5 comments about Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.

1. This book was truly life changing for me. When I find myself sweating the little things in life (i.e bills, pregnancy woes, hot weather)I remember Immaculee holed up in this tiny bathroom just praying and pleading for her life. She painted such a horrific picture I simply cannot forget. The killers were calling her name! What a humbling and amazing story she has to tell I literally could not put this book down..at the same time I was educated about how the Rwandan Holocaust all came to be..I had no idea what these poor people went through, the Hutus and the Tutsis became real to me. Who would have thought something like this still happens but this was just the 90's. In the beginning of her book, I smiled through tears as she described the tight knit Catholic family she was reared in--how strong and wise her daddy was, how much she loved her brothers with everything in her being, and how her mother was there until the end to protect her "babies". I was fortunate a few weeks after reading her book to see Immaculee speak at a local venue in Dallas. She was beautiful in person and her joy could light up an entire room. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and it was obvious how humbled she has been. I just kept thinking this woman has lost her entire extended family and she even had the grace to forgive those who killed her own. Forgiveness is the message I took from the book. Life is too short to carry the burden of not forgiving others who we think have wronged us. Excellent read with a message that will keep you thinking long after you read the book!!



2. I started reading this book before bed, big mistake on my part. I stayed up entranced by this book and continued reading until I couldn't stay awake. The first thing I did the next morning was pick this book back up and finished it. (Which only took a half hour)
   
   I am absolutely amazed at Immaculee's ability to maintain her connection with God while surrounded by such hate. Immaculee shares her story of how she not only survived the Rwandan Holocaust, but how she forgave the killers of her family. This is an inspiring book which confirms how great humans really can be.



3. It was difficult for me to put the book down and I finished it quickly even though I had already seen the author interviewed on three different EWTN TV shows. What an inspiration to overcome evil with good! It reminded me of some of the miracle stories of prisoners of war in Vietnam. Her descriptions of the country and the events left me feeling like I had visited the country in person and gave me a much clearer understanding of the situation in Rwanda. Most important of all it is continuing to help me to forgive others (with God's help) in every circumstance.
   
   Bobbie Lewis



4. This book was recommended by my doctor who is an avid reader. I was afraid to read it at first. I thought it might really make me sad because it is about the Rwandan Holocaust. It was totally amazing! The story is true and is one of the most inspiring I have ever encountered. Immaculee's faithfulness and her trust in God during the most painful of experiences gave my spiritual life a giant shot in the arm!
   I could not put the book down-read it and grow in grace!



5. An amazing and harrowing tale of Faith, Hope and Forgiveness. A story of survival in the midst of unspeakable horror and acts of inhumanity beyond comprehension. I bought several copies to pass on. I would quantify this book as a must read.

5 comments about Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office.

1. Honest, sometimes shockingly, and laugh out loud hilarious! You should hate her for how mean she is at times, but I found myself cheering her on and even agreeing with her.



2. This book left me wanting to read more from this author. I found this book to be interesting, funny, acerbic and touching. Some of the stories were written so vividly, I could imagine being there and only wishing I could have thought up some of the comeback lines and comments that Jen Lancaster provided. Recommend for those readers who want a more light-hearted memoir (instead of all those depressing ones that are around!).



3. The fact that this is a true story kills me. I felt so bad for Jen. I emailed the author after I finished the book I was so moved by her story. I laughed, too.



4. Hilarious! I had so many laugh out loud moments that I had to share with whoever was sitting next to me!! Great book. Awesome summer read.



5. Sometimes I go through a chick-lit period I'm not proud of so it's a good thing this book turned out wayyyy beyond chick-lit.
   
   In fact, I wouldn't put it in that category, which saves me the embarrassment of recommending this to anyone and everyone.
   
   It had the Thing I Do the Least against it in the first place - paying full-price instead of it being the product of a three-hour long search at the local used bookstore. Even with that kind of opposition, I consider it to be a sound investment. I even endured the laughing out loud it caused while I was on an airplane while sitting in the triple person seat next to a lady who was a bit of a rich whiner.
   
   Considering I just quit my job as a baker who worked with peckerheads, this book gave me hope that, even though I might need to eat a Cat n' Dog Casserole for awhile, holding out to be a writer just might be worth it.
   
   Thanks for writing this book!!! Read it (and this includes those who are employed)!

5 comments about Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression.

1. I grew up on an Iowa farm in the early 60s so I could relate
   to some of the items this author wrote about. Good book.



2. This book was a veryveryvery good summer read. Mildred Armstrong Kalish recounts her years on an Iowa farm, when times were hard and money was scarce. The joy of hard work on a farm. The descriptions of the food for large family dinners makes your mouth water. The work to make the meal is amazing. I could feel the hot summer nights, reminding me of my own childhood. Filled with stories of a large country family that has grown close out of the Depression, this book is filled with cousins, aunts, uncles, grampas and grammas, the rural community is splendidly interwoven.



