Current Events Books

When I got a copy of this book - having forgotten about Dr. Szasz's breadth of outlook and singular erudition - I thought I was going to read a nice little political tract condemning the current American Drug Prohibition. "Our Right to Drugs" is that, of course, but it is so much more - it is a call to intellectual and political arms.

The War on Drugs, as Dr. Szasz so carefully shows, is nothing less than a Jihad, a Holy War waged by the forces of reaction and restriction in our society against all those who think that there should be peaceful choice, or self-ownership, or genuine free thought. And like all Holy Wars, this one permits the worst atrocities to be visited on the unbelieving because they are not just wrong - they are evil.

Like many libertarians, Dr. Szasz has little use for compromise; in this case, by those who favor "decriminalization" or "medicalization" of psychoactive drugs. Such people, the author shows, will only end up replacing the current Ayatollahs (cops and ex-generals) with a new Inquisition lead by doctors and psychologists. In the world of physician-monitored drug usage, instead of being evil, anyone who wants to alter his or her own mood will be labeled as "sick" - and instead of being sent to jail, they will be forced into "treatment".

In trying to think of some literary comparison to "Our Right to Drugs", I can only think of Plato's records of certain iconoclastic dialogues about ancient Athenian closemindedness. Truely, Dr. Szasz is our Socrates.

This book is a supremely courageous and truthful book written by one of the great luminaries of the age(s).
This book "cuts to the chase" as regards fundamental constitutional issues raised by laws regulating
the procurement, possession, sale, and use of drugs.

The book's most striking charge (a correct one, at that!) is that a fundamental tyranny overtook this nation about
90 years ago when "Americans" lost their property rights over their own bodies--all in the name of governmentally-controlled "truth in advertising" for drug sales.

However, this "seemingly benign" governmental goal created untold danger for the very people it was meant to
protect. Szasz rightfully puts America's so-called "drug problem" in proper perspective by suggesting that the
admonition "buyer beware" should have sufficed--for drugs, as for almost everything else.

In the most general terms, this book demonstrates that there are no shortcuts to a thorough-going approach to American Liberty and Freedom. Dr. Szasz very clearly, and effectively, corrects those who claim that drug laws be summarily repealed for any reasons other than their moral unacceptability in a free state.

Making proper analogy to the wrongful justification of the slavery of blacks in America (owing to their mischaracterization as property), Szasz makes it clear that the infringement of property rights (both of your body, and substances you might possess) lies at the heart of America's despotic and tyrannical so-called "War on Drugs."

Although he does not (if memory serves me correctly) directly cite the 9th Amendment in defense of all those who would fight this indigenous, governmentally-sponsored terrorism, he could have:

"THE ENUMERATION OF CERTAIN RIGHTS, IN THE CONSTITUTION, SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED TO DENY OR DISPARAGE OTHERS RETAINED BY THE PEOPLE."

"What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms, remedy is set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is nature's manure." Thomas Jefferson

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Good arguments for drug legalization (and deregulation of prescription drugs), but a little outdated as far as some of his allusions and political terminology go, and not precise enough in his use of the term "legalizers".

He ignores the distinctions between "decriminalization" and "legalization", and lumps all "legalizers" into a single category, as not being "good enough". He does not seem to realize that there is a wide spectrum of beliefs on drugs, ranging from his position, to the position that all drugs should be banned everywhere.

He is uncompromising, and this is politically defeating. Nonetheless, his position is admirable, and his idea of drugs as a "right" similiar to all other "rights" bandied about in political discourse today, is a good one.

Nice philosophy, and one I wish more accepted it, but he's too radical for today's politicians, who are still in the dark ages of social medicine.

Fear of people committing suicide easily, is Szasz's main hypothesis for why we regulate prescription and illicit drugs the way we do in America today.

This book is good for convincing one that drugs should be legalized, but it is no help for accomplishing that feat politically.

This is a fine and brilliant book. Szasz manhandles any pretext for government intervention in medicine and the market for drugs. This is by far the best book on the subject.

