Current Events Books

Even though written in '99, this is great background analysis for the lay person on Islam versus "The West" even today. Especially enlightening on the constant efforts of Turks to keep Turkey the only secular Muslim state. Also, the potential powder kegs of Egypt and Saudi Arabia unless their dictatorial governments allow some participation by Islamic Moderate Activists. The author is much more optimistic than I am about the possibility of a MIDDLE EASTERN version of democracy rather than the version being forced upon the area by ALL the American administrations with naive missionary zeal! The obsession with petrodollar politics is endangering the lives of many more thousands of people.

Overall Reaction:
Simply put, this is the most lucid work on the political Middle East and "the way it is, how it got there, and what to do about it" that I have seen. I understood everything Mr. Gerges had to say and could not help but be persuaded by his understated style and crystalline presentation. Written with respect for his reader (he never speaks patronizingly) he so clearly elucidates his points with well presented examples that the book becomes not only a compelling written account of his thought, but an excellent reference work. One does not need to absorb the whole book in order to arrive at valuable insight, although a thorough reading is recommended. In addition to the many keen observations he makes, he gives suggestions, clear, concrete suggestions, as to what to do with the problems outlined. I find this refreshing. Many books I have read recently project a good deal of frustration (although probably deserved) while others focus on what has gone wrong or been done wrong. Mr. Gerges collects his points of reference, tells us their histories and creates a map as to where things can be taken and put into order. Mr. Gerges presents his compelling reasoning along with a great deal of information (both in the text and in his extensive footnoting) all captured in a clear, calm approach.

How I will use this book in my further studies:
It is useful as a reference book as specific issues can easily be extracted for argument. I intend on both referring to this work in my writing with politicians and to keep up on Mr. Gerges's work to see what new insights he provides.

The book's main points:
We (the polled majority of the US at least since the Iranian Revolution in 1981) still hold the Arab Muslim in a negative stereotype as violent and Islam as a "hostile culture". He demonstrates that the US has never had a consistent policy, show of policy, thought process or self-knowledge of the Middle East. The west keeps reacting as if it were dealing with a (possibly) trained lion, in awe of its beauty, happy it has not jumped on us yet, and holding a gun at the ready in case it does. The west has never welcomed the Mid-East as a full member of modern society, it seems. As to our prejudices, he rightly points out the undeserved knee jerk reaction after the Oklahoma City bombing where numerous attacks on "Mid Easterners" were reported immediately after that bombing.
US Officials deny there is tie between media presentation, news and US Policy. I think there is ample evidence available that pretty well challenges that assumption especially when you look at the cumulative effect of media-news as well as media-entertainment on popular assumptions. Gary Sick's given quote: "We are all prisoners of our own cultural assumptions " is particularly to the point here, but it begs the question, "If we are prisoners, who is holding the key that will free us from mis-information?"
The book was written before the current situations, but his assessment of how we formerly backed the leaders we are now bombing when they were fighting the Soviet Union, and many other such observations, is still enlightening and relevant.
The Middle East, oddly, seems to be the Swamp of Politics. Wherever we step, there are bogs and tangled roots and mire and muck. If so, it is a swamp we have helped create. We have seemingly never dealt honestly with the Mid East and so we keep finding ourselves caught up in a matted tangle of former policies and legacies. We have been ambiguous at best and harmful (kindly put) to the development of good ongoing relations between the west and Middle East. It is as if we do not expect them to notice that we do not like or trust them very much, except for their oil. One of our ambassadors even said, "Islam is a conquering religion threatening the American way of life " although that Ambassador did stress that most US policy makers did not share his view.
The west views the Middle East as backward. The west cannot seem to get its head around the reality of a clerically dominated regime. We do handle the idea of the Pope, though. Maybe this is because the army of His Eminence is small.
Mr. Gerges points out the continual duplicity of governments: What they create, what they portray and what they are willing to do to keep the truth of one from another is the unfortunate, resource-consuming, status quo. It seems that one of the most pervasive issues the western world must learn to deal with is its confusion over how a people can live with a different cultural base of reference then the western model.

His brilliant step-by-step analysis of the unique histories of many of the Middle Eastern nations and their potentials (for benefice and for ill) is particularly well laid out. The Middle East is a region, but also a collection of countries. He gives us good access points into the machinery of the way things are so we can at least have the option and chance to do what we can for the best interest of all involved.

