Carrier Books

I was a little reluctant at first to start this book, thinking to myself "how interesting can a book about train engineers, truck drives, and barge pilots be?" But that is precisely McPhee's talent--being able to write interesting, insightful stories about ordinary things we see, and virtually ignore, every day.

The book is a compilation of essays McPhee wrote about his experience riding in an eighteen wheeler, a train, a river barge, and his own canoe (and his experience at the UPS sorting facility). In each essay, McPhee shares very interesting insights from those who perform the jobs that our economy so heavily depends upon. He does an excellent job of sharing the knowledge he learned from each experience while intertwining interesting stories from the people he encounters. The net result is an excellent book that will be both educational and very entertaining.

Upon finishing this book, I realized how insulated we are from the mechanisms that deliver us the things we depend on to live. We use tons of products each day, yet have very little idea of how they got to us. In a very interesting way, this book offers a glimpse into the lives of those who carry the products that keep our economy churning.

I agree with some previous criticism that the chapter about his canoe trip on the Merrimack River, while interesting, is a little out of place. That chapter is more of a book review of Thoreau's work, but it does tie into the theme of "carriers" by discussing how these Eastern rivers were such important trade routes in the 1800s.

Uncommon Carriers -- a book by John McPhee. Like all of McPhee's books, this one provides fascinating insights into a world we all take for granted. The author brings the subject to life and puts a human face on processes we tend to think of as mechanical. You will never look at a truck on the highway, a freighter coming into port, a UPS plane, or a freight train in the same way after you've read this book.

The eclectic and readable McPhee strikes again in this engaging study of people engaged in unconventional forms of transportation. But the coverage of trucks, ships, and trains brings out what is truly great about McPhee - his ability to ruminate on other tangential matters, including little-known facts about the world's transportation systems and the real non-stereotypical people who operate them. This rambling and eclectic style is actually one of McPhee's most underappreciated strengths, as the reader barely notices how one chapter morphs from a down-home look at a Nova Scotia lobster farm to a scientific examination of the enormous UPS complex in Louisville. In one chapter McPhee also replicates a canoe trip once taken by Thoreau, and in the process also replicates Thoreau's penchant for literary flights of fancy while ruminating on transportation systems of long-gone eras. This book isn't quite as substantial or socially observant as some of McPhee's classics, but as usual he has delivered a very readable look at parts of the world that you know are there but haven't much thought about - and all with his dependable humor, literacy, and insight. [~doomsdayer520~]

Uncommon Carriers proves again that John McPhee is the modern master of the discursive essay.

Conversations with Don Ainsworth and his chemical tanker truck bookend a series of essays on the transportation trade. "Ainsworth's middle names could be 'Free Association'" writes McPhee of this kindred spirit. In addition to the tanker trade, the book reports McPhee's experiences and meditations on rail, freighter, barge, and air freight.

At the center of the volume is McPhee's affectionate re-creation of Thoreau's "Five Days on the Merrimack and Concord Rivers" - a journey into the headwaters of McPhee's literary style.

I've read (and own hardcovers of) every book John McPhee has written. Many of the essay/compliation books - like this one - were first largely included in The New Yorker, but I'll always rush out and buy any new McPhee when it hits the bookstores. As a trained and licensed deep-sea Merchant Mariner, several of the ship-driving stories in this book were particularly interesting to me, but I got as much pleasure learning about long-haul trucking, coal trains, and UPS' hub (and shipping lobsters). McPhee's insight and depth can't be beat. What's next, John? Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll buy it and love it!

I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH MY PURCHASE PRICE.I HAD EMAILED THE SELLER TO ASK A FEW QUESTIONS BEFORE MY PURCHASE AND THEY RESPONDED QUICKLY WITH MY ANSWERS.THANK YOU TO AMAZON AND THE SELLER FOR MAKING THIS SO EASY.

This is only the second book of Susan's I have read, and this was excellent. It gives you a whole new insite on Military life, and what families go through while someone is off to war. I couldn't put this book down. What a great thrift store find! Can't wait to read another one of her books. Kudos to you Susan!!!

When I read this, I thought, "she must be a military spouse...she has captured how we feel." Since I am a military spouse and author, I contacted her, wanting to make connection. Turns out she isn't a military spouse, and never has been. Which just goes to show how much research this novelist puts into her books.
As someone who has lived in the NW and a long time lover of lakes, I loved the setting as well. Whether you are military or not, if you've ever faced a time period of doubt in your life about your choices and life direction, you'll relate. A great summer read! Kathie Hightower, coauthor of Help! I'm a Military Spouse...I Get a Life Too!

