Events Books

This valuable edited volume attempts to answer the question: What's going on in our Culture? What is producing the dramatic changes, the social chaos and even the creativity in the present era? What is giving so many people permission to tinker with the hallowed traditions and symbolic heritage of societies: bypassing long-held myths and mixing old rituals with new traditions like a tossed salad; inventing new personal identities; revising old political ideologies; and picking and choosing between what to believe and what not to believe, as if picking hors d'oeuvres from the table of a corner bazaar? These are the questions this book's thirty-three carefully selected chapters try to answer.

The illustrative contributors to this edited book are themselves among the trailblazers of thinking in our modern era. Collectively, they think they see a pattern linking such diverse events as the collapse of Communism, the information revolution, the theological wars within organized religions, terrorism, racism, the Civil Rights movement, and the desperate search for a re-centering of our spiritual values and lives. According to them, the common thread to this turbulent pattern has more to do with a change in how we believe than in what we believe. That is to say, what they see is a "shift in beliefs about belief." To some this is decidedly good news: a new era of liberation; to others, it is a very threatening and grievous lost of a comfortable past, indeed.

Modernity pre and post: A Primer

The term "modernity" is a "made up word" used to describe the meta-games of cultural life: attempting to describe the grand meta-narratives, or the systemic and global ideas that command, govern and guide our cultural Worldviews, as well as our lives.

Pre-modernity was about how to install and maintain in perpetuity a single meta-narrative about our cultural life such as Christianity, Communism, racism, "Manifest Destiny," democracy, and their overarching systems of thought such as rationality, mysticism, belief in faith or some other metaphysic, essentialism, ideology, or science and evolution. Our march out of pre-modernity into modernity has been a series of culture shocks, only matched by the current pains in moving form modernity to post-modernity.

These authors tell us that Modernity is now being eclipsed by post-modernity, which was about the four-century dominance of the Enlightenment era meta-narrative about rationality, reason and logic. However, in retrospect, Enlightenment was not only about the installation of logic, reason and science, but also about how to work out the kinks and the disconnects in the leading contending pre-modern ideas, basically the struggle between the ideas of science and religion.

The Enlightenment, or modern era (modernity that is), held the view that the grand problem of reality was one of representation: of how reality was to best be represented: by a single unifying and overarching meta-narrative of rationality of science, with its instrumentalities of reason and logic and experimentation - or by a belief in magic, faith or some other metaphysics.

But the Enlightenment project, which for the past four centuries has sat on the ground floor of the Existentialist Grand Hotel, instead of unifying the dominant meta-narratives of the pre-modern era, has caused them to breakdown. Post-modernity, thus is about this breakdown and about what is to replace the present chaotic and confusing meta-narrative.

Thus, this book is about the waxing and waning of these ideas across the multi-century battleground and about how the major contending meta-narratives of the dominant belief systems: between philosophy, religion, political ideologies, and various combinations and blends of them, have tried, but failed to exert their dominance.

Not only does this book explain the ideas, it also takes us through the key historical shifts in them and their arguments as they have held sway over our cultural thinking for the better part of a half millennium.

Well-organized, beautifully told: A true tour de force: Fifty Stars

Comprehensive. However, with a topic this extensive, not that I am suggesting that Anderson is trying to do this, but it is difficult to produce the definitive PoMo piece. Postmodern thought is the academic topic of the day - or maybe the era. It has replaced Existentialism as the topic of discussion all over the place as THE coffee shop conversation topic. Anderson takes the bull by the horn and comes up with a 4-part book that will certainly prove useful as a primer and will help you impress your friends. Part one and two sets out to define and to explain vocabulary. Part three deals with the construction of self. Part four takes on a more macro look (globalization) and closes with the positive side of postmodern discourse.

Thing with this collection is that it is very difficult to go wrong when you include such notables as Jean Baudrillard, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and Richard Rorty. PoMo philosophers are taking on deity status that was reserved for existentialist celebrities like Heidegger and Sartre. Despite the lack of popular appeal due to purposeful ambiguity as well as the difficulty of the material, it has taken academia by storm.

A dense book, it is packed with information. Despite the range and complexity, I highly recommend "The Truth about the Truth" as a starter kit only. The collection does not really prepare students to discuss this stuff in class in any detail - mind you this is my opinion only and it could change as folks find it a good book for an introduction class. Anderson does a fantastic job. We ignore this stuff at our own risk. Be prepared.

