Bernstein Books

Harry Bernstein's memoir, "The Invisible Wall" is a great choice for book discussion groups. Although it is not a difficult read, the vividly drawn characters and themes of cultural divides and religious prejudices give plenty of meat for discussion. Bernstein's book gives us a fascinating glimpse into the life of an impoverished English neighborhood during and following World War I. The portrait is more than a little bleak; life for Bernstein's family was often difficult, and he doesn't sugarcoat it. Despite the sadness, there are moments of happiness and hope. "The Invisible Wall" is also a story of love finding a way in the face of immense opposition. You will not be disappointed in this moving memoir.

Although this memoir has an exciting story to tell, the writing is so poor, I had to force myself to finish it. The beginning is suppose to be written from the point of view of a 4 year old, but in fact the author's voice is the same throughout the novel.

A gimic I didn't like was the author'z way of planting hints of what's going to happen. When Lilly has trouble breathing and has pains, you know she's going to die young of heart problems.

I read the book in large print and thought this was a book for adolescents since it is very moralistic, and black and white. But perhaps adolescents will not like it either.

My sister and mother raved about this book, so I finally decided to read it and boy, what a wonderful slice of life book that let's me get a real glimpse of poverty stricken family life in England in the early 1900's. I live close to Mr. Bernstein (down at the Jersey shore) and I hope that I will be able to meet him if he does a lecture locally. Please read this and also "The Dream". We think that THOSE were the "good old days", but really, for many people, they were tough times. Thank you Harry Bernstein for 2 wonderful books.

This book really evokes a time and place. The author eloquently transports the reader to a neighborhood full of memorable characters in Lancashire circa pre WWI. It will anger you, make you laugh, make you cry. It is a very powerful book.

This was a very beautifully told memoir with a surprising amount of detail and description. It was as much a story of the life Harry and his family lived as it was the love story between his sister and the non-Jewish boyfriend she loved. Lovely.

It seems to me like it would be difficult to write an objectivist novel, without sounding like or copying Ayn Rand, but in this novel Dr. Bernstein does a great job of integrating his own personality and love of basketball into an amazing story of hero worship. He writes intelligently and on his own terms, as a hero worshipper. It's a great example of a true hero, not the depraved and defiled "heroes" of a lot of modern literature, that are only heroic because of their weaknesses and grief. This book is full of positive and inspirational energy, that when manifest in yourself can truly only lead to great things. I absolutely love this novel!! I hope Dr. Bernstein continues to write and publish great works like this one!!

I just finished Dr. Andrew Bernstein's thoroughly enjoyable *Heart of a Pagan*. I see the theme of the book as hero- and personal achievement-worship vs. traditional altruistic religion. This is presented through the heroic character of Swoop, a basketball player of incredible skill who arrives in a little college-town in Iowa called Hoppo Valley. There he begins to affect the success of the basketball team he joins and also the moral and religious character of the town he moved into. Of course, he encounters numerous difficult obstacles along the way. Basketball fans will enjoy the detailed play-by-play accounts of Swoop's games. The book is also filled with inspiring substories of various other characters. During the climactic penultimate chapter you will be unable to put the book down. The book is told from the perpective of Duggan Claveen a crippled philosophy student at Hoppo Valley College whose life is completely transformed by his encounter with Swoop. Highly recommended!

This book is amazing. It reveals that people aren't getting what they are pursuing only because they either don't try hard enough, or because they refuse to face reality. I've already heard someone say that this book was unrealistic in that the goals achieved by the main characters were "too" great, but that is only because they haven't understood the point; try your very hardest in pursuing important goals, and you will be rewarded most phenomenally. True, the book is "only a story" and it portrays the ideal, but that is not reason to put the book away as a mere fairy tale. It is reason to get off your ass and do something with yourself and make the ideal a reality, whether others like it or not, whether others say you can do it or not, whether others think you're right or not.

Nice work Dr. Bernstein. I was very inspired.

To keep this short and sweet, the story of this book is comparable to Rand novels. There is never a dull moment, and Dr. Bernsteins ability to derive emotion from a reader is only paralleled by Rand as well. The characters in this book seem as real as Dagny and Roark, and are inspirational in every step of their lives. This book is just like Dr. Bernstein himself in that he will make you laugh with jubilation, and cry with happiness in his stories of heroism.

Book review: _Heart of a Pagan_ by Andrew Bernstein

_Heart of a Pagan_ is a remarkable story that depicts the primary conflict of our time -- reason versus faith -- in the setting of a basketball court. The theme is: Heroism, specifically does being a hero require pagan virtues or Christian virtues? The plot-theme is: Paganism is introduced to a small Christian town. The plot is: A young, upstart basketball player decides to turn a losing team into a champion team.

