Events Books

Codevilla knows this subject. Years spent as a working intelligence professional and more years teaching the subject. His thesis, that intelligence is an instrument of conflict, is the most important place to start in understanding this book. As its title suggests, Codevilla wants intelligence server purpose, and that purpose is statecraft. Elsewhere, he enumerates the challenges of statecraft itself. Here, he focuses on a special - and especially important - aspect of statecraft: intelligence.

Written before 9/11, Informing Statecraft makes hay from Cold War intelligence experiences. Consequently, the book does not address the complex issues and consequences of pre-9/11 intelligence matters or those matters associated with weapons of mass destruction intelligence Iraq. Those issues Codevilla deals with in other writings.

To begin, Codevilla does a fine job of organizing the disciplines of intelligence. Guiding the reader through the thicket of terms and arcana, Codevilla structures his discussion of collection, analysis and production, counterintelligence, and covert action to provide the reader the foundation for the critique of these disciplines, which follows.

With respect to the collection disciplines, Codevilla argues that nearly any fact can be of great importance - or of no importance - depending on the use to which an decision maker might put it. It is possible for a political leader or military commander to choose the right course of action with little (or in spite of) information. Whether a fact turns out to be useful or harmful depends on timeliness, volume, intelligibility and inherent relevance. The consequences of poor collection capability are profound: not having a spy in the enemy camp means never knowing for sure about what is being prepared for the future. Not having a spy means relying on observation, with all its invitations to self-deception.

Once in a while a fact - a picture, a message, an event - is so clearly important that its value is self-evident. In such cases, an intelligence service may transmit the fact to policymakers without analysis, and the policymakers will see its meaning clearly. But even in such clearly obvious cases the key is knowing the difference between facts that can be treated that way and those that cannot. Consequently, the act of screening information for relevance itself becomes an act of analysis. Codevilla observes that two nemeses lurk behind every analytical process. First, there is rarely enough data to draw an unchallengeable conclusion. Second, since the data concern human struggles, it is likely to have been biased precisely in order to deceive the analyst. Moreover, the analyst, being human, comes fully equipped with bias.

Codevilla argues persuasively that serious interest and serious mind are the real prerequisites for quality analysis, and these characteristics distinguish professionals from amateurs. The author quotes Plato in saying that only an expert thief can understand thievery. Knowledge of perverse practices, argues Plato, is necessary but not sufficient to understand perversion. Vulnerability to such perversities is most acute during periods of urgency and stress. This is because, with regard to dynamic events, the analyst is at his greatest disadvantage: The data is sketchiest, the opportunities for deception and self-deception are greatest, and the time is shortest. The analyst must rely solely on his knowledge of the character of the people he is observing under such circumstances.

With respect to the contemporary question of intelligence failure in the nature of surprise, Codevilla's thesis is simple and clear: intelligence has done all it can when it delivers the best possible report that the facts allow to the right person at the right time. Distinguishing such intelligence failures from failures standing from other sources, he notes that the real intelligence failure at Pearl Harbor was not one of intelligence at all. The collectors instantly analyzed, and even managed to deliver. But the high officials who received the product did not order action.

Two factors intervene to complicate the proper delivery of intelligence. First, the providers of intelligence are jealous of their sources and methods. Second, the various users of intelligence all realize that the power to state officially what foreign conditions are like is at the same time the power to determine military budgets and foreign policy.

Codevilla addresses the discipline of counterintelligence in a refreshingly mature and disciplined manner. He thinks of the discipline of counterintelligence primarily as a quality control function. While intelligence services must busy themselves with a host of things, a part of them must be constantly devoted to collecting and analyzing facts about other intelligence services - in short, doing counterintelligence. Counterintelligence is often confused with security, that is, merely with protecting secrets and protecting against subversion. Whereas the objective of security is to cut and prevent all contacts between hostiles and those who are to be protected the objective of counterintelligence is to engage hostile intelligence, control what it knows, and if possible control also what it does. As others have argued, Codevilla acknowledges counterintelligence is the queen on the intelligence chessboard: when one side loses the contest for quality control, its intelligence services become a net liability.

Codevilla urges a fresh understanding of covert action as a complement to contemporary statecraft. Secret relationships, he argues are a means of playing some members of a government against others, or of dealing with an entire body politic under false pretense. The commonplace view that covert action, which Codevilla calls "covered warfare," is the weapon par excellence of the weak states is true, he argues, but misleading. First, covert action works for the weak no insofar as they are weak, but insofar as they are smart. Second, it works even better for the strong than it does for the weak.

Having established a framework for his discussion, Codevilla turns to a critique of contemporary American intelligence.

As he was in previous publications, and has been in subsequent ones, the author is particularly hard on the CIA. Among all other nations, the United States struggles with the human intelligence discipline. This truth is born out in the historical facts of America's human intelligence institutions. The notion of the gentleman spy who steals into enemy territory to sow treachery and steal secrets has no basis at all in the history of the real Office of Strategic Services, the CIA's forerunner.

