3 comments about Patrick Pearse and the Politics of Redemption: The Mind of the Easter Rising, 1916.

1. I really enjoyed this book written by my ex-professor. This is a marvelous psychohistorical, highly engaging, and at times pleasantly shocking reading about one Patrick Pearse. Moran goes deeply into the Pearse's psyche and explores the possible reasons for Patrick's (i)-rational actions. Was he a suitable hero-figure or was he a man driven by circumstances, his perception of injustice, and his powerlessness.



2. Incredibly insightful treatment of the Easter Rising and the man who lead it. This book gives us a new way of seeing this great Irish hero and shows us an in-debt psychological study of what brought him to lead the rebelion. A marvelous book.



3. Incredibly insightful treatment of the Easter Rising and the man who lead it. This book gives us a new way of seeing this great Irish hero and shows us an in-debt psychological study of what lead him to lead the rebelion. A marvelous book.

1 comments about They Called Me "King Tiger": My Struggle for the Land and Our Rights (Hispanic Civil Rights).

1. Regardless of your views, whether you call this man a crackpot or a hero, there is no question that Reies Lopez Tijerina is a passionate advocate of his cause. He believes firmly in the land grant issue that affecting those people living in northern New Mexico that descended from the original recipients of the land grants in the 1848 treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
   
   There are times when Tijerina is accusatory towards the anglos and the people that he sees as thieves - those that he believes stole the land from the Hispanices. There are other times when Tijerina's statements are perfectly logical, and make a good argument for why the land should be held by the descendants of the original grantees.
   
   This book is a truncation of Tijerina's full autobiography, which was written in Spanish; this translation was completed by Jose Gutierrez, who is another leader of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, but was selective about what was included in this work.
   
   There is no question that this is an important work - it gives the reader tremendous insight into the mind of Tijerina and his cause. It also allows the reader to see why Tijerina is so passionate about the movement and his efforts to ensure that heirs of the original grantees become the rightful owners of the land.

3 comments about The Presidents: Every Leader from Washington to Bush.

1. In a review for a previous edition of this book, another reviewer praised this book and warned positively of "information overload." I agree. This book is excellent and is loaded with facts of presidential history.
   
   I am a reader of American presidential history, and this is the best overview of the presidents I have read so far. The authors clearly are superb scholar of presidential history. This book meets the highest standard of scholarship while being very readable.
   
   Too many other books on the presidents are too vague (even inaccurate) or targeted for junior high readers. Others have a rotten political bias. This book is neither.
   
   This book does not subject you to watered down propaganda, recycled speeches, or overly-extended biographies covering the lives of the presidents before they were presidents. This book profiles the presidents in an unbiased way, with an emphasis on their acts as president, in scholarly detail. You will truly get to know the truth of every president in this book.
   
   Highly recommended for pleasure reading and reliable reference.



2. I haven't read the whole book yet, but I've found it has fascinating facts and anecdotes, especially about the early founding fathers and prexies. It personalizes and further brings into focus the incredible story of the first truly successful republic in modern history. The shorter bios. help give a flow and sweep to the historical periods that their tenures embody. No, you wouldn't want to read it in one or two sittings, but it's good in shorter snatches. They get amazingly complete and interesting details in each story; what an amazing life Andrew Jackson led, for example, in both his great and despicable qualities.



3. This book seemed more like a textbook than an entertaining read. It presented nothing more than the facts and I wasn't very entertained by it. Nevertheless, it is a good 5-second history reference and would make good use as a dust collector on your bookshelf.

5 comments about . . . and His Lovely Wife: A Memoir from the Woman Beside the Man.

1. I took an interest in Sherrod Brown's campaign early on. I am a progressive and he was featured in one of my magazines before the primary that never was with Hackett. I heard Connie Schultz interviewed on Fresh Air with Terry Gross and I became intrigued by the subject matter.
   