Miguel Llora

To many readers, postmodernism (PoMo) is a vexed subject, smacking of trendy intellectual fashion. However one views it, Anderson's book collects a number of essays on the topic that anyone interested in the dominant ideas of the day should not be without. The entries are not lengthy and therefore persuasive depth should not be expected. Put them together, however, and a pretty complete overview of PoMo is before you. The editor has fashioned a nifty little introduction that lays out the general orientation in clear and understandable language - a not inconsiderable feat given the subject matter.

One point worth noting that is not in the book. Beneath the ideas promoted by PoMo lies a sociological reality captured in that forbidding word "multi-culturalism". There are many different cultures in the world whose customs and mores project many different kinds of worlds. This fact does seem to leave us with no common frame of reference to judge any of them as superior, a key PoMo conclusion. In that sense, postmodernism appears to be the perfect philosophical expression of an emerging multicultural reality. Nevertheless, wedging beneath the world's many and various cultures is another emergent reality - the global consolidation of private property, as represented by trans-national corporations and international trade agreements. Beneath PoMo's relativizing of cultural absolutes, there moves the monolithic grip of global capitalism, homogenizing all cultures in a consumerist vat. It at least deserves consideration that the former serves to conceal the latter from the view of secular intellectuals like post-modernists, and thus becomes the perfect cultural expression of a consolidating world order. Put another way, the power of Pepsi has conquered the outdated truths of reason and anyone who complains is practicing cultural imperialism. So go with the flow. Readers interested in how PoMo serves the powers-that-be should consult Terry Eagleton or Frederick Jameson.

(T) "p" is a true sentence if and only if p

N'est ce pas?

Anderson tells us, "We are living in a new world, a world that does not know how to define itself by what it is, but only by what it has just-now ceased to be." One of the most positive aspects of postmodernism in my view is that, because there is so much chaos of opinion today, reality is being created in plain sight. Walter Truett Anderson is one of the most lucid writers of our time and this book makes that creation of reality clear and comprehensible to anyone who will take the time to read about it. Highly recommended.

Entertaining and informative. Anyone concerned with the future direction and intended targets of the "War on Drugs" would do well to study the chapter entitled "Operation Desert Snow" for it's revealing look at the federally funded drug interdiction programs perpetrated on our interstate highways.

Please read, "One Free Shot", page 17. This was a clear case of murder. I am the victim's mother, and can't tell you how grateful I am to the author for finally bringing this terrible incident out in the open!

As a news junkie, I especially enjoyed this type of book. It takes you where the newspapers left off - or would not go. For those with a social conscience, it is disturbing and may engender feelings of injustice. The stories illustrate a lack of accountability by public officials, particularly law enforcement. It makes one wonder if this stuff goes on elsewhere, not just Orange County California. A good read!

Mike Madigan presents shocking revelations of the deterioration of law enforcement. Those of us who remember when police officers were dedicated to the preservation of peace and the protection of the public find ourselves disillusioned and discouraged by factual presentations of how bad things have become. Every citizen who takes the American way of life and the freedoms we enjoy seriously should read this book, speak out, and start a dialogue with civic leaders and legislators to reverse this insidious process.

From his early days a a music major, singing at weddings and funerals, to bartending in Manhattan, to a vocal audition at the Opera House in Milano, Italy, the author weaves a captivating tale of how he came to a career in law enforcement. Mike Madigan stands for truth and justice. With first hand knowledge, and an engaging and informative writing style, he presents actual cases from Orange County California that make the reader ponder whether or not justice was served. In cases from murder, to political corruption, to cops nearly out of control, to a behind the scenes look at the largest municipal bankruptcy in U. S. history, YOU BE THE JUDGE! A fascinating read!

This is the most objective analysis on events in the Middle East I found in years. Prof. Harari is a great internationally known theoretical physicist. He was the director of the Weizmann Institute from 1988 to 2001 and received several honors as a leading scientist. His analysis is cristal-clear. I already bought 4 books to give to friends.

This is a penetrating analysis of the components of terror. The book offers a survey of the landscape of middle-eastern conflicts. It is, however, not a pedantic rendition. The author presents a complicated issue in an easily understandable form.

In April 2004 internationally known physicist Haim Harari was asked by a meeting of the International Advisory Board of a large multi-national corporation to present his own personal view on events in the Middle East. He spoke candidly.

Without his knowledge a copy of his remarks was leaked and posted on the Internet. It caused a worldwide sensation and was translated into more than half a dozen languages. (The article is seven pages long and can be obtained by going to the FrontPageMag website, clicking on Archives, setting the date drop-downs to March 15, 2006 and clicking on Go. The article is at the bottom of the page.)

