Security Books

The Children is David Halberstam's look at the college students who helped make the Civil Rights movement a success. The book is fascinating; Halberstam sweeps you along as events unfold. It is difficult to believe that things were so different just a few years ago. Even at 700+ pages, The Children is difficult to put down.

To me, the best part of The Children is its characters. Halberstam has a gift for making his characters come alive; you feel that you know these young people, warts and all. One of the most fascinating aspects of these biographies is what happened to the characters as the Civil Rights movement ended; some of them were quite successful, others could never find anything as fulfilling. (It is interesting to read Halberstam's take on James Bevel, given that Bevel has been convicted of incest since The Children's publication).

The dust jacket of The Children notes that it is Halberstam's "most personal" book. I think that this works for and against the book. Certainly, Halberstam has a great grasp on "what happened when" and he took the time to get to know each of the Civil Rights workers on a deep level. In other ways, Halberstam's passions work against him. Too often, Halberstam falls for the easy out of caricaturing people he does not like; he cavalierly characterizes Ralph David Abernathy, rival journalists, politicians, college professors, religious leaders, and numerous others as nothing more than one-dimensional simpletons.

Halberstam's opinionated prose reminded me of a review I once read; it stated that Halberstam's gift for narrative can obscure the fact that his approach isn't always 100% solid as history. Given that Halberstam states his opinions as established facts, I think that's a fair synopsis of The Children as well.

On the whole, however, The Children is quite an accomplishment. It tells that story of the of how a few seemingly-ordinary people helped create a more just society - and Halberstam tells that story in a way that entertains and fascinates the reader.

A staggering book on the heroism of people who stood up for the rights of basic human dignity. This book should be required reading in every school in America.

This takes you through the civil rights movement. It is very interesting and proves to be an inspiring historical journey. This is a great audio book. The reader was exceptional.

David Halberstam has written so many great works, but THE CHILDREN may be his greatest achievement. From the outset, this book takes readers on a journey through the civil rights movement through the eyes of both the courageous young people who had decided that our society had to change and the adults who helped them to bring this needed change to America. The book captures readers from the beginning as Halberstam gives a very intimate look at the fear Diane Nash experienced as one of the leaders of Nashville's sit-in movement. The first chapter gives readers a window through which to see the conflicting forces that collided in the heart and mind of Ms. Nash as she contemplated the enormity of what she was doing: changing the south against the wishes of many who, if they had their way, would just as soon hang her as look at her.

The chapters of this work flow so well, and the reader is introduced to so many who made the civil rights movement what it was: Diane Nash, John Lewis, Bernard Lafayette, Jim Lawson, James Bevel, C.T. Vivian, etc. etc. etc. The book, a work of historical non-fiction reads almost like a novel. Readers are drawn in by the stories of these heroes, and their triumphs and tragedies take readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotion as they are thrust into this amazing struggle.

Halberstam tells a great story, but the story he tells in this book tops them all. I have read many, many books on the movement, and this is my favorite. I had the tremendous honor to meet John Lewis last summer, and as we talked about much of what he experienced during this period, he asked me "Have you read THE CHILDREN?" When I told them that I had, he commented about what a great book he thought it was and how Halberstam had perfectly captured, as much as possible, what that time was like for those of us who weren't there. John Lewis is a personal hero of mine, and I can think of no better praise for this book. On that note, I would also highly recommend Mr. Lewis' book WALKING WITH THE WIND for those who haven't read it and want another good civil rights title.

David Halberstam's publication "The Children" is an exciting overview of the Civil Rights Movement from an enamored journalist through the eyes of Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. (SNCC) The author focuses on the major players such as Diane Nash, James Bevel, Jim Lewis, Curtis Murphy, Bernard Lafayette and James Lawson, with heavy emphasis on the Nashville Sit-In Movement and Freedom Rides. The strength of his work is that it reads much more like a fast paced novel than an academic analysis. He does however at the same time provide plenty of background material and socio-economic, political and cultural variables within his work. Halberstam also revisits these former SNCC workers after the "high" of the movement and even much later in life. It's quite obvious the work of a journalist within the pages.

This is a good overview of Civil Rights through the eyes of SNCC rather than a broader based examination of the movement. Halberstam's book is quite impressive, and what I admire is the length of information he was able to attain from the vast interviews he received, largely because he had already covered and had known many of the players as a journalist covering the Civil Rights Movement. If you are just starting out or have little knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement this book would be a good starting point. Journalists make great writers because they simply know how to tell a story. Well done!

I was one of those hard-core "we must have gun control" types for a long time. In my late 30s, I mellowed out a bit and grew into more of a "live and let live" mentality. And then when I was in my early 40s, it DAWNED on me, America's gun control laws were all about controlling the rights of private, law-abiding citizens. The bad guys are NOT being constrained or restrained by gun control laws - that's why they're the bad guys.

And then there were the Virginia Tech shootings. Amidst the tragedy and the horror, I noticed that the media was quoting "experts" who were demanding more stringent gun-control laws. Commenting on this whilst talking to my beloved hubby, he replied, "you know about the Appalachian School of Law, right?"

Never heard of it, I told him. Nor has anyone else I've since encountered. The short version is this: An armed student (42-year-old Nigerian student) went to the campus of this small law school in Grundy, Virginia and opened fire, killing three and wounding three. Upon hearing the distinctive sound of shots being fired, two students ran to their car and got their weapons. Now armed, they returned to the classroom where the shooter was and demanded that he drop his gun. He did. The end.