   That said, I found the book enjoyable and entertaining. Connie is a funny, independent woman as is evidenced by her writing. It is a political memoir, make no mistake, but it does give readers insight into how their relatively short marriage lasted (and even thrived) in a political campaign. I also enjoyed info. about the Hackett factor. Connie's insight about going from being a columnist to giving only her husband's opinions was food for thought. The only criticism that I have is that you really don't get a good sense of who her husband is. You know his political battles/views and some quirky things about him but it still feels like an outline of the man. Maybe some of this is deliberate in the face of leading very public lives. Needless to say, I would recommend this book. I read it in a day and very much enjoyed myself.



2. Connie Schultz, ...And His Lovely Wife: A Memoir from the Woman Beside the Man (Random House, 2007)
   
   I told myself when I started reading ...And His Lovely Wife that I would try to keep my feelings for Sherrod Brown's politics out of this review, but the farther I got into this book, the more impossible that seemed. Connie Schultz is, if anything, more of an idealist hardliner than her now-Senatorial spouse, so it would be an Herculean task to separate the politics from the writing. The policies that terrified me during the thankfully short time I lived in Brown's Congressional district are not only applauded by Schultz, but held up by her as the reasons Brown got himself elected Senator (and more so as the very reasons he should have gotten elected). Sometimes I fear for the collective sanity of our nation. Any time I buried my nose in the pages of this book (and I mean that quite literally; I'm one of those odd folks who loves that particular odor of paper, ink, and glue that comprises "new-book smell"), "sometimes" came a-runnin'. But still, I shall do my best to focus on Connie Schultz' writing rather than her (and her husband's) politics.
   
   The campaign trail is considered an unavoidable fact of political life these days. There are a lot of books out there written by or about politicians, but very few of them focus on the campaign trail, and none of those (that I am aware of) focus on the impact the campaign trail has on family life. Enter Connie Schultz, wife of Ohio Senatorial candidate Sherrod Brown, to fill the gap. And fill it she does, rather creidbly. I will warn you, as I intimated above, that if your political viewpoint is antithetical to Brown's, there are large parts of this book that will rankle, but the end result is the same: Schultz' focus is on the human interactions of the campaign trail far more than the political. That said, it's worth noting that Schultz doesn't seem to think her family's experience was typical, a sentiment that was noted by a number of other candidates' and elected officials' wives.
   
   If you've read Schultz' columns (and with the recent release of her collected-columns book, more of those outside the Cleveland area have probably done so), you've got a good idea of what to expect from the writing here-- acerbic, witty, observant. The downside is the same as it usually is when a columnist writes a book: this reads like a two-hundred-eighty-page newspaper column. What is good in small doses can get stale over the course of one hundred thousand or so words. Best to approach this with the intention of reading small bites at a time; I found, once I got into the rhythm, that a chapter a day seemed to do the trick.
   
   Could have been better, but not bad. ***



3. Enjoyed the radio interviews with the author, but I found the book too self-serving, too political.



4. I was on a commercial flight from Cleveland to Washington last Spring. It was a particularly windy day and landing at DCA seemed problematic. On approach, one wing would dip and then the other. There was no applause on landing, but a collective exhale. Ohio's junior Senator, Sherrod Brown, was on that flight.
   
   Connie Schultz is Sherrod's wife, a Pulitzer prize winning columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. ...and His Lovely Wife is her account of discovering the vicissitudes of Ohio politics through the eyes of a campaign wife during her husband's 2006 run for the Senate. The title comes from her irritation at the awkward manner in which she was frequently introduced by those not yet comfortable with married couples with different last names.
   
   The book is a fascinating study of politics and romance, written with great humor and frequently great insight. It is especially readable because of the inclusion of details like Connie's insistance that her husband pledge not to fly in small airplanes during the campaign - too much of a temptation to fly when you shouldn't - too many dead candidates from choosing wrong:something I found ironic after that Spring landing in Washington.
   
   O.K., I'm from Ohio. O.K., I'm sort of a political junkie. O.K. I'm a longtime Sherrod Brown fan. This book just sucked me through. After the few days it took be to go through it, my only disappointment was that there was not more.



