Events Books

I found this book phenomenal - an absolute must to anyone wishing to learn and understand God's word. It will help lay a solid foundation of understanding on which the rest of God's word and God's plan will sit.

This book will answer every question you have concerning the sequence of (and details of) yet-future prophetic events and God's future plan for mankind. The author with ease, points out God's teachings straight from the bible and inserts nearly all scripture text being discussed. He uses the King James bible translation so if you prefer NIV or NASB (etc.) be prepared to open your own bible while reading this book. This book is captivating, intriguing and amazing. This book also has some amazing content within its Appendix. This book is a must to anyone wishing to understand God's word.

Wonderful!The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, Revised Edition

A comprehensive study of Eschatology, that is as about as good as it gets. The exceptionally in-depth study of not only the scriptures, but how to study the scriptures, is a must for any serious follower of Yahushua (Yeshua) Hammashiach. Dr. Fruchtenbaum's grasp on the material, truly seems inspired, and I believe will allow most readers to get a firm grasp on "end-time" prophecies as well as help them receive the peace and hope that these prophecies are meant to provide. There is an accompanying study guide now available at Dr. Fruchtenbaum's website at [...], that makes for a marvelous Sunday School or Bible Study course on Eschatology.

Arnold Fruchtenbaum is one of the best scholars of Judeo-Christian Scripture I've found. His books should be among the foundational works for evangelical Christian thinking. Jewish readers would also gain insights into Christianity and historic Judaism by reading his works.

This is a WONDERFUL verse by verse explanation of the Book of Revelation! Most people don't realize what a truly Jewish book the book of Revelation is, it is only hard to understand IF you don't understand the OT. Dr. Fruchtenbaum is a Messianic Jew and the BEST teacher to explain the Scriptures from a Jewish perspective. What other perspective SHOULD there be? Jesus was a Jew, lived and taught the Jews, etc. So a Jewish perspective to one's Bible study is imperative if one is to understand the Bible - and ESPECIALLY Revelation.

Footsteps of the Messiah makes Revelation and end times Scripture clear and understandable in every day language. Dr. Fruchtenbaum thinks of everything.........so he included in the back of the book a Scripture Index, so you can look up ANY other Scripture and go directly to the page on which he talks about it!!!!

A deeply, moving, simple and tragic story of one woman's strength and courage in a time of political demise, a story of such fragile and temporary splendor between a man and a woman and the lives of those they love in-between. Each scene beautifully portrays the little events that happen along the way. Just a simple and delicate account of her life during a time when Germany was being invaded by the Russians and the process of dividing the country into East and West. It starts with Alex, the pilot's son, who, by his father's wish, tracks down Ruth's daughter, Penelope, to let her know of her inheritance after his death. Penelope tells their story and Alex finds out the truth of what happened between her mother and his father. In the midst of a war-torn country, Ruth, a mother of two, lives day-by-day among the rubble of bombed buildings. She is an unsung hero of courage who decides to take the risk and go to Berlin for her sister's daughter, Paulie. She meets "The Good American" who ends up falling in love with her and lavishly swoons her, giving her a piece of happiness in the midst of a black and white world. He ends up risking his title by forging paperwork for entry to Berlin by train while having to bare the atmosphere of desparation and the uncertainty and fear of being sent away to Siberia for not having the right papers. Then she meets others along the way who help her get to the place where she can cross the mountain to get to the West after the trains stopped by order of the Russian army. Just simple gestures of compassion and support. It was lovely yet heartrending at the same time. It was deeply moving, passionate, addicting and emotional. It shows that just trying to live through dark times is an act of courage and even in the midst of it all, there is hope and love.

Ursula Maria Mandel's "The Good American" is a stunning novel of complex emotions. Her writing style is so powerful and image-laden, that I truly felt as if I was among the characters, experiencing the sights, smells and emotions that are so vividly captured among the pages of this novel. While this is a story of love, familial devotion, humility, perseverence and survival, it also beautifully chronicles one man's attempt at coming to terms with a flood of pent-up emotions in his personal journey towards forgiveness. I simply could not put this book down. If ever there was a story worthy of being told, this is the story.

This is a mervelous book which took me down memory lane. The book has insight, strength and Ms. Mandel's writing is the finest. I was one of those dirty starving kids who played in the rubble and lived subhumanly. I know that every word Ms. Mandel put in her novel about that time in our lives is not only true but she has an uncanny way of bringing it all alive again.

Looking for Ms. Mandel's next book.

Gunta Krasts-Voutyras

Ursula Mandel in her novel "The Good American" has shown exceptional talent in that she is able to bring the poverty, hunger, emotional and intellectual devastation of that era after WWII to the page so poignantly that it is impossible to put the book down. I devoured it in one sitting, shed tears, laughed, and above all Miss Mmandel made me feel all those feelings of so long ago all over again. I was a ten year old child in 1945 when the war ended. I experienced all she writes about myself, the hunger the poverty, the loss of everything including a father. She has the ability to paint this time in history so sharply that the book becomes an actual experience. Am anxiously awaiting Miss Mandel's next book.