According to John Lott (author of "The Bias Against Guns"), only four of the 208 news reports mentioned that the students WERE ARMED. That was shocking and upsetting.

Then there was a woman friend of mine. When I visited her in the hills of West Virginia, she and I would go out "house hunting" (no shooting involved) and we'd often wander into not-so-great areas of town. (We're both architectural historians and do research on old houses.) One afternoon, I asked, "What if someone comes up to us and tries to take our wallets?" She responded, "I'll reach into my purse and show them my gun up close and personal and tell them, 'no sir, but how about you give me *YOUR* wallet.'"

She was not serious, but it got me to thinking: A woman owning a gun LEVELS the playing field and equalizes power. I felt less afraid when I was with my friend, knowing she had a gun. And when we were walking through a dark parking lot late one night, she walked behind me and when I turned around to make sure she was okay, I saw her walking with her hand buried in her purse, clutching the small gun and paying very close attention to a man who was sitting at the fringes of the lot.

This and many other events lead me to "The Best Defense." The book is full of powerful stories, but I warn other readers, some of the descriptions are quite graphic and very disturbing. It's written simply and it's a fast-read and there are no annotations (which is a little disappointing) but it packs a powerful punch. I had trouble putting it down and read it all within about four hours.

It also makes a very persuasive argument that we are on the WRONG TRACK with gun control. Communities where guns are in most homes have the lowest incidence of home invasions and burgularies. That's another fact that the media won't go near.

Rose Thornton
author, The Houses That Sears Built

As the last reviewer stated, there is not much else that can be said about this book. It is excellent and very good information to know. As a woman, I was especially impressed with some of these stories, especially the 74 year old woman who protects her disabled husband from an attacker / burglar AFTER being maced in the face...... GOOD FOR HER and GOOD FOR EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS BOOK THAT FOUGHT BACK AND WON. I'm sick and tired SICK AND TIRED of hearing all the arguments for "gun control". Gimme a break. Read this, read Roger A. Waters other book, read a few others w/the same concept.....the police are great and I admire and respect them - I have four relatives in various forms of law enforcement, including a SWAT sharp shooter and a patrol cop that works in a gang infested area of L.A. - so like I said, I admire and respect the police, HOWEVER, they can not protect you very often, most often they are there AFTER the crime to get the report. Responsible gun ownership is a right for every eligible citizen that I believe in strongly, especially after reading these books.

With 25 reviews prior to this one, this book doesn't need more promotion, but I can't resist giving it another 5-star vote.

Most things about this book have been stated by previous reviewers. I can add one comment: If you think that citizens should not be allowed to own guns, read the first chapter of this book and tell me what besides a personal gun might have saved Doug and Judy Stanton and their four children.

Jerry Hessler, the murderer who came after them, wrote these words:
"Brian dead, Tracey dead, Amanda dead, Thane dead.
Reid orphaned, Sue widowed, Mark crippled, Ruth unstable.
Countless friends and family stricken with grief.
Not a bad day's work.

The score is 4 to 0.
Even if they execute me it will still be 4-1."

How does a citizen deal with someone who thinks like Jerry Hessler? With a gun.

This books shows how and why.

I feel this is the final word in the gun control debate. This is what we the legitimate gun owners have needed. Some proof that packing heat is the best way to deter crime and to keep yourself and your loved ones alive.

I finished reading this book very quickly. Every story was intense and captivating. The book was enjoyable for entertainment value alone, but it also contains critical information about personal defense.

Ever wondered what it was really like to be attacked by someone trying to kill you? These are stories of people who lived to tell the tail. Many potential murder victims only survived because they had a loaded gun handy.

On a personal note, my brother wasn't as fortunate as many of the people in this book. He was returning a tape at a well lit video store on a Sunday night when he was kidnapped by four thugs. They had his car, his cash, and all his possessions, but they murdered him anyway. Apparently just robbing people had become boring to them. They are now in jail, but I often wonder if my brother would be alive today if he had a gun with him.

Not a big fan of cops, but this was a very interesting read (except for the first 2 chapters.. I liked it from "holding fire" on...). It's full of anecdotes so it reads fast and you get involved in each one.

It will give you a new perspective of when a cop draws his/her weapon and if you run into a cop after reading this book, trust me - you won't move and you'll do everything they ask!

This book is easy reading and worth every minute spent doing so. It is steeped in the experiences of others and hence a valuable resource.

Klinger does an excellent job of showing what officers go through before during and after a shooting. Nobody should be so pretentious as to criticize an officer unless they have at least read this book.

Law enforcement people, in their own words, talk about how it felt to take a life, to come close to taking a life and then deciding it wasn't necessary, and to see someone else pull the trigger. Well told stories, very believable. The author's interpretations and comments are also excellent, blending theory and down-to-earth observations with compassion. If you've ever wondered what it's like to deal with a kill-or-be-killed situation, you'll probably like this book. I enjoyed it as a trip into a land I hope I never have to enter except on the printed page.

Dr. Klinger is one of those rare people who has spent a substantial amount of time on the street as a cop and then gone on to earn a reputation as a serious scientist. He uses this unique combination of skills and insight to shed light on one of the most talked about and least well understood events in contemporary American life -- police shootings.

If you want the true story about what it's like to be in the kill zone where cops make life or death decisions, then live or die by them, this is the book for you. Klinger's interviews with 80 police officers who recounted incidents in which they used deadly force, were shot themselves, or exercised restraint even when they would have been justified to shoot are mesmerizing. They also have every bit of drama you would expect in a movie or TV, but with none of the b.s.

