Buck Books

My favorite passage;
Page 123: Effectiveness of motion: it is kind of like that carnival game with the big sledgehammer and the thirty-foot pole, with a target at the bottom and a bell at the top. You can see a great big, strong man hit the target as hard as he can, time and time again swinging the hammer with a tremendous amount of force and strength, but the slide does not reach the top. Then a small, meek man comes along and with one swift, fluid swing of the hammer, the slide shoots to the top and rings the bell. It is not how hard you hit the target; it is how precisely you strike the target. Your efforts have to be concentrated. One could extend this understanding to many things.

I simply love this book, and his new book Life Lessons: Train of Thought is FANTASTIC!

I highly recommend this book to all; it is very positive and stimulating. I love what Mr. Smith has done here, a novel approach to some new and old philosophies. The messages Mr. Smith conveys are vast, but all in down to earth terms. This book may not change your life, but it might improve upon it.

I recently lent my copy to a friend of mine; he read it and is now passing it on to another, with high regards. I since ordered another copy for my home library. There are no doubt hundreds of books you should read and this is definitely one of them.

It's just over half an inch thick, and little bigger than pocket sized. If you can fit vast life lessons, or even decent beginnings of an explanation of the entirety of any philosophy into a volume that sized... without cheating by using rice paper and microscopic print. Well, congratulations, I guess. I'm no scholar.

It's a surface treatment, and an ok one at that. But most people won't come here for serious expository source material on the intricacies of Eastern mysticism. It's a playful and simple reminder to most readers that life isn't the overbearingly complicated and ponderous thing that we're all told about. Yes, it involves philosophy and it's an easy read, but it makes some valid points worth thinking about, and it'll leave most folks staring off into space for a while when they get done.

Maybe it's not "serious" scholarly work, and sure they could have condensed it into 100 pages. But it's a wonderful departure point for anyone who's a little too caught up in the frenzy of what life is supposed to be... whatever that is. It's hard enough to untangle the mess of the human mind without adding complication to the process by having to pore over a voluminous, verbose, and sometimes vacuous expository volume. Hard enough to figure out yourself as it is, without having to figure out what someone else is saying, too. So have a seat in your favorite chair, relax, unwind, and enjoy.

I had hoped this book would hold some original insights or at least be an exploration of the author's own journey to self-discovery. Instead it's merely a string of tired expressions that can easily be found in any book of quotations. This books is mostly white space peppered with hackneyed ideas that could easily be condensed into a pamphlet. You'll learn a lot more if you invest in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Don't spend the money. You won't find any eye-openers here.

This is a really neat book and these are our favorite two passages;



My wife's;

Page 93: When looking into the mirror at age fifty, you see an older man looking back at you, yet when you are not looking in the mirror, your mind's eye still sees you as that strong young man that you used to be. This is being young at heart as your body grows older and shows signs of age. Do not doubt your eyes' perception, but learn to take pleasure in the view from your mind's eye.



Mine;

Page 178: When an elder is telling a story, even if it is a story you have heard many times before, listen in closely. Although you may have heard it before, you may understand it differently because of where you are in life. If you hear a story when you are a teenager, you may comprehend only so much or only in a certain way. If you hear that same story when you are in your thirties, you may perceive it in a totally different way. Try to understand all that the elder is trying to pass on to you through the story.



The Becket's (UK)

India has two great Epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, which have influenced popular Hinduism more over the last 2,000 years than the Sacred Scriptures, the Vedas, themselves.

The Ramayana tells of how Sri Rama, helped by the monkey/god Hanuman, rescues his wife Sita, kidnapped by the demon Ravana and held captive in his fortress on Sri Lanka. The Mahabharata is a more complex tale of war, betrayal, thoughtless oaths and the tragedies of loyalty.

The Ramayana is a literary epic, shapely and polished. The Mahabharata is a titanic, sprawling miscellany, filling half a shelf on a book-case. Complete sets gather dust and nourish weevils in University Libraries.

