Politics Books

I wish everyone in America could read this book. It lays out why people are so tired of our government and what has to happen to get our liberties back. He explains the constitution, the economy and the money system in plain language and why it has to be fixed. Enjoyable and very readable. Thank you Ron Paul!

Far more than just a Ron Paul legacy. This book, written by such a humble person, brings hope of a miracle cure for a dying nation - America. Great book! Great ideas! Major media has perverted our politics and yet this book will be a beacon of good and great that out does the media wrongs.

A must read! The world needs to read this!

Ron Paul takes on the big issues that other politicians are scared to address - government spending, civil liberties, inflation, and foreign policy among others. Those who follow Ron Paul already know his positions on these issues and will no doubt be impressed with this work. However, for those who are new to the traditional American ideas of liberty that Ron Paul rigorously defends, this book may have the greatest value. This is the audience that will most appreciate the clear and concise presentation of these new, yet well founded, concepts.
Ron Paul provides a tireless defense of traditional American principles, which are derived in liberty, private property, and non-aggression. The book allows Dr. Paul to expand on the issues that he has pushed during the 2008 Presidential election. Those who are skeptical of his foreign policy for instance, will find a thoroughly defended argument for noninterventionism as the optimal foreign policy for peace and prosperity.
This book is concise enough to make it easy to read and accessible for those not familiar with these ideas. The reading list at the end gives the reader a chance to explore these ideas more in depth if they wish. The reading list also shows that Dr. Paul's ideas were not fabricated from his mind alone. These arguments are well established in history, especially among the founders of this country. Much of these ideas also originate from the great works of Austrian Economist such as Ludwig von Mises, Henry Hazlitt, Friedrich Hayek, and Murray Rothbard.
This book is a worthwhile read for any audience. The Ron Paul fanatics will thoroughly enjoy hearing his positions defended with logic and clarity. Those with an interest in politics, philosophy, or economics will find this manifesto of liberty to be intellectually stimulating and thought provoking. For those who want to learn more, this is the perfect introduction to libertarian and traditional American principles.
Bravo!

I have found the Ron Paul movement to the the most exciting thing to happen to American politics in my lifetime. While I have tended to be a liberal in many of my views my eventual realization that both of the two major parties are a rigged, anti-American con game has brought me to read about Dr. Paul.

I think that this book is one that is going to be one of the most important books of the current era in that it seeks to explain just how badly that our government has gone awry and been taken over by corrupt, warmongering charlatans. It is my hope that this like Goldwater's book will be lay the foundation for a new generation of pro-American, non-interventionalists whose ideas of a free market are of the purest form and not the looter capitalism that highly paid propagandists are pimping off as that now and the country teeters on the edge of the abyss.

Other than the restoration of civil liberties I feel that an exposure of the big con that is the Federal Reserve system is long overdue, look at the mess that we are currently in with gas prices at $4.00 and going higher by the day.

Time to end the illegal wars, time to kick the moneychangers out of the temple and time to restore the rule of law to the land.

This book is a damned good start.

Don Christensen - Registered Independent and Patriotic American.

The "Pro Life Republican Party" continues to embrace the same old failed strategy of waiting until a Supreme Court Justice dies or retires in order to appoint pro-life Judges to overturn Roe v. Wade.

There is one exception. The Champion of the Constitution, a 10 term Republican Congressman from Texas, Doctor Ron Paul! As a medical doctor, he has delivered over 4000 babies.

Congressman Paul has repeatedly introduced "sanctity of life" legislation in Congress. His bill essentially declares unborn children have rights. The 50 States would be required to implement the new law which would invoke Congress's Article III authority to deny any Federal Court interference. It is an alternative and Constitutional solution for one of the Republican Party's major policy positions.

Congressman Paul's legislation has been ignored. As President, people might listen!

IT'S THE ECONOMY... STUPID

During his 20 years in Congress, Ron Paul has served on the House Banking committee; He has been a key member of the Gold Commission. Currently, he is a vice-chairman on the House Financial Services Committee, he is a member of the Joint Economic Committee, and he serves on the International Relations Committee.

Dr. Paul is the author of several books and countless articles on economics. He has been a distinguished counselor to the Ludwig von Mises Institute of Economics. And is widely quoted by scholars and writers in the fields of monetary policy, banking and economics.
He has received many awards from organizations such as the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste and the Council for a Competitive Economy.

Ron Paul knows economics!

He is the only Presidential Candidate who wants to fundamentally change the disastrous policy which allows the privately owned Federal Reserve Bank to charge Taxpayers interest on money it creates out of thin air. Washington Politicians take this money, ignore their oath of office and give it to every type of special interest group imaginable. This debases the currency, creates inflation, and robs Americans of their wealth.

Ron Paul would end the folly of subsidizing the world with trillions of dollars of "foreign aid." This would cut spending and stimulate the economy more than any of the other Candidates wildest dreams.

DO UNTO OTHERS

Ron Paul's detractors call him an isolationist because he wants our Federal Government to heed the advice of our Founders and stop meddling with the internal affairs of other countries.

What would we think if China had a military base here in Florida? What if Iran's Navy was constantly patrolling in the Gulf of Mexico? What if Pakistan was openly seeking to influence our elections? Our Federal Government's interventionist foreign policy and recent acceptance of preemptive war inspires hatred and terrorism against us. As a nation, we need to understand this or we will never even begin to solve the problem of terrorism.

RON PAUL CAN WIN!

Ron Paul's foreign policy position of no nation building and no sending brave young Americans into harms way overseas to police the world is the same position that won George W. Bush the Republican nomination and the Presidency in the 2000 election. It is the only position with any potential of drawing the bipartisan and independent support needed to win in the general election.

While Americans were throwing Republicans out of office in droves in 2006, Congressman Paul received over 60% of the vote in his district.

According to the Federal Election Commission, active military donate more to Ron Paul than any other Republican. His record breaking 4th quarter fundraising of nearly $20 million leads the GOP and puts him on par with the leading Democrats.

Ron Paul is a Veteran, a Medical Doctor and married over 50 years to his wife Carol. He has 5 grown children and 18 grand children. In his 20 years in Congress, Ron Paul has amassed one of the most conservative and Constitutionally compliant voting records in American history. The man is a modern day Founding Father. The lobbyist call him "Dr. No" because special interest groups can never get any of our money out of him.

He is pro-life, strong on National defense, and gun owners have no better friend in Congress. He wants to cut taxes, cut spending, and secure the borders. He is a true Conservative. A REAL Republican who's rock solid record stands head and shoulders above any of the other Candidates.

