5 comments about A Journey: My Political Life.

1. It was 0830 on 1 September 2010 as I walked past a large London bookshop. The window display comprised 2 books - one of which was this much awaited Blair Memoirs. Mine was the first copy sold. Whilst political insiders will doubtless find much over which to raise their eyebrows, my own surprises were over his relationship with his immediate successor Gordon Brown. Don't you just hate it when people say "THEY KNEW" that such and such was going to happen but did nothing to prevent it from happening when they had the power to make a difference. In this work, Blair actually claims to have known Brown would be an awful Prime Minister. Well, we can all say that - after the event. More importantly, he also admits that he failed to sack Brown for fear of creating problems for the Labour Party and accelerating Brown's succession to Number Ten! I found this difficult to digest.
   
   This is neither a pro nor anti-Blair review, it is based on his book and his revelations. A couple of years before standing down in the most diabolical fashion ever!, Blair stated he would reduce immigration to the United Kingdom to a certain figure by the September of that year. Eventually, however, nothing happened because he was unable to make any difference whatsoever. Now ask yourself this; If the Prime Minister is unable to change things, who can? Because of his disclosures in this book, for the very first time I have begun to see Blair as a weakling. Here is a man who admits to crying because a soldier was killed in Iraq. Well what did he expect? Here is a man who would not remove or even demote Gordon Brown for "FEAR" of the consequences. Not a strong man then! Here is a man who admits to having turned to drink because of the pressures of the job. Definitely not! Altogether, I began to feel so disappointed in this man, it came as something of a betrayal. Perhaps we were all fooled to some extent by the young, pretty boy, self assured image - although it is an image that has now also caught on in other parties!
   
   The memoirs commences with the revelation (for those who did not know!) that, as he entered No 10 for the first time as Prime Minister, he had not previously held any government post whatsoever - not even a junior post. From there he went on to change the face of British politics, change the face of the Labour Party and introduce several American-style techniques by employing spin-doctors to provide the most positive gloss onto anything that might be perceived as unsavoury. It really is a candid and revealing exposé of the man in charge for all those years and for that he must be applauded.
   
   Only now, however - some two years after stepping down, do we read this personal account of those years only to learn it appears he became a victim of his own spin. In so doing he leaves a lingering question over whether or not he was ever completely suited to the job. This book has changed my perception of so many aspects of British political life in general and Tony Blair in particular. No longer will I blame Gordon Brown for the financial mess in which the UK finds itself at this time. Why? Because it is abundantly clear from this book that Brown should never have been Chancellor and the only person able to remove him from that post had become frightened of replacing him.
   
   My own political inclinations are simple; I subscribe to the view that one must vote for the party who will best look after your own personal interests. Having read this book, my personal assessment of Tony Blair - as a person, is reduced to the minimum ONE star rating. That said, the book itself is easily a FIVE star product and, therefore, well worth reading.
   
   NM



2. 
   
   First my objective analysis: Blair was Labor leader in 1994, and rode that position to become Prime minister in 1997 with the biggest victory in Labor's history. The book contains 22 chapters covering the period 1997 to 2007. There is a chapter dealing with 2007 - 2010 which are issues that are current and subsequent to his service as Prime Minister. As you know all biography is subjective and selective, and this book is no less so than others. The book's most interesting chapters are:
   
   
   3) New Labor
   
   5) Princess Diane
   
   6) Peace in Northern Ireland
   
   8) Kosovo
   
   12) 9/11 "Shoulder to Shoulder"
   
   
   My Subjective Analysis": Tony Blair can write, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. You know an author is at the very top of his form when he can put together sentences in such a way that you say to yourself, if I had a month to think about it, I don't think I could have put it any better.
   
   
   An example is in the introduction, where Blair states the American burden is that it wants to be loved, but knows it can't be. Love is given to nations with which we sympathize...powerful nations aren't loved...they have to be feared by their enemies.
   
   
   Blair also seems to be excellent at understanding the world leaders that he developed extensive personal and long relationships with. This includes Vladimir Putin, Clinton, Bush, and now Obama. Listen in just a few words at what awaits you:
   
   
   Bill Clinton - The Prime Minister found Clinton to be, "The most formidable politician I ever met, actually a brilliant President. He made it at times look easy."
   
   
   George W. Bush - Blair thought Bush was straight forward and direct. He says about Bush, "The stupidest misconception was that he was stupid" - great intuition, less about politics, more about he thought was right and wrong.
   
   
   Barack Obama - This was a very interesting observation. "This is a man with steel in every part of him."
   
   
   You will love his candid analysis of all the major players in the world. However as is true in most autobiographic materials, Blair is less candid about himself and his shortcomings. There is very little about his upbringing or what brought him to his political beliefs. Regarding Iraq he is unapologetic about leading his country to war when there were no weapons of mass destruction. It seems he is trying to sway history here, more than the current reader.
   
   
   Blair also states that his interest in religion was greater than his interest in politics, but then tells us nothing about how his religious beliefs have impacted and shaped his political beliefs. All in all this is a GREAT READ, and I urge you to do so, if only to get a wonderful understanding of how a foreign leader who had an understanding of America in this time viewed our country through his own informed lens.
   
   
   Blair will always be remembered as the man who brought the Labor Party into the 21st century by getting rid of the concept of nationalization, and let's disarm by ourselves. He also was quite eloquent in explaining our President's position on Iraq better than our President was. Small failing's aside, I think you will love reading this book, and thank you for reading this review.
   
   
   Richard C. Stoyeck



3. A real slog getting through all those pages but eminently informative and entertaining if you stick with it. Blair was, in my view,one of the few competent, honest, and courageous politicians I've ever experienced or read of. There is far too much ground covered in the book to offer any true 'review'. I feel poorly to see people (such as Mr. Assim, who has also reviewed this text)be so profoundly influenced by left wing media or ideology. They just don't seem to get it. Hussein did his level best to convince his enemies (and, in the process, the rest of the world was also convinced), that he had high levels of WMD. In fact much WMD was discovered, albeit not nuclear. In my view,most responsible people in the free world would have reacted the same way as Blair and Bush. Has Assim considered where Iraq would be today had Hussein not been toppled? Likley it would be on the same short list with Iran and North Korea. This book, in my view, offers enough insight to Blair to reinforce the views expressed above.