In what was both a labour of love and a virtuoso feat, William Buck distilled the pure story into one small magical paperback. Not for scholarship, not for religious devotion, for pure delight. This is a book that makes all fantasy fiction look lame. It is as enchanting as "The Lord of the Rings" and as credible as "All Quiet on the Western Front." The giddying intricacy of the narrative is the organic intricacy of a fern unfolding, not the mechanical intricacy of a thriller. It took generations and a whole civilisation to create this book. There are not many like it.

In two words. Read it. If you have children 10, 12 or older, get them to read it, buy it on CD, download it or (!?) read it to them. Friends, neighbours or the people you bump into at the supermarket, get them to read it. And if there's someone you especially dislike, someone who is making your life difficult, give them a copy. You just never know. They may decide you're so weird they'll leave you alone from now on.

This is by far the best written English version of this epic; William Buck strives for the essence and feeling of the text, not a scholarly literal translation that is archived elsewhere and is inaccessible to the many. There are other reviewers who criticise Buck's rendition for this very reason, however Buck never intended his rendition to BE scholarly, and as for the differences in the content mentioned elsewhere, it must be understood that there isn't any one version of the story, and instead Buck's approach was to develop the characters themselves and THEN the essence and spirit of the story, focusing on what the lessons and values instead of tedious accuracy.

Bottom line: If you know Sanskrit, go elsewhere as this wasn't meant for you. If you don't, and want the essence and spirit of this great epic; Buck rules supreme.

The Mahabharata is the world's longest epic, but this version is short and sweet. Like Buck's Ramayana, it conveys the essence and spiritual energy of the original, in this case without having to read all 18 volumes. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed C. Rajagopalachari's version but vastly prefer Buck's and have recommended these to many people over the years who have been delighted with it.

I would strongly recommend you to get "The Mahabharata" retold by C.Rajagopalachari. This is the best version of the Mahabhatata you can ever read!!! Please do not buy the version by William buck...

I am pleased to see so many reviews of this book. I have read it several times, most recently a week ago, and though I now like it less than I first did, the first encounter was delight, and I still enjoy the warmth and energy of Buck's version. He is validated by centuries of prior writers adapting the MAHABHARATA for their audiences.

I, too, am sorry that Buck decided to make some of the changes and omissions he did, but as others have pointed out this volume is a fine way to sample the taste and sensibilities of Sanskrit literature, including its humor.

Buck was pretty good at inserting translations of key phrases, suggesting the use of aphorism throughout the epic, and he provided plenty of clues to the complexity of original. Most important, he kept the story moving along. (His RAMAYANA is an even better example of his rendering of Sanskrit epic into English story.) Like others, I would recommend this MAHABHARATA in preference to the R. K. Narayan version from Penguin, which is much more drastically condensed.

The Clay Sanskrit Library is now issuing new translations, real translations, of the MAHABHARATA in parts. I'd recommend "The Forest" for anyone seeking to get a better sense of how extensive the subplots and interspersed stories are.

This is a very entertaining novel and a perfect thing to read on a cold winter day.

This is the most thought-provoking book in the entire Rina Lazarus and Peter Decker series. Some of the books in the series are light reading, but this one is really deep on so many levels. A lot of loose ends are tied up about Rina's earlier life, important details that will matter to long-time fans of the book series.

WOW! This is my second Faye Kellerman, and I didn't like the first, but THIS was absolutely wonderful! Faye really got the reader into the character's minds and released information about their dark and stormy pasts at just the right time, like when you would find out more personal details about a friend.

The pace is incredibly quick. I couldn't put this one down. She has a delightful talent for characterization. Suspense was killing me. I look forward to reading more from this author!

The book starts off well, as a mystery should, with the events of the murder of Dr. Sparks. But then it spends the next 300 or so pages batting back and forth, and not really going anywhere. Plus the relationship between Rita Lazarus' deceased husband and the priest are totally incongruious, as I'm sure Kellerman realized when she threw in this rather burdensome plot twist.
However, the end of the book really does pull some surprises. You just have to plod through the middle to get there. Not her best work.

This was my first Faye Kellerman novel involving Dectective Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. I thoroughly enjoyed it, read the sequel, and then the first novel in the Peter Decker/ Rina Lazarus series, Ritual Bath, piqued by how these two characters met, and how their relationship evolves.

