Q Books

I only submit this review in order to correct some of the other reviews. Apparently some folks don't accept that 1 = .9999...

The proof is simple. Let x = .9999...

Therefore, 10x = 9.9999... and x= .99999 and so, 10x - x = 9x. That is, 9.9999... - .9999... = 9.0000 (.9999... - .9999... = 0000...). That is, 9x = 9.0000. Hence, x = 1.000 since 9/9 = 1.

Why does the mathematical operators allow the results to crank out 1 = .9999....? Because the "=" sign operates as an association of two different mathematical models in the sense 1 is a mathematical model for .9999... just as .9999... is a mathematical for 1. It was this thinking that led Descartes to assert y = mx + b whereby this equation constitutes a mathematical model of the line in algebra just as the line is a mathematical model of y = mx + b in geometry. All proofs involve mathematical models. Goedel numbers are models of theorems. See J. N. Crossley's little book or D'Abro's book on the rise of physics (volume one) for lucid explanations of mathematical modeling.

Great little book! Mathematicians will often tell you that mathematics is beautiful. However, they usually have a hard time conveying the beauty of math to their nonmathematical friends. The author/illustrator has done a great job in capturing this beauty in the form of truly magnificent illustrations of proofs, making Q.E.D. the ideal read for anybody interested in discovering this elusive mathematical beauty for themselves.

I like just about everything about this little book. There are a couple of other books on pictorial proofs out there (The Most Beautiful Mathematical Formulas by Salem et. al. and Proofs without Words by Nelson), but this one is by far the most visually appealing. I particularly like the beautiful etching-like illustrations which, in my opinion, capture the timeless beauty of the various proofs very well.

Included in the book is a nice mix of well-known and not so well-known material. For example, many people will know the nifty pizza proof that relates the circumference of the circle with its area, but it is probably quite a pleasant surprise for many that a similar relationship exists between the surface of a sphere and its volume.

B.t.w., and if you have also read the other reviews this may surprise you, I really did read most of the book.

Q. E. D. is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "Quod erat demonstrandum", which means, "what had to be proved." In this book, Polster demonstrates 23 simple "proofs" of fundamental mathematical principles. I enclose the word proof in quotes because they are not always rigorous in the mathematical sense. In some cases they are more in the area of reasonably convincing reasoning.
Some examples are:

*) Cavalieri's principle
*Archimedes' theorem
*) The infinitude of primes
*) The divergence of the harmonic series
*) Slicing a cone by a plane will always give an ellipse
*) Formulas for the sums of the first n-th powers.

The mathematics is not rigorous, but that is not the intent here. The goal was to give a brief presentation and argument in favor of several fundamental mathematical principles. In my opinion, the author has found the mark, explaining these principles using language within the bounds of the merely interested rather than the learned professional.

If you feel that you have lost the touch of history of mathematics, have lost your creativity into the rigour of formal methods, and need integral calculus to solve simplest of the mathematical problems, this is the book you need.

Q.E.D. is a compilation of ancient mathematical problems with unexpectedly short mathematical proofs, which one you know them, are as simple as they can be, yet you may not think of them by yourself.

My idea is to train (or re-train) my mind with that creative thought with which you can find elegant proofs to mathematical problems rather than resorting to differential equations at each point. This book is just great on that.

I could work myself through half of the book in about two days. So thought-provoking is the content that I ended up proving a few theorems myself that were not included in the book. (Yet I see a simpler proof of one of them later in the book!)

I wish this book included five times more material than what it has. I wish to have all of mathematics to be taught in this fashion. Had once encountered a problem from electromagnetism that I could not even start on, finally gave up and continued reading the Feynman lectures on Physics (vol 2) to see the proof. The proof, albeit more complicated than all proofs in this book, Q.E.D., was still unexpectedly simpler.

I wish for a book like Q.E.D. that teaches me a lot more mathematics. But this is not to say that Q.E.D. hasn't served the purpose it aimed for.

This is a great book for anyone who aspires to succeed in sales or in business and do it with a solid Christian Worldview.

