Events Books

I will try to avoid getting involved in the heated debate that the two previous reviewers wrapped themselves in. Instead I will focus my attention on giving my opinion pertaining to the quality of Ian Shapiro's work. The book itself is laid out beautifully. As a poli-sci student it is a blessing to have such a well laid out book to use in my studies. The choice of font only serves to amplify the intensity of Locke's ideas. Ideas that inevitably shaped the society we live in today. If you are studying the works of this man, or just reading for leisure don't hesitate to read this version, you will not be disappointed.

John Locke (1632-1704) wrote "Second Treatise of Government" in 1690, it was the main political philosophical source that our "Founding Fathers" went to in writing the "Declaration of Independence" and in forming our government. I think you should know something of Locke to understand what influenced his thinking. His father was a small landowner, attorney, Puritan and his political sympathies were with the Cromwell Parliament. Like Hobbes, Locke attended Oxford Univ. and did not think much about the curriculum or his professors. Most of his education came from reading books in the Univ. library. Renee Descartes and Sir Isaac Newton's writings greatly influenced Locke. Like Hobbes, he took a tutoring job teaching the son of the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, and traveled Europe. His friendship with the Earl was beneficial in obtaining government appointments. During the political unrest in England, (1679-83) he fled to Holland because his liberal notions put him at odds with the government.

Locke writes the "Second Treatise of Government" to justify the Revolt of 1688 and the ascension of William of Orange to the English throne. The book argues against two lines of absolutist ideas. The first is Sir Robert Filmer's "patriarchal theory of divine right of kings; secondly, Hobbes argument for the sovereign's absolute power in his book "Leviathan." Locke argues that government emanates from the people. Locke's treatise rests like other political writings on its interpretation of human nature. He sees our nature opposite the way Hobbes did, decent and not as selfish or competitive. Man is more inclined to join society through reason and not fear. Man prefers stability to change.

His very important contribution to "law of nature" theory was his bias toward individualism. In state of nature, before government, men were free independent, equal enjoying inalienable rights "chief among them being life, liberty, and property." Where have you read that before? Property rights receive much attention in this treatise. Locke argues that government based on consent of man can still preserve freedom independence and equality.

His political writing had immediate influence in the world and influenced our founding fathers in their struggle against tyranny. He is an excellent writer and his theories are easy to understand by the laymen. As a graduate student of political philosophy, I recommend if you have an interest in politics, philosophy, or government then you must read Locke's "Second Treatise of Government"

I'm no genius. A pedant, perhaps, and an arrogant jerk, but not a guy with the kind of education it seems other reviewers have. I can't tell you who Locke's friends were or what his political connections were, either. I have some vague notion that Locke's and Mill's ideas influenced the philisophical basis of the American founding documents, but I'm just a soldier who sometimes likes to bite off more than he can chew--I wan't to know the stuff them smart people do, and don't see any reason I shouldn't!

So if you're like me, let me encourage you to get this book. Your friends will almost certainly call you a nerd (after all, who reads 17th century political philosophy for FUN?), and it'll take a few pages to cut your teeth on the language, but after you get going, this book is a breeze. I can't tell you the philisophical doctrines nor their framework in several distinct points, but I can tell you this: the language, to one of average education, was a little hard to wrap my brain around, but what worked for me was just to set a pace and trudge through it without getting hung up on the one sentence that twisted my mind into a pretzel. After a few pages (maybe 10 or 15) I found that my brain was correcting for the nature of the wording, and for the rest of the book, I swear, I understood what was going on through the second treatise and the Letter, too.

After I got going, I was all highlighters and folded corners, but it had too many profound and simple statements to save them all in my head. If you're even vaguely political, this book will make points as absolutely applicable to today's world politics as it did to those of the bygone time. It applies from everything from the crazy long haired hippie communist democrats to the crazy power-mad Neocons, but it'll make you wish with all your heart that both ruling parties of American Government would give it a quick read over the recess.

Anyhow, I rate this work as 4 stars out of 5. Mostly that's because I have absolutely nothing to compare it against, and am therefore hesitant to give it 5 stars, because it's the first political philosophy I've ever read. But dammit, it seems like a pretty good one to me. Just don't let it scare you off, you don't need to be a genious to understand this. Let's even the playing field between us regular people and the academic jerks (love you guys, really, just making a point) that like to write reviews even Locke wouldn't understand :) This stuff is great, and it's great for even those who, like me, are only moderately intelligent readers.

