5 comments about Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker (Modern Library Paperbacks).

1. 
   I very much enjoy profiles of interesting people and had high hopes for this book, but it's awful. In fact, I gave up on about the fourth tape.
   
   I managed (with great difficulty) to get through part of the article on Richard Pryor but the vulgar language made me stop. Granted, that might be appropriate for a piece about Pryor, but I think it would be possible to write an interesting biographical sketch without it.
   
   The article on Ernest Hemingway was the most boring and meaningless piece of tripe I've ever read. How could ANYONE make Hemingway seem deadly dull? By recounting an almost minute by minute, blow by blow, excursion in New York to buy a coat. What was the author thinking????
   
   The short article on Katharine White was okay, but nothing special and actually more about the writer than her subject.
   
   The article on Mr. Hunter's Grave, which was a 'non celebrity' piece, was overly long and exceedingly dull, with very poor narration.
   
   That's when I decided life is too short to spend listening to books like this. If this is the best The New Yorker can do, it's no wonder I don't subscribe!



2. If you are a fan of biographies but are intimidated by 1,000-page tomes, Life Stories is a great choice. Some say the New Yorker invented the "profile," and though it does seem the magazine was the first to call its biographical pieces by that name (amazing, considering how ubiquitous the term is today), editor David Remnick is quick to assert that they hardly invented the style. What they have done for decades is find the most interesting people and have the best writers provide illumination. Nearly every profile here is profound and nearly every one of them is short enough to read in a single (long) sitting. And while it's a treat to learn intimate details of some of the most famous people of the 20th century, it's the profiles of the lesser-known people that shine: from Joseph Mitchell's encounter with an aging churchman with a penchant for baking to the story of the Chudnovsky brothers, Russian emigres who built a supercomputer in their apartment from salvaged parts. Fantastic reading from start to finish.



3. The writing is beautiful. The story telling is beautiful. The stories are amazing. Five Stars.



4. This is a collection of prime examples of the long gone "profile" piece in The New Yorker magazine. They just don't write 'em like this anymore!
   
   Choose Truman Capote's profile of Marlon Brando, or Lillian Ross' profile of Ernest Hemingway, or any of the 20-some other profiles in this book. You will read some of the best writing about some of the most exciting people in 20th Century history.
   
   Is there a second volume in the works? I hope so!



5. Hemingway, Baryishnikov, and Henry Luce are the subjects of some of my favorite celebrity profiles in this wonderful book. But topping my list is "Man Goes to See a Doctor", the awesome Adam Gopnik's sweet and funny rendering of his shrink. Here's a snippet: "Your problems remind me of" - and here he named one of the heroes of the New York School. "Fortunately, you suffer from neither impotence nor alcoholism. This is in your favor." Highly recommended!

5 comments about Gift of Power: The Life and Teachings of a Lakota Medicine Man.

1. Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
   Archie Fire Lame Deer is the son of John Fire Lame Deer and succeeded him as head of his spiritual lineage upon his father's death. A "modern" medicine man with an incredible life story. He's funny, charming, impactful, tells the truth. If I were making a list of "must meet" holy men, he'd be on it.



2. Growing up nurtured in the many faces and realities of nature - and the beauties & dangers therein - provided a school of knowledge for Archie Fire Lame Deer. Along side of this, were the brutalities and horrors of another type of school; this school sought to shame, beat, and abuse the native spirit out of him. This place was one of the many much written about Christian Indian Schools. Within both settings were men who set examples for Archie of humans who realized they had to do nothing else but provide him with acceptance and kindness: his grandfather and a priest at the Indian School. Archie was sent to this school by his Grandfather for the knowledge to be gained there. Grandfather was a Shaman;he knew that Archie would be one someday,too. I think the real reason he sent him to that school was to expose him - first hand - to the ugliest parts of human nature that he knew about. Archie going to Indian School was tantamount to hurricane Katrina being stopped by the frivolous levy systems in New Orleans. Despite all this violence, Archie was able to learn...the kindly Priest at the school was there, right on time, to provide support when Archie needed it most. After freeing himself from this place, his journey was soaked by alcohol. It accompanied Archie everywhere: with lots of women; in lots of fights; in just as many jail cells. It then took him to Hollywood where he became a stuntman. Under all of this was his calling as a healer and a Shaman: this is a terrifying calling. The physical and emotional demands are overwhelming. Here are the facts: only someone willing to throw away, time and again, friends, relatives, jobs, and opportunites is fit for such a job. It seems that such a person would be a narcissist; on the contrary, this kind of person walks with death and loss every day. They have no ego; they have no feelings. We have called them sociopaths. The difference between a sociopath and someone who grabs THE GIFT OF POWER is simple; the former dies or goes insane, while the latter somehow recognizes the destruction in him/herself - and in the wake they cast - as only another possession to be tossed aside. Then that empty hole is filled with the GIFT OF POWER. Archie's natural Father died. In this dying he passed the gift on to his son. Archie was born and raised in the Badlands; but other lands were just as bad. There is beauty in the Badlands...you just have to recognize it. This book should be on all required reading lists.



