Parties Books

A "must have", if you will, to those who are intrested in the history of the Black Panthers. The articles written by several authors covers the whole range of things associated with the Panthers and provides insights and information that make this book essential to your education.

You can really gain a lot of factual/historical background and intellectual insight into the Black Panthers from this collection of essays. Really a great resource for anyone who cares about the movement, is interested in the reality of what we broadly call the "civil rights movement" and the era in which the Panthers evolved, anyone interested in the complex struggles of a radical group, anyone interested in government surveillance and covert attacks, etc. Well, lots of stuff to get you thinking.

Most recommended for the reader with some background in the Panthers and the historical context in general, but approachable without a lot of specialized knowledge.

McClintock's first historical non-fiction fully engages the reader in the politics and personalities that defined the most important four months in the history of the United States, the months between Lincoln's election and the firing on Fort Sumter. Although clear that the ultimate decision for the war lied with Lincoln, McClintock provides insight into the significance of other key players, from Democratic leader Stephen Douglas to Republican party leader William Seward. However, more than just a politcal history, letters and quotes from common townspeople provide a complete view of the perceptions of the time. As an avid reader of history, I can safely say that this work combines the detail of Shelby Foote with the adventure of David McCullough. Bravo McClintock!

The normal historical point of view for November 1860 to April 1861 is Southern. Lincoln and the efforts to find a comprise are noted but the main story is what the South is doing. This book changes that by concentrating on Northern politics and reactions. Secession and all the maneuvering for and against it, take place off stage. Except for South Carolina, leaving the Union was a wrenching process. Many Southern states resisted secession until the very end. Kentucky was not able to make a choice and Maryland may not have been able to choose. Their stories are the subject of most histories about this period.
What about the North? How did the political, personal and public opinion shape a response to the crisis? This book tells that story and what a story it is. The Democrats, badly damaged by the events 1860, try to blame everything on the Republicans. While they work to construct a comprise to save the Union one more time. The Republicans are not united nor are they sure how to proceed. A substantial part of the party sides with the Democrats in trying to find a comprise. Another large faction is ready to allow the South to leave the Union. Large numbers feel that secession is wrong but that the Federal government lacks the authority to force states back into the Union. Many question if it is desirable to use force to maintain the Union and if doing so would not destroy the Union. Added is the plea of Southern Unionists for something to stop secession.
Lincoln, Douglas, Seward stride across these pages. Each man with multiple agendas that create and destroy alliances. Each man trying to lead his political party, maintain the Union and do what he feels is best for the nation. Shifting priorities, new developments, regional pride and abrupt changes of position make this a rollercoaster ride even if we know the story.
Russell McClintock is an excellent author. He tells this story in a straightforward manner with minimum back tracking. This allows each event to be placed in the proper perspective of the time and almost makes the reader forget we know the story. While moving from Washington to Springfield to New York, we never lose the story line nor the reason for the trip.
The decisions made during this time were difficult ones. The issues were complex and the correct response unclear. This book captures that and explains it to the reader in an informative and enjoyable way.

Hayden Wood is the Jamie Oliver of cocktails. He writes in a very friendly and approacable manner with hints of humour and stories from his experience. This book explains the basics in detail so that anyone can make cocktails at home. He emphasizes the use of equipment that can be obtained easily if you don't already have it at home; and the drinks are focused mainly on using fresh ingredients that are cheap and readily available, rather than a whole shelf of ready-made liquers.

For the experienced bartender, this book is full of new and refreshing ideas with stunningly sexy pictures of the cocktails. I'd highly recommend it to anyone.

THE LIQUID KITCHEN: PARTY DRINKS joins a growing number of books covering mixed drinks; but what sets this part is its author, who has won Best Drinks Book in the World 2004 and other awards - and the innovative new drinks he's designed just for parties. Color photos and reflections on competitions, mixed drink winners and more accompany easy recipes any party cook will find appealing and different. From a Honey Nectarine Martini to a 'Solar' variation on a Bronx cocktail, THE LIQUID KITCHEN's recipes won't be in any other cocktail guide.

I bought this book for my daughter a few months before she turned 2, and it became her absolute favorite leading up to her 2nd birthday. She loved lifting the flaps and calling out the answers to the questions posed by Little Bill's family. This is the best by far of the three Little Bill books we own.