Gunta Krasts-Voutyras

All whose lives have been touched by the ravages of war bear in their memory forever the grief, losses, and struggles to grasp some meaning for living out the balance of their days. The post-war adjustments for many perhaps never end. Time has a way of mending broken hearts but the wounds and scars of war heal very slowly. We meet people every day whose lives have been changed immeasurably by conflict and many of their stories never get into print. The several life stories that are woven so ingeniously in The Good American are reminders of many who have coped courageously with adversity and found a way not only to survive, but also to use their limited resources and native talents for remaking of an orderly world. Ursula Mandel, who grew up in postwar Germany, weaves a tale of ordinary people who did extraordinary things. The warm German hospitality I found as an American officer stationed in Wiesbaden three decades after World War II had ended grew out of a mutual respect Americans and Germans had one for another. Americans I knew immensely admired the German work ethic and ingenuity, their clean streets and homes, their delicious strudels, their superb automobiles, but most of all their determination to rebuild their cities and lives. Ursula Mandel's book is a benediction and compliment to those Americans and Germans who loved and cared enough to forge a lasting friendship for our two countries. The book has the essentials for a powerful cinema and I hope to see the story come alive on the big screen.

I really enjoyed this fictional portrayal of the woman at the well. Her strength came alive, not just her shortcomings. It made you think, about your past, present and your future. And it most important lesson of all was that it is not where you are it is where you are going. My thought process was challenged by Hendricks portrayal of Christ which was as I found out later his intention.

This book is wonderful. The women's guild at my church featured it as a topic of a book discussion last year. We had the pleasure of taking part in a telephone conference with the author Obery Hendricks. He was very gracious. It was a wonderful experience. The reader gets an understanding of how women and minorities were marginalized in society during Biblical times.

This is a touching story of a young womans journey from her joy of life to near-death despair around to a greater joy of life.
It truly celebrates the strength of womanhood. The descriptions were vivid and the personalities so real, I felt I knew all of the characters. Because all women have experienced Maryam's life in some form, this story will touch your heart in an unbelievable way. I loved this book!

In this glorious tale of redemptive love BEFORE we know what it is, Maryam flowers despite the heartships and trials of her life. Hendricks is a master storyteller who gives us the depth of anguish from both the men and women, while not excusing the pain that the men are causing the women in this Novel. Given to me by a Pastor who shares the stories of women in the Bible with his congregation, I read it from front to end without stopping, finding the message that God loves us even when we don't see it. Worth reading, but more, worth its use as a Bible study tool. Wonderful story with a dynamic ending!

This is a gripping, at times lusty, tale based on the life story of the Samaritan Woman. LIVING WATER is not a stereotypically lightweight, biblical novel. It's for readers who are ready for a challenge and willing to look for truths presented in nontraditional forms.

Author Obery Hendricks, a seminary "professor of biblical interpretation," calls this, his first novel, "an African American retelling of the New Testament story of the woman at the well who was married to five successive husbands at a time when women did not have the right to choose either marriage or divorce." Ethnic overtones are evident in some characters' nicknames (Sonny Boy and Big Mama) and patterns of dialogue ("Oh Lordy, we're in trouble now" and "Don't he talk sweet"). But there are deeper parallels: The ravages of slavery and harsh control influence the heart of the story --- the Samaritan men being humiliated and beaten down by the Romans; the women being powerless property of the husbands who have lost respect for themselves and take out their frustration on their women.

The book opens with a short, startling death scene of the Samaritan woman's fifth husband. Then Part 1 is a flashback, from prenuptial childhood up to that pivotal, bloody mess. She --- her name is Maryam, though significantly we aren't told this for 250 pages --- is a spunky, in-your-face kind of kid who sadly learns, from her kindhearted grandmother, Ma Tee, that spunk is not acceptable for girls. "Atop the coarse woolen tunic that is [the girl's] usual attire is now draped a stale, heavy garment of carefulness. Ma Tee has tried her best to craft it to her size, yet it does not fit. Still, she will dutifully struggle to wear it, though its weight will sag her heart to its knees." And this narrative comment comes even before she's married to and beaten down by her first husband and abandoned by numbers two, three, and four.

This is a feminist story, but not drastically so; it is egalitarian more than man bashing. The big cast of characters --- five (or is it six?) husbands, three father figures, a brother-in-law, Messiah Jesus, and more --- include bad men and good; similarly with the Samaritan women. In a supplemental reader's guide, Hendricks explains that the Samaritan woman's journey "to be free of male domination and mistreatment was also my own journey to free myself from the roles of dominator and mistreater."

Theologically conservative readers may rankle at some feminist theology, but, again, this is not as radical as it might be. Hendricks interprets biblical passages (mostly from Proverbs, once from Luke) that personify Wisdom (a feminine Hebrew word) as being descriptive of "the woman-side of God."