John Locke died nearly ninety years before the constitution was written. The likes of Jefferson and Hamilton referenced this book in their respective endeavors to frame our constitution and sunbsequent government.

John Locke did not "steal" his ideas from the constitution; his writings were the basis for many of Thomas Jefferson's ideas in the Declaration and subsequently influenced the American constitution. His treatise is a defining moment in political writings and a must read for anyone who is interested in history, politics or philosophy. This is a good book that covers his key writings.

Brilliantly new! An historical perspective that you don't get in history classes, and it explains and probes the present mess we are in. Also musical to read.

This is a very interesting book, particularly on the early restrictionists. It gave me a new perspective on why Americans restricted immigration in the early 20th century, and gave me historical insight into today's immigration policy crisis.

If you don't think 400 million people living in the US by the year 2050 are too many, then I guess you don't have to read this book. But if, like me, you are tired of gridlock, crowded everything, degraded schools, unpaid hospital bills, crime, etc., to say nothing of the loss of civic duty and responsibility, then Graham's book explains how we got here.

The last part of the book is expecially good at explaining how elites and vested interests keep the discussion of immigration control out of the public forum. Every poll says Americans want less immigration, but it never happens. Why?
Graham explains why.

Surprisingly, he also explains why 9/11 hasn't made that much difference in the immigration flow.. What is it going to take for the public's voice to be heard?
He discusses the entire issue very convincingly. This is a great book. If you read only one book on immigration, this should be it.

In Unguarded Gates Professor Graham provides a much needed corrective to what passes as the history of immigration restrictions from the 1880s to the present. Any suggestion in the current debate that perhaps the lifeboat of immigration is nearing capacity is sure to be greeted by a reminder that the Statue of Liberty stands as a permanent testament to our historic invitation to the world's "huddled masses yearning to be free."
In truth, in the view of the generation which placed the statue in New York harbor it was seen "as a symbol of America as a model to inspire other lovers of freedom," rather than some sort of illuminated welcome mat. It was not until the 1930s, Professor Graham informs us, that journalists and history text book writers began to link the statue not with liberty but with immigration.
Such distinctions are particularly relevant as the nation again comes to come to grip with the consequences of virtually unchecked immigration amidst emotionally laden charges that any suggestion to moderate the flow is akin to racist exclusion policies of the past. Indeed, the book shows that there was much more than racist exclusion to account for immigration limitations in the past and that the authors of the 1960s immigration reforms got much more than they bargained for on this account.
The book is a must read for anyone interested in where we came from, and, more importantly perhaps, where we are going as a nation of immigrants if the discussion is not properly addressed.

Professor Graham provides the reader with a master's class in American immigration history. Cutting cleanly through a lot of the emotional hokum that surrounds this volatile issue he presents American immigration history with an eye to debunking popular yet false myths that have cropped up over the last several decades. A must read !

This book documents the sexual perversion, physical abuse, and gratuitous cruelty inflicted on defenseless boys as young as seven years old by Irish Christian Brothers in the Mount Cashel orphanage for homeless boys in St. John's, Newfoundland during the 1970s-80s. It is also the story of a massive cover-up perpetrated over a period of some fifteen years which involved high ranking justice department officials as well as the chief of police.

It is a tragic story, which doesn't have quite the ending which I would have liked. Why, for example, were no public officials ever punished or, at least, dishonored for their corruption? And, where was the well deserved lynch mob which might have at least frightened the perverts and abusers when their long delayed time for justice finally arrived? And, why didn't the punishment for the `brothers,' once convicted, fit their crimes as did that of the priest in Louisiana who was sentenced to twenty years at hard labor without the possibility of parole? And why, for God's sake, did they only investigate what happened in 1975 and, even then, only allow the testimony of the eight boys questioned in that year? Surely, there were lots of other boys being sexually abused and tormented long before and long after that year. And, just as surely, there were other `Christian brothers,' yet unnamed, who also deserve punishment. And, finally, why didn't they reinstate the well intentioned cop who got drunk and tried to break the story ten years earlier?

This is a hard read, partly because of its subject matter but mostly because it is so meticulously documented. This, at times, makes for tedious reading. But, if you want to learn just how deviant and cruel even a respected man can be, and just how devious and corrupt public officials can become, then this is the book for you. But don't expect to see the justice you might have hoped for, for in this case justice was denied - at least denied the children.