This is the truth, recounted by people who were there and recorded by a thoughtful scholar who's been there too. As another ex-cop who also is a scholar, I recommend this book most highly.

This book has a solid five star rating in its soft cover version and it costs far more. As far as I know, this is the only electronic version yet available on this well rated seller.

Charlie Mann has written a fast-paced, intellectual thriller, one in which deception, politics, and secrecy all combine to sweep the reader along. It retains the suspense of Robert Ludlum 'The Paris Option' with the build up found in Britt Gillette's 'Conquest of Paradise'. From the freak winters of the California desert to the political rat race of Washington, DC, the plot twists and turns as the protagonists (and the reader) learn more and more about a plot that becomes more and more believable. This is not a traditional formulaic thriller

Mann's stellar success stems not only from his ability to do the research and his mastery of the subject matter, but, moreover, from his gift for spinning a complex nail-biter.

A friend gave me this book as a gift. It's a beautiful love story, well-written, easy to read and hauntingly attesting to our ability to recover from the losses the terrorists bring to our lives.

This novel is absolutely wonderful. I was totally surprised to find out who the Controller was. Fast paced and impossible to put down. If you like thrillers, read this one. You won't be sorry.

This book is a great reference and historical record of the emergence and use of remote viewing from inside the military machine. A great addition to all serious remote viewing researchers library, its well written and one of those hard to put down books. There are a few good books on remote viewing and this is so far the best in trying to create a historical overview of RV and address many of the inaccuracies of the previous historical overview book (The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies).

This is also a great reference tool for anyone trying to fathom the 89,000 pages of CIA remote viewing documents released through the Freedom of Information act.

Paul Smith has produced a wonderful book here. It captures so much detailed information that it should make a wonderful documentary source. Yet, it is written so clearly that for those who have read other books on the subject (like me) it is very easy to skim to the parts that contain new information, insights, and details (and there's a whole lot of ALL of those throughout this book!) This book is a must for anyone who wants a more complete picture of the subject matter, as well as a feeling of greater familiarity with the fascinating and enjoyable personalities of the players involved.

I'd suggest Paul Smith's book to students of self discovery and military historians alike. Reading the Enemies Mind provides a concise and engaging history of our nation's remote viewing program. Those seeking to further advance their potential will discover many advanced concepts that have yet to reach mainstream society.

What I most enjoyed about this book was the author's optomistic view of the future of remote viewing. The abilities to tap this newly discovered area of human potential have yet to be fully explored. This newly discovered science holds great promise and may someday lead to a cure for disease, advanced education and furthering our intelligence and understanding. Perhaps someday our political and military leaders will use this potential to advance our civilization rather than simply using remote viewing as a military intelligence gathering tool.

While various forms of remote viewing have existed since the dawn of civilization, Paul Smith carefully documents the proven effectiveness and scientific reality that refutes serious critics and encourages those with a limited understanding. I'd recommend this book to anyone seeking a more advanced understanding of their human potential.

Reading the Enemy's Mind is a fascinating history of the Star Gate program. I've read accounts of a couple of other former Star Gate participants and they are either sensational and fictionalized (David Morehouse) or short on history (Dale Graff). Paul Smith's account is comprehensive and doesn't make wild claims. His tome is a level-headed treatment of the program. He's very upfront that for every success there are many failures.

Some of my favorite successful remote-viewing stories from Reading the Enemy's Mind include viewing Aldrich Ames - the CIA traitor, the USS Stark attack, and the capture of rogue DEA agent Charles Frank Jordan.

In 1987 Star Gate was tasked with finding the mole in US intelligence. CIA sources in the Soviet Union were disappearing or being executed and people wanted to know who was giving them away. Star Gate came up with a composite of the traitor. Among the details was that he drove a gray European car and was involved with a Columbian woman. While many of the other details were off, Smith wonders what might have happened had the Star Gate information been used:

"The fact of the car alone might have significantly narrowed the field of possible suspects in the CIA. How many CIA employees owned grey European luxury cars in 1987? Certainly some, but percentage-wise not that many. And how many CIA employees had a significant relationship with a Latin American woman, especially a Columbian?" (p. 340)

Smith remote viewed the "accidental" Iraqi missile attack on the US destroyer Stark 50 hours before it occurred. He described the colors of the attacking military ("tan uniforms with black belts and bits of red and green."), the unprofessional nature of the attackers ("they reminded me of a militia as opposed to a professional military"), and the explosion itself ("The structure/vessel shivers, shakes, quivers. 'There were a 'clang,' a 'screech,' and a 'metallic squeal...'").

A final story I'll share is that of the rogue DEA agent, Charles Frank Jordan. This agent had turned bad and escaped custody. The DEA was convinced he was in the Caribbean. A remote viewer thought he was in Wyoming. "This information was so out of line with where Jordan was thought to be, that at first the authorities were inclined to ignore it. Finally, one agent decided that it would do no harm to alert police in that part of Wyoming.(p. 384)" Jordan was apprehended shortly after that - in Wyoming!

I highly recommend Reading the Enemy's Mind.

I have read a lot of books and articles about Stargate, but the majority of the material here was a surprize to me. How did this all start? What were the early days like? Why did the CIA pull the plug? What kind of results were they really getting?

