Party The Books

If you want to understand the world of today you have to work at understanding how it got to be the way it is. This is one of those books that is critical to doing that, I don't say that lightly. This book is what is known as a primary source. It is the record of one, actually several, of the crucial political battles of the last century, told by some of the leading participants in their own words. It is not a history written decades later by someone to explain what went wrong, but a record of a battle as it progressed.

Reading this book you get a better understanding of the following: How it was that the domestic and foreign policy of the new Soviet Union began to deteriorate from a revolutionary one to one that put the narrow needs of day to day diplomacy and deal making first. How the Chinese Communist Party was formed and how it developed. What type of revolution was it's leadership trying to make? Why were the U.S., England, Japan and France so hostile to it? How and why did the Stalinists and Maoists gain leadership and themselves come into being? And much else.

This book is made up of an impressive number of documants, speeches and reports principally by Trotsky, one of the central leaders of the Russian revolution who would not sell out and died fighting Stalin and the destruction of the revolution. The introduction adds much to the book in bringing things up to date. I think this book is useful for historians, anyone wanting to know more about China and the revolution there, and any revolutionaries of today who want to learn from one of the best. It can be particularly useful to political minded workers and young people from Asia

What impresses me about this book is Trotsky's impassioned duty and determination to build a world revolution of the oppressed and to clear the way for the working people of China from the waste, confusion, and defeats that Stalinism of the Stalin and Mao varieties have imposed on them.

Thirty years ago many people would have thought reading a book about the liberation of a country from semicolonialism would no longer be necessary as we enter the 21st Century. However, it seems that lead by the USA, the imperialist powers of Western Europe and Japan are in a growing drive to deepen their control over countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Sadly, the lessons in this book drawn from the struggle of peasants and workers in China in the first 40 years of this century, are becoming more and more applicable around the world.

The Chinese Revolution was one of the great developments of the 20th century, and the challenges and lessons it provides remain of great importance today. Imperialism and imperialist war, colonialism, revolutionary Marxism vs. Stalinism and Maoism, concepts of armed struggle, mass struggle, of constructing a revolutionary party, the character of a workers and peasants government, of a workers-peasant alliance-- all were tested in the turbulent, living experience of social crisis, repression, war and massive worker and peasant uprisings.

This lengthy collection brings together the writings of Leon Trotsky on China from 1925 to his death in 1940. Trotsky was, along with V. I. Lenin, a central leader of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the early years of the Communist International. After the death of Lenin in 1924, Trotsky led the fight against the degeneration of that revolution and the rise of a conservative, privileged bureaucracy headed by Josef Stalin. Revolutionary policies in China at the time were at the heart of the differences between revolutionaries and Stalinists. Trotsky gives detailed and extensive analysis very useful today, both for the issues covered and as an example of how to use the Marxist method to orient revolutionary fighters in the living world.

The collection includes a substantial introduction by long-time Chinese revolutionary Peng Shu-tse, covering the history of China during these years, which I found useful for putting Trotsky's writings in context.

Also recommended: The Chinese Communist Party in Power, by Peng Shu-tse; The History of the Russian Revolution, by Leon Trotsky; and Capitalism's World Disorder, by Jack Barnes.

rotsky's Discussion of China is one of the most masterful discussions of the dynamics of revolution in a country underdeveloped and exploited by imperialism that has ever been made. It centers on the Chinese revolutionary events of the mid and late 1920s, though it continues into the 1930s when the Stalin Bukharin leadership in the Communist International forced the Chinese revolutionists to subordinate their struggle to a block with bourgeois militarist Chiang Kai-shek It is not surprising that when it was made, the founding central leaders of the Chinese communist movement were won to Trotsky's Left Opportunism. In letters and articles and political documents for the Russian Communist Party and the Comintern, Trotsky explains how the only road forward for Chinese workers and peasants was asserting their own power and independence and how only the struggle against capitalism could solve the problems facing China.

As such, it provides an adequate background to the middle class and Stalinist nature of the Chinese Communist party that headed the revolution in 1949. As such

It can be read now, as a new generation of fighting workers, peasants, and youth in China looks for real communist alternatives to both capitalism and the pseudo-Communism of China's Stalinist Communist party.


