History Books

Right now, health officials that directly control the physical condition of most of our population make their decisions based on data bought and paid for by agribusiness, or data that is a century old. Everyone in such positions, both in the FDA, CDC, USDA & state regulatory boards, is morally beholden to read this book and to understand the truth.

Of course, they won't, and it will continue to be easier to buy crack cocaine in the USA than it is to purchase the most perfect and complete food available to man. At least Schmid's writing will empower those of us who do understand what controls the food supply to argue intelligently in favor of raw dairy, and to spread enlightenment in our small spheres.

This book will be the foundation to a world of politics and potential that you probably didn't have a hunch existed in the realm of food science and politics, especially with a food so fundamental as dairy and a subject so fundamental as food!

I have purchased many copies of this book, and I read it over for pragmatic and enjoyment purposes. The author has a clean, but interesting style that will help you see through any dogma about to cook, or not to cook your dairy; and who is taking away one of those options from you.


I certainly hope you'll be able to get your hands on some of the right raw dairy that works for you, after reading this book!

The wealth of information in this book more than makes up for a little bit of disorganization at times and some typos.

In a nutshell, it encapsulates the history of milk production in this country and re-visits all significant studies about the health properties of milk to show unequivocally that certified, clean raw milk is what we all NEED to be drinking, not the pasteurized stuff that destroys enzymes that are very important for human health.

Many alternative health remedies these days recommend to not drink dairy. The reason is that PASTEURIZED dairy contribues to chronic health problems, while RAW dairy helps fix them due to its enzyme and probiotic bacteria content. The two products are not really even comparable from a health standpoint, though both are called milk and both are white liquid.

This message needs to get out. Certified raw milk is not dangerous. Buy the book. Loan it to your friends. Pressure your local government to allow raw milk sales and allow people the choice and opportunity to become healthier.

Awsome book. an eye opener to anyone interested in what goes in your body.
scary realisation. after reading this book your friends will think you are insane. it is almost as if you discovered smoking is good for you. Noone would believe you!

A MUST READ

Schmid very carefully tells the history of milk and once you are informed you will be sickened by current "legal" dairy practices. If you have ever driven by large dairies (especially in Idaho) and inhaled the stink of confined cows and observed the mud and filth they live in this book is a must read. Rock on "Real Milk".

For those in the world who feel like they don't know nearly enough "stuff" (or all purpose knowledge, not specific to any one subject, like literature or history or science...), stop.

Breathe in. And behold.

"What are the Seven Wonders of the World?" and the remaining bits of title which go on for quite a bit, is a rather remarkable volume. Thick, informative, and enjoyable, it is a convenient way to learn various bits of trivia, whether simply to learn, or even to impress others (yes, I CAN name the six wives of Henry VIII!). It's fun to go through bit by bit, can be read aloud as a trivia game in itself, and is (thankfully) paperback, so weighs less than it would if hardcover.

"Wonders" gives you everything. Whether teaching about religion (quite a bit is devoted to this subject), math (triangles, trigonometry, Euclid... those things you'd hoped to forget from high school), history, architecture (yes!), music, or even the alphabet, "Wonders" maintains a light, informative feel... in small portions. Reading each informative essay one after the other might give you a bit of a headache.

Highly recommended in small doses. A great way to learn new things, as long as one carefully rations it out. 4 1/2.

Absolutley superb trivia book. Saat down and read it in my FIRST sitting. Very enjoyable. Great seller, too; very fast turnaround time!

This book is wonderfull. It doesnt matter what you are interested in, you will enjoy this book. In this book there is everything from what are the three sons of Adam and Eve to what are the 24 letters of the greek alphabet. You will always find something interesting in this book.

I found this interesting book via a book club I belong to. I've used it extensively in research for debating as well as writing fanfiction. Encyclopedic in nature (it covers a wealth of subjects from history to science to the arts) and intelligently written, I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning.

This is a clever little volume which, for the most part, I enjoyed. Essentially, it is 101 questions (see the title for an example) with answers provided in short, generally engaging essays. For a triviophile like myself, it provided a lot of interesting stuff, though it's not really a book to be read straight through. Instead, taking a few questions a night should prevent information overload.

