4 comments about Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progressive.

1. This biography was one of the best I've read in a very long time. It wasn't overly long and drawn out, I read it in one sitting. Of course, I have great admiration for the subject, so I am biased, but the book would stand on its own merits. Sometimes a biography can get too bogged down in irrelevant details of the subject's life, but this definitely wasn't one of them.



2. Regardless of your views on either the left or the right, you have to appreciate the life that Paul Wellstone lived. From a kid in trouble to college professor to United States Senator is neither an easy nor a likely path. But that's what Paul Wellstone did.
   
   In this book Bill Lofy, Communications Director of Wellstone Action, the organization created to carry on Paul and Sheila Wellstone's legacy after their death, writes a biography of his life. But more than that, this book provides some insight to the problems that beset political life today. The point of view of Mr. Lofy is, of course, progressive or liberal as we used to say. More than that, though, is the love that he shows to Paul Wellstone as a person, not just a politician.



3. What first started out as an article on the impact of Paul Wellstone's politics, Bill Lofy's Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progressive transformed into a biography to be reckoned with. Starting with Paul's childhood and formative years to the day of his untimely departure, the book captures Paul's deep convictions and principles for social justice and progressive changes, which had forever altered the domestic politics landscape. One could double the biography as a platform for Paul's radical, oftentimes effective mechanism "...for the little guy versus the big guy." In a nutshell, Mr. Lofy succeeded in presenting Paul's bold resolve to espouse populist idealism in sharply divided American politics by foraying into academic politics and community activism and inevitably the Senate, as if he knew that, quoting the start of a chapter, "to be sure, mere passion, however genuinely felt is not enough." Presumably written on the behalf of many, this book is an embodiment of Paul's passion and integrity to remain genuine in the face of victories celebrated and failures embraced with dignity and humor. Resonating Paul's strength and vigor, the book offers lessons in life and leadership for everybody, regardless of affiliations. From the wresting mat to unorthodox campaign strategies, Paul's uncanny ability to rise in times of uncertainty inspired his constituents to "raise hell," like the book asserts Paul liked to say. However, that transpires the impulsivity Paul had acknowledged from time to time while remaining true to himself not to make decisions he did not believe in. In calculating courage in action, Paul showed us how, quoting Max Weber, he "...would not have attained the possible unless time and again he had reached out for the impossible." Conclusion can be made that the book is not just about Paul's impact on politics but also his passion for everybody. In the same vein, the book would share that when Paul visited a deaf awareness fair, he marveled at sign language and asked how to sign "beautiful." Like the book, that gesture of genuine appreciation for humanity Paul had so revered throughout his life could not be better exemplified.



4. Bill Lofy's Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progessive is a brillant book. Mr. Lofy has distilled the essence of Senator Wellstone and unequivocally demonstrates just why Wellstone was so special, why he changed peoples' lives and why he is so missed. This book is more than a recounting of the Senator's life. It also provides thoughtful and moving political analysis of Wellstone's work and achievements. Abraham Joshua Heschel, the noted Jewish philosopher, historian and social reformer, said shortly before his own death that we must "Know that every deed counts, that every word is power...Above all, remember that you must build your life as if it were a work of art." Paul Wellstone's life was such a work of art and Bill Lofy shows us why.

No comments about Francisco de Miranda: A Transatlantic Life in the Age of Revolution.

5 comments about Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations.

