Events Books

somebody told it like it is...The judicial system is not balanced and it never will be. Thanks judge for telling the truth!

As a New Yorker, I remember Judge Bruce Wright well. He was dubbed: "Cut 'em loose Bruce", because he often released arrested citizens without their having to post bail money. Mr. Wright upheld the law that bail is not to be used as a punishment, but only as a guarantee that the accused party return to court to face the charges against he/she. This infuriated the "powers-that-be". The fact that Judge Wright is a Black man, and many of those who came before him were also Black people, swayed the media to portray his actions as racially motivated, as opposed to his acknowledgement of the law. His book superbly reflects the blatant inequitableness of the criminal justice system and how it is purposely designed to work against Blacks and other people of color. His personal experiences, as a sitting judge, lend great credence to his analogy and conclusions concerning the legal system. Wright fearlessly gives names and elaborates on instances wherein he witnessed and experienced bias in the system. This book is not written in "textbook" fashion, provides some humorous irony and is very informative. Add it to your library.

I'm still reading this book. First time reading a book like this.This is one of the greatest. I recommend this book to be added to your library. It's gives truthful information of the legal system concerning the racism of blacks in the court system.

This book is an eye opener. It give you the truth behind the justice system from the perpective of a Sumpreme Court Judge who exposed the racism in the court system in New York. I never heard of Bruce Wright and happen I purchased this book. I have a lot of respect for the author.

somebody told it like it is...The judicial system is not balanced and it never will be. Thanks judge for telling the truth!

In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth, Williamson County, Illinois became a byword for lawlessness. The county first came to nationwide attention in the 1870s, when a bloody feud, comparable to the worst that the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee had to offer, wracked the area. Then in the 1920s, the town was beset by union and Ku Klux Klan violence to a shocking degree. Indeed, the rest of the country, and even the rest of the world was appalled at the violence, and the townspeople who condoned it.

This is a wonderfully interesting book. The author does an excellent job of bringing bloody Williamson to life, and showing it in all its lack of glory. This tale of union murderers and KKK hoodlums (often the same people) is sure to shock you, and make you very glad that you didn't live then and there!

I highly recommend this book!

If you are a history buff, you will almost certainly enjoy this book immensely as I did. It tells the incredible but little known story of one of the most violent chapters in U.S. history. In fact, some historians believe that the gangs of Williamson County were the most dangerous and violent gangs in U.S. History. Paul Angle does a wonderful job of telling this fascinating story which covers a period of about 50 years. I was particularly interested in it because my father lived through it. He lived in Marion, Illinois at the time and the Sheriff who plays a large part in the book was the father of his best friend. He also personally witnessed some of the things mentioned in the book. My father is 99 years old now and he still remembers it all clearly. But even without that personal connection to the story of Williamson County, I would have been just as fascinated.

I was amazed when reading the review by Alan Mills. How could someone get the most basic facts presented in the book so wrong? He claims that the mine owner hired thugs who killed the miners when, in fact, the mine owner hired guards and non-union miners to work the mines and the union miners killed them! And the "thugs" did not hang around because they were dead! Also, Williamson is a county not a town. Another reviewer guessed that Alan had just read the back cover but he couldn't have even done that based on his "review."

This is a true gem, which depicts the violent history of a rural southern county in Illinois. The author tells of organized labor, bootleggers, gangs and the KKK of the 1920s in Williamson County, Illinois. Angle writes in any easy format for most readers and his book is well indexed. I would highly recommend this book to all readers!

Mike Koch, author of "The Kimes Gang."

While working near Marion, Illinois (Williamson County) in the winter of 2002 and spring of 2003 I was (at first) completely unaware of the history of the area. Finding that I was a history lover, a co-worker, native to the area, told me about "the troubles" and recommended this book. I quickly decided that Bloody Williamson was one of the better books I had ever read concerning this violent era in American history. While reading the book, I rode over many of the roads and visited as many of the old sites as I could find.

Williamsburg County had an unbelievable amount of violence, in both variety and magnitude, in such a short period of time. In less than fifty years this one county had labor wars, Ku Klux Klan wars, gang wars, and one of the worst feuds in American history. Paul Angle is a good writer, but that is only an added benefit. Reading the media accounts of these events would be fascinating enough. Anyone interested in a case study of a dysfunctional community should read this book.

