Escape Books

This book is one of many which tries to debunk the death of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection. And it fails miserably just like all the others. The author believes that Jesus did not die on the cross but rather was taken down from the Cross alive and placed in a tomb and after three days left the tomb and eventually went to India to preach the gospel to the Lost Tribes of Israel that were living there. This is just another version of the Swoon Theory. And the one of the strongest arguments refuting this theory is Strauss' critique. It basically says that when Jesus appeared to the Disciples, he would have been in really bad condition; he would be limping; his side wound would still be open; he would be tired and sweating from all the walking. But how would Jesus convince the disciples that he was raised from the dead under these conditions? The disciples would have said that Jesus is alive but not raised. The Bible clearly says that Jesus rose from the dead (Lk 24:34, 2Ti 2:8).

The author tries to get around this problem by claiming that those who put Jesus in the tomb put a "special" ointment on his nail wounds, which healed his wounds within three days. And the sources he states that show medical evidence for this ointment are all Islamic books. That alone is quite sketchy. But to believe that Jesus' nail wounds in this feet and hands healed in three days requires tremendous faith. Even modern medical practices cannot achieve such a high recovery rate.

The author tries to prove his point by using the Gospels. Although, I'm not sure which Gospels he is using, the biblical Gospels or Gnostic Gospels. He grossly misinterprets the Scriptures and does not have a holistic understanding of the Gospels. For example, he misinterprets Matthew 16:28 where it talks about some will not taste death before the coming of the Son of Man in his kingdom. He thinks this verse proves that Jesus did not die on the Cross. But "the coming of the Son of Man in his kingdom" is best interpreted by scholars to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Romans. Jesus coming in his kingdom can include not just blessings but also judgment. But the Jewish Christians would have seen the destruction of Jerusalem as the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

It is apparent that the author is attacking Christianity because he had a bad experience with a Christian. He bases his theology upon his experience, which is dangerous. He thinks that God will always answer the prays of those who are opposed or persecuted. The author once was in a situation where he was oppressed and he prayed to God and God answered his prayer, so therefore God must answer a pray by an opposed or persecuted person. So when Jesus said on the Cross, "Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?", the author finds it hard to believe that God would not answer that pray and save His Son from the cross. Basing a theology on an experience is in most cases unfalsifiable. If I said that I went to a cave and an angel appeared to me and gave me some revelation from God, then how can you ever falsify my claim? You were not in the cave with me.

This book is an interesting read but not very scholarly. And the author is not well educated in Roman crucifixion or the Gospels.

I have recently read The Rozabal Line and Jesus Lived in India: His Unknown Life Before and After the Crucifixion. I find it incredible that this book (a century ago) could say what these books are saying today... that Jesus did not die on the cross, that he lived on in India (which was his spiritual home owing to the lost tribes in India theory). Hazrat Mirza's book may lack much of the "science" that has been cited by Kersten or Haigins, but it makes up for that in spiritual content.

To think this author had come up with this theory over 100 years ago is just bind-boggling. I wouldn't be surprised if all these new documentaries, books, etc. coming out regarding jesus are using this book as their premise!

Jesus in India, though innovative in its proposed mechanisms for Christ's survival from death on the cross, is essentially just a theistic twist on the same swoon theory that had been explored and exploited in the 17th and 18th centuries. Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Sect of Islam and author of this book, has taken a further step in attempting to persuade his audience to his point of view: he dives into the text of the gospels and extracts verses which he spins into a tale of a divine conspiracy that results in Jesus' escape to India.

The problems with Ahmad's thesis are many, and I will briefly attempt to expound the most pertinent.

First, the very premise of extracting verses from the gospels which could indicate that Jesus survived the cross is a horrendous method of investigation. If the gospels clearly delineate that Jesus died on the cross, which they do (Mt 27:50; Mk 15:37; Lk 23:46; Jn 19:30,33), then extracting verses from those very documents to support the idea that he did not die on the cross amounts to simple text manipulation.

Ahmad extracts facts such as Jesus' short duration on the cross, Pilate's desire to release Jesus, Jesus' knees not being broken etc. as indications that he must not have died on the cross. But when the gospels clearly state that Jesus died, attempting to cast events in a vague or ambiguous light to make it appear as if Jesus did not die is simply distraction and distortion. Ahmad also uses Jesus' statement that his sign would be the sign of Jonah (Mt 12:39-40) to declare that Jesus prophetically announced that he would survive the crucifixion (since Jonah survived the belly of the whale). Of course, such a usage of this verse completely ignores the verses where Jesus clearly says he would be killed upon his return to Jerusalem (e.g. Mt 16:21).