When I read this book, my husband was in the Navy and on a 6 month deployment. While I found the book slow throughout, the author does an excellent job of depicting military life, and the sacrifices that every man and woman in uniform, and their families make on a daily basis. Freedom really is not free.

Susan Wiggs is one of those authors I've stumbled across who seems very at home in many different genres and settings. I've read books of her set in different centuries and with very different stories/angles. "The Ocean Between Us" is set in modern times and it focuses on a husband and wife, Steve and Grace Bennett, and a time of learning and trouble in their relationship.

This sounds rather gloomy and in fact I was a little worried when I started the book that it would be depressing. There are some aspects of this book that are sad but the overall feeling is definitely uplifting. Steve is a Navy Captain who is away on an Aircraft Carrier for six months at a time; Grace has been a brilliant Navy wife, bringing up their three children well despite Steve's long absences. But now that Grace is turning forty she finds herself looking again at aspects of her life and wondering if it is worth carrying on with her marriage. A secret from Steve's past threatens her sense of security and with him away and her changing her life she wonders if there's room for him. There are some side-plots involving a friend of Grace's with her new Navy boyfriend, Grace's children and of course Steve's view of the situation from at sea.

I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of life at sea - and on land - for a Navy couple. There was a lot of detail about the Aircraft Carrier and flying a Prowler which was fascinating - and rather unusual for a book authored by a woman and aimed at women. I also thought that the way that Susan Wiggs described the sort of marriage that Navy personnel have - requiring long separations - was excellent.

Once again Susan Wiggs has provided an excellent book which explores human emotions, family and individuality and it's a book I can very much recommend.

This was a relatively easy read for a philosophical paperback. Ideas were very well thought out and well presented in lay terminology. Gives a great case for any atheist, and a good thought-provoker for any deist.

Carrier makes a comprehensive case for metaphysical naturalism by doing what few others do: state a position, explain how he himself arrived at the position, and why you should to. While there is some playful religion-bashing going on in certain chapters, he cites his sources and steers clear of the sophistry. While the book is touted as ready for mass consumption, it really is for college-educated readers who can deal with some dense ideas. He begins with a breakdown of his own mode of philosophy and methodology that may go right over the heads of those not familiar with philosophical concepts. But this is all necessary to really understand where Carrier is coming from; it is what justifies his position. You know when he's doing a good job when he makes statements that you don't necessarily agree with but, by defining his philosophy, methodology, logic, and reasoning, the case is airtight.

This book is by no means perfect; Carrier is a bit self-indulgent at times. But the framework of his big arguments and refutations are flawless. When I was thinking, "But wait! What about X? How do you account for that?", out of no where, Carrier provides the answer to the begged question. He has a knack for this that adds an aura of authenticity to the work.

If you are a theist who is fearful of the above, then this book is sinful and dangerous. If you are a theist who is interested in broadening your horizons and challenging predispositions, this book is a wonderful place to start.

Like many people, I grew up in a nominally religious household and never really questioned my beliefs until a few years ago. After starting a family, I made the decision to figure out once and for all what I really believed. After many hours of study and thought, I finally ran into Richard Carrier's book. It basically answered all of my nagging questions about the ultimate questions. If you're one of those people that has grown tired of enduring the cognitive dissonance required by traditional faith, I highly recommend this book. It articulates ideas that you may not have the vocabulary or background to express. It also has great references for further reading. Overall, when it comes to understanding what life is about, it has given me some much needed peace.

I believe the basic thrust of the book is: (and I'm guessing a bit because I'm only about one third of the way through it)If it can't be proven with Mathematics (Geometry, specifically) or the Scientific Method (emphasis on Reductionism)then don't waste your time speculating, because whatever it is you are seeking to find probably doesn't exist, to include a deity as in a god or gods in any Universe including this particular (pun may have been intended) Universe. In addition, the human mind has a cerebral cortex which is unique among all other sentient life on the planet and maybe this "particular" Universe as well as others. This gives us our sense of "self" which no other species has (as far as science can tell). In turn, This give us the ability to deal with life outside the limitations of survival based instinctual instructions. We are animals wearing pants, but we can also decide on what style or color of pants to wear or not to wear them at all. Finally, the author would like humanity to be able to maximize it's critical thinking abilities and freedom of choice to discover a future where logic suppresses primitive superstition, fear and loathing. That's my impression so far.

