History Books

This beautiful, honest biography is one of the most revealing explorations of recent history ever written. All the accolades are more than deserved. Heartbreakingly American depiction of idealism, courage, loyalty, consequences. Unforgettable.

An over-simplistic view to me is the only view anyone lacking the sensitivity to absorb this book correctly can have. Judging this person is irrelevant to the whole point of reading the book, it's not a textbook, of course there is more to the story, and of course anyone can be offended by anything. But, if your looking for a story of a young man who cheated death more then once during the Nam conflict, you will be hard press to find a better book. This is the most powerful book I have have ever read and you can choose to believe it or not, but these are the only type of books I read.

The name of General "Chesty" Puller brings a proud smile to the lips of every Marine. He is part of the pantheon of "the few and the proud." His son, Lewis Puller, Jr., has written a memoir that tells the story of growing up in the shadow of a legendary father, becoming a Marine officer in his own right, losing his legs in an explosion while serving in Vietnam, and struggling to build a life for himself in the aftermath. This thoughtful and thought-provoking book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Lewis Puller, Jr. demonstrates a great deal of transparency in recounting his pilgrimage from the son of a war hero to a wounded warrior looking for his rightful place in the world. The New York Times called this book: "A haunting tribute to the names on the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial . . . An important contribution to the personal literature of war."

The fact that much of Puller's personal journey took place during the same time the nation was struggling with building the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial adds a special poignancy to this memoir. Several of my friends who have served recently in Iraq and Afghanistan commended this book to me as one that had helped them in their own process of reconciling their experiences in war with their return to the United States.

This is a story of great loss and of commensurate courage and determination. I think you will find it inspiring and well worth reading.

The book, a true account of a dissalussioned idealist - a trouble soul. A
lead in to my sad tale of woe. My fellow Americans/Vietnam veterans, do
not be fooled by the administration's rehtoric; read McNamara's "The Fog
of War" and please don't forget the book "A Bright Shining Lie"! If you
truly believe the lies of the "CHICKEN HAWKS", then I've got a bridge in
Utopia I'll sell you. You are listening to people who never served a day in their misrable lives in war and when most of them had their chance to fight for our country, during the Vietnam war,they chose to "Cut and Run"
(Guard duty and college deferments). There is only one way to end this
fisco in the middle east; reinstate the DRAFT with NO LOOP-HOLES! Every-
body goes when the 6x6 (military truck) rolls up (ages from 18 to 50),
city/state/federal legislators, the whole nine yards. I'm speaking truth
to power here today, people. Because when death becomes a shared sacri-
fice, people's whole prospective changes; it's different when everybody's butt is on the line. Believe me, I know because I served three tours in
"Nam (all voluntary) not in surrounding countryside (Thailand, Philippines, etc), but in country. I too believed in the government's
lies (Gulf of Tonkin incident) at the time, but after a lot of years since then, I've had time to reflect and my reflections are not pleasant.
So, if the country really wants to stop this current mistake, follow my
advice, THE DRAFT!

It is difficult to not be moved by the horrific series of incidents related by Puller here. As pointed out by other reviewers, the self-portrait he renders is of a person so unappealing that the reader must conclude that what he has written with an eye first to honest description, as well as he can render it.
That said, this book is not really worth reading as a book. The writing is stultifying flat and, for whatever reasons, the only thing Puller does here is whine, in an equally grating voice and with an equal intensity about whatever happens: the mortifying loss of his legs and much of both hands is treated with exactly the same weight as minor slights that occur in his run for office. Furthermore, a very great deal of the book is devoted to pointing out the obvious: for example, Puller insists on notifying the reader that his son learns to talk while his father (owing to a stroke) is losing the capability for speech. Should an editor have cut out this and the many similar needless explanations, the writing would have far greater impact than it does.
Should the story of Fuller have any lessons for us, those lessons will surely be better learned by reading a (much, much shorter) article about him rather than this tedious book.

