Security Books

i want to know who wrote this book and the publisher,copy right company and every information i can find about this book.

3rd edition out September 2000, over 200 photos

This book gives all the information you need to know for a quick and thorough understanding of gangs. I have been fortunate to meet Al Valdez and he knows his stuff! Whether you are a cop, like me, or a parent, like me, this is a book you need. His unique insight and writing ability give you practical information and advice from the real world.

Outstanding!! I have read several text on gangs in my 18 years of law enforcement experience, this one is the best one yet. The book is not only informative but easy to follow and entertaining as well. Mr. Valdez covers the history and main identifiers of basically every major gang in this country. If you know nothing about gangs, this is an excellent book for a beginner. If you thank you know all there is to know about gangs, read this book and learn how much more there is to know.

This is a great book! Al Valdez has done an excellent job of summarizes the existing gang information avaliable. It is an easy to read book, that is valuable to law enforcers, educators, students, or interested citizens

Detective Valdez has also included gangs that are generally not covered in other similar books. He writes about occult gangs, and militias.

I highly recommend this to anyone intersted in learning more about gangs in the U.S.

I was curious about the nearly unanimous 5-star rating given this book by other reviewers. After picking up a copy from Amazon and reading it, let me join the chorus with my own 5-star rating! What a find! Murstein seems to cover nearly everything you would want to know about the market in a succinct and humorous manner, remarkable for a volume of only 350 pages. Of particular and topical interest: it has been published recently enough to discuss the impact of the Enron scandal and how investors should approach the market in these times. It is scholarly without being stodgy. Murstein evaluates the great variety of strategies, schemes, systems and newsletters out there with a very critical eye. He names names and doesn't pull any punches. While the book is oriented mainly toward the individual securities investor, he does have a useful section on mutual funds (my special interest). There's one outstanding chapter near the end (alone worth the price of the book) called "Maxims, Adages and Suggestions" - over 70 of these, many of which are very useful. One last word: I'm familiar with and rely on the Lynch and Zweig investment books; the Murstein volume beats them both hands down!

This book is a must for every serious investor. It is informative and based on research findings, but humorous and easy to read. I especially liked the chapters showing that serious individual investors can outperform professional money managers, and how to do it.

I REALLY enjoyed the history of investing in the introduction.

Afterward, I found certain sections to be particularly illuminating with regard to my personal efforts to increase my assets via the markets, but the numerous graphs often left me, neither a psychologist nor a financial professional, wondering.

SO, I've given a copy of this book to my broker, and I hope that SHE will use it to enrich us both.

Getting Psyched For Wall Street: A Rational Approach To An Irrational Market by psychology and behavioral finance expert Bernard Murstein is a superb blend of psychology and finance. Specifically written to help ordinary investors of all background better understand the interaction between human psychology and the ups and downs of Wall Street, Getting Psyched For Wall Street covers everything from why so many people were blind to Enron's problems to why stocks sometimes go up on bad news and down on good news. Getting Psyched For Wall Street is a unique, inherently fascinating, "reader friendly", practical work that should be read by any investor seeking to understand how market forces function and are influenced.

Finally! A book every individual investor can understand and use immediately. Murstein is both lucid and witty. His analyses are scholarly but clearly presented. Practical? Check his chapter on a rational approach to selecting stocks. My own investment strategies will never be the same. Professor Murstein, where were you when we needed you at the beginning of our investment rollercoaster?

After reading John Lotts, "More Guns Less Crime,"(which I highly recommend) I then picked up this one, and found that this book also suggests gun control solutions which at least make some sense. "Guns: Who Should Have Them", struck a chord with me here, because the suggested solutions don't affect law abiding citezens nearly as much as current and proposed legislation, and focuses on the criminals. I would ask anyone on one side or the other of the gun debate to at least be knowlegable about what the effects of waiting periods, and permissions laws really are. This book covers it all.