For a novel that is replete with social commentary applicable to any age --- including a chapter on an itinerant, fraudulent faith healer --- LIVING WATER is an engaging read. Part 2 --- in which Maryam claims her name, takes up with a man who loves her and treats her well, and becomes a disciple of Jesus --- includes powerful scenes of redemption, even unto the last page, which drew a tear to my eye.

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

During the mid-1990s NYC experienced a dramatic drop in crimes. "NYPD Battles Crime" begins by examining several alternative (non-police) explanations for this improvement. One alleged that the number of youths 14-17 had declined - actually it increased slightly. Simultaneously, the prison population did increase at an annual rate of 7.8%, and the unemployment rate rose. Another "explanation" is that crime was declining across the U.S. - however, the author shows that NYC represented about 80% of that national decline. Thus, Silverman is convinced that improved management is the key factor in NYC's improvement - the essential ingredient being that management no longer tacitly accepted an ever-growing crime rate, and now believes crime can be fought and beaten back.

Chief Bratton, the individual most credited with the improvements, began office benefiting from 3,500 (of an eventual 6,000) new cops already on the street courtesy of his predecessor's efforts. His first month brought the replacement of 7 top-ranking officers, and the first year led to replacing over two-thirds of 76 precinct commanders. Everyone at the top now bought into the possibility of double-digit crime reduction.

Follow-up on gun seizures became an early priority. Those arrested with weapons were aggressively questioned regarding the source of the weapons, and the sources (and their sources) also pursued. A second priority was locating and returning truants to school - reducing their contribution to crime. A third was reporting major crimes on a weekly basis (had taken 3-6 months), using mapping and showing trends, and identifying areas with greatest and least improvement. Day of the week, time of day, and arrests/individual (named) officers) were also reported.

Probably the biggest contributor, however, was Comstat - weekly meetings between precinct commanders and top brass where detailed and challenging questions were posed regarding the latest results; minutes were also taken, and followed up.

Compstat also facilitated gathering criminal activity data for nuisance complaints - allowing closing down eg. drug and prostitution locations, instead of just periodic sweeps and arrests. "Johns" began having their cars seized, reducing the demand for prostitution as well. Bar owners were "persuaded" to stop underage drinking (police showed them how to detect fake IDs), reducing loud outside crowds and neighborhood drag-racing. Cars playing loud music were confiscated, aided by the Dept. of Environment Protection's measuring sound levels.

Nuisance Abatement Laws were a particularly effective deterrent because advance notice was not required for temporary (up to one year) closing orders and $1,000/day public nuisance fines. Fire, health, and occupancy codes were also used as crime-reduction tools. (Store and apartment closings served to also reduce any perception that the NYPD was "on the take.")

Eventually Compstat was also used to focus on reducing drug dealing - the origin of numerous habit-supporting crimes. Cooperation and delegation among police and between other agencies also improved via Compstat.

Bottom Line: Silverman presents a solid case that replacing old thinking (eg. fast police response, and "time-in-grade" were key to crime control and promotion) with the new action-based approach brought about NYC's 50+% crime reduction.

NYPD Battles Crime recognizes that by admitting things are not "all right", that there are problems waiting for solution, we can move onto what may be reasonable and realistic remedies to the crisis at hand. "It was hard to argue that averting crime, even nuisance crime or incivility, before it erupts is better than reacting to ongoing, more violent criminal activity." Pp 79-80.

The three main objectives for an Intelligence Led campaign in law enforcement where a serious or increasing degree of criminal threat is perceived, which is what Compstat is really all about are as follows.

Government officials must begin by eliminating perceived injustices. Previously, and even more so today, the inequalities of cultures must be studied, and understood within the context of the indigenous perspective i.e., avoid mirror imaging. It is vital that western democratic policymakers have adequate intelligence so as not to underestimate security challenges. The disparity between Western material and technological advantages with those of opposing cultures defines the crises.

"The NYPD and organizations emulating its successes are undergoing a revolutionary change - a new way of relating to their environment." P 186.

Law Enforcement Intelligence must also focus on the emerging domestic threat generated, and propelled by the multicultural mentality that renders logical decisions impossible. This particular `group-think' mentality espouses inexplicable virtue on non-Western societies whom proudly profess a real threat. It is the essence for fostering unconventional warfare, terrorism, and globally organized crime.

Prior to Compstat ..."An assemblage of field soldiers and officers, as in the first act of Aida, would deliver on the top command's promise to dramatically reduce crime. But the stumbling of previous reform administrations on a stage replete with bureaucratic land mines and social `snafus' had shown the need for more deftness and sophistication in reconfiguring the NYPD bureaucracy." P 82.

Almost simultaneously, the government must obtain support of the local citizenry, separating the criminal threat from the general population, as much as possible, both physically and psychologically.