4. He states: "I feel desperately sorry for them, sorry for the lives cut short, sorry for the families whose bereavement is made worse by the controversy over why their loved ones died, sorry for the utterly unfair selection that the loss should be theirs."
   
   The guy's a murderer and that's not an apology, he says he feels sorry for them not that he is sorry - the murderer even chooses his words carefully.
   
   Post-war: "we did not anticipate the role of Al-Qaeda or Iran"
   You're obviously a liar, because that was self-evident. What your actually doing is claiming that you didn't anticipate it because you were busy trying to extract the oil asap.
   
   You invaded a country for an oil agenda even though based on everything you said Iran or north Korea would have been the best targets to invade considering:
   
   A: the humanitarian position of Iraq
   
   But wait, we can't do that because of:
   
   B: that tasty crude oil
   
   Well done Blair, you proved to the world colonialism and exploitation still exists and woke many people like me up in the process.
   
   The book is really a journey to mass murder. For these reasons this book scores ZERO, this a politicians book, and would suit nicely the fiction section



5. Mr. Blair has fascinating insights into our times and especially into the leaders who have been on the world stage during his years in politics. He speaks as if he is chatting to you over a cup of coffee...yet his thoughts and conclusions show deep thinking and understanding. Much more than simply reviewing the events he has been part of, he evaluates, assesses, and judges the importance and substance of these recent years. A great book...

5 comments about George Washington's Sacred Fire.

1. As a conservative Christian I believe this book is very well written, however in the larger scheme of things it only matters to George Washington whether or not he was a Christian. I know conservative christians have a stake in showing some of our founding fathers to be Christian but when you get down to it George needs Jesus far more than Jesus needs George.



2. Sacred Fire was very well researched and documented and also has a very readable quality. I had a hard time putting the book down. I thought I knew a lot about George Washington until I read this book and found out that some of what I have learned has been inaccurate.



3. I haven't read this book and don't intend to. I'd suggest, however, that everybody reads Simon Sharma's "Rough Crossings", a history of the (shameful) treatment of African Americans by both British and proto-American governments during and after the war of independence. One thing it makes clear is that Washington's principal reason for moving towards independence for America was that the British were about to abolish slavery, and as a Virginia plantation owner...



4. The contents of the book are wonderful and so informative and inspiring. However, I ordered the paperback version of this book for Father's Day along with Overton Window (in hardcover). The first time my husband started reading Sacred Fire, the pages started coming lose and falling out. The book was never handled roughly, but for whatever reason, the pages kept coming out so he eventually set it aside because it was too difficult putting pages back in place, etc. We do want to read this great book, and are hoping to get a hardback version from Amazon. We are very disappointed in the quality of this paperback.



5. But still as well developed and proofed ..its still irrelevant as to washingtons faith.
   
   Washington himself often stated what he believed and also much of Jeffersons writings also state what it its...and it wasnt christianity, but neither was it deist.
   
   Unlike Jefferson who was proven deist, Washington was a bheliever in a higher power, but it wasnt the christian view.
   
   Note that a belief in a higher power is not soley christian btw.
   
   I am agnostic myself, and believe in a nonbiblical possiblity of a god similar to christian but reject the bible as mostly superstition and partly inaccurate as does Jefferson.

5 comments about Hitch-22: A Memoir.

1. Informative, insightful, well-written: Hitch-22 is a great read. The hallmark of Christopher Hitchens, evident on every page, is his capacity for independent thought. If "God is Not Great," it is, according to Mr. Hitchens, at least partly because belief destroys the capacity for independent thought and moral judgment. His life long opposition to fascism can be seen in the that context: fascism, like religion, demands the abject subjugation of the ruled and therewith the suspension of moral judgment - itself a moral obligation of citizens everywhere. Also evident in Hitch-22 is the extent to which, for Mr. Hitchens, there is no sharp line distinguishing the "personal sphere" from the "political." Even as he must deal with the death of his mother, who is the principal subject of some of the most moving pages in his text, political events, in this case in Greece, shade into, and become entangled with his personal loss.
   
   The progress of Christopher Hitchens' life can at times reminds me of Austin Powers. Immediately after Austin Powers is released from a cryogenic state, he assumes, as Christopher Hitchens might have assumed had he been cryogenically frozen in his Oxford years, that the sixties prevailed. When Powers gains consciousness he simply takes it for granted that free love and drugs are the norm and that capitalist pigs are uniformly vilified, only to discover that capitalism is triumphant, but the pernicious Dr. Evil is alive and well. And, so it's been for Hitchens. Much of what he thought was good, or would have been - the class-leveling socialism -- failed to materialize; while much of what he fears and despises - particularly the threat posed by fascism with an Islamic face - presents a genuine threat.
   
   One of the great traits of Hitchens is that his atheism has never, as far as I can tell, left him irreverent when in the company of believers. We can, and should, then, pray that God speed his recovery from cancer.



2. Christopher Hitchens, once the "enfant terrible" of the international hard left, has written a memorable memoir, HITCH-22, that is at once pretentious, bombastic, self indulgent, sometimes petulant -- and often brilliant. Much in Hitchens' book is laugh out loud funny as he takes one pot shot after another at his old political allies and enemies. And for someone with Hitchens' wit and writing facility, taking down his enemies with the written word is like shooting the proverbial fish in a barrel.
   