As an 0331 (machinegunner) in the exact same unit several years later, this book was an inspiration to all the men in the platoon as well as Johnnie Clark being our unit hero. The book was excellently written and serves as a mirror to the bonds of friendship that develop in the small units of the U.S. Armed Forces

This remarkable book describes the commitment of a young American (17 years) in the Marines in 1968, as a server of the famous M60 rifle gunner. "Guns up" - the order of battle and odf immediate fire - became a classic Overseas Atlantic story of the war in Vietnam. It has all the ingredients for success: good writing, humility, joint commitment ( "team spirit") and even religious faith (not that of George Bush, however, and fortunately).

I found this story in the spirit of the commitment of the elite troops at the French war in Indochina. 7 months of fighting without having set foot in a barrack, living in the jungle: what warrior feat indeed! Embuscades, fraternity, weaknesses of man.

A great book for a superb story.

Vietnam another generation, another war,life in the bush;death nearby everyday,war buddies killed.Life as a teenage Marine, either you grow up or die. A great read if you want to know what life as a Marine is.

if you want to know what the south end of Quang Nam province was like in 1968-69, this is it. i was there, just like johnny clark; but i was in 1/7. he's done a great job of capturing the feel of the time.

This is one of the best books I've read. The writer says in the end that some of this is fiction, or that certain characters are made of multiple people he knew, but the bulk of this story is true, regardless of who it happened to. I have yet to know someone who read this book and did not have to fight back tears at least once. I have read this book 4 times now. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

This book is trash. This is just a printed version of textfiles.com that gives you all of the "lost" files for free. This is just a horrible book that takes advantage of people not using google first to find free information.

I think this book is equivalent to somebody filling up a bottle with tap water and selling it for 20 dollars as pure water found in the most secret places.

this book is culled from sources across the internet, almost all of the information is freely available somewhere. in most cases the author has not even bothered to change the filenames or unique file extensions. the book itself is barely an index of the cd-rom, with the first paragraph of a file serving as a description. there is some (un)original writing done by the author himself, comprising a miniscule amount of the actual text. if you would like to learn what these files are actually about, you would be much better served by going to the sites they were taken from

The widespread availability of computers and access to telephone and Internet technologies has contributed to the sharp rise in the number of people going online over the years. Unfortunately, many of these people found their way online through less-than-honest means, and once online, they would set out to perform a great deal of mischief and damage to various computers and computer information systems.

Hack Attacks Encyclopedia edited by John Chirillo serves as the ultimate source for collected information on the history of hacking, cracking, and phreaking. The book features nearly 2,000 text and HTML document extracts that includes news articles, online postings, and other snippets of insightful information. Some of the accounts are startling. Readers will quickly pick up just how clever some hackers, crackers, and phreakers really are. The following snippet exemplifies available talent in Northern America:

"Silver Spy has everything going for him - comfortable surroundings, a father who is an engineer. He ranks in the top 3 percent of his high-school class. His SAT scores for college admission totaled 1,400 of a possible 1,600. He wants to attend Stanford or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But in the eyes of the phone companies he is a thief, and in the eyes of the law he's a criminal. Such is the portrait of this 17-year-old computer "hacker" and "phone phreaker" who lives about 20 miles outside Boston. He spoke with U.S. News & World report on the condition that neither his real name nor home town be revealed."

The Hack Attack Encyclopedia is broken up into major sections by decade - the 70's, the 80's, the 90's, the Millennium, and a special historical synopsis. From beginning to end, readers will be able to follow the history of mischievous behavior. It will be an eye-opening experience for anyone to follow the advancements made in communications technologies and how they can be easily circumvented and otherwise compromised to carryout further activities. Although some of the technologies disclosed in the book are outdated and have been replaced, readers will still gain helpful insight of the mindset of hackers, crackers, and phreakers operating today. They are a force to be taken very seriously.

An extensive 217-page glossary of terms will enlighten readers about the slang talk used in the hacking, cracking, and phreaking communities. As a special bonus, the CD accompanying the book features full-length editions of the article and snippet extracts included in the book, hundreds of computing and Internet exploits, and a sampling of useful utility programs.