3. I loved this book. The account of life on an Iowa farm in the depression 1930s was both stunning and compelling. It's a way of life unknown to so many people in our country today, yet not far in the past at all. I know only vestiges of it, such as seeing my mother use a wringer washing machine, but mostly from hearing my parents tell about the way they grew up. While reading it, I was torn between wishing I could go back and live in that time and place, and being so very glad I can go to a supermarket and get excellent chicken without having to behead, gut, and singe the feathers off, then cut it all up myself! But the thread running through is the learning of self-sufficiency, pulling together, rising above, the building of good character, all of which is a huge help to one through life's hills and valleys. It's well worth going back to have a look at this way of life and what we've gained and lost.



4. I loved this book my Mom grew up on a farm and told similar stories.The home remedies are great and creative sometimes. The book makes me yearn for simpler times when fun could be had by tipping over outhouses.



5. I read this from the library, then purchased a copy for my father-in-law, who lived through the depression. The writing style is straightforward with lovely language. Even though I've never lived in the midwest nor experienced depression living, it kept me interested. Wonderful anecdotes of kid sneakiness are described.

1 comments about Hero of the Underground: A Memoir.

1. Okay, so my husband who is a huge football fan bought this book. I really had no interest you know football and all. One day I was getting ready to go to the beach and had no new reads so I throw Hero of the Underground in my bag. I started reading the first chapter and was instantly sucked in. The story is so much more than football. It is an honest in your face account of someone's journey with addiction. The stories are riveting and ultimately it is a tale of bravery and triumph over addiction. Needless to say, I finished the book at the beach that very day. I hope it will help someone who is struggling with demons. Great read.

5 comments about Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope.

1. I have found it very frustrating how hard it is to get an accurate sense of what is going in the Iraq War. Much of the media, of course, has a bias that they wear on their sleave: they see the war as Vietnam Act Two, and they strain every nerve to find disaster and defeat in everything. We get dozens of stories about prisoner abuse and the alleged massacre in Haditha; we get close to nothing about Medal of Honor winners.
   
   The problem, however, goes beyond ideological bias, as bad as that has been. The larger problem is that the media does not understand what they are looking at. What facts indicate success? What facts indicate failure? The media, by and large, does not have a clue. They thus confine themselves to reporting the obvious -- like the latest car bombs -- and to printing the opinion of some windbag pundit as if it were news. In this respect, the Right has often been no better than the Left. While the Left sees doom and gloom in everything, the Right sees American victory in everything.
   
   In this total desert barren of understanding, Micheal Yon has been and continues to be one of the few beacons of actual information to come out of the war. Yon is not a conventional reporter. Yon is an ex-Green Beret, who turned into a writer and who does freelance reporting from Iraq. I have read his reports for several years now on the internet. They have been the best single source of information that I have found on the war.
   
   In this book, Yon pulls together what he has seen and where the war is. As he sees it, the war has gone through three phases. First, we had the fast and easy phase when American firepower knocked down Saddam Hussein. Second, we had the disasterous phase when grotesque incompetence on the part of Rumsfield and Bush threw the victory away. Their primary error was not to create law and order in the post-Hussein Iraq. We dismantled the Iraqi army and police, leaving Iraq with no functioning government, but we replaced it with nothing for far too long. In Yon's view, we were also too brutal and too rigid in this phase of the war, with the exception of the work done by General Petreaus as commander of the 101st Airborne. All of these mistakes lead to Al Queda taking over most of the country. This then lead to the third phase, in which Al Queda's unbelievable brutality toward the Iraqi people lead them to turn back to the U.S. and gave us a second chance for victory, which, in Yon's view. General Petreaus is brillantly exploiting, in his new role as overall commander.
   
   Yon is very knowledgeable about the technical aspects of his subject. He understands modern weapons and he understands modern war, particularly that part of the war which is fought in the press. What he stresses, however, is primarily morality. Al Queda lost, in his view, because they had no morality. They acted like savage beasts, killing, raping and stealing from the Iraqi people, which lost them the critical moral high ground. In Yon's view, America is now winning the war, because -- while the Iraqis often saw us as stupid and out of touch -- we were never seen as evil. On the contrary, as Yon describes it, the Iraqi people have gained incredible respect for America, because of the exemplary behavior of our troops. The Iraqis respect strength and fighting spirit, which our soldiers have shown in spades. They also deeply love their children and their families. When they came to see Al Queda as threatening their children and their families, and the U.S. military as protecting them, that was the turning point in the war.
   
   This book has flaws as a book. It is not very polished. It reads at times more like a bunch of reports stuck together than a book. It often assumes that the reader knows about things which the reader might well not know about.
   
   But none of this matters. This book tells the truth about the Iraq War. Amid all of the partisan distortion and ideological hype, here is a guy who knows what he is talking about, who loves the United States and our military and who is dedicated to bringing us the truth, in all of its complexity and ugliness.