The best novels in this series employ gripping, page turning mysteries, the human aspect of the evolving relationship between Peter and Rina, and explanations of Judaism in somewhat the same way as Harry Kemelman's Rabbi David Small mysteries, or the older G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown mysteries, the latter combining great mysteries with interesting explications of Catholicism.

Warning: You might get hooked to the series!

This isn't really in depth on the war. It is a life memoir, and in Buck's life the war was a small part. He did not allow the horrific things he saw in battle riun his life. Instead he went out and served his country as police officer, prosecutor, and final as a judge. Buck truly is a real American. This should be a must read in high school history classes, so the youth today could learn what being an America is really about.

This is an interesting read! I got the idea that all Buck went through with Easy Company, laid a good foundation for his success in later life! I have been a WWII buff for a long time, and this book gave me a greater appreciation for some of the situations the veterans had to confront once the war was over.

This is a good biography, but it had very little in regards to the "Band of Brothers". I was disappointed from that perspective.
Dave

This book is more than a re-telling of Band of Brothers. But I really only appreciated that fact when I had finished reading the book.

I have read most of the books written by or about members of Easy Company. I do the same thing every time; that is, to approach it with the idea that the material will expand the information in the Ambrose book, and bring even more details of the fighting. That's not exactly the case here.

Reflections on Band of Brothers deal mostly with Mr. Compton trying to correct inaccuracies in the mini-series or clarifying events that are depicted that didn't actually happen. I found some of the effort to correct the mini-series sort of squashed my fun as I had accepted the HBO series as accurate. I'm fine to now know that some of the events are made up, but it doesn't in any way make me appreciate the series any less. Rather, it adds clarity and helps explain the truth behind some of what we see on the screen.

Really, the real joy of the book had little to do with Band of Brothers. I was fascinated to read of Mr. Compton's early career as an actor. I was inspired by the way he worked to get on with his life after the tragic death of his father. Some of the most interesting reading was the coverage of life after the war. The people he came into contact with and the events he was involved in were just terrific reading.

My favorite part of the book was the rant portion at the end. It was nice to read what someone as experienced with life as Buck Compton thinks about the state of our nation. I'd like to make that section required reading for all high school students. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in modern culture or contemporary political science.

If you're looking only for another re-telling of Band of Brothers, this is not your book. If, on the other hand you want to read about the life of a true hero, one of the Band of Brothers, this book is a must for you.

Really good book by a guy who has experienced a very full and interesting life. As a fan of Band of Brothers I have gone back and read all of the books by the E-company soldiers, Winters, Webster, Malarkey, Guarnere and Heffron. Compton had an amazing life and his book is a great read.

Figure of Eight is a taut, atmospheric thriller that delivers on a few different levels than the average book from this genre and shows why Patrick Lynch is an underappreciated writer.

Unlike most of the formulaic novels in this genre, this novel does not feature steel-eyed, square-jawed heroes and there vulnerable but strong heroines who fall for them almost instantaneously. The lead character, Pete Golding is a flawed and vulnerable person with some issues from his past.

At the start of this novel, Pete is employed by a security firm as a bodyguard to Ellen Cusack, a former world champion figure skater who is attempting a comeback and has received several threating letters from a stalker. What seems like a simple assignment turns out to be much more complicated as both protagonists have secrets from their past that they do not divulge initially.

What seperates this novel from the rest of the genre is the manner in which Patrick Lynch develops his flawed characters and displays their humanity. They achive what they are striving for but only by overcoming the obstacles of their own making. That and Lynch's ability to seamlessly incorporate informantion about the skating world and the price a person has to pay for celebrity into the novel without beating the reader over the head with it demonstrates why he is a cut above the average novelist.

For anyone looking for his earliest work-Check out Amazon.UK as his first two novels were never published in the United States.

I nearly put this one down and am SO glad I didn't, as the original story, plot twists and action were a notch above the usual suspense or thriller type novel. Be forewarned, however, that you need to get through the first 4 chapters before this one weaves its spell (or at least, I did). I prefer books with strong characters and this book does have compelling characters but the reader doesn't meet them immediately and I felt there were too many pages of background, information that could have been shortened and presented more tightly. Even so, there were many mysteries to puzzle through and that made for fun reading. The characters, once they DID appear, were fascinating.