PRESIDENT PAUL

Year after year, administration after administration, Republican or Democrat; nothing seems to be able to stop the unrelenting growth of government. Every time government expands, Americans must sacrifice more of our wealth and more of our freedoms.

The moment Ron Paul becomes President, the era of big Government in Washington is over!!!

President Paul would usher in a return to the Constitutional principles of limited government, just taxation, fiscal responsibility, sound money, free market trade, individual liberty and strong national defense.

Freedom, peace and prosperity is Ron Paul's campaign message. He wants to get rid of the income tax, abolish the IRS, end the Federal Reserve monopoly and he's serious as a heart attack. Let's get back to the future; Back to the Constitution.

Vote Ron Paul! Thank You.

It's encouraging that this is the #1 book on the topic of 9/11 in Amazon. It deserves to be. Not content with depicting the terrible events of 9/11, Wright brilliantly and logically draws out the origins of the nihilist religious movement that formed the ideological motor of 9/11. The roots of 9/11 are twofold: in the writings of Egyptian expatriate Sayyid Qutb, who ironically wrote his most inflammatory works while an academic guest in Colorado (some of Qutb's works form the Mein Kampf of Islamic extremism); and the toxic Wahhabi Muslim sect in Saudi Arabia. When you finish the chapters on these topics, you will thoroughly understand the repellent underpinnings of Saudi-specific culture, which in fact have very little to do with the humane face of Islam.

Obviously, the central figure in this book is Osama Bin Laden, and you will also find yourself knowing more than perhaps you really wanted to know about this unusually prolific mass-murderer. In Qutb's and Bin Laden's world, the deaths of innocent Muslims are of no more value than blowing your nose in a Kleenex.

The ultimate issue exposed beyond debate in this book is the calamitous incompetence of the CIA, coupled with the hidebound bureaucratic stupidity pervading all levels of the FBI, with its institutional rigidity and lack of acceptance of technology. The lion's share of the blame for the failure of the United States to forestall the attacks really has to be laid at the doors of President Bill Clinton and his CIA directors, who were responsible for the policies disallowing the CIA from sharing any intelligence information whatever with law enforcement authorities inside the US. Secondary blame has to be laid at the door of the Bush Administration, who had ample warning of impending attacks and had absolutely no interest in proceeding even with the lamentably weak anti-terrorism policies of the Clinton administration.

But, ultimately, as I've noted, the CIA is really to blame as an institution for allowing the 9/11 attacks to succeed. It leaves an indelible impression of decadence and decline in America, and that particular institution should be disbanded and those CIA functionaries who did not share vital information with the FBI really should be thrown in prison for the rest of their lives, starting with ex-Director Tenet. There is no excuse for such meretricious incompetence. Absolutely none. My fondest hope is that one or two of the people mentioned in the book as having committed these acts of arrogant stupidity will read these words or those of others on this page. These CIA people have as much blood on their hands as Bin Laden, as far as I'm concerned.

Can you tell I'm really, really angry with these people? You will be too, by the time you finish reading this book. The final chapter, "The Big Wedding," painstakingly describes the attack on the USS Cole and its aftermath, and clearly draws a direct line between that attack and the one that single-handedly (and ironically) ensured George Bush a second term. The book climaxes with a strikingly brief but utterly visual and devastating real-time narrative of the attacks as the ex-FBI man John O'Neill (another central figure in the book, who reminds me strongly of Tony Soprano if Soprano was a big-time FBI man) experienced them. This book will be read and discussed a century and more from now. It is an essential work of our time.

Looming Tower should be required reading for all Americans. It is by far the best book about Al Qaeda and its antecedents. While it is extremely comprehensive, it is never boring. I find it extraordinary how Wright was able to develop such a book so soon after 9/11. It reads more like a book written 20 years after the fact rather than just 5 years.

Wright is particularly good at "developing the characters of his story." In this it reads more like a great novel, rather than a typical non-fiction book. Wright creates fascinating portraits of Sayyid Qtub (the intellectual founder of modern Jihadism), Abdullah Azzam (the cleric who gave a fatwa calling on all Muslims to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, Ayman Al Zawahiri (the intellectual and organizational founder of Al Qaeda) and finally Osama Bin Laden (the financier and symbolic leader of Jihad), Jamal Al-Fadl (the defector who first told the incredulous FBI of the existence of the Al Qaeda), Ali Mohammed (who infiltrated the US Special Forces, copied their manuals and started the How to wage jihad encyclopedia).

Particularly interesting is how all of these radical leaders came from the upper-crust of Arab societies. One might expect that their anger and violent rhetoric came from very poor people, but that is not the case.

Also interesting is how Al Qaeda's strategy and organization gradually evolved out of a serious of historical accidents - the visit of Qtub to the USA; the imprisonment of Zawahiri after Sadat's assassination; the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Zawahiri's work in a Kuwaiti hospital with radical Jihadi doctors; the near destruction of infant Al Qaeda in one small skirmish with the Soviet army; squabbles within Al Qaeda after the Soviets withdrew resulting in the assassination of Assam; the inability of the Arabs to return to their country after the war due to government hostility against the very people they recruited; the coup in Sudan which gave Al Qaeada a base just when they were losing their old one in Afghanistan; the USA passing up Sudan's offer to extradite bin Laden due to lack of evidence to prosecute him.

Wright also dismantles the myth that Al Qaeda brought down the Soviet Union by destroying their army in Afghanistan. This is a foundational myth for Al Qaeda and key to understand their seemingly irrational desire to attack the USA. Wright shows that only a few hundred Arab troops were actually in combat, and they did so mostly after the Soviets started withdrawing. Arab troops did not come in large numbers until after the Soviets completely withdrew, and they spent most of their time fighting against Afghan Muslims and each other. Even by the end of the war, the organization was just one of dozens of almost irrelevant radical organizations.

Wright somehow manages to maintain an objective perspective despite the murderous rhetoric, thoughts and action of his subjects.

wright prepared an excellent book. it's written as engagingly as a novel, but it is choke full of detail which has been corroborated. this was a fantastic page-turner. it did not provide the kind of detail that i sought regarding the actual attacks of 9/11, how individuals were trained and supported, etc. - it provided a comprehensive background on what was going on and who was involved. looking at the pages of interviews, pages of references, i am convinced of the thoroughness of the author and i appreciate why this book was the winner of the pulitzer prize. outstanding work!!!

A must read for any informed U.S. citizen. We all need to recommend it to our legislators for their reading..

