5 comments about Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point.

1. What an enlightening book! Fun, interesting and full of great trivia!
   
   This book gives proof that you don't have to be first to be great! Lots of great stories about West Point and its history.
   
   Makes a great gift for an Army officer or NCO.



2. "Last in Their Class" is easily one of the most accessible titles in the category of "Military History" that has ever been published. Having read numerous books on the Civil War, it is rare to find one that kept me interested from start to finish, AND that I would recommend to a casual reader of history without hesitation. Though much of the book centers around the proverbial Goats, it also dives deeply into the culture of West Point and life in 19th century America. Robbins engages the reader in tales of cadets sneaking out to the nearest bar, then deftly segues into the details of an obscure engagement on the western frontier, while never losing the narrative thread or the reader's attention. I would recommend this book to almost any reader; simply wonderful.



3. I highly recommend this most inspirational literary work. The anecdotes of forgotten soldiers (officers and volunteers alike), men who shined but a moment on the pages of history, have touched me deeply. I empathize with their infamy at being named Last in their Class, yet these "rejects" rose to great heights of achievement due to other redeeming character traits. There's a lesson to be learned from these mini-biographies as one carefully reads each page, absorbing the intriguing stories line by line. This is a book to be savored, not rushed through. I am thoroughly enjoying my visit in the pages of this fine book. This seems to be the author's one and only work; here's wishing James S. Robbins future success in publishing.



4. Just finished this book, and it was imho enthralling, very hard to put down..its takes us on a tour of West Point graduates ranked as "immortals" (those being the bottom 10 of their class) and the Goat, the last in their class.,..some famous names were goats or immortals; Heth, Pickett, Custer, Kirby Smith the Crittenden(s) Grant ( whose worst subject was..Infantry tactics go figure) among many others..... Great reading regards the Seminoles wars, Mexican-American War the Civil war......the trials and tribulations at West Point, their pranks and punishments etc....many great complimentary bios to be found here, Whistler, Poe et al...all wound up with stories of their military performance's and stories regards their paths criss-crossing in the Civil war etc....a comparative analysis as to why so many of the Immortals and Goats had an impact all out of proportion to the top 5 and their relative ranks, which in the end, means nothing...



5. This extremely well-written book tells the story of many of the men who were at the bottom of their graduating class from West Point: the Goats. Prime examples were Generals Pickett and Custer, among others. The theme of the book is to show that class rank does not necessarily translate into military success. Following the lives of several of these men was quite interesting, particularly the ones that are not so well known today. There is a breezy style of writing in this book, and it gives one pause to think about the current emphasis about class rank endemic all over the country. People should strive to be the best, but as this book reminds us, sometimes the best isn't what this country needs.

5 comments about Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent.

1. While it is relatively easy for us to weigh the pros and cons of the values of Pham Xuan An in the comfort of our home, this to me is one of those unique cases where time does not help give a clearer perspective. There is no such thing as a happy war or good enemies (duh!), war is not the kind of thing you can just turn on and turn off like a water fountain. I think all wars (not battles) have many phases to them and evolve if not mutate into something they were not and/or become only what they really were. The proof is in the pudding, because in war people die, loose body parts and some lose their minds. I know where I was born, now live, and will hopefully ..., do you?.



2. Great present for anyone interested in Viet Nam, reporting, true spy stories, and the like.



3. I might not be as forgiving as some people, but I certainly would have felt betrayed by this man. He seeks to justify everything by stating that he felt the Americans did not belong in Vietnam. Maybe so. But what he did was so deceiful.To just look at the fact that he often helped those closest and known to him from suffering any harm, neglects the hundreds of thousands who died and were wounded as a result of his actions. To top it all off he sent his family to the US when the Communists came !! No doubt for a better life !!This fellow must have been of fairly limited intellect , or at least uneducated.And don't tell me was educated in the US - they let him do some courses... big deal! Did he really believe the Americans would attempt to rule Vietnam the way the French did ? Yes, they would take advantage of economic opportunities ( who does'nt), but what did he think they would have done if the South succeeded ? A good insight into blind nationalism and deceit by one of the most two faced people I have ever encountered. I still cannot understand his mindset.