1. Thomas Paine (1737-1099) was an English born son of a poor staymaker in Thetford. Paine was largely self-educated and well read in the classics. He saw duty in the British navy and practiced the profession of staymaker, farmer, printer and newspaper reporter. He was a Deist who was raised by a Quaker father. Paine was upwardly mobile loving his life in London where he came to associate with the likes of James Boswell, Dr. Johnson, Josephy Priestly and the intellectual elite of England's capital city.
   Paine emigrated to America in 1776 where he became the protege of Benjamin Franklin. In early 1776 Paine published "Common Sense" the pamphlet which launched his fame in the New World and throughout the British Empire and World. Paine called for patriotism and support of America becoming good friends with General George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Washington read "Common Sense" to his troops the night before the Trenton battle. Paine's works were bestsellers and he became a household name. Paine's later works in the series "The American Crisis" also inspired our nation in its David vs. Goliath struggle to win freedom from Great Britain.
   Following the war, Paine lived for a time in England where he was condemned to die on the gallows by the Pitt administration for his works calling for greater freedoms for Englishman. Paine fled to Revolutionary France.
   In France he became a member of the National Assembly which during the reign of terror had him taken prisoner. Paine almost lost his life on the guillotine and was imprisoned for ten months in the Luxembourg prison. Due to the efforts of the American ambassador James Monroe he was freed
   from captivity.
   Paine returned to America where his liberal Republican Deism led to countless controversies. He died in 1809 a disillusioned patriot.
   Paine said that "Tyranny like hell is not easily conquered" and countless other phrases which will live forever in America's lexicon of freedom. He was the first writer to refer to our nation as "The United States of America." We are all his heirs of freedom, justice and liberty for all.
   Nelson writes in a somewhat dry and academic style. Much of the books deals with the beliefs of the Enlightment and does not spend as much time on the actual biography of Paine as this reviewer would have liked to see.
   The book does allow us to remember Paine and all he achieved. It is a book worthy of your money and time. Despite his many flaws, Thomas Paine is one of our outstanding founding fathers.



2. I had the good fortune to catch an interview of Craig Nelson on CSpan on one of the booknotes shows. The story he told of Thomas Paine was fascinating so I decided to buy the book and I am glad I did. He is the unsung hero of the American Revolution, the French Revolution and of democracy and Republics today. Few men have done more and gotten so little credit for it. How many of us know he was the one that communicated to THE WORLD the ideals of freedom and democracy to the point that his books, at a time when far fewer people where literate, sold millions of copies. They were read by everyone and read to the masses. Written in a level of language that sparked ideas and ideals in most who read or heard them. He kept Washington supplied with money by not taking any compensation or royalties for the books. He was welcome in the homes and parlors of most of the major players in the American revolution (expect John Adams' home.)
   
   He was a hero in France and had the distinct honor to be asked to represent a district of France in the new revolutionary government. Imagine that, an Englishman turned American, representing a French state, even though he did not speak or write French??? The power of ideas and ideals. He was feted in many a French aristocrats house and was companion to many intellectuals of the time.
   
   Yet today, few of us know anything about him because he made powerful enemies who proceeded to try to strike his memory from existance. Few people who were heros got such bad press. He died in America, yet his bones ended up being spread around the world.
   
   What a story! Read this book to appreciate the power of Common Sense, The Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment. Appreciate a true American Hero, if not a world hero.



3. I loved it. It is a well written and very detailed book about one of our founding fathers. Very easy to read and I finished it pretty quickly despite its in depth and thorough account of his life. It was unbiased in reporting both the good and the bad. I highly recommend it.



4. This was a very enjoyable book on a fascinating and under explored subject. At least it was fascinating once it got past what I felt to be a fairly slow start. For a while I was wondering if I had made a poor selection as the book seemed to focus little on Paine and more generally on the times and the other characters of the day. I was suspecting the author might have been padding due to some lack of research material.
   
   In good time my fears were allayed and the book began to carry forth under its own steam and from then on out as the pace was set the story became captivating and enriching to read.
   
   Thomas Paine of course plays at minimum a cameo role in any history of the nation's founding or in any biography of its founders. I love to read of the lives of our founding fathers and have read multiple biographies on most of them. I am ashamed to say that I waited this long to read a book fully dedicated to this most indispensable of founders.
   
   The author succeeds in portraying Thomas Paine in all of his human character - enlightened, passionate, abrasive, loyal and vain. I didn't get the sense, as often happens, that the subject was placed upon a pedestal by his historian without blemish, rather by simply cataloguing the life of this amazing and faulty character the reader has but little choice to hoist him upon that pedestal under the test of virtue.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who, like me realizes there is a hole in the story where Thomas Paine is concerned, and seeks to fill said hole with knowledge of his life.