Each chapter in this powerful volume will help the readers cut through the rhetoric and sensationalism that frequently surrounds the gun control debate.

Written by the leading experts in law, criminology and medicine, this volume includes such headings as "Arms and the Woman"; "Doctors and Guns," further rebutting the arguments that guns are a public health menace; and "Children and Guns," dissecting the contentious and timely issue of guns and violence in our schools. It compliments David Kopel's previous masterpiece, The Samurai, the Mountie, and the Cowboy: Should America Adopt the Gun Controls of Other Democracies? honored as the 1993 Book of the Year by the American Society of Criminology's Division of International Criminology.

This expertly written book should occupy a place in the library of all citizens genuinely interested in the topic of gun and violence research and in understanding the fallacies of gun control as a public health issue.

Attorney, scholar and criminologist, David Kopel, should be commended for editing and compiling this comprehensive yet highly readable masterpiece.

Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Sentinel of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) and author of Medical Warrior: Fighting Corporate Socialized Medicine.

I can't stress it enough - this book may be one of the most important books for all voting Americans to read today. This slices right through the rhetoric that the news media employ to confuse Americans about gun control and stir up hysteria about guns. This book thoughtfully and thoroughly dismantles every major argument for gun control and reveals the dangerous flaws in all recent federal gun-control legislation. Whether you're a gun lover, gun hater, or something in between, you should read this book!

David Kopel's second major book on the efficacy of gun control laws is an extensive and objective review of research both supporting and denying the basic premises of gun control in preventing crime and accidents involving firearms. Kopel takes an even-handed approach that is greatly missing in most compilations on this subject. Kopel takes great care to examine the merits of the existing research, almost always providing extensive analysis and reference to each work. Just as in his previous award-winning book, "The Samurai, the Mountie, and the Cowboy", Kopel's analyses (in the chapters he writes) are complete, to the point, and well-written. Kopel's writing is clear and effective. The strongest and weakest chapters of the book, however, are contributed by other authors. The chapters on feminist theory (by Mary Zeiss Stange) and race control and guns ( by Robert Cottrol and Raymond Diamond) provide some good background on the subject but fail to deliver the knockout blow that they could. The chapter on doctors and guns, however, delivers not as much the knockout blow as takes a sledgehammer to the medical community, AMA, American Association of Pediatriacs, and Center for Disease Control. Don Kates, Henry Schaffer, John Lattimer, George Murray,and Edward Cassem expose the intellectual dishonesty and horrendous scholarship in the medical literature concering firearms, violence, and safety. All accustations are well-documented and examined. This chapter should be must reading for every single medical school student in the United States. It may make you fear your doctor.

This book should take its place among the other outstanding, intellectually honest works in the literature of the gun control efficacy genre, including Gary Kleck's "Point Blank". the previously mentioned Kopel work, and John R. Lott, Jr.'s "More Guns Less Crime".

An added feature of this book is not only the brilliant analyses and conclusions Kopel makes on the ineffectualness of gun control laws on preventing crime and accidents, but Kopel provides analyses on REAL causes of these social ills and suggests REAL solutions. You should buy four copies of this book: one for you, one for your doctor, and send the other three to your senators and congressman.

Far and away the best book on the subject. Balanced, thorough, and comprehensive -- and refreshingly free of the knee-jerk sound-bite approach usually associated with this subject.

This is a good resource that serves as a starting point for anyone in the unenviable position of needing to get a network into a more secure posture. If this is your role it is a must have. It covers a lot of ground in a "how-to" manner, instead of the normal books of theory. There are lots of screen prints and step by step instructions for setting up things like TACACS, IPSEC, firewalls, ACL's etc...

If you are a LAN administrator you NEED this book for the section entitled, "Do This Now!", and you'll find the later sections informative as well. If you are involved in network planning or security design this is a must have. The book is laid out well and easy to read with a good logical flow from one topic to another. The language the author chose to use makes it a much easier read than some of the other stuff out there I've seen. I'm definitely glad I picked this one up!

