I Books

Several years ago Dr. Pat and her astonishing book brought one of my family members back from severe emotional trauma, and cleared the way for her to gradually mend her life and her marriage. I was not privy to the sessions she had with Dr. Pat, but I know that the book was crucial, first in persuading her that this was not just another glib self-help cookbook, and later in reminding her of the professional and spiritual journey Dr. Pat herself made before she understood the long-term effects of physical and emotional trauma, and the various measures available to gradually overcome those effects. If you know someone who has experienced serious trauma, this book is certainly worth more than the $12.44 that Amazon charges.

I have read and re-read this book since receiving it in August. The author explains many of the things that I have thought were "wrong" with me are not my fault. The abuse suffered in early childhood causes changes in the brain which can only be corrected by laying down new neuro templates through healing relationships. These relationships might be friends or perhaps even a therapist, but one need not be in therapy to be able to understand the princliples in this book.

One "can't get over it" or "think your way out of it" referring to depression and other mental disturbances. The truth of these statements are found through a thorough reading of this book.

One problem I've had, though, is that her listed website keeps coming up "not found" despite changing servers, waiting, and trying different forms of the site's listed name which is www.trauma-reovery.com. It does NOT work!!

This is a common sense approach to phyisological & phsychological issues suffered by abused people.

I really enjoyed the basic needs being met for the patients in the mental & phsycial realms, by the most fundamental way; caring & connecting instead of giving a pill or powder to shut them up or quickly get them on to another program that won't work.

Every one on the planet that has ever had or will a have a relationship with anyone should read this; professionals in this field especially!

I need a book on that. I was in the mental health system for 20 + years and never had one. And they all missed the point of my real problems. Then when you try to get a doctor like her to have a healing relationship, she does everything under the sun to keep her distance from you while at the same time pretending not to, which is a specific example of a general affliction of so many people in the mental health field which is having an expert ability to lie as well as being a hypocrite when needed (convenience) and then covering it up. Where is the honesty? How many therapists are the same way as people as they are as therapists. And that is a real problem for the whole mental health system.

I found this book fascinating. When I was a young mother, I knew it was important to relate to my child in a helpful, healing way. I read many books on childhood development and none gave me the information that this book does. In the early chapters, the book explains the mechanics of brain development and the importance of the bonding relationship between mother and child. Watching a close friend of mine with her infant son has given me the opportunity to be an educated observor of this (thirty years too late for my own child!). The second half of the book takes the reader through a case study of a woman whose upbringing did not provide any opportunity for healthy development and whose subsequent life reflected this. Through the parenting process of therapy the counselor actually restructured her brain, helping to close the pathways that caused pain and pathology in her life.
This book would be helpful for therapist's needing to understand more fully the transformative nature that therapy can provide. Also I think young mothers could also benefit by understanding the choices that mothers make and the consequences in raising their children.

This is not a review, since I'd only say great things about my book. But, I will say there's a possibility the book may become a motion picture. The screen treatment is in the hands of three major production companies.

Dr. Bob Alottsa

Since I was the Radio Officer of this ship I could be a bit biased but I did enjoy reading it. The authors spent many years in the research and interviewing of the surviving crew and other people who were envolved. They did a good job and I believe this story would be of interest to anyone who wishes to know more about this phase of WW2. Almost all the survivors are no longer living now. So it is fortunate that we have this record for the people who will be interested in years to come. Thanks Don Foxvog and Bob Allota.

Dr. Alotta has done it again!
"The Last Voyage of the SS Henry Bacon"is an excellent addition to any collection of Maritime or World War II history. After spending many years gathering first hand accounts and recently de-classified US Government documents, the author has transformed long ago events into a fast paced and riveting story of struggle and survival on the North Atlantic's deadly "Murmansk run".
This story again reminds us of the sacrifices made by the seamen of our Merchant fleet during WWII. Without their courage and dedication to duty, this world would have been very different from the one in which we have been raised.
I give thanks to my Dad, Dick Burbine and the crew of the SS Henry Bacon, as well as to the men of the HMS Zambesi.
Dr. Alotta -- Great Job -Well Done!

Donald Foxvog and Robert Alotta effectively collaborate in The Last Voyage of the SS Henry Bacon to dramatically present the powerful story of an American freighter in the crux of the WW II high seas. The mission of the SS Henry Bacon was to save the lives of nineteen Norwegian refugees fleeing from the Nazi Army onslaught. The freighter's mission would exact a blood price from its faithful crew. A deadly and harrowing true story filled with heroic sacrifice and sad tribute, The Last Voyage of the SS Henry Bacon is highly recommended reading for anyone with a strong interest in naval history and a unique contribution to personal, academic, and community library World War II studies collection.

I have read this book twice in it's entirety and some sections of it three or more times. Dr. Alotta has woven together the words of these seamen as they relived their last voyage on the Henry Bacon. Many books on historic events do not give the reader a grasp of how terrible the conditions are that the soldiers and sailors endure in their battles. In this book, you get a feel for how cold and icy the water was. You can picture in your mind what it must have been like to stand on the deck of a sinking ship in the arctic waters knowing that if you stayed on the ship you would die and if you jumped in the water you still might perish. Thank you to Dr. Alotta for writing this book and thank you to all of the brave men and women who have fought our country's battles.