I have read extensively about Islamic terrorism and Al Qaeda and The Looming Tower is by far the most compelling and comprehensive book on this subject. It clearly lays out the social, philosophical and theological progression and foundations that led to 9/11. Though you may not agree, by the end of the book you clearly understand the radical extemist's rationale and the historic time line of the people and events that led to 9/11. Though it provides history, The Looming Tower reads like a novel which I could not put down. It is the seminal book on this subject.

Chasing Ghosts is a gripping, on-the-ground, cold bucket of water in the face view of the Iraq war. It tracks Rieckhoff's path from Manhattan on 9/11 to patrolling the streets of Baghdad to re-adjusting to life at home. His writing is lucid and sophisticated, raw and unbridled. Its a story of true patriotism, the active defense of American ideals through military sacrifice followed by the courage to challenge the mis-management - from flawed foreign policy to equipment shortages to inciting, empty rhetoric by the administration - of that sacrifice, which he experienced firsthand. He captures the sacrifice and heroism of not just his brothers in arms, but also the Iraqis helping the American effort or merely trying to survive the maelstrom. This is a great read.

Paul Rieckhoff is a very dedicated individual. He tells it like he sees it and he continues to help the badly treated American vets through IAVA. He graduated from Amherst, one of the top schools in America, and left a high paying Wall Street career to serve America. He doesn't "sell out" in his honest account of being in Iraq so of course he gets criticized for truthfully telling what he saw. It certainly isn't what we want to learn when we find out how fowled up and mishandled things are over there. I like the book and recommend it.

A fascinating and thought provoking account of an army officer's life at the "Sharp End" in Iraq.

Ever since the invasion of Iraq I've read everything about the occupation that I could get my hands on. Few of the books have been top drawer, and accounts by military vets have often been uniquely unsatisfying.
But this book is superb: snappy, compelling, evocative, informative. And best of all, extraordinarily well written.
It's a shame that this fine book should have fallen out of print.

To begin to understand The War In Iraq, I wanted to read a primary source - someone whose boots were on the ground outside of The Green Zone; someone who dealt with The Iraqi people daily - as civilians, as allies, and as the enemy. In an engaging and direct narrative, Paul Rieckhoff presents his experience as infantry officer. The intricacies of his duties go beyond combat to functions of a non-military nature. The challenges Paul encountered in Iraq because of the destroyed infrastructure often redefined the role of his command.

The book drew me in and held me to the last page. Rieckhoff's attention to detail frames the narrative - e.g. his journal entry on the flight to Iraq; his manner of acquiring & customizing transportation for his platoon; the descriptions of combat and interaction with other units as the infantry does the real work; his homecoming - including a drive with girlfriend that shows the story often untold about heroes returning from combat.

Don't listen to the talking heads on TV. Read the account of someone who was there in service to our nation. Highly recommended.

the title comes from a comment on The Iliad. a well written book. lots of details on the battle. also gives a broad view of the entire socio-political background. not for the faint of heart.

I picked this up to read on a month long travel trip. I ended up reading it in one sitting! Consequently, Im very glad I had also purchased a few other titles on the same topic. I really good read, disturbing and terrifying at times with a great deal of insight, but a great read.

It will be many years yet before we get a good general history of the Iraq War - history is still playing out. Too many of the recent books on the Iraq conflict are shrill jeremiads or ideologically-biased axe-grinding (whether pro or con). So it's perhaps not surprising that battle memoirs would be the first really good pieces of literature to come out of this war.

The Battle of Fallujah was the biggest urban battle the military has conducted since the Battle of Hue City, and it presents unique challenges to a writer attempting to chronicle it. There are no large set-piece battles to focus on: the insurgents are guerilla fighters, often untrained (and therefore unpredictable), and practice small-unit hit-and-run tactics. Instead West tries to follow the "flow" of the battle as the Marines and Army move from North to South through the city of Fallujah.

Much of the combat is up close and personal (the "House from Hell" chapter is truly scarifying), often involving desperate actions by squads who have to assault one fortified house after another. It's a testament to West's skill that these battles don't become confusing to the reader (however much so they must have been to the soldiers themselves); West intersperses the larger decisions of the officers and politicians, and how these decisions affect the grunt in the field.

Bing West, a retired military man himself, understands how to convey both strategy and small-unit tactics. This is a weakness of many other battle histories, which sometimes tend too much to the officers while neglecting the grunts; or focusing too much on the kinetic tactical stuff while ignoring the bigger picture. "No True Glory" strikes a good balance, and West is superb at keeping the reader "centered" in the battle at all times.

This book will stand the test of time, I think, and may well become the definitive account of the battle of Fallujah.

This is a sad story that includes descriptive descriptions of West's experiences in war. It is well written though at times a slow read. If you enjoy war novels, particularly non-fiction war novels, then you may like this book. It reminds me a little of "With the Old Breed on Pelilu and Okinawa." If you were tolerable of the gory details of that book, then you will likely not mind this one. This book may evoke bad memories and anxiety in people who have experienced war, and will most likely insult people who are opposed to this war. This book may provide insight and closure to the family members of the people mentioned inside its pages. I think it is a testimony to the fact that war is terrible. The pictures inside are not for children or anyone who is especially sensitive to seeing human suffering.

His account of the fighting in and around Fallujah was very informative. He description of the bravery and determination exhibited by the Marines was very memorable. Yet by ignoring the political ramifications of fighting a trumped up war created by the Bush administration and the large number of civilian casualties that have been subtained, he intentionally created a very distorted overall picture of the conflict. Also, his comparison of the fighting in Iraq with the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War was extremely inaccurate. By blindly accepting the offical version of events, Bing did an injustice to his readers. Amazingly, he pretty much ignored the total incompetence of President Bush, Rice, Rumsfeld, and the political leaders who served there. As a Vietnam Combat veteran myself, I was very disappointed that he didn't recognize the harsh fact that one man's terrorist in another man's freedom fighter. Or rather, the glaring fact that we can't militarily win a war of occupation, unless we literally accept the fact that we are corporate occupiers and not political liberators.

nicholas and alexandra should never had become czar and crazina of russia.nicholas was just to weak spirit and alexandra to strong without know the real russia people.she saw russian as childern who needed to be told how to run their lives by the papa czar.she hide her son illness and brought in a sexual twisted man of god into her family,ruin the romanov's relationship with it's people.stopping changes that would give citzen russian say in their country.in the end the people turn on the romanov's every thing end tragical.