This book is brilliantly constructed account of the 24 hours leading up to one of the maximum effort raids on Germany. Large cast of well portrayed character's recounts the incredible courage of the airmen of both sides and the appalling results on the ground.

Only one in three Bomber Command aircrew survived WWII and over 50,000 perished bringing the German war machine to it's knees. There has never been a battle like it. Fought in the middle of the night for 4 years with the prospect of a horrific death ever present night after night.

Imagine going "over the top" in WWI and surviving it, then being asked to do it again the next day. And the next.

Not only that but after the war being branded as murderer's by the very people whose lives you were protecting. The post war government quickly distanced themselves from what Bomber Command achieved, and no gratitude was ever publicly forthcoming for these boys sacrifice.

To this day it still beggars belief.

Though the title implies that this is the story of a single bomber crew over Germany in 1943, "Bomber" goes farther - much farther, only starting with the crew of the heavy bomber "Joe for King". Deighton proceeds to cover the families of the crew, other crew members and their superiors before cutting across the channel to the enemy - night-fighter pilots, their controllers in German air defense, various suspicious characters from across the spectrum of Germany's military - from "respectable" Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht personnel to shadowy types from the "Abwehr" and the SS. We also meet the civilian residents of Altgarten, a Ruhr-area town nobody would think of bombing, but which manages to get plastered all the same. It's mid-summer 1943, when "Joe for King" is sent into the Ruhr as part of a massive night-time raid against the industrial centers of Krefeld. Lacking night-vision goggles, RAF pilots drop their bombs on targets marked by flares left by directing aircraft - in this case, specially equipped Mosquitoe night-fighters. When the marking aircraft for the Krefeld raid is shot down too early, its flares are released over Altgarten. This error is compounded by inherent flaws in RAF tactics (like targeting bombs in the center of cities, where bombs are more likely to hit civilian homes than factories and military installations), and the town becomes the unintended target for the massive strike. "Bomber" is to RAF's wartime bomber command what "Traffic" is to the DEA - a story of massive scale borne by wide cast if characters that never stops growing. Deighton doesn't let something meaningless as nationality get in the way of determining who is good or evil (the Germans get the bombs here, but Nazi genocide also gets prominent mention, with plenty of nasty Waffen SS to remind us why people were fighting). On the British side, we see officers acting less like gentlemen than soldiers. Political correctness is the rule (this is the country that gave us "1984"; "Joe for King"'s commander is suspected of incipient Bolshevism - it's very name hints at Stalin). Those who won't fall in line risk being labeled as LMF (Lacking Moral Fiber) - officially branded as cowards. Though books with such a command of detail normally favor the efforts of those they depict, Deighton is uniformly negative on the subject, a tone reinforced by his many subplots. Lambert, "Joe for King's" rebel pilot, plays the best cricket in Bomber Command - leading his odious superior to compel his participation in an upcoming tournament on pain of getting LMF'd. (Worse - the commander puts pressure on Mrs. Lambert after her husband has departed for the big raid). The bombers fly from Warley Fen, a once verdant field seized from its original owners who now stare at the airfield, mourning for what they know they will never have again. In Germany, ADF is managed by August Bach, an aged warrior preparing to marry his young son's nanny, not knowing how her youthful looks have made her the target of vicious rumors through Altgarten. The pilots of a night-fighter squadron (nichtjagdeschwader), preparing for a feared RAF attack on the Ruhr, are thrown into turmoil when Abwehr and Gestapo appear in search of a stolen classifed memo. The memo, it turns out, details hypothermia experiments on concentration camp prisoners (this may be same memo mentioned early in Robert Harriss' superb "Fatherland"). The corrupt assistant to Altgarten's Burgomeister arranges for the downgrading of the town's remaining Jews (from 1/3rd to 2/3rd "Jewishness" - though these jews are even more likely to face deportation and certain death, they will have greater freedom to marry other jews). Altgarten itself is flooded with profiteers funneling goods looted from conquered parts of Russia and the Netherlands. It seems that war is the only thing keeping the world safe because it occupies all the amoral typed who have to fight it. The only morally just adults are the TENO - the civil safety personnel who dig people out of bombed buildings. Because they are stationed in Altgarten, they get the biggest break: when the raid comes, they have the shortest commute. With so much going on, you just know you're bound to miss something. This is the sort of book that speed-readers hate. You'll probably lose count of all the characters that Deighton throws at you, though this doesn't hurt the plot as much as make the book one you'll want to re-read. Be warned - once you pick up bomber, you'll probably be spoiled for any other novel on the war in the skies over Europe.