When Swoop, the hero of the story, first shows up at Hoppo Valley State College, Iowa, declaring that he is going to take the team to the top, no one believes that it can be done -- including his girlfriend in New York City, who hero-worships him. He comes across as an empty braggart to most, including "Digs" the limping team trainer, who is a philosophy major. Over time, Swoop and "Digs" develop a friendship that is both broad in values and deep in thought, centering on their mutual respect for Pagan heroism as depicted in Homer's "Iliad" and "The Odyssey" and as encouraged in the works of Aristotle.

There are several drawbacks to the novel. Primarily, if the reader is not familiar with all of the references to great pagan literature or writings, then the full impact of the character of "Digs" and Swoop may be difficult to grasp, though their characterization is done well. Secondarily, if the reader is not a basketball fan, then the details of the games may not come across as inspiring; however, if one liked the movies "Chariots of Fire" and "Rocky" then one will love this story.

The story climaxes in four or five different sets of thematic dramas occurring during the final game of the novel, which took great skill at plot development to come across clearly.

I highly recommend reading it, as the story is inspiring.

To the TOP!

Simply stated, this is a good book.

To expand on this,the Magic Item Compendium is similar to the Spell Compendium in which it takes the magic item properties of many previously made source books(as early as Complete Adventurer to as late as Magic of Incarnum in the WOTC revised 3rd edition D&D series), as well as many prominent magic items. The book promises over 1,000, but if this is true I can't say. It does have many other properties right on, such as having lower cost items than featured in the main books. But what really caught this book for me is it's flexibility.

Sure, one could argue that having a book merely composed of magic items would be pretty much useless unless your campaign allowed for a lot of said magic items. But, these could be easily 'dispelled' by the books overall purpose: Taking all of the magic item properties of most of the source books previous to it's making and putting them in one handy tome. There are magic items (and their properties) from the Eberron setting, from the Draconomicon, from the Complete Adventurer book, all without having to buy the said source books! Even if one where to have said source books, the Magic Item Compendium focuses specifically on finding these properties and items within and presenting them in a well organized fashion for any DM looking to create new, more interesting items of choice.

Another handy feature of the Magic Item Compendium is giving items levels by price, and tables to show what priced magic item a player of x level would most likely have.

This book, like many wotc books, isn't without it's woes. It has about 7 pages worth of errata, or corrections, on the wotc site, meaning if you want the book to be free of error you'll have to retrieve the errata file.
Not to mention that while the magic items and are neatly organized and easy to read from, all of the meat and bones new rules (magic item levels, creating relics and item set bonuses, etc.) are all in the back of the book, after all of the actual items the rules refer to have been presented.

Other than a few minor complaints, the book is solid and a good addition to any campaign.

It's good but still unorganized like the Spell Compendium, the table helps a lot though, unlike in the spell compendium. They should have added the page of each item in the table in my opinion.

I loved it as soon as I pulled out of the box and touched the shiny new cover. Opening it up was like entering a whole new world. The items are fresh and exiting. Easy to read and a joy to locate a new item that lays in wait for the unsuspecting adventuring party.

The only thing I have to say that is negative is:
it would be nice to have pictures of every item. But how realistic is that?
But how NICE would that be too!!!! With all the other details and research a DM has to do, it is nice to look at an image and describe it, alter it, or just hold up the book and say, "it looks like this."

So, if you can live without a picture of every item... then this book is what you need next to you at every game session! There are new and refreshing items...something for everyone!

Happy Gaming and I really think you will love this addition to your DM collection.

For a while there, it seemed like WOTC was so into their 4th edition that they would not be publishing anything good for a while. But alas, here is something really good! this suplement has a ton af great information in it. Really great idea for adding powers to magic items, creating small ones and large ones. No matter how strict the DM is about magic, eventually you will be able to create some of these great ideas. And for the DM, hey, the bad guys need good armor too!

An absolute MUST HAVE for any DM who likes rolling for treasure instead of hand picking it. The treasure tables in the back make rolling SO much easier and quicker (read: more fun). Plus the tables include every item from this book AND the DMG.

If you are into what equipment your character has (who isnt?) then get this book.

This is as good for magic items as Spell Compendium was for spells. Possibly better (I can't believe I just said that, all I play is spellcasters!)


GET THIS BOOK!!!
(unless you have the Vow of Poverty, then you will just cry when you see what kind of goodies you are missing out on)

This is a wonderful book and a wonderful read.
Bernstein does a great job of explaining capitalism by breaking the book into 4 parts: History, Philosophy, Polemics, and Economics.
While capitalism is the subject of many debates, many people misperceive the definition and history of capitalism. I think this book should be a must-read for everyone, especially socialists (like Marx is a good read for capitalists) and those who constantly argue against capitalism. (How can you argue against something you don't understand?)
Bernstein explains that even the US today is lacking in the capitalist ideals. However, he makes a wonderful case for laissez-faire capitalism: his arguments are sound, rational, and thorough; he uses pointed examples from history; and proves the ideals that are necessary for a productive, successful, and connected world.
If you favor individual rights, you are a supporter of capitalism!