5. "Thomas Paine" by Craig Nelson is a thoughtful yet entertaining biography of the Revolutionary War hero Thomas Paine. Positioning Paine within the intellectual vanguard of the Age of Enlightenment, Mr. Nelson demonstrates the crucial role that Paine played in inspiring the colonists' radical struggle for independence. This carefully researched and accessible work succeeds in reintroducing readers to a remarkable man who dedicated his life to human progress through politics.
   
   Mr. Nelson bookends the narrative with the strange tale of Paine's bones which were first recovered by William Cobbett and then sold and resold many times over. This particular narrative serves as a metaphor underscoring the changing opinions that posterity has attributed to Paine; indeed, we learn that Cobbett was virulently opposed to Paine's democratic principles during Paine's lifetime only to later became an ardent admirer after Paine's death. No doubt Cobbett was not unusual for his varying reactions to a message that helped set in motion a series of profound socio-political changes throughout the transatlantic world.
   
   Mr. Nelson's solid scholarship and vivid prose helps us imagine Paine passionately debating the great issues of the day with his fellow revolutionaries. Paine appears as one of the boldest and most visionary of his peers, publicly calling for an end to slavery, supporting women's rights and envisioning a welfare state at a time when most others were silent on these issues. Of course, it was Paine's remarkable talent in transcribing Enlightenment ideals into fiery populist rhetoric that made him indispensible, helping to win broad support for a cause that faced significant challenges and memorably rallying the soldiers at a particularly dark moment in the war.
   
   But Mr. Nelson takes Paine's story well beyond this familiar terrain to England and France, where Paine continued to risk all for the principles he held dear. Mr. Nelson makes clear that Paine was immersed in the kind of political turmoil and intrigue that makes today's world seem rather tame by comparison, including a narrow escape from England after authoring the seditious 'Age of Reason' and a remarkable stint in the French legislature where his principled stand for human dignity and democracy ended with a brutal imprisonment. Through it all, Paine became the 18th Century's most widely read author, pointing the way forward for the great mass of people through the Age of Revolution into today's democratic world that, in many ways, has yet to fulfill Paine's utopian vision.
   
   Tragically, Paine's unyielding defense of reason earned the enmity of small-minded religious demagogues who propagandized against the defenseless Paine in posterity. Fortunately, Mr. Nelson's book joins several other more recent works that correct this unjust historic distortion, helping to restore Paine to his proper place among the Founding Fathers as one of their most uncompromising and important leaders.

No comments about King Tiger: The Religious Vision of Reies Lopez Tijerina.

5 comments about Barbara Jordan: American Hero.

1. I'm glad that Jordan is not hear to see how the gov't of the people, for the people, by the people has been so completely perverted by special interests and neo patriots, such as George W. Bush and John Ashcroft. I was only a boy, when like many, I was captivated by this incredible person. She gave me hope that govt could actually serve the people. This book does a great job to capture her spirit and remind us that govt was once a tool and not force for opression.



2. This was a very inspirational book. Barbara Jordan's life was really incredible and the reason she accomplished as much as she did had to do with her innate abilities as well as her willingness to deal with the enemy. She kept her overriding goal utmost - the welfare of the people of East Texas.

   Lots of what she experienced and spoke out against we see today. We could really use her moral voice of authority. She is missed.




3. This is a well written and effective biography of one of America's most amazing personalities. Mary Beth Rodgers tells Jordan's story with the advantage of being an insider; her access to those who knew Jordan well shows in her insightful and complete telling of Jordan's life.

   Jordan is widely remembered by her public persona, the booming orator from Texas - the intellectual constitutional scholar who presided over Nixon's impeachment. But element that makes this biography compelling is Rodgers' depiction of the wheeling and dealing that allowed Jordan to cross barriers and operate effectively in the good-old-boy white male backrooms of the Texas Senate. We get to see Jordan the idealist armed with the constitution in our nation's capital, but we also get to see Jordan the pragmatist cutting deals over a scotch in Austin Texas.

   An effective biography of an amazing American figure.