Due to the widespread interest in the article, Prof. Harari went on to write an expanded version, which resulted in "A View from The Eye of The Storm". This is not a scholarly treatise with bibliography and footnotes (although there is a very good index), but the perceptions of a fifth-generation Israeli-born observer. Yet Harari is no ordinary observer. He is a brilliant scientist, trained in objective and precise analysis. And he is a man not only of great acumen and scruples, but a man deeply concerned about human events and the future of humankind.

Prof. Harari believes we are already into a World War with Muslim Extremists, but that a few more years may pass before everybody acknowledges this is a fact. He outlines four main elements of the present World conflict: 1, suicide murder; 2, lies; 3, money and 4, the total breakdown of law. The role of each of these elements is examined in detail in the 211 page book.

Following is Harai's eminently sensible solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict:

"There are certain immutable facts in the Middle East. Peace can arrive only if the Palestinians except the existence of Israel. Peace can materialize only if the Palestinians have their own state - next to Israel not instead of it. The densely Jewish areas will be part of Israel; the densely Palestinian areas will be part of the Palestinian state. Israel will have an Arab minority. Many Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza will have to be abandoned. Most of Jerusalem will remain in Israel, and it will continue to be the capital city. Some heavily populated Arab neighborhoods of the greater Jerusalem area will be in the Palestinian state and may form its capitol city. A carefully planned demilitarized strategy must be developed; it will take a substantial number of years and can be lifted only by mutual consent. Descendents of Palestinian refugees will be settled in Arab countries, many of them in the Palestinian state. All Arab countries bordering with Israel will have peace agreements with it, and no unresolved disputes will remain. The borders between Israel and its Arab neighbors will be protected by some kind of fence...because no open border can survive a 20:1 income ratio."

Later in the book Harari provides a concise prescription for treating the problem of international terror. He admits "it's easy to list these things...it's far more difficult to apply them worldwide." But "it's just a matter of time until all free countries unite and recognize they are facing a life-threatening, global problem."

Read this book, and you will learn the clear-headed professor's answers - answers that he urges are "simply the only possible solutions" to the international terror of our present World War.

Haim Harari is a great internationally known theoretical physicist. He was the director of the Weizmann Institute from 1988 to 2001 and received important honors as a leading scientist, including the prestigious Harnack Medal, awarded by the Senate of the Max Planck Society in an unanimous decision.

But this book is not about Physics, its about terror and reason in the Middle East. In my opinion, it is by far the best review of terrorism ever written.

Harari is a fifth generation Israeli. His grandmother was born in Jerusalem in 1872, and so was her grandmother. So where his children and grandchildren. He writes in Chapter 1:

"For seven generations we have lived here, in the eye of the storm. We have survived more wars and terror attacks than any other nation. But now we are informed by the former French ambassador to London that we are "a shitty little country" endangering the world; at the same time we learn that the rulers of Iran want to replace our "shitty little country" by yet another Shiite country.

So writes this gifted and deep observer of the reality of the Midle East today. Every page of this book has deep and extremely intelligent observations, whose truth is undeniable. Harari's reasoning is always compelling, like that of any great scientist. He starts each one of the 32 chapters of this extraordinary book with a short citation. These themselves are little gems. For example here is the gem that starts Chapter 30: "You cannot punish a suicide murderer by [the] death penalty; You cannot bomb into the Stone Age somebody who is already there."

Indeed, the war between radical Islam and the West is waged by people yearning to go back to the past. They reject modernity above all.

Or here is the gem starting Chapter 13: " The incredible economy of China creates an entirely new "South Korea" every three years. Why can't the rest of the poor rural areas of the world do the same?"

World War III already started though many people do not realize it yet. A relatively new totalitarian movement has grown and gained roots in the Middle East, financed by Saudi Arabia, Iran and other oil-rich states. Like the totalitarian regimes of the past, whether in Mao's China , Stalin's Soviet Union, Pol Pot's Cambodia, Hitler's Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, or Tojo's Japan, the adherents of this Islamic form of fascism are prepared to kill a large part of Humanity in order to bring forth the Islamic "paradise" that is supposed to triumph in the entire World. All fascists, it seems, are megalomaniacs, and the new Islamic fascists are no different.