Today, he argues, real American spies, following the tradition of British intelligence, live by the rule that they themselves should neither masquerade as natives nor steal documents, but rather that they themselves should recruit and manage the people who do such things. Lacking technical, cultural, practical competence with respect to their targets, such spies will at best be ineffectual, at worst, liabilities. Writing before 9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq, Codevilla offers a long and detailed critique focusing on pre-9/11 failures of US intelligence. He concludes that real intelligence reform will be extraordinarily difficult.

First, Congress is not well-positioned to shape intelligence. Congress lacks the required expertise, and the rule that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee may serve no more than eight years, and members of the House Intelligence Committee no more than six, helps to hold down expertise.

Second, it was before 9/11 and remains today extremely difficult to focus intelligence activities on the most important strategic challenges the country faces. True reform, Codevilla argues, does not consist of procedures, budgets, or of drawing bureaucratic "wiring diagrams" much less of bureaucratic vendettas. It consists of figuring out how the needs of the future differ from what the present bureaucracies deliver, and then acting dispassionately.

Third, Codevilla expresses concern over the quality of America's ability to attract and retain quality intelligence professionals. As with military for foreign service officers, intelligence professionals must be selected from among those intellectually qualified people who want to join the fray on their country's behalf. Commitment to the ends of one's country truly frees intelligence professionals to search for the most effective means. Moreover, intelligence is a people-intensive business. Good performance depends on an unusually wide variety of talents. Many of these talents are rare, and most are not of the sort that can be taught, especially by governments.

Reform is essential, concludes Codevilla. Even - or especially - in the post-9/11 world, this book is important. In the long run, he argues, governments get the intelligence they deserve. Whether in the post-9/11 world the American people are benefiting from their nation's recent and acute struggles with intelligence remains unclear - despite a dedicated and energetic effort at reform.

Yes, Informing Statecraft: Intelligence for a New Century is relentlessly critical of the blundering past performance of various administrations, e.g., "Note well that liberals in America, when in charge of government at any level, of university faculties, or of CIA directorates, take care to hire and award contracts to likeminded folk and to exclude others." P 231.

And, yes the aphorisms are authentic, fascinating, and call for radical reformation e.g., "Sound knowledge of a disorderly world, rather than faith in a trouble free, post-end-of-history `new world order,' will best fit nations to thrive in the twenty-first century." P 72. "There is never enough intelligence to guarantee instant success at no cost and never enough to overcome entrenched prejudice." P 213. "It is more important to define what any particular job, e.g., espionage, is to accomplish, how it is to be accomplished, and to hire the right kinds of people to do it, than it is to decide for which bureaucracy these people will work." P 293.

But the roots of this work lie deep in lessons that humankind desperately needs to understand now at the beginning of the new millennium: the mystery of foreign lands and the mystery of the language, culture, and people integral to them.
o Despite superficial signs of a uniform world culture (cassette recorders, jeans, soda pop, burgers, rock groups), Africans are becoming more African, Asians more Asian, Russians more Russian, etc. The often astonishingly good English spoken by young people from Moscow to Mecca - never mind the Indian subcontinent, where it is the lingua franca - has led many U.S. analysts to the disastrous conclusion that foreigners can be understood in terms of what they say in English. On the contrary, their English words are our symbols, to which they do not necessarily attach the same meaning or convictions we attach. P 239.
o The characteristics of the person sent to gather information often make the difference between information that is useful and information that is worse than useless. P 301.
o The network is most important. Closed terrorist cells in the Middle East are part of the semiopen entourages of terrorist chieftains who are part of overt Palestinian politics in which Arab governments take major parts. P 311.
o Among the most effective forms of propaganda is the propaganda of the deed-the sight of a corpse, and the feeling that one may be next. Nothing so cements a movement for the long run as martyrs, nor changes a government so definitively as killing its members or supporters. P 375.

After my first reading of Informing Statecraft, I read it at random, and find that no matter where I pick up the thread, it produces a comprehensively researched and unrivaled account of the intelligence industry. As always, Codevilla navigates the shoals of this information with great skill and dexterity.

Glad it's back in print! The best book on intelliegnce out there, a beautiful sythesis of general principles and historical examples. In particular, Codevilla has grasped James Jesus Angleton's seemingly simple insight -- that our enemies, as thinking, breathing human beings, may actually go out of their way to feed us false intelligence, so that we will believe things that aren't true -- which has been totally lost to CIA for almost 30 years. Instead, it has been replaced with a naive faith that CIA is simply too smart and professional to be fooled.
Codevilla, from years as a Senate intelligence staffer, knows otherwise, and he chronicles one blunder after another. The lesson: since few if any of Codevilla's proposals were implemented, when CIA says something does or doesn't exist, you should be very, very skeptical. CIA has secret intelligence right? They know things we don't, right? Wrong.

"It is not too gross an exaggeration that when considering any given threat, DIA will overestimate, CIA will underestimate, and INR will blame the U.S. for it." From his opening chapter and his distinction between static, dynamic, and technical facts, on through a brilliant summary of the post-war spy on page 103 and lengthy sections on how we've gotten it wrong, how we can get it right, and what is needed in the way of reform, I found this book worthy of study. An analyst and political staffer by nature, the strength of this book rests on the premise in the title: that intelligence should be about informing policy, not about collecting secrets for secrets' sake.