Very excited to start this book BUT just did not understand what the writer was trying to tell me. I was disappointed that it didn't deliver any message to me.

Pink has written what I believe to be one of the best books ever on how to excel in sales. While he writes from a clearly Christian perspective, anyone with any sense of moral values will benefit from the book.

Pink's writing style is concise, clear, and lacks the "preachy" content of some of the Chrisian books I have read. Indeed, he writes with humility and freely shares the failures he has learned from.

Among the points covered in the book include:

1. Preparation is key for preparing a territory strategy.
2. 4 rules of building rapport with your customers.
3. Excellent notes on giving respect to your customers.
4. 5 ways to build trust and 7 ways to build a climate of trust with your customers.
5. Tips on asking good questions and listening to your customers.
6. 8 kinds of questions to ask to uncover a customer's pain and addressing their pain.
7. How to address objections.
8. 31 ways to successfully negotiate win-win situations.
9. Using Noah and the Ark as a means of living strategically.
10. 9 ways to boost your self-confidence and using words wisely.

Pink does his part to try to restore credibility and honor to a profession that unfortunately has somewhat of a negative image (and some of it is deserved!). And yes, a Christian can be successful in sales without compromising his or her relationship with Jesus Christ!

Read the book for practical strategies and also biblical insights into the selling profession.

Highly recommended. Read and enjoy!

Where to start with this book i don't know I will say that i hate to read I am 18 years old and a High School student I have Commited my life to Christ but have not lived the most Christian life I am always Going to parties and having fun as a Kid would do But I am looking to get in to sales and will start school for my Real estate license in Feb. I read this book at work and it was great I read it once and liked it so much I went back and took notes on it I would realy recomend it to anyone who is looking for a career in sales and needs a place to start IT IS A REALLY GREAT BOOK!!!!

This is the book that helps me put my newfound career in sales in proper perspective, His Perspective. I am by profession an early childhood teacher who is now also a consultant for a cosmetic co. I just could not figure out how sales which is generally looked unfavorably on by my family could be as honorable as teaching. Used to getting a paycheck for services from my employer, I was so uncomfortable handling money directly from the consumer. Also with a negative view and understanding of the profession as a whole, I also couldn't see sales fitting into Our Father's Plans for my life, His Kingdom and for His Good in world.( Now I have the potential to give more $$$ to charities and missionaries for His Purposes than I ever could on $16,000 a year). Pink's writing style is so down-to earth and non-preachy that if you are christian or not it shouldn't matter.If you want to be a salesperson from a point of honor, character and intergrity this book will guide you.

Martha Ivery certainly goes overboard when she teaches how to contact our inner spiritual energies. With the simple and easy exercises in her book, one can readily experience a psychic experience almost immediately.
Look out Jon Edwards or Sylvia Browne, Ms. Ivery has it all together when she teaches others the tricks of the trade. No longer do we have to go to a psychic for answers of the past or the future, we can learn to do it on our own, by reading What's Your Psychic I.Q?

This book is informative and enjoyable. The author has managed to explain and demystify the concept of ESP, using friendly, conversational language. She clearly defines energy, and uses beautiful analogies in order to simplify seemingly complicated concepts. Her excercises are wonderful and simple. For example, she teaches that something as simple as your posture can help you maintain control in certain situations, by providing a closed circuit for your energy. This book has helped me to identify my own "sixth sense". I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the psychic experience.

I feel that the first part of the title of this book is a bit of a misnomer... the book is not a test of psychic abilities, but more of a recipe for living your life to the fullest. After reading the book once, you will want to keep it, so that you can refer back to it on occasion. In my opinion, the book is easy to read, and gives a good overview of several techniques that should help develop your abilities. Many of the exercises are good for not only developing psychic abilities, but also for feeling at peace with yourself (which is all too rare in this stress-laden world). While reading the book, I could almost hear the calm voice of Ms. Ivery speaking the words; however, I did jump a bit when (after following the instructions in the book) I saw my aura. If you are on a search to try to get in touch with your soul, this book will be a welcome addition to your library.

