5 comments about Blue Rage, Black Redemption: A Memoir.

1. This is the life story of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, the legendary founder of the Crips street gang turned America's foremost street peacemaker. This book greatly expands and clarifies the story told in "Redemption", the excellent cable movie starring Jamie Foxx
   
   "Blue Rage, Black Redemption" is an incredible piece of well-written literature in its own right---notwithstanding the ultimate fate of the author---and it is a damning indictment of a cold, callous society. It describes the unchecked poverty, violence and broken schools of South Central that spawned the Crip phenomenon. And it describes Tookie's Herculean efforts to redeem himself from within the walls of San Quentin.
   
   [The added material in this reprint by Tookie's friend Barbara Becnel is especially welcome in the context of today's ongoing debate over capital punishment in California.]



2. tookie lets you know a lot in this book on how it all got started. i always wondered how in LA it was many gangs but mostly bloods and crips. this book lets you know about the crips. but, then you can pretty much figure things out with the bloods. this is a good book to read to me. he started it him and some other guys. then new comers take it to another level. usually how it always go.



3. The other reviews are correct in that you have to read this book with an open mind. It appears all the reviews for this book were written by followers and friends of Tookie. Like I said, you have to really keep an open mind when reading it, knowing that it was written by a murderer who claims redemption but doesn't admit to his crime. Even the things he does admit, and profit from, lilke forming the Crips, he never fully achieves redemption. If so, then he would have cooperated with law enforcement to help dismantle the very gangs he preaches to children about not joining. He has not even so much as given up any other gang-bangers that he witnessed committing crimes. Its clear to see where his loyalties still lie. If I had to do it again, I would borrow the book to read so I wouldn't have to spend my money on it.



4. This book is seperated into two sections. The first half being, Blue Rage and the second, Black redemption. Their's different titled chapters compiled into each section. The first half of the book is about Stan's life from being a child in Lousiana until he gets arrested in South Central Los Angeles in 1979 for the four murders he was convicted of commiting. The second half is about his educational and spiritual transition in prison along with certain events and situations.
   
   Stanley's views are extremly intresting and worth thinking about with an open mind. Things like his views about what "dys-education" is, religeon, brotherhood, spirituality, drugs, cultural education and it's importance.
   
   His thoughts about his friend's Buddah, Evil and Treach are sad, and even uplifting at times. His educational studies on death row with Treach and Evil along with his exercising disiplines are very thought provoking also.
   
   We outside of prison seem to be getting a school-based education for the sake of financial success. Stan can't do that. His transition is based on studies we need to perform here in our daily lives along with our children.
   
   This book is not your typical urban-entertainment about being a gangster or a rap song compiled into book-form. This is a very articulated insight into the cycle of poverty, racism, violence, redemption, edification, transition and enlightenment.
   
   A must read for everyone.
   
   Rest in peace Stan. I miss you.



5. If you read this book with an open mind, you would learn that the Crips gang started out as just uniting other gangs around South Central. Stan was a mischivous little boy who I believe had potiental to do great things if only he was given the opprutunity. He says that living in South Central you had to have the mentality of "Survial of the fittest". And that's where the fights with other males really began, I believe. Much of the information about his case is left out but there are clues that connect someone else to the crimes. Hint: The people who let him keep his weights at their house after not having a permenant place to stay. Right before his grandmother died she said she had a feeling that Stan needed to get outta LA because something bad was going to happen.
   I'm going to stop there and hopefully this information has interested you enough to read this wonderful book that will hopefully open your eyes to a positive light.

5 comments about My Life So Far.

1. In "My life so far" Jane Fonda opens her heart and her life to all of us and while doing so teaches us how to live and survive in these difficult times.



2. My Life So Far by Jane Fonda is a fascinating look into her family life and journey into womanhood. Very revealing look into her life as the child of Henry Fonda to "Hanoi Jane" and the criminal investigation waged against her by the government, to Jane the mother/wife, to the insightful woman she is today. She is her own woman. Never knowing much about her, I found this book intriguing, candid and educational.



3. Very Honest and inspiring. Just when she gets whiney she deflects you. A great read overall.



4. First of all, I would like to thank Jane Fonda for sharing so much of her spirit, self and life. Reading her book made me feel like I was a time traveler as she took me back in time to when she was a liitle girl and traversed along side her throughout her life and into her third act.
   
