U Books

Strother, a Texas bred Democrat consultant who served as a mentor to better known figures such as James Carville, recounts his experiences in the rough and tumble world of politics. In many hands, this could have been a very factual, dry and boring book. Luckily for the reader, Strother is an uproarious storyteller.

The son of a fervent union man in Port Arthur, Texas, Strother more or less falls into the political consulting business by default. He begins his career in Louisana, a hotbed of corruption and questionable ethics. Thru his journey, we relive his often painful and hilarious campaign experiences with country singer Jimmie Davis, Gary Hart and Bill Clinton.

Current politics are dirty business and not for the weak of heart. Idealists are often rudely discarded before they even realize what's happened. Strother considers himself a man of integrity in a profession that increasingly looks at such a trait as a weakness. He not only has to deal with Republican adversaries but underhanded tactics by members of his own party. Strother is honest in his analysis of his work and colleagues and spares no one including other Democrats who employed dirty tricks against his firm.

No matter what side your political beliefs fall, this is a good read if you want to understand how politics work behind the scenes.

I had the pleasure of visiting with Raymond last week in Montana,and hearing him tell some of the stories that were not in the book was an interesting evening.

Even though I have lived in La. all of my life so many of the stories in the book I had never heard!Raymond brought them all to life.

Books about politics by insiders get most of the business right, but only Ray Strother tells you what it is really like to work in national politics in plain, unhyped prose.

Ray Strother's chronicle of the industry that brings us our leaders is fascinating. His story is also an "American Success Story". From the giants of the U.S. Senate includingRussell Long (recently passed) and Lloyd Bentsen to today's leaders in the Senate - Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln and Zell Miller - Strother has woven a tapestry of stories that enthral and make us consider our democracy.

This is a first-rate, fast-read of an industry that is seldom discussed but that brings us world leaders. Ad agency execs marvel at their brilliance but at the end of the day they sell sugar water to children. Strother has given an insight to a world seldom seen, but of importance to all of us.

Get the book - read it and pass it around. This is one of those books that flys below the radar but could become a movie.

happy reading

Raymond Strother's warts-and-all memoir of his life as a political consultant is a fun, must-read for all students of American politics. Strother's career began when there was still some innocence in campaigning, and winds up during the frustrating years of ego-driven hacks whose self-importance overshadows their candidates, to the detriment of government. Ray Strother's genuinity was formed the old-fashioned way: he grew up poor and learned to appreciate other people.

Strother's tales of Southern political skirmishes will entertain. He's a smooth storyteller who should write more, now that he's out of the maelstrom of the Washington kill-or-be-killed consultant circuit.

Caveat: I am a Republican, and although Strother's life has been spent around Democrats, his tales are compelling across the board.

Fire and Brimstone is not just about the fire that broke out in the Granite Mountain mine in Butte, Montana on June 8, 1917 and the death of 163 miners, it is also about the mining industry of Montana and its sociopolitical impact on the state in general and the town of Butte in particular. Punke's coverage of Burton K. Wheeler towards the end of the book veers away from the main storyline and is the reason for the dropped star.

The story begins with an accident involving a 1,200 foot, 3-ton cable that would lead to the fire. Like the Cherry Mine (Illinois) disaster covered in the book Trapped by Karen Tintori, there is a story of men attempting to return to the fire-engulfed mine to rescue doomed miners only to be caught in a cage when the hoist signals stopped working (pg. 13). This story is not near as heroic and horrifying as Tintori's, however.

The book skips to give background information on the Montana "Copper Kings" William Clark and Marcus Daly during the latter half of the 19th century later to be joined in competition by Fritz Heinze. The background showed to what extent political corruption shaped the mining industry in Montana controlled by the Anaconda and, later, Standard Amalgamated Oil.

By far, the best part of the book covers the efforts to survive by two separate groups of miners. Each group was organized by a savvy, confident man of strong personality. The group that is more detailed is the one led by a young nipper Manus Duggan. Although he did not have a commanding position in the mine, he understood what was needed for survival and oversaw the careful construction of a bulkhead and the continuous rotation of the other 28 miners in his group to circulate the air. Another group of ten miners was led by shift boss J.D. Moore. Both leaders faced down and prevented challenges to their authority as well as attempts by the other miners to escape the bulkhead too soon. Many of these miners owed their lives to those two men.

The story of the trapped miners was so intriguing it was maddening when the book reverted to more background information. Once the fire and its aftermath was covered, the book shifted focus to the labor union situation in Butte (the AFL vs. the IWW), the brutal demise of IWW executive chairman Frank Little, and quite a bit of information on Senator Burton K. Wheeler (D. A. during the tragedy and the ugly situation brought on by the competing labor unions) who was an important player in FDR's administration. These sidelines (especially the labor unions) have a relation to the Butte mining disaster, of course, but as the book moves into the 1930s and 1940s, the tragedy seems to be left behind save for when Wheeler referenced it in one of his writings. Parts read like a brief history of WWII, over a generation removed from the mining tragedy. Then it is revealed that the Granite Mt./Speculator mines had been closed all that time (since 1923).

The book ends with an update on the town of Butte that makes one wonder why people still live there. There is four pages of photographs included with a few relating directly to the mining disaster. There is only one picture of a miner (a doctored newspaper photo of Duggan) which was disappointing but I guess that's probably the only one that exists or is available.

I agree with what the other reviewers have said. I'd like to add that I picked this book up on a whim from the library and could not put it down. While it is a heartbreaking page turner, it is also reads like a love letter to a hardscrabble city. The book jacket says that Punke currently lives in Montana. I am not sure if he is a Butte native, but he has served the city well within the pages of this enthralling read.

If you have any ties to Montana, or like history. This is a great telling of the events that happened at this time.
An enjoyable book.

Michael Punke has an incredible ability to make the story jump off the page. Too many non-fiction writers are turgid; Punke is anything but. I highly recommend it.

Michael Punke does an excellent job of weaving the history of the time with the story of the North Butte mining disaster. I don't read alot of history, but found this one of the most interesting, hard-to-put-down books I've read of any non-fiction genre. You can smell the smoke, feel the panic and appreciate the courage of the men and women of Butte. To get a real sense of this history, visit Butte, Montana. It's one of the most fascinating and strong communities on the planet.

Odette Larson's autobiography not only tells her story as an abused child, but also makes you feel the emotions of that scared little girl. Her story may be shocking, distrubing, and dynamically graphic for a "normal" reader. Although, her ability to share her truths, allows those of us who were also abused, to feel kindredness with her. To personally know the woman she has become, I am proud to say she is an amazing mentor. Odette will teach you, that no matter what trials life can throw you, be optimistic, and you will prevail!!
We all live in a world where truths may be shameful, life is always difficult, and happiness can shine through in the darkest moments. If a little girl's broken dreams can become a perseverance to find what life is all about. Then share in her tale by reading, "Flying Sparks," and realize that an adventure, whether sad or happy, can be had by connecting personally with ones and things that come into your life!

