Kansas Books

I actually read this a while ago, and its amazing how many of the images stayed with me, and that doesn't happen too often. Some of the scenes are warm, some of them are pretty scary, but they feel so real. I really admire the writing in this book and wish the writer did a sequel. I can even picture it as movie. And I love the characters, which also seem very real, like you met them somewhere. This isn't just a great western, its also just a great novel.

The story was very dry and left too many loose ends.

This book isn't a western but a frontier novel. You don't get much shooting, but you get episodes that are more realistic and more compelling, at least for me. I believe what happens to these characters, whereas I don't believe much in most of the genera westerns. It's more like Willa Cather (who I like) than Louis L'Amour (who I used to like). But what I loved most about the book was that you really felt what was happening to this poor woman. The scenes are very poetic. I still have certain images in my head. I really recommend it.

This was recommened to me by a friend who thought I'd like it, and I did. For once, a woman is the main character of a western, and I found myself indentifying with her struggles in this alien environment. She's an easterner who's brought kicking and screaming to Kansas by her husband. I get a real sense of life out on the prairie, and I get the feeling it reflects the real west, not the western myth. Loved the ending--rather poetic.

Mrs. Moser's style is fun, fast, interesting. But the theology seemed forced and unreal. And I was irritated (that's not really a strong enough word) that men were written out of the lives of these women, all the way to the end. I understand life's difficulties and bad men, but they were truly inconsequential in this novel. Bailey was redeemed, I guess, but he was still irrelevant in the long run. This book was very frustrating and unreal in the end.

Although I liked the story I didn't like the way it ended, it had me lost the way it ended.

The title is exactly the basis of the book; it's hard to state it any more clearly than that!
Nancy Moser is so good at bringing every character so fully to life you may even catch yourself talking back to them. The premise of the book, "totally surrendering your ALL to God, no matter what your ALL may be" is a tough subject that Ms. Moser not only meets head on, but also gives wise counsel to throughout the book. As usual, I become totally caught up in reading one of Ms. Moser's books and cannot put it down; the details of every plot twist keep you locked in to the whole story. So many nice little twists and turns keep you turning pages long after the rest of the house is shut down for the night. And even once you've closed the cover there's the questions that this inspired writing has raised into your own consciousness. Could you do what Claire has done? Would you be able to surrender all to God? Shouldn't you be more able to give up everything to one who gave His life for you? Thank you Nancy Moser for another terrific book, and characters that will continue on again, we hope, just as Merry did.

You know how often the middle of a novel languishes? Just kind of sits there doing nothing, as if the author is just biding her time between the kicking beginning and the strong finish? You won't have that problem with A Steadfast Surrender. The characters Nancy Moser introduces once her main lady, Claire, arrives in Steadfast, are memorable, to say the least. My favorites are senior citizens Blanche and Ivan, a crotchity widow and widower who can't deny their attraction to each other--but will have you in stitches trying.

There are teenagers in trouble, middle-agers in conflict, and everything in between--all being challenged through Claire's bold actions to ask themselves whether they, too, are willing to say "yes" to God.

I highly recommend this book. In my opinion, it is Moser's best to date.

The fun of this book is the main characters of Rep and Melissa and the itinerary references. The weakness is and that, at times, the literary references occasionally seem forced and get in the way of the story, and the complete implausibility of the plot. But it's worth a look if you're in the mood for something light that will test your memory of literature.

The tone of this novel and the author's attitude toward murder and mystery fiction, is immediately encapsulated in the prologue. "First degree murder is punishable by death in Missouri, even if the victim is an editor of romance novels." Reppert G. Penneworth, top copyright lawyer and his wife Melissa go off to Kansas City to explore the possibility of groundbreaking legal stuff, something most lawyers aspire to. He's dropped almost immediately into a puzzling murder case involving Civil War re-enactors, a publisher, a philandering editor, a huffy romance novelist, and a raft of other engaging characters. The books is replete with literary allusions, clever dialogue and one of the smartest amateur detectives to grace the pages of mystery fiction in a long time. Now, writing new copyright law may sound a bit dull, but be assured, it isn't, not in the deft hands of this author.
This is a very well-written novel, moves with great pace, avoids pitfalls of deficient logic and rockets to a teriffic ending.