2. While I wish the Iraq war had never happened and personally think it was the biggest favor we could ever do for Iran, I also want to know what is truly happening and not have it filtered from either a right wing or left wing bias. I found this to be a tremendously interesting book. Yon is rightfully critical of the original war planners as being totally unprepared for an insurgency, but tells vivid first hand accounts of how the war is actually now being won. More importantly, he portrays the amazing heroism of the soldiers and leaves you stunned at their courage. He even has pictures of actual battles backing up his accounts. It seems like the turning point was putting General Petreus in command and getting rid of the bozos before him. If anyone is interested in an account of the last year in Iraq which will really give you info you never hear, then I really recommend the book. Even if you are anti-war, it is must reading.



3. While the changes in Iraqi are often attributed to a "surge" or increase in the numbers of our troops there. Michael Yon makes it clear that the real change came when our military began to adopt the 'live with the people' tactics of our special forces. And with that came a change in the attitudes of Iraqi citizens. Here's how he put it:
   
   "We'd spent billions of dollars to protect ourselves against roadside bombs in Iraq, while mostly failing to cultivate the most effective defense of all: an Iraqi citizen with a cell phone. We spent hundreds of billions of dollars on combat operations that might have been avoided if we'd learned from our successes in Mosul in 2003, rather than compounding the blunders of 2004."
   
   But then we'd gotten, miraculously, our second chance. And we were making the most of it. Cell phones? Iraqis are e-mailing our guys Google Earth maps to show where the terrorists are. With the increasing support of citizens and the growing prowess of the Iraqi Army, American troops have been able not only to leverage their combat effectiveness but spend more time in cop-on-the-beat mode, building closer ties to their communities, which then translates into being more effective in working on local civil affairs issues."
   
   --Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II



4. If you want to know what is really happening in Iraq, read Michael Yon's book. The title says it all - 'Moment of Truth in Iraq'.
   
   Truth is what Yon writes in this book - aided by photographs which genuinely deserve to be called 'searing'. One such photo has since become world famous after Yon snapped it in May 2005. Up until that point, the only photos which the American media showed were negative photos (such as Abu Ghraib, etc.) which all painted American soldiers as depraved sadists. Yon's photo, however, was a staggering rebuttal to the press slant. Nicknamed 'Farah's photo', the picture showed a desperate American Major Mark Bieger frantically clutching the blood soaked body of tiny little Farah as he raced her to medics in a desperate attempt to save her life. Moments earlier, Iraqi insurgents had deliberately detonated a car bomb amongst a group of small children of which little Farah had been a member. The reason? The insurgents had been angered by the sight of the children gathering eagerly in front of a Stryker to receive candy from the American soldiers. The sadism of the Iraqi insurgents becomes even more horrible in contrast with the heartbreaking grief of Major Bieger. Overcome with emotion, the picture showed him stopping in mid-race to hug the dying little girl in a desperate attempt to comfort her.
   
   This photo and so many others, as well Yon's incredible descriptions of the brave soldiers those photos are about, are in his book "Moment of Truth in Iraq." Truth is what Yon went there to find out. Long before then, two painful experiences had taught him that he couldn't expect it from the media. The first horrible lesson had involved the death of an old high school friend of Yon's, ex-Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston. Helvenston was a victim of Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah who'd not only murdered him but mutilated his body, afterwards 'dancing and chanting' in triumph over the grisly remains. The media, however, had blamed Helvenston for his own death by labeling him a 'mercenary'. This vicious treatment struck an especially painful nerve with Michael Yon. Years earlier, he himself had been the same victim of lies in the press when the media labeled Yon a murderer after a fistfight in a nightclub. Though the charges were completely false and eventually dropped, Yon had endured the agony of watching lies printed about him in the media. Seeing the same thing now happen to his old friend and then to other American soldiers finally compelled Yon to come to Iraq on his own and report the truth.
   
   This book is the result. And it is an incredible read. I began reading this book as an act of solidarity with Michael Yon's cause - but I ended the book for a different reason. It is superbly written, it is gripping. It is real. And - as the title makes clear - it is the truth.
   
   Please read Yon's book. In more ways than one, it will be one of the best books you've ever read.



5. In a sea of cynical books and media coverage on the war in Iraq, which lead US service members to ask themselves "Are these guys even covering the same war that we're fighting daily!?" Michael Yon does indeed deliver a "Moment of Truth". He writes from the point of view of the infantryman and cavalry scout: the young men who enlisted specifically to put themselves into harms way and fight a cunning enemy. Unlike his contemporaries, Yon understands the meaning of honor and sacrifice, that casualties are a part of war, and that it is the American soldier's ability to overcome the horrors and fight on that wins wars. Unlike the mainstream news media who focuses on the loss of life while turning a blind eye to the success that loss of life paved the way for, Yon paints an intimate unbiased (left OR right) view of the commitment of this generation's warriors who have turned the tide in the sands and cities of Iraq. He does not candy coat the truth, or gloss over failures, he simply paints the entire picture. In the end I believe that this is hands down one of the best books written about the war in Iraq, and is a must raed for both those for and against the war as it is one of the few objective accounts of the battles being waged thousands of miles from home.

5 comments about Always By My Side: A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other.

1. We gave it to our son after we had read it and it was excellent. We wanted to share with him.



2. I ordered three copies of the book for Father's Day gifts for two of my sons and my husband. According to the recipients, it was a great read. Amazon service was, as always, superb!



