California Books

The Hunter's Moon by Jo C. Johnston is a great summer read. It is suspenseful throughout and a terrific blend of historical fiction and horror. Jo Johnston's descriptive talents are second to none and the scary portions are truly frightening. I can't wait to read the next book from this author!

This is an excellent novel which captivates your attention from the first chapter to the last. It is very suspensful and keeps you guessing until the very end. The plot unfolds superbly and is very well written. There is a lot of attention to detail and all of the characters are very real. You really love some of the characters and hate others. It sends shivers up your spine. There are a lots of twists and turns in the novel and I enjoyed the whole story, especially the ending. It is a very different love story.

This book has it all. Exciting, suspenseful, great love story. Once you started reading it was very difficult to set down. I really enjoyed the characters and the intriging storyline. I can't wait for another one of Jo C. Johnston's books! Keep writing. Your fans are anxiously awaiting.

I couldn't seem to stop reading even though it was very late. When my eyes wouldn't cooperate, I grabbed a few hours of sleep, but first thing in the morning I picked up the book and read until I finished it. The story was fast-paced, and the characters believable. I enjoyed the format, and would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good read.

I knew the premise of this book before I read it. I loved it from the first page. What else can you say? It is just plain old good writing. It has some good original twists on an old familar story. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good book.

Mandelbaum has a great writing style -- he takes complex topics and presents his ideas in ways that make them appear simple and even obvious. A great book that every lay person with an interest in world economy and government ought to read

On page 398, Mandelbaum provides what I consider the most significant words in his book: "So a world of liberal sovereign states qualifies as the second-best solution, after WORLD GOVERNMENT, to the problems of nuclear war, economic collapse, and global climate change. If not the best of all imaginable solutions, it is the best of all feasible ones."

However, the greater the number of, and the more powerful, the illiberal states are, then the so-called best feasible solution becomes even more infeasible. There must be integrated frameworks or solutions for the enhancement of peace, democracy, and free markets, which happen to work only when they do, and only when they work together.

But how do we get them to work as a triad, not individually ? This is the important question. I believe that the answer lies in any framework that promotes direct genuine people empowerment within each state.

One way is the creation of positive composite institutions, or the transformation of the well-funded international foundations into positive composite institutions, the end-object of which is the promotion of direct people empowerment within the illiberal zones of their own countries, and within the less liberal states in the less-developed world.

It is no longer a question of "what" and "object", but of "how" and "ways and means".

Veredigno Atienza
"Creating Systems of Justice: Philanthropy at the Highest Level"

This is a magnificent book - I can happily recommend it to anyone, regardless of their politics (an all too rare thing these days, as the culture wars spread ever wider). The West ought to remember its roots, and why it is where it is today. A book like this is therefore very timely and well worth reading. Christopher Catherwood, historian, teacher and author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)

Michael Mandelbaum clearly explains that the liberal theory of history is made up of two tenets:

1. Free markets, through their workings such as constitutionalism, civil society, the rule of law, property-protecting and contract-enforcing state, entrepreneurship, competition and mass consumption, tend to promote democracy and enrich most of their economic agents over time (pg. 11, 234-237, 257, 268-274, 289-295, 313-318, 394). A responsible social safety net, however, is key to stability of free markets (pg. 299-304, 340-341, 402).

2. Democracies are inclined to conduct peaceful foreign policies (pg. 11, 237). Popular sovereignty, constitutionalism, civil society and political habit of compromise are key drivers of peace and minority protection (pg. 249-250, 259, 269). Furthermore, defense dominance and weapon system transparency are built on the recognition that the problem of collective security can only be solved through systemic cooperation nurtured over time (pg. 113-114, 129-131, 231).

The common denominator of free markets, democracy and peace is their focus on the individual (pg. 31). Illiberalism such as Communism and Fascism stresses the strength of the state through group cohesion and solidarity rather than the welfare of individuals (pg. 254, 336).

Before WWI, this set of liberal ideas was not firmly established in the British Empire and the U.S. from which it came. Britain was the most fervent advocate of free trade but was clearly ambivalent about self-government beyond its White Dominions and dismissal of any limit to power projection. The U.S. was protectionist rather than a convert to free trade, was an impire rather than an empire until the 1890s and had not yet granted the benefits of democracy to all its inhabitants in spite of its unequivocal constitution (pg. 33, 87).