Les Miserables is such a classic that one has the impression of already having read it, or seen it in one's mind, perhaps with Michel Bouquet in the role of Javert, or Gerard Depardieu. To read Les Miserables, published by Victor Hugo in 1862, offers the pleasure of recognition and a fresh beginning. Always one is carried away by the tension of this book, its unforgettable characters, is use of language--let us not forget that Hugo was the first to introduce slang and popular language into written French--its story and its time. The unhappy tale of Jean Valjean, from its progressive redemption, disastrous childhood of Cosette to the idylle with Marius, from the sacrificial figure of Fantine to the sinister characters of Thénardier and Javert, the novel is a beautiful lesson of humanity. "I come to destroy human fate," wrote Hugo, "I condemn slavery, I drive out misery, I inform ignorance, I treat the disease, I light the night, I hate hatred. This is what I am and for this reason I wrote Les Miserables."

(...)

Les Misérables en français est un très excellent livre. Le texte est vraiment mieux que les traductions en anglais, tous ceux qui ne montrent pas la vrai beauté et grace de la prose d'auteur. L'histoire est d'un homme qui est presque detruit par son systeme de justice, d'un homme bon qui doit colleter avec son gouvernement parce qu'il croit dans le mieux-être de toute la humanité, même s'il doit donner sa vie.

D'ensemble, ce livre est un oeuvre de génie, et oui, peut-être les anglophones devraient le lire en anglais avant qu'ils commencent à le lire en français. Mais, de vraiment comprendre l'esprit d'un cerveau, on doit lire Les Misérables dans la langue d'origine. Je jure qu'on ne sera pas déçu avec le livre original. Il en vaut la peine de lire ce livre en français, mme si seulement d'enrichir la vie et l'esprit. Achetez ce livre et soyez content que vous avez gagné un vrai chef-d'oeuvre pour lire et chérir pour toute la vie.

I would recommend this book as compulsory reading for anybody interested in the universal issues of good and evil and man's ability to overcome all obstacles in his pursuit of a higher goal.The sheer breadth and depth of the literary canvas of Hugo's book takes one's breath away.It deals with the remarkable transformation of one man, Jean ValJean, wronged and exiled by society, his transformation by a kind Vicar's example and the trials and tribulations of his life as he strives to live by the Vicar's philosophy.
It is a tribute to the human spirit and the power of a single determined man in the face of all odds.
As relevant and meaningful today as when it was first written.

I am providing a feedback on other reviews of this title, not a review of my own. Unfortunately, I can't find another way to send feedback to the reviewers.

I've found it so very odd that all the reviewers of a French text have written their reviews in English. None addresses the advantages of the original text over a translation. So my question is: have any of you read the French version or are you reviewing the English text?

I am not trying to question your proficiency in French, but I suspect the Amazon system may be lumping all reviews together without regard for the particular version or edition reviewed.

This novel is one of the all-time classics in literature. It is a compelling story of a simple working man, Jean Valjean, caught up in the French "justice" system of the 19th century. His crime was petty. He broke into a bakery to get bread for starving family members (in the modern United States, he might have received probation). Because the baker's family lived in the building, he was charged with breaking into an occupied dwelling and sent to prison. In France, you were required to have a passport to travel within the country. Released from prison, he is given the infamous "yellow passport" issued to people with criminal records. An act of heroism allows him to obtain work without showing his passport, but his past catches up with him and he is sent to a prison galley for life for a second petty crime in his past as a "repeat offender."

He escapes and recovers a cache of gold that he had buried, then rescues the orphan daughter of a woman he had known, but is pursued by the relentless policeman Javert, a man who has no compassion and enforces the law to the letter.

Jean Valjean is a simple man and, basicly, is trying to help other people. The system does its best to grind him down. It is notable that the story ends when people are taking to the streets and building barricades in a fight against the very system that led to his troubles.

Just as informative about the life of the Common Soldierwho served in the Northern ranks as his book The Life of Johnny Reb is of the soldier who apposed him thoughcleary better developed by the author's experience.

Very informative. Very well written.

A must have for anyone interested in the Civil War.

Like his companion book, Life of Johnny Reb, this book looks at how soldiers were recruited and kept by the Army. The Union had the advantage of an army already in being but its expansion to meet its wartime needs changed the very nature of the Federal Army. This is a fine book and one that any real Civil War buff should have.

The late Bell Wiley had an advantage that many researchers of the Civil War did not have: FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS FROM THE VETERANS THEMSELVES. Starting his research in the 1940's, Wiley was able to interview the aging veterans of the War. You can imagine what was going through these warriors minds as they recalled their past. Wiley also spent countless hours combing through letters, diaries, official documents and other papers to get his facts. Billy Yank tells the story of the Union soldiers as few have been able to capture. It covers more than just what the soldier wore, ate, used, etc. From his reasons for fighting, opinions of Lincoln, emancipation (pro AND con) officers, the Southern people, the topics are well covered. Reenactors of the conflict would benefit from this book. This is a gold mine of information for the "first person" impression. Even Southerners will gain insight into their former foes.

