Events Books

I bought this book during Parents Weekend at Bowdoin College. Slovenski is my freshman son's track coach. I was delighted to see traditional, time-tested values presented in an entertaining way. My son and a college friend read through the book over dinner, and it prompted some interesting comments and discussion, such as "Why is Frank Sinatra 'faux' old school?" I'm glad my son will have a college mentor who espouses these values with wit and humor!

Old School America is truely a great book. Being only sixteen years old, I don't know what it was like to live "the old school." But Mr. Slovenski's amazing depiction of "the old school" makes even the most liberal person want to live during that time. He reminds us that traditional values are what will give America strength through the coming years.

Old School America

Peter Slovenski is an outstanding coach and a true gentleman.
His co-authors are typical of the top-notch student/athletes
that Peter works with at Bowdoin College.
Reading "Old School America" brought back so many wonderful memories. It also reminded me of how much I have had to adjust and change as a parent, teacher and coach these past 35
years. The picture and caption on page 78 really hit home. I taught World Geography for 33 years and then it was taken out of our curriculum.
There are so many terrific quotes from our former leaders. It certainly makes those of us from the "Old School " think about what the future might bring.
This book is a refreshing look at where we came from.
Peter, Patrick and Rich have provided a very interesting look
into the past for our future generations to enjoy and reflect upon.

Old School America is great!!! For those of us who are old school (even if we didn't necessarily grow up in that generation), I think that every word rang true. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Old School examples - some of which I never really thought about but realize I do everyday! It's great to see all these examples compiled in one book that I will go back to time & time again.

In a time where much of our traditional values are being eroded by moral relativism and political correctness, OLD SCHOOL AMERICA is a breath of fresh air. Reading this book made me nostalgic for times past, and fostered an appreciation for the old school. I think all students in this nation, whether in secondary school or higher education should read this book.

I would have written a long review of this book if I didn't believe that the other reviewers had summed up my views already.
Like another reviewer, this sat in my "must read" stack for months but I read it while on a recent trip to Europe and, wow it is compelling and worrying stuff because we are for sure going right down the road predicted in 'Operation Capitol Hill'
Some tongue in cheek stuff like a couple of references to senators named Hal E. Burton and Thomas Delaid but otherwise well written and researched.
I just hope it does not come true !

Operation Capitol Hill is a must read for anyone concerned about the current state of our democracy and interested in real solutions - both on the philosophical and constitutional level. Author Ron Wolff crafts a hugely entertaining read that combines both on-the-mark political commentary and scathing/hilarious renditions of the "powers that be" at the top. The protagonists, especially liberal journalist Roland Raines, are deeply fleshed out and all of their unique traits and back stories give the reader a reason to care how this story unfolds. The political parallels to the current administration and its impact on our society kept me interested from beginning to end. The extensive historical research on the Constitution is well used and makes this book a much more intelligent, interesting, and worthwhile read than your average thriller. From VOX news to Attorney General Chesterfield, the characters and events in this book are sadly not too far from our current political climate. In fact, I couldn't help but get an uneasy feeling at times that Wolff is writing about a future not too far away. Considering the President and the rest of the administration's stance on executive privilege, privacy standards, and even the identites of CIA agents like Valerie Plame, what will stop them (or future leaders cut from a similar mold) from stomping on the Constitution even further? Fortunately, Operation Capitol Hill boasts a hero in Roland Raines that is willing to take a stand and work against such actions.

Additionally, the philosophical themes addressed in the book, especially about the impact of disparity of wealth in our society, are enthralling. The book is packed with some of the great philosophical, ethical, and moral questions of our times. Lines such as, "People are easily distracted from long-range necessity by perceived short-range desirability" hold as much importance today as they did in earlier eras. The issues and points brought out in Operation Capitol Hill should not be ignored. Otherwise, our democracy will continue to be in dire straits.

I read this book yesterday (all in one day) after 6 or 7 months in my "to read" stack. Wow, I couldn't put it down. In the first 20 pages or so I was a bit skeptical that the book would hold my interest. It begins in the year 2040 and the Original Bill of Rights have all been officially repealed and replaced with shadows of their original intent --- all done legally because of fears of terrorism and domestic security. Jumping into a novel at this stage of destroyed freedom was a bit of a jolt and initially difficult to accept. However, as the story proceeds, it holds together and moves very nicely. It was very hard to put the book down to eat lunch or take a bathroom break.

My guess is that this book will become an important work in literature, similar to "Animal Farm" and "The Giver" (both of which this book reminds me of). Operation Capitol Hill warns what our country can look like if we don't watch out. We can't keep clamping down on our freedoms out of fear --- because the end result is totalitarianism.

I particularly enjoyed the theoretical discussions of how the founding fathers decided checks and balances was the best way to establish our government.

I gladly recommend this book to others who are interested in: 1) a good novel 2) government or 3) civil liberties --- or any combination of these.

This is a great, easy to follow, delightful political thriller with a tongue in cheek thought provoking message. Combined with many historical references and a likeable protagonist, the author puts forth a prophetic, albeit profound and often disturbing message focused on behind the scenes government shenanigans and the resulting consequences of a particular ideology aimed at social control. Wolff provides several layers of political, social, psychological and economic insights within a possible scenario of what life could look like in the next 30 years if we do not pay more attention to the actions and attitudes of our national agenda today. I recommend this book as a gift to anyone with a love of country, a strong sense of democracy and a great sense of humor.