I am sorry to say I found this book to be a bit simplistic and lacking in descriptions and explanations. The writing style seemed amatuer and sometimes just seemed too repetitive. I have read far better and more in depth books on psychic abilities and would suggest you check around before purchasing this book. On the other hand, if all you want is an overview and some light reading this may be a good choice for you.

This book is the best I've seen on openning the door to your psychic ability. Sure it's simplistic, as the 2 star reviewer from New Mexico states. That's just how it is. If you need complicated books to help make your life more complicated, then this book is not for you. I found it very easy to understand and she went straight to the exercises without a bunch of life experiences and other crap to bog me down, bore me, and make me add it to the dust covered collection on my shelf. I actually use this book and it truly has brightened my life. If you truly want to learn to see auras, know things ahead of time, and expand your consciousness, buy this book. It's worth the full price. Thanks Martha.

I LOVE BOOKS LIKE THIS! Action, vivid detailed fight scenes. I really didn't feel this was horror as more of fantasy/science fiction. I loved the way TL Gardner hooked me into his story and kept me turning the pages in this urban novel.

I kept thinking how cool it would be to see this in a series or mini series. The graphics and action would just be amazing. I can't wait to read Book Two. Faboulous!

The book had me so involved that I at one point had to stop and look around behind me to see if maybe something was about to get me. I don't normally read horror, but I wanted to read something by TL Gardner, that he'd written by himself and this book was fantastic.

The characters were interesting enough to keep me reading and keep me interested in what was going to happen next. However, the flow of the story had too many abrubt scene/incident chages to make it a good novel. With more time, writing, and editing Demon Hunter would have been a good first novel.

Platinum Reviewers Rating 4.5
Do you believe that before you are born your destiny is already chosen for you? Well TL Gardner explains in Demon Hunter how if the Archangels or any angel with status has a mission for you that your life could be altered even before your existence.

Elijah Garland never could figure out why so much wrong has gone on in his life from the many failed attempts at happiness, love, and joy but when he finally finds happiness and thinks he has a hold on it a man with a vengeance for what Elijah has done takes his away another one of his one true loves. What he fails to realize is that the Archangel Gabriel has played a part in his existence before he was even conceived and it was all in reason of him to become a Demon Hunter a half angel half human to fight the war that is happening on Earth. Elijah has found a second love with Ebonee and wouldn't let harm find its way to her but he didn't realize that Ebonee would also become the one who could pull him out of his dark moments. With Elijah and Ebonee teamed up as one they fight hells most evils presence with the help of FBI contact and a priest but will it be enough to keep love alive long enough for Elijah to finish his father's mission and to possible catch a full glimpse of love and happiness.

TL Gardner brings laughter and complete enjoyment into his book and his characters leaving you wanting for more just to see what else these characters could get their selves into. I would defiantly recommend this book to any paranormal or romance reader.


~ Reviewed by Missy Brown

Elijah Garland is tired of life as he knows it. Just as he experiences some kind of happiness, something happens to take it away from him. It's as if he isn't meant to be anything other than miserable and alone. It is in that misery that he finally accepts his fate, accepts defeat and shoots himself in the head, taking his own life. One wonders how all of that comes to pass in the first few pages of DEMON HUNTER by T. L. Gardner, but only one who hasn't read previous work by this talented young author.

Instead of death being the end for Elijah, he wakes up in the hospital days later without any apparent damages. His mother and sister are happy to see him alive, but the doctors and the police don't quite understand the "hows" of his recovery and want to run tests and interrogate him. Elijah doesn't question it too much either. He just makes a run for it and eventually it is revealed to him that he has been chosen from birth to right some of the wrongs in the world, to take battle against the forces of darkness (demons, minions, and even Lucifer himself) who are trying to take over their world. With his twin swords Enobe and Soul Seeker, he sets out on the mission. He is "The Protector" and he uses his past pain and rage to guide him on his journey.

Being chased by the police, he encounters FBI Agent Ebonee Lane to whom he immediately feels an attraction. She is undercover on a case which she finds has some connection to Elijah and just as she thinks she knows what's going on, everything around her changes and she ends up fighting for her life. Through both their travels and the battles with the human and supernatural forces around them, they are tested on love, faith, and the meaning of life.

