Kansas Books

Best thing I have read in awhile.

Author Bryan Mark Riggs was in his late twenties when he wrote this a couple of years ago. He is a (Reform?) Jew. At that point he had already earned a PhD at Cambridge, served as a volunteer in the Israeli Army and US Marines, and was teaching at SMU. This book grew out of his (undergraduate!) thesis at Yale. He found and interviewed a huge number of "Mischlinge" -- half or quarter-Jews who served in the Nazi military during WWII, sometimes with as high a rank as general.

Rigg improbably estimates there may have been as many as 150,000 such soldiers under Hitler.

Many of these men served to escape death. Some were just strong German nationalists.

The interesting part is that both Jewish halakah and Nazi law regarded many of these men as Jews, while most themselves did not! By Nazi law anyone who was 25% Jewish was a Jew whether or not he was baptized, a Nazi Party member, practiced another religion, etc. But those who had already shown loyalty to the German military often were given special exemptions if they continued to serve. Remarkably, most of those part-Jews were proud Germans, with roots in the nation hundreds of years back, who did not practice Judaism. Some were even somewhat anti-Semitic, looking down on the culturally, economically and educationally less advanced (and religiously more Orthodox) East European Jewish immigrants (Ostjuden) as inferior.

Sadly most fought bravely for the very government that was murdering their relatives, and would surely murder most of them when the war was over and they were no longer needed. (Some lost their exemptions even during the war).

The madness and the vicious absurdity of the Nazis is portrayed very skillfully by Rigg.

Rigg goes on longer than he needs to. But the topic is so engrossing, the mini-biographies so complex and full of contradictions, and the writing style so clear and enthusiastic that I am wanting more. I will read everything he writes in the future.

The next book Rigg wrote last year, BTW, I just started -- its about how the Lubivitcher Rebbe was rescued from Warsaw during Nazi occupation and smuggled out of the country by cooperation between American spies and a part-Jewish Nazi intelligence agent! That book is the most unbelievable story I have ever read. (A Past in Hiiding by Mark Roseman being a close second).

Any WWII buff MUST read both of these.

Besides this book being written with juvenile flair,it's obvious to us who know better that it's nothing more than a throw together with a catchy selling title.Anyone who is well informed on this subject will easily spot the rampant bias and shaby research.Mr. Rigg should go back and review his account of the Wannsee conference.At no point in the minutes of the W. conference is there talk about murder or extermination or anything else.Perheps Mr. Rigg should take up a career in fictional novels?I wouldn't even bother with this book.

I am a life-long Gentile-Christian, and a 3rd Generation ethnic German-American.
Proud of it.

In terms of the January 1942 Wannsee Conference, how does a person
"act Jewish"?
How does one becoming a Jew "terminate Germanic- Aryaness"?
Read the book.

Bryan Rugg's book is an excellent treatise on "how to hide
one's Jewishness, of whatever degree" and still serve the German
Fatherland.

Air Marshal of the Third Reich, Herr Milch, had a tough road to navigate.

Buy this book.Again: an excellent treatise.

Take the word of this German-American Gentile,and a Christian, this book ist seir gutte.

Excellent Historiography.

It's more than worth the money. You have your orders. BUY THIS BOOK!!

Tell him Herr STAGE sent you.

I have always been more interested in Jews that were/are fighter than with the view of Jews as victims. Jews have been fighters since the days of the Maccabees thousands of years ago and even during the holocaust the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto held off the German army longer than the entire country of Poland. That is also why Israel is so feared by Arabs and Muslims when they occupy prob less than 1% of the middle east. The Jews and Germans of Jewish ancestry who fought for the 3rd Reich were courageous men and had a double challenge on their hands. They saw them selves as Germans first just like the Jews of the US civil war who fought for the South. They were Southerners first and Jews 2nd. This has always been a difficult thing for both Jews and non-Jews alike to understand but I feel that Dr. Rigg's book has really bridged that gap. The book does have a textbook feel to it but the information and research that has gone into it will make it seem like you are reading the Da Vinci Code. I loved it!

"Not every one who had Jewish ancestry was a victim of the death camps" (Rigg, p. 268). According to both the Halaka and Israel's "Law of Return", a Jew is defined as a person having a Jewish mother while remaining unconverted to another religion, or one who converted to Judaism. Based on this definition, a large fraction of the Mischlinge (German-Jewish "mongrels") consisted of true Jews. In fact, based on a sample which he has analyzed, Rigg (p. 18, 283) estimates that 60% of half-Jews and 30% of quarter-Jews in Nazi Germany were Halakically Jewish.

The number of Mischlinge spared from persecution by Hitler undoubtedly numbers in the thousands (p. 3). Perhaps 16,000 Mischlinge officers were in the Wehrmacht in 1940, and more than 150,000 Mischlinge fought for the Nazis in WWII. Although Hitler had the final say, many of the top Nazi officials were actively involved in the relabeling and protection of German Jews, including Ribbentrop, Sauckel, Bormann, Canaris, Donitz, Heydrich, Himmler, von Schirach, Kaltenbrunner, and Goring (p. 182). The latter reputedly remarked: "I'll decide who is a Jew." (p. 21).

Moreover, the exemptions from persecution were NOT limited to those of partial Jewish ancestry. Luftwaffe Field Marshall Erhart Milch, was either a half or full Jew (pp. 29-30). According to Rigg (p. 203), some 200 full-blooded Jews (the Schutzjuden, or protected Jews) were spared persecution in Berlin alone. One way or another, at least 6,000 full-blooded Jews served in the Wehrmacht (p. 65).

Although there were many reasons for service to the Nazis, the most obvious one is the fact that German Jews had become well integrated into German society, and had long been prominent in the German military. Rigg devotes some pages to the centuries-old German-Jewish symbiosis, pointing out that many German Jews had become "more German than the Germans". Significantly, Rigg discusses a number of Mischlinge directly involved in the German conquest of Poland in 1939.

