History Books

Finest biography on Churchill ever written. A pity Manchester died before completing the third book of the trilogy.

William Manchester informs and entertains in this excellent historical account of the critical years leading up to WWII, juxtaposing the appeasement practices of predecessors Baldwin and Chamberlain with the unwavering belief in the principles of freedom held by Churchill. The book (along with Manchester's first volume) gives terrific insight into the transition from the glory days of the British Empire to the Post WWI apathy that beset the British public. As well, the work provides delightful commentary on the characters surrounding Churhill's life including his colorful mother Jennie, his wife Clementine and his nemesis Adolf Hitler.

The Last Lion, Alone covers the history of Europe from the time Hitler first came to power in Germany to the time that Hitler invaded the Low Countries and World War II began. During this period Churchill, who continually fought against the appeasement policies of Chamberlain, rose from Back Bench irrelevance to become Brittan's Prime Minister.

The history of this period is a gripping saga of one man's malicious attempt to dominate Europe and another man's noble efforts to stop him - a classical case of good vs evil - told as an almost unbelievable story in the words of a master story teller.

I was adrift when I finished this volume.
grasping at pathetic things to read for a while - nothing satisfied - Manchester can set the stage, his historical background is so rich that you'll find yourself spouting about it to your friends.

You'll learn more from this book than a two semester course in 20th century history.

Churchill himself is the lead player in a panapoly of exciting elements. But manchester never lets the reader forget the place in history - the man was a masterful writer.

After the fall of France in June 1940, Winston Churchill was begging USA President Roosevelt for military aid (in fact, all sorts of support was then needed) as no one knew what would the 'fate' of the French fleet was going to be.
Churchill kept reminding the American president that Britain would not surrender even if left alone.
Churchill was defiant despite the fact that the two 'key' American ambassadors, in France and Great Britain, were pro Hitler (or at least they were not anti-Nazi).
Joseph Kennedy (USA Ambassador to GB) openly cautioned his fellow Americans against entering the war because the 'allies' would soon be beaten.
However, I would have liked to see more comments about the position and reaction of the king - king George VI.
Was he indifferent?
We should remember that Hitler had been addressing the King as the man whom the British Government circles have loathed, and as the only 'hope' for a reconciliation between the Third Reich and GB.
In this context it is true that Churchill was indeed ALONE

This book leaves you with an excellent impression of how brutal the conditions and treatment of our soldiers by the Japanese.
Our soldiers went through hell and many did not come home. A must read for WWII buffs. I can now totally understand why WWII vets do not buy Japanese merchandise, cars, etc and have a dislike for the Japanese as a whole. I am not passing judgment but in my view--they have every right to feel the way they do.
I will definitely read this book a second time.

Extremely well written and comprehensive overview of the POW experience in Indonesia. A very good balance of human stories, information, statistics, and background. Strongly recommended.

"Prisoners of the Japanese: POWS of World War II in the Pacific"by Gavan Daws is an extremely graphic book. The experiences of Allied Prisoners of War (POWS) in the care of Japanese forces are nothing like the experiences portrayed in "Hogan's Heroes" or even "Stalag 17". At least Nazi Germany went through the motions of following the Geneva Convention. Imperial Japan treated captured soldiers and naval personnel in a fashion similar to the way Germany treated Jewish civilians in their death camps. All they needed were furnaces and Zyklon B......

When confronted with the thousands of prisoners captured at Singapore, Wake Island, the Phillipines, etc., the Japanese military had no infrastructure or guidelines for handling prisoners. Under the Code of Bushido, to be captured was a grievous dishonor. A POW was (in Japanese eyes) scum that had no right to life. That meant Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright commander of US forces in the Philippines had to bow before the lowest private Japanese soldier. There was no difference between officer and enlisted. No form of military structure was allowed to exist. The prisoners were robbed, beaten, starved assiduously denied medical care and killed on a whim. They all became slaves to the Japanese war machine.

Based on extensive interviews, Mr. Daws has distilled the experiences of the POWS into the individual stories of a few survivors of the experience. For example, there's Frank Fujita of the Texas National Guard. He was a rarity, a soldier of Japanese ancestry fighting on the side of the Americans in the Pacific. It was years before his captors ever noticed he was Japanese.