I enjoyed this novel on many different levels -- It's a first-rate political thriller with page-turning suspense that makes reading it a lot of fun. It's also a wicked satire on current political events and personalities (the character "Shrill O'Malley" is inspired)... and it offers informed commentary on the Bill of Rights, the importance of dissent, and the role of government in a complex society. This may be the only novel ever written with a bibliography! I highly recommend it.

There are many books that have been written on the subject: from Bill Sammon's book "At Any Cost" on the right to Alan Dershowitz' "Supreme Injustice" on the left. Sabato's is a rare thing, a book that tries to be impartial, and succeeds.

It has chapters by legal advisors to both Gore's and Bush's sides in the legal wrangles that followed the election, as well as journalists and academics. If you want to know what happened, as seen by all sides, this is about the only book that will tell you that.

The only negative point I can make is a printing job that is somewhat careless; missing apostrophes abound, and my copy has two of one page and is missing another. But that does not bear on the book's merit itself.

Will only political junkies or long-ago residents of Florida (I plead partly guilty of the first and fully guilty of the second), appreciate this book? I think not, but it does help to have given up excessive idealism ("Politics is so corrupt!") and excessive cynicism ("People are so corrupt!") in favor of an occasional visit to realism.

With the media giving us mainly--and often only--sensation, and seeing law as a struggle by imperfect human beings to create some justice in the world, I liked best the stories told by the attorneys for both sides.

Not long before the chads stopped swinging in the last presidential election, pundits and pollsters were sharpening their wits and dusting off their finger pointing apparatus. Their goal was to isolate the who, what, where, why, and how of the controverial election results in Florida. That election brought everybody who was anybody, including the Supreme Court, to the edge of their seats for days. The indefatigable Sultan of Soundbites, UVA Professor Larry J. Sabato, had seen enough and done enough in politics to realize this was history, and deserved to be given a thorough investigation. So he collected a group of insiders and commentators to take their best shot at turning over stones and writing about what crawled out. The result was Overtime! The Election 2000 Thriller. No casual or serious student of US history should be without a copy. Congratulations to Dr. Sabato and Joshua Scott, his coauthor and editorial assistant from the UVA Center for Governmental Studies on a job exceptionally well done. Buy this book for yourself, and at the reasonable price, grab a couple copies for friends as well. It's guaranteed to reveal facts that even the media savvy US public has not to this point realized. Alyson L. Taylor-White, Editor, Virginia Review

Overtime is a great look back it this election. For me, it was interesting to go back and put the whole campaign/election in perspective from start to finish. It's also nice to read a book like this that seems to be written from a non-partisan viewpoint. Sabato presents both sides of all the issues and is equally critical of both campaigns. In about 12 years when my son is taking his high school civics class and needs a topic for a book report or paper - I will dust off this book and hand it to him. On a side note, I recently saw Mr. Sabato speak at a conference I attended. If you ever get the chance, go see him! He is very informative and quite humorous.

Ever since Theodore White died, I've been searching for a political author who can communicate the excitement of a campaign while grounding his or her work in facts. I've found him: Larry Sabato. I've read several of his books such as Feeding Frenzy, and I've been impressed. But OVERTIME is his best yet. He's put together an all-star team to tell the truth about the incredible election of 2000. Unlike a lot of the other books on 2000, he leaves out the spin and bias, and he focuses on reality. Who needs spin when you have the most dramatic election in modern American history? OVERTIME helped me to really understand the most historic election of my lifetime. It's the best book out there on 2000---BY FAR.

If there is any cause in this whole wide world where the obvious, glaring injustice of it all has been summarily ignored and dismissed by most of the world's leading intellectuals, it is the cause of the Palestinian freedom movement.

Said's (pronounced Sayid)--a Palestinian Arab of Christian descent--was that rare voice which informed the world of the Zionist duplicity, in a way that laid bare the untold sufferings of over 4 million of its inhabitants in the most lucid manner possible. For over three decades, Said's was a lone cry in the New Yorkian wilderness, which drew attention to the State of Israel's Ocean liner of lies ever since (and even before) it came into existence.

Said's pain and melancholy comes through, etched in every page of this book and makes for frightful reading. Given the supposed openness of the media in democratic nation-states, it's shocking how through over 5 decades, the combined might of Zionism's religious fanaticism, the traditional incompetence of ruling monarchies in the Arab world, the West's moral ambivalence to call the Israeli spade a bloody shovel and the Zionist lobby in Washington have been able to keep an entire nation of millions in a sort of permanent exile.

This book neatly divided in 3 parts critiques everything that is wrong and tragic about the Palestinian movement with merciless felicity and attention to detail that a proper understanding of this cause deserves. Of course, he is severe (and justifiably so) on Israel, but it is his attacks on the rest of the Arab world and the dishonest intellectuals of the western world that makes for fascinating reading. Truly, an intellectual like Said, rarely ever loses his relevance or goes out of fashion. This book is a priceless gem, to be read and re-read by anyone who wants to move beyond standard middle-east explanations, terrorism clichés and the rhetoric of "with us or against us".

If all could read this book, it might help meople to understand what is happening to the people of Palestine.

Thank God for Said. He explains so eloquently the Palestinian cause in a way we never hear from the maintream media. This collection of essays, though 400 pages, hangs together very well.