"Our World: Our Future" is a must read for anyone interested in peace and survival of our race. In spite of our affluence and scientific excellence, over half of our race live in poverty and subhuman condition, but none of our scholars ever addressed this most important human problem in any of the books available in the world today. Dr. Anil K. Sarkar, a medical specialist was born in utmost poverty in East Bengal 76 years ago and could see the East and the West, poverty and affluence and the realities of the unkind world in a way never posible for anybody born in
affluence and in the West. To know how our race progressed from the Stone to the Computer Age and how our religious fanatics and the selfish military industrial complex are about to destroy our world, and also to know how easy it is to bring peace and survive, this is the only complete but comprehensive book one has to read.

No one seems to want to address the inhuman indifference we exhibit towards poverty, disease, homelessness, and the lack of hope among us. Dr. Sarkar has courageously taken up this task, and explores the dark side of human existence in his work, Our World Our Future.

Half of the inhabitants of this small planet live in abject poverty while the other half lives in affluence and wealth. If all of the human beings on this planet do not get the basics they need to survive, there will be unrest and friction. We seem more focused on destroying life on this planet as we know it, and accumulating ungodly amounts of wealth in the process.

Dr. Sarkar examines this problem and warns of the impending danger to the human race if we do not correct our callous indifference to our fellow man. We must develop an attitude of caring for every one and reject the way we currently treat the poor and less fortunate. And we must do so quickly. Our World Our Future is a must read: it is an urgent call that we must listen to or perish from the face of this planet. The book is chilling and thought provoking; it defies time, geography and race. It is a sobering look at the dark side of human nature.

Despite this perspective, Dr. Sarkar offers concrete solutions and hope for mankind. I share in this hope, and encourage you to read this work and do the same.

A nation cannot stand half slave and half free, Lincoln proclaimed to a nation on the brink of a national bloodbath. Can the world of today survive half enslaved by the scourge of poverty and half affluently flaunting its wealth?
Comes now OUR WORLD, OUR FUTURE, a unique and fearlessly subjective history of the world by an author who rose out of the depths of low-caste impoverishment in India and Pakistan. Dr. Anil K. Sarkar became a physician as well as a self-educated polymath who has spent a lengthy lifetime in pursuit of knowledge in all disciplines.
Clearly his summa is not meant to be a scholarly exercise for academics, a dispassionate display of historical erudition, but rather an outspoken and populist bias in favor of the oppressed peoples of developing and Third World countries. Such a view demands a wrenching shift in international strategies by both the United Nations and the major powers of the globe. The alternative: endless terrorism, wars, famine, and disease rooted in poverty and its spawn: overpopulation and environmental decimation that is destined one day to shut the door on a prosperous and peaceful planet.
Out of an insatiable thirst for learning in all areas of human endeavors, astronomy, physics, geology, paleontology, archeology, anthropology, religion, political science, and economics, Dr. Sarkar has fashioned not just a richly factual tapestry of our planetary and human evolution but an incisive social critique of past events, especially of the last century, that have shaped our present and threaten to shatter our future.
In looking back, the author has boldly laid bared the foibles, follies, hubris and horrors of the power elite of history, including the religious manipulators and mullahs no less than the political machiavels and megalomaniacs.
Despair and despondency, however, are not the sum of his panoramic study of 15 billion cosmic years in the evolution of a rational animal, Homo Sapiens. Only a lover's quarrel with our imperfect past could drive such a voracious curiosity in search of a remedial wisdom to our global problems. Plus a desperate hope and dogged faith that our collective sanity and humanity can prevail over the darker dimentions of our nature.
OUR WORLD, OUR FUTURE is an awesome achievement, an illuminating and inspiring labor of love painstakingly built from a life of hardship, struggle, deep thought, and a passion to communicate a prescription of salvation for an ailing world, an alternative to apocalypse, an option for a nobler, more peaceful and harmonious home for the entire human family.

A Reviewer's Comments on Anil Sarkar's, Our World: Our Future
Bloomington, Indiana: 1st Book
Library, 2002
ISBN:0-759-66980-5

FOR AMAZON COM

Dr. Anil Kumar Sarkar, a retired physician, is an Indian immigrant who was motivated by global social inequalities to write this book. He critically viewed "the affluence of the West," and asks a profound question, "Why, in spite of all our prosperity and technological excellence, are the majority of our fellow human beings malnourished and without the basic needs for life or human dignity?" As a social activist, Dr. Sarkar has personally experimented with social development demonstration projects on rural development in his native village in India with some success, and draws on this experience in writing this book.