An interesting story of casual, unthinking neglect of children by the honest working class. The odd contrast between the often wise words of advice given by the mother in this story, and her absolute blindness to the real life of her children is the crux of the book.

The book ends somewhat abruptly. I wonder if the author is planning a continuation of some sort. As it is, we have little knowledge of how or why the young girl in the book changes the direction of her life.

Truly the book chronicles a time when children had more freedom, but clearly things were not as safe as parents believed.

A truely compelling story of survival and the reality of being a young girl alone and unprotected in an era we thought was a time of "innocence". Ms. Larson has unflinchingly shared her life experiences with honesty and without self-pity. Her courage is an inspiration. Her prose is as pure and honest as the desert. I could not put Flying Sparks down. I eagerly look forward to her next book.

This novel stopped me in my tracks. The keen memory of every detailed joy and horror recalled so vividly, related in an honest, curious and amazingly direct way...was absolutely compelling.

I was transported directly into the emotional turmoil and yearning of the young Odette...experiencing first hand, her twelve-year old sensibility, curiousity and insecure,overpowering need for love...a need so strong it continually bounced her off the edge of darkness, while at the same instant, maintaining a core of integrity and innocence just strong enough to keep her from toppling over...into the abyss.

I couldn't put it down, and when I did finish this incredible odyssey of pain, confusion and desolation, I felt the stirring of some powerful seeds...the beginnings of unconscious realizations...a small ladder up. I can't wait for these to sprout and manifest into Odette Larson's sequel novel..and other works of truth, survival and growth. The phoenix rising.

Kudos to this wonderful, insightful author. Please continue to bring us more of these powerful works! Thank you!

Larson's gripping story of the loss of innocence is a shocking insight into the motivation of a very young girl who puts herself on the precipice of disaster time after time in her thirst for love and affirmation. We are captivated with the incredible events during her escape from a stern mother who beats her and a father whose affection is limited to a grunt when she offers to wash his feet. Although the girl walks through miles of desert, untouched by scorpions and snakes she is victimized by lecherous men, drug addicts and criminals. With the kindness of a musician, and her perseverence, she finds the strength to triumph. Larson paints the desert landscape she lives in with beauty and richness, tainted only by the blood and fluids of human weakness. We want more about how she evolved to become a successful teacher and author.

This fascinating study examines Ameircan military history from the Pilgrims of the 17th century to the Gulf War. Although published in 1994 and thus not covering the war in Afghanistan or the second invasion of Iraq, this book presents a fascinating analysis of American military history. It examines the size of the army and the role of militias and the national guard. A brilliant history that tells the tale of the American military and the nature of common defense, the older system of defending America when it was still a simple agrarian country.

Seth J. Frantzman

I only have one thing to say: If you are wanting to have any serious understanding of American history, then you need this book in your library.

I read David Hackett Fischer's "Washington's Crossing" (2004) and it was excellent. If you read reviews of it on Amazon.com -- everything everyone says there is JUST what I felt in reading it. Wished it would never end and that he'd write all the early history of America.

"For the Common Defense" struck me the same way. A friend of my son's liked it and got it for him. I picked it up by accident and thought, "dull, dull, dull!" and started reading (only because I'm an habitual read-a-holic). As I read, prejudiced by my first thoughts, I still thought, "dull, dull, dull..." Then my eyes started opening and I realized, "This is VERY interesting!" Finally I started reading it aloud to my husband, and now we are soooo excited to realize, "The kids are in bed! We can read THE BOOK!" We relish it -- truly the highlight of our day! We have learned so much. We really didn't know our country before. The authors' lists of books (and their enthusiastic descriptions of their especial favorites) after each section is a most excellent reference for more detailed reading into one's particular area of interest.

"For the Common Defense" is an overview, but of ALL America's military history, with an eye for the telling detail. This is from p. 238: Joshua Chamberlain, commander of the 20th Maine Volunteers, describes the night of December 13-14 at Frederickburg. It's incredible writing, so I called my best friend long distance to read it to her:

"But out of that silence from the battle's crash and roar rose new sounds more appalling still; rose or fell, you knew not which, or whether from the earth or air; a strange ventriloquism, of which you could not locate the source, a smothered moan that seemed to come from distances beyond the reach of the natural sense, a wail so far and deep and wide, as if a thousand discords were flowing together into a key-note weird, unearthly, terrible to hear and bear, yet startling with its nearness; the writhing concord broken by cries for help, pierced by shrieks of paroxysm; some begging for a drop of water; some calling on God for pity; and some on friendly hands to finish what the enemy had so horribly begun; some with delirious, dreamy voices murmuring loved names, as if the dearest were bending over them; some gathering their last strength to fire a musket to call attention to them where they lay helpless and deserted; and underneath, all the time, that deep bass note from closed lips too hopeless or too heroic to articulate their agony."

What kind of military nation is The United States? That is to say, how has America viewed our military, funded it, and served within it? What do we expect out of it? For the Common Defense is a look at all of these questions and more, with an eye to political and administrative detail more than to specific battles or campaigns.

Structurally, the book is broken down largely by war or by inter-war period. Peter Maslowski wrote the first half, up to the Spanish American War, and Allan Millett the remaining chapters through the Gulf War. Within each chapter the authors repeatedly address the core concerns. Most important among them would be to determine the relationship between the governments and the military forces. I use the plural here because only in the last century has the American military effort focused almost entirely on centralized, federal control of our forces. The concept of the citizen soldier is addressed at length in the many ways he might fulfill that role. The combat and campaigning effectiveness of the various forms of soldiery have been compared for strengths and weaknesses in the different wars. At higher levels, the relationship between generals and civilian leaders is addressed in some detail as well. As the nation lurched from one conflict to another, planners and leaders continually tried to define and defend the proper role of the military in American society. When conflict within the highest echelons arose, the authors detail the nature of this conflict and how it was resolved. The approach is generally non-political and certainly non-partisan. Our leaders made decisions and had interactions and these are simply analyzed and evaluated for posterity in these pages.

For the reader interested in battle campaigns this work does include the major events, and covers all the major wars. It is not, however, a combat history of American wars, and as much attention is paid to peacetime as to time of war, and as much or more to administrative, personal, and logistical matters as to strategy and maneuvers. At each step the authors are clear about what points they want to make and why they are important. No military force runs on strategy and tactics alone. For the Common Defense remains a history of the American military tradition as one of our vital institutions.