It is remarkable how relevant these essays seem still, even as they lead up to the era of the Oslo process, in the frozen present since 1967, or 1948. Sorting out the myths of the Arab-Israeli conflict can be a full-time job, and that's the problem. Said's witnessing of the issues since 1967 has always been one component of the unfolding tragedy. The Arab-Israeli conflict sometimes seems in a time warp, and the relevance of these essays endures, whatever one's perspective. Said's acerbic commentary seems to hover over the decades, and his personal account, to start the book, is a permanent record of those who endured the juggernaut.

Despite 40years of Israeli occupation, hundreds of illegal Israeli settlements, endless unproductive "peace process"-es, the Palestinians are no closer to genuine self-determination and nationhood. The Israel Lobby continues to wag the American dog. America's blind support of Israel and the billions of US taxpayer dollars continue to prop up the Israeli apartheid regime and make peace impossible.

It was hard for me to read these essays without getting angry: at the self-serving lies of Israeli apologists, at the cynicism of every US administration, at the sheer stupidity and venality of Palestinian leadership (so-called!).

Israel will never make peace with the Palestinians through negotiations as long as the US continues to subsidize Israel. Where is the incentive?

I fault Said for timidity in not elaborating on HOW Palestinians should prosecute their struggle. It is long past time that Palestinians accept that depending on their "Arab brothers" is going to get them nothing and nowhere. None of the essays helped me to understand how Said proposes to get Israel to allow Palestinian self-determination and statehood.

I also fault Said for his failure to mobilize any organized opposition the Israel Lobby in the US. Said may be much-celebrated in a certain small left-leaning ghetto of the intelligentsia, but he is a marginal figure in national politics and the debate (very little allowed) on Israel. The Lobby is powerful, yes. But the Israel Lobby does nothing illegal: it peddles influence and money and thereby influences politics in its favor, and nothing prevents a Palestinian Lobby from adopting similar tactics and emulating the Israel Lobby. The surest, perhaps the only, way to Palestinian self-determination is to change US policy towards Israel.

Race Against Time is the published version of the 2005 Massey Lectures, a five-part series delivered by Stephen Lewis and broadcast by the CBC in November 2005. Lewis, the UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2005, does not mince his words: the current situation in Africa is comparable to the Holocaust, and it is immoral for anyone, from you or me straight to the top of every government and international body, to be silent in the face of such tragedy.

Not very diplomatic for a diplomat. It is more than clear what a risk it was for Lewis to deliver these lectures, and he acknowledges as much. No one is safe from his criticism, not even himself. In essence, he depicts both the United Nations family of organizations and the leadership of most industrialized countries as untruthful and ineffectual hypocrites when it comes to human rights in Africa. Quite simply, I'm amazed he still has his job, and I fluctuate between being inspired by his fearlessness, delighted at his straight talking and worried for his future. And yet, even at his most cutting, Lewis makes clear his unfailing and constructive commitment to actively making things better.

These lectures, which cover everything from debt to trade to education to gender as they relate to Africa and AIDS, are a must read for everyone. Better yet, get yourself a copy of the CD version (Lewis himself acknowledges that his true vocation is the spoken word) and hear the master orator at work. The most powerful of the lectures capture the profound humanity of what is happening in Africa, and jarred me out of a comfortable slumber from which the crisis can seem so immense and far off that it is difficult to engage on more than an intellectual level. Wide awake, I was in awe of his ability to lead me through the most complex and profoundly distressing issues while keeping both my emotional connection and hope alive.

The points at which his focus tends to move away from the humanity of the crisis and towards its macro-organizational aspects are where his words lost some of their power for me. And on finishing the final lecture, entitled "Solutions: A Gallery of Alternatives in Good Faith," I couldn't help wishing he'd thrown a bit of activism for the individual citizen into his direct calls for national and international reform and accountability. But I can't be too hard on the guy. After all, he is a hero in the truest sense of the word, and his principled courage is an example to all of us.

...while antiretroviral, preventative care, and medicinal treatments for HIV/AIDS receive less than a paltry fifty billion.

A trillion for weapons.

Fifty billion for HIV/AIDS.

The most astonishing thing about reading Stephen Lewis' book is not from the mass of appropriate statistics he presents on the scourge of the pandemic (as part of a Massey Lecture Series).

It's not in his eloquently- and convincingly-presented fulminations on the absolute futility of the global community to do anything of substance and efficacy in the face of the spread of HIV and AIDS.

It's not even in the cogent manner in which Lewis presents his views as part of his convincingly stepwise dialectic how to - at the very least! - make a small but significant dent in the growing cataclysm of HIV/AIDS.

No.

It's by way of a reveal from his recent last trip to Africa, to Zambia. In his own words, as he sat in front of a group of young women suckling their young, backed by a gathering of grandmothers, now co-opted into taking care of their young grandchildren and the children of others orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

As he describes it, he asks them where have their young men gone?

A hushed murmur descends upon the swelling mass. In this township - or illegal (unincorporated) settlement on the fringe of the capital Lusaka's cityscape, as in many other cities across this once-illustrious continent -- men (males, that is) hardly exist!

They've been murdered by the global community.

That's right, decimated by a global community which spends - to the ludicrous tune of a 20:1 ratio - more than one trillion dollars (!!!) on the international arms trade. Opposing this mighty industrial mass is a global humanitarian attempting to scrounge together (I was going to use the word 'cobble,' but your reaction will require something much sterner than that!) a mere fifty *billion* for Africa's AIDS-ravaged?!