4. Too often the reviews of biographies and history books end up reviewing the actual person or subject rather than the book. Barbara Jordan was a great, great woman. There's no doubt about that. Of all history's politicans, religious leaders, civil rights advocates, political figures and intellectuals, she is the one person who truly shows us all how we should handle the issue of race in this country.

   This book honored her. It was truly a great read. Descriptive, informative and thought provoking. Whenever I ask someone about Barbara Jordan, they always respond with something like, "Wow, have you ever heard her speak?" I was born too late to hear her more popular speeches. But, the author's effective use of excerpts from Jordan's speeches makes me feel like I was right there watching her. This well researched book gave me a deeper understanding of the events of the Nixon impeachment process, the Carter Administration, politics in itself and the plight of both African Americans and women in government. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.




5. IT IS THE BEST BOOK EVER!

5 comments about The Politics of Hope: Reviving the Dream of Democracy.

1. In isolation, for those that do not read widely, this book is a four-star book, a classic comics version of much more substantive works by Tom Atlee, James McGregor Burns, Robert Buckman, Allison Fine, Robert Fuller, William Greider, Richard Moore, Bill Moyer, Steven Pinker, James Rough, and many others.
   
   Here is the book, expanded into 214 under-sized, double-spaced pages:
   
   Four Stages of Political Evolution
   1) Anarchy
   2) Fear & Polarization
   3) Silence & Resignation
   4) Politics of Hope
   
   Seven Practices for Beocming a Concious Political Leader
   1) Finding Your Spiritual Center
   2) Serving with Higher Motives
   3) Sharing Your Unique Gifts
   4) Cultivating Your Political Habitat
   5) Communicating with Integrity & Trust
   6) Trusting the Mystery
   7) Answering the Call
   
   Got all that? That's all there is. This is largely consultant pap. It fails to satisfy, unless this is the only book you plan to read over the course of the year, in which case it marginally communicates some of the larger ideas many others have spent decades nurturing.
   
   The bibliography, which includes the Da Vinci Code (now, that is a real page turner, but is it really relevant here?), looks suspiciously like a thrown-together blend of what happened to be on the author's shelves and a quick survey of leadership books.
   
   I am not impressed. This book, which has a patina of bland and somewhat pretentious points to make, is one notch above the garbage that Rudy "Scoop & Dump" Gulliani publishes. He is the pimp of voyeur leadership, this author is the mistress of platitudinal leadership consulting.
   
   Yuck. Well-intentioned but tired. You'd be better off reading my reviews of the works listed below, and see also my lists, including the one on moral leadership.
   
   The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
   Transforming Leadership
   Building a Knowledge-Driven Organization
   Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age
   All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity (Bk Currents)
   Who Will Tell The People? : The Betrayal Of American Democracy
   Doing Democracy
   Escaping the Matrix: How We the People can change the world
   The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature
   Society's Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People



2. Zajonc's book is applicable not only to American politics, but to Canadian as well. She speaks of four stages of political evolution, from anarchy and traditionalism, through resignation to the politics of hope.
   
   In the spring of 2005, I was in the resignation stage. Never one to be involved in politics beyond voting on election day, I was fed up with the state of affairs in Ottawa. Government seemed to be more about destroying the other parties than about the good of the country.
   
   There has to be a better way, I said to myself. I was soon surprising myself by entering the race for federal office. Over and over I heard myself saying, "We have to learn to work together." I am still saying this, and am so pleased to have found Zajonc's book as a concise and articulate voice toward that end.



3. The Politics of Hope lays out an insightful premise that I realize now is absolutely true:what distinguishes those political leaders who leave a positive and lasting impact on their world from those who don't is not political affiliation or fund raising skills or even organizational savvy. Its their stage of conscious development, an argument the author establishes with clarity, examples and compelling reason. I immediately understood why some leaders are attractive to me while others leave me hungry for something more. This could just as easily be a book about the evolution of conscious leadership, not just conscious political leadership.
   