3. If you like me, before I read this book, are naive to what true American Indian culture is all about (or maybe you won't realize how naive you are until you read the book), then this biography of Archie Fire Lame Deer, a Lakota Indian is definitely an excellent crash course to bring you up to date! Much of American Indian culture, especially their religion and intense beliefs about people, animals and our earth make a lot of sense to me. So many suppressed or simply not understood parts of this culture are clearly explained and described in fascinating detail. Though I don't plan to change my personal Christian beliefs, I'm moved by the depth and intensity of this culture; Archie Fire's descriptions moved me to intense shame regarding the many horrible things that were, and are still being done in the name of Christianity to this culturally rich, intelligent, colorful and generally peaceful people (Archie Fire Lame Deer, somewhat similarly, also expresses his shame of so many false medicine men promoting Indian religion & culture). And we claim to be a free country guaranteeing freedom of religion? As has become apparent to me, so many things that we believe to be a part of our white North American cultures are actually rooted in American Indian tradition. I say thanks very much to Archie Fire for recording this valuable, enlightening information for we, the unindoctrinated. I wish him and the American Indian people the realization of all of the wonderful dreams described here (as I wish to share in them also).



4. This is a first-person account of the life of a "medicine man," or Native-American shaman. The style is personal and engaging. This is a good introduction to the topic for the novice.



5. This book was totally amazing. Written in Archie Lame Deer's own words. Archie really takes us deep into the Lakota culture and brings us into the world of American Indian life. The style in which Archie teaches instills in the reader the importance of laughter to the American Indian people as a way of dealing with the horror dealt by the government and settlers throughout history.

3 comments about Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy.

1. This enjoyable and well-written cowboy memoir takes readers to the hinterlands of central British Columbia during the war years of 1939-1942. The author and his partner Panhandle Phillips take over the two-million-acre Frontier Cattle Company, located in grassland valleys among the mountain ranges, several days' ride from the nearest town and over 200 miles from the nearest rail line. It is a land where winters are severe, and the first challenge facing them is a December cattle drive that ends in near-disaster as the men are overtaken by a fierce blizzard and sub-zero temperatures.
   
   The son of an admiral in the U.S. Navy, Hobson is an educated Easterner living a life of pioneering adventure on one of the last western frontiers on the continent. His story is peopled with a large cast of memorable characters, including cowhands, ranchers, storekeepers, and Indians. His gifts as a writer are many, as he intensifies the suspense and drama of several high-risk enterprises and fully relishes the humor in others. The attempt to transport a herd of wild horses by night from an offshore island to the Vancouver stockyards is told with a masterful grasp of knee-slapping farce. There's even a little romance, as our cowboy hero goes in breathless search of the girl of his dreams, armed only with a snapshot of her standing beside a prize Jersey bull. Readers will also enjoy Paul St. Pierre's short stories and novels set a decade later in the same remote ranch country.



2. I've read all three of Hobson's excellent books about his adventures in the Canadian wilderness. My son, who is a real cowboy in Montana, told me about the books, saying, "These books tell the real story, mom--this is what it's like out here, particularly during the long, lonely, winter days and nights." Hobson's writing style, simple yet eloquent imagery, is perfect. I actually got chills when reading about grizzly attacks and those 70-degree below nights when both man and beast had to work to stay alive. Great stories, great writing!



3. AS exciting as the other two books.Humerous,yet portrays the adventure and hardship of that era.

5 comments about Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: A Biography.

1. This is a very large book & not a light read. Sir Francis Burton is one of history's more interesting people but after reading this book I don't think he was someone that was easy to get along with. He was a brave & determined man & most people just wouldn't want to do the things he did. Also the things he did are incredible but the writing isn't as gripping as the things he did.



2. Richard Francis Burton was a very unique individual even when compared to the Victorian age when it seems Britain had an abundance of eccentric Englishman making world-shaking contributions for the benefit of their Empire or mankind. Burton had a knack for picking up other languages and dressing in native costume, so much so, that in a matter of months he could pass as a native. He exploited this gift throughout the Indian subcontinent and the Arabic speaking world. From an army to a Foreign Service diplomatic career, Burton did not spend his time idly. He led explorations in East and West Africa. Burton's name should be as famous as Stanley's or Livingston's except for happenstance. He explored various Arab speaking areas for the Royal Geographical Society and frequently passed himself off as a local by speaking Arabic fluently. He received Islamic religious training, enough to be the first or second Westerner to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca and obtain entrance into the Kabbkah. As an Author, his books of his exploits never sold well. The author of this book concludes because of the haphazard method of relating information to the reader. Burton was not good at organizing his expeditionary note, but they are full of curious facts that show his sharp scientific mind. The author of this book does an admirable job relating Burton's life to the reader. The book's quoting various diary entries and newspaper articles shows it was well researched, especially his turbulent public life. As Richard Francis Burton grew older he used his language skills to translate various books of Middle Eastern tales and poetry into English. He is perhaps best known for translating the classic A Thousand and One Nights.
   This was a very rewarding book, This reader plans to read some of the books still in print by Richard Francis Burton.