I read David Hackett Fischer's "Washington's Crossing" (2004) and it was excellent. If you read reviews of it on Amazon.com -- everything everyone says there is JUST what I felt in reading it. Wished it would never end and that he'd write all the early history of America.

"For the Common Defense" struck me the same way. A friend of my son's liked it and got it for him. I picked it up by accident and thought, "dull, dull, dull!" and started reading (only because I'm an habitual read-a-holic). As I read, prejudiced by my first thoughts, I still thought, "dull, dull, dull..." Then my eyes started opening and I realized, "This is VERY interesting!" Finally I started reading it aloud to my husband, and now we are soooo excited to realize, "The kids are in bed! We can read THE BOOK!" We relish it -- truly the highlight of our day! We have learned so much. We really didn't know our country before. The authors' lists of books (and their enthusiastic descriptions of their especial favorites) after each section is a most excellent reference for more detailed reading into one's particular area of interest.

"For the Common Defense" is an overview, but of ALL America's military history, with an eye for the telling detail. This is from p. 238: Joshua Chamberlain, commander of the 20th Maine Volunteers, describes the night of December 13-14 at Frederickburg. It's incredible writing, so I called my best friend long distance to read it to her:

"But out of that silence from the battle's crash and roar rose new sounds more appalling still; rose or fell, you knew not which, or whether from the earth or air; a strange ventriloquism, of which you could not locate the source, a smothered moan that seemed to come from distances beyond the reach of the natural sense, a wail so far and deep and wide, as if a thousand discords were flowing together into a key-note weird, unearthly, terrible to hear and bear, yet startling with its nearness; the writhing concord broken by cries for help, pierced by shrieks of paroxysm; some begging for a drop of water; some calling on God for pity; and some on friendly hands to finish what the enemy had so horribly begun; some with delirious, dreamy voices murmuring loved names, as if the dearest were bending over them; some gathering their last strength to fire a musket to call attention to them where they lay helpless and deserted; and underneath, all the time, that deep bass note from closed lips too hopeless or too heroic to articulate their agony."

This book is about an eleven year old boy named Foster. The story taken place in 1941 during World War Two. In the story Foster learns the importance's of friendship and the pain of loss. Foster's older brother, Mel, gets shipped off to fight in the war right after he enrolls to get away from their abusive father. Times were hard for everyone then, especially for those who had family members over seas. Foster creates a club to help the men fighting in the war, the YWE. Life went on and Foster made some new friends and nearly lost some old ones. But then one day, a letter arrives that changes the families life forever.

I would recommend this book for people who like old time historical books. i though this book as a real good source of information on America's past.

Foster's War

Foster's War is a great book that shows how the Americans acted and lived during WWII. It is a fairly long book, but it isn't really long. This book can be a little confusing a times because some of the chapters don't relate at all to the one before or after it. But if you love WWII and are interested in it, I strongly recommend Foster's War by Carolyn Reeder.
The main character in this book is Foster, an eleven-year old boy living through WWII. Foster also faces some problems during the war, like his Japanese friend being taken to a camp and his father getting a little caught up in the war. Along with that his brother signs up to fight in a plane before the war and is called to fight after Pearl Harbor is bombed on December 7, 1942. His father becomes the air - raid warden for his neighborhood and is encouraging Foster's family to get involved in the war and discourage the Japanese. He even gets mad when Foster has his brother be the Japanese in a game of war. But during the war horrible things happen to his family; and to find out these things read Foster's War by Carolyn Reeder.
Foster is a normal kid who does normal things. Before the war started he would read comics, play a little chess and play with his best friend Jimmy. He didn't have any friends besides Jimmy, but that was okay with him. He was thought of as a weird kid and everyone made fun of him. But after a little joke he plays on a classmate that they took seriously, he became very popular and everyone wanted to be part of what he started.
My favorite part of Foster's War is when Foster makes his little brother be the Japanese in the game of war. It is my favorite part because his father gets very made at Foster when he finds out. He thinks it is a disgrace that Foster's little brother had to be the enemy Japanese. This part of the book shows just how much the average American disliked the Japanese during WWII.
Foster's War has many strengths and a couple of weaknesses. One of its strengths is it's well written and Foster is just like a normal kid, and all the trouble he gets into during the book could happen to anyone. Another strength is there is a variety of characters and they are all very different, so it is hard to confuse them once you've read about them. Foster's War also gives a different view of the war; a lot of books shows what happens the soldiers and how they fight. But this book shows what happens to the regular people and how they act and support their troops. Its weaknesses are that chapters can be completely unrelated and it can be confusing. Foster's War can also be very predictable and it's pretty obvious what happens.
Overall I think Foster's War is a great book that tells you a lot about what happened in America during the war. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about WWII that's not just about fighting, people getting captured and cities getting destroyed.

Foster Simmons has an evil father. His brother leaves for world war II and Foster wants to help the soldiers, too. How is Foster going to help the U.S? I read this book from when I got back from school to when I went to bed. It was funny,addicting, and was suspenseful(very suspenseful).

In this book the only war isn't just World War II it is also in Foster's home. His father beats him and constantly puts him down. In order to get away from his father Foster's older brother Mel signs up for the army causing him to leave school. The three youngest children have developed skills they can use together to get away from their abusive father's ways. When the family messes up the slightest bit he overreacts and begins his attack. After the family learns of Pearl Harbor they begin to worry about air raids and the safety of Mel. Foster's best friend Jimmy is moved to an internment camp because he is a Japanese - American or a Jap in the words of the adults. The book goes on talking about the war. This a great book for middle schoolers. I really liked it. 5 stars!!!!!!

Foster's War

Do you like World War II? Well if you do then you will enjoy Foster's War by Carolyn Reeder. Carolyn's first book was called Shades of Gray. It won the Scott O'Dell Award. She also wrote two other books called Grandpa's Mountain and Moonshiner's Son. I would give Foster's War a 5 out of 5.

Foster's War takes place in San Diego, California during World War II in 1941. In the beginning the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Foster's older brother, Mel, got sent to war. Foster later started getting into conflicts with his dad. Foster's best friend, Jimmy, who is Japanese, has to move away into a Japanese neighborhood. Later in the story the family gets news that Mel is missing in action. About a week later the family receives a telegram saying that Mel was killed in action on June 4. Finally, Foster and the rest of his family started to get along together. To end the story Foster's dad buy Foster and his brother Rick a fancy train set. There were several conflicts in the story. The main conflict was when Mel went to war the whole family was worried about him. The dad was mad about Mel going to war, because Mel didn't get his father's permission and he forged his father's permission. The other conflicts that weren't as important was when Foster's best friend Jimmy had to move away to a Japanese neighborhood and when the whole family didn't get along so well.