This book is a comprehensive history of the world civilization designed primarily for the general public rather than for scholars of world history or political science. It is written in a style designed not to focus on historical chronologies, but on the social dimensions of historical events. The author's analyses thus are that of a social critic, rather than as a scholar of history, and that is precisely where the value of the book lies. Towards the later pages of the book, Dr. Sarkar has specific public policy recommendations for the policy makers of developing countries and for affluent western nations. In sum, he recommends changes in domestic and foreign policies of nations, and the strengthening of the global governance system while keeping in mind the need for serving the entire mankind without becoming unnecessarily Utopian in his work.

This book is primarily aimed at general readers who will enjoy reading this book by Dr. Sarkar. He has offered clear and enlightened descriptions on complex social and historical issues and events, which will be appreciated by general readers.

Dr. Sarkar's book also represents a new type of American ethnic literature, specifically, Indian immigrant literature. There is already a large body of literary writings by the Indian immigrants in the USA who constitute about slightly over 2 million people according to the 2000 census. But Dr. Sarkar's book stands out as the first or only such book on the social history of mankind. American public libraries that stock fictions and novels by the Indian immigrants to enrich their holdings with ethnic literature should seriously consider adding this work to their collection. This reviewer is of the opinion that that this highly readable book should find a place among the American tapestry of ethnic writers. American public and university libraries are a rich gold mine of South Asian American writings would be remiss if they fail to acquire this book by a physician from India, now an American citizen by choice.

Prof. Manindra Mohapatra
Director, Center for Governmental Services
INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

Raskin does an excellent job in showing how the Supreme Court has slowly eroded our individual rights guarenteed under the Constitution of the United States. It is frightening that most people don't even realize what is actually going on in our government. The only flaw in Raskins book is that he doesn't show how the average citizen can get involved in stopping this erosion of our Constitution or to get involved with his idea of Constituional Convention to change and improve this great document.

This book is extremely useful ammunition for all of us who argue with smug right-wingers. Raskin gets down to the nitty-gritty of what happened in Florida, and what's been happening for 30 years on the Supreme Court. Get this guy on the Supreme Court, already!

A set of essays that try to improve on the liberal mantra of trusting the courts to expand rights. Some essays are preaching to the converted- that is, they are unlikely to persuade anybody to the right of Raskin. But there are some essays I really liked.

I especially liked Chapters 5 and 6 (in which Raskin shows how government has impaired democracy by keeping third parties off the ballot and out of debates, and criticizes judicial deference to the two-party duopoly) and Chapter 9 (in which he criticizes attempts to amend the Constitution to prohibit flag-burning, pointing out (a) that an anti-desecration law might actually encourage people to burn flags to get publicity, and (b) that an anti-desceration law that allows nonpolitical destruction of used flags but outlaws flag burning by political extremists is essentially thought control, in that it would prohibit flag burning only by people with political messages to convey).

Other chapters are much more touchy-feely. For example, in Chapter 7, Raskin defends school busing on the grounds that racially integrated schools make society more "democratic"- but parents hardly feel like part of a democracy if unelected judges are telling their children where to go to school. Raskin proposes an amendment providing: "All children in the United States have a right to receive an equal public education for democratic citizenship." But the uncertainty of the concept of "equality" would give judges carte blanche to dictate virtually any concievable policy.

"Democracy" is a vague concept; some people see democracy as majority rule, others see democracy as at least partially about liberty or equality. On issues dealing purely with the former, Raskin's book is excellent. On issues dealing with possible conflicts between these meanings of democracy, Raskin understandably has more difficulty.

Jamin Raskin is one of the most brilliant constitutional scholars of our time. His arguments are as bullet-proof as they are engaging. It's a must read for anyone interested in the Supreme Court.

Owning the Olympics provides valuable insights into the non-athletic activities that have made the modern Games a tempting platform for conveying the broadest sort of messages -- of national pride, international brand-name power, and political influence. Academics from the U.S., China, France, the U.K., and Spain step into the real-world controversies over politics, marketing, media coverage, architecture, finances, and the ultimate meaning of the iconic images that the Olympics bring into our living rooms. If you've always wondered what happens behind the scenes to bring the Games to a particular city or broadcasting network, these book pulls back the veil with a fascinating amount of detail and background, although the academic tone may put off some readers. Serious students of contemporary culture will find it a sturdy armchair companion for the 2008 Summer Games.