3. I gave this book as a Father's Day gift to my son, who lost his Dad a few years ago. We both read it. What an inspiration.



4. Like me Jim Nantz is from the Houston area, so based on that commonality I've always been a fan. This book details a professional career that's gone very right and a personal life that's posed one significant challenge. There are points where everything that is written, said, etc. has been so perfect that you just want a strong cup of black coffee to wash the sugary taste from your mouth. Then you read the challenges with his Dad and it makes you want to tip you hat to the man and hope that I would react in the same way that he's done.
   
   Great behind-the-scenes and name-dropping book that makes a good summer read.



5. I enjoyed reading Jim's book and gave it to my two sons-in-law as a Fathers Day gift

5 comments about Up Till Now: The Autobiography.

1. This book was pretty much what I expected it to me. It is an easy, mostly fun, read. It certainly has the flavor of Shatner with all of it's off beat marketing comments, etc..
   
   I did learn more about his career and relationship with Leonard Nimoy.
   
   If you like Shatner, then I recommend it. It is more of a 3.5 star book but I could not take it to 4 stars.



2. William Shatner's UP TILL NOW is an appropriate summation of his 60 year career in entertainment. Shatner takes the high road throughout; often blaming himself for things gone wrong (marriages and personal relationships), and never responding harshly to the criticisms of others. His self-deprecating and tongue-in-cheek humor extends to several digressions for product placement and blatant commercialism: an acknowledgement that the late-career Bill Shatner is more than a highly successful actor-- he's a money-making institution.
   
   This latest autobiography touches on all the familiar acting resume highlights: a famous Twilight Zone episode, 30 years as the most renowned character in sci-fi history, and lead roles in three other very successful TV series. There's no glossing over the missteps, either. Thus, such box office failures as "White Commanche," "The Horror at 37,000 Feet" and Roger Corman's controversial production, "The Intruder" are also covered. Shatner glories in a nude scene he played opposite an equally undressed Angie Dickenson in a typical Corman turkey, "Big Bad Mama" and unashamedly recalls that his recording of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" is considered by some to be one of the worst cover songs ever made.
   
   Shatner's personal life and family history are examined; he discusses current interests and projects with obvious relish. Often within the pages of UP TILL NOW, Bill Shatner *THE STAR* struts like a proud bantam rooster but does so gracefully and with justification. Fans of his many TV shows and movies will not be disappointed in this book.
   
   
   William Shatner's other autobiographical works, STAR TREK MEMORIES and GET A LIFE! are equally as entertaining and informative.



3. William's Shatner autobiography Up Till Now, goes well beyond his role as Captain Kirk. While most Star Trek fans are likely aware that Shatner was an established television actor before Star Trek, most fans will learn a good deal about Shatner's pre-Star Trek roles. A good number of his pre-Star Trek stories are quite funny, the others are just good "human interest" tales.
   
   Shatner also writes a good deal about his non-actor life. The women he has loved, the wife he lost, his love for horses. You seem as him as a man, beyond actor, beyond husband, beyond father.
   
   William Shatner writes as who he is, a celebrity with a bigger-than-life persona. Yet, Shatner is well aware of his persona and isn't afraid to laugh at himself.
   
   However, in the introduction to the book, Shatner reaches too far, too fast to look at himself. He has too many false starts for the reader to just start enjoying the book. The introduction by itself would merit a generous one star. There are also far too many digressions in the rest of the book.
   
   However, don't fail to buy this book because of its Introduction and excessive digressions. Up Till Now simply has too many fresh and funny anecdotes and genuine humanity to pass up.
   
   
   



4. William Shatners' Book is a great fun read even if your not a STAR TREK fan. What an exciting and fun life he has lead entertaining all us with his many movie and televison shows. He writes about all this great self effacing humor.. A Very fun Book



5. If you are a Star Trek fan, there is not much that Shatner says here that he has not already said in the "Star Trek Memories" books that were published in the mid 1990s. Even without Trek, Shatner's career is certainly interesting, and he has had a lenghthy career in show business. In this book, however, he attempts so many times to be humorous and self deprecating that he actually seems to diminish his own work time and again. Maybe this was a calculated move but it comes across wrong.

5 comments about The Deniers: The World Renowned Scientists Who Stood Up Against Global Warming Hysteria, Political Persecution, and Fraud**And those who are too fearful to do so.

1. The Deniers is an excellent and invaluable book, showing readers the other side of the global warming debate. Without editorializing, author Lawrence Solomon, a journalist and environmentalist, presents the views of many prestigious scientists who do not believe global warming is the dire threat to civilization we have been pressured to believe. I don't like the title much; many of the dissenting scientists are not actually deniers that C02 influences climate- many of them simply believe that other factors are equally or more important. But this is a quibble- please read the book. It is a much-needed counterpoint to the daily propaganda given to us by the mass media. It's not the final word, but it's an important point of view.