Rigg briefly discusses the involvement of German Jews in the Holocaust itself. Mention is made of part and full Jews such as Killy, Eppinger, Goldschlag, Abrahamsohn, and Scherwitz (p. 258). Much less attention is paid to the Jewish origins of many top Nazi leaders. There is some elaboration of Hitler's obsessive fear of his Jewishness, as well as the probable Jewishness of Reinhard Heydrich (p. 176), one of the chief architects of the Holocaust itself. Most relevant documents that trace the ancestry of top Nazi officials have been destroyed.

Rigg inadvertently undermines any equation of Christian antisemitism with Nazi antisemitism. Those Germans whose Jewish ancestors had converted to Christianity as far back as great-grandparents were considered tainted by Jewish blood (p. 21). Relatively recent Jewish converts to Christianity were, in Hitler's mind, fully Jewish (pp. 17-18). Those practicing Judaism but not racially Jewish (e. g., the Karaims and Tats) were spared (p. 283). All the while, German Muslims were accepted as full Germans (p. 18). German Mischlinge as a whole were at least temporarily spared from extermination, but non-German Mischlinge were definitely not (p. 169). The Nazis did employ the Crucifixion of Christ when convenient, but portrayed Jesus as a Jewish-rejected anti-capitalist (p. 185), not as a spurned Messiah and Savior. Rigg doesn't mention that the Nazis were not alone in this regard. Left-wing propaganda has always tried to make Christ out into an anti-capitalist.

No one monopolizes intolerance. Prior to WWII, German Jews and Mischlinge had tended to scorn the Ostjuden (the eastern European Jews), and even advocate German discrimination against them (pp. 12-13). Rigg candidly discusses the negative experiences of many Mischlinge with their fellow Jews. Some Mischlinge found parallels between Nazi racial classification and what they considered the exclusive policies of mainstream Judaism. One half-Jewish Mischlinge is quoted as describing as "disgusting" the Jewish prayer in which Jews thank God that He did not create them as gentiles (p. 48).

A major shortcoming of Rigg's analysis is his failure to contextualize German racism and all its absurd inconsistencies. He omits mention of the blonde, blue-eyed Polish children who were kidnapped and raised as Germans (as part of the Lebensborn program), while all other Poles were untermenschen (subhumans). In contrast, no ethnic Germans got this label, regardless of physical characteristics. Were German Mischlinge mostly slated for eventual extermination? Well, so were most of the Slavs. Rigg ignores the fact that the same tripartite division used against Jews was also used against Slavs, namely those 1). Condemned to immediate death, 2) Kept alive only as long as deemed useful to the Reich, and 3) Provisionally accepted, to varying degrees, as "true" Germans. The first group consisted of the 5-6 million murdered Jews (including several hundred thousand non-German Mischlinge; p. 169) and 2-3 million murdered Poles, including half of the Polish intelligentsia. To the second group belonged most of the German Mischlinge, both Jewish and Polish forced laborers, and the bulk of the German-conquered Polish population (as a colony, and reservoir of slave labor). The third group included Jewish-German officials, the aforementioned Schutzjuden, some of the German Mischlinge, the aforementioned kidnapped Polish children, and those Poles of at least partial German ancestry judged susceptible to Germanization.

Typically, the Jewish victims of the Germans are, tokenism aside, exclusively featured in educational Holocaust materials. The chief argument adduced for this monopoly is the one about Jews being uniquely targeted for TOTAL extermination. This is shown to be manifestly incorrect. In fact, Rigg could also have mentioned other known Jews within easy grasp of the Nazis who were nevertheless not killed. These include Bulgaria's Jews, most of the Jews used for German forced labor, Allied-Jewish POWs of the Germans (who were mistreated but usually not murdered), and the Swedish and Swiss Jews whose host nations were not forced to turn them over to Nazi Germany, for execution, as a condition of their continued neutrality. It is high time that Holocaust education be changed to devote equal time to Jewish and non-Jewish victims of the Germans.

I stumbled upon this book. It's fascinating. While I was reading it I kept thinking of homes, and the importance of Home in Wizard of Oz, and how those that have homes filled with danger and despair create (hopefully) their own reality. Transending reality is what the characters do, in this book, in different ways. The book is set on the plains of Kansas 1880s, 1930s Vaudeville, and present day California. Highly recommend, I plan to read more books by this author.

"Was" is author Geoff Ryman's fascinating yet disturbing twist on the classic "Wizard of Oz" story. This novel shifts back and forth between several characters who are all connected to the Oz saga. First there's Dorothy Gael, an orphan growing up on a Kansas farm with her Aunty Em and Uncle Henry. However, Dorothy's home life isn't identical to the way it's portrayed in the iconic film. Aunty Em isn't a loving, maternal figure at all: she's cold and methodical, occasionally bearing a striking resemblance to the Wicked Witch of the West. Uncle Henry is a smelly old farmer who shows little interest in Dorothy until she becomes a young woman, which is Henry begins molesting her. These tragic experiences transform innocent little Dorothy into a vile, wicked girl who is unable to be saved. In addition to Dorothy, "Was" also tells the story of the young Judy Garland and her depressing rise to fame, and Jonathan, an AIDS patient who has had a strong attachment to Oz that dates back to his miserable childhood.

Ryman puts a brilliant new spin on one of the most famous stories of all time, but "Was" isn't exactly pleasant reading...and it's not intended to be. This is a very dark, gritty story that forces readers to reexamine popular characters from fiction and real life and reconsider what life was truly like for them. "Was" is an interesting story, one that I highly recommend for all "Wizard of Oz" fanatics. Also, this novel was turned into a wonderful play, which I saw produced in Chicago in the 1990s. I wish it was performed more often, but my guess is that it's probably too disturbing for most audiences.

Dorothy Gael as an abused child, the childhood of Judy Garland and her estranged mother, a young actor dying of AIDS obsessed with Oz, and his therapist who becomes wrapped up in the entire thing are all elements of this brilliant meditation on reality, fantasy and what it means to be human. Although I had a problem with the ending, which dissolves into a hodgepodge of imagery and sentiment, I loved this intense novel. Geoff Ryman is one of my favorites, and he does an amazing job with Was.