5. Smart, funny, and honest, ...and His Lovely Wife shows how crushingly difficult it is to run for public office. It also demostrates that there are still some honorable politicians who care deeply about average people. And there are dishonorable politicians willing to lie and slander in order to hang on to their power. (The incumbent Sherrod Brown defeated accused John Glenn--John Glenn--f being unpatriotic and soft on communism. The mind boggles.)
   
   
   The book is also a lot of fun. Not surprisingly, Connie Schultz writes very well (Pulitzers are not given out as Cracker Jack prizes), and she can be very funny about the lunacy of campaigning. I'm glad Ms. Shultz has been able to go back to her life as a journalist, and I hope this book is read by everyone who cares about American politics and government.

No comments about Trotsky (Life&Times).

No comments about Renegade for Peace and Justice: Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks for Me.

No comments about Prison Notebooks, Volume 3.

5 comments about Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist (New York Review Books Classics).

1. Everyone should read this book. It was written at the begining of the 19th century, but everything is still important today. I ordered this book for a friend in prison and he loved it, and passed it around to other prisoners. If you know anyone in jail or prison, please send them this book. It was my husband's favorite book before he was killed on a freight train. It's very well written and comes highly recommended.



2. This is one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Berkman, as you probably know, tried to kill Henry Frick in an ill fated (and stupid) solidarity action with a group of strikers. He went to jail for it, and his immature poltics underwent an amazing transistion.
   
   But instead of coming out of jail reformed, he came out with a more complex sense of who he was and what he had to do and returned immediately to his poltical work. Berkman's writing style changes as he changes as a person, starting out ultra doctrinare and ending up a more well rounded and likeable human being. Highly recommened, even if you aren't interested in the politics.



3. The book is the account of the anarchist Alexander's Berkman's experiences in prison after his botched attempt to assassinate the industrialist Henry Clay Frick, the monster who "legally" slaughtered workers during the Homestead strike of 1892. Although Berkman never abandons his anarchist principles, he does soften his moral repugnance for criminals whose crimes were not motivated by political or humanitarian aims. If anything his friendships with prisoners deepen his anarchist insights about how exploitation and poverty are the principal causes of criminal behavior. Like his lover Emma Goldman, he spends his prison years advocating for the needs of his fellow inmates, often being punished for his advocacy. Berkman details the brutality, graft and corruption of the prison establishment.

   Anticipating Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, Berkman shows that those who view their punishment as a part of a larger purpose are best equipped to survive the inhuman treatment and conditions of prison life. The book is not all seriousness, however. It often has lighter moments, as when Berkman describes the quixotic attempt by his friends to tunnel into the prison to free him. Berkman's sub rosa argument, made to Goldman, that Leon Czologosz's assassination of President McKinley lacked redeeming social value, unlike his (Berkman's) attempt to assassinate Frick, while though interesting fails to be convincing. Those interested in the relationship of these remarkable people (Goldman and Berkman) will especially want to read that section.

   The book is worth reading not merely for its historical value but for its literary qualities as well. It is intelligently written and difficult to put down. Although it is 518 pages, I read it all in three days. It is just that riveting.




4. In 1892, Alexander Berkman burst into the office of Henry Frick, an overseer at Carnegie's steelworks, and attempted to gun him down to foment a revolutionary uprising. Frick survived. Berkman went to jail. Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist is Berkman's account, not only of the revolutionary ardor which drove him to assault Frick, but also of the horrors of incarceration and the transformation of his own thinking while behind bars.