It is my conclusion that the oft-used political phrase of "clash of cultures" is not accurate. However, because of this book, I see it as much more of a clash of wills and belief in the right of one way to exist over, as opposed to along side of, others. Differing cultures can co-exist, but the will to be dominant, to have one's "ways" proved correct is what cannot be sustained. This book by Fawaz A. Gerges is at least an offered tool to help correct and improve the situation.

GregRobin Smith
RedHorse & Ridire Reviews
robin@knightstour.org
Please write me if you wish the whole review (including page # references)

Absolutely objective. Wonderfully insightful. Footmarked to the hilt.

This is the most useful, objective, engaging source I've found on the topic.

Although published in 1999 toward the end of the Clinton presidency, America and Political Islam sheds a lot of light on the attack on the twin towers in 2001. Focussing on U.S. foreign policy toward various aspects of the Islamic resurgence and how it has changed both through time and in different places puts recent events into a broader context that is sorely missing from many analyses. The book's investigation begins with the Iranian Revolution and covers four presidencies: Carter, Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton.

It tackles head on the climate after the end of the Cold War, noting that an over-easy replacement of the "red menace" of Communism with the "green menace" of Islam explains surprisingly much. It also tackles the tendency to conflate the "Iran problem" with the "Islam problem" which has often led to inappropriate responses to current situations.

The largest contribution the book makes is in sketching out how much U.S. foreign policy is constrained by Congress and public opinion. Our presidential administrations would probably have made much more nuanced, relevant, and accomodationist responses to various situations related to Islam if they had not been cornered by powerful congressmen with simplistic black and white views of the world. A secondary contribution is pointing out the very many places where the U.S. in dealing with Islam says one thing but does something different.

"America Misunderstood" does an excellent job to help readers understand the complex mindset of the rest of the world about what they think of American policies. The editor should be commended for collecting these pieces from extremely diffcult sources ( 40 odd countries ).

Everyone who voted in the 2004 presidential election can use this book to get a reality check of how their voting was viewed by the rest of the world.

It's especially interesting to read the bulk of OPEN LETTERS that were written to American voters by Nigerians, Egyptians, Israelis and even Russians of how we should do if we are sincerely willing to consider global peace. Being an American voter comes the responsibilty to think broader on many issues.

This is a honest and noble effort to bring America one step closer to the rest of the world.

Read this book. A lot of questions will be answered.

I accidentally came across this book at Amazon while searching for latest non-fiction political reads and I'm really happy that I found this book.

This book is so valuable for anyone who is interested in finding out the "REAL" answers to a plaguing question: Why Do They Hate Us?

Every single piece in this book has hidden messages written in remote parts of the world that can give us clues to many lingering questions that many of us have about the rest of the world's mindset about Americans.

Highly recommended for political enthusiasts, lawmakers, academics and historians who do research on Bush Presidency, American Foreign Policy, Election dynamics and American voting trends. It already helped me complete my paper on 2008 Election trends.

I guess the title should have been "WHY DO THEY HATE US" rather than AMERICA MISUNDERSTOOD.

Please read this book before you vote in 2008.

How many of us read foreign news sources? Should we even care? You would know how important it is to read foreign journalists if you read this book.

Although, "America Misunderstood" focuses on the Bush Second Term, the opinions are very pertinent to any occasion. Reading the other side of the story in raw form from the original sources definitely makes you think a lot and it is chilling and sometimes mind blowing.

Harold Pinter's 10 page article is scary and everyone who cares about our foreign policy should read it.

There are few opinions from Egypt and Lebanon that may give you a wake up call about how our policies are viewed in the Arab world. And two other opinions from Israel may put you on a double edged sword.

Go read this book. It's equivalent of reading an International newspaper that writes only about American foreign policies.

I used to be like the typical American, unable to understand how come we had such a bad reputation in the world's opinion. With some of our recent actions on the global stage, I don't think I'm quite as clueless any more. But the book America Misunderstood: What a Second Bush Victory Meant to the Rest of the World by N. Sivakumar does a very nice job in allowing us to see, via the international press, exactly how others view us and our government.