Admirably writeen, lucid prose, outstanding thought, this book would be the first book I would assign to anyone looking to understand the nature of intelligence.

It is interesting to note that Codevilla wrote two of the best introductions on "how to think" about two major subjects- about war in "War, Ends and Means" and "Statecraft". It is a crime that this book is out of print, and one should do everything in ones power to obtain a copy.

The only other book in the intelligence field that approaches this level of worth is "The New KGB, Engine of Societ Power", an older 1980's book by Robert Corson. All the other poor books on intelligence either take the character of "The Puzzle Palace" (which is stupid and an insider's pro-old boys network hack job) or one of Noam Chomsky's blithering semi-conspiracy theories. "Informing Statecraft" is the only type of really usefull intellectual companion to intelligence work in all existance.

This book is exactly what an intelligence book should be- an attack on the structural inadequacies of the United States intelligence community in the guise of a "how-to" book on how to run things correctly. Flipping through the book, one will wonder at the bales of common sensical yet brilliant realpolitik critiques involved in his analysis of what intelligence should be about.

A must read book for this excellent new author. Totally an eye opener on how people in other countries live in fear every day of their lives and this war has been going on for years. Myself being naive about how palestinians are treated and how their lives are so different from our own secure world. Americans are so engrossed in their busy lives and we hear very little of what goes on there. The author totally cares about these people and is so compassionate interviewing them. I highly recommend this book.

Cathy Sultan's book is a must-read. Most Americans don't have the opportunity of knowing what is happening to Palestinians in Israel. We mainly hear what our government wants us to hear, about suicide bombers, not about the millions of innocent Palestinians who are living (and dying) in extremely oppressive circumstances. They too want peace. Cathy Sultan provides a well written and well documented glimpse into the pain, humiliation and struggles that Palestinians face on a daily basis. She interviews both Israelis and Palestinians, asks tough and probing questions, and gives us a very readable, informative, and engrossing book. I highly recommend it.

An absolute must read!!!
Cathy Sultan recalls the painful past of the Middle East through very specific research. She experienced first-hand the present daily struggles of its people and documented them through her travels there. She invites you to help visualize a peaceful and vibrant life for those who have little voice in government.

A definite must have!!!

After reading Cathy Sultan's book, one certainly appreciates the freedom that we so easily take for granted here in the United States. Her book was clearly written and very educational. I'm going to recommend my high school age children read it. The people she interviewed were presented in a caring and compassionate manner. The men, women and students interviewed in "Israeli and Palestinian Voices" were diverse and yet ordinary people. After reading this book, I have a far better understanding and appreciation for the issues facing the people in that region of the world.

First and foremost I firmly believe that Israel has a right to exist and to defend itself. The Jewish people have suffered an incredible amount of persecution over the centuries, culminating in the events of World War II. Had there been a nation firmly representing the Jewish people, then the Germans would not have been able to engage in their extermination tactics. However, that does not justify the deliberate acts of "ethnic cleansing" that the Israelis have carried out since the first days of the emergence of Israel. The actions of the terror organizations the Irgun and Stern Gang in raping and killing Arabs are well known, having been documented by Israeli historians.
In this book, the author interviews Palestinian and Israeli people of all political persuasions. On the Israeli side the spectrum is from those who believe that they have a biblical right to the exclusive use of all the land of Palestine to those who think the only solution is a dual Jewish-Arab state. The Palestinians interviewed tended to be more towards the moderate wing, there were few statements advocating anything along the line of the destruction of Israel.
What you do get out of the book is the understanding that it is Israeli state policy to keep the tightest possible clamps on the Palestinians. Among many other things concrete rubble is dumped in the Palestinian streets to make it difficult for them to travel, centuries old fruit trees are bulldozed down to make room for Israeli settlements, and tariffs collected on goods that go through the Palestinian territories bound for Israel are not paid to the Palestinians. It is also clear that this attempt to keep the Palestinian territories a vassal state of Israel cannot be continued indefinitely.
Another thing that is clear is that the Palestinian people were very tired of the corruption exhibited by the Fatah organization of Yassir Arafat. In reading through the interviews with the Palestinians, one can sense the forces that led to the Hamas victory in their elections. The Palestinians voted for a change, and in their minds, anything was better than what they had.
Sultan has succeeded in presenting both sides of this seemingly irreconcilable conflict in a free and candid manner. The Palestinians describe the actions of the Israelis in the forcible confiscation of Arab land that began back in the forties. The Israelis counter with their history of centuries of persecution and their casualties as a consequence of suicide bombings. One can only hope that at some point both sides will finally realize that past suffering does not justify the persecution of the present and somehow reach an understanding that will allow both to eventually know some form of peace.

As a new employment rep for people with disabilities, this guide does a great job of going over the basics of forming relationships with the job seeker as well as potential employers. I was impressed with the respectful language the authors used, as well. I know I will go back to it again and again.

Griffin, Hammis and Geary take on Customized Employment (CE) in a powerful and thought-provoking way in this new book that is destined to become a "must-read" for professionals assisting job-seekers with significant disabilities, as well as families and friends.