It is evident that the author has real world knowledge and experience. His writing style is clear and easy to read but he still keeps it too a high technical level. The author isn't afraid to get into specifics on how to secure your infrastructure. Too many authors today seem to write their security books with vague suggestions on security but don't really give you anything really solid. I began using this book as a reference immediately for a big project I had coming up it gave me the info I needed. This book should be on anybody's shelf that's serious about security

I have been reading networking and infrastructure books for over 15 years and there are a few that make the grade as a keeper.. (one that ends up on ebay or sold in a garage sale is NOT a keeper :) I have this as my new 'keeper' and it will stay by my side and make a few trips up and down the west coast in my trusty laptop bag.
The fact that there are examples of each 'fix' or procedure that is important is a goldmine of information. My favorite line was early in the book when Wes made the statement.

"If you don't have a firewall, stop reading this book right now and go buy or build one and implement it on your network."

Now, how many books actually tell you to put it down and go do something then show you HOW to if you run into problems or have some questions.
Wes really wants to help you in beginning those first steps to protecting your data and network all the while being able to talk to all levels who touch or SHOULD be touching security.
From the CIO/CTO/IS Manager all the way down to the guy sitting in from of a Cisco command prompt. They are all taken care of with this book in clear concise explanations and very easy to grasp diagrams..

Rating: Buy...

rob in kirkland

Practical, hands-on 'guide' to securing your environment. Even includes securing those pesky wireless network upstarts! Very nuts-&-bolts. Real world applications, as shown by Mr. Noonan's inclusion of various network equipment and its operations. From implementations of firewall ACLs, AAA, routers & switches command line/GUI consoles, to deployment of VLANs, DMZs and intrusion detection systems - this book has got it all!!! No network admin should not have this on their book shelf!

This book cover internet security in an informal ways (conversation dialogue). Easy to understand for novice computer users.
The only reason I didn't give a 5 stars is because I didn't learn anything new.

I have enjoyed all the Harley Hahn books I've read so far, but this book is my all time favourite. As always, Harley combines a fun style of writing with useful technical instruction and the reader will learn a lot of interesting facts in a very enjoyable way.

As I read Internet Insecurity, I wished that Harley had written it 3 years ago, when I was just beginning to use the internet. If I'd known then what I've since learned from the book, I would have avoided learning about online relationships the hard way, for instance. Because the dangers of the internet are not what we commonly think of, and although we need to know about computer viruses, and be aware of privacy issues, the most painful mistakes that we make are due to a lack of understanding of this new technology, which is set to change our lives in so many ways.

I would recommend Internet Insecurity to anyone using the internet. As well as being a fascinating way to learn all about the origins of the internet, computer viruses, online shopping, sex and relationships, it is the only book I have found which addresses the concerns we all have, and separates the real from the imaginery fears associated with the internet. I found the book both thought provoking and yet entertaining, and I have certainly learned a lot from reading it.

I found this book by accident while looking for another computer book. I flipped through it. It captured me so I decided to buy.

Even though I work on computers for a living, I still found several useful information from the book. Reading the last chapter which touched on the relationship issue, I wished the author had written the book several years ago. If I'd had the book then, I might have saved myself several regrets and become wiser without having to learn what I know now the hard way myself.

Other than a light touch of useful technical info, the author gives a very insightful perspective on the computer technology, esp. the internet world itself. I really, really enjoyed this book as I savored and immersed myself in the author deep thoughts and the extensive background info, which gave me a better understanding of how things've become.

I give this book 2 thumbs up and highly recommend it as a must read for anyone who'd love to broaden their mind and perspective.

Along with the thoughts of previous reviewers, I find it difficult to come up with more adequate adjectives for this fine book. Such a wealth of information, based on extensive research!!
I was hardly prepared for the fascinating history, psychology, education, and thoroughly compelling subjects covered in this humorous, personal approach. It is not a book that you can put down and refer to periodically. It's a page turner from cover to cover.
If all who participate in activities on the web were to seriously consider the observations and suggestions provided within these pages, what a considerate, happy place the net would remain.
Hopefully, all responsible human beings will follow these guidelines.