The idea behind this novel is an interesting one:

Was there a real Dorothy, where did all of the other characters come from, and what happened in the rest of her life?

Along with the OZ story, comes the story of Judy Garland (AKA Frances Gumm) and how in many ways her life was as destructive as Dorothy Gale (in the OZ books) WAS. Judy's life was loveless from childhood (because she was the family meal ticket) and slowly spiralled downward through bad marriages, drugs and alcohol. She always remained sixteen to the american public which set her on the same path as Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney, except that the yellow brick road had a lot more potholes.

Ryman rights about the darkest novel you can have without being one of Stephen King's bad dreams. Jonathan, a Canadian, who grew-up to become an actor, is tantamount to the scarecrow in this story. He is gay and dying from AIDS, and displayed autistic tendencies as a child. Strangly though in the main character he plays in horror films...which he says is based on Boris Karloff, he seems to be an evil Patchwork Girl (from the later OZ books) called the "Child Minder" (whose face is a patchwork due to being cut up with a knife by his father.

The unfortunate part of the book is the last section which is like a bad Timothy Leary, Hunter Thompson LSD trip/dream from the sixties. It adds little to the book and makes a non-ending ending which there is no need for. The epilogue at the end, by Ryman, is almost an apology for the whole book itself, which weakens the story even more. His editor should have done a better job of convincing him that the death of Jonathan made a fine ending on it's own.

So maybe you can go home again, just don't expect everyone to be that happy for you to be there, after a week or so, you CAN easily wear-out your welcome.

'Was' is my favorite Ryman novel (and since I love sf, that's saying a lot). Although I enjoyed Maguire's 'Wicked,' 'Was' does something more complex than retelling 'The Wizard of Oz' - it uses it as a springboard to tell a much more compellingly human story - one of incestuous rape, loneliness, fractured families, lost desire and AIDS. Weaving 3 main alternate storylines into a fascinating whole, Ryman nonetheless arrives at a destination that's far more positive than the desolation my last sentence implies.

My six year old daughter loves the Oz books and this one is no exception. I was hesitant at first to buy a hardbound version of this when I could get a free e-book version on the web. However, the illustrations and the easy to read type are well worth it as my daughter follows along and learns to read.

This is the best Oz book I have read so far with my son. That being said, I have only read 3 as I am going in sequential order. Nonetheless, it is much better than Book 2 and marginally better than the original.

The chief difference between Ozma and the prior two books is a streamlined narrative which focuses primarily on a single event (journey to the Nome King) with a tangible goal (free the royal family of Ev). Excluding the small section on the Wheelers and Lunch Pail trees, the fantasy elements tend more towards the traditional as opposed to Baum's imagination. You can even see a bit of the old "Mountain King" myth in this story. The net effect is that this story is more concise and less tied to the early 20th century than the preceding novels.

Another big change from the second book is a drastic reduction in the turn-of-the-century chauvinism on display in book 2. Jinjur even goes so far as to give her husband a black eye for milking the wrong cow. I am not sure if a double-entendre is intended here or not, but this is light-years away from the housewives in the prior book.

I highly recommend this as a good read to your children before they go to bed.

I've just started reading the Oz books with my 7 year olds sons and this one is so far our favorite. Bill the hen (aka Billina) is a great addition to the cast of characters, as is the Nome King. Each night as I close the book I have two boys begging me to read just one more chapter. Now that's the sign of a good book!

As the Oz series of books progresses, the reader can see certain changes taking place. Dorothy starts to leave certain letters out of her sentences, humor begins to appear, and I swear the target audience gets younger and younger. This becomes very evident in Ozma of Oz when the Oz crew runs into the mystery of discovering which ornaments in the decorated palace hold prisoners. Not even a crew of thirty Oz-ians can figure out that the color of the ornaments determines whether or not a prisoner is held inside. Hmmm... Not good. A plot device that doesn't impress anyone over the age of four. "Green ornaments are people from Oz." How hard can that be to figure out?

Yet, despite the move toward overbearing simplicity, Baum's books continue to be great. Old friends are brought back for us to love once again - the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodsman, the Scarecrow, and my favorite, the Sawhorse. The addition of the Hungry Tiger is a delightful treat too. This poor fellow figures he might as well not eat other creatures and cause them to suffer since he's just going to be hungry again later on.

All of the best elements of this book are embodied in the movie Return to Oz, which I'd sure like to rent some day. In the meantime, I had a lot of fun with Ozma of Oz, and I won't be surprised if I end up reading the fourth book of the Oz series sometime in the future.

I still treasure the battered copy of this book I received in second grade. As a child, this series absolutely captured my imagination and contributed heavily to my growing love of reading. John R. Neil's illustrations are an important part of the book, drawing the reader into the world of Oz.

Ozma of Oz is one of the most fun books in the series. Brave, plucky Dorothy is a character any young girl could relate to and admire. The story itself is imaginative and full of surprises.

Highly, highly recommended! If you want your little girl to love reading, share this book with her.

'If Walls Could Talk' by Vincent R. Alexandria is an excellent introduction to anyone who never experienced the mystery genre. It draws you in from the very first scene and keeps you wondering. Page after page you want to know who did it and why until the very end.

Throughout this book, you see characters dealing with crime, justice and real life issues. Meet Detective Joe Johnson and his partner, Detective Vernon Brown, as they investigate the murder of an old acquaintance of Detective Johnson. Raymond Tyler, an old crony and former school chum of Detective Johnson. Under suspicious circumstances Raymond Tyler turns up dead and forces Joe to search within himself to look beyond the obstacles their friendship faced to solve the case.
As the story unravels, a scandal and political corruption rears its ugly head leaving you to wonder what happened and why. With so many perspective suspects, the motive behind the crime does not become obvious until the story climaxes. All I can say is "Don't expect the obvious".
Vincent R. Alexandria has caught my attention and opened my eyes to a genre I will definitely look forward to reading more of in the future.