4. This book is nothing but full of communist propaganda. To most of the Vietnamese people, I say not including the 2% of the communist population, An is a betrayer. Don't waste your time being brain-washed by communist ideology.



5. Pham Xuan An was recruited by the Communist Party in Vietnam and sent to the U.S. in 1957 to learn journalism as a cover - long before the U.S. took a major role in the conflict. An quickly came to admire the U.S., did well in his studies (Orange Coast College) and internships, and was had several attractive offers for permanent work upon their completion. Yet, despite fear that he would be arrested by the South Vietnamese government upon returning to Vietnam, An returned, first reporting French troop actions, then also working for various government military figures (eg. teaching English to future VN spies; helping set up the Vietnamese spying service), and finally for various American publications - Time magazine in particular. Several times the CIA even tried to recruit An, with no success.
   
   Early in his career An risked exposure to save the life of a Time reporter captured by the VietCong in Cambodia because he knew the reporter had saved a number of Vietnamese children's' lives from various Cambodian army massacres. This conflict between his spy role and friendship with Americans continued up to America's last day in Saigon when An helped a Vietnamese friend who had worked for the Americans escape. These actions, however, did not dull An's effectiveness - his insights and reports based on conversations and documents played key roles in VietCong/NVA tactics and strategy development. After the war ended, An was promoted to Maj. General, and collected his ten top-level medals.
   
   An received no formal spy training - instead, he read a number of books by others who were past masters. Communications involving An were almost entirely one-way - towards nearby VietCong and much farther away NVA leaders in Hanoi. His methods were to use melted rice as invisible ink (revealed by pouring iodine over the paper), and secreting both the paper and film rolls in food materials handed off to a vendor.
   
   An's career spanned 30 years - longer than any other spy. Consequently, after the war there was considerable suspicion by the communists that this was due to his having played both sides. He was even forbidden from leaving VN to attend a post-war correspondent's conference in NYC.
   
   Some of the most impactful portions of "Perfect Spy" involved stories about eg. another VietCong spy who pushed the Vietnamese government to move peasants into more defensible self-contained villages. His rationale - he knew this would greatly upset the peasants and turn them against the government. An himself declared several times that the U.S.'s biggest failure was to develop a new cadre of leaders after Diem was deposed. It was also quite jarring to read details from the "other side" about so many areas that I had been to - Nha Trang, Siagon, Ban Me Thuot, Pleiku, Vung Tau, Khe Sanh.
   
   My one wish is that "Perfect Spy" included more planning details from the VietCong and NVA side. Unfortunately, even the author (Larry Berman) sensed several times that An left much more unsaid than revealed.
   
   Bottom Line: I was taken aback by An's working against the U.S. after having made so many friends here, how well the VietCong/NVA infiltrated U.S. planning, and how long ahead their thinking ran. The book also brings an eerie sense of wondering what is happening along these same lines now in Iraq.

5 comments about Snake Pilot: Flying the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam.

1. Just finished Randy's book and must say it didn't disappoint. He tells an in-depth story of his time in South Vietnam as well as some brief "visits" flying into Cambodia. It's obvious from his writing he has a deep devotion to his country and love of those he fought with. As a reader i was drawn into his world and immediately identified with him and his fellow aviators. He describes day-to-day life there and all his feelings at the time with the help of letters and recordings he made for family members. His accomplishments are all the more incredible when i thought about how young he was. I have much admiration and respect for Randy and appreciation for his service. I would recommend this book as a great first person narrative of a great American fighting a very difficult war.