Bell Irvin Wiley seems to have been the first historian/writer to realize that the Civil War was not just about Lee, Pickett, Grant or Stuart or any of the other guys with stars on their shoulders. The real truth about what happened on those battlefields had to do with the guys in the tattered uniforms and the rotted shoes, trying to fight with defective rifles.
As in his companion book, "The Life of Johnny Reb", "The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union" is an unflinching look at the constant struggles of a Union soldier. This is a very sobering account, and some of the letters the soldiers wrote home are nothing short of heartbreaking. This is a truly admirable account of men who were more than common soldiers. I believe they were really common heroes.

Bell Irvin Wiley (1906-1980) enjoyed a distinguished career as a professor at the University of Mississippi and Emory University and as the author or editor of over 20 books on the Civil War. His "The Life of Billy Yank: the Common Soldier of the Union" (1952) is, together with its companion volume "The Life of Johnny Reb, the Common Soldier of the Confederacy (1943), Wiley's best-known work. It presents an outstanding history of the day-to-day life of the soldier in the Union Army.

As Wiley stated in the preface to the book, his focus was "social rather than military". The book offers little of the military history of the various Civil War campaigns and little of the political aspects of the War. Rather, Wiley discusses soldering in the Union Army in all its detail and drudgery. It is an indispensable source for those wishing to understand the Civil War. The book would be of interest as well to reenactors wishing to get inside and recapture life in a Civil War Army.

The book is well-researched and documented. It draws upon the letters and diaries of innumerable Union soldiers, both published and unpublished and on other first-hand accounts. Much of the discussion is anecdotal, but Wiley makes good use of census and statistical data as well. The book is clearly written with an obvious empathy for the life of the Civil War soldier. The book leads the reader beyond its specific subject and encourages reflection of the Civil War, its terrible human cost, and its continuing importance to our country.

Wiley begins with a discussion of the recruitment process into the Union Army following the attack on Fort Sumter. The book gives a good picture of the complex relationship between state militia units, the regular army, the volunteers and the draftees -- the various units that uneasily combined to form the Union army. Bell discusses -- in a subject that continues to fascinate historians -- the motivations of the soldiers who served in the conflict. In particular, he discusses the Emancipation Proclamation and considers the extent to which Emancipation was or became a goal for a large number of Union troops. Wiley sees the many sides of this question, and the issue remains one that is vigorously discussed.

The book describes well the rigors of training and camp life, the diseases and unhealthy living conditions which plagued the army, the boredom and enforced routines, the bad food, temptations to vice, and experience of combat. There is excellent material in the book on the organization of the Union Army. Much of the material in Wiley's study is either presupposed or otherwise not covered in other well-known studies of the military of political history of the War. The book considers the morale and fighting spirit of the men and how it varied with the fortunes of war and with the support of people at home. Again, anticipating more recent studies, Wiley discusses the ambiguous, complicated relationships that developed during the War between the Union troops and their enemies in gray. This relationship, and the instances of fraternization during the midst of a total conflict, presaged the way for reconciliation, at long last, at the conclusion of the conflict. There is a brief discussion in the book of women soldiers who enlisted in the Union army and sometimes managed to avoid detection. This subject too has received much recent attention and it is interesting to see Wiley deal with it in his early account. The book ends with reflections on the way in which the Civil War helped forged the United States into a nation.

This is a study that wears its age well. It will bring the reader face-to-face with the life of the Union soldier during our nation's greatest combat.

The Life of Your Times keeps you wondering where the story line is going and how on earth it will ever mesh together. The extra added conversations are hilarious. You are intrigued with each of the characters story lines and how on earth they connect to the other people. Then all of a sudden it becomes perfectly clear and you are amazed then you did not figure the concept earlier. The surprise ending is perfect. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend everyone read it.

Byers weaves together a story with humor and imagination. This book provides a wonderful read and has the reader constantly challenged in thought. The book can make one laugh and ponder the imponderable. All in all, this book provides a fun ride and a thoughtful probe into oneself.

With his first book, The Life of Your Time, Byers grabs the reader by the lapels and promptly heaves him into the world of Percival J. Weckbaugh, a courteous sixth-grader in a small Midwestern town. When Percival is presented with his first awareness of coincidence, he questions the concept, setting into motion a series of seemingly unrelated events. The book is bursting with adorably imperfect people (for whom the author has obvious and great affection) and the reader is drawn into their lives as each struggles with his own versions of love, regret, ambition, courage, failure, inner peace, and questions about his own place in the universe.