Strategic policy should consider when implementing a counterinsurgency campaign against criminality and incivility that personnel develop a sincere empathy for the public they serve. When forces are scattered among, and living with, the population, they need not be told any longer that they have to win their support. Being more vulnerable, they realize instinctively that their own safety depends on good relations with the local people. Civil, respectful behavior will come about naturally on their part.

Finally, law enforcement must develop the necessary intelligence to establish a policy whereby future criminality will not threaten the newly established civility. There are plausible reasons to believe that the majority of citizens support or are at least sympathetic to the counterinsurgent forces. However, the residents in a high crime/combat area usually avoid contact with them. The barrier between the lawful citizen and the counterinsurgent must be broken. Fostering a sense of self-preservation should dissolve the separation between the counterinsurgent and law abiding citizen. Too often residents fear reprisals from the criminal element and with good reason doubt there is adequate defense from counterinsurgent forces. Only when the tables are turned; when the counterinsurgents hold the upper hand on controlling violence, and only after the local resident has been adequately enabled to control his own safety will there be open communication between the counterinsurgents and citizens.

This work with its historical depiction of how Compstat was developed is very helpful in studying and understanding Intelligence Led Policing.

Dr. Silverman's book is an excellent description of the organizational change process orchestrated by the NYPD. Unfortunately, he failed to grasp the old saying that if something is too good to be true, it probably isn't true. The amount of crime and number of murders did drop substantially in New York as Silverman attests. What he fails to mention is that crime in Los Angeles, Boston, and San Francisco (to name a few cities) experienced nearly identical drops in crime during the same time frame and they did not implement NYPD's innovations. The NYPD was merely the beneficiaries of a trend (which actually started in 1991--before the innovations were implemented), rather than the trend's architect. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than to be good.

Mr. Silverman does a wonderful job here. The author makes a very complicated subject easy to understand and read. Silverman brings you right into the workings of the NYPD. The breakdown of the strategies that the NYPD implemented to combat crime was remarkable. Silverman explains Compstat so that the reader can fully understand its meaning and usefulness. This book was not written just for the police world but, for the communities that they serve. If you want to see how the real boys in blue catch the bad guys this book is a must.

I envy the students of Law, Criminal Justice etc. who will be using Dr. Silverman's book as a text book. It is a very well written, exciting account of how the largest police departement in the world used enlightened management techiques and a sophisticated computer system to drastically reduce crime in New York City. Business students and corporate managers can benefit from reading the book as well.The Deming-like management techniques used by the NYPD would benefit any organization.This book is for anyone who wants to be well informed.

Efron does a good job in showing the back and forth. The book is slightly repetitious -- but it is going back and forth on the sides, so it is to be expected. He takes a tough topic and shows the reader how to gain some perspective on the issues. It is very helpful for American Jews who don't (cannot) fully understand the realities of a society they don't live in.

In some ways this book is about how minority and majority cultures will clash -- especially when they view themselves as distinct, empowered, and exclusive.

In the classic Jewish style of the story -- there are no real heroes, no real villains, and everyone suffers. It is sad but provocative. And since it is a glimpse of reality, it is therefore an important read.

Efron offers what we cannot get in newspapers, tv or other media. Not in Israel and not abroad.
Efron brings to the forefront what might be Israel's biggest problem. But he does it with a tremendous sense of responsibility.
Although the Haredi society has few voices interested in presenting their side, Efron does more than being a speaker for them. He presents Haredi and secular sides with thorough research. He doesn't let himself be dragged into the vortex of hatred that blinds people on both sides.
This book helped me better understand Israeli society, the origins of the problems and the possible consequences.
About the only thing we don't see in this book is the light at the end of the tunnel, nor any suggestions on how to resolve it, but I guess that would probably: a) prevent him from being unbiased and b) Would require another book.

I was initially put off by the fact that Efron has some link to the disreputable Michael Lerner. However, as I read the book today, non-stop, Noah Efron emerges as quite an honest man and he gives a fair accounting of the relevant issues that separate Jews in Israel.

I happily recommend this book to all Jews, especially those on the Left with such a relexive and emotional distate for our Haredi brethren. If the secular extremists could only calm down, the rifts in our community could be healed. After all, peace among the Jews is a pre-requisite for peace between the Jews and the Arabs and peace among the Jews needs to be on terms with great relevance concerning Judaism.

I hasten to add one additional thought. Efron does not confront the issue of Jewish self-hatred head on. After all the examples of irrational hatred against the Haredi population by leftist Jews, self-hatred emerges as a clear phenomenon. It is a shortcoming of the book that Efron does not isolate this issue and it is clear that the kind of Jew who takes great merit in prayer and Torah/Talmud study cannot find it in himself to throw ugly bromides at Heredi Jews. It is only the kind of Jew who finds himself estranged from Judaism that can express such hostility. What could be worse for a Jew who has abandoned Judaism than some guy in a black hat emploring him to put on tefilin? Anger is therefore a revealing emotion and I have no doubt the nightmare for Heredi Jew is when no one cares any more.