This is a fascinating novel. A tight, gripping story, rich in psychological insight, and with a billiant climax. One to read in one sitting!

I'd never read anything by Patrick Lynch, but after reading this book I immediately ordered more! I thought...ice skating? Boring. I was wrong! The lead characters are flawed but likeable. The plot and twists are sharply defined and kept me on the edge of my seat! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the writing style. Very easy to read, the writing flowed and wasn't full of too many adjectives (one of my pet peeves). Can't wait to get the other books I ordered!

Just finished Figure of Eight. My first Patrick Lynch book, and a great read. A kind of stalker story, but with a difference. Keeps you guessing right from the start. Draws you on with leads, intriguing & sometimes downright strange pieces of information, and just when you think maybe you've worked out how all the pieces are going to fit, it changes. Builds the suspense very well, right up to a literally explosive end. Develops strong main characters well too - especially the 'hero' Pete Golding. There are times when you're not sure what Golding's going to do next, or even if he's the good guy - but you can't help liking him and by the end you're with him 100%. I'd like to have gotten a little more into his character, he's strong and complex enough to carry a story. I'd like to see him reappear in another Lynch thriller down the road.

Revell, in this co-authored book, believes in the philosophy "never say in 350 pages what you can say in 570."
The events are apparently purely chronological, and almost stream-of-consciousness. There's a lot of jumping from subject to subject, with little transition or unifying theme. While the book has a bibliography and index, it's lacking a glossary, which would be helpful for those of us who don't use acronyms like OSG, JSOC, CSG, and CISPES on a daily basis.
The book would be less cluttered if there wasn't a compulsion to include every incident in which Revell wished to claim credit, or rebut an allegation of misconduct against him. For instance, the liner notes claim that Revell "participated in ... the JFK assassination [investigation]." It turns out Revell wasn't even in the FBI at the time; he was a Marine who was liaison to FBI agents who were interviewing Marines who had known Oswald during Oswald's Marine service.
It is an interesting account of agent Revell's career, and FBI history and lore, mainly from within the FBI bureaucracy looking down, and contains some almost-hidden nuggets of insight on personalities and events you probably won't find elsewhere.
Read _No Heroes_ by Danny O. Coulson for a street agent perspective on many of the same events.

It is an informative novel which gives exciting insight into one of the most famous law enforcement agencies of America. Not only learning about the cases that Oliver Revell worked on, but knowing how others in the FBI, including J. Edgar Hoover, thought and said is purely fascinating. This is a must read to anyone interested in the FBI, law enforcement, or federal government agencies.

I know and work with Buck Revells' brother Dennis and Dennis told me that it was a good read. I knew that if Buck had his brothers integrity and analytical thinking process, that this indeed would be a good read. I was not disappointed. This book gives an excellent insight into the FBI, which given the number of times Buck & Sharon Revell moved stands for Forever Being Inconvenienced. Good facts about the cases involved but not too much given away. It is a good "guys read", fast paced with detail it never gets boring. I enjoyed this and can whole-heartedly recommend it to all.

The nice thing about freedom of speech is that it helps one to learn the truth. I recommend this book for a well written viewpoint and a non-abusive style from the former Assistant Director of the FBI (with the help of Dwight Williams). Presumably his "nemesis" under Clinton, Director Freeh, has a book written by himself somewhere, and it will only be fair to compare the versions of the two books. In fact, I think that an outstanding Management Course could be made by assigning Revell's book, Freeh's book (or future book - I don't know if it exists), and Bonanno's book giving one of the more enlightened Mafia viewpoints (see my review of the latter). Revell appears to have been an outstanding manager from this book, and some readers may not understand why. Revell has a military type discipline viewpoint with an exceptional respect for justice and fairness rather than firing senior employees arbitrarily or because of political orders or downsizing attempts. It's the type of discipline that Field Marshall Montgomery had (see my review of his book), and to some extent General Eisenhower. Whether he violated law for patriotic reasons I do not know, and whether he is right about Freeh's motivations - that, only comparisons between sources of evidence can reveal. His strong opinion that J. Edgar Hoover was not a homosexual is quite interesting, since Great Britain has found for example that freedom of speech without respect for the public can lead to very erroneous conclusions, innuendoes, etc. As for Bonanno, his idea that the Mafia should not sell dope is quite an honorable proposal (it seems to me).