Stephanie Wilkerson-Hester, Founder/Reviewer
Literary Essence Views

Vincent Alexandria kicks open the door with Chapter 1 and doesn't close it until the last word is read. In between, you'd better strap on your seatbelt cause this is one WILD read! From the too possessive girlfriend, the mother of the fiance of the dead man who we later finds out is also his lover and soon to be baby mama; to the new girlfriend who is the sister of the fiance of the dead man (does this sound like incest yet?); to the revelation of the dead man's "switch hitting" ways...do you see what I mean. It will keep you reading and reading and reading until the end. Then you're pissed. Refreshingly delicious, you won't be dissappointed!

"If Walls Could Talk" by Vincent Alexandria 4 Stars
ISBN: 0-9749564-3-0
We Must X-L Publishing

An enjoyable mix of characters and an exciting plot awaits you in "If Walls Could Talk". Detective Joe Johnson former friend, Raymond, is murdered in his bed and Detective Johnson is determined to find the killer. Could it be Raymond's pregnant fiancée, his business partner in crime or the sleazy politician who wanted Raymond out of his way? As the clues mount up, Johnson's life becomes increasingly difficult as he realized that someone very close to him may be responsible for the murder. In the end, he's faced with a decision which can change his life and career forever.


Vincent Alexandria created two memorable characters in the form of Johnson and his older partner Detective Vernon Brown. Reminiscent of a great buddy movie, their dialog is filled with banter. Completely enjoyable, their conversations brought much comic relief for a book knee deep in scandal. I was completely thrilled with this murder mystery. With a great ending men and women alike will enjoy this great murder mystery.

WOW!!! What can one say, If Walls Could Talk-what an amazing story. I was able to start the book late one afternoon, and was unable to put it down. Not since I read Chester Himes' Cotton Comes to Harlem, can I remember being sucked into a story of this nature.

Many words come to mind; Superb! Outstanding and Excellent are but a few. Vincent Alexander is truly a natural wordsmith. Taking the English language, and sculpting a timeless masterpiece. I found the book to be immensely captivating, from beginning to end, word for word, line for line, page for page; in fact it was as if I was watching an actual movie. A fluent, intriguing, intelligent plot, the twist and the turns were magnificent. I am truly lost for words to praise this work.

If Walls Could Talk, encompass all the hallmarks of a national best-seller and, a Hollywood blockbuster: murder, seduction, intrigue, sophistication, comedy and romance, together with an enchanting hero, who rides of into the sunset.

If Walls Could Talk, truly Bravura!

Alexander's If Walls Could Talk is a drama-filled, romance/mystery novel that opens with the murder of a well-known businessman, Raymond, who happens to be the childhood friend of one of the book's central characters, Detective Joe Johnson. Joe takes an obvious personal interest in the case and vows to find his friend's murderer regardless of the cost. During his pursuit, he meets a variety of suspects ranging from Raymond's very shady ex-gambler business partner to his beautiful, pregnant fiancé. The level of complexity and intrigue is heightened when Joe falls in love the with fiancée's equally beautiful and seductive twin sister, Sierra. During the investigation, relationship drama unfolds between Joe and his ex-girlfriend, Joe and Sierra, and is taken to another level as Raymond's "other" lifestyle is exposed. Comical relief is sprinkled throughout the book as the good cop-bad cop, old cop-young cop relationship is exposed. Joe prevails, despite all the sub-plots, and eventually nails the murderer in an unsuspecting twist at the end.

This is my first time reading Vincent Alexander's work and although the book was enjoyable I deducted points because of the slow start and some disconnects in the plot that contributed to the `choppiness' of the story. I think Mr. Alexander is off to a great career as a writer and I look forward to reading his other works.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO Bookclub, Nubian Circle Book Club

I agree with several other reviews. The first part of the book was good. However, it became a CHORE to finish. I finally gave up, skimmed through the last few chapters to get to the end which was so pollyanna ridiculous I was disturbed that I even bothered to finish it.

I have read Years and Hummingbird by Ms Spencer and really enjoyed them. This book does not hold a candle to either of them.

THE GAMBLE is a story about Agatha, a prim and proper lady whose green eyes gave away her true feelings and of Scott who was happy to do what pleased him, whether viewed right or wrong. They were on opposite sites of the battlefield when it came to drinking in a saloon, but became friends when a small child needed their help and love. Together they found common ground and love bloomed.

THE GAMBLE is a great story - one of my favorite Spencer novels! Set back in the 1800's in Colorado, it is a typical western, with a little more flavor thrown in for good measure. Spencer writes a romantic story without going over the boundaries of propriety. This is a book that you could recommend to your mother or your grandmother, and not be embarrassed. Definitely enjoyable for all ages!

I work in a library and when someone asks me to give them a title of a book to read I always suggest The Gamble. This is one of my favorite books and every time I read it I cry at the same spots. The main chacters are so great you can't help but fall in love with them. I keep holding out hope that they turn it into a movie. I would love to see this book come to life in a tv movie.

Even though I don't read much in this genre anymore, this still has to be my all time favorite book. The characters are written with such life to them that I could picture them clearly in my mind. With each page I fell more and more in love with the story of two such total opposites finding each other. It's a heartwarming tale about a bunch of misfits that come together to form the strangest family you ever wanted to meet, from the prim and proper milliner to the rakish saloon owner, to the former prostitutes, and let's not forget the old, superstitious mammy.

I let someone borrow my copy years ago, and just couldn't get this story out of my mind, so about two years ago I found a copy in a local bookstore and nabbed it up. My "new" copy is just as tattered as the first one was, and I'm not lending it out this time. I highly recommend this story for someone who is looking for a true "romance" or "love story".

The first half of the novel was FANTASTIC!!!! I was desperate to find another Spencer novel that equaled Hummingbird and after reading the first couple of pages of the Gamble I thought I had found it, only to be incredibly disappointed after the second half of the book.

After Scott left Agatha in Kansas to go back to his hometown Mississippi, the story fell flat and became gratuitous. There were only a couple of passionate interactions between Scott and Agatha in the first half, which were paced perfectly and made you salivate for more. However, when Scott invited Agatha to Florida to offer her a proposition, Spencer left the relationship stagnant and platonic, which completely confounded me!!! Where was the sexy, daring, impatient and utterly adorable male hero I have come to love in the first half of the book????? Spencer changed Scott too drastically and suddenly became a sweet and patient gentleman that was not conducive to Agath's prim and proper character.