This book was received through the Early Reviewers group on Library Thing- and is an advanced copy- This book comes at a critical time for the Chinese- with the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics looming - China is under increasing pressure to conform to international civil rights legislation in regards to their policies towards Tibet and treatment of Tibetans and other Chinese minority groups such as the Muslim Uighur (sic) tribes of Northern China,and members of the Falun Gong movement. This book focuses the eyes of several well-known political and social commentators and researchers on the interactions between, human rights, nationalism, big business and the Olympics at this years summer games. The essays are well-written and supported by evidence not only from research but from reports from the international journalistic communities and diplomatic entities. This books is wonderful if you wish to understand what is going on in China right now due to the Olympics- it focuses much needed critical attention on human rights and the environment in a land that for the most part has neither- This is vital when trying to understand why so many nations have considered boycotting the Olympics, and why there have been so many protests occurring as the torch makes its way to Beijing- these political environmental and human rights issues have made the choice to hold the Olympics in Beijing a controversial one- and this book explains the controversy quite well- The editors have been wonderful at gathering resources from a wide variety of media and disciplines and it has resulted in terrific book- I am looking forward to reading more from this publisher and these author/editors

This book is a collection of articles on different facets of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, covering various non-sport aspects of the Games. For anyone interested in the development of the Olympics, these articles provide a wealth of information and opinion on topics as wide-spread as Architecture, Public Relations, Economics, and particularly, how the Games can serve as a Media Event for both the host country and non-governmental interests (such as political, environmental and human rights activists. Considered within its pages are such topics as the process of being selected as a host country; the cost to the host country in terms of logistics, security and openness to world media; the place of the Olympics in the development of the host nation itself, and the potential in all these areas for China in particular. Given the historical significance of the Olympics (witness Munich '36 and '72, Tokyo '64, Moscow '80, Seoul '88 to name but a few) and the changes taking place in China and with regards to China's place in the world in the decades to come, this book offers much food for thought. You'll find yourself still thinking about the material long after you put the book down.

Caveat: Owning the Olympics is not for everyone. Readers looking for a simple and friendly pop culture introduction to "the New China" are advised to look elsewhere. But if you're a reader looking for a book that deals seriously and academically with the multiple political, social, and economic issues raised by the PRC's role as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, this book will be of immense interest.

The sixteen texts collected in Owning the Olympics explore the ways in which multiple actors--the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and the CCP, the International Olympic Committee, multinational corporations, mass and underground media, and NGOs--view the role and purpose of the Games, and how they are attempting to mold (and in some cases reframe) perceptions of the 2008 Olympics to advance their own agendas. Obviously, one could fill an entire volume examining just one of these issues, and the editors of Owning the Olympics are to be commended for selecting readings across a wide breadth of issues that each delve deeply into their individual subjects. Topics considered include the multiplicity of actors engaging in Olympic dialogue and their preferred narrative readings of the Games, the intersection of the PRC, the Games, and public diplomacy; BOBICO's construction and framing of its host city bid material, the interplay between Olympic narratives and constructions of Asian/Eastern identity; the role(s) and influence(s) of the news and mass media, and new technologies, in shaping and disseminating Olympic dialogues; and the ways in which Olympism, sport, and nationalism converge in Olympic activities and narratives.

Standout texts include the aforementioned exploration of the explicit and implicit messages encoded in BOBICO's bid material (chapter 5), chapter 9's examination of the political role historically played by "mega-spaces" in Beijing and the intended roles of new mega-architecture constructed specifically for the Games; and chapter 14's examination of the Western media's intentional drawing of dichotomous tensions in its China reporting. Each of these chapters are phenomenal examples of scholarship that will significantly broaden readers' knowledge and understanding of these issues.

There are a few selections, however, that don't meet the high standards set by the majority of the volume's texts. Chapter 10, which seems to be arguing that television broadcasters' adlibbed coverage of Games ceremonies trivializes those involved, has precious little to do with the Beijing Games and contains such a small and biased sample that it is of little use in drawing larger conclusions about Olympic reporting (look to chapter 7 for a much more thorough and topical examination of Games coverage and constructions of Asian identity). Chapter 11, in which a Chinese academic laments the IOC's decision not to include wushu (kung-fu) as an Olympic sport, is clearly an op-ed and does not belong in a book of academic scholarship.