This is a superbly plotted panel book in which every story ends with some sort of twist or irony. I write only to correct one error made by an earlier reviewer. Lambert's plane is NOT 'Joe for King', but 'the Creaking Door'. The CO is so out of touch that he mistakes the planes, thereby indirectly saving Lambert's life, much to his young wife's relief. (The casualty rates were horrific for bomber crews.)

It is somewhat amusing that the reviewer made the same mistake.

Bomber follows the progress of an Allied air raid through a period of twenty-four hours in the summer of 1943. It is not for weak stomachs as it shows the brutality of war.

The best fictional account of the "Other Side's" (German) view of being the "attacked". Mr. Deighton obviously has done his homework in showing how one massive,confused attack on a German town in the Summer of 1943 devastates everyone involved from the British RAF planners and pilots, politicians, and even more the German civilian home front, not to mention just about everyone else on the German side,from the SS,Luftwaffe, to the totally innocent on the ground. When the air raid alarms go off in the ficticious German town to the inevitable,terrifying end, mistakes and all, you know you're reading from a master. The ending is as terrible as you can imagine...

In the tradition of De Soto, Price and Haar's intro sets the pace while expertly written chapters take a clear-eyed look at Latam's failings. This compact volume deftly lays out the key areas where the region's elected leaders can choose responsibility over victimhood and make large impacts with what often amount to innovative, low-cost policy changes (although certainly the cost of massive infrastructure improvements needed in the region are staggering). Their warning - that what is needed is productivity gains through creativity and innovation - is fresh in light of recent commodity booms, fat public sector budgets, and populist regimes who look to co-opt their constiuents with the illusion of improved living standards.

If the next President of the USA read this book, they would not be talking about building walls or blaming NAFTA for job losses in the Rust Belt - what nonsense after you read how Mexico and others have been losing jobs in the face of globalization. The next President should be working to solve these challenges to make our hemisphere more competitive than the rest of the world.

This work provides a comprehensive examination of the region's competitive environment. John Price and Jerry Haar's prescient introduction probes the confluence of challenges that these societies will face in the coming years. As editors, they have wisely compiled contributions from twenty-one renowned experts who examine quantitative data and evaluate political, institutional and economic forces that shape Latin America at present. This selection of researched essays provides a thorough analytical review of the processes that will be required for successful competition.

Can Latin America Compete? is invaluable for anyone doing business in Latin America today, and it is indispensible reading for those engaged in research, study and policy making. John Price and Jerry Haar and their contributors, possess a unique and valuable knowledge and exceptional perspective. This reader is satisfied to conclude, as they do, that Latin America is an immense territory of possibilities to be discovered.

This is a great book for anyone seeking a lucid perspective of the challenges faced by Latin America in its ongoing quest for capital, technology and a better life for its people. Although Latin America is a vast region, the book addresses the principle drivers of economic growth that must be addressed if the region is to overcome its dependency on boom-and-bust commodities. I particularly enjoyed the authors' comparison of diverse nations as a way of developing general observations about the region as a whole. For those who know little about the deep impact of globalization on Latin America's development, this is a great place to start. For those who have read widely, this is an invaluable summary and an essential addition to their Latin American libraries.

This book intellectually provokes policy makers
and business people to seriously think about
chances and choices for Latin America to compete
in a global economy. Haar and Price present in
elegant and action oriented ways ,the vital
issues to robustly understand and design the
policies and business strategies for Latin
America to become a relevant player in a
knowledge society

This excellent book adds to the growing voices of those who see vast opportunities for economic success in Latin America but are frustrated by the pace of positive change to improve competitiveness. The authors clearly lay out the challenges, using well-written text and quality data. Many of the issues they analyze have been around for years under the rubric of "second generation reforms." As Patricio Navia and Andres Velasco note in a 2003 publication of the Institute for International Economics, "Second generation reforms are a motley crew, encompassing broad reforms of the state, the civil service, and delivery of public services; of the institutions that create and maintain human capital (e.g. schools and the health care system); and the environment in which private sector firms operate (more competition, better regulation, stronger property rights.) This book updates Latin America's uneven progress in carrying out these reforms and highlights the urgency of getting on with them as competition in the global market place increases. An excellent addition to this important policy debate.