Contents: Introduction; Acknowledgement; Great Expectations; Carte Blanche To Murder; The Lighter Side; Osama Helped Bush; Faith-Based Presidency; The Israel Factor; Change Or No Change?; What's Next - Optimism?; Conclusion - War Fair?; Epilogue; Index

Sivakumar, a Sri Lankan who lives and works in the United States, decided to take a look at how the world reacts to the presidential elections through the lenses of the international press. He used the 2004 re-election of Bush to collect different opinion columns and cartoons from throughout the world to answer the question "Why does the world hate America?" It's an eye-opening experience to see media from outside our own country, to experience our reputation without the filters of our own biases. Much of the anger comes from our actions in Iraq, and Bush squandered much of the goodwill that we had right after 9/11.[...]. The major difference seems to be in what each group considers important. It's pointed out a number of times that Americans are looking at a variety of issues when they vote, many of them internal (economy, morality, etc). But to the world, it's more our stance on international affairs.[...].

For me, the biggest "takeaway" from this book is the necessity to look beyond your own borders when it comes to interpreting world events and opinions. It seems like half the people think our media is controlled by the government, and the other half think it's part of a liberal conspiracy. Taking the additional time to read and understand how the rest of the world looks at us is key in understanding the reality of our effect on the world, not just what we think we represent. No matter how "noble" we think we are, our actions portray something else completely.

I needed this book for a class I am taking, however, I would have read this book just for pleasure, I finished it before the class even started

In a very good way, I got more than I bargained for by reading this book. While seeking a solid source to inform myself on the "nuts and bolts", policy implications, and development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), I continued to come across this title. Expect some dense and intense reading; there is not a wasted word here. The book focuses exclusively on the covert delivery of a nuclear, biological, or chemical weapon against an American target, exploring possible methods, limitations, locales, preventive measures, and consequences. This book will considerably broaden the knowledge of any first-timer looking into WMD and likely provides substantive material for discussion among policy makers and experts in the field.

This is a comprehensive analysis of the threat without being alarmist.

It is far too easy to find shocking explanations of the biological weapons potential that do not describe some of the difficulties in their procurement and delivery. This "sexy" approach captures our attention and makes for good entertainment, but the `Chicken Little' approach doesn't help us develop rational methods for dealing with the issue.

Read this book if you want a levelheaded examination. It also contains a good description and solid recommendations for a national strategy.

I picked up this book as a research tool for a paper. Not only did I find the book to contain everything I needed, I became so enveloped in the reality of what I was reading that I couldn't put it down. A fan of Tom Clancy novels, this book describes the harsh reality that we live in, while detailing both the strengths and the weaknesses of the US response to bioterrorism. A must read for those with an interest in national security issues.

I need to declare first that I wrote the preface for the original US edition of this book, so obviously I think highly of it. Re-reading it again recently, I found that it moves me still, very strongly, with the vision that the steady strengthening of the individual human being is a force in history. The USA, whose world role is so complicated at this point, has had a great deal of strength in its "individualism" -- whether Jefferson's or Emerson's or the slaves, native Americans, women, immigrants, trans-continental migrants and all the rest who had to strive to establish their personal worth. This book helps me feel that we in the USA will find our way back to the humane ideals which are part of our true contribution to the world of the future.

Dr. Ben-Aharon's book is perhaps the most original contribution to the theme of Globalization, US, and social responsibility I ever read. He is not only an expert source of US policy and globalization' strategy, his unique contribution lies in the fact that he is capable of suggesting new, positive ways, socialy-and spiritualy productive. The concepte of Initiation, in particular, as developed in chapter 15, in connection with the evolution of consciousness and social life, is most illuminating. Its the first book on the topic known to me that combines depth of social analysis and spiritual insight, with wonderful sense of hope for the future of the US and humankind.

This book was amazing. It should be read by everyone concerned with what is going on in the world today and America's role in it. If you are wondering if you should get the hell out of this country or stay and fight for better solutions instead of running from the problem(and be "truly" proud to be an American)...read this book. The big plus about this book for me was its spiritual element in relation to world social events.
I just finished reading Owen Barfield's, "Saving the Appearances," before reading this book, unaware that it would be a great primer for what Mr. Ben-Aharon has to say. We definitely are living in interesting times.