Volleying between humor and poignancy, the characters' paths cross and entangle with varying degrees of intensity and frequency - much the same way one might realistically observe in any small town. And though the story line plows through everything from being bullied at school to marital infidelity to suicide, the book remains optimistic, encouraging, and enriching. Byers launches the characters through potential minefields, managing to let each character navigate his own course, and draw his own conclusion about the greater forces at work and the value of living life to the fullest. Although not a particularly long book (about 150 pages), The Life of Your Time is a hearty and satisfying read. With each word carefully placed and diligently orchestrated to pack a wallop, many of the images and awakenings stay with the reader long after the story ends. Byers is an advocate to important concepts, lending his words and unique understanding to things most of us dare try to articulate. Once started, this book is hard to put down, and once finished it's hard to give up.

The texture of the writing is extraordinary, as the author effortlessly weaves the reader through coincidences, revelations, and character encounters, carefully and unobtrusively tying up loose ends along the way. The tapestry of the book is enhanced by Byers' quick and clever wit, dynamic use of puns, and fast-paced, stream-of-consciousness writing. And ever present through it all remain the shimmering golden threads of faith, hope, and God's love.

Interspersed with humor (the chapter titles are particularly witty) and insight, the author truly has his finger on the pulse of humanity's ongoing struggle with the very meaning of life. Creating a unique delivery, Steven J. Byers has assembled a superb cast, each of which could be personally identified with at some level, regardless of the characters' age or gender. In his portrayal of this quest for the ultimate answer, Byers has obviously 'put his pen where his faith is' in creating this memorable work; sending the reader a message which is clear, and with a point well taken."The Life of Your Time" is a must-read for all who are about to embark on their own journey, as well as for those that have already undertaken this endeavor.

When the book opens with the Author interviewing someone to be the Narrator of his story, you know that "The Life of Your Time" isn't going to be your ordinary book, much less a book with a religious theme. In fact, you're well engrossed with the Author's witty observations on life and the interesting "coincidences" that confront young Percival (a very polite boy) before you realize that there may be a deeper meaning to this book than you first thought. This book is easy to read (although you'll need to go back and read it a second time to find out all the details that somehow are tied together by the end of the book!) and highly entertaining. The writing style reminds me of C.S. Lewis' "Narnia Chronicles," but with very up-to-date 21st century observations on life and its meaning. A review in the American Library Association's "Book List" called "The Life of Your Time" a "tour de force" -- and I agree! I highly recommend this book to anyone who's ever wondered about whether coicidences are really coincidental or whether, just maybe, there's a more significant meaning to our lives.

This was, by far, one of the best books I've ever read. Melvin Rabinowitz doesn't miss a beat in this twisted sci fi/history saga. Definitely check this one out - it's a winner!

When I read all the rave reviews about "The Lincoln Exchange" I could not believe them. Now I do.

I loved this book! I loved it! Loved it! Loved it! It was so real that I actually believed everything I was reading. Mr. Rabinowitz left nothing to chance. Everything was explained in such realistic detail, that I even felt as if time travel was really possible. When I put the book down, and came back to reality, I was almost dissapointed that this was, indeed, science fiction. Keep up the good work. I hope you continue using the Alan Gentry character in other stories.

This is, by far, the best darn sci-fi book I ever read. All these other reviews said it all. I couldn't put the darn thing down.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Being the rabid Lincoln fan that I am, it was a great read for me and I found myself quite jealous of Alan many times throughout the book...I also found myself laughing at many of Lincoln's actions and observations of present-day Chicago (sitting on the hood of a car instead of getting inside of it, etc). I really didn't want this book to end, and when Alan had to leave Lincoln for the last time and knew what was going to happen to him, who by then had become his best friend in the whole wide world, I was quite choked up. It really felt like I was there, and when Lincoln was gone, I actually missed him! To sum it all up, great book, and worth the time and money to spend on it.

This book, p. xxi: "represents the advanced doctrine and practice as understood and realized by the Kagyupa Order of Tibetan Buddhism." It is a translation of the 16th century "Moonlight: An Excellent Elucidation of the Meditational Stages of the Ultimate Great Seal" abbreviated as Moonlight of Mahamudra (source text for Thrangu Rinpoche's commentary, "Essentials of Mahamudra"). "This extraordinary treatise provides not only a wealth of knowledge but also methods for realizing enlightenment." The translator provides an extensive Introduction including a brief synopsis of the book. The author, Tashi Namgyal (1512-87) was a member of the Takpo Kagyu meditational order or lineage. This book includes tons of quotes from Sutras, Tantras, & Masters, noting conflicting opinions & with explanations thereof, presenting an -"exhaustive elucidation of the metaphysics and the meditation of Mahamudra." His (p. 413) "excellent treatise" and "elegant literary composition" does just that; it explains The 9 Stages of Tranquility (frontispiece)-(I obtained this diagram in Lhasa) & explores existence, dependent arising, relation to Madhyamaka philosophy, types of meditation, Sakya Pandita's criticisms,, condensed & elaborate explanations of Mahamudra (MM) meditation, relation of karma to MM (p. 287), "elevating the mind to the path," the 12 levels of the 4 MM Yogas in the greatest detail I've seen including their relation to Tantric grounds/paths/(bhumis), post-absorption, & non-conceptualization. He calls his approach "The Mahamudra of Ultimate Certainty."