I very rarely review more than one book by the same author, but in this case it is absolutely justified.

In the 1960s the Club of Rome was one of the first organizations to declare that there were "limits to growth." Today that seems so obvious, but then the very idea stirred up a hornet's nest of opposition.

There are still plenty of people who are convinced that either there is no problem, or that we are going to innovate our way out of any potential difficulties.

Many other experts are now of the opinion that we have left everything too late, and that we are on an inevitable downward path toward oblivion.

In Ervin Laszlo's new book, he acknowledges the seriousness of our situation, but is one of the hardy band of pioneers who see the problems as a "decision window" where we face not only the danger of total global collapse, but also the opportunity for renewal of the world.

We all of us need to change the way in which we see the world and then to take action.

Or else we shall probably not be here that much longer.

This message is indeed very positive.

According to the author, we just need to wake up. And this book outlines a precise map for doing exactly that.

Highly recommended.

Laszlo claims we are just now moving beyond the Iron Age and what comes next is not clear. The worse things get, however, the more people will work for improvement. What we need is general agreement that all should live "in a way that allows all other people to live as well." Unbridled consumption is the way to global destruction. Like David Korten (The Great Turning), Laszlo optimistically looks to all those who meditate, eat wisely, recycle, etc. as the vanguard of the new age.

THE CHAOS POINT: THE WORLD AT THE CROSSROADS predicts we have seven years to avoid global collapse and promote strategies for renewal - and tells how the modern world will change in that period of time. Chapters maintain we're at a critical junction in history and comes from the founder of systems philosophy and general evolution theory: THE CHAOS POINT builds upon his principles and surveys trends, how to head them off, and how to build a more sustainable world.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I found this book to be profoundly important for all to read at this time in history. It is a true wake-up call to everyone, certainly in the U.S., but also for the whole planet. A must read.

This is a well written book by an author with an outstanding international reputation. The condition of the earth and human culture today is at a critical crossroad. Conditions may either get better for most of the people on the planet or they may become so bad that human life here may be destroyed.

This book should receive world wide publicity with encouragement for as many people as possible to read it. Then we need to insist that our leaders begin immediately to take steps to choose the best action for the welfare of all humans and our planet.

Mark Sophir's terrific debut book is one I'd wish I'd written. His musings on life are both witty and insightful. It's great fun. At the end of the day, he wants everyone to take a break, relax and stop looking for ill will and start being reasonable.

The book is a series of short commentaries on various topics, sort of Thomas Freedman meets Jerry Seinfeld. Mr. Sophir wants his book to be taken seriously, but you can tell he doesn't take himself too seriously.

While it is not a sports book, my favorite chapter was the one on Curt Flood, who must've been the author's favorite player growing up. He reminds us of Flood's valuable contribution to the player's movement (although at an average salary of over 2 million I think even Flood might agree things have gone too far) as well as what a terrific ballplayer he was.

And then he's off again, ruminating on why women are the better sex and how TV ads are overrated.

It's a fun read and I guarantee you that you'll find several chapters that will be the basis of tomorrow's lunch conversation.

What a hoot! I laughed out loud! He put into words, the things that I have often thought about. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

This book proves you are not alone if you find yourself questioning some of the ways in which our civilization has evolved. Writing with an ascerbic wit and a keen eye for the ridiculous, Sophir manages to find humor in some of the more frustrating aspects of the human condition while providing a more enlightened way of thinking about a multitude of issues facing us. I found myself nodding in agreement with a lot of the opinions expressed in this book (e.g., Sophir's descriptions of "our most annoying citizens" and his views on some of the issues dear to social conservatives), and enjoyed his razor-sharp sense of humor. I particularly liked the chapters on baseball, which are full of amusing anecdotes that make great cocktail conversation. A fun, quick read!

This is a humorous look at the many irrational aspects of contemporary
American life. The author, Mark Sophir, explores the themes of politics,
human and animal behavior, baseball, money, as well as gender issues,
with satire and jocularity. It is a fast read, and one that stays around,
as I play with his ideas, many that I agree with and some that are new
to me, in my brain.