All I can say is fascinating, in depth and very stimulating. I'm really glad I stummbled across this gem.

La Feber is a very good historian who examines the diplomatic history of the United States from its beginnings into the late 20th Century.

The book delves into the issues of the foreign policy of the United States and the people who conducted the policy. One of the more interesting chapters in the book is where La Feber looks into John Quicy Adams (who La Feber believes is the greatest Secretary of State of all-time). The chapter looks at one of the seemingly forgotten statesmen who did many great things for the young United States.

The book is a very good general look at the foreign policy of the United States a must have for those Americanist who enjoy foreign policy. La Feber also does a good job weaving the domestic policy of the United States into the reasoning and the decisions make in foreign policy.

It was with great anticipation that I began reading Walter Lafeber's The American Age. After reading his Inevitable Revolutions, I instantly became a fan of his writings. In The American Age, LaFeber takes the issue of U.S. Foreign Policy and systematically analyses it with great clarity and focus. He has made effective use of primary sources throughout the piece and has clearly shown the different veins of U.S Foreign Policy that have arised, from the evasion of military alliances of the Washington Period, to Taft's Dollar Diplomacy. I felt that the usage of editorial cartoons throughout the text was an excellent idea, as it allowed the reader to have a sense of the public mood during the era in question. In sum, I would declare that The American Age is a must for any reader interested in American Foreign Policy, not only as a reliable guide for facts and figures but also for a thoroughly enjoyable read

I had this as a textbook for my foreign policy and decision making class last fall and found it to be a great book on the history of US foreign policy. It starts at the very roots of the history of the United States and continues to the present day, giving numerous examples of policy decisions. The book is laden with numerous political cartoons and even anecdotes from popular culture (including movies), to show how America's view of itself on both the international and national view has changed over the decades. Lafeber does not write in stilted jargon that only a true blue political science/international relations major can comprehend. This book is written in a professional yet enjoyable manner that does not get overtly dull. Read it for a good intro to America's foreign policy dillemas.

Walter LaFeber's masterwork, this text is a detailed, high-impact summation of American foriegn policy throughout our history. What truly makes the book stand out, however, is the fact that LaFeber evaluates foriegn policy with democratic ideals in mind. Rather than plunging off the deep end of ultraliberal America-hating, LaFeber evenhandedly doles out praise and criticism to foriegn policy actors depending only on which is deserved.

And as is too often NOT the case with history books, LaFeber also aviods the pitfalls of taking in too broad a sweep of subjects. Despite America's great strength, LaFeber does not pretend we are omnipotent or that our attitudes and values define the whole world's. Rather, events and actions that have the most impact on people and their lives are camly and deliberatly traced, described, and evaluated. Also to his credit, the author introduces the myriad of characters, places and ideologies that the topic demands be addressed with dashing flair and memorable phrase. While the vastness of World War Two quite nearly bests him, LaFeber, with determination and thorough scholarship, manages to write altogether servicable chaptes on the immense conflict.

One wishes only for another edition, so that the same steady hand of diligent scholarship might come to balance and explain the too-tumultuous happenings of our late era. As a former foriegn policy student, I urge other students to keep the book after the class you use it for ends. LaFeber's worth and insight will likely long continue, and the perspective he provides will help anyone better understand the current foriegn policy mess we're in, and what our priorities should be.

If you choose to live under the illusions of mass-marketing
-- or under the yoke of slavery to dishonest government
-- or behind the bars of your own ignorance,
then you should NOT read this book.

Only people who yearn to find broader awareness and deeper understanding of how the world works should read this.

Everyone else can just stay where they are in their own chosen confinements of the life they choose and be satisfied with that immediate gratification of ignorance...following the paths that sharks, conmen, and highway robbers of our culture would have you believe.

This is the choice that American Vulgar offers. It is the choice that every day of life offers you. Grudin's new book lays it out in cool, concise vision. He carries the vision of a philosopher who cuts through the nonesenes that almost every institution in our American culture spreads and uses to twist our sense of truth, dignity, and honesty...all for the sake of power, money...

Read this book and become aware. Live free. Live outside "the Matrix"

I'm only halfway through and continue in amazment. Grudin has perfectly described the American condition and provided me with the lexicon to describe it to others.