These two texts aside, the editors of Owning the Olympics have assembled a selection of readings of amazingly high quality; a feat all the more impressive given the short time frame in which they had to collect them. Readers interested in sport and Olympism, China, or media studies will all find much to think about in this volume, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in any of the above disciplines, as well as anyone else interested in serious exploration of these issues.

Much more than a series of sporting competitions, the Olympic Games are a political and media event. The Olympics have a rich history; while the original games date back almost 3,000 years, the Olympic Games as we know them, complete with the governing International Olympic Committee (IOC), have been held every 2-4 years since 1896. Over their 100+ year history, the Olympics have evolved with the times. Increased athletic participation and spectatorship has placed a growing burden on Olympic host cities - but it has also allowed them the opportunity to present their own mediated image to the world. This is steadily apparent as globalization aids the flow of information between borders, so that knowledge knows fewer and fewer boundaries. The advent of the Internet and other new media paradigms have also loosened the grip host countries may previously have kept over their tightly controlled and highly managed constructs (which oftentimes border on outright propaganda).

It is in this context that the authors who contributed to OWNING THE OLYMPICS: NARRATIVES OF THE NEW CHINA examine the looming 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The overarching theme of this anthology is the ways in which China is utilizing the Olympics to affect how their nation is perceived in other venues. For example, Briar Smith views Beijing's relaxed restrictions on journalists as a means for China to counterbalance the negative publicity surrounding the Chinese government's human rights abuses ("Journalism and the Beijing Olympics: Liminality with Chinese Characteristics"), while Alan Tomlinson examines the increasingly corporate/capitalist economy of the Olympics - which stands in stark contrast to the 2008 host city's own Communist system ("Olympic Values, Beijing's Olympic Games, and the Universal Market"). Additionally, there are some fascinating pieces that deal with the role of new technologies on the Games; in "'We Are the Media': Nonaccredited Media and Citizen Journalists at the Olympic Games" (Andy Miah, Beatriz Garcia, and Tian Zhihui), we learn that, starting from the 2000 Games in Sydney, nonaccredited journalists - including "Web-based journalists" - have been allowed greater access to the Games, with their own special (non)accreditation and Media Centers.

The sixteen pieces that comprise OWNING THE OLYMPICS present an interdisciplinary, multicultural lens through which to view what on its face might seem like just another sporting event (the world's largest sporting event, granted, but a sporting event nonetheless) - yet is in fact diplomatic dance, political theatre, and an entertaining competition all rolled into one. The material can be dense at times, perhaps better suited for academics and media studies students than laypeople, but it is an enlightening and timely volume.

Packaging the presidency is the most complete and accurate book about presidential advertising and communication of the period ending with the 1992 presidential election. Sometimes humorous, sometimes cynical, Kathleen Jamieson takes us in a travel back in time within the intricacies of political communication strategies. This is the best book that I have ever read on this subject. This book was recommended to me by another Presidency specialist, Stephen J. Wayne, when I was studying at Georgetown: this book is really a must read! Thanks Kathleen and thanks Professor Wayne.

Jamison has successfully covered the intricasies of presidential campaign advertising from the beginning of the Republic up to the 1992 campaign. A well organized and thoughtful book that is easy to read.

This book is probably the msot thoughful about presidential campaign advertising. You read it like a novel!

I was required to read this book for a course and was my first experience with Kathleen Hall Jamieson and I am now one of her biggest fans.

She provides thoughtful, non-partisan analysis (rare in this age of personal commentary) of political advertisements. She discusses what worked, what didn't and why in a clear, thought-provoking yet easy to read manner.

Some of her best work. If you are interested in advertising or politics this book is a must have.

This is an outstanding historical document daring to tell the truth about the early years of the Israeli State. Based primarily on Israeli government documents it details the sytematic efforts to expunge the Palestinian people from their land and incorporate it under Israeli control. Every American should read this book.

I read this book a couple of years ago and was very impressed at the level of research the author has done to bring this information to the public. It is hard to find books with impartial view on this sensitive subject, this is a good one. Read it!!

When I was a teenager, all I knew about the 1948 "war of independence" was what I saw in the movie "Exodus" with Paul Newman and what I read in the World Book Encyclopedia entry.