The authors examine the roots of CE and lay out strategies for providing support services in non-traditional ways that bring each individual's gifts and talents into the forefront of job development. Explanations for frequently asked questions are both well researched and insightful. Strategies that are critical to successful job development - the use of discovery, job analysis and negotiation - are identified and defined in user-friendly terms.

This book goes a step further in navigating the reader through the array of viable resources that are often overlooked and generally misunderstood by both providers and job seekers. G/H/G take a close look at the important role that Social Security Work Incentives play in enhancing employment opportunities, and they articulate the role that business must play in successful customized employment when careers, not just jobs, are the goal.

Debra Noel
Project Director, Start-Up/Florida
Agency for Persons with Disabilities
University of South Florida
The Florida Center for Inclusive Communities

A MUST for all people doing Job Development. A great resource and guide for staff. I especially appreciate the emphasis on being person centered. There are strategies and resources in the book that are great assets to a team in assisting a person to find the right job. It is easy to read and offers many ideas for people to implement as they explore career opportunities. Very complete and you can see how implementing the strategies will lead to success in assisting people with their career development.

Again, Griffin-Hammis sets the bar high. This book, which attempts to teach art step by step, starts with the expectation that individuals with disabilities want to and can be economically self-sufficient. Providing real examples of how the road to successful employment is full of twists and turns, the tools in this book will be helpful to all job developers. But more importantly, they address this subject within the context of everything else in a person's life not treating employment as something extra, but as a part of life. If you can't work with Cary, Dave or Tammara in person, this is the next best thing.

Once again Cary and Dave have reset the bar for best practice in supporting people with disbilities to gain economic power. Over the past few years supported employment has slipped back a bit and lost some credibility. This book will help all practitioners, educators, families to understand Customized Employment practice in a hands on nuts and bolts practical manner and get to the next level. This is a great tool for SE teams who are always on the road and have trouble with training. This book will also teach how to leverage many new funding sources!!!! Corey Smith Director of Employment Services Via of the Lehigh Valley PA

J. Blaine Lewis, Jr. was fired in 1989 from his post of Connecticut state lottery chief. This is the story of his ten year legal battle against the state in which we gain an insight into the politics of lottery management, the courage and integrity of a man in a David and Goliath scenario, and the failure of the legal system to provide justice. It is also a love story of a devoted wife, who in memorium, is driven to vindicate her husband. The message conveyed deserves national attention. What a great story for TV or the large screen.

This book is an inside look at the politics of state run funtions and the effects on honest employees. A must read book!

This book is the story of a man with principles, written by the wife who loved him to the end, and loves him still. It is the factual account of a man who was ordered to lie by his bosses and refused, and was then hounded out of his job by men more concerned with kickbacks than doing what was right. The author backs every word up with transcripts and documents-not a word of it is unsubstantiated. In this little book is a magnified look at the workings of government. Read it and weep.

What is it about Tina Lewis's "Justice Denied" that so fascinated me? I couldn't put it down. I had to know the outcome of a man's decision to remain true to himself and to tell the truth-no matter the consequences. Blaine Lewis was that man and he accepted the disastrous results of that decision. His principles, however, remained in tact. Blaine Lewis could live comfortably with himself. Tina Lewis's book lovingly chronicles his life and their lives during that period. Great and fascinating factual reading.

J. Blaine Lewis, Jr. was fired in 1989 from his post of Connecticut state lottery chief. This is the story of his ten year legal battle against the state in which we gain an insight into the politics of lottery management, the courage and integrity of a man in a David and Goliath scenario, and the failure of the legal system to provide justice. It is also a love story of a devoted wife, who in memorium, is driven to vindicate her husband. The message conveyed deserves national attention. What a great story for TV or the large screen.

It took me awhile to get into this book but it was worth it in the end. Serious book about a very serious issue. Good read and a very deep story.

Stunning. Poetic. Mr. Bernard did not merely "scratch the surface" but more like savagely clawed the surface (smile).

This book exposes or has the reader examine the whys and whats of what we, as humans, do, in all aspects concerning the way we live our lives.

There were times when it got to be to much as I was like "I'm going to read something else as this is too deep even for me," but by saying that it made me want to read more as I became addicted to this book. This book similar and different than when I read "The Darkest Child" was intoxicating.

This book, the characters, all became real and I recognized that this was fiction, but Mr. Bernard wrote this in such a fashion that made it real.

If you want a book that is and will take you on a trip that delves into the human psyche then I stronly recommend "The Last Dream Before Dawn" as it will truly rock YOUR world and have you examine yourself and others more closely.

D.V. Bernard presents a fresh viewpoint of the rising violence and scandal in America in his debut novel, THE LAST DREAM BEFORE DAWN. Twenty years ago, Roland Micheaux's innocence was shattered when his father was executed for heinous crimes. Now, as a successful New York attorney, Roland finds himself face to face with the very thing that he has tried to put behind him. One night in a parking garage his father's persona comes to haunt him as Roland makes a calamitous move that will send his life into a tailspin and cause him to question reality. Roland then meets Jasper Kain, a seer of sorts, who tries to convince him that the world is coming to an end and that madness will take its reign on the city. Kain's prophecies defy rationale, but Roland soon sees that these ideas should not be so easily dismissed.