In this phenomenal work, Dr. Bernstein not only provides an abundance of factual information demonstrating the economic and moral superiority of capitalism, he also lays out the introductory framework of the philosophical theory that explains it. He begins by putting the advent of capitalism in its proper historical perspective, and includes chapters explaining the economic theory behind its enormous practical success as well as refuting common (yet clearly silly, after Dr. Bernstein is through with them) charges against capitalism (such as that it causes war, imperialism, and slavery).

But by far the most interesting and valuable chapters are those at the heart of the book, in which he provides a *moral* defense of capitalism, based on Ayn Rand's ethical theory of rational egoism. Dr. Bernstein understands that the system that promotes individual success and happiness on this earth (and who else's success and happiness is there to promote?) cannot be logically defended on altruistic grounds, and more: that it doesn't need to be, because egoism, as the system that does just that, is the only proper morality for mankind.

If any active-minded person reads this book and is not convinced by the wealth of information it provides, the only explanation is that they're suffering from a 'great disconnect' of their own (see Dr. Bernstein's introduction and afterword).

Highly recommended.

Andrew Bernstein,

"Capitalism is the system of freedom.

Freedom leads to dramatic economic results. The 'great laboratory' of capitalist West Berlin side-by-side with communist East Berlin provided the most vivid example -- West Berlin, a modern, prosperous commercial center, East Berlin so destitute and squalid that, by 1989, the rubble remained from World War II battles four decades earlier."

Tusen Takk!

Great book. So well researched and put together. I can't wait for more books from Bernstein!

Given the recent discussions of a $700 billion dollar Wall Street bailout, universal healthcare, massive environmental regulations and the bipartisan disdain for profit-seeking businessmen, there is no doubt that capitalism is under attack in the United States. For those who wish to defend capitalism, it is imperative that you read this book. In addition to providing a compelling economic and historic case for laissez-faire capitalism (hence Capitalism), Dr. Andrew Bernstein provides a powerful *moral* defense of Capitalism. The latter is most important since, when acting politically, individuals are typically most interested in doing what is right than what is best for the economy.

The first part of this book focuses on the history of Capitalism in the United States. You will learn about the history of the Industrial Revolutions, including the enormous increase in per capita wealth, standard of living and life expectancy during these periods. You will also learn that the British Industrial Revolution was a direct outgrowth of the Scottish Enlightenment. In addition, you will also learn about many of the heroes of this time, including "The Colossus of Roads" Thomas Telford, James Watt, Henry Bessemer and "Iron Man" John Wilkinson. Further still, you will learn about "The Inventive Period" in America, which is when Thomas Edison, Cyrus McCormick, Eli Whitney, the Wright Brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, Samuel Morse, Charles Goodyear, Isaac Singer, George Washington Carver and numerous other inventors thrived.

In the second part of this book, Dr. Bernstein uses the philosophy of Ayn Rand to compose a powerful moral defense of Capitalism. In this section you will learn that Capitalism is the only political system consistent with the complete protection of individual rights. The underlying ideas in this chapter are expressed throughout Ayn Rand's works. However, Dr. Bernstein fleshes out many details not explicitly addressed in other Ayn Rand works, making this section valuable even for Ayn Rand fans.

The third section of this book dispels two common attacks on Capitalism: that it leads to Imperialism and that it was responsible for slavery. Dr. Bernstein notes that, in essence, Imperialism and slavery rely on an institutionalized, blatant disregard of individual rights. Thus, since Capitalism is the only system that protects all individual rights, both Imperialism and slavery are in fact antithetical to Capitalism.

The fourth part of this book analyzes the "great laboratories" of political economy in history. Specifically, in this section, Bernstein contrasts human flourishing in United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. You will also read about the failure of communist states such as Cuba and North Korea, the rise of the capitalist-embracing Asian Tigers: South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong as well as the Celtic Tiger: Ireland. You will also read about the alleged success of the "socialist" Scandanavian nations. In the summary of this section,
Dr. Bernstein refutes the claim that Capitalism leads monopolies that make products more expensive and less abundant. In fact, Dr. Bernstein argues that the opposite is true. Finally, Dr. Bernstein will also refute the claim that unbridled Capitalism led to the Great Depression. As before, Dr. Bernstein will reveal that the Statist policies of the Hoover Administration and the New Deal are actually to blame for the depression.

Lastly, in the Appendix, Dr. Bernstein exposes the prodigious injustice of the label "robber baron". In this section, Dr. Bernstein details the enormous amount of wealth created by giants such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, James J. Hill, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan and E. H. Harriman. Dr. Bernstein persuasively argues that these so-called "robber barons" should instead be remembered as "productive geniuses".