This book is living proof that the pen is mightier than the sword, and a potent weapon against the Islamic totalitarians of today in World War III. Just like Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, Tojo's Japan, Pol Pot's Cambodia, or Stalin's Soviet Union were defeated, ultimately reason will win over this new form of religious fascism and barbarism. World War III already started, but the victors are going to be the same ones as the victors in World War II.

This book is highly recommended. It should be read and reread by every thinking person on Earth.

At last an unbiased intelligent analysis of the situation in the middle east and the events that brought to that situation. A must read for anyone interested in world affairs.

Really well written book. Found alot of friends and family members in the book in the era of which it was written. Very true to it's nature. Purchased 2 books.

It is often common to find in magazines reports: "Carlos Santana. The man who created the latin-rock", as if he had create this sound by his own in a chemical laboratory. Instead, in this book, Jim Mc Carthy gives credit to a lot of people that put their little grain of sand to make this style born and live. Each musician is analicize by a very human view, but always in relation with the musical stuff. The pictures are incredible, and the Glossary... ¡re-grosso!. ¡Aguante el Rock-Latino!.

* LATIN * ROCK * MASTERPIECE *, June 27, 2005
Reviewer: derjenrogers from WILTHIRE
l found long ago, a very special sound,but no one was around totell me about it, no one knew anything, only that the music was so powerful it WOULD change your life. My soul has been searching for 30 years untill Jim McCarthy came and spent four years of his life, writting, hundred of interviews, to bring to life an utter MASTERPIECE, documenting the raw,uncensored passion to the roots of LATIN ROCK. Authenticity and powerful emotion drips off every page,forcing the reader to collect it and greedily drink
down this strong, pungent,wonderful nectar to fill your unknowing soul with THE KNOWLEDGE!

All the peoples names (which i only use to just read on the back of album covers) all come to life and i feel that they are close
friends,as so many are backed-up with the huge amount of photographs in this wonderful book.l now, no longer feel left outside, without The Knowledge, but part of global commune, full of love, warmth and unashamed greed for LATIN ROCK.
Jim McCarthy has pulled off a monumental task with getting to grips with the truth behind the roots of the music to some of the greastest latin rock bands of all time.
Their music will be here forever, as indeed this book will be.

THIS BOOK IS A TOTAL MUST FOR ALL LATIN ROCK LOVERS
DISCOVERING IT'S ROOTS,HISTORY,IT'S MUSICIANS. THIS
MASTERPIECE WILL FOREVER HAUNT EVERY BOOK SHELF ALL OVER THE WORLD, AS THE ONLY TRUE AUTHORITIVE VOICE IN LATIN ROCK

Reviewer: derjenrogers from UK
l found long ago, a very special sound,but no one was around totell me about it, no one knew anything, only that the music was so powerful it WOULD change your life. My soul has been searching for 30 years untill Jim McCarthy came and spent four years of his life, writting, hundredS of interviews, to bring to life an utter MASTERPIECE, documenting the raw,uncensored passion to the roots of LATIN ROCK. Authenticity and powerful emotion drips off every page,forcing the reader to collect it and greedily drink
down this strong, pungent,wonderful nectar to fill your unknowing soul with THE KNOWLEDGE!

All the peoples names (which i only use to just read on the back of album covers) all come to life and i feel that they are close
friends,as so many are backed-up with the huge amount of photographs in this wonderful book.l now, no longer feel left outside, without The Knowledge, but part of global commune, full of love, warmth and unashamed greed for LATIN ROCK.
Jim McCarthy has pulled off a monumental task with getting to grips with the truth behind the roots of the music to some of the greastest latin rock bands of all time.
Their music will be here forever, as indeed this book will be.

THIS BOOK IS A TOTAL MUST FOR ALL LATIN ROCK LOVERS
DISCOVERING IT'S ROOTS,HISTORY,IT'S MUSICIANS. THIS
MASTERPIECE WILL FOREVER HAUNT EVERY BOOK SHELF ALL OVER THE WORLD, AS THE ONLY TRUE AUTHORITIVE VOICE IN LATIN ROCK

i love this book it,s about time a book like this came out i love all the old pics of the bands and of the mission district now people will know the history of san franciscos latin rock and salsa sceen all the bands they mentioned on here like malo santana and sapo azteca tower of power el chicano i grew up listening to them

Chapter 5 on Afghanistan, gives the reader an intimate,
close up view of the country and its people. We are so
advantaged in the current war because we cannot have the
the illusion that "the enemy" is a boogey man, whose host country deserves to be obliterated. Not so. In disabling
terrorists networks, may we the people of the world make a
step forward in which we wake up to our oneness. Roger Plunk's book is a "how-to" book for living in a world connected, not only at its unified source, but also through its many venues of
information exchange.