On the second page of his latest book, "Internet Insecurity," Harley Hahn says, "this is not a normal computer book, not by a long shot." And he keeps the promise.
The computer sections of bookstores are filled with volumes on hacking and computer safety, many of them written for people who run servers, networks and large computer operations or who are charged with tracking the hackers. Some of them seemingly just want to scare us into shutting down out computers and never accessing the Internet.
Hahn's book is neither of these. It's written so even beginners can understand it, and it follows through on another promise made on the first page:
"I do not want you worrying needlessly about things that are not really a problem. For example, regardless of what you might hear, you do not need to worry about computer viruses or about unknown perpetrators breaking into your system -- not if you take a few simple precautions ... There are far more important things I want you to think about: how the Internet affects your privacy, your security, your money, your relationships, your work and your family."
I cringed when I read that, but Hahn is well-respected, and I wanted to see what he had to say, so I bought the book. While I'm not going to give up my anti-virus software or my firewall, I understand where he's coming from and agree that -- if we all followed his advice -- we'd probably be safe. I'm just not sure that most people are willing to follow the advice he offers.
I'll come back to this, but first let's look at some other parts of the book, which covers such topics as business and the Internet, privacy (how much you can really expect and ways to keep as much as you can), Internet communication (e-mail and chatting) and privacy, viruses and protecting yourself against them, money and the Internet and your family and the Internet.
First, Hahn doesn't write about just technology. He discusses, as he puts it, "psychology, history, philosophy, science, money and relationships." And, yes, they really do all tie together and are related to the Internet.
For instance, it's not easy to understand privacy and what we think we know about it without understanding why we think we need it and knowing that, despite what you think, it's not guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. And it's difficult to grasp business practices until, as Hahn points out, we stop thinking of corporations as individuals rather than as ... well, corporations. Businesses do what they do to improve the bottom line. If that includes using personal information they gather about you to sell you more products, they will do so. They're even likely to sell that information to others to make even more money.
Summarizing such ideas in just a few words doesn't do them justice. Hahn builds his cases carefully and logically and gives you the information you need to protect yourself against what he sees as the real dangers.
The chapters on Internet communications and its effects on families are among the most important in the book -- because the subject seems to be considered so seldom. No one questions the value of e-mail, but, Hahn emphasizes that neither e-mail nor a chat room is true personal contact. In chat rooms especially, you don't know for sure that the person you're chatting with is who -- or what -- he or she says, or even if it's truly a he or a she.
It's dangerously easy, he says, to believe you truly know and have connected with someone simply because you've shared personal information via a keyboard and computer screen.
"...The Internet is important because it is capable of bringing great emotional forces into our relationships, forces which we were not designed to bear. These forces are strong and, if we are not careful, they may cause significant damage to the emotional fabric of our lives and to the lives of our loved ones," he writes.
"Does this mean that we should avoid having relationships that depend on the Net? In some cases, yes. Certain activities are nothing more than a breeding ground for unhappiness and only serve to distract us from what is really important in our lives."
Now, as for viruses, Hahn lists the kinds of attachments that can be dangerous to your computer, explains how to show full file names (Windows hides the extensions by default) so you can recognize them and then says not to open them if they arrive by e-mail. Simple? Reasonably so, if you have any experience at all with using Windows Explorer. Advice we all have the will power to follow? I'm not so sure.
Firewalls? Unless you're running a server or a business network, you don't need one, he says. Such programs are more intrusive than anti-virus programs, the false alarms they set off will "scare you silly, and if you really want to scare yourself silly, there are much better ways to do it."
I visited Hahn's Web site, signed up for his newsletter and left a comment that I enjoyed the book but was uncomfortable with his antivirus and firewall advice. I commented that I'd keep them because I'd rather "be a little safer" with my Norton AntiVirus and Zone Alarm.
To my surprise, he replied:
"Are you sure that it's not really that you would rather 'be a little safer' but that, perhaps, you would rather 'feel a little safer'? Remember, most people aren't technically apt, and AV and IF programs can cause them a *lot* of mysterious problems. ..."
Good point on the "feel a little safer." But, because I do need to get e-mail attachments as editor of The Outer Edge, I'll stick with the programs for a comfort zone.
Is the book worth the cost? If you're concerned about what problems you can have on the Internet and how to protect yourself against them, definitely.