Houston "Slug" Wright is a descendant of a proud Texas Ranger family. At his moment of despair he found the best friend a man could have in Dr. Henri Hekking.

Dr. Hekking was a Dutch colonial Army officer and physician who had been thoroughly trained by `root doctor' grandmother in Indonesia before going to medical school in Holland. This is a perfect combination of skills when your Japanese captors refuse the most basic of medical supplies. Dr. Hekking heroic efforts were in the best traditions of medicine.

Then there are two partners, Harry Jeffries and Oklahoma Atkinson were a couple of card sharks who worked as construction workers during the day. Of course they would stay on the job at Wake Island just a little too long....... They would need every bit of their hustling skills in order to survive captivity.

Comparisons have been made between captivity by the Japanese in the Pacific and the US internment of US citizens of Japanese ancestry. There is no comparison. While the US treatment of west coast Japanese was inexcusably a racist insult, a violation of civil liberties, not to forget humiliating, that's it. They were not starved, forbidden water, beaten to death, denied medical care or forced to debase themselves multiple times daily before their captors. Nor were they decapitated in broad daylight in front of witnesses.

This is a well written book. It is well-paced and extremely informative. But it is not light reading.

During the course of WWII, the Japanese Army took more than 140,000 Allied prisoners, and one in four died in captivity. Their story has never been systematically recorded or documented--until now. Australian author Gavan Daws combined ten years of research and hundreds of interviews with surviving POWs to recreate this haunting account of day-to-day heroism and humor amid atrocities. Incredibly complete, profoundly disturbing, yet eminently readable, this book will hold your interest and expand your vision of the human story.

Japan has committed some of the world's worst atrocities in history (nanking massacre, unit 731, batton death march, comfort women, pearl harbor, ect..) and they still refuse to apologize, compensate, or make an accurate history in there textbooks. Why is Japan so cowardly and instead try to make their amends to their victims of the horrible crimes against humanity. No wonder people call Japan a "devil" race.

This book is truly a testimony of God and how prayer is a way to meet with Him. It shows how prayer provides a way to get close enough to Him to touch His cloak. This book is not for someone who is wanting to know how to start a 24-7 prayer room, although there are ideas that are talked about throughout the book, and about how some were started. I was greatly encouraged while reading this book and it reminded me that God is big and loving; not always safe... but good.

Red Moon Rising is the story of Peter Greig's work in Christian ministry in England and how that work led to founding and growth of the 24-7 Prayer movement. The book begins with the story of Greig's vision of a rising army while camping on the coast of Portugal and works through the first 24-7 prayer room in England, the strong and deep connection of the movement with the 1727 Moravian prayer community, the expansion of the movement into Germany and throughout Europe, onto the party Island of Iziba and finally to the founding of an intentional prayer community known as a Boiler Room.

This book isn't really a "how-to" book but rather a narrative that describes the work of the Holy Spirit and the journey of a group of friends that follow the Spirit's lead to create opportunities of young Christians throughout Europe (and older Christians as well) to reconnect to Christianity's ancient tradition of prayer expressed in ways that are both true to the tradition and relevant to the culture. Title of the book comes from Greig's continued drawing of inspiration from the prophetic passage of the second chapter of Joel that is repeated by Peter on the morning of Pentecost in the book of Acts. It is clear throughout the book that Greig sees this movement as a continued fulfillment of that prophecy and the stories he shares with his readers bear that out.

For me, the power of this book was found in it's ability to encourage me consider a life of radical prayer both personally and within my community. The stories of God's working through the people of this movement are truly stunning and humility of the leaders of the movement in their willingness to be faithful to the calling of the Spirit and to not usurp It's power for their own benefit is refreshing in a day when it seems that too many church leaders have lost sight that they act in God's providence rather than the other way around. Those looking for a "how-to" guide will need to get ahold of the 24-7 Manual as this text is light on details. However, this book provides the inspiration and the encouragement to do so. As I read each chapter, I found myself called to stop thinking about how to serve God and to start praying and calling others together in prayer.

I highly recommend this book to all Christians wondering if the Spirit still moves in our world and, if It does, how they can connect with It.