Sense and Goodness Without God is an interesting read to a worldview which he describes as his own (Introduction) out of many different versions of Metaphysical Naturalism that could exist. He does a great job overall of presenting his views and reasons why he believes what he believes. He is mainly a philosopher/ historian who is very reasonable and somewhat spiritual and describes himself as a man of faith with a faith from evidence.. He clearly proclaims his passion for philosophy and his firm belief that philosophy is the key to all of human successes and problem solving techniques, which I agree with. He has a tendency of arguing quite a bit with J.P. Moreland on metaethics that does get quite annoying at times because he wastes some space on trying to hit J. P. Moreland instead of further developing his Metaphysical Naturalism defenses, especially his reasons for why we should not accept any of the theistic defenses such as free will as a coherent solution to the supposed problem of evil and the problem of good. He could have elaborated a little more on this. His Goal Theory is a basic idea that I definitely agree with and encourage but can only expect its failure since very few are committed to informing themselves of the facts and processing accordingly to make scrutinized, linear, pure, clear thinking. He also gives a quick lesson on what makes reliable and accurate history and methods for establishing the historicity of any historians from the past.

Perhaps it was due to the limited space he had to write, but in terms of his defense of science and the origins of the universe by multiverse theory he does not do a good job in convincing why there would be many universes coming from black holes and why there actually would be infinite universes. We haven't even gotten images form locations not so far from Pluto let alone another galaxy. His footnotes for the multiverse are helpful though. His defense of the scientific method is the same usual stuff that is found in some theistic and some atheistic literature. The only problem I see with this defense is that on p. 214-216 he makes it seem like all scientists do experiments and research in a fixed skeptic manner where all scientists begin with skepticism when in reality it usually is with a curious and neutral manner that is neither pessimistic or optimistic though it sometimes is optimistic. Sometimes science is treated as somehow special, in that it feels like only a few can reach the status of scientist. The scientific method has its origin in the philosophical methods of reasoning. So it is philosophy that is the basis of science and also of life in general too. Carrier argues in this book about philosophy and science as separate and not about the latter arising from the former. I am actually studying to be a Chemical Engineer and for the most part science is just thinking about relationships between stuff in nature. Anyone can be a scientist. And science is pretty basic and not impossible to do. It may be at times weird, but for the most part it's doable. It really is natural to be a scientist, as if we were made for that. If you can cook anything, then you would be guilty of doing a procedure for an organic chemical reaction(s). Science is really more relaxed and not so strict since we still have a lot to learn and new methods that may be easier to work with may yet be discovered. Also usually people who aren't a part of a field of science treat science as more out there than it really needs to be treated. Luckily Carrier mentions that sciences like zoology, psychology and anything that involves intelligent creatures or is organic is not as clear cut and concrete as the inorganic fields like chemistry or physics. An example of scientific fluctuations come from medical journals that have a lot of explaining to do for unusual patients and unusual behavior.

Carrier does an ok job of linking the mind or soul with the brain as inseparable, but does not mention that the mind has its control over the brain too. He argues that the mind works by chemical reactions in the brain with other stuff too. But in cases of depression, even with medication, the mind seems to override the chemical reactions and so someone can be under medication but still have a depressed mind set. I would agree that the mind and brain work together most of the time, but also the mind seems to be immune to chemical reactions in the brain. You can look at a Scientific American article on the mind-brain relationship through depression at [...]
If what Carrier says is true, then the depression that is caused by the mind would be eliminated in nearly all cases since if you prevent some reactions from occurring in your brain, that cause a depression sensation, then you would not be depressed or have sad thoughts since those thoughts would be chemically repressed. This does not occur as much as we want. So the mind does look like it is somehow separate from the brain and yet linked as well . This also explains what Carrier agues in p. 328-329 of people in coma are dormant persons not annihilated persons. Also as of yet neuroscientists have not been able to find the part or parts of the brain that constitute our Will to do anything. I have not heard of any findings yet thus I must deny a whole mind-brain link as not true unless evidence proves otherwise. Great attempt though.