More specifically, Namgyal explains the nature of intrinsic reality such that (p. xlviii): "The deities and mandalas are not external entities but a kind of psychological geograph of our mind" & (p. 218): "Alas, the 6 levels of sentient beings are Emanations of deluded minds" and describes the interrelationship of Mahamudra & Vajrayana/Tantric methods: while Gampopa (Milarepa's #1 disciple & 1st Karmapa's master), p. 112: "considers Mahamudra to be a separate path and independent of the sutras and tantras" & p. 123: "did not make the esoteric empowerment a prerequisite for receiving the Mahamudra teachings," (p. 124): "Lately the followers of this meditative order adapted Mahamudra to the practice of Tantric mysticism...Since these Mahamudra meditations incorporated Tantric elements, practitioners are required at the outset to receive ...initiation."

He provides the best description I've seen (p. 350) of the 3 groups of meditators (and their realizations): great (instantaneous), average (evanescent), and ordinary (gradual) and states that (pp. 123 & 144): "A great medicine for gradual seekers Becomes a poison for instantaneous seekers. A great medicine for instantaneous illumination Becomes a poison for gradual illumination."

He provides excellent descriptions of techniques: (p. 280): Mindfulness "is done in the same way an experienced cowherd watches his cattle. Without rounding them up or following every animal, he keeps them all under his observation, letting them graze freely, even though some may wander,"(pp. 334-5): the 5 practices of self-transformation to sublimate adverse conditions: "To behave--like a wounded deer" (shun companions); "a lion" (not fear internal/external obstacles); "the wind blowing through space" (let thoughts flow freely/openly without any attachment); "space" (unfocussed meditation without any support); "a crazy person" (without objective direction, attachment to anything, or value judgments), and (p. 335): bringing dualistic thoughts to the illuminating path, and even mentions chö [chöd].

Among the 250 or so text that made up my library, this masterpiece bye Takpo Tashi Namgyal, was always my favorite, and most imporant text. Sadly, I lost my library, and this text that I once owned 12 years ago, is out of print! I Highly recommend this book to all who seek to perfect their sitting practice. Anyone new to mahamudra and are without a good understanding of vajrayana, will find this book a struggle and you will no doubt read it again and agian. Takpo Tashi Namgyal's language is a wonderful experince, but can be difficult at times, but he is not lacking any explaintions! My best read ever.

I also recommend Cloudless Sky by Jamgön Kongtrul or Garland of Mahamudra Practices to companion this book and study of Mahamudra.

If your needing a meditation manual, look no farther, Mahamudra: The Quintessence of Mind and Meditation by Takpo Tashi Namgyal will last many years to come.

It took me 10 years to get past the sutra quotes in this book and start reading the text in between. This is an amazing book because it provides the reader with about as much detail as could be imagined for progressing through a development path in meditation. NOT AT ALL THIS LANGUAGE, but the messages are things like "Here is a meditative state or activity. Here are forty different conceptual explanations for what it is and how it works. Here are two dozen ways that you can exercise to get yourself to experience it. After you experience it, this is the next thing to gain and experience of." And: "The teachings all say that you're supposed to start at the level that's right for you and go as fast as you're comfortable with. Here are twelve Sutra quotes affirming this." And: "Distractions arise from the neuro-physical energies in your body. Here are another eight Sutra quotes on this." And: "Let's not get all confused about emptiness and non-existence of self - that was all transitional teaching anyway; we're into vajrayana here so let's get on with it." And: "If you can't sit full lotus, sit cross legged and straight backed, and (lots more detail), and this is why it improves the energy flow that helps you stabilize your mental state." And: "Don't try to sit for a pre-set length of time. Sit until you have the insight and stabilize the experience, then get up, and come sit again." Perhaps most amazing is that it WORKS! Very fulfilling in terms of progress toward the Goal. Great book. Yes, a real loss that it's out of print. Please write the publisher and ask them to restart it.

This is the best, most complete, most beautiful guide to meditation practice that I have ever seen. It is a marvelous, profound work that covers the Sutric paths of meditation from the perspectives of theory and practice. Richly documented with citations from Sutra and Shastra, this magnificent work illuminates the path with clarity and precision. I am extremely pleased to see that it is coming back into print. Highly recommended.

Some very real intelligence went into the translation and preparation of this text for readers of English. Mahamudra is a path in which the student's relationship with his or her teacher is of primary importance; readers should know that some fo the last century's foremost yogins and teachers of Tibetan Buddhism to non-Tibetans participated, including the Sixteenth Karmapa, Deshung Rinpoche (the "Saint in Seattle") and Trungpa Rinpoche. The reader can trust that this priceless text is transmitted in English responsibly and by very able hands in this volume.

Please allow me now to shut up and get out of your way.