If you like Little Bill, then you will love this lift the flap story. Children will like the friendly faces as well as the interactive nature of the flaps. Parents will like the theme that while we wish for great things, we can also be content with what we have.

This book was a great book. It was a book that kept me going.It touched me in so many ways and if u don't belive in christ and wanna no more about him read this book.this was like the first book i ever read from cover to cover. If you don't the saten is real you better believe it cause he is here to stay. there is a part in this book where greg encounters a life event with saten and god speaks to him and it talks about a church in illinois. it is a great book overall. It also talks about Peer pressure, Sex, and how you should use ur body through god,why you should read the bibal and many more things but i will leave it to u to buy so you can find out more.

I met Greg Speck at a youth retreat in Ocala, Fl. He had come all of the way from Chicago to speak with us, and was very funny, but more than that, he seemed to know the answers to everything. He addressed almost every single one of my many questions without me asking them. At the end of the weekend, he announced that he had brought some copies of his books. I bought "Living For Jesus When the Party's Over."

This book is so interesting and full of information that I couldn't stop reading it. Mr. Speck discusses such topics as Bible study, how to share your faith, fasting and praying, and he does so in such an easy to understand, witty way that you can be sure to feel changed after reading this book. I loved and highly recommend it, and I can't wait until I save up enough money to buy his other book. This is a great book to read, especially if you're a teenager trying to build your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Reading Al-Takarli's 'The Long Way Back' took me away from my comfy sofa to the rich sumptuous orient in the Baghdad of the 1960s.
The translation by Catherine Cobham is excellent.

Finally, readers in the English language will catch up with their French counterparts and get the chance to read the first of Fuad Al-Takarli's novels 'The Long Way Back'. A story of love, friendship, ambition and murder in 1960s Baghdad.
Being one of a small number of Iraqi works of fiction available in English, it will serve to acquaint the reader with aspects of life in that country that go beyond the usual suspects whenever Iraq is mentioned. The common humanity of the people of this ancient nation, with a history stretching back to thousands of years, will become that bit more obvious.
I can not recommend it enough...

Unlike the reportage leading up the invasion of Iraq, which relied heavily on anonymous sources who spoon fed mainstream reporters wild tales of Iraq's vast weapons cache, lapped up by Pulitzer Prize winning journalists and printed as fact, the reports about stolen elections and the massive purge of minorities and poor people from voter rolls in "Loser Take All" is backed up by smoking gun evidence in the form of documents and on the record accounts from public officials and behind-the-scenes executives employed by e-voting companies.


"Loser Take All" is indeed an important historical document; a damning indictment of the electoral process that also tells the real story of how Bush was "elected" to a second term.

This book encapsulates years of research to provide what used to come from investigative journalists -- before mainstream corporate media cornered the market on misinformation and tabloid news. A loser can win a rigged election in America because counting the vote is now the privy of private enterprise. Allegations of election fraud are doused by a state of denial that it can't happen in the greatest democracy in the world. But fact after fact reveals that, just like the public airwaves, there is no Fairness Doctrine when it comes to elections. Loser Take All equally blames Republican operatives, spineless Democrats, and a complacent Fourth Estate for turning our great republic into a renegade nation. There is a sliver of hope to return our government to We the People. Read this book, if you dare, and then share it with others.

This was a book I had, read to my children, and wanted to read to my grandson. Book was in excellent condition.

Anyone who has ever had a birthday party as a child will be swept back to the excitement, the fears and the adventure of their first parties through the eyes of Lyle the Crocodile. Endearing and touching, any child (or adult) will lose themselves in this book. I write from memory-my mother read the Lyle books to me when I was four years old and they have stayed alive for me ever since. My sisters and myself are now buying them for our families.

Upon reading this book I was filled with gratitude. An activist/organizer with some decades under their belt had taken the time to assemble a TON of information into a very easily digestable form. This book may have helped me avoid a decade's worth of brick walls I would have stumbled into without having read it. I can honestly say that I run much faster, into brick walls that are much thicker thanks to this book. So thanks.

My copy of the book seemed to need a good copy editor to clean up the typos, but the story is riveting and right on! The characters are easy to care about and believable. And, again, the rare perspective into the history of organizing is invaluable. The book has a lot to say about the way we live. And some good suggestions about how we might do better.