While this book is sometimes not directly available from Amazon, it is always available from BooksfromPathfinder, which you can reach by clicking on New and Used further up this page.

Eugene V. Debs the socialist revolutionist was fond of saving, "it is better to vote for what you want and not get it, than to vote for what you don't want and get it." Malcolm X was fond of simply pointing out that at every key point in the history of Black people, the Democratic party "has sold us out." This book explains why real revolutionists are trying to chart a course of indepedence for workers, farmers, and the oppressed from the twin parties of capitalism, the Demnocrats and the Republicans.

Can the Republicans and the Democrats help us. Or do we need some new kind of party like the Green party, whichis a more liberal or more progressive party but still built on the model of the Democrats and the Republicans.
The responses that leaders of the Socialist Workers Party give here to people who believe that working people can work in the Democratic party or build other capitalist political parties answer these questions. They point out that the fundamental problem in this society is not liberal ideas or non liberal ideas, but the existence of a capitalist class, the big corporate leaders, and a capitalist system. They explain that politics is a question of taking power out the hands of those people and that system.

What strategy is needed to advance the cause of the working class and progressive people? Since Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s, many labor, Black, and other progressive movements have supported the "lesser evil" -- usually the Democratic party candidate. Debated here is whether working people should dump this course and seek instead to replace the system which is alternatively administered by "lesser evil" Democrats and "greater evil" Republicans. Read the book and consider the consequences of "coalitionism" vs. independent working class political action.

A lively and thought-provoking book. Lively because of the format -- the actual transcripts of live debates -- and because of the importance of the questions posed: should activist and militant workers fighting to change U.S. society work for or within the two-party system, specifically for the Democratic Party (the so-called Lesser Evil)? In each case, leaders of the Socialist Workers Party championing independent political action take on prominent social democrats arguing for working within the Democratic Party.

These debates took place in the midst of political struggles in 1959, 1965 and 1976. They are shaped by the tremendous labor upsurge of the 1930s and 1940s that forged the industrial unions of the CIO, the massive civil rights movement and the movement against the U.S. war in Vietnam-- times when millions of working people and youth took to the streets and challenged the policies and rulers of this country. I find the historical examples cited and the lessons drawn very relevant for today.

Read these debates, weigh the arguments, and decide for yourselves! I'd also recommend some further useful reading including: Labor's Giant Step: 20 years of the CIO, by Art Preis; Out Now! A participant's account of the movement in the United States against the Vietnam war, by Fred Halstead; and the collection of speeches by Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary.

This book chronicles a series of debates between supporters of the Democratic and Republican parties and leaders of the Socialist Workers party who believe that working class people, Blacks, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, women, and all who fight for change need to break from the Republican and Democratic parties and the wanna be capitalist parties like the Greens to form a working class political party, a labor party, a party that can fight for power to be placed in the hands of workers and farmers in this country and the world. Its simple, a system is something that seeks to preserve itself. The SWPers demonstrate that Democratic party and other capitalist parties are part of the capitalism system and are not vehicles for liberation, but traps

"Understand Mississippi, and you understand the world." William Faulkner ... And he was so right. What's so good about Todd Moye's book is that he provides the needed clarity to understand this microcosm in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Moye's research is excellent; this is particularly note worthy since it is not easy to find such information in the Delta. Mississippi's libraries - public and educational - are notorious for their dearth of newer Mississippi books. (Forget the archives.) So thanks to Moye for providing this unique piece of history that needs and deserves attention and preservation.

Todd Moye has written an excellent book about the civil rights movement in the Mississippi Delta. The power of the book lies in its simple prose and nuanced analysis, a rare combination in historical nonfiction today. The storytelling will pull readers into the book and the analysis will change the way many readers think about the civil rights movement, not just in Mississippi but across the South.

_Let the People Decide_ is the best historical perspective on Mississippi I've read since _Rising Tide_. And I'm not just saying that because J. Todd Moye is my brother.