The author did a lot of work in writing this book. His research was accurate but his findings were often off the mark because he just didn't understand some of the nuances. He painstakingly went over all the data, included accurate quotes, and came to mostly accurate conclusions. Unfortunately, some of his conclusions missed the mark. A good effort. He should be congratulated for his effort if not for his conclusions.

i lived through a similar orphanage childhood in artane school dublin city ireland,1949-58.owned ,run by the same religious order,the irish christian brothers.cruel wicked evil beyond my own ability to put into english language.i wish mr harris would make a docu-drama narrative about artane industrial school thank god for courageous journalists and publishers.

Having grown up in newfoundland and being present there while the Mount Cashel scandal came to light and underwent inquiry, I can assure the other reviewers that this book is indeed truthful. The circumstances the book describes are so incredibly shocking that I can readily understand why readers would have skepticism regarding its basis in reality. That just makes the story so much more worth reading.

As the Catholic Church is again rocked by priest sexual abuse scandal in 2002 and the situation has now become explosive as a result of the absolutely intolerable (yet not surprising) arrogance of some members of the clerical hierarchy, this is an excellent book to gain perspective by.

Michael Harris documents the story of the Newfoundland Orphanage, Mount Cashel, and the Irish Catholic Brothers who abused countless numbers of their charges -- without reprove -- for at least a twenty year period from the 1970's onward, While reports first were made in the mid-seventies and attempts were made to take legal actions as abuse became known, the Brothers enjoyed the protections of the blind-eyed legal system and members of the Catholic faithful that had set them on a pedestal. Charges were quashed over and over and police reports were re-written lest the "powerful Church" become alienated in Newfoundland.

At the same time in the U.S., cases were becoming public at an unpredented rate charging members of the Roman Catholic Clergy with an epidemic of sexual abuse allegations.

As a result of this last wave of Clergy Sexual Abuse, the Catholic Church promised change. Reporting and investigation polices were established to be certain that there was never again such an arrogant denial and insensitivity when cases came to light. The late Cardinal Joseph Bernandin even subjected himself to the scrutiny of the review policies that he had set in place in his own Archdiocese when he was falsely accused of sexual abuse. He was innocent, yet he felt that he had committed his diocese to the new policies and he must be an example of how they are to be practiced. Bernardin was highly praised for his humility and his willingness to "practice what he had preached."

Yet now again in 2002, we find that some Bishops and Cardinals were only paying lip service to the policies that had been set in place over a decade ago.

Among the worst offenders, the esteemed Cardinal Archbishop of Boston who continued to systematically practice denial, obfuscation and who continued to demonstrate little regard for the victims of priestly abuse in his Archdiocese. From Boston a new wave of explosions arose across the country and in other nations. We await the outcome.

At this point American Catholics are found to be far less forgiving than they were a decade ago.

When and how will this arrogance end? A re-reading of Michael Harris' book (or perhaps a first reading) along with Jason Berry's book, "Lead Us Not Into Temptation" might be required assignments for every Catholic leader in the Church (including the Pope!). Perhaps some eyeopening reading -- along with personal liability and true consequences for failure to report abuse -- might be a good first steps.

At the very top of any priorities must be the interests of the victims of these crimes. They have been repeatedly abused, as children, and have been again as adults, when seeking action for what they were made to suffer only to suffer attempts to make them out to be unfairthful liars.

As proud and historically significant as the Catholic Church had been, the time for true and profound changes is now -- not a century from now!

These decisions can no longer be optional, nor can they be subjected to the whim of the Pope -- or any of the other members of the official Catholic hierarchy. The Catholic laity must be heard! And, it is doubtful that this time they will be too quick to be content with efforts to cease the discussion!

Harris' book is an important part of the canon of excellent books on Religious Abuse in North America. Well written, highly readable and extremely compelling!


James J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota USA

Joan Veon was at first confused by the conflicting messages from the U.N. and its advocates. So she attended the Cairo Conference on over-population and began her education. Many conferences later, she has done her homework, gives professional quality analysis in a no-nonsense way, and exposes the United Nations for what it is -- a burgeoning One World Government. You can think yourself educated on this subject if you are not familiar with her work, but you are cheating yourself of hard-core information to not add it to your reading list.

If you are a Christian this is a must read. Joan M. Veon has had a hands on experience with the UN. She extensively goes deep into what are the real goals of the UN which are sugar-coated to the general public at the moment. With actual UN documentation, and very reliable info resources; Joan M. Veon presents without question that the main aim of the UN is a NWO One World Government. Get this one - prophecy students !!!!

