Science Books

Far better written than most, Class 29 transcends military memoire to become an emotinally authentic, engagingly human account that will interest even readers who are not SEAL afficiandos.

I'm a sucker for a story, and John Carl Roat knows how to tell one. He has one of the most incredible writer's voices I've ever encountered. It's like sitting with him over coffee and listening to him spin yarn after yarn about the earliest days of SEAL training.

Roat's dry and often wry sense of humor had me laughing out loud on every page. Endearingly willing to admit to his own human shortcomings, Roat sees the humanity in others. In a few strokes he captures those essential elements of character that make a reader care. Over and over I cheered, and sometimes, I cried.

In one memorable scene, in which another trainee reaches back to give Raot a hand over an obstactle course, Roat talks about how the trainees themselves in subtle ways played a part in who made the grade and who didn't.

Other books about SEAL training will give you detail, endless detail, about SEAL training today, but no other will make you understand so well what makes a man become a SEAL, and what becoming a SEAL makes of a man.

Mary Margret Daughtridge, Romance Author, SEALed With A Kiss
SEALed with a Kiss: Even a hero needs help sometimes...

This book is real!! It's a fast easy read with no dull moments. It is a testament to the tough nature of seals past and present.

John Roat's book demonstrates the toughness and determination that was required in the early days of SEAL training.

I enjoyed the way that he describes in great detail the training that he went through. It's like you are right there with him.

Also, there are many stories about their "interactions" with their instructors.

I especially appreciated the last chapter in the book where the author describes, by observing the training the candidates currently go through, the differences in training between then and now. The training now has causes less long-term damage to the body, especially to the knees (the duck-walk was a favorite of the instructors back then).

Above all as you read the book you can see his loyalty, after all these years, to his team members.

To the point, easy to read and like a couple reviewers said " It makes me proud and it made me laugh" Who thought SEALs would be such down to earth enjoyable guys.

This was written for my Classmates and like them it has brought me nothing but joy. The book comes from the heart, theirs and mine. I've been pleased to hear how much help the book was for some in getting through BUD/S. I do love the questions from young men who aspire to become Team Members so feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer.
realnavyseal@yahoo.com

John Carl Roat
Class-29, UDT-21, UDT-11, SEAL Team 1

This book was extremely disappointing unless you would like to know how many gallons of water it takes to illegally cross from Mexico into the United States. The author takes a liberal and sympathic view of illegals and tries to sway the reader into thinking that breaking the law is OK for these people. Give me a break. Where is the equal-sided journalism? What about the economic drain to healthcare, gang violence and drugs that these people bring into the United States? If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and swims like a duck then it is a duck. Illegals are illegals are illegals. Don't waste your time on this book.

"A passionate exponent of more human solutions to the problems of illegal border crossings...John Annerino, an Arizona writer-photojournalist, tells the story up close and personal in a gut wrenching, bare knuckle account...His account puts flesh and bones on the story behind the dreams, and skeletons,too," Desert Candle.

There are those who call themselves experts on the subject and those who are. John is the genuine expert. His points on the subject can only be done by being there and doing it. That is John, that is how he is. That is how he lives. A Master photographer, a Father, Journalist. His treatment on the border issue is a no-holds-barred trip into the unknown. He makes it known, he does it masterfully! When I read Dead in Their Tracks I found it to be the best publication on the subject. It should be required reading for those who are studying Hispanic Culture here at the University of Arizona! When one has the folks at ABC News and other News organizations beating on your door for your knowledge on the subject you know it is John Annerino. When you read a John Annerino book or see his imigaes you are guaranteed that you have exposed to the very best in subject treatment. Dead in Their Tracks will take you for a ride you won't soon forget.

-"Photojournalist John Annerino plunges into a world few Americans ever consider, much less confront: a pitiless trek through the southwestern Arizona Desert that can deliver a man to steady work - or to a whimpering death," Laura Brooks, The Arizona Daily Star.

-"Anyone interested in this slaughter should run, not walk, to John Annerino's Dead in Their Tracks," Charles Bowden, author of Down by the River.

-"A passionate chronicle. The story...is gripping and profoundly disturbing," Susan J. Tweit, The Bloomsbury Review.

-"A stunning portrayal of the dangers (including death) faced by immigrants eager to work in the United States," Library Journal.

-"I'm trying to illuminate the lives of those who continue to die in America's killing ground," Annerino said," abcnews.com.

-"A gripping firsthand account of crossing the Camino del Diablo in the company of Mexican nationals...Annerino's evocative words and haunting pictures make the issue impossible to ignore," Donnamarie Barnes, People Magazine.

-"The story is riveting.Annerino's writing is emotional and graphic," Ernesto Portillo, San Diego Union-Tribune.

-"Through cholla cactus and scorpions, along sands simmering at 140-160 degrees, John Annerino and four Mexican companions stumble toward an oasis north of poverty: the American dream," oneworldjournies.com.

-"The book is a testament and a memorial.Thirty pages list the known dead...Annerino deserves praise for putting this story into words and pictures," Will Chaffey, San Antonio Express-News.

-"A gripping work of investigative reporting," Nicole Davis, National Geographic Adventure.

-"Seen on CNN and featured on CNN Bokchat, John Annerino has worked on the border for Newsweek, ABC Primetime, National Geographic Adventure, and America 24/7," KmG

This book is poorly written, _utterly_ disjointed, and has a cloying sentimentality that is really annoying. By that I mean it's not at all analytical: it includes random snippets of poems, etc. that serve only to confound the reader looking for some meat. Plus, there are certain phrases like "cutting sign" that I hadn't the foggiest idea about until I looked it up. Help the reader out here.