In addition, the book does have a few weakness. First, there is the unavoidable one of the selection of questions. Depending on your tastes, some questions will likely be less interesting than others. Also, the authors have the occasional tendency to throw in a judgement with their answers which can rankle, especially in the religious realm. Finally, there is the feeling that some of the questions are a bit of a stretch, shaped to fit the format the authors have chosen.

Still, I don't get the sense that the book is meant to be a reference work. It is meant to be an engaging exploration of a potpourri of interesting questions. In that respect, it works quite well.

Superbly written book, wonderful use of the English language.
Here is a graphic account of the stresses, dangers and life of a WW1 fighter pilot. Anyone who is interested in this period should read this and then read it again. An awe inspiring piece of work.

In doing some family history research I established that an 18 year old relative had died in a mid air collision while flying a Sopwith Camel in the same area and at the same time this story is set. I was searching for some literature that could give me some understanding of what this brave young man had experienced. I could not have found anything that could have been more compelling reading or had more of an emotional impact than this superbly written account of the machinery and the time.

A ripping yarn, a must for aviation enthusiasts, replete with explicit and graphic flight scenes. The philosophizing seems more 1930's than 1918, but that's when the author published it. The way the author/hero deals with the loss of comrades is skilled writing, evoking the banality of having to get on with the job without mourning. i'm not qualified to comment on any authenticity of the feeling expressed/felt but it stands out from others of the genre for that reason. for me, it ranks with Sagittarius Rising, and Derek Robinson's work. the author enjoys spiking the sometimes purple prose with neologisms and entertaining latinisms; a trait i enjoy but others shouldn't have much trouble ignoring.

Based upon the author's own experiences in the RFC in 1918 here is the complete story of the war in the air on the western front. 148 sorties, the slow inexorable death of friends and squadron mates one at a time until only a squadron of ghosts is left, dogfights with Fokkers, air superiority over the Huns, death in the air, flamers (the worst way to die!), Archie, getting tight in the mess each evening singing rousing songs and smashing furniture to relieve the tension, dropping bombs, low altitude ground strafing, slaughtering ground troops with your machine guns until it sickens you, downing two seaters, mechanical failures of your Sopwith Camel while waiting for the new Snipes to arrive from England,gliding or limping back to the lines and safety, mid-air collisions, influenza turning to TB. It is all there. Highly recommended. This is the best book on the war in the air in WW1 I have ever found. Read it, and then read it again. It is that good.

I really can't understand all the 5 stars this got because other than a short, brilliant chapter on flying the camel, it just goes on and on and on and...you get the idea. Plot summary: get up and fly, dodge archie, come back to base, maybe somebody dies, get drunk, do it again tomorrow. That's pretty much it folks. Don't look for any plot development or character development here. There is some philisophical rambling about the meaning of the war which should rightly be included in any war book. Never goes anywhere. it was hard to actually finish the book but i was curious to see if it actually every "took off and flew". final verdict? down in flames! Want my copy free?

This book does a great job of enhancing the experience of watching The Dark Crystal. Objects that are only seen for an instant or merely in the background are explained in detail in this beautiful collection. My only complaint? There's lots of white space on some of the pages, which makes it feel like less of a guide to an ancient world and more like a textbook.

Even so, highly recommended for fans of the movie, faerie stuff in general, or just great artwork.

Brian Froud, the creator of the Dark Crystal, is a Genius.

This book is a small Bible.

Well written, and with images so refined it makes you wonder if it is all "human" made.

All your questions about the Dark Crystal will be answered.
The information contained in the book seems almost sacred,
as for the capacity for the human mind to understand it all,
that is yet to be proven...

This book is an amazing tome for anyone who grew up in adoration of The Dark Crystal. Brian Froud's illustrations and concepts are gorgeous and so incredibly creative. This book is delivered as a history of the World in which the film takes place. It is narrated by Aughra, "...the first and last," who witnessed thousands of years of creation and destruction. She monitors the cyclical suns, a spectator of the conjunctions that bring the wise urSkeks, and their division a thousand years later into the cruel Skeksis and the mystical urRu. Aughra alone knows the long history of the crystal and throughout the pages, describes life throughout the ages. There are so many subtleties that the book describes that I can't wait to watch the film again, knowing the significance of the shapes of rocks, the intricate details of the clothes the characters wear, and the elaborate symbolism peppered throughout. The art is gorgeous and the insights into the World of the Dark Crystal shed a new light on the film and its philosophy. Bravo!