I'd like to set the record straight about the rebooking of Chris Revell's flight and the speculation that his Father "saved his life" and not others. Chris Revell's flight plans were changed at least two weeks prior to Thanksgiving that year in early or mid-November. Chris had more leave-time than he had first thought and asked me to get him a direct flight from Frankfurt to Washington D.C. so he could spend more time at home. We had been apart since the beginning of August and I can assure you it wasn't anticipated terrorism that was motivating him to return early. My In-Laws were in Australia at the time and my Father-in-Law was in no way involved in our decision to change Chris' flight. Sorry, but the situation just wasn't as sinister as some would like it to be.

This book is good! It shows just how hard life can be during a war. It is about a young boy who has just moved from the country into the bustling Chinese city of Chungking. He is being apprenticed to a well-known coppersmith who goes by the name of Tang. I like this book because of the stage of life it describes during the 1920's China. The thing that I don't really like is that the book almost seems to drag on, but otherwise it is a great book!

Great book with huge insight into Chinese thinking and culture. Full of adventure and drama, with a rich cultural background. Very educational, with a focus on character issues! Definitely recommended for teens and adults or a challenge-loving younger student.

Young Fu, 13 has just arrived in the Chinese city of Chungking from the country. In between working at the copper shop where he's an apprentice and studying with the teacher that lives above him, he manages to squeeze in adventure such as, cheating the fire dragon of it's prey, saving silver from the Ban-keh, and rescuing a fellow worker from the Ya-men.

I was sorry to see that many kids had trouble reading this book.
It's true that it may seem to bog down in spots, but only to build up to the next interesting bit that comes along.
This book is very well written, but, alas, it is not geared towards the younger set. One could compare it to, say, the Hornblower novels, or A Single Shard...
Perhaps the problem is with the Chinese culture being so different, but the main thrust of the book is a rags-to-riches theme, much like Horatio Alger's books, but not so simplistic.
People who have read the other works I mentioned should enjoy this book with little or no problem. But I know that there are cultures which I don't want to read about, maybe the Orient isn't your cup of tea (pun?)...
I wish it had been longer, as thick as "Shogun" or something...

I had to read this book for school. Personally, I thought that it was pretty good, but it is kind of hard to start. Also, I noticed quite a few generalizations about Chinese people in the book. I myself would recommend this for people who are 12 years old or above, because younger children may get tired of it.

This is a great light fun read! If you loved this book also check out the author C.J. Box and his Joe Pickett adventures which also follow a game warden based near a hunting culture small town filled with eccentric red necks, corrupt officials and other fun characters, his books are set in Wyoming. Both even have similar author photos complete with dogs and bucket hats or whatever they're called inside the back covers. Open Season is the first novel in that great series, check it out!

Buck Fever is actually only book one in a series of adventures set in Blanco County Texas. Being the author's debut novel you'd expect it to have a few flaws but pleasantly surprised you will be that although may not be as funny as his more recent stuff, it's still a very good and enjoyable read. Like any great series it's always good to read the books in order to fully appreciate the characters.

Buck Fever follows the daily life of game warden John Marlin starting off a week or so before hunting season commences. He gets a call over the radio that a deer has been shot with some weird developments and arrives to find the deer is actually someone he knows in a deer costume. He also sees his best friend's long time but recently lost to him companion Buck, a very agitated large male deer at gun point and immediately tries to convince the sheriff not to shoot him and to let him tranquilize Buck instead. The sheriff only has wall trophy on his mind but luckily a call from rich lobbyist Roy Swank whose ranch these incidents are on stops him as he values kickbacks and bribes from Swank a lot more than a new trophy. It soon becomes apparent Buck is a lot more valuable than just as a game animal when Swank hires local dim witted rednecks Red and Billy, who started this whole debacle in the first place, to get the animal back for ten grand. What follows is an hilarious tale, throw in a man locals believe to be Antonio Banderas who isn't too thrilled to be working with Texan amateurs and certainly isn't going to let anyone take his picture, some other Columbians, a veterinarian who likes to self subscribe and ignore the only for animals warning on the labels, red neck bar locals as well as other eccentric characters and you've got one entertaining read!

