2 comments about Rat Bastards: The South Boston Irish Mobster Who Took the Rap When Everyone Else Ran.

1. John "Red" Shea spends his life making sure he is a "man." To him, this means beating up anyone who doesn't conform to his macho teenage code learned on the mean streets of Southie. One would think Shea would have learned a few lessons about maturity after 12 years in federal prison. You don't get that impression after reading his memoir, which is one of several by members of Whitey Bulger's former gang. Shea takes pride in being the only one not to 'rat,' an act akin to him of the lowest human order. His tale will be glorified by Mark Wahlberg in an upcoming film, evidently. It will make a good movie. But as real life, it's just a waste. The book is a decent read, not as good as some of the others in this genre. It doesn't really take off until the middle when he finally reaches the stage where he becomes Whitey's "protege," as a drug dealer. The prison section is interesting, too. If you like tales of human depravity and bleakness, you'll eat this one up.



2. I saw this book and was interested because of the movie The Departed. I saw it in the theatre, and then got the DVD when it came out. Because I am from the area, I knew The Departed was about Whitey Bulger, more than some movie remake of Internal Affairs.
   
   Up until now I had resisted the other books about Whitey and the Irish mob in Southie. This one just looked more interesting, and hit me at the right time.
   
   I have read the other reviews for the hardcover, especially those who are from Southie. It seems people either love it or hate it, and him. I am more lukewarm about the book. I don't have any inside knowledge to tell if he was telling it straight, or making it up.
   
   I thought the writing was ok, not great, but not awful. I imagine his writer was trying to keep the tone and structure true to how Shea speaks. It was a quick read, and a bit engaging, though not a real page turner to me.
   
   I thought that there was a real lack of self-reflection from Shea for the most part. He was just as brash in his story as he was in life. He says this is what I did, this is the surface reason why, deal with it. Very rarely does he dig beneath that.
   
   Other than the prison stories he is very vague about what he did, or what his activities were for Whitey. As he says he followed Whitey's advice about never letting someone else have anything to hold over you. But even without that you shouldn't expect anything specific from him in the book because: 1.) Anything that didn't come out in his trial, he could probably still be prosecuted for; 2.) He says he is not a rat, and so he won't tell anything about anyone else, that isn't already known; 3.) he doesn't want to get those who are guilty in trouble with the law, or make them feel a need to come after him.
   
   What you do get is the sense that he never really grew up. He does want to prove continually how tough he is, and after all the others ratted out, that he is not a rat, but better than the others. He comes from that odd group of males who think that they still should act like teenage jerks, even when fully grown. By choosing to be a perpetual child he also throws away any chance for a real happy life, when he won't commit to Penelope. He gives up a wife, a family, and a home. He is probably too scared of that type of work, and risk. Rather he wants to follow the movie image of the tough-guy gangster, and take the easy way out. Its an empty image that he has opted for, rather than a real life. Its actually sad.
   
   Yes what he did in terms of selling drugs, and being a criminal is bad. He doesn't really care, and he never says he is sorry. He feels bad for the accidental innocent people he hurt, but he never considers the families of his marks/victims/customers, as innocents whom he hurt all the time.
   
   I think the book says just as much about him indirectly as it does with his input. It was a quick, interesting read. I wouldn't buy it in hardcover, but think paper is ok, and maybe borrowing from the Library is the best.

3 comments about With Daring Faith: A Biography of Amy Carmichael.

1. This book was not "readable" enough for its target audience. It seemed like it was for an older, maybe even adult, audience. I'm unaware of another biography on Amy Carmichael for this age group (besides the series on heroes of the faith), so I was disappointed that it did not meet my expectations.



2. I read this book 15 years ago and have been in love with it ever since! Amy Carmicheal's story is one of great faith, love, and courage- a true role model for girl and women, even today. I recommend this book with the highest of praise.

   In "With Daring Faith" a young reader will travel from England into India with Amy Carmicheal...a missionary that is still remembered in India today. This book recalls the struggles and miracles that founded the Christian faith in thousands of young Indian women.

   I am so excited that this book can still be purchased!




3. When Amy Carmichael was a little girl, she prayed that God would change her brown eyes to blue. When He didn't, Amy's mother explained that while God always answers prayer, He sometimes says 'No'. Many years later, when she was working as a missionary in India, she was forced to diguise herself to rescue child prostitutes. It was then that she realized the value of her brown eyes and why her childhood wish had not been granted. This is just one of many instances in the life of Amy Carmichael, a woman who lived life to the fullest, because she lived it "With Daring Faith".