   We get plenty of revolutionary and anarchist theory from Berkman. He opens a door into the thoughts and feelings of people struggling for economic and social justice 100 years ago. More than that, he opens a door into the mindset of a fanatic, one which may help us understand the motivations of those who flew their planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11/2001:

   "Could anything be nobler than to die for a grand, a sublime Cause? Why, the very life of a true revolutionist has no other purpose, no significance whatever, save to sacrifice it on the altar of the beloved People." (p. 12)

   "My own individuality is entirely in the background; aye, I am not conscious of any personality in matters pertaining to the Cause. I am simply a revolutionist; a terrorist by conviction, an instrument for furthering the cause of humanity." (p. 13)

   "True, the Cause often calls upon the revolutionist to commit an unpleasant act; but it is the test of a true revolutionist-nay, more, his pride-to sacrifice all merely human feeling at the call of the People's Cause." (p. 12)

   Berkman, the purist, disdains his fellow prisoners. He sees himself as better than they are, a Servant of Humanity, not a petty criminal, a predator on the poor. But, life in prison, although it does not shake his revolutionary and anarchist convictions, does bring him down from his ivory tower. Berkman begins to see that:

   "The individual, in certain cases, is of more direct and immediate consequence than humanity. What is the latter but the aggregate of individual existences-and shall these, the best of them, forever be sacrificed for the metaphysical collectivity?" (p. 403)

   His revolutionary understanding also shifts. He begins to differentiate between the autocratic despotism of Europe and the despotism of republican institutions:

   "The despotism of republican institutions is far deeper, more insidious, because it rests on the popular delusion of self-government and independence. That is the subtle source of democratic tyranny, and, as such, it cannot be reached with a bullet. In modern capitalism, exploitation rather than oppression is the real enemy of the people ... the battle is to be waged in the economic rather than the political field." (p. 424)

   This is not, however, a political manifesto (for that, one can read Berkman's ABCs of Anarchism). Berkman reveals his inner processes during fourteen years of incarceration. We discover, not only the horrors and corruption of the prison system, but also wander intimately through Berkman's mind. We visit his childhood, soften at unexpected gentlenesses behind bars, and begin to appreciate something as simple as the sunrise.

   Although Berkman did not write the memoir until after he left prison, it has a sense of surreal immediacy. He wrote in the present tense, but that alone does not account for the way his text grips, and drags the reader into the maelstrom of his experience. We run with him through childhood memories, daily brutality, fantasies of escape and suicide, and the ideals that keep him sane. His longing for Emma Goldman shines through the text. He enthrones her almost as the guardian of his sanity through the years. Little can compare with the poignancy of his fantasy of mailing himself to his beloved Emma, escaping prison and finding himself with her again. (p. 135-137)

   Five stars. Absolutely brilliant work, as relevant today as it was nearly 100 years ago. In her autobiography, Living my Life, Emma Goldman recounted how Berkman saved his sanity and his life by writing this memoir. The deep introspection, the flights of fancy, the accounting of prison life-all deeply illumine the best and the worst of human nature. This book is required reading for anybody who wishes to understand the fanatical, terrorist mindset, for Berkman describes that aptly. Far more importantly, he shares the experience of survival and transformation. He, who entered prison a fanatic, left those iron gates more committed than ever to his cause, but no longer a fanatic. His story tells of graduating from terrorist to humanist, from monomaniacal fanatic to a deeply committed human being. If you read nothing else this year, read this book.

   (If you'd like to dialogue with me about this book or review, please click the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)




5. "Is there anything higher in life than to be a true revolutionist...?" - From Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist

   This is an incredibly moving and detailed account of an activist's experiences in early industrial America. As an Anarchist, Alexander Berkman recounts his observations of the era's struggle for decent living standards and fair treatment from fat cat industrialists. In prison for attempted assasination of a steel magnate who was responsible for firing and killing striking steel workers, Berkman eloquently describes his reasons for acting on behalf of the working poor and exploited. His experiences in prison are gut wrenching and very human. Not much fluffy language - very straighforward observations, which are emotionally piercing in their social significance and human truth. An exceptional read for anyone interested in the American history that is usually left out of school text books. Berkman's experiences are painful but very motivating and inspiring as they illustrate human love, the will to survive and continue to work for an ideal under the most horrendous conditions. This book is an extraordinary powerful testament to human goodness and strength.