In addition, Ahmad uses Jesus' declaration that he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel as a clear reason to believe that Jesus would travel to India, since, according to Ahmad, the Jews who had been relocated there in the time of Nebuchadnezzar are those "lost sheep". Although this is clever and ingenious, it has three problems: 1- there is little reason to believe that those are the lost sheep, when term "lost" in the gospels most often means spiritually and not geographically lost. 2- even if it were the case that Jesus' primary objective was to spread the message to India, this does not necessitate the idea that he himself would have to travel there. His teachings could be spread there via his disciples. This would be more in line with even Islamic thought, as Muhammad is said to have come for all mankind, yet this does mandate that he travel to every part of the globe. But, most importantly, 3- this rendering of "the lost sheep" completely disregards the Great Commission (Mt 28:19), where Jesus clearly states that his message was to be spread throughout the world, not just the Jews. Thus it was not as Ahmad claims, that Jesus could not have died because his mission was not yet finished (see Jn 19:30).

The fact of the matter is obvious to the non-biased reader: the gospels declare that Jesus died on the cross. To extract verses and manipulate them in effort to make him appear as if he did not die is faulty methodology which pushes the bounds of honest investigation and borders on biased propaganda.

Finally, Ahmad does not resolve the contrary evidence of early documents which record the fact of Jesus' death (e.g. Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, Mara Bar Serapion, Josephus, etc.) Though he does not directly address this point, he appears to have an implicit response. In answer to such records of history, as well as to the Strauss Critique, Ahmad offers a theistic swoon theory: if God chose to save Jesus, then Jesus could survive the cross. Unanswered by his implicit theory, however, is one extremely significant problem, itself a deathblow to Ahmad's whole position. If God chose to save Jesus in a manner that makes it look like Jesus was resurrected, especially in light of Jesus' prior claims to resurrection, then God is responsible for the creation of Christianity, a false religion which causes billions of people to worship a false God. Can Ahmad truly believe that Allah, the God of Islam that despises shirk (the worship of anyone but Him alone) would be the sole cause of the most pervasive shirk religion of history? And considering that shirk is the only unforgivable sin in Islam, can Ahmad honestly say that Allah would consign billions of people to Hell on account of saving Jesus just so he could travel to India?

Jesus in India is thus pockmarked with loopholes of faulty methodology and reasoning. What starts as a haphazard extraction of certain verses and total disregard for others is carried through a train of logical improbabilities and sheer speculations, ending in a self-defeating proposition with which even Ahmad himself would never even agree.

Long before Holger Kersten (the German archeologist) heard of it and before the Davinci Code was ever dreamed up, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad laid it all out. The debate as to what happened to Jesus has puzzled seekers for centuries. This book makes it tangible, even clear. I have heard several stories regarding what happened to Jesus during and after the crucifixion, and while some are quite entertaining, none fits all of the pieces together like Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's rendition. He references the Holy Qur'an, the Gospels (verse by verse), the Hadith, ancient Hindu and Buddhist records, a Russian traveler's findings...It's truly the most amazing and thorough treatment you will find on the subject. And the subject is ground-breaking--for if it is true (I am now convinced that it most certainly is), this stands to disprove modern interpretations of Christianity, silence those Jews who claim to have killed Jesus (thus, proving him a false prophet), and set aright the modern-day Muslims who believe in a Jesus not too different from the Christian belief. This book will be recorded as one of the single biggest causes for the crumbling of false ideologies and for the victory of Islam.

This book gives you just enough information to help you to plan a great family vacation. They give you places and numbers to call to get more information on some great trips accross the country. For a busy parent who wnats to get more bang out of their short vaction this is a must have. We love the book.

This guide was a wonderful breath of fresh air. As parents of a 14 yr old we were really tired of the same old vacations and really had no idea that exploring North America could be so interesting. Our family used this book as a guide on a recent trip to Montana and South Dakota. It was a terific trip--from the Blackfeet tours to Little Big Horn to Lakota Pony Rides, we truly had a unique experience. Ms. Stapen's guide helped us navigate and explore the most interesting sites these states had to offer. The guide was very informative, especially pointing out those places that are "kid friendly". The book was even helpful in pointing out certain tours not especially suited for kids.---ie. the tour at Little Bighorn. While this did not stop us from going on tour, it did prepare us for the " are we finished yet" complaints of our 14 yr. old. I highly recommend this guide for anyone considering vacationing anywhere in the U.S. From the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast and throughout Canada, this book will help you if you are truly looking for a different type of vacation. I urge anyone to consult this guide---- it will open up a whole new world!