The book is focused on the freedom movements in a specific time and place, but I think it gives insight into how similar movements evolve elsewhere. It is definately a scholarly work, and the author footnotes many of his own oral history interviews as source material. Yet the author's prose is not stuffy, and you don't feel like you are doing homework while reading this engaging book. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in our nation's history, especially in the evolution of civil rights movements in the south.

Great book. My almost [...] loves this book along with Peter's Chair. The pictures are beautiful and the story relatable to little ones. We plan on getting more Peter books.

This book in the Ezra Jack Keats series is wonderful. I am relatively new to this author but have fallen for all the books that my 3 year old and I have read so far. It is wonderfully illustrated and the simple text makes it a winner. A great addition to any childs library and a series that merits collecting.

This is a story of Peter who is having a birthday. He writes a special letter to Amy to invite her to the party. The other guests will be boys so he just asked them. As Peter went out to mail his letter Amy almost saw. He was not nice to her and thought see might not come to his party. The day for the party came and finally Amy arrived. The boys didn't like it because a girl was at the party. I thought this book would be a wonderful story to read in my first grade classroom. I could use it for a mini-lesson on how to write invitations and addressing envelopes. Also, it could be used to promote friendships between boys and girls.

My two year old loves Whistle for Willie, and Goggles, both by Ezra Jack Keats. I brought home _A Letter To Amy_ from the library to let him have a look.

_A Letter To Amy_ is the story of Peter, who has an upcoming birthday. He wants to invite Amy with a letter, because she's a special friend. Peter is worried that the boys at his party won't like Amy because she's a girl. He writes a letter to Amy, and tries to mail it.

This book has the same illustration style as Whistle for Willie... very patchy, abstract, and easy to enjoy. The story is great. I know that older kids love Ezra Jack Keats' picture books-- and I'm telling you my 2 year old does, too!

He calls this book AMY BOOK, and we read it over and over again.

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James P. Cannon was a rebel leader. “Letters from Prison” is a compilation of letters he wrote while imprisoned in 1944-45 for his opposition to the imperialist war. This book is the prison journal of a central leader the Socialist Workers Party, and it captures his thoughts about how that cadre of revolutionary workers should be taking advantage of opportunities to build the revolutionary socialist movement. This book contains valuable lessons for today’s rebel youth and working people fed up with imperialist war, continued racial discrimination, and the greed of capitalist exploitation. Growing layers of working people want to put an end to this madness – but how? “Letters from Prison” offers guidance on the kind of organization needed to lead the revolutionary transformation of our society. It explains what kind of men and women are needed to lead this revolution, and it, therefore, is a must-read handbook for revolutionary-minded activists today.

If you are interested in the history of the American Left or are a militant trying to understand some of the past lessons of our history concerning the communist response to various social and labor questions this book is for you. This book is part of a continuing series of volumes of the writings of James P. Cannon that were published by the organization he founded, the Socialist Workers Party, in the 1970's and 1980's. Cannon died in 1974. Look in this space for other related reviews of this series of documents on and by an important American Communist.

In their introduction the editors motivate the purpose for the publication of the book by stating the Cannon was the finest Communist leader that America had ever produced. This an intriguing question. The editors trace their political lineage back to Cannon's leadership of the early Communist Party and later after his expulsion to the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party so their perspective is obvious. What does the documentation provided here show? This certainly is the period of Cannon's political maturation after a long and fruitful political collaboration working with LeonTrotsky, the exiled Russian revolutionary. The period under discussion in his letters to his long time companion Rose Krasner- the years of World War II after Cannon and 17 other leaders of the Socialist Workers Party had been indicted, convicted and refused appeal by the United States Supreme Court under the then new Smith Act provisions and finally were imprisoned- demonstrate a continued commitment to the goals of revolutionary socialism and a desire to fight for those goals. One thing is sure- in his prime, which includes this period- Cannon had the instincts to want to lead a revolution and had the evident capacity to do so. That he never had an opportunity to lead a revolution is his personal tragedy and ours as well.