DEMON HUNTER is a mesmerizing and emotional trek through the landscape of good and evil, love and hatred, life and death. T. L. Gardner is an exceptional writer who gives the reader a well-paced story, solid characters, vivid imagery, and witty dialogue.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

My brother passed me this book, and now I want to tell everyone I know about it. These are terrifying topics, many of which we wonder about but don't have the nerve to ask. Doesn't matter if you are looking at it to laugh-you will learn something. Not like from a text book, more like from talking to people, most of whom you'll never get to meet.

The material in the book speaks about his commitment to diversity and discussion, and knowing that he runs the yforum website shows it even more.

This is an entertaining book, filled with different people's perceptions on race, sexuality and culture. The format is simple: A question is asked and various people answer the question based on their experience. At the end of each question an 'expert' answers the question putting closure on the topic.

I was vastly entertained by the subject of sexuality, race and ethnicity. (Although some questions were somewhat silly... ) A reader wonders why "White People" (a generalization in itself), smell like wet dogs when they get wet. Huh? Anyway myths such as this are quickly debunked. Thank God.

Several sections I found less interesting. The section on disabilities, age, and class (a social and not biological construct) seemed common knowledge or to have so many variables that I found it difficult to be interested. Age is also another widely variable category. Sometimes the questions seemed a little off-kilter such as: "How come it seems that Teenagers are afraid to take care of AIDS patients?" Huh? I've never heard or thought of this as being a perception of teenagers. Teens come with variable responsibility levels as do adults.

Overall an excellent book. Sure to educate one on both our perceived and real differences. This could only be improved with a few more 'widely wondered' questions and an omission of a few of the more obvious ones. High entertainment value.

This book exercises the most important part of the body -- the brain. It will stimulate your thinking about questions you have always wondered about, but were afraid to ask. I found myself laughing out loud, flinching with embarassment and saddened by our ignorance. Milano provides great balance by giving the reader both individual and expert opinions to our questions. I Can't Believe You Asked That! will contribute to your understanding of the concept of tolerance in our world today.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is obvious that the author has selected the most sincere questions and responses from what must be a great collection of sticky material. Some topics are amusing, some heartbreaking, but all of them are honest.

Adding the opinion of experts on each topic provides a great summary, while still allowing the reader to ponder the question and arrive at his own conclusion, or at least arrive at a better understanding about persons different from himself.

We need this book, if for nothing else, than to open our minds to understanding, tolerance and acceptance.

I call these sorts of books, "bon-bon books" because like a box of chocolates I find myself reading one piece and then another until pretty soon I find that I've read the whole darn thing!

This is a collection of questions and answers about delicate subjects from Milano's website, "Y? The National Forum on People's Differences." Some of this is a little too delicate for an Amazon review, but let me give it a try.

Do women (pass gas)? Replies range from "Of course..." (dodo brain) to "men tend to pass a higher volume of gas than women--about 120 cc (cubic centimeters) per passage to just 90 cc for women" while "women have a higher concentration of the dreaded hydrogen sulfide in their outbursts, which makes their odor intensity greater." So now you know. (But unmentioned is the inflammatory test beloved by adolescents with cigarette lighters...)

"Why do Christian networks and shows feature people with really big hair and lots of makeup and gaudy, overdecorated sets?" I always wondered that myself. According to one guy ("MIKE, 42, Humanist gay male), the target audience seems to be "trailer park trash" from the Bible Belt "where big hair and tons of makeup seem to never go out of style." Professor Anson Shupe from Indiana University adds that the Trinity Broadcasting Network, etc. have "done their polls and market research, and they know what sells" and "The big hair and ornate sets have a certain appeal to these televangelists' biggest audience segment: lower-middle-class, middle-aged females."

One more: "Is it true that when women are together they talk in much more graphic, detailed and intimate terms about sex and their sexual partners than men do?" Answer: it depend on who you ask, but according to Milano's expert, Aline Zoldbrod, "I think men like to imagine women having all these intimate discussions about their sexual relationships, but women are as private as men." Hmm. Another truism of my youth blown to smithereens.