   I most definitely could relate to some of the same issues Jane Fonda dealt with in her life. For instance the lack of love, compassion and acceptance in the home while growing up.
   The uncertainty about her sexuality.
   Questions concerning the Vietnam War.
   Jane Fonda's relationship with her father or lack thereof. Unable to connect with her father on any level (no fault of her own). All these issues I to combatted in my life and just like Jane I am a fighter and a survivor.
   
   On another note, I have a favorite actress for each decade going back to the 30's. For instance Merle Oberon is my favorite actress of the 30's, Ginger Rogers the 40's, Kim Novak the 50's, and Jane Fonda of the 60's and 70's. I have not been able to choose one since Jane Fonda retired, but I am so happy to see that she is making a come back in movies. I so missed her presence on the big screen.
   
   In closing, I believe this book has something for everybody. I highly recommend "My Life So Far" to everyone.
   Thank you Jane Fonda for sharing so much of yourself with family, friends and fans.
   
   For a love story that is unlike anything you've ever read check out D. W. Gutridge's Captured by a Smile.Captured by a Smile "Imprisoned by Love": A Memoir of Young Love that Refused to Die.



5. Jane is a pretty misunderstood woman. People make judgements about her based on stories they see in the media, and based on the rhetoric of those who oppose her. I learned a lot about the real Jane Fonda in this book. Her childhood was not that pretty. Her relationship with her father was strained at best, and this book delves into that with the insight and sensitivity of a person who has learned to accept parents who are not perfect, and who has come to understand how those early years shaped her life and the decisions she made throughout.
   
   - C.A.Wulff, author of Born Without a Tail

5 comments about First You Have to Row a Little Boat: Reflections on Life & Living.

1. I love this book. It has a lot of good advice and metaphors for living. When life gets me down, and I feel lost, I often reread this book to help me through. I originally got this book as a hardback as a gift. I lent it to someone who never returned it and had to repurchase it. Unfortunately, I could only find this paperback version. Although not a religious book, this is a good complement to the Bible for advice on life.



2. I've looked for this book for years and finally found it. It was sent promply and in perfect shape. Good job, guys!



3. This is a great book. The book really isn't about sailing. It's about life. The writing is outstanding. To all the fools who reviewed this book as a sailing instruction guide really missed the point. Too bad because there are few very poignant lessons in the text. It's not a book for caveman though. It's probably read better by either men who have some sensitivity or romanticism. I highly recommend this book.



4. I'm a rower, so this book may have fallen into my hands by mistake. But I enjoy sailing one-man boats, too. There are some sweet stories in this book. I didn't hate it or anything. But the overall emotional effect seemed contrived or prepackaged. I don't object to the hokeyness--I LIKE hokey!--but very chapter is a pat lesson from sailing that maps perfectly to life. Give me a break. The effect is charming at first, but eventually it's cloying and a little silly.
   
   Contra one of the blurbs on the cover, I suspect one's enjoyment of this little book will be inversely related to one's familiarity with sailing. The less you know the more you may like it. (This is not borne out by a quick scan of the reviews, but only a small percentage of readers write reviews. I suspect a microscopic percentage write negative ones.) There's a rowing book that comes to mind here: MIND OVER WATER. It just didn't seem that deep to me. It didn't seem as if the guy really knew that much about rowing.
   
   Books like this create a nice illusion of emotional depth, in my opinion. There's a market for that, which is fine by me. Bad breath is better than no breath at all.



5. My favorite quotation . . . "For the truth is that I already know as much about my fate as I need to know. The day will come when I will die. So the only matter of consequence before me is what I will do with my allotted time. I can remain on shore, paralyzed with fear, or I can raise my sails and dip and soar in the breeze." This is much more than a book about sailing. Bode's words ring of honesty and truth. This book inspired me to "raise my sails" back in 1997 and they are still up today.

5 comments about Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness.

1. I have never written a review for a book before, but I never had a book IMPACT my life like this one. From the book Cullotta, I discovered who killed my father and his barmaid 27 years ago.
   
   My name is Paul and I am the eldest son of Ronald Scharff. My father and Patricia Freeman were killed in Lakemoor, Illinois in 1981 by Larry Neumann. Neumann was one of Frank Cullotta's Hole in the Wall Gang members that my father had the great misfortune of knowing; my father's case in still officially unsolved.
   