Here is a simplified Breakdown of the whole book (These are not chapter titles just stuff he discusses... Well some are Chapter titles) :
I. Introduction
Philosophy Awareness
His Autobiography

II. How We Know
Importance of philosophy
Logic and Meaning
Methods of Science, History, Reason, Experience

III. What There is
Worldview
Outline of Metaphysical Naturalism
Nature and Origin of Universe
Determinism vs. Freewill (Libertarian)
What Everything is Made of
Mind / Brain : Origins, Evolution, Functions
Meaning of Life
How We Got Here
Nature of Reason, Emotion

IV. What There Isn't
Paranormal
7 Reasons To Be An Atheist

V. Natural Morality
Secular Humanism vs. Christian Theism
Metaphysical Naturalistic Morality

VI. Beauty
How We Percieve Beauty in Art and Human Life

VII. Natural Politics
An Educated Man's Politics
Richard Carrier's Politics
Secular Humanist Heaven

VIII. Conclusion

Bravo for Richard Carrier. Good introduction to those who are new to atheism or are interested in seeing what other options exist or for those who wish to be informed of the diversity of human thought. I personally thought it was better than David Mill's Atheist Universe.

As many reviewers before have mentioned, this could have been a much better book if only it had been sent to an editor that had served in the Navy and specifically on aircraft carries.

The author describes seaplanes from a cruiser with 2 engines and describes the Japanese Betty bomber as a fighter. But he even confuses the Midway class carriers with the Essex class when trying to compare the size of the new Forrestal class carriers. (I served on the USS Midway and he is wrong on the facts)

It could have been so much better with a little more editing.

"Sailors to the End" presents the events aboard the Forrestal in gripping detail, and pays homage to the brave men who fought the terrible fire in 1967. I certainly can't argue with the spirit in which it was written, or the strong prose. However, as I read the book, I found myself increasingly angry with the text's attempts to justify the actions of Captain John K. Beling. While Beling is presented here as a badly-wronged victim of circumstance (he was strongly reprimanded after the fire, and never again commanded a ship), there is a great deal of evidence in the book to support the idea that he got off too easily. Beling, it is clear, was a showboater who had the audacity to propose flying aircraft off the damaged ship as it sailed into its home port for the first time after the tragic accident, and a man who refused to accept responsibility for what was doubtlessly a preventable incident. Freeman seems anything but impartial in his analysis of the fire, preferring instead to blame "the system" and the lack of political support for the situation. One has to wonder what his motivation was - perhaps the author feared a blackball by the retired crew? It is not difficult to see, using some of the evidence presented in the book, that ordnance crews under Beling ignored critical safety instructions, and that the presence of obselete weapons on board was not brought to the Captain's attention due to a failure in the chain of command. That to me indicates Beling was actually guilty of dereliction of duty, and that he got off far too easily. In my book, he should never have been allowed to remain an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Riveting! One of the most well written books I have read in a long time. Having served over 20 years in the Military, this book and the men it honors, makes me proud to have served even more. We all owe a unpayable dept to the heroic men of the USS Forrestal. Should be included in the Military Professional Reading list.

This story recounts how dangerous Aircraft Carriers may be even out of combat as the author describes how a series of failures on the USS Forrestal created one of worst naval accidents, killing 134 men in 1967, as the crew was preparing to launch an air offensive on Vietnam.

The story, which centers on a tragic fire, looks at the incident from various sailor's perspectives, and paints an excellent picture for the reador of real life on an aircraft carrier and the mindset of a group of young men battling for their survival againt two of a sailor's greatest enemies -- Fire and the Sea.

The fire on the Forrestal was the major Naval event of my career up to that time. I knew some of the men who were a part of her ships company and airwing. I later came to know some who had survived that day.

At the time of the fire, I knew that a major catastrophe had overtaken the ship and its' crew. Over the remaining years of my military career, I came to learn what (I thought) was the cause of this tragedy. A 'training film' on the disaster focused on the mobile 'starter' unit left running under the Zuni rocket was the basic cause.

It wasn't until I read this great book by Gregory A. Freeman that I learned "the rest of the story". The mobile unit was only the causitive agent. Lack of communications and the bypassing of safety regulations were also contributing factors. But most importantly was the Johnson/McNamara administration's decision to intensify the bombing effort against the North Vietnamese. This decision meant using outdated, dangerous ordinance. This fact was kept from the public (and from the rank and file) for years. It goes to the heart of the prosecution of this vile war. In essence they said "damn the personal prosecuting the war, just prosecute it".