Yeah, it's hot as hell in the desert, and it's doggone handy to have water. It sucks that people are dying in the desert and the forces that draw them to _El Norte_ are highly complex and not necessarily their fault. Still, they are breaking the law from the word go, and well they know it, and it seems to me there are worse tragedies involving truly innocent people. Plus, it peeves me to no end that these illegals have largely trashed some of the most beautiful and exotic wildernesses in the U.S. So my sympathy is just not all that deep.

The photos are for the most part of lousy quality as well. Why it took carrying several cameras, as the author claims, to produce these pictures is beyond me.

Lastly the book is VERY short, with a ridiculously long appendix addressing every single death that has occurred in this area ... newsflash: no one is going to read that.

How could the editors have allowed a book like this to go to press? It's absolutely amateurish, despite being driven by sincere emotions.

Everything!

The Star Trek Deep Space Nine Companion is an "absolute must" for any DS9er or Star Trek fan. I owned this book for several years and would occasionally read about specific episodes. But this summer, I decided to watch every episode and then read what the author wrote about it. Now, I know why it's called a companion.

The book supplies, what I believe to be, an appropriate amount of information to introduce the reader to (or remind them about) the show and then continues with a behind the scenes "peek" from the perspective of the writers, directors, cast members and crew. Frequently, the author reveals the inspiration of the episode. And it is a very common occurrence to learn that the finished product was not always what the writers originally imagined. Without saying it, the author conveys all the hard work, patience and persistence associated with each episode and a glimpse into the Star Trek universe.

The companion contains numerous quotes from the writers, actors and directors. Included are their assessments of whether they considered the episode to be good, great, or not-so-great. The opinions and experiences of the guest stars, supporting cast members and even the stunt guys are also included. And the author delays revealing the back-story until the very end of a story arc, on those occasions when a particular story spans several episodes, to prevent the reader from getting too much information. Special treats include "close ups" on secondary characters, maps of Bajor, drawings and pictures of artifacts used in the show. Even a pronunciation guide for one of the episode titles is included.

This book is the perfect complement to the series. It's more than an episode guide. Future Star Trek companions will find this book to be a tough act to follow. I highly recommend it!

Love this in my Star Trek collection. Helps you to remember all of the great episodes of this series.

This book really set the standard for me for what a companion book for a TV show should be. A nice essay on the shows creation, lenghy season overviews, detailed synopsis' for each episode, and at least a couple pages (note these are big pages) of behind the scenes information on every single episode. With all due respect to a previous reviewer I don't understand how one could say there isn't enough behind the scenes information. This book is basically everything you could ever want to know about the TV show Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I now only buy companion books that follow a similar format. For anyone who likes DS9 this is the book to own.

This book is just too good for words - I actually was a little stunned to see it existed, and when I received it, I could not have been more pleased with the content. In-depth articles on each episode, illustrated by nice B&W photos and great interviews with cast and crew up and down the list.

Definitely NOT for the casual fan, but for those rare DS9 fans among the Trek fan base, this is the one.

Also, for those of you who enjoy the current "Galactica" series, this is a good window into how Ron Moore learned to write serialized, relevant sci-fi. If anything, this show is superior in many ways to "Galactica," if only by allowing a few rays of light to shine through the perpetual gloom.

Only complaint, and a very minor one: no interviews with either Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat, nose-to-nose the best villain in Trek, along with Khan and Q) or Cirroc Lofton.

I'll just add to the heaps of praise for this massive work covering the complete Deep Space Nine series. The plot of every episode is described in detail, as one would expect, but this volume goes much further, devoting a great deal of text on each episode and season, primarily offering points of view from the writers, story editors, producers, directors, and other production staff, and occasionally from the actors. What's especially great, aside from all the detail that fans salivate over, is that everyone involved with the production is generally pretty candid about what does and doesn't work, so the less-inpsired episodes aren't subjected to faux praise for the sake of selling DVDs.

It's not flawless, however. Too much detail is sometimes given about how a story evolved into what finally aired, whereas there are often other questions about plot and character development, or lack thereof, that would've been more compelling to read. Also, there are spoilers in some of the behind-the-scenes info that could've been better disguised; it makes it difficult to share the book with someone who is watching the series for the first time. Those are small nits to pick, though. No other Trek episode guide comes anywhere near the level of depth and quality of this one, and I can't recommend it highly enough to fans of the series, even those who don't consider DS9 their favorite part of the ST franchise.

Incredible read. Probably overhyped, but not by much. Still worthy of 5 stars. I highly recommend it.

I've never read a Warhammer 40,000 novel before and picked the Eisenhorn omnibus because of the good reviews it was getting. I must say I came away a bit disappointed. Three stars, because I did find it an enjoyable read mostly to learn about the Warhammer 40,000 universe. But the three stories in the omnibus - Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus - do have flaws.

Almost every encounter ends in the same way: inquisitor Eisenhorn and his allies charge in, guns blazing. They begin with stealth and infiltration, but their subtleties run out very quickly every single time - or is that Dan Abnett's imaginition failing to come up with a different conclusion to a scene?

The finales of the three parts are also remarkably similar: large-scale attacks of troopers on a heretic undertaking. Eisenhorn waving a book around everybody wants (the Necroteuch or the Malus Codicium) and then destroying it.

