Berg Books

This guide offers comprehensive information on the solutions focussed appraoch along with worksheets and practical solution to implementing this appraoch in your practce. Very useful and well written. This approach is well worth taking your time to get to know. Its simple yet profound. Rather than feeding into labels, diagnoses, and weaknesses we develop a strong relationship and build on the individuals strengths and abilities to resolve the problem. I believe this is much more effective than treating the diagnosis rather than the person. Higly recommended.

I've been reading on Solution-Focused Brief Therapy for about a year now and I was glad to have come across a manual that specializes in the treatment of substance use on a strengths perspective. I highly recommend this book to those counselors, mental health workers, social workers, etc who want to explore a different perspective other than the problem-oriented stance.

Stephen Singular's book "Talked To Death" does not fit the mold of "true crime" books that deal with a single crime. In 1984 three members of a five man Neo-Nazi group called "The Bruders Schweigen" murdered the controversial Denver talk radio host Alan Berg. However the details of the crime itself occupy only a few paragraphs in this book. As of the book's publication date (1987), no persons were prosecuted for the murder. The book does not dwell on attempts to investigate it. The details of the murder are not particularly mysterious. Information from plea bargains in other cases revealed the identity of the killers.

The "The Bruders Schweigen" were wanted for various crimes in addition to Berg's murder.
In 1984, the FBI tracked the group's leader, Robert Jay Mathews, to a house in Washington state. He died when the FBI ended their siege of the house by burning it. Mathews, who was one of Berg's murderers, remained alone inside and fired an automatic weapon. These events are described in the book.

The other two murderers were in a group of ten defendants that were prosecuted and convicted in 1986 under the RICO Act for being members of a criminal enterprise. One chapter gives brief highlights from this lengthy trial.

The material in this book consists of a biography of Alan Berg and a history of "The Bruders Schweigen". Berg's murder is merely the link that connects these two topics. Roughly half the chapters are about Berg. The publishers hype on the paperback edition says that this book "inspired" the film "Talk Radio". It also advertises "The Murder Of Alan Berg and the Rise of the Neo-Nazis". I have not seen the film. The book is not primarily about the murder itself. As far as Neo-Nazis go, the book shows both the rise and fall of a group of five of them. There is also brief information about other Neo-Nazi groups that interacted with "The Bruders Schweigen".

Singular follows the traditional "true crime" approach in presenting this material. He does not make strong editorial judgments. Berg's life is presented by various methods. These include straightforward narration, excerpts from radio transcripts and quotations from people that knew Berg. Sometimes Singular uses anecdotal interviews where he not only quotes what the person said but describes what they look like and how they reacted to his questions. Of course, given that Alan Berg was such a colorful person, there are inconsistencies in this material. Singular does not attempt to arbitrate these contradictions.

Most objective facts are clear. Berg had careers as a shoe salesman, lawyer, men's clothing store owner and talk radio host. He suffered from seizures and was eventually diagnosed to have a brain tumor. After removal of the tumor, he no longer had grand mal seizures and took medication for petite mal seizures. He married Judy Halpern and maintained a close relationship with her after they were divorced. He was an alcoholic and learned to abstain. He was a Jew but not religious. Most disagreements in the testimony are about Berg's inner feelings and personality and how these changed over the years. For example, was he more outrageous or less outrageous at certain of his radio jobs?

Singular uses the same approach in telling about the Neo-Nazis. In fact some readers may be offended that he gives quotations from interviews with various Neo-Nazis and extremists, but does not make any editorial remarks condemning what they say. For example, one person states "Whereas most of the Christian world today are saying that the Jews are the Covenant People of the Scriptures - I'm saying that they are not, and that can be proven by their own writings and by Scripture. And I'm saying that the Ango-Saxon, Germanic, Scandinavian and kindred people are." Singular reports this interview. He does not expend any ink to refute the remark.