   A must read for anyone committed to social change on a local, state or national level. I was actually left with a greater sense of hope that it's not crazy but genuinely possible to cultivate greater consciousness in one's own leadership and that this act alone evokes greater contributions from those around us. The Politics of Hope shows there is something greater than fear to bring us forward as a nation and as a planet.



4. Donna Zajonc's book makes one long for the Politics of Hope to become active in our lives and the lives of our political leaders. A learning experience. Imagine, a new way of listening!! One could almost wish the book carried the word "Politics" as a subtitle, as Zajonc truly brings "life wisdom" to the ordinary folks who are fortunate enough to read it. Thoughtful, intelligent, READABLE.



5. Donna Zajonc sees hope within the breakdowns of our current political system. She believes that these breakdowns will lead to positive breakthroughs and a collaborative, interconnected, genuine democracy will result. If that doesn't give you hope I'm not sure what will! Zajonc appreciates the all-evolving process of the democratic sytem, inspiring creation, participation and hope, rather than feelings of defeat, resignment and distrust.
   Zajonc's "Seven Practices for Becoming a Conscious Public Leader" will completely shift your view on political leaders, challenging the generalizations and stereotypes associated with what seems like a hopeless, paralyzing system. She proposes several powerful concepts for our upcoming leaders, pushing politicians to view things differently--beyond current party structures--while challenging leaders to serve with only their highest motives and fulfill their greatest potential of integrity and genuine public service. This book may shift your view of "politics as a dirty word" to "politics of hope"; Nonetheless, it is like no political book I've read. You'll never see politics the same again! Pass it on!

5 comments about Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander.

1. Ótimo livro. Merece ser lido. É um livro abrangente, pois aborda fatos históricos acontecidos com o protagonista, deixando de somente preocupar-se com os fatos atuais. Mostra claramente o emaranhado do poder existente no Capitol e também na Casa Branca. Desconsidera qualquer tipo de importância latente, atual ou mesmo futura, da América Latina. Resume a abordar tendências estratégicas dos EUA e potenciais interesses nas áreas críticas do mundo atual. Recomendo a leitura.



2. I have not finished it yet as it is a lot to digest



3. The author finds a lot to praise in R's performance. That alone disqualifies this as a serious book. Rumsfeld is the man who had no plan for an occupation of Iraq. He expected the population to be grateful to an alien army in their midst.
   
   he fired the Army Chief of Staff who tried to tell Rummy that occupation would be challenging and troop-intensive.
   
   sent in troops without adequate body armor or armored humvees.
   
   a guy who is so abrasive that most generals who work with him find him impossible.
   
   He is so incompetent that Bush refuses to fire him. Like speaks to like.



4. Rumsfeld is not only a disgrace to the American Nation, rather he is a disgrace to humanity and all that it stands for. Apparently the author fails to confront any actual news sources, instead taking tiny tidbits that the idiot Rumsfeld had accomplished (believe it or not, he was able to "assassinate a terrorist"), and blows them to epic proportions, portraying Rumsfeld as some sort of mythical god. This book is a digrace to the American Nation. If the crap this author wrote is considered "factual", than apparently the War in Iraq is going just as planned, and believe it or not, the Iraqi insurgents love us! This book is absolutely disgusting. Resign Rumsfeld, resign now.



5. Though Rowan Scarborough wrote this book a good two years before a half dozen retired generals decided to publicly reveal their lack of the necessary intestinal fortitude to bandy sharp words with a septuagenarian, his book makes the reason for their incessant whining crystal clear: as a boss, Donald Rumsfeld is a real hard-ass.
   
   He doesn't suffer fools, he won't tolerate public disloyalty, he figures that anyone younger than he is can work his hours, and if he doesn't think you know what you are talking about, he will call you on it. Now one doesn't have to universally endorse this style of management (I doubt that I'd enjoy working for him, and he'd clearly be a disaster managing a bunch of sensitivity trainers) to realize that if it can work anywhere, it ought to work at the Pentagon. Rummy's direct reports are people whose job description involves sending people out to fight and kill and die; if they're too intimidated to defend their positions in a meeting, why should we believe them capable of defending their country on a battlefield?
   