The history is exhaustive, with many exact dates names and locations. However, the book is not dry at all. A nice touch is Major Smith's own story woven in. Yes history is about people.

There's a great section in the beginning that calls to task the so-called skeptic James Randi, and how his research is flawed, slanted, inaccurate, and often made-up. The book mentions specific falsehoods and areas where Randi just made stuff up to support his point. This is ironic because the psychic research is strongly controlled here while Randi is guilty of the falsehoods he projects on all things paranormal.

RV works. The book cites a lot of research, some published in per-reviewed journals. There's an amazing comment from a peer-reviewer who didn't want a study to appear in the IEEE journal who said something like, "I don't care if it is real, I don't want to believe it." This gives you an idea of what so-called legit science does with research outside it's accepted box.

Major Smith has written a great history of the psychic spying program. Cold War buffs will find it fascinating. Paranormal researchers should find it fascinating. Anyone who likes a good story will enjoy it.

Overshadowed by other world crises in 1979, especially in Iran, the siege of Mecca has been largely forgotten. But it should not have been forgotten because it has set the stage for much of the terror that has ensued in the last 28 years. It was not exactly the birthplace of Al Quieda and Bin Laden but it gives a great insight into the trouble nature of the extremist regime of Suadi Arabia and how Saudi Arabia made a 'deal with the devil' by bringing in extremist cleric to help root out the more extremist people who had taken over the mosque. Rumours that a relative of Bin Laden was involved, the story of the beheadings of those who had participated, the claim that the French special forces called in to help converted to Islam so as not to 'offend' the Saudis and the story of the assault on American embassies throughout the Muslim world in the days that followed are all covered here.

The book begins with a discussion of the history of Saudi Arabia and its extreme religious foundations, its apartheid like legal system for men and women and the origins of the Wahhabi movement. THen the story jumps forward to describe the radicalization of several groups of Muslims, including Juhayman Said al Otaibi and his brother-in-law Muhammad bin abd Allah al-Qahtani as well as other gulf Arabs and even some African-American Muslims. On November 20th, 1979 this group of men invaded the Al-Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca, the Grand Mosque, and in the battles that followed some 250 people were killed. Saudi National Guardsmen were shot down easily by the well armed and trained rebels. This necccesitated the regimes work with the conservative cleric Sheikh Abdel Aziz al Baaz and the calling in of non-Muslim foreigners to help with the siege.

This is an expert story and the author not only tells it well but relates its history, its context and its aftermath, trying to show how this was pivotal in the increasing rise of Islamist terror in the Middle East that eventually culminated in Sept. 11.

Seth J. Frantzman

Purchased: May 2008 (Kindle)

Pro: Fast-paced, concise story of an intriguing event. Illuminates the present state of affairs by presenting convincing evidence that the leader "...Juhayman's multinational venture,...was a precursor of al Qaeda itself."

Con: Considering how hard it is to get accurate information about Saudi Arabia, I was initially suspicious that I was reading another "A million Little Pieces". I suggest scanning A Note to Readers at the end of the book to better understand how information was gathered.

Overall: Buy it now

The "Siege of Mecca" is a book that every serious reader should read. If you are an advocate or a beach comber or a pretender, you don't need to read this book - you wouldn't enjoy it because it would not suit your interests or needs.

For "Serious Readers" (i.e. people who read everything including cereal box ingredient lists or those tags on mattresses and then think about it) the "Siege of Mecca" is simply a delight. It describes one of those weird historical moments (like the Bonfire of the Vanities) that seems to represent much more to the future than it did in its present. As far as this Serious Reader knows, Trofimov provides the most complete, dispassionate, and interesting description of this incredible act of stupidity and/or courage. It appears to be one of those "tipping point" moments in history to use the current hipster jargon.

For English readers, the writing may seem just a bit ragged. Trofimov's grasp of the English (American) idiom is a bit . . . lubricated, shall we say? It slips just a bit now and then, but Mr. Trofimov's facility with English is much better than my skill with his native language, so I'm quibbling here. Sometimes his expressions are quaint, quirky, or merely violate the grammarian's whip, but in the spirit of Strunk and White, it nonetheless works. Get over it and focus.

This book also provides one of those incredibly interesting tangents on the Global War on Terror. After you read this book you realize that there is a lot more going on than the New York Times, National Public Radio, or the current Presidential Administration is telling you. This is flip: If you like the really "good" restaurants, the ones even the cool guys don't talk about, this is the book for you. The "Siege of Mecca" is the truth, or at least the Current State of the Art.

I highly recommend this book.

In 1979, a group of over 100 Muslem fundamentalists took over Islam's holiest shrine, convinced that they were fulfilling an obscure prophecy about the Final Days. They came dangerously close to succeeding.

This little-known event remains a profound embarrasment to Muslims in general and the Saudi kingdom in particular, so it's not surprising that information on it is hard to come by even 20 years after the fact. Indeed, I'd never heard of it until a few years ago when I was surfing Wikipedia and found a vague stub entry for the event.

"The Siege of Mecca" is the first serious effort to lift the veil of mystery on this odd event. The result is a fairly scary picture of how close the House of Saud came to collapsing and the Middle East plunging into all-out Holy War. Along the way, we get a contextual history lesson of ultra-fundamentalist Islam and its eschetology. The author also goes to some length to show how the Seige sewed the seeds for the rise of Al Qaida.

The book is a quick read, in part because it grips the reader early on. It also manages to be non-biased, heaping scorn equally on the perpetrators of the take-over, the inept Saudi responses, and the bungling US state department that apparently never fully grasped the enormity of the situation.