You were left with the feeling of utter confusion and impatience for the romance and passion-verbal or physical- to start between them again, but to no avail. Spencer just kept writing so much of the peripheral environment-and hardly incorporating any heat between Agatha and Scott-that you felt the novel falling apart from its promising start. Finally when the romance began to pick up slightly it ended before you even knew what hit you when they confessed their love for each other and then getting married. Even the love-making ending was flat and nowhere near as passionate as you would have liked.

After finishing the novel I was still confused and felt cheated as to how Spencer could have written such different halves of the same novel-especially when it came to Scott's characterization. He started off like Jessie Dufrayne in Hummingbird and ended like a complete different person-too sweet, too patient, and too boring.

I am still sighing over the ending of the novel in utter and sad disappointment. I have not read all of Spencer's novels and I hope one day I will hit upon one of her books that come close to Hummingbird or the Fulfillment.

I just happened to run into Bob Graham today in western Maryland. He wouldn't answer my question-- "Just what were you and the Pakistani Intelligence Chief talking about in DC on the day of 9/11 and for another week thereafter?" Remember that General Ahmad was the guy who supposedly wired $100,000 to the so-called lead high jacker Mohammad Atta just before 9/11. You remember, the guy whose passport they "just happened" to find intact amid the smoldering wreckage of the World Trade Center.


When I mentioned to Graham that a Boeing 737 airliner traveling at 400 mpg cannot physically get any closer than 60 or 70 ft above the ground because of the tremendous up-draft, and that the U.S. government wants us to believe that a Boeing 737 literally skimmed the surface of the earth for a half mile at 400 mph before smashing into the Pentagon at ground level-- Graham just sat there looking in another direction and did not comment.


This guy is just another propagandist trying to steer people away from the truth of a joint U.S. and Israeli Intelligence black operation, and toward the "safe" and "feel good" conclusion of "Intelligence failures" relating loosely to the Saudis. Hey folks, the Saudis don't control U.S. corporate media and this massive disinformation campaign--the CIA and the ADL (the U.S. arm of Israeli Intelligence) control U.S. corporate media.


There are plenty of other books available which will give you an ACCURATE picture of what happened before, on , and after 9/11. To name just a few: "The Road to 9/11" by Peter Dale Scott; "Crossing the Rubicon" by Michael C. Ruppert; "War and Globalisation: The Truth Behind September 11" by Michel Chossudovsky; and "The War on Freedom" by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed.


This Bob Graham guy is just another member of the top 1% American fascist class. It's like a big organized crime syndicate. The Democrats are the Gambino family and the Republicans are the Genovese family and the real brains behind the syndicate are in Israel.

This book provides some good information about the events leading up to 9/11 but nothing so new that it is a revelation. It fails when the Bush bashing and hindsight bias starts. If Graham is going to bash Bush that is fine but he should also bash Clinton for all of his documented failures for neutralizing bin Laden. Graham talks about all the missed opportunities to prevent 9/11 but fails to mention, even once, how Bill Clinton could have prevented 9/11. Graham seems to "connect dots" after the fact which is the easy part. Yes, there is plenty of blame to go around regarding the events of 9/11. The FBI, CIA, Republicans and Dems can all take some blame. Let us keep one thing in mind. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE ATTACK ON THE U.S. SINCE 9/11! While any failure of the intel community is tragic we only hear of the failures of the intelligence community but we do not hear of the successes.

Nearly every page is riveting. Highly readable account of the missed opportunities before and after 9/11 and the failed Iraqi War. Senator Graham's expertise is validated by the fact that all his predictions about Iraq and al-Qaeda from 2004 when the book was published are now reality. He even broaches the subject of impeachment at a time when Bush was riding high and on the way to reelection.

The good senator doesn't pull punches. Intelligence Matters is full of shocking revelations of Saudi funding of 9/11 hijackers, numerous instances of the FBI and CIA not seeing the forest for the trees, and the Bush administration's obsession with Iraq blinding them to the immediate threat of the greatest attack on our homeland since Pearl Harbor.

A highly patriotic and useful account of the latest greatest challenges to our nation's survival. We overcame a civil war and defeated ruthless enemies from different continents in WWII, but are we prepared to win a global jihad, one that could last well into this century and involve dangerous weapons falling in the hands of stateless terrorists willing to martyr themselves for a cause? As Sen. Graham relates, we're off to a troubling start.

It's hardly reassuring that a man with such a grasp on foreign policy isn't still in the throes of power directing our response. What a missed opportunity that Sen. Graham, who never lost an election in Florida during his nearly 40 years as an elected official and briefly ran for president in 2004, wasn't at least selected for VP.

By the way, the double-entendre in the title is apparent, although I can think of a third possible interpretation - can you? [Hint: Think 'intelligence' in terms of our woefully feeble leader.]

Very educational, and well presented for the lay reader.

Although slightly partisan and carrying a slight self-congradulatory tone in parts, this is a fairly good presentation of the facts. His recommendations are well-thought and should be given serious consideration.

I have read this book cover to cover & I've read all 24 reviews. I don't doubt the intellect of any of these authors. It's apparent that Senator Graham is a noble American patriot & that the reviews of this book have expressed serious concerns.

Senator Graham points out 12 INSTANCES before 9/11 in which the 9/11 plot could have been discovered. He points out that at least one alleged hijacker was being housed by an FBI informant. (The FBI DENIED SENATOR GRAHAM ACCESS TO THIS INFORMANT FOR QUESTIONING!.) He describes the circumstances under which Arizona FBI Agent, Kenneth Williams, a seasoned 10-yr terrorism veteran wrote a memo, now known as the Phoenix Memo, in July of 2001 to the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters. Declassified segments are quoted beginning on page 44, "The purpose of this communication is to advise the bureau [headquarters] and New York of the possibility of a coordinated effort by Usama bin Laden to send students to the United States to attend civil aviation universities and colleges. Phoenix has observed an inordinate number of individuals of investigative interest who are attending or who have attended civil aviation universities and colleges in the state of Arizona...". Agent Williams included 4 specific recommendations as to what to do about it. On August 7, 2001 the intelligence operations specialists decided that this lead should be closed with no action taken.