As the mother of two active and intellectually curious boys, I was so disappointed with this National Geographic book that I am sorely tempted to return it to the publisher. My aim: to find some suggestions for hikes in the White Mountains and family resorts in New Hampshire for this summer and an exciting, wilderness approach to seeing the West for next summer. The cover: a healthy, athletic father and son, in a kayak on a pristine lake. The subtitle: wildlife encounters, cultural explorations and learning escapes in the US and Canada. The inside: Connecticut's only entry is an Indian museum at the Mohegan Sun gambling casino; four of Massachusett's five entries are museums in downtown Boston and the fifth a small recreation of the Plymouth Colony; New York's six entries include three museums in New York City, two adult continuing education programs in upstate NY and a weekend workshop on Indian culture in the Catskills. I could go on ,but it would only bore you. In short, every entry I read (and I quote only those states I am familiar with) could have been found in literally any run- of -the- mill (free) guidebook found in any hotel loby, restaurant or Chamber of Commerce office. (SeaWorld and Busch Gardens in Florida?? Give me a break!). I implore you to save your money and pass on this book!

Stapen's book on family adventure travel is one of the best of its kind. Our family was looking for new types of vacations (other than the usual places like DisneyWorld, the beach, etc) that would cater to children of different ages. We are looking forward to trying out several of the recommendations, such as a night at the zoo, space camp, dogsledding, llama trekking and exploring native american culture. The writeups are well done and the book is very enjoyable. A must for families. I am over 50 but could not put that in Box 5 for some reason .

This book is a real dissapointment. There is no 'adventure' here. It's just a list of museums from around the country. Now these are nice museums, but perusing the AAA Tourbooks will give you the same information for free. This books is a waste of money.

June 10, 1940 was a good day for Hitler -- his conquest of Norway was complete. Germany was now able to safely import vital Swedish iron ore from the Norwegian port of Narvik, effectively bypassing the British blockade. For Young Norwegian fishermen like August Naeroy, Mindur Berge, and Ole Grotle, it was time to sail away to freedom.

In occupied Norway, the standing army went underground, and an active resistance to the Nazi occupation began. Fishing boats and expatriates that had fled Norway volunteered to begin ferrying weapons, supplies, agents and refugees for the Norwegian underground.

British historian and military author David Howarth offers a interesting behind-the-scenes history of these risky micro-operations -- The Shetland Bus. His own naval experiences as a sailor and boat-maker in Shetland made him an ideal second in command, under Major L.H. Mitchell (a Scandinavian expert), at the tiny clandestine naval base.

Hoping to avoid notice by searching German patrol boats, maritime aircraft, as well as well-positioned shore batteries, and observation points, inconspicuous Norwegian fishing boats became the default vessel for the Shetland Bus. Needing to operate under darkness, as much as possible, on missions for up to three weeks duration, the covert fishing vessels were restricted to the dark winter months only.

Many surreptitious operations were successfully carried out by the tiny force. Only 400 tons of arms were eventually delivered to Norway and 350 refugees rescued. Those secretive operations that met adversity are the heart of Mr. Howarth's book.

The author retells a number of adventure vignettes about undercover Shetland Bus operations. Fishing boats shot to splinters by strafing German aircraft -- floundering boats, far out in the stormy winter seas, never to be seen again -- Cold, injured men swimming between icy islands, hunted down by determined German patrols -- weary agents sneaking from house to house in search of help from sympathetic countrymen.

The boldest military operation assigned to the Shetland Bus is retold in 'Big Game'-- the attempted attack on the anchored German Battleship Tirpitz by two-man torpedoes (Chariots). Mr. Howarth's most riveting chapters follow desperate agents on the run across Norway with German authories in dogged pursuit.

As a war correspondent for the BBC, Mr. Howarth sharpened his skills for writing adventure stories. His book relates bravery, courage, and resourcefulness told in the low key, restrained British style. Mr. Howarth's heroes seem to be struggling against winter weather, treacherous seas and their own nosy countrymen as much as the Germans.

A difficulty with war stories is that the voice of the enemy is usually missing, and this is surely the case here. Well into the book, I felt the author was straining to make an adventure book out of a subject that should have been a magazine article. The author describes life in the Shetland Bus operation was rather "picturesque and adventurous and sometimes even enjoyable." McHale's Navy would have gladly traded assignments with the men of the Shetland Bus.

Amazingly, all the air goes out of the story when the Shetland Bus is re-equipped with U.S. Navy sub chasers. The missions instantly became routine, with no casualties suffered during the last two winters of the war.

Concerning "The Shetland Bus" -- the operation and the book -- readers will agree with author: "we wondered whether it had all been worth while." The Allies' invasion of Norway never did come. Mr. Howarth consoles himself that all the arms delivered surely must have worried the Germans and helped cheer the Norwegians through the occupation. More likely, the biggest benefit of the resistance were the ten divisions Germany was forced to maintain in Norway that could have been useful to the Reich elsewhere.

"The Shetland Bus" contains a gallery of 17 interesting photographs, and 3 maps. This book will be of interest to World War II espionage fans. For those who truly care about the Norway Campaign, "The Shetland Bus" is essential reading. Other similar books by Mr. Howarth are "The Sledge Patrol: One of the Greatest Adventure Stories of World War II" and "We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance."