The book started off well with the humorous characters of Billy Dunn and Red O'Brien, but ended up being a little short on characters. Rehder does have the beginnings of some hillarious situations, and with work characters will probably become better in future novels. This one had a few situations that were forced, and dialogue that was far fetched. With time Rehder should be able to put out some good books... especially if Billy Dunn and Red O'Brien stick around.

All hype. I see that a number a people have "shared" their thoughts on this book. The closest anyone's gotten to Hiaasen is Tim Dorsey and even his recent stuff hasn't been good.

This is not haute literature - but it is funny and great fun to read. IMHO. I read his second book first, and liked it too. Just a great change of pace when you need something a little wacky.

Having been impressed by the comic genius in Flat Crazy, Mr. Rehder's latest book, I decided to go back to the beginning of the series to read this book. While Flat Crazy is clearly the better book, I found this book to be a rewarding story to read. The humor isn't quite so sharp and the story develops a little more ponderously, but Buck Fever clearly works. I suggest that you read Buck Fever in the firm knowledge that you have at least one better story ahead in the series.

This story will appeal most to those who like Elmore Leonard's books about goofy criminals. But don't expect the book to be an exact parallel to Leonard. In this book, the outrageous humor alternates with depictions of straight-edged evil.

If you like to read about deer hunting, you will enjoy this book much more than if you don't care for deer hunting.

The main appeal of the story is in learning about game warden, John Marlin, as he gets ready for his busiest few days of the year -- the opening of deer season. Naturally, the locals are all out poaching in advance of the event. The tension in the story comes from Marlin's desire to help his friend save a pet stag from the hunters. To do that, Marlin has to fight his way through complications involving a crooked former lobbyist, drug dealers, assorted local criminals, the ex-husband of a woman he sleeps with, a new love and a crooked sheriff.

The best sources of humor are Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock, two good old boys who like to drink, poach, party and avoid any honest labor. Several scenes involving them (including the book's opening) are the best writing in the book.

Blanco County has its share of original characters. Enjoy the loving sketches of them in this book. They remind me of people I knew when I was growing up in the West.

Well told story to aid children in dealing with disappointment, fear, death. Beautifully illustrates the purpose of life.

The seller's description of the book's condition was correct. In fact the book was in better condition than I expected. Fast delivery and an easy transaction.

The Big Wave is a book about two families that live in Japan and one BIG wave!
Kino a Japanese boy lives in the "midst of danger" with the ocean in front of him and a volcano behind him. Jya, Kino's friend lives on the ground and Kino lives on a mountin. When the big wave comes Jya's family gets wiped out and Jya has to live with Kino. This book fast-forwards from Jya's childhood to his early adulthood and I recommend it to everyone. I recommend it to everyone because I liked to read about a different place.

This book taught a life lesson. When bad happens, there are good people willing to help make things better. This was a good book. I am taking English 324 Literature for Children with Professor Roger D. Samples, he is a wonderful teacher.

I read this book many years ago, and have been waiting for the right moment to read it to my child. This week, while we are absorbing the 12/26/2004 tsunami in South Asia, I deemed the moment right.

The story is set in Japan at some time in the past, when the farmers and fishermen in the community are following the paths their fathers and grandfathers set. We see the story through the eyes of Kino who lives on a mountain farm, and learns about the sea through his friendship with Jiya, who lives "in the last house in the row of houses toward the ocean, and [whose] house [does] not have a window toward the sea" because, as Jiya tells Kino, "the sea is our enemy." Kino is relieved that he does not live near the sea, but his father reminds him of the great volcano, twenty miles away, and tells him that they "must learn to live with danger."