2. I should preface my review by saying that at one time in my life, I wholeheartedly believed in the science of global warming -- as caused by man-made influences -- hook, line and sinker, dating back to my senior year in high school. However, Lawrence Solomon's book has opened my eyes to the fact that so much more science needs to be done on the subject, and that Gestapo-style tactics to undermine global warming "deniers" only prohibit the attainment of real facts. One thing is for sure, I now view Al Gore's movie and book, "An Inconvenient Truth," to be an utterly unscientific joke that has shammed millions of people and inexplicably earned the former vice president countless accolades that he does not deserve.
   
   That said, I expected Solomon's book to be a relentlessly harsh diatribe on the pro-environment movement in the vain of conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and the like, one that condescendingly embarrassed scientists and citizens who felt human doings here on Earth were steadily making the planet hotter. That wasn't the case at all, though. Although written for laymen like me, Solomon's book relies heavily on actual science about global warming by highly respected -- though sadly spurned -- scientists. So if you aren't up for reading about the seriously studied, potential causes of global warming as it relates to non-human entities, then don't even touch this book. Obviously the mainstream press and Al Gore opted for a shortcut to science by taking this route. But if you really want to get to the heart of the issue, I highly recommend "The Deniers." Here is just a sampling of why global warming is far from "settled science":
   
   - The models used by the influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to predict future weather are crude at best, and fail miserably to factor in such crucial elements as cloud cover, the ocean and the sun's solar energy.
   
   - The Earth goes through natural and major climate changes all on its own, irregardless of how humans behave. It's believed by many scientists that, though temperatures have risen slightly into the start of the 21st century, a cooling period will begin as early as 2010.
   
   - The idea that warmer weather causes more hurricanes -- and more violent hurricanes -- is completely unproven. The temperatures of the ocean fluctuates, as does its propensity to either absorb or release major amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
   
   - Carbon dioxide does not linger in the upper regions of the atmosphere for as long as 50-200 years, as the global warming hype machine would lead the public to believe. Numerous studies indicate the number is closer to two to six years.
   
   - Mosquito-born diseases are not caused or increased by an Earth that is steadily warming -- they're caused by poor economic conditions, chaotic governments and lack of resources to fight them.
   
   The tact and style of this book are extremely evenhanded throughout. A working environmentalist himself, Solomon admits at the end of the book that he is not TOTALLY convinced by the global warming deniers, mainly because the deniers have disagreements among themselves. But that is the gist of Solomon's point: The science of studying the atmosphere is a severely messy, complicated business, not a two-hour movie that has all the answers.
   
   Through Solomon's book, I've come to understand that the money used to fund global warming research, though extremely important, might be better directed toward ending world hunger, deforestation, disease and famine. Tackling those huge issues, in fact, as well as ending large subsidies for energy companies, would go a long way toward helping the environment and the economy.
   
   Along those lines, I was also amazed to learn how the Kyoto Treaty has done more harm than good. It may be chic, for instance, for celebrities like Pearl Jam to purchase huge tracts of land and plant trees as a "carbon offset" for the jets the band flies in, but all that does is displace millions of people and perpetuate the "carbon into currency" practice that so many Brazilians are against, including its citizens, churches, NGOs, trade unions and the World Rainforest Movement itself.
   
   In sum, if you're already recycling, reusing, conserving and doing your best not to pollute, good for you and keep it up. But in my newfound opinion, based on the science I read about in Solomon's book, the actions of humans play an infinitesimal part in the weather you view outside your window, and the science on global warming is hardly definitive as of right now. When thinking about the global warming issue, remember that lone and dissenting voices amid media hype are often looked back upon in later years as the most reasonable.



3. Lawrence Solomon is a columnist with the National Post of Toronto, author of other books, environmentalist and activist. In the latter role Solomon strives to save the world's rain forests and prevent nuclear power expansion. He works for an environmental group called Energy Probe. Despite these credentials, he has written an unusually accurate work about climate change.
   
   The term "deniers" was coined by Al Gore et al. to discredit dissenters from his view on climate catastrophe, trying to place them in the same category as Holocaust deniers. Other forms of slander and intimidation are exposed by Solomon. The book was inspired by a bet by a climate "warmer" or alarmist that he could name three areas of climate science that were settled. Solomon showed that a credible dissenting scientist could be found to refute each one.
   
   So one area of climate after another was discussed along with the findings of one or more experts in that area. The CVs of the experts showed that they were usually more qualified than than the alarmists making the doomsday claims. These CVs were in boxes, of which there were 29, nearly all on professors who were also authors of peer-reviewed papers or books as well as winners of scientific prizes. Several are or were members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) whose reports are normally revered as gospel by climate alarmists, but exposed as misleading or worse by some of these very reviewers, and also by entire books, such as Shattered Consensus, Prof. Patrick J. Michaels, Ed., 2005.
   
   Examples are given of punishment of deniers, no matter how good their science was, just for disagreeing and thus threatening the alarmists. Loss of research funding, dismissal from expert panels, loss of office or status in scientific bodies as well as character assassination are all revealed.
   
