Rebel Books

Because of Mao Zedong's economic policies of the late 1950s, 30 million Chinese died of starvation. Most of Mao's policies were reversed after his death in1976, and by the early 1980s the Chinese economy had taken off. Some villages took the opportunity in China to set on various economic ventures. Bruce Gilley's "Model Rebels" is the story of Daqiu (pronounced "Da-chew"), which became the richest villages in China.

While his prose style can be better, Gilley has written a very enjoyable book that reads more like a novel and less like social or economic history. Before 1978, Daqiu was the poorest villages in its province. In fact, Gilley includes a common joke from the period:

Question: What's the best way to kill someone in Daqiu without getting caught?
Answer: Bash in his head with a brick. No Judge will ever believe that a person from Daqiu has enough money to own a brick. You are sure to be set free.

But in 10 years, Daqiu was producing 3 percent of China's steel. The villagers owned imported cars, had their own television cable system, and the village treasury held hundreds of millions of dollars.

Gilley doesn't just tell a story of economic growth, but also narrates many of the developments that occurred in the village alongside. The local village leader, Yu Zuomin, a visionary, who leads Daqiu through this economic miracle becomes a dictator and tries to take on the Chinese government. There is everything in this story from greed, corruption, and bribery to murders and cover-ups.

I actually own all 6 books in this very short-lived series. The series' theme is similar to that of "The Shadow". A Caucasian male with ties to a former life that is bound in Asia. Whereas "The Shadow" had powers over other people's minds, "The Mystic Rebel" had knowledge of a very powerful martial art (known as E-Kung).

The series started out strong, but as the books in the series continued, the stories got more and more far-fetched. Ultimately, the books became an allusion to there being extra-terrestrials that were present on Earth.

The series got away from the main character using his abilities for good, while combatting the dichotomy within himself (Mystic Rebel & "Boppo" Assassin).

All in all, I found the series entertaining and cherish the fact that I do have the set as a collection.

A wave of recent studies shows that the nobles, small in absolute numbers, were dominant much longer than we suspected, controlling most of the land and all of the politics on the Continent for centuries. In this line, and pursuant to this work, i) although the later sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were a period of profound change for the noble elite of most European countries, the process of formation put new resources at their disposal, successfully employed by them for their own ends; ii) it is truth that the authority and status of noblemen was defined less in terms of autonomous power and more in terms of privileges granted by the state, and that the emphasis on physical and military prowess was toned down, and social pre-eminence was based on cultural superiority; however iii) there were decisive elements of continuity: noblemen continued to define their position in society by reference to a specific code of honour intended to set them apart from the rest of society.

And throughout the period examined, the fisco-militaries exigencies of the age brought monarchy and nobility into close interdependence: the exploitation of the population to the mutual profit of rulers and ruling classes underlay much of the co-operation between them (as shown by Hillay Zmora's "Monarchy, Aristocracy, and the State in Europe, 1300-1800").

The book is no very engaging, but it is not dry either. It can be savoured by the professional historian, and perhaps, by the educated layperson too.Therefore, my rate is 5 (content) and 2/3 (pleasure of reading).

In addition to Hillay Zmora's work, other books that I would recommend to read would be "Myths of Power. Norbert Elias and the Early Modern European Court " and "Vienna and Versailles : The Courts of Europe's Dynastic Rivals, 1550-1780 (New Studies in European History)" by Jeroen Duindam (whose books present a more accurate view of monarchy, nobility, the court and the state contrary to that provided by Elias's "The Court Society"); "State and Status: The "Rise of State and Aristocratic Power in Western Europe", by S. Clark; and "The Persistence of the Ancient Regime" by Arno J. Mayer (covering approximately the 1815-1914 period).

The is the same book as Crisis in 2140, Copywritten in 1952 as part of an Ace double with Gunner Cade by Cyril Judd. It is badly dated though a quick read and interesting for Piper fans.

I loved this Civil War novel. The historical battles are not as detailed and descriptive as some other Civil War novels, however, Micki Brown captures the readers with the mischievious antics of the characters during their adolescent years. The plot is general, boy hates girl while young, girl taunts boy while young, girl matures, boy matures, boy chooses the to fight for the 'wrong' side, girl remains a staunch rebel. Man loves and protects woman while woman spies and tries to thwart the Union, even with the possibility of her losing the one she loves. If you're a Civil War fan or a fan of romances set during the Civil War, you will enjoy this novel by Micki Brown.

Set during the american revolution, gillian is a diehard patriot
working in her brother-in-law's tap room to pick up information that will help her cause. She lives with her grandmother, a Tory who supports and wines and dines the British. As Gillian's guardian, Alice betrothes Gillian to Phillip. Phillip is a "British" lawyer mingling freely with the "enemy" and is very attracted to Gillian. Of course he can't tell her his real mission. They zig and zag with Gillian rejecting Phillip until she finds out he's on her side and by then she's alienated him beyond hope. She thinks. There are subplots and the characters are all well written with steadfast beliefs.George Washington appears several times in the dialogue and the historical details appear accurate. I enjoyed this book and am glad I read it but it's not a "keeper".

This is a wonderful first hand account of life on Kentucky farm by the wife of a confederate officer.
It is the diary of Mrs. Willis Jones of Versailles Kentucky, and gives a detailed account of her day-to-day life through the course of the war between the states.

The book is an overall excellent study of the contradictions of Nicaraguan peasant life (no pun intended) and how they did not guarantee automatic acceptance by the rural poor for Sandinista redistributive programs.

The title of this review comes from the missing pages in the middle of the text, specifically pages 131-162. I don't know if this is just the fault of the copy I purchased, or is endemic in all paperback editions of this book; however, it was definitely bound this way - the pages did not fall out - and the gap comes at a crucial point of the author's case. Prospective buyers should check with the seller before ordering this book, if such a gap is of concern to you. (It is to me, but I'm not paying out $25 more for another copy for a screwup that may well be the publisher's fault.)

As someone that inherited Rebel 2000 bodies without owner's manuals, this book is a godsend.

In this one of at least one hundred and fifty five books, Osho as he calls
himself, describes individual evolution and meditation on a very personal level. At the peak of his popularity in the mid 1980's, he and his massive number of followers all flocked to a rural town in Oregon. They bought most of the land and took control of the city council. They proclaimed a new name for the town "Rajneshland" after his first given name. People not familiar with his writings may see it as cultish, however in India he is seen as one of the foremost philosophers of modern Indian thought. As he defines it, the unconscious mind performs actions that are repetitive, that require no change in design or implementation to be carried out. He argues that the mind is capable of a higher awareness, but only in individuals who are open to the signs of inner awareness. Each level of consciousness has an inner and outer dimension. The first level starts with the body. The second level consists of the rising feeling felt during meditation.The moment the second level is entered, the third can be experienced without realizing it. It is only when this level has been achieved that one will haverealized that he has gone past it. The fourth level has even fewer boundaries, allowing a relatively easy transformation to take place. However, the boundary between the fourth and fifth is much larger than any boundary before it. The eyes are the key to getting through the fourth level to the fifth (for clarification, the opening of the frontal lobes is symbolized by the dot worn on the forehead of Indians as decoration, it is highly symbolized in Indian mythology). After the fifth, the stages grow exponentially in size. The sixth stage will have cosmic level proportions, an incomprehensible proportion impossible for most people to fathom. The seventh level has no size, it is the pre-existence of anything that has ever come to be. This is an excellent book for everyone, because the rules laid out can be applied to any situation. It teaches you to rely on yourself, instead of abstract deities and all of the other things that we seek to temporarily fix our insanity.