Pathetic! Really.

Lewis sets out to shock, and shock you - dear reader - he mightily does.

As if the book's content weren't reason enough to buy it, I picked up Lewis' book because I respect the whole Lewis family tremendously. Presently comprised of Stephen, his columnist spouse Michelle Landsberg, their various children, including Canadian TV host, filmmaker, and activist Avi Lewis (of counterSpin fame), and his famous writer/activist wife Naomi Klein (of NO LOGO fame), plus their children.

They, as I, are Toronto, Canada natives. Essentially, it means we were all subjected to similar centrifugal forces that had and still swirl about these parts; perhaps from differing generational standpoints, yet all the same. What I'm trying to say is that it's nice to read how the growth of this big city hasn't dulled the sensibilities of my fellow cityfolk to the condition of others in dire need on the planet. Africa has remained at the front and centre of the Lewis agenda, despite the fact that Toronto's "earn/spend" ratrace has spiralled completely out of control in these fair Canadian climes.

I have certain criticisms of the book as well.

For one, I'd have liked Lewis to expand on these appropriately scathing comments to encompass a more detailed treatment of exactly *why* the continent of Africa appeals to him so much.

Okay, he does go into his youthful meanderings to some degree, somewhere around the middle, during the sixties. Heady times for the African continent. I've made a mental note - because of the colourful manner in which Lewis tells about these formerly newly-democratized African colonies - to look up several sources on the theme.

However, I do understand why Lewis' pickings have been slim in this regard. For one, it's his "position paper." This is a speaking series. There's no time for pie-in-the-sky reminiscences, since every minute of what he's on about counts. In the time I've taken to write this, and in the time you've taken read this, something *already* could have been done.

I'm also a little miffed how someone with as much experience as Lewis, how he's not able to supply strategems for the lowly "(wo)man on the street" to come to weigh with their own bodily (and other) contributions.

Again, I don't necessarily fault him for this either - RACE AGAINST TIME is precisely that. Lewis perhaps doesn't have the time - and this *shouldn't* be read with a hint of humour on my part - to waste on supplying the ones without the necessary financial means to come to the rescue. Nevertheless, if he ever considered a sequel to this - or, as Irshad Manji has done with her own site - he might perhaps provide a forum for those of us so inspired to weigh in.

Ideas all...

What frightens the hell out of this here reviewer is what the situation will be like within a mere decade to fifteen years. Lewis yanks down a dark shroud of reality. What is totally assured is that there will be even more deaths. There will be even more suffering. There will even be countless more numbers of orphans living without parents - and this is no pithy statement considering Africa's culture thrives on close family ties, unlike North America's.

The world will continue to make justifications for its financial and other inactions, and UN and other so-called humanitarian personnel agencies will continue to fence-sit and dilly-dally while more "arithmetic calculations" are being made about things like "prevalence rates," "natural rates of death and birth," and minuscule victories about the reduction of the spread of the disease.

All this without a single thing being done to back it up - nothing of substance, that is - for the ones who are already severely afflicted, by what this here reviewer claims is a curable affliction.

Ach, I'll just say it - the world doesn't give a hoot about Africans, nor their continent, nor their cultural offerings. With the expectation that our planet's population is set to balloon to nine BILLION souls by 2020, it's eerily understandable how the world might prefer to cull away at its swelling numbers on the most vulnerable continent: Africa.

Lewis didn't admit to this - and I can understand why. He's already in enough hot water as it is (he's an international rabble rouser, bless 'im), and in his own words he's only a "part-time envoy" of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. But I'll say it here for him.

It's sad.

It's tragic.

It's insane.

Read this book if only to wrest your comfortable self from the seemingly safe confines of your lifestyle. Thank goodness for men like Stephen Lewis. Men who aren't afraid to take a chance.

Anyone who's set foot in Africa will realize how precious a legacy it is...

"I have spent the last four years watching people die..."

Thus begins this passionate account of the victims of the AIDS pandemic in Africa, the people who struggle to survive and the efforts of those helping stem the tide. Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary General's special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, has been criss-crossing Africa documenting the ongoing dramas and the rest of the world to raise awareness, commitment and funds from the richest countries. The book comprises five separate, interrelated lectures, the CBC Massey Lectures, that Lewis delivered in the fall of 2005. They were broadcast across Canada and beyond. Lewis is a commanding orator, well known for his engagement in humanitarian causes. You can hear his powerful voice through the text of this slim volume. The style is direct and very personal. The reader shares his frustrations, sadness and despair and, finally, his energy and optimism that, eventually, the battle against AIDS will be won. It is a book that everybody should read.

Lewis talks about his deep love for Africa stemming from years living and working in different countries during his young adult life. Throughout his career, he was in positions that took him back to that continent, whether as special advisor on Africa or as deputy executive director of UNICEF. Each lecture focuses on one aspect or another within the wide range of issues that require attention in the context of HIV/AIDS in Africa. In his first lecture he sets out the context and historical perspective. He then moves on to his personal encounters with victims and their supporting families. In the next lecture he singles out education as one vital component to prevent the spread of the disease. He expresses anger at the lack of investment for literacy and basic education in many African countries, resulting in extremely low literacy levels, in particular among women. His frustration at missed opportunities and blasé attitudes by the UN and the international community in general is palpable. He provides examples and arguments for his critique.