2 comments about A Thomas More Source Book.

1. Although some scholars purchase this book as part of the class and lecture series on Thomas More, I bought it to console myself since I could not attend a class.
   I was impressed by Thomas More's clarity of thought and ability to decide "the right thing to do" at each turn in his life. Clearly, many of his contemporaries admired him for this characteristic of his as well, as their contributions to this book show. I enjoyed the thought-provoking depth which Thomas More shares through his own writing.



2. What a great contribution these authors have made to the world of Renaissance and Thomas More studies! This comprehensive anthology provides a wealth of primary sources as well as related materials on Thomas More and his world. Due to the multi-faceted character of its subject, this book will be of interest to historians, biographers, educators, theologians, writers, politicians, and many others as well. The "Man for All Seasons" was a lawyer, judge, husband and father, scholar, counselor to the king, and martyr, and this rich source book provides the background to the inner man. The authors begin with contemporary biographies and sketches of More, then explore samples of his own works. Selections from his early poems and letters are followed by some of his writings on education (he was a trend-setter in promoting education of women), government, and religion. The closing section, "More's Last Days", includes samples of his letters, various accounts of his trial, and the Paris Newsletter report on his execution.
   
   This book provides a solid foundation for More studies and would serve as an excellent college text. Following an informative Introduction, a treasury of More-related material is provided. Even the Elizabethan play "Munday and Shakespeare's 'Sir Thomas More'" is provided in its entirety. Explanatory introductions are given to all selections, and clear glosses enrich the text throughout the book. Perhaps the only thing one might miss here is More's most famous work, "Utopia", but for study at this level, it certainly deserves to be treated separately, in its entirety.
   
   This handsome and convenient text is further enriched by a lovely collection of portraits and other related artworks, even reproductions of pages from More's prayer book (showing his own hand-written additions). Helpful material at the end of the book includes several chronologies, some original well-annotated maps, and a very thorough Index. These tools should prove most useful to More scholars.
   
   In sum, I feel that this book provides a wonderful tool for those who explore the world of Renaissance England and the person of Thomas More. We can only be grateful that Professors Wegemer and Smith foresaw the need for this book and did such a fine job in producing it.

No comments about The British Monarchy For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics)).

5 comments about Warrior: The Legend Of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen.

1. An almost uncritical biography of the subject, and a shamelssly uncritcal preudo-autobiography of the author. All cited sources are in Meinertzhagen's own publications. Barely worth the effort of reading.



2. A very disappointing book - it should be subtitled "a mini biography of Peter H Capstick." Capstick is arrogant enough to think that the reader will be just as interested in him as the they are in Meinertzhagen! It is not well written as Capstick rambles off on tangents (usually about himself) at very regular intervals. He professes to be an expert where he clearly is not eg he disputes the well known fact that anti-malarial drugs can mask the symptoms of the disease.
   
   A great pity that a potentially interesting book has been spoilt by a self interested author!



3. Col. Meinertzhagen was one of the greatest warriors of his day, a Richard Burton, Lord Stanley and Lawrence of Arabia all wrapped into one. He was also a fascinating individual who was a big game hunter and at the same time a man who collected one of the greatest bird collections for museum use at the time. An expert therefore on birds and a jungle fighter against Leetow-Vorbecks Germans in German East Africa(Tanzania). He led Africans in many fights of the First World War and was most well known for leading secret British septerfuge missions against the Turks in Palestine, leading to the capture of Beersheba. In the 1930s he was an admirer of fascism but hated the Nazis for their racist policies. In the 1920s he was also a great admirer of ZIonism and claimed to be an essential element in the founding of Israel, a fact overlooked today. He was a great warrior and this book tells his story full of bravado. The book concentrates also on his big game hunting exploits, but it is afanciful account.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman



4. This is a very bloody book, but so was Africa in the 1890-1920 timeframe - A Post-Bellum backwater - and one wonders why the British or the Germans were there.
   
   The best passsages cover Meinhertzhagen as a leader of men - his boldness and his careful calculations, as an intelligence operative and officer - his gaining entry to a Russian fort is hilarious, and his observations of Post-Bellum Africa - where the slave trade has collapsed and the Boer War is over with.
   
   In the end, all things written and done by Meinertzhagen must be judged against his role as a British Intelligence Officer - his diary entries, his "ornithology", and his whereabouts and actions. The one true constant is his devotion and loyalty to the Empire and his empathy for the downtrodden and unjustly treated.
   