The book is divided into nine chapters from "COLOR-BLIND: Race and Ethnicity" to "ON THE JOB: Work." Within the chapters are sections headed by a question, followed by some answers from people who responded on the website (e.g., "DEBBIE K., 29, married female"), concluded with what Milano calls a "Y?Check" in which he cites an authority or two on the subject at hand (or in hand, as the case may be). Tacked on to the end of the chapters are some questions they are working on, with no answers yet.

And, yes, SIZE does matter. (But you knew that.)

Bottom line: adult, levelheaded and informative, mostly PC, but not overly so with some chuckles and some surprises.

FORMER NBA PLAYER BILL BRADLEY TAKES US THROUGH SOME OF THE 1973-74 KNICKS SEASON, AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF BRADLEY, EARL MONROE, WILLIS REED AND DAVE DEBUSSCHURE. MOST OF IT IS INTERESTING AND WELL WRITTEN. IT IS NOT A TELL ALL OR CONTROVERSIAL BOOK BUT PRETTY MUCH A FACTS ONLY BOOK. SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE HOW THE PLAYERS SPEND THEIR DOWN TIME ON ROAD TRIPS, THE AVAILABILITY OF WOMEN WHO WILL SLEEP WITH JUST ABOUT ANY PLAYER, AND THE INNERPLAY OF THE KNICKS IN PRACTICE AND ON PLANES. I LIKED THIS BOOK BUT IT IS NOTHING GREAT AND IT IS BORING AT TIMES BUT STILL WORTH A PEEK.

He writes about being in the NBA but it's during the 70's when it was so different from now. Players didn't make mega millions then. I can't believe they would still have to do their own laundry and share a hotel room with someone on the team. But it's a nice glimpse into the 70's and professional basketball, I guess. The basketball writing is okay, I've read much better. His writing is pretty dead.

Bill Bradley's account of three weeks in the life of an NBA team in the '70's is as much a stunningly insightful social commentary as it is a nice, easily-rambling, "On the Road"-style ride. Beautiful.

After reading John McPhee's account of Bill Bradley's years at Princeton, I put the book down and thought it was too good to be true. No NBA player I've ever seen is THAT smart. But after reading Bradley's own Life on the Run, I recant. Bradley IS that smart, and he's a hell of a writer to boot. This one can be spoken about with the same kind of respect due the classic sports profiles, including McPhee's own Levels of the Game. I'm glad I took a chance on this book. It was a real pleasure.

Bradley's memoir of the waning games in the New York Knicks' 1973-74 season (the season after they won their second NBA championship) contains many observations about professional sports that, unfortunately, continue to ring true today: the shameless exploitation of undereducated athletes by agents and comparable parasites; the intrinsic harshness of an itinerant existence during a roadtrip on the West Coast; the grueling physical and mental demands of the NBA regular season; the evanescent nature of fan support. Given all of the above, why then would anyone want to play NBA basketball? Well, Bradley also does a fine job of describing the many thrills an athlete can derive from, among other things, being exhalted by home fans; winning a championship; and being part of a selflless team unit that manages to sublimate individualistic tendancies in its pursuit of greater goals. Bradley's book, from what I can gather, was revolutionary for its time in that it eschewed the type of hagiographic approach that many writers took toward the world of professional sports and ablely demonstrated the myriad difficulties associated with being a player in the nation's largest media spotlight. It should be a must- read for all aspiring NBA players -- especially those players who are considering foregoing several (or all) years of their collegiate eligibilities to make a fast buck. They should be forewarned: "All that glitters isn't gold."

I was diagnosed with RA in December and picked this book up soon after. It gives lots of information about the course of the disease, medications, exercises and diet. I've loaned it to family members and reference it whenever I have a question about what my body is doing. The only drawback is that medications are developing at such a fast rate, that the book is already a bit outdated after only 3 years. However, it is still a great starting point.