Hacking, cracking, phreaking, and virus infection still poses problems for many people today. This book will open the eyes of many people - including business people, IT managers, and law enforcement officials. It will serve as an excellent starting point for taking necessary corrective action to prevent further mischief and harm caused to personal and company computer systems. I can't wait to see an updated edition. Highly recommended reading.

this book is culled from sources across the internet, almost all of the information is freely available somewhere. in most cases the author has not even bothered to change the filenames or unique file extensions. the book itself is barely an index of the cd-rom, with the first paragraph of a file serving as a description. there is some (un)original writing done by the author himself, comprising a miniscule amount of the actual text. if you would like to learn what these files are actually about, you would be much better served by going to the sites they were taken from

The book looks damned impressive from the outside; it's 960 pages! Surely, this must be the most complete discussion of the hacking and phreaking subculture ever published! The cover, a sunset-colored affair with barbed wire and neat lettering, tells you it'll have a more up-to-date sensibility. Everything said this would be my next purchase.

My heart sank as I read through the book.

The vast, vast, VAST (over two-thirds) majority of the book consists of the first paragraph of BBS textfiles, with a line telling you the filename included on the CD that comes with the book. In some cases, Chirillo deigns to visit upon you a single-line description, but many don't even have that. So now, imagine this: page after page of filenames, then descriptions, then the first paragraph, of files located on a CD that's in the back of a book. What a horrible waste! There's a computer "glossary" in the back which looks suspiciously like similar documents available on the web, although I can't be sure. Also, there are a few tiny chapters giving general descriptions of the hacker and phreaking subculture. If you were to remove the filenames and descriptions and paragraphs, I doubt this book could get past 100 pages, if that.

Quick read. Definitely worth it if you have been or are going to be in the region. Some of his scientific stuff is a little off but it's not the right book if you are looking for exacting detail on these subjects. Modzelewski's perspectives were very idealistic and I found it a little difficult to believe that the experiences he relates were quite a spiritual or mind altering as he sometimes makes them seem. The author does pull series of stories or facts together well. The chapters addressed themes - like the tribes, animals, the island's owner, etc. Modzelewski doesn't try to tell you everything there is to know about any of these subjects but selects what he thinks is interesting and relates it briefly. Often the points he makes or the stories he chooses to tell are not ones that you might have expected.

I live in Alaska and a friend recommended Mr. Modzelewski's book. And now I recommend it to the world. Sure, there's the usual descriptions of animals, ocean, weather and solitude but what makes this book special is the author goes so much deeper into the Spirit behind things. Haven't stopped thinking about his experiences and it's been a month now since I finished the book.

I'm an actress and read scripts, rarely books -- but after a producer friend recommended Inside Passage to me, I couldn't put it down! In fact, I read it three times. It was like watching a movie -- that's how vividly Michael Modzelewski writes. Alaska is a far different world than Los Angeles and I escaped completely to a pure and inspiring reality. Thank you, Michael! You are gifted and blessed. And who knows? Maybe we can turn this captivating story into a film, with the author and animals the main characters and could there be a more beautiful setting than the Inside Passage to Alaska -- as evoked so wonderfully in this poetic prose.

A wonderful voyage in mother nature's womb, evoking feelings of awe, and revere at the colossal universe, inhaling the powerful imagery of wilderness through Michael.

Michael Modzelewski writes like a wild animal. If the beasts could speak it wouldn't come out much different than how Michael describes them. The author knows no limits -- extending into and giving shape to all animate matter in super insightful poetic prose.

This is a book that I couldn't read slowly enough for fear that it would end.

Wendell Berry--novelist, poet, essayist--has written an unrequited love story and a love letter to the natural world. Jayber Crow revisits Berry's fictional Kentucky town of Port William and peers into the life of the town's barber, the book's namesake, Jayber.

Berry, a well-known environmentalist, has enough skill to render a page-turning story while advocating for the earth. He's one of our greatest living American writers. I highly recommend this book.

This is an amazing story! Vividly written and really makes you think about what is good in the world. The characters stay alive in your mind for months after finishing the story!

This audio version is well narrated and easy to listen to. It's un-abridged, so all the wonderful descriptions of the book are in there.

Wendell Berry is a fantastic author - I can't wait to start the next book.