More importantly than the above political statement is the fact that this book brought so close to me the heroism of those sailors onboard Forrestal, from the flight deck Chief Petty Officer who raced into the conflagration to supervise the fire fighting efforts, to the Doctors and Corpsmen in sick bay who dealt with the massive casualties that overcame them, to the Damage Control Officer who took "speed" to save his ship, to the brave young men in after steering who died doing what they were trained and ordered to do, to the brave and heroic Commanding Officer who fought with all his skills and leadership and was eventually successful in saving this magnificent ship.

I am not sure in this day and age if anybody in the United States questions the skill and bravery of the young men who defend her, but if they do, just spend a few bucks and pick up this wonderful book.

This book doesn't have that much plot, but great character development keeps it moving. That's why I ended up liking it even better than the first novel in the Grafton series, "Flight of the Intruder", which dragged at times.

At the outset, Jake Grafton is stationed stateside in 1973, a few months after the events described in the previous book. The aftertaste of the Vietnam War is still bitter in veterans' mouths. A barroom brawl earns Grafton reposting to a carrier, in the (to squids) undesirable company of jarheads (Marine pilots) whom Grafton must teach the fine and dangerous art of carrier takeoffs and landings.

Grafton's copilot is the obnoxious, jive-talking Flap LeBeau, an African-American with a serious attitude. But Grafton learns the surface is deceptive and there is far more to LeBeau, also a combat vet.

Grafton endures the monotony of carrier life while agonizing over his future with Callie McKenzie. He is about to propose, but leaves for the sea on awkward terms following a tiff with her antiwar father. The long ensuing silence forces him to reexamine his life and goals.

The action climax of the book is more realistic than that of the first book. There, Grafton's unauthorized bombing run over North Vietnam strained plausibility. This one doesn't. And the book still has all the harrowing realism of a carrier pilot's dangerous existence. It's well worth your time. I got into the Grafton series through the later books based on espionage and spookery, but must say I enjoy Jake Grafton's character much more in these earlier books.

I got suckered into buying this book at a huge clearance sale. The picture of aircraft carrier and the blurb on the back attracted me. I like a good air war story once in a while (Blue Max or Piece of Cake remaining up there at the top). I quit reading after 160p of no plot, one dimensional characters, and boring simplistic conversation. I rate the book one star for its knowledgeable descriptions of airplane handling on an aircraft carrier.

"The Intruders" is one of the 10 books in Stephen Coonts' very good series of thrillers about Jake Grafton of the U.S. Navy.

Exactly where "The Intruders" fits into the Jake Grafton series depends on how you look at it. Judged by the year when the story takes place, "The Intruders" is book number two, following "Flight of the Intruder", Stephen Coonts' first book.

But Stephen Coonts did not write this book immediately following "Flight of the Intruder", published in 1986. Instead, "The Intruders" was published in 1994 following the publishing of four other Jake Grafton books: "Final Flight" (1988), "The Minotaur" (1989), "Under Siege" (1990) and "The Red Horseman" (1993).

"Flight of the Intruder" was set in 1972 during the last part of the Vietnam War, while "The Intruders" is set in 1973, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. (All of the remaining Jake Grafton books are set in contemporary time, i.e., around the time when they were published.)

So what we have here is a young Jake Grafton who has done his stint in the Vietnam War and is still in the U.S. Navy. He's very unsure about what he should do with his life. He's courting Callie McKenzie (mostly by writing letters to her), but fears that he will not win her hand. He feels that he is not in control of his life, that the Navy is making all the decisions for him.

Unlike all of the other Jake Grafton books (except to some extent "Flight of the Intruder") this book does not have any real story. A lot of things happen, but they are isolated episodes spanning an eight-month period, not a single continuous plot.

Actually, the main story in this book is simply the story of Jake Grafton finding himself and making decisions about his life. Plus the story about his relationship with Callie, with its ups and downs.

One of the things I liked best about "The Intruders" were the many descriptions of how naval aviation works. Flying high-performance planes from the deck of an aircraft carrier is a very exciting and dangerous endeavor, and Stephen Coonts describes it all in detail. The only slightly negative point is that these descriptions are somewhat dated now, since the aircraft have changed since 1973, and presumably the procedures too, to some extent.