A must have for any Dark Crystal fan. It contains detailed pictures, decriptios of the various races, and a breif overveiw of how the world works. It also contains some history on the making of the movie, and a copy of the orginal movie idea. Even if you don't like the movie, it would be hard not to appreciate level of detail that went into this imaginary world.

Overall: An excellent book, which I highly recomend.

I didn't grow up with "The Dark Crystal" like most others who bought this book. I watched it for the first time in 2007. While I found the movie charming, it didn't leave much of an impression. Still, I was fascinated with just how so powerfully so many people love this movie. The film has such a following that a sequel is on the way after 25 years. So, I bought this book to see what it was I was missing. This book is mostly written from the point of view of Aughra, one of the main characters in the film. The art is fantastic but what I adored was the mythology I found within these pages. In this book is a vivid history of the world of the Dark Crystal, complete with philosophical and religious ideas that have a strong connection to the events of the film. If you wish to understand the films themes and events better, there is no better book than this. A MUST for all fans of "The Dark Crystal"

Ted Lawson's first-person tale of America's first blow back at the Empire of Japan is a "must read" for anyone interested in military history. The first book published on the Doolittle Raid, Lawson's narrative describes the genesis, preparation, and execution of the raid, and should be followed with a reading of Doolittle's autobiography, in which Doolittle describes his mission as well as his despair after bailing out of his B-25. Little did either of them suspect that a raid intended to boost American morale would have strategic consequences, and that Japan would divert badly needed resources to home defense that otherwise would have gone to the front lines.

Well told story of the Doolittle raid told by one of the pilots on the raid. The story is about the pre-raid, the raid itself, and the aftermath, which tells about the injuries sustained by Capt. Lawson and his crew and the help they received from missionaires and the Chinese in escaping capture by the Japanese. He also relates the stories of some of the other crews on the raid.

This is a tense account of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in the spring of 1942. World War II pilot Ted Lawson describes the pre-raid preparation, taking off from the aircraft carrier Hornet, attacking Tokyo, and crash landing his B-25 bomber in Japanese-occupied China. As many know, the B-25's took off farther out to sea than planned after the Hornet was spotted while approaching Japan. With too little fuel to reach the safety of Chinese lines, the crews bailed out or crash land in Japanese-occupied China. The surviving airmen then tried to avoid Japanese army patrols and find help from friendly Chinese. Most flyers did so despite the language barrier and survived. But Lawson was injured in the crash-landing, and when infection set in his leg was amputated in a field hospital. Lawson survived, returned to the USA, and wrote this book in a matter of days in 1943. The story is often gripping but loses a bit of steam later on - thus just four stars.

I read this book as a youngster for its thrill value without fully realizing that war is mostly tragedy rather than adventure. The book became a 1944 film starring Van Johnson, Robert Walker and Robert Mitchum. As for Lawson, he returned with his wife to California where he eventually ran a machine shop and he lived until 1992.

It a first person account of the Doolittle raid over Tokyo in 1942, written by one of the B-25 pilots from the raid. It covers his story from flight school all the way through his eventual return to the United States. Its an amazing story, especially the crews crash in China and the 5 month ordeal of evading the Japanese. It is a great book for younger readers with its fast pace and informaly written style.

I first read this book so many years ago that I can't remember, but I think it was about when I was in the eighth grade, say about 1955. I remember the book, and I remember the Van Johnson movie. The scene where the Chinese peasant brings Van Johnson the pair of slippers only to see that he has lost one leg stays with me even now. ==This is a classic book. It was written by one of the pilots on the Doolittle raid over Japan. In fact it was the character played by Van Johnson, Lt. Ted W. Lawson, that wrote this book.