(Of interest to Shambhala people: Trungpa Rinpoche would review a Tibetan edition of this text when preparing the lectures now collected in his books of Shambhala Teachings.)

Homage to the Enlightened Ones!

Grateful for quick shipping.

I throughly enjoyed this book - most likely because I spent the majority of my life in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately a good unbiased viewpoint is very hard to come by, so I relished the opportunity to fill in a few gaps in my understanding. The flip side of this is that it appears that the authors let a few characters off lightly, on both sides.

The issue I believe is that the situation is very fluid in that part of the world, and events often come to light that change perceptions of various characters. The famous 'They haven't gone away' remark from Mr Adams isn't mentioned for example, and this casts him in a rather different light than is presented in the book.

I do applaud the authors however for not glossing over the lowpoints of Northern Ireland's recent history. Whilst sometimes painful to read, it does help dispel the fairytale fancy of those who have been led to regard murderers as 'freedom fighters'. I just wish that the authors hadn't given their apologists such a light hand.

All in all, if you are new to the area I'd highly recommend this one. This book is a great startpoint but shouldn't be your last read on the matter.

I found this book to be a little bit dry at times, though on the other hand, the descriptions of the violence at the hands of both the IRA and other republican groups and by the Unionist/loyalist groups were quite graphic. Still, it was quite easy to keep up with who was who and who was on which side, something that can sometimes be a problem in a history book. The authors gave a pretty balanced perspective--I do think they were a little more on the Catholic side, but overall, it was balanced. I do wish they had gone more into the background. Why did the British send the Protestants to Catholic Ireland in the first place, and how did the two sides get along before the 20th century? This is glossed over, though I guess what information is given is sufficient. It does whet my appetite to know more, however.

David McKittrick and David McVea present a thoughtful, excellent overview of sectarian strife in Northern Ireland since the 1960's, giving a balanced look at both the Protestant and Catholic communities. They begin with a superb brief historical sketch on the origins and early history of Northern Ireland, chronicling its major events from its inception in 1921 through the 1960's. They offer many fascinating portraits of prominent British, Irish and Northern Irish politicians and terrorists, ranging from the likes of diehard Protestant minister Ian Paisley to former IRA member Gerry Adams. This is quite simply one of the best books I've read on recent Northern Irish history and may be the best historical overview on the origins and current state of "The Troubles".

I read this before a trip to Northern Ireland this summer, where I met with politicians, community leaders and artists. After reading the book, I felt very comfortable with the main themes and events of the Troubles, and several people commented that I seemed particularly well-versed in the history of the conflict (I knew next to nothing even a year before my trip). The book is well-written and balanced, and gives a thorough introduction to the troubles. I recommend reading it after a brief overview of general Irish history (such as "Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction") and, of course, as much Joyce as time allows.

I have read several of her other books but this one was the most enjoyable as it was all about libraries and mystery books that are rare and collectable. There are few books where the murder involves a library so that alone sets this book apart from others. Another plus is the author's style and voice which is quite nice and she writes well. Characters are brought alive too and while many of them reappear from earlier books, still one doesn't need to have read them to enjoy. Karen is a young prof hoping to get tenure and coming from a very poor background so she identifies with students who also have an uphill struggle and this book has one like that. The cop romance doesn't take center stage and it rang true to me also with the questions about each other that both of them present. This book is a keeper for my small collection of favorites.

I won't try to summarize the plot of this book as it has been well done by earlier reviewers. But I do want to recommend it for all that it has - academic setting, a hot-shot mystery writer character, sort of a Kinsey Milhouse, both as author and character, interesting info about the world of books, especial books in libraries, a frightening but lovable dog, romance. I love Charlie and got very nervous that Karen was going to blow the good thing she has going. I've read all of this series and enjoyed them all, but this was the first one that I sometimes found myself laughing out loud. I fervently hope the series will continue.

While this is much better than a lot of other mysteries on the market, it simply isn't as good as the other books in this series. Neither the characters nor the plot are that well developed and unless you've read the other books in the series you won't understand or appreciate the characters. Dobson's treatment of the heroine, Karen Pelletier, also departs from past portrayals -- her motivations are unclear, she inexplicably goes from disliking 1 of the main characters to becoming best friends and worst of all, Dobson has Pelletier acting like a typical dumb female illogically fighting with her boyfriend-cop. Its really too bad. I fear this series will be one that I lose interest in it goes on -- much like the Stephanie Plum series.

It seems that some rare books are disappearing from the local college library. Meanwhile, our intrepid tenure- seeking lady professor meets with a famous Lady Mystery Writer, and her very large dog, suitably named TROUBLE. And a conference is to commence on WOMEN IN MYSTERY FICTION. So the Prof must escort the famous hard-boiled author to this conference. Meanwhile, a dead body appears in the library, which puts a damper on both the college and the conference. In the burgeoning field of academic/lady sleuth mysteries, this is among the top! So if you're a mystery fan looking for great laughs (mainly at certain academic pretentions), a good mystery, and a colorful cast of rogues and do-gooders, you can do a lot worse that reading this one!