The members of "The Bruders Schweigen" had no natural social ties. Their basis for banding together was a common set of beliefs. This is a relatively weak basis for forming a criminal organization. It is interesting to note the parallels between "The Brothers Schweigen" and "The Symbionese Liberation Army", which was on the opposite end of the political spectrum. Both were relatively short lived compared to organizations where social ties are strong such as a gangs or cults. Both engaged in violent criminal acts. Both had grandiose plans to eventually overthrow the government and revise the culture of the nation. Reinforcing the idea that beliefs are a poor substitute for social bonds, both organizations produced copious amounts of literature in the form of manifestos, loyalty oaths, declarations etc. and yet never grew beyond a handful of members. Singular provides various documents written by the "Bruders" in their entirely. This includes their charter, a "Declaration of War", and "Open Letter To US Congress". He does not editorialize about these documents.

In spite of the strident literature that the group produced, the "Bruders" were not entirely cohesive. In fact, in the conspiracy to murder Berg, two of the "Bruders" disagreed with the plan (if only for tactical reasons) and probably did not directly participate. (Berg was selected as a target from a short list of four that included Norman Lear, Morris Dees and William Wayne Justice. The "Bruders" future targets included Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller and the three heads of the television networks.)

Stephen Singular describes the criminal activities of the "The Bruders Schweigen" and certain extremists that assisted them. Besides murder, the most notable crime was a 3.6 million dollar robbery of an armored car. There were also lesser robberies, a bombing and attempts at counterfeiting. Singular also narrates the manhunts for the individual "Bruders" and some of their associates.

I rate this book as four out of five stars. I don't penalize it for not being a "pure crime" work. The biography of Alan Berg is interesting. The fact that the chapters on Berg are interrupted by non-Berg chapters is tolerable. I penalize the book slightly for presenting the personalities of the "Bruders" mainly from interviews with other extremists. It would be interesting to hear more from the non-extremists that knew them. I also penalize the book for not being a better "page turner". Books that have a large number of names should take powerful measures to help the reader remember who is who. At least they should have an index. This edition does not have one. It is helpful to be reminded of which year goes with a statement like "By the third of December the FBI had come to Greenbank...". There are also awkward sentences here and there, such as "The day after the initial scheduled opening of the trial -- it had been moved from June 17 to September 9 -- was the first anniversary of Berg's death" or "RICO is a federal statue, and murder, in most cases, is a state crime (in Idaho, the law describing a death like Walter West's says that such a killing is a result of 'an abandoned and malignant heart')." However, my rating of four out of five stars indicates that the literary problems are not serious.

A relatively few number of people understand the monumental importance of the Anglo-Saxon race, both in God's Eyes and in bringing civilization and blessings to the world's other races. Some Anglo-Saxons have abused this blessing/honor, and some have tried to be worthy of this important calling. Mr Singular is one of the few writers to honestly evaluate the situation, to write bias-free of the Anglo-Saxons who simply try to be what they are. You will find few, if any, more accurate and factual reviews of what's going on in the world.

If you love cars (and even if you don't), this book is worth the time. My only complaint is that there wasn't more of it. Inside, you will find all kinds of interesting facts and stories related to a wide variety of subjects surounding the motoring world. Automotive firsts, driver's around the world, and the most unlucky car ever (you won't belive it!). This little book is well worth a look.

This book has a lot of fun little facts about cars and their place in the world. The trivia stretches from countries all around the world!

I like the book. Has some legitimate uses along with the humor. It is what I expected. I was pleased to learn some uses I never thought about.

Jim and Tim, the Duct Tape Guys do it again in their own clean, witty style - only this time with the "Other only tool you need in your toolbox - WD-40." A great addition to your do-it-yourself and humor library - this one actually has about 50% actual uses for this wonder product!

This book was fascinating for presenting a little seen side of an exotic and interesting custom in Albania. The stories and interviews were amazing and well worth the read for anyone intersted in other cultures. It lacked a little in theoretical backing and proper methodology but a fascinating read nonetheless!