   Since reading the book, I have been working to get my father's case closed with a considerable amount of help from Frank Cullotta himself and his co-author, Dennis Griffin. My family and I are deeply grateful for their help. Frank Cullotta has been the only one in the past 27 years that has tried to bring my family and the Freeman's any kind of closure.
   
   Please read this book to learn more about Larry Neumann and his ability to commit multiple murders. Your opinion on this man will help get this case closed. Visit my Facebook Group "McHenry County 1981" to follow my continuing efforts to get closure in the Ronald Scharff and Patricia Freeman case.
   
   Copy and Paste the link below into your browser to Visit my Facebook group "McHenry County 1981"
   
   http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=33678349794



2. Very good book, very detailed and informative. One of the must have books for the true Mafia fan.....



3. I feel a bit dissapointed in Mr. Griffins book. Not the subject matter or the story but the way he paints Cullotta as a family man and a down on his luck bad guy gone good. Frank Cullotta is a common criminal who got off lite and was in a major motion picture that he was paid for being in. I am a bit confused as to why a retired lawman would be such a hero worshiper to a punk like Cullotta. This could have been a better book and I must disagree with the five star reviewers many of whom's opinion I respect and generally agree with. I guess this time we will just have to agree to disagree.



4. Denny Griffin is one of those author's whose works you want to follow. Keep writing, Denny! Rita Schiano, author of Painting the Invisible Man



5. Another well-written, factual and informative book by Dennis Griffin.
   
   This book details the life and crimes of Frank Cullotta before he became an informant and briefly covers his life after the witness protection program. It covers in depth the friendship between Tony Spilotro and Cullotta from their early days as juveniles on the streets of Chicago to the glitter of Vegas.
   
   The chapter on Bertha's was particularly engaging, where the robbery is first covered by the FBI/Metro's version of events and in the preceding section; Cullotta gives his account of the robbery before and after arrest.
   
   Cullotta makes the distinction between his role as informant to that of `rat' Sal Romano, as entirely different situations. His was a matter of self-preservation, while Romano's was to purposely set out and trap unsuspecting mobsters. It is Frank's belief that they would have got away with the robbery at Bertha's, were it not for Romano.
   
   While I don't condone crime, I couldn't help but feel relieved when Cullotta makes it out alive after becoming a government witness and now leads a relatively normal existence in an undisclosed location.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime, particularly in Las Vegas.

5 comments about Letters to Sam: A Grandfather's Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Gifts of Life.

1. This book has many wonderful and comforting life lessons. I looked forward to each letter and they touched my heart. I love Dan Gottleib. He is such a kind, gentle soul. I highly recommend this book to everyone.



2. I haven't finished this book yet, but I got it because it's written by same author of "Learning from the Heart: Lessons on Living, Loving, and Listening". I just got lucky to find "Learning from the Heart" and I would recommend anyone feel hopeless in their life. We all have different way of registering things, but this one won't waist your time or money. I hope you too get lucky and feel rejuvenated.



3. Upon the birth of his first grandson, Sam, Daniel Gottlieb, a psychologist, decides to write Sam letters sharing words of wisdom. Given that Gottlieb has had quadriplegia for many years, he is uncertain as to whether he will live to see Sam grow up, and so his letters are a way of forging a special bond with his grandson. When Sam is less that two years of age, however, Gottlieb's letters take on a new meaning: Sam is diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (an Autism spectrum disorder), and suddenly, Gottlieb is left wondering whether Sam will ever be able to read his letters at all. He continues writing the letters, however, as he and Sam now share a unique bond, that of being different.
   
   Gottlieb organizes his book around different categories, as he speaks to Sam about himself, his parents, his world, and his future. The letters are relatively short (2-3 pages each) and not necessarily profound; rather, they are simple and touching, with words spoken from the heart of "Pop" to his grandson. This is a book that is both personal and genuine, and I would definitely recommend it.



4. These inspiring letters about love, loss and the gifts of life are as jewels in the mud. They shine brightly with a humble, honest and profound wisdom that nurtures light within and beyond darkness. A compelling read you will want to share with friends and family.



5. The product is what I expected. It arrived on time and in the condition advertised.

5 comments about Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders.

1. I found this book very relatable and interesting. I felt like she was talking about me which was incredible. If you are trying to come to terms with an eating disorder of your past this is the book for you. I was anorexic in high school and as an adult I finally needed to recognize the problem fully. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand an eating disorder, especially anorexia.