2. I flew Hueys in Nam in 1968, mostly in the 4 corps area. The book brought back a lot of memories.



3. Talk about "Take me back!" Randy Zahn did just that. What a memory! The heat, the killing of friends and the enemy, incoming and the showers, it's all there! I was there three years earlier than Randy, but I met his persona every day, 19 years of age, but much more mature. The soldiers aged ten years in one month in the "Nam." Great read, thanks for baring your sole Randy.
   
   Richard L. Snider, M.D., author of Delta Six, Soldier Surgeon



4. Sure, everyone's going to hate me when they read this, but maybe I'll save someone like me from reading this. After reading Low Level Hell by Hugh Mills (couldn't put it down!), I thought I had to read Snake Pilot. Now I know that I could've skipped it. I am sure that war is hell to go through, that people miss their families, that the Army doesn't always take care of their own, etc, etc. Having said that, this account is really a lot more about having a lame time in Vietnam than "Flying the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam". I was really looking for more operational info, mission sorties, weapon load outs, hair raising tales, things like that. The author seemed to overlook most of that though. Maybe he was trying to spare the casual reader the technical mumbo-jumbo, and make it more about his personal demons. Just not what I wanted to read about though.



5. This book would make a great movie.... The way it is written makes you feel like you are out there with him... I believe I've read about every book written about the war and this is one of my favorites. The Author has a very good way of telling a story of a small group of young men doing a job that not many people could accomplish in a war zone.

5 comments about Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave.

1. Excellent historical review. Now have a much better understanding of Mary Todd Lincoln's personality as well as a greater appreciation for the difficulties of slavery that were experienced by Elizabeth Keckly. Both were intelligent women who struggled against the limitations of their culture and upbringing.



2. After reading this book I feel as if I know the two ladies, their lives and their times.



3. Going back and forth between biographical chapters of the two ladies for a good portion of the book left me tireless and bored. Almost rejoicing when the book finally picked up after what seemed to be an ad infinitum of the two woman's seemingly ordinary lives, nothing really there to surprise from previous knowledge of both a white and black's reality of that particular time period, I in all honestly could have done without the meticulously detailed first half of the book. On the contrary I did find that the many similarities between the two such as same birth year and rather close birthplace, both in the south to be rather ironic in conjunction with their very different social standing and contrasting, perhaps even a bit complimenting personality traits. This is possibly the only helpful information I was able to take from the first half of the book.
   
   Fleischner does appear to know plenty on each individual, but enough's enough, I picked up the book for an interesting read about such an odd friendship between the pair.
   Forcing myself to get through these lackluster chapters, the meeting and companionship of the two very different women at long last appeared! Before getting to this point of the book I would have been generous in giving the book two stars, however after their first encounter, the day before Abe Lincoln's Presidential inauguration in 1861 I actually found myself enjoying my time reading it.
   
   Keckly, a mulatto, grew up in a harsh life of slavery, eventually independently able to buy her way out and prosper in the seamstress business. Thus being the reason, lavish and somewhat peculiar Lincoln called upon the former slave for her distinguished dress-making skills. The last chapters did seem rushed, and I was left wanting more details on the actual societal aspects of the South in the nineteenth century. I enjoyed the mentioning of how times were back then, always being captivating to me. The prices, fashions, and entertainment of Civil War times really absorbed my interest, however short-lived those parts were. The association and reference of historical people and events i.e. W.E.B Du Bois, Cassius Clay, Bleeding Kansas allowed me to relate the reading to History class, always bringing unexpected excitement to a learning student.
   
   The brilliantly unlikely friendship between Mrs. Keckly and Mrs. Lincoln did get its justice in Jennifer Fleischner's double biography. If you have patience for dullness, and are willing to stick it out for what turns out to be a great story of two apparently opposite woman who grow together in a historic tale of true friendship, then don't hesitate to pick this book up. Three stars for getting two bios for the price of one, the book might have dragged on, but turning out rather compelling, and nicely done.