TSOM reads like a political thriller, which actually was the only problem I had with it. The author's prose is heavy-handed in use of passive and negative voice, which I found awkward. Also, he forgoes footnotes in favor of a "notes and sources" section at the very end of the book. When discussing things such as a Haddith or Quaran sura, I would have liked to have seen it (or had it more immediately referenced) so I could draw my own conclusions. However, these are just minor complaints, and I doubt other readers will be as picky as I am.

Over-all, a good read, and very recommended.

I was prepared to dislike this book, suspecting an "action pack thriller", full of loopy historical inaccuracies, if not outright fantasy - all because of the jarring black and red cover. Instead I found a lean, scholarly, and almost certainly dispassionately accurate account of one of the more important and not very well understood events in the last quarter of the 20th Century. It is written in a fast-paced action style, flipping back and forth among the major actors in this drama, but that enhances and does not hinder his story. Ramifications of this siege are affecting us today.

Mr. Trofimov knows his subject well, amazingly well. He deftly describes the numerous disparate historical antecedents to the taking of the mosque by Islamic fanatics, and the reactions of the major actors. The Ikhwan, the religious brotherhood which was instrumental in Abdul Aziz's conquest and consolidation of what would be the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and his decision that they overstepped their limits, and so he had to mow them down with borrowed British machine guns in the early `30's, leading to a sense of martyrdom in the remnants of the defeated communities. America was tired of "foreign adventures," Vietnam being the prime reason, and therefore the CIA was severely constrained, with the coups it directed in Chile and Iran very much in mind. There was the Kingdom itself, being overwhelmed by the "future shock" of oil revenues, and the attendant rapid "modernization," with its own ills, inevitably leaving some people behind

As with many events of this magnitude, ironies abound; they are described but not overplayed. The Royal Family must obtain a ruling from the Ulema, the chief religious body, that force can be used to remove the rebels, yet philosophically, the Ulema is in large measure in agreement with the complaints of the rebels. For days virtually no one knows the exact identify of the people who seized the mosque, so the United States insists it was Iran, and the Shiites; meanwhile Iran is insisting it is the United States and the infidels. Perhaps the best trained Arab force that could assist the Saudis is the Hashemite Jordanians, but they can not be used since they were once rulers in the Hejaz, were defeated by Abdul Aziz, and if they returned, "may not leave." Eventually the Saudis turned to the French, "because they were discreet and could keep a secret," which also proved false.

I found the section of the French involvement particularly fascinating, since it dispelled the rumors that had dominated this topic, and described in an authoritative manner the exact nature of the fairly limited intervention (3 men, and supplies). Characteristically of Trofimov's account, he states the facts which he could ascertain, but does not speculate whether Barril, one of the three Frenchmen, actually entered Mecca.

Equally important was the depiction of the immediate ramifications throughout the Muslim world, who blamed the United States, in large part because of Khomeini. US Embassies in Libya and Pakistan were burned, with loss of American life.

John Burgess, on his CrossRoads Arabia website, pointed out some (relatively minor) flaws in Trofimov's book, citing the reason that the Bedouin were settled was not, as Trofimov contends, to better perform their ablutions, but rather to stop their raiding. I'd add a couple of my own: the Nejd would never be described as the "central Arabian highlands" (p14), and, of course, 1400 is not the first year of new century, 1401 is.

On a personal note, I traveled by road in the Asir, from Abha to Taif, one week prior to the taking of the mosque, and may very well have passed some of the participants. On that trip, at a police checkpoint, was the only time in my 20 years in the Kingdom, that a Muslim did not give the proper response to my "As-Salaam Alikum" greeting; the followers of Juhayman believe(d) that a Muslim should not respond to an infidel when he gave the traditional greeting.

In Trofimov's summing up, he correctly identifies Juhayman's deed as only one of the currents which lead to the formation of Al Qaeda. He also points out a second one, arriving from Egypt, in the person of Ayman Al Zawahir (who had been inspired by the execution of his hero, Sayyid Qutb). Of course, a third could easily be postulated: the unintended consequences, a/k/a "blowback" in CIA jargon, of America and Saudi Arabia funding and arming Islamic fundamentalist to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. And a fourth: the CIA coup against the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953.

Epilogues can be used to examine some of the "what ifs" of an event. One of the rumors concerning Juhayman's capture stated that he had asked: "But where are the armies of the north"? Trofimov does not cover this, and only alludes to the self-delusional nature of individuals who succumb to millennial dogmas; the alleged Mahdi believes that he is "bullet proof," with the attendant fatal consequences. How many of my fellow citizens believe in the "rapture," the postulated end of the world when Christ returns, and would actually like to hasten the date? And "what if" they took concrete actions to accomplish this goal? Our own Juhayman...

Trofimov account is almost certainly the best account we will ever have on the seizure of the mosque in Mecca in 1979, and is highly recommended.

I wanted to get a little more background on the life of a Secret Service Agent. I found this book filled with interesting tidbits of information. It was an easy read that I found entertaining, as well. His recounts of what it was like working around the Reagan administration, the Pope's US visit, etc. kept me interested for several hours worth of reading. It personalized some of the details that the public often may not realize.

This book is well written with just enough detail to keep you in every scene. It hooked me from page 1 and kept me interested all along.