At the Conference of Paris in 1919 just after WWI, President Woodrow Wilson could not convince the victorious empires how closely related were the rise of free markets and the devaluation of war. The high price of war to the victors and perhaps more importantly poor salesmanship from President Wilson himself in the U.S. and abroad ultimately led to the rise and dismissal of an emasculated League of Nations and disastrous economic protectionism in the 1930s (pg. 20-24, 359, 363, 393).

The emergence of Fascism and Communism, two new murderous, inefficient rivals to Liberalism, was the bitterest legacy of WWI, the Conference of Paris and subsequent peace conferences (pg. 33, 41, 54-55). Liberalism succeeded in defeating and discrediting Fascism at the end of WWII in 1945 and Communism at the end of the Cold War in 1989 (pg. 253).

The liberal theory of history has found its historical validation for example in the successful conversion of fascist Germany and Japan to Liberalism in the decades after their crushing defeat in 1945. These successful conversions to Liberalism demonstrate which way the lagging peripheral countries should go to ultimately emerge in the limelight (pg. 6, 79-86, 174-181, 279-280).

Mandelbaum also reminds his audience that in the post-cold war era, the core countries have lost much interest in what is going on in the periphery (pg. 96, 198-199). China, Russia and the Middle East are three major exceptions to this loss of interest in the periphery (pg. 7). Core countries legitimately fear that undesirable developments in some peripheral countries, especially failed states, if left unchecked, could have a negative impact in their backyard (pg. 182-187).

The Middle East is of interest to core countries due to its reserves of oil, the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the presence of fearsome terrorist networks on its soil (pg. 97-99, 199-230). Operation Iraqi Freedom is an expression of this interest in the region on behalf of a well-understood Liberalism (pg. 403-412).

China and Russia remain a source of concern to the core countries because they have not yet fully embraced the tenets of Liberalism (pg. 306-307, 390-391). Like Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, Russia and China are not satisfied with their military place in the world today and can become a source of instability tomorrow (pg. 160-174). Furthermore, both countries harbor powerful economic ambitions (pg. 160). The inability of economic socialism to be productive enough and meet the wants and needs of its economic agents behind the military sphere has made a gradual transition to economic liberalism vital to the survival of the Chinese and Russian nomenklatura (pg. 48, 52, 66-67, 99-104, 261-265, 291, 309). No Communist regime in the 20th century came to power through a coup d'etat staged by an impoverished, mobilized and ideologically committed working class (pg. 233).

The current liberal hegemony, which is not per se irreversible, does not make everybody happy. Some of its most determined opponents include Middle Eastern terrorists and the western-inspired anti-globalization movement who do not offer any constructive, workable alternative to Liberalism (pg. 38-39).

The United States, spiritual successor of the British Empire, has a key role to play in the successful spread and survival of this Wilsonian triad (pg. 7, 88, 327, 358, 381-382, 404). The technological, economic, military and cultural leadership of the U.S. requires that Americans bear a higher burden than their fair share in the maintenance and development of Liberalism (pg. 88, 153, 364-365, 389). The harshest critics of the U.S. for example in Europe and Asia should keep this in mind instead of taking it for granted (pg. 153, 363-365, 388-390).

Passing interest in the (most dangerous) failed states is a recipe for disaster (pg. 193-199). In too many places around the world, democracy and capitalism are foreign transplants that must be cultivated long enough to take deep roots (pg. 259-260, 297-298, 311-313, 386-387). Ultimately, with might come not only rights but also responsibilities (pg. 388-389).