This book covers all aspects of this disease and is written by a practicing Rheumatologist. RA is considered one of the "inflammatory" forms of arthritis and is now generally considered an autoimmune disease. Topics covered in depth include what joints are commonly affected, other organs that may also be involved and some of the other complications that may be experienced. The testing commonly performed by Physicians is discussed at length and explained in lay terms. The general progression of the disease differs in different individuals and this is discussed as well. The treatments such as medications, therapy, surgery are discussed individually and in depth in lay terms. Exercise is also covered. Some other aspects that are discussed are emotional issues and disability. This book actually presents a solid in depth knowledge of the diease and contains a lot of information that many family practioners and generalist may not be aware of as they are not specialists in this disease process. This book should be read and owned by anyone with this disease or a loved one with this disease. All of the information is presented in lay terms that are easy to understand. There are numerous illustrations as well.

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis by Tammi L. Shlotzhauer (Clinical Instructor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center and Practicing Rheumatologist at Rheumatology Associates of Rochester) and James L. McGuire (Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts) is a large print compendium of the latest information on Rheumatoid Arthritis concerning the diagnosis, treatment, and daily life (from special diets to possible alternative therapies and more) with this troublesome and painful disease. Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis informatively presents its facts in terms and text ideal for the non-specialist general reader, yet without glossing over specific issues, problems, medicines, or other challenges facing rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. Simply put -- this is a work of superb medical scholarship and Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis should be on the shelves and available to the patrons of every community library system in this country.

This book provides excellent information about what rheumatoid arthritis is, how to distinguish it from osteoarthritis, etc.

However, I don't want to live with RA, I want to recover from it. As such, this book offers no help in this regard. It tells me about drugs that I can take and splints that I can wear to help me from becoming completely disabled, but offers me no hope of recovery.

In contrast, the book "Conquering Arthritis" by Barbara Allan, is the well-researched account of someone who took charge of their health and fought to recover from the disease, to get their life back. And succeeded! I'm well on the road to recovery myself by applying the principles in her book. Now that's a book well worth spending your money on!

This book gives a lot of layman explanations to medical technical jargon that the doctors throw at new patients. At times the reading was a bit dry, but this book serves as a daily reference to me with the many challenges I face as a newly diagnosed RA patient.

I found this book to be the best primer for someone who has not done any multithreaded programming. The examples are concise and straight to the point. I read this book in two days . This book was very similar to an Operating Systems course that I had taken where I learned about concurrent programming; e.g., the "Reader-writers" and the "Dinning Philosphers" problems, deadlocks/starvation, race conditions, and how to synchronize events, etc.. In a world where getting information/samples to show "how to" do multithreaded programming, this book will give you a starting point to build on. "Highly recommended".

Beware of this text, despite it's recent publication date of 1996 it only covers Windows NT 3.5 multithread API. If this is what you are looking for then purchase this book!

This book took me from knowing nothing about thread programming to writing professional mulithreaded programs very quickly. If you are tasked to write multithreaded programs under Windows NT (like I was) this book will give you a flying start.

A very well written book on multithreading. Though this book focuses on NT multthreading model, it will serve as a good reference for people working on UNIX as well. It is written in a very simple language which makes the reading very easy and interesting. Coming from UNIX background, I would have liked to have a more elaborate comparision of NT thread interface with UNIX (such as Solaris) one. But in no way this missing feature diminishes the value of this book. A must have!!

This book offers good solutions, overall. But it's advice is ocasionally flawed fatally. Within the first couple chapters, for example, the authors write all of their examples to call TerminateThread(), which is a fatal and unforgivable mistake that results in nothing more than unstability. Worse, throught the book, they code threads that use the C runtime libraries but start the threads with the CreateThread() API--that causes the runtime libraries to not correctly initialize or shutdown in all cases, and that results in memory leaks and unstability. While the authors clearly treat deadlocks and thread programming models, their implementations are still mortally flawed. A score of 10 for great abstract descriptions plus a score of 1 for terribly poor implementations and samples results in a score of five.