   On a more serious note, Hitchens explains how he transformed himself from a London-based Trotskyite commentator into an American immigrant who defends of the allied invasion of Iraq. In fact, Hitchens presents us with a quite sensible defense of George W. Bush's war on terror in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
   
   This is not an easy book to read, mainly because Hitchens writes in a style that makes clever use of inverted grammer and five and six syllable words as he reaches into his psyche to explain himself. Morever, his views are strongly held, and he doesn't suffer fools with any sympathy for their alleged pigheadedness. On the other hand, this book is a very good read for those who are trying to cope in a world that seems to be spiraling out of control.
   
   Hitchens opens his memoir with a short family history - which may explain a lot about his cynical view of the world. His father was a quite common British Navy officer, while his mother was an immigrant Jew with Polish/Germanic blood. His mother ultimately meets s a tragic fate, while his father lives out his routine life without a clue to the torment of his wife or the intellectual pretensions of his son.
   
   Hitchens was educated at Oxford, where he is exposed to the leftist tendencies of that venerable institution, and he became a self-proclaimed Trotskyite member of the communist party. In his early days, the Vietnam War was the focus of his activism, and he joined the anti-war movement that denigrated capitalistic America. But his intellectual curiosity was too restless for the static Marxist view of the world, and as he witnesses events in eastern Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere, he begins to develop empathy for the free enterprise system that empowers America.
   
   The turning point for Hitchens came on Sept. 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks on lower Manhattan and the Pentagon, costing some 3,000 lives (most of them American) was a revelation for Hitchens. "Before the close of that day, I had deliberately violated the rule that one ought not to let the sun set on one's anger, and had sworn a sort of oath to remain coldly furious until these hateful forces had been brought to a most strict and merciless account."
   
   So Hitchens began to write about the hatefulness of the Islamist jihadists, defending America against those who felt "the chickens had come home to roost."
   
   `I did not intend to be told, I said, that the people of the United States - who included all those toiling in the Pentagon as well as all those, citizens and non-citizens, who had been immolated in Manhattan - had in any sense deserved this or brought it upon themselves," Hitchens writes. "I also tried to give a name to the mirthless, medieval, death-obsessed barbarism that had so brazenly unmasked itself. It was, I said, 'Fascism with an Islamic Face'."
   
   When he decides to become an American, he studies diligently for the citizenship test and passes, of course, with flying colors (Hitchens is a serious student of American history as evidenced by his book, "Thomas Jefferson: Author of America"). By that time he had become an ardent supporter of the incursion into Iraq and he was sworn in at the Jefferson Memorial by Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff (talk about clout).
   
   His fondness for America, however, does not extend to American presidents and other national leaders: Lyndon Johnson ("hideous); Richard Nixon ("running a parallel regime of bagmen and wiretappers behind the façade of a legitimate government); Jimmy Carter ("..pious, born again creep); Ronald Reagan ("the carapace of geniality proved to be flaky...the look of senile, shifty malice); George H.W. Bush ("I simply detested the way in which he lied his way as Vice President through the Iran-contra scandal.."); Bill Clinton ("habitual and professional liar"); Curiously, George W. Bush escapes the Hitchen scorn. In an earlier volume ("The Trial of Henry Kissinger," published in 2001) Hitchens developed a full-scale criminal indictment of Henry Kissinger (whom Hitchens describes as"indescribably loathsome" in his memoir) for his conduct of American foreign policy.
   
   In the final chapters of his book, Hitchens shifts the focus to himself. He comes across as a gadfly, of course, but also a wary, skeptical (sometimes cynical) observer of our times whose professional objectives include intense scrutiny of all that is evil in our world.
   
   In an effort to explain himself further, Hitchens fashions for himself a Proustian survey in which his answers are supposed to give us insight into his persona. What we get is a portrait of a conflicted intellectual who takes pride in his knowledge and experiences, but whose most "marked characteristic" is insecurity. He most dislikes stupidity, according to his self-imposed questionnaire, and he most admires both moral and physical courage. His favorite virtue is an appreciation for irony.
   
   It was with a sense of irony then, when Hitchens was approaching 50 years of age, that his younger brother, Peter, discovers that their mother was Jewish, raising the intriguing possibility that they both are Jewish. A self-proclaimed atheist (see his book, "god is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything"), Hitchens considers, but rejects the prospect of his Jewishness. In doing so, he reveals his contempt for Zionist Israel and its occupation of Palestinian lands. But his awareness of his Jewishness increases his sympathy for the suffering of the "children of Israel" as they seek a homeland. His confliction over his roots thus gives him valuable insights to the current Middle East stalemate between Israeli Zionists and Islam jihadists. Hitchens is clearly sympathetic to the Palestinian movement, but he also thinks that the Jewish people have a right to seek their own identity, preferably somewhere else than on Palestinian soil.
   
   Hitchens illuminates his agony over this dilemma by describing the deterioration of his relationship with his good friend Edward Said, a Palestinian intellectual. Hitchens and Said initially developed a very close relationship, but after Sept. 11, 2001, according to Hitchens, Said started writing anti-American essays and articles, and their relationship started to cool. The relationship was effectively destroyed when Said quoted, without attribution, commentary by Hitchens that he (Said) said was "racist." There could be no greater insult to Hitchens than to be called a racist. He never spoke to Said again.
   
   HITCH-22 is a very good memoir -- it is topical, penetrating, amusing and revealing -- one that is well worth the time and effort to read. The memoir offers an insightful look into the mindset of one of our era's most astute social and political critics.
   
   Postscript: shortly after his memoir was published in the spring of 2010, Hitchens was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus that had metastasized into his lung and lymph nodes. He underwent chemotherapy and wrote in the September issue of Vanity Fair: "I am quietly resolved to resist bodily as best I can..."



3. I found this book very hard to like, and after trying a few times to get into it, I just stopped. Life is too short to waste it trying to like something I just don't like. Despite Hitchens writing ability, he's really the guy you don't want to meet at a party lest he dominate the conversation (or monologue) with lots of namedropping, ego-stroking, and extreme opinion. I found it crass and boorish, but even worse, I think he was trying to be that on purpose just to mess with people.