   To his credit if you think Rumsfeld is wrong and are willing to stick to your guns and show him where he is wrong, he'll not only back off, but he'll respect you for it. As Scarborough quotes Newt Gingrich saying, "I think that one thing that made Tommy Franks so successful was that Franks figured out in the second or third meeting that we just got to go toe-to-toe and disagree or I'll never get anywhere with this guy. And as a result they developed a very good relationship."
   
   All in all a fascinating read. Defects? If you take away the Acknowledgements, the Index, the blank pages, and the 65 pages of blatant padding labeled Appendix, you have a total of 164 pages of fairly large type laid out in such a way that there are about 10 less lines per page than in books of comparable size. I don't remember if there were any prepublication excerpts printed in newspapers like Scarborough's Washington Times, but if they weren't careful, they could have accidentally printed the entire book in less than a week! Frankly there is more biographical material about Rumsfeld in James Mann's Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet despite the fact that it covers five more people than this slim volume! Maybe sometime in the future, Mr. Scarborough will get around to expanding this glorified feature article into a full biography of arguably the most influential SECDEF in US history.

5 comments about The JFK Assassination Debates: Lone Gunman Versus Conspiracy.

1. The idea behind 2006's "JFK: The Assassination Debates" seems valuable and overdue: A comparison of viewpoints regarding the murder of President Kennedy, between those who believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and those who don't. A shame it winds up being a repetitive, simplistic explanation of the author's point of view, with some worthwhile points lost amid the clutter.
   
   Author Michael L. Kurtz explains his view at the beginning that there was a conspiracy, but that his own view has shifted. He isn't trying to make up anyone's mind, he says, but offer "a solid basis of information upon which...they can make up their own minds."
   
   There are two chapters that seem to take this approach, one presenting the established lone-gunman view and the other being a sort of generic conspiracy viewpoint, about which Kurtz notes there are many tangents. Kurtz doesn't push his particular view here, and does a fair job establishing both positions.
   
   The rest of his book is less successful. Abandoning the "two-sides" approach which would seem to be the basis for the book's title, he offers his reasoning for disputing the official story.
   
   At times, he does a good job, too, especially when noting the conflicting stories regarding the condition of the President's head when his body reached Parkland Hospital. It's true he doesn't prove anything, but he raises questions regarding why the shattered skull seen on the Zapruder film didn't turn out so shattered when it lay on an operating table some minutes later.
   
   Kurtz makes his best points with the Zapruder film, finding fault in this respect with both lone-gunman supporters and the harder-core conspiracy believers. Why does Kennedy's head fly backward if he was shot from behind, while footage of other such headshots shows the victim falling in the direction from which the bullet was shot? If the Zapruder film was actually tampered with, as some conspiracists now claim, why wouldn't it have been done in a way to make a shot from the rear seem more probable?
   
   As a person who believes Oswald acted alone, I found Kurtz's viewpoint occasionally challenging and worthwhile. But he kept returning to make the same points chapter after chapter, sometimes within the same chapter. He doesn't mention key points like Kennedy's back brace, and diminishes others like the fact the doctors at Parkland Hospital in the first minutes after the shooting were less interested in establishing a clear evidentiary path than in saving the life of a president.
   
   He never adequately explains Oswald in the larger context of things. He's willing to allow Oswald probably shot Officer J.D. Tippit less than an hour after the president was hit, and may have shot at Kennedy as well, just that he wasn't alone or responsible for the killing hit. But who was he, and why is he at the center of every theory, often conflicting, that Kurtz expounds upon? Was he really a traitor, helping the Soviets shoot down a U-2 spy plane? Was he played as a patsy by right-wing conspirists, as New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison claimed?
   
   Kurtz calls Garrison's investigation flawed but wants to chew over the notion that he was following a worthy trail, of midnight meetings and a mysterious office at 544 Camp Street, an address he frequently repeats as "the infamous 544 Camp Street address" or "the notorious 544 Camp Street" in case you don't get the point that something pretty bad went down there. Kurtz offers a lot of eyewitness testimony in this regard, including his own, but what he presents boils down to Garrison's original case. If Garrison was a bad investigator, doesn't this all constitute fruit from the poisoned tree?
   