Joan has done much better with first hand
info than phoneys like Cliff Kincaid and
Don McAlvey. I heard her first on Tom Val-
entine's fine Radio Free America show spe-
aking on this subject. I highly recommend
this work!

Very comprehensive book with a lot of documentation. An excellent book to have in your library, as well as "The Unseen Hand" by A. Ralph Epperson.

Joan Veon has been studying the internal workings and the politics of the United Nations for a great portion of her life. If there is anyone in the world that can be considered an expert on the U.N. she is it! She attends every UN-connected meeting in the world and she reports in-depth on all of them. Through her research it has been discovered that the United Nations is not the "good guys." As a matter of fact, when one reads about the UN and finds out the truth it becomes downright frightening.

Now, if anyone reviews this book (and any other anti-UN book) and calls it a "right wing nutcase conspiracy junkie" book you will know which side they are on. And it won't be the good side.

I recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand this very complex and beautiful region of the world.

I recently visited Bosnia and I couldn't find any travel books, so I bought this instead. Even though it's not intended as such, it served quite well, at least in terms of giving a history of the situation, and describing the various places.

It's now a few years old, and it could use some updating as the situation has now changed. But in general, a very good read.

Untangling... is a great read--incredibly succint and informative first section putting Balkan geographics, politics, historical,religious, and ethnonational concepts into perpective for an average american guy like me, larger main portion a real fascinating page turner by a great American writer with a hell of a lot of guts for a solo, freelance journalist traveling all around Bosnia and Hercegovina during these tumultuous times! chilling. talk about timely expose' ! this guy was still over there just as the bombs were about to fly in the Serbian/kosovo conflagration. highly recommended.

This is a very special book. It offers a unique snapshot of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of the nineties, at the end of the most difficult decade and at the same time at the beginning of a very long (as Gale Kirking says, maybe even not yet found) road to democracy.

The book is not written for an average reader. In fact, I believe that an average reader would not even finnish it. But it brings a great value to everyone interested in the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the whole region or in the events at the end of the last century. The book is very descriptive and documentary. It has a great historical value. Never more will Bosnia look the same again as pictured in this book. Things are moving very fast in that part of Europe. But if anyone wants to know, what it looked like in 1998 and 1999, it is in Gale's book.

I had the pleasure to work with Gale for several years and I always admired his writting skills. And again, in Untangling Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gale's ability to picture places, people and events is amazing.

Based upon Gale Kirking's extensive travels and conversations with Serbs, Croats, and Muslims, Untangling Bosnia And Hercegovina: A Search For Understanding is an up-to-date, "reader friendly" survey of the civil war between the Serbians and the Moslems in Bosnia that lead to United Nations, NATO, and American interventions. This 400 page historical and political compendium is enhanced with maps, a bibliography, glossary, and index. Untangling Bosnia And Hercegovina provides both the historical background and contemporary context to achieve an accurate and insightful understanding of the root causes and consequences of this bloody European conflict marked by ancient hatreds and modern politics, ethnic cleansing and religious warfare, shattered economies and blighted landscapes. Untangling Bosnia And Hercegovina is highly recommended reading for students of international studies, political science, 20th century European history, those with friends or family affected by this modern tragedy, and anyone seeking a proper understanding of the conflict and what to expect next.

After reading "Vinland Discovery (The Unfinished Story)" by Mr. K. Budden, I am convinced that the true Vinland has indeed been discovered...in White Bay. This account, with demographics and actual artifacts,proves that Vikings did actually settle in White Bay. I would love to see the Newfoundland government assisting Mr. Budden in proving it to the WORLD!

Fascinating read! He has some really grand artifact findings and some great arguments especially with the demographics.

Quite the story to be told and to watch unfold. Let's see if the government will cough up a dig to find the truth of the site!!

"Definitely a book that answers questions and makes you ask many more. A great read! Can't wait for part two".
Ern Simms, St.Anthony, Newfoundland,Canada.

I enjoyed the book so much that I had to read it a second time. I think the theory put forward in this book makes more sense than the Viking site at L'Anse aux Meadows, with all it's shoals and breakers and not even an harbour and no trees for miles. The Vikings were very inteligent people and were great navigators. Common sense tells us that they continued to a more favorable place. Mr Budden,in Vinland Discovery-the unfinished story, tells us where.
Frank Slade,Korean war veteran
St. Anthony, Newfoundland.

"Definitely food for thought. You have some real good arguements.Well worth the read.You have definitely done your homework".
Mike Sexton,chief Viking enactor at the Viking site,L'Anse aux Meadows,Newfoundland.