4. I've always felt that Christopher Hitchens was a bully, regardless of his insistence that bullies are what he hates most. My impression comes from the many times I've seen Hitchens through the years being interviewed or taking part in debates. He always expressed himself so forcefully (and insightfully) that he didn't seem to be the kind of person who would suffer fools gladly, or even put up with people simply expressing their own thoughts and opinions, if those thoughts and opinions didn't concur with his own. I've always felt that debating is not only a great means of expressing your own viewpoints but learning those of others--and thereby, perhaps, learning something yourself in the process. When one consistently smashes and rips to shreds a holder of an opposing view, what chance do you really have in swaying the opponent and changing his or her mind? More likely you'll create an enemy and Hitchens has certainly been successful in this.
   
   In his memoir, he states how surprised he's been when at book signings people state how suprised they are to find how friendly he actually is. Too bad, in my opinion, that more people haven't been exposed publicly to this friendliness. Too bad Hitchens hasn't been, if not compassionate, then at least slightly more understanding of people's misunderstandings of issues. He may have won more people to his causes and gotten more people to listen to what he has to say. Nonetheless, Christopher Hitchens is certainly a brilliant man, a great writer, and, above all, a thinker. Because of this he is worth listening to and his ideas are thus worth considering. I think the thing I appreciate most about this book is not the incredibly varied experiences Hitchens has had in numerous countries with all sorts of people--some famous and not--(although this is certainly interesting to read), but his understanding that people, including himself, are full of contradictions, and that honestly grappling with these contradictions will lead us all closer to a legitimate understanding of both our selves and our times. For this alone the book is a great achievement.



5. My title, half-stolen from Auden's tribute to Yeats, is completely appropriate to Christopher Hitchens, alive or dead. I don't give a damn if Christopher Hitches is loved or hated - he is a true intellectual with the gift of language I could only hope to have .05% of in my lifetime. I've loved his writing always, and was introduced to Martin Amis' writing (another author requiring a dictionary by my side) long before I knew they were friends. I loved this book, and if read only for selfish reasons (it was not), I always learn something from him - about language, history, politics, analogies, his perceptions (many times quite comical). Should he die well before his time, and I fear he will, I will remember him as one of the greatest "out-of-the-box" thinkers (there, I've revealed my mediocre ability to describe things as aptly and cleverly as so many wonderful writers) of our time. Excellent book - loved or hated, one cannot deny his ability to educate (in some way) anyone who reads him, whether his columns in Vanity Fair or Atlantic, or his books. I miss him already. I met him one time, under very regular circumstances, when his wife turned in an application for a kitten. On seeing the name, I offhandedly said "Any relationship to Christopher Hitchens?" to which she replied "Yes, he's my husband and right over there." I slinked over to introduce myself and to tell him how much I enjoyed his writing, and he said "Really, what?" There I stood, a completely blank canvas, so startstruck I couldn't think of damned thing. He was kind and said "I could watch a cat in the garden all day." I thought it was kind, because he could have crucified me and instead let me simmer in my own star-struck-edness. What a guy...

5 comments about Spoken from the Heart.

1. Laura Bush is the real deal - no doubt about it! Throughout the entire book, I never once detected the smallest hint of her being anything but genuine, decent & caring, warm & humble, and appreciative. Nor did she climb on a political platform to push some agenda of hers or her husband's - THANK YOU LAURA!! There's just too much of that everywhere you turn/look/listen anymore and so much of it is gratuitous blather. She admirably felt no need to bash her detractors and I believe that is because she is the type of person who has CHOSEN to remain balanced, who is DETERMINED to find the good in others, and who's succeeded is rising above what seems to be the most unfortunate need of so many narcissists today who are just plain mean-spirited, petty and spiteful. They are so tiresome, and unhappily, so loud, obnoxious, and ubiquitous! What a GIFT to be able to relax and ENJOY her & her story. Her childhood and teenage years were so pleasantly "ordinary" for the most part (like mine!), yet so charming and I think that's because she is a gracious and kind person and so are/were her family members. Good ol' fashioned *folks*!!! Being from CA, I'd never given much thought to Texas (sorry TX!), but her simple yet eloquent descriptions of the land and the images she creates in the book made it come alive in a wondrous way to me - I really looked forward to and completely enjoyed the time I spent reading her book. Again, thanks Laura, and God bless your heart!



2. What a lady! Laura Bush shared her story in Spoken from the Heart giving us insight into her wonderful childhood and the accident that could have altered her young life. Yet the accident didn't falter her endurance and healing. Today she would have done differently, but times were different in the 1950's. Congrats to Laura on her efforts for the Book Festival in DC with the Library of Congress (I'm fortunately to have a poster framed in my home), work with women and children of Afganistan, strength for her husband following 9/11, and continual efforts in New Orleans. No political profile and who could not admire her efforts each day. Laura, thanks for sharing your life story.



3. Ordered this book with Amazon ... had a question with regards to the pricing of my order and received an "oversea" customer service department. The call quality was horrible. the individual did not overly understand my issue and kept calling me Ma'am when I am a male. Corrected the representative and he apologized by saying "Sorry Ma'am". Very disappointed in Amazon's customer service department ! ! ! Would seriously consider using another ordering website when ordering items now and during the holidays. Asked the gentleman if there was someone in the States who could assist me and he said no, " All customer service representatives are overseas" ....



4. My wife gave me Laura Bush's book, Spoken from the heart, as a Father's day gift. While it is not my usual read I was quite interested to learn of the woman who married George Bush, the president I voted for twice.
   Laura Bush was not just Laura Bush, but also born Laura Welch; her own person. Laura's father was a military veteran and hero. Laura's mother was a devote caregiver and worked hard to instill in Laura the many things she would need in life to make her a better person and to have full respect for those she came in contact with.
   I came away with a newfound respect for Laura Bush, for she exemplifies the goodness we all need to aspire to.
   A great book and a great person, thank you, Laura, for sharing.
   I hope Laura, and president, took the time to read the book I sent them, Dreams in Blue: the real police.
   Dreams in Blue: "The Real Police"



5. If you don't buy this book, please at least take a minute to read some of the hateful, venom filled reviews. Some are shocking in their hostility and lack of respect.

