Parties Books

A follow up to Supreme Chaos is coming out in June and it is better than the first. "A Price Too High: the Judiciary in Jeopardy."

Um, like I said, this book was good. Much better than several of the bad books I've read.

Judge Pickering clearly articulated how Congress has changed the judicial confirmation process over time and increased the Legislative branch's influence over the Judicual branch of governement. Very educational!

I hope millions of Americans read this great book by a fine man who was drug through the mud by the far left in US Senate and media and other leftist groups.

What happened to all those people who thought smiling was right wing, and whose activism consisted of making others feel inadequate? They were just waiting for you to be slightly out of line about Nicaragua or a teeny bit frivolous about gender stereotypes. One slip and they'd give you their best sneer - in spades. Politeness was also right wing. Yes, things got better. This joyless crowd melted away, morphed into new people, or else herded into colleges of higher education and social work departments to waste public money on endless meetings. But I shall never forgive!

This book is a misery memoir of the highest order. The story of an activist who, galvanised into socialism as a young man in the late 70s, the very same period when the ideology was lurching around in its death throes, decided to devote his life to the Labour Party. John O'Farrell was no ambitious Blairite politico though. He fought his battles at the low end of the totem pole - trudging miles of godforsaken streets delivering leaflets, attending tedious meetings in grubby halls where left wing worthies tied themselves in knots with their own political correctness. All this could descend into a self righteous polemic. But the crucial, vital saving grace is the book's humour.

O'Farrell tells of the looks he gained in working class pubs by lunk headed Sun readers when he tentatively voiced his opposition to the Falkland's war. His guilty admission after the Brighton bomb that he wishes Thatcher had actually kopped it. The wishful, naive optimism on the eve of every general election only to wake up with a head pounding hangover and the Tories in power -again! The brutal asceticism and self-abnegation that prevented him from enjoying pretty much anything.

Nowadays, O'Farrell has done a New Labour type maturation himself - he lives a comfortable life as a metropolitan Guardian columnist and broadcaster. New Establishment as it were. But he can still laugh at the grim old days. The Conservatives might have won all the elections in the 1980s - but Labour trounced them at the humour polls. Very funny.

This book is hilarious. And so true. If you were an unhappy camper during the Thatcher years in the UK--or are filled with dread by the recent onset of unfettered Republican control in the US you should read this book. The author was a writer on the political satire show SPitting Image in the 1980s and boy does it show. Laugh out loud quality in many part and filled with so unspoken truths. Great stuff.

Essential therapy for anybody who supported the Labour Party through eighteen years the of Conservatives Ruling Britain. We feel that O'Farrell was right there with us as pre-election optimism dissolved into miserable failure again and again and again.

Over the years his radical edge is softened by age and cynicism. The vegetarian succumbs to the bacon sandwich. The dedicated capaigner pays the au pair to deliver his election leaflets. The words of the chant have changed - 'What do we want? A winter flowering clematis! When do we want it? Before we lay the patio!'

Is it similar changes which made the Labour Party electable again?

His description of the unforgettable election night of 1997 is the highlight. The defeat of Michael Portillo described as dramatically as the scoring of a winning goal in the Cup Final. Could we ever get?

But did things really get better?

This is book which deserves to be seen AND heard. Everyone remembers the classic game of "telephone," when a simple message whispered from one child to another gets garbled. Such is the inspiration for Laura Ljungkvist. Give a second look to her illustrations. Each twisted telephone cord curves about, making a variety of shapes. And the never-ending line connects every illustration from one page to another. This is a fascinating, fun book for ages 4-8.

Our daughter (5 years) cannot get enough of this book. She loves for us to read it out loud, and to trace the illustrations with her finger.

The book is about Toni's potluck dinner party. She calls and asks her friends to bring things to her party, but every request is misunderstood and the story grows from there.

The wonderful illustrations consist of a single line. The colors are spectacular.