This book, these men as much as any other that I can think of illustrates exactly what Tom Brokaw had in mind when he referred to them as the 'greatest generation.' Especially so when you talk to one of them and they invariably tell you they were not a hero. Heros were the ones who didn't come back. Heros were the other guys. I was just doing my job. Heros they were all.

Read this book. Read it again if you read it years ago. Give a copy to that youngster in your family or church that you think will appreciate it.

John Conroy performed a courageous feat of journalism with this book. As an American writer he put himself in the midst of the conflict and in incredible danger at times to capture the true picture of Belfast in the 80's. The stories of the people he encountered and the tough environment he experienced and witnessed is indispensible reading for anyone who wants to understand what the conflict was all about at the street level.
While Belfast seems to be enjoying more peaceful times at the moment this book is a reminder of just how volatile a political climate there is and provides the reader with a much fuller understanding of the how , the why and major developments in the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Not only do I admire John Conroy's writing, but I admire his courage to put himself right in the middle of 'the troubles' just to get the story right. It would one thing if Conroy was a Belfast resident and was just reporting on his day to day life, but he is not. He is an American who more or less stumbled upon this assignment and saw it through.

It struck me a few times in the book just how close Conroy was coming to being killed in a place where death is a way of life. He is to be commended for this and we owe a debt of gratitude for making this sacrifice just so we could get a look right from the belly of the beast.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that Conroy did a great job putting the 'Troubles' in Belfast into perspective from an American living in the midst of it all. Having visted the area that he writes of brought back memories. I referred to his map at least 50 times during my reading of the book to recall the streets that I walked in relation to where he wrote the book and spent his time in Belfast. I highly recommend this book.

of what it is like to live, work and experience the turmoil of "The Troubles." Conroy covered the Troubles the right way...he went in and lived among the people in Belfast instead of swooping in for drive-by interviews like too many journalists have done in the past. He also manages to convey what he experienced while maintaining objectivity...this skill when dealing with terrorist and paramilitary violence is something writers covering the "War on Terror" these days could learn from. Required reading for anybody interested in Northern Ireland, its history and how to possibly make a better future in that wartorn nation...

This book was recommended to me as excellent reading about the Troubles, particularly for Americans. I whole-heartedly agree; it is all that and more. Conroy does describe the daily workings of life in Northern Ireland but he also tackles the prejudices and ignorance of Americans (and the U.S. government) when it comes to the political climate in Northern Ireland. He pulls no punches and sugar-coats no issues. He explicates the situation as he sees it and is not afraid to indict those who turn blind eyes. The version I read was older so I have not yet seen the updated book that includes information on semi-recent IRA ceasefires. But I do think many of Conroy's observations are still applicable, changes in administration notwithstanding. He describes the intolerant view towards Sinn Fein taken by the American government in the 80s and the biased, oversimplified treatment of the Troubles by the American media. Indeed as Conroy notes it has not been hard to sell the British point-of-view to American audiences but what of the counterpoint? When do proponents of the other side get a chance? Conroy also concludes that for as long as Northern Ireland remains a British enclave, continued violence is guaranteed. For that reason alone, Americans owe it to themselves to read _Belfast Diary_.

There was not one moment during this book that I wasn't totally captivated. The author puts a human face on the struggle of those in Iraq who lived under Saddam Hussein. And throughout, you are constantly reminded that she was among the "fortunate" by comparison. I found it to be an excellent education in the history of the country and the evolution of it in recent decades as well. I read this book on a recent camping trip in New England when I should have been mesmerized by my surroundings. Instead, I found I could not put this book down.

Short and sweet.. This is an awesome book. You see so many sides of Suddam. His dark side certainly made him a candidate for his execution!

it took a while to get here, but it was in good condition when it did.

Zainab Salbi's life seems idyllic, but even as a child she senses the tension felt by her wealthy parents as they entertain and are entertained by Saddam. Salbi's story shows two sides of Saddam: the cruel and abusive despot and the genial manipulator. In spite of the web Saddam spins around her family, Salbi experiences adolescent rebellion, ignorant of the danger her parents see threatening her, just as it threatened her mother and eventually ruins her parents' marriage. Salbi's story is a fascinating portrayal of a family living in luxury under tyranny and the dangers faced whether the choice is to endure or to escape.

