy!

5 comments about Thomas Jefferson: The American Presidents Series.

1. First, let's begin with the premise that the collaberation of, at one time, in one relative place, and with (seemingly) one goal, those who have come to be collectively known as the Founding Fathers was, by any accounts, an extraordinary period in the history of humanity. A Dream Team, if you will.
   
   Second, let's remind ourselves that none of these men were devoid of their flaws. Many, in retrospect, carried their warts and blemishes with a sense of pride, if not prominence.
   
   While it is inevitable, and not inappropriate to find an interest in these founders and their various achievements so timely and exciting centuries after they did what they did, it is also inevitable that the lines of truth and accuracy have faded in the interim, and an honest interpretation of events between 1750 and 1820 requires of the interpretor an open mind, and a lack of preconceived notions.
   
   Ms. Appleby has not satisfied that requirement in her Jefferson interpretation.
   
   Appleby admits in the opening paragraphs to be an admirer, and continues to clarify that point throughout the book. She sets Jefferson apart from the other 'founders,' who are minimized, if not dismissed as having provided less,if any substance to the drive for that ultimate goal. Indeed, Appleby seems to be saying that the goals of the various gentlemen involved were so varied as to be in direct opposition to each other.
   
   Moreover, Appleby outrightly idolizes Jefferson. Her platitudes do not, however, shine any more light on the man, who certainly qualifies as one of the more secretive/introspective of the bunch. Instead, one is left the option of accepting Jefferson as a Moses-like character, or of choosing to look elsewhere for a more in depth assessment of this certainly great man.
   
   Other reviewers have noted her attention to Jefferson's issues with slavery, with women, with indians. These are discussed, but rather than in a way that would try to find a root cause, or to compare them with other frailties in his character, the effort seems to be to offer them as some offset to the bulk of the material, which is close to hero worship.
   
   There is enough information about Jefferson, even considering the depths of his persona, to identify some (but certainly not all) of the demons that tormented the man. And also enough information to know that Jefferson was not immune to crossing the lines of decorum that separate the common man from the political climber. But you wont find that discussion here.
   
   In the end, we have yet another portrait of this man, who deserves his place in the pantheon, but ther is no flesh, no blood, no heart. Just canvas.



2. Joyce Appleby's concise "Thomas Jefferson" is a well-written book mainly about Thomas Jefferson's presidency. Appleby understands Jefferson's place in history and gets the story right. I also recommend R.B. Bernstein's concise "Thomas Jefferson," which covers Jefferson's entire life better. But for a book on the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, Appleby's book is a fine choice.



3. Many may believe that political equality has existed in the United States since the very founding. Even ignoring the disenfranchisement of women and the subjugation of twenty percent of the population to slavery, that is a questionable belief. Many elites in the colonies, including many directly connected with the revolution, wanted to roll back any unleashed democratic impulses. The landed gentry, lawyers, the educated, merchants and creditors, and the like assumed that their superiority entitled them to control society's institutions including government. In their view, it was in the best interests of all if the unlearned population deferred to the better element of society. That was Thomas Jefferson's assessment of the political culture in the early years of the US.
   
   According to the author, one of Jefferson's main achievements was countering this presumption of elite control of society and politics. Though an aristocrat and intellectual, Jefferson developed a respect for the political rights and participation of the average citizen. Jefferson along with democratic political clubs infused with admiration for the French Revolution and a vigorous oppositional press formed an unofficial political party, the Republicans, to oppose the entrenched elites, known as the Federalists. The passage of the Sedition Act under Adams confirmed the Federalist fears and disdain for true political freedom.
   
   Jefferson dispensed with all symbols of aristocratic pretension when assuming the Presidency. Under Washington and Adams, the protocols of the European courts were rigorously followed. Jefferson understood that the style of his Presidency made a statement about whom or what was truly important.
   
   Jefferson was also very interested in the expansion of the US into the West beyond the Appalachian Mountains. He saw the West as a tremendous opportunity for hard-working average Americans, and not the province of elite speculators. The Louisana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition were bold and promising acts.
   