Michael Bowen is a "writer's writer." With smart, stylish prose he weaves together various aspects of modern pop-culture, from Reality TV to romance novels to Civil War battle reenactments. His characters are likeable, their conversations are lively, and when a gunshot rings out in the Kansas City library, you know you're in for a wild, bookish ride. It's all-hell-breaks-loose in the Heartland, over-the-top fun.

Intellectual property lawyer Rep Pennyworth figures he'll do just about anything to bring in a big-bucks client. He'll even spend a weekend as a civil war reenactor while he tries to decide whether the publisher really can trademark the idea of a faux civil war unit. He can't figure out how the publisher could make any money at it, but that isn't the lawyer's job and a hundred thousand bucks is real money. But when an editor ends up killed and Rep's friend Peter is the lead suspect, Rep realizes he's going to have to do more than dry lawyering--he'll have to figure out what really happened before Peter is sent to prison.

The dead man isn't exactly a saint--he had an affair with Peter's wife, for one thing--which gives Rep and his wife Melissa a cast of suspects. But the police like to follow the obvious, especially when Peter's civil war cavalry sabre tests positive for the dead man's DNA. Plenty of library research into civil war battles and Vichy France politics, as well as a scad of literary illusions add depth to the story as Melissa tries to decide which philosopher to use to advise her friend--finally to decide on Travis McGee (of John D. MacDonald fame) and Rep finally agrees to play Nick and Nora (of The Thin Man fame) with Melissa.

Author Michael Bowen dishes up plenty of plenty of literary illusions for fans of mystery and literature, a clever opening scene involving a potential affair and reality T.V. and some interesting looks into civil war reenacting. I thought that the final revelation into the badguy's ultimate plot was a bit over the top, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the adventure, the witty dialogue, or the way nerdy librarians, book editors, and intellectual property lawyers become action heros.

This book documents the friendship and political careers of two of the Confederacy's most important statesmen. Davis does a nice job of providing historical detail while also weaving a readable story. However, at times, the prose is too informal and almost needlessly dramatic. Moreover, much of the history is quite derivative, as I learned very little new information about the men in question or the political tenets of the Confederacy. His previous book, "A Government of Our Own," is a much better historical treatment.

Davis has written many books and this is one of his better. Robert Toombs and Alexander H. Stephens are both important figures in the Confederacy and in American political history of the ante-bellum period. The book points out the intimacy of these two and gives an insight into the background of the Confederacy. It should not replace a biography of either of these two statesmen.

Toombs and Stephen examplify the problems within the Confederate
government. These incredibly close friends of the strong Georgia delegation were powerful national political figures whose bitterness over personal issues, Toombs, and Stephens' strict constitutional views undermined the Davis administration. Stephens never seriously worked with the dominating Davis and was later opposed to the administration over constitutional issues in the face of bigger war emergencies. Toombs loses the opportunity to become the first President by his bellicose enthusiams for the office coupled with drink which lowers his place in the new government and raises Stephens' star. Excellent description of both men including Toombs rise as Secretary of State, his anti-Davis stance and his mercurial and short military career. The author also covers the end of the era of both men including Stephens' attempts to rewite history in a light more favorable to him then his actions were in reality. These two powerful men and closest of friends could not see the big picture of the war seeking their narrow views in spite of the war effort. Together with Governor Brown of Georgia, they represented a crisis of independence within the Confederacy that no doubt contributed to the fall of the Confederate government.

What a delightful little book! And frankly, I don't often use the term "delightful" in a book review. *The Union That Shaped the Confederacy* is a swiftly-paced, lightly written work that details the friendship of a pair of Georgians - Robert Toombs and "Little Alec," Alexander Stephens.

It is very important to know exactly what you are not getting with this book. You will not get a standard biographical treatment of Stephens and Toombs, and author Davis makes this abundantly clear from the outset. You will not receive great insights into the minds and thinking of these two men, but will come to appreciate the antebellum, war-time, and post-bellum periods of American history as these two men saw it.