I decided to characterize The Maltese Manuscript as an adventure tale because I've come to realize that Ms. Dobson's "mysteries" just cannot be characterized that way. She telegraphs who did what to whom much too clearly to see her books as mysteries. Sure, they are dead bodies, missing persons and stolen goods, but those are really just a backdrop for the comic action in this fine novel. Think of The Maltese Manuscript as a Stephanie Plum-like adventure involving libraries, academics, feminists and detective fiction authors. For long-time fans of the series, the romance of Professor Karen Pelletier and police Lieutenant Charlie Piotrowski is in full flower in this book. The complications from that romance remind me of many fine episodes of I Love Lucy. I hope that Ms. Dobson continues in this vein in future novels.

The Maltese Manuscript is the fifth volume in Professor Joanne Dobson's series about Professor Karen Pelletier. In Quieter than Sleep, readers first met the professor. Doctor Pelletier found herself pregnant as a teen in high school, and dropped out of her plans to go to Smith to marry her truck driver lover. After a difficult pregnancy and marital abuse, she put her life together to raise her daughter as a single Mom while pursuing her academic career. Finally finding love with a cop in New York, she abandoned him to follow her desire for a career to settle at tony, elite Enfield College in New England. Arriving at Enfield, she became the new kid on the English department block sharing responsibilities for 19th century American literature with an aggressive, pompous womanizer who wanted to discuss more than literature with her. She found herself attracted to all the wrong men, and attracted attention from men she would rather avoid. Ah well, back to those term papers! In The Northbury Papers, the professor had an unusual stroke of luck that made her career prospects much brighter. In The Raven and the Nightingale, she made an important literary discovery and explored the nature of originality. In Cold and Pure and Very Dead, the author explores what makes literature significant and finally develops the love interest between the professor and her police lieutenant sparring partner. The primary appeal of the series is that Professor Dobson has created a memorable character who will resonate with all those who question pretension. Increasingly, the other characters are becoming memorable as well.

Those who liked Quieter than Sleep, The Northbury Papers, The Raven and the Nightingale, or Cold and Pure and Very Dead may not like The Maltese Manuscript as much unless they like the series mostly for its characters and academic-spoofing humor. This book is a strong departure in style from the earlier books. If you think you would like a thinking person's Stephanie Plum, then The Maltese Manuscript is probably for you.

I recommend reading Quieter than Sleep before this book because the characters and the context won't make as much sense without having read that book first. Otherwise, you may find this book to be a four-star read.

This book is almost a spoof and delivers on the very promising sense of humor by the author that was hinted at in Cold and Pure and Very Dead. I was reminded of Hoodwink in the Nameless Detective series by Mr. Bill Pronzini.

Enfield College is planning a Women's Studies conference, and noted crime novelist, Ms. Sunnye Hardcastle, has been hired to speak. That invitation makes the conference high profile, and shifts its focus onto feminism in detective fiction. Ms. Hardcastle reads the topic of Professor Pelletier's talk, and orders her driver to head for Enfield. Ms. Hardcastle wants Professor Pelletier to help her research her next book. Ms. Hardcastle's entrance is a memorable one:

"The door to my office opened, and a dame walked in, bringing Trouble with her. The dame was Sunnye Hardcastle, celebrated crime novelist, and Trouble was her dog, a big Rottweiler with teeth like boning knives." The obvious reference to the classic noir detective fiction style is very cleverly and humorously done. The fun continues throughout the book. The language of academic studies about women provides constant sources of humor throughout the book.

Because of their connection, Professor Pelletier is assigned to be Ms. Hardcastle's escort during her visit for the conference. During the conference, a dead body is found in the library, the manuscript of The Maltese Falcon disappears, a student and her ward disappear, and Ms. Hardcastle becomes a suspect. In the background, the library has been losing its detective fiction to an unknown thief for some time. When Charlie Piotrowski takes on the investigation, the potential for humorous mishaps explodes. Charlie tells Karen to keep out of the investigation. Miffed, she responds by withholding evidence and driving him up the wall. Can their relationship survive these strains?

As I finished the book, I found myself wondering how I can cleanse my own writing of jargon that is impenetrable and off-putting to the general reader. Specialists, beware of hiding your expertise with stilted language!

I must admit I wasn't convinced I would enjoy the subject matter. A friend told me it was a great read, and I agree totally after completing CHINESE ED 101!! The humor, warmth, and insight of what Mr. Perkowski has been doing in China comes through in great fashion. With the Olympics on the horizon, we've only been getting the bad news from China, so "Managing the Dragon" really gives us incite of what the people are like and how the country functions on a day to day routine. It should be required reading for everyone going to the Olympics.

Jack Perkowski's "Managing the Dragon" definitely belongs to the most authoritative cast of literature when it comes to describe contemporary China's commercial leap. Foremost, there are the solid insights collected over a span of 15 years of successful industrialist exposure, that constitute the book's real value. These central themes are articulated in a very customary language. The book is enticing. It is THE highly recommended China book of the year so far! In confidence, the reader also faces an impartial judgement about things Chinese.