   The dispatch of men with "amateur" interests is an old, old ruse that reaches as far back as Aristotle's trip to Thessaly if not further.



5. Not your typical Capstick book, this focuses more on the military wars and campaigns in Africa from a British poit of view.
   Still very interesting.

5 comments about Spy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer.

1. Fairly interesting material, but poorly written. As engaging as your local phone book. Heading back to True Crime books.



2. He /was/ there. He tells what he saw and did as a KGB hander of American informers Ames and Hanssen. It's interesting to the casual reader and, to those with a deep interest in these famous Cold War spy cases, quite valuable.
   
   There are brief accounts of some mind-boggling programs, some run by the CIA, others by the KGB. GREAT stuff.
   
   The memoir could have had more narrative color. "It was a dark and stormy night ..." "The sun shone brightly that day ..." That kind of stuff. The author also missed several prime opportunities to give us his impression of major historical figures with whom he had personal contact. What did they look like? What was their personality? You met Kryuchkov and Kirpichenko. Tell us about them!
   
   A similar but richer memoir is Oleg Kalugin's "The First Directorate: My 32 Years in Intelligence and Espionage Against the West".
   
   Cherkashin's account of his KGB years reminded me of the bureaucratic paranoid atmosphere of "The Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis.
   
   I agree with Amazon reviewer "ashurbanapli" that Cherkashin in SPY HANDLER is primarily interested in clearing his name. Despite this bias, it's a competent account by someone who was in on lots of interesting stuff.



3. The thing I enjoyed the most about this book was that it was written by a Russian and therefore approached spycraft from a unique vantage point relative to what you would find with an American author. It reads like more of a history book than a thriller but is informative and intriguing all the same. If you are looking for an excellent book about the famous spy cases of the 1970s and 1980s, I would reco Spy by David Wise (re: Hansen case) or Spy Hunter by Robert Hunter (re: Walker case).



4. I truely hope you are enjoying your rezidencia in the West. Enclosed is soemthing that will pass as the perfect Christmas present. A caution however not to get too caught up in this orgy of consumer capitalism. Do not soften, remember that the great patriotic struggle is still very much that, and we need devotion to achieve ulitmate victory. Your handling of agent breaker has been exemplary to date.
   
   Congratulations are in order pertaining to the admission of your son into Moscow's Aeronautics Engineering School, and your mother's new billeting into the new state of the art complex outside St Petersburg. They, as well as the greater Soviet, are very grateful of your achievements.



5. This book is excellent. It reads like an Ian Flemming story but only better. The better part for me is that it was real. This book almost seems like a movie. The author, Victor Cherkashin is sort of like the Forest Gump of the spy world. I say that only because he seems to be in on every major case of US people spying against US. This guy saw it all, the Ames Case, Richard Hansen of the FBI, and several other cases he writes about in the book. The big and the small cases are covered. He was even in on the Clayton Lonetree case. (Marine Embassy Guard in the 80s). It was spell bounding to hear about those cases from the other side. In the book he does detail some of the information that these US spys gave up. This is information that US sources has not reported on. He goes into detail about what Ames and Hansen did to the United States. After reading the book the reader might be a death penality supporter. Those guys gave up some very, very damaging information. You also get to hear about some of the good things the CIA did in the book. You learn about the vast numbers of spies that they collected in Russia. Also he talks about some of the innovative techniques the CIA employed which the KGB caught. These are things that either the press here in the US doesn't want to talk about or the CIA won't talk about in the interest of secrecy. You also get a good does of background knowledge on how spying is conducted today. It isn't James Bond stuff but it isn't normal duties either. If you read this plan on reading it all at once. You won't be able to put the book down.

2 comments about Boudica: Iron Age Warrior Queen.

1. This is one of the best books on Boudica yet, and if you only read one, this should be the one you read. There is relatively little known about the woman that has become so important in some many ways to so many segments of society, and what is "known" should be treated with caution. Hingley and Unwin do an excellent job of showing what we do know, what we don't know, and what we might know but should think critically about in the context of the story of Boudica. They manage to create an interesting story without compromising on the evidence, avoiding what so many do when they say all the right things about biased sources and then mostly ignore what they just said and relate what those sources say as fact. Instead, Hingley and Unwin weave the critical assessment of both written and archaeological courses into their discussion in a way that keep it relevant to the story they tell. This story is given substance by the up-to-date discussion of current archaeological research on the period, which provides as useful review for professionals and interested others alike. The second half of the book was also interesting, providing a review of the ways in which "Boudica" became transformed into "Boadicea", the cultural icon variously of the right, the left, and the centre. This is far more standard in this type of literature, but nonetheless valuable in terms of what it brings to the table.
   Probably most importantly, they manage to do all this in a highly readable fashion. Tackling the deconstruction of assumptions of Roman superiority, the inevitability of Romanization, and the uncritical use of written sources can often get mired down in jargon and so sail beyond what most people understand or care about. However, this book does it in a way that is both accessible and convincing. Nice job all around!