An excellent book that changes your whole perspective on prayer, evangelism, and "doing business as usual". Our young people have hope and a future and they are embracing it world wide.

THIS book is life-changing and one of the most impacting books I've ever read. After reading that book, I was so fired up about prayer and especially 24/7 prayer that I got a lot of different visions for prayer rooms. We are right now in the process of planning a prayer room and for having an awesome time with the Lord!!!! Everybody should read it who needs to get fired up about prayer!
It shows you how God still changes the World in an freakin awesome way!!!

If you have a heart for the lost, this book is a must read. This book, if implemented could change the heart of any nation. All pastors and certainly interecessors should read it for sure. It gets top rateing from me and was recommended by Bill Johnson's school in Redding.

This is a fantastic book. The number of pages at first daunted me, but (after the first few which are kind of so-so), the book just takes off! He not only talks about the campaigns that he fought in, but he also breaks down what he learned and what should and should not have been in each one. What should have been done from those up above and how his enemy either defeated him (I agree fully on his conclusions about Montgomery's victories over him) or lost to him.

He goes on (around the end of certain chapters) to go on about what a commander should and SHOULD NOT be to his men and to himself--EXCELLENT stuff!.

What I found most interesting though, was that (unlike many other works I have read) Rommel really was ONE HELL OF A WRITER. His words are enticing and chapter after chapter I'm just compelled to go on.

I've read 'Panzer Leader', 'Lost Victories', 'Panzer Commander' and a host of other books from former Wehrmacht officers and none of them really NAIL it all like this one does (though, I HIGHLY recommend Erhard Raus' 'Panzer Operations' as it does for the Ostfront as this does for Africa and French theaters--'41 and '44).

If you want a great book on the tachtical methods of the German army in World War II--this is for you.
If you're a military man or buff who's looking for (what I believe) is a blueprint fror any 'commander' to follow--this is for you.
If you're just a regulatr Joe--or Jane--who's just looking for a great read about what it's like behind the lines, in the front with your men and all places in-between--then this is for you, too.

Like my review title says, I HIGHLY recommend this book. Get it! You won't be disappointed.

A well written book about Rommels experiences in WW2 taken from his notes made during his campaigns and from letters written to his wife with additional narration or corrections by the author. If you have read ATTACKS by Rommel you will like this book.

great book written from the surviving papers after his death there would have been more but a lot of his stuff was taken by the Nazis, and much more was lost to the US Army but his wife and son saved some and from this B.H. LIDDELL-HART was with the help of the wife and son to put his great skill as a battlefield commander in a new light A must read for any student of WWII also checkout ATTACKS by Rommel this book is about his time as a young lieutenant in WW I

This is one of those books that made the shivers run down my spine while reading it. It felt like being right there in the thick of it with this amazing field commander. This man is a born leader and has the audacity and knighthood to fight an honest fight. He did what he believed was right and he is portrayed as human as possible in this text. War is a terrible thing, but it still is a part of our way of life. This cannot be denied! These memoirs are of the highest value and a must-read for anyone interested in the war in Northern Africa.

This book is one of the best memoirs I have read. It is Erwin Rommel's account of the Second World War from start through finish. The best and most interesting thing about this book are Rommel's thoughts. He talks about all of his battles, and experiences throughout the war, but he weaves in personal things as well which make this a superb piece of writing. You will definately not be disappointed in purchasing this book. Anyone interested in Rommel, the German view of WWII, or WWII in general, should buy this book, hands down.

My dad flew as a navigator (on some missions lead navigator) of B-24s in the last 5 months of WWII. But all the fellows he trained most closely with, the guys he became personally closest with, died in a mid-air explosion before my dad flew a single combat mission (my dad opted out of what was supposed to be a pleasant free day-trip from England to Ireland). This book helped me to understand my father's never-ending sense of loss and regret.

There has probably never been a more masterful account of what these young men went through, and the risks they took, in the combat mode of the massive campaign to cripple the Nazi war infrastructure from lumbering, unpressurized bomb-ships 30,000 feet in the sky. The comradeship among the crews is what comes through most clearly in Childer's remarkably poignant book. That, plus the randomness of the winnowing-out process that took so many of these brave airmen. The loss of Childer's uncle and several of his crew mates was especially pathetic, and not only because of the proximity of the end of the war.