Hilariously funny - but not meant to be so - is the scene in which Eisenhorn tells Bequin she is an Untouchable. She takes it hard and starts sobbing, as if she has just been dumped. But no, she has just been told that all people have a soul, a signature in the warp, but that she is Untouchable and has no such psychic presence and she can therefore act as a damper on the psychic powers of others. All this happens off-camera, it just reads that Eisenhorn tells her she is an Untouchable and that she cries. The proper reaction would be one being dumbfounded :)

Despite its remarkable repetitiveness (why do we need to know in such painstaking detail all the time what characters are wearing - is this the gritty universe of the grim future or a fashion show?) the omnibus has some redeeming features. Eisenhorn's meddling with forces he shouldn't meddle with is interesting, even as his 'change' comes pretty abruptly and coarsely. The daemonhost Cherubael is very well done, the best character in the book, especially when he does not use his superpowers but just his insidious whispers.

So sure, fans of the universe should probably want to read Eisenhorn. But the general feeling of disappointment, that comes from knowing that if this is the best Black Library book ever, remains.

This was the first book I read in the Warhammer 40k universe. Very dark, descriptive and I could not put it down. I would recommend all of Dan Abnett's books. They are well written and give an excellent sense of what the Warhammer 40k worlds are like.

then by the God-Emperor's throne, READ THIS! I have never gotten into Warhammer 40K, but I read about this book because it coincided with the Dark Heresy RPG. On a whim, I decided to buy it, figuring that if I didn't like it, I could re-sell it. Well, was I SURPRISED. Fast paced and cohesive with characters that you really get attached to, it was like reading an action movie. First-rate, off-the-top-shelf writing makes this trilogy the best sci-fi I've read in a long time. It's dark, gritty, and lethal - everything you would expect from the Warhammer 40K universe. I loved it so much, that I bought a bunch of Abnett's other works. Moving on to the Ravenor series now. I can only hope that it is as good as Eisenhorn. My greatest disappointment is that the story ends. I wish I had drag in Hollywood, because I'd snap up the rights to this and start shooting tomorrow. Buy it, read it, sit back, and enjoy the ride. Just phenomenal!

As usual, with Dan Abnett you get exactly what you expect:
a fast paced, well written, action packed page turner. The story
arcs are all similar, and the besides Eisenhorn characters
are not really developed. However, the universe is
richly textured and dark. If you want a quick read that will
take your mind of things, this will do the trick

This book is a surprising gem.

The one line review that I've been passing on to friends is "This is what Ursula K. Le Guin would write, if she did something light."

On the surface, it's light but well-written storylines woven together in a sci-fi/fantasy twist.

But the book forces you to shift perspective, to move between different points of view, and to think.

I picked it up because I figured anything that got a Newberry Honor medal was probably worth reading, and I wasn't disappointed.

This is a re-read from my youth and I am glad that it has been reissued. I love all of Engdahl's work and I only wish that she would write more after her long dry period. A well-writte intelligent and charming female protagonist learns and grows within a setting much like early (good) Andre Norton- reminiscent of Ice Crown, in fact.

This is an interesting book. I like the three different voices she uses to narrate the three different worlds, and the way the most advanced world, being the most self-aware, is done in first person.

Interesting questions are raised and about truth, right/wrong, etc. I do not agree with everything the author seems to believe, but this book would be a good springboard for discussion of questions like, "What is truth?" and "What/who is God?" and "Is there anything beyond what we can see and study with traditional science?"

There are a lot of other interesting questions that can be pondered that the book raises but does not answer. For instance, was Alana's father exploiting her young heart and propensity to fall in love in order to save the world of Andrecia and, if so, is that a morally defensible thing?

Not the absolute best book I have ever read, but worth reading, and probably worth reading more than once.

Having read Sylvia Engdahl's excellent novel, The Far Side of Evil, several years ago, I approached this book with a positive outlook that it would be just as thought-provoking and well told. I wasn't disappointed, though this novel is indeed different in tone.

The Enchantress of the title is Elana, whose exact age is never given but can be assumed to be in her late teens or early twenties. Elana, looking for adventure and real life experience, stows away on board a starship that is sent to Andrecia, a medieval planet that is currently being colonized by a more advanced society. Once her presence is known, her father and boyfriend decide that Elana can indeed help with the plan to oust the invaders, which will allow Andrecia to continue to develop at its own pace. Elana becomes the "Enchantress"; she befriends two locals who are off to fight the "Dragon" (a massive rock-chewing machine), and helps them by awakening their own skills so that their quest will be successful. In the process, Elana finds herself falling for the local known as Georgyn, and in her inexperience, putting them both in grave danger.

This book moves seamlessly between points of view, which gives it a much more universal feel than had we only known Elana's side of the story. When Georyn's voice takes over, the story almost becomes a fairy tale; indeed, that is how he sees Elana and the invaders who have come to his world. Elana is, of course, young and inexperienced but desperate to do the right thing; and Jarel is the lone voice of the invaders, unsure of his world's plans but unable to do anything to stop them.

I enjoyed this novel but did feel that at times it was a bit on the fantastic side. I felt the plans Elana's father made to dupe the invaders weren't necessarily believable, but I was able to keep in mind that this is indeed a fantasy. Elana could be infuriating in her lack of knowledge and her headstrong ways, and her poor boyfriend Evrek is relegated to the background while Elana forges ahead with a relationship with Georyn. Overall, however, this is a well-written novel and Engdahl has a gift for telling a tale that will pull you in from the first pages. Over thirty years since its debut, this thought-provoking novel holds up well and is just as relevant today. Recommended for lovers of fantasy.

Please keep in mind that I really liked this book. "Enchantress" is well written and enjoyable. That being said, I could not entirely enjoy the story because I had a problem with the heroine. I know this probably says more about me than her but...

The heroine, as thoughtful and insightful as she is, is a bit of a hypocrite. She "suffers" enormously with guilt about even the smallest of lies she is forced to tell her "poor primitive" lover.