Stephen Coonts writes with wit and intelligence, and some parts of the book, where Jake and his buddies talk about life and death, are quite philosophical. There are also touching passages about what love really is, and interesting insights into the concept of leadership.

Highly recommended. The lack of the fifth star is due to the silly adventure in the last five chapters, presumably added because the author or the editor or the publisher didn't think the rest of the book was exciting enough to be a Jake Grafton story.

Rennie Petersen

I remember walking down the aisles of a bookstore and I literally chanced upon this book. Was this a sequel to "Flight of the Intruder"? It was a dream come true! However much I liked Coonts' follow-up Grafton novels, they lacked the original book's magic. And since I'm a sucker for marketing, I thought the cover wasn't half bad either.

There are plenty of reviews here that will tell you what the book's about. Seems to me most people don't care all that much for it. I wasn't looking for something incredible. I just wanted young Grafton again, and I got him. The flying, the power, the wind... I was happy.

Ever wonder who does those covers? In this case, it's Dru Blair who paints aircraft, tanks, helicopters, eagles, and Star Trek book covers of all things!

"Intruders" was commissioned for the cover of this book (sadly his own website gets the title wrong): http://www.drublair.com/portintruder.html

"Intruders" was exactly what I was looking for: a fast read, fun, slick, and Coonts as I grew up knowing.

Too much flying! Too little plot. This book just fills in some details missing from other books in the series. Fill. That's it. It was an enjoyable read, but only because I had read (and enjoyed, more or less) the other books in the series.

Even though the F14 Tomcat is now retired, it is too bad Ward Carroll has retired Punk and his cohorts. I read the three Punk series and enjoyed them all. At the end of Punk's War, you kind of wonder what is next. Since Punk does not become the Aide, I guess LCDR Reichert (SP?) may be done. That is too bad.

Saw this book in "Proceedings" and I figured I would give it a shot since I like Naval Aviation and reading about it. I will have to admit, it was not quite what I expected. Some of the scenes were exciting but it seemed to capture the boredom and pointlessness of monitoring the then No Fly Zone. It also seemed to hit home the point that it wasn't the money that was causing aviators to leave in droves but other factors.

Now you're talking! As a surface sailor who served in carriers, this was educational, factual, interesting, and entertaining. Ward Carroll takes the reader into the Ready Room, describes characters we've all known or experienced, and introduces the reader to all phases of life aboard the "boat."
Carroll's books are the best of any military writer I've read.
Where's the movie?

Ward Carroll nailed it! This is what military aviation is like...not the 'Top Gun' image of a bleached-teeth million dollar smile and a perfectly ripped torso. Real characters who live their lives believing in what they do...and doing it without glory. Mr. Carroll takes you in the cockpit and into the briefing room; from the cheesy callsigns (Spud??) and frat pranks, to the honest talks over a cold brew, this is the real world of a modern military aviator. It took me back to the cockpit...

Ward Carroll has done a masterful job of making the complex job of flying sophisticated jets in a dangerous and challenging environment understandable for uninitiated while keeping the story moving and exciting for those who have worked or lived with it. It is filled with characters that get to know and care about. GREAT read

But....seeing as I haven't received it yet, and there doesn't seem to be anywhere on your website for me to complain that I haven't received my book, I'm afraid Amazon's readers are just going to have guess what I think about it....as am I.

Anyone at Amazon reading this, I'd appreciate you letting me know how I can find out what's happened to my book. It's no fun not getting what you paid for in advance, and then not being able to tell anyone about your problem.

How's that for a review?

Have a nice day :-)

Got the book for my Industrial Organizational Psychology class. It's a pretty interesting read. I recommend it to anyone looking to study IO Psyc.

This is a great book on the study of Organizational Behavior. It provides great examples and keys elements to running a successful company. As a college student, this book has been invaluable as a source of information for various classes. I highly recommend this book to any student of Human Resource Management or Organizational Behavior.

I got about halfway through this book and couldn't stand the back slapping tummy rubbing view of perfection portrayed by the author. I lent the book to a colleague who has worked at Southwest and they agreed. Perhaps if you hadn't worked in the game it would be a better book. problem is Southwest probably deserves a better book because they are a great success story - just don't have an author crow so hard about it and detract from the true story. I rate the book three stars (possible generous) simply because I couldn't bear to read it all. For the money I recommend 'Hard Landing' by Petzinger as far more worthwhile ('From Worst to First' is also better).