When the American Government under Franklin D. Roosevelt goaded on by one of his favorite abject `labor lieutenants of capitalism' , Daniel Tobin President of the International Teamsters Union, went after the real opponents of the second imperialist war known as World war II, the Socialist Workers Party and the Teamsters local in Minneapolis, they went to the right address. Unfortunately, unlike in World War I, those organizations were politically virtually the only ones in opposition from the left. The American Socialist Party captitulated immediately and the American Communist Party- after a short opposition during the infamous Hitler-Stalin Pact- had both made their peace with imperialism. If anything those organizations were the chief labor cheerleaders of the prosecutions. As an aside, but indicative of the nature of that organization, the Workers Party led by Max Shachtman, which had split from the SWP in 1940 over the question of defense of the Soviet Union, did not face government prosecution.

This volume of letters from prison by Cannon, central leader of the Socialist Workers Party, are testimony to what happens to revolutionaries when they fundamentally oppose a bourgeois government on its most cherished right, the right to make war. They go to jail. Kicking and screaming, yes, and using every avenue to avoid that situation but when the time comes that is what they do. In no case do they flinch from the consequences of the necessary action to oppose war. This comes with the territory of being a revolutionary. While few today remember such boldness, militants in the face of opposition to the current Iraq War would do well to honor that commitment by the Minneapolis 18.

As his letters indicate, political people do not roll over when in prison but within the limited circumstances they find themselves in act as political people and carry on as best they can -whether it is Czarist, fascist, Stalinist or bourgeois prisons. In the present case it was an advantage that many of the party leaders were with Cannon and could essentially form a leadership in exile to supplement the official leadership left behind on the outside. Of course all things being equal prison definitely cuts into the effectiveness of a revolutionary but the enforced idleness from the outside struggle is a time to study and reflection, which Cannon very ambitiously and systematically. Through Karsner and other sources Cannon kept up with internal party affairs and made plans for the future of the party.

Finally, it is rather ironic that Cannon, who was the guiding force in the American Communist Party's class struggle defense organization-the International Labor Defense in the mid-1920's should need the services of the Socialist Workers Party's class struggle defense organization -the Non-Partisan Labor Defense. What Cannon said in the 1920's applies to his own case. The struggle of the class-war prisoners- the cause that passes through the prisons- is the concern of the whole working class. An injury to one is an injury to all. That slogan is still valid for today's militants to organize around.

In 1944-45 James P. Cannon and 17 other leaders of the Socialist Workers Party and the Minnesota truck drivers union were imprisoned for opposing Washington's imperialist aims in World War II, convicted under the thought-control Smith Act. In his prison journal, Cannon addresses key questions of building, organizing, and educating a communist party capable of preparing for the explosive working-class battles that would follow the war. A traveling organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World before and during World War I, James P. Cannon was a leader of the Communist Party in the United States following the Russian revolution of October 1917. He was expelled from the Communist Party in 1928 for supporting Leon Trotsky's fight to continue V.I. Lenin's revolutionary course. A founding leader of the Socialist Workers Party, Cannon served as its national secretary and then national chairman until his death in 1974. From the introduction by Jack Barnes: "Growing numbers of young people have begun to reject the evils of capitalist America - war, racism, poverty, its sick culture. They want to replace capitalism with a better system. But how is this to be done? What kind of organization must be built to lead this struggle? What kind of men and women will the job require? These are the very questions discussed in Letters from Prison." (from the back cover)

This isn't a book about being in jail. Instead, it is a book about continuing to fight. Inside prison, Cannon and the others educated themselves about Marxism, discussed plans to explain the workers movement when they got out of prison, surveyed the changes in the world that World War II brought, and fought the pessimism that the war, Stalinism, and imprisonment had brought to some of them. Cannon, as always, is humorous, insightful, and just plain wise

My six-year-old (almost seven) received this book as an early Christmas gift. We are just starting to read "chapter" books together. She went wild over this! The language and familiar school dynamics were just right for her. The slightly moral message in the end about over-coming differences and giving from the heart was nice, but probably a bit over the head of my first-grader. All in all, a nice series that gets away from the "glitz and glam" of the ever closer "tween" years.