Written by James R. Mancham (the founding President of the Republic of Seychelles, a small island nation in the Pacific), War On America: Seen From The Indian Ocean is a cold, hard, factual look at American foreign policy and its ramifications since the 1960s, from this island nation's point of view. Covering events up to and including the September 11 terrorist attacks, War On America is a straightforward, candid, outside perspective that reveals the sometimes arbitrary and self-serving aspect of America's view toward the world, and its repercussions. Informed and informative, War On America is strongly recommended as a very insightful book and important, timely reading for students of contemporary international studies in general, and the non-specialist general reader wanting background information on how we as a nation became embroiled in a long term war upon "stateless" terrorism.

In a letter dated 31st March addressed to the author President Chirac of France wrote " It is with great interest that I have noted your analysis of the international situation against the background of your experience and wisdom. Like you I aspire that be built, from day to day, a world which is more balanced, equitable and peacful. In this way, France contribute, where ever she can, to promote priciples essential to peace and to the well being of our humanity."
Weekend Nation Seychelles 4th May 2002.

I loved your book!

It is a masterpiece of inspiration, historical relevance, and the candid reality of post modern politics.

War on America As Seen from the Indian Ocean is a must read and must be discussed handbook for every Academic Honors Program student and demands its own course within America's High Schools and Universities as a study of Global Politics, Global Economy, Global Human Rights, and the Global cry of a people through her founding President and impassioned leader...my friend, HE Sir James Mancham.

At times I cried as I walked through the pages of your experience...

Unless our nation's Honors Students comprehend the complexity of a visionary's role in making history with desirable outcomes for the greater good, and step into that role, even to make a brief wrinkle in the fabric of time, our students are destined to repeat small town thinking, small town politics, small town isolation...and end up somewhere that is called nowhere with no one to care...

The major themes in 'War on America seen for the Indian Ocean' are woven around two key themes: 'Seychelles' strategic location and the naivete of US foreign policy. It describes the recent past of the country at the height of the Cold War and the enormous sacrifice paid by the First President, Sir James Mancham, who was forced into exile following a Marxist-inspired coup that could have been prevented in the first place had the then US Administration paid a little more attention to its smaller allies. The author believes that Seychelles can serve as a model for other countries that are grappling with post-colonial divisions amid a unipolar world. More than simply a political statement and argument on a flawed US foreign policy, this book is also an affirmation of Sir James' love for the people of Seychelles in its quest for peace, stability and reconciliation. Small island countries should take note. An excellent publication.

This timely book is written by a former president with personal experience with the projection of US interests overseas. It looks at America's capability to lead the world in a campaign against terrorism after September 11. He uses sources friendly to America, or Americans themselves--including Henry Kissinger's "Does America Need a Foreign Policy?" to show why America needs to ground the use of its power in a consistent moral policy, promoting peace and human rights not by caprice but by willing acceptance in a world desperate for true leadership.

I consider myself a moderate in social issues and conservative on economic issues. This is a very relevant book. The author really understands how our government, at all levels, occasionally anoints itself with greater power than provided by the Constitution, to the detriment of regular citizens. It seems that this occurs more regularly in the West, where government controlled land abounds and political power falls below that of both coasts. The author, and the Foundation he heads, appear to have both the skills and mindset to stand up to the government and champion the rights of the rest of us. Good for them. Read and learn, and spread the word.

A thought provoking and revealing study on some of most significant and successful legal challenges to the Federal Government's ever-expanding reach into the lives and land uses of those uniquely American Westerner.
Who better than William Perry Pendly, a true "western warrior" in every sense of the phrase, to bring us these inspiring stories of the men and women he has led and the court battles they have waged in their noble yet unsung effort to preserve true Republican ideals and the Western way of living.

The United States is fortunate to have Perry Pendley and his Mountain State Legal Foundation. Pendley's most recent book, Warriors for the West, is one of those accounts that law students should read as Introduction to Legal Reality 101 and internalize as illustrating some of the problems that an ordinary citizen can encounter.

It is not that the federal government is deliberately malicious in dealing with its citizens; to so think would be paranoia. It is more that vast bureaucracies have their rules and guidelines, and for the well-meaning innocent caught up in the process, it often appears that even with the best of good will, the citizen will be wrong/wrong/wrong. And, if (s)he has the temerity to suggest the USG is wrong, it will be a painfully expensive and humiliating experience--and "common sense" is highly unlikely to be part of that process.