On the other hand she only feels a twinge of condescending pity for her fiancé whom she has been more-or-less betraying by concealing her "forbidden love" for the "primitive" for most the book.

And when it comes to lying to her father and sneaking around behind his back; forget about it! She doesn't even hesitate a second and even takes a certain pleasure in it, even when, inevitably, her "disobedience" endangers entire civilizations.

There are only four main characters in this book. The heroine, her male father, her male fiancé, and her male lover. I found myself many times wishing she had a mother, sister, or best friend to whack her upside the head and tell her to stop acting so ridiculous.

The one woman who COULD and WOULD have set her straight was killed as the book opened. (Actually there WAS one other female in the book; a practically-unconscious sacrifice victim being "delivered to the dragon.")

Anyway enough about my problems. If you didn't even notice the things I had issues with, (and you probably didn't) "Enchantress" is a good read.

While the information put forth in this CD set is very valuable, Myss's delivery is harsh at best and often downright offensive. She has an ego the size of Jupiter and is bombastic, self-righteous and condescending. It's difficult to listen to her much of the time, and she comes across as one of those people you just don't want to be around. It's astounding to me that someone who teaches such valuable material can live through such an unpleasant personality. Hypocrisy also seeps out again and again. While she admonishes others to "unplug from tribal beliefs," her Catholicism is almost palpable. Actually, I can almost see her rapping knuckles at her workshops if you don't fall in line with her way of thinking. She comes across as inconsiderate and obnoxious in several of her own anecdotes, and it is challenging to absorb the material that IS of value from such a prickly messenger.

I borrowed a friends copy of this audio book and was so impressed I had to get my own copy. Truly a gem and wonderful resource giving a tremendous amount of insight to intuition and spirituality

This is by far one of the best purchase I have ever made. Carolyn does an excellent job at explaning the 7 charkras. Truly amazing cd series. Highly recommended.

If you are feeling open and you'd like to "wake-up" today - I HIGHLY recommend this audiobook. You can thank Caroline Myss for her insight into the non-material presence in this life and with shining wisdom, bringing it quickly to the material world. This is a wonderful spiritual and scientific lecture series, not to mention a very exciting journey to listen to (even if you never enact her beliefs into your life). It has helped me profoundly with balancing my energy and I did not have to be a mystic to get it. She is a very good teacher.

This audio book is easily listened to in 9 hours, while driving in rush hour traffic on your way to work, but be forewarned that Caroline Myss is not joking around when she embodies the teacher's archetype. What was once a mundane rush hour drive will turn into a vibrant interaction of the energy paradigm. She will teach you and if you are at all a skeptic like I was (esp. about Chakras and unseen mysteries), thinking that you've got the world materialistically figured out, and your reality beat, then you are in for a sharp and exciting surprise. You may find yourself sliding down the rabbit hole of "Who am I? and "Why am I doing this?" and "What is the purpose of my life?" and "Where am I, now?"

These types of awareness-based questions are implied throughout her tales and experiences with anatomy of our body's energy systems. Thankfully, with insight, clarity and precision, Dr. Myss explains exactly what we are made of and it is very reassuring to know that when we do start to ask these questions of a deeper nature, there are guides like Caroline Myss who are brave enough to teach the stuff.

If you think that you might benefit from "therapy", listen to this program. A large part of the effort of therapy is getting an individual to open to themselves, to see themselves as they really are, as a precursor to making changes in their life. Caroline Myss' recordings of "Energy Anatomy" and "Advanced Energy Anatomy" open the door to that introspection, giving you a framework in which to see your past life, and present actions. True, you may not agree with everything she says. But I guarantee you will find yourself nodding in agreement over and over again, at the insightful ways she presents the workings of human minds and emotions. And you will find Caroline Myss offering you answers to many of the questions you've asked yourself ("Why do I do this?" "Why did I do that?") over the years. I'm not recommending you forego therapy, if you really need it. Professional therapy can be very valuable. But I am saying that Caroline's recordings are a terrific way of getting in touch with yourself, and seeing yourself clearly (maybe for the first time), regardless of whether you want to pursue professional counseling, or not. And because (as Caroline says) the mind and emotions are prime determinants of the health of the body, this is an excellent series for anyone interested in taking good care of their body, and creating the best health possible for a vibrant and very happy life. "Energy Anatomy" offers a new way of looking at yourself, at others, and at the world around you, and this program may be the best thing you try this year.

Several months ago while surfing the Internet, the name Dr. Davey popped up in association with "fluoride poisoning," the WWII "Manhattan Project," making of the "atomic bomb" and secret "human experimentation" in the 1940s. I am aware of my father's D-Day story but now, 60 years after his death, the final chapter of his life has been revealed in this incredible book. After further investigation and filling in between the lines, it is apparent that Navy Medicine, having seen X-ray reports of "fluoride poisoning" in the bones of American workers during WWII, refused to participate in a medical cover-up during the early Cold War years.

It was shocking to read "Chapter 8 - Robert Kehoe and the Kettering Laboratory" in The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson. My father, LT. J. Russell Davey, Jr., MC, USNR, who died in 1948 (unknown to the author), is described on page 108 as "the offending radiologist" who inadvertently exposed Dr. Robert A. Kehoe's study regarding industrial fluoride exposure of workers at the Pennsylvania Salt Company in Easton, PA. Dr. Davey made a January 31, 1947 medical X-ray diagnosis of "fluoride poisoning" which became known to management and workers several miles away at the Pennsalt plant in Easton.