Everybody loves Nancy, but some trouble-maker has used the school Secret Santa party to play a nasty trick on her! Everybody got a cool present, except Nancy Drew!

There are a few suspects, including a snotty girl who is jealous and mean. Is she the thief? That's what you might think, but it's Nancy Drew who can really solve the Secret Santa mystery.

The Secret Santa (Nancy Drew Notebooks #3) is a fun read for young readers starting on chapter books. They'll love to solve this classroom mystery along with 3rd grade heroine, Nancy Drew.

This was a terrific kid's book. It satisfies childrens reading needs. I suggest this to readers between the ages six and nine.

How did Emily know there was candy on the card? Read the book and find out. Anyway it was great. I want to be a detective, well, got to go solve a case about a present. BYE!!!!!!

This cookbook offers simple instructions and makes either a novice in athe kitchen or a veteran entertain with ease.

I love this cookbook! Looking for a great appetizer -- you've gotta try the goat cheese. (easy and delicious!!!)

Everything I prepare from this cook book is an instant favorite! I am a cooking genius when I make a recipe from Life of the Party. This is not a large cook book that is loaded with recipes. It is rather a book made up of fantastic recipes that are well worth your effort! From drinks to salad dressings ('to die for' salad dressing is just that!) and entrees to desserts, Life of the Party is a simplistic menu guide for large crowds & parties. I'd be lost without it!

THE LIFE OF THE PARTY
BY
The Junior League of Tampa
... a culinary collection

"Food is at the core of what connects us," states Tampa's Junior League. "No party is out of our reach," with skillful planning, creative make-ahead recipes and fun menu selections. The basic object, they state, is to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your guests. They provide some creative twists on classic recipes.

This 127-page book is divided into: Parties, Preludes, Sideliners, Main Events and Grand Finales. Here and there are little Etiquette squibs, always helpful in changing times. Here are just a few:

§ One Prelude is Grouper Cakes with Tartar Sauce - an delicious Florida take on Maryland Crab Cakes.

§ Smoked Salmon Brushetta with Fennel and Goat Cheese is a menu from Tampa'a Mise en Place Restaurant.

§ Sassy Salsa combines black beans, corn, cilantro cumin tomatoes avocados and chiles.

§ Delicate Gazpacho Blanco contains yogurt, sour cream, peppers, parsley and light spicing.

§ Bunco Jumble is a crazy candy or salty snacks of Ritz peanut butter sandwich crackers, peanuts pretzels and M & M's.

§ Pirate's Milk Punch is a concoction of sour mash bourbon, French brandy, vodka, vanilla, whole milk and nutmeg.

§ Sideliners include Linguine Al Granchio con Salsa Rosa from Caffe Paradiso includes plum tomatoes, lump crab meat, clam juice and heavy cream

§ Pesto Green Beans involves fresh basil, pecans and of course green beans.

§ Great for New Year's brunch or a Bucs tailgate party is Jalapeno Cheese Grits with lots of butter, eggs and hot jalapenos. Pina Colada Muffins sideline well with these grits.

§ Main Event White Bean Chicken Chili is a hearty collection of the beans with green chiles, oregano and chicken beasts served with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

§ Arroz con Pollo Salada with Tomato Garlic Mayonnaise is a memorable combination of long rich, ham, green beans and chicken.

§ A "to die for" could be the Pears in Mascarpone Custard. Simple to make and bakes for only 20 minutes.

§ Another Grand meal finisher is Calypso Pie made with coffee ice cream Kahlua, slivered almonds in a graham cracker crust topped with a rich chocolate sauce.

§ What is a Butterscotch Sundae Martini? It's Godiva white chocolate liqueur, butterscotch schnapps, Frangelico amaretto, premium vodka in a chilled martini glass.

The Junior League of Tampa, Inc., is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through effective action and leadership by trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Proceeds from the sale of this cookbook will be reinvested in the community through Junior League of Tampa projects. (Telephone: 813.254.1734).