This book tells in common languagge an extrordinary and true story that is both spiritual and pragmatic. An enjoyable easy read that will inform and inspire you, this book is refreshingly honest. The very original theme and information presented is sure to interest anyone tired of the same old stories! I highly recommend this book!

This is one of the most important books for our time. Both diplomacy and power politics in the conventional sense are consistently failing the world. The major powers have only one goal, which is to project their narrow national interest-- usually at the expense of others, whose needs are entirely ignored. The United Nations, once the beacon of hope and a cradle of impartiality, is hopelessly corrupt and driven by a Security Council that is no longer representative of today's realities.

It's high time for a comprehensive change in our approach to foreign policy, and Roger Plunk, with great humility and sound reasoning, shows us the way. If you're concerned with where the world is heading, buy this book and give copies to your friends!

Roger Plunk began a lifetime of wandering as a child. He did stay put long enough as a young man to earn two law degrees, then he began working for the U.S. State Department. He learned that his calling was to be a mediator and that he had the ability and desire to work for peace one-on-one with world leaders.

The Dalai Lama was the first to utilize Plunk's special talents. In The Wandering Peacemaker, his first book, Plunk describes mediation efforts between Tibet and China. From there, he travels to India and Pakistan, Burma, and then to Afghanistan. He not only analyzes the political situation in each dispute, he describes the history of the area and the people involved. Readers get a clear understanding of both sides.

Plunk holds strong spiritual beliefs and says "the common thread running through the stories [in his book] is the dynamic relationship between government and spirituality." Plunk was guided by his belief that one person can make a difference. He says, "I was one person on a very low budget engaging in large international issues [and] I did manage to get my message across."

Is there a place for spiritual insight in the political arena? Plunk says yes, and his stories demonstrate the power of spiritual healing in international relations. Readers concerned with human problems and world peace will find The Wandering Peacemaker engrossing, and encouraging. Like a modern Johnny Appleseed, Roger Plunk is planting seeds of peace worldwide. One person can make a difference.

I love it, very enlightening, especially when Plunk writes about Afghanistan, his work with the Northern Alliance, and his captivating discussions with the Dalai Lama. Plunk writes with great clarity, about his journeys as an independent international mediator, venturing into some of the most complicated and violent political conflicts on the planet to connect directly with the leaders and people of Afghanistan and Tibet, to name just a few of his stops. The Wandering Peacemaker is written with a piercing intelligence and a poetic touch that comes staight from the heart as he shares insights from his own spiritual journey. The bowing gesture of devotion, with forehead to the ground, is a perfect metaphor for this book, as Plunk reminds us with every stop along his path to place the heart higher than the head in our common journey towards peace.

It is extremely rare that I would consider a book a "must read", however, this book is simply outstanding. Anyone with an interest in conflict or international relations will find the authors incredibly insightful. This should be required reading for anyone in the military or anywhere else in the government who is involved in our relations with other peoples and nations.

This book gets six stars out of a possible five. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

An additional plug for Codevilla: having read some of his articles as well, I will say that any of his work is worth searching out and reading.

An instant classic when it was first published, this new edition is even better. A must read for anyone who wishes to understand the causes of war and how to deal with them.
JDW

A great far ranging analysis of military and political strategy; his serious analysis of terrorism and what needs to be done is worth the price of this book. After reading this book, one will know why our efforts are at least partially not working, what needs to be done, and when we know things are going the right way. It also indirectly tells us what we should do about Iran. Another great effort, similar to his columns in the Claremont Review and his previous book, "No Victory, No Peace."

One of the abosolutely best books I've read on the subject of war in years. There are so many good points that I can't possibly mention them here, but two really stand out.

Civilians have become the target. Perhaps 70% of the people killed in World War II were civilians. This includes jews, homosexuals, slavs, gypsys, et al in the death camps, and the people under the bombs in London or Berlin. Since then, perhaps 100,000,000 have been killed in ethnic clensing, deliberate starvation, revolutions and so on.

If you really want to take out the terrorists, go after their directors, not the terrorists themselves.

If a cleric is preaching 'Death to America' in his mosque, when the service ends and the people walk outside they find an orbiting Preadator has dropped leaflets saying that it isn't wise to go to places to hear such talking. The second time they get a stronger message by leaflet. The third time a Hellfire missile ends the sermon.