Bryson describes top officials at Pennsalt headquarters in Philadelphia as being "furious" with Drs. George Pillmore and Davey. The two Navy radiologists were not aware of Dr. Kehoe's Kettering Laboratory mission, to secretly collect medical data regarding poisoned American workers in order to protect the US government's bomb-related defense industry from potential lawsuits. The author brilliantly lays out Pennsalt's role in producing hydrofluoric acid (HF) for atomic bomb production and the resulting cover-up of workers suffering from fluoride poisoning.

Fluoride poisoning resulting in "crippling skeletal fluorosis" had been recognized in Europe since the late 1800s. In 1937, Danish scientist Kai Eli Roholm, MD, published "Fluorine Intoxication, an encyclopedic study of fluoride pollution and poisoning." Dr. Roholm reported that fluoride exposure produced a host of medical symptoms in factory workers. Most distinctly, fluoride could visibly disfigure a worker's bones, disabling them with a painful thickening and fusing of spinal vertebrae, a condition he called "crippling skeletal fluorosis."

In 1944, 26-year-old Lieutenant Davey, 6th Naval Beach Battalion, returned from the Normandy invasion and became a student and protégé of Captain George U. Pillmore, MC (S), USNR, Chief Radiologist at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital. During that period, the Philadelphia Navy Yard housed a super-secret facility using hot liquid fluoride and pressurized steam to enrich uranium for the atomic bomb. Although bomb making was an Army project, the purpose of the Philadelphia plant was to supply insurance against failure of the Army's "separation program" and provide the Naval Research Laboratory with materials for the study of atomic energy.

Bryson describes a serious accident at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in September 1944. There was a release of man-made radiation and perhaps the worst fluoride accident of WWII. "A giant white plume of uranium hexafluoride gas drifted over the dockyard." Twenty-six men were exposed, killing two and seriously injuring the remainder. The Philadelphia coroner was not told the "cause of death." Body organs of dead men were considered "classified" and stuffed into a briefcase becoming the property of the Manhattan Project Medical Department. Years later, a Navy doctor explained to injured nuclear scientist Arnold Kramish that when fluoride gets into your bones, it "stalks you the rest of your life."

The following year after the accident, Dr. Davey was ordered to a Naval Special Hospital, Camp Wallace, Texas to serve as Chief of the X-ray Department in a 1,000-bed-hospital. After retuning to Philadelphia in May 1946 and relieved from active duty, Drs. Davey and Pillmore teamed up in a radiology practice 65 miles north of Philadelphia in Easton, PA. Dr. Pillmore established a Naval reserve unit that included Dr. Davey and about 30 medical doctors in the Easton area.

Bomb making was under the purview of the US Army during WWII. The Army maintained that "fluoride poisoning does not occur in the United States." However, the Navy Medical Department Cold War position on "fluoride poisoning" contradicted the Army Manhattan Project Medical Department. In 1946, Captain George U. Pillmore published Clinical Radiology: A Correlation of Clinical and Roentgenological Findings, Volume I & II, with 1,558 pages. LT. Davey was a contributing author. Navy Surgeon General Ross T. McIntire, Vice Admiral, MC, wrote in the Forward that X-ray examinations are "often the magic key in diagnosis."

Clinical Radiology states, "The source of fluorine intoxication include: (1) drinking water containing one part per million or more of fluorine, (2) fluorine compounds used as insecticidal sprays for fruits and vegetables (cryolite and barium fluosilicate), (3) the mining and conversion of phosphate rock to superphosphate which is used as fertilizer. (The fluorine content of phosphate rock is about 4 percent. During conversion to superphosphate, about 25 per cent of the fluorine present is volatilized.) (4) The fluorides used in the smelting of many metals, such as steel and aluminum, and in the production of glass, enamel, and brick....In 1932, Moller and Gudjonsson described a peculiar form of bone sclerosis in workers exposed to cryolite dust for a number of years. Since that time there have been many published reports of chronic fluorine intoxication and its effect on the osseous system."

Guided by a group of corporate attorneys known as the Fluorine Lawyers Committee, Dr. Kehoe's Kettering Laboratory conducted secret research in order to defend fluoride on behalf of a group of corporations that included Pennsalt, DuPont, Alcoa, and US Steel, all of which faced lawsuits for industrial fluoride pollution. Kehoe's aim was to block scientists from serving as effective witnesses in court cases. Manhattan Project Chief Leslie R. Groves wrote a February 28, 1946 memo to the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Atomic Energy, advising that "the Department of Justice is cooperating in the defense of these suits."

Unfortunately for the plaintiffs, Dr. Kai Eli Roholm, the world's leading fluoride expert who visited this country just after WWII, died March 29, 1948. The brilliant Danish scientist was regarded highly by the medical profession but now would be unavailable to provide testimony in the fluoride lawsuits. Dr. Roholm's death was "a tragedy for all who rely on scientist to tell them the truth about chemicals they handle in the workplace and the risk from industrial pollution." The 46-year-old physician left a wife and two young children.

Dr. J. Russell Davey, Jr., the young Navy radiologist who exposed Dr. Robert Kehoe's scientific cover-up of fluoride poisoning, died suddenly June 5, 1948 of undetermined causes. The 30-year-old physician left a pregnant wife and three young children.

In 1949, US worker fluoride lawsuits resulted in no compensation. Former Manhattan Project toxicologist Harold C. Hodge, coordinator of the secret human radiation experiments at the University of Rochester and the nation's leading fluoride expert, wrote in 1965 that "crippling fluorosis has never been seen in the United States."

This book is far better researched than the material that consumer use of fluoride is based upon.

Very scary!