If you have any interest in the presidency of Ronald Reagan or the Secret Service, I highly recommend this book. The tone is very matter-of-fact, but what comes through is what an honorable person Joseph Petro is. He lost out on a possible N.F.L career when he was drafted for the Viet Nam War, but our country, and especially its elected officials during the time of his service, gained a great deal.

A very engaging book.

I found this book extremely enlightening as to what life as an Agent in the USSS will be like. Petro does a wonderful job at writing about what he is allowed to disclose yet still keeping the reader engaged. If you are interested in the USSS, you should read this book during your application process since little is know about the Service.

This book was very enjoyable and a easy read! Joe must have been a very good agent, (I forgive him about the Mrs. Quail incident) He is someone I would like to meet. This book is a GREAT find for anyone into politics, The White House and the Secret Service.

I'm going to be a police recruit in the NYPD in the upcoming months, and wanted to know more about this line of work..Armed & Dangerous would be the book to read. This book is for anyone wanting to be a cop, marrying a cop or the friend of a cop...Gina pulls no punches. She is gritty, raw and honest in her writing, which a lot of other police novels lack. I'm currently reading another police novel now, and its so hard to get into it. Gina raises the bar on all other novels..if you never pick up another true crime novel, read this one!!

Riveting, disquieting, amazingly well written. I had to check the cover a couple of times to make sure it wasn't written "with Joe Shcmow." Ms. Gallo names names and leaves out no details about how she managed to function, survive, succeed, and retain personal dignity within a most wretched hive of scum and villany.

This was an interesting book, however I would have liked to see a little more of the positive side of being a policewoman. There had to be something positive about the job, or she wouldn't have been a policewoman for so many years.
Having a policeman for a friend, I did appreciate some of the insights into how they may feel different from "civilians".
It's a very sad tale of how many people live and how instead of the police being encouraged become discouraged.
I struggled with how to rate this book, because it's discouraging and haunting, with no upside I wanted to rate it a 3, but Gina does a good job of writing and relating her experience, so I rated it a 4.

I'm a retired police Sgt. my wife Ann Jillian an actress, and we just finished reading "ARMED AND DANGEROUS" by GINA GALLO. This book is FANTASTIC! It's easy to know that Gina Gallo was the real police and did real police work - that's a given, but her talent for putting it all in her book is something only a GREAT WRITER could do. This is a real page turner, we could not put it down until we finished it. My wife and I highly recommend this book to anyone. Thank you Ms., Gallo for an excellent book. Mr. Mrs. Sgt. A.& A Murcia. Los Angeles, CA.

At last, an interactive experience of life in big-city law enforcement! In a relentlessly authentic voice, Gina Gallo translates every nuance of the police experience into an unparalled copspeak primer for those who've never worn the badge. Forget cop stories as a spectator sport. Gallo pulls you into the action with "the real police", presenting the reader with the same visceral punch, emotional blindsiding and residual angst that haunts anyone who's been there. In my years as a Chicago homicide detective, job success often depended on equal parts of tenacity, intelligence and guts. Gallo's book provides this in spades along with an unflinching scrutiny of our own vulnerability. This book elevates cop docudrama to a new art form. I'm proud that Gallo is one of our own, even prouder of her courage and talent in telling our stories.

Throughout my college career, I have become more and more aware of America's history in regards to inequality. Class Action brought up one of the most publicized forms of inequality in our nation, which is the inequality between men and women, especially in the workplace. Today, women are still only making $0.74-$0.76 on the dollar that every man makes, but that is only a mild form of the inequality that occurred only 30 years ago.

On March 25, 1975, Lois Jensen begins work at Eveleth Taconite in the mines to earn enough money to support her young son so they both could get off welfare. While the pay was very good, Lois, and other women who worked at the mines, endured sexual harassment that ranged from sexual comments to inappropriate touching and coercion by the male workers. Twelve years later, Lois finally decides that the only way to deal with the sexual harassment is through legal action since none of her bosses in the mines will correct the male workers' behaviors. Unfortunately, Lois only endures more hardship through trying to gain support of the other women at the mines, retain her job, and keep her sanity while being harassed even more. Lois's commitment to "right the wrong" of how the men treated the women at the mines brings up many questions of our society and what is legal that reside within.

Class Action helps us evaluate male privilege in the workforce, laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and how they were upheld, the immortal power of companies, and the human cost to achieve social change. It is astounding to read the type of harassment that these women endured and to realize that it happened in other parts of the country, and to some extent, still does today. The only things that Lois Jensen truly wanted was knowing that women would not have to live what she did through the company adopting a sexual harassment policy and an apology. She never got the apology, but thankfully, the former occurred on December 30, 1998.

The was a great book if you are interested in Civil Rights history and activism, women's rights, the jural system in relation to gender, and the economics of inequality. While Lois, other women, and the mines settled in 1998, the women essentially lost. After all that had happened, to achieve this precedent for sexual harassment law the women had to sacrifice their lives. This ultimately brings up the issue of how we have to be martyrs to make any social change truly happen.

The book is so much better than the movie. It gives you a much truer sense of what the women went through. Which is to be expected, of course, but I was surprised at the changes in the movie.

I assume that you will have seen the Movie first. I would have never heard of this book, without references in the DVD. BUT it is not necessary that you see the movie first. AND if you see the movie after reading the book be prepared for differences. But aside from comparisons, this is a terrific read about the first successful Sexual Harrassment case in the USA. It is set in the North Country made famous by Mr. Zimmerman. In fact some of the scenes and some of the characters are from Hibbing. Hero is one of the many misused words in Americana. But hero could be safely applied to the Lawyers who defended Lois Jenen.