Here are a few main characters in the story. The main character is Foster. Foster is 11 years old. He loves his older brother Mel a lot. His best friend is a Japanese boy named Jimmy. He is an average kid like everybody else that's goes to his school. He is the founder of the Youth War Effort.
Another main character is Mr. Simmons. He is Foster's dad. He is always mean and angry. He works long hours at the aircraft factory. Everyday when he comes home he complains. He also gets angry with the family a lot. One last thing that he does is go around the neighborhood to make sure everybody's light are off when the have an air raid. The last main character that I'll mention is Mrs. Simmons. She is always nice to everybody. She tries really hard to keep the family together no matter what happens. She also helps around a lot.

The author shows the theme well. The theme of the story is, sometimes bad things have to happen in order to bring a family together. She shows this by having Mel go to war first. Then she shows the family getting into fights. When they got the news Mel was missing they got a little better. Then when they got the telegram about Mel was killed the family almost came together. Finally when the dad bought them the train set you can tell that they came together.

Foster's War was a great book. I would give it a 5 out of 5. You would enjoy this a lot if you like World War II. If you don't like World War II you will still enjoy it. For a grade level that I would say that like it is probably 6th to 8th grade. Ages 10 to 14. I think this book will be a classic and kids will continue to read it for a long time. The strengths of the book were the way the story was wrote it. The weakness of the book was the very little detail or not much action of World War II. She focused more on conflicts that happed at home. This book was almost like the book The Outsiders. In The Outsider, by S.E. Hinton, were two groups that hated each other by their looks and how they lived. One of the groups came from the Westside that were rich and had a lot of fancy things. The other group where from the Eastside that were poor and were nothing were like the rich group. Also in The Outsiders a bunch of people had to die to bring a family together. In conclusion, Foster's War is a must buy book.

(...)

Here is Sinatra stripped of everything who leaves me knowing he has deserved my love and admiration all these years. With Sinatra, he drove himself through life going after whatever he wanted and risking the consequences. We get to look at his ups and downs and his prides and his falls. We see him suffer at love and sing about it. We see him finally, after all the aborted tries, finally sink himself into a relationship with his last wife that kept him happy until he died.

Life for Sinatra was all or nothing at all and he did life his way and fell into lots of tender traps and led some into his own tender traps, like one famous movie star I will let you discover on your own.

What so special about Nancy's book is that she is amazingly organized and objective in her account of her father's life. And the CD, well the CD is everything. You get to hear Sinatra on Sinatra, unabashed.

Everyone on the planet needs to buy and read this book to learn what life can be when you go for it all every day!

Kudos to Nancy for a biography well, well done.

This book has excellent pictures with the most vital information for a biography project. A great buy and great read for interested fans of Ol' Blue Eyes.

No wonder this book is so thick- it's filled with numerous photos of Frank Sinatra, his family, and friends over the years. I love looking at these pics, and so will any other Sinatra fan. There is detailed info throughout the book as well. This is one worth having in your collection.

This scrapbook is a real treat to any true SINATRA fan.It is full of pictures of everybody who was important in his life from his parents to collaborators like arrangers NELSON RIDDLE; all his wifes from NANCY to BARBARA;the legendary LOUIS B. MAYER etc.Better than most biographies because it is based on facts not rumours.The early pictures from his beginnings are alone worth the price.I was fortunate enough to get this book at the third of it's price and i went through it very fast because once you open it, you simply can't take your hands out of it.If FRANK became the singer of the past century, it's not by accident, he worked hard at it.I was particulary touched by his loyalty to his true friends.FRANK SINATRA is a mirror of his country. He was the son of immigrants who lived the AMERICAN dream to the fullest.Where is the AMERICAN dream today now that it's last legend is gone?Let's not complain too much ,because everything that FRANK SINATRA ever recorded is now available on cd.Nostalgia when you think of it is a very good thing.SATURDAY is not the loneliest night of the week anymore thanks to the chairman of the board.If you are not already a fan, this book should do the trick.

I had to get this book after seeing how low the price came down.The original price was 40 dollars. Nancy Sinatra's book on her Father has everything in here.I couldn't believe Frank weighted 13and a half pounds when he was born on December 12,1915.The Doctor ripped and scarred his ear,check,and neck,plus puncturing his eardrum.Frank wasn't breathing,so his grandmother Rose held the baby under cold running water until he gasped his first breath and cried.This book is like a Diary.It goes from year to year,sometimes month to month.All of Franks movies,records,concerts,TV shows,songs,and the name of the songwriters are in here,plus hundreds of pictures,starting with Frank's baby photo, ending with a touching family photo taken in 1996.There's a wonderfull picture of Marilyn Monroe taken with Dean Martin sitting ringside at the Sands..All of the stars are in here,and family pictures we've never seen before.If you are a Frank Sinatra fan,you have to get this Book.Its huge,and the pictures are fantastic.

If you are not a Robert Utley fan you soon will be. This second in a two volume series, Utley shows once again why he is the king of frontier US history. This is an excellent piece of scholarship and writing.

Recounting the final, massive push by the Regular Army to subdue the American Indians, this volume covers the 25 years after the Civil War when control of the Plaines was wrested from the Indians, from the first skirmishes with the Sioux over the Bozeman Trail to the final defeat and subjugation in 1880.

Proud of the Unites States Army and is accomplishments while simultaneously sympathetic toward the Indians, Utley traces the campaign directed by Major General William Tecumseh Sherman. The result is a very evenhanded account resting comfortably between the "the barbaric band of butchers depicted in the humanitarian literature of the nineteenth century and the atonement literature of the twentieth." The people we meet are simply a group of ordinary men doing the very best they could under remarkably trying circumstances that were often under equipped and ill supplied.

A great deal has been written about the United States Army during the Civil War. But tales of the postwar army can be just as thrilling as stories from the war, though this portion of military history is, sadly, often overlooked. Robert Utley attempts to correct this oversight in this excellent book, which deals with the nature, structure, and activity of the portion of the army engaged on the frontier from immediately after the Civil War until Wounded Knee. Arranged in an order that is easy to follow and is logical if not always strictly chronological, each major military operation against the Native Americans is handled with skill and sufficient detail. The result is a fascinating look at the army as a whole.

The main value of this book lies in the fact that it provides an outstanding overview of military operations as a whole (as opposed to books that treat just one battle or campaign). The work fills in many holes that will undoubtedly exist for anyone who has studied a part of the Indian Wars, and who would like to have a more general overview available to them. Anyone who has studied the Little Bighorn, for example, will find in this book a wealth of information that will explain in great detail many of the factors that led up to that action and also many of its ramifications. This book is essential to any study of Western history, especially military history.