I am a devoted academic researcher on Albanian culture. As an Albanologist having this book in my collection of Albanian studies is a true gem. The Albanians have a very fascinating and complex culture. Albanian culture is one of the most fascinating and complex cultures of all the European cultures.
Despite being one of Europe's least known cultures this book on Albanian sworn virgins gives a fantastic background on just one aspect of Gheg clan culture (North Albanian Culture) that predominates in Northern Albania and Kosovo. Antonia Young delivers valuable cultural insight on elements of the cultural phenomenon of sworn virgins. The tradition of sworn virgins has deep roots in the cultural traditions of the clans living in Northern Albania and Kosovo. The Ghegs are the most numerous of the Albanian population and compose of all North Albanians and Albanians in Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia. The Ghegs have a unique culture based on the clan system and extended family. The clan and extended family system is in full gear in the North of Albania and in neighboring Kosovo where on occasion a sworn virgin can be seen clinging on to the traditions that have engulfed this portion of the Balkans since the occupation of the Ottoman Empire and even prior to that. In reading this book not only will one interested in Albanian culture become knwoledgeable of a cutural practice that is little known to the outside world, but will also introduce to you the elements of the culture that comprises the Ghegs (North Albanians).
The most important thing is that the book summarizes and clarifies the cultural traits that unite Kosovars and North Albanians together and how not only linguistically, but culturally and politically North Albania and Kosovo are the same nation!

The book wreck valley 2 By Daniel Berg is an excelent guide for sports divers and tech divers alike. Daniel Berg brings out and discribes the history of the ships that once sailed the long island sound and Atlantic . If anyone,. not just divers is interested in north east ship wrecks this is the book for you

I found this book very useful in gathering information about the different ship wrecks I have dove on in New Jersey. I highly recomend this book to all wreck divers and ship wreck enthusiasts alike. This book has lots of good photographs and drawings pertaining to the wrecks. You will not be disappointed in purchasing this book.

This is an excellent book. We are travelling to South Africa next year and this book gives an excellent view of the times.

I can't believe I'd never heard of this book before I received the list of books my church ladies book group was going to cover this year. I could not put this book down. It is the story of two elderly South African men, one black and one white, who had never met until the lives of their only sons tragically intersect. The two men find, not only that their sons were not the sons of their youth but vastly different, indeed their fathers truly had no idea what kind of men they had become.

As they try to come to know and understand the men their sons had become, two fathers learn and grow, themselves becoming new men in the process.
I highly recommend this book - I only wish I'd known about it sooner!

Oh, and I'm so glad that I did not know it was an Oprah's book club pick because, sad but true, that would have turned me off of it before I even opened the cover!

Cry, the Beloved Country, written in 1948, is relevant after all these years. Alan Paton cries for South Africa his beloved country. He cries for the Valley of Umzimkulu the home of Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis. He cries for the city of Johannesburg, the harsh city that spits at the weak with poverty, crime, prostitution and addictions.

Paton uses a third person narrative voice to tell the story of two men--Stephen Kumalo, a black priest (Book I.) and James Jarvis, a wealthy white landowner (Book II.). Paton gets inside the mind of each man, exposes human feelings with depth and restraint. The restraint, in both language and sentiment, gives power to the story. His simple declarative sentences are reminiscent of Hemingway. Paton makes Kumalo and Jarvis fully human heroes, imperfect lovable survivors. They survive after the tragic interconnected deaths of their sons; they relate to each other with dignity and respect.

Within the story of two families the larger story of South Africa emerges. Paton exposes the racism that created Apartheid. He details the loss of self sufficient farming compelling young people to go to the cities to earn a livelihood. He shows the impact on young blacks going to the city and losing their communal tribal life. He shows the generosity of Jarvis' son who devoted his life to social justice and was killed in spite of his effort by a disenfranchised black youth--Stephen's son.

Paton's tone is measured, even unhurried. The tone slows the reader down and forces the reader to look at the reality of the characters. And then the novel moves beyond Kumalo, Jarvis, and South Africa to a broader picture. Like all great art, Paton's text relates to everyone by touching the core of the human condition. Cry, the Beloved Country evokes universal experience of human life. The novel remains important because it remains relevant.