The book jacket calls this a "beautiful, lyrical love story," and it is. But it is not the romance of a man for a woman but rather the deep, fond emotion that Jayber Crow holds for his community, his friends, and all that has gone into his non-eventful but ultimately pleasant life. Here is a book that can be an antidote for the disillusion and despair we feel when we seem to be lost in the cosmos. As Jayber reminisces,

"I still do belong to Port William. Being here satisfies me. I have no thought of going away. If I knew for sure that I would die here, I would be glad. And yet definite as all this is, it seems surrounded by the indefinite, like a boat in a fog. I can't look back from where I am now and feel that I have been very much in control of my life. Certainly I have lived on the edge of the Port William community, and I am farther than ever out on the edge of it now. But I feel that I have lived on the edge even of my own life. I have made plans enough, but I see now that I have never lived by plan. Any more than if I had been a bystander watching me live my life. I don't feel that I ever have been quite sure what was going on. Nearly everything that has happened to me has happened by surprise. All the important things have happened by surprise. And whatever has been happening usually has already happened before I have had time to expect it. The world doesn't stop because you are in love or in mourning or in need of time to think. And so when I have thought I was in my story or in charge of it, I really have been only on the edge of it, carried along. Is this because we are in an eternal story that is happening partly in time?" (322)

Berry's lyrical prose helps us to enjoy the opportunity to be "on the edge" of Jayber's life, and we are the better for being carried along by it.

Reading Jayber Crow is like spending the weekend listening to your favorite uncle tell family stories. The conversational tone used by Berry could get sappy in the hands of a less skilled writer, but that doesn't happen on the pages of Jayber Crow. Wendall Berry's prose is exquisite. As the story moves slowly through another time and place, Jayber's voice draws you into his private mind. It is a tender place to be. The story is thought-provoking and deeply moving. I hated for this book to end.

I used to read a lot of books and I never felt the need to quantify or compare one book to another. But when I finished Jayber Crow I knew that this was the best book I had ever read.

As other reviews here will testify, it is astounding how Wendell Berry communicates with mere words the beauty of life, the human heart and the love that holds both together.

I've sold most of the books I owned but I doubt that I will ever part with my copy of Jayber Crow.

A must read for any one who is interested in what went on behind the scenes during the Delaration of Independence, the
Constitution the early founding of our country (United States). Every politician should read it, because history does repeat itself!
Vincent

After reading both David McCullough's biography of Adams and now this one, I have concluded that Ferling's is the better of the two. The main reason is that although McCullough's is slightly more extensive, Ferling's book has a much more realistic view of the man. As his book Almost a Miracle shows the many tactical mistakes that Washington made, this book does the same with Adams. It makes sure to reckognize Adam's flaws as well as his virtues. For example, his frequent hypocracy, his recurrent neglect of family, his indecision, his self doubt, and his many political misjudgements are all fully acknowledged. Yet even with these faults, its overall view of Adams is still that of a great man.

In addition, Ferling's writing is practically as good as McCullough's, so read this book.

I will echo what others have written. This book gives almost every detail of John Adams life. It is an outstanding biography that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical books.

By the last page of this book you'll feel like you personally know John Adams. You'll know what drove him to succeed, his stregths, his weaknesses, his personality and most everything that can be known about a person.

As a detailed and thorough look at the life of a man, this biography is superb.

This is an excellent biography, following Adams from birth to death in one volume, and detailing both the positive and the negative aspects of the man clearly and fairly. I've been fascinated by Adams ever since seeing the movie "1776", which gives a marvellous "based on fact" dramatization of the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence, and this book gave me a more thorough, more strictly factual look at the man. I wasn't disappointed on that score; he's just as interesting without the dramatic liberties taken by the movie.

My only quibble with this book is that the editing, at least in the edition that I have, is rather poor. There are numerous errors in grammatical structure and word choice, the kind of errors that I have become accustomed to in mass market paperbacks but refuse to accept in a scholarly historical work. Things like "he requested that the Congress name his successor be named in his place" and "...the British ... was ready" and "the New England sates" (rather than "States") and "the House of Representative" (even back then, there was more than one representative in the House) and "the dreary weather proved not be a herald of the months ahead" and many others. I understand that mistakes happen, and don't demand perfection. But there are just too many of this kind of error in this book for me to say that it is well-written; probably two dozen, if I had to guess.

Overall, this is a worthwhile biography of a fascinating president. Hopefully, future editions will clean up the writing a bit more.

which book is better this one or life in the pit?