I grew up on "da range" and I'm familiar with the mines. My hometown is Hoyt Lakes, not very far from Eveleth. My dad and one of my uncles worked at LTV Steel outside of Hoyt Lakes, I think even my brother worked there for a while. I don't remember hearing anything of the trial. Back in 1998 I was 9 years old. I became familiar with it, when they were filming the movie North Country while I was going to the community college in Virginia. I've watched the movie multiple times. Then this summer in one of my English classes we were required to read Class Action. By the time the class finished I hadn't finished the book yet, but that didn't stop me from reading it. This is a really great book, and I've had a hard time putting it down. Its so interesting to learn the facts of the case, and was even more surprised when I recognized some of the last names of the people. I haven't quite finished yet, I have about 60 pages to go. I keep finding myself getting irritated with the rulings of Judge McNulty. This is a very important book, and in my opinion everyone should read it.

Like some other reviewers I came across this book after seeing the movie North Country. The movie though is just good entertainment pulling at the heartstrings and very loosely based on the legal problems of single mother Lois Jenson.

The book, I'm pleased to say, is much more gripping and will keep you turning the pages until the end. I thought it raised various issues like:

*Why did the legal aspects of this case take from 1984 until a settlement in 1998? In 1997 a judgement from the Eighth Circuit court commented on the 'inordinate delay' and that it simply was not possible for the parties to get justice 'when a final outcome is issued more than ten years' after the case was filed and more than fifteen years since Lois started her class action.

*Why did the mineworkers union maintain such a male chauvinist view towards its female members? I always assumed that Minnesota folk, historically populated by hard working European immigrants in a hostile physical environment would have been much more sympathetic to the sexual harassment that went on year after year in the mines. In fact very few males come out of this story with much credibility, from the mine management down to the union, they are really shown to be sexist and ultra conservative when females start to (legally) work in their domain.

*Why did it take so long for the mines main insurance company, who were going to be the ultimate payers of any compensation, to get to grips with the case? When they did get closely involved in 1998 the problems seemed to evaporate and the ladies got their money

The authors write in a simple straightforward style fortunately avoiding flowery generalisations that seem a staple of non-fiction writing. The story unfolds in a logically time frame from March 1975 to the final financial settlement in November 1998. Early on there is an excellent historical overview of the Mesabi Range and the importance of the raw materials lying just under the surface. A nice touch I thought was the frequent explanations of points of law and how these affected the progress of the case.

A couple of points occurred to me as a read the book: I would have liked to see a listing at the start describing the principals, frequently a name popped up and I wondered who the person was having seen a mention maybe a hundred pages earlier. So much of the story describes the mine and other buildings, a simple diagram of the plant layout would have been helpful.

'Class Action' is a powerful narrative about a hostile working environment and the legal system and it reminds of a quote by Thomas Noon Talfourd:
Fill the seats of justice
With good men not so absolute in goodness
As to forget what human frailty is.

BTW. I wanted to see photos of the four heroes of the book, the wonderful Lois Jenson and her legal team Paul Sprenger, Jane Lang and Jean Boler and I found them all through Google Images.

I have great admiration for Yvonne Bornstein for having lived and breathed this horrific criminal act. The people who committed this crime should be shot, drawn and quartered! No-body should have to live through this kind of horrendous ordeal.
This book has been marvellously written and should be listed on the New York bestseller list.
I read via Google that Ms Bornstein is currently negotiating her life rights with a major Hollywood studio.
Out of something bad comes something good.
I truly hope that Yvonne succeeds in her venture, she really deserves it.

A Fantastic book. I highly recommend that you read it. It was interesting and I learnt a lot.

Monica.

In a popular Hollywood movie, one of the characters, playing a tough businessman who fancied himself a master of negotiating, expressed the opinion that in a business deal, there is no difference between a gun and a fountain pen. To believe that this is true is to believe that the use of force or violence to obtain monetary reward is equivalent to using artful negotiation, rational persuasion, or skillful selling. Coercion then becomes just another technique for the acquisition of wealth, and individuals in the business community who refrain from using it are to be viewed as "unrealistic" or even weak-minded. Strength of character therefore has its origins in a willingness to intimidate physically other people in order to bring about a desired end. Real business involves "doing whatever it takes" to increase wealth, even if this means causing extreme pain or even death.

There are many who believe in this equivalence, but thankfully there are many who do not. As the events of her life and skill in entrepreneurship indicate, the author of this book is a member of the latter category, and in this book has written an engaging (and terrifying) story of how she and her business partner/husband were forced to deal with some individuals of the former category. Kidnapped for eleven days, where they were beaten and intimidated by a collection of moronic and confused thugs, who could not distinguish the acquisition of wealth from its plundering, and who sadistically enjoyed the pain they gave their captives, the couple nevertheless got away with their lives, with the assistance of a unexpected collaboration between East and West.

For those, such as this reviewer, who are extremely skeptical of the competence of governmental security personnel, and of their abilities to cooperate constructively with foreign governments, this story will alleviate some of this skepticism (although the author describes the FBI as being reluctant to get involved). There are not too many things that are more frightening than the prospect of being caught in a foreign country where the laws and sense of justice are different, and where envy towards Westerners is predominant. And if one does find oneself in such a situation and does survive it, the natural thing to do it seems would be to obliterate it from memory. Reminders of it would be draining, both emotionally and intellectually, and would serve no useful purpose in everyday living.