I would like to say "Thank You" to Admiral Kenneth M. Beyer for telling the story about my father. The story my father was not willing or able to tell himself. My father was not a flamboyant man and he spent thirty two years of his life in service to his country. I first read about my father's ship the USS Asterion in Michael Gannon's book "Operation Drumbeat." The dramatic true story of Germany's first U-Boat attacks along the American coast in World War II. The true nature of what my father did in 1942/43 did not become abundantly clear to me until after I read Kenneth Beyer's book. I was not born until two year after in 1945. I have contacted Mr. Beyer and talked with him personally even sending him copies of letters my father wrote to his mother (my grandmother) while he was in command of the USS Asterion. The one thing Mr. Beyer did not know was that Harry Hicks, captain of the USS Atik aka SS Carolyn, sunk by U-123 was my father's best friend. They graduated from the Naval Academy together in 1927. They kept in touch with each other throughout the Thirties and in 1942 while at the War College my father was asked if he would like to command a Q-Ship and he said he would if his friend Harry could be in command of one as well. I asked my father about his tour of duty aboard the Asterion and he said he did not care to discuss it other than to say it was a very dangerous assignment. Beyers discription of a confrontation that took place off of Jacksonville Beach between my dad's ship and the United States Coast Guard is vintage Legwen. I saw myself in this roll and I would have done exactly what my father did. You will need to read it for yourself. In the "The Beacon 1927-1962"(a publication of the United States Naval Academy), my father's comments to his fellow classmates are as follows: "I enjoyed the thirty years I spent on active duty and had the pleasure of serving with a grand bunch of people...In fact about the only disagreeable memory I have is not being able to arrive in time to help out my good friend Harry Hicks when he was sunk with all hands about ten days after we sailed on the "Q" Boat venture." Neither my father nor his crew ever received any recognition or so much as a thank you for this voluntary service to their country. One of the momentos that I will cherish as long as I live is a silver water pitcher. It is engraved with the following: To Captain & Mrs. G. Legwen from Crew U.S.S. Asterion May 1943. Captain Legwen died December 12, 1982. He never met his grandsons Glenn W. Legwen IV and William Lee Legwen born after his death.

having been a member of this ship's crew and therefore familier with most of the characters,I deem it to be authentic.

Captain Beyer has put together an excellent piece of work in this his first book! It is a story of courage and ingenuity in the bleak early months of WWII. This is a very well-researched work that is rich in detail. I read this fascinating chapter in U.S. Navy history with profound admiration.

...

Q-ships were ineffective in the First World War, and obsolete in an era of unrestricted submarine warfare. But President Roosevelt insisted the U.S. Navy try Q-ships against the Nazi threat. It might perhaps be new to the young U-boat captains. Admiral E. J. King, commander of the U.S. Fleet, recognized the futility of the Q-ship concept, but lacking any real anti-submarine capabilities, King diplomatically complied: "the president had requested Q-ships, and Q-ships he would get," Beyer wrote in his Q-ships versus U-boats. King had two small freighters and a tanker converted and outfitted as Q-ships (USS Atik, Asterion, and Big Horn), invested minimal resources, and sent them in harm's way. The Q-ships were not expected to "last longer than a month after commencement of assigned duties," and indeed proved a futile and ineffective, albeit gallant, offensive gesture.

In his "Q-ships versus U-boats" Beyer (who served as Asterion's supply officer) uses American and German official records, and the memories, letters, and memorabilia of the veterans of Asterion and the families of the Atik crewmen to reconstruct a speculative account of the battle of Atik with U-105 and U-123. His "nonfiction fiction" fits the record to a dramatized rendering, based on Beyer's knowledge and imagination. This mixing history with fiction is the first problem with Beyer's book. The second is the dry and awkward writing. While flawed, Beyer's memoir fills a niche, and describes the minor role of America's Q-ships in the western Atlantic, holding on against the predations of the U-boats through the dark days of 1942... The Q-ships received none of the fused all-source operational intelligence that one year later would become essential to victory over the U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic. No effort was made to exploit the U-boat captains' fallacious but ubiquitous fears, for example, by simulating Q-ship operations more widely, or making their existence public. To the contrary, the Q-ship operations remained classified long after the war. Like their counterparts in the Great War, the Q-ships lacked any effective mechanism to force U-boats to the surface, or even excite their interest. Only one of the three U.S. Q-ships was sure-fire U-boat bait: a high-value tanker. But this was happenstance; the Q-ships' designs were not based on any careful assessment of U-boat vulnerabilities to deception.