THE LAST DREAM BEFORE DAWN is a flurry of characters, scenes, and plots, but somehow, Bernard coheres it all together into cerebral fiction that challenges reality and sanity. A distinguished entrance into the literary arena, this novel is splendidly written and brilliantly executed.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This book was a great departure, from what I normally read, which is black fiction, based around romantic relationships. These books are more commonly known as "sistagurl" books. This book was written intelligently, and dealt with issues that we can all relate to in society. This book was a page turner, filled with mayhem, suspense, love, hate, violence, peace, and introspection. This novel makes the reader feel as though they are a part of the story, and I hope it will go on to be a best seller.

Roland Micheaux is no stranger to violence and holds a secret that he hopes will never be discovered. He is sitting on top of the world working as a successful attorney with a top law firm in New York City. Then one day he commits an unspeakable act and his world is turned upside down; and he is left pondering the question of who and what he has become. Leading him down this path of self-discovery is the unusual and elusive Jasper Kain.

Jasper Kain is a mysterious man who seems to just appear out of no where and feeds on evil and chaos. He is one of the most important characters in this book because he seems to hold some influence over all of the major characters.

Alexander Randolph is a Black Republican and Mayor of New York City. In his mind, he is one of the most important men in the world. Even though he has all of these things going for him, Mayor Randolph is not immune to madness.

The paths of these three men cross continuously throughout the book as each of them is touched by the madness and evil of the world. In reading this book, just when you think things can't get any worse they do. THE LAST DREAM BEFORE DAWN is an unusual book.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I've never practiced law, but I still know a good book when I see one. This is no less than an excellent, detailed examination of what it's like to be a lawyer (in 1995, anyway). Author Walt Bachman focuses mostly on the negative aspects of the profession, but I never caught any unfair / invalid generalizations, or got the sense of a guy grinding an axe. The maladies he points out are well-reasoned and substantial, and definitely worth contemplating for aspiring law students.

The book is quick to dispel the glamorized image of lawyers in the media. Bachman claims the nature of the job to be highly stressful, in part because of excessive hours but even more because of the burden of being responsible for the fate of another. There's a vivid parable about a science experiment with several pairs of monkeys, in which only one of them had the ability to stop a painful electrical shock that affected them both. At one point, the scientists took away the control but the sense of responsibility remained, eventually causing all the "control" monkeys to die from stress.

Another major lesson is that morals, as defined by most of the population, have no place in the world of law. Your role is that of a moral mercenary, representing any client that comes your way no matter how reprehensible. Worse, arguing strategy is less about the battle of truths, and more about discrediting and attacking your opponent, humiliating and exploiting witnesses, or in some cases, simply prolonging the process so that the other side won't bother to fight. He also warns that the effects of all this often spill over into a lawyer's personal life, often jeopardizing personal relationships. Finally, he makes a precise claim that more than 40% of clients are complete "assholes" -- and since they usually seek like-minded lawyers, it drives the demand for regular, balanced lawyers even further.

Other complaints: the work is far more boring that it seems. Supposedly, most lawyers spend most of their days working out the minutiae in boring paperwork, and it's rare to see a trial room. Billable hours have become the dominating priority, even higher in importance than quality of work. Also, a disproportionate rise in the number of lawyers since the 70s means there are roughly 1,000,000 lawyers out there today -- way more than the market needs. He tells stories of many un- and under-employed new grads, and tells of the desperation to pay off crippling student debts.

I could go on, but why not just read it for yourself? Heck, it's only 140 pages.

This book is mind opening for those who want to be lawyers. It presents the reality in the life of the lawyer within himself, family, work and society. It also presents the truth that lawyers are afraid to say when working for a firm. After reading it you might learn that the time and money spent might not be worthy. It is an insight in the career for those who know nothing about what they will be facing.

A seasoned attorney gave me this book when I was in my third year of law school. Eight years later I remain very grateful that I received this gift, because it is the most poignant, blunt, and accurate synopsis of the legal profession I have ever come across. The point of this book is not to deter people from being lawyers or scare the daylights out of them. Rather, it aims to prepare aspiring lawyers for what lies ahead of them in the real world of the law. If you're in law school or thinking about going to law school this book will open your eyes to the practice of law, but even if you're already a practicing attorney there is plenty in here that you'll recognize and appreciate.

In nine quick and easily accessible chapters, Bachman outlines many striking truths about what an aspiring lawyer can expect to encounter in contemporary practice. This text is an absolute must read for anyone pondering law school.

Bachman reveals some brutal truths, such as "Lesson Seven: 10% of a lawyer's soul dies for every 100 billable hours worked in excess of 1,500 per year" (p.107). I appreciated his earnest approach to quantify, as scientifically as possible, his ideas about problems in the law.

As for others criticisms of this book- that he outlines only the problems and does not present possible solutions- well, that's just too bad. The very fact that he chooses not to is a direct reflection of the severity and fixed nature of these problems.