3. I believe that I have read all of the Burton biographies - all of them available on Amazon, that is, except Rage to Live, which I am reading now. It started as a keen interest in the subject, and is now just a matter of completing the task. Rice's treatment not only seems to be very correct but is free from editorial. Many other authors feel the need to second-guess the history without the means to do so, or to make him a hero or a villain. For example, his pederastic forays in Hindustan are stated matter-of-factly, with the helpful insight that there is no suggestion he never went back to it. His portrayal of a certain negress royal harem slopping up banana beer, sow-like, on all fours as his own death sentence was imminent can only be called Burtonesque - complete with a lengthy quote from the master himself. If you can only read one, this is it.



4. Of the Burton biographies I have read, this is quite by far the best. The research is great, and for a history book, this is a true page turner. I found it fascintating, that while reading this work, I had to keep reminding myself that this guy, Sir Richard Burton, was a real person, and was not some figment of a writer's imagination. Richard Burton led a fascinating life during a fascinating time in our history. The author captures both the time and the man. I highly recommend you read this one, if at all interested in this man and his time and further recommend you add it to your library as you will probably want to give it more than one read.



5. I have never even heard of anyone like Richard Burton. He is one of those people that certainly took advantage of life. I often wonder how he had the time to accomplish all of those feats. This particular biography is a very balanced portrayal of Burton and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you want to be entertained then read this book.

5 comments about J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets.

1. This biography is a study in quiet, creepy state terror, terror as it took hold in a modern democratic state. No black shirts, no armbands, no drums, just quiet, behind-the-scenes abuse of power, blackmail, fraud, spying without warrants, illegal arrests and deportations.
   
   Naive Americans are sometimes heard to ask how could people in other lands allow evil people to take power? Well, this book will show you how it is done and how it was done in their own country.
   
   As someone else has said, it is a book every American should read. Little that the war criminal, George Bush, has inflicted on the American people wasn't practiced much earlier under Mr. Hoover.
   
   Gentry's book reads like a good novel with a strong narrative, and it is loaded with interesting anecdotes.
   
   There have been several interesting biographies of Hoover, but this one is the one I most strongly recommend. This focuses on his career and use of power, and it is there that the truly important story is to be found.
   
   Gentry several times hints around Hoover's homosexuality but doesn't dwell on it. We know from Anthony Summers' book that Hoover had a rather bizarre private life as a flamboyant cross-dresser. This wouldn't be of any great significance except that Hoover had no tolerance for homosexuals in government, having been responsible for destroying the careers of a number of them.
   
   Gentry also makes clear that the insane Joseph McCarthy was largely the creature of Hoover. Hooveer fed him tidbits or sometimes worked backward to supply some printed support after McCarthy had gone off half-cocked bragging about things in public he had not one shred of evidence to support. McCarthy was a drunk looking to spark a lackluster career. He was also thought to be a pedophile, but none of these things mattered to Hoover so long as he could use McCarthy to his purpose. Only when McCarthy stopped being useful did Hoover drop him.
   
   Presidents like Johnson and Kennedy and even Roosevelt eagerly ate the political filth he fed them by hand, casting shame on their legacies. Hoover compromised many people who should have been his strongest critics, including, for example, the head of the American Civil Liberties Union.
   
   For all his years of abuse and excess, it is not clear that he ever achieved anything in the way of making America a safer, more secure place from external and internal enemies.
   
   An important chapter of Hoover's time in power remains inadequately scrutinized: his full role in the investigation of Kennedy's assassination. As Gentry documents and as others have documented, the FBI was well aware before the assassination of serious threats against Kennedy and yet seems to have taken inadequate action to thwart them.
   
   Hoover's role in "solving" the crime remains one of the great mysteries of 20th century American history. The Warren Commission had no independent investigative ability. All it did was take Hoover's rushed, inadequate, and pre-judged investigation and re-package it. And we know now that the so-called Warren Report was riddled with errors and misjudgment and the selective use of facts. It was a piece of Soviet-era state rubbish posing as detailed investigation.
   
   If, as many who have studied the assassination believe, it was the work of the American Mafia, we have an automatic explanation for Hoover's shoddy work. Hoover claimed he never believed the Mafia existed until he was almost forced to accept it. He chased pathetic "reds" rather than the real criminals who were eating away at the substance of American society. Many have theorized that the Mafia held evidence, perhaps photographs, of Hoover's homosexuality and cross-dressing, keeping him neutralized for decades in exactly the way Hoover neutralized so many politicians and potential critics.
   
   I like very much the way Gentry briefly follows through the successors of Hoover at the FBI, summarizing their changes and contributions, and it is not an uplifting story.
   
   The very fact that the FBI building in Washington still has Hoover's name on it in big metal letters tells us a great deal about the nature of power in America.



2. It took me a few months to finish this 760 pages book but it was time well invested. This book is a remarkable achievement. You will find in it the parallel stories of both J. Edgar Hoover and his creature, the FBI.
   
   J. Edgar Hoover was already on the government's payroll by the presidency of Woodrow Wilson and he remained a Federal employee until his death in 1972 during Richard Nixon's presidential tenure. He shaped the FBI making it a highly effective investigative law and order organization. You could say the man and the agency had the same strengths and weaknesses.
   
   The author, Curt Gentry, excelled at all the imaginable standards with this biographical work. The book is informative, an eye opener, highly readable and, comprehensive. This book stands also as a literary jewell. I wish all biographies were as well researched and written as this one.