   Based on expert opinion, Solomon shows evidence that: (1) The 1990s were not the warmest decade in 1000 years, the period from 1100-1440 being warmer; and the evidence that the 1930s were warmer than the 1990s was given for the Arctic region, utterly uncorrelated with industrial CO2 emissions. (2) Storms are not more frequent or more violent in the last 20 years, but were probably most so in the 1940s in the last 110 years. (3) The Antarctic peninsula (2% of the area of the continent) has lost ice, but the rest of Antarctica is cooler since 1957 and has gained ice. (4) Global warming of about 0.5°C in the 20th century followed equal warming in each of the previous three centuries, an utter disconnect with the claimed CO2 levels in the air, which are not correlated with warming -- the central dogma of climate alarmism. (5) Unusual even for climate realists, Solomon noted that CO2 levels were higher than now in pre-industrial times (p91), and mentioned Ernst-Georg Beck's 2007 review of 90,000 direct chemical assays, but without the solid findings that those levels were over 420 ppm in 1823 and 1942, and the same as now in 1858. (6) Solomon showed that the ice core data for CO2 levels used by warmers was hopelessly unreliable. (7) Climate modeling was shown to be badly flawed mostly because it does not model cloud behavior. (8) Several solar effects were shown to account for the warmings and coolings of the last 400 years. These include changes in the output of the sun, changes in the distance of the earth from the sun, and changes in the sun's ability to deflect cosmic rays from the earth. More cosmic rays, more clouds, and lower temperatures, as in the Little Ice Age of 1600-1800. There were other angles as well.
   
   On the other hand, Al Gore is taken to task for misinformation on temperatures, CO2 levels, storm frequency and severity, warming as a spreader of infectious disease, and misinterpreting the positions of his Harvard Professor, Roger Revelle, are all there. An article in Cosmos in 1991 by Revelle and Prof. S. Fred Singer (Meteorologist, University of Virginia): "What To Do About Greenhouse Warming: Look Before You Leap" was seen by Gore as a threat to his intransigent climate positions. Gore tried to show that Revelle had become senile. Through another Harvard scientist, Justin Lancaster, Gore tried to have Revelle's name removed from a proposed reprinting of the article, and accused Singer of using Revelle's name over Revelle's objections.Singer sued Lancaster, and with overwhelming evidence, won. "Quite recently, Lancaster retracted his retraction, claiming he had only issued the retraction in the first place because of the financial strain of the lawsuit." (p197) Of course, this sort of fracas discredits many climate alarmist politicians and scientists. More important to me, it is smearing all of science, and shows why so many deniers are professors emeritus like me with not much to lose.
   
   On the downside, while Solomon mentions water vapor as a greenhouse gas, but not that it is by far the most important one. Also, he does not seem to understand that the nuclear reactor that failed at Chernobyl, Ukraine, was an inherently unstable type never built outside of the former USSR or its satellites. He mentioned a reactor failure in Ontario, PA, which I could not locate. The only one I know of in PA was on Three Mile Island, which did not kill or injure anyone (p212). He calls hydroelectric dams and nuclear plants "grandiose govermnent-backed relics of yesteryear". On the other hand, Solomon sees environmental havoc from the new designation of "carbon" as a currency (p210).
   
   On the whole, The Deniers is highly recommended for its unique approach, solid climate science and some astute environmental understandings. Very easy to read with mostly clear graphs. Has good citations and index.



4. First, don't be fooled by the title's lack of politeness, this is a serious book and I do highly recommend it for those interested in the global warming issue from an apolitical point of view, or with a genuine interest in the science behind the anthropogenic global warming theory. With a different approach from the typical GW skeptical literature, this is a real and earnest scientific counterbalance account to Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, and above all, a tribute to free inquiry and the essential right to rational disagreement inherent to the scientific method, including questioning of the prevailing or mainstream paradigm, as any critical discussion is a fundamental element of scientific progress. As Karl Pooper brilliantly summarized this concept, "the game of science is, in principle, without end. He who decides one day that scientific statements do not call for any further test, and that they can be regarded as finally verified, retires from the game."
   
   This book is written by an experienced environmentalist advocate who believes in global warming, but decided to corroborate the claim of "scientific consensus", and discovered that the science is far from settled. The book is a collection of very interesting accounts and published materials from scientists in different fields with different degrees of skepticism and legitimate questions and criticism; most of them, believers of the anthropogenic global warming theory, but not of the exaggerations nor the alarmist or catastrophic predictions, and above all, who do not considered that the science is settled and concerned about the dogmatic position taken by most GW advocates. The book reads fast (just 213 pages) and all the materials are fully referenced, including web addresses for easier follow-up, allowing you to check the facts by yourself. Solomon left his opinion on this controversy for the final chapter, short and very sincere.
   