   Reviewing a book for what it isn't is bad sport, but it feels like "The JFK Assassination Debates", by not living up to its title as a sort of side-by-side comparison of viewpoints regarding key elements of the assassination, misses the mark as a noteworthy contribution to a crowded field.



2. A unbiased book that offers both sides of the JFK debate and the supporting evidence for each, sounds great right? And things are rolling along pretty smoothly until Kurtz can't resist wedging in his nonsensical viewpoint in a chapter hilariously "consensus", which is filled with misleading statements("There's no proof whatsoever the rifle was fired that day". No such test exists), ridiculous standards of proof("Nobody photographed the bullet on the governor's stretcher"), supposed scientific findings with no no citations, and outright omissions of fact(Kennedy's head snapping forward). Kurtz'z allegations are seemingly devoid of the recognition that basic extension of logic entailing them leads invariably to oblivion. Hilariously, although Kurtz is disturbed by the lack of proof of CE 399 actually being found on Governor Connally's stretcher, he seems untroubled by his own assertion that it is "unknown" what happened to the bullets that were "undoubtedly" fired at President Kennedy from the front.
   
   Do not swallow the disingenuous "detached and unbiased" hook. This book is simply another in a large stack of conspiracy nonsense.



3. Professor Kurtz complied a book of essays in which he compared and contrasted conspiracy theories and the official mythology. What was missing was the scholarship that one would expect from a professor of his standing.
   
   I was expecting an analytical critique of conspiracy theories' and the offical mythology's critical themes. It was not there. The assassination debate was the equivalent dialogue between bar patrons. Both sides remained basically unchallenged because neither could cite the documntary basis for their positions, the documentary basis being the foundation for academic scholarship. What a pity that I was duped into buying a book based on the author's credentials that were not in evidence.



4. The chapter on the intelligence community does not go into the CIA but Castro. This is a trick lawyers use. Everyone did it but my client. The CIA is out there looking for the real killers along with O.J.



5. Michael Kurtz is to be commended for delivering a fantastic overview of the JFK assassination case at this late juncture (2006). Of most value are Kurtz's personal interviews with sundry medical personnel and even three former Secret Service agents: Roy Kellerman (deceased 1984; I spoke/ corresponded with his widow June), William Greer (deceased 1985; I spoke to his son Richard), and Robert Bouck (deceased 2004; I spoke to Bouck 9/27/92). I am on 3 pages of this book. Get it!!!

5 comments about Bridging the Divide: My Life.

1. I was honored to be a witness to some of the early discussions between Ed Brooke and his former colleagues and staff as this book was being written. As you read this special book you will also feel like you have been granted a front row seat to the making of history. At a time when political fundamentalism was starting to again flex its ugly muscles in our government, Senator Edward Brooke was a voice of moderation and wisdom for both Democrats and Republicans. This book, by one of the great politicians of our time, reminds us what political leadership can (and should) be like. More Ed Brooks are needed in our government today. I have known Ed and his family as both his priest and friend since 1982, and I can honestly say that Ed Brooke is, at the core of his being, a caring, compassionate, and courageous man of faith with a wonderful sense of humor. He doesn't talk about "family values;" he lives them! I strongly recommend BRIDGING THE DIVIDE to all who appreciate the history of our wonderful nation and who value the dedication and skill of men and women like Senator Brooke. They have truly made our country a better place.
   
   The Rev. Dr. Prentice Kinser III, Author of Limitless Living, A Guide to Unconventional Spiritual Exploration and Growth



2. "Bridging the Divide" is a fantastic read, a portrait of the nation's first African-American Senator and the only black person in that position - thus far - to be re-elected. The book profiles Senator Edward Brooke's life and emphasizes his incredible ability to connect with people despite racial or political barriers. An African-American, Episcopalian, and Republican, he was sent to the Senate and maintained strong support from the people of Massachusetts, a state with a large white, Roman Catholic, and Democrat population.
   