Quite a brilliant work, this book is a synopsis of the ideas that have `conquered the world' in the 20th century, ideas that remain a benchmark of America's policies in the world. The first policy is capitalism, the idea of free markets was challenged by Marxism, an ideology that proved itself a nightmare and a destructive, coercive, suppressive influence in the last century. Secondly the author brilliantly demonstrates how democracy was originally encouraged at the Versailles conference following WWI where Woodrow Wilson made `war for democracy' a policy of America. Lastly he examines how `peace' as a virtue of classical liberalism is the pursuit of today's most powerful nations. In previous periods of history powerful nations sued their power destructively in wars of conquest, such as the Romans, the English or Napoleon. Today's American `empire' is not one of war, despite the war in Iraq, but rather of a restrained giant using its power to coerce other nations to follow the methods of democracy, peace and free markets, however the coercive influence of America is not like Rome or England or Communist Russia, or Fascist Germany, rather it is one where power is used selectively, in a clauswitzien sense, only as the last resort of politics. Power organizations such as the Un, the World Bank and the IMF use pressure for democracy to go hand in hand with their loans tot third world nations, while not always successful this policy is slowly bringing democracy, equality, and freedoms to places like Latin America, where in the 1950s almost all countries were dictatorships. The `ideas the conquered the world' also run counter to the theory that human nature is hobbesian, in the sense that we are told by cynics that Islam is not compatible with democracy or that Catholicism is not compatible, these canards have been thrown out by those who seek to bring the American revolution to the world. This is the thesis of this book and the historical synopsis presented, brilliant, interesting and controversial.

Seth J. Frantzman

George Perkovich has produced a seminal work on India's nuclear weapons program. He analyzes the political, economic, security issues that have contributed to India's decision-making regarding the bomb. George has correctly identified India as being caught in a dilemma for a long time over nuclear weapons testing. India also provides the only example of a nuclear weapons program that was openly debated in a democratic society. This debate (which ranked often very low on the priorities of successive prime ministers who correctly placed socio-economic development as a higher priority) has led to India shifting its position over time -- one from being the first proponent of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to opposing it due to is discriminatory nature today. It describes how India's opposition to nuclear weapons in the '50s which was perceived as being moralizing in the West, has now changed to embrace weapons since the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty permanently endorsed the nuclear weapons status of the five declared nuclear powers without any comprehensive, binding time-table for destroying all nuclear weapons -- a position that India objects to as being discriminatory.

A must-read for anyone interested in nuclear weapons proliferation and arms control negotiations today.

Less to do with the bomb per se, but a scholarly history of the Indian nuclear program. This is a work that will be quoted again and again.

This is easily one of the best books I have read about my own country. Very informative.

Note to editorial Reviewers: India entered the nuclear club in May 1974 and not in May 1998 as suggested by some of your reviews.

Some highlights of the book.

* The term nuclear "haves" and "have-nots" was coined by Homi Bhabha initially and used by others and till date has been central to putting forth our country's opposition to NPT and CTBT.

* University of Chicago's late Prof. Chandrasekhar's refusal to head the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) after the death of patriot Dr. Homi Bhabha.

* One of my disappointment is the author's avoidance in the discussion of the cause of the death of Dr. Homi Bhabha, even though such an incident is beyond the scope of this book. Since Bhabha provided the impetus and leadership during the nuclear program's infancy, I expected the author to throw some light on this issue.

* Vikram Sarabhai's hatred for Nuclear tests is news, especially since he was heading the Atomic Energy commision. As a spaceman it is surprising that he headed the organization in the first place.

* Indira Gandhi's refusal to allow more nuclear tests after 1974 stemmed from her abhorence for anything nuclear after her post-Pokhran I experiences. This is contrary to the popular belief - international pressure.

* Most sections of the book has an objective view of the Indian nuclear scenario except the last few chapters where the author seems to bend towards India signing the CTBT and the NPT. Or atleast implying that India's moral stand on nuclear issue was defeated after the May 98 tests.

* BJP (and its predecessor Jana Sangh) has been the only political party to openly campaign for Nuclear power.

It is time that India and Pakistan get the respect they deserve as nuclear powers. Why is it that France, Germany, Israel, the U.S., Russia, and South Africa (now supposedly non-nuclear) have been able to garner the respect that China, India and Pakistan are alluded by? Is it becuase they are not white Europeans? Nontheless, a well researched book.

As an Indian immensely proud of his country's accomplishments and having had to enter multiple debates with other non-Indians in May 1998, I gained a great amount from the book. It is immaculately researched and it seems that Perkovich has left no stone unturned. It goes into such depth and understanding of the Indian polity's psyche as previously unseen from a non-Indian author. Perkovich is not merely narrating a set of events which led to the testing but defending a theory that goes against current understandings of international relations and nuclear non-profileration by setting India as an example. I enjoyed every chapter of the book and hope that current policy makers in the field learn from it. A must read for every Indian interested it their country's policies and others making policy for the rest of the world.