The Library of America's collection of original Lincoln source documents in two volumes is a wonderful addition to the library of any person interested in this portion of American history. The two volumes represent the best scholarship available today in terms of organizing and duplicating Lincoln's own words as they are found in personal letters, speech transcriptions, notes, memos, and other forms of written communication. This is a collection that is a fascinating look at the inner thoughts of Lincoln as he progresses from a congressional candidate in the 1850's, then as a candidate for President in 1860, and then as he prosecutes the war of the states until the time of his assassination.

The Library of America represents a rare and welcome to the world of print publishing. Funded from a continuous trust that is structured to keep every single volume perpetually in print, the Library prints only on the finest paper, using only the best inks, and implementing the best binding technology available. These books are true library quality, with ultra-high quality paper from Germany and bindings from the Netherlands, and truly represent the finest book quality typically seen in today's book world. The perpetual trust of the Library nevertheless keeps the price of these volumes at a reasonable level, with most volumes available between $24 and $40 dollars. Once you handle one, you'll undoubtedly see what a real value this series represents.

Lincoln's writings and recorded speeches are incredibly interesting to read. These works provide remarkable insight into this most unusual of people, and posterity is pleased that so much of these items were saved and eventually collated for later review. Can we make ourselves belief that this is largely a self-educated man who writes English prose at a level rarely seen even in the most educated of individuals? Following the logic posed in many of these letters, coupled with the piecing insights into human nature that Lincoln seemed to exude, can give us an experience that extends our thinking and challenges our views. Because Lincoln is canonized in history, we really don't understand the real man all that well. These personal writings of Lincoln help de-mystify the true person behind the persona, and make us see the man, not just the legend.

This volume provides Lincoln's speeches, writings and selected letters from 1859 through 1865. This period is the year leading up to his election in 1860 through his assassination in 1865. You will get to read amazing letters from the commander-in-chief trying to get his generals to fight and win the war, letters to all kinds of people covering topics public and personal, proclamations suspending habeas corpus and emancipation, his addresses to congress (our State-of-the Union Addresses used to be delivered by letter to Congress), and some of the greatest treasures in American history: the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. It is stunning that in all this writing, so much of it powerful and worthwhile, that these two brief speeches so obviously deserve to be engraved in stone for all ages to read and take into their souls.

It is awfully moving to read the material related to the conduct of the Civil War. He was very strong in his determination to destroy the Rebellion, yet he has very touching notes about his sick child and is very human in his communications with intimates.

This volume also has a chronology of Lincoln's life and great notes on the texts. Note particularly the Associated Press copy of the Gettysburg Address that was contemporary with its delivery. The version most of us know is a finished copy prepared for publication. The differences are subtle and not all that important, just interesting to note for style and rhetorical power.

I strongly urge you to have these two volumes on your American History bookshelf. Simply, they are important and you will learn a great deal reading through them.

I purchased this collection of speeches and letters knowing little about America's most beloved president other than what I had learned in my high school history classes. My first impression was "Boy, where have all the good presidents gone?" Aside from the famous speeches we're all familiar with, Lincoln was a prolific man of letters and an amazing presenter of ideas ahead of their time. Our sixteenth president wasn't perfect, but neither was our nation. During perhaps the most crucial period in U.S. history, thank God there was Abraham Lincoln. I grew up as a Democrat, but if Lincoln were running for the presidency today, he would be the first Republican to get my vote. This Library of America edition of Lincoln's speeches and writings is a beautifully bound volume that I will cherish for years to come.

This is the second volume of the Library of America Project devoted to the works of Abraham Lincoln. It covers the period after the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and includes many of the records of the Lincoln Presidency and the Civil War. The standard Lincoln materials are included, of course, such as the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Inauguaral Addresses. But there is immeasurably more. We see Lincoln writing to his Generals, Cabinet members, and other national leaders in his attempt to hold the Union together. We see a lincolns agonizing over military discipline and frequently pardoning deserting soldiers. We see Lincoln dealing with Indian issues in his day; and we see him supporting the use of black troops in the War effort. This volume is highly useful in uderstanding the Civil War. Equally important it teaches the nature of leadership and fortitude. Finally, Lincoln is one of our Nation's great prose writers and the book deserves reading for that reason alone. The Library of America is to be commended for this volume and for its ongoing series.