If You Write It
Activist Mark Dunlea put his hard-earned political knowledge into Madame President, a novel he hopes will have a positive impact on the system

http://nys.greens.org/rachel

By Shawn Stone
Metroland Magazine (Albany, NY Aug. 19, 2004)

`Imagine if we had a Green Party President on September 11, 2001."

That probably got your attention, didn't it? It's the tagline for Madame President, the debut novel by longtime local political organizer Mark Dunlea. How in the world, you may wonder, could a Green Party candidate end up in the White House?

Using the disastrous 2000 election as a template, Dunlea cleverly works it all out to the last vote in the electoral college. In this alternate universe, the Greens' party-building in the late 1990s makes it a national political factor, thanks to their presidential candidate, Barry Frost (think Ralph Nader). The debacle in Florida happens, and-with the Greens on hand to counter Republican shenanigans in a way the real-life Democrats never tried-the election is decided according to the Constitution. When the Greens are accused of being spoilers, the future Ms. President tartly replies: "You can't spoil anything that's already rotten."

The Greens horse-trade their way into the vice-presidential slot. The new administration takes office, the Democratic president croaks and-voila-Madame President.

Needless to say, Rachel Moreno is not a typical president. Her reactions to every problem, foreign and domestic, are from a Green perspective. The citizens are actually consulted. Corporations are not coddled. Wars are not declared.

Mark Dunlea is more than just a well-known local figure in progressive politics. He's an institution. Over the last 30 years, from his student days at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Albany Law through his political activities with the Citizen's and Green parties, he helped found the New York Public Interest Research Group, the local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, organized "the first statewide meeting of the Green Party of New York State," and most recently has been involved with the creation of the Hudson-Mohawk Independent Media Center. He hosts a weekly show on WRPI, and, oh, still holds down his day job with the Hunger Action Network of New York State. A detailed listing of his CV would likely take up the entire space allotted for this article; what made him want to write a novel?

"There are a number of reasons," he explains. "One was that I wanted to help educate young people starting off on their careers as organizers. I've been doing organizing for 30 years, and wanted to share my experiences and insights-so they don't have to repeat all the mistakes I made."

Thus, the novel charts Rachel Moreno's career as political activist and environmental organizer in a way that is intended to be instructive, not instructional.

"The second reason," he continues, "was to give people a better understanding of what Green philosophy was, and a sense that they might be more willing to read it if it was a novel, with a least some humor to it and not just a dry treatise or that sort of thing."

Dunlea was still only halfway through the novel in 2001 when he realized he had to deal with the issue of violence, to answer the question of how a Green president would react to an attack on the United States from outside. Late on the evening of Sept. 10, Dunlea remembers discussing this touchy plot problem with a former campaign manager, and asking him: "How many people could we realistically kill in the United States through a terrorist attack?"

"And six hours later," he recalls, "these planes [crash] into the World Trade Center."

Again, truth is proved stranger than fiction.

Dunlea enjoyed the writing process, especially considering the political climate of the last few years, as the Bush administration ignored mass protests and went to war in Iraq. It was, he remembers, "much more enjoyable to come home and talk about how Rachel was responding to this, rather than deal with the reality of how Congress was not listening to what we had to say."

Once finished-and it took a few drafts, along with some friendly literary advice from his editor-Dunlea self-published it under the Big Toad Books impint in the spring of 2004. He couldn't find a mainstream publishing house interested in a progressive political novel; conversely, most progressive publishers focus on nonfiction.

The timing of the book was no accident-the book was also intended to influence Green Party politics and policies going into this election year.

So what does Dunlea think about the Greens' place in the 2004 elections? The Greens, you may have read, spurned gadfly Ralph Nader, nominated lawyer David Cobb for president and adopted a Safe States strategy-Cobb will campaign only in electorally "safe states" (safe, that is, for Democratic nominee John Kerry), but avoid states in which the presidential race is close.

"I think it's a mistake, but it's understandable," Dunlea says. "People are very confused and very frightened at this point."

Fear, he contends, is why many progressives have not only deserted Nader, but also, to a lesser extent, the Green Party; more importantly, it explains why they are saying nothing while the Democrats actively work to keep Nader off the ballot in states across the country.