Another devastating development is the topic of the fourth lecture: the increasing prevalence of women and in particular young women and girls suffering from the disease. They have not only been disadvantaged by lack of access to education, they are victims of traditional discrimination, violence and extreme poverty. At the same time, Lewis is deeply moved by the grandmothers. Often destitute themselves and poor in economic resources, they have become foundation to keep families and communities alive. Everywhere, they are taking on a new role as "heads of household", looking after and providing for the quickly growing number of AIDS orphans of their extended families. Lewis is full of praise for their lifesaving efforts and admires their dedication and stamina.

Finally, in his last lecture he pulls together ideas, suggestions and recommendations aimed at fighting back the pandemic. Lewis challenges the silence that has prevailed regarding the root causes of AIDS that include poverty, exploitation and neglect in many parts of Africa. He deplores the lack of affordable medicines and basic health services. He calls on government leaders, international agencies and all of us to engage and participate in the struggle to fight AIDS. It will be hard, but it is possible. [Friederike Knabe]

This book is the latest revelation in the tragic story of the plight of African nations. As special envoy for the UN Stephen Lewis has traveled extensively in Africa and has had first hand experience of the AIDS/HIV disaster as well as the effects of drought, hunger, war and the growing mortality rate due to disease. A very honest account, Stephen Lewis takes a critical and objective look at the part the UN and other institutions are playing in allowing this tragic situation to continue.
If you are interested in developing a world view, read this book.

I first heard about Stephen Lewis while flipping the channels and came across him giving a speech on PBS. I didn't know who he was and I almost changed channels, but he was telling a lot of great jokes with a strong presence (despite the fact his punch-lines were all polysyllabic). So I kept listening. Then his topic changed from pleasantries to his real issue - the crisis in Africa. It was one of those things you don't forget about. I listened to him for an hour and - when I read parts of Race Against Time two years later, I can still hear him. And my only real critizism of this book is that, strong as it is, Stephen Lewis is an orator and his words are best heard, not read. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Africa or the Third-World, those (like myself) pursuing careers or already in the health care community, those with strong social consciences for the underprivilaged and have links with political or charitable organizations that can help, or just anyone who wants to heard compleling true-stories of death, life and strength out of African communities from a gifted mind. There are a few pieces of "boring politics and economics" in here that might confuse and annoy some readers (I'll admit, I don't understand it all), but I believe the rest is a must read.

Dobson's detailed writing of character is pictoral and cutting edge. I was impressed with Stanford's courage in sickness and his journey down childhood challenge and woes with his family, friends and loves of his life. I was constantly reminded of my own trials and tribulations while reading this book. Exciting ending with a twist. As an novice writer, this piece gives my endeavor; focus and inner strength to a foundational outlook as a future writer. A must read and especially looking forward to more prints from this phenomenal author.

I love this book. I think this book should go straight to Oprahs Book Club. As my father and my friend, I feel that Frank Dobson has a talent like no other writer today. I love his style and I love him. GREAT JOB DAD! From Jasmin Dobson (your child)

I have just completed reading this novel after having to put it down a number of times to ponder my own feelings and life. I found it to be both haunting and thought provoking. This writer is extremely talented, having the ability to totally involve the reader with all of the characters and their individual pysche. I was both inspired and challenged by this experience. It made me think, it made me pray. It is sending me on a quest to find my own voice.

This novel is an extremely well-written piece of fiction. What stands out the most to me is the way the rythyms of the language combine with the centrality of music to create a world as lyrical as anything from the pen of Toni Morrison. It is the music and the fate of Stan that compel you to read on to the explosive conclusion. I would recommend this novel, Dobson's first, to anyone and eagerly anticipate the arrival of Climbing, his next.

Reading this reflected so much of my own similar upbringing and struggles. I was truly amazed of the writers' technigue and the ambiance that is developed between the reader and the author. You feel the story flow with ease from the pages to your inner self making you feel like you know exactly where the characters are and what they are dealing with. It is beautifully done and has a melodic sense as the words and emotions are filtered through and sent out to each reader to analyse and discover. The book has great depth and I look forward to many 'new' work done by this fresh new and very talented African American writer. Hats Off to Frank Dobson and continued success. I will pass the book on to everyone I know,and I await his next 'new' release.

It's about time that a textbook like this was introduced into the world of fire investigation.

Excellent book. John has done the fire investigation community an outstanding service by writing this book.
The sections debunking "arson indicators" are noteworthy, as are the excellent fire cause examples and the great pictures. If you don't have this book go out and buy one.

John Morse, PE

Book Review

Scientific Protocols for FIRE INVESTIGATION

By John J. Lentini, CFEI
Published by CRC Press, 2006

604 pages, full-color photographs, illustrations, and diagrams, $139.95.

This publication is a MUST HAVE and MUST READ for all memebers of the fire investigation community. The document clearly outlines all aspects of the craft in simplistic terms.

I recommend that you buy it and study it. The publication is such that both the rookie and the seasoned fire investigation will learn and learn and learn.