The Shetland Bus" is the story of the British/Norwegian operation to run supplies, ammunition, weapons and secret agents from the Shetland Islands to Norway during WW2. Rescued refugees took the return trip. These efforts were key to the Norwegian resistance to the German occupation, which tied down 10 divisions and 280,000 enemy troops.
Author Howarth was well placed to write SB. He was the number 2 British Naval man in the Shetlands and had a key hand in each mission. He was obviously as close to his men as a good commander can be and writes touchingly, respectfully and personally about his charges. We learn of close escapes from the treacherous weather, quislings and the persistent, if over stretched, German authorities. If his men were in trouble, they could -and did- die in minutes in the icy North Sea, far from shore or any hope of rescue. The author lends the reader an appreciation for the sheer logistical strains behind the Shetland Bus. Balancing people, personalities, supplies, and technical details was a demanding job- one, which the author plainly relished. He was a talented writer, producing 18 historical works, several of which are available on amazon.com.
The weak side to SB is that Howarth was shoreside throughout the war. The action here is all second hand and the telling suffers. Howarth simply wasn't there. He was hundreds of miles from the action. Since this book first appeared in 1951, one gets the distinct impression that, so close to the War's end, some censorship of classified information may have been imposed. Something or someone may have held Howarth back. SB is hard to rate. Out of respect for the author, his obvious writing talent and his men: 4 stars. Amazon.com fans may wish to scroll through Howarth's (apparently) better-received WW2 efforts; "Sledge Patrol" or especially "We Die Alone". I'll end on a positive note: Here is one military book with decent maps! Hooray!

This is about the British effort to provide boats to move people between England (from the Shetland Isles) to Norway and back. Primarily agents, guns, and supplies to Norway and agents at risk back out.

The author writes well and he does a good job of telling the stories of what the Norwegians went through in Norway. That part is written in a less immediate form as the author was not there and is relating the story to us.

It's an interesting sidebar to the war. And the book is well written. But that is all it is. It's a sidebar that while important, was not critical to the strategic effort (although many in Norway might disagree). And while well written, the book does not reach out and grab you.

So I'm glad I read it. But there are other books that I would have enjoyed more that I could have read instead.

An interesting story of the operation of anti-Nazi forces in Norway during World War II. Howarth was the Royal Navy officer responsible for coordinating activities with Norwegian fishermen during this time. The stories represent the resistance Norwegians provided the Nazis and Quislings in Norway. Howarth was not allowed to go to Norway because of the dangerous activites, but his account is first hand, so I discount the previous reviewers assertion that this book is not truthful enough. From the previous reviewer's viewpoint, we can't trust any second or third party accounts. Well, Howarth was there and interacted with these resistance fighters, so that is good enough for most readers.
The Shetlands are a remote island group of the United Kingdom. Howarth provides some details of the history of the region, and the geographic detail. Then the stories of ferrying supplies and spies to German occupied Norway. These stories are interesting, but not as interesting as the shoot ups I read about in some other Howarth books (We Die Alone, The Sledge Patrol, D-Day -June 6, 1944). Howarth is a great author, and I have read eight of his books. Anybody wanting to read good history should read his books. It is a shame of his recent passing, because I will soon run out of books written by him.

I've rarely been on a small boat on the ocean, I've never been to the Shetland Isles, and I wasn't on this planet during WW II. So, I found this book to be an interesting perspective that describes several years of a special operations group that supported Norway during the war. The book presents, rather drily at times, the stories of the men and ships who built the Shetland Bus operation -- from the time that they requisitioned and provisioned the ships and fishermen/sailors to the time when the wooden fishing ships were replaced with faster, more reliable submarine chasers.

The glue that holds this book together is the adventures of the Norwegian sailors, as retold by Howarth after the debriefs of the crews. (Howarth was prevented from sailing by the British Navy so his only first-person perspectives are from the operations and shipyard management side of the picture.) In short, what makes this book real is the stories about the storms that they sailed through, the difficulties in getting their small vessels across the North Sea, and the narrow scrapes they had with the Germans when they entered the protected waters of the Norwegian fjords

In summary, this is a marvelous account of a small but important operation. It could be improved by slightly more adventurous writing style but is definitely worth a read if you're interested in seafaring adventures or personal stories from the World War II era.

With a story by star writer Geoff Johns and Superman: The Movie director Richard Donner, you'd expect this to be pretty great. Coupled with artwork by The Goon's Eric Powell, you'd expect this to be phenomenal. Well for once, expectations are met. Introducing the modern Bizarro World and a Bizarro JLA, this comic is hilarious and action-filled. A must have for any Superman fan.