Again, this is a must-read for all those who wish to understand and defend capitalism.

Everyone who yearns for a better time in our past should read this book (and some others) to gain an appreciation how much wealthier and better off we are then 99% of our recorded history. This books not only describes our road to wealth, but gives the fundamental reasons why we all live so much longer, healthier, and better then anytime in the past. Essential.

This is a must read book.

The gist of his message was very positive and gave me great hope. Strong economies and economic trade bring peace. As a business person it is always gratifying to know that you might be doing the world some good. More than just providing jobs but actually helping world peace. Commerce is the start of all peace in the world.

Throughout the book, he talks about four prerequisites for economic growth:

- Secure property rights, not only for physical property, but also for intellectual property and one's own person - civil liberties, safety. This speaks poorly for trade barriers and isolationism. This speaks poorly for countries with high corruption. Milton Freidman said, "You cannot have a free society without private property".

- A systematic procedure for examining and interpreting the world - the scientific method. The book gives many cases where parts of the worlds lose ground due to the banning of technology.

- A widely available and open source of funding for the development and production of new inventions - the modern capital marketplace.

- The ability to rapidly communicate vital information and transport people and goods. SYNNEX is a distribution company so we certainly contribute to this one.

One scary statistic was the earth's population. At the birth of Christ, there were was slightly more than 250 million people by 1600 there were half a billion. In about 1800 there was a billion and by 1960 it was 3 billion and there is currently about 6 billion people. Population is a world problem.

There was an interesting section on natural resources and the wealth from those and how they actually hurt economies (as a Canadian with natural resources, this is somewhat worrisome). The example they used were countries such as Nigeria who have abundant natural resources but lack wealth and have weak economies and countries like Singapore, Holland, Switzerland, and Japan have been economic powerhouses with few natural resources.

The author also pointed out that the lower the wealth of the country, the greater the economic growth. This means over time everything equalizes.

Near the end of the book, it pointed out the problem of wealth concentration. As a CEO, I have been a beneficiary of wealth concentration but have seen how it can be very damaging. Certainly it has been very damaging for the reputation of business people. I worry this will be a challenge we need to address (and I speak against my own self interest here).

This book is a must read. Read it!

Bernstein book is reasonably well researched and has cogent writing style to prove his hypothesis that there are 4 necessary and sufficient conditions for nations to achieve long lasting prosperity. Those 4 conditions are (1) support structure for property rights, i.e. customers must have proper incentive to create (2) Scientific rationalism - innovators must posses the proper intellectual tools in order to innovate (3) Capital markets for availability for funds for innovators and (4) transportation and communications infrastructure.

Bernstein, founder of efficientfrontier.com, builds a strong case in this book for the above hypothesis.

It has been alleged that one of the great embarrassments of the economics profession is its inability to explain why some countries get rich and some do not. Foreign Policy editor Moisés Naím, a former Venezuelan minister of industry, once compared the gap in knowledge to physicists not being able to explain how gravity works. With respect, if Naim truly thinks that it is a mystery why some countries get rich and some do not, it can only be that he has not read Bernstein's masterpiece of popular economic history.

Most of humanity has been desperately poor for most of history. Why have some countries successfully stepped onto the up-escalator of economic growth, while others have remained trapped in poverty? Bernstein presents a compelling and logical answer.

He identifies four ingredients to economic growth. They are: (1) property rights - giving entrepreneurs the incentive to create wealth knowing that it will not be confiscated; (2) Scientific rationalism -technological advance requires honest intellectual enquiry; (3) Capital markets - the large-scale production of new goods and services requires vast amounts of money from others. Even if property and the ability to innovate are secure, capital is still required to develop schemes and ideas; (4) Fast and efficient communications and transportation. Products need to be advertised and distributed to buyers hundreds or thousands of miles away. Even if entrepreneurs possess secure property rights, the proper intellectual tools, and adequate capital, their innovations will languish unless they can quickly and cheaply put their products into the hands of consumers.

There is a crucial lesson from Bernstein's analysis, essential to both policy-makers and citizens. It is this: institutions are more important than physical infrastructure. Of Bernstein's four factors, only the fourth requires significant physical investment. The other factors are abstract concepts - or "cultural infrastructure" - that economically successful societies utilize and failed states do not.

Reading this book also gives the Western reader some essential perspective on how much better our lives are today compared to life in centuries past. It is also a profoundly (and legitimately) hopeful work, since its prescription is both sensible and practical.