Cry, The Beloved Country is a tremendous work of art. It really, really is. It may not be as "good" as the somewhat similarly-themed The Power of One...but it is "better," if you take my meaning. Deeper, more profound. More illuminating and thought-provoking.

Author Alan Paton was a devout Christian and a Kafferboetie--two things which I, emphatically, am not--but his literary ability, dovetailed with a definite time-and-place serendipity, enabled him to fuse those aspects of his persona into a book which transcends identity and politics, and which speaks not only to the Amy Biehls of this world. It touched me, and I think that South Africa, under black rule, is doomed to Zimbabwe's fate.

But politics and dogma aside, this book is a gift, not a polemic. It is a cri de coeur, not a political tract. It's a book that espouses a Christian moral ethic which, in the abstract, non-Christians should be receptive to. It is of Paton, but not for Paton. It's for you and I, whether black, white, liberal, conservative, and so forth.

Now, one last thing: How in the hell is this book not included on the MLA 100? It is MUCH better--not just as a book, but in terms of the significant issues it raises--than some of the pap stinking up the list. (E.g., Wide Sargasso Sea, On the Road.) It is CLEARLY superior to credible books on the list such as A Bend In The River, and the Studs Lonigan trilogy. Paton was a staunch liberal activist, and his book has as its main character an extremely sympathetic black South African...how did this not appeal to the bien-pensants who composed the list?

I don't get it. It should have been included...but it wasn't. Read it anyway, though.

How much can a man love his country? How much can he love his son? His God? Can justice prevail when man cannot? What is forgiveness? Redemption? Grace? To consider all these elements in one novel is not possible. Or is it?

"Cry, the Beloved Country" is all these things and more. It is forgiveness writ large. It is agape love in the doing. It is the story of two fathers, each with a son. One son is the victim of apartheid and is lost. The other is also a victim of apartheid but of the other side. He seeks to find a way to make things better, to make things right. The lost one kills the seeking one. One is African, the other is Afrikaaner, and therein lies the difference and the ultimate. This difference, this ultimate, this absolute are what drove Alan Paton in the writing of South Africa's most famous, most searing novel of the separation of races in all ways.

Absalom Kumalo's life is limited in all ways because he is black South African. Arthur Jarvis is an engineer and has all the privileges of white South Africa, yet he is keen on social justice and works to bring it to pass. What irony then that the one without kills the one seeking to bring justice. However, it is this very irony that brings their fathers to friendship, to a bonding of black man and white man.

Umfundisi is the black priest (not Catholic) of a simple, poor church in a village located near the home of the rich landowner and farmer, James Jarvis, who really does not know his son until he is dead. It is the getting to know his son that he connects with the African, and the father becomes the son in the ways of love and forgiveness. The umfundisi is one of my favorite characters in all literature I have read because of his humility and reverence.

This novel, published in 1948, remains as one, even today, apropos to race relations, to their very real potentials and actualities. Mutual respect, sincerity, forgiveness, and grace all come to the fore in this most magnificent, lyrical novel.

It would be on my Top 10 list of books I would take if marooned on the proverbial deserted island.

This classic play by Arthur Miller (1915-2005) examines human failure, high expectations, and the dark side of the American Dream. Willie Loman is an aging salesman whose figures have fallen to the point where he no longer makes a real living. Not only is his job in jeopardy; so is his family and self-worth. Loman reacts by deluding himself, living in the past, and by holding his sons to unrealistic expectations. Miller does a superb job in presenting a broken man sliding downwards. Such occurs in the sordid race of materialism and corporate success - one that leaves many broken souls in its path. Willie needs to face reality, and mend himself and his struggling family (and his family should help him too), but Miller's powerful script doesn't go there. Instead we have a deluded, beaten man sliding into mental illness - and worse.

Miller penned this play in 1949, as the USA was moving into postwar changes and a more suburbanized, corporate society. This play about the brutish world of expectations, materialism, and the illusive American dream is as much on target today as in 1949.