What a pleasure to read. Wolverton weaves through the book personal history and her experiences at the Los Angeles Woman's Building to bring art history and feminism in LA to life. Wolverton easily evokes engaging images with just a few strokes of the pen.

Terry Wolverton's Insurgent Muse is one of the most powerful, moving memoirs I have ever read. Once I started reading, I literally could not put the book down and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. Wolverton writes with insight, courage and humor about her own coming of age as an artist, her coming out as a lesbian, and her experiences with the Los Angeles Woman's Building, not only as an institution but as a vision of a creative, collaborative community of women. Anybody who is interested in the connections between art and politics, especially how artists get politicized and how political art gets made, should read this book. Though there's no happy ending to this story - in that the Woman's Building is no more - I found Insurgent Muse incredibly inspiring and an important reminder that art DOES matter and that sisterhood - however chimerical it sometimes seems - can indeed be powerful.

This book is really two books in one. A facinating look at a pivitol moment in time for women in the arts woven together with the story of the author's own growth and evolution as an artist and a person. A must read for anyone who is interested in modern feminist history.

Insurgent Muse is much more than a retrospective of feminist art and history. Terry Wolverton has written a personal, honest, detailed history of the venerable Woman's Building. The discovery of self, the intensity of feminist spirit many found at the Woman's Building live on in this wonderful and courageous book.

For those who want to learn about the feminist art movement, "Insurgent Muse" is an informative and insightful book that is deeply complex yet very accessible. This book gives voice to an important but much neglected part of American history. What makes this book so compelling is Wolverton's ability to weave her personal experiences with this political movement. With gorgeous prose and honest and courageous self-exploration, Wolverton shares some valuable life lessons gleaned from some very difficult experiences. In particular, I appreciated her insights about the nature of empowerment and how the artist informs the art and vice versa.

I'm a pretty picky reader. Half the books I begin I never finish because I lose interest. Among those I finish, there are very few that leave a lasting impression. "Insurgent Muse" not only held me captive to the very last page, but it also left me with a feeling of excitement. I highly recommend this book. Read it and you won't be disappointed.

This really was a page turner. Easy book to read, went fast. Finished in 2 days. I would recommend it to anyone. I hope Jerry Holt writes another book.

The Killing of Strangers is a darn good mystery, chock full of references to the wild and woolly pasts of its characters, of the Kent State community, and, presumably, of many of its readers, as well. I enjoyed the mystery story, though I personally have not been that impressed with hard-drinking he-man protaganists in the past, but lead character Sam Haggard is such a wreck, I could tolerate and even empathize with him, ultimately rooting for his success. A little humility goes a long way, and Holt has no illusions he's a "literary" writer; he's just out to tell us a good tale of a time and place he knows well, with some very finely written descriptions and observations and throw-away lines to let us know he's no hack, either. I appreciated the history of the Kent State era/aura that is not widely published or known, but mostly I loved Holt's wry look at human perseverance and the power of love to reach even the jaded and weary.

This was one of the most interesting books I've read in some time. Historically based with a compelling slant. It's an easy read. After reading the book for the first time, I ordered five additional copies from Amazon to give to family and friends. Pick-up this book and read it. You'll find that you will be including this as a must gift for the special people in your world!

My Gosh! Not only does this book have you turning the pages to see what happens next, but it's full of great hardboiled detective stuff, compelling supporting characters (grumpy Vet and bookstore owner Mac and his partner Rita) AND is quotable:

"There are times -- rare ones, but times -- at which an Egg McMuffin looks like the very face of salvation."

The book is lots of fun and yes, scary. Hope to see more of Sam Haggard.

Jerry Holt's plot-driven page-turner, The Killing of Strangers (Lucky Press, 2006), is the first book I couldn't put down until I had finished it since Ann Patchett's Bel Canto. As you might expect from the first novel of a heretofore playwright, there is plenty of dialogue. But, if you are familiar with Holt's plays, Rickey, Julia, and Woody, you will not be surprised at its character development and strong sense of place (towns and cities in Ohio) and history (the Vietnam protests of the late sixties). If The Killing of Strangers suffers at all, it may be from too much dialogue, or a few sections where I felt the plot was not being advanced fast enough for my taste. However, I kept turning the pages, which makes me wonder if, perhaps, my impatience was simply that of someone devouring a suspense novel that is craftily building the reader's anticipation of the solution to the puzzle: Was the Kent State massacre part of a government conspiracy that lingers to this day? Which of the shadowy characters that fled the turmoil 25 years before is trying to kill our unwitting protagonist?