This book is EXCELLENT and the kind of book to buy and KEEP on one's shelf as a law student and lawyer. Fast moving, easily read in one afternoon but material to be digested slowly. The author's vivid, extraordinarily creative analogy of lawyering to a money experiment - only that one short chapter - is well worth the price of this book...and then some. That analogy was well-crafted, like a great trial lawyer would tell. What the author begins here on his sociological analysis is absolutely TOO DAMN GOOD to skim as he did. I was left wanting of more depth to his observation, more thought, more help.

To me, this book did not warrant five stars because I place a higher burden on this author with what he has started here. I feel it is the duty of an author of such intellect and keener, stronger analytical ability than others to take us not further, but deeper, into understanding what this book has the potential to do, what it introduces us to in its 140 pages.

NONETHELESS, this is the kind of book that needs to be written, one which needs to be read BY EVERYONE, NON LAWYERS ALIKE!!!! to better understand ourselves and our present society. Excellent beginning job for Walt Bachman.

The fact that Trotsky tried to devise a revolutionary strategy to cope with the issues aroused by the existence of a Popular Front government in 1930s France made this collection of short pieces and pamphlets to remain consistently out of fashion for the next 70 years, as Marxists tended more and more to make a fetish out of Liberal Bourgeois political forms. Therefore the relevance of this book, as a discussion of the shortcomings of said Bourgeois Democracy in terms of the overall sclerosis imposed by it on the Body Politic.

Paris, February 1934: tens of thousands of rightists attempted to overthrow the French government in a violent demonstration. The Radical government was soon replaced with a Bonapartist ruler. How could the powerful working class movement respond? The French Communist Party was moving to the "Peoples Front" alliance with the Socialists and the Radicals, in reflection of Stalin's search for alliances with one or other of the imperialist powers moving towards war to redivide the world. Together with the Socialists, the Stalinists politically disoriented the French workers. Six years on from the 1934 demonstrations, Hitler was able to crush France, and the fascist Petain ascended to power. "Leon Trotsky on France", a collection of writings from throughout those six years, brings the light of Marxism and the experience of the Russian Revolution to bear in showing the way for workers seeking a revolutionary way forward. As the 21st century takes us deeper into a situation like the 1930s -- economic depression, political volatility and instability, rapidly sharpening inter-imperialist rivalry, the rise of ultrarightist forces -- the lessons of the 1930s loom large. With each passing year, books like this one are becoming more relevant for workers and fighters for social justice.

More than a history text, this is a compelling day-by-day analysis of the great political developments in France during the 1930s depression-- and incisive arguments for what working class parties needed-- and failed -- to do to fight their way victoriously out of the crisis. The brutal economic depression and the crisis of capitalist political rule, the approaching world war, the fascist uprising in 1934, the rise of Bonapartist-police state regimes, the great workers strike wave of 1936, the stakes in organizing a workers militia, the political basis for alliances in working class struggles-- all are explained clearly and logically, with the aim of helping working people understand and organize to defend their interests.

Trotsky writes with the experience of a leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the early years of building an international communist workers movement. He was particularly familiar with the French workers movement from years in exile before 1917, and spent time in France in the 1930s after being expelled from the Soviet Union by Stalin and his henchmen-- this experience helping him give rich political detail to his writings.

Above all, the questions posed here do not belong just to the 1930s. The perspectives of the capitalists, the petty-bourgeoisie, the workers and the peasants, and the question of leadership of the working class, of the forging of a revolutionary party with a correct program and the confidence to act are issues for today and tomorrow. Trotsky's writings here are invaluable in helping understand and organize in today's world.

Best part of the book -- Part Two: A Program for the French Revolution. For anyone who has had to deal with trade union brass who caution that the union membership must be careful not to alienate the friendly wing of management, for anyone who has had to suffer through debates in parties such as Canada's New Democratic Party, this book helps straighten things out clearly. As Europe thrashed its way through the 1930s, socialist revolution or fascist victory was put on the agenda in country after country. Trotsky goes over all the key issues as they arose concretely in France: elections and picket lines, workers armed defense versus reliance on the middle class, the relationship of general strike to the fight for a revolutionary change in government, how to win over the farmers. He hammers away at the fact that while capitalism was degenerating before everyone's eyes, nothing was automatic, nothing would inevitably change for the better without conscious action and organization by the powerful French working class. He pointed out that he was fighting for the lives of French workers who went into the streets in strike waves, who occupied their workplaces, who fought the police and fascist gangs over and over throughout the decade. And went down to defeat. Difficult to read simply as a historical document since so many issues are of burning relevance today.

France in the 1930s was wracked by mass struggles by workers, fascist, monarchist and other right-wing conspiracies two futures: the future of war, Nazi occupation and the Petain regime that aped fascism, and a victory of workers and farmers like the one in Russia in 1917 and Cuba in 1960s. Battles went on that could have prevented World War two, prevented fascism in Spain, and more.
Trotsky's advice here is not just directed to analyzing the big questions, but also discussing how small groups of revolutionists were affected by these big events, how they could deepen their role in the mass struggle.
With war, and what some call a gathering world depression looming in front of working people around the world, the same questions before French workers in the 1930s are coming before workers, youth, farmers and others who want to fight today. We are fortunate to read these writings by Trotsky to fight to avoid a future of war and fascism.