Sophir's "A Common Sense Enema" is a quick read that will have you laughing/hooting out loud over his irreverent and quite funny observations on current life in the USA. The book is a must for anyone who enjoys discussing the state of our country, sports and the often bizarre way the public's attitudes are formed. Well articulated and researched, Sophir presents his unique views on familiar topics in a balanced way that should bring "aha" moments to many readers. Sophir's observations reminded me of Dave Barry or Al Franken, in terms of his wit and dry sense of humor.

As we prepared for our oldest daughter's amputaion, I searched for something to help guide us along as a family. This work book is wonderful. Although my daughter was emotionally ready for her loss, Rick Ritter was able to better address some of what we may have missed prior to her surgery. I strongly recomend this book for anyone dealing with physical loss them selves or that of a loved one. Joi Warburton, Las Vegas, NV

After reading the other reviews I purchased this book. I have a degenerative muscle disease for which there is no treatment. Although I have coped fairly well up to this point, I was finding myself more and more isolated. As I answered the questions, I felt it would be better if I were going through this process with a professional. I answered as fully as I was able, but there doesn't seem to be any suggestions as to what to do with this information. The book suggests that you share your answers with three people. In my case that wasn't possible.I can see that it would be useful in conjunction with therapy. Without that professional input, the book left me hanging.

Reviewed by Christina Gonzalez, LMHC for Reader Views (5/06)

The author starts this very unique workbook with a compelling quote from Christopher Reeve, "So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable". This book is a way to help those who have found their dreams become impossible, find new ways to restructure their life, their ways of thinking and their ways of being in order to find ways to help their dreams become inevitable.

This book is oriented towards those who have experienced some type of a physical loss, whether from a disability, accident or including serious, chronic illnesses and pain. His examples range from people who have suffered knee injuries to quadriplegics, to individuals who have undergone a mastectomy from breast cancer to debilitating illnesses like muscular dystrophy. I would see value for individuals with ANY chronic health condition benefiting enormously from this book.

The author suggests that individuals who use this book consult with at least three people in their lives with whom they can share the results of the exercises which is very wise. The author takes the reader through a series of written exercises and anecdotes through six main chapters: Past and Future, Self Care and Support, Dealing with Loss: Feelings and Beliefs, Understanding Disability, Transforming Circumstance, and The Ongoing Process of Loss and Recovery. Each of these remain only questions and words on paper until the reader takes these questions and looks into their lives and then shares them with another.

As a therapist I will be recommending this book to my clients who are struggling with any chronic health issues. I would love to use this workbook with my clients in their therapy as well as suggest they share the information obtained about themselves with others in their lives. The author includes some excellent exercises to help the reader determine what people in their lives might be supportive to this process of recovery from physical loss and/or any chronic health condition.

The appendices include some excellent resources regarding therapeutic techniques and alternatives, suggested reading for coping with loss and disability, films on issues related to physical loss and disability, guidelines for watching films, and a listing of organizations and other resources that can help individuals coping with loss and disability.

As the mother of a child with Cerebral Palsy and as a psychotherapist myself, I found this book to be highly valuable for people dealing with any type of physical loss. As I mentioned above, just buying the book will not do anything. Filling out the exercises will help, but will not make a huge change. Filling out the exercise, following the author on the journey that he is leading the reader on and sharing with those close to the reader will make a great deal of difference. Some of the exercises I found helpful for those suffering from debilitating mental or emotional illnesses and even less acute health conditions such as asthma or others. This book is highly recommended to any individual who has suffered a physical loss and is still struggling to find their dreams. It would make a great gift from a supportive loved one who is also willing to make a stand to be there with the reader as they go through these exercises, and it would make an excellent aid to an individual who is currently seeing a therapist. I would not recommend this to someone who just wants to do the exercises randomly, haphazardly or in order to just keep their answers to themselves and not share them with another.

Rick Ritter, MSW, has created an easy-to-use resource to help people confront a life-changing illness or disability. He could simply give good advice, relying upon his experiences as a disabled veteran, a social worker, and a competitor in events for disabled athletes. Instead, he engages the reader in answering questions, gathering support, finding resources, and taking a completely positive approach to difficult situations.

I love the workbook format, because it forces the reader to begin thinking about and acting upon ways to continue with a life that has become altered. Of course, altered doesn't mean over. It just means different. Ritter avoids sugar-coating those differences or the emotional, social, and physical problems that accompany them. However, he ultimately provokes the reader into finding ways to deal with those obstacles.