In that movie the Zionist wanted nothing more than to live in peace with their Arab neighbors, but the "arab neighbors" like children following the pied piper of Hamelin, left their homes (and all their earthly belongings) at the word of radio broadcasts from "Arab High Command". (It didn't occur to me to ask why not let them back once they came to their senses.)

From the World Book encyclopedia, I was told that all the surrounding arab countries declared war on Israel within the hour of it's "declaration of independence" and their armies invaded with single minded aim of destroying the country. Israel, against incredible odds, triumphed over all an as an added bonus ended up with 78% of Palestine, instead of the 52% provided for in the UN partition. (What Luck!)

Michael Palumbo, who previously got the goods on Kurt Waldheim's wartime record, followed up by writing this history from UN archival sources, Palestinian sources, and Israeli diaries and memiors (frequently more reliable than Israeli military and intelligence archives).

No matter how much you think you know about the middle east, how much of a critic of Israel you might be, this book will make you angry. Angry over the continuing injustice, angry over the continuing lies, angry over the continuing manipulation of western opinion (particularly US opinion), angry over the impotence of the newly formed UN.

In this book you will learn that the Palestinians did not leave because they were ordered to, on the contrary Arab radio broadcasts demanded that they *stay.* The Palestinians left, because they were terrorized, coerced, and, when all else failed, forced out. The Zionist movement never had any intention of living in peace with "their arab neighbors." From the very beginning (even before Herzl), they intended to claim the entire land for a Jewish State, and would only tolerate the smallest Arab minority possible. The Arab states declared war, but the fighting had started with the partition a year earlier. Their intervention was half-hearted at best and was never meant to destroy Israel (e.g. they never entered in the "jewish part" of the partition.)

Reading this at this time will give the uncanny sense of deja vu.
You'll find the systematic use of looting and wanton vandalism of palestinian homes and businesses. The same manipulation of opinion. (On the one hand, denying access because of fight. On the other hand denying atrocities, because there's "no evidence."
The destruction of houses with people still in them (by dynamite, not by bulldozers tho').

Also there's Menachem Begin's role in the massacre of Deir Yassin and Yitzak Shamir's role in the assasination of UN mediator Folke Bernadotte. (Keep in mind next time you hear Yassir Arafat a "terrorist.")

The overwhelming feeling will be "how can we have been so lied to for so long."

How indeed?

It is amazing to read of the level of atrocity and deceit. Ethnic Cleansing, Localized Genocide, Rampant Racism- it reads like something out of Nazi Germany. But here it is, in the middle of the Middle East, anti-Semitism, committed by Jews against Arabs. Brother against Brother. Palumbo shares with us stories of those who helped the Jews flee the Nazis, and how these same individuals watch the actions of the nascent Israeli Defense Forces, and can see no difference in their actions. Truly, as Walter Wink said, we become that which we hate. We learn hatred, and the practices of hatred, from our enemies. And here one repeatedly hears leaders of the Zionist movement explicitly calling for the same practices as the Nazis, as they worked so well, and even calling for alliances with the Nazis, in order to establish a country 'Goyim Rein', an 'Israel for the Jews, as Germany is for the Germans'.

And it is surprising to hear how most Jews in the first half of the 20th century did *not* want an Israeli nation, as they did not see that as part of God's call for their people. Or how leader after modern Israeli leader engaged in explicit terrorist action- in fact, most of them were on the top 20 list of terrorists by the British government, during the British mandate. Doing the same practices, the same suicide bombings, as extremist Palestinians do today. We become that which we hate. And it's not just Palumbo's opinion- this is a meticulously researched book. If you choose to disagree with what is said, you must prove a large number of resources wrong- including many resources from Israeli government leaders.

This isn't just dry history. Palumbo uses a highly readable format, telling stories through the eyes of the observers and the victims, with additional factual information. Yet he does it in a way that is in now way fictional, but breathes authenticity. He looks primarily at the infamous al nakba, the Catastrophe, wherein the Palestinians were driven from their homeland- a people uniquely tied in self-identity to the land, just as Americans are tied to their sense of the individual in their identities. I reside, therefore I am.

Insult to injury is the Zionist propaganda machine, that has managed to shift the blame for wartime atrocities on to the victims. After reading this work, one may come away with the same feeling- that truly, Israel has been one of the primary leaders in terrorism.