Laura Ljungkvist's book is a winner with both my daughter and my cat. It is a very clever and engaging story (did she think this up on her own??) but also beautifully illustrated. I like the color development from start to finish. It is a very inventive and beautiful book. Its also very funny.

Toni has decided to have a potluck party and calls six of her good friends on the phone, to tell them what to bring. Unfortunately, they all live or work in noisy environments and can't quite hear her instructions clearly. Ruth lives near the airport and instead of punch and lemonade brings a pooch and a maid. Vera, the dogwalker can't make out steak for kabob and brings a snake and a snob instead. Fiona was supposed to supply the salad and juice, but she lives by the fire station and brought a sailor and a moose. And so on... Now Toni has even more guests than she knows what to do with, and no food for her party. Her quick thinking and noisy friends solve the problem by calling and ordering pizza, but even the pizza man can't quite hear the order correctly..... Laura Ljungkvist has written a delightful and inventive story that anyone who has ever played the game of telephone will easily identify with. Her humorous text is only outdone by her amazingly creative and innovative illustrations, full of bold colors, geometric shapes and a telephone line that literally connects the entire assemblage from the beginning of the story to the end. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Toni's Topsy Turvy Telephone Day is a winner the entire family will enjoy and is sure to have everyone giggling and laughing every time it's read.

I thought that this book is a must-have for any Party of Five fan. It tells the true problems that the Salingers go throgh. One thing that I did not enjoy about this book, was that, they say the word 'cool' way too much! I know that is not that big of a deal, but it really started getting on my nerves by the 2nd chapter. I read this book during the summer well Po5 is not on. I am very glad that I read this book. I recommend it if you like the word 'cool'! ~thanks~

I think that this book was great! I read it over the summer so I didn't put it down much. When I put it down it was a "Waht will happen next?" question. I read it again and again and loved it! It's a really good book to me.

I thought it was okay. It was Claudia's point-of-view. Which I think is good, because it shows what problems and messes other teenagers get into. Maybe if an adult read this they would understand us. It flows with the story, and it's not hard to read. It defines all characters nicely.

I bought this book today, and finished it today. I could not put it down. It's a Terrific book! If you love Party of five, I highly recommend this book. It is told from Caludia's point of veiw which is awesome. I love this book! I'm going to read it again tonight. Hey maybe I'll finish it tonight. I very highly recommend this book. If you get it, you won't regret it!

Our family is one of the original Tupperware pioneers mentioned in this book. I was very impressed with the author's ability to really capture an honest and accurate account of Brownie's spectacular rise to power in Tupperware as well as her eventual demise in the business world of the 50's. This book gives credit where it is due to all the early players that were responsible for creating this truely unique American Company. There has always been more to the Brownie Wise and earl Tupper relationship then people today understand and this book does tell the full story well.

Having been in the Tupperware Family all my life, i found this book to be fascinating, truthful, and completely up front and interesting - My parents were one of the original distributors so i know what is true and what is not - But the author did great research and wrote it in such a delightful way - I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the true story behind Earl Tupper and Brownie Wise and the early pioneers who worked themselves silly(sometimes literally!) to make Tupperware become a household name!

I was amazed at the details Bob Kealing related in the book. He really brought Brownie Wise (as well as Tupper himself) to life. The story is not a "slam job" but an even-handed look at the rise and fall of a strong-willed single mother. Brownie Wise was an integral part of Tupperware's meteoric rise. Sadly, as a woman, she was all too easily cast aside. This book relates a sad chapter in the history of Tupperware that I had no idea of. The authors detailed accounts made it easy to connect with the main characters in a way some historical novels never do. I also loved the way he put you "at the scene" by relating details of significant events taking place at the same time as the story. I predict you will be pleasantly surprised at the level of details and straight-forward writing style of this book. Excellent story about one of America's first successful business women.