Summary:

"Death of a Salesman" is a play by Arthur Miller about an aging man named Willy Loman and his broken dreams. Willy is in his sixties, and had just been demoted from his once fruitful job as a traveling salesman. Because of his growing depression and his frequent car accidents, he had his salary taken away, and has been put on commission.
Throughout the play, Willy recalls his life in a series of flashbacks, while we see what he has become in the present. He went from having an illustrious career where everyone loved him and he brought home a large salary, to a depressing home life and earning money off the occasional sale. His two sons Biff and Happy, were once successful athletes. Now Biff is 34 years old with no job and no high school diploma. Happy appears to be following in his fathers footsteps, making many of the same mistakes that he did. Willy can't stand to be around his wife, Linda, anymore because of his overwhelming guilt over an extramarital affair that happened several decades ago, that his son found out about.
Near the end of the play, Willy fantasizes that he is talking to his dead brother Ben, who had been an inspiration to him since he struck it rich in Alaska. Willy attempts suicide several times, once by hooking an exhaust pipe to the gas heater, and several times by purposefully driving recklessly.
When he tries to get his original job back, he gets fired by a man young enough to be his son. He tells this man, Howard Wagner, how he expected his life to turn out, and how he was let down:

"...Oh, yeah, my father lived many years in Alaska. He was an adventurous man. We've got quite a little streak of self-reliance in our family. I thought I'd go out with my older brother and try to locate him, and maybe settle in the North with the old man. And I was almost decided to go, when I met a salesman in the Parker House. His name was Dave Singleman. And he was eighty-four years old, and he'd drummed merchandise in thirty-one states. And old Dave, he'd go up to his room, y'understand, put on his green velvet slippers - I'll never forget - and pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without ever leaving his room, at the age of eighty-four, he made his living. And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want. `Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people? Do you know? When he died - and by the way, he died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers in the smoker of the New York, New Haven and Hartford, going into Boston - when he dies, hundreds of salesmen and buyers were at his funeral. Things were sad on a lotta trains for months after that. In those days there was personality in it, Howard. There was respect, and comradeship, and gratitude in it. Today, it's all cut and dried, and there's no chance for bringing friendship to bear - or personality. You see what I mean? They don't know me any more."

Later, he finds out that his son, Biff, doesn't get the job he was counting on. After a failed attempt to plant a vegetable garden, he decides that he couldn't live anymore and drives his car off a bridge.

My rating: 4/5

Commentary:

This was a good book. It had good character development and an intriguing plot. However, since I wasn't seeing the actual play, it was hard to tell what happened in some of the scenes. Anyone who likes period pieces will probably want to read this.

"Death of a Salesman" is a modern American tragedy. Yet, it can apply equally to any society where individuals become self-obsessed, lose touch with the bigger picture and allow themselves to be deluded by dreams of riches whilst ignoring the beauty of the day to day world.

Poor Willy Loman is a very sad figure. He wallows in the past. He has grandiose dreams about himself and his two adult sons, Happy and Biff. But these dreams are not rooted in any reality. Quite simply, Willy is lost and lonely.

Arthur Miller's play is a masterpiece. Few other 20th century playwrights have been able to surgically dissect society so well. Miller's work is not for those seeking a happy ending where everything is resolved and the characters happily fade away. No, this work is brutal in comparison. Willy Loman is an anti-hero. He is hard to like. He is, however, worthy of our pity. His life, at least through his own eyes, is one of failure. But, in reality, Willy is no failure. He is simply deluded. He has swallowed the American dream to the point where its goals merely impoverish him. The dream, any dream, is what you make of it and should not be imposed upon the individual. Willy allows the dream to ruin his life. Willy is the ultimate tragic.

Many deem "Death of a Salesman" to be a critique of American society. This is unfair. Miller's work is the précis of a tragic life. Willy is that tragedy. To dream is magnificent. To allow a dream to dominate your very existence is a disaster.