We first checked this out of the library and it was so wonderful that I requested it by name as a Christmas gift from family. I agree with everything that's been said here--this book is a treasure!

Let me begin by saying they have got the age range wrong. I think any child 5 and under would enjoy this book. (My eldest just turned 5 and she certainly likes it.) The artwork is colorful and pleasant and as you turn the pages the pictures become increasingly dense with added characters and action. Certainly there is enough activity to keep older children occupied. And because of the repetitiveness they might even *read* it themselves.

We adore this book. It has humor and warmth and it extends the old short rhyme with an even better story. In this version, Little Miss Muffett's spider doesn't chase her away, instead he asks her to stay. Then come lemurs with streamers, magpies with bowties, foxes with boxes, pussycats with partyhats, poodles with oodles of noodles, bears with chairs, puffins with muffins, gibbons with ribbons and crocodiles with 10 greedy smiles. But to what end? Surprise! It's a birthday party.

There is so much to this book. It teaches counting and rhyming. It introduces animals that are not typical in young children's' reading: puffins, lemurs and gibbons. For my children, it elicited in them the desire to memorize the poem (it was so much fun). To me this indicates that they are learning to love literature and reading.

I think it would make a great birthday gift, but don't buy it just for that. Think of all that your child could learn.

...I have seen quite a few books cross my children's hands. Little Miss Muffet's Count Along Surprise was an immediate hit with all. They read it and reread it aloud to each other constantly. The imaginative words are cleverly knit together and flow with an ingenious rhythm almost completely absent in much of modern children's monosyllabic literature. It is a PLEASURE to hear--even over and over.

The illustrations are imaginative and full of vibrant color and action. They ably embrace the counting element of the book but more importantly, I think, they appeal to children's taste for inventive combinations of related bits of information: "Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey, when along came three magpies with taffeta bow-ties and silk vests of very pale grey." Or, "Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey, when along came nine gibbons with balloons tied with ribbons and bananas arranged on a tray."...

This book was a huge surprise: it has everything in it a great children's book must have. The elements found in this book include:

1. Counting. My son greatly enjoys how the numbers of Miss Muffet's visitors keep growing.

2. Rhyming. One thing that really grabs my son's attention is rhyming. The rhyming in this book is very clever and definitely rivals Dr. Seuss's best works.

3. Rhythm. This book is easy to read quickly. Not that the book is short, but that the words flow extremely well. As a result, even an 18 month old doesn't have time for attention to wander.

4. Color. The illustrations are full of color and wonderfully illustrate the story. Looking at the pictures is as much fun as reading the story.

5. Story. The story is interesting! My son is excited by each page every time we read the book.

This book, on it's first reading, became one of my son's favorites. I even look forward to reading it!

This is an excellent book about how specific corporations, individuals and both European and African rulers have plundered Africa for profit and the accumulation of private fortunes on the backs of millions of Africans who have been slaughtered over the centuries. Some of the individuals have passed into the history books, but some of the corporations and individuals are still very much in the news today and the world still waits for their atonement. Madelaine Drohan has provided a very courageous addition to the literature in the area by in-the-field research in some of the most dangerous places in Africa and written in most detailed and compelling manner.

What happens when multinational corporations decide that the use of armed force is really business? When companies line up with warlords and armies to make a profit? When corporate interests dictate war or peace? Madelaine Drohan's meticulously researched and impressively wrfitten expose, Making A Killing, shows just what happens in a world of multinational power, drawing important connections between corporate armed forces and history and providing food for thought for corporations, policy makers and national leaders alike -- the result is an intriguing, eye-opening discussion.

Drohan cover a number of specifc cases of corporations using violence to further their interests - dedicating a chapter to each case. She makes no effort to be a comprehensive compendium of all the ills perpetrated by corporations, instead choosing to focus on a few prime examples in detail where her experiences as a journalist can bring some perspective to each case.