I read this book many years ago and have never forgotten it, and I just recently purchased a copy of my own. Robert Massie is an excellent writer who makes this book memorable for the fun and loving family that the Romanovs were and their terrible, tragic end. I'm now collecting more books on the Romanov dynasty and the individual people who made up this fascinating family. For anyone with an interest, this is the place to start.

Far and away one of the best biographies I have ever read. Massie masterfully gives life to the doomed, tragic last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family. I was absolutely rivetted from page one by this outstanding work. The book gives a sympathetic portrait of Tsar Nicholas, his wife Empress Alexandra, and their ongoing struggle to cope with their haemophiliac son, Alexei, heir to the Russian throne. Alexei's illness indirectly leads to the downfall of the Romanov dynasty and the family's murder. An astonishingly good read, and one I highly recommend to all who are interested in this era of history.

Robert Massie's "Nicholas and Alexandra" is a biographical study centered on the lives of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia. Massie's portrayal of the last ruling Romanavs is like many other works on the subject in that it is poignant, dramatic, and vibrant; but never dull. However, Massie's work stands out above other works on the subject for its thorough account of the lives of the imperial couple and most of all, its sympathetic portrayal of them.

Nearly all works of the period agree that Tsar Nicholas II was not the blood-drenched despot the Bolshevik revolutionaries claimed him to be, and although he may not have been as benevolent as his contemporary Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary, he at least lacked the bellicose nature of his German counterpart (and early advisor), Wilhelm II. Massie's account demonstrates how Nicholas II was ill-prepared to ascend the throne in after Alexander III, but unlike the contention of other historians, Massie makes a reasonable case in defending the intelligence of the fallen autocrat.

Massie's account of Nicholas and Alexandra does not absolve the couple from their failure to prevent the collapse of the reign and ultimately their country, but it does partially excuse their inflexibility and fatalism on the serious of misfortunes that continued to plague Nicholas from the very day of his coronation; when hundred of Russian peasants were stampeded to death in a overzealous crowd on Khodynka Meadow. Yet, no Romanov apologist can ignore the detrimental influences on Nicholas's reign, including his wife Alexandra, a German Kaiser, and especially a corrupt starets. That such an array of persons from various strata of society could at times impose their will on a man raised to be an autocrat was a tarnish on Nicholas' character.

Despite his habit of being easily swayed at times, Nicholas is not one-dimensional in Massie's account. It is noted how Nicholas ignored the advice of able ministers and most of all; remained unyielding to grant the masses of his subjects the representation and constitution they desired--until it was too late. Even Massie can be counted among the historians who muse whether the Romanov dynasty might have survived had the Tsar been more accommadating to the popular demands of his people--or if war had not erupted in the manner it did in 1914.

Although Massie's work is very thorough, it only briefly touches the clandestine operations of the Tsarist police state in rooting out revolutionaries and assassins from its masses prior to 1917. Indeed, other works (e.g. Edmond Taylor's "The Fall of the Dynasties") are careful to point out that Tsarist police included a host of known double agents whose loyalties were perpetually in doubt. While Massie makes note of that insecurity in his account of Prime Minister Peter Stolypin's assassination in 1911 by a Tsarist agent, he fails to explain how widespread the problem actually was. Indeed, Taylor describes as monarchy's slide to collapse as a "suicide", not because they were unable to stop that slide, but rather because they were unwilling.

Just as it is difficult to excuse the corrupt system of Tsarist counter-revolutionary activity, historians are also unable to justify the Russia's policy in WWI of placing the needs of France above that of her own. The disaster at Tannenburg early in the war is described in detail by Massie, and is correctly portrayed as a premature offensive launched by Russia (with the support of Nicholas) to rescue its beleagured ally from the German onslaught through northern France. Indeed, even after his abdication and arrest, Massie notes how Nicholas pleaded with Kerensky to continue to support the Russia's allies in the war effort--a mission with which the Provisional Government leader would complete in the summer of 1917 with disastrous consequences. Although Massie's "Nicholas and Alexandra" does not outright label the monarchy as a principle agent of its own destruction, his book nevertheless provides a strong case to the conclusion that the last rulers (and their ministers) of the Romanov dynasty practiced an inexplicable policy of self-immolation.

It is perhaps this mystery--or lunacy--of the Romanovs that continues to fascinate so many readers 90 years after their unglorious deaths in their Siberian imprisonment. Undoubtedly, the story of the last Romanovs will continue to perplex students of history for decades to come, and Robert Massie's work will will remain the foremost account of the twilight of Imperial Russia.

Massie has written a masterpiece.
Graceful, informative ,never boring.
One of the best introductions into the insanity
of the Red Revolution and the rise of communism.

I have been waiting to read this book for a very long time, and the wait was well worth it. Mr. Caro presents a massive, well-researched piece on one of New York's most influential (and controversial) public officials. I am a sucker for great detail, and so I enjoyed Caro's painstakingly detailed portrait of how a young, idealistic reformer evolved into the ruler of a huge bureaucratic empire. What Caro makes very clear is how Robert Moses became so corrupted by power (and self-importance), that he failed to grasp how his projects were not always in the public interest. Moreover, Caro paints a vivid picture of Moses' cynicism and shrewdness, and how he parlayed those into greater and greater power. For instance, Moses realized that most state legislators were political hacks who never bothered to read the fine print of the laws that they passed. He played on this to insert such fine print into legislation which made him virtual Tsar of development in both New York State and New York City. In addition, Moses was able to convince most New York politicians that he was indispensable to them, and so had them virtually eating out of his hand (i.e., his tactic of threatening to resign, unless he got 100% of what he wanted). At once fascinating and frightening as to how one man could harness such a degree of power!

On a critical note, not all of Mr. Caro's conclusions about Robert Moses are universally accepted. For instance, Mr. Caro accuses Moses of single-handedly wrecking the Bronx with the Cross Bronx Expressway. However, many people have argued that this was only one of many factors that destroyed the Bronx, and not all of these things were brought by Moses. Perhaps Mr. Caro should have given space to opposing viewpoints regarding the Moses legacy. Overall, though, I thought that it was a great book; required reading for anyone interested in the development of New York during the 20th century.

I purchased this after having read the author's works on Lyndon Johnson. Very much like those books, this is a study of what makes a bad person who accomplishes great things tick. My one grip about all of the books by the author is his tendency to belabor a point - the repeat over and over the same set of facts at times. At times I wonder if this was due to the writer having too many research cards and not being able to discard any of them when actually composing his thoughts. Overall, this is a very thorough historical work that is definitely not 'dry' in its narrative style and should be read by anyone interested in power and motivation.