5 comments about Bad Bet on the Bayou: The Rise of Gambling in Louisiana and the Fall of Governor Edwin Edwards.

1. If you were asked to make up a Grisham type tale about politics and corruption I do not think it would rival the true story this book takes you through.



2. "Vote for the crook. It's important." This was a bumper sticker seen around Louisiana at the time of the Edwards-Duke Election. It implores the electorate to vote for the three-time governor whose definition of an honest politician was one who stayed bought in order to beat the former Ku Klux Klan wizard.
   Like this bumper sticker, the book is funny--the thievery was so inept and outrageous, yet sad because this stuff was really going on.
   The author knows his stuff, and the subject area, Edwin Edwards and the rise of gambling in Louisiana is a great story. This book reads like a thriller.



3. The author could not decide what his subject was: a) the corrupting effects of contemporary gambling in Louisiana; b) how gambling licenses were won there; or c) Edwards' corrupt activities. Although I enjoyed many of its anecdotes, the book is structurally flawed and does not hang together. It also suffers from annoyingly redundant quotes.

   Bridges undoubtedly could have written excellent 50-100 pp. pieces on each of the three subjects above, or he could have shortened them into very readable magazine pieces. But he has failed to turn these related topics into a cohesive whole.




4. This book is excellent because it is supported by hard evidence of Louisian-style corruption.. For example, the author reports that former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Eddie Jordan, had a videotape of Gov. Edwards delivering a $20,000 bribe to former U.S. Representative Cleo Fields (D LA). Over the objection of his staff, Jordan declined to prosecute Fields or Edwards because , in his opinion, the evidence was insufficient. The Clinton Justice Department did not overrule Jordan's decision. How much more evidence did Jordan need? The real reason that Jordan decl;ined prosecution is that Fields and U.S. Representative William Jefferson (D LA) were both members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Jefferson and Jordan worked together in the same law office. Jordan could not prosecute his enemy, Edwards. without prosecuting his friend, Fields. The bitter irony of Edwards' criminal activity is that the U.S. Court of Appeals will probably reverse his conviction on legitimate grounds. Both the prosecutors and the trial judge overreached by dismissing during jury deliberations the only juror who was voting for acquittal and by ministrepreting the RICO statute. In any event, the question remains: why did "60 Minutes", "20/20", and "Prime Time" fail to cover the Fields bribery case? Dan , Tom and Sam, "What's the answer?"



5. I got this book for my husband, as he's the non-fiction reader in our family. I was out of something to read, so I picked it up and could NOT put it down.

   Bridges does a great job of putting a lot of convoluted information into readable form. Edwin Edwards and his Crazy Cajun Cronies didn't really do anything new...they just continued a long tradition of crooked Louisiana Politics!

   I enjoyed almost all of this book...the only parts that made my eyes glaze over were the details regarding the financing. My mind just can't wrap around deals where the broker stands to make 27 MILLION dollars....and then one million a year after that!

   If you ever wanted a peek into the world of slick politicians, oily gangsters and brash billionaires, this is your book. BAD BET ON THE BAYOU should be required reading for anyone who votes!

   Enjoy!

5 comments about Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms: My Life in American Politics.

1. In Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms: My Life in American Politics, Ed Rollins details his careers as a Political Operative learning the trade from California Democratic Speaker Jess Unruh, his philosophical transformation into a conservative Republican, alignment with the Reagan revolution and his time as a Senior White House Staffer and heavyweight Political Consultant.
   
   Rollins delivers this in a entertaining and salty style that seems appropriate given the blue collar background he repeatedly mentions in the book.
   
   Any political junkie will find this a great book, although many of the "saints" of Washington DC are not always shown in the most favorable light.
   
   Rollins gives his take on his time as Political Director of the Reagan White House, and Campaign Manager of Reagan's re-election campaign in 1984. He tells of his break with George Bush (41), when Rollins led the efforts of Presidential Candidate Jack Kemp, who according to Rollins was a more fitting heir to Reagan's crown.
   