Oh but can you imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth among our own liberals, to say nothing of al-Jazeera and the United Nations.

Instead we look for terrorists like we look for other criminals, one at a time, and restricted to the actual perp, not the ones who sent them out.

Read this book and the thought may occur to you: "This is so bloody obvious, who needs to read it in a book?" But then put the book down, read the newspapers, listen to the talking heads on TV, or attend a university lecture on the same subjects, and you quickly realize: none of it is obvious to anyone that matters. On second or third reading, you realize that what it's saying is not "obvious" at all; the book's genius consists in making a radical and controversial thesis sound self-evident.

I have one quibble, but the quibble doesn't detract sufficiently from the book to subtract a star: because the authors discuss warfare out of relation to morality, an incautious reader could easily get the impression that they are "Machiavellian" amoralists whose advice can be dismissed as "amoral realism." It isn't true, but they might have been more explicit about why not.

It really is a sad commentary on our culture that this book is as obscure as it is.

I've read political books written by famous radio personalities and other political commentators, but this one tops them all. Besides being well written , it is an enjoyable and easy read. Brett and S.C. do a terrific job of analyzing the political positions of the left in relationship to those on the right, and just knocking the stuffing out of the left. The two young authors have a great future in front of themselves.

With seemingly every pundit churning out mindless political drivel, Why You're Wrong is a breath of fresh air. While you might not agree with the political leaning of the book, you WILL find it refreshing that Cupp and Joshpe have decided to talk about themselves, and not attack others. Why You're wrong reminds you that stereotypes exists for all corners of society, and Republicans, just like other stereotyped groups, deserve the chance to dispel untruths.

Joshpe and Cupp do a great job breaking down the major stereotypes of conservatives and they do it in the most enjoyable way. They not only present facts (thoroughly!) but they also incorporate interviews and contributions from well-known athletes, musicians, writers and, of course, those involved in the political field. It's the most inventive and enjoyable take on the subject and couldn't put it down once I started reading. Definitely recommended!

Progress of any kind or political persuasion can't come from a denial of reality, a viewpoint shared by NYTimes columnists as well as Ayn Rand. Yet, pursuits of this noble goal often degenerate into simplistic name-calling, and a concomitant spiral into the world of straw-men-bashing and knee-jerk labeling.

Given the frightful prevalence of these narrow-minded specters populating any attempt at intellectual discourse, I was thrilled with S.E. Cupp and Brett Joshpe's attempt to clear some of the air. This book is well thought, well composed, and well researched. One enjoys a humorously enjoyable blend of pop-culture and Edmund Burke, all the while taking aim at those on the left who selectively deny the reality of the beliefs and character of Republicans.

As an Obama supporter, I am nonetheless happy to have read this book because of the broadened perspective it affords my understanding of American politics. If you truly believe that a sober assessment of "the other side" from a quality spokesperson is valuable, Cupp and Joshpe are very capable guides.

As Publications Chairman of the New York Young Republican Club, the largest, oldest, and most active Young Republican organization in the United States, "Why You're Wrong About the Right" has become a great ally in setting the record straight about the Republican Party. My liberal roommates, believe it or not, concede that they were mostly wrong about the Republican Party after reading it.

It is a book that everyone (from middle schoolers to retirees) should read to get around all the false inflammatory stereotypes and get the real scoop, for example, about how we "eco-destroying" Republicans are actually responsible for the EPA, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and more.

I cannot say enough about how effectively and humorously "Why You're Wrong..." turns the tables on what media stereotypes want you to believe. I'm passing copies to everyone I know and I'd recommend everyone doing the same. It's a great eye opening read.

I was one of those kids in Southwood. Wow does this book bring it back and now it all makes sense to me.

Christy Scheck did not have to die. The mental health system is getting better but there is so far to go. Especially in the eyes of the public. People with mental illness are not lepers, they just need medicine as a diabetic needs insulin. The general public is so ill-informed. This book is about this young girl who got caught up in the protocol of management and money and greed, and she did not have to die. There is hope and with movies like A Beautiful Mind and Girl, Interrupted and others, like Mike Wallace and Kim Basinger to bring mental health to the forefront of society, it will not hide behind the doors any longer, and will be dealt with in the dignified manner it deserves.