Liars for Jesus by Chris Rodda is one of the best written and most important books about contemporary American politics that I have read in years. The only problem with this book is that it was apparently published with the author's own money, making its availability somewhat limited. This book should be widely read and discussed, because it helps explain why the Christian Right seems so incomprehensibly loony to most of us who are not part of that movement, and, conversely, why they attack the rest of us with such unfettered zeal.

There has been a series of revisionist "history" books published since the end of WWII which give a "Christian" version of American history that attempts to paint the Founding Fathers and subsequent American culture in a way that is in agreement with contemporary Fundamentalism. We have now had a couple of generations of conservative Christians who have been buying into this version of history and reacting angrily to an America that assumes fundamental principals like the separation of church and state to be at the core of what America stands for.

Author Rodda systematically lists and then busts a series of myths that these spurious history books have generated. She leaves no stone unturned in doing so.

Things get really scary when she starts quoting Supreme Court opinions written by Rennquist, Thomas and Burger, and it becomes apparent that members of our highest court do not know the difference between real history and Fundamentalist wishful thinking.

The book is a fascinating study in how the desire for a different set of facts can, over time, morph into an alternative if deluded "reality".

Liars for Jesus is a fabulous book. It is meticulously researched, and handily debunks several 'lies for jesus,' including distortions of history regarding the treaties with the Barbary states, lies about Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and others.

The big thing that struck me about the book is the thoroughness of the author's research. I was very impressed by this.

Chris Rodda takes many quotes from noted christian history revisionists, such as Stephen McDowell and David Barton, and undoubtedly proves why their distorted versions of history are wrong using a variety of historical sources, such as archived documents from the Library of Congress and original documents written by the founders.

If you are one who is doubtful about the information put forth by some christians about the founding of the united states then this book is for you. Even if you aren't doubtful and are a christian I would still recommend this book because of the quality of research that was done for it. It just might change your mind.

Ms. Rodda has presented an intelligent, well-written expose on the nonsense spewed by the religious right over the internet and in boooks.

Lies for Jesus abound. This is not a new phenomenon, as Ms. Rodda points out in her book, but the lies have greatly proliferated in the age of the Internet. It is sometimes difficult for concerned citizens and concerned Christians to refute the lies which appear to come from authority. Ms. Rodda takes the words of those so-called authorities and shows them for what they are. Her sources are impeccable.

As an Episcopalian, I was quite shocked to learn that the Liars for Jesus have stolen words out of my own Book of Common Prayer to further their questionable agenda.

Those liars do great damage to our religious freedom, a freedom that generations upon generations have fought and died to protect.

"Liars" seems a harsh term to apply to professed Christians and until lately I had--admittedly without paying too much attention--assumed that Christian fundamentalists were engaged in wishful thinking and selective quotations when they complained about activist judges subverting both the Constitution and the clear intent of the Founding Fathers to establish a Christian government. But after reading Ms. Rodda's book I realize that there is something going on far beyond taking words out of context. When she digs out the words and records that clearly demolish the assertion that no "wall of separation" between church and state was ever intended, "liars" does seem the appropriate word. Those of us who fear that the intrusion of "faith based" activities into our government and the flow of subsidies, in the guise of "contracts", to favored churches, is a step toward a theocracy, will find much useful and carefully documented information in "Liars for Jesus".

As an occupational therapist working in the school system, and currently providing assistive technology evaluation, education, and training, I found Living in a State of Stuck to be one of the most influential works I have read in a good number of years. We all have stories, and the individuals that Dr. Scherer has listened to and followed in her book have voices that resonate. I have practiced for nearly 30 years, and her approach feels like coming home to the core principles of the profession I have love. Thank you, Dr. Scherer, and please keep writing.

In working with people with disabilities I found Scherer's book gave a different slant on their issues and the use of technology. It was easy reading and informative. The case studies gave examples of the various needs, likes and dislikes and preferences of people with disabilites and their uses of assistive technology. Probably the most important emphasis of Scherer's book is know your consumer and listen. There is no universal recommendation for assistive tech for our consumers.

This book was very insightful and well researched. It includes numerous individuals with disabilities and describes using Assistive Technology in real life situations. It highlights that all persons with the same disability do not use the same Assistive Technology and that above all else, the individual's needs, desires and goals should be considered before the purchase of Assistive Technology. In addition, it also points out that people with an acquired disability may feel differently about Assistive Technology than a person born with a disability. Overall, an excellent read!

Living in the State of Stuck teaches us how to look at assistive technology in a "big picture" perspective. The book discusses tailoring adaptations to particular needs, and how to practically apply adaptations to every day lives. Many people are afraid to use assistive technologies themselves, but expect people with disabilities to embrace adaptations. Scherer talks about matching people with technologies, not because they are a quick fix, and easily accessible, but because that person is genuinely interested in attaining and using the device which THEY have informatively chosen. Scherer uses practical information are stories about people of all ages and disabilities successfully using the latest technologies. She provides online resources, organizations, vendors and a worksheet to assist with matching persons with technologies.