2. This was a fantastic and inspiring book. Aimee gives a good mix about real stories from the women she knew growing up with eating disorders as well as some new research in the field of eating disorders. Brilliant writing, and for people who feel lost like I do, this book gives a glimpse that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I will definitely read this one again.



3. I recommend this book to anyone with a history of anorexia or bulimia nervosa. It is well written and promotes healthy insights about one's condition, psychological predisposition and family context. I have read Caroline Knapp's book - Appetites, which I found to be excellent too. I also recommend Sensing the Self. All the others I have seen are not worth the time... This one, if not the best, is among them... Aimee Liu intertwines stories, including her own, in a way that holds you close, helping us also 'connect the dots' while reading the book. It helps us be more open in finding out about our own stories and how it matches this growing population of people with eating disorders. I found extremely useful!



4. As someone working towards recovery from an ED, this book is an amazing read. I can relate to the experiences of the author. Beyond that, the information (some scientific, some observational, all GOOD) she presents and her retrospective look at her previous book from the '70's, is golden information. Considering how uncertain people feel about the future after an ED, a window into what it could be like instills hope! Thanks!



5. When I started reading this book, just a quarter of the way into it, I was very excited and hopeful that this could be one of the best books out there on EDs because it focused a lot on recovery, and using real life examples. Reading about solutions instead of just epidemics and hopeless stats was refreshing.
   
   The insight into people's personality traits was especially helpful. I bookmarked many passages with little post-it flags because so many things were right on.
   
   I had to knock off two stars for one reason only--the height and weight stats of most the women she interviewed. At first I didn't notice but the more into the book I read, it became very distracting. First of all, height and weight does NOT paint an instant mental picture of what someone looks like to me, anyway. I am not one of those carnival game workers who is trained to know what that looks like. I didn't understand why she couldn't have just described them as "underweight" or used adjectives instead of stats, or whatever.
   
   I couldn't believe it when she ACTUALLY listed the height and weight of the DAUGHTER of a woman with ED and inserted the following commentary--"far from excessive". You could almost hear the subtext after that, "but, could still stand to lose a few pounds." Instead, she lets the quote of the mother's opinion to speak what the author is thinking. And I'm thinking, how many girls who happen to weigh MORE than that and are SHORTER are going to feel when they read that? Never mind that she goes on to say how our bodies are functional and don't define who we are and how fathers can help daughters feel good about themselves--the seed of self-doubt could be planted somewhere.
   
   I noticed she also talked a lot about her own weight numbers throughout her various life stories, as though this says something on its own. It obviously does to the author, since she had an eating disorder and weight represents what was going on in her life at that point, but it doesn't mean a whole lot to the general audience. If she said, I was at X weight at that point I would think, so? I'm sorry, I forgot to memorize your height and I don't know what that means and how that adds to the story. All I needed to know was how healthy she was, really. And it was triggering to start thinking about my own height and how it compared, and I had to consciously tell myself to stop doing that.
   
   It was disappointing that for all the self-awareness and sensitivity the author brings to the subject, this detail escaped her attention. I don't think she meant anything malicious about it, of course, just a sad side effect of how an ED mind operates, unfortunately, even after the harmful behaviors have ceased.
   
   (if the author had any input in the ironic cover art--a photo of a bone-thin model in a joyous leap in a sheer dress on the beach--this would get two stars, especially because there is a whole chapter devoted to how media images equate thin women to success, health, and happiness)

5 comments about Not Without My Sister: The True Story of Three Girls Violated and Betrayed.

1. Learned a lot about the power held over people who do not study God's Word for themselves and are brought into and up in a world that is literally hell on earth.