To read more, I'd recommend Wink's Engaging the Powers, as well as Dying in the Land of Promise. Don Wagner focuses here on the history of Christian Palestinians, from the year 33 to the present, and how they were driven away during al nakba, and their experiences afterward.

"Israel/Palestine is the model of the world Americans want to achieve. It has peasants and their flocks dying of thirst, and on the hilltop there are villas and swimming pools for the chosen folk. It has a huge army and it has many labourers without any rights. In order to turn all the world into Palestine they began now World War 3 against the Third World."

Want more? http://www.israelshamir.net/shamirImages/Shamir/TwoPathes.htm

How do we turn this around? Start by reading Pardes.

Israel Shamir has chutzpah. He lives in Israel and yet crticizes the brutality, danger, hypocrisy and illegitimacy of the Jews-only apartheid state like no one else, and yet does it in a constructive, hopeful and poetic way. Amazing. The Zionists have no recourse to logical disputation in this case so must resort to smear attacks in order to debunk his arguments. Not only Pardes but Shamir's other books, Flowers of Galilee and Our Lady of Sorrow are required reading for anyone seeking a solution to problems in the Middle East. As Shamir points out, the real antisemites are the Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe who helped to create the Jewish state and now run it to their class advantage. Palestinians have more semitic blood than many of these Jews (for what that's worth), and being "Jewish" is nothing more than an ideology of exclusivitism and domination, which Gentiles (Christian Zionists and others) can join in with if they want to share the spoils in the Neo-con/Zionist grab for global domination.

The saying "A loved child has many names" definitely applies to Israel Shamir. Following the war crimes committed against the Palestinians, Shamir felt he no longer could keep quiet. That decision has made him unpopular with the Jewish Zionists, who immediately initiated a campaign to smear Shamir. Though powerful, the lobby has not yet managed to stop him.

In Pardes, Shamir deals with Jewish ideology, which he sees as the cause of current events in the Middle East. Inspired by great Jewish dissidents like Simone Weil, Shamir finds Judaism problematic and calls for the dismantlment of the Jewish Apartheid state. Instead, he favours equal rights for all in one singel state.

Pardes can be said to be Shamir's explanation to why he came to denounce Judaism and embrace Jesus Christ as the savior of man. It's a great book everyone interested in Jewish ideology must read.

This is a great expose of the dark side of Judaism all the
more convinicing by the fact that Shamir is Jewish. He has
now converted to Christian Orthodoxy and to some extent, this book
explains why he did so. He uses the traditonal four fold analysis
that the Jewish philosophers and mystics use to interpret the Tor-
ah, but he uses it to analyze Judaism itself. He concludes that
they have ceased to worship God and for a long time now have ac-
tually worshiped themselves-Jehovah being just themselves writ
large. This process started before Christ, but the murder of Christ
was the epitome of it. One caveat though: this book may not be for
the beginer because they will find it unbelievable. To get the most
out of Shamir's book, you already have to know the territory: how
the Jews take credit for Christ's death and even boast about it. That
gentiles are animals who only exist to serve the Jews, etc. All this
and more is found in their secret scripture, the Talmud. Once the
reader has researched this for himself, then he is ready for "Pardes"
by Israel Shamir.

Each chapter is a learning story unto itself. Some, very poignant. This book would be worthwhile for any age. Also, very instructive in showing how art therapy and tactile experience can be vital. Spending time with the recently deceased body is crucial to start the goodbye process, and, one chapter, especially, shows this well.

I was given the amazing opportunity to spend time with Virginia Fry while living in Vermont this past winter. My 14 year old sister had recently passed away after her stuggle against cancer. I was completely lost, and met with Virginia several times. She is one of the most amazing people that I've ever been priviledged enough to have come into my life. This book enveloped every part of her ideas and extremely heartfelt suggestions to get you through the most horrible times. She is such an amazing person and this book reflects that to the fullest extent.

My name is Amy Petrucelli and chapter 5 is about me, my sister Betsy and our brother Frankie.
The very first time I read Ginny's story and at that time it was a draft, it brought tears to my my eyes and my late mothers. If it were not for Ginny and Hospice to help us as children to cope with death and dying, I do not think I would be here today. This book is more than helpful and insightful, at least for me. I encourage any person(s) having known a child or know one who is going through death and dying to read this book and share it with that child and help them to work through their loss, questions and fears, Lord knows the author Virginia Fry did that for me.