I will continue to send money to the Haredi community of Israel and I am thankful for Mr. Efron in writing a basically fair-minded account. Without his family in B'nei B'rak, it is likely Efron would be just another leftist Jew. God willing, we should all search for our frum relatives and see ourselves through their gentle eyes.

An excellent introduction to the many disputes between hareidi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews and Israel's more secular Jews. He explains the major concerns secularists have about hareidi behavior, and the pro-haredi responses to those critiques. The major areas of contention are:

1. Work and military service. Haredim are allowed to avoid military service, and often stay out of the workforce for most of their lives thanks to government support and foreign charity. But haredim point out that the Israeli military has no great need for unskilled manpower, and that haredim are less burdensome to the state treasury in many ways: they don't commit as many crimes (thus reducing the need for police and prisons) and they do not use a variety of government services oriented towards secular Jews (e.g. modern art, television and radio, all of which haredim tend to avoid). In addition, haredim bring money into the economy by attracting foreign charity, and consume and waste less than the general population.

2. "Infiltration" of secular neighborhoods. Haredim evangelize other Israelis, and secular Jews fear that once their neighborhoods are "taken over" by haredim, they will be pressured to conform to haredi rules in public. For example, secular Jews fear that roads will be closed off on Shabbat, and that women will be pressured to dress conservatively. But Efron points out that secular Jews often wish to prevent Haredim from building their institutions in secular neighborhoods, and that the haredi population is now simply too large to be limited to existing haredi enclaves.

3. Misuse of political power. Haredim occasionally engage in corrupt behavior, generally distrust Israel's courts, and occasionally engage in thuggish behavior. As a result, secular Jews worry about haredim are not committed to the rule of law or to Israeli democracy. Efron points out that political corruption in Israel is hardly limited to haredim; in fact, during the 1990s "almost a dozen secular politicians were indicted for corruption and betrayal of public trust, but almost none was convicted" - a fact that suggests that haredi politicians are victimized by a double standard. And (despite their often-intemperate language) haredim do obey the orders of Israeli courts.

4. Fear of a haredi "takeover" of the political system. Haredi parties typically hold the balance of power in Israel's parliament, and limit divorces and conversions through their power over rabbinic courts (which, under Israel law, govern life-cycle events for Jews). Efron points out that haredim don't always get what they want; according to him, "There is more commerce on Saturdays and holidays, unkosher food is everywhere . . . and so on." In other words, haredi political power is directed towards preserving the status quo rather than limiting the freedom of secular Jews.


In addition, Efron describes the history of the haredi/secular relationship. In the early 20th century, haredim were quite hostile to (mostly secular) Zionists. But even before the creation of the State of Israel, haredim began to warm up to Zionists, for a variety of reasons. First, in 1936, religious Zionists persuaded the Jewish Agency (a body assisting British colonial overlords with Jewish affairs) to establish religious councils to administer Jewish law; thus, haredi rabbis were eventually on the Zionist payroll. Second, during World War II, haredim needed Zionist assistance to help bring relatives to Israel. And after the state of Israel was established, haredim needed Zionist support more than ever. But the haredi/secular Zionist relationship began to deteriorate after Menachem Begin made a deal with haredi political parties in the 1970s: to gain their support, he removed the limit on the number of military exemptions available to haredi youth, thus contributing to some of the problems discussed above.

This book explores the divide between the Ultra-Orthodox religious Israelis and their secular counterparts in the young nation. The author leaves no stone unturned in the delivery and the average reader is given enough detail to feel like an expert on the subject by the end of the book.

I recommend this book especially to anyone with a monolithic impression of Israel, as most Westerners with an opinion seem to have. Israeli society is far more complex than most of the world realizes and there is a lot of (some might say self-induced) tension beneath the surface.

Israel occupies a prominent place in world opinion. It is largely hated by Europeans and other Western sophisticates, despite having a very liberal society. Conversely it is loved by many American Evangelicals and others, who believe that it to be a religious (Biblical) state, despite the open hatred and fear in Israel of its most religious members.

This book explains why that fear exists and why, for example, the ultra-religious do not serve in the army. The author take pains to remain neutral in the debate, while at the same time plunging directly into the fray and asking tough question of both sides.

This is the Whole Story

Robert Wallace is a good friend and a former colleague.

Cold War intelligence operations and those who managed and ran them were always highly compartmentalized so that only a handful knew the whole story.

Now, with access to former Soviet intelligence files, many things have become more clear. Still, it is for writer/practitioners like Wallace to give us a fascinating and until-now-unknown view of the long U.S. - Soviet standoff.

This book is a great read, hard to set aide. It should be must reading for anyone who wants facts about how technology supported (and sometimes failed) American (and Soviet) intelligence operations during those long and expensive years. Interested college students and their teachers can rely on this text. It is painstakingly researched and noted.

The Agency understandably has a tough pre-publication review process and I am pleasantly surprised to see how much of Wallace's material has been allowed to see print. Although I often knew only a little of the many specifics he writes about, there is no doubt that this is the whole story, satisfying and often surprising even to the Old Timers who were involved.