The first part of the Audio CD was a turn-off. The title begins by trumpeting the virtues of Southwest. Not only was that not necessary, it gets old very quickly. Once that is over, the discussion is quite a bit more interesting. The philosophy that Southwest operates under is presented in a "top ten list" format. In addition, the author discusses how each of the ten items is necessary for the formula to work, and thus why many companies have failed to improve when trying to use only some of Southwest's techniques.

I would recommend this title only after reading other business titles. Two in particular are "From Good to Great" by Jim Collins and "First, Break all the Rules" / "Now, Discover your Strengths" by Marcus Buckingham. I feel this book doesn't stand well by itself; rather it is a case study of these two works, and probably a few others I haven't read yet.

I recommend the former because Jim Collins notes long term successful businesses all figure out their key performance metric and subordinate all business processes to it. The first part of "The Southwest Airlines Way" speaks right to this point. Aircraft turn around is Southwest Airline's key metric, they do it better than their competitors, and all of the 10 points support minimizing the metric.

The latter references by Buckingham theorize that people's talents are fixed, not learned. Thus, Buckingham recommends hire for the talents you need, as it is a waste of resources to try and train the untalented. This goes hand-in-hand with Southwest Airlines interviewing for, and only accepting, applicants with natural aptitude in people skills. Southwest Airlines ten points to success follow many of Buckingham's observations (recommendations) on how to successfully manage employee talent.

Although a major step down in realism and enjoyment from "Flight of the Intruder," this is still a fast paced and interesting read. Coonts is detailed in his description of an aircraft carrier but he does take significant poetic license in description of some structural elements to make the storyline work. He ackowledges these in later editions of his novel.

This book came out in 1989. Except that the U.S. Navy no longer flys F-14's, it's based on a storyline that is remarkably comtemporary . . . a rougue Arabic-Islamic despot makes a grab for a nuclear weapon, with Israel in his sights. Again, this novel was written in the late '80's.

A bit of typical over-characterization (steely-eyed fighter jocks, mouth-breathing shipboard enlisted men, slithering middle-eastern religio-politico fanatics) and admittedly an unlikely scenario (a handful of terrorists take over an American super carrier). Still, Stephen Coonts' Navy A-6 seat time, and his talent as an adventure writer make this a fun read. Lots of carrier and fighter aircraft tech details for the interested.

Without fail, I had to end each reading session with reluctance. Drawing a quick comparison to Coonts' original Viet Nam era first work, Flight of the Intruder -- I'll opine that Intruder had a dirt under the fingernails genuineness and personal sincerity that the polished, grand scale Final Flight lacks.

I suppose the title of the book rather gives away the ending . . . but you saw it coming anyway. Still, this was a good fun summertime read.

Book review



The final flight even thought I haven't finished it it seem to be a good book about the times of war and the guys who have mission and they explain how life was during war its intersing.

My opinion is that it is a great book and because I haven't finished it I can't tell you the ending of the book I rate it 3 out of 5 stars.
I would give it to some who like adventure books I'm also sure that you can find in any local library or local school library. The final flight is an cool book.

If anyone can write great military fiction, it is Coonts. Stephen Coonts is a decorated aviator who flew combat missions during Vietnam.

Like many of his books, Coonts casts Jake Grafton as the main character and puts him, as usual, against great odds. This book is actually a sequel of sorts to his first Jake Grafton novel called Flight of the Intruder. There is a lot of mystery that surrounds the novel but as it unravels the actions begins. There is a lot of correct and technical data about aircraft characters as a lot of the story takes place aboard the USS United States. You learn a lot about the military and their heroes as well as their befuddled bearucratic messes. I couldn't put the book down and I feel it deserves five stars for sure. As a former member of the armed forces, I was impressed with his insight and technical accuracy that he applies to his writing. Jake Grafton is a delightful character that I always enjoy reading about.

"Final Flight" really appealed to me as a techno-thriller where at least most of the people came across as real people, not shallow clichés.

Most of the story takes place on the aircraft carrier USS United States, and I found the descriptions of how a modern aircraft carrier functions fascinating. A ship like this and the aircraft on board it are an incredibly complicated yet awesomely powerful fighting machine.

Stephen Coonts describes in detail many of the procedures involved in launching and recovering the airplanes on an aircraft carrier. The level of complication is such that I found myself surprised that these things function at all, let alone function reliably.