William C. Davis does not attempt to make his subjects either heroes or villains on the Confederacy's stage. They were what they were - friends who for the most part held similar political beliefs, worked for the same ends, and became, as the war progressed, more and more bitterly opposed to the administration of Jefferson F. Davis.

Because of the nature of the work, the reader receives a slice of Civil War-era history from a perspective he or she would not likely get. Along the way, one receives insights into the functioning (and dysfunction) of the Confederacy's Executive Branch, as well as the building of the "loyal opposition" to Davis's administration. We see the strengths and weaknesses of these two prominent Georgians, as they struggled to establish a new nation out of the old.

Davis's writing style is loose and fast, and almost reads as if a good friend is telling a story of another pair of friends. To some, this may be distracting, but I found it to be just part of the story. *The Union That Shaped the Confederacy* can be read quickly, with a great sense of satisfaction. This book comes highly recommended.

Like Larry Berman's No Peace, no honor, The Vietnam War Files did not reveal anything new that has not already been known. For instance, the madman theory...or Nixon's poker face...
it seemed to work all right in the Yom Kippur War! The book is also based on selected documents to support the author's views on the Vietnam War. I own the cd-rom version of the Haldemann diaries and there are also numerous entries that support Nixon and Kissinger's memoirs that have been ignored. The fact that Anthony Summer's tabloid and propaganda book Arogance of Power is treated as a credible source doesn't help the books objectivity either.

Also, the books is obsessed with the percieved Nixon myths (mainly, trying to end the war and prevent the holocaust that he predicted would happen if the U.S. abandoned Vietnam). There are several myths about the war but very few of them have anything to do with Nixon and the war. After all, it seems that the media and historians have forgotten that it was not his war. Nixon was given the difficult task of cleaning up the mess left by JFK and LBJ.

At less than 370 pages, THE VIETNAM WAR FILES / UNCOVERING THE SECRET HISTORY OF NIXON-ERA STRATEGY by Jeffrey Kimball is a small book, compared to the size of the ax which it is attempting to grind on how poorly American policy works in those areas of the world where a quick victory is not in the cards. The longer version of the story, told in NIXON'S VIETNAM WAR (1998) by Jeffrey Kimball attempted to cover the years 1953 to 1973. The events of those years were rather awesome in leading up to the final situation, which is covered in depth in this book, described in the Prologue as carrying the analysis onward "from 1969 to 1975" (p. 3) to show how events conformed to expectations in the way Robert McNamara had expected the odds to be about even already in December, 1965, when considering how the war was going to present even tougher choices down the road.

Those who were most interested in how awful Vietnam turned out as a big step on the road to American hyperpower status will not be surprised that Kimball's epilogue to this book begins with insights on `historical myth' and `mythical tale' from those times before declaring that Nixon's and Kissinger's memoirs "were self-serving, incomplete, and obfuscatory, and they took legal and administrative steps that delayed the release of relevant documentary evidence about their policies, strategies, and motives." (p. 297). There was no good reason to tell Americans that power could make us more hyper than we already had been, but Kimball is good at finding the secrets which show how hyper the drive for American power has become.

I like books which make secret policies a major quest in the historical area, and this one laments the fact that not much has been found yet about Cambodia. History is such a dynamic pursuit, with odd quirks popping out from weird angles, that I doubt any adequate explanation of that bit of secret policy will ever be forthcoming. People who thought that Americans needed to fight in Nam so San Francisco would be safe see that argument fail when it is applied to Cambodia, South Vietnam's only neighbor south of Laos, where a peaceful situation prior to 1970 rapidly turned into a victory for enemies of civilization in any form advanced enough to unleash a massive bombing campaign, as a demonstration of hyperpower capabilities when bombs were dropping like the cards in a game of 52 pick up.