WWII, the greatest conflict in U.S. history. The B-24 Liberator, one of the greatest bombers ever built. But those two in a book, and what comes out of the oven is Wings of Morning. Howard Goodner was drafted into the United States Air Force in 1943. He set off from his home state of Tennesee to prepare for combat in Europe. He trained as a radio operator and finished in the top of class. Howard recieved a job as an instructor, but instead of "sitting out the war" Howard instead, accepts combat duty, and is sent off to train with his new flight crew. Soon, Howard arrives in England, awaiting his first bombing mission. After many bombing runs, Howards crew is appointed leader of his flight squadron. On April 21, 1945, Howard's crew sets off on a dangerous mission over Germany which runs straight into enemy flak, and crashes.
Fifty years later Thomas Childers, author, and nephew of Howard Goodner beautifully recreates what happened during the few years Howard was in Europe using the countless number of letters Howard wrote, eyewitnesses of the crash, squadron members, government documents, and the only surviving member of Howard's crew. This book was written beautifully, but a bit too dry for my liking. This is the reason for my 4 out of 5 review of Wings of Morning: The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down over Germany in World War II, by Thomas Childers.

A fascinating but tragic story of a US bomber crew that almost made it home safely. The war in Europe was in its closing days and they were assigned to make one of the last bombing raids over Germany and were shot down, only two survived. The author is a wonderful and gifted writer who describes the story of his uncle, the radio opeator on the B24, his enlistment in the Air Corp, the training, the close bond that develops with the other crew members, the terror of flying through enemy flak and fighting off German Fighters. It is a heart rending story wonderfully written.

John Brennan

There are very few books written, and even fewer read, that will motivate or so move a reader to go to unusual lengths to want to know or try and understand who the protagonist of the story really was;who he must have been. This is just such a book, and this is no ordinary story. First, and foremost, it is a true personal account of one of thousands of American young men from a typical all American small town of the 1940's, who had everything going for him in his small southern town, with a bright future before him. Sports, a steady girl, maybe college. But the war in Europe and Pearl Harbor interrupted that future for Howard Goodner and the many like him. He stood on a train platform one morning and,like so many others, kissed his mother goodbye, assured her he'd be alright and went off to the army to become an aviator. But not everyone who trained could sit in that pilot or co-pilot's seat of the new B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. This amazing story is taken from the letters of SGT. Howard Goodner to his mother, and found, quite by accident, by Professor Thomas Childers locked in a desk, that Howard's mother, Childers' grandmother, had left for him upon her death. The letters, stuck in a drawer that must have been much too painful to open, describes in vivid detail the complete stateside training of a typical B-24 aircrew...the selection process,the daily routines, the nuances of the B-24, the incredible training accident rates and the midair accidents that Howard witnesses, that kill 10-20 men at a time, before even leaving the United States. The narrative is compelling and written so well that you feel that you are getting to know Howard Goodner as he operates the radio on board his plane and interacts with his crew. Goodner describes what a B-24 aircrew was like, personally, on the ground and in the air. The men in his crew...the quiet ones, the screwballs and the crewmember they even vote off the airplane. He describes the terror of the missions and the relief of seeing that home base runway. This is perhaps the best description of the training, deployment, combat and daily life in wartime England of an average WW2 American bomber aircrew ever written. The story is also a family one. Goodner's brother in law, also an airman, is within bike riding distance of his airfield in England and they often meet after either one returns from a mission over Germany or Holland. They write letters home telling of seeing each other and that all is okay, until the day that Howard's ship, The Black Cat, does not return from a mission. The entire crew but one is lost and the family's share an anguish for years afterward that Childer's describes in one of the few "Gold Star" families accounts you will read. Childer's writes movingly of the families of the crew as they desperately attempt to learn something from the War Department. Childer's narrative is such that you can feel the fear as though the fateful telegram is arriving at your own door. Victor Davis Hanson describes in his "Ripples of Battle" the ramifications of lives lost in wartime and the ripple effects, we almost never consider, on the surviving families. His theory is spot on in "Wings of Morning." It is a moving story of a nephew,Childers,who, decades later and against astronomical odds finds the lone survivor of the Black Cat and persuades him to return to England to a quiet deserted, unused airfield, where machines of war once roared and hundreds of men lived and worked. You will thrill as they find the cement pad where the Black Cat crew hut once stood and where Childer's uncle may have even had his bunk. You will become emotional when the surviving crewmember, now a senior citizen, while on the commercial flight into Germany to find the crash site of the Black Cat,tells Childers, "The last time I flew here was that day, with your uncle." The fatal flight was only two weeks before the war in Europe ended. This is a human history, a detailed incisive aviation history and a truly American family story. After reading this book I was so moved, unlike any book I have read of this period, that I drove to Cleveland, Tennessee with a colleague who also had read the book. We went to "Find" Howard Goodner. We saw all the surprisingly surviving places that Howard knew and that Prof. Childers describes in the book. The old hotel, the soda shop and even the old train platform where he said good-bye. Finally, we found Sgt. Howard Goodner. Or rather, he found us. Why we turned into that particular cemetery of the three that serviced the area we didn't know, and although we searched for his grave, after three hours searching in the hot sun we were ready to give up and drive the three hours home. We had ranged far from where we parked our car on the top of a hill and were heading back up to retrieve it, when just five feet from the car, we "accidentally" found the grave of SGT. Howard Goodner. Or, did we? We thanked him for his service and his sacrifice and we thanked Prof. Childers for writing such a vivid, moving and accurately engaging account of the short life of an average American hero.