The Q-ships were a lost opportunity to effectively bait the U-boats to the surface. The British code breakers in the spring of 1941 had already seen the utility of cutting out German weather ships to capture their cryptographic materials. Royal Navy task forces in the spring of 1941 captured München and Lauenburg with their code keys, at about the same time HMS Bulldog fortuitously seized U-110 and her Enigma code machine, rotors, and keys. The Germans were just as intensely interested in British and American merchant codes, and read the Allied convoy codes until mid-1943. The Kriegsmarine surface raiders frequently made captures and seized intelligence materials.

The U.S. Navy might have baited and trolled Q-ships, enticing U-boats to the surface to attempt such a capture. But the U.S. Navy hatched no such ruses or deception schemes. America's few WWII Q-ships, basically window-dressing, essentially were sacrificed.

A super book on an overlooked part of the Battle of the Atlantic --- the U.S. Q-Ships. Moreover, thanks to Kenneth Beyer, the families of men on the "Secret Ships" Asterion and Atik have a reference that documents what their parents and, in my case, grandparents accomplished, endured and gave in a little documented aspect of the Battle of the Atlantic.

I knew my Mother's Father, Guy Brown Ray, was an officer aboard the Asterion but little else until Mr. Beyer's book.

Mr. Beyer -- THANK YOU!!!

I ordered this book because, as a student of WW-2, I have always been curious to learn more about the Alamo Scouts, an organization that is only alluded to or mentioned briefly in most books on this conflict.

I found this book to be both interesting and informative, especially the sections devoted to the rigerous training imposed upon prospective members of the Scouts.

In my opinion, several of the exploits attributed to the Scouts could have been more lengthy and provided additional detail, but basically I am well satisfied with this story.

This book certainly answered many questions I had regarding this organization and the excellent and unheraled job they did.

This book covers a group of little known heros of WWII. While small in number it's importance to the success of the war in the Pacific cannot be measured by it's size. Their contribution cannot be in operations alone as the very existance of the group was a foundation for future units such as theirs. It could even be said that the Special Forces of today might possibly not exist had it not been for the foresight of the founder and the execution of operations of the men of The Alamo Scouts. The book is well written and with plentiful photographs. Their accompolishments are truly astounding.

This chronological review of the Alamo Scouts is interesting, but...

The story spends a great deal of time describing the organization, setup, and mission of the Alamo Scouts. Mr. Zedric does a very good job of providing this background information.

The author also does a very god job of outlining the missions performed by the Scouts and the positive impact of the Scouts on the US war effort in the Pacific. However, the book falls short by overviewing many missions, instead of detailing a few particular missions.

I would have enjoyed the book more had Mr. Zedric introduced me to 1-2 of the teams, and explored in greater detail, their efforts.

Having said that, the book is still interesting and explore's a fascinating portion of the war in the Pacific. As a result, I do want to learn more about the Phillipin campaigns.

The story on page 240 is more clear than I remember it. I was a Gunners Mate on PT Boat 379 of Squdron 28 and have pictures of the two prisoners that Lt. Dove brought back to the boat. Also took a picture of the 39 people we rescued. Lt. Morton was our skipper. At least one part of the operation was in daylite. The "team" was made up of only two men, Lt. Dove and a Filipino Scout. We in the boat crew couldn't believe the scouts could get away with some of the operations they were on. A most fantastic group of men.

Read this book! Real people, real heroes. I have no idea why they haven't made a movie about these guys.

They have a record no unit on the planet can top: 106 missions in 18 months, 138 personnel (including staff, support and operators), and no wounded or killed in action.

Freaking Unbelievable! One of the more interesting anecdotes was a prayer by one of the Scouts (paraphrased): "Lord, If you don't want me to kill the enemy, don't let me see them..."

Get this book, it's history and it's not dry at all!