   The Jefferson Presidency had to contend with the wounded Federalists, including their personal attacks concerning Jefferson's religion and character. In addition, the French-English conflict escalated in his second term and resulted in wholesale predations on American commercial ships. The Embargo Act, enacted to curtail opportunities for conflict, was highly unpopular and unsuccessful.
   
   The author does discuss the contradictions of Jefferson. Jefferson extolled the essential equality of all men and promoted widespread political participation. Yet he could not extend that concept fully to Negroes or to native Indians. It is a troublesome inconsistency, but the huge impact that Jefferson had on the direction that the political culture took in the US cannot be overlooked. It is inaccurate to suggest that the author excoriates Jefferson through a political correctness lens.
   
   The book is not an exhaustive study of Jefferson; it is not supposed to be. Jefferson does deserve to be rated as a president just behind FDR or Lincoln. His Presidency represents a decided shift from an elitist political culture to one far more democratic, hardly an insignificant development in a democracy. The author makes that point quite well.



4. I disagree that Appleby wrote a PC view of Jefferson - I loved Appleby's style and came away from the book with a balanced and informed view of the topic. Jefferson has blemishes - he practiced the sort of politics that he said he dispised. He had a relationship with a slave that produced children. He personally hurt the man who recommended that he write the Declaration of independence. He also helped establish the idea of the loyal opposition, the peaceful transition of power, of keeping most of what Washington and Adams had put into place so that we would have traditions for our government. he represented an idealism - all of this came across in Appleby's book.



5. Much like the subject of this book, this text left me puzzled. At times I thought the author too dismissive of important issues about Jefferson. At other times the author gave excellent perspectives of this founding father.
   
   I do not rate this book too high, but I do not downgrade this book as have several other reviewers, who seem to espouse an anti-intellectual view of history. I disagree with the concept that one should not criticize historical figures with current day knowledge. I notice that these same folks are not restrained from praising historical figures using twenty-first century perspectives. But, mostly these people only use their "don't criticize" argument to protect those with whom they agree, and conversely bash other historical figures with whom they dislike (e.g., try reading some of those anti-Lincoln books by southern apologists). An if someone truly doesn't believe in critical evaluations of the founding fathers, then let them stick to reading children's nursery rhymes.
   
   I want to read more books about Jefferson, but from what I have read he is a very contradictory fellow. For example, has anyone noticed how often he was wrong in his policies and programs? He fought Hamilton on the economic system best for this nation (Hamilton's system won), he supported ties with the French over the British. How did that result? (Freedom fries anyone?). He "argued" for full democracy (only for white males), yet current republicans ridicule true democracy as anarchy. He denigrated centralized federal government, yet now the current administration is telling local schools how and what to teach our children. He opposed the Alien-Sedition Act, but only by the federal government, he thought states were fine to prosecute the same type of dissent. He preferred tobacco farming over wheat farming since it takes more effort to grow the former, yet the only accounts of Jefferson the farmer was how he constantly brought himself on the edge of financial ruin, while keeping his nails clean of soil.
   
   He wanted open debate, but often stood in the shadows using others as his mouthpiece to snipe at his foes such as Adams. He moved quickly for the U.S. to attack the Barbary Coast, but took to his horse when the British approached the Virginia capital when he was governor (but cowardice is still not keeping a person from being elected president). We are told that he was an inspired inventor, but can anyone name a single Jefferson creation that had any public use at any time in history?
   
   Please do not misunderstand. Jefferson does deserve a place of high honor among this country's founding fathers. His Monticello home was superbly designed especially how he formed the home with the landscape. I just have not seen, and this book did not provide, the reason to place him above people like Washington, and Franklin, etc. His words are, or should be, engrained in the American conscious, but his words were not original, he depended on various philosophers in Europe and ancient Rome.
   
   Honestly, I believe that the reason Jefferson garners more historical interest than so many other figures of 1776 is because he was full of so many contradictions. He can be made into whatever you want since he seemed to have said, or acted in so many ways that it is easy for a person to believe that Jefferson would have been on his (but not on her) side.