The author though has chosen to tell her story, and has written one that is fast moving but still gives insight into her moods as well as her captors. It focuses of course on the concrete details of her captivity, but also motivates the reader to consider why her captors behaved as they did, and whether the wealth that they expected to obtain was really worth the energy they expended to get it. It is always perplexing to see a group of individuals conniving, planning, and engaging in violent acts, and expending vast amounts of energy just to obtain by relative standards a paltry sum of money. Considerably less energy is needed to obtain the same sum by legal and creative means, but for some reason these types of individuals cannot see this. The answer must be that they love the intimidation and sense of power that violence gives them. The neurons in their brains are over trained by sadism, polluted with cynicism, and allow no expression of compassion or empathy. The money they obtain is spent in no time flat, on fruitless physical indulgences or one meaningless card game after another. They idolize and prop each other up, with their handshakes and backslaps, and any real sense of achievement is completely alien to them. Taking is always better then earning. They unite under the creed that "only suckers work."

Interestingly, when the author discusses her emotional state with respect to her captors, she mentions the "Stockholm syndrome." This is supposed to be a kind of brainwashing that causes the captive to express sympathy for or even admiration for the captor. On the surface this does not seem too surprising, since when in a situation of dependence one's emotional processes are completely out of equilibrium, with a consequent loss of self-esteem. It is difficult to find definitive research on the reality of the Stockholm syndrome, due no doubt to low occurrence of situations like that of the author, and lack of explicit documentation of the emotional states of the captives, before and after their confinement. Such a syndrome could explain the reason why so many abused wives tend to remain emotionally attached to their abusive husbands.

At the end of the book, the author describes her homecoming and the skepticism that she and her husband encountered by some members of the press, who did not believe her story. Their business in shambles, they did pick up and move on, although the author describes her life as being very stressful for sometime after the kidnapping. And what happened to their captors? "Whereabouts unknown" says the author. Unfortunately these creeps are still wandering around, and their behaviors have been emulated on a grander scale in the form of the Russian mob, part of which is active in the United States.

This is a true story of "man's inhumanity to man" and a wake up call for those living in the television provided security of their living rooms. One cannot accuse Yvonne of of any zest for growing roots into the sofa, au contraire. However, the dangers she encounters go far beyond anything she ever imagined. Russia's organized crime proves too tough, too well organized, and too cruel, when Yvonne and her former husband, Danny Wienstock, are kidnapped by predatory thugs. This terrifying account of the torture and dramatic rescue is recounted in vivid detail Bornstein's suspenseful tale, ELEVEN DAYS OF HELL.


Yvonne's testimony drives home the fact that the events taking place in Russia affect everyone ... it's a small world we live in today. This is a read that tears at the nerves; Bornstein paints a lucid picture of the events of her and her husband's captivity in the town of Noginsk, involving horrible mental and physical abuses heaped on them. Fortunately, back at the ranch some good guys still work at the CIA, and they manage to unite forces with Russian and Australian authorities. The two stories are entwined in a way that builds tension nicely to a thrilling rescue, yet this is not the end. Yvonne must now grapple with the internal demons unleashed by her tormentors. The made for TV drama may be over, but, in the aftermath, her real battle has only just begun.

For anyone who wishes a peak into the horrors and mind set created by events that few of us have or will ever experience, this book is a must read. That said, those who have already experienced "man's inhumanity to man" may have a difficult time getting through the disturbing sequence of events. On the other hand, other victims of violence may be reasssured that justice does exist in the world, and it is sometimes served to the thugs who deserve it.

Yvonne Borstein and her husband Danny were kidnapped by a band of Russian gangsters and ex-KGB villians in early 1991. They were tortured physically and emotionally for a 1.6 billion dollar random (which was orders of magnitude above the liquid assets of the heavily-mortgaged Australian business-couple).

Was Yvonne an innocent tourist kidnapped in Russia? No. A do-gooder helping revive post-Iron Curtain Russia? Well, no. How about a profiteer involved with shady business deals on Russia's black market? Yep, that's it. In hindsight, Yvonne admits that she and Danny were dazzled by wealth, heavily over-mortgaged on their house, gambling by paying out millions in anticipation of high (but dubiously legal) returns, and they were unwilling to wake up to the many signs of trouble in their Russo-Australian import/export business. As a reader, I appreciated her candor and lack of excuses or assignment of blame.

Even shady entrepreneurs in economically ravaged countries don't deserve to be tortured for an insanely high ransom. Yvonne's book is the story of her entire life, from her childhood to her early troubled relationships before meeting husband Danny. Yvonne lays out the events which unraveled and lead south to the kidnapping. In captivity, Yvonne and Danny leveraged one another's strengths, plotting to get messages out to the world and to present the right "face" to their kidnappers. The couple only survived because of their union. When Yvonne was sexually assaulted, she knew she had to hide it during the captivity, to prevent her husband from violently assaulting their tormentors.

Bornstein bills her memoir as evidence of al-Qaeda alive and well in early 1990's Russia. This is certainly a good advertisement in the post-9/11 world, but it is a shaky claim at best. Sure, there is evidence of al-Qaeda, but don't pick this up expecting some all-conclusive smoking gun expose on Afghan terrorism.

Yvonne is a survivor and as inspiration to women everywhere. She dug up a lot of information to provide context to her own personal (and painful) narrative. Thanks for sharing your story, Ms. Bornstein!