As a rehabilitation professional and an individual with a severe mobility impairment, I found Dr. Scherer's book to be most enlightening. To tell you the truth, I was expecting another dry textbook bogged down with a lot of technical terms and professional jargon. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to read interesting stories about flesh and blood individuals, and the impact their disabilities and the use of assistive technology have had on their lives. It's one thing to read about all the wonderful things assistive technology can provide - it's quite another to read real life examples of its implementation.

I can relate to the author's belief that the technology is only as good as it is perceived to be by the individual that is using the technology, and that a holistic approach to matching the appropriate technology is essential. As Dr. Scherer points out, it doesn't matter how marvelous we as professionals' think the technology is. If it doesn't meet the need of the individual, it is virtually useless. To illustrate the author's point, I can't count the number of times a rehab professional has told me I should do this, or I should use that, or I should do it this way or that way, etc., without ever bothering to ask for my opinion or ideas. However, I have recently had my bilateral long leg braces refurbished, and (per Dr. Scherer's model), I essentially told the orthotist how I wanted it done. The end result - the braces are much more comfortable to wear and skin breakdown at the various pressure points has decreased dramatically!

In life, everyone experiences loss at some point. Whether it's the death of a loved one, losing a job, surviving a divorce, suffering a miscarriage, moving homes, or any other number of changes, Dr. Dan Moseley's book teaches readers how to create new life in the absence of their old, familiar one.

Living With Loss encourages readers to go at their own pace through the dimensions of loss and grief. Dr. Moseley focuses on the space in life that loss creates, allowing room for something new to grow and develop. Unique from other grieving books, each easy-to-read chapter includes a "Good Companions" section that describes the best people with whom to surround yourself as you recover from loss.

Whether you have suffered a loss or are helping someone who has, Living With Loss is an essential resource for any time of grief.

Having been a pastor for 30 years and a seminary professor for 10 years, Dr. Dan Moseley has seen grief lived out by thousands of people, even while providing them with pastoral care. Perhaps more important, Dan has experienced profound grief in his own life. Thus, this book is not merely the intellectual musings of one who has seen grief from a distance, but the profound insight of one who has wandered in the desert of loss and found his way home. We all experience grief and all who read this book will identify with the experience and benefit from the marvelous wisdom contained in these pages.
Dr. Richard L. Hamm

As an avid reader, I have tried to gain an interest in so-called "Self-Help" books. My attempts have failed due to the books being either too clinical, too fluffy (for all of you Saturday Night Live experts out there, they read like a Stewart Smalley episode, "I'm smart enough, I'm good enough, and gosh darn-it, people like me"), too enabling, or too victimizing. I refer to these as "Band-Aid" books.

In his book "Living with Loss", Dr. Moseley, does a wonderful job staying on course with reality and staying away from being a "Band-Aid" book. This book is about owning who you are as a human, which means owning the different components of the healing process when they arise. For instance, he does not make the case that we need to apologize for our anger in a time of loss. Rather, he assures the reader that it is normal and necessary to feel that anger. Conversely, he also explains healing eventually has to come with forgiveness.

I truly appreciated the writing style that Dr. Moseley chose. The book is written in a conversational manner. Any other style of writing would create more confusion in an already confusing time. His message in the book is clear and does not require a dictionary, assuring that he does understand the human condition in times of loss. The book is one human sharing his life experience with another.

This book will help heal, or help prepare you when that loss does come. I was able to enjoy the book because it kept reminding me that Dr. Moseley truly understands, not the science of psychology, but people.

This is an excellent book on the psychology of grief and loss, with balance and sensitivity in discussing the struggles as well as the potential for new life. It's full of a lot of earthy wisdom presented in language clear as a mountain stream.

Moseley takes readers through not so much stages as overlapping aspects of loss: truly absorbing and naming one's loss; handling the anger and guilt that inevitably come with it; remembering who or what was lost and being grateful for those memories; and cultivating a sense of play and newness in life. There is much emphasis on finding suitable companions to walk with us in our time of loss.

Especially helpful was his discussion in Chapter 8 of the different voices that vie for our attention--voices from the past, from the present, from within, and from the future--and how we can listen to these voices in a way that respects our need for stability and adventure.

A pastor and pastoral theologian, Moseley writes out of a faith perspective, but explicit issues of faith are touched on only at the end, and then with gentleness. This book is suitable for people with any religious background, or none at all. The only requirement really is to have known that universal human experience of loss.

This book by Dan Moseley reaches into a difficult place and helps you find your way out. It is a work that can help a reader make some sense of the losses and tragedies that we all face during our lives. But more than that, it offers something I have never seen before. "Living With Loss" offers suggestions for those who wish to be supportive to the person who has suffered the loss. It discusses, in very clear terms, what kind of actions and words might be offered to help your loved one get through their darkest times. Thanks, Dr. Moseley, for opening your life and sharing your thoughts, so that the rest of us might heal and help others to heal.