This book contains many ideas about the causes of economic growth that are approximately right, but rarely backs them up with good arguments.
He starts by saying four institutions are needed to escape from a Malthusian trap: property rights (rule of law), reason (scientific methods), capital markets, and fast transportation/communication. But later when discussing why some countries were slow to develop, he adds ad hoc explanations (e.g. "excessive military expenditure" "reliably derails great nations").
The biggest shortcoming of the book is that it ignores evidence that China provides a counter-example to his main claims. He doesn't acknowledge expert claims that parts of China around 1800 had a degree of property rights and rule of law that was comparable to England at that time, nor does he discuss the recent dramatic Chinese takeoff that happened with a mediocre degree of property rights and rule of law.
He gives many hints about why those four institutions are helpful, but provides little evidence that any one is essential. About the closest he comes to providing rigorous evidence is a graph indicating how much of economic growth appears to be explained by a Rule-of-Law indicator. He follows that with a similar graph of how government spending levels explain economic growth, and claims the negative effect of government spending would be invisible without the computed trend line, but the rule-of-law trend is more impressive. I see those graphs differently. The most obvious trend is that government spending over about 15 to 18% (of GDP?) reduces growth, with no obvious pattern for lower spending levels. The most obvious trend in the rule-of-law graph is that low values on the rule-of-law indicator are associated with larger variations in economic growth, which is somewhat contrary to his claim that such values reliably prevent growth.
The section I found most valuable was the one describing reasons for thinking that 16th century Holland created the beginnings of the industrial revolution.
There are enough misleading or false statements in the book to convince me not to trust him. For example, he refers to eclipse prediction around 1700 as a spectacular change to what was previously a mystery. He appears unaware that eclipses had been predicted more than a millennium earlier.
He often digresses into anecdotes that have no apparent relevance. For example, he claims "a healthy market for government debt is, in fact, essential for funding business". After giving two implausible theoretical reasons for that claim, he says it was "vividly demonstrated in the U.S." in 1862, but then gives a description of how government bonds were sold, without mentioning anything about the effect on business.
His discussion of the possible trade-offs between inflation and unemployment makes a claim that increased unemployment caused more unhappiness than "an identical rise in inflation". But inflation is measured in different units that unemployment. If we happened to measure inflation in percent per presidential election, the naive comparison would work much differently. (He is subtly misinterpreting a serious paper that is hard to fully explain to laymen).
His advice to undeveloped nations includes "before a nation builds roads ... it must first train lawyers", which makes me doubt his understanding of what causes the rule of law.

Excellant book to help with a defiant child. Good information for practical use.

We just learned our 7 year old daughter is considered "strong-willed" and found this book to be the easiest read on the subject. It contains practical information and is written in such a way as to keep our interest. It is not bogged down with a lot of psycho babble which makes us crazier than we already are! Highly recommend you take a look at this book if you have a child in this category.

Excellent book to reduce defiant behavior. By following the suggestions, our child improved within a week and each week we see further improvement.

Being the parents of a 14 year old girl heading to high school and an 11 year old ADHD/ODD boy about to start middle school, we need all the help we can get. We fear that our son's ODD will eventually morph into conduct disorder and are willing to try anything to save him (and us) from that. Also, we have been feeling the pain of a defiance issue forming with our daughter as she enters her teenage years. Our home has been a literal battleground nearly every day for years now.

We purchased this book with high hopes of bringing some peace to our home and we have not been disappointed. We started seeing real results around Day Three. It's amazing how real world advice and insight into our own behaviors has brought about such dramatic results! With our new parenting techniques and a lot of prayers, we plan to keep peace in our lives. Thank you Dr. Bernstein!

My 8 year old son is a defiant child. I've known it since he was born. I was always envious when I saw other parents with their children that seemed calm and happy. We lived our lives in constant stress, always ready for the next "scene" when my son would say something rude or hit his sister or even hit or push me. My husband and I wanted so desperately to be happy, but we just couldn't get through to our son.

I cried many times as I read through this book because it describes exactly so many situations that we live through on a day to day basis. I always thought I was alone in this and it would be a lifelong struggle to try to raise a kind, responsible boy... a struggle that I wasn't sure I would be successful at.

I am not yet through the entire book, but I feel compelled to write a review because it has changed my life. From the first day that we started implementing the author's suggestions, my son improved. After a week now, we are a different family. We are happy most of the time. There is no more screaming and little crying. We are talking! The book has not only taught me about my son, but also has helped me to reflect on my own choices, thoughts, and actions (which is perhaps the most difficult aspect of all) and has taught me a lot about myself.

The book gives excellent explanations and examples without being preachy or long-winded. I highly recommend this book to anyone dealing with a defiant child.

If your a fan of Daria, you will like this. Funny as always. Can be read in a day though. I'm an avid reader and I'm easily sucked into the characters that I'm reading about.

"The Daria Diaries" is an amusing book with Daria in her own t.v. series, (and no longer teased as 'Diarrhea'), and her new life in Lawndale.