The storyline is simple, almost inevitable. A volcano erupts under the sea and causes a tsunami, which sweeps away the fishing village by the sea. Many lives are lost. As the survivors slowly recover, and Kino's friend Jiya starts to accept life again, Kino asks his father all the questions that children need to ask after a natural disaster. His father's answers each question with patience and wisdom, in a manner open-ended enough so that the reader (or reader and parent) can pause and talk about their own beliefs and feelings. Or the reader can turn the page and stay absorbed in this well-crafted story.

My only disappointment with my paperback edition (HarperCollins, 1986, ISBN 0-06-440171-5) is that it left out the famous woodblock prints by the 19th century Japanese artists Hokusai and Hiroshige. I pored over these illustrations as a child and immediately recognized them when I saw them in my library copy. Pearl Buck selected each individual print to allow her readers to see the beauty of Japan, and they form an integral part of the story. I would recommend you buy the Library Binding version by HarperCollins (1999, ISBN 0-38-199923-8) or check out a book with illustrations from your library.

Popular audience discussion of the history of the dollar, a journalistic rather than academic account of the dollar in history and today. A well-written read. The chapter on dollarization in places like Ecuador is informative, and the chapters that deal with the situation up through early 2007 - the long term decline of the dollar, rise of the euro, and reasons why foreign government holdings of US dollar Treasury debt makes such a difference are very clear explanations for the layperson. Very fine financial journalism.

I read this during the financial crisis, and it helped me understand why the US economy is in trouble. Very easy to understand complex topics, and was fun to read. Pleasantly surprised that it was such an enjoyable book. Would recommend it to people who want to understand the role the US and the dollar play in the world's economy, but who don't want a boring textbook!

I was put off after reaching page 3 of the introduction. It states the U.S pays $1,000,000 per day for each (350,000,000) person in the country in interest payments on the foreign debt. That is $127,750 trillion per year. Didn't seem right.

After wasting an hour trying to reconcile this I checked further in the index for other references and I see this number quoted again on page 244. Except this time the underlying math is detailed (which agrees with my research) and shows the debt interest to be $310,000,000 per day. This is about a $1.00 per person per day. Even there the $1 million per day is repeated.

Not good start for this book on finance. What will page 4 bring?

One interesting bit of information I had found during my searches in the Internet about money was how Iraq in the year 2000 had changed the denomination with which it traded oil: from the U.S. dollar to the euro. At that point in history, I wondered if Iraq's leadership had sealed its fate long before 9/11 attacks happened. Alan Greenspan, in his recent autobiography, concedes the cause of the Iraq war is really oil, most of which is traded using the dollar. Craig Karmin, in his book, "Biography Of The Dollar" confirms Iraq's fateful decision, but makes little mention of the Iraq war and its causes. He does, however, strongly suggest how the most important events in the world can be traced back to the movers and the movement of currency, the dollar in particular.

Currency Exchange is a lot like fishing in a three-trillion-dollar pond...in a single day, writes Karmin. He takes us through one day in the life of Jeff Weiser, whose life is money; not as a means but an end: trading it day and night. Karmin then takes us through the 128 years old hallow halls of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where money is made. This is one place where garbage is not rolled down to the roadside to be picked up by Waste Management. That garbage is BEP's weakest point: Money that wasn't deemed "perfect" and therefore has to be discarded. Somebody has to destroy that imperfect money, yet "how can you tell if something is destroyed?" asks an official of the BEP. Numerous people who worked for the BEP had abused their position. Some had used money that had neither the serial number nor the Federal Reserve seal on it. Others were more insidious. Karmin writes about several such stories in detail in fast read. He also discusses the way countries use counterfeit as a strategic ploy to attack other countries. For this reason, by virtue of the sophistication and technology that is in the dollar, one holds a Fort Knox in his palm.

This book is very entertaining and informative, even if (or perhaps, because) it doesn't go into the finer details. Many of us took for granted the power of the 'buck' around the world, but now that it's in decline, we're starting to notice ! The book gives some insight into how the dollar achieved it's unique status as the currency of international trade, how the relative value of the dollar affects other countries, and vice-versa.
The book is also thought-provoking, and I'm now thinking about different ways to protect and grow my retirement savings. A worthwhile read.