This book is most game-like in its use of card terminology for the Nixon strategy, which even carries over to "Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders had coincidentally decided that it was time to rejoin the world of nations, play the American card against the Soviet Union, and, especially, use the opportunity to get U.S. forces out of Taiwan." (p. 299). That might seem like a bit much for the Chinese to hope for, but a tape on Nam reveals Nixon saying, "Oh, I don't mean to tell, tell Thieu we're getting out in the fall. But it's moot, because we are without question gonna get out . . ." (p. 168). That was from Oval Office Conversation no. 527-16, Nixon, Haldeman, Kissinger, and John Ehrlichman, 9:14-10:12 a.m., June 23, 1971, in which Kissinger said, "Now, our cards, starting now, our cards are going to start falling." (p. 167). Three weeks before, a press conference brought up antiwar sentiment `that American intervention was immoral' (p. 160) and a tape of the following morning, June 2, 1971, reveals that Nixon was "very agitated during the conversation. Pounding his desk at one point, he vowed, . . . He would use his `card' of massive bombing." (p. 161). Since American troops were there, "it is certainly immoral to send Americans abroad and not back them up with American power!" (p. 162). Nixon might be a bit unclear about what actually happened after the French left North Vietnam, but he was worried about allowing "the bloodbath in South Vietnam that they had in North Vietnam where 50,000 of our good Catholic [unclear] of Danang [a city shown on the map facing page 1 along the coast southeast of Quang Tri and Hue in South Vietnam] were murdered, 500,000 were starved to death in slave-labor camps [pounding his desk]." (p. 162). In the next page of the transcript, it is a footnote that describes "Nixon is shouting and pounding his desk, while Kissinger is trying to speak." (p. 163). Like Khrushchev taking off his shoe to pound on a desk at the United Nations, hyperpowers believe in their ability to emphasize what they say when considering options like "We're gonna take out the dikes, we're gonna take out the power plants, we're gonna take out Haiphong, we're gonna level that goddamn country!" (p. 163).

Sometimes it is difficult to make sense of the conversations contained in pages 127-294, from Le Duc Tho's observation "It will take an unlimited time. We don't know when, or whether, it will be done. If it does not work, you will have the choice to remain in Vietnam or leave." (February 21, 1970, p. 129) to "It is a tragic situation. I am deeply troubled by what has happened . . ." (a proposed response on April 3, 1975, p. 294). Nam was unique in being a country in which the United States found itself opposing an established government with a lot of half measures which Nixon didn't want to limit himself to:

KISSINGER: Mr. President, if you had been in office '66, '67--

NIXON: --The war would be over--

KISSINGER: the war would be over, and, and, they'd be fewer casualties--
(p. 162). In '67, even General Westmoreland thought we were winning, but he was never sure the war was over. As far as policy goes, Nam is like an intelligence test that never quits for people looking for vicious evidence of American cruelty. Even Osama knows about Nam.

Much of this book is predicated on the newly released Nixon tapes; thus, it offers many new insights. However, on page 20, the author implies that the first draft lottery was held in 1971. The first draft lottery was held Dec. 1, 1969 and took effect in Jan. 1970.

Kimball's Vietnam War Files is a followup book to his award-winning Nixon's Vietnam War (1998). Both books break new ground on the history of the Nixon-Kissinger phase of the Vietnam War inasmuch as they both draw on a treasure trove of declassified documents from both sides of the conflict, clarify controversies about Nixon-Kissinger strategy, and reveal new information about the Nixon administration's handling of the war and about Communist Vietnamese strategy. The Vietnam War Files is briefer than Nixon's Vietnam War, but it includes numerous additional documents that were declassified between 1998 and 2004. Many of these documents consist of Kimball's own transcriptions of conversations between Nixon and Kissinger in the Oval Office about key strategies and decisions. There is new information about Nixon's highly secret nuclear alert of 1969, the Madman Theory, détente with the Soviet Union, the opening to China, and many other issues, including the Nixon-Kissinger decent-interval exit strategy. All of the documents in The Vietnam War Files make fascinating reading. More importantly, they demonstrate how solid, smoking-gun evidence (here reproduced in the form of substantial excerpts from paper files and transcribed conversations) can help readers break through the long-standing, politically charged debate about Nixon, Kissinger, and the Vietnam War. This was one of Kimball's purposes in writing the book: to substitute good evidence and sound logic for biased argument. The Vietnam War Files is Kimball's third book about Vietnam. His past writings have also included articles and essays about war and diplomacy. He has also interviewed some of the key policymakers on both sides of the war.