I am hopeful that this is just the first in a long line of Jerry Holt thrillers.

Virgil Hervey, Editor
Gunch Press
Yellow Springs, Ohio

I stumbled across this book at my local bookstore, and I feel like this book found me--I read it one afternoon, cover to cover. Amanda's insights are touching and real about the struggles and joys of living a single life. I think the best thing about this book is that Amanda's writing reaffirms the idea of having hope in oneself. A gem of a book!

Inspiring, reassuring, encouraging, insightful, compassionate, fun, and wonderful!

As a single woman, I'm often tormented with thoughts of unworthiness based on my marital status. Many factors contribute to these insecurities including cultural expectations and familial pressures. Somehow, we've convinced one another that life doesn't begin until you have married and have settled down.

There's nothing wrong with searching for "the one," but Amanda Ford reminds us that life can still be enjoyed while we are searching.

This book gave me much needed perspective in a time when I thought I should just throw in the towel and officially label myself a spinster and a failure. I had come to the incorrect conclusion that because I wasn't with anyone, I couldn't have an enjoyable, happy life. Amanda reminds us that the grass is just as green on our side (the single side) as it is on their side (the married side), sometimes greener.

What I have in my current state as a single gal is freedom--freedom to find out what I love, what I'm passionate about, and what I'm not willing to settle for.

We must be able to adapt and find happiness and contentment on our own, because even if we find our soulmates, he or she will not fulfill us all of the time.

I agree with the similar sentiments here that every woman needs to read this. And then re-read it everytime you doubt your worth. It will inspire you to keep going and never give up.

By far the best book I have ever read as a single woman- I have been struggling with my past breakup and this book has changed my perspective in life totally- and has honestly changed my life and the way I now think. I started on a mission of "finding myself" and went to the book store for some help and stumbled upon this book and it was perfect and exactly what I needed.

Amanda Ford understands the pains of being single, but says it's just a natural state of life. And isn't that the truth? If so, then why do we try to avoid those things in life which we find distasteful? Is it peer pressure? Media? Or maybe it's a little of both.

In KISS ME, I'M SINGLE, Amanda Ford has single women step back and evaluate their life, not run from it. She encourages us to rid ourselves of the falsehood that women must be in a relationship to be happy. Her book is packed with mini stories, all of which I could related to. Each story is followed with a bit of advice delivered in a loving and sometimes humorous tone.

Even though I am no longer single, Ford's message is one I can use. That message is that true love begins with me. I must look with myself in order to discover the joy in my life. It's not found in another person. In other words, two incomplete people do not equal out to be a whole. What you end up with is two unhappy people.

If a list of must read books for women existed, then KISS ME, I'M SINGLE would be on it. I highly recommend this book for ALL women, not just the single ones. Ford's sweet, upbeat tone will bring a smile to your face.

Kiss Me,I'm Single is for absolutely everyone who lives and breathes and longs for something more than the fairy-tale, miniscule and limited horizons we are led to believe are our due. Do not be fooled by the title which refers to being single, this book is a treasure awaiting discovery! Amanda Ford is brilliant. She asks all of the right question and she gives you answers without ever once telling you she knows or setting herself up as the authority. in the guise of a young person(could this author really be only 26??) and with fantastic wit she touches your heart. This book could be in the Philosophy secton or sitting next to the ageless wisdom of the seekers/masters.
Everyone, male, female, young and old, alone or in relationship, here, there, everywhere needs to read this book!

This book gives a brief and highly technical summary of what was known about nuclear fission in 1942 and how to go about turning this knowledge into a "practical weapon". Great fun to read if you have an engineering or physics degree or similar background knowledge. The author has extensively annotated and updated the terse original lecture notes that were given to new arrivals at Los Alamos. Interestingly, the annotations now take up more space that the original notes. These annotations may help to make the subject accessible to a non-technical audience as they provide invaluable historical and technical background. Invaluable for anyone interested in science history and/or the Manhattan Project.

IANAP (I Am Not A Physicist), but the son of one who worked in Los Alamos some time after WWII ... definitely recommend this for those not intimidated by some equations. There's lots here without the match, and the more of it you can appreciate the more the insights. Serber's comments add a lot of perspective.