This is the best book I have ever read! You won't believe what you'll read in this book! They got to make this book into a movie! It is better than James Bond!

The tools of the spy trade are fascinating for their role throughout history, and SPYCRAFT tops the list as the most comprehensive account of their creation and implementation. H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace are the wolrd's leading authorities on the subject. As one of the producers of the SPIES series for A&E, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I grew up in the 60's and 70's watching "Get Smart" on TV and James Bond movies in theatres. I loved the gadgets and often wondered how many actually existed in the real "spy world." Now that I live in DC and work in biometrics, I'm still fascinated by surveillance technology, but since reading "Spycraft," I don't have to wonder anymore. This book is fascinating -- not just because it details the gadgets, but because it looks at the people, politics and tactics behind the technology used by the CIA in recent decades. Forget James Bond -- the real spy heroes are in this book. I have a new appreciation for spytechs and their role in the intelligence game, and I was surprised how quickly I got through the 500+ pages. Loved the photos! Well done to Bob Wallace and Keith Melton!

From the perspective of a person who is apathetic toward science fiction stories and avoids who-done-it spy books, I am surprised how interested I became in reading SPYCRAFT. Robert Wallace won me over! I hated the acronyms (IHTA) even though the authors graciously defined them in the Glossary. The book is well documented throughout. My only question is: Can we completely believe the authenticity of CIA history through the experiences of people who made their living by deception, obfuscation, and counterfeiting? Oh well, buy the book any way!

I've had this book for a while now. It is absolutely wonderful! After you read it and stop at the points that it says to stop and read certain books of the New Testament, you will have a radically changed view of the NT and the early church. This book is a must have addition for anyone currently interested in organic church life. I've bought two copies of it: one for me and one for my step-mom.

Viola's epic volume "The Untold Story of the New Testament Church" is absolutely the best little guide to understanding the order of events in the life of the first-century ekklesia!

Viola relies on the scholarship of F.F. Bruce, Donald Guthrie, and A.T. Robinson for the dating of the books. He wonderfully weaves together the book of Acts with the Epistles to create one amazing story. Viola follows the story of the church according to Acts and successfully places the epistles in their historical-cultural context. Enabling the reader to better apply the Scriptures to their life.

The New Testament comes alive in movie form as Viola uses some of the best N.T. scholarship to reassemble the entire story of the church as it happened in the beginning! I found that this book was able to give me deep insight into the lives and the circumstances behind the writings of the letters of the Apostles.

Viola helps the reader along with his use of maps and background information on people and places. His book is easy to read. You follow his graphic retelling of Acts and stop to read an epistle at every point in time the book was believed to have been written. His book is fluid and he makes little to no assumptions about the chronology of the events.
(I strongly recommend you read a contemporary translation like the NLT or the Message when following along in the N.T. in order that you might receive a fresh glimspse into the motivation and passion behind the letters. We tend to only see what we've always seen when we read from the same translation.)

I connected with Paul's trials and tribulations in ways I never had before. Many times I had to stop reading just to reflect on the sufferings of Paul and ask myself if I could have endured what he endured.
From the conflict and turmoil of the immature and immoral at Corinth... to the Judaizers and "super apostles" who opposed Paul at every turn... you will not want to stop reading until the story is complete.

However, as Viola points out, the story is not complete. The Bride of Christ is still in a battle bewteen good and evil. The story of the early church is a reminder of the trials that are inevitable for the Christian. Yet... the Bride will endure and will persevere unto the end. This is not a fairy tale or an ancient bedtime story for the religious. It is the ongoing story of the New Testament church. It is our story!

I also want to recommend:

Going to the Root: Nine Proposals for Radical Church Renewal
The Centrality of Jesus Christ (Works of T. Austin-Sparks)
Rethinking The Wineskin: The Practice of the New Testament Church
Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices
Paul's Idea of Community: The Early House Churches in Their Cultural Setting, Revised Edition


NOTE: Viola includes Paul's brief trip to Spain. There is little evidence for this and it is certainly a debatable claim among scholars. Some scholars believe that Paul was never released from Rome for a fourth apostolic journey and the letters to Timothy and Titus were written during his initial house arrest in Rome before his death under the reign of Nero.

This book is great, he explains the story of the New Testament in order. Some of it is made up from "Mirror Reading" and extra Biblical history, so don't expect absolute truth. But it will open your eyes to some interesting things that were hidden for you all along.

Frank Viola has, for a long time, studied the modern church. He has written a number of books on church renewal and reform. He is passionate about returning to the methods of the early church and its effectiveness. In The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, Viola has "straightened out" the New Testament, by placing the NT books in chronological order following the events of the book of Acts.

This is a fantastic book. If you really want to understand the New Testament, you can glean bits of information from a sermon here, a convention there, or get it all mixed up by watching a movie (normally not concerned with accuracy as much as drama). But you can save yourself time and frustration by reading this well-written, engaging, and often fascinating book.