The book gave me precise answers to my main questions regarding the Muslim World. I live and work in Brazil, where the main source of information about the muslim issues come from the press, frequently without a "human rights" approach.

Khan's book gave the opportunity to understand the Medinah Charter. The light came to some political issues related to Economics and Religion, connected to the Civil Rights in the Muslim World.

Very iteresting for me were the Chapters 7 and 8, with an approach to the regional economic cooperation among muslims.

When I saw the title of this book for the first time it looked like an oxymoron to me. By reading this book I understood some myths and realities of the Muslim world. This book provides not only a historic, political or constitutional view of the possibility of implementing human rights in the Muslim world but a view of human nature and the constant fighting between brothers in that "other" world, which is also part of ours. Globalization is not an economic issue, it also touches the core of the cultures. This book proves once again what history has been shouting to us: first humanity, then politics.

Compare to many other books available in the market, I found the book a comprehensive one. The book provides a deep comparative analysis between Islamic and Western concepts of human rights. I am so surprised to observe that Islam had provided so many deep-rooted doctrines of human rights so long ago. It appears to me that many modern Muslim states and governments have been failing to live up to the standards of human rights prescribed by the Quran and other sources of Islamic jurisprudence. Moreover, they are reluctant to learn from modern legal systems as well.

The book is a serious contribution in ways of bridging gaps between the Muslim World and the West. Just attacking some Muslim countries, Western leaders cannot hope to do any progress in human rights situation around the world.

Westerners need to understand that there are 4.5 times more Muslims live on our planet than the Americans. Muslims need to understand that instead of fighting the US militarily, they have to educate themselves properly to build their own countries. This is the central message I have derived from this facinating book. I think that this book should be translated in all important European and Muslim languages, including Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu and so forth. I wish the book a great success.

I can not think of a better time to read a book on this topic. In one hand, the world is becoming more fearful of islamic ideologies than ever before( Keeping in mind the instances of banning head scarf for muslim students in France and muslim teachers in Germany,Repressionary laws in USA and UK among others); on the other intellectual society of scholars have diverted their attention to the same. This book by Prof. Khan certainly stands as an extraodniary effort to explain the actual Human rights situation in Muslim societies today and the relevant historic factors that influenced the course of events. What makes it special is the fact that this is an insider's look at his own belief. A muslim scholar successfully maintaining a neutral position in explaining this sensitive issue. That's why when he points out to the 'intellectual poverty' of muslim rulers- it seems to be a legitimate criticism. Amidst all misunderstanding between muslims and the Western world, a muslim scholar can play the important role of an educator.
It is an extra benifit that this is an academic book. It is often the educated intellectual society that drives a nation to prosperity or otherwise.This book should be helpful to all studying or teaching Human rights.

This book provides me a good understanding of complicating issues about Islam, Muslim world, and International politics.I recomend this book to all serious seekers of knowledge and people of conscious of all faiths. People with some vision and objectivity would imensely benefited by this book.

I have read a few of Claire Wolfe's articles, which prompted me to buy this book during an ISIL (International Society for Individual Liberty) conference. She gives some very innovative ideas on how to stay out of government databases and other alternatives to using your 'national ID number' (SSN). Anyone who is concerned about how fast we are losing privacy in this country should take a look at this book.