Excellent book, it takes a bit to stick with it, but the modern day excerpts/perspectives threaded into the book give it a good historical perspective. This is a good combo to go together with Richard Rhodes "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" and "Dark Sun".

- for anyone seriously interested in our nuclear heritage, weaponeering, or the NWEPS program. Gives INCREDIBLE insight as to the minds and directions these young physicists were going.

This book is a must-read. Simple, concise, straightforward technically. You gotta read it, 'nuff said.

This is a truly exciting book for people with the desire to understand bomb physics. This book consists out of the original lecture notes from a series of seminars given in 1943 to the bomb scientists at the start of the Manhattan Project. These lecture notes are clearly annotated so that a layman can understand the bomb. Although the book discusses mainly the knowledge of 1943, the clear annotations of the author comments also on the advances since 1943.

In this book you will learn to calculate the energy of an atomic bomb after already 5 pages using only one simple physical law (no, not Einstein!). When you are halfway in the book, you will understand the calculations of the critical mass.

However to fully appreciate the book, you need to have a basic understanding of mathematics and physics. (it would be nice if you know what a differential equation is.)

The book also contains several funny anekdotes which make it a truly astonishing reading.

"The belly an albino bowl," "Blinding the blind rind of his eye." Need I say more? These are images struck on a golden anvil. Ms. Davis sure can write. But more important than her imagery is her ability to turn the personal into the universal: the sign of a true poet. And no subjects are more personal than those touched here by her pen--its nib dipped in honey and blood.

Another daughter is pregnant and so I turn again to pull from the shelf and read "Leopold's Maneurvers". Davis writes as a nurse and a woman, pealing away and exposing the folds of our own divided lives as she does the bodies and lives of those she cares for. Davis examines and explores the flesh and the word with such care, love and reverence that we are humbled as well as grateful for her voice as she lights our way forward into birth, life and death.

Cortney is one of a few modern poets I read. I find her work honest and revealing in a way that makes me feel, "Yes, that's it." She is wise and wonderful and explores our boundaries of what it is to be both a nurse and ultimately a human being. Her nursing experience lends that careful, unflinching touch to her observations as a fellow explorer of what it means to be human. If you start with this book, don't miss her others.

"Leopold's Maneuvers" is a book of grace, delicacy, and unflinching toughness. The title of the book is the name of a manual examination used to determine the way an unborn baby is lying in the womb. Or, as the poet says, "the direction this child will take emerging into light." The poet is a nurse practitioner. She brings to the poems her ability to look at things as they are, to name them, and not let go until there is resolution. She writers about her childhood, her mother's childhood, the death of her parents, her children, her marriage, eroticism, sexuality, her medical practice, the flesh, the soul, the world's sorrows, and the courage and danger all of us are familiar with, especially women. Always the body is central, its processes, its mysteries, its knowledge. Her work moves in a natural flow, from the most personal to the most universal. And without denying what the struggle is, it is healing. In her poem, "Everything in Life is DIvided," she writes: "My life's work too is divided--/on one side of my desk unfinished poems;/on the other nursing books with dog-eared pages." But not the impact of the book, which, leaving nothing unattended, restores and reconciles. We are constantly brought into connection of a very sustaining kind. This book is a winner!

Cortney Davis' latest collection of poetry is a fearless and breathtaking account of a woman's life as a daughter, wife, and nurse. There is tremendous emotional intensity in these accessible poems, delivered with the honesty and compassion of a nurse who knows how to perform Leopold's maneuver, and as a companion to people during their most painful transformations. The stunning poem "Nunca tu Alma" continues to haunt me, even after many readings. As a poet and physician, I find Davis' poems to be among the most compelling in the literature-medicine canon.

I really liked this book. It's interesting to see what went on in his life. It's also very nice to see how God worked through his life and the lives of the people he knew. He shows what it looks like when you are living the life God would have you live. It's very inspiring.

Great book! Very easy to read and yet packed with amazing stories of courage. inspires you to move to a new level in God. Do whatever you can with whatever you've been given wherever you are!!

In this book, Franklin Graham will take you through his life, giving us biblical principles, and helpful insights, on living a life in sync with God. I recommend it. GO READ IT NOW!!! GET THIS BOOK!!! you can get it free at some site, thats how i got it, just search the web for free franklin graham book and you should find it.