5 comments about Infidel.

1. It is a fantastic, honest, gut wrenching story that every woman and man should read. A friend gave it to me and from the moment I opened the cover I couldn't put it down. If you are interested in Islam, Africa, a woman's journal, female genital mutilation (the true story), immigrating to Europe or the US or cultural life in Holland this book is for you!



2. Her book is one of the most important life stories I have ever encountered. I rate her book 5 stars.
   
   The thing that maddens me, however is that the kindle edition is more expensive than the paperback. This makes no sense and I find it to be like a slap in the face after spending so much money on the kindle device in the first place. Shame on you, Amazon. I have recently purchased an iPad and I can now read many different digital formats. If Amazon kindle format is going to be so expensive I will shop elsewhere.



3. INFIDEL is a remarkable story of a girl born in Somalia in late 1969, who sought asylum in Holland in 1992 to escape a family-planned marriage, became well-known for speaking out against commonplace atrocities committed against Muslim women in the name of Allah, and became a Liberal Party member of the Dutch Parliament. It is not primarily a story of a rise from abject poverty; her father was from a dominant Somalian clan and actually led a resistance movement against the current Somalian strongman. However, for the 1970s, the material circumstances of her childhood were crude and backwards. But this is a story of the deleterious impacts of the all-consuming presence of religion, that is Islam, in her life and the dominance of clan traditions, which were aligned with religious demands. The sheer inhumanity countenanced by Islam, including the subjugation of women and the advocacy of killing non-believers, forced Ali to realize that she could no longer accept the religion of her youth.
   
   The first half of the book follows Ali as she lives in Somalia, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and mostly Kenya. Muslims were a minority in Kenya, but her family rigorously complied with Muslim practices including the most heinous of them, female mutilation. Held down, her female parts were excised by scissors and then she was sewn shut - now she was "pure." She did attend religious-based schools and a secretarial school. She was clandestinely married at one point for days; her husband left, but not until a nightmarish wedding night. The first part of the book does get bogged down in recounting numerous indignities and religious practices, involving too many people to remember, and the harsh restrictions of her temper-prone mother.
   
   The story begins in earnest when Ali in 1992 diverts from Germany, where she was supposedly waiting for a visa to join her family-selected husband in Canada, to Holland and asks for political asylum as a Somalian refugee. Holland was an absolute shock to Ali. Never had she seen such order and efficiency both in the infrastructure and in the people. Here was a state that actually had the capacity and willingness to assist those in need. Authorities in her previous life were to be feared regardless of source: family, religion, or government. Acquiring asylum status, she was given housing and benefits. With no small effort on her part, she completed several levels of schooling which eventuated in her receiving a Masters Degree in political science from the prestigious University of Leiden in 2000. During that time she also worked as a translator in any number of social situations. She became increasingly aware of the vulnerable status of Muslim women even in enlightened Holland: beatings, mutilation, and even "honor" killings. She also had to contend with her beloved younger sister who she was trying to help regain her mental health; but the trauma of her harsh childhood proved to be too much - one of many Muslim girls so affected.
   
   Her first job out of college as a researcher for the social-democratic Labor Party propelled her into the public arena. Her attendance and speaking out at public forums and her writings gained her a reputation as an advocate for Muslim women. She eventually was elected to Parliament on the Liberal Party ticket in 2003. It was also at this time that she made a quite controversial short film with noted Dutch film producer Theo Van Gough which dramatized the female brutality condoned by Islam. The venom unleashed in some elements of the Muslim community was so profound that Van Gough was assassinated on the streets of Amsterdam in 2004 and she had to go into deep hiding under the control of the Dutch state security police.
   
   Beyond Ali's academic achievements and public roles, the last part of the book consists of her reflections on the contradictions and hypocrisies of Islam and the faulty thinking of the Dutch state in accommodating Islam. As Ali points out repeatedly, Islam is fundamentally not a religion based on kindness, tolerance, reason, growth of individuals, or other widely held ideas about what is best for societies. It is all right there in Quran. It is male-dominated; she wonders how a supposedly universal religion could write off half of the human race. Women in Islam are nonentities. This is the situation that the Dutch state is accepting when it permits separate Muslim institutions. The multicultural mantra is used as a shield by the Muslim community. In her opinion, their religious-based cruelties can and do proceed without restriction.
   
   Ali had to resign her seat in Parliament in 2006 when her notoriety almost cost her Dutch citizenship. But she remains an advocate for ending religion-based schooling in Holland, as well the end of the brutalities perpetrated against women under a religious shield. She also has called for restricted immigration of Muslims, fearing their potential dominance of Dutch politics. She is not optimistic that Muslims in any significant numbers can ever free themselves from their cage and reject the extremism of Islam.
   
   Ali is now an atheist. She came to that point by having to live through the immense absurdities of Islam. She does not however tackle the greater issue of whether all religions should be similarly viewed and rejected. The mayhem and cruelties perpetrated under Western religions have been quite massive through the centuries. Why should they get a free ride? Interestingly, Ali took a position with the conservative American Enterprise Institute in 2006, which is fairly consistent with her emphasis on the exercise of free choice. One can wonder whether she fully appreciates the rejection by the AEI of the welfare state; such a state gave her a second chance in life with almost no hesitation.
   
   The book is interesting - what a remarkable, unique person. But like most memoirs it is tedious, repetitious, and selective in what is included and emphasized. Her childhood years go on interminably. However, her adult life is far more important and fascinating. One could hope that thousands of more voices like hers might make inroads against the notion that religions are peaceful and further all mankind - an idea that is demonstrably false.



4. As you get older time goes by faster. I could hard wait to grab my iPad, get into bed at night and read. I finally finished today after 7 hours of reading.



5. I do believe this is the most important book that I will read in my lifetime.

5 comments about The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley.