Robert M. Utley offers the sequel to his _Frontiersmen in Blue: The United States Army and the Indian 1848-1865_. In this second installment, Utley attempts to eradicate the myth of the frontier Army as blazing a path of glory westward that has been portrayed in Hollywood movies. Rather, he argues the frontier regular Army was only one of several contributing factors to the subjugation of the Native Americans. Other determinants such as westward expansion by waves of immigrants, and professional buffalo hunters attributed as much, if not more, to the Indian demise as did the soldiers. In a sense, Utley offers the antithesis to Dee Brown's _Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee_. The author highlights the Army's role as a frontier police force carrying out civilian policy that lacked cohesive strategy against the Native Americans. Utley begins with a general survey of the United States Army in the post-Civil War years. The author outlines the relationship between the War Department, its near autonomous bureaus, Congress, and the Executive Branch, with brief discussions into the tenures of Generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, command-staff functions, and logistics. Chapters on weapons & equipment, and outpost life round out the first half of the book. Utley remains objective and unsympathetic at times to Blue Coat and Indian alike. For example, in his discussion of General George Armstrong Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn, Utley, a noted Custer scholar, blames the boy general for the debacle. The author cites several reasons for the defeat of the 7th Cavalry. On the surrender of Geronimo in 1886, Utley credits both Generals George Crook and General Nelson Miles equally for their improvisations in overcoming logistical hardships in the harsh Sierra Madre Mountains. Acknowledging that the elimination of the Chiricahua Apache from Arizona was the prerequisite for re-establishing peace to the area, Utley does not sympathize with Geronimo's plight. It was only after the removal of the Chiricahuas, hostile and neutral alike, argues Utley, that peace was finally brought to the Southwest. In the final episode of the Indian wars: Wounded Knee, Utley engages in mere semantics. The author depicts Wounded Knee as a "tragedy" not a "massacre," the term generally preferred by the Indians. Utley feels the idiom inappropriate because "massacre," points to "deliberate and indiscriminate slaughter" which, he feels this occurrence was not. Utley believes, the soldiers tried to restrain from firing on women and children, however, in the melee, hitting innocent non-combatants was unavoidable. In the chapter titled "The Problem of Doctrine," Utley sees the Indian wars of the late nineteenth century through lensesmirroring the war in Vietnam (this book was first published in 1973). Utley observes the U.S. Army applied conventional tactics in an unconventional war. He illustrates how hostile Indians were oftentimes indistinguishable from peaceful reservation Indians. The hostiles utilized guerrilla tactics-hit and run raids and disappeared into the night. By day, the warrior factions would easily blend back into the general Indian population. If this be the case, it can be argued that the United States military had learned nothing from its own history. Robert M.Utley, often seen on the History Channel, and preeminent military historian of the period, has once again consulted a vast array of archival material. His evidence is equally balanced between primary and secondary sources, with endnotes after every chapter. The author consults an impressive collection of Government documents including a detailed list of Congressional and Senate papers in an impressive bibliography. Generous, easy to read maps, and a peppering of period photographs make this an essential addition to any library.

Utley does an excellent job of showing what post-Civil War Indian fighters faced. First was the transition from the Union Army fighting Confederates to the U.S. Army fighting Indians.

Utley documents how that work was made much harder by the cheapness of the War Department and Congress. Downsizing the Army drastically to save money wasn't enough. Congress stuck most the infantry with leftover muzzleloaders rather than repeaters, meaning that their Indian foes usually (Winchester-armed themselves) could bring superior firepower to bear.

Meanwhile, the frontier Army had to go through the twists and turns of War Department, or Interior Department, twists and turns on Indian dealings, and in different high-level officers having different approaches not just to Indian fighting but to Indian truce and treaty negotiations.

Meanwhile, the grunt work, as typical, was to be done by the infantryman, not the cavalryman.

Read the whole story of his struggle to do his job in this book.

This is a good book about the US Army, Indians and the early west after the civil war. It follows events and gives points of view that are not clouded by the normal politics or attitudes. It is a clear account with facts, the probable intentions based on facts, and the actions. It allows the reader to get a good sense of the period and actions. The book gives enough detail to back up the facts but does not go overboard. This is a good start at studying the time period and the US Army at the time. Being into history, it was highly informative. It is a great book for those who want to read about the period but not get heavily into research. It goes deeper than just a brief summary but I think it gives just enough to allow understanding. It is easy to read and flows from chapter to chapter.

I know why they call this a program you will love, because it is not hard. I enjoy the exercises and will continue to perform them, but I am not making this my primary workout. Instead I will adapt it for use three days a week on my easy days, as this is a perfect complimentary workout. I consider myself in good shape, but not great, and I was easily able to jump in and do the 12th week workouts precisely how Fitzgerald specified, boots and all. There were only several out of the 46 total exercises that I could not perform easily. The only way someone could say that it is deceptively hard is that a few exercises are nearly impossible. I found those are strictly for the abs though however and not any other part of my body feels a workout. I am not sore or exhausted, and the cals are the only valuable part to me as the running in week 12 was not that advanced- anyone can tell you to run for two 20 odd minute intervals with 5 minute walking breaks. The ab work is good, but other than that it is not challenging for someone who has some flexibility and performs cals regularly as I had. I have no doubt that these are valuable exercises, but this is far from the billing that I was reading on everyone else's review about what a workout you'll get from it. If you want a challenging workout buy something from Stew Smith and adapt this workout to include all the exercises for the off, or easy, days. It deserves four stars because this is probably good for most people who don't stretch enough and/or want to ease into a workout. All the supporters of this book must forgive me for making it sound so bad, it is a quality purchase, this just doesn't seem like the ultimate workout.

Like most I also received thisbook thru a military book club. At the time, I was beginning my long hard road to the SEALs, this pub helped tramendeously!! I was in better shape then in boot camp. This book is truely a keeper, that won't collect dust on a shelf.

The workout programme described in this book is deceptively difficult! Having read many of the recent titles which detail Navy SEAL workout regimens, I have found this one to be the most practical and time efficient. Some of the exercises would be considered obsolete by many, but once you get down to the nitty gritty this is a hardcore training programme (As one would expect from a former Navy frogman!). The instructions are very clear and presented with wry humour. The weekly and daily schedules are particularly effective as you can monitor your progress daily which is very motivating. It is also interesting to note that this book was first published in 1985! If you can find a copy, Buy it!

This is the most amazing exercise book I've EVER read. It's literally a crime they don't publish it anymore. Fitzgerald's exercise regimen is guaranteed to give you unbelievably "cut" muscles in a short time. His regimen will also force you to dig deep inside yourself for stamina, willpower, and endurance. Sound familiar? It should: Fitzgerald is ex-UDT.

For lower body conditioning, nothing I've seen compares to Fitzgerald's book. However, readers should add the upper-body and cross-training exercises found in the recent publications by Caracci, Helvenston, DeLisle, Smith, and other Navy SEALs.