Bob Kealing transformed meticulous research about the "Queen of Tupperware" into a fascinating story. The interlinking saga of Tupperware and Brownie Wise moves from the early days of the little known plastic container company to the heights of 1950s corporate America. Kealing points to the important contributions Brownie Wise made in home party sales which ultimately made Earl Tupper a very rich man. The surprising downfall of Wise shocked her legions of fans and women who valued her as a role model. She was a promoter & mentor to all the women who for the first time were able to gain financial success. This book is also an important addition to Orlando area history. The small town of Kissimmee eventually grew because of its proximity to Walt Disney World. However, Kealing points out that there was a rich history before Disney World arrived. This is a must read for anyone who is interested in long buried histories.

It's a text book for colleges. But it's well written, and each author who contributed their view point of the Donner tragedy, goes from the ridiculous to the sublime. One of the more interesting books on the subject.

Editor Kristen Johnson has done an excellent job of pulling together many difficult-to-obtain source documents that are pertinent to the Donner Party. She enhances the reader's understanding by presenting detailed biographical information about each document's author, combined with copious footnotes, all of which are extremely helpful and unbiased. The tremendous amount of research required to synthesize the material is quite apparent. Johnson's volume of material helps to counterbalance some of the older, more biased works of Donner literature. This is a "must-read" for anyone interested in American history, the great western overland migration, or simply in tales of survival. Congratulations to Ms. Johnson upon compiling an interesting, eclectic mix of old and rare--some almost forgotten-documents which really improve our understanding of conflicting viewpoints of one of America's greatest mysteries. (This text refers to the hardbound edition of the book, c. 1996.)

This book takes many early, hard to find, publications and compiles them into one comprehensive resource. The book has excellent annotations and summaries which place events into perspective and help give a fair, balanced view of the Donner Party tragedy. Highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in our western history and the early settlers who helped to form it. This is a great follow-up book to McGlashan and Stewart

Johnson's book is a great reference for anyone interested in the Donner Party. It is a compilation of written source materials, most contemporary to the Donner event. The book contains many personal accounts of the tragedy, given from widely diverse sources, from survivors and rescuers to "yellow journalists" of the time. Johnson's compilation is a testament to how the Donner Party story affected people of the time, and how their varying perspectives affected their opinions. Johnson avoids reader confusion with a complete set of footnotes, detailing where various writers were inaccurate or incomplete in their retelling of this amazing story of the West.

I've read a lot of L'Amour books, and this was one of the better ones. A really great read!

As a brief addendum to my review below, I would like to comment on the best story in this volume: THE GIFT OF COCHISE. This story was made into the screenplay for the John Wayne film HONDO by James E. Grant. It is now widely believed that L'Amour's book HONDO is actually an adaptation of this screenplay and not an original novel. (See discussion in Robert Weinberg's LOUIS L'AMOUR COMPANION.)

For the record, I prefer L'Amour's original to HONDO, both book and movie. Louis' original story is more accurate historically and works better on nearly every level. One significant change in Grant's treatment involves the character of Ed Lowe, the female protagonist's murdered husband. In the original, the Ches (Hondo) Lane character is motivated entirely by a sense of duty toward Ed, and the events of the story revolve entirely around this motivation. I believe Grant deliberately made this change in order to deconstuct Lane's typical L'Amour-hero integrity and create a moral ambiguity in the love story. (He seems to have been fond of moral ambiguities in all his John Wayne scripts.)

Read the story and see what you think. It is one of L'amour's best moments as a writer.

Of course, eventually, all of L'amour's great old pulp fiction will see book form and, as a huge Louis fan, I'm glad of it. But if you want to read L'Amour's BEST short fiction, this collection, the first, supervised by the author himself back in '75, is your finest bet!

L'Amour was a better writer in his pulp days than he will ever be given credit for. In fact, as a late purveyor of the pulp western's twilight era, I prefer him to Elmore Leonard, H.A. DeRosso, et al. These men were just self-conscious crime writers (with some hipper-than-thou neo-naturalist brightness and talent) who condescended, for a time, to sell westerns. L'Amour, on the other hand, was a believer! -- and BOY, could he knock off a tale!