1. This book is wonderful. The writing is excellent, and Malcolm X's life story is as amazing as anyone could imagine. Incredible highs and lows are vividly portrayed (for me, one standout is the degradation of Malcolm having to rinse the chemicals out of his hair in toilet water--this incident makes me physically cringe and feel pain for him), and thrilling and fascinating episodes leave me marveling that one person could achieve and experience so much. Later in his life, as his understanding of humanity expands and deepens, my respect and admiration for him likewise grows. I can't adequately describe either the book or the way I feel about it.
   
   I first read this for school, but as I was reading it I knew it was something that I'd truly appreciate and come back to over and over again.



2. A timeless classic. This book tells the metamorphasis of a strong Black man, from boyhood to manhood. Through all of his trials and tribulations, Malcolm always found a way to gain strength and grow in both mind and spirit. A must read for all Americans. We must not forget his contributions to our society.



3. This is a book everyone should read. It's a book you can't seem to put down. There is a part of this book that i love.."I read aimlessly, until I learned to read selectively, with a purpose". This book changed the way i viewed certain things in life!



4. I must have clicked on the wrong item, because I did NOT purposely order Max Notes. I already have two Master's Degrees and a year of Law School. So, I do not need "notes."



5. it was not clear to me upfront: this book is not the acutal autobiography. These are the notes for the book. they summarize chapters and importance of them. so if you want to read the actual book, do not purchase this one.

5 comments about Dirty Sexy Politics.

1. McCain tells the behind-the-scenes story of her father's campaign in a lively, enjoyable way. The narrative is unusually attention-holding for a memoir. McCain accords great respect to the Palin family and even to the louts who ran her father's campaign, many of whom she refrains from naming. Conservatives who are expecting a "bratty liberal" will be pleasantly surprised. They should find much to enjoy in the story. More importantly, they will find valuable insights from a next-generation Republican.



2. This is the best "campaign" book I have ever read. It is presented through the eyes of a 23 year old daughter who loves her dad and is the kind of young Republican we will attract if we don't drive them away. I was a Romney supporter, but I came away with a great deal of respect for the entire McCain family. Meghan and Palin were treated with the same disdain by the campaign managers. I think Palin managed to push through, but the campaign missed something by not presenting Meghan as who she is. I have religious right friends who followed Meghan on her blog, as did I, and who loved her. Meghan presents Cindy as a warm and loving mom - something the press does not do. And she knows her dad loves his country - something I have never doubted.



3. Anyone who is slamming this book hasn't read it or is probably just a liberal trying to say nasty things just because it's Megan McCain. They aren't getting the message of what she's saying. READ THE BOOK. I read it in one night because it was enjoyable to read and see a campaign through Megan McCain's eyes. She's flawed, the Republican pary is flawed and she is candid about how she feels about gay marriage, abortion and religion.
   
   I loved this book because she DOES speak for a lot of us younger republicans who feel the same way as she does in regard to social issues. I admire what she's doing. She isn't perfect, she admits that very honestly and humorously. I'd recommend this book to republicans and democrats alike because it's just a delight to read, it doesn't matter what party you belong to.



4. don't waster your money unless your a MSNBC watcher. This chick is just a Liberal trying to destroy the Republican party. She is NO Republican. If her daddy was not a member of the GOP and was a open Democrat, so would she.
   
   She has nothing to offer and has not done anything on her own. Unlike Sara Palin, McCain is a parasite living off her parents wealth.
   
   She is a goof and needs to just admit she is a Democrat. But that would take honesty and character, which is in sort supply with all Liberals.
   
   I think she should hang out with the Bush daughters, children of privilege, and just liberals with no brains .
   
   I only voted for her dad because Palin was on the ticket, otherwise I would have not voted for President in 2008.



5. Dirty Sexy Politics is brilliant. It begs the question...what happened to the Republican party? Clearly, it's been hijacked and McCain not only sees it, but she gets it. She speaks openly and honestly about the topic with effortless wit and candor. Great read for anyone, but especially those of us who consider ourselves proud members of the Republican party, but who've struggled with the direction some on the radical right have taken us in the media over the years. Critics will no doubt slam her, because she's young and speaks her mind and doesn't fit into a nice tiny little box you can easily label. However, Dirty Sexy Politics is a breath of fresh air.

5 comments about Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.

1. Nelson Mandela has become an icon of human freedom throughout the world. His intelligence, astute awareness of human nature, perseverence and sheer determination to stand against the "enemy" of injustice and cruelty is an example for all of mankind. His autobiography is an excellent chronicle of his life, his aspirations for his country and his sacrifice to attain those aspirations. I have come to admire Mr. Mandela all the more through his book. While I do not necessarily agree with all of his philosophies and ideas, I found myself rethinking some of mine. This is a thought provoking read.



2. Nelson Mandella "writes", unlike some so called authors who fill pages up to make readers think there is some substance...
   After watching the movie Invictus, I was compelled to find out more about this man's influence in the destruction of Apartheid in So. Africa. Wow! Would you edure as much as he and come out of prison after so many years as HE? I respect Nelson even more.



3. I received the product quiet fast. It was in great condition (Brand New) and had no issues with the paying and receiving the item



4. I've always had a great admiration for Nelson Mandela, but have only known the very basics about his life and political career. Whenever I saw him on TV I was always captivated by the man who had ruled a nation, yet seemed so grounded and modest that I could only respect him. I have to admit that up to the point of reading this book I was totally ignorant to the extremities of apartheid in South Africa for which Mr. Mandela had given his entire life to beating. I have now read these wonderful memoirs in their entirety and must say my admiration and respect for the man has increased to a level I genuinely cannot describe. Having an interest in history, this was undoubtedly a book that I had to read at some point, but up until this point I had, in my mind, placed the struggle against apartheid along the same lines as the civil rights movement in the United States; but I have now come to realise that, although there are similarities, there are a lot more differences.
   