4. I was disappointed in the viewpoint of the author who seemed less interested in the relationship of the two women than in the social problems of a free Black woman who was the confidant of Mary Lincoln. I began reading the book in an attempt to understand both women and the circumstances in which their friendship occurred. The book, however, leans heavily toward Mrs. Keckley & portrays Mrs. Lincoln at her best as a spoiled White woman & at her worst as a lunatic. The final paragraph sums up the author's reasons for writing the book in a complaint that Mary is buried in the Lincoln vault with President Lincoln (where else would she have been put?)& Mrs. Keckley's unclaimed body lies in an unmarked grave..."like those of her mother, slave father and son". The book is not about Mary Lincoln or Mrs. Keckley; it is a social commentary.



5. The characters in this book and their stories are interesting at times, but the author takes far too much time imparting their stories. I am reading this book for a church cirle book review, and I am having trouble reading it. If I want a nap that day, all I need to do is pick up this book and read it a while!

3 comments about Invitation to Biology.

1. I have no prior background in Biology except for some dabblings at High School, so this book was definitely informative.
   
   The text is simple for the non-biologist to follow, good diagrams, and easy explanations.
   
   It still needs more work, because many ideas put forth could have been put in very concise words.



2. As a volunteer science reader for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, I have probably read 20 beginning Biology texts cover to cover in the past 10 years. This one is by far my favorite. It is extremely well-written, has amazing illustrations, and is one of the few introductory texts that treats plant biology as more than a footnote to the biology of animals.
   The book never talks down to the reader and is engaging enough that even volunteeers with no interest or background in science looked forward to working with it and on more than one occassion I had to stop recording because my monitor wanted to ask quetions about the current subject.



3. I'm a student in a medical school and I'm still using this book whenever I need good quality pictures of anything from microscobic views of miosis to relatively simpler and understandable illustrations and tables.

5 comments about Under Fire: An American Story.

1. Not too bad of a book. Explains alot of the details in the Iran-contra affair and he explains his personal involvement in the Vietnam War.



2. How could a Marine (North) even consider selling weapons to a nation (Iran) that financed the suicide attack (carried out by Hezbollah) that murdered over 140 of his fellow Marines in Beruit in '83? It boggles the mind. He is a traitor who should have been sent to Leavenworth, along with all of the morally challanged officers and politicians above him.



3. The main issue, unacknowledged in North's disgusting, self-justifying book and unmentioned in most of these reviews, is not whether North was acting 'illegally' or without Reagan's consent - it's the fact that he was involved in siphoning money to fascist death squads so that they could overthrow a democratic government. The Contras murdered, mutilated, tortured and raped civilians; 30,000 people lost their lives in the civil war between the Contras and the government. The victims of the Contra attacks were not 'evil Communists', but priests, teachers, nurses and schoolchildren.
   
   The Sandinista government itself was not, as another reviewer claimed, a Soviet stooge, but a non-aligned, Leftist government who favoured a mixed economy, human rights and democracy. The Sandinistas introduced free healthcare and education, land reform and fair elections; they started a massive literacy campaign and abolished the death penalty. The Sandinistas' only serious human rights violation, their treatment of the indigenous Miskito population, was acknowledged as such after pressure from human rights groups, and the Sandinistas ultimately granted the Miskito full autonomy. This is in marked contrast to the US's refusal to even acknowledge, let alone attempt to rectify, its many abuses...
   
   Many of the Contra fighters were loyalists of the previous Somoza regime, a vicious military dictatorship that the US had supported for years. All of the guff about restoring 'democracy' to Nicaragua was either a lie or a gross misunderstanding of reality; it would have been more accurate to talk about restoring fascism. The freedom-loving US appears often to get these two political systems mixed up, given that they also funded, armed and trained barbarous military juntas in Guatemala, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and El Salvador, a country where 70,000 people were killed.
   
   So the issue is not the 'illegality', by US terms, of North's actions. The shocking reality is that North was only carrying out standard US foreign policy. The crimes here are not those of a lone individual, but of an entire administration. After all, in the early 1980s, the World Court indicted the US for conducting a campaign of state terrorism against Nicaragua.
   