Dennis J. Merkley CFEI, CFII, CVFI
Senior Consultant - Fire and Explosion Analyst
Fire Facts Incorporated
Toronto, Canada

Book Review:
Scientific Protocols for Fire Investigation
by John J. Lentini

Mr. Lentini has produced a book on fire investigations. So, why purchase and read another book on this subject, it has been covered in several texts before. The book should be read to educate the reader [presumably a fire investigator] on the significance of their work. Fire investigations impact people's lives. Aside from the lofty goal of making accurate determinations of causes of fires thereby helping to prevent a repeat of the fire, determinations of the fire cause can impact a person's financial wellbeing for the remainder of their life, affect a person's personal freedom, and in the extreme instance, determine if a person lives or dies. Yet, as Mr. Lentini so notes, a fire investigator is one of the few forensic professions where no scientific education or training is required to offer opinions on complex scientific phenomena. To this reviewer, Mr. Lentini is the first published author to stress the need for improvement in the professional standards for fire investigators.

Mr. Lentini starts out with the basics in the first six chapters. He includes discussions on fire science, chemistry and physics of combustion, fire dynamics and investigative procedures. Given Mr. Lentini's expertise in chemistry, he spends an entire chapter on chemical analyses and ignitable liquid residue aspects of fire investigation. Recognizing the audience for that chapter is limited, he encourages the unrelated reader to "skip over" all but the introduction to this chapter. He also devotes a chapter to ignition sources, possibly the most significant factor in any fire cause determination. Without the investigator being able to adequately address how devices work and fail, the tendency becomes to dismiss the energy sources in residences as not having caused the fire. This lack of consideration of devices that can become ignition sources is the most likely explanation for why fire investigators rely on the "Negative Corpus" determination.

Mr. Lentini devotes the remainder of his book to developing his arguments for recognizing the significance of the fire investigator's work. He gives thirty examples of how or how not to investigate a fire. From that foundation, he moves into the mythology of arson investigation and an excellent discussion on sources of error in fire investigations. The sources of error chapter [my personal favorite] may possibly be the reader's first realization that there truly is an error factor in fire investigations that must be addressed. He finishes up with a chapter on the professional-practice aspect of the profession, including quality assurance programs, consistency in one's work, and expert witness testimony. Although quality assurance programs may never get implemented in many fire investigation offices [both public and private], his discussion sets out for the reader a typical plan that is clear and not overly burdened with jargon.

Throughout the book, Mr. Lentini adds superb artwork including full color photographs, clear and in some cases color charts, graphs and illustrations. He also inserts his "Sidebar" discussions, examples and opportunities to discuss aspects of the chapter that illustrate or explain a concept in a little different light. His choice to push his publisher to make all photographs be in color was unusual, but by doing so he has made his text stand out from the crowd with its artwork.

If someone is just starting out as a fire investigator, other texts may do a better job of discussing the basic aspects of the profession. But, Mr. Lentini's philosophical approach on the responsibility of the fire investigator to conduct a thorough, scientific investigation is an excellent primer for a fire investigator to begin his career. Likewise, those career investigators that have been around a long time can benefit by the much needed reminder of the importance of their work.

I purchased Mr. Lentini's book as soon as it was released.

The color photographs and diagrams are excellent. The book is laid out in an easy to understand straight to the point format.

The book guides you through a proper investigation while using a scientific method.

I include this book in my suggested reading list for the classes that I teach.

If you would like to add another great text book to your library then this would be the one.

Steve Riggs, PATC

Every day it seems the world looks a little more broken to me. It helps so much to read a few pages of Wendell Berry. He is a fantastic example of someone who thinks for himself; and really strives to get to the core truth about the important issues we face as a civilization. It should be required reading for everyone in the United States - IF we want to get on a path to restoration and healing of our society. But that's where the scary part comes in. I'm beginning to think people would put this book down and give up on it a few pages in. Even if they did get all the way to the end, not many would be willing to put the ideas into practice in their daily lives.

I picked this selection for my book club, and it was very interesting to watch the responses of the participants. You could sense the tension - watch them wiggling in their chairs. They were so relieved when we were finally done with the book; and not because it was poorly written; just because it requires an examination of how far we've all fallen from what is true. I will continue to encourage people to read this excellent and important book, but it will never be an easy sell...and that's a shame.

This, I think, is a difficult book to review. There are so many diverse themes throughout the book that it is hard to describe what the book is "about", and my reaction to the book was a mixture of excitement, personal conviction, and intellectual challenge. Yet, hopefully I can get something coherent down for you.

The book is a collection of eight essays written by Berry, all of which deal (sometimes loosely) with the degradation of community. "Community" is a term of art for Berry; it is more than merely a group of people living in close proximity to one another who happen, from time to time, to bump into each other at the store. Rather, community is a defined group of people who live together in a particular place, over time, in a way that fosters a strong sense of togetherness. People who have this type of community have experiences together in everyday life, such as work, play, tragedy, and joy. In community of this nature there is a sense of belonging that most Americans today would not be able to relate to.

Berry is not the only intellectual (a label I would guess he'd hate hear applied to himself) to suggest not only that our communities are deteriorating, but that this deterioration adversely effects the quality and essence of our lives. For a more empirical approach to the subject, see especially Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam. I think when Berry's book is read in light of Putnam's we see not only a picture of the problem but also a recipe for the remedy.

Berry is a challenging author. He is at times very radical, and he sometimes employs demagoguery to press his point. However, when taken as a whole he approaches his topic from a position of humility and honesty. There is even a sense, after coming to grips with this humility and honesty, that Berry comes to his subject with righteous indignation. He is clearly passionate about small, rural communities like his own, and his passion easily rubs off onto the reader. After reading this book, I feel like I have a heightened sense of compassion for people who are trying to keep their communities alive.