   One of the most glaring differences between the two, which Mr. Mandela touched upon in his memoirs, was that in the United States the black population were guaranteed equal rights through their constitution but simply had these taken away from them by the racist political elites, whereas in South Africa, there was legislation and laws forbidding equality to the black majority of the country and this helps distinguish very clearly the route Mr. Mandela had to take in beating apartheid. I'm not going to say much about the story itself as it's one to be read and enjoyed first hand, but I will give my impressions on Mr. Mandela which were gained purely from reading his memoirs. I gained the impression that he has always been aware he's not perfect, nor is he one that thinks he's always right. He is a man that shows respect to every person he meets, but he won't shy away from an argument or a battle when he is attacked either verbally or physically. He's a man of reflection and integrity; he will look back on a past decision and say honestly whether it was the right or wrong call of the time. He's a man who has a lot of love and respect for all of his family, political friends and his country. He has given all of his life in the pursuit of freedom for his country, and he deserves out respect for that.
   
   He has a remarkable story to tell and it would be a shame if anyone who read this review or at some point had seen this book whilst browsing and skipped past it without even considering what they could learn. I've now an enormous appreciation for the fight which Mr. Mandela put up against the immense oppression of the South African government; and perhaps it has a greater message to send. The message we can all take from this is that, no matter how big the government or how powerful the oppression, the strength of human will and desire can truly overcome any obstacle thrown at it. Mr. Mandela also expresses a very strong message about there being goodness in all of us, no matter how much we try to hide it. He shows compassion towards those who were once his enemies as he realises that they are all good people at heart, and it is him and those like him that must teach those in the world whose job it is to hate, exactly how much better it is to love your enemy.
   
   Beautiful life story of a beautiful man. You must own this book.



5. I will leave to others to give a desription of this book. I will just say that it has changed my life and inspired me greatly. READ IT!

5 comments about Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices.

1. This is an excellent book that is page turner! Having an insider's perspective of both Hamas and the Israeli government is intriguing enough, but to add the perspective of his new-found Christian faith makes this truly interesting and informative reading.



2. Incredibly insightful account from an insider...his bravery, courage and love for his family and people is amazing. You will gain a new understanding of the conflict in the Middle East in this story of one man's journey of faith



3. This book was enjoyable to read and it felt as if I was read a Tom Clancy novel with all the action that was going on. But the best part of the book was understanding a different perspective on the same beliefs I have. You should buy this book.



4. I initially purchased this book with the expectation that it would contain a lot more of the author's journey into Christianity. While that does account for some of the book, it is far less than what I had thought it would be. In no way did this lack of content depreciate my high regard for this story and the way the author presents it. It reads like a true life action movie. Jarring because you never forget that it's autobiographical. The bits of the author's call and conversion to Christianity are very honest. The epilogue at the end of the book, for me, was the most powerful. Read SON OF HAMAS to be informed about the Middle East, read it to understand a heart divided, read it to understand the power and beauty of faith. Just.. Read it!



5. "Son of Hamas" by Mosab Hasson Yousef is a gripping autobiography of a man who is caught between his own morality and what is expected of him by his community. Mosab is the son of a Hamas leader who is caught and jailed by the Shin Bet (Israel's internal security services). After gaining his trust, the shin bet asks Mosab to work for them, as a double agent, which he did superbly.
   
   Toward the end of the Century, Mosab encountered a British pilgrim who invited him to a class about Christianity. Always curious and obviously and intelligent fellow, Mosab went and was slowly indoctrinated into the teachings of Jesus. In the following months, along with his intelligence work, he slowly abandoned the religion he inherited towards the one he found.
   
   Mosab worked for Israel for a decade, from 1997 to 2007, in deep cover and gaining the trust of Hamas leadership mainly due to the position of his father as well as help from the shin bet. During those years Mosab helped capture numerous terrorists, stop suicide bombers, prevent assassinations, was an endless fountain of valuable intelligence information and last but certainly not least, kept his father out of jail. Many of the lives he helped save are Israelis but countless more are Palestinians.
   
   There are several fascinating aspects in this book. Mosab describes the inner workings, or rather the lack-of, of the Hamas. As the son of one of the founders, Mosab was up to his neck in Middle East politics and intrigue which gave him a unique position and fresh views which most people outside the Middle East, or even outside his standing, did not get to hear. Through his eyes it is understandable how the cycle of violence could get so much out of control and how people, who would never hurt a fly, suddenly become blood thirsty.
   
   There are no good guys and bad guys in this book. Granted, Mosab portrays the Israelis as the "less bad" guys but neither side is flexible enough for a Middle East solution to actually work. The cycle of violence, an eye-for-an-eye-for-an-eye... will continue infinitely because there is an ideological difference between the sides, and a war of ideas cannot be won with tanks or suicide bombs. Mosab found that the Israelis have a healthier respect for life than he thought which is understandable since he has been on the receiving end of Israel's wrath since birth - however Israel is still willing to torture and kill to further their agenda.
   
   With all the religious overtones of the book, I never felt preached to, or that Mosab was trying to push Christianity down my throat. Quite the opposite, he clearly states that religions is not the problem, nor is it the solution. Mosab realizes that the Palestinians are oppressed by their own people as much as they are by Israel and that both sides are manipulated by power hungry mongrels who would let people suffer endlessly just so they could enrich themselves.
   
   This is a gripping story, well told and expertly written. The unique perspective this book provides is interesting and enlightening. It seemed that Mosab was writing the book for himself and for his father, and less for the reader - which I found to be very personal and a great way to tell the story. This book, even though short, is well worth reading.
   
   For more reviews please visit ManOfLaBook dot com

5 comments about Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations.