3. Fifteen years in the making, "J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets" is a long, intricate, dense, but ultimately rewarding read. There are occasional minor lapses like misspellings, date typos, Congressmen misidentified as Senators, etc., as well as names dropping in and out of the narrative which require frequent use of the index to refresh one's memory, but it's all to be expected in a work of such amazing depth and scope. I first read this book shortly after its original publication in 1991, and have found myself frequently referring back to it ever since - it's what I consider a great "gateway book," as its exhaustive bibliography covers virtually all facets of American history and political life over most of the past century. And its lessons remain relevant even today, particularly in light of the Bush Administration dusting off Nixon's infamous Huston Plan in the aftermath of 9/11 and very nearly setting off a palace revolt within the Justice Department as a result. The story of Hoover's final years is all the more compelling now given the more recent revelation of former FBI Deputy Associate Director W. Mark Felt as Bob Woodward's famous Watergate source, "Deep Throat." Felt's current state of both physical and mental frailty, as documented in Woodward's "The Secret Man," means that Gentry's work may well be the clearest available view of what led one of the Bureau's highest officials to guide a young reporter through the opening acts of a story that would bring down the President. And Gentry ably captures the atmosphere of Washington at a time when the famed FBI Director could still cast a long shadow over events that transpired both outside his Bureau and after his death.
   
   "J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets" is the story of a consummate functionary and master of bureaucratic survival, whose reputation was destroyed by his own prejudices and paranoia in much the same fashion as the last President he "served". It's a cautionary tale about the perils of investing too much power in government, and the personal toll upon the wielders of that power and those who would aspire to it. It's a story of how praiseworthy accomplishments in Hoover's early career were ultimately overshadowed by his petty vindictiveness, which bordered on the childish, and his pathological aversion to sharing the limelight. It's a story of how these character flaws ended up costing lives, including several FBI agents like Melvin Purvis, whose successes in cracking high-profile cases did more for the glory-hungry Director's reputation than for their own advancement. It's a story about the limitations of power, and how one of the most respected (and feared) government agencies either completely missed or failed to stop changes in society at large, whether by expending vast resources on a nonexistent communist threat while ignoring the growing power and reach of organized crime, or unsuccessfully attempting to sabotage the Civil Rights movement. It's a story of hypocrisy and self-delusion, not only of Hoover but of politicians like McCarthy, Johnson, Nixon, and others who tried to use Hoover's secrets for their own ends. And finally, it's the story of literally decades of activities that made a mockery of the Bureau's widely-proclaimed founding principles of Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity.
   
   Curt Gentry does a commendable job of maintaining scholarly detachment while recounting details, whether gory or erotic, from the famous cases and (mostly illegal) surveillances that formed the basis of Hoover's power. Drawing from these, plus White House tapes from two different administrations and extensive source interviews, Gentry paints a warts-and-all portrait not only of Hoover, but of many other famous people (heroic and otherwise). There's the origin of the urban legend concerning Dillinger's anatomy. There's President Truman earning Hoover's eternal ire by correcting him on a matter of Scripture. There are snide remarks galore - from FDR about Eleanor, Bobby Kennedy about Associate FBI Director Clyde Tolson, Nixon and Haldeman about Hoover, and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s locker-room joke about Jackie. There's JFK's penchant for amphetamines, and convincing evidence that this was one thing Kennedy and Hoover had in common. Gentry recounts Hoover's pique at being victimized by the Bureau's own tactics when reporters like Jack Anderson dared to circumvent the FBI propaganda machine with dumpster diving and "black bag jobs" of their own. Watergate cognoscenti will appreciate Attorney General John Mitchell's off-the-cuff reference to "programming Liddy," as well as Mitchell's unforgettable wife Martha, who sang Hoover's praises with "...if you've seen one FBI Director you've seen them all," followed by, "John tells me he's never worked for a nicer fellow." And Gentry manages to address, without sensationalizing, the persistent rumors of a homosexual relationship between Hoover and Tolson; a perfectly fair subject given Hoover's penchant for sexual slander and Tolson's spectacular ascent through the hidebound bureaucracy that Hoover himself designed.
   
   The book begins and ends with the events surrounding Hoover's death in the Spring of 1972, some six weeks prior to the Watergate break-in. The first telling presents the passing of the nation's most famous unelected public servant in its more "official" version; the second is colored by the sordid history behind a carefully-engineered facade that had already begun to crumble. Included are Nixon's recollections of his own failed attempts to fire Hoover - military history buffs familiar with Guderian's memoir, "Panzer Leader," will recognize a familiar pattern to the conversations. For J. Edgar Hoover, like both Hitler and Stalin, was a master of political and media manipulation who ultimately failed to live up to his own image, and it's no small irony that a man lodged within the bureaucracy of a supposedly free society could outlast both dictators by a substantial margin. But no matter what one thinks of the Director's tenure and legacy, Curt Gentry has succeeded admirably in providing a thorough, and possibly even definitive, examination of a significant figure in American history.