Pendley illustrates this reality in a series of highly readable case studies ranging from the grisly fate of those who encounter grizzly bears to why racecar driver Bobby Unser is a criminal. These stories would be funny, if they were not so infuriating. Over and over in the reading, one cries out for the official who would say, "Wait a minute; this is really too silly to continue." But you end with the impression that stopping the grinding mill before you are finely ground, is more a matter of luck (and good lawyers) than not. We need more Perry Pendleys; it is not only the West that requires warriors.

This is a book that goes to the heart of the struggle for America as the founding fathers envisioned it. This book attacks the lies that radical left wing groups have been using for over a generation to scare the American people into inaction. This book shows us the real story behind the hype and media attention on environmental policy, affirmative action and public use. Mountain States Legal Foundation is the voice of the silent majority in America today.

This book is filled with interesting but very disturbing true stories of westerners (and others) who must fight in the courtroom to protect their liberties and rights guaranteed by federal law. Although the author is an attorney, he writes for lay audiences and makes a very compelling case that government is much too big and powerful and its lawyers do not care about justice. The willingness of ordinary Americans to go to court for years and years is inspiring. All of the book is very well documented. I recommend it most highly!

This book is remarkable in its power and simplicity. Indeed the reactionary H.L. Mencken was moved to write in the mid-20's that though he had a distaste for their political ideas Berkman and Emma Goldman were very good prose stylists, showed a great deal of intelligent and clear thinking and that the United States sorely needed Berkman's contribution to the debate on national problems.

Of course, Goldman and Berkman were among the many hundreds of non-naturalized Americans who were deported during the Mitchell Palmer Red Scare of 1919 for actively speaking out against American participation in World War I. Berkman himself was a terribly reviled figure. He served prison time for attempting to murder Henry Clay Frick while the latter was killing strikers and successfully crushing the union movement at Andrew Carnegie's steel plants in Homestead Pennsylvania in 1892.In this book Berkman gives a history of some of the martyrs in the struggle for the dignity of labor in the United States. He notes the case of the militant union activist Tom Mooney. An investigator from the Department of Labor concluded that the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce had been actively trying to frame Mooney for a variety of crimes. Mooney kept getting arrested and released but during a preparedness day parade in San Francisco in 1916 a bomb went off and Mooney, along with Warren Billings, was charged with having personally set off the bomb. Berkman notes that after Mooney's conviction many police witnesses came forward ( they were backed in this by the sworn testimony of three police officials) and said that they had been bribed and threatened so that they would perjure themselves. However Mooney's death sentence was only commuted to life imprisonment and he remained in prison until 1938.

From reading Goldman's and Pateman's introductory notes to this book I thought that the book might be a little patronizing when it was said that it was intentionally constructed with the most simplicity possible in order that the general worker might comprehend anarchism. But it is anything but patronizing. In this book Berkman exhorts the worker to understand how foolish she is to believe that she has the same interests as her bosses and how workers are duped into fighting wars for imperialism and profit.

He exhorts the working class to understand that it is the laborers who create the wealth of society not the bosses who shuffle papers, speculate on the stock market and figure out how to squeeze more work out of laborers while maximizing profits. It is the workers who should manage business enterprises themselves. He outlines his industrial syndicalist method which he believes provides the best chance to bring this society about. Workers should form councils in their individual workplaces made up of workers of all skill levels and crafts. These councils especially need to attract professionals like engineers. Industries of course need managers trained in technical matters but these managers are merely administrators of the industrial plans laid out for them by the workers of an individual firm and offer advice but certainly do not have any authority over the workers. All the workers need to acquire the basic outline of the sciences and methods of operation required to run their industries according to Berkman. The worker's council in one firm federates with other worker's councils at the local, regional and national levels.

Berkman explains that incentives to workers are pretty irrelevant. When one sees a lazy worker it is evidence that they are being forced into a line of work that is not stimulating to them. Under anarchism everyone will have the ability to be educated and trained for a line of work of their own choosing, to explore the possibilities of their own intellects, unhindered by the need to survive by enrolling in wage slavery for some job you don't like.