Through the years, I've read a number of histories and memoirs on the Eighth Air Force in World War II. Many of those volumes, published over 6 decades, were more authoritative, complete, wide-ranging, and fact-filled than this volume.

Yet if I had to recommend a SINGLE book to give someone the flavor of all of those experiences represented by all those many books, this would be the one.

WINGS OF MORNING is an exceptional effort. The writing is wonderful; the information and tales presented colorful and telling. The author has a level of talent given only to a handful of non-fiction writers - the ability of a poet, to flash insights of feeling while describing facts. It's in the class of Bruce Catton and David McCullough.

In a plain and straight-forward manner, and without resorting to any plot gimmicks or other devices, this book wrings the reader through an emotional journey that doesn't start or stop around VE-Day. It is a *wise* book; informed by age and living.

I recommend it to everyone.

This is a collection of essays about the first twelve rulers to bear the name Caesar. It is the definitive collection of eyewitness stories about the early emperors as they were seen by their contemporaries.

The rulers covered by this book include Julius Caesar, his adopted son Augustus and his descendents, the warlords who contended for power in the "Year of Four Caesars" after Nero was overthrown, and the Flavians.

In other words, the full list of twelve is:

Julius Caesar
Augustus
Tiberius
Gaius Caligula
Claudius
Nero
Galba
Otho
Vitellius
Vespasian
Titus
Domitian.

If you want to understand the early Roman Empire, you need to read this book. If you are a budding novelist and want to write about the early Empire, you need to read this book.

Robert Graves, author of "I Claudius" and "Claudius the God" translated this version: not surprisingly many of the snippets of gossip and fascinating little stories from Suetonius find their way into his novels. They also find their way into every good novel about first century Rome that I have ever read, absolutely without exception.

You should not take for granted that every word of Suetonius's account is accurate. For example, he supports the story that Nero set fire to the city of Rome, and then sang an aria as he watched the city burn. (This is story is often misquoted as Nero having fiddled while Rome burned - an impossibility since the violin had not been invented.)

Some modern historians have made a strong case that this was a clever libel spread by Nero's contemporary opponents, that Nero was actually away from the city when the fire broke out and hurried back to Rome to personally lead the fire-fighting efforts.

If they are right it does not cast doubt on Suetonius's integrity as a reporter of what was said about the emperor, because there is no dispute that the story of Nero singing while Rome burned was widely believed at the time. As the saying goes, "Si non e vero, e ben trovato" - if it's not true, it's well invented. Aspects of the story certainly seem in character with many of Nero's other proclivities including his love of art, enormous vanity, and complete ruthlessness. However, it illustrates that Suetonius does seem to have a propensity to repeat every snippet of gossip he heard about the early emperors, with rather less selectivity and critical judgement than the other great ancient historians, Herodotus and Thucydides.