The format is similar to Beavis and Butt-Head's "This Book Sucks" (which made me laugh plenty of times): The introduction of the Daria characters; map of Lawndale, and its main locales; school situations; letters from school, etc. As a new - but not diehard - 'Daria' fan, this book helped me to get acquainted with the 'Daria' cast, besides Daria.

I just have to comment that Charles Ruttheimer III ('Upchuck', as he is commonly known) has a slight resemblance to Archie Andrews via his red hair, and hairstyle. Yet his suave manners, overconfidence, debonair attitude and grin is closely reminiscent of Reggie Mantle, who forever sees himself as God's gift to women!

The two-page section of Upchuck's "Ultrasuave Universe" website, with him featured throughout, is hilarious! Again, if you remember Reggie from the Archie comics, he always does this type of 'self-promotion', using his image...only to be humiliated later on.

But please check out the 'Mystery Lady' on Upchuck's "Babes Ahoy" webpage, featuring famous 'babes' of his liking. The 'Mystery Lady', however, DOES look a tad bit familiar... even with her image shadowed-out. ('Upchuck' really thinks he's slick!) His comment for her is equally funny - and quite correct if she finds out she's on his webpage!

Now on to 'The Daria Databases', which I happily own!

IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO DARIA MORGENDORFFER THIS BOOK WILL GET YOU STARTED

I know that I haven't been a fan as long as many Daria viewers, but I still have an opinion and from what I can tell this book is awesome. The T.V. show is all about Daria, but I always wondered what the other charecters were like, there homes, families etc... But this gave an inside look at others lives, not just Darias. I have watched countless hours of the show, and I learned more about Daria and her chums by reading these books than I think I ever learned by watching the show. If you enjoyed this book you will probably also enjoy Daria Database, which is about Darias website, so she can spread her sarcasm and wit to the whole world. Hope you enjoy.
-Lauren-

wow could that title be any worse?
but anyway....
to be absolutely honest, its not the best thing you could buy.
i was hoping for some "real" (as in fake) diary entries from
daria, stating stuff like what pissed her off the other day
or whatever but its mostly just pictures with a few side notes.

if you're actually hoping to get some "insight" on her thoughts
or opinions, you wont. its more like a scrap book and nothing
more. it'd probably be better to get the dvd or movies rather
than this.

there are a few humorous comments by her but really....it just
doesnt live up to its name...or something...(?!)
...i've never written a review before so....(laugh? anyone?
ha?..) either way, its just not that great...or perhaps i made
my expectations too high?....damn...

daria's still great (or maybe i've gotten biased?...)
i'd suggest getting the dvds over this book definately.
i myself am trying to find the entire series on dvd...
i dont suppose amazon will add it on anytime soon????...
(hint hint?)

This gripping narrative takes us inside the White House during the last days of the Nixon administration in 1974. From inside we see President Nixon, his advisors, family, and congressional allies trying to stave off his inevitable downfall from the Watergate scandal. Readers see how Nixon tried to claim executive privilege to avoid releasing the "smoking gun" tape that proved he'd ordered the cover-up. Even after he surrendered the tape (by Supreme Court order) Nixon refused to resign until his fast-deserting congressional allies warned him that his impeachment and conviction were now certain. The authors credit General Alexander Haig for holding the White House together as Nixon unraveled, but pay less attention to Vice President Gerald Ford, a non-participant except for later when he gave Nixon a questionable full pardon. There's also a review of the two-year scandal and the President's adversaries (Leon Jaworski, Sam Ervin, John Dean, etc.) but this narrative is based inside the White House. Readers see that Nixon was very capable but also a lying, crooked tax cheat, one whose administration was awash in payoffs, hush money, bribes, and political espionage.

Authors Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein first uncovered the Watergate Scandal as reporters for the Washington Post in June of 1972. Having begun Nixon's downfall, perhaps it's fitting that they should chronicle that descent with this superb narrative, plus their earlier effort ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN.

I was absorbed by this book. It's story is so compelling and amazing, I couldn't put it down. I also appreciate the writing style that made difficult content easier to understand and follow. I consider this one of the best books I have ever read and an incredible insight into the Nixon mind.

The American body politic cuts the president a great deal of error slack. We witnessed that during the Watergate years of Richard Nixon and we see it again in the presidency of George W. Bush. Both instances also point out one major fact of the American political landscape. No matter what they achieve or how high their popularity, if a President does the wrong things, they can crash down with great force.
This book is one of the greatest political chronicles of all time. So great that no fiction writer could possibly create a story with such dynamism, force and sheer magnitude. Woodward and Bernstein were the reporting team that kept the Watergate story alive and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation. In this book, they describe the final days of the Nixon presidency and how the people involved tried to salvage what value they could and move on to the next phase.
The greatest message of the book is the demonstration of how powerful and resilient the American political system is. Despite the slow pace of discovery, tortuous maneuvers by the prosecution and countermoves by the Nixon defense team, the system worked and worked well. The highest government official in the United States was a party to criminal acts and was removed without a shot being fired. There are few countries in the world where that could have taken place. It is one more demonstration of how extraordinary the writers of the American constitution were. Despite all of the changes in how the world works, advances in technology and other marvels of the age, a system put in place nearly two hundred years earlier functioned to near perfection.