This is an astonishing book. For at least three reasons. First, Robert Caro is a master of exhaustively-researched biographies, and this book is remarkable in the comprehensiveness of his portrait of Robert Moses. From details of his youth and college years, to a blow-by-blow description of his fall from power as an old man, the writing is detailed, opinionated, and razor sharp. Second, the life of Moses is astonishing in itself. The book gives a portrait of how idealism can be quickly turned to stubbornness, incuriousity, and corruption. Robert Moses was one of the smartest and most talented bureaucrats of the 20th century, and he split his energies 50/50 on beautiful parks and cutting red tape on the one hand, and destroying neighborhoods and building networks of cronies on the other hand. Third, the book is astonishing in its length, to a point where it becomes almost a reference rather than a book to be read cover to cover. Repetitive in places, filled with unnecessary detail in others (although in some cases, the detail adds to the brilliance of the book), the reader sometimes wishes that Caro had been forced to cram his encyclopedic knowledge about Moses into a mere, say, 500 pages. It would have been possible to cover the lessons of Moses' life, the brilliance, the arrogance, the great feats, and utter disasters, in that space. Nevertheless, this book has, for more than 30 years, been absolutely essential reading for people interested in New York, urbanism, power, and the art of journalistic biography.

After 40 years of writing biographies, Robert A. Caro deserves an all time winning award in history. In 1974 he wrote the biography of Robert Moses, Big Bob the Builder in New York. It is an incredible biography. By focusing on one person, Caro succeeds in revealing the peculiarities of this particular epoch in New York. It is a detailed account of how power works in New York between 1934 and 1968. The book is about personalities, Robert Moses of course, but also about the Rockefellers, Al Smith (the governor of New York), La Guardia (mayor of NY). And the book is about building. Every student in building ought to read this book. Robert Moses was a genius in obtaining power, preserving it and ruthlessly exercising it. The resuls are dazzling. Nowadays New York shows a multitude of Moses battlefields. The high ways, the parks in and outside New York, the playgrounds, the tall apartment houses. Robert Moses, Big Bob the Builder once was a celebrity in New York,. His fall after so many years of exercising of power could be no surprise,. His legacy is in doubt. Did he neglect the possibilities of mass transport and were his investments exclusively focused on cars? Did he have solid preferences for the middle class and did he try by all means to neglect the needs of the lower class? Every builder, urban planner, politician, municipal employee, developer, student of history shoud read this book. It is a big big six star
luuk oost

[...]

Robert Caro's biography reads like an extraordinary work of investigative journalism - damning, erudite and compelling - that surely would have been appreciated by Robert Moses had he not been the subject.

It is a fascinating study of the evolution of government in New York City and Robert Moses' ability to shape laws as the "best bill drafter in Albany" and to seize upon prevailing trends and work the levers of the City, State and Federal governments to his advantage. It is during the Great Depression when Moses is able to mobilize maximum resources, largely from the Federal government, for some of his most ambitious projects.

While at most times a scathing indictment of Moses and his methods, Caro does credit Moses - New York City's first Parks Commissioner - for his contributions to green spaces in the city and his creation of a premier state park system.

Caro insists that judgment about Moses' legacy is premature and that one can only say New York would be a very different place without Moses. New York was indeed a very different place at the time of publication of the Power Broker; Caro has recently commented that some of Moses projects, such as the Triborough Bridge, have been a boon for city residents. Although he never cared for mass transit, it's a shame Moses couldn't come back to start work on the stalled new Penn Station.

I think that other reviews have done a fine job of praising the importance and genius of Bastiat's work. And I thoroughly enjoyed his reasoning and clarity as well. But I was pretty disappointed by the quality of this edition. The book has misplaced punctuation and typos in it -- the kind that would be caught by a simple spell checker. Maybe I'm picky, but I find such errors to be rather distracting when reading. When I buy a book, I expect that someone has carefully proofread it, but somehow that seems to have been overlooked here.

So, 5+ stars for Bastiat, and a generous 2 stars for the publisher.

The Bible , The Art of Warfare, The Prince and the respective the Law is a must read for all people educated and pragmatic.

Best Regards
André Rafnsson.

The author of this book was clearly blessed with a stellar mind capable of powerful reasoning and the most cogent elucidation of his mental products. His presentation in this book of the right use of law versus the manipulation of law is virtually inarguable. The logic is glaringly clear and unavoidable. Every, and I mean every U.S citizen, should read this book. In fact, had this book been required reading in public schools from 1850 (its origination) our nation would not presently be on the precipitous decline that it is. Any person with the main of his mental faculties in proper working order will inevitably be convinced by Bastiat's case that the definition of Law is the organizing of force for the maintenance of justice, and therefore, its application should be strictly limited to protecting individual liberty. It requires only that the reader accept that justice be understood as the unhindered presence and practice of liberty- which ensures that each individual is free to exercise his God given faculties (his humanity) according to his own conscience (or the direction of God if he is wise) rather than according to the coercion of other men. Can there be a better definition or objective for the law than this? Bastiat argues forcefully that this situation of liberty will naturally be the most peaceful and prosperous for any society. This book will change your mind or greatly enhance your thinking regarding the matter of the right use of the law.

This is a formative, classic work. If you are into politics, do yourself a favor and read it ASAP. This is really a light-weight primer to libertarianism, and yet it is very powerful and heavy-duty at the same time. If more people would read (and adopt) these ideas, I think our political environment would slowly move in the right direction!

In 1850 a French guy wrote this little essay on the Law. It could have been written today in the US, in Europe, because we are certainly not progressing in terms of common-sense, politically. Here are some ideas:

-Justice is the absence of injustice. Nothing more than that.

-What God does is well done. Do not claim to know more than Him. The fact that this rule is almost universally broken says much about our level of hubris.

For Bastiat Law is a minus, it takes away. His subject is so relevant today that we can see the results of the States' false philanthropy, just as Orwell warned us in his Animal Farm. Western governments certainly know how to belittle us... we couldn't do without them. In Spain we have this government commercial encouraging drivers to drive well: "We can't drive for you!" They wished. The only idea that they think about it tells how far they've got under our skin.

This book is dynamite. Makes one see the world today in a clear and detached way. Who are the philanthropists that we "owe so much devotion to"? Take Gore's greedy schemes with his mineral mines behind his climactic facade. Take another homeless, Soros, the preacher of the Left, whose God is money.

To be a Pharisee is indeed to love the Law while hating man, to use the Law to make Injustice legal, to pervert Justice, to become a new god to modern State worshippers, wellfare addicts. Yes, Bastiat would sure be ashamed to see what the West has become: the legalized plunder by the State.