However, for this very reason, though perhaps he is a whisker behind Herodotus and Thucydides as a historian, Suetonius is far and away the most entertaining of the three.

The translation by Graves is very easy to read. This is one of the most important, fascinating, and informative works of ancient history which was ever written.

That question can be solved by me by choosing the former simply because of what survives of his work and here it is: The Twelve Caesars. Tacitus is the other great Roman historian but what survives of his two masterpieces: The Annals and The Histories, is not as comprehensive as what is found in The Twelve Caesars.

The Twelve Caesars is definatley my favorite historical work of the Roman Empire. In it, Suetonious goes over the actions and character of not only the entire Julio-Claudian dynasty but the Flavian as well, making The Twelve Caesars cover roughly 138 years.

This is probably the best historical account of the emperors of the Roman Empire and is the best introduction to other works such as the great works of Tacitus.

lunatics that ruled Rome in the first century, & told very well in the audio cassette format. As history it is not much but as biography it is informative & entertaining. Apparently the mores & standards of decency were much diiferent than they are today. Most of these 12 Caesars did not not rule very long but they impacted the Empire probably for a long time after. I'd like to read more about the individuals that followed Domitian & before Julius thus supplementing other well known works such as the Fall of the Roman Empire. This book however, is a good start.

Suetonius grew up in the years following Nero's reign and wrote these histories while he was the secretary of the emperor Hadrian in the early second century A.D. His book covers the successive reigns of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.

The stories focus on the emperors themselves more than the events which took place under their reigns and, although there's certainly some truth to those emperors, many of Suetonius' facts are anecdotal stories and rumors. Suetonius has therefore been called one of the first tabloid writers. Nevertheless, his biographies are rather concise and systematic; touching upon the physical attributes of the ruler, his background, the good deeds (if any) in his reign and then, of course, the bad deeds.

Robert Graves' translation is superb and carries the jovial mood of the writings quite well. I can't help but be amused at some of the stories Suetonius recites on Nero and Caligula as they are definitely two of the most eccentric emperors (to put it lightly)that ever ruled the Principate. For example, when Nero first inaugurated his new gigantic Golden House with a mile-long corridor and a 130' statue of himself at the entrance, he was said to have exclaimed, "At last! I can live like a human being!"

The Twelve Caesars is the first classical book I ever read, and it fascinated me to no end. I'd recommend this is a starter book for anyone interested in the History of Political Power. Gore Vidal reviewed this book years ago, and he wrote an excellent piece about it--the nature of power, the perversions it causes, and the absurd humanity of it All. Hopefully there won't be another Tiberius as President of the USA (we only have our cheap Clintonius) but it's fun to wonder what may become of our American Empire. Please, please buy this book.

As a statement jewelry artist [...] I work in polymer, glass and metals.

This book is really informative, great easy techniques that give really nice results. The pictures are great and she always
carefully gives you step by step, I have not done transfer but will try it now. For beginners start with her earlier books, then move on to this book.

I was totally new to clay working, heading for a class in the medium, when I purchased this book. I was absolutely delighted, and was able to start my class with some background and understanding of working the materials. I sit in awe of Ms. Kato's talent, and did find the techniques more difficult than they look. This aside, it is an excellent accumulation of many of the techniques that makes polyclay such a joy to work with. Ms. Kato does list several varieties of clay, inks, paints and other products, but I appreciate that she enumated which she found easier to work with, and why. I did expect some bias towards Kato Polyclay, as she helped develop it, but have also found this an excellent product to work with and have not been disappointed with its performance.
The book is a MUST HAVE for the beginner reference library, and is also an inspiration with the images from Ms Kato and other artist's collections. I'm pleased I purchased this book, and plan to keep it as a cornerstone for clay working.

I found the book just did not live up to my expectations. When will crafting books realize that photo transfers done with xerox machines hardly ever work as they are shown in books? The techniques of photo transfer, which is covered in this book as if it works, is really frustrating. Also, the use of translucent clays to good effect is iffy and the high polish acheived by the author on many of the pieces. I just couldn't get it to work.