   Among the so called "deniers", Richard Lindzen, Paul Reiter, and Eigils Friis-Christensen are known from their part in the controversial The Great Global Warming Swindle (DVD) documentary, but quite a big difference does it make when the approach is serious as Mr. Solomon did. These and other respectable scientists show several of the weaknesses and prevailing uncertainties of the "consensus" theory. Among the most reputable scientists cited by Solomon, renowned physicists Freeman Dyson and Antonino Zichichi stand out, their point of view is presented in Chapter 8: Models and the Limits of Predictability, summarizing the most solid criticism presented in the book. Both scientists question the validity and confidence of the forecasts produced with climate simulation models, particularly regarding the "fudge factors". Also they are strongly opposed to the intolerant scientific consensus, as such consensus is not part of the scientific method, and in practice is just a device to thwart any rebuttal, thus endangering the freedom and the objectivity of what would have been a normal scientific discussion. This is a main criticism to the consensus, as not many scientists want to risk or can afford to be labeled a "heretic", a luxury they can afford because of their age and brilliant carriers. As Karl Pooper said "only critical discussion can help us sort the wheat from the chaff".
   
   Among the several weaknesses identified in the book, there are two fundamental flaws that are worth mentioning, and both have to do with the crucial role the climate simulation models play in the anthropogenic global warming theory: (i) attribution of the causes for the observed warming, as criticized and highlighted by both Dyson and Zichichi; and (ii) the lack of falsifiability of a theory based on simulation modeling, as raised by Hendrik Tennekes, also in Chapter 8. The latter refers to the possibility of demonstrating that a theory can be proven false by experiment of by observation, a basic requirement of any valid scientific theory. In the case of man-made GW, such ability of being falsified is hindered by the fact that simulation models use parametrization to compensate for the climate physical effects not directly simulated or when lacking enough data, and mainly because the models are calibrated to adjust for historical trends and available measurements, then, by tweaking the models, the goodness of fit for the past is guaranteed, and the reliability of the prediction might be even good for short term forecasts, but as time goes by, the models are calibrated again, so the mid and long term predictions always get adjusted. This permanent fine tuning can be confirmed by anyone simply by looking at the evolution of the predictions in consecutive IPCC Reports for the past 17 years. A good summary is presented in Figure 1.1 of the IPPC's 2007 Report (AR4) Climate Change 2007 - The Physical Science Basis: Working Group I Contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC (Climate Change 2007) (a PDF version is available for free through the web). The first IPPC predictions from 1990 (FAR) were completely off target by 2000, and significantly overestimating what is now a historical record, even without considering the fact that mean global temperature stopped increasing since 2001 (the recent and now controversial cooling trend). Thus, when forecasts do not fit reality, climate modelers can always claim that the data fed into the model was faulty or insufficient; or that the modeling has since been significantly improved; or that their predictions are good for the long term, or any other excuses, and in the end, they continue building more complex models but always avoiding fasifiability, just as have witnessed for the last 20 years. The transcription of Popper's ideas presented in the book makes clear that this approach is "not only false but dangerous, leading to undisciplined, arrogant, and worst of all unfasifiable predictions masquerading as science."
   
   The second major flaw is related with attribution or establishing the most likely causes for the detected warming. As explained in the book, and in more detail in Section 1.3.3, Chapter 1 of the IPCC's AR4, the theory of anthropogenic global warming or climate change established this fundamental cause and effect relationship exclusively on the basis of the results obtained with climate models, through simulations with and without man-made greenhouse emissions. Chapter 8 explains at length why these models are not reliable for this purpose, and so, you are left without proof of attribution. "There exists no sound theoretical framework for climate predictability studies."
   
   For a deeper understanding on the limitations and the real confidence we can put on the global climate simulation models and any long term prediction, I strongly recommend reading The Future of Everything: The Science of Prediction. For an honest and detailed account on how the anthropogenic global warming theory evolved to its present state, I recommend reading The Discovery of Global Warming (New Histories of Science, Technology, and Medicine). For a serious but still work in progress alternate theory for GW read The Chilling Stars, 2nd Edition: A Cosmic View of Climate Change.
   
   PS: For the latest contribution to this debate by Freeman Dyson see his piece entitled "The Question of Global Warming", at the website of the New York Review of Books, June, 12, 2008.



5. Can there be a weaker standard than "Scientific Concensus?" First of all, the very term is undefined. There is no formal vote, no long list of supporters, just the frequently-repeated statement and a movie by the slippery Al Gore. What about "Peer Review?" A clique of people who had the same professors and know each other personally sign off on each other's papers - often without reading them. Is that science?
   
   This book shatters the myths of peer review and concensus and shows what important scientists really believe about the subject, based on knowledge of their own field. It clearly makes the point that while man-made global warming may be true, it is not scientifically proven in any way. "The Deniers" is written for the lay person and is an eye-opening read.

5 comments about House to House.

1. Written as only a Sgt. can write. Spot on descriptions of life in a combat zone and the hell that swirls around you minute by minute. This is the stuff of the real patriots that walk amongst us. David's description of his guilt and loneliness after he leaves the Army is exactly how it is. The feeling of being loss, separated from your troops. This book shows you exactly why NCO's are, have been, and always will be the backbone of the military. We don't fight for Mom, the flag, and apple pie. We fight for each other. David explains it as well as anyone has ever done. This should be mandatory reading in every NCO academy in the Army. 4 Silver Stars.