Check out the 'slicks' he wrote for COLLIER'S and the SATURDAY EVENING POST-- pure, smart story-telling! (Especially the forgotten 1960 Sackett story "Booty For A Badman.") The ladies will love his excursions into "Ranch Romance" territory-- "One For The Pot" and the title story. There's not a single dud here and the collection would be perfect if it included "Bluff Creek Station" (later collected in THE STRONG SHALL LIVE), my personal choice as L'Amour's greatest short story.

So buy it when you can, especially if you have never read Louis L'Amour! This anthology is a perfect introduction to an American legend.

Al

Of course, eventually, all of L'amour's great old pulp fiction will see book form and, as a huge Louis fan, I'm glad of it. But if you want to read L'Amour's BEST short fiction, this collection, the first, supervised by the author himself back in '75, is your finest bet!

L'Amour was a better writer in his pulp days than he will ever be given credit for. In fact, as a late purveyor of the pulp western's twilight era, I prefer him to Elmore Leonard, H.A. DeRosso, et al. These men were just self-conscious crime writers (with some hipper-than-thou neo-naturalist brightness and talent) who condescended, for a time, to sell westerns. L'Amour, on the other hand, was a believer! -- and BOY, could he knock off a tale!

Also worth noting is the story "The Gift of Cochise," expanded by James Edward Grant into the screenplay for John Wayne's movie HONDO. (L'Amour is now believed to have actually novelized this photoplay-- See Weinberg's LOUIS L'AMOUR COMPANION.) I believe the original story is far better than HONDO-- book or movie! L'Amour's original is more logical and realistic, and the love story works better with the dead husband as a good guy toward whom Ches (later Hondo) Lane feels a driving responsiblity. This was one of L'Amour's greatest perfomances.

Also, check out the other 'slicks' Louis wrote for COLLIER'S and the SATURDAY EVENING POST-- pure, smart story-telling! (Especially the forgotten 1960 Sackett story "Booty For A Badman.") The ladies will love his excursions into "Ranch Romance" territory-- "One For The Pot" and the title story. There's not a single dud here and the collection would be perfect if it included "Bluff Creek Station" (later collected in THE STRONG SHALL LIVE), my personal choice as L'Amour's greatest short story.

So buy it when you can, especially if you have never read Louis L'Amour! This anthology is a perfect introduction to an American legend.

Al

If you're traveling to Europe looking to party, party, party go to the Pink Palace which is like a summer camp in the Greek Isles, When you've had enough to drink to get your courage up, Run With The Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. These things and more I have done and reading about them in Stavrou's travel guide to partying around the globe made me laugh. I love this book. Gave me more information on where to go to drink and party for next year's trip.!!Great Read.

I found this book at http://www.clark.net/pub/partyguide and ordered direct from publisher. It is filled with really good travel tips, bargain flight info and accommodation stuff. It is so funny. I read about the author's running with the bulls in Pamplona, Munich Octoberfest, his partying around the globe, Mykonos, Athens, other Greek Isle party spots, living in Prague, trips to Ireland, France, Caribbean, New Orleans. Just filled with great place and advice on when to party and best watering holes. Seems to be aimed to college age and Generations X'ers looking for action

I found Stavrou's travel guide to be full of Information on partying in Europe and very funny

I was looking for a budget guide to Europe and this was it.so funny. Everywhere to go to drink and party, especially drink.I reccomend this book if you are looking for action in your travel. Inside information on Europe. I am going to the Greek Isles and want to go to the places that this guy had so much fun at. So Myknosos will be my first stop, after than the Pink Palace Hotel. That is, if i survive Myknosos

This excellent book outlines the various phases that the Democratic Party has transitioned through the ages since it's founding by Thomas Jefferson. This is a study in Jeffersonism and includes many pages of notes and references. It takes us through the period of William Jennings Bryan and Hubert Humphrey as well as some interesting facts about Thomas Jefferson.