Just finished Jack Perkowski's Managing the Dragon, and excellent book in three sections. I was fortunate enough to work with Jack and his team as a consultant for several years. Jack was generous with his time and insight, is able to distill the complex into plain-speak (some memorable phrases in the book), and an excellent listener. All are qualities enbedded in the book. Jack's best advice? Interested in doing business in China, then go there for yourself. This book will serve as a good framework for your fact-finding and due-dlilgence, but keep an open-mind, seek multiple views, and remember: in China, nothing is easy; everything possible. Oh ... and watch out for the mao-tai

Just released last month, Jack Perkowski's Managing the Dragon recounts his story of building a business in China. In the mid-90's, Mr. Perkowski saw potential in China. So he took the bold step of moving to China and starting a company. It hasn't always been easy going, but ASIMCO, his company, now takes in $500 million in revenue each year producing automotive parts. The book often disagrees with "accepted" knowledge about China. Mr. Perkowski keeps the lessons entertaining with his story telling. The book is also quite candid about what worked and what didn't.

This is an admiring effort by an American entrepreneur, as fairly reviewed by Victor Mallet for the Financial Times:

"Brash optimism of an American in China

You have to hand it to Jack Perkowski. The working-class Pittsburgh kid who won a football scholarship to Yale, spent 20 years on Wall Street and became head of investment banking at PaineWebber could have rested on his laurels and enjoyed his personal wealth.

Instead he chose in the 1990s to set up a new business in a difficult country and in a difficult industry he knew nothing about. This book is the story of how Perkowski went to China and established a Chinese motor components group called Asian Strategic Investments Corporation, now Asimco Technologies.

Managing the Dragon is not a great work of literature. The memoir Mr China by Tim Clissold, a Chinese-speaking accountant who helped Perkowski build Asimco, covered some of the same ground with more eloquence and wit four years ago. But Perkowski's book is worth reading, both for its insights into business in China and for its self-portrait of a relentlessly optimistic American entrepreneur who has persevered in spite of disasters and disappointments.

From a new vantage point - he spoke no Chinese but understood Wall Street and raised the money - Perkowski describes the horrors that also featured in Clissold's book: bureaucracy, fraud, corruption, competition from Asimco's Chinese joint venture partners, an inadequate legal system and invoices paid with trucks rather than cash.

As Perkowski admits, China is changing extraordinarily fast and most of these events happened a decade ago. But the book's central section - including a blow-by-blow account of how Asimco removed the awkward boss of a rubber products joint venture in Anhui province - make gripping reading for any industrial investor contemplating a move to China.

Clissold wrote that he was "confused" by the optimism of Perkowski - whom he described as "an enormous personality" and an "archetypal Wall Street adventurer" - and it is true that the American, even in his own writing, comes across as guileless and naive. Perkowski seems to crave recognition and at first appears surprised by how different Chinese habits are from American ones. Occasionally he draws lessons so obvious as to be useless, such as: "I have learnt that getting the strategy right is one of the most important things that a company can do."

Yet there is wisdom, too, on dealmaking and management in the world's most populous nation.

Perkowski chose the almost virgin business territory of China when he learnt that other Asian economies were in the grip of a few powerful business families (the subject of Joe Studwell's Asian Godfathers). He sensibly lays to rest the absurd myth that guanxi or connections are unique to Chinese dealmaking, pointing to his own use of guanxi as a graduate of Yale. And, half in jest, he recommends giving a new company eager for recognition a name beginning with A.

The core of Perkowski's argument is that investors in China face a "management gap" between bureaucratic managers reared in state-owned companies and managers so entrepreneurial that they "concocted deals with criminal elements or tried to set themselves up in competition with us".

Through painful years of trial and error, Perkowski and Asimco struggled to bridge this gap. They started with expatriate managers, but that did not work and Perkowski admits he made his biggest mistakes in the early days "when I discounted the views of my Chinese managers". Next, they tried converting the unsuitable "bureaucratic" and "entrepreneurial" Chinese managers they already had into the kind they wanted, but by and large that failed too.

Finally, they decided to find and empower Asimco's own "New China managers", open-minded mainlanders with some management experience, some exposure to modern management concepts and, typically, an engineering background. In retrospect this was as obvious as the need for a strategy, but it was evidently effective.

The question remains as to whether Perkowski needed to go through such agonies to build a company that now has 17 factories in eight provinces in China.

Clissold could not understand why Perkowski did not learn Chinese. This is a sore point for Perkowski. Although he writes that 90 per cent of the mistakes made in China are due to "misunderstanding and miscommunication", he spends nearly three pages justifying his reluctance to try to learn to speak Chinese.

Reading the two books together, one of the most valuable lessons to emerge is that if you want to build a billion-dollar business, it pays to learn the local language."

For more wisdom, I also recommend The Chine Executive by Wei Wang - a great thinker on this topic, in my view.