Ritter ends with a brief but inspiring look at his life, followed by a variety of resources. I suggest his workbook as a great beginning for anyone facing physical loss or disability.

Rick Ritter has written a superb self-help workbook that will benefit readers who have suffered a physical loss or disability. Ritter has included 50 questions to be answered by the reader. He recommends these answers be shared with at least three other people. In responding to these questions, the reader is able to reflect on his or her disability or physical loss. The book engages the reader in discovering ways to deal with their physical loss. To those readers who have experienced such a loss, the workbook will provide a sense of empowerment to those still in grief or depression.

Ritter himself has experienced his own disability. As a social worker(MSW), he has had the opportunity to work with 100 people who have suffered a physical loss or disability. His workbook provides a roadmap for readers to follow to reach attainable goals.

Also included are interesting short stories of people he has worked with ranging from amputation, breast cancer, muscular dystrophy, AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, and quadriplegia. He recounts how these people were able to cope with their loss.

Having a disability or having suffered a physical loss doesn't necessarily lead to unhappiness. How one responds to that loss is what really matters. Rick also uses spirituality, support systems, and holistic methods as an approach to coping with the loss. Resiliency is crucial in facing any loss or disability.

As a mother of a son with cerebral palsy, I can see how this workbook could be very useful. He is now a happy young man working as an attorney. His disability didn't stop him from being productive. Also, having battled my own muscle disease along with rheumatoid arthritis, I found it helpful. As the daughter of a mother transfused with HIV contaminated blood, I can see how this workbook could have benefited her.

The resources included at the end of his book are certainly a bonus. He has listed helpful organizations, suggested reading, and films relating to physical loss and disability.

Rick Ritter has given his readers a wonderful gift. "Coping with Physical Loss and Disability" is an empowering book that will benefit many readers. I highly recommend this workbook. Thank you, Rick for caring. Your workbook will be appreciated by many people.

Nancy A. Draper (Author) A Burden of Silence: My Mother's Battle with AIDS

Makiya is not a Zionist or a Neo-Con, so it's hard for the Manichean anti-Americans to demonize his evidence and arguments against the totalitarian-drooling status quo in the Middle East. In the first half off the book, he relays heart-breaking anecdotes about sons unable to kiss their dying mothers after a chemical attack, children raped in front of their parents, prisoners forced to drink gasoline and shot so that they would explode, children surviving mass grave shooting, all in that "noble" Arab Gov't known as Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

The second half of the book is a scathing indictment of the Edward Saids and Noam Chomskys of the world who rationalize the inhumanity all too prevalent in the Mid-East, specifically in Iraq, "Saddam was a victim, The U.S. is worse, Saddam's strong!" and all that junk. Because Makiya isn't a GOP Zionist, these criticisms are particularly strong and persuasive. The book is a much needed call on the part of Arabs and Muslims to adopt a Liberty-based morality instead of a relativistic, ethnic allegience based morality. A good book for all to read.

As an arab-american familiar with the brutal insanity of Saddam Hussein's regime, I've always been puzzled by the Arab talking heads who routinely criticize the U.S. for it's targetting of Iraq. Makiya's writing was instrumental in helping me understand this in somewhat deeper terms than simple anti-americanism, though his insightful and revealing writing has only heightened my frustration.

Regarding the current political climate: You can certainly question the U.S.'s motives, but if you find yourself struggling to find "smoking guns" vis-a-vis terrorism and WMDs to ethically support replacing Saddam's regime, look no further than this book.

Beautifully written; there are points at which you will literally be moved to tears.

Now that the American government is controlling Saddam's infamous Abu Ghraib/Ghurayb prison, the site of many atrocities like those described in Cruelty and Silence, we owe it to ourselves to study the crimes against humanity that were perpetrated there. Arguments about whether the old death chamber should be destroyed or maintained for future generations go without much notice in the United States, as do the reports of ongoing investigations to insure we follow legal guidelines in handling the prisoners we now hold at Abu Ghraib. We owe it to ourselves to operate this facility in a manner which testifies to our philosophy and way of life. And when we question ourselves, the cause in Iraq, the price we pay, the chances of success, we should understand the nature of the vicious regime which created the dysfunctional and factionalized Iraqi society we see today. Cruelty and Silence helps us develop a long-term perspective to the challenges ahead.