This book picks up where "Rebel With A Cause" leaves off. To those that have read his first book, read this one next.

In this book, he tells about his life and ministry with his father, Dr. Billy Graham, and with his own ministry, Samaritan's Purse. You'll get an insider's view on what it's like to distribute relief aid to people in need around the world. He also talks about getting out of your comfort zones and what it means to "Live Beyond The Limits."

Once again, hats off to Franklin Graham. Keep up the good work!

Franklin Graham is carrying on the ministry of his father (Billy Graham) to reach out to the poor and downtrodden in today's world and show them that God wants us to live life to the fullest. He focuses on principles and promises essential to a full life if we are to be in 'sync' with God's design for us. We each are put here on earth for a purpose and, sometimes, it takes almost the entire lifespan to determine our purpose, but it is there waiting to be discovered, so that we can live a life of peace, joy, excitement, and fulfillment before we die.

These real-life stories of people who survived under "the most challenging circumstances imaginable" are amazing and inspiring. Franklin was a rebel for awhile before realizing that his role in today's world is to teach the rest of us what his dad has been doing for nearly fifty years. His autobiography was called REBEL WITH A CAUSE. He has written other books about miracles and religiousity and lives in Boone, North Carolina.

The photo section tells a story with each picture. It is true that one picture is worth a thousand words. They add interest to any book, especially those about real people and not figments of someone's imagination. Now, those are harder to illustrate.

Lonely Vigil is an absolute page turner from beginning to end. Walter Lord did a fine job putting together the story of the many coastwatchers in the Solomon Islands. There are many first person accounts of incidences on all the major islands. I especially liked the chapter on Donald Kennedy and his native guerilla army and their incredible exploits against the Japanese. Why a movie hasn't been made about this guy I don't know. The book covers a number of different coastwatchers and holds the readers attention very well. The photos and maps are a big plus as well. It's to bad that most people in the US don't know more about these brave and resourceful men. During this period of WW2 the issue was still in doubt and the coastwatchers played a tremendous role in turning this around. It would have been a priviledge to serve with and know these men and the brave Solomon Islanders who risked everything by standing by them. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book

A few hundred coastwatchers of the Solomon Islands, mostly Australians, played a crucial role in winning World War II in the Pacific. These men -- including one family and one woman missionary -- were mostly planters, officials, and missionaries who had been living in the Solomon islands before World War II and who remained in place in 1942 and 1943, often behind Japanese lines. They set up their cumbersome radios on mountain tops and reported the movements of Japanese aircraft and ships to the embattled Americans on Guadalcanal.

In the early days of the Guadalcanal campaign it was the laconic radio reports -- "forty bombers heading yours" is an example -- of the coastwatchers who gave the American marines almost two hours notice of Japanese bombers heading their way. This enabled the ragtag "Cactus Air Force" to get into the air and swoop down on the Japanese planes when they arrived. Without the coastwatchers the vital battle for Guadalcanal might have been lost. Later the coastwatchers also became rescuers of downed US pilots and sailers, notably of a young naval lieutenant named John F. Kennedy whose PT Boat was sunk. Perhaps the most remarkable story in the book is that of Jacob Vouza, an island native who was shot, bayoneted, and left for dead by the Japanese but survived to report the advance of a Japanese batallion readying an attack on the Americans.

Author Walter Lord tells in "Lonely Vigil" what had been the untold story of the coastwatchers. Much of the book is compiled from interviews with about 100 participants. It's a fascinating and exotic tale of unconventional warriors, heroes, and colorful characters that should be on the reading list of essential World War II books.