This book is probably not for everyone. I would recommend it to people who already have sympathies for the rural, self-sufficient lifestyle and those especially who have concerns for the quality of our environment (a topic that Berry hits upon numerous times). This is not to say that this book cannot change minds. However, many people who read this book from the point of view of an average modern American will dismiss Berry's ideas as utterly and hopelessly out of date. This is because Berry criticizes the way in which most of us (including himself, he admits) tend to live our lives. It takes a special intellectual state of mind to read such a book, in which you are being criticized, and keep an open mind. I hope that, if this book is for yourself, that you do keep an open mind, and allow Berry to convince you that he is right, and to show you a better way. Happy reading!

This highly stimulating collection of Berry's essays contains some of the most important things Berry has written. The essay "Christianity and the Survival of Creation" is one of the most insightful and important theological statements of our day. It is in everyone's best interest to work to see that the organized churches take Berry's essay to heart. Of course, the book is also notable for the beauty of Berry's writing -- not coincidental, since he argues here and elsewhere for a recovery of the idea of work as sacred and for beauty as a measure of "right livelihood."

If you're a content postmodern, don't read this book. It will leave you unsettled. The title essay from Berry's book is worth the price of the whole book. If you were to read only one book this coming year to guide both your thinking and your behavior (aside from the Bible which undergirds Berry's thinking), this would be a great choice. If the following snippet from the title essay resonates with your spirit, you'll want to pick this one up.

"If you destroy the ideal of the "gentle man" and remove from men all expectations of courtesy and consideration toward women and children, you have prepared the way for an epidemic of rape and abuse. If you depreciate the sanctity and solemnity of marriage, not just as a bond between two people, but as a bond between those two people and their forebears, their children, and their neighbors, then you have prepared the way for an epidemic of divorce, child neglect, community ruin, and loneliness. If you destroy the economies of household and community, then you destroy the bonds of mutual usefulness and practical dependence without which the other bonds will not hold."

Why is it that we have our best thinkers like Berry running old family farms, and our worst thinkers running our national government? Sigh.

...thinkers I was exposed to in high school while researching for an essay report. His well-balanced thoughts on various agrarian and community-based themes are the most eloquent I have found from a single writer. His words and rationales spring from the land and argue pursuasively for more restraint for the betterment of the world by the human animal. The most compelling living philospher I know of is Wendell Berry. I recommend all of his written works.

This is a great book. It describes the slow descent of humanity into an abyss.

Pin Yathay's biography is a unique dramatic and shocking report on the Red Khmer regime in the 1970s in Cambodia.
It contains an excellent first-hand account of the disorderly evacuation of Phnom Penh after the Red Khmer victory in the civil war. After the evacuation, the whole country was turned into an experiment of totalitarian economy (no money, no private property, spying on everybody). The main ideological aim was equality at any cost, not freedom, except naturally for the members of Angkar (the Organization) themselves.
The whole system resulted in murderous labour camps with hundreds of thousands of deaths from hunger, exhaustion, torture and summary executions of 'enemies' of the system. A terrible shame for humanity and for the ideologically pure left.

The escape to Thailand reads like a nail-biting but bitter thriller. It was a real and, for some family members, deadly escape, not fiction.

Apart from its uncontested historical value, this book should be read as a warning against the madness of pure ideologists, who, once in power, accept without the slightest remorse millions of human casualties in order to implement their maniacal policies.

For a more political (national and international), economical and social analysis of the Cambodian history and the Red Khmer regime, I recommend the works of David P. Chandler and Ben Kiernan, as well as William Shawcross's 'Sideshow'.

this book should really help all of us appreciate our lives. It is amazing what he and his family went through! I could not put this book down! BY the way, does anyone have any recent info on the author? It would be interesting to see what he is up to now, and how his life is going, and if he ever contacted his son Naweth, or obtained any information.

This tragic biography traces the story of an educated man and his family in Phnom Penh. Subjected to the indescribable barbaric cruelty that the Khmer Rouge inflicted on its own countrymen, the writer provides the reader with their sense of hopelessness that gripped their nation less than 30 years ago. His hardship and ultimate triumph is the very definition of human survival and the will to survive. Anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of the plight of the Cambodian people under the Khmer Roughe MUST read this book. I can guarantee that when you finish reading this book you will undoubtedly take a moment to think about humanity itself.

Pin Yathay's amazing account of his ordeal under the Khmer Rouge is truly unforgettable and deeply moving. He was a successful engineer who had gone to college in Montreal and had a big happy family in April of 1975 when everything about his world changed forever. At first he and other members of the family didn't believe that anything was going to happen with the new rulers in power (after all, he had supported the Khmer Rouge against the opposition leader Lon Nol and believed they would give Cambodians a better life). Even when they were forced to evacuate Phnom Penh soon after the takeover of power, he didn't believe that anything horrible would happen to them. Most of the people forced onto the road believed that this would merely be a temporary evacuation and that before long, once the political situation became stable, they would be allowed to return home and be put to good use working for the new regime.