Escape from Bizarro World isn't perfect, but is certainly the greatest Bizarro story ever told. Using the silver-age concept of Bizarro World as a backdrop, writers Geoff Johns (Infinite Crisis) & Richard Donner (Superman: The Movie), tell a story about acceptance and misunderstanding that is excellently illustrated by noir artist Eric Powell (The Goon). Here they portray Bizarro at his best: misunderstood, but not evil.

Under normal circumstances Powell's work would not lend itself to a superhero story, but since this is a horror/comedy, it works perfectly for the darker style.

Highlights include glimpses into young Clark's past, the Bizarro JLA and Bizarro Mxyzptlk. Bizarro Lex Luthor is truly a treat, every bit as manipulating in his need for attention and praise as the real one.

The book is not perfect though, at three issues for the main story, it is rather short for a graphic novel (although this does tighten up the story well enough to eliminate the need for any filler). Vernacular for the Bizarros switches back and forth between toddler speak and Bizarro backward speak, which can occasionally be confusing, and at least once there is an instance of Jonathan Kent asking Superman the same question twice simply to remind readers of the individual issues what happened last time.

However, these are all nit-picks that don't take away from the overall story. After all, what would a story about imperfect Bizarros be if it were perfect?

Bizarro can be fun to play around with sometimes, but even with the small size of this TPB, I think halfway through I was already burnt out on "ME AM NOT" quotes. Instead of several issues centered around Bizarro, I think I prefer the small bits like Infinite Crisis where he yells, "PRETTY LIGHTS," and beats one of the Freedom Fighters to death, only to be saddened when the lights go out. I've read Bizarro stories where the "opposite-speak" was so thick, I had to stop and think for a few seconds about what I had just read. And then... sometimes a writer will have a sense of humor and make Bizarro speak directly, right after he just said something in "opposite-speak," so you're not sure which one to believe. Yup... good times, good times.

So I guess I already come across as cynical about this TPB, but I will tell you that the first story collected in this TPB is a fun read. Geoff Johns and the director of the original Superman movie, Richard Donner, team-up to write this inaugural story which focuses on Bizarro kidnapping Clark Kent's father and taking him to Bizarro World. Superman is forced to travel to a blue star solar system to save his father, and it's here that he discovers the effects of a blue star on his abilities. Not only are his powers amplified, but he also starts to develop new ones. Bizarro does as well and uses his powers to clone an army of Bizarro troops who live in a fake Metropolis environment constructed by the Superman rogue.

Bizarro rarely comes across as intentionally good or evil -- just confused -- but there are darker versions of Bizarro out there in comicdom. The stories collected in this book mostly portray a lovable Bizarro. The type that reminds you of the scene in Frankenstein when he first meets the little girl. To add to Bizarro's G rating, the stories after the main event by Johns and Donner are all from older Superman books. One older tale included is Superman #140 published in 1960 dealing with the subject of a Bizarro Family. Another older comic in this TPB is DC Comics Presents #71 published in 1984 that stars a Bizarro-Amazo who instead of draining powers, gives them away and causes plenty of chaos on Earth. The story also contains a friendly alliance of sorts between Supes and Bizarro. And finally... the TPB sums up the collection with the classic Man of Steel series by John Byrne and includes the issue that retells Bizarro's origin as a lab experiment gone awry at the hands of Lex Luthor. Coincidentally, this same origin was also supposed to be how Warner Brothers would have included Bizarro in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, but the decision was made to take him out of the film.

This is the type of TPB that will mostly appeal to hardcore Superman enthusiasts. I wouldn't say the stories are poor, just not as good as some of the other choices on the market. You'll also need to be someone who appreciates classic comics and isn't annoyed by the outdated art and old school writing. I would wait for the softcover version if you're thinking about adding this one to your pull list. It's a short mildly entertaining read, but I'm not sure it deserves a premiere hardcover edition.

The first quarter of the novel is a "not so bad" novel of how Bizarro created his own world. The art is poor, however. The rest of the short novel is just reprints of other Bizarro stories.

I wish I hadn't purchased this book, and will resell it as soon as possible.

It is not a "keeper".

I've always loved Superman, but like every fan, I have my personal favorites among the Superman universe cast of friends and villains.

Bizarro has never been one of my favorite Superman villains. What can I say? I'm a big Lex Luthor fan. (In case you should wonder, I had pre-ordered this because of the list of names associated with it -- Geoff Johns, Richard Donner, and John Byrne). But this book got me interested in Bizarro and made me appreciate the character in a way that I hadn't before.

The older comics included in this collection along with the small essays on Bizarro were interesting, but it was the main story that I really got into. I liked Pa Kent having such a large role. The story of Clark's childhood relationship with Pa Kent, and child Clark's desire for friendships were effectively interwoven into the Bizarro World storyline. I was moved by Bizarro's yearnings for attachment and his bewilderment about where he'd gone wrong in his attempts to find it.