As A Jefferson Family Historian who assisted with the Jefferson-Hemings DNA Study,I was immediately taken with the clarity and thorougness of the author's extensive research on the topics of slavery, religion and the DNA Study.

He elaborates on the first lies by a disreputable reporter and the historical and conjecture and psychological guesswork, unorthodox and questionable conclusions in a book popular among nonacademics but widely dismissed by scholars. Most historians rejected her theory concerning Jefferson and Hemings. The Nature Journal article mischaracterized the DNA results. The historian cowriting this article seemed motivated at least by a desire to excuse the sexual and legal misconduct of the then-current White House occupant. This refers Professor Joseph Ellis who was later exposed by the Boston Globe for lying to his Mt. Holyoke College students about his NON Vietnam service and other personal misstatements. His Nature article was also mistated grosely.

The author points out that an interesting and underreported twist, the DNA tests essentially disproved any genetic tie between Jefferson and the focus of the original Callender allegation, Sally Hemings. DNA proved NO DNA match and thus the long claimed Tom Woodson of family lore and misguided and biased films and TV specials are just that, FICTION. Mr. Jefferson was most adamant in his opposition to miscegenation and the debate may may be nothing more than an interesting diversion, since the scant evidence we have is inconclusive. Mr. Taylor cites referencies such as The Jefferson Myth and the Jefferson-Hemings Controversy: Report of the Scholars Commission.

Herbert Barger, Jefferson Family Historian

Read this book, and you just might join the Democratic party again, or form your own. St. Jude smiles on lost causes, and this is a book that might renew your faith in a few.

Amazon readers, I have always told you the truth and never lied to you, except for entertainment purposes and always with full disclosure. In the interest of which, please be advised that I am not the same Jeff Taylor who wrote this excellent book. I wrote two others instead; it's a common name. So far, I've tallied seven Jeff Taylors working in the fields of writing and journalism. Perhaps someday we'll gather and pool notes. In the meantime, I'd recommend this book if it were written by Joe Smith.

If you have reached a point of fatalism where your angst about politics has reached a fricking nadir or zenith, I humbly direct you to this book, written by Jeff Taylor, of whom (I hereby swear) I know not one iota of biographical data. We have never communicated in any way. Just happen to have the same name, and be authors of books.

If you want to find out how things went so far sideways and downhill after Carter and Clinton, if you'd like to connect some interesting dots,find your way out of the maze of what-happened, read this book. Buy it for those pathetic, lovable idealists who have let the Kerry/Edwards decal moulder on the back bumper of their Volvo Subaru Outwagon, and who probably feel like closet Republicans and who automatically pull green on the voting slots, out of guilt. (But they haven't read John Edwards' book, Home. Too busy working and worrying about personal death. They haven't read this book, either.)

Give it to them. Buy this book, wrap it for the holidays, and put it in the hands of your intelligent friends. Perhaps you can remake the world politically within your lifetime, by learning a little more about party history and party politics. For the first time in years, I'm registering to vote in the next election, after opting to abstain for the last few charades. Reading this book made me more optimistic; things have been terrible, even worse than now, for the Democrats before. If enough of us, whatever our names, exercise our rights to elect representatives with a life-friendly viewpoint, we just might fix the Titanic and save Troy, disarm the bomb at 11:11, and maybe build a world similar to the promised land of which Martin Luther King showed us a pure glimpse. No, you're right, it's impossible... so just read this book for pleasure and escape.

Jeff Taylor's book is a must read for anyone who is interested in answering the question why the Democratic Party has struggled so much in national elections since 1950. His analysis of the terms Liberal and Conservative and how little they truly mean these days helps to clear away the misconceptions that are perpetuated by most pundits. Taylor is able to cut through the glossy veneer of platitudes used by both parties and substantiate that the Democratic Party of today has become disconnected from its populist origins. This is an outstanding work of scholarship. As a history professor, I highly recommend this book.