I read this book last semester for a Criminal Justice class and it is amazing. It opened my eyes to exactly how wrong the war on drugs is. This book is my #1 recommended book. If more people would read it I think we'd finally be able to find our way out of this fruitless war.

Q: What is the difference between the Prohibition and America's war on drugs? Mike Gray's overall answer is "very little," but the one glaring difference is that when Prohibition failed, the country repealed the Constitutional Amendment which had created it. Alcohol use remained at about the same level before, during and after the Prohibition years, but the murder, official corruption and gang battles that accompanied official proscription came and went. DRUG CRAZY analyzes the upshot of that distinction and its enormous worldwide effects. The U.S. led anti-drug effort has cost us hundreds of billions of dollars in enforcement efforts alone, not to mention the cost of prisons, imprisonment and court proceedings and has succeeded in creating an international drug consortium with an annual income higher than the U.S. defense budget. Thousands of innocent bystanders have died in sprays of automatic fire and bomb blasts. It has made pot easier to get than alcohol for most American teens and brought Colombian, Bolivian and Mexican democracy to the brink of collapse. Damningly, Gray reports that every refereed study since the 1890s has suggested that marijuana is harmless and that the opiates and cocaine are no more dangerous than alcohol (perhaps less). Even the infamous "crack babies" we heard about for a few years turned out to be an unsubstantiated myth. In every country where legalization and controlled prescriptive availability of harder drugs has been tried, addiction rates remained stable or fell, crime decreased and most addicts proceeded to live normal workaday lives. The U.S. has forced other countries to quit such programs through fiscal pressure and outright lies, insisting that all adopt our abolitionist stance. We have managed to export violence, crack cocaine, corruption and other benefits to numerous other nations along with our failed policy. At the same time, and to make matters worse, the nature of enforcement has become a defacto racist effort. Cocaine in Wall Street boardrooms is harder to see than crack runners on Main Street and while whites are the disproportionate users of illegal drugs, blacks are the disproportionate arrestees. In this country, one in four black males is either in prison, under probation or on parole, mostly as a result of drug or drug related crimes. Small wonder, as the author points out, that blacks think O.J. Simpson was framed: it is their daily experience. Police routinely lie in court to make drug charges stick. (Since private deals between consenting parties are very hard to actually witness, when police claim that a perpetrator dropped a bag or in some other way made evidence visible it is understood by judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and defendants that it is "acceptable" false testimony to cover an illegal search. So perjury is permitted in the name of enforcement.) Amazingly, the whole morass of current drug problems and policies could be eliminated with the stroke of a pen. Minus prohibition the drug cartels would be defunded. If prices fell, many farmers would find other crops more appealing. If currently illegal substances were distributed by prescription or through state-licensed stores, kids would be infrequently exposed. (How many pushers are selling beer in front of your local elementary school these days?) Mike Gray has brought his story telling skill (The China Syndrome and other screenplays) and his investigative/documentary bent (American Revolution and The Murder of Fred Hampton) to bear on an urgent national and international problem. His recommendations and observations are difficult to refute and his is a well considered voice in a growing debate which affects us all. Even now, the genie released when California and Arizona approved medical marijuana use is being clumsily stuffed back in the bottle by Federal mandate, disenfranchising voters and creating a rising uproar. As former U.S. Attorney General Elliott Richardson observes: "Anyone who thinks the war on drugs is succeeding should read this book. It shifts the burden of proof from the critics of existing policy to its defenders."

This is one of the best books I've read on the drug war to date (and I've read a bunch). The book carefully went through the origins, history, and effects of the drug war in a captivating and easy to follow manner. When finished, the reader will be left with an iron-clad indictment of the drug war which has covered all angles. This really is one of the most comprehensive and well written books on the drug war, and I highly recommend it.

When it became clear that the medicines called opiates were highly addictive and caused health problems, they were dealt with as nicotine and alcohol are dealt with today. There were honest and realistic public service messages warning of the dangers of opiates, and there was medical help that greatly limited the damage they did to the individual and which had a chance of eliminating his or her addiction. These methods worked, and where they are applied they work today. Then in the second decade of the twentieth century the country took a nose-dive into authoritarian attitudes and corruption, and people got the strange idea that you could eliminate a practice you didn't like simply by passing a law against it. Alcohol, and the opiates were completely banned, as was marijuana which was now designated a "drug" because of its association with minority groups. Alcohol use, which had always hovered between widespread and universal, had been declining but now became more common than ever before. Worse, the alcoholic drinks that were taken became much harder and not being regulated they might contain enough alcohol to be dangerous. Worse still, an untold number of criminals were created, crime of all kinds increased radically, organized crime came to control whole districts and corruption reached heights never seen before. "Public service messages" regarding what were now illegal "drugs" became simple expressions of hatred having very little to do with the "drugs" they were about, and everyone actually familiar with those "drugs" knew it. Medical treatment by doctors who were actually trying to help their paitents was declared illegal, and a number of doctors went to prison. The lives of opiate addicts had usually been no worse than the lives of nicotine addicts, but now those lives became impossible. Addicts could no longer hold jobs raise children or do anything else but concentrate on their addiction. Current "rehabilitation" for opiate addicts is an expression of hatred for those addicts and makes no attempt to help them. It mostly consists of telling them they are evil it they don't break their habits, and for those addicted to opiates or nicotine, breaking the habit altogether is usually not possible. Opiate use had always been an insignificant phenomenon nationwide, and in the early part of the century when it was being dealt with intelligently, it was declining. But then the hate laws were passed, and now a measurable percentage of the population is addicted and condemed to ruined, useless lives, organized crime is more powerful now than at any time in history, and whole countries like Columbia are completely dominated by corruption-- as are large sections of others like the United States and Mexico. None of this needed to happen. The things we call "drugs" were handled intelligently at the beginning of the twentieth century or were never a problem in the first place. If realistic laws were passed, the worst of the damage would be fixed very quickly since it is directly caused by bad laws. The rest of the damage would take a decade to undo, but if we begin treating the opiates as we treat nicotine and alcohol we will gradually undo it.
I think that is a pretty good thumbnail of what Mike Grey had to say, and he is completely right. Everyone in the country should read this book. Our real addiction is to hatred.