As a huge fan of sports from the 60s and 70s I had very high hopes for this book but was disappointed. The content is very superficial with much much more focus on Chief's trivia than the Chief's history. Their are numerous interesting pictures but the only color one is the one on the cover. Finally, I found the layout of the book awkward to look up the answers to the triva questions. There are tens of pages of trivia with the answers all in the back of the book without the questions repeated; you will spend the majority of your time flipping back and forth trying to match answers with questions.

Want to stump the knower of all Chiefs trivia? This is the book for you! I married a Chiefs fanatic and now I hold the upper hand regarding info. on the greatest team! Make a game of it! Thank you for the fun book Mark! We're all eagerly waiting for your next two!

Want to stump the knower of all Chiefs trivia? This is the book for you! I married a Chiefs fanatic and now I hold the upper hand regarding info. on the greatest team! Make a game of it! Thank you for the fun book Mark! We're all eagerly waiting for your next two!

Fast read, but very disappointing. I can't say that I took anything away from this book that would be helpful except to know that going through with a divorce or separation would hurt my kids. Lots of scripture to digest. Don't buy this new, find someone reselling it at a bargin price.Desperate Wives: Help and Hope for Women Considering Separation or Divorce

Thinking of giving up on your marriage? Author Brenda Clayton knows what it feels like. She's been there, and she talks about it. She is divorced and remarried --- and the second marriage hit the rocks after several years. Finding help for the second marriage became the inspiration for much of this book. No wonder the book shines with real life! This book is honest, gritty, realistic, down-to-earth. It speaks to women who are hurting and tired --- from the perspective of someone who understands it and who has experienced it. Not preachy, not theoretical, just good help. Clayton draws on the Bible, noted marriage authors, and others, but much of her advice comes straight from her own heart.

Dr. David Frisbie The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Author of 8 books, including Happily Remarried: *Making Decisions Together *Blending Families Successfully* Building a Love That Will Last

Reviewed by Deana Hoover - Reno Gazette Journal (Reno, NV), February 25, 2007

Local 'Desperate Wives' author offers tools and hope. Romance isn't dead. But sometimes it takes a little work. Carson City author Brenda Clayton has written a book called "Desperate Wives: Help and Hope for Women Considering Separation or Divorce." Clayton wrote the book for women who don't know where to turn in their marriages. "If what you're doing isn't working, what else can you try?" Clayton says. Her hope is to give women practical tools to apply in marriage. "Divorce is not always wrong, but 65% of problems are resolvable," she said. Clayton explains that, though a person may feel frustrated, there are tools that can be used. "We have to deal with conflicts in a way that's positive and affirming. In withdrawal, nothing gets solved," she said.

From the publisher:

Desperate Wives speaks to women who have reached a place of mental, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion in their marriages. By looking to God in the midst of hurt and disappointment, Brenda Clayton offers a way to find healing and restoration to those who find themselves at a critical moment of choice in their married lives. She emphasizes the need to examine one's personal relationship with God, apply scriptural principles to one's life, and pray for one's marriage. She gives solid biblical direction to those in need of guidance in a difficult situation.

Amos Webber maintained a chronicle, a history. He belonged to the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows. Membership in this organization provided historian Mick Salvatore with a clue to assess the "Thermometer Book" of Amos Webber, a detailed impersonal chronicle, and to find the history of the man, Amos Webber, a light-skinned African American, a soldier in the 5th Cavalry. Webber was born in 1826 in a small town in Bucks County Pennsylvania. He moved to Philadelphia when a young man and attended the Presbyterian Church. Webber's political activism was nurtured by the organizations to which he belonged. One black Presbyterian minister declared that he would preach the Declaration of Independence until it began to be put into practice. Salvatore writes of abolitionist activities in Philadelphia and festivals, such as the one held to celebrate the abolition of slavery in the West Indies in 1838. Webber underscored the significance of John Brown's activities. Webber enjoyed a niche in society akin to that occupied by the white middle class.