My own particular interest is around the role of Calgary-based Talisman Energy Inc. in Sudan. The chapter on Talisman was solid and insightful, with Drohan drawing from her own experiences in Sudan and interviews with key players, as well as the volumes of research and reports available.

The book is a telling study of the irresponsible extremes corporations can go to in their simple-minded focus on profit as the only goal.

Resource control is the core of Madelaine Drohan's book. Where the image of empire was once faceless armies, religious zealots or expanding trade, modern conditions have changed this view. Instead of governments launching empires, suit-clad businessmen now decide where the action lies. Decisions to exploit resource areas are not made in ministry offices, but in corporate boardrooms. Businessmen, "and they are almost always men", choose locations, make investments, recruit workers and begin operations. Until there is unrest. Then they call in governments to support their enterprise. If governments cannot or will not respond, the entrepreneur's answer is the "private army". Mercenary professional military men act as "security" teams, policemen or replacement armies. And they are accountable to no-one but the firm that has hired them.

Drohan's account begins with the rule of Cecil Rhodes "who stands head and shoulders above" the ranks of those applying military solutions to "corporate problems". Rhodes built an immense resource empire in Southern Africa. He also set the standard for controlling workers as firmly as he did markets. By the expedient of raising a battalion of "pioneers" to deal with reluctant African peoples and recalcitrant workers, Rhodes expanded his holdings to an unprecedented degree. Attributing his goals to the furtherance of the British Empire, he also ensured the continuation of profits to his own pocket. Belgium's king Leopold followed Rhodes' example by keeping the Congo as a personal fief. The Belgian government was simply shunted aside on imperial affairs for decades. The rape of the Congo is a glaring example of imperialism run rampant, yet it set the stage for what followed.

Drohan's narrative is dominated by personalities. Like a gaggle of rapacious ravens, men prominent in resource enterprise descended on Africa after Rhodes. Some of these were British, some Canadian, but others arose from among Africa's own peoples. These last were flexing political and economic muscle as former colonies became independent. These new nations, with their artificial boundaries laid down irrespective of tribal or ethnic limits, became caught up in internal regional disputes. Resource firms played off these rivalries to their advantage where possible. If contests for power became too heated, the companies had the option to withdraw or find ways of protecting their investments. Protection was provided by "security forces" available for hire. Among the most notorious of these was the South African firm, Executive Outcomes. Staffed by disaffected South African soldiers, it offered services directly or through hidden subsidiaries. Executive Outcomes emerges frequently, if often vaguely, as Drohan valiantly tries to unravel the machinations the firm and its customers perpetrated as gold, diamonds and other resources were sought and exploited. Legality is an elusive term in these activities.

These are not distant and unrelated events. We tend to cling to the image of investment benefiting all - the theme of "globalisation". Drohan demonstrates how firms, pursuing resource wealth in Africa, have followed the Rhodes formula for success. Whether hiring private armies or simply requesting local government forces to act in their interests, resource firms are steadfastly ignoring the impact on local people and their economy. Of all Drohan's examples, the most glaring is the Talisman Energy story. Her chapter on this operation is at once the worst and the best example in the book. Talisman, a latecomer to Africa, seems to have learned nothing from previous resource history in the region. As Drohan describes it, Jim Buckee, Talisman's head, followed a sinuous path trying to keep his firm active in the resource field. With one eye open to profits and the other closed to government activities done in the name of "security" for his operations, Buckee brought his firm close to disaster. On the other hand, the case demonstrated the power of the public in bringing such firms to judgment. Various large stockholders, chastened at the thought of supporting a firm blind to the impact of its operations, withdrew investment. It's a fine example of what individuals can achieve in acting collectively.

Drohan's book is a much needed exposure of business morals left unscrutinised. In her final chapter, "Perfectly Legal, Perfectly Immoral", she shows the path to justice for people under oppressive regimes shored up by rapacious businesses is long and difficult. Yet, if readers pay attention, she shows how they can be effective in making change. With a federal election looming, it would benefit electors to read this book and reflect on its message. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]