Author Mike Gray tackles the failed drug war in this book and effectively shows how the present war has many similarities to alcohol prohibition in early part of the twentieth century. Gray begins his discussion of the subject of drugs by taking the reader back to 1925, in the city of Chicago, during the height of the nightmare of prohibition. Gangs ruled the streets. The air was filled with the smell of cheap booze and the sound of gunfire. Police were defenseless to the total chaos going on all around them. They simply could not stop the manufacture and consumption of alcohol. There was too much money to be made by selling this "forbidden fruit". There was no possible way that this "war" on alcohol could ever be won.

Does this sound familiar? It should, because the same thing is going on right now. The government's failed attempt to eliminate alcohol is now being attempted a second time with the war on drugs. These laws are discussed in the book with a history lesson on the various court rulings and congressional decisions that led to the present prohibitions on drugs. These laws have some of their roots in the U.S. Congress. According to the book, marijuana itself became illegal as the result of a lie told to congress by Fred Vinson, a man who would later become the U.S. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Vinson was sitting in a congressional hearing one day, just before congress was about to vote on whether or not marijuana should be made illegal. The American Medical Association knew of the benefits of marijuana in medical treatments, and was strongly against such a law. But when Vinson was questioned by congress, he lied and said that the AMA backed the proposed law 100 percent to make marijuana illegal. This was enough to help push the law through congress. Vinson's lie, coupled with the onslaught of government propaganda against marijuana, marked the beginning of America's second nightmare with prohibition.

The lying and deception by government cooled off a bit during the 1940 to 1960 period. But then, the lying and deception continued when President Nixon decided to revive the anti- drug crusade, in part to cover- up his own problems with Vietnam and Watergate. George Bush then escalated the damage even more by scaring the public into backing his anti- drug package and his "get tough" policies against drug dealers and drug users. Gray talks about these and other political maneuvers; why they happened and the true motives behind these so- called "moral" crusaders.

The present- day situation looks pretty bleak. Gray points out that the United States is now the largest jailer in the world with roughly half of all prisoners being non- violent drug offenders. We have also corrupted our police officers, with many of them actively taking part in the drug trade; cutting special deals, accepting bribes, etc, because of the allure of easy money. Respect for law enforcement is low, and violent criminals have been allowed early release to make way for non- violent drug offenders, thanks to mandatory minimum sentences.

This book is an easily manageable length: about 198 pages and fairly easy to read. There are a total of eleven chapters and two appendices. Appendix "A" details the changes in the U.S. murder rate, showing how it peaked during alcohol prohibition and during the present- day drug prohibition. It also shows graphs depicting the U.S. prison population and the Federal Drug budget. And to give the book some balance, Appendix "B" contains a listing of activist organizations, both pro- drug war and anti- drug war, along with a brief description of each and their respective websites.

As Mike Gray points out, the War on Drugs is one of America's greatest failures. Gray never specifically condemns the war. He wrote this book as a means to educate the reader on the motives behind drug prohibition and the reasons that politicians continue to fight a losing battle when they know that the war is not winnable. Gray never resorts to name calling or any form of moral persuasion. He really doesn't need to. He lets the facts speak for themselves, illustrating the endless problems created by a war of prohibition and why it is so important to stop this insanity once and for all.

Wonderful experience. Seller worked out all the details with me and I was so pleased with the purchase. Would definitely refer others to him and also buy from him again. Thanks so much.

Pictures. These will remind you. Haunting. Sad. Heart wrenching. Moving. These words won't do it for you. The book will give you more. Over 3000 people died that day. This book will help you to never forget what happened to them and us.

The point comes across, but I think there is plenty of other work that should have been included.

A message to each and every reviewer who takes time to add thoughts to a any media of memorial of 9/11, World Trade Center Towers tragedy... thank you from my heart.

My spouse and I resided on the Lower West Side, Battery Park City, Gateway Plaza, So. End Ave. As survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center Towers tragedy... From our Gateway Plaza apartment, facing the street and 300 yards from the Towers, we helplessly witnessed all from our apartment windows. The closeness of the Towers viewed from our windows - gave an illusion that one could reach out and touch the Towers; their beauty with night lights reaching toward the sky promoted a contemplative emotion.

We viewed the planes entering the Towers, the overwhelming inferno, individuals jumping, the collapse of the Towers, the darkness as debris hit our windows with a fury. What occurred over a period of hours, seemed like a much shorter time span. The darkness was darker than an eclipse, darker than the darkest night; and then a momentary hush after the air cleared. Viewing the roof garden one floor below, with the human reaction of looking out to see if someone might be on that roof garden and in need of help. Debris strewn everywhere, recording tape and paper hung from the trees of the garden and oh, so much ash. The momentary hush, whether real or imagined, then the viewing of debris for a second, fantasized that a parade had just passed by on our short street. I now really understand the expression a "feeling of helplessness", I couldn't fix what had just happened.

We vacated our apartment finally at 5:15 p.m. that day, waiting for someone to knock on our door, with only a battery radio to keep us abreast of happenings. "In a New York minute", we evacuated via the stairwell touched with ash, the result of a first floor door left open. With a few belongings, gathered with a tad of thought of what was being left behind, we stepped out of the door onto the pavement, seeing and standing in ever so much ash & debris, I wanted to turn around and go back to our home. It was one moment of reality in time, I carry to this day.

We planned to walk up the East Side, glimpsed the tired fire, police, volunteers, and med techs in our immediate driveway and street, so instead opted to pass through the building in back of the apartment complex. We gained access to the Esplanade walking the short distance to reach the Hudson River North Cove dock. We were escorted to the New Jersey shore via New York Police boat. From the boat deck, we viewed even more damage to the Manhattan skyline, especially noting the zigzag shape of the side of the American Express building, housed in one of the World Financial Center buildings along with the glorious Winter Garden, as well as the fall of World Trade Center Building 7. We were taken to the Jersey City Hospital, attended to by compassionate staff. Then traveled by National Guard truck to Hoboken, NJ where we were housed by a wonderful family who with great trust welcomed strangers to their home.

On Friday 9/14, our eldest son & daughter-in-law drove from New Hampshire via New Jersey routes to Hoboken for transport us to New Hampshire for temporary residence with our daughter, who along with her friend and our youngest son, greeted us with open arms & the overwhelming feeling of not wanting to let go with each hug that followed. Our daughter and son had spent that Friday in New Hampshire collecting items of clothing and necessities which the Concord community generously opened their hearts and donated by churches, stores, individuals, employers, American Red Cross, et al.