If you are sorely depressed about the current state of the country and with the idea being pushed on us that the USA Patriot Act is a way toward Homeland Security. If instead of security, you're finding personal freedom and privacy a thing of the past,this may be just the book to read. Claire gives you the sense that things aren't completely lost. She doles out some sound advice about how to live quietly within the system--sort of a low tech under the radar approach--and also perhaps a little bit of a utopian approach, but very do-able if people just band together. Her idea for using hobo signs to identify others of like mind is one that I personally like. There is a lot of hope in this book and what Claire Wolfe is famous for--that ability to inspire. For other books like this 8003802230 or the loompanics site.

Claire Wolfe first popped into view while researching National ID sites and electronic privacy forums. I was delighted with what I found. Perhaps enough of us will see the light Claire has given us before the lamp is extinguished.

For the interested reader, there are other gems to be mined. A "must read", fictional account of where we are headed if current trends are not reversed is a new novel by author Jerry Furland, "TRANSFER-the end of the beginning...". Chillingly topical and utterly believable, you should check it out right here at Amazon.com. Forewarned is forearmed.

Claire Wolfe, Culture Hero

The revised and expanded second addition of her recognized libertarian classic, I Am Not a Number! Freeing America from the ID State, is out now and even better than the first. She's written a bunch of other books, too. In fact that's the first question a person asks after reading one of them: "Is there more?" You find yourself wanting to take a couple of weeks off from work to check out the rest.

A sage once said, "If we keep on the way we're going, we're going to wind up where we're headed." So this is a book to get now, because when we do wind up where we're headed, a book like this is only one of the things we won't be able to get.

In the great tradition of Harriet Tubman, who led slaves out of bondage via the underground railroad, Claire Wolfe provides clear directions back to America. The America some of us love and miss. An America where, to give just one little example, paying for something with legal tender didn't used to be seen as suspicious behavior.

It's about "how to retain ownership of our lives."

Wolfe reminds us that the recipe for freedom is a willingness to take risks, combined with a re-evaluation of priorities, followed by making the appropriate changes in lifestyle. (As another sage expressed it, you can do anything you want as long as you're willing to pay the price. A lot of times you don't end up having to pay the price - but you have to be willing.)

She discusses the extremes: primitive living at a level so far below the radar that the authorities don't bother with you - which can be a life of deprivation and loneliness - or sophisticated hiding - which can be ditto. How to escape? Shooting the bastards is not a real good idea, since all it tends to do is make the next crop of bastards even nastier.

Millions of Americans, Wolfe feels, "have now reached their line in the sand" and are ready to stop being sheeple. The preferred method is to "creatively disregard" the rulers - emotionally, mentally, philosophically and if necessary even physically. Leave the government even if you can't leave the country. Many methods of non-cooperation are suggested here, along with advice about how to handle such things as financial and medical affairs. For someone who hasn't heard about, for instance, the Free State Project, this could be a major life-changer.

The slogan of the cyberpunk crowd was, "Information wants to be free." These days, it's much more useful to remember this - "Information want to help us be free." The opportunities for further self-enlightenment in Wolfe's generous "Freedom Resources" section prove it.

Wolfe's cynicism towards both big government and violent political fringe groups, without any paranoia and hysteria, is a welcome change from books of this type (not unlike her previous book, "101 Things To Do 'Til the Revolution"). Instead of a typical "globalist conspiracy, grab your guns and head for the hills" type of book, this is an investigation of just how your rights are being eroded, not by plot and design, but by complacancy and apathy; how we are allowing our desires for security and comfort to build a prison for us with bars that we will never even notice. Included in the book are resources and suggestions (with plenty of "caveat emptor"s) on how to keep what privacy you have, as well as taking back some that you've lost.

You don't know how much privacy you've already lost? Frightening, isn't it?