This book is designed to put the reader through two workout programmes simultaneously. There is a Calisthenics programme, and a Running programme. This is a 12-week cycle; as Fitzgerald says, special forces are always changing and adapting, so there is no 'official' cycle that remains constant forever. Thus, this is flexible here, too. This book is all the reader needs except his own muscles and desire to succeed. No special equipment to buy or anything else. The back cover says this is not for the timid or the lazy. This is like being in the military. No excuses - just do it!

The author is a former Navy frogman named Tom Fitzgerald. He continues his fitness goals by running in the Boston Marathon and other such events. Fitzgerald promises better self-esteem, better motivation, and better accomplishment for those who will complete this programme.

The conditioning programme targets five different body parts with 46 different exercises. The running involves running and rapid walking with some intervals of sprinting. There is also a good deal of stretching involved. If you cannot give this one or two hours a day every day for 12 weeks then maybe this is not the book for you. But one could still get it and look at the exercises that have good descriptions and are useful, even if not following the programme.

Stretching
There is stretching prior to each session. This helps prevent muscle injury and makes one limber. Stretching after also helps healing faster, too.

Diet
This book does not go too much into diet since there are other books ready for that, but it gives some general rules. Vitamins and supplements are discussed and basic common sense like not drinking alcohol or too much sugar or caffeine before a workout. Their advice is humourous: 'If you're looking around for a mate, consider marrying a nutritionist.'

Other general instructions
This section deals with sore muscles, shoe and foot care (very important for the heavy running schedule). Keeping count and keeping at it is important too! At the end of the book is a record for keeping track of progress.

The Stretching Programme
There are 14 stretches in this, and each of them are done both before and after the calisthenics and running programmes. An important note is that this stretching routine was developed at a university training programme and not by the Navy. The chart at the end of the section shows what you should do, including how much time this should take. The opening stretches should take 5 minutes, and the final stretches should take 2 minutes.

The Calisthenics Programme
There are 46 exercises that are done over the course of the week that will exercise ever muscle in your body. There are five main categories.

General Warm-up
There are 10 exercises in the general warm up, and these exercises work to prepare the whole body for work.

Abdominal Exercises
There are 11 exercises in the abdominal section, and they work to strengthen and stretch the abs and your lower back.

The Side and Obliques
There aren't too many exercises in this part -- only 5, but they are important. These are really tough exercises beyond the usual stuff for sides and obliques.

Leg and Groin Exercises
There are 12 exercises in this section and legs are one of the major muscle groups in the body and often get overlooked. People think of abs and arms for fitness, but the legs carry the body weight all day long.

Arm Chest and Shoulder Exercises
There are 8 exercises in this final section for the upper body. The book said no special equipment is needed, but once will need a place to do pull-ups.

At the end of this section is the 12-week chart for how many exercises need to be done. Out of the 46 exercises you will do about half of them each day. Some things like leg stretchers are done almost every day. Some things like the one-legged push-up are done less often.

SEAL training calls running programmes 'conditioning hikes'. These involve running, walking double-time, and sprints in a programme on varying terrain, mostly on sand, which goes from being soft to hard-packed to ridged to in the water, often done in boots. The book makes recommendations for running in boots, and running with ankle weights or other kinds of terrain variations.

The first week involves running two miles in 15 minutes and makes progress up to eight miles at a maximum for the rest of the programme.

The exercises are described in good form each with pictures of each step. All exercises can be done by males or females. The pictures are basic black-and-white and sometimes a little grainy.

One drawback is that this is a tough workout programme from the very beginnin, and some people not be able to tolerate the stress and muscle effort from the outset. A Week Zero or prep conditioning programme would probably be a good idea to add if the book is ever reprinted.

The last part of this book involves setting out the schedule in a good format. There are also pages are for recording a personal record of progress and that can be motivating.

Even better than the original, "Book of Love," digs deeper into the true passions of the goomba--from food to cars to oh, woman, of course.

What are some goomba characteristics?
It's already pre-determined that the real old-school East Coast Italian-Americans must drive Caddies, wear Fila jumpsuits and sport gold chains. But these "traditions" aren't just done for the hell of it. There are reasons why the guido does certain things...

CLOTHES: Most Italian goombas wear colorful Fila track outfits as casualwear because having an easily recognizable matching uniform is essential. Also, because most guidos are a little on the heavy side, the Filas flatter the body shape and are comfortable all year round. Of course Fila is an Italian company so that is always the best brand. Guido dress-up attire is usually a dark matching suit (with either a tropical print silk shirt underneath or a dark shirt with brightly patterned tie for real formal events). The guido likes to stand out and always lives by the credo that tasteful gaudiness is classy.

ACCESSORIES: Most Italian goombas wear tons of gold because it makes them look like they have some money, even if that's not the case. The money that the guido does carry is in a roll with a rubber band around it with the big fazool (a ten spot) on the outside. Bracelets, watches, pinkie rings, and of course, necklaces are always worn. The religious emblems (Christ on the cross, Holy Mary) are usually around the neck because most guidos are Catholic.

CARS: Most Italian goombas drive old Caddies and Lincolns because they are big, powerful and roomy. Other guidos may pick a Monte Carlo or Mustang or another flashy sportscar but traditionalists will go for the Caddie. Most Mafiosos drive Caddies because they are flashy and represent luxury to the fullest but regular guidos who can't afford brand new ones go for second-handers and spice them up with tints and sound systems. And of course, the red horn is hung from the rearview mirror and the Italian flag decal is on the back bumper. I don't know about guidos outside of my neighborhood, but Jersey guidos never drive Japanese cars, only American cars.

FOOD: Most Italian goombas eat Italian-American food, not Olive Garden garbage but food from old-fashioned local spots run by fellow guidos or better yet, from Mama or Nonna. Meatballs, macaroni, eggplant, pizza, gabagol, and other old-fashioned goodness. Why? Because it tastes the best of course, and is the most filling. The guido will eat other non-Italian foods at times (it must be satisfying) but none of this modern new wave kind of eclectic cuisine is eaten, and an Italian meatball is always chosen before an American meatloaf if the option is given.

ENTERTAINMENT: Most Italian goombas like Joe Pesci and other Italian actors because they are the most relatable. These guys come from the neighborhood and talk, act and look like the local guido. That's why every Italian guido from Jersey thinks they can be on "The Sopranos." The guido has a fascination with the Mafia because of the similarities but also adores non-gangster portrayals as well, like Rocky Balboa and the all-time King Guido: Tony Manero of "Saturday Night Fever." Music is a huge part of the guido lifestyle. Anything Italian from Sinatra to Bon Jovi to Angelo Venuto are listened to. The music is usually light and danceable, none of those deep Celine Dion ballads or country tunes.