Wow! This book knocked me out. I could NOT put it down. It really helped me understand some of the conflict within Iraq, but more importantly, the author and tone of this book is just very human, real, and accessible. As a youngster, and for all of her formative years, Saddam Hussein is in the background as a family "friend". Though her parents resisted his friendship, they found it more and more dangerous not to be his friend. It's like living with the devil! However, the author eventually gets out of Iraq and away from Saddam Hussien, due to an arranged marriage. I won't say how that goes as I don't want to ruin the ending.

I do feel that this is one of the absolute BEST memoires I ever read and it was written with a lof of grace and humility. For me, it was an important book, and I highly recommend you read it. I think it will become a classic memoire.

Michael Greger's "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching" is more terrifying than anything a horror writer could imagine, since it depicts a real-life doomsday scenario that seems poised to occur very soon; indeed, the new H5N1 strain of influenza, known as "bird flu," has mutated into a form that can be transmitted by human contact, though not yet on a massive scale, meaning a mass outbreak is more a question of when, not if.

Whereas humans generally contract the disease by ingesting contaminated birds, or being in frequent contact with them, bird flu could blanket the globe when the virus has learned to jump easily from human to human. The author writes: "One day soon, experts fear, with more and more people becoming infected, the virus will finally figure out the combination -- the right combination of mutations to spread not just in one elevator or building, but every building, everywhere, around the globe. One superflu virus. It's happened before, and experts predict it many soon happen again."

Dr. Greger sets the stage for what could come by giving readers a grisly account of a previous avian influenza outbreak: the 1918 flu pandemic, in which 50 to 100 million humans perished. These were gruesome deaths, with blood oozing from eye sockets as the victim's lungs liquefied. Fatalities were so abundant that officials were unable to keep up with burying the corpses. It seems this was merely a sample of what's in store for humanity. "As devastating as the 1918 pandemic was," Dr. Greger writes, "on average the mortality rate was less than 5%. The H5N1 strain of bird flu virus now spreading like a plague across the world currently kills about 50% of its known human victims, on par with some strains of Ebola, making it potentially ten times as deadly as the worst plague in human history." One reason, he explains, is the 1918 virus attacked only the lungs, whereas H5N1 shuts down all the internal organs.

"Bird Flu" eloquently contextualizes the subject, giving us a greater understanding of the virus' origins and our critical role in it. The director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States, Dr. Greger examines bird flu from every angle, creating a meticulously researched work that traces how agricultural, scientific, environmental, political and economic forces have conspired to transform a virus that once threatened only waterfowl into a "highly pathogenic avian influenza" destined to lay waste to large segments of human population.

Among the stops on the author's bird flu reality tour is President George W. Bush's decision in April of 2006 to lift the ban on poultry products from China -- a country well known for its recent outbreaks of avian influenza -- possibly in return for China's agreement to drop its mad cow disease-related ban on U.S. beef imports. (One disease for another, perhaps? No trade deficit there.) Other troubling highlights include the world's inadequate hospital capacity and the inability to create a vaccine, or enough of it, to combat a virus that kills half its victims. In other words, we are as ill-prepared for avian flu today as we were in 1918. And, as Dr. Greger notes, not only is H5N1 worse than what our grandparents faced, but 21st-century transportation means a virus can travel around the planet in 24 hours, not a year.

The book is also a sobering lesson in how many of our human ailments, from the common cold to AIDS, have come from our oppression of animals, especially the practice of breeding and raising them for food. (Dr. Greger notes that human influenza began with the domestication of ducks 4,500 years ago.) Yet authorities refuse to confront the obvious cause of this "virus of our own hatching," preferring instead to devote their resources to containing the outbreak by culling chickens and turkeys and extolling the virtues of well-cooked meat.