I've gone from not particularly caring about Bizarro to hoping that the authors will write more stories featuring him.

I bought this book at a dollar store, and I'm happy thats all I paid! I loved Vampire Junction, but this one was awful...I enjoyed the beginning the ending was bad though.

I think this book is too graphic. If you love bloody, gory, just plain sick books be my guest to read this. I would have given it a 1/2 star for tryng but that is no possible.

read moon dance first and got interested in this writer. collecting these for my grandson.

This book is wonderful, as are the previous two in the trilogy. It is gory, but that's obvious from the book summary above. I'm a vampire novel collector, and overall, this is one of the best vampire novels I've read.

I feel Vanitas deserves every star. A chilling horror story, it keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat with amazing suspense. It's like you are standing there next to Timmy Valentine, Angel Todd, or Lady Chit. A book of passion, hatred, revenge... and a lust for mortal blood. Although it is a wonderful book, Vanitas should only be read by adults or extremely mature teens. Perfect if you want a scary story for bed reading.

This book is by far, the most fascinating book -of secular material- that I've ever come across. It is replete with biased fallacies, half-truths, and truths. Although, the author is clearly biased towards her theories, and makes every argument look like that only HER views can possibly be correct, the book also contains many authentic and accurate data regarding the origins and affiliations of the Na-Deneids that aren't found in any other books.
Many scholars, linguists and other experts have decried Stewart's methodologies and opinions but much of her data is actually quite compelling and may end up being proven beyond all reasonable doubt. In any event, this is one of the most interesting pieces of literature I have ever come across.

Stewart's thesis is that the Athabaskan peoples of North America formerly lived in Central Asia and that, when the Mongols conquered the Hsi-Hsia Empire, they set off Eastward across Asia, crossed the Bering Straight, and dispersed to their current
locations. She offers two sorts of evidence. The first consists of mythology. For example, she observes correctly that Athabaskans have stories about monster snakes but that there are no large snakes in NW Canada. She then jumps to the conclusion that these stories must really be about crocodiles, thus showing that they came from a place that had crocodiles. Of course, stories about large snakes need not be about crocodiles, and in any case, there are no crocodiles in Central Asia. The second sort of evidence is linguistic. Her most general argument can be summarized as follows: "Athabaskan languages are tonal. Chinese is tonal. Therefore the Athabaskans came from Central Asia." Since about 50% of the world's languages are tonal, that two groups of languages should both be tonal proves is likely to be pure coincidence. Most African languages are also tonal - should we conclude that the Athbaskans came from Africa? Furthermore, although China has at times expanded into Central Asia, Chinese is not the indigenous language of Central Asia.

Most of Stewart's linguistic arguments are even worse. She takes Athabaskan names of tribes and places, analyzes them into pieces from Asian languages, and considers this proof that they came from Asia. For example, she thinks that the Carrier Indians of British Columbia are called "Taculi". She says that these are obviously the people of the Li clan of the city of Tagu. This is far too easy a game to play and proves nothing, but in any case she ignores the fact that "Taculi" is not the correct form of the name and that the correct form has an etymology inconsistent with hers. "Taculi" is a distortion of the way that Father Adrien-Gabriel Morice wrote the self-designation of the Carrier, which in the current practical spelling is "Dakelh", where the "lh" represents a voiceless lateral fricative (like Welsh "ll"). It means "the people who go by boat on the water" and consists of two parts, da and kelh.

Her book is filled with "arguments" of this sort. In some cases she even assigns each of the three syllables of a word to a different language. Arguments of this type prove nothing other than that the author has an imagination.

Not only is the author's supporting evidence weak, but she has no good response to the very strong evidence against her hypothesis, the most important being that there is ample evidence that the Athabaskans were in North America at least a thousand years before 1233. No recent evidence has changed this picture of the archaeology.

This book is so disorganized and badly written as to be virtually unreadable. It is a real struggle to figure out what she means to argue and to wade through the mass of unconnected detail that she offers. Even as a source of facts the book is a poor source. References are imprecise, and "data" are taken from sources of often dubious reliability and cited without any understanding of the widely varying transcriptions used for the numerous languages.

The thesis of this book would make a great movie but the book is a dreadful read and offers weak and unconvincing evidence for a hypothesis that conflicts with the available archaeological data.

This book is by far, the most fascinating book -of secular material- that I've ever come across. It is replete with biased fallacies, half-truths, and truths. Although, the author is clearly biased towards her theories, and makes every argument look like that only HER views can possibly account for arguments, the book also contains many authentic and accurate data regarding the origins and affiliations of the Na- Dene that aren't found in any other books. A must buy for the classic 'Na-Deneist!'