This book is outstanding and extremely useful. It has great projects, detailed descriptions, and plenty of info on where to find suppliers for every tool and material used in the book. I found it very helpful.

I was surprised at how many "finishes" you can give Poly Clay. This book explains it all . She does show alot of "specialty tools" you can use - but they can be substituted with your own tools or simple copies. GREAT BOOK - Great Pictures and easy step by step instructions.

Before approaching the text of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, I had little realization as to the proper content of his prophetic work. To my former understanding, the text was merely a collection of adulation and reflections upon the American way of life by a French observer in the nineteenth century. Upon reading this abridged version of Democracy in America, I found a much more prophetic text which reflected more upon the cultural impact of democratic institutions than upon the praise which should be attributed thereto. While one may fault de Tocqueville for approaching the democratic world with the cutting eye of a small aristocracy, it is quite evident that he accepted the fact that the human spirit was led to greater democratic tendencies and that such was to be taken almost a priori as the state of the world in his era.

The truly important reflection of the work as a whole comes in the considerations which he places upon the consequences of equality which follows from democratic revolutions. The phenomena of hardy individualism and its potential devolvement into individualism were not lost in his reflections. From this hardy individualism, de Tocqueville feared that humanity in democratic times may tend more toward equality and stability than toward liberty. In this, he not only foresaw the simple tendencies of utilitarian artwork and literature but also the potential destruction of civil associations and the devaluation of individual accomplishment and differentiation. It is this latter point, which seems somewhat paradoxical at first glance, which is perhaps the most prophetic of his reflections. In the process of cultural homogenization and individuation, de Tocqueville foresees that centralization of power will become much more likely as the populace views itself to be nothing more than an accumulation of nearly-identical citizens. Beyond this, his fears of the tyranny which could result by the abandonment of liberties by the people are well founded, for a society which wholly forgets the fact that some human beings can stand out is one which can easily allow itself to be subjected to the capricious desires of a powerful state as liberty is wholly forgotten.

These prophetic words should be read by all reflective Americans as we continue to move toward a larger centralized state and clamor with greater intensity for security in all forms (be it physical or social), for such equalizing security can only come at the cost of the liberties which allow the individual to actually have the worth which we intellectually affirm that he or she has.

As an American living in Europe, I read with great interest Alexis de Tocqueville's book about a European experiencing America.

Like most people, Mr. de Tocqueville started out with a characterization of the United States, believing that the country's early 19th century prosperity was a function of its distance from rivals in Europe. But after his famous trip, he concludes that the real difference comes from each side's view of risk taking. It's an insight as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Mr. de Tocqueville predicted that the growing issue of state's rights would lead to bloodshed (it led to the Civil War -- though he wrongly predicted it would eventually lead to a breakup of the union, he was very nearly right on that point as well); he predicts the fledgling country's industrial rise and its emergence as a true world power; he recognized the symbiotic role between industry and democracy at a time when they were believed to be unrelated. His insights into the American psyche, optimism, and ambition at times seem timelier than most op-ed pieces.

More than a century and a half after it was written, I am hard pressed to conjure the name of a better commentary about America and Americans. It is an astonishing feat considering the brevity of Mr. de Tocqueville's four-month visit, his youth (he was in his early 20s), and early stage of development the country was in. But the result is something that shouldn't be skipped by any serious student of the political and social essence of the United States.

Praising this book is a bit like saying Huckleberry Finn was one of the great American novels - it's a profound statement of the obvious. Even so, it must be said: Alexis de Tocqueville's magnum opus is a brilliant sociological analysis of America, with his genius made all the more evident by how applicable his observations about 1830s America are to its twenty-first century counterpart. Everything from the solidity of America's political infrastructure to the disquieting trend toward anti-intellectualism are explored in this massive work, and his gift of analysis is matched only by his gift for prophecy (can you believe that he predicted a conflict between America and Russia before the rise of Communism?). An amazing book, and necessary reading for anyone who wishes to understand America, rather than merely talk about it.