2. ABSOLUTELY 5 Stars. No question about it.
   I picked up this book, in paperback, from my local library a couple days ago, just perusing the shelves for a quick book to read. The cover photo caught my eye, and with the title, gave an inkling of a tragic event these girls must have gone through. I did not pick it up because I knew it was about cult survivors, I picked it up because it made me think about my own sister and the bond of friendship we have together and how we have always helped each other through life's ups and downs and laughs and good and bad times. When I finished reading it a day later, I realized this recounting of abuse and terror beyond belief, hidden from the outside world, most likely will stay with me for the rest of my life. You don't forget atrocities like this, especially to young innocent precious children....children who look to adults for gentle and sure guidance, and well founded morality, and mostly, the LOVE of the parent for his/her CHILD, repeat: CHILD, not 21 year old, CHILD, THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE knowledge and/or actual actions of: intercourse, oral sex, strip teases and suggestive nude dances, nude photo sessions, sex ed at age 3, sex practices at age 3, belief that it's good to "LOVE" Jesus, etc....(AS IF you needed to have anymore to add to that list).
   As for the people who reviewed here saying this was a fabricated story, why would you sincerely doubt them? Why else would these women go on in their lives to start an organization to help children in life threatening abusive situations? [...]
   They could have been accountants, teachers, sports pros, scientists, etc., but they chose to be abused child advocates...a job ALL of us aspire to, don't we? Yep, sounds like they are full of hot air, uh huh, yup. Sigh.
   All you have to do is watch this video [...]
   by a young guy who was driven to suicide and murder by these sicko cult members, who was right in the middle of this cult, by his own parents, founders of the cult. Sick stuff...
   I am so very happy for these women that they were able to escape this so-called family to start their new lives outside; but all these horrible memories still are fresh and painful and they will have them forever. Can you imagine? Can you EVEN.....imagine?
   
   To Celeste, Juliana, and Kristina:
   know that your words will live beyond this book; many people will continue to come out for years, through your words if they are able to get this book, and there will be a collective voice larger than you ever imagined, if you are not already seeing it now. With this book, you have sent a beacon of hope out to many. Your online site has forums that are helpful to survivors and informational to those who are wanting to help. There are dangerous, damaging, very enticing, and on-the-surface charismatic cults existing everywhere in this world at this very second...and knowing this very fact, if we don't protect our children from their twisted visions, we can and should be held accountable for the damage done to our very own families.
   Bravo to you all for speaking out!!! You are believed.



3. It is never pleasant to read some disturbing experiences that these young lady's have gone through. I kept questioning myself on why I was reading what I was. My wife, Mother in Law & sister in law all read this book & found it disturbing. The only reason I could find as to why I wanted to read such a book, was in the hope that the 3 lady's were now back together & leading 'normal' lives.
   
   If you are planning to purchase this book, the details, I found, are very explicit. However, the truth has to be known & the truth definitely comes out in this book. Yes I feel extremely sorry for these young lady's knowing that while I was growing up, there were people suffering like they did. These young lady's are very brave. Brave to that fact of making it known the disgusting things these so-called 'adults' put them through & then these 'adults' trying to justify their crimes through the word of the lord.
   
   I can only wish Kristina, Celeste & Juliana well, & congratulate them on their brave fight & wish them well in their continued fight to expose organisations such as the 'Children of God'.
   
   This is a very good, well written, but painful book. The 3 lady's courage can be found to be inspirational & a lesson to us all.



4. What I liked about this book was that it gave three different perspectives from within the same family and time frame, and also that it didn't sensationalize the abuse, but did give it appropriate coverage. Ran a little long, but was an interesting and easy read.



5. I bought this book simply to support the effort to raise awareness of the inner workings of The Family. I didn't think I'd ever get around to reading it, as I have hundreds of books that I have not yet read.
   Upon seeing the size of it I felt confidant that I would never read it, however, after skimming through it and seeing all the familiar terminology and names, I decided to start from the beginning. I finished it in 5 days. That's fast for me.
   I could relate to almost every situation, and to all the feelings of frustration, boredom and anger that arose from being in those kind of situations. I will never go back.
   
   After spending the first 20 years of my life in "the family" I can say from first hand experience that the information presented in this book, is an accurate representation of life in "the family".
   
   Anyone who has a problem with my review can write me at outofwords@hotmail.com

5 comments about Thrumpton Hall: A Memoir of Life in My Father's House.

1. I was tricked into reading this book by the great review in the New York Times. It sounded like a book about a man's obsession with a big old house. It turned out that it was only a very little bit about George Seymour's obsession with Thrumpton Hall. The book was actually about Miranda Seymour's relationship with her father. A lot of it came across as whining. For example, she has apparently been totally scarred for life because her father made her wear a wig for a family portrait because he thought her hair had been cut too short. She describes every event from her own childish point of view and, now that many of the participants are dead, she is free to make as many unsupported accusations as she wishes.



2. I don't usually add reviews to Amazon, but after reading that one person found this book "sophomoric," I had to respond. I don't know which book entitled, "Thrumpton Hall" that particular reviewer is referring to, but it can't be this one.
   