There was a popular interest in meteorology. By the 1830's there were a series of civilian observers organized by leading scientific investigators. Amos Webber had little formal education. His weather book served multiple purposes of weather journal, commentary on natural patterns, and a way to record his observations of the world around him. His weather books included press clippings. Webber's employer went bankrupt and the business closed in 1860. The Webber family moved to Worcester, Massachusetts. The first volume of his chronicle concluded in October 1860. The start of the second volume is a decade later. Webber was employed in a wire mill. Black collective life appeared thin in comparison to Philadelphia. In Worcester the fall of Sumter caused general excitement. In January 1864 Amos Webber reported to Camp Meigs at Readville, Massachusetts for service in Company D, Fifth Massachusetts Cavalry. Webber was rapidly elevated from private to sergeant. In the 1870's Masonic and Odd Fellow Lodges for African Americans were established in Worcester. Webber participated in these in leadership positions. After the Hayes compromise in 1876 Webber never mentioned reconstruction or its demise in his chronicles. Amos Webber died in 1904. His death was reported to the weekly meeting of Post 10 Grand Army of the Republic. Black fraternal organizations sent wreaths. Webber had intense political and moral views. He had been married for fifty two years. His chronicle was largely silent about women. He had inhabited a male world. He understood racism. His beliefs and actions included a persistent demonstration of equality.

It is very interesting to get an insight into a life of a single black man around the turn of the century. But it sure was boring to read. I you are interested in the topic, read it - but make sure you have a pillow near by becuase you will be snoring.

Sometimes one learns more about history by accident, and it tells its own tale reluctantly if we are receptive to listening. Essentially, that is what happened to Dr. Nick Salvatore one day while digging in the archives of the Harvard Library. What he uncovered led him on a journey of discovery that he had not anticipated, but by which he became completely engaged for the next several years. Salvatore, a professor at Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, offers us a biography of a rather reluctant and seemingly unlikely subject, Amos Webber, a free African-American man who lived, worked, and journalled in 19th century New England.
Webber was a keen observer of people, politics, and the African American condition before, during, and after the American Civil War right up until his death in 1904. His penned thoughts on the Reconstruction era offer an important insight into the African American point of view during a seminal period in their journey towards freedom and equality. Through Amos Webber's writings one can sense the optimism, feel the despair and disappointment, and his continued commitment to furthering the causes of personal agency, self-determination, suffrage, equality, and the nurturing of a strong African-American Community. These are the very currents which resonate so strongly throughout his journals and which allow the reader to obtain a more insightful glimpse into the world of Amos Webber and his worldview throughout his life.
Historical biography is a difficult subject to master when the author does not have the benefit of previous scholars' interpretations as a foundation to build upon; much less when the subject of that biography has been dead for over ninety years, has no known family members or contemporaries to interview, and who's only personal affects extant are a sparsely personal, albeit meticulously kept, series of journals with which to begin working. That is precisely what Salvatore accomplished with this work. Because of his background as a social historian Salvatore was predisposed to looking at what lay between the lines; what was unsaid, and adding sufficient social context to make it an important work in the fields of: African American History, Political History, Labor History, and Urban History of the 19th century.
Salvatore succeeds in this endeavor in a way that is both historically informative and personally poignant by offering a thematic continuity to Webber's life, speaking specifically to his life, and on a larger scale to the free, northern, urban, African-American experience en mass. To illustrate his thesis, Salvatore explores such themes as: the individual as a part of the community; urban space and identity in the 19th century; the vantage of a free African-American on the issue of slavery and self-determination; and the role of Institutions and social movements in the African-American community in the 19th century. These thematic vehicles enable the reader to consider the richness and depth of the subject and elicit empathy for what so often has gone unrecognized in the general understanding of 19th century African American history.
To illustrate these varying themes, bringing to life Webber's career as a soldier, citizen and "activist," Salvatore enlists a mélange of additional outside sources such as: census records, demographic studies, newspaper extracts, the discussion of the Abolition movement; regimental histories from the Civil War, church records, and minutes from the meetings of fraternal organizations. All work in concert to aide him in contextualizing the life of his subject in a way that makes Webber's individual journal entries even more poignant than they might otherwise seem. As readers, we are offered an intimate picture of Webber's life and the African American community of Worchester, Massachusetts during the 19th century, by examining the social and political interests of the man and of his community.
Salvatore's style, while at times tersely laden with discussion of the social climate and interests of Amos Webber, none-the-less, offers a very thoroughly constructed, eloquently written, and sensitively handled biography. However, one area of weakness in Salvatore's work, whether it was due to a lack of source material, a lack of interest, or a deliberate oversight, is that there is little discussion devoted to Amos Webber's family relationships, or lack thereof. While Webber did not write about his family in his own journals, neither did Salvatore make an effort to go beyond that to investigate the matter. This reviewer finds that, while every other aspect of Webber's life was given due and thorough attention, the author would have better served his reader by giving some additional information about Webber's extended family. In the 19th century one's relationship with his or her family was a primary focus for every American.
"We've All Got History. ...It's there. You just got to look for it," a quote which Salvatore attributes to Ellen L. Hazard, a descendant of a friend and compatriot of Amos Webber's, is a hauntingly prophetic and poignant comment that encapsulates the very process by which Nick Salvatore approached Amos Webber's life. He took the skeleton of Webber's personal journal and successfully fleshed it out to encompass an entire social-cultural movement, allowing the reader to see the world as Webber himself saw it and adding a background to help better understand the importance of the role of individuals, great and small, during a time that was formative for the African-American community. We've All Got History... is very rich in detail and life, a biography that will stand as an important work in the genre of historical biography.