Why was I so bothered by Celebrity Boxing? I knew it was wrong but I couldn't put into words. What has bothered me about "professional" wrestling all these years, why do people watch the crap they watch on TV...

Grudin answers this and more.

Calling all documentary film makers. "American Vulgar," a new book by the veteran author-commentator Robert Grudin, offers you a rare opportunity to create a film that's compelling, intelligent and important. It not only presents a perceptive, visually rich diagnosis of a central issue of our time; it also lays out practical prescriptions. Whoever sees (or reads) "American Vulgar" will enjoy its style and be heartened by its content. It's an "upper." If you can't wait for a film that might never be (alas!), you can order "American Vulgar" from amazon.com.

PS. If there's a Heavenly Review of Books, a delighted Daniel Patrick ("defining deviancy down") Moynihan will write a glowing review of "American Vulgar" that'll end with an "I told you so."

American Vulgar: the Politics of Manipulation Versus the Culture of Awareness is a call to action against forces of corruption which has permeated American society from the top down. It argues that marketers, political candidates, the media and others have succeeded in diminishing American self-awareness to maximize power - and it identifies these forces and how to act against them. Vulgarity can be overcome, philosopher and academic scholar Robert Grudin maintains: but only if its nature is understood. Use AMERICAN VULGAR to understand this nature, and how it manipulates: high school to college-level students in particular will find AMERICAN VULGAR key to debates surrounding social and political issues and accountability.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is brilliantly written. It has many stories of famous Anarchists, including poems and recipes for homemade weapons and survival items. Overall a great book and worth ten billion times the money. I give it two thumbs and two toes up!

An amazing, amazing book stuffed full of anarchist ideals and provides real, documented evidence of anarchist collectivism in ACTION. Society was reorganized based on the fundamental principle: From each according to his ability to each according to his need. The book provides first-rate accounts and an objective analysis of the Spanish Social Revolution. If any of you are doubting anarchism or simply need proof to support your anarchist convictions, BUY this book. The ideas in it are simply priceless. It doesn't take much to bring you down. Read this book. It will cement your belief in libertarian communism. Bask in the righteousness that springs from the truth!

This is an odd but interesting volume. Sam Dolgoff edits a volume, using primary sources, to discuss a little known aspect of the Spanish Civil War. Indeed, partisans would say that the term "Civil War" is wrong, and that what is described in this volume is actually a "Revolution."

The work begins with a useful essay by Murray Bookchin on the Spanish context. He outlines the dizzying array of groups with a stake in the conflict between the Republic and General Franco's forces. The focus of this book is the anarchist collectives--and how they functioned--after the start of the Civil War/Revolution until the eventual triumph of Franco and his allies.

The first part of the book is a set of readings that Dolgoff puts together to present the background and context of the "Revolution" (anarchists describe the conflict as a "Revolution," while others use the term "Civil War"). Among subjects covered: the trend toward workers' self-management (also referred to as syndicalism), the rural collectivist tradition, and so on.

The heart of the book is a set of essays by actors of the time (as well as some quick essays by Dolgoff himself): Augustin Souchy, Diego Abad de Santillan, Gaston Leval, and Jose Peirats). Focal points include urban collectivization (e.g., the efforts by the anarchist unions to collectivize Barcelona) and rural collectives.

This volume ends with an essay by Gaston Laval written many years ago as well as a concluding essay by Dolgoff.

The work is useful, as it describes what was going on in parts of Spain that were not often reported upon by reporters or others at the time. George Orwell (if memory serves) was with POUM, the Trotskyite organization), although he wrote of the anarchists in his "Homage to Catalonia." It provides a somewhat different perspective on the events in Spain in the mid-1930s that helps fill out the picture of the desperate struggle between different groups--from fascists to Republicans to various Marxist groups to anarchists. A fascinating period of time. . . . Too sanguinary for my tastes, but still fascinating.

This is not a book about making bombs. If you read this book you will know what anarchism really is and why it's original meaning has been bastardized. Anarchism is a legitimate and serious political ideology. This book was recommended to me personally by the famous MIT professor and scholar Noam Chomsky. Sam Dolgoff's work is very well documented and insightful. It will give you a peek at what a meaningful democracy really is and how IT CAN WORK!