It wasn't long before the true intentions of the Khmer Rouge became known. In their ruthless fanatical quest to purgue the nation of anything smacking of the old regime, they took away anything deemed to be "imperialist," even something like the registration for a car, a pair of glasses, or certain types of clothing. Their hatred of all things "imperialist" was so irrational and fanatical that they would even throw away or destroy things like cars or foreign money, things that could have been very useful to them in their position of power or quest to supposedly reform the country. Although Thay hid his true background from them, fearing execution or imprisonment if they knew how high-ranking he'd really been, he and his family were still deemed "New People" (as opposed to the "Ancients," or peasants, who were left alone because they hadn't lived or worked like "imperialists"), and therefore sent from work camp to work camp in the forests and jungles, made to work the land and do other backbreaking hard labor. Hunger, disease, and fatigue soon began to take their toll on the people in these work camps, and before long only he, his wife Any, and one of his sons were left. He and his wife made the incredibly difficult decision to leave their surviving child Nawath behind in a hospital, in the care of an older woman who promised to look after him, so that they might escape and live, and then one day be able to return to Cambodia to look for him.

The account of Thay's arduous trek through the jungle and into Thailand is incredibly powerful and compelling, a true testament to the will to survive. After he was left alone, he knew he had an obligation to all of his lost loved ones to live, to testify to the world about what was happening in Cambodia, so that their deaths would not have been in vain. It gave him the courage and strength to live even after he ran out of lighter fluid and food supplies and had to resort to eating the raw meat of animals such as tortoises and bats, and to escape again after being recaptured by some Khmer Rouge near the border. And all along the way, the dying words of his father, ordering him to stay alive, urged him on even when succumbing to the elements or his hunger and fatigue might have been a welcome relief. This book is both excellent history and a moving story of survival against the odds, and, when it comes to books about this era in Cambodian history and this particular genocide of the 20th century, is as good a place to start as any.

If you are familiar with the Giraffe Heroes Project (http://www.giraffe.org/), you will know of John Graham.
Stick Your Neck Out, his latest book,is one I recommend for
citizen activists (that's you, and me...Graham gives tools to help any of us stop complaining and take action).
This guide reads easily and is packed with helpful information and inspiring case studies. His suggestions are holistic and soulful, while still grounded in the realities and challenges of changemaking in today's world of polarized views. He advocates win/win solutions as optimal, but offers advice on how and when legal means might be necessary.
If you aren't already motivated to take action to improve situations in your neighborhood, community, country, or planet, Graham's sharing of his heart, experience, and optimism will move you to action. His message: take risks, be smart (by learning from his and others' mistakes), and yes, YOU absolutely can make a positive difference!

This book is easy to browse, and its advice is made more accessible though many anecdotal examples. A worthwhile investment no matter what your level of experience is in creating change. Above all, I found it a source of great encouragement every time I picked it up. I'm getting copies as Christmas gifts for friends, and keeping my own copy for reference.

It certainly has been the case for as long as I can remember. Stop and think about the community where you reside or about the organizations you might belong to. Isn't it usually just a tiny fraction of the citizens or membership who wind up doing most of the work? And the problem has become even more acute in recent years as fewer and fewer people are willing to even join civic, religious or service organizations let alone do any meaningful work. Having said that there are still millions of folks around our nation who unselfishly lend their time and talent to the causes they believe in. If you are one of these good people then "Stick Your Neck Out" is definitely a book you should read. Author John Graham, President of an organization known as the Giraffe Heroes Project has created a volume that is just chock full of practical advice and useful suggestions for those who see the value in getting involved. Among other things you will learn how to recruit like-minded volunteers, formulate a plan of action, negotiate with opponents, raise money and deal with the media. In addition "Stick Your Neck Out" offers a number of inspiring profiles of ordinary people who are out there accomplishing extraordinary things while working on a wide variety of issues. This book is especially valuable as a source of encouragment for those folks contemplating getting involved in such matters for the very first time. "Stick Your Neck Out" would be a great book to give to a graduating high school or college student. The message of this book is clear. Each and every one of us has something to offer. Whatever your interests or political persuasion the possibilities for making a difference are virtually limitless. In "Stick Your Neck Out" John Graham illustrates this point over and again. It is a book I can highly recommend!

You will find this book not only a source of very practical ideas, but also a rich and thought provoking read. Whether you want to organize a block party or spark opposition to urban sprawl, this book tells you how to be effective in organizing a social enterprise. But it is far more than a cookbook for project management. Interleaved with the no-nonsense `how-to' information, John Graham reveals the personal philosophy he forged and tested in his personal journey from his Viet Nam years to now. The subtitle `Service as the path of a meaningful life' hints at what you will find in the book's pages. It is great as a textbook for project planning, group dynamics, negotiation, and success. But it is also an inspiring guide for achieving genuine personal fulfillment.

The impulse to seek change in neighborhood or community comes from the heart, but even the most dedicated heart can falter when the head says "What was I thinking?". As one who has been in exactly that position, I can say that this book is for the head. It offers practical advice that will be useful to anyone who has taken on a cause, however small, to make the neighborhood or community a better place. The practical how-to's are presented by someone who really has been there and done those things, and illustrated by examples from other ordinary people and their work. And by showing the reader that he/she is not alone, the book works to encourage and inspire those who have taken on the risk of citizen activism (as differentiated from paid activism). The book is helpful to the activist because it can be read in parts and provides quick summaries. There is help here for that panicked "Oh my god, I just got my first call from a reporter" moment. Indeed, any weakness in the book is that length constraints caused some situations that would have been helpful to be left out. And read as a whole narrative, it makes an interesting and thought provoking tale of what is right (and wrong) with our country today-- a view from the trenches, not the think tanks. The book is a work of great optimism based on the premise that we as ordinary citizens can change the world one neighborhood at a time. We are doing it every day. The only question is, will there be enough of us?