Even without the looming pandemic, "Bird Flu" reminds us that eating animal flesh can be deadly. Dr. Greger writes: "For the same reason that people don't get Dutch Elm Disease or ever seem to come down with a really bad case of aphids, food products of animal origin are the source of most cases of food poisoning, with chicken the most common culprit." He notes that although the USDA asserts that proper cooking methods kill all viruses, including bird flu, 76 million Americans still suffer food poisoning every year and an estimated 5,000 die from food-borne illness. The average American kitchen, it seems, has become a biohazard, with pathogenic bacteria found on food-preparation surfaces, sinks and utensils. Dr. Greger quotes flu expert Albert Osterhaus, who concluded that "the gastrointestinal tract of humans is a portal of entry for H5N1."

Although pandemics seem inevitable, Dr. Greger's landmark book suggests an obvious (some might say radical) solution: the elimination of intensive poultry production. Perhaps this is more wishful thinking, given the world's ever-growing appetite for cheap animal protein, but others in the scientific community are also supporting this recommendation, so we may at least see improvements in the way agribusiness operates. "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching" could herald dramatic changes in farming practices, finally driving decision-makers to critically examine not only how this virus came to be, but how we can curtail it and future diseases lurking within animal factories around the globe.

Mark Hawthorne, author of Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

I didn't want to read this book. Maybe you don't either. But you must. And when you do, you'll find that the author has made it easy, and even entertaining, for you to learn everything you never wanted to know about bird flu.

Michael Greger writes in an engaging and accessible style that will keep you turning pages as he guides you through the history of zoonotic (animal-based) diseases and explains how contemporary factory farming and meat-packing practices not only make the emergence of new diseases more likely but also place consumers at risk of food poisoning by everyday microorganisms like E. Coli and Salmonella. Despite his somber subject matter, Greger is upbeat, giving us the bad news in a way that energizes us to do something about it.

It can happen here. It has happened here. The 1918 influenza pandemic that killed more Americans than World War II was a bird flu. The next pandemic will be too. We all need to know what we might be able to do to prevent or mitigate that pandemic. You need to what to do to protect yourself and your loved ones when the pandemic comes. Read this book now and make sure that the public policy makers who are supposed to be looking out for you read it too.

Watching a pandemic unfold and take shape before your eyes is like watching paint dry. It is an agonizing process, slow and painful. But at the end, the product is there for all to see.

This is the book to read while watching the paint dry. Like Mike Davis' excellent "The Monster at Our Door," Dr. Greger has done a lot of the heavy lifting for you. He has read countless books, scientific papers, newspaper and magazine articles along with medical/scientific journals and produced the definitive work on avian influenza for the lay reader, decision-maker and concerned citizen.

Along the way, Dr. Greger also shows us the principal underlying cause of the spread of H5N1 (factory farming of chickens and other poultry) and supports his theories with mountains of data, opinion and observation -- much of it directly from the commercial poultry industry he takes to task for putting the world in the shape it is in, bird flu-wise.

Certain passages contain the most relevatory things about food production I have read since Upton Sinclair. It would not take much more to turn me into a vegetarian! I now seek free-range chickens to consume.

Speaking of consume: Once you have read (in order) The Great Influenza (Barry), The Monster at Our Door (Davis) and Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own hatching (Greger), you are ready to dive into the scientific literature yourself. Have a go at all three of these excellent books.

It is amazing how much is hidden from the public eye. This author does a great job of explaining how the avian flu is VERY probable. You will never want to eat chicken or eggs again after reading this one and learning about overcrowding, filth, and treatment of chickens and how the avian flu is mutating because of the conditions that we (humans) create. I highly recommend this book.

BIRD FLU: A VIRUS OF OUR OWN HATCHING opens not with H5N1, the modern day "bird flu virus" which has the potential to mutate into the deadliest pandemic that the world has ever seen, but with H1N1, the influenza virus responsible for the 1918 flu pandemic. In just two short years, an estimated 50 to 100 million people perished as World War I raged on.

As described by author Michael Greger, MD, in chilling detail:

"What started for millions around the globe as muscle aches and a fever ended days later with many victims bleeding from their nostrils, ears, and eye sockets. Some bled inside their eyes; some bled around them. They vomited blood and coughed it up. Purple blood blisters appeared on their skin. [...] [The Chief of the Medical Services, Major Walter V. Brem] wrote that `often blood was seen to gush from a patient's nose and mouth.' In some cases, blood reportedly spurted with such force as to squirt several feet. `When pneumonia appeared,' Major Brem recounted, `the patients often spat quantities of almost pure blood.' They were bleeding into their lungs."