4. i decided to read about hoover after the debate began on the patriot act and its impingement of our civil rights. Was it really a change from yesteryear? how bad were the intrusions? after reading the amazon reviews, i selected this book over others.
   
   it is a well detailed history of j edgar hoover and his over 50 years as head of the fbi. the book is well documented with footnotes, source notes, and bibliography. the biography is told fairly objectively. i was glad to see the author didn't spend hardly any time on the cross dressing/homosexuality rumors that run rampant. it is not to say they are not correct, only that they are unproven. that means the author stuck to the facts he had, not the salacious history it could be. for that i appreciate the integrity of the historical perspective that the author portrays. i feel i have the true story on what he presents, and that is what i look for in a political biogrphy.
   
   with all that said, this book is an eye opener. the power that this man held was unbelievable. the lives, both innocent and guilty, that he destroyed innumerable. the tactics disgusting and terrifying. Simply put it could have been almost anyone.
   
   does it change the debate? i don't think so. even with his scum tactics, he did not prevent dr martin luther king from changing the world. the question still stands. should we be prepared to give up some of our civil rights to assist in the pursuit of those who threaten us? will there be abuse? of course. but that doesn't make the interests of the whole less than the interests of the few. the problem with hoover was the duration of his control. had presidents had the will to risk their careers and fire what they knew to be a problem, it would not have become systemic as it did.
   
   very good book of a dark side of our history.



5. In the context of recent concerns about spying on Americans by the Executive Branch of government, it is timely to re-read this classic biography. Gentry skips sensationalism and scandal, but his carefully detailed portrait shows a nasty, bigotted old man who happily chiselled his employer.
   
   So how did Hoover remain in power for half a century? Simply put, he had a file on everyone. And he wasn't afraid of using his minions to imply the threat of blackmail.
   
   There's little evidence of active homosexuality by Hoover, indeed labelling someone a "fag" seems to have been his biggest threat. However, here we have a many who lived with his mother until his mid-40's, whose "Associate Director" was his daily companion whose adult sexuality at best could be called retarded.
   
   Gentry's indictment of Hoover does not avoid his few good qualities -- he was a hard worker and an efficient administrator. The notes and footnotes are extensive, but do not interfere with a page-turning narrative for those who want to go quickly. In sum, it amounts to a crashing indictment of a man whose name does not deserve to be on a government building.

5 comments about A Thousand Shall Fall:: The Electrifying Story of a Soldier and His Family Who Dared to Practice Their Faith in Hitler's Germany.

1. This book continued to add faith and encouragment to our live. Excellent 5 stars, A+++++++++++++



2. Susi Hasel Mundy writes of her own family experience during the terrible years of Hitter's reign in Germany. She tells in her book A Thousand Shall Fall of her father's reluctance to fight in Hitler's war for empire. As a Seventh-day Adventist her father Franz Hasel wanted nothing to do with Hitler's promises of a new Germany.
   
   Franz Hasel's family life was suddenly turned upside down when he was drafted into Hitler's army. On the very day that Franz leaves in order to report for duty he bluntly informs his young son Kurt that Hitler was an evil man. "Hitler is an evil man," Franz tells him, "Never trust what he says. You must stay true to God and God only!"
   
   Franz then gathers his children and his wife Helene in the family living room and reads Psalm 91 to them: "Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor of the arrow that flieth by day; ...a thousand may fall at thy side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but is shall not come nigh thee." The family then sings the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." These few short moments sets the stage for the theme of the entire book. Indeed a God acted as a "Mighty Fortress" to the Hasel family. And indeed thousands died around them as Hitler's war wore on. Yet at the end God brought the Hasel family back together again.
   
   Hasel relates the story of her own birth during the war. She tells how hours after her birth an air raid forced her mother and three siblings to flee from their house to a bomb shelter. Her mother--having just given birth to child--was forced out of the home on a dark night. The family was forced to flee to a nearby air-raid shelter where they spent the rest of the night.
   
   Franz Hasel was often the brunt of jokes in the Nazi engineer regiment that he was in. They often mocked him for his Christian beliefs and absolute refusal to break his Sabbath. Being a Seventh-day Adventist Franz acknowledge the Lord's Day on Saturday--the same day as the Jewish day of rest. This of course created another problem in Hitler's Germany where any suspicion of being a Jew resulted in distrust and often worse. Franz was belittled by the mean Lieutenant Peter Gutschalk who tried many tactics to humiliate Franz.
   
   This book is ranked in my mind next to Corri Ten Boom's The Hiding Place in its distinctly Christian message. It is also interesting to read a real-life story about a family living in this tumultuous time in Germany. Our society often looks on the German army as the "bad guys",or at least Hollywood does. A Thousand Shall Fall gives its readers a glimpse at Hitler's Germany that is not often seen. It is the story of a fine Christen family and how God preserved them through the struggle of World War II. This book was indeed an adventure story well worth reading!



3. I bought this book after reading 'The Heavenly Man' and 'God's Smuggler', hoping to find a similar testimony of God's work amongst Christians following Him no matter what.
   
   The main theme of the book is about keeping the Sabbath all through the war. There was very little mention of Jesus and the incredible work of the Good News in people's lives, which stands in contrast to the above mentioned books.
   