This book has very detailed information regarding three major POLITICAL blunders that contributed to the collapse of the Diem regime, but omits some of the more important reasons that the American supported Coup eventually ousted him, and led to his and his brother's death.

The Buddhist crisis of 1963 and the constant antagonizing overtures made by his brother, Nhu against the American's, were breezed over, despite them being prominent reasons for America finally giving up on his leadership skills.

This is probably the definitive book on the reign of Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam. Every serious student of the American involvement in Vietnam should find this background on how we got into that mess in the first place well worth reading. It describes Diem's background, character and personality and explains why not only Diem himself but also the vast cultural differences between the Americans and the Vietnamese made for an extremely difficult relationship.

It also has current value as the United States searches for leaders we can work with in parts of the world that are as new to intense American involvement as Vietnam was in the 1950s and 60s. A better understanding of what we did wrong in Vietnam may help us to avoid repeating those same mistakes. My personal opinion, reinforced by this book, is that if we have only a lame horse to bet on then we would be better off not betting in that particular race.

Catton's many examples show how out of touch the Ngo family was with the majority of the Vietnamese people. Diem was an arrogant, opinionated bachelor, a Catholic in a nation that was 93 percent Buddhist. One of his brothers was a Catholic bishop and Catton describes "the sectarian character of the Diem regime." Another brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, served as "Political Counselor"--and enforcer. Catton describes him as the regime's "Rastputin." Nhu's wife was probably the worst female government spokesman since Marie Antoinette. Madame Nhu referred to the suicides of burning bonzes as "barbecues." When I first arrived in Vietnam in 1966 she was still infamous as "The Dragon Lady."

The author expanded what was originally a graduate student paper about the Strategic Hamlet program in 1961-1963 into a doctoral dissertation that was more focused on Diem, his government, and their developing relationship with the Americans. With that background, we should expect excellent documentation and indeed the 203 pages of text are backed up by 59 pages of notes.

However, it is still possible for a nitpicker to find a few gaps. For example, his bibliography includes the U.S. Army's Military History Institute but not its Center of Military History. "The Michigan State University Vietnam Advisory Group" is mentioned three times but we are not told what it was. My local guide in Plieku in 1999 spoke excellent English because he had spent a year at Michigan State University. (The downside was that it earned him a year in jail after the communist takeover.) What was the Michigan connection? Faced with being dumped by his American allies "Diem won a dramatic reprieve with a military victory over the Binh Xuyen (a mafia type crime organization) at the end of April 1955." How could he win "a military victory" over a bunch of civilian gangsters?