Yet, H1N1 had a "low" (relatively speaking) mortality rate of 2.5% to 5%. Compare that to H5N1, which thus far has killed 55% of those infected - and one must wonder why the possibility of bird flu pandemic is confined to occasional media reports that are quickly dwarfed by the latest Hollywood gossip. Is bird flu-inspired panic just another example of media sensationalism?

Not so, argues Greger. From 1918 he transitions seamlessly to the research laboratories of today. Greger, who is Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States and "an internationally recognized lecturer on public health issues", launches into Viral Biology 101, explaining in layman's terms how a virus reproduces, spreads, mutates, and interacts with its host. Though he's dealing with (arguably) dry subject matter, Greger manages to keep the discussion engaging via the liberal use of colorful analogies and sharp, witty prose. This isn't your high school bio textbook.

Once a basic understanding of viruses has been established, Dr. Greger addresses modern animal agriculture, specifically, how it's especially conducive to the transmission and evolution of avian influenza. Animals, particularly "broiler" (meat) and "laying" (egg) hens, are packed into windowless sheds by the thousands; by the time they're fully grown just 45 days later (in the case of broiler hens), they don't even have enough space to spread their wings or turn around. Chickens are selectively bred for fast growth or maximum egg production - much to the detriment of their immune systems. Rather than improve the birds' ability to stave off disease (which would come at the expense of their "energy efficiency"), large-scale corporate "factory farmers" opt to pump their livestock full of antibiotics, thus contributing to bacterial resistance in humans. Add to this mix the fact that chickens literally spend their short lives wallowing in their own feces (and sometimes even that of previously butchered flocks), and you've got the perfect environment for a virus such as H5N1 to thrive.

And thrive it has. The billions of chickens, turkeys, and pigs raised and slaughtered for food annually act like "petri dishes" in which avian influence can mingle, swapping genetic material in order to mutate, gradually evolving into a strain more lethal and infectious to humans. Their compromised immune systems and unsanitary and stressful living conditions only facilitate this process. Despite numerous attempts at eradicating the virus - for example, by wiping out entire flocks of chickens, to the tune of millions of birds at a time - H5N1 (along with additional viral strains) can still be found on many farms, throughout the world.

While some critics - particularly those in the animal agriculture industry - dismiss this as scare mongering, Greger argues his points convincingly, and offers a wealth of evidence to support his claims. Indeed, his "Reference" section spans an impressive 90 pages! Throughout the text, he quotes a myriad of experts in the field, including Robert Webster, Kennedy F. Shortridge, and Michael Osterholm, as well as health professionals from the USDA, CDC, FAO, and WHO. Even "food scientists" admit - in the comfort and familiarity of their own trade journals, mind you - that the industry is flirting with disaster. The general - nay, unanimous - consensus seems to be "when, not if."

A pandemic is inevitable, that is, unless we swiftly and dramatically move away from factory farming methods towards less intense animal agriculture methods, such as free range farming. Additionally, this must be preceded by a temporary global moratorium on meat and egg production, in order to eradicate the bird flu virus(es) already present in farm animals worldwide. None of which is bloody likely to happen.

Thus, Greger urges readers to take precautions before a pandemic hits. He recommends obtaining and filling a prescription for Tamiflu (the more effective of two antivirals used to treat avian influenza), as well as stocking up on necessary groceries and such - TODAY. Greger also advises readers on how to purify water with bleach, and concoct cheap, homemade hand sanitizer. Oh, and do make sure you have plenty of liquor, cigarettes and ammo on hand, just in case the world reverts to the barter system! Though Greger reiterates and even elaborates upon government-issued pandemic guidelines in this last section, I didn't exactly walk away with a sense of empowerment. The rest of BIRD FLU was so horrifying that stocking up on canned veggies and medical masks won't do much to ease my troubled mind.