2. This book could not be given enough stars. It takes a fascinating episode in history, the revolt of the Queen of the Iceni of Britain in AD 60-61, and looks at it from historical, archaeological, literary, and mythical points of view. It shows how Boudica has went from simply the best-remembered of many contemporary British female warlords to variously being portrayed as a sadistic villian, a feminist hero, and a champion of British nationalism and politics. Overall, the book examines the real Boudica's role in history and her subsequent impact on modern Britain in a manner that is both informative and enjoyable to read. It is a fine source on Queen Boudica, the Celtic 'Woman of Victory' from every perspective!

No comments about Wolfram von Richthofen: Master of the German Air War (Modern War Studies).

1 comments about Margaret Thatcher: A Tribute in Words and Pictures.

1. Not every British Prime Minister is a Thatcher or Churchill. Not every American President is a Lincoln, Kennedy, or Clinton. And even rarer a jewel is a woman who can lead a country not as a token female but a first among equals, whether they are man or woman. Such is the legacy of Margaret Hilda Roberts Thatcher, who in her 8 decades of life has epitomized the sheer force of will, intellect, fortitude, and backbone that brought Britain back from the brink of bankruptcy. One need not agree with Thatcher's reign but one thing is for certain: she was a woman of fierce drive with the intellectual and political savvy to boot. Most of all .... isn't it grand to know that in the machinations of international politics ... there are those world leaders who understand the courage and strength of conviction.

1 comments about Knowledge is Power: How Magic, the Government and an Apocalyptic Vision Inspired Francis Bacon to Create Modern Science.

1. 
   Knowledge is Power by John Henry (Cambridge, England: Icon Books, 2002).
   
   This short, quick read attempts to put into context Francis Bacon's contribution to and status in Empiricism (and modern science).
   
   Henry notes that Bacon was the first great advocate of the use of empirical investigation as a means to gain knowledge, as well as an advocate of the goal of increasing knowledge for the sake of benefitting the human race.
   
   Henry believes that Bacon's motivation was a religious one. He argues that Bacon saw the increase of knowledge as a way to hasten the Millennium (or second coming of Christ). He argues that Bacon felt the Aristotelian tradition, embraced since the Middle Ages by the Catholic Church, and based on non-empirical, deductive reasoning, was a dead end as far as the quest for new knowledge goes.
   
   He argues that Bacon felt that he could provide a new, better approach to advancing knowledge by adapting certain aspects of the empirical approach used by "magicians" and witches.
   
   Henry admonishes the reader (and other historians) repeatedly to view Bacon in the context of the time and not with our current cultural views and biases. Henry says that for the most part magic in the 16th and 17th centuries was about understanding the effects of nature (e.g., potions that ameliorate or create some effect). Henry said that magical knowledge was gained in part by experiment, though not systematic experiment, and certainly not experiment with a larger social purpose. Henry asserts that that Bacon was familiar with the magical tradition and the writings of major contemporary figures in that tradition.
   
   Henry noted that Bacon never completed his work elucidating his new approach (various pieces, outlines and examples of the approach were published). Further, Henry emphasized that Bacon contributed no significant new insights using his empirical approach, and was not able to completely articulate how his approach should work. He said that it is difficult to identify any philosopher (scientist) who strictly followed Bacon's suggested methods.
   
   Henry argues that Bacon's real fame rests on the political situation of the times. Henry believes that in the time of the Restoration in England (1660-ish), Philosophy was distrusted, thought to be a tool of the Catholic church and of extreme religious sects. He thinks that Bacon's ideas (he was long-dead by this time) offered a politically attractive way for philosophers of the time to salvage or restore their status by proclaiming their Empiricist approach as objective, non-partisan information gathering intended to benefit all people. Henry thus claims that Bacon's chief contribution is to the rhetoric of science.
   
   This is an interesting and somewhat thought-provoking book. The author has chosen a highly accessible, informal, non-academic style. In fact, there were several times when I wished Henry had included more direct quotes and fewer assertions about what Locke was thinking.