Worthy of the title, taken from a line from Patrick McGoohan's TV mini-series "The Prisoner" (Available on tape, so rent it!), this is Wolfe's best so far. A rare voice in this field of writing, I look forward to more "rationally radical" works from her.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of America's greatest heroes and this is a collection of his wonderful writings and speeches. Often people stop at "I Have a Dream" but this shows the complete evolution of Dr. King. A wonderful read that has been part of my library for the past 10 years -- and I've read it three times and often use it for reference and store it next to the Bible.

"I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World," by Martin Luther King, Jr., is a fine collection of texts by this important figure. The book has been edited by James M. Washington. Coming in at less than 300 pages, this is a concise but meaty book.

Washington includes King's most important texts: the "Letter from Birmingham Jail"; the "I Have a Dream" speech; his Nobel Prize acceptance speech; "My Trip to the Land of Gandhi"; "A Time to Break Silence," his 1967 speech criticizing the United States war in Vietnam, and more. These writings and speeches cover King's great themes: nonviolent resistance, the African-American civil rights movement, etc.

Those seeking a more comprehensive collection of Kings' work should seek out "A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr." also edited by James M. Washington. At more than 700 pages, this is a truly monumental collection, and includes much material not found in "I Have a Dream": the 1965 "Playboy" interview, transcripts of television interviews, and more. But for those who want a shorter text that cuts to the heart of King's life and work, "I Have a Dream" is perfect.

"I Have a Dream" reveals King to be a true Christian prophet, and a man with a global vision. As literature, these texts also show King to be the heir of such American thinkers as Henry David Thoreau and W.E.B. DuBois. Highly recommended.

This collection of Dr. King's writings includes all the major speeches -- such as I Have A Dream and I See the Promised Land, as well as important writings such as Letter from A Birmingham Jail. It also has great essays on the lessons Dr. King learned from Ghandi and a wonderful introduction from Mrs. King. This is a great collection to get started learning about Dr. King -- from his own pen. I highly reccomend it.

Dr. Martin Luther King's collection of writings and speeches, "I Have A Dream", brings aspiration to light. The events that surrounded the life and death of this true hero reveals the shameful fact that no matter how great the United States of America is today, it is one country that was nurtured with inhumane machinery: slavery, racism, injustice, Mickey-Mouse freedom, and Mickey-Mouse democracy. I hate to think about it, but it is an honest fact, which we should all come to terms with. Nobody can rewrite history.
The 256 pages that is "I Have A Dream" was enough to highlight the wickedness and the violence that were deliberately sustained in America, for a full century, after a bloody Civil War ended her tenacity on slavery.
One question that will always beg for answer is: How on earth did U.S. Presidents who presided over the ruthless color-bar era qualified for those Nobel Peace Prizes that they received? Knowing what life was like in the U.S.A. just a couple of decades ago melts my heart. "I Have A Dream" is a big eye-opener!

Reading the speeches of Dr. King are inspiring. You get a glimpse into his mind and to genuinely understand the struggle he was up against. I'm not just refering to the Civil Rights movement. you also get insights into the responsibilities and pressure he felt as the leader of this movement. He was a man who changed history. This book offers glimpses into his humanity as well as his motivational and inspirational speeches. A must for anyone interested in American history, the Civil Rights movement or in biographys. It will continue to effect you long after you have put the book down.