Dunlea is not alone in this view. As lawyer and Nader supporter Carl Mayer recently told The New York Times, "It's an unprecedented assault. The bellyaching and whining by the Democrats about how Ralph supposedly cost them the election in 2000 is relentless."

"We have such a messed-up electoral system, and the only response for maybe 95 percent of progressives is `stand down, shut up, and don't challenge the two corporate parties,' " he laments. "This is such a retreat, such a loss of democracy, and so many people of the left are participating in it."

The problem, Dunlea says, is that too many people believe that George W. Bush is "a more radical and dangerous" president than Ronald Reagan was. And, Dunlea argues, he is not.

"It makes you wonder if people were asleep (in the '80s). . . . People have this collective amnesia-as time goes on, they forget how bad things were."

"Reagan," he continues, "was a much more radical transformation of the political process than Bush is."

Though no longer New York state chairman, Dunlea is still active in the Green Party, serving on one of their national committees. He has also been busy with the drive-which ended Tuesday, Aug. 17-to collect enough signatures to get Green U.S. Senate candidate David McReynolds on the New York state ballot. With that effort over, Dunlea is going to concentrate on Madame President. (He has a number of speaking engagements lined up for the fall.)

"At this point," he notes with some satisfaction, "I've broken even on the book. . . . I control it, I own it." Because of this, he feels he can now take it to the bookstore chains and online booksellers; they take such a big percentage of each sale, Dunlea explains, that it wouldn't have made sense to work with them before making the break-even point.

As for visibility, Madame President, he recounts, has been discussed on National Public Radio and the liberal Air America radio network; it has also received some local and national press. It's available in one area bookstore so far (the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza), and Dunlea just put it on Amazon.com, a move he had resisted. "It costs so much money," he laughs, as Amazon considers itself both a bookstore and distributor-and, accordingly, takes two bites out of the sales of each book.

Dunlea seems to genuinely enjoy promoting the novel; he's done it well enough to break even, after all. At a recent noontime appearance at the Albany Public Library, Dunlea answered questions, signed books and read from his work with a seasoned campaigner's enthusiasm. (Every politician, whatever their party, has something of the actor in them.)

Dunlea's thinking reflects a mix of realism and optimism. At one point in this interview, he reminisced about his early-'90s tenure as an elected member of the Postenkill Town Board: "I thought I was cynical about electoral politics until I got elected to office, then I became far, far more cynical having actually experienced it."

The book, however, eschews cynicism in favor of hope. At the library, Dunlea read with a convincing seriousness and passion an excerpt from President Moreno's Sept. 11 memorial speech, which concludes with a sentiment that runs through Dunlea's political beliefs: "There is no way to peace, peace is the way."

Madame President: The political novel as field of dreams.

Grab a copy of this book and keep it handy - this book will surely make a difference in your life! Let me share just one example of how it changed my life. Thanks to Robyn Spizman and her most recent book (she's written several)I have re-discovered the joy in taking the what-I have-come-to-dread annual holiday picture. I have three boys and every year it has been a hassle to get them dressed, combed and smiling for that annual picture. What a hassle - and all just so we could have a picture to send out with our holiday cards - ba humbug! But on page 17, Robyn writes about the growing family who each year poses in an ordinary spot, but makes the photo MEMORABLE because each family member holds something unique and special representing that particular time in his or her life. I absolutely love this idea - one of hundreds in Robyn's book. Never again will I dread the photo session. In fact quite the opposite - I'll be so anxious to see what each of my boys and husband brings with them and from now on I'll focus on the greater purpose of this "memorable" exercise! There's so much more useful and practical information in this book - you'll want to get it right away!

Robyn Spizman's newest book certainly lives up to its title! With personal entries that will wow everyone you know, Make It Memorable shows us how to leave our friends and families in awe. From birthday party themes to wedding showers, favors and clever gift wrap, Robyn provides countless examples of how to add that little extra touch to make any event more personal. Lasting memories are created by details--witty catch phrases and attention-grabbing invitations that will have guests still talking about your party at the next big gathering. For readers who want to have it all and find themselves pressed for time, Make It Memorable has solutions for quick and easy details and themes that will dazzle the most discerning party guests. In fact, don't even think about giving a party without this book! Get a copy for yourself, and keep an extra on hand so that when your best friend asks where you get all of your wonderful ideas, you can let her in on your little secret!