Ethel G. Stewart was roundly beaten up on by her fellow academics when she first published this book. Yet today, new evidence and, importantly, genetics, are backing up her early theories. Whether time proves Stewart to be 100% accurate or merely 75% accurate is almost irrelevant. What is most crucial here is that this is the tale of a woman who dedicated her life to important research, stood by her findings, and was made to suffer dearly. And as it turns out, she was almost certainly right. Thank God she is still alive to see all the "new" discoveries that are validating her work. We need more like her in academia.

Kidnapped in Yemen by Mary Quin is one of the most moving books I have ever read. I have never finished a book and just wanted to call the author and say: "Hi, I loved your book, it spoke to me on so many levels, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you writing it."
I'm sure there were many painful moments in the research, which took the author back to that life threatening event. She touched deeply on so many topics that are near to my heart: New Zealand~a country I love, Alaska~my home for the past twenty-five years, Hunting~putting words to the incredible experience of a hunt, Relationship~finding someone to love amid the mêlée, and last but certainly not least, the experience of being a hostage. Two of my family members were held hostage and Mary Quin's description of what happened during and after that life changing event rang so true to me. She touches very delicate subjects with clarity and understanding that was obviously hard-fought. Marvelous book and I thank the author for `risking' and writing this important piece of literature.

Quin has an appealing writing style and writes on issues of great import. They say you should write what you know, and write real characters. Quin does both.

Any disappointment with the book is more related to how it is billed then the book itself. There are a few chapters here and there that relate less to the events of the kidnapping, and simply more to the events of Quin's life, that could perhaps be edited for a more streamlined work. In a 22 chapter book, it gives nothing away to say that in the 4th chapter she is freed- this book has less to do with being kidnapped, or escaping, than the after-effects of a kidnapping on the life of a woman and geopolitical events.

And for that it is an incredible resource. Though this is an engaging read, it is also nonfiction, and thus provides a great deal of relevent information on life in Yemen and the situation in an Islamist kidnapping (as opposed to a tribal kidnapping). As I contemplate possibly moving to this country, Quin gives solid warnings on possible dangers to be faced there. Additionally, there are a wealth of insights on how an individual deals with the stress of a kidnapping; how it can change their lives and bring to light new possibliies that would never have existed otherwise. Quin is not only a great writer but also an excellent researcher. I was continually amazed at her ability to uncover truth, connect seemingly disparate circumstances, and gain information form interviewees by putting them at ease and yet asking the hard questions. If you are interested in the effects of kidnapping, the situation in Yemen, or the events of the modern terrorist world, then this is an requisite book.

About this book, Daniel Pipes wrote: In her mid-40s, a successful executive just placed in charge of Xerox's Color Solutions Business Unit, Quin had a taste for exotic travel that took her in late 1998 to Yemen with a group of eighteen other Western tourists. She and they had the misfortune to have their Land Cruisers driven directly into a war between the government and an Islamist outfit called the Aden Abyan Islamic Army (AAIA). The entire tourist group was taken hostage on December 28 and held for more than a day before Yemeni military forces attacked the AAIA, leading to the deaths of four tourists, two terrorists, and one soldier. Quin herself had a close brush with death, but the terrorist holding the gun in her back was hit before he could do damage to her; in an act of daring-do, she managed to pull from his still-live hands his AK-47, an act which left her a changed person. (The mild-mannered, liberal feminist admits that as she exultantly fought for the gun, she had a revelation: "So this is why men like war.")

The story of the capture takes up but the first quarter of Kidnapped in Yemen; the remainder consists of Quin's personal account, mixed with her sleuthing to figure out what had happened to her and her companions. Through assiduous press research plus personal investigations that took her to London's Finsbury Park mosque (to meet the notorious Abu Hamza) as well as a journey back to Yemen and the scene of the crime, she comes up with a coherent account of the tensions that culminated in her seizure. In addition to making available the story of an important terrorist incident, once which foreshadowed the current problem of Western Muslims traveling to Iraq to engage in violence, Quin provides a fine account of her own growth, indeed transformation, as a result of her brief but searing experience as a hostage.

I am currently studying Arabic in Sana'a, Yemen and read this book while preparing for my trip. Now that I am here, this book really annoys me. Quin was part a of tour group being led around the country in what can only be considered spoon-fed tourism. I see these kind of groups walking around Sana'a all the time and it is as if they are moving in a bubble, completely isolated from the native people around them. While being led by the hand around the country, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time but was lucky enough to not be hit in the crossfire. Her story might make a good magazine article but is hardly substantial enough to warrant a book deal. The result leaves the last three-fourths of the book to describe her mundane personal life, "research" of media articles that leads to nothing conclusive, and another week-long, hand-held trip to Yemen.