This is a fascinating book regardless of your political persuasion or feelings about Richard Nixon. The detailed account of the last days of the administration reveals the human side of the names and faces you saw on the news everyday back then or read about in other books since then.

a good historical review of Nixon. Especially how tape crazy he was. A little tough reading in few pages but picks up after a while. It should be required reading for college to show what cn really happen in the White House.

I gave this book to 2 graduates as part of their gifts. They really enjoyed the suggestions and are a little more relaxed going away to school. Their parents also read the book and loved some of the ideas to prepare. Great read

I read this book as a college senior, and was hit with a wave of "Wow, this would have been so helpful to have three years ago!" This book is stellar - real advice that is, admittedly, all over the board. Since the book is made up of tidbits from hundreds of people, some of it is in direct conflict with itself! But that's the beauty of it - there's plenty to every side of all the arguments in here.

Does this book tackle touchy subjects like drinking, sex, and questionable academic practices? Yes, of course. But that's because these are things students have to deal with at every college - from the most conservative Christian school to the biggest party school. If you are a parent and you don't think your soon-to-be-college-freshman child can handle it, then you are simply sending them to school unprepared. These are topics they will have to deal with no matter what - why not read this book, have your kid read the book, and then discuss the topics afterward?

The reason this book didn't get the 5th star is that I don't feel it tackles money topics very well. That's, of course, a limitation of the people that were interviewed for the book. But I feel like more needs to be said about how to budget, spend responsibly, and prepare for real-world finances. If you're giving this book as a gift to a soon-to-be-freshman, supplement it with a beginning financial book, as well.

Reviewed by: Stephanie Rollins for ReviewYourBook.com 7/2008

What a great graduation gift! Going to college right out of high school is one of the biggest transitions one can make. This book is filled with practical advice that is given in short blurbs. You can read it in one setting or just a few minutes at a time.
There are chapters about: Money, what to take with you, and social situations. The only point that I did not see in this book is that it is wise to not have roommates--even if you have to spend extra money. I really cannot stress that enough. I completely agree with the point about not allowing your roommate's significant other to sleep over. That only leads to them eventually moving in.
This is not necessarily the advice your mother and father would give you. Frat parties, hangovers, and pot smoking is addressed. However, there is a theme of responsibility throughout the book. Perhaps you are a parent who does not want to talk about these parts of college. Give this book to your child!
Get this book for your graduate. I recommend this!

First of all, I would like to point out that I just graduated from high school and will be a freshmen next year. I bought this book in hopes that it would help with the anxiousness I was feeling regarding the transition to college. I'm glad to say that after reading this book, I felt far more prepared for college than I did before I read this book.
What I liked most about this book is that the authors found and interviewed students from all types of colleges across the US. Students from small colleges, large colleges, public colleges, private colleges, and anything else in between. Many of the students gave the same or similar recommendations/suggestions. Some people may find that repetitive or redundant but I found it reassuring. It was reassuring to know that students from completely different colleges agree on certain aspects of college life. There were some opinions that were opposite and some people may find that it is strange for authors to give contradicting information. I, however, found that each person who gave their opinion also explained their reasoning behind their opinions. This made it easier to pick sides and pick who you really agree with.
The reason I gave this book a 4/5 instead of a perfect score was because it lacks the authors' opinions. The authors of the book were the ones who interviewed the thousands of students and I'm sure that not everything that was said by the students made it into the book. If the authors had given their opinion as well, and maybe summarized or pointed out specific things they noticed in what the students said, then that would've left me with more of a satisfying feeling after reading the book. When I finished the book, I was unsure as to what exactly it was the authors wanted me to get from the book.
Overall, in found this book extremely insightful. It help me calm so of the nerves I was feeling about going to college. If you or someone you know is about to head off to college, I would definitely recommend this book. Everyones says that you're supposed to hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and expect the unexpected. This book definitely helps you prepare for the worst and allows you to expected some of the things that would've been unexpected.

If I were 18 years old and about to go off to college I would consider this an interesting book to read. I would devour it in one gulp racing from one quote to another, from one bit of dubious advice to the next at breakneck speed. In fact to save a few bucks I might read it while hanging out at Borders. Would I be any the wiser or better informed? Would this book actually help me to survive my freshmen year?