   Senator Brooke's writing is full of great references to how far our country has come in the battle against racism and destructive politics. Whether the Senator is describing his controversial decision to jump into the Senate race, or the day he jumped into the Senate swimming pool with Strom Thurmond, his words are poignant, intellectual, and awe-inspiring. You are sure to laugh, ponder, smile - maybe even cry.
   
   One need not be a history buff or political powerhouse to enjoy this book. It is a fantastic read for those who love their country and enjoy learning about the type of people that make our nation so strong. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and recommend it to all of my friends. If you're looking for a good read this summer (or for any time of year), "Bridging the Divide" is it.



3. I had the good fortune to serve in the Massachusetts state senate as a Republican during Senator Ed Brooke's second term. Though I was more conservative than he, he always unstintingly leant me his support, help and advice. His defeat in 1978, aided by right-wing Republicans, was a great loss to the Commonwealth, the country and, not least to the Republican party. Increasingly the crazies in each party are dragging the process toward the fringes. But elections are won nationally by center-right coalitions or center-left coalitions. The collapse of the center in the Republican party portends renewed Democratic dominance of American politics. A Republican party without room for the talent and convictions of an Ed Brooke will increasingly marginalize itself.
   
   There are some great political stories in Bridging the Divide, not least about Hillary Clinton, and you will get your money's worth from reading them. But this book should be read by everyone who cares about the future of the Republican party--and the nation. The increasing mean-spiritedness of both parties, and the increasing focus on narrow wedge issues, creates a great danger for the Republic. Just as the Democrats need more centrists, the Republican party needs more men and women like Ed Brooke. Where are they to come from?
   
   Robert A. Hall
   Author of "The Good Bits."



4. Leave it to Massachusetts to send the first Black Senator elected by popular vote to Congress. The heavily, 98% white Democrat State overwhelming supported him for the state's highest National Office even though he was the "Republican" candidate. Senator Brooke was elected in a landslide by the voters of his liberal state because he had already proven he was an honest, hardworking, devoted, corruption-fighting Attorney General for the Commonwealth. Once in the U.S. Senate he continued to prove he was a wise man with strong core beliefs including his devotion to the Political Party of Abe Lincoln. He was responsible for many important civil rights laws. One of his bills gave women their own credit. They no longer had to have their husbands okay to borrow money and get their own credit cards. Senator Brooke had gone from being a U.S. Army officer leading the Italian Partisans behind German lines during WW II to become a strong, outspoken Statesman Senator. Congress very much needs more peacemakers like Senator Edward Brooke. This book is a fascinating read. Readers can't help but finish the book and still be utterly amazed that Republican Brooke was ever elected to any office in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, he has proven to be one of a kind so far. But there is always hope for the future.



5. As I was reading a newspaper article about this book recently it occurred to me that I hadn't heard Edward Brooke's name in a long time. After finishing his book, I'm glad I remember him. Though not from Massachusetts myself, I did follow his career when he was in the Senate.
   
   Senator Brooke writes forcefully on a number of issues....the racism he faced growing up in Washington D.C. and which followed him into the U.S. Army in the Second World War, his political losses before he finally won a race and especially about his family. With particular care he tells us of his difficult first marriage and his loving second one, complete with an estrangement for many years from his two daughters.
   
   While getting into "Bridging the Divide" it became clear that Edward Brooke was a man of discipline and high principle. I was just about to ask myself why he never made it onto the U.S. Supreme Court when Brooke says that President Nixon actually considered him for a seat on the high court. Brooke turned it down to stay in the Senate, feeling he was too young to take on a judicial role. It's too bad because I think he would have made an excellent Supreme Court justice.
   
   Edward Brooke is reminiscent of the days when the Senate was a kinder place. There are very few people in his category these days....moderate to liberal Republican. His was part of the Republican party I remember growing up...one that has changed drastically. Senator Brooke's contributions to our country have been many and I'm glad he's still around to write about it. "Bridging the Divide" is a book I highly recommend.

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