When workers have a direct ability to manage their own affairs in voluntary cooperation with their fellows, it exercises their intellects and gives them self-respect. It is quite the opposite in capitalism of course where the worker is directed and bullied and squeezed by the boss day in and day out.. It was this idea that inspired the Russian revolution, Berkman observes. The Bolsheviks on the contrary believed in a hierarchal one party dictatorship but in the several months before November 1917 they embraced anarchist ideas and rode to power on them. However within six months the soviets (workers councils) of the Russian soldiers, workers and peasants were emasculated, becoming only tools of a centralized dictatorship. The spirit of voluntarism and sacrifice evaporated which had motivated many poor and miserable Russians to defend their cities against the White armies and help get the factories and farms moving again. The philosophy of the Bolsheviks, as Berkman quotes Bukharin, was to make socialists out of Russians by making them undergo compulsory labor and executing anyone who objected. Having no say in how their country was governed, Russian workers and peasants lost enthusiasm for work. Workers started to desert their factors for rural areas. Bolshevik hoodlums came around to villages and terrorized people and requisitioned entire villages' agricultural produce. Then famine came along. Bolshevik commissars received the best rations of all and lived in decent comfort while the rest of the population starved. No one gave more fuel to the fire of counterrevolution than the Bolsheviks' own policies.

Berkman was a very courageous man. He could have been a good soldier and kept quiet about what was going on in Russia and hoped that things would get better. The refuge he and Emma Goldman found in Russia after 1919 was now closed to them and for the rest of his life he lived in France on a very precarious passport, deported a number of times but always managing to get some strings pulled to get back in. He committed suicide in 1936, too soon for him to see the anarchist revolution in Spain.

His discussion of the bourgeois criminal justice system and the proper treatment of counterrevolutionaries is interesting and thoughtful.

This is a very straightforward, accurate introduction to the political philosophy of anarchism. Berkman wrote this book so the "anglo-saxon american working class would understand and relate to it". In other words, the book is very easy to read, unlike a lot of other anarchist literature of the era. He divides quite a few topics into short separate chapters. He speaks about war, labor, capitalism, etc. I suggest this to those who are anarchists, or those who just want information on REAL anarchism. (not mindless "chaos" or "disorder" as some people believe this philosophy to be about)

Hands down one the best books I've read about Anarchism. Very inspiring. Easy to read, hard to put down. Definitely check this book out!

I first heard of Anarchism, in high school, in politics class. Our teacher gave us a paper, with a table of different political theories such as Conservatism, Socialism, Anarchism, etc., etc. We as a class had to go through the table making notes together, and when we were finished, we didn't have anything for Anarchism. A student was curious and asked the teacher what Anarchism was, and the teacher said: "It's probably people running around killing each other" etc., etc. That's what I thought Anarchism was ever since, until I somehow stumbled on this book. Don't believe the capitalist claptrap, of what Anarchism supposedly is in history books. A thing you notice among many Anarchists is their idealism, which I admire, and their vision of the perfect future which I think is very unrealistic. An example is Émile Henry. He has good ideas but he goes on to say something along the lines of there will be no more murder out of jealous passion anymore. That is just silly. You see this with Orthodox Anarchists and Fascists, which are the two extremes of governance. They both have the idea that their ideas are infallible. Two Anarchists that I think have good ideas that can be applied and are very realistic include César De Paepe and James Guillaume. Find a copy of "No Gods No Masters" by Daniel Guérin for those Anarchists I mentioned above, including Henry. "What is Anarchism?" focuses on Anarcho-Communism. A lot of the arguments against Capitalism are very useful. They cover many of the questions ordinary people ask about Anarchism and even Socialism. If you want to know what Anarchism is all about, this book should help you greatly.

Emma Goldman records in her autobiography that Berkman found *What is Anarchism* a difficult book to write. He wanted to write a book that would explain anarchism to the average American. Given that the average American misunderstood anarchism to be about throwing bombs, Berkman had to begin on a basic introductory level.

He pulled it off masterfully. Berkman takes a commonsense and conversational tone throughout the book, and he covers considerable ground. He explains to readers how the capitalism is basically a system of wage slavery and he discusses the other great social harms it produces. He differentiates left anarchism from western European socialism (a system of reformist capitalism) and from Marxist socialism. In fact, Berkman often discusses the Bolsheviks in the USSR, who imposed an oppressive system of, effectively, state-capitalism that he witnessed first hand. Other topics include trade unions, war, religion, violence, revolution and others. Berkman is particularly effective in discussing how an anarchist revolution would not be one given to wanton destruction, that it would try to preserve as much life and infrastructure as possible. And he sketches how an anarchist society would operate.

Those who are completely unfamiliar with anarchism will find this book worthwhile. Anarchists will also find this book helpful because Berkman shows how to explain anarchism on an intuitive level.