I wasn't terribly impressed with "Death of a Salesman" while I read it. The play simply didn't live up to its acclaim, its noble status in American literature. I've heard Salesman referenced countless times over my life, all 22 years of it. Salesman was written in 1949, a post-war era that supported the belief that starting anew was possible and wishes do come true. My first impression of the play was that it attempted to shatter the ubiquitous belief of an American dream, making it merely a quixotic fantasy. But after rereading certain passages and thinking about it for this review, I saw how very human its message is and how it is actually an incredibly despairing masterpiece that throws a new light at the idea behind the American dream. Through the utterly destroyed and distraught protagonist, Willy Loman, Miller represents the demise of the American dream and suggests the need to reassess such a unrealistic dream.

Loman is a revised, twentieth-century version of the classic tragic character. He does not display the typical chivalrous characteristics that many literary tragic characters do, such as Beowulf and Oedipus Rex. Loman, in fact, is pathetic and repugnant. As an older aged, crazy, and impoverished character, Loman isn't close to the traditional heroic figure. He cheats on his wife; builds up impratical hopes for his two sons; and makes imprudent business and life decisions. Such characteristics are sinful and generally not seen in the traditional tragic literary figure. But these traits are also very real and humanistic. Miller deftly jumps from the present to the past and back again, slowly "peeling the onion" (as Grass would call it) of the true Loman. This peeling process reveals what went wrong and what should've been avoided to prevent this most tragic ending. It appears that Miller is suggesting that seemingly innocuous decisions can--and do--destroy the American dream.

Such a bleak perspective on the American dream shouldn't come as a surprise to the reader/viewer. The late 1940s was a period of transition: America was forced to adjust from the war-driven, ration crazed society to a very corporate-driven, forced-fed consumer culture. Post-war America was full of tenuous hopes to climb the corporate ladder and to acclimate to a life of plenty, i.e. family members and money. For an ordinary, hard-working American, like Loman, this proved to be too much. Despite the play having a backdrop in the 1920s and '30s, it takes place in the late '40s, in the very much consumer focused society. It is fitting that the land of plenty left Loman and his family with nothing.

The play is very much alive today as it was nearly sixty years ago. Do read it. I'm going to try to see the play the next time it comes to town.

Hopeless fathers & sons were a favorite theme of Miller. The pressure of failing aspirations. The horror of failure. Drawn between overconfidence and self-doubt. Flashbacks on scenes from a dreary life. Lies to others and oneself. Failures in job and family.
The play is one of the quintessential pieces of modern American theater. Its themes are known and have been expounded endlessly. Why is it still fresh? I have never watched it on stage nor screen. I have known it for ages, but could not find enough interest to look for a performance, nor to read it. Now LoA does it.
Looking at the reviews here on the Penguin modern classic page, I am wondering about the spread in reviews. From 5 to 1 stars all is there, with a downward slope towards the negative votes. The play has more friends than foes, but on an absolute level, the nays would sink an ordinary ship. Of course quality questions are not decided by democracy. One particularly daft observer produced a perfect inverted version of cultural Stalinism. With perfect perverted logic, he tells us that only positive depictions of the American dream are acceptable. That is completely in line with 'socialist realism': if the artist fails to enthuse about the reigning system, he is condemned.
Thanks to LoA for making me get to know the man Miller. I will definitely look for a movie version or go to a play if I find an opportunity.

Excellent. I enjoyed this book because of the ease of reading it. It was very informative and interesting.

Found this today at the annual library sale for $1 and now that I have read the reviews on Amazon I am anxious to read it.

This book is extremely readable, which is why everyone gives it 5 stars. But it fails to mention the fact that Lindbergh fathered at least 3 illegitimate children in Germany in the late 50's-60's. In 2003, 3 German siblings took a DNA test vs. one of Lindbergh's legitimate grandchildren and paternity was proved. Lindbergh kept their mother as a '2d family,' and he possibly fathered others. This book was extremely well-researched, so I can't see how Scott Berg can continue to sell this book without an update that talks about this.