It's amazing and truly sad what greed and money does to people, at the expense of someone else's life and a families happiness.

i read an article in Roling stone.. it in first paragraph stated the parents took this kid out of soccer coed... or something of that nature.. mostlikely the parents have all to do more with the death as much as the hospitals who take advantage .
i happend to be a honors student in art school no drugs or alchol and recovering frm bulima when my father intended to keep me from school by trying to tell a doctor iwas ill.despite he was told to leave me alone .. the next fifteen years of my life were draged into hospitals on lies and hysteria. i was subject to for no reason .. ect. and drugs and i had nt even suffered depression i was a higly educated and adjsuted happy person till my father began to do this.. he admitted this to but not to doctors my father was a md so it was easy to get away with this . my fahter was also a food aholic and gamblerand sick.. see a movie called terror in the family it goes into the lies parents tell of children and who realy is the sick person...
my life was destroyed by these places and i saw first hand what goes on and parents who realy need the places not kids who ar exposed to sick families dysfunction who are basicly reacting to an illness.....
they realy need to have the parents admitted along side the kid id they do this ...
i was kept sick for 115 years and negelcted of anything i said that would have saved me . as a reslut my life suffered ill from truama.... i saved my own life when i escaped this cycle of doctors looking for insurance. butthe effects of damge it left on my life eventuly despite i live about four to five years very happy super healty like i was before this happened i will now die from thethings that were done to me inthe years i was [mistreated] by this system.....
parents have all todo with this kids death .. if they were functional parents they would not need a shrink . they mighttry communcation and being honest with them self.. somewhere they failed and it is not just the system...

Kafka lives and her name is Leon Bing. But the truly scary thing is that Bing's report on society - "A Wrongful Death: One Child's Fatal Encounter with Public Health and Private Greed" - is NON-FICTION. This could happen to any troubled teen - and it did. But what's even more interesting than how and why this 13 year old girl committed suicide while under professional medical care is how and why this book isn't getting reviewed! Attention authors and investigative journalists everywhere: you may have a story worthy of a Pulitzer or Nobel Prize - but how's it going to effect change if no one reads it?

I thought this book was pretty good, although I didn't learn as much as I thought I would. What I did learn was all very frightening indeed.

The reason I didn't give this 5 stars isn't because I didn't learn something from every censored story, but rather that I felt there was a strong bias in this book. Clinton and Carter get off very easily, when compared to Reagan and Bush, who are attacked for verything they do. It's not that I believe they did nothing wrong, but I'm sure that Clinton and Carter weren't nearly as honest and forthright as this book makes them seem (in comparison to the Republican presidents).

You ever wonder if you are reading every news story or if some of the stories never make it to the paper? Do you ever wonder what you might be missing? Grab a copy of 20 Years of censored news and you'll be in for a surprise.

Carl Jensen takes you down the last twenty years with major headlines that were never seen. I was surprised and a little scared to think of what is held back from the public. I was amazed to see what was never told.

Proving the old adage "It's the media that control the people's thinking." This book certainly should wake you up to the fact that what you see isn't really what you get, because you get very little from the press.

I took just over two hours to complete the reading and I am very excited to read Censored 1999, to find out what I missed for the year. Overall this book will make a great gift for just about everyone - well done!

Never heard of East Timor until a few weeks ago? Well, you would have if the other news stories about East Timor over that past few years had made it into the mainstream news!

This book made me realize just how bad the situation is out there in the media. How controlled by corporate PR and government intervention our supposedly "free" media is. How could this happen in the United States of America?

I highly recommend this book to citizens who want to be better informed.

The news stories suppressed by Ronald Reagan (and his "administration") alone tell a horrifying story of how a politician tried to ram his agenda down our throats, without our knowing about it, so that we couldn't dissent or have opinions. And how he tried to censor everything he could, so the American public couldn't get any information about anything the government was doing.(Read Ch. 7, 1982, #6 "Ronald Reagan: America's Chief Censor".) There are also a multitude of stories censored by trans-global corporations what will scare you to death when you read them. What corporations will perpetrate on the public's health, just to continue making a buck, will shock you.

The orignial news stories are covered in summary form, the sources are cited, and there is usually an Update on what has happened since. Sometimes the update is more harrowing than the original!

It is your civic duty to read this book.

There is nothing more important to Freedom than a free, unbiased exchange of ideas. I now have a better idea of how "un-free" I am. Through reading this book, several layers of ignorance have been stripped away from my consciousness.

This is a scholarly, thoughtful dissertation encompassing not only issues of monopolization of the American press by huge multinational corporations, but many other issues ignored by mainstream media: environmentalism, nuclear power, government surveillance and other infringements on the civil rights of the world's citizens. This book is an essential collection of modern history so carefully hidden from the vast majority of Americans.