In easily readable style, investigative journalist Christopher Bryson reveals the appalling truth about how an industrial waste product with toxicity equal to that of lead has come to be dumped in our drinking water. Researching official documents from the years of World War II and the cold war of the 1940s, declassified in the 1990s after 50 years, Bryson tells of the lies and the cover-ups, names the multi-million dollar corporations and the people involved, and through rigorous footnoting, his source documents. This book is a must-read for all those wanting to know the shocking facts about how, through misrepresentation of the results of scientific research and skillful propaganda, unsuspecting communities have to been made to believe that a toxic industrial waste product is completely harmless and will prevent tooth decay.

It's all about a substance that has been placed in our municipal tap water for the last sixty years. It is classified as a non-approved drug, but is prescribed to everyone without our consent, without public debate, and without dosage instructions for each individual. It amounts to mass medication without consent. This is the main reason that 98 percent of Europe will not fluoridate. In fact, most of the industrialized countries of the world do not fluoridate. And, statistically, their oral health is just as good as in the U. S..
Extremely detailed and thoroughly researched, this book cannot be recommended more highly. Bryson spent ten years digging into the dark depths of government and industrial deception to produce an eye opening revelation concerning the health of everyone who is a victim of the risky practice of fluoridation.
Upon reading the information in this book, I personally visited the website, [...] to discover a treasure trove of detailed information, both scientific and popular about fluoride, its politics, and its adverse health effects, and how to reduce exposure to the substance (which proves to be quite difficult).
However, nothing convinced me more solidly than my personal experience. Once I had reduced my exposure to fluoride for only a week (by distilling our tap water and using "organic" foods when possible), twenty-five years worth of "mysterious" symptoms that had confounded my doctors simply went away, ..... vanished. My symptoms were diagnosed as depression, arthritic pains, muscle aches that really shouldn't have been there, cloudy thinking, and several other problems that came and went as drugs were prescribed to mask each new symptom. But, nothing worked as well as simply drinking clean, pure water. (I found out later that it is estimated that about five percent of the population is particularly sensitive to very low doses of fluoride. I can only guess that perhaps I am one of the five percent).
I have spoken with expert toxicologists both corporate and with the EPA. They have all confirmed what Bryson explains in this book. In fact, the union that represents the EPA's scientists and workers in Washington, D. C. continues to publicly recommend that all fluoridation of municipal water systems be stopped. This is in direct opposition to the stance taken by the administration of the EPA.
Despite being painted as crazies and loonies by the pro-fluoridation corporate and governmental lobby, I can tell you that all of the people I have met who are working against fluoridation are intelligent, forthright, and not willing to be led like sheep when they feel an injustice is being done to others. Rather than dedicating time to deriding the credentials of their opponents, they use logic and scientific evidence to patiently explain why fluoridation should be stopped. They really care.
I sincerely hope that Christopher Bryson's novel will find its place as one of America's finest exposures and examples of how science and the truth can be distorted and twisted by money and influence until even the experts are convinced that something inherently dangerous is safe for everyone, no matter what the dose.

I read this book as part of a book club and was absolutely amazed at the history of lies and chicanery associated with flouride in our water, toothpaste and dental use. If you want validation of what is in the book look no further than the January 2008 issue of Scientific American who interviews and quotes many of the scientists whose stories are found in this book.

I used to think that anti-flouridationist were cranks, based on the way they are characterized in the media and by folks in public health. Now I am seriously concerned about the level of flouride in my drinking water and trying to figure out how to protect myself and everyone else I can. Do yourself a favor and get educated. The public health implications, including the risk of neurological damage in the very young and arthritis and other unexplained disorders in adults is worthy of great concern. Especially when you realize that adding flouride to water was initially done to whitewash and to undermine concerns that this industrial pollutant (from coal mining and steel production among others)was poisoning communities and workers.

If you have any intrest in knowing what life is like in Israel this book will satify your intrest. I found it very well written easy to read and the author gave intelligent insight and positions of all groups written about. Upon finishing this book I had a useful and fulfilling knowledge of Israelis and Israel. Of course this is only a glimpse but the book shows one there is such rich history and fascinating people in this diverse land. It gave some insight to both views mentioned in the editorial review. However I took from the book Israel is making attempts at assisting ALL Israelis no matter their ethnic origins. You will not regret adding this book to your Library.

I found this book (the first edition, 2003) in an apartment I'm renting in Jerusalem. It's quite interesting and well-written.

However, the author seems to have been rather sloppy in her research. I noticed at least two gross factual inaccuracies in details about the Orthodox communities in chapter 9, and this in turn calls into question whether the other information in the book is supported by the facts.

On page 176 (2003 edition), Rosenthal describes how "[s]oon after independence, Prime Minister Ben-Gurion agreed to Rabbi [E.M.] Schach's and other rabbis' requests to free haredi scholars of military obligation." Ben-Gurion's primary interlocutor on this issue was actually Rabbi A.Y. Karelitz (known as the Hazon Ish), the leading Lithuanian haredi rabbi of his day in Israel; the story of their meeting is quite well known in haredi circles, even to school-age children.

Again on page 188 (2003 edition), she writes: "For Lubavitch/Habad Hasidim, however, [Israel] Independence Day is a religious holiday becase they believe the birth of Israel in 1948 marked the beginning of the messianic redemption." This is completely incorrect: there are indeed religious Zionist Jews who believe this, and their communities are treated in the following chapter of the book; but Habad's position has never been that the establishment of the State has anything to do with the coming of the Messiah. Habad does support Jewish settlement on all territory under Israeli control, and opposes giveaways of land, for religious reasons having to do with saving Jewish lives; sometimes this puts them side-by-side with various Religious Zionist groups, as in opposition to the Gaza disengagement of 2005. Most likely our author saw or heard of such events and jumped to conclusions that the Habad and Religious Zionist ideologies are the same. But again, how hard would it have been to find out the real facts?