   I also felt a bit uncomfortable about Franz's assistance that he gave to the German war effort, but I don't want to judge too harshly a situation that I've never had to experience. But I felt that it fell short of the stories of Christians who have laid down their lives rather than compromise their beliefs, and as such I found the book interesting, since it is the account of a Christian in WWII Germany, but not inspiring.
   
   As a story about WWII it did not grip me either. I thought 'Because of Romek' was much more absorbing, even though it was so plainly written. I am surprised to see 'A Thousand Shall Fall' with such high reviews, so I guess it must appeal to some. I only finished reading the book on principal and to give it a chance.
   
   Feel free to disagree, this is merely my opinion of the book, but maybe this will help someone else make a more informed choice.



4. Let me just say that if you are looking for a fascinating uplifting read about a family who doesn't compromise their values, this is your book. You do have to get past a writing style which lacks vivid imagery and and has stilted transitions, but I was sucked in anyway after a few chapters. Just the idea that a man who is a strong Christian could join the German army as a pacifist, carry a fake wooden gun, and warn the Jews that the SS was coming the entire war and get nothing but promoted is enthralling.
   What an amazing family and what a sweet story of how God honors those who honor Him. I wish there were more stories like this one out there. I'd love to see Spielburg make this into a movie. It would rival Schlinder's List!



5. I just read this whole book today. The book is fairly well-written and reads easily. The main theme I took away from the book is just how awesome God is in how He sovereignly arranges the affairs of our lives and leads us through very difficult times. It's apparent in this story how God, in His mercy and love, arranged the events of the lives this story recounts.
   
   It was particularly refreshing to read a story about those suffering persecution for their faith in Nazi Germany who were not Jews, but Christians families struggling with the persistent peer-pressure of their friends and neighbors. Further, it was nice to see an honest account of American behavior towards the Germans that included the not so nice stuff that was done under the banner of he American flag. It's very easy to believe that Americans served only in a redemptive capacity during WWII and miss the fact that many atrocities were committed at the hands of American GIs too.
   
   The story is about a seventh day adventist (SDA) family. It could just be me, but I detected a tone in the story, or an implied hint that God was faithful to the characters because of their dutiful keeping of the Sabbath rather than due to His loving nature and rich mercy. Now, before you flame me for my comments, let me just say that I do see in scripture how obedience to God in the face of difficulty pleases God (ie. Daniel,Joseph, etc.), however, this book seems relate the the law-keeping of the family involved to the miraculous way God intervened and less on God's compassion afforded to them due to being in Christ. Every miracle seemed to be credited to that right way of living. This seems to be in contrast to what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 4:4-5. There are a few instances where it seems that the writer indicates that the sabbath keepers were spared where everyone else was not as if God only spared the faithful. This is not unexpected given the traditional SDA view that only those whom follow SDA teaching are the "true church" and right with God. Again, I know many SDAs do not hold this view, however I do believe that Ellen White did hold this view and many today still do. Please don't read my comments to be anti-SDA. I believe that God loves them as much as anyone else! There's only one body of Christ and it has no denominational label or associated pet doctines. The basis of our salvation however is the sufficiency of Christ's death on our behalf, not our faithfulness to honor the 7th day sabbath.
   
   That said, I would still buy the book again and still found it to be an encouraging, thrilling testimony to God's mighty hand! I wish there were more stories from this time in history of how God preserved other Christians.

1 comments about Best Little Stories of Winston Churchill.

1. Reviewed by Dr. Michael Philliber for Reader Views (11/08)
   
   Growing up in America, the great British statesman, Winston Churchill, marginally entered my historical frame of reference. Therefore I was delighted to pick up C. Brian Kelly's 420-page book, "Best Little Stories from the Life and Times of Winston Churchill." This large, but economically priced biography, charts the life of Winston Churchill in a very readable fashion that will be agreeable for everyone, whether young teenagers to more senior readers.
   
   The feistiness of Churchill comes through on every page, from childhood to the end. Here was a man who overcame numerous obstacles - physical and familial - to become one of the greatest statesmen in the 20th century, and Kelly adroitly brings it all out. There abounds seriousness and humor, as well as thoughtfulness.
   
   One of the advantageous aspects of "Best Little Stories from the Life and Times of Winston Churchill" is the way Kelly has formatted the book. Each historical episode is crafted in such a way as to stand alone, and yet every piece builds off of the previous one. Why this is so helpful is that the busy reader can effortlessly pick up the book, read a short section, garner the point, and then put the book down to rush off wherever they must go. Then the reader can come back later, pick up the book and read the next section without much frustration or work. But it will also become quickly obvious that the author has not sacrificed substance for shape.
   
   Finally, there are some little extras which add to the value of "Best Little Stories from the Life and Times of Winston Churchill." The final chapter of the book is about Churchill's mother, Jeanette "Jennie" Jerome Churchill, written by Ingrid Smyer. Next there are some of Churchill's most famous statements. And lastly there is a thorough index for the more academic reader. Overall, this is a valuable, pleasurable, well-crafted work which I highly recommend.

5 comments about A Clearing In The Distance: Frederick Law Olmsted and America in the 19th Century.

1. The life of Olmstead was a mystery to me. I read about him in the "Devil in the White City" I had to learn more.
   
   This is a capable biography, covering his life seemingly thoroughly. I didn't buy into the convention the author used when he would describe moments in Olmstead's life in a semi-fictional way. Otherwise, good really good stuff.