   Ms. Seymour's memoir of her family's stately house is a wonderful story, and she gives it great life. If you like Evelyn Waugh or Nancy Mitford, this book will please you enormously. Books that receive raves on the front page of the Ny Times book review often end up disappointing. This one lives up to the hype.



3. I really enjoyed this book and would have kept reading if it was twice as long. Just a great portrait of one of the last of a vanishing breed of great country home owners in England. Seymour's writing is crisp and clear, as she skillfully interweaves past to present.
   
   My only comment would be that I never fully understood why the author hated her father. He evidently could be a little difficult - not exactly unusual - but he was hardly a monster. To me, he seems to have made the best out of being a man who no longer fit his times. Regardless, a book well worth reading.



4. I couldn't put this book down - although not the best writing ever, the structure that combines a linear life story with present day discussions between mother and daughter is an interesting device that works well here.
   
   I bought the book based on the NY Times review (in fact, one of the other reviews here reads a lot like that review), expecting insights into life in an English country house in the last century, focused around one person specifically. It starts that way, but by about halfway through, it's much more about George Seymour than his house or even his relationship to his house (in the latter part of his life, the house apparently lessens in importance to him). By the end, I realized it's actually a book about Miranda Seymour, the author, and her as yet unresolved relationship with her father. A few days after finishing the book, I've decided that the book is in fact entirely about Miranda Seymour, and her as yet unresolved issues with herself.
   
   Reviews here and elsewhere have portrayed George Seymour as the villain, an unsympathetic character and a deplorable man. But by the author's own testament, short of a few odd episodes such as the one revolving around wigs, her father tried hard to create a close-knit family and a happy childhood for his two kids - exactly what he did not have growing up, and which in part led to his obsession with the only tangible constant in his life, Thrumpton Hall.
   
   I'm left with questions about the father's relationship with his own father (who barely plays in the story, and even his "beloved" mother eventually dies without fanfare), and in turn his son (a conscious choice by the author in respect of her brother). The father's older siblings are also barely mentioned; and after going to the trouble of printing a full family tree at the start of the book, very few of those relationships are explored. One does get the idea that George Seymour felt lonely and isolated - it's a key theme of the book - but at the same time, his passion for correspondence, social visits and parties is well documented, in stark contrast. Thus, I remain curious about this man's relationships beyond his daughter and wife (the latter being rather distorted through the eyes of the former).
   
   On this point, on a personal level, this is perhaps the most important lesson - that our tendency to become angry with loved ones over their relationships with other people is often misplaced.
   
   In the end, if it's supposed to be a book about Thrumpton Hall, then 2 stars, because I want to know much more. If it's supposed to be about George Seymour, then 4 stars, because I feel I now know him, even if left with several perplexing questions.
   
   If it's about Miranda Seymour, then 5 stars, because I think I know her quite well now - to the point that I've had enough and don't want to know any more at all. But since I think the author set out to tell a different story, I'll put it back down to 3 stars.



5. Somewhat sophmoric, both in writing and in content. Not much meat; too many words and florid descriptions--a quite a few low-level grammatical errors. And some of the writing reminds one of high-school diaries: "Oh, Dear Diary, what does this mean? Will I find the answer??" I bought the book with great expectations, based on several print-media reviews; now I am skimming just to finish the book.

5 comments about A Language Older Than Words.

1. I'm not going to banter on about if he was accurate, these things are what people need to hear. He made so many valid points and is trying to do good bringing these problems into the lime-light. Things he said made me be a little more mindful of what I"m doing on the day-to-day. He brings into focus how corrupt this world really is and encourages you to do something about it although is very far gone.
   
   If you want to lead an ignorant life, then don't read this, it's not for the faint at heart. If you like this book, I might suggest 'Original Wisdom: Stories of an ancient way of knowing' by Robert Wolff



2. The survival of the human species depends on our ability to transcend the confinements of symbolic language. It has its uses but, ultimately, is limited. Derrick Jensen, masterfully and with powerful prose, not only explores his journey of discovering the sacred mundane but also offers a call to every individual, on the basis of how he or she interacts with the world, to reopen the vaults of childhood wonder and ardently refuse the mountains of trash heaped upon our persons by the narrow mind of modern culture. Thank you, Derrick.



3. Derrick Jensen is a brilliant literary stylist. Even if you hate everything he argues for in this book, it's still worth reading.