If you want the most complete look at the life of Charles Lindbergh,then read this book.There are many glowing reviews on [...],about this book.Yet,the section about the famous kidnapping is NOT the full story.You are just getting a good historical account of Colonel Lindbergh,however,from an outsider looking in.I have yet to read a Lindbergh biography that comes as close as to the truth as this book does.Scott Berg did not research enough about the kidnapping,and as well as millions of other biographical book-readers.They just accepted the Bruno Hauptmann guilty verdict. World War Two is long over.And the Anti-German hysteria is mostly forgotten,by modern Americans. Lindbergh accepted Hauptmann's guilt because Bruno was a former Berlin communist,who helped kidnapp the Berlin burgermeister's infant son.And for ransom.When Hauptmann jumped off the 'Friedrich der Grosse',he swam to shore.He married Anna Schuffeler,who worked at Frederiksen's Bakery.Hauptmann invested heavily in the stock market,during the 1920s.And reaped the benefits,of the easy profits.Then Wall Street laid on egg,and Hauptmann's goose was cooked.Hauptmann's business partner ,Isidore Fish,also lost everything.These former left-wing radikals turned American capitalists may have discussed Lindbergh's fortune. Fish may have hatched the plan to kidnapp America's number one eaglet,the Lindbergh Baby. Fish died of TB ,a short time after the March 1st,1932 kidnapping.Hauptmann alone faced the electric chair.His only guilt was that of association with Isidore Fish.Updated-12.Jan.2007.=If the decomposed child's remains had a DNA link to Charles Lindbergh,there may be some truth, to the corpse being an illegitimate child of his.Elizabeth Morrow was believed to be a jealous sister-in-law of his.Did they have an unwanted child that Colonel Lindbergh sadly refused to accept?Lindbergh did have three German children from a secret affair.The mistress was a Bavarian milliner. If Dr.Bill Bass of the Knoxville 'Body Farm', does not have any DNA proof,then he is a "Quack".The story thickens.+Updated=June/10/2007 There is another guy that has been claiming he is the real Charles Jr.His website is 'Charleslindberghjr.com' and he was on the coasttocoastam.com show.He may be the real deal and Harold Olson may be the real son of Charles Sr. and Elizabeth Morrow.The direct Lindbergh children,Jon and Reeve, have refused to do DNA testing for him.The story continues.

~Lindbergh~ is an astute an well-written biography by acclaimed writer A. Scott Berg. Berg captures the life of this most fascinating character. What unfolds is an amazing tale of the aviator turned adventurer turned statesmen turned war hero.

Aviator Charles Lindbergh, gained acclaim for the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight across Long Island, New York to Paris, France in 1927 in the famed "Spirit of St. Louis." Not long after, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. At the time, Lindbergh was seen as a man of seemingly impeccable character. He became an American hero overnight.

A. Scott Berg casts light on Charles' complex marriage to Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the daughter of the famed J.P. Morgan investment banker. His marriage had its ups and downs due to his indiscretions, and it was not a fairy-tale marriage by any stretch of the imagination. Though, public perception certainly believed the marriage as a storybook romance in 1927. Berg also illustrates how tragedy hit the Lindbergh family and the whole nation in 1932 with sensitivity.

Lindbergh, being an acclaimed aviator, was invited to Germany in the 1930s, where he subsequently received a medal. It was an opportunity that intrigued him, for the Germans were renowned for their innovation in aeronautics. With the approval of Nazi chieftains Hermann Goering and Ernst Udet, Lindbergh was permitted to inspect and tour German Luftwaffe facilities, and view some of their latest innovations such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Junkers Ju 88. He became enamored of German aviation technology not coincidentally thereafter. He believed that German aviation was superior to that of the Americans and British. Why? Probably, because it was. His trip to Germany, however, soon soiled his reputation, particularly after 1939, despite the fact that Lindbergh returned the commendation awarded by the German government. When misguided historians like Max Wallace present Lindbergh as a Nazi sycophant, he conveniently forgets, either out of ignorance or obfuscation, that Lindbergh came to Germany at the urgent request of the U.S. military attaché at the American embassy in Berlin. The military attaché was charged with learning everything possible about Germany's new warplanes. In other words, Lindbergh was covertly providing U.S. intelligence, and playing off of his reputation as an aviator of international fame to gain a warm reception by the Germans. He might not have brought back stolen 1:6 scale airplane models from the hangar offices and secret James Bond snapshot pictures, but he was doing his country a service nonetheless.