I have three complaints about this edition of Tocqueville:
1) Nowhere in the book is the translator credited. This violates basic principles of publication and scholarship.
2) This is in fact an abridged version of the original English-language translation by Henry Reeve, dating from sometime before 1862. Unless you want to re-create the experience of a modern Frenchman confronted with de Tocqueville's somewhat archaic French by reading the text in somewhat archaic English, I would seek out any of the more recent translations: there are at least three.
3) The ellipses, that is, the abridgements, have sometimes been made to conceal some of the author's less flattering views America. In fact I suspect this is a "patriotic" abridgement. For example, in the second chapter of part one, Heffner has omitted references to some of the excesses of Puritan law in New England which the notoriously even-handed Tocqueville had cited.

As a former reviewer has stated this edition takes quite a bit of liberty in excising the less flattering aspects of Tocqueville's views of America. In fact the entire section on race-relations has been excised --perhaps it was deemed too controversial? This kind of editing is even more unacceptable in our age of open communications and hopefully open minds. Find another edition.

I really enjoyed this book. Well researched.

I realize I'm not in agreement with all the other reviews here, but I just wanted to throw my $0.02 in. The impression I got from reading the other reviews was that this book would read something like Churchill's "Second World War" series: sort of a narrative or story covering the war. Instead, for the most part, this book is a reference book. It's got tons of information in it, but it's organized into battles within time periods. It's hard to explain. I was looking for something that said we did x because of y which resulted in these battles. Then, we did x' which led to some other battles. Instead it said something like in year x we fought battles a, b, and c. In year y, we fought battles d, e, and f. All the information is there, but the "story" part of the "history" feels lacking.

If you're studying the Korean War, I do agree that this is an excellent book. But, for a more "entertaining" study, I'd try something else (what that would be, I don't know).

Being familiar with some of the author's other works, I tracked this one down as well. As expected, the level of detail and obvious meticulous research were as I expected. Another successful and vivid portrait of a very gripping historical period from an author who clearly knows his history. The wealth of little details interspersed throughout the mandatory historical details make this a true pleasure to read.

Fire and Ice is one of those books that just flows. It doesn't seem like you have read the book so quickly. It is a fine introduction to the Korean War. However, it has enough interesting and unusual facts contained that the Korean War expert will still pick up new things.

Fire and Ice is one of the best books I've found concerning the Korean War. As a high school student, I found it both interesting and easy to read. It is a straightforward book filled with useful facts, maps, and illustrations. Fire and Ice actually made me want to voluntarily write a report. Not many books can do that.

The author's use of carefully crafted dialogue pulled me into the pre-Civil War era (1860) rapidly. The descriptive action and richly developed characters easily conjured up mental images of that place and time. I felt myself being transported back and I definitely want to know much more about Isaac and Henry's lives. What happens next?!

This novel is set in one of the most exciting periods of American history and has focused squarely on the issue of slavery and the lives of slaves in the American South, which is a subject long neglected and worthy of exploration. The author has done solid research and has created sympathetic characters in Isaac and his family. He's jumped right into the action.

As a Southerner sensitive to the nuances, variations and music of "my native language" I appreciate that the author has made an attempt to represent the spoken language of the time in his dialog. He makes appropriate distinctions in the speech of the slaves and of the Confederate cadets. Unfortunately, both seem a little stilted and off to my ear and I found this a barrier to becoming fully immersed in the story. Any kind of spoken dialect is hard to represent on the printed page. Generally, it is better to represent the dialect with a word or two and to let the dialog flow in a fashion that the modern reader will accept.

Otherwise, the author has a pleasant and readable prose style.

I was immediately intrigued by the title of this story and when I started reading this download I was hooked. Mr. Andrews does a fantastic job of connecting the reader to the characters. His writing style is very descriptive and easy to follow and I was able to imagine the story in my mind...a must for any good book in my opinion! He definitely left me wanting more- not just from this story, but from this author. GREAT JOB.

I thought this was great. Jeff's got all the essential ingredients: a hook that draws you in, characters that you care about from the start, a beautiful writing style and a richly developed setting. He's got a knack for description and a flow that is easy to follow and leaves you wanting more. This book should be published.

I was engaged from the start. I want to know more about the characters. This book should be published!