4. The planet is being destroyed. Endless war, unprecedented ecocide, nuclear weapons proliferation...the aforementioned are just a small sampling amongst the many measures that wreak havoc upon today's world. And how are ordinary human beings expected to combat this hulking giant that is the capitalist military-industrial complex? Consider that millions of people suffer under literal slavery (see Laos, Burma, Thailand, etc.) and scores more endure wage slavery (the "sophisticated" form of slavery...see the United States, Canada, Great Britain, etc.) Then consider the widespread cultural practices that brutally oppress women and the bloody ethnic/racial conflicts that permeate nearly every corner of the globe. When put in these terms, the outlook looks rather bleak. But once again, what can we do?
   
   "I don't have time to think about deforestation in South America, I'm just trying to put food on the table."
   
   Throughout the course of this book, environmental activist Derrick Jensen explores this prevailing culture of violence. We learn that as a child, Jensen faced horrific abuse under the hands of his father. Jensen concludes that his father's violence was not unique in the sense that it is symptomatic of a culture that accepts (even encourages) authoritarianism, oppression, and psychic devastation. Likewise, the Holocaust was not unique, as there have been numerous holocausts throughout the course of human history, all resulting in mass deaths of "lesser" human beings.
   
   To Jensen, silence is the most salient part of the problem. As a child, Jensen attempted to deny the fact that abuse was taking place in his household. The facts were just too gruesome, too overwhelming. "I don't want to think about, so I won't think about it. If I never think about it, it's like it never actually happened." Jensen connects the micro to the macro; claiming that society at large operates under the same pathological mindset. The atrocities we witness everyday are so intense and harrowing that we minimize (negate, really) their impact. Only after breaking free from this cycle of silence will humanity begin to free itself by taking action in the face of destruction.
   
   Jensen's writing style is unique. His prose is very casual and accessible. He weaves together his personal opinions with an ample amount of empirical evidence and varying philosophical and psychological perspectives. Included also are interviews and conversations Jensen has had with close friends, most of them sharing an ideology similar to his own.
   
   Jensen's solutions are radical, not reformist, in nature. He believes that only the complete and utter abolition of industrial civilization will free humans and the environment alike. His position is that of an anarcho-primitivist or a neo-Luddite. These ideas are expanded upon and explained more thoroughly in Jensen's subsequent body of work.
   
   This is a great book, very well written and moving. Even if you do not agree with Jensen's arguments or ideological standpoints (I actually disagree with him on several issues) there is great value to be found within these pages.



5. I can't think of another book that has affected me as profoundly as this one. It woke me up to the living world, or rather, made me remember what I knew as a child and managed under this coercive culture to forget: that the natural world speaks to us, if only we listen. As we witness the world being murdered before our eyes, we urgently need to learn to listen, before it's too late.
   
   In all of Derrick Jensen's work, he offers brilliant insights about why civilization is killing the planet and what we can and must do about it. Many people have described this book as "heartbreaking," and that's true -- it breaks through the surface of hearts hardened by denial, confronts us with despair, then leads us carefully to the other side of that despair into healing and the possibility of conscious action. It combines investigation and well-reasoned political analysis with an engaging personal style and rare honesty that together offer the reader both intellectual understanding, and just as importantly, a deep emotional comprehension.
   
   After reading this book I immediately bought three copies to give to relatives, in the hope that they would be strengthened by it as I have been, to break the silence, join the world, and stop the horrors.

5 comments about The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq.

1. I cannot recommend Mr. Stewart's book highly enough. He was deputy governor of a region in Iraq for a year, starting late 2003.
   
   A British national with a great deal of experience in Asia and the Middle East (he walked across Afghanistan in 2002, and recounted the experience in The Places in Between--also a brilliant book), he tells exactly what it was like on the ground in Iraq under the Coalition Provisional Authority, from the perspective of a non-government-contractor civilian.
   
   While he didn't speak Arabic, his prior experiences, and fluency in related languages, seem to make him more sensitive to the socio-cultural fabric he was immersed in. This makes the story all the richer: nuances don't seem to escape him.
   
   He does a great job narrating the audio book himself, too.



2. Having read "Places in Between" and this book I have a pretty simple thing to say about this author; he writes about what he lives through and what he lives through is worth writing about. I'm his reader. That's the least I can do.
   