His political odyssey took some strange turns, and it put him at the helm of the American First Committee which pressed the case for keeping the United States neutral and out of World War II with Germany. While his patriotism and motives have been brought into question, Berg gives us a few reasons not to question Lindbergh's sincerity. When the war began, Lindbergh was quick to uphold his honor, and be a part of the Army Air Corps unofficially. Unfortunately, being the bitter partisan, President FDR, stripped him of his opportunity to fly in dress ranks, and he flew unofficially as a contractor. But Lindbergh earned much success dogfighting against Japanese over the Pacific. He was denied his deserved commendations because of politics.

This book is a marvelous journey into the life of aviator Charles Lindbergh. Berg sculptures a sensitive and astutely written account of the life of this acclaimed American. If read, in tandem with Lindbergh's on autobiographical journal "The Spirit of St. Louis," one can certainly get a fascinating picture of his life. The superb prose is matched by the fascinating insights of the author who had direct access to the Lindbergh family's personal archives.

I enjoyed the book and it was nice reading a book about a woman my age finding love and making a new beginning. I do think this book is a well written romantic fantasy though. If Chip had recovered I suspect he would have celebrated his newly found vigor by ditching both Diann and Myra to marry a young beautiful blond and fathering children. Toward the end it seemed that he was dying so that she could enjoy her fantasy of finally having the guy of her dreams. He even reassures her that she is attractive by making comments that sound like they are from a female perspective, i.e., So what you aren't a size 4... you have hips? It was predictable that she wouldn't kill herself. St. Chip's dying wish was that she would now live a happier more fulfilling life. It would have really sucked if falling in love with him had resulted in her killing herself, especially when she had seemed fairly content with her career, her house, her patients, and her dog prior to his re-appearance in her life. I think it is good story because it is though-provoking. Is it true that some women, due to genetic disposition, their combination of looks and personality, are destined to be unlucky in love or can they make their own luck?

A simply marvelous story of a woman who doesn't think highly of her looks or character, because of what she learned growing up. Through nursing others she changes the view of herself and gains friends, probably for the first time in her life.
Berg's way of telling a story is simple, understanding, and gets to the core of one's own self. The story of a visiting nurse shows how nursing used to be. The caring that went into looking after another human being, instead of get in and get out, onto the next patient. Above all it's a wonderful love story. Highly recommended.

After reading one of this author's other books, I wasn't sure if I'd like her books, but I really did like this one. The characters were likable and sympathetic, and the story line was engaging and believable. A pretty good book!

I put 3 authors in the same echelon, Tyler, Shreeve and Berg. I think, Berg is my favorite. I have read several of her books and the thing I recall the most about her books is her words. I have written down several of her quotes from the various books I have read. She has a way of putting into words things you have thought but couldn't really find the words to say. I felt a personal pull to this book since my mother is a nurse and I could never understand why she enjoyed her job so much. This book shed some light. It isn't just a job. It's the people. Berg created a great character for this book, as well. Myra isn't necessarily that pretty on the outside. Therefore, she doesn't attract the people she longed for. However, once you had the privilege to meet her, you recognized the incredible beauty inside. I think Myra realized this about herself at the end of the book. At least, if she didn't, she was on her way. Another Berg book that has left an impression on me.

This book sucks. "Never Change" is about Myra Lipinski, a 51-year-old nurse who has basically lived her life in a self-imposed solitary confinement. There's nothing wrong with this woman aside from the fact that she has absolutely zero self-confidence and doesn't believe that anyone could truly like or care about her. The fact that Myra is such a weak character is one of the two main reasons why I hated this book. The other reason is because the basic plot of the story revolves around Myra caring for her former high school classmate, Chip Reardon, who has returned to town after being diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. Chip was the guy Myra and all the other girls lusted after in high school: kind, popular, handsome, etc. The story is just so hokey and I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters. What a waste of paper.