ATTITUDE: Most Italian goombas are from the East Coast so they have that "numero uno" attitude. Guidos haggle when buying something to get the best prices, are outgoing, do everything to the extreme, and show pride in all of their interests-the main one being the Italian-American heritage. Guidos never back down from fights and always go after what they want, whether it's a job or a girl or a calzone. Guidos talk with their own slang, use hand gestures, and strut. The guido's life is a constant hustle, book smarts are not always top priority when Italian charm and quick wit can be used instead. And when all else fails, God and mama are always there. The guido loves all the guido stereotypes, plays them up and doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks.

HOME LIFE: Most Italian goombas are married to a guidette who can cook and look hot doing it. Guidettes can give their men agita and turn them on at the same time. The guido-guidette relationship is always emotional, and the harder the fights are the harder the you-know-what is. The bedroom has a Crucifix above the bed, the sofa is protected with plastic and the house must have a leather recliner, a crystal chandelier, a white and red checkered tablecloth, a mini Tower of Pisa statue in the backyard, and an Italian flag on the front lawn. The kids are junior guidos and guidettes of course, and will grow up to be adult guidos and guidettes. There are always cousins and other relatives dropping by. The closeness of family and friends is always evident and the high level of drama exists because the guido is emotional and passionate about everything.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a few good laughs over a few good dumps. What else can a Goomba ask from a book sittin' on the back of the cammode.

I knew guys like this growing up! This book is HILARIOUS!!!

I loved this book. I found it to be very funny (..). Great entertainment.

Well known to countless fans of television's The Sopranos as Bobby "Bacala" Baccilieri, Steven Schirripa turned to the world of books and penned "A Goomba's Guide To Life," a top seller not only for Sopranos aficionados but others who enjoy smiles mixed with neighborhood sagacity.

Now, Mr. Schirripa follows with "The Goomba's Book Of Love," read by the only voice to share this wisdom - Mr. Schirripa himself.

Love in the goomba lexicon refers not only to the attraction between male and female but his undying love for his mother and her pasta sauce, deeply felt affection for his children, and his car (he cautions that no one better be caught eating in it).

The goomba, it seems, is a veritable wellspring of love - for his neighborhood, his friends, his extended family and, of course, broads. The criteria for a real goomba broad? "She'd go to the chair for me."

For the uninitiated, the dictionary defines a goomba, also "goombah" as the senior member of a criminal gang. Also, for the uninitiated, "The Goomba's Book Of Love" is pure entertainment. If you want sex tips, consult Dr. Ruth. If you want laughter and good humor, listen to this.

- Gail Cooke

The ideal audience for this book really has a large range; it is ideal for anyone wanting to experience a "trip" from a hallucinogenic drug without the actual drug. High Priest is an excellent piece of art, it is an encyclopedia of Leary's 16 most life changing "trips" when under various forms of hallucinogens. It is filled with strong imagery to support Leary's want to tell the world about the wonderful hallucinogenic "trip". His style is very unique in that especially in a series of short stories, he can in essence connect them, just as he does in his life with situations. He uses a very intense tone, and style becomes rapid as he submerges into a hallucinogenic state, almost as if you where there with him. Then as he's coming out of it his style loosens and becomes slower, and drowsy. Its almost as if there were two extremes one is cold and gray, and the other is vibrant and full of life. This book will definitely stir your interest about psychedelic drugs and the life behind it. Leary's intense flavor and swirling style can sometimes almost be frightening especially when he discusses his inner emotions about death, and his chilling way of expressing his views on the "life changing trips". I think this book is very educational depending on your view of education, and can teach people, things about other cultures that may not be their own, a counterculture if you will. I recommend High Priest to anyone with a thirst for knowledge and an open mind.

I'm sad to finish this book, as I have walked with Leary with his first mushroom encounter in Mexico, walked with his colleges and friends, from Dick Albert (Ram Dass), Robert Metzner, Huston Smith, Aldous Huxley, Walter Clark, Walter Puhnke, Michael Hollingshead, Alan Watts, Allen Ginsberg - I love Ginsberg - , Gordon Wasson, Frank Barrons and even William Burroughs. From his Millbrook estate to his Harvard studies, prison studies, first LSD trip, to his religious experiential studies and the amazing internal transformations that for myself are greatly superior to static intellectualism. And yet using such intellectual insights coupled with subjective encounters - in allusive non-categorical observance - brings forth the dynamics of Leary's story.

There is far too much information to relate here, the book is enlightening.
All together 16 trips or stories along with various quotes from magazine articles, short thoughts, to excerpts from other books from Ginsberg, Hollingshead, Wasson, Walter Houston Clark, Huxley and others make this book not only informative, but really do capture what is intended to be conveyed - the mystical- religious - subjective - internal - experiential - magical/irrational experience of psychedelics and most importantly, their beneficial use in social, psychological, ontological, neurological, rehabilitative, and spiritual uses. There is no doubt in my mind as to the benefits of psychedelics for the human race.

"Everyone who isn't tripping himself because he's too scared or tired is going to resent our doing it. Sex, drugs, fun, travel, dancing, loafing. You name it. Anything that's pleasurable is going to bring down the wrath of the power-control people. Because the essence of ecstasy and the essence of religion and the essence of orgasm (and they're all pretty much the same) is that you give up power and swing with it. And the cats who can't do that end up with the power and they use it to punish the innocent and the happy. And they'll try to make us look bad and feel bad." P. 79


This quote (and others) reminds me of Ray Manzarek's story in his book, Light My Fire, of visiting a Las Vegas style rat pack record executive who literally flipped out after hearing a tape of The Doors, hearing that they were psychedelic orientated music. The power people can never accept surrender and vulnerability that comes with the internal search as opposed to the external control.

"The threshold of adult game life is the ancient and natural time for the rebirth experience, the flip-out trip from which you come back as a man. A healthy society provides and protects the sacredness of the teen-age psychedelic voyage. A sick, society fears and forbids the revelation." p. 133


Trip 1 is Leary's non-chemical death and rebirth of a physical sickness.


Trip 2 is the story of Leary's discover of the mushroom in Mexico with some substantial quotes from Gordon Wasson on mushrooms.


Trip 3 has Dick Albert, Jack and Timothy Leary flying in Dick's plane. It also contains Leary's Playboy interview, other magazine quotes and quotes from Albert Cohen and Shiller's LSD.


Trip 6 has Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky walking around naked, Ginsberg telephoning his pal Jack Kerouac and some great Ginsberg quotes! The movement to turn on the world - well intentioned, but naive, the power people would never submit nor allow such conscious expansion beyond the control principal to continue.


Trip 7 talks about the rational thinking of Arthur Koestler's verses the irrationality of a LSD - religious experience and how the two don't see eye to eye.