In excruciating detail Senator Graham tells the story of Zacarious Moussaoui and how suspicions of him at the Pan Am International Flight Academy were so acute, that authorities notified the FBI on only the 2nd day of Moussoui's training. Yet permission to search Moussoui's computer was denied. Incredibly Senator Graham tells us about the August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Brief received by President Bush entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.", and that Bush did nothing with the warning.

Senator Graham tells of the lies he was told by Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, the intelligence agencies, the White House, as well as many instances of stonewalling and deceit. Senator Graham tells of hearing personally from Tommy Franks that only 4 months after the Afghanistan invasion, the military resources were redeployed to Iraq (February of 2002) quoting Franks as saying, "This is not a War on Terror, this is a manhunt".. Senator Graham tells us that most of the deficiencies in our national security remain, as of the time his book went to press, broken and unfixed despite increased budgets for counterterrorism. The most revealing comment in the entire book is on page 202, "...the more we learned, the less curious the administration seemed about what had happened on September 11". And, "the more discoveries we made, the more the administration's obstructionism intensified." And page 166, "...the White House was directing the cover-up."

And then, we're all supposed to believe that these ignorant incompetent intelligence agencies were able to come up with the identities of all 19 alleged hijackers just hours after the attacks. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

THERE'S MORE. Despite all the death and horror and destruction on 9/11-all attributed to "intelligence failures", senator Graham discovers, as disclosed on page 113, "It amazes me to this day that no one-not one single person-has been held accountable for the intelligence and other lapses that contributed to the failure to inderdict the attack...it is important that people be held accountable. None have been."

Unfortunately, the investigative committee on which Senator Graham co-chaired was NOT equipped with a "smell test". Based on the voluminous examples of administration malfeasance related to 9/11, Senator Graham's conclusions simply do NOT make sense. Therefore, they must be rejected!

We all have our own internal evaluation process in determining what does and what does not make sense. And at some point what is perceived as incredulous ignorance & gross incompetence becomes so overwhelming that one has to realize that explaining everything away as ignorance & incompetence is itself ignorance & incompetence.

You see people, all of the findings of Senator Graham makes perfect sense! The problem is HIS CONCLUSIONS DO NOT MATCH HIS FINDINGS! Therefore, the round hole premise in which he is trying to hammer his square peg of findings MUST BE CHANGED! Since the intelligence agencies lied to Senator Graham and his investigative committee about everything else, doesn't it make sense that they also lied about the identities of those responsible for the 9/11 attacks? And sure enough, soon after 9/11, various sources in the foreign press (obviously such stories are supressed in the U.S.) were reporting that at least 6 of the alleged 19 hijackers were still alive and well! (The BBC reported that Waleed Al Shehri is protesting his innocence from Casablanca, Morroco). It's been discovered that there were NO Arab names on any of the flight passenger lists. The USA Today reported that Osama bin Laden denied 9/11 involvement, AND the December, 2001 Osama "confession video" has been proven to be a fraud.

So there you have it America. Google "9/11 Truth" and you will see that nothing you have been told about the attack is true. And then ask Keane and Hamilton how they could be so void of conscious as to play along with such skullduggery in their 9/11 Commission Propaganda Report. We have lost our country, folks, and our gutless and clueless congress is worthless to a democracy.

You see people, despite all of Senator Graham's findings, it never occurred to him that the intelligence agencies were all working fine and were in tip top shape as they made sure that all 19 hijacker patsies were going about their business of building a "terror" legend and were NOT in custody on 9/11. These agencies were not born yesterday and they know that a little "international" flavor will create more distance from U.S. complicity (Pakistan's ISI had also funded $100,000 to Mohammed Atta.) Disinformation & propaganda is their specialty and accountability is not part of their charter. And in the end, the power of our intelligence agencies lies not in their ability to get away with secrets, but rather their power lies in their ability to get away with...murder...

You'd never guess from meeting him that his book is selling in Urban Outfitters all over the country. Davy is a rockstar, and The Lone Surfer is completely mesmerizing. It takes you from a cornfield to a border town, from a prisoner's cell to grandma's condo in Florida, all with a perfect combination of comedy and irony. I finished the book a week ago and continue to feel that kind of connection and identification that unsatisfyingly makes me wonder how his fictional characters are now. More please!

A decent but not terribly impressive or memorable werk; I think there is a spark of talent buried in there and I hope it matures. This little collection has a few fleeting moments of brilliance but overall doesn't linger with much substance. For every passage that suggests depth and insight, there are two on each side that feel vapid -- heavy on the style, like he's searching for his voice and spends too much time imitating others.

It's a good collection of stories. He writes in a voice that fills a room.

Anyone who has heard or seen Rothbart as part of This American Life or in his appearances for his magazine "Found" knows that his voice and demeanor are inviting and unassuming, perfect for narrating the kind of stories he likes to tell - those that revolve around the everyday and mundane. One of the stories from this collection, "How I Got Here," takes the form of a found essay - an inmate's response to a writing assignment. This story probably comes closest to achieving what Rothbart's more familiar work does, but some of the other pieces here fall a little short of the mark.

There is definitely promise in this collection, and Rothbart has a fantastic eye for the great moments of the everyday, but unless you allow yourself to "hear" him read these, you might find them a little disappointing.

I loved this book, my only complaint was that there was not any more chapters. I bought this book after hearing the author on NPR several times. He is adorable, clever and so beyond entertaining and all of that comes out in this book. I highly recommend this book. Not only I am buying copies for my friends now but I am looking forward to and hoping for more books from him.

I got this book after seeing the author on C-SPAN II's "About Books", and as an amateur medical historian, decided to purchase it when the library didn't have it. It seems that all the factors came together to make John Brinkley a rich and famous (and later broken) man, and that he introduced the Western Hemisphere to some fabulous music didn't hurt his cause either.