   The chaos of the Perot 1992 campaign, controversy of the New Jersey Governor's race in 1993 and Rollins' self-described "redemption" with George Nethercutt's upset of Speaker Tom Foley in 1994, as well as other campaigns give the reader a great insight as to the experiences one may have working as a high level political operative.
   
   Rollins, often a controversial figure, does not pull punches. He gives his open opinions of many well known and respected figures in national politics.
   
   This book is definitely a keeper.



2. Being a political operative seems like a glamorous profession. While there certainly are perks -- there are an equal number of disadvantages to this career choice. Rollins' depiction of what it's like to be a campaign manager is the truest I've read. It's not always a glamorous lifestyle. Even the best campaigns are full of fast food, headaches and heartaches (now there's a title)! Rollins does a great job of telling "the real" story of being a campaign manager...the good, the bad, and the ugly...



3. I would love to hear Ed Rollins opinions concerning the present President Bush. His book descibes the problems with the first Prsident Bush adminastration (such as putting a higher price on staff and administrators with blind loyalty to those who knew what they were doing)
   Rollins book was very funny and a nice peek at the inside of political campaigns. He was very honest in the way he dealt his stories of former Presidents Nixon and Reagan. he did not try to gloss over the failings of either presidency or try to sugar coat anything. He explained his admiration of both Reagan and Nixon, and making a reasonable explaination for liking Richard Nixon can't be easy in a time when even the Republican party tries to forget him. But Ed Rollins does so in a manner which make sit possible to see that there was another side to the man.



4. Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms is political consultant Ed Rollins' journey as a political strategist in American politics. First of all you have to read this book just to receive the insight on Ross Perot and his insanity. I read this book awhile ago when I was in High School and laughed for hours about Perot. Also I love just hearing about the day to day operations of a political campaigns. If you are interested in politics or political campaigns this book is a must read and has to be in your library.
   
   Rollins covers working with President Ronald Reagan, Ross Perot, Christie Todd Whitman, Michael Huffington (another great wild chapter) and George Nethercutt. Read this book if you want to hear a great story about Frank Sinatra from the Reagan campaign. It is a great window into the workings and thought of the Reagan administration as well. Another great political consultant read was "Bad Boy" about the late Lee Atwater, this one might even be better. If you are a Democrat or Republican this will be a great laugh and amazing insight. You will not be able to put this book down, and once you finish you will go through serious withdrawls which may include chills, shakes, or foaming at the mouth.



5. I am a self confessed Democrat and even I loved this book. The author is as about as right leaning as they come, but that did nothing to diminish the enjoyment any political junkie would get from the book regardless of what side of the spectrum you are on. The author has been involved in Republican politics sense the Nixon administration and in this book he givens a well written, interesting and humorous account of what he has been a part of. I would not call this book a kiss and tell, but he does give you the facts in a straight up manner, regardless if it makes his clients or himself look bad.

   I found the time he spent on the Reagan and Perot campaigns the most interesting. The Reagan campaign because he really lays out the best way to run a campaign. This section of the book could almost be used as a how to tutorial on how to win a race. I found the Perot campaign info interesting for the exact opposite of the Reagan section. This guy was a flake and the author captures every odd, weird and down right stupid thing that happened. The author also talks about his relationship with the first President Bush and lets just say it is very eye opening. Everything he says about the father can be seen in the son today. His main point is that the Bush family feels loyalty is the most important trait a person can have and if you cross that line you will be paying for it for years.

   I enjoyed the fact that the author did not spend exorbitant amounts of time on his pre political history or his family situation, just enough to set the stage. I may be unique in this regard so if you are looking for an in depth view into his family this is not the book for you. Overall I really liked the book. It read fast and it is so interesting I just did not want to put it down. I read a lot of political books and this ranks up there as at least one of the more entertaining. If you are interested in the campaign process or the Reagan and Bush years then I would recommend this book regardless of your party affiliation.