   This said, North's role in the funding of the Contras makes him, by any rational standards, a war criminal, an abetter of terrorism, an accomplice in mass murder. That's the real story here.



4. colonel north does it again by giving the reader a searing and fascinating look into his life all while importing enough cocaine into america to finance a large village in columbia, what a busy guy!!!. The only thing that disapointed me was the colonel's lack of detail's regarding the time he spent destroying incriminating documents after former head of c.i.a william casey gave him the heads up to get rid of the documents, nice work ollie!!!......



5. I almost bought this book but then read the 9/11 report and was reminded that Mr. North broke the law, was indicted, and then was pardoned because of a technicality;and now for some reason, there are those trying to make a hero out of him....he's taken advantage of his ill begotten fame and has made himself a millionaire...Fox news loves him....I then decided not to contribute to his coffers....

3 comments about No Picnic on Mount Kenya: A Daring Escape, A Perilous Climb.

1. The best thing about the book is that it is believable. With that being said, it's just not real compelling.



2. An extremely well-written book, especially considering the author was not writing in his native language. A crazy idea about climbing a mountain by 3 novices; crazier still under the circumstances of escaping from a POW camp with the intention of returning. I bought the book after having read the story in National Geographic "Adventure" of 2 experienced & well-outfitted mountaineers who re-traced their steps. The original is better!



3. An entertaining story. It's hard to imagine escaping from an interment camp simply to climb a mountain, planning to return to camp afterwards! And it is even harder to imagine planning such a climb with the sparse resources available.

1 comments about Blood and Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel.

1. A double shot of a biography on whiskey magnate Jack Daniel with hard-work and determination as the foundation to his life and principles.
   Born in the mid-1800's and orphaned at the age of fifteen, JD immediately found himself working in a local Tennessee distillery manufacturing some of the highest quality spirits in the region from men who were the best in the business. He was known as the boy distiller.
   In his early twenties, he had the opportunity to partnership with his mentor and the rest as they say is history.
   It was not easy though. For decades he battled revenuers, the government, corrupt officials, temperance groups and later the prohibition movement. Even with these many adversities throughout his life, philanthropy was his middle name.
   Peter Krass has uncorked an imbibing read of a unique man and the times in which he lived.

4 comments about Genghis Khan's Greatest General: Subotai the Valiant.

1. An interesting, readable and fairly unique book. There are a number of books discuss the Mongol military history, but Gabriel makes point that although Mongol military history is covered in books on that particular subject, it is neglected in general military history, and one of his purposes in writing this book is the urge a rectification of the omission. I don't know of any other books on the Mongols that focus on one of the generals -- generally biographies are strictly about Chinghis Khan and Kublai Khan. This is a great pity: even a book of short biographies of other personalities could add enormously to one's understanding of the period. Gabriel here sticks pretty closely to Subotai military career, except in discussing the beginning and end of his life. Personally, if there is more information, I wish it was included, because the biographies of characters who are poorly documented or less important can be the vehicle for a general exploration of a typical life of that class and era. That of course is a personal opinion, and I don't fault the book on that account. Recommended to people interested in Asian and military history.



2. Unfortunately little information is available from that era as to Subotai the man. As a subordinate, the scribes of the Royal Court would have naturally spent most of their historical writings (accurate or exaggerated) about the Khans themselves more than their subordinate generals. I believe that the author was fortunate to have scraped together what information that he could for this book by referencing what little material there is out there that cover Subotai the man (and his boyhood, etc., etc.). Of course maybe some more historical novels would be the right answer in that way some novelist's opinion could be used as an accurate measure of "who was Subotai"!
   