Trip 9 shows the benefits of incarcerated prisoner rehabilitation and recidivism rate decrease from LSD therapy.


Trip 11 touches on William Burroughs and how he thinks on another tribal level, as we all come from different tribal evolutionary thinking. In the end Burroughs drops out of the clan and disapproves of the way Leary, his fellow Harvard and other constituents handle the mushroom therapy - Leary's got a monopoly on love.
Trip 12 is about Michael Hollingshead's famous mayonnaise jar of LSD and Leary's first experience along with the Jazz musician and his wife, Maynard and Flo Ferguson. And amazing account, really. And Leary, as Huxley has written in 1953, was forever a changed man. He had seen the games, the roles played, the human fallibility of truths, statistics, ideals and so forth from an objective standpoint, from the ultimate subjective standpoint.


Trip 15's Good Friday experiment under the coaxing of the intellectual and scholar Walter Pahnke is also an incredible story and ultimately Leary admits that the mind expansive consciousness is not a rational Descartes mind set, but a religious experience and of course, not under any particular religious structure - in this case Christianity is very constraining, limiting and restraining.


I love the explanation in Trip 16 that Leary related from Pat Bolero to a fellow psychologist who not only became fearful when hearing of "drugs" but could not comprehend her words that attempted to point to the clarity outside of the discursive mindset.


This book has some great Allen Ginsberg quotes and stories, great Burroughs stories, Leary's family, Dick Albert, Michael Hollingshead and many other intellectuals, scholars, divinity school students, the Good Friday experiment, artists, poets, theologians. I love his daughter's, Susan Leary, account of her growing up and observing the LSD sessions, of Alan Watts and others. The trip in Tim's place with Dick Albert, both erroneously thinking the pet dog was dying and other stories make this a very entertaining book to read. But ultimately, its the beneficial attributes from the psychedelic sessions weighted against the opposition that really make this book totally worthwhile.


"Reality and the addiction to any one reality is a tissue-thin neurological fragility. At the height of a visionary experience it is crystal-clear that you can change completely. Be an entirely different person. Be any person you choose. It is a moment of rebirth . . . . It is habit, fear and laziness that keep people from changing after an LSD experience. It's so much easier to doubt your divinity, drift back to speaking English, wearing ties, playing the old game. p. 334


"There comes a point in every lifetime when the blinders are removed and the individual glimpses for a second the nature of the process. This revelation comes through a biochemical change in the body. A Twist of the protein key and you see where you are at in the total process. p. 336


One thing I've learned as a prison psychiatrist is that society doesn't want the prisoner rehabilitated, and as soon as you start changing prisoners so that they discover beauty and wisdom, God, you're going to stir up the biggest mess that Boston has seen since the Boston Tea Party. . . sooner or later, as soon as they see the thing you do is working, they're going to come down on you 0- the newspaper reporters, the bureaucrats, and the officials. Harvard given drugs to prisoners! p. 18

I had seen enough and read enough of the anti-vision crowd, the power-holders with guns, and the bigger and better men we got on your team the stronger our position. p. 128


We even ran sessions for parole officers and correction officials (they tripped). Some of them had unhappy trips. People committed to external power are frightened by the release of ecstasy because the key is surrender of external power. One chief parole officer flipped out paranoid at my house and accused us of a Communist conspiracy and stormed around while Madison Presnell curled up on the couch watching, amused at the white folks frantically learning how to get high. He grinned at me. So you call it the love drug? p. 208

essential reading for the humanist, the individualist, the psychedelicist and the lover of freedom.

Tim Leary reminds us what it means to be American.

I wrote this first paragraph to another of Ace's negative reviews for Alan Watts but I feel my response can be applied with validity to his review here as well. I haven't read this Alan Watts book but how can you criticize Alan Watts for possibly, (I'm not going to take your word for it and I have little interest in whether this great man may have been an alcoholic at one point), having been a drunk in his youth when in another review you call Charles Bukowski, one of the world's most renown drunks, the greatest writer ever. Bukowski is known for having written great poems and being a complete alcoholic, I like his poetry it's good, but Alan Watts almost single handedly BROUGHT EASTEN RELIGIONS TO THE WEST! Watts was a Zen Buddhist and Taoist master. Alan Watts in one of the great heroes of humanity for opening up the close minded consciousness in America during a time when it was readily accepted by the masses to the loving heart of the Buddha's teachings and The Way of Kindness. Stop blaming others for your failings Ace and start being accountable for your own life choices. I don't care if being homeless was a purposeful decision or an accidental one but it's not Alan Watts, Abbie Hoffman, Timothy Leary, or Terence Mckenna's fault. You are trying to help people with your how to be homeless book just as those men tried to help the world to be a better place during very troubling times. I feel your negativity is misguided, if you really want to blame somebody for the world being so difficult and unfair I suggest you aim your resentment at corrupt power hungry close minded money grubbing greedy politicians, dictators, fascists, and CEOs of corporations and others among us in this global community that would take more then their share without ever any concern for if or how others survive if they can and not harbor anger at those who tried to create and/or maintain freedom in this country while increasing awareness and intelligence.

Sadly Timothy Leary's first wife Marianne, Susan's Mother suffered from depression and took her own life, something Ace neglected to mention here, and as we know depression can be genetically passed down from a parent to a child. I also think it's important to add Marianne's suicide took place before Timothy Leary had ever taken or was even introduced to LSD and her death was completely unrelated to his experimentation with the substance.

I never met Dr. Leary. We corresponded by mail, I talked with him once via phone during the time he was petitioning for asylum in Switzerland, and I subsequently calligraphed and co-edited the Terra II manuscript for him. This latter bit of collaboration got my mug and a write-up about my work for Dr. Leary on the front page of the daily newspaper here--sort of a "local boy does strange" story. I saw him from a bus window during assembly for one of the mammoth marches against the war in Vietnam, in DC (1970). That's the extent of my contact and involvement with the man.

Living as we do during the insanity of "the war on drugs," "the war on terrorism," and the rise of the commercial-political police state in our country, this book seems a long-ago, far-off relic of an age that has little if anything to do with ours. There is nothing groovy about the liars, murderers, and criminal minds who today run Camp America.

So, why bother at all with this book? For one thing, it is evidence of hope--that a hopeful life is possible with eyes, mind, and heart all open to the possibility that something new can enter our lives. It is a chronicle that directly addresses the question of despair, as Tim describes approaching his own breaking point and his subsequent epiphany. It is not a journal of pretense such as one finds in typical media accounts of Leary's journey, but of encounter and reflection upon what is "high"--true, meaningful, and worthy of furthering through the medium of one's own life.

In sum, this book is for the voyager and explorer, those who are not entirely shackled by convention and fear. It is a chronicle of transformation and an opening upon the living questions that form the basis of our existence.