1. I didn't think I could find a true atheist - till I got this book. "Nomad" presents a good introduction to practical issues in Islam such as money, honor, family, education - with first and second hand experiences. The writer recommends Christianity over Islam to those who can not live without religion, since "most people don't have the intellectual capability or spiritual honesty to reach the truth of God's non-existence". She already received multiple death threats from Muslim fundamentalists and has to constantly hide her identity. If one can go through all the experiences she went through and still not believe in God, if she can wake up every morning and still feel no need to say thank you for being alive and well, then she definitely fits the criteria of an atheist. We'll have to find out in the future if her current beliefs hold true, or if her atheism is the result a rebellion against the fears of her past.



2. 
   Ayaan Hirsi Ali caused a sensation with her first book "Infidel", which became an unexpected bestseller in 2006. Hirsi Ali at that time had just left the Netherlands under strange circumstances, despite being a member of Dutch parliament, and settled in the US. "Infidel" decries the inhumanity of Islam towards women, and many related issues.
   
   Now 4 years later comes "Nomad: From Islam to America-A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations" (300 pages), which is a sequel of sorts to the first book. In the first part of the book, Hirsi Ali looks back to various member of her family (her parents, half-sister, brother, etc.) and how each of them has handled growing up in an Islam society, even if not living in an Islam country. The most fascinating part of the book for me is the section dealing with the author's adjustment to living in America, and how Islam is becoming more radical, also within America. In the last part of the book, the author proposes some specific remedies on how to tackle the problems associated with Islam.
   
   The author's basic premise remains that the Western world, both in Europe and the US, is making a fundamental mistake by allowing the Islam communities to remain secluded and not to integrate into Western values, all the while with the best of intentions because 'we need to respect their culture', never mind that 'their culture' comprises of values we could never, ever agree with. The author then brings example after example on how disastrous this policy is. I happen to completely agree. When I came to the US in the early 80s, I couldn't wait to assimilate as best as possible into American society and values. Sadly, this is not so with the vast majority of Islam immigrants. The book reminds me also of Tony Blankley's equally excellent book of a few years ago ("The West's Last Chance: Will We Win The Clash of Civilizations", which also starts from the premise that Islam is intent on destroying the western values and society as much as possible). "Nomad" is highly recommended!



3. This is a great sequel to her book Infidel. Both books should be read by every American, especially our politicians and the people in the news media.



4. Ayaan Hirsi Ali's tale is one of survival, strength, and perseverance. You are immediately drawn in to her story and I could not put the book down! Excellent read!



5. The observation that there is a major, ongoing clash between Islamic civilization and the West can hardly be denied, although many would like to ignore it. Ayaan Hirsi Ali presents a lot of evidence that many Americans and Europeans are naive to the way that Islam works, and core Muslim values are widely different from Western values such as freedom, equality for women, defense of women's rights, etc. She argues that integrating immigrants presents a challenge that won't just "take care of itself." Ali has strong words for the proponents of multiculturalism who seek to protect immigrant minorities from integration into modern society. As an immigrant minority herself, she avers that these proponents hold a "racism of low expectations" that harms the very people they are trying to help.
   
   How does this happen? Ali demonstrates convincingly through scores of personal accounts and situations from relatives or Muslim immigrant families that she helped as a translator in Holland, that the religion and culture of Islam severely restricts women's rights and equality. She dispenses with the idea that things like "honor killings" only happen among radical Islamists, and shows how even in the "moderate" Muslim communities this is common, along with the barbaric practice of female circumcision (female genital mutilation). The description of what they do to helpless girls is truly stomach-turning, and the surprising thing is that it is usually the women who maintain this practice. It seems that it's not often urged by the men. But the women born in Islamic countries are regularly denied equal opportunities to education and freedom. They are frequently subject to child marriage to polygamous husbands. Ali aims to recruit Western feminists to the cause of the education and enlightenment of Islamic women to lift them out of the near-slavery they often live under. To be clear, this is not to say that all Muslim women live under the exact same situation--in fact as later parts of the book show, many adopt the superficial 'trappings' of Western life and opportunities. But the underlying ideology of Islam is what threatens freedom, and the more and more it is instilled, the more justifications for the oppression of women are maintained.
   
   Ali throughout the book praises the Enlightenment, and the changes that it brought about in Europe. It almost becomes a little tiresome how often she mentions it, which leads me to believe that she's a little bit too uncritical of the mores and values of the Enlightenment. But three main values that she said Westerners all take for granted, which leads them to misunderstand Islam (which does not hold these values) are the following: 1) encouraging and rewarding free inquiry, 2) that learning is for everyone, 3) individual freedom, 4) the outlawing of private violence, and 5) and individual property rights. These have been a part of Western society and thought for so long that it's hard for us to believe that people in modern societies don't hold these same assumptions.
   
   I found it very curious that Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a proud and avowed atheist, yet she surprisingly also calls for Christians to become active in the evangelization and assimilation of Muslims. She is convinced, despite her atheism, that the Christian God is a far more humane and forgiving God than the Muslim god Allah. As a Christian myself, I found her comments on Christianity to be alternatively flattering and puzzling. At times she seems very sympathetic to Christianity, and at other times she makes broad, sweeping generalizations about segments of Christianity. But I found myself agreeing with her that the clash of civilizations is highly unlikely to have a political solution, and certainly warfare will not accomplish it. But she suggests that the clash will be won through religious competition. Namely she believes that Christianity should be able to compete for the hearts of Muslims and win--because the majority of Muslims are in fact searching for God, and are appalled by the violence of their religion. Secondly, most do not truly know their Quran and what it teaches, and would further repudiate it if they knew. Christianity poses the revelation of a loving God and a forgiving Savior Jesus Christ, who promotes teachings of love toward your enemies and compassion.
   
   The personal accounts of Ali's life in Islam are heartbreaking, and what's more distressing is the fact that her life has been in constant danger from those who would try to kill her for criticizing Islam. But the main point of the book is that active work needs to be done to win over and 'liberate' the Muslim mind from an oppressive belief system that demeans women. She also shows convincingly that under NO circumstances should Western nations allow for the adoption of Sharia law. Ali is an articulate and insightful writer, and a very brave one as well. Anyone concerned about the clash of civilizations should give careful consideration to her words.