Catton apparently speaks and reads Vietnamese, which undoubtedly provides advantages in research and opens doors for him that are not available to most American authors of books about Vietnam. Even though the English language literature on Vietnam is vast, some of the information he provides from the many referenced books and articles in Vietnamese may well be published here for the first time

Diem continually carped and complained about the type and amount of U.S. aid but resisted doing the things the Americans wanted in return. In Stilwell and the American Experience in China, Barbara Tuchman relates Stilwell's complaints about our government's failure to demand a quid pro quo from our Chinese allies in return for the aid we provided them. We had the same problem in Vietnam. The more we did for them the less the Vietnamese did for themselves. I read Stilwell in the spring of 1972 during my second tour as an advisor to a Vietnamese Army unit in the field. Our failure to demand, and Vietnamese failure to provide, a quid pro quo was still a problem nine years after Philip Catton described this exchange between Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge and Diem in 1963:

"`Isn't there some one thing you may think of that is within your capabilities to do and that would favorably impress U.S. opinion[?]" Lodge asked finally. Diem gave the ambassador `a blank look and changed the subject.'"

This is the first book that I have read about this period that really puts the Vietnamese side of this drama in center stage. I happened to serve in Vietnam during a couple of years while Diem's was President and had the advantage of speaking fairly fluent Vietnamese and have always thought that the 'Last Mandarin' image of Diem was quite off base. Catton actually manages to explain 'Personalism' , something that Diem himself had trouble doing to the people of Vietnam. The book does not attempt to whitewash any of Diem's many faults but does show Diem to actually be a modern nationalist who was determined to follow his own own agenda for nation building . It was this determination to follow his own agenda that was the major source of friction with his American backers. This book is a must read for any serious student of the war as it was the overthrow of Diem that really brought about the Americanization of the war.

Like the author, I was brought up a good, little Catholic girl. And like Dorothy, the alter ego of the author, I was even brought up in Kansas. The author indicates in her forward that interviewing and writing about people who act in [adult] films was a journey she needed to take for a number of reasons. She reports that as a result she came out of the experience as a better person and with a new friend, the Wizard of X, aka Rob Everett, aka Eric Edwards. Since I respect Ms. Alexander as a person, as an editor, and as a writer, I felt that I wanted to take this journey along with her, albeit vicariously, through reading her book.

The author interviewed many of the actors and actresses involved in the world of [adult] films, but it was Rob Everett, who appears under the screen name Eric Edwards, with whom she spent most of her time while researching this non-fiction book. It is Rob/Eric whose life the reader follows from his early days to the present. To the author's surprise and relief, she found that Rob and others who make their living by having sex on screen, are for the most part ordinary, everyday people, who for various reasons wandered into a world most of us have never entered. Through reading Ms. Alexander's fascinating account of this world, you'll gain a better understanding of this industry and the people who make it up. And, hopefully like me, you'll find the trip well worth it.

First of all, the book starts off with a very cleverly-coined and certainly attention-drawing title. However, I just wish the author would have helped the reader know Eric Edwards at a broader and more erotic level. There must be interesting details early in his porn life that could be touched upon. He must have a fascinating life than the way it was portrayed in the book. Those are done with everal people in the porn industry. The writer could have synthesized the information from the various interviews and put it in her own words, instead of quoting them verbatim. The focus of the book is on one of the legendary male porn stars named Eric Edwards. At some points, the book loses the focus. I even think the book doesn't do him a service. I expected to know more about his past and present life and career than about the porn industry. It is a pity that she didn't make the best of her opportunity to meet with or interview Eric. For someone who want to know about the inside of the porn industry, this book is an ok read. The Jack Wrangler book is way more fun to read, though.

After reading Ms. Alexander's book, I was surprised to find out the different ways I perceived people in the porno industry vs. those not involved. I really was biased and had no concept of why people were even involved in this industry. Not only is this book informative, I found it easy to read and not something I wanted to put down without a fight. I read the entire book in three days! Thanks for enlightening this reader!