This is a great read. There are a great variety of stories (discounting the author's obsession with nuclear power) that should pique anyone's interest. Each of the year's stories provides interesting insights on what really happened that year (I found particularly enlightening the stories on the corporations, rich elite, and media empires that really rule American). This is a rare book that should be read by anyone who wants to be informed on current events. Rarely does such an important book come cloaked in such a simple cover.

Professor Farron's book is packed with real-life examples and official policies of how 'Affirmative Action'- or as it is called, cloaked in it's new moniker, 'Diversity'- has had discriminatory effects on people like me who happen not to be 'a person of color'. His clear descriptive quote on Diversity and its subsequent effect is so full of self evident truth that the quote alone is worth buying AND reading the whole book:

"Diversity is the most insidious and pernicious of all defenses of discrimination. The other justifications assume that discrimination is a necessary evil, a temporary expedient that is needed to produce a society in which race and ethnicity are irrelevant. Diversity assumes that discrimination is an unqualified good and that it should be perpetual."

I recommend this book to all, even 'people of color'- whatever that may mean!

A book of this quality and undoubted importance to society should be on the front page of the New York Times Book Review. Its author should be appearing on Meet the Press. Yet, I only heard of it through internet resources. The mainstream media's censorship of truth that doesn't portray women and minorities as victim is monolithic and to society's great detriment. Read this book.

Somewhere in Prof. Farina's book is a line running something like, "Most Americans know what affirmative action is, and most are against it. But very few understand how serious and deep-seated this problem is."

I am privileged to have read his monographs on institutionalized prejudice throughout the world, and on 20th century holocausts. I therefore expected the best from this book, but it turned out to far exceed my expectations.

As I do, Farron considers interracial animosity the world's greatest problem.

I have read quite a bit about the negative aspects of affirmative action policy, but this book goes into far more detail, and is far more convincing about the conspiracy of deceit, false innuendo, and misinformation put out by legislators, the media, and the universities.

I disagree with Prof. Farron as to the innate nature of the inferior IQs of nonwhite populations, and will send a 79-page word processor text file of my own theoretical and empirical reasons for doing so. I blame the schools, especially the first three years,and will send my unpublished manuscript as a free email attachment to anyone requestion one from me by email.

Farron is right that the only real way to achieve racial balance in schools and the work force would be with an outright quota system, even though this is impossible politically and constitutionally.

However, affirmative action is a horrible blight on a country, like ours, that is trying to sell "truth, justice, and the American" way to a world that is decreasingly impressed by our technological and manufacturing prowess.

This book is a must for anyone, of any race or political persuasion, who truly believes our grandchildren should be judged by the content of their characters rather than by the color of their skin.

The Affirmative Action Hoax: Diversity, The Importance Of Character And Other Lies by academician Steven Farron is an unapologetic, no-holds barred indictment of affirmative action especially in university admission, and also the less widely publicized practices of affirmative grading and graduation. Vehement in its denouncements, The Affirmative Action Hoax is unafraid to label defenses of affirmative action as "shameless frauds" and "blatant lies"; it declares, in unambiguous terms, that affirmative action is a blatant form of discrimination against white people and Asian people, and that if racial discrimination must be enacted then by far the most efficient and fair means is through quotas. Debunking the non-academic admissions criteria of "diversity", "importance of character", etc. often used to defend anti-white affirmative action by revealing that the same concepts were first introduced to discriminate in favor of white students who could not compete with the children of Jewish immigrants, The Affirmative Action Hoax is sharp-tongued yet serious minded in its call to reexamine a facet of university admissions policies all too easily taken for granted.

Steven Farron sets out to comprehensively document how affirmative action has changed and distorted our society from college admission, college grading, job applications, and job performance. His style is very readable and not at all pedantic. I started the book and couldn't put it down until it was finished. The subject is divided into various chapters, each relating to another form of affirmative action as applied by our federal and academic bureaucracies. The result is a thorough and informative recount of how affirmative action has changed the structure of our society, for good or evil. Farron is obviously on the side of less affirmative action but he gives his reasons for this stance and relates the price we all pay for our progressive social policies.
Mr. Farron's style is straight forward and easy to comprehend. Although he has done significant research into the numbers related to affirmative action the reader never gets inundated with cold facts.
His arguments are succinct and to the point, never verbose and obscure. I thoroughly enjoyed the book
And will use it as a road map as I navigate our new society.