This is one of the best books I have read all year. Ten years old, it is still agonisingly relevant. In its bearing witness to human cruelty, human indifference but also human courage, it is as unflinching, as passionate and as magnificent as the works of Primo Levi. Beautifully written, meticulously observed, focussed on people, not abstractions, it is a book that haunts me and will continue to do so for a long time to come. If you have any doubts at all about the rightness of invading Iraq, read this book. There will be no doubts left, only a terrible regret that the ousting of the Saddam regime was not done long, long ago.

Makiya achieves two goals in this 1993 book: he details the "rising curve of cruetly" in Iraq under the rule of Saddam Husein and more broadly throughout the Arab world, and he castigates Arab intellectuals for their silence on this topic.

Even though it is 13 years old, this book is highly relevant today for people trying to understand the middle east. Makiya warns that "Sunni-Shi'i hatred is today [in 1993] the most virulent potential source of new violence," thus accurately predicting Iraq's current quandry. Iraq's Sunni minority will "fight to the bitter end before allowing anything that so much as smells of an Islamic reupblic to be established in Iraq. They see in such a state -- whether rightly or wrongly is irrelevant -- their own annihilation." I wonder if the Bush administration was aware of this viewpoint as it planned the invasion of Iraq.

The book tackles the topic of cruetly through several first-person accounts, including a survivor of the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, an Iraqi arrested and interrogated by the secret police, and Kurdish witnesses to chemical attacks and mass deportations and shootings. The reader learns about the anarchy of the intifada, the brief and unsuccessful uprising against Saddam in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, where rebels resorted to wanton vengence-killing, and the returning security forces were paid cash bonuses for killing Shi'i males. Based on documents captured by Kurdish fighters, Makiya analyzes the efforts of the Iraqi regime to eliminate the Kurdish independence movement as a threat to B'athist hegemony, an operation code-named "Al-Anfal," a reference from the Koran to parceling out the spoils of war, which appears to have involved the razing of thousands of villages, as well as the killing of 100,000 non-combatants. The author also touches on violence against women, a widespread problem in the mid-east, and apparently a tactic that the Iraqi regime institutionalized as a strategy for dishonoring entire families.

On their own, these stories are chilling, just like other historical accounts of terror and genocide. They are even more disturbing when one stops to consider the implications for peace and prosperity in the middle east today. Makiya notes that the "terrible force of memory...tends always to sow dragons' teeth in the shape of the children and survivors of the dead," and he warns that the legacy of Saddam Husain for Iraq may be a continuation of violence, terror, cruelty, and silence.

In the second part of the book, Makiya takes Arab intellectuals to task for their support of Saddam during the Gulf War and for their wilful ignoring of the violence and terror that characterized his regime and that are all too prevalent throughout the middle east. Ideologies based on cultural nationalism, which ignore the importance of human rights, are "morally bankrupt," in Makiya's view. I found his arguments persuasive, although to be fair I have not read the writings of those he criticizes.

I originally read about this book in a review from animation world network (www.awn.com) It is everything the review said. Great information about the start of the industry fighting for its rights. A great read if you are into animation history. All of the animation old masters are involved, and speaks of even though they were in competition, they all had the same goal.

As a Disney enthusiast, I have found one of the most delicate and hard-to-research periods in Disney history was the 1941 studio strike. Tom Sito fills this gap by providing a comprehensive narration. But more important to others, he provides a complete history of labor developments in the animation profession. I had no idea there had been so much turmoil! His account is very up-to-date, too, covering the most recent developments, like computer animation. This is a key reference tool for anyone seriously interested in the business of animation.

Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry, Mr. Magoo, Fred Flintstone, the Pink Panther and Bart Simpson, are the biggest stars in the business. But they couldn't make the slightest move or even open their mouths, without the help of the animation worker. Meaning no disrespect, I say worker and not artist, because that's what Tom Sito's book "Drawing The Line" is all about. The eternal labor struggle of men and women in the animation industry and their right to be recognized and treated as artists. Of course Hollywood is not the kind of town where that is ever likely to happen any time soon. And for all those that scoff and think that anyone who gets paid to simply draw for a living, let alone getting to work in Hollywood at all should be forever grateful. Well -you're about to have your eyes opened as you turn the pages of this well written and lovingly researched history, that dares to speak the truth and document it in precise detail. Through first-hand accounts of the animators that struck the studios, were fired and blacklisted, Sito has chronicled their plight and shown the effect it has had on working conditions today.