Whether you're a vegan, a carnivore, an average Jane, a state Senator, an animal welfarist, or a hunter, BIRD FLU is one book you can't afford to ignore. For too long, we've been playing chicken with our food supply - and nature may soon see fit to reward our taste for cheap meat with a global pandemic.

To know Rockaway is to absolutely know what it's like to not be able to live without Rockaway. Kevin Boyle captures Rockaway's darkest moments and shows how a community bonds together and rebuilds. He shows our strength and our unity during these tragic times. Thanks Kevin.

Kevin Boyle writes about Rockaway and its inhabitants with respect and humor. It has a nice balance of history, humor, and gripping unreal reality. I am from the area and lost a loved one. This book was tough for me but I can honestly say it is the most personal and realistic look at not just the firefighters that were lost, but the people that were lost. I recommend it.
- James Suhr

Fascinating account of the history of The Rockaways, and the devestating impact of 9/11 and the November 2001 airline accident. The reader is introduced to a number of families, and how they were impacted by the two tragedies. It is a wonderful read, and although The Rockaways are a scant few miles from Manhattan, the feeling is one of a small-town, where neighbors look out for neighbors and there is a community spirit of togetherness.

I must have read twenty 9/11 books and only came upon this after doing a search about 9/11 books. I had only heard of Rockaway Beach from the song, Rock, Rock, Rock, Rockaway Beach. I didn't know such an amazing place actually existed. Kevin Boyle writes of a place we want to call home and of people we want as friends. The bravery and toughness seen here is superhuman, and so is the goodness and strength. It's a story I'll never forget.

Being from "Rockaway", although technically from Breezy Point, I know what the people around here faced in both tragic events. I know the numbers involved. I decided to read this book because I wanted to know the names and thoughts behind those numbers. It was nice to know about all the places described in this book, and I found myself nodding at many of the comments or descriptions about life in Rockaway. Rockaway is really THE forgotten part of New York City, and this book puts us out there. I particularly liked the sections about the history of Rockaway, most of which I knew absolutely nothing about.

Thanks Kevin, for bringing out Rockaway's story and for making it so genuine and truthful!!!

If you want to raise clownfish or just want to know everything about them, this is definitely the book for you. I lost my copy and tore my house apart to find it and finally had to purchase a new one - just can't live without it.
For raising clownfish, she covers everything from spawning, hatching, catching, feeding, raising food, illnesses, selling, etc. It's amazing how many times I've had a problem, looked in the book, and she wrote about it.
This is definitely 'the bible' for raising clownfish.

it was really informative. I feel when i am ready i may be able to mate my clowns successfully with confidence. i also appriciate the background the author went into.

This reads well and has great background on breeding clownfishes. It gives you the right level of detail to understand what you will have to do to be successful. I have been breeding clownfish with this and another book as my guides and this is the better one of the two. The other is more detailed but so scientific it is confusing. This one is reasonable as a resource. I have an M.A. in aquatic botany so I understand jargon, but breeding fish is a practical activity for many of us, not a scientific research endeavor. You'll like this as a resource if breeding these interesting fish.

Good luck

Tim

Of the many books i got, this is by far the most detailed. Also because it focuses on one kind of fish i guess.
pretty detailed info is available on the various clownfish types, some of the behaviours are also listed to understand your pet a little better.

not a book focussed on filling pages for sure. however, a bit more was expected for detailed trouble shooting issues concerned to behaviours.

overall a nice book if you want to get to know your clown or the anemones.

If you're interested in keeping clownfish, this is the perfect book. The author goes into appropriate detail on what is needed to keep clownfish, what kinds of anemones can be kept with them (and their requirements), and how to breed them if you're so inclined. I found the book very easy to understand and not overly burdened with scientific and technical language. I also thought she had a very funny sense of humor that is sprinkled throughout. The pictures are great and she's actually had experience with most species in captivity and is able to make careful distictions to specific characteristics or needs of the different species. Some things I found especially helpful were the chapter on clownfish nutrition (she's really done her homework on that) and the common sense approaches to copepod cultivation for feeding baby clownfish. A great book for those keeping clownfish, even if you're not interested in breeding them.