   -- Mike Yinger



3. Rory Stewart, who is currently head of an NGO in Afghanistan, was hired at the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, to be a regional Governor Coordinator, representing the Coalition Provincial Authority in southern Iraq. Stewart, like many CPA administrators outside of the Green Zone, tells a tale of having a huge mandate, little guidance from Baghdad, little money to execute plans, a huge security vacuum, and a multitude of competing interests among the Iraqis he dealt with.
   
   This is an exciting book, and a great depiction of the difficulties of trying to create a success in the first year of the occupation of Iraq.
   
   For historical perspective, this is a great book.



4. "... (Provincial governorate coordinator) Molly (Phee) would open her office door and step back at the sight of dozens of fat flies lazily circumnavigating her desk ... We tried blue bowls of poison paste and, when that failed, military fogging spray sent by the British Battle Group. These methods made us sick but had little effect on the flies." - Author Rory Stewart
   
   Perhaps the above quote from THE PRINCE OF THE MARSHES could just as well represent the overall experience of the nations of the Allied Coalition during their presence in Iraq since the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
   
   In September 2003, Brit Rory Stewart took up position as the Coalition Provisional Authority's (CPA) deputy governorate coordinator in the Iraqi province of Maysan at the behest of the British Foreign Office; British troops occupied Maysan subsequent to Saddam's downfall. Young Rory was offered the position on the strength of his twenty previous months in Asia, including Afghanistan, and his knowledge of Farsi (though little Arabic).
   
   My description of Stewart as "young" is only supposed as his age goes unrevealed. However, contemporary photos of him in Iraq suggest he was twenty at the time going on fifteen. But never mind, personal gravitas isn't conditional on years, apparently at least when dealing with radical Muslim clerics and quarrelsome Arab tribal sheikhs.
   
   Rory manned his position in Maysan until March 2004, when he assumed the same in the adjoining province of Dhi Qar, this one occupied by the Italians.
   
   Stewart's mandate on both assignments was to help the CPA's governorate coordinator prepare the locals for the resumption of self-government in June 2004. Presuming that Stewart volunteered out of idealism, his own narrative in THE PRINCE OF THE MARSHES may be eloquent argument that no good deed goes unpunished. In any case, he's a better man than I.
   
   The book includes a section of sixteen black and white photographs that only haphazardly relate to the text. Creating a photographic record of his time in-country was understandably not high on Stewart's list of priorities, especially when literally under siege in the governorate's compound. Oddly, however, there's not even one photo of the Maysan strongman for whom the volume is titled, The Prince of the Marshes, Abu Hatim.
   
   As the United States remains mired in Iraq, THE PRINCE OF THE MARSHES stands as a testament to the untenable position of Western reasonableness when confronted with the Middle-Eastern stewpot of long-standing tribal and religious rivalries and hatreds. (True, there's tribalism in the West also. Just go to any city council meeting holding public discussions on a divisive topic. At least in my home town, once the final vote is taken, shooting doesn't break out; the battles shift to the courts. I can't speak for, say, Texas.)
   
   And a simmering Afghanistan, a past thorn in the side to both the British and Soviet empires, can apparently expect a further escalation of Western military involvement. If Iraq is Dubya's War, Afghanistan will be Obama's or McCain's Interminable War. They, and the American public, just don't know it yet.
   
   After finishing THE PRINCE OF THE MARSHES, one must at least stand in awe of Saddam Hussein's ability, brutal thug that he was, to keep the lid on. One is tempted to believe that the country got what it deserved. On the other hand, in reference to his responsibilities in Iraq, Rory makes the point that he and his fellow CPA administrators weren't there as colonial officers in the traditional sense. The young men 19th century Britain sent forth to rule the Empire could persuade with both carrot and stick, the former being sacks of gold and the latter the shooting down of troublesome natives brandishing weapons at the gates of the Residency. In Iraq, the CPA had only the carrot - bundles of dollars and good intentions. Perhaps, in Stewart's narrative, the reader can discern a wistfulness for times past when serving the Queen involved simpler, more direct methods of stern but paternalistic control. After all, the Empire lasted for well more than a century, but dodgy stability, as witnessed by Rory in Iraq, was usually measured in days. The closest he comes to hindsight is his statement in the Epilogue:
   
   "The job of an administrator on the ground in Iraq was not the job of a diplomat, a development worker or a soldier: it was the job of a 1920s Chicago ward politician."



5. The author tells us his experience while never giving his opinion. At the end, it is very difficult not to have a very sad picture of how our intervention in Irak is going to end. It is easy to read, it is important to read it.