As an animator himself and a former declared labor cynic. Sito learned from personal experience why their really was a need to be unionized. So much so that he later went on to become an active president of the screen cartoonists local in Hollywood. Yes, animation was and still is a labor intensive assembly-line that even in this digital computer age, still relies on the artistic and professional skill's of it's of workers. It's a "must read" not just for anyone with the least interest in animation, Hollywood or social and labor studies, but for anyone who's keen to know just how their favorite cartoon characters came into being in the first place. Believe me, you'll never see them as just simple drawings ever again!

DRAWING THE LINE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ANIMATION UNIONS FROM BOSKO TO BART SIMPSON provides the first comprehensive history of animators' unions in modern times, from silent cartoons through today's big movie hits. Any involved in cartooning will find the business and industry insights essential to a thorough knowledge of their career choice: history and cultural observations blend with a survey of the entertainment industry as a whole, making for many important insights on how the business evolved and how it affects today's working animators.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Yes, this is a history of union activity within the American animation industry, but don't think for a moment that it is a dry, dusty treatise on labor practises. Tom Sito has written a lively, anecdotal, funny, hugely entertaining and magnificently informative history of the animated cartoon -- where it came from, who was responsible, and how far it has come. At a time when legendary figures like Walt Disney tend to be Rushmoreized, Sito presents them as real, living and breathing people -- enormously talented, even brilliant, and sometimes conflicted, yes; but real. In the process he tells the stories of these cartoon creators that are often as funny and endearing as the cartoons themselves. This is not simply the story of animation, however. It is also the larger story of Hollywood and how its traumatic, sometimes even violent unionization efforts reflected what was going on everywhere in America.

Sito has written an important story with panache, wit, and a unique insider's perspective, and has created a book that everyone interested in classic Hollywood and the Golden Age of animation must have.

This is worth reading if the problems in Iran, Iraq and the Middle East concern you. It is a tragic tale that shows American foreign policy as the immature outgrowth of US intervention in world affairs during the 1940's. No administration is spared. The author we involved in these events while in the US State Department.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the modern middle east, political Islam, the Iranian revolution, or the Iran hostage crisis.

After reading this book, I am amazed that James Bill is not the most sought-after Middle East commentator in America. His analysis of 20th century Iran leading up to the revolution of 1979 is a clear and concise explanation of part of the puzzle that led to the tragedies of 9/11. This is a MUST-READ for anyone who wants to become truly familiar with Iran's tumultuous history and its rocky relationship with the West. As the Bush administration continues to evolve its policy towards this area of the world, it would be wise for officials at the State Department and at the Pentagon to read and absorb the lessons contained in this crucial analysis of US-Iran relations. Again, this is a must-read.

Far and away the most balanced, well-researched, accurate and thoughtful book on US-Iran relations. Excellent psychographical backgrounds of the key players.

"The Eagle and the Lion: The Tragedy of American-Iran Relations", is an excellent book by James Bill, who explores the files of history in an effort to assess the series of events that culminated in the worsening and then breaking of U.S. -Iranian links. The author looks at the manner in which the American policy makers handled relations between the two countries. He highlights the uneasy diplomatic contacts between the two countries that date back to 1883 while searching for the causes of the artificiality of the "healthy" relationship between the two countries.

The main emphasis of Professor Bill is on the fact that American policy makers misunderstood those societal dimensions of Iran which play an important part in its foreign policy behavior. For example, the perceptions of the Iranians towards the Europeans or Americans; the sensitivity of the people of Iran towards their religion and culture and the respect that was given to the religious leadership. The writer emphasizes the modes adopted by the American foreign policy makers, especially in the context of delicate situations when ever they arose.

In order to reach a logical conclusion for the "mismanagement," the author is concerned with the deteriorating relations between the two countries, - and for that the book traces out the initial heavy contacts between the Iranians and the Americans.

One must give credit to the Professor for his understanding of Iranian society and his compassionate analysis. This study is a must for the students of U.S.-Iran relations. It is a welcome contribution, not only to the literature on the subject but also to the study of Iranian as well as American decision makers. This is the best book of its genre written by an American author.

Prof.Dr. S. Farooq Hasnat
Former Chairman,
Department of Political Science
Punjab University, Lahore
Pakistan