I wanted to do a book report on korn my favoret group but it curses to much wy do you havto do that micster37@hotmail.com

this book is realy good, it offers so much info on how the band started and little extras that you may, or may not have wanted to know. i wasnt expecting it to be this good

This book has a lot of great information about the band. If you ever wanted to know how they started out or just some tidbits about the guys just read this. I did notice that some of the pictures are backwards. Like the tatoo is on one arm in one picture and the other in a different picture.

This book is great for all the KoRn fans. It tells you the whole story behind KoRn and it also has many colorful photos to look at. This is my favorite book in the world and KoRn rules! ! !

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

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.

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.

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

Nick Brandt's book is simply put the most incredible collection of images I have viewed. They had such an emotional effect on me that I literally felt goosebumps! An amazing achievement - I only wish I could afford to have his prints covering my walls - Matt.

This artist is just amazing, since I saw his exhibition, I never forgot the intensity of these original masterpiece. So why only 4 stars?? I don't know, the book is too small? The printing? it's never perfect but the photographs... The photographs ...

As an avid photographer - and one who has spent a lot of time shooting in EA - these are precisely the sort of images that make me want to grab my camera and rush back into the Serengeti. It's a well selected collection - perhaps not the greatest photographs I have ever seen, but a beautiful selection nontheless. A wonderful departure from the stock "post-card" photograpy that's been pouring out of the continent, and some are so breathtakingly vivid (like the image used on the cover) that you can almost feel the dust swirl around you, and feel the hot African sun on your neck.

It's a beautiful book. Would make an an ideal gift for the nature photographer, and for the nature lover...

This is a wonderful book with some great pictures of the African wildlife. The black and white photos were striking and the book appeals to 3 years of age to 65. It captured the African wildlife that I have had the privilege of seeing first hand on two occasions.

Amazing BW pictures. Very nice and a good edition. Very interesting for all photo-africa lovers....

Rusesabagina starts his book with a most memorable entry:
"This is a work of nonfiction. All of the people and events described herein are true as I remember them. For legal and ethical reasons, I have given pseudonyms to a handful of private Rwandan citizens. Each time this is done, the change is noted in the text.
My name is Paul Rusesabagina. I am a hotel manager."
With those simple words he solidifies the ultimate strengths and weaknesses of the book.

Overall, An Ordinary Man is an excellent book, written by someone who actually experienced the terrifying happenings of Rwanda. In fact, the author is responsible for saving 1,268 people. However, he maintains that he was just merely doing his job; he was simply a "hotel manager, trained to negotiate contracts and provide shelter for those who need it" (204), nothing more and nothing less. The book is a simple read, but do not think the simplicity of his words undermines their significance. It allows his book to reach a much larger audience, and, in doing so, he is able to call out that the "tools of death [can become] reappropriated. They [can become] tools of life" (204).

In the end, Paul Rusesabagina provides us with shimmering hope, in light of tragedy. He reminds us that ordinary men have the ability to ward off evil. Ordinary men can do what is right, what is decent, and what is just. Ordinary men hold this power. He reminds us that there are good people who stand in the face of evil. There are those who can make a difference, and those are the ones who must act: because there is an evil out there. There is an evil we must all fear every day: the indifference of good men.

Like all the other book that I order at this time this book give their perspective on the affect of war. The class inwhich these books are being used is based on the affects of war from different nationallities.

Surprisingly everyone else rates this as 5 out of 5.
It is good, but not that good.
Paul's writing style is a little dry at times, and shows his limited education.
It is also a littel disjointed , and doesn't give enough insight into characters that he had known before the genocide, and they could have been expanded with further background.
The book took longer to read than it should have, and did not hold my interest or intensity as others on this subject have.
Nevertheless, it is a great adjunct to understanding the movie "Hotel Rwanda" , from which this film was based.
Still an essential part of everyone's library, but I would probably not read it twice.
Derek

My product arrived in time and in very good condition!

would definitely purchase again

This autobiography was written very well. The author was committed to getting the facts out without glorifying himself. Done very well. I appreciated being told about the genocide in Rwanda without all the gore. I understood perfectly what he was describing without seeing it on screen. I learned so much from both his experience and his trials trying to get help from other nations. Great book!