Rosenthal, Donna. "The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land", New Press, revised and updated, 2008.

My People

Amos Lassen

Americans have no idea who the Israelis are. The stories we get in the American media by and large depends on the source of the report. We see them here as soldiers fighting for their freedom and we see them as aggressive colonizers who determined to stay in control over Palestinians who resent them. We know that there is truth to both depictions and at the same time they depictions are distortions of who the Israeli really is. Donna Rosenthal looks at the Israeli across the broad spectrum and she gives very interesting insight as to the nature of the modern Israeli in two aspects--an individual and as a group.
Many Americans are simply not aware of the vibrancy and diversity of Israel and as the nation is such so are the citizens. There are the very Orthodox who constantly study and await the Messianic age. They are against those that dress immodestly and violate the Sabbath. There are the modern Israelis who excel in business and industry and do not bother with their religious heritage. There are the Bedouin Arabs who still live primitively carrying everything they own with them to wherever they go. There are prostitutes and mailmen and waiters and there are farmers and fishermen and gays, lesbians and those that are transgender.
Rosenthal entered Israeli society and interviewed many people and she gives us their backgrounds and their viewpoints. She discusses the decline of the kibbutz movement which was once vital to the country and shows how the ethic of collectively is no longer relevant. She shows how the Orthodox remain a community unto itself and stays isolated from mainstream Israeli culture and society. She shows the vice and corruption with Israel and the presence of the drug trade and she gives us a history of Zionism as we hear the reminiscences of the way it was. We hear from the man on the street, from the leaders, from Arabs and from Druze, from the Russian mafia and from the subcultures of sex and gambling.
Rosenthal has a wonderfully readable style and she manages to weave interviews, anecdotes and vignettes to give us a picture of a people that most of us know little about. But let me tell you that you must be prepared to have your preconceptions become misconceptions. In giving us the information on whom the Israeli is, Rosenthal sheds light on the shadows. It is absolutely amazing when we realize that Israel is a nation that has "ingathered the exiles"--Jews from all over the world who have not much in common except a history of persecution and the desire to live free in their own land.

I ordered this book because it was recommended by the tour company that is arranging our trip to Israel. I was looking for something that would give me additional insight into the country and its people. This book does an excellent job of exposing me to the various ethnic and cultural groups in Israel. The author is very good about interviewing typical people within each ethnic group with examples of their feelings toward Israel and their way of life. Highly recommended.

This new 2008 edition is a wonderful gift for readers of different religions, political backgrounds and ages.

I was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. As soon as I started reading The Israelis, I simply could not put it down. I learned about many varied faces of Israelis. The clear and easy prose and style of writing, the historical and political facts, the colorful anecdotes are enthralling and captivating. The book made me think and rethink about different issues that are an integral part of daily life in Israel -- and by extension throughout the Arab world.
It's packed full of information about different types of Arabic speaking Israelis -- Israeli Muslims, Christians and Druze. I learned a lot about their relationships within their communities and with other Israelis and Arabs outside Israel. Ms. Rosenthal does an excellent job elucidating issues that can change Arab thinking about Israel.
I highly recommend this 2008 edition of The Israelis for anyone interested in Israel, and also for anyone interested in grasping a better understanding of Arab society and its relationship to Israelis.

Layla Murad

The Never War was better than the first two in the series put together. This book was much more realistic than the first two.

The Never War (Pendragon Series #3) This book came as part of a box set containing the first 3 books in the series. They are quality paper backs. They will probably stand up to a lot of re-reads. I had been in search of a series to fill in the void left from the conclusion of the Harry Potter series. I have found that D. J. MacHale's series about time travel by a teenager and his friends to be an excellent transition from Harry Potter. I am currently finishing up book 8 in the series. I have purchased 7 of the books from Amazon and will buy books 8 and 9 when they come out in paper back. I would highly recommend this series to fans of Harry Potter. Trust me, you won't be disappointed and you will love the adventure.

The Never War is the third book in the Pendragon series. I thought this book was amazing this book I think was the best of all of the pendragons. This book brings back the characters Mark, Courtney, Spader, and Bobby and a new traveler Gunny. This book brings you back into 1937 on first earth. At the start of world war two and ends with a big ending that may shock you.
I would totally recommend this book because it envolve your own world and it makes you brush up on your history. This book is definitely the greatest sci-fi I have read. The Never War is a book that you never want to stop reading it keeps you on the edge of your seat through out the whole story and this book always has you thinking of what could happen next.

This is a really interesting book for probably one reason: the historical fiction.
This book takes you to First Earth, where life is eternally 40 yeaers behind our Second Earth. The plot of this story is where Saint Dane is trying to alter things that have already happened to cause chaos throughout Halla. This is about the Hindenburg. Saint Dane offers Bobby a chance to save the Hindenburg from crashing but what will happen if he doesn't?
This is book is chalk full of good historical fiction. I liked it, A LOT!

D. J. MacHale wrote for television for years before turning his attention to novels. He created ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?, a long-running series on Nickelodeon in the United States, but it also showed in Canada on YTV and Cinar.

For the last few years, he's been writing the adventures of Bobby Pendragon, a boy who's destined - hopefully - to save the world. Several worlds, actually. Bobby is a Traveler, one of those who have the power to "flume" from world to world. He's brought into the adventure by his Uncle Press. As Bobby was growing up, Uncle Press also took Bobby scuba diving, mountain climbing, to martial arts, driving, and several other things that gave him skills he needs to survive against enemies he encounters. All during that time, Uncle Press was training Bobby to be a Traveler.