This last year I have been exploring the Hebrew roots of Christianity, reading somewhere between 75 - 100 books. (Such books as Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith, New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: Insights from His Jewish Context and Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church, excel, filled thoroughly with information on their specific topics.) But even after so much reading, I've highlighted nearly every page of this book! The interplay with society and history, and the original meaning and progression of the New Testament letters is thought-provoking and motivating.

This book's clear, enlightening manner will answer questions you've had since becoming born-again (for me that's 29 years). More importantly, it will help correct thinking you were sure you were right about.

For your personal study and understanding, I recommend this book right up there with getting a Concordance!

Pastors, Bible Study leaders, Youth group leaders - prevent misunderstandings of the New Testament from taking root early, or help your students uproot wrong ideas. Though this is not a text book (and the writing is fluid and accomodating) it could easily be used as one. Get this book. See for yourself that it is a crucial addition to your ministry material.

I gave this to my son who is the father of a preemie. He said it was so good that he was going to loan it to me to read also. My son is a Ph.D. candidate and has a lot of reading to do, so any additional book has to be really good.

This is a wonderful book. The author not only delves into the lives of twelve families affected, but also about the history of neonatology itself. You find yourself pulling for each of these tiny infants as well as their caretakers.

this book is great! it follows the real life happenings of a nicu in california. it follows the cases of several families, through their ups adn downs, and everything in between. there are babies that recover fine, some that recover with problems, adn some do die. it also talks about things from the doctors and nurses perspectives, and gives some history of neonatology. a great book for preemie parents, non preemie parents (i am not, and just loved this book), doctors, nurses, etc. very good read.

I found this book after seeing it mentioned on Oprah. Wow. What an amazingly touching and fascinating look at the brave new world of having babies. She just has a way of finding the books that are full of heart.

This book was the most impressive book I have ever read! It inspired me to go into Neonatology! I adore this book and recommend it to any one interested in medicine!

As an already-successful author (Rewired, Rehired, or Retired? Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer 2002) and sought-after international speaker, Bob Critchley is eminently qualified to speak with authority on the labour market of the future.

Whilst not alone in ringing the warning bells, Critchley has much more to offer than an alarmist message ... and he couldn't make it easier for us. He goes beyond illuminating the impending labour crisis, he has the strategies and solutions too.

Company Directors, CEO's, Management and especially HR advisers need to have this book on the top of their "must read" list!

So how does an organization maintain and maximise a multi-generational workforce, remain flexible yet successful and also be seen as an employer of choice? Critchley's answer is clear ... "Doing nothing is Not an option!".

Exactly what to do is made abundantly clear in this eminently sensible and readable book from someone who has impeccable credentials and vast experience. Carolyne Burns, MD, Influence InterPersonal Profiling, Sydney Australia

We all know the importance of trusted and experienced people in successful businesses......why then are they often overlooked in favour of the "new model" or the "grass is greener" scenario? Critchley really brings home the message that these people are key and will be absolutely key for organisations to main tain their position and advantage.The book is a must not only for HR professionals but also for all managers and company directors....from an author with extensive practiocal knowledge and successful experience of practising what he preaches.

Bob Critchley has produced an outstanding people management guide. The author's deep practical experience is evident as he shares his insights into effective management of people in all age groups. At a time when there is a growing shortage of talent in most developed economies, knowledge from this book can help put results on the bottom line in most business organisations. This book is easy to read and hard to put down! Colin Durand, The Insight Executive Search Group, Sydney Australia.

Bob Critchley's book provides a powerful and compelling argument for "thinking outside the box".

The population demographics are inevitable and organisations ignore them at their own peril.

Unless organisations adopt flexible ways of engaging employees and think laterally about how to maximise the contribution of every single employee, they are doomed to become victims of the demographic reality.

Critchley's book not only provides the evidence and demonstrates the inevitibility - but he also provides a compendium of ideas about how to respond.

An invaluable guide to any forward thinking HR professional.

Time marches slowly on and we all tend get caught up in our day to day and short term activities. Just like when global warming incidents started to occur. In isolation they meant little and then a pattern and explanation emerged. Critchley pulls together the signs in our demographic and employment changes. Dramatic shortages in skilled labour arise; a lack of investment in infrastructure becomes apparent; retirement and aged care issues start to be reported in the media; the funding of retirees becomes a federal budget issue; government start to create incentives to get people back to work. For those who run businesses other symptoms become apparent. So often the employer has to convince the prospective employee why to join them; the employer becomes aware of impending skill losses as older employees approach retirement age; people talk about not wanting to fully retire and having flexible arrangements; the employer can't find the right people.
Critchley's book suddenly pulls all these incidents and changes in attitude together into one easy flowing cohesive read. He paints a picture of why things are happening and what is likely to continue to happen. More importantly he canvasses what needs to be done for organisations to be successful in this environment. Many organisations pay lip service to people being their most important asset and often they have a short term focus. Critchley really sets down some ideas and a framework that organisations, who really do value people, will need to adopt to be successful in the long term. A must read.