In my opinion, you shouldn't write about a country unless you actually know something about it. Tim Mackintosh-Smith lived in Yemen for over a decade before writing his book and Steven Caton lived with a Yemeni tribe for a significant amount of time too. I would recommend either of their books over this one.

really. It's a short book of one man's experience, however skewed or one-sided. I am Bulgarian as well and if you can put aside the writers feelings of devotion and obvious joy in his religious beliefs, it's a good read. There is excitement and adventure in this story, regardless of his personal beliefs. This book was published by a religious publisher so it makes sense there would be an overwhelming Christian perspective.

Another aspect of this writer's book, is how it reflects a perspective of religious freedom that he didn't experience in his own country (the 1970's) and this is shown in his book.

This is the story of one man's escape from persecution in Communist Bulgaria in the 1960s. The book is written from a Christian perspective, but regardless of one's beliefs, it is a good story about a man who kept the faith and made many sacrifices.

This book was overall very disappointing. Written in a very chaotic and amateurish manner, the narrative constantly kept striking me as naive and superficial. Add to this the religious ignorance (and intolerance) of the writer and his profound lack of familiarity with non-christian religions and atheism alike, and you get a reading that is anything but inspiring to anybody who can think critically.

Although the personal accounts of his experiences under communism and during his escape ring somewhat true to a Bulgarian reader like me, they are not related in a way that could 'save' the book. Too bad really...

This is the story of one man's escape from persecution in Communist Bulgaria in the 1960s. The book is written from a Christian perspective, but regardless of one's beliefs, it is a good story about a man who kept the faith and made many sacrifices.

This book is a good idea poorly executed. The plan was to use the scenario of the characters of the Star Wars movies to teach young people science. Familiar droids Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio are in a ship with scientific droid Forbee-X, Governor Zissu and his rebellious son Stuart. When an Imperial ship captures their ship, the Governor stays behind to hold of the storm troopers while the three droids and Stuart leave in an escape pod.
Through poor piloting, the pod flies an erratic course and is set into a wildly tumbling motion. These errors are used to teach the physics of motion, inertia and angular momentum. However, the dialogue is so whiny and undirected that the physics lessons are overwhelmed. It is unfortunate, because the concept is one that could be a powerful educational tool.

I'm 9-years-old and I really liked this book. I'm a star wars fan and would recommend this book to other kids who are, too.

EVER WONDER 'WOULD THAT BE POSSIBLE' WHILE WATCHING STAR WARS? IS THE SCIENCE IN STAR WARS AND OTHER MOVIES TOO COMPLEX? IN EMERGANCY IN ESCAPE POD 4, REAL LIFE SCIENCE IS GROUPED WITH THE MOVIES . GEARED FOR AGES 6-9 , THE STAR WARS SCIENCE SERIS IS GREAT. FULL OF NEAT STORIES, AND AT HOME PROJECTS TO DO. WELL WRITTEN AND EDUCATIONAL.....

Awhile ago I also reviewed Mr. Theodore J. Nottingham's book, "The Curse of Cain", in which Mr. Nottingham claims that not only is he a great-grandson of Booth, but Booth escaped in 1865 and died in Oklahoma in 1903. While an extremely attractive idea, I'm afraid that none of it is true. Mr. Bates proves his incompetence in the first sentence of the book, in which he claims that Abraham Lincoln was born near Salem, Kentucky (his real birthplace was 170 miles away). As the book goes on it makes less and less sense. If any of you have ever seen the tintype that Bates claims is Booth in the 1870's and still believe that this man is Booth, then I'm afraid there is no hope for you. The facial structure is completely different than that of the real Booth, who was actually much more handsome than the man in the picture. Also, many items were found on the body taken from Garrett's farm that identify the body beyond a doubt as belonging to John Wilkes Booth, right down to a pin given to him by a fellow actor that he kept with him at all times. I am very sorry, but Mr. Bates' work, like Mr. Nottingham's work, is nothing more than fiction. Case closed.

When I saw a this book reviewed many years ago,(in the 60's) I was very skeptical of its theories, but once I saw the movie: THE LINCOLN CONSPIRACYin 1977, It all of the sudden made so much sense, and I have been a cospiracy believer ever since! It's a bit pricy, but once you get into the first chapter, you'll wonder why you ever believed a liar like Edwin M. Stanton and any fool who thinks John Wilkes Booth 1. Acted alone and 2. was killed at Garrette's farm. I'm seriously considering getting another copy to seal up and keep if this one ever gets damaged or wears out --- it's THAT good!!!

While Mr. Bates' writing style (long, long sentences) can be a little hard to follow at times, his research and attention to detail are second to none. After finishing this book, the reader will undoubtly question their high school history teacher. Mr. Bates leaves little doubt that Booth did not die in a fiery barn. Not only does Bates interview the alleged Booth, but many who both knew Booth and served with him in the military. After reading Bates' interview and seeing the pictures of Booth, they were convinced. I was convinced. You will be convinced.