The interviews are well put together. He asked important questions, and allowed those being interviewed to share their thoughts. Some of the answers are entertaining, and others really give you the insight that only a person that was there can give.

Read only the interviews you want, or catch your fancy.

I, too, am glad that AK Press re-printed this (unabridged) oral history project by the late great Paul Avrich. In this classic tome, Avrich brilliantly brings to life the fascinating stories of the heroic women and men, most of them immigrants, involved in the anarchist movement of the early 20th century. I especially found interesting the stories about Emma Goldman, Sacco and Vanzetti and the free schools inspired by the work of Francisco Ferrer. That said , I was a little dismayed that a few of the individuals interviewed espoused ideas that many activists today wound consider reactionary, such as support for Zionism and the Cuban exile movement. It bewilders me, for example, how any anticapitalist could denounce Salvador Allende and the social experiment he attempted in Chile. Likewise, I was troubled by the fact that the bulk of the book dealt almost exclusively with issues of economic exploitation and the state, ignoring equally important topics like race, gender, sexual orientation and the environment. Nevertheless, this is an important book, and despite its enormity, a surprisingly quick and enjoyable read.

Anarchist Voices: An Oral History of Anarchism in America is a real treasure. It's more than 450 pages long, but I couldn't put it down. The book allowed me to escape into the lives of the real participants of the Anarchist movement of North America in its previous heyday of the 1890s-1930s. Originally published in 1995, Paul Avrich interviewed hundreds of Anarchists and former Anarchists who were mainly in their eighties and nineties in the 1970s, the majority dying within a few years of the interviews. I was especially impressed by this, since it gave hundreds of people who had led amazing lives a sort of last memoir before they passed, much in the same style as Working by [by whom?]

It is divided into six sections covering much of the American Anarchist movement. It is mainly centered around the east coast, especially New York. They are 1) Pioneers, which focuses on relatives and close friends of the famous Anarchists like Alexander Berkman and Ben Reitman, 2) Emma Goldman, who was hugely influential and left a strong impression on everyone interviewed 3) Sacco and Venzetti, which details mostly Italian Anarchist experiences around the famous trials and frame-up of the Italian immigrants, 4) Schools and Colonies, which focus on the Modern School movement like the Ferrer school or the Stelton colony in which Anarchists tried to build communities and separate themselves into a lifestyle, 5) the Ethnic Anarchists, focusing on different groups which really brought ideological Anarchism to the United States, like the Russians, Jews, Spanish, and Italian immigrants, 6) the 1920s and beyond, which links the activities after the big decline on the US Anarchist movement after the 1920s until the 1960s and the rise of the "new anarchist movement" starting in the 1980s.

What really struck me about this book was how similar some of the arguments of the Anarchist movement were in the past to those of the present. Past divisions between sub-groups were detailed in the text as well. As Avrich explains, the main split was between the Anarcho-syndicalists/communists and the Anarcho-individualists. Today, the main split is between the Anarcho-syndicalists/communists and the eco-anarchists. The discussion also includes people who got burnt out on anarchists because they thought the anarchists were ineffective. Many do not regret their involvement in the movement and look back on the years they spent in the movement as the best years of their lives.

In the end, the book is very inspiring because so many of the interviewees still call themselves Anarchists and see that the fight for a better world will continue no matter what. Many of them remain idealists and are hopeful that the world they have worked towards will come about someday. They have hope despite having seen the world nearly destroy itself, supposed comrades (like the Communists) betray them, and enough bickering to make anyone cynical. Many of them had not been involved in the Anarchist Movement for many years, or had simply been involved in book clubs or discussion groups that passed on the ideas. And yet they are still committed to the idea that all humans should be free of oppression and that no government can make you free no matter where you are on this earth.

I'm very, very happy that AK has reissued this book. Previously, it was only available in expensive hardcover.

What it is is nothing less than a living, breathing, oral history of the real anarchist communities which existed in the United States mostly before the second world war.

Instead of dry theory you have the voices of the people who have read the theory and have applied it in their lives in an actual movement.

You have people from the Italian Anarchist community in America, you have references to the Spanish one and how they organized in America while the CNT, the major Anarcho-Syndialist Union in Spain, was in existence.