2. A Clearing in the Distance is a great biography about a man who had great strength and deep sorrows. The first half of the book covers Olmsted's life before becoming a Landscape Architect. He was basically a very talented man who could not find his calling. Once he found it, he pursued his passion with commitment and daring that changed the way that subsequent generations have thought about their environment and surroundings.
   
   The book provides valuable insights into both Olmsted the man and the world in which he lives. There are musings that are the author's thoughts and are obviously not historical, but they are interesting too in that they give us insight into the author's biases and interests.
   
   Overall, A Clearing in the Distance is well worth reading.



3. Olmsted's life is fascinating and Rybczynski does an adequate job of presenting the highlights, but the writing style is something less than engaging. In addition, the author spends too much time on trivial matters while neglecting more important things. For example, he writes page after page about Olmsted's failures to connect with a romantic mate. Goodness, he wasn't much of looker or a lady schmoozer and this plagued him for years. There, I said it in one sentence. Had the author done likewise we might have learned more about the details of some of Olmsted's projects. If the author wanted to play up relationships to give the reader a fuller appreciation of Olmsted's psychological make-up, he would have done better to delve deeper into the parent-child relationship.



4. Olmsted and Rybcznski seem somehow destined together, and this book is a thoroughly readable and engaging introduction to both of them. If they had been contemporaries, they probably would have somehow connected as friends or collaborators or both. Through his work, Olmsted came to define the American public space as distinct from the English or French styles. Early on he was influenced by farming, the English countryside, naturalism, notables such as Carlyle and Ruskin, and by the American pursuit of happiness: our need for recreation and spectacle. In his works, he combined "economics, nature, aesthetics, moral and intellectual improvement, and salvation." He spoke of throwing "a garment of beauty around our homes."

   Author Rybczynski doesn't limit his chronicle to Olmsted the Designer, though. Rather, he devotes ample space to covering Olmsted as a man of letters, Olmsted's brushes with politics and social reform, his travels to the West, his marvelous mind for engineering (everything from pumps to drainage systems and pipes), and his varied and important organizational and administrative accomplishments. Of particular interest are the chapters in the book devoted to the slavery issue and Olmsted's voice in the anti-slavery movement; Olmsted was an idealist who felt that slavery corrupted society. He once leaned once toward joining a group of German settlers in Texas who did not recognize nor condone slavery.

   Olmsted is best remembered though as a designer who brought us the seeds of a national park system through a lifetime of projects, public and private: Stanford and Berkeley, Belle Isle (Mi), Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Central Park, park systems in Boston and Chicago, huge projects in Washington, DC, and many more. Olmsted also deserves credit as the creator of the parkway. The reader will find many familiar names mentioned here, evidence that Olmsted was an extraordinary man who lived in extraordinary times. James Hamilton (the son of Alexander), Charles Dana, William Cullen Bryant, Frederic Church, the Vanderbilts, and others all played a role in his life and work.

   Turf, trees, and lakes -- or grass, woods, and water -- to put it a different way, are the hallmarks of an Olmsted space. He abhorred clear distinctions and separations, flowerbeds and botanic beauty or decorative gardening. Instead, Olmsted embraced illusion and worked to "accommodate chaos and order." He incorporated science, theory, and art; accident and achievement. Architectural dwellings were minimized or hidden. There was careful composition of groups of trees against expanses of lawn. For us, we should be careful when visiting Olmsted's projects, for in the case of several, he lost interest due to squabbles and bickering with clients. Stanford University certainly stands out in this regard--to what degree is it considered a work of Olmsted's? Worn down by periodic bouts of depression and debt, Olmsted did not live an easy live and died from what is almost stated by the author as Alzheimer's disease. But for those that bear his mark, we can delight in the fact that they continue to survive.




5. This book strikes a lovely balance between describing Olmsted's life and personal history and his creations, parks that span the United States.

   You may be surprised to learn, as I was, the vast number of projects he undertook. How Central Park was really his first significant project. How he had to fight political and economic battles to keep it from being ruined. How he was able to truly "get it right" with Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

   Through the fascinating descriptions of the landscapes, the author also provides great insight into Olmsted's life. What struck me the most was how Olmsted, as with many of his contemporaries (U.S. Grant, Mark Twain) worried for most of his life about his finances and his career.

   This is a first rate work, told in a clear and compelling fashion.

5 comments about The Final Days.

1. this book provides incredible detail to what nixon was doing and saying during his impeachment process. it really is incredible how the authors were able to piece this all together



2. This was a book that was unexpectedly emotional. The story of Richard Nixon and his battle to remain President felt just so real, this book made Nixon appear extremely human while the public vision of him was of a man with no self-doubt and full confidence in his abilities.
   
   I am always surprised by the amount of insider knowledge that the authors find. Surely it is not hard to work out who spilled the beans in these stories and one would think that the politicians would be more circumspect in what they say.
   
   The book itself is not as fast moving as other Woodward/Bernstein collaborations but it is a solid read about an interesting time in the US Presidency. It gave me additional respect for Nixon.