Actually it might. Although the advice is almost random, and sometimes contradictory, and coming from people who went to very different schools with very different environments, from a heartland state university to Harvard, from people who have no money to the very rich, there is some advice somewhere in these pages I suspect that will help just about every freshman.

As an old foge who hasn't seen hallowed halls in decades, this book provided not usable advice, but a kind of window into the mind of today's college student. I learned--no surprise really when you think about it--that one of the things that people going into college worry about today is gaining that "freshman 15"--that is to say pounds of fat. The main debate seems to be around whether cafeteria food is edible or not or how many days in a row you can subsist on pizza and beer. "Amy," from Princeton University says, "The freshman 15 happens to everyone, and don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise." (p. 156) Best advice in the food category came from Chavon Mitchell, a Xavier grad, who wrote, "...my friend and I would scour the campus paper and fliers for events with free food...We would end up at academic speeches, random barbeques, or various group meetings, none of which we belonged to or knew anything about...We ended up eating for free at least three to four times every week...."

Okay, forget food. How about academics? Oops--21 chapters and none on academics. But no problem, "Hundreds of Heads" publishers have another book that covers this. It's called "How to get A's in College--Hundreds of Student-Tested Tips."

Wait, there is a chapter on studying. Some good advice: "Sleep a lot. And always go to class." -Sarah, Georgia Tech grad. "Flirt with the professors. It comes in handy when you need to be late on your term paper because you partied all weekend." --from an anonymous University of Georgia grad. Another U of Georgia grad named Jen says, "Buy beaten-up, used books that have been highlighted and have notes in the margins: Instant Cliff's Notes!" (p. 126) But J.T., a University of Florida grad cautions, "Be careful when buying used books. The person who had the highlighter before you may have been an idiot." (p. 137)

All right let's get to the advice on partying, which is why you're here in the first place. The chapter is entitled, "Parties 101: How to Have Fun & Be Safe." It comes right after the chapter on "Going Out, Getting Serious: Dating and Sex." Be safe? I guess they mean, don't chug-a-lug Jack Daniels or do not go into the ghetto for weed. Or speed kills (it does). Or maybe it's this from "Anonymous": "Girls, be especially careful of what you drink while at clubs or house parties, because an uncovered drink could mean a lost night and a trip to the gynecologist the next day."

The chapter on choosing classes is good, but I wonder about this advice from "S.P.": "Fall in love with someone in your class right away, T.A., professor, whomever. You'll be hard-pressed to skip class. If there is no one in your class to love, then pick someone to hate and show up every day to make his or her life a living hell." (p. 107)

There's a chapter on dorm life and one on choosing or living with a roommate. One girl (Heather Pollock from a Cal State U--it doesn't say which one) had a roommate that was "A Goth lesbian. She would sit on the patio, smoke a pack of cigarettes an hour and cry about how some girl had screwed her over." Melanie from Penn State says, "The worst thing that happened with my roommate [was] She decided to tap dance at 7 a.m. to get back at me because I kept her up at night." Hmm...seems fair.

Yes, there is a chapter, more or less, on how to deal with helicopter moms. It's called "Family Ties: Keeping in Touch & Setting Boundaries." I knew I had hit the mother lode of insight into parent/student relationships from the student point of view when I read the first three bits of advice: "My relationship with my parents has improved a lot over the phone versus in person." -Chana Weiner Bernard College; "The thing with parents is that, nine times out of ten, they love you and they want to help you. If they get a little protective when you go away, it's because they don't know how to deal with it. Help them through it. Be patient with them." -B., George Washington University; "I have caller ID on my cell phone. If my parents call, I can see it's them and let it ring. But they e-mail every day, too. They don't do IM because I haven't taught them that yet and they haven't figured it out. They say, `When you talk to people online, what does that mean?' And I say, `Oh, I just e-mail them."

Come to think of it, maybe this book would be a good read for parents.

This book is amazing! Incredibly detailed...if one was a fan of the show, this is a really interesting sidepiece to understanding what happened behind the scenes to make it all work!

This was such a fun read...hard to put down! I liked that Josh gave a list of what he takes with him on these 'excursions'...very helpful. The only problem I have with the book is that it ended :( I wanted to keep reading about all these cool places and all the advertures he had! History is fun!

This is not only a book for DFT's fans, but for everyone who's passionate about traveling. This is kind of Josh's field diary and it's amazing how he describes the shooting routine and shares with the readers his discoveries. It's interesting and fun!

this is a great book, for people that are fans of the show while josh bernstein was the host. to me the show is nothing without him! he is not only very informative, but you also get a sense of who he is, and all the stuff he went through to film such a great show! i would love to read more by him!

Maybe I was looking for information about archaeology, but what I received was a non-stop self-aggrandizement of the author. To be honest, I have not been able to get through the whole thing yet, but it's only because I was so disappointed in the part I have read.

Marcia Davis