I really enjoyed this book. I bought it a few years after my mother died, and it helped me a great deal with what I was feeling, thinking, and seeing. It also helped me deal with the day-to-day struggles that I encountered. Thank you so much for writing this book.

I don't like writing reviews but I believe I owe this one to Pozner. To those of you who don't know him, he is not only a man of incredible destiny but arguably on of the smartest men in Russia.

So much in one book: history of Soviet Union, family history, intense human relationships etc.

This writing by Pozner provides an honest look into his life personally and his perceptions of the U.S., world, and the Soviet Union, as a Soviet citizen. He was not the average Soviet citizen however. He was one of the fortunate few who were allowed to leave his country and spend time abroad. He was afforded the rare glimpse of American life and culture during his time there in the 1930s. This obviously is a part of him, as is his other numerous experiences. In addition, he also candidly shared his personal life with us. (When he saw his old-flame coming the opposite way on an escalator, for example). Pozner is down-to-Earth and it's easy for a reader to like and to relate to him.

I read this book when it first came out and went over it again recently, 14 years later, finding it in an old box of mine. His writings prove that he had good instincts on where his nation and culture, and the world was heading at the time he wrote "Parting with Illusion." He has the oration and writing ability to explain his viewpoints as well as the perceptions of many Russians when he wrote this book in 1989. He discussed Stalin and his legacy, and the graft and corruption that crept into the USSR, becoming commonplace by the 1960s.

Now, 14 years later, I wonder: where is Vladimir Pozner? I haven't heard or seen him since the late 1980s or perhaps early 90s.

At the time, he was articulate, and an astute observer of current affairs. Possessing a gifted knack for passing his observations on.

Today, in 2003, where is he now?

A truly excepional book and my all time favorite... An incredibly personal account of an extraordinary life of a true citizen of the world ... along with an insightful look into the drama of modern Russian history.
Pozner talks about his childhood, his parents, first glass of vodka and his first love, his marriages, career, spiritual and political struggles...
Plus a personal account of WWII, Stalin's purges, the Thaw, the Iron Curtain and Perestroika.

This book was a present to me when I was a senior in college and what a gift it was! The Russians often painted as the cold number one enemy came to be just as human as anyone. The author's struggle between being a journalist in a communist country certainly makes me, a journalist in a world that protects free speech, feel very humbled and fortunate.

It's humanity's greatest test when one is forced to question your own country's integrity. Yet the author has succeeded in standing by his principles. Extremely educational (and easy reading for students) for those who are not familiar with Russian history and diplomacy. It's been years since I read it and I look forward to picking it up again.

Patriotism, Peace And Vietnam is a memoir of a Catholic, Vietnam war hawk who came to admire the peacemakers in an era when so much of America, including her own church, refused to listen to the peace movement. Dedicated both to those who served their country in Vietnam and those who worked to bring peace, Patriotism, Peace And Vietnam is unflinchingly honest in its assessment of the limitations of human behaviors and the tendency to blind oneself to things one doesn't agree with. Frustration, perseverance, and candid discourse concerning war, fear, and injustice on both a local and national scale distinguish Patriotism, Peace And Vietnam. Highly recommended.

This is a great book that depicts one person and one community's account during the Vietnam era yet at the same time is indicative of what our country was experiencing on a national level. From a historian point of view, this memoir serves as a wonderful example of a primary source reference for the Vietnam War.

So the Vietnam era "peaceniks" weren't just a bunch of long-haired dope-smoking draft dodgers. So reveals this enlightening memoir of a conservative, Catholic housewife turned dove.

I'm still amazed that a woman with five kids found the time to become a leader in the peace movement, and be a delegate to both the Paris Peace talks and the `72 Democratic convention. Her insight into a painful time in America's past is especially timely given today's state of affairs. Viet era gov't officials have admitted that they lied to us. Is the same thing happening today?

When you read this book, you revisit the era of the Vietnam war from the perspective of the average folks who were struggling to understand the incomprehensible. Hanna's personal journey from hawk to dove parallels that of many other folks who never wrote it down. I think this book has the potential to be a classic; once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I had finished. Very few books are that compelling.