"Patriot Dreams" is the most gripping true story I have ever read, and I am a voracious reader. From the opening page, you will vicariously enter the inner world of Robin Higgins, and experience the tragic death of a true American hero.

Rich Higgins was a Marine lieutenant-colonel who saw himself as a peacekeeper and a protector of the nation he loved. His duties in Lebanon required him to be unarmed, and he accepted those conditions as part of the job.

Unfortunately, the Hezbollah did not respect his show of good faith. What happened to Rich and his ever-faithful wife, Robin, will give you the deepest understanding of the contemporary Middle East and the ineffectiveness of our government in protecting its citizens in that area.

"Patriot Dreams" is written with an understated passion that sweeps the reader along; I was unable to put the book down until I finished the last word.

Robin Higgins is an extraordinarly powerful writer. Her work combines the best features of a novel with a strong dose of reality therapy. You will be both wiser and better informed as a result of this read.

The author was a student at North Shore High School when I taught there, and I can, without qualification, vouch for her good character and loyalty. When she introduced me to her husband, Rich Higgins in 1982, he was a major, and she was a captain. You would, as I did, recognize that he was a product of the best of our culture--strong but humane, highly intelligent without conceit, loyal without fanaticism.

Rich Higgins will be mourned, but he must never be forgotten.

Let me be clear: by guts and loyalty, I mean Robin Higgins. I do *not* mean the leaders who, incredibly, abandoned her husband in his captivity.

_Patriot Dreams_ is LTC Robin Higgins' story of the way she kept two oaths that she never imagined would be brought into conflict: her duty to her husband and her oath as an officer. What stands out about the book is the composure with which she writes about the topic, which gives voice to her determined but very mature and dignified efforts to obtain her husband's (an unarmed UN peacekeeper) release from brutal captivity. It's very likely to push the reader's buttons, not by design but by the nature of the topic, but you'll very likely come away with great respect for Robin Higgins. I did.

Worth reading for anyone wishing to pay respect to two fine Colonels of Marines, for starters. It would also appeal to those who enjoy reading about true commitment in marriage. One other group, in my view, should give it a read: those who still maintain that women should be barred from combat military roles. I'm not taking a position on that topic here, but I do encourage this: if you feel that way, then read Robin Higgins' book, and then ask yourself if you'd want to be the one to tell her--and others of her calibre--she wasn't up to combat leadership, or for that matter if we can afford to exclude her brand of guts and loyalty from leadership in battle.

One of the great privileges of my life was getting to know Rich and Robin Higgins when Rich was attending the National War College in the mid 1980s. Robin tells the story of their life together and the great tragedy of Rich's capture and assassination. What is equally powerful is how well Robin outlines the lessons learned. This book deserves a wide readership by those interested in the future of this country and the challenges we will face world-wide.

An easy to read book that captures the integrity of a military officer whose last tour of duty was to serve his country as a peacekeeper. He never made it home. The book, written by his wife, details the frustrations, the red tape and the longings of the heart, all of which become intertwined in her efforts to bring him home. Beautifully written.

I remember reading about the murder of Col. Higgens and thinking at the time how awful and what risks the military took when they served in foreign countries. And, not to mention, how unappreciated they are. And, those who served or serve, can't depend on the support of those who sent them if something goes wrong. Patriot Dreams is a must read book. In fact, if the active military of all the services had any sense, they would jump all over Patriot Dreams for the families and make it standard reading; unfortunately, those in charge rarely see the obvious. Military families sacrifice in enormous ways and I often wonder why they choose to do it. And, Colonel Higgens is an example of what happens when a military man leaves for work in the morning and does not return. Soldiers, wives and families understand this but few in the civilian populace do. This is a wonderful book. Colonel Higgens himself is quite the inspiration. Then Lieutenant Higgins served in Vietnam in 1968 with C Company, 1st Battalion, 3d Marines as a rifle platoon platoon leader. This was a hard time in Vietnam and fighting was fierce as this was the year of the infamous TET offensive. Colonel Higgens was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat 'V' for heroism. It probably should have been much higher. I give him the Congressional Medal of Honor. Captain Higgins returned to Vietnam in 1972 as an Infantry Battalion Advisor to the Vietnamese Marine Corps and then as a rifle company commander with B Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines. By anyone's standards, Rich Higgens is a hero. Equally as important is the incredible devotion that his wife Robin had to him, both in life and in death. She did as a minimum double duty as a wife and fellow Marine. Wow! Semper Fi! This is a book that tells about it, the bureaucracy, the stupidity of government bureaurcrats, and the feelings of abandonment of good men. Every Vietnam vet can empathize with her. Many who gave their all to the country, to include their families, have experienced the feelings created by the government of having been used up and then tossed aside. Don't miss this reading and if you know someone in the military, get Patriot Dreams to them.