I agree with the earlier reviews but I'd like to provide some details about this book's strengths.
First, Payne places the people who made the Mississippi movement at the center the story. He tells the story of both the original local leaders who made it possible for the civil rights movement to happen in Mississippi and the activists who followed their lead in the 1960s.
Second, he extends the time span of the civil rights movement, showing that it would not have been possible without the "organizing tradition" referred to in the subtitle. Payne expertly traces the relationships and linkages between different generations of heroic troublemakers in Mississippi.
Third, he shows that the original radicals, and I mean those who wanted to change Mississippi from its roots, were those who had already challenged the system to achieve personal gain. "Bourgeois" blacks in Mississippi weren't uniformly complacent or fearful. Wisely, Payne does not use this fact to justify any notion of a "talented tenth" that ought to lead the masses.
Fourth, the chapter on Ella Baker is a stunning and riveting account of one heroic troublemaker who didn't receive enough recognition for her efforts.
Fifth, when Payne writes about what we typically consider the civil rights movement, he places you in the midst of the activists and makes you feel their exhileration, exhaustion, frustration, fear, and courage. Scholarly books never have this quality. At the same time, he does this in a historical context and with a critical eye which absolutely illuminate the raw material in a way that first-person and journalistic treatments rarely approach.
For these reasons, and many more, this is clearly the best of many excellent books on the civil rights movement. Some could fault Payne for placing less emphasis on the national and institutional dimensions of the freedom struggle. But, in the case of the black American struggle for freedom, Payne shows us the story begins with, and is carried by, people who tried to change their communities, not their nation.

Two years ago the author taught a short course at my college on the Mississippi civil rights movemement. He used this book, and I've been recommending it to people ever since. His style and content are both amazing, and I feel really lucky to have had an opportunity to read this book in a course structured around it. _I've Got the Light of Freedom_ offers a new perspective on the way history is taught and remembered. Organizing and people's history are emphasized in what happens to be one of the best movement books out there. It's everything scholarly writing should be. Kudos to Charles Payne.

The real history of the civil rights movement. Who really made the difference in a day to day way on the front lines. Not only that, a description of how to organize from a working class, feminist perspective in the context of the African-American freedom struggle. A must read for anyone who is trying to build the movement we need today to make a world free of oppression.

I'd pair the book with a more nationally-oriented one, such as the Taylor Branch trilogy, which give a better sense of national politics, but Payne's book is both profound and profoundly moving in its depiction of local communities and Ella Baker's "Organizing Tradition", which turns a number of assumptions about the movement on their head. I've read the book a few times with students and never fail to be personally engaged and to have invigorating classes with students. Great, great stuff!

As a history major, I have various interests. One of my favorite things to study is the civil rights movement. Of all the books that I have seen, few match the caliber of this book. It takes the state of Mississippi (which may be the book's greatest irony)and shows how powerful a grassroots movement such as the civil rights movement can be with the proper forms of leadership. I urge anyone who is interested in learning about the civil rights movement should start with this book!

In Honor of America is a patriotic shot in the arm! This is a visually stunning book with heartfelt prose that reminded me how proud I am to be an American. Photos from the author's travels across the country show the geographic, cultural and ethnic diversity that has made America a melting pot for people from around the world. The landscapes are breathtaking and the historical trivia included in the captions makes it an interesting read.

I have this book out on my coffee table and everyone who looks at it finds something that captures his or her interest. The book says that half the proceeds go to a charity for children of fallen Marines and law enforcement officers which makes me doubly glad I bought it!

This book is really well done! It is a wonderful tribute to this
beautiful country and its people, pride and freedom. I especially like
the way the quotes and caption tell the story. It is a great gift for
someone that enjoys photography.

I think this book is one of the nicest photography books that I have seen in a long while. It is interesting the way the book has been categorized. I bought the book for myself and enjoyed it so much that I've already given it to a friend.

I really enjoyed paging through this must-have coffee table book. The images are thought-provoking and enhanced by the creative, sophisticated design. Von Hassell's multi-faceted experience as a German immigrant made me reflect upon my own heritage, and evoked a sense of gratitude in the opportunities our country offers.

Agostino von Hassell has captured America, it's poor, it's sick, its rich and famous, its soldiers, heroes and patriots in a modern day eclectic presentation of what America is in the early 21st century. This book is for all Americans to revel in its greatness, to appreciate its accomplishments, to understand its true fabric and way of life. This book belongs in every household, it's a wonderful way to reflect on what has passed and what is still to come in what makes this country great. I've read it to my kids so they understand the true meaning of being an American and what their country is all about. Highly recommended.