3. The American body politic cuts the president a great deal of error slack. We witnessed that during the Watergate years of Richard Nixon and we see it again in the presidency of George W. Bush. Both instances also point out one major fact of the American political landscape. No matter what they achieve or how high their popularity, if a President does the wrong things, they can crash down with great force.
   This book is one of the greatest political chronicles of all time. So great that no fiction writer could possibly create a story with such dynamism, force and sheer magnitude. Woodward and Bernstein were the reporting team that kept the Watergate story alive and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation. In this book, they describe the final days of the Nixon presidency and how the people involved tried to salvage what value they could and move on to the next phase.
   The greatest message of the book is the demonstration of how powerful and resilient the American political system is. Despite the slow pace of discovery, tortuous maneuvers by the prosecution and countermoves by the Nixon defense team, the system worked and worked well. The highest government official in the United States was a party to criminal acts and was removed without a shot being fired. There are few countries in the world where that could have taken place. It is one more demonstration of how extraordinary the writers of the American constitution were. Despite all of the changes in how the world works, advances in technology and other marvels of the age, a system put in place nearly two hundred years earlier functioned to near perfection.



4. This is a fascinating book regardless of your political persuasion or feelings about Richard Nixon. The detailed account of the last days of the administration reveals the human side of the names and faces you saw on the news everyday back then or read about in other books since then.



5. This gripping narrative takes us inside the White House during the last days of the Nixon administration in 1974. From inside we see President Nixon, his advisors, family, and congressional allies trying to stave off his inevitable downfall from the Watergate scandal. Readers see how Nixon tried to claim executive privilege to avoid releasing the "smoking gun" tape that proved he'd ordered the cover-up. Even after he surrendered the tape (by Supreme Court order) Nixon refused to resign until his fast-deserting congressional allies warned him that his impeachment and conviction were now certain. The authors credit General Alexander Haig for holding the White House together as Nixon unraveled, but pay less attention to Vice President Gerald Ford, a non-participant except for later when he gave Nixon a questionable full pardon. There's also a review of the two-year scandal and the President's adversaries (Leon Jaworski, Sam Ervin, John Dean, etc.) but this narrative is based inside the White House. Readers see that Nixon was very capable but also a lying, crooked tax cheat, one whose administration was awash in payoffs, hush money, bribes, and political espionage.
   
   Authors Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein first uncovered the Watergate Scandal as reporters for the Washington Post in June of 1972. Having begun Nixon's downfall, perhaps it's fitting that they should chronicle that descent with this superb narrative, plus their earlier effort ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN.

5 comments about The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust.

1. This Holocaust memoir was hard to put down. It tells the story of Edith Hahn, a well-educated Viennese Jewish woman who managed to survive working in a slave labor camp, avoided being deported, and lived as an Aryan Christian woman married to a Nazi officer through the use of false papers. The story is as completely improbable as it sounds, yet, it really happened. There were many insights into the causes and thinking behind the tremendous anti-semitism in Austria during that time, as well as the sheer terror she must have felt trying to live un-noticed and under the radar during that horrible time in history. It was impossible to put this book down!



2. This book was recommended by a friend, and while it came highly-rated, I hesitated to read it because I find stories about the Holocaust too upsetting. When I did pick it up, I couldn't put it down! Admittedly, I turned the pages through the first third slowly, fearing I would read something disturbing but, by the end I couldn't get enough.
   
   The book is written in Mrs. Hahn's voice and reads very much like a novel. Although she shares the most tragic details of her life with us, she does so in a way that emphasizes the compassion, warmth and kindness that she found rather than the sheer terror (although those times were also shared). It is understood that the time were worse than imaginable, but it was not presented in a way to shock the reader or cause you not to want to read on.
   
   Mrs. Hahn's story and determination were remarkable and I kept asking myself if I could have found the courage to live as she did. Just as remarkable were the brave people who helped her and risked their lives so that this one person could survive such punishment and tragedy. They are all to be commended!
   
   Don't hesitate to read this book...it's a must!



3. While the focus of the story is how one woman survived the holocaust, the title sensationalizes a small part of the story (in fact, her husband wasn't a Nazi Officer until the German's were losing the war and drafting anyone left).
   
   This is a book about one individual's survival, in large part due to some amazing luck and some good people. It is NOT a book of how the author used her fortune or took extraordinary risks to help others. Not that there's anything wrong about that. It was a time where no one should be judged for doing what they had to do to survive...and you have to admire anyone who did. Its jut different than the books on the true heroes of this time. The kindness and the weak moments is the human norm and we see both extremes in many of the principle characters, including both of the men who loved the author was well. So its a different story and any documented history of this horrible time is one we should all remember.
   
   Its not the best writing but it gets better and is easily readable. I wanted to give this 4 stars because any true story from this time is recommended reading; however its far from the best I've read. If you want to read an uplifting story about a woman who risks her luck to help others, I'd highly recommend "In My Hands" but Irena Opdyke.



4. I would give 2 and a half stars. This is a good read in that any account of human experiences is important to remind us of the evils in the world, and human resilience nevertheless. The writing, however, is too rudimentary, and one dimensional.



5. This book wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. This woman was smart, but the tale could have been told better so that there was a bit more profoundness in it.