This brief selection of Robert Ingersoll's writing is one which I would repeatedly pick up to read an essay, put it down and walk away, and read some more the following day. No, it was not that bad, it was, in fact, that good. I felt the need to read it over a week's time rather than finish it in one sitting on a quiet afternoon, which easily could be done, so that the words had time to soak in. Ingersoll, though he wrote over a century ago, gives modern readers a great deal to think about. Truly, it is easy to forget that these works are not contemporary, as the issues he speaks about are still relevant, and perhaps even more so now. It is not until he mentions things such as workers earning three dollars a day that we are reminded of our distance in time, if not in character and predicament. It also reminds us of how desperately our country needs an Ingersoll today.

Ingersoll was a pragmatic agnostic and an incredible moral thinker. Then, as now, his skepticism kept him from reaching high political office. Readers will find that his reasoning is sound and powerfully convincing while his language remains approachable but still with its own inspirational beauty:

"You cannot be so poor that you cannot help somebody. Good nature is the cheapest commodity in the world; and love is the only thing that will pay ten per cent to borrower and lender both. Do not tell me that you have got to be rich! We have a false standard of greatness in the United States. We think here that a man must be great, that he must be notorious; that he must be extremely wealthy, or that his name must be upon the putrid lips of rumor. It is all a mistake. It is not necessary to be rich or to be great, or to be powerful, to be happy. The happy man is the successful man. Happiness is the legal tender of the soul. Joy is wealth." (Ingersoll 1877)

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough to anyone who is concerned with the state of America and its constitution, church and state relations, child abuse, and various other issues. Ingersoll reveals even the ridiculousness of today's political debates, where a candidate's faith is often more important than their political platform. Tim Page's introduction is informative and places Ingersoll's works in their historical and modern context. Also, Page has edited some of Ingersoll's essays, but not to their detriment. And really, at ten dollars (almost four days pay in Ingersoll's time, but probably less than an hours work for you), how can you go wrong?

So wrote editor Tim Page of Robert G. Ingersoll in the introduction to this short, easy to read book. Ingersoll was one of the intellectual giants of the second half of the 19th century. Sadly and tragically he is now all but forgotten. Known as The Great Agnostic, he spent his life pointing out hypocrisy, railing against injustice and ridiculing superstitious beliefs. As America's foremost practitioner of rational thought, he had the ear of many a President. Yet he remained always modest and never deviated from living a life characterized by kindness, love of humanity and generosity in all things.

Any writing or speech attributable to Robert Ingersoll is worth reading and rereading. And those contained in What's God Got to Do with It? are no exceptions. This collection consists of a number of short works on a wide range of subjects. Like his admiration for Robert Burns and Thomas Paine. The unfairness of tax exempt status for churches. The ugliness of corporeal punishment of children. The futility of prayer and fasting. Women's rights and much, much more.

For those unfamiliar with the humanistic philosophy of Robert Ingersoll, this book would be a fine place to start. America sorely needs another Ingersoll now more than ever. He was one of the greats.

If only more people had the guts to put the defense of the constitution ahead of their personal desires this country would be great forever. Robert Ingersoll is one of the greatest Americans of all time, and his words should be studied in every history class in America. Why aren't they? I will let you figure that out.

At only 130 pages or so - and short ones at that, this is not some massive tome by a guy who wrote 120 years years ago in flowery 19th century language that will sit on your shelf gathering dust.

You can chew this up in an afternoon - or a few afternoons, if you'd like to savor it more. And it's completely readable prose - no archaic Victorian language here.

In fact, the main thing that makes one realize that this book isn't contemporary writing is the lack of cynicism and snarkiness aimed at the other side; religious zealots that want to insert God into public policy, law, education and so on.

There's no bitterness here, no anger at what has been lost or could be lost in our society if we overthrow rational thought, enlightenment and science over for any 2000 year old magic book.

Ingersoll's points about why God is not mentioned in the US Constitution and why that was such a bold important step in the evolution of society is something that I wish every fundamentalist in America would read and consider.

Tim Page's non-sycophantic intro to Ingersoll is also well-done, pointing out how remarkable he was, even if his writings never produced the single polished gem that might have kept his works known a little more in the early 21st century.

It's a valuable book for any freethinker in America today; cheap, and well put together. Highly recommended.

This book is a quick read with short chapters. Very logical and intelligently expressed. Ingersoll was a man ahead of his time. After readig this, I will certainly look for more of his writings.