You have recollections of the major Anarchists in America from people who actually knew them; you even have gossip over things like Sacco and Vanzetti by Anarchists theorizing about the case.

Plus, accounts of Anarcho-Communes, which did exist well into the 20th century.

If you ever wanted to experience what it would be like to sit at a table back in the first half of the century and hear the Anarchists of the time talk about their lives, their strategies to organize for social change in their communities, and their take on politics and anarchism, well, here it is.

The book is invaluable.

Better than trying to struggle over pointless legal theory in "What is Property?" by Proudhon...although other of Proudhon's works are good.

Hear the living, breathing, heart of the early 20th century anarchist movement: read this book.

In a highly cerebral and compelling argument, White attacks the fallacies behind censorship efforts: hazy legal definitions, attacks on materials based on personal responses to them rather than their inherent qualities, efforts to promote or preserve orthodoxy rather than to admit free exchange of ideas, fear of mass communication of ideas rather than a fear of the ideas themselves, legal statutes and decisions based on class prejudices rather than fact, and attempted restrictions based on perceived harm or threat of harm rather than on hard scientific, causal evidence linked to harm. Thought-provoking and unique, this book should be read by anyone interested in preserving intellectual freedom.

White's case is logical, clearly presented and very witty.I highly recommend this book.

From the metaphorical title to its thorough and inclusive bibliography, _The Anatomy of Censorship_ presents with laser-sharp accuity the rebuttal to the judicial "I can't define it but I know what it is when I see it" definition of pornography. White presents us with a concise history of those individuals or factions of society who have engaged in activities beyond their contemporary mores and then proceeds forward to describe how our confused Puritanically-sex-addicted society simultaneously reels in disgust at "smut" and yet spends more time concerned with the topic of sex than most other social concerns. White deftly explains how traditional definitions of pornography avoid the fact that most cases of "pornography" actually and rightly involve personal choice and individual freedoms, and how the givers of these definitions impose a distorted view of exactly what acts constitute wrongdoing or coercion upon others. In addition (and I'm sure to raise some hackles with this statement), this book could be described as an "un-feminist" or better yet a "person-ist" track in that it dares to define many heretofore thought-of sexist activities, whether depicted in various media or just part of daily life, as NOT being misogynist because of their consentual nature. This really seems to form the crux of White's argument: "Pornography ain't pornography if all involved are adults, enjoying it, and haven't forced the other person(s) to engage in it." _Anatomy of Censorship_ takes on its subject head-on and with aplomb and accumen. At the least, this book should be on the reading list of every person who is worried about personal freedom in these days of encroaching conservatism and Internet watchdogging and V-chips; at worst, it should end up on every ACLU card-carrier's bookshelf. And if you have any friends in the Bible Belt, this would make a most interesting Christmas present. Any way it's taken, _Anatomy of Censorship_ is an intelligent, logical entry into the corpus of books defining just "what's dirty" in our world.

If you support or oppose any form of censorship, you should read this book. Make no mistake: this is strong fare, aimed squarely at the reader who enjoys a good challenge. It is sprinkled with hilarious examples that underscore the seriousness of the subject. I really enjoyed it.

When your in parts of the world were their are drug lords and Wealthy people Like California it was Like magic before, like I was living in a Drug Lord Movie. No problems worries with people telling because that is no problem unless one gets involved with differnt people who don't share the same chemistry and that does not happen with people of that chemistry because everyone does not always think the same things.

Clawson and Lee managed to compile a vast amount of data from varied sources to produce a balanced on-the-mark analysis of the cocaine industry and its impact on the region. A very impressive book.

As a person who has lived in and conducted business in Colombia, and as someone who is interested in the subjects of Colombian history, economics, and the country's struggle to maintain its own internal sovereignty, I found The Anean Cocaine Industry to be extremely informative. Bravo to Clawson and Lee -- a job well done. If you are interested in cocaine, its production and its socio-political and economic impacts, this book is an educational must read. Bottom line: a wonderfully comprehensive text on this subject.

"The Andean Cocaine Industry" is an expert account of drug trafficking. The authors leave no stone unturned in studying this important subject. They must be commended...this is a remarkable book.