   I believe that the author did an exceptional job in outlining the tremendously advanced tactical, operational, and strategical methods that Subotai (along with methods also developed by Genghis as he united the various Mongol tribes into one entity and then organized them). At a minimum, Subotai ranks up there with the greatest military commanders of all times: Alexander, Rommel, Jackson, etc. - but in reality, was so advanced for his time in history and developed to such a degree advancements that would not be seen again for centuries and possessed such an overall record of achievement (conquering 32 nations and winning 65 battles) that one must consider him most probably THE greatest military commander of all time to this point.
   
   With the information prsented in this book - that is so lacking just about anywhere else - I can forgive the fact that the author didn't report on personal historical facts that he had no references to draw from!



3. As a book about Mongol tactics and campaigns it was quite good, as a book about Subotai Bagatur it fell a bit short of my expectations. I have read a few books about Genghis Khan and this one doesn't deviate to far from what I have learned and I give the author some points for the graphs and such detailing mongol tactics, but Gabriel leaves quite a few factual points unattended. At some points he explains events very thoroughly and at other points he gives you educated guesses, which for me was a bit of a downer.
   
   He does deserve credit for trying to undertake a project such as a biography of Subotai, but I am forced to wonder if he just used the title to grab attention, because the main points are not even about Subotai. This book would be much smaller if it were just left to Subotai because there is so much filler that is unrelated, yet still interesting, to the title of the book.
   
   You might be better off picking a different book unless you really want to know what little there is to know about Subotai.



4. When I purchased the book, I had hoped it would be more about the man behind many of the great Khan's successful campaigns. Gabriel provides plenty of insights in an easy-to-read novel about a master military tactician.
   
   I had hoped that the book would contain more information with regards to Subotai's character. What makes him tick? The introduction was good, which provided a history of young Subotai, and I certainly would like to have read more about his development.

5 comments about The Deserter's Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the War in Iraq.

1. I read this book in a couple of hours, and it was a very easy read. When I was reading I felt as though I was sitting in a car with him driving down the highway listening to his story - it was that easy - much like a conversation.
   
   It is of course one side of the story [...]
   
   JK makes a lot of claims that are better judged by those who have been there - more specifically those from his unit, than myself.
   
   I like the book, it was a good and interesting read, but I want the whole story - this is just part of it. There is always more than one version of events.
   
   I hope someone else who was there with him writes a book. We've heard what he says "really" went on, I'd like to hear what they say "really" went on.



2. I found this book to be a heartbreaking and horrifying account of the early months of the Iraq war. All these people who are so ready to brand Key as a coward should consider the idea that abandoning the war and all its crimes was what took real courage. Key states very clearly in his book that he is fully prepared to stand trial for what he's done, as long as the Bush Gang who drove us off the cliff into this mess also has to do so.
   
   People also need to remember that, following World War II and the Nuremberg trials, it is now incumbent upon every soldier in every military organization in the world to refuse illegal orders.



3. Joshua Key paints a very disturbing picture of the way U.S. troops treat Iraqi civilians. If even one tenth of what he claims is true then all Americans should be outraged as well as being outraged at the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Key presents soldiers calling Iraqi's Hajis just like many U.S. troops called the Vietnamese gooks during the Vietnam War. What I found most disturbing were the parts where troops were taught during training that all Muslims were their enemies. The fact that Joshua Key is discouraged from interacting in socially with Iraqi civilians which his superior officers describe as fraternizing with the enemy is a great contrast with claims by the Bush Administration that the U.S. is acting as a liberator in Iraq and that U.S. troops are only opposed by a few Baathist dead enders and foreign fighters.



4. This book is full of lies and half truths. Wouldn't buy it to save my life.



5. I sit next to an Iraq vet every day in school, and I knew he was against the war and against recruiting for this war because of dishonesty in recruiting. I believe what this author has to say. He is not a great writer, but he is real and has a conscience. This book is easy to read in terms of how the author uses language, but very hard to read in terms of subject matter. I strongly suggest you read it for yourself before you decide whether or not to believe it. I found it to be a real wake-up call. I will do all I can now to end this war and to fix what is wrong with our military.