One of our grandchildren -- he was 8 at that time - arrived home from a few days with his Dad. He hugged us so tight, understanding the depth of 9/11 events for someone so young and yet so wise. He told Grandpa & Babcia that he had something for them... his Mom was not even aware of his gift. He had spoken to his classmates about his grandparents' closeness in location of the World Trade Center Towers. Presented to us was a large envelope full of hand-made cards from each of his classmates. And if that isn't love and caring, I don't know what is - from the hearts and minds of children!

Residing now in New Hampshire, not because of 9/11 drove us away, but circumstances just went that way as we continue to put our lives into perspective.

We Miss - New York City deeply; events found nowhere else in the USA, the introduction to & interaction with so many wonderful cultures. There isn't a day or night over these years that we do not think of 9/11... the Lady of Liberty & Ellis Island both on the merge of the East and Hudson Rivers. And that Lady of Liberty wept, I just know it, & still stands with pride that the USA is a democracy that will prevail.

We Remember - the victims, the survivors, their friends and families, the workers from the public and private sector, the volunteers, our neighbors in Gateway Plaza and staff in the small group of stores on South End Avenue, Battery Park City.

We Remember - the places we visited, the book signings attended, the celebrities we met, the concerts and theater plays, the movies, the arts, the parks, the strangers we talked with, on streets, on subway and those while standing in line for an event...

We Remember - Always In Our Hearts, Forever In Our Souls, Heroes, Victims, Survivors One and All... We Were There.

Painfully, the lump in my throat and the twist in my stomach, the tears in my eyes and the pain in my heart, to the depth of my soul, forever reside.

LIFE has done a first class job of putting together a book covering this horrific act by such a cowardly enemy.Rather than to make the Americans cower as these fanatics probably thought and probably thought and hoped for;it showed what a good and strong nation it is.History will remember both 9/11 and Pearl Harbor for the terrible and misguided acts of hatred they were.
This act conjours up different thoughts for everyone who witnessed it ,in whatever fashion,but no more so than those who had friends and particularly those who lost loved ones.
To those who may turn a little soft on the War on Terror a review of this book should remind one of what we are dealing with.
A great book TIME and thanks.

Michael Zak's book was fascinating and made me wish it was a textbook used for high school and college students. In reading the comments, I see that some things did not appear in his book that were unfavorable to Republicans. That is unfortunate, and more study should be placed beside this book. It is a good read! It'll open many eyes.

As the chairman of the fastest growing and most active Young Republican group in my tri-state area I need books like this to more quicky educate conservatives. Whether candidate, supporter, or voter it is pertinent to understand the core values of Republicanism as well as our rich history. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is a terrific book about our values and history. It is in a must-read for all Republicans. Our principals are ever lasting yet without knowing and applying them we cannot truly unite and maintain the way of life our forefathers fought for. My challenge to every individual and campaign: Purchase, read, and pass around Back to Basics for the Republican Party.

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party" is the most important book written about the Republican Party in a couple of decades and the most helpful book for "working and involved" Republicans in 40 years. I thoroughly enjoyed it. This should be required reading for every Republican Activist, Member, Leader, and Candidate. Republicans have lost too many verbal, public relation battles to Democrats. This will arm you and enable you to defeat your left-wing opponents. By learning our heritage, we will win over the American people, especially the younger generation. Kim, Madison, Wisconsin

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Mr. Zak provides a rich overview of how Republican commitment to the U.S. Constitution and the free enterprise system have been prevailing themes since formation of the "Party of Lincoln." As a certified public school teacher I have been amazed at the blatant bias of so many textbooks, and particularly appreciate the comprehensive six pages of references provided with this entertaining and enlightened volume. It puts every U.S. president into perspective and gives credit where credit is due for elected officials of both parties. Buy it now and discover what you can teach beyond popular historical myths!

I myself am a Black Republican, so I agree with Mr. Zak that the GOP's history on civil rights has not been fairly told. However, this book makes the same 2 errors that most GOP loyalists make when discussing Blacks and the GOP: 1) they oversimplify the ideology of the early Republicans and abolitionists. For example, notably missing from Mr. Zak's book are the following facts:that Herbert Hoover (Republican) was the first president to refuse to address the NAACP's convention, that Carter G. Woodson-the Founder of Black History Month-became so disappointed with the GOP that in the late 1920's he publicly stated that Blacks should stop being blindly loyal to the GOP, that soon after Reconstruction the GOP condoned the formation in the South of racially segregated GOP organizations, called the Lily Whites and the Black & Tans;that beginning in the 1870's Republican candidates lost elections in some Northern states because the Radical Republicans' idea of perfect equality was not embraced by most Whites, not even by most Republicans; that Lincoln was NOT a Radical Republican, he was a moderate who had ALWAYS discussed freeing the slaves ONLY in conjunction with deporting them to another country, for Lincoln openly declared that Blacks were inferior to Whites; that after the Civil War the GOP was weak nationally-since the founding of the GOP America has had 4 presidents who won by electoral vote but lost the popular vote, and all 4 were Republicans (Harrison, Hayes, Garfield, and Bush); that not all Republicans or abolitionists believed in racial equality, in fact most did NOT, they believed ONLY in ending slavery, and even on that issue they disagreed on the reasons, some were against slavery for moral reasons, others because they feared slave revolts, others because slavery competed with White labor, others because they wanted the good farmland used for more than just cotton. 2) they leave out much of how/why Blacks left the GOP in the first place: Mr. Zak's book does lay blame at the feet of Barry Goldwater, but overlooks the fact that Goldwater's victory in the GOP presidential primary obviusly says something about the views of rank and file Republicans in 1964-national civil rights legislation was clearly not a priority for most Republican voters in 1964, else Goldwater could not have won. Goldwater was just the icing on the cake. Beginning in the 1870's, the GOP began taking the Black vote for granted precisely because the Democrats were such vicious racists. Mr. Zak's book points out how the Democrats were at one point synonymous with the KKK, but he overlooks the obvious political implication for Black voters-if their only 2 choices were between the GOP and the Klan, it was an easy decision. Blacks voted for the GOP because they feared voting for the Democrats, this led to the GOP taking the Black vote for granted as the GOP moved further away from civil rights issues in order to attract more White voters, feeling confident that in doing so it would not lose Black voters. Today, it's the Democrats who take the Black vote for granted, because most Black voters are afraid of the GOP-the tables have turned.

As a Black Republican who is pro civil rights, I think what we need is a balanced review of history. This book is not balanced. Throughout history minorities have been used by the dominant group like a political footbal, and Blacks in America are no different. I'm working with some other Black Republicans to prepare a balanced view of Blacks and the GOP told from the Black perspective, not the perspective of a party loyalist.