Smallchief

This book documents the history of the Coastwatchers, a little-known intelligence corps operating in the South Pacific during World War II. As war loomed on the horizon early in the 1940s, it became apparent to Australian Naval Intelligence that it would be useful to post observers on key strategic islands off the coast of Australia and New Guinea who could report movements of enemy ships and other military activities. The Coastwatchers, as this team came to be called, were commanded by an Australian officer named Eric Feldt. The men who filled these positions were of varied backgrounds, from military officers to missionaries and British colonial officials, and even an American who managed to get transferred from his regular unit. On each of the key islands in the Solomons, the Coastwatchers established lookout points high in the mountain jungles, from where they could radio in to headquarters their counts of ships and incoming planes. By Lord's account, these reports were vital in the air battles in the Solomons, since they gave warnings to the Allies of incipient attacks, enabling them to prepare and stage effective counter-maneuvers. The Coastwatchers also assisted in the evacuation of Western refugees, both colonists and missionaries. One of their other important tasks was to locate Allied personnel whose planes or ships had been downed and help them make their way back to friendly territory. Indeed, it was a Coastwatcher who found the men of PT 109 and assisted Kennedy and his men in their odyssey back to their units. The book is illustrated with several sections of black-and-white vintage photographs. At the end of the book are a list of contributors and interviewees and an index.

A few hundred coastwatchers of the Solomon Islands, mostly Australians, played a crucial role in winning World War II in the Pacific. These men -- including one family and one woman missionary -- were mostly planters, officials, and missionaries who had been living in the Solomon islands before World War II and who remained in place in 1942 and 1943, often behind Japanese lines. They set up their cumbersome radios on mountain tops and reported the movements of Japanese aircraft and ships to the embattled Americans on Guadalcanal.

In the early days of the Guadalcanal campaign it was the laconic radio reports -- "forty bombers heading yours" is an example -- of the coastwatchers who gave the American marines almost two hours notice of Japanese bombers heading their way. This enabled the ragtag "Cactus Air Force" to get into the air and swoop down on the Japanese planes when they arrived. Without the coastwatchers the vital battle for Guadalcanal might have been lost. Later the coastwatchers also became rescuers of downed US pilots and sailers, notably of a young naval lieutenant named John F. Kennedy whose PT Boat was sunk. Perhaps the most remarkable story in the book is that of Jacob Vouza, an island native who was shot, bayoneted, and left for dead by the Japanese but survived to report the advance of a Japanese batallion readying an attack on the Americans.

Author Walter Lord tells in "Lonely Vigil" what had been the untold story of the coastwatchers. Much of the book is compiled from interviews with about 100 participants. It's a fascinating and exotic tale of unconventional warriors, heroes, and colorful characters that should be on the reading list of essential World War II books.

Smallchief

This book documents the history of the Coastwatchers, a little-known intelligence corps operating in the South Pacific during World War II. As war loomed on the horizon early in the 1940s, it became apparent to Australian Naval Intelligence that it would be useful to post observers on key strategic islands off the coast of Australia and New Guinea who could report movements of enemy ships and other military activities. The Coastwatchers, as this team came to be called, were commanded by an Australian officer named Eric Feldt. The men who filled these positions were of varied backgrounds, from military officers to missionaries and British colonial officials, and even an American who managed to get transferred from his regular unit. On each of the key islands in the Solomons, the Coastwatchers established lookout points high in the mountain jungles, from where they could radio in to headquarters their counts of ships and incoming planes. By Lord's account, these reports were vital in the air battles in the Solomons, since they gave warnings to the Allies of incipient attacks, enabling them to prepare and stage effective counter-maneuvers. The Coastwatchers also assisted in the evacuation of Western refugees, both colonists and missionaries. One of their other important tasks was to locate Allied personnel whose planes or ships had been downed and help them make their way back to friendly territory. Indeed, it was a Coastwatcher who found the men of PT 109 and assisted Kennedy and his men in their odyssey back to their units. The book is illustrated with several sections of black-and-white vintage photographs. At the end of the book are a list of contributors and interviewees and an index.

Lord collected this material some 20 years after the war by traveling through the islands and conducting extensive interviews with the Coastwatchers, Solomon Island residents, veterans, and missionaries who had worked with or been rescued by the Coastwatchers. Instead of presenting the material in one long continuous saga, Lord's approach is to describe the events island by island and station by station. For the sake of completeness, he tries to weave in the names of every person who played a role in each incident. As a result, there is not a lot of cohesion to tie the story together. As a reader, I frequently found myself taking note of a person's name and story since Lord made it seem important for the big picture, only to find that the person was never mentioned again. The book is very much the story of individual people, whose contributions to the war effort might have gone untold if it weren't for the painstaking research that Lord undertook. While I am in no position to judge the accuracy of Lord's account, I note that in my copy of the book, which came from the collection of a public library, there are several marginal notes correcting names and ranks, and units of people mentioned in the text.