I was completely surprised to read that the respected surgeon Max Thorek, who now has a hospital in Chicago named after him, was a participant in this scam! But unlike Brinkley, he knew what he was doing, surgically, and abandoned this project when it proved worse than useless.

His wife's story appears to be at least as interesting as his, too.

I picked up this book after reading its 5 star review in an Audio magazine.

Every page makes you laugh at the man's marketing acumen. Its a timely books since I am dealing with such sleazes in my life right now.

I sometimes wonder how people like these can sleep in the night knowing they are coning others in broad day light.

If you want to know the mind of a scoundrel, this book is for you.

With 20 pages of notes, it is evident that the author has a great story to relate of a not too long ago history of medical quacks with absurd promises of renewed health and restored youth. The story of the book's "Charlatan" is complete with all of the gory details. I enjoyed reading it thinking that the "era" has ended, but has it really? I found the story of Dr. Morris Fishbein and the somewhat difficult development of the A.M.A. to be of a redeeming second story of the book. The details of Del Rio becoming "Hillbilly Heaven" along with other unbeliveable, in this generation, stories of greed and gullibility was enjoyable reading. Alas, reading of the great fortunes and mansions being built today, there are, no doubt, "charlatans" out there by other names.

I purchased this book on a colleagues recommendation and read it on a trip t o Brazil. I could hardly put it down. The author writes in an extrememly amusing way of a little known chapter in the history of the US in the early part of the 20th century. It is hard to believe that such recent history has so little to do with modern medicine.

CHARLATON by Pope Brock

A fascinating book that chronicles the rise and fall of the man who is generally considered to be the most successful quack in American history, John Brinkley, and his pursuit by Morris Fishbein, the legendary chief of the AMA.

Brock does a good job of explaining the time and characteristics of the golden age of American quackery, Brinkley began his career as a quack in the first part of the twentieth century, after working in patent medicine shows, in the Midwest, wore a Van Dyke beard and moustache, owned and a radio station which he used to promote his quackery, furnished his mansion with an assortment of bizarre and ostentatious souvenirs, and was an anti-Semite.

Brinkley, who had no medical degree, nevertheless became a licensed physician and surgeon in 12 states and surgically implanted goat testes into patients, at $750 a pop, and sold worthless and often even harmful medicines, which he prescribed over the radian, at drugstores that advertised his products and then paid Brinkley a commission on every medicine sold. His average annual income, in the middle of the depression, was $12 million a year, compared to the average MD GP who was earning about $3500 at that time.

Fishbein, aided by the famous editor and social critic H.L.Mencken, who led a crusade against quackery for more than 30 years, first as the editor of JAMA and the as the chief of the AMA, eventually cornered and exposed Brinkley in 1939, who died soon after.

All-in-all, Charlatan is a great read that most people will enjoy immensely although there are several points that the author makes that I think should have been developed more. First, although Brock alludes briefly to this, Fishbein considered not just Brinkely, BJ, and other obvious frauds as quacks, but also optometrists, podiatrists, DOs most of whom were received medical training comparable to MDs, and even opposed nurse midwives and nurse anesthesiologists. He was a social and political reactionary who was as passionately opposed to group medical practice by MDs as he was to any medical practice by anyone other than an MD, including quacks.

Secondly, John Brinkley was not America's most successful quack. Brinkley was an imposter. The most "successful" quack in American history by any standard was BJ Palmer.the "developer" of chirpractic, which Brock acknowledges caused the death of Eugene V. Debs and undoubtedly many, many others over the past 110 years since it's "discovery". Palmer, like Brinkeley, began his career as a quack in the first part of the twentieth century, after working in patent medicine shows in the Midwest, also wore a Van Dyke beard and moustache, also owned and a radio station which he used to promote his quackery, also furnished his mansion with an assortment of bizarre and ostentatious souvenirs, and also was an anti-Semite.

The chiropractic quack cult is declining but it is still defrauding hundreds of thousands of patients, public and private insurance, and thousands students, out of tens of millions of dollars a year. BJ Palmer was without question the most successful quack in American history.

Pakenham's "The Boer War" is one of the best and certainly one of the most thorough works on the war against the Afrikaner peoples of South Africa. This book is both well-researched and well written and, although it is tempting to take exception against this particular colonial war--because it was against "fellow" whites--it must be remembered that the British, scarcely 100 years before, waged war against fellow whites in America.

The difference was that the Americans proved victorious partially because the English were not prepared to go to the extremes they did in South Africa. Ultimately, the English had more troops in South Africa than the Africaners had total population--men, women and children. They also resorted to measures never used against the Americans, namely concentration camps to imprison civilians. Consequently, Great Britain proved victorious but it was a pyrrhic victory, indeed.

There are major similarities and dissimularities between the Boer War and the American Civil War. In both cases the "rebel" forces initially were victorious against larger, better supplied armies. Also, in both cases, the rebels were eventually defeated in open battle. Here the similarities end. Lee, when surrounded at Appomatox, had the option of "going on commando." He refused, reckoning that the damage--both physical and moral--would be worse than surrender. The Boers, given the same option, opted for guerilla warfare. The result was death, devastation and hatred lasting to the present day.

In both cases--Southern and Afrikaner--defeat resulted in extreme measures against black populations. In the South, Jim Crow and the Klan were the unfortunate result. In South Africa, apartheid was the result. In the case of the South, northern domination eventually forced complete desegregation. In the case of South Africa, world opinion and sanctions, resulted in a takeover by the ANC and...it is now totally irrelevant as to whether the English or Afrikaners proved victorious. They are all in the position of potentially losing everything.

Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Conquest of Mexico

This is simply a fantastic and very readable book. The down side is that it is about another bloody and useless war. This war set the stage for the the 20th-century wars to come. The Boer War was the first time concentration camps were used, and the US simultaneously used the idea in their Spanish-American War in the Philippines. We have much to learn from Thomas Pakenham's book, including how the special interests (neocons in the case of the Iraq War) propagandize for war and how wars, in general, have nothing to do with national security, but rather with plunder for the corporatocracy. Here is a taste for those of you who just don't get how horrible war is: "The farms were burnt, the stock looted, the women and children concentrated in camps along the railway lines. Between twenty thousand and twenty-eight thousand Boer civilians died of epidemics in these "concentration camps". This same story continues today, only now in Iraq. Will the masses ever cease getting duped by their criminal states???

Atr the outset, it should be noted that this book could be usefully supplemented by reading COMMANDO by Deneys Reitz - A Boer journal ,of the Boer War.
Much of the horror of 20th century warfare - trench warfare, concentration camps, shooting or otherwise mistreating prisoners - was carried out in the Boer war. Some readers, and I am a general reader not an historian, will have been aware of elements of the Boer War such as the shooting of prisoners by Lt "Breaker Morant" which was and is something of a cause celebre in Australia retold in books, plays and a fine contemporary film. But the one feeling I have after reading this fine book by Mr Pakenham is a far greater sympathy for the Boers and a much better appreciation of the contribution and sacrifice that black Africans made in what was touted as a "white man's" war. In fact it was a black man's war too with c100,000 black riflemen seeing duty, and fighting in effect for the right to vote. Mr Pakenham provides evidence to suggest that the successful survival by the British at the siege of Mafeking was made possible by the sacrifice of black Africans.
Item: 3500 horses perished in one day in one cavalry charge.
Item: 400,000 horses, mules, donkeys died in total
Item: Lord Kitchener invented the concentration camp using a Spanish model re Cubans
Item: The British military and politicians did not care about the thousands of women and children in concentration camps and as the result of disgusting conditions many many died as a result.
Item: It was not superior marksmanship or courage that won, but the application of the knowledge that defence was superior to attack with the new, smokeless, high velocity, weapons.
The book is very well written, with a reliance on much primary source material, especially diaries and letters of the major British protagonists
including Sir Alfred Milner, High Commissioner for South Africa and Lt Governor of Cape Colony who is revealed in his own words as a thoroughly despicable character. The reader also gets a very real feeling for the exigencies of the landscape, the boredom of routine for the military, the clash of battle where the stones on the ground or the mud on the banks of a river become as frighteningly real as the whizz and splat of dum dum bullets. Clearly the writer has experienced the landscape firsthand. The reader also gets a very real picture of the characters involved, their weaknesses and strengths, including some ordinary and very likeable soldiers or "Tommy's".
The likely causes and consequences of the war are made clear to the reader. The usual suspects - imperial supremacy of the British; greed for gold, diamonds; denial of franchise; nationalism - are covered and a re-evaluation of the protaganists undertaken. It is a fair and balanced re-assessment of the task faced by General Sir Redvers Buller and his inability to overcome it whilst appreciating his intelligent appraisal of the situation he found himself in. On the other hand it reveals Lord Kitchener as arrogant and hard working but overrated and over-compensated for his role. The book also emphasises the CRITICAL role of transport and supply.
We are still living with the consequences of it today but one redeeming reality is that democracy and a free press are likely to inhibit a repetition. What was that? Guantanomo Bay? Oil? Imperialism? Franchise? Prisons?

Pakenham's work remains a standard in the history of the Boer War, not only for its scope, but for its clarity and readability. He certainly covers the gamut of the war, but those interested in the causes and precursors to the war would be better served with a different work, as those details are lost in his description of military aspects.

As I suggest for many works of this scope and quality, if there is one book you must read on the Second South Africa War, make it this one.

Exposing the origins of the war as basically blatant attempt by jingoistic imperialists like Milner, in Britain, in league with Cecil Rhodes and his (...)cronies, to grab power (and gold, and diamond) in South Africa. It must be said that the Boers were not exactly victims in the war, prior to that they had inflicted much sufferings on the Blacks and were now getting their just desserts for past sins.


The British Army also came out of this war with a sullied reputation for sexual depravity (Lord kitchener, Baden Powell, Douglas Haig), inept generalship. plunder, pillage, indiscrminate and wanton destruction of life and property, as well as pioneering the use of concentration camps for Boer women and children, who were deliberatedly left out in the cold to rot, and die from hunger, disease and assorted inhumane treatments.

What is amazing was that the Boers were totally reconciled with their imperial masters and co-colonists in one generation, and would enlist en masse in fighting for the rotten British Empire in the Great War. Apparently, the deal was struck that high sounding Victorian Britain would look the other way on the mistreatment and apartheid policies in South Africa, provided the Boers pay fealty to their London masters after the peace.

The Boer War, in essence, was a war fought between 2 unscrupulous, greedy races over the spoils, both material and human, of Africa.

I loved it. Nothing was bad. I liked it when Jack and Jim became friends.

This book is about two main charactor, named Jack and Annie, and every day they ask if they can go out side to play, but they actually go out to this tree house that is full of books, and they find a book they like well in this book they found a book with tornadoes in and they decided to wish to go into that book and it took them
there and in the story Annie becomes a teacher who work in a wooden place that had one room and they called it a school. So these funny looking shapes start to appear in sky made out of clouds that looked like
cones and then they started coming down to the floor. If you like old histoy, school and/or tornadoes than I would sujest that you read this book.

This book is about two main charactor, named Jack and Annie, and every day they ask if they can go out side to play, but they actually go out to this tree house that is full of books, and they find a book they like well in this book they found a book with tornadoes in and they decided to wish to go into that book and it took them
there and in the story Annie becomes a teacher who work in a wooden place that had one room and they called it a school. So these funny looking shapes start to appear in sky made out of clouds that looked like
cones and then they started coming dow to the floor

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

The book Twisters on Tuesday features magic, danger and history. The magic is the tree house. I bet you're saying huh? Read the book to find out about this magical adventure.
The main characters of the story are Annie, Jake,Ted and Morgen. Annie is Jake's sister. She likes danger and Jake likes to study.
Ted is a featured charactar in this book. He starts out as a human and changes, into a dog and the story's plot is how Annie and Jake help him. I recommend this book to people who like magic and history in their books.
- Moises