Bobby's greatest foe is a villain called Saint Dane. Saint Dane has the ability to change his appearance at will and constantly hides in different worlds while working his nefarious plans.

THE NEVER WAR is the third book in this exciting series. In it, Bobby travels to First Earth, which takes place in the year 1937. The gangster era isn't new by any means, and I was slightly let down when I discovered I wasn't being taken to a new world. I especially loved Cloral, the world Bobby went to in the second book, THE LOST CITY OF FAAR, and I look forward to returning there hopefully in one of the later books.

Still, I'm older than the average Pendragon reader. The 1930s and the Hindenburg are familiar to me through several other books I've read as well as history I've researched.

For all the familiarity with the time period, though, MacHale tells a fascinating and fast-paced tale. Bobby and his new best friend Spader land in the 1930s while pursuing Saint Dane. They're immediately met by machine-gun toting thugs that try to kill them. Bobby figures out how to escape and gets Spader out as well. Spader is way out of his depth because he's never seen anything as "technologically advanced" as the 1930s.

One of the best things about the Pendragon books is that Bobby usually gets to save the day in a down-to-earth manner. He doesn't have any really special skills or powers that help him. At this point, he's fourteen years old and can do what most kids that age can. This makes the series more believable in some ways, and I think it draws the Pendragon audience in a little closer.

MacHale's sense of timing and pacing is excellent. The story moves quickly, and I got a real sense of urgency throughout the book as Bobby tries to figure out what Saint Dane is really doing. Many of the chapters end up on cliffhangers that will draw you rapidly into the next chapter. The dialogue is fantastic and sounds real.

One of the other facets of the series that I really enjoy is Bobby's friendship with Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde. The closeness they share, even through Bobby's journals, feels real.

MacHale also mixes in adult heroes with his young champion. Vincent "Gunny" Van Dyke was an excellent grown Traveler in this novel. He was kind and gentle, and guided Bobby and Spader throughout the adventure.

I did miss the world-building in this novel, but I know MacHale gets back to it in later volumes of the series. But for kids who haven't researched the 1930s much, this should be a fun book and on equal footing with fans of Artemis Fowl and Alex Rider.

A disorienting story, much too contrived. A patchwork of events taking place in both dimensions, space and time. Definitely confusing and surely inconsistent. Consequently, when the protagonists (and the author) are stuck in jeopardy somewhere or somewhen, something or someone appears out of the blue to get them (and him) out of their predicament. I must confess I didn't understand all of it... and I didn't seek to do it.

In my opinion one of the all time science fiction classics,along with Radix.You can skip the other two of the quadralogy.The story and the science are top notch.attanasio at the top of his game.I recommend this to all science fiction buffs and a great introduction to the work of Mr.Attanasio.

I love this book. I read it years ago and forgot the name of the book, the author and only now do I realize it was part of a series of books, and yet I have never forgotten the story. I think for me the most powerful part is how limited humans are relative to the Tryl (a species on Earth that evolves to an intelligence and grace greater than humans 1 billion years after we kill ourselves off) and yet we keep on, going on. Attanasio gives us the big and little of humanity sometimes within the same sentence. I read a lot of science fiction and generally the harder the better but Attanasio, like David Zindell's Neverness series, is an exception to the rule. There is enough "hard" science, like Gai's jumping up from basically the zero point dimension into a dimension much less dense and at much lower energy, to be fascinating in its own right. Another great book it reminds me of -- the Oddessy. The relationship between Gai and Ned O'Tennis (the fighter pilot) is very similar to that between Athena and Oddyseus. All in all, a great read.

The last legends of earth is a wonderfully fantastical story were the classical limitations of time and space are broken. Aliens of the future interact in a bid for god-like supremacy long after the civilizations of man have been lost in the dust. Humans become the fodder for spider-like beings and a battle for human freedom ensues. The worlds Attanasio describes are imaginative and timeless. This is a story is a classic Sci-fi adventure but also has retains a sense of humanity, love and the human spirit. This is one of my favorite books by the author; I also recommend his Arthurian series.

In my opinion, this is (along with the first book in the Tetralogy, Radix) one of the finest sci-fi/fantasy novels written in the past 30 years. It's a rollicking good time, with good vs evil, heroes and villains, interesting scientific concepts, a romance that even manly men could appreciate, and a tempo that speeds up and slows down at just the right times.

Heavily influenced by Lovecraft, Attanasio writes stuff that is not intended to be the joy of English majors or grammar prudes but is deeply fascinating and tells great, highly imaginative stories. This book is no exception. If character is the end-all and be-all of literature to you (ugh!) and story and plot are less interesting to you, then you may not find most of Attanasio's work to your tastes, although his characters are certainly believable. Certainly in LLoE there are some highly interesting characters to add to a mind blowing story that spans billions of years.

After having read the original book in the tetralogy, Radix, when it came out so many years ago, and being so impressed by it, I was disappointed by the next two books in the series. They were interesting but lacked stories that sucked you in. Not so with LLoE, which is a page turner of the highest order. I don't think you'd have to be a sci-fi fantasy buff to appreciate it, but if you are it's one of the best. It certainly has one of the most evil races of monsters in ALL of literature, the zotl. If you can read about them and not get the creeps, you should probably be in an institution somewhere.

In fact, if all you read of the tetralogy were Radix and LLoE, you would be well served, but you might want to read the others for the sake of completeness.