2. Bellavia's book is simply the best volume on infantry operations in the Iraq war. It fully illustrates the bonds formed between men in combat and the determination, professionalism and commitment of our troops. This is a book that draws intense adrenaline rushes from its readers and equivalent emotional responses when the charaters we have come to "know" are killed. I recommend this book to every young man that is considering a military career - especially those that are looking at the infantry.



3. A magnificent book. Bellavia offers a clear-eyed, gritty look at battle. I couldn't put it down. More than just a war story, Bellavia offers moving insights into the warrior's soul. Recommended for anyone interested in first person comabt accounts.



4. 'House to House' should be mandatory reading for every single person in the United States. SSG David Bellavia has written a no-nonsense, kick-you in-the-gut memoir to recount his experiences in Iraq; a memoir that once you pick up, you won't be able to put down. I started reading it this morning, and just finished the last page about five minutes ago. Bellavia doesn't pull any punches, and recounts vividly and in detail, everything he and his men saw, said, and did in the battles for Muqdadiyah and Fallujah. He is a true American hero, and his love for his men, his country, and his family shine through in every page. I enthusiastically give this book five stars, and would give it even more if I could. God bless SSG Bellavia, and the rest of our troops that have fought and died for this great country!



5. The way that David Bellavia describes what was going on around him and what he was doing to survive is amazing! When you read it, it's almost as if you can picture everything as he had seen it while he was there. The pictures that are included in the book make it that much better. To see the soldiers, the men that were fighting along side of him the entire time is just captivating. A must-read for anyone that enjoys books about the history of wars and those that love the soldiers that give us our freedom!

5 comments about Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life.

1. What an inspiration Coach Tony Dungy is and this book was one I could not put down.



2. As a Steeler fan who is old enough to remember Dungy as a part of the Steel Curtain defense (but not as large as I remembered!), as a Christian husband and father, and as a Patriots hater who cheers for any team against New England, I had three reasons to look forward to this book, and it was even better than I expected.
   
   Dungy's writing, with assistance by a co-author, reads as mild and humble as his (lets face it) nerdy appearance. Despite, or because of, this to-the-core character, Dungy has succeeded at the cutthroat business of professional football at the highest level. Remember, neither of the teams he has coached had any history of winning before his tenure, and he essentially won a Super Bowl with each team (Chucky Gruden won with Tony's players after Dungy was fired, and you can see what kind of success Chucky has had since!).
   
   One of the amazing aspects of Dungy's book is how wide spread his deep-rooted Christianity was amongst the "nasty" 70s Steelers--Dungy, Dirt Winston, Mel Blount, and Donnie Shell not alone made for one of the hardest-hitting defensive backfields in NFL history, but apparently one of its most mature and consistent Bible studies as well. It is encouraging to read about NFL players and coaches who focus on family and faith, not contracts and crime sprees.
   
   Dungy never sounds boastful or arrogant about his faith, usually demonstrating his life lessons from his own mistakes. My tears spotted the pages of the chapter when Dungy talked about his son's suicide and the rest of the way it was hard for me, and for Dungy as well, to focus on football. As he says in a later chapter, never confuse your goals (winning a Super Bowl) with your purpose (glorifying God).
   
   I needed reminding. Thanks, Tony!



3. This book is fantastic - I couldn't put it down! I have been a big fan of Tony since he was the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because of his presence on the football field. This book is an honest and inspiring account of Tony's life and the trials and successes he has encountered. Thank you Tony for a great read.



4. The autobiography, "Quiet Strength," of Tony Dungy is appropriately subtitled "The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life." Dungy recounts his life from its beginnings to the present as the Coach of the world champion Indianapolis Colts. A man of proactive faith, Dungy has been able to climb many mountains, from being one of the first black quarterbacks in NCAA college football to one of the first black head coaches in the National Football League.
   
   "Quiet Strength" details key formative relationships, those that helped him to become what he is today. They include his mother, The Most Athletic Dungy, who supported in him in a number of sports; his father who taught him what was most important - not the accolades and memories of success, but the way you respond when opportunities are denied; his high school assistant principal, Mr. Rockquemore, who took a great interest in him and Dungy claims things would have been different if he had not; and his first pro coach, Chuck Noll, who taught him how to win in the NFL and how to maintain family-career balance.
   
   Dungy always viewed his work in football as a means to do something more as a servant of God. When he was fired as the head coach of Tampa Bay, the firing itself was not the cause of shock, but rather, the thought that God was allowing this great experiment of using him as a head coach in the NFL to end. He wondered, what's next? How will God use him, whether in the NFL or not.
   
   I am grateful that Dungy went on from Tampa to win the Super Bowl as coach of Indianapolis. More than becoming the first African-American to win a Super Bowl, this extraordinary achievement provided an excellent platform from which to tell this great story.
   
   Dungy's story is inspirational, challenging, and encouraging - reminding us about what really is important in a world driven by the love of material success. He shows that one can live their Christian faith in the workplace and succeed - even in the demanding fish bowl atmosphere of the NFL. He is a living testimony of one man's faith in God.
   
   "Do you your best and let God do the rest."



5. Loved the book, many lessons to be learned, a little too much football at times but if you can look by that it is a quick and enjoyable read