Jeff Taylor's book is an excellent history of the Democratic party, exploring its history through the ideologies of Jefferson, William Jennings Bryan and Hubert Humpherey. Taylor views Bryan as the last of the populist, middle America Democrats, the type of isolationist, anti-Supreme Court, pro-direct democracy and pro-small government Democrat that is very rare in today's world. Humpherey, and by implication the usual nominees of the Democrats of today, represents a pro-globalist, pro-mass immigration (in spite of its impact on wages), often pro-war, pro-corporate pro-big government, pro-activist Supreme Court. Concerning religion, Bryan also represented a pro-Christian, albeit a populist, "social" Christian outlook that is sorely lacking among current Democratic nominees, though not among its electorate, as is proven by the votes of Democratic leaning voters in referenda and opinion polls on issues as diverse as immigration, abortion and same sex marriage.
Taylor argues that Democratic leaders of today are "Hamiltonians", believers in the concept of a strong central government. Democrats of today would argue that they might be Hamiltonians, but for Jeffersonian ends, i.e. they are for a big federal government but because of the good it will do for the common man. Taylor addresses the validity of this issue somewhat, though I'd like to see more disscussion of just who benefits from big government. I love his analysis of why Democrats have lost their way in terms of their hiding behind the activist Warren courts of the 50's and 60's to get their legislative dirty work accomplished. Taylor points out that it represents a dangerous approach, something that Bryan, with his support of direct democracy (i.e. initiative and referendum) and his opposition to what was at the time considered a conservative, anti-labour judiciary, would have shied away from.
I also enjoyed his discussion about the WW2 era, where liberals such as Sen. Wheeler of Montana, or Lafollette of Wisconsin, became "conservatives" just because they were opposed to our intervention.
Taylor argues that conservative populists such as Buchanan and liberal populists such as Jerry Brown and Ralph Nader actually have a lot in common, far more in common with each other than Buchanan would have with, say, Arlen Specter, or Dennis Hastert, or Nader would have in common with a typical DLC Democrat like Clinton. In France this has been the case in the opposition to France's deepening involvement with the European Union. There, rightist groupings such as the National Front and leftist movements from the Communist Party to other leftist splinter groups have successfully mobilized a majority to vote against the most recent European Union constitution.
I urge anyone who wonders why just because someone is pro-life that means they must be pro-Iraq war, or just because someone is pro-2nd Amendment that means they must be for tax cuts for the rich, or why someone who supports immigration reduction should be anti-union, to read this book. Taylor gives a great overview of a compelling, pro-middle America, pro-common people, pro-conservative values, pro direct democracy heritage in the Democratic party, a Jeffersonian heritage best represented in the 20th Century by William Jennings Bryan.

My daughter in college is studying anthropology. I gave this to her as a Christmas gift-she loves it. It contains good decriptions of festivals
around the world, time, place, etc. Excellent photos. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves travel and festivals.

This bookis awesome. It turns out the week were going on vacation is the same week as this awesome festival and I probably would have never known until too late without this book. Right now the book is circulating between my party friends and hopefully we will all make bigs plans to party down crucial style!

If travel and partying is of interest, you can't go wrong with WORLD PARTY: THE ROUGH GUIDE TO THE WORLD'S BEST FESTIVALS. It covers some of the key party places in the world, from Barbados to New Orleans and Africa, packing in color photos on every page with discussions of festival purpose, atmosphere, amenities, pros and cons. If you want to hone in on some of the best for advance planning, WORLD PARTY is for you - and if you're a public library with a contemporary travel section for lenders, it's a 'must' acquisition.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

If you are like me, and born to travel as much of the world before you die; then this travel book/guide should be number 1 on your list. Page after page in this book is an excuse for you to not just travel, but immerse yourself into the myriad of different cultures throughout the world. From religious ceremonies to balls out parties, each new chapter will delight and fulfill anyone's needs for travel and fun.

Seriously now - what else do you need? Buy this book and book your travel agent. Your new life starts today!