The assault on the aircraft carrier by a group of ruthless terrorists, and its defense by the seamen and marines made great reading. I also loved the description of the dog fight between the lone F-14 Tomcat and four MiG-23 Floggers. This was a real edge-of-the-seat climax to the story.

As mentioned above, I found it appealing that most of the characters in the story actually come across as real people, with real people's problems and worries and motivations and good sides and bad sides. Also, the U.S. Navy is depicted as an organization with certain deficiencies, such as excessive bureaucracy, suppression of private initiative and lack of rewards for individual thought.

This is in contrast with most techno-thrillers, where all the characters are stereotyped and shallow "good guys" or "bad guys", and the western military organizations are the epitome of efficiency and functionality.

Despite what I've just said about the characters, I did find the top bad guy somewhat unrealistic, and this is the reason for the lack of the fifth star. Am I really supposed to believe in someone who,
- makes love to a female assistant in the locked trunk of a limousine?
- talks to a Russian General via a radio transmitter in a belt buckle?
- spends 1/2 hour burning a top secret manual for a nuclear bomb a few pages at a time in a furnace in the basement of a hotel?

But despite my problem with the top bad guy I really liked this book, and am looking forward to reading more of Stephen Coonts' books.

Rennie Petersen

I consider these to plays to be probably the most entertaining that we have in the English language. Shakespeare, they're not, but that is precisely why they can be enjoyed by a modern audience. Don't get me wrong, when shakespeare is good he's the tops (much ado about nothing, taming o. the shrew), but even with these plays one has to put one's sixteenth century english cap on, and start thinking in english like that renaissance bard did. What's more, with shakespeare, even the comedies had some serious dark, somber undercurrents. None of that with Wilde. Everything is left to the wit of language, which is ample, and usually uproarious. You really owe yourself the opportunity to become acquainted with these plays. Go out and watch a stage or film production of these plays if you can...

Which is the best play out of the three presented here? Importance of Being Earnest, no question.

I have decided that since so many people are obviously blind to how dumb this play is, I should write a review to enlighten anyone that might read it. The humor is dated and because of that, very boring. The situations are completely inconceivable and it makes no sense! The characters are flat and serve no real purpose. I suggest that no one else ever ever read this play.

This fellow gives new meaning to irreverence and "farce".
His views on the virtues of having a satirically empty head
as written by one appears to be the well written best example?
His characterization of the English upper class as both idle
and clueless came too close to the truth.
Yet he mostly has happy endings and a good laugh for all.

An extraordinary play; witty, profound and beautiful. And even better if you read all of it. Which you won't if you buy the Penguin copy with Edith Evans on the front, since this version is heavily abridged. Which is fine except the publishers make no mention of this at all in the volume. And cultural vandalism of this kind should, I feel at least be acknowledged.

All you Wildeans take note: this is the only edition of the plays wherein the lines are properly numbered for specific citation and easy reference: very, very important!!

"Mailman" is a great find of a novel--fast-paced, witty, darkly comic, and full of life both awe-inspiring and stomach-churning. I hope Lennon's other efforts are just as striking.

Mailman by J Robert Lennon reminds me of The Corrections in its utter mocking distaste for all characters, as well as the detailed descriptions of physical discomfort and dramatic bowel evacuation. Also, it has the ugliest cover of any book currently on my bookshelves. Fun times!

Read Light of Falling Stars instead.

Mailman will enthrall you. It will leave you craving more even when the book sadly comes to an end. J. Robert Lennon makes you feel as though you are right there with Mailman on his crazy adventures. Perhaps there's a little bit of Mailman in all of us. Excellent novel. Excellent author.

I was at a used book sale, when I saw this book on sale for a dollar. Being a mailman myself, I figured I'd take a chance and spend a buck on it. It turned out to be a dollar well spent. The main character is a 57 year old letter carrier named Albert Lippincott, who is usually referred to as Mailman. Albert has a habit of taking his customers' mail home and reading it before he delivers it, and that bad habit soon catches up with him. As his life falls apart, Albert looks back at the mess he has made of his life; his failed relationships with women, his nervous breakdown in college, his aborted spint in the Peace Corps, etc. Albert isn't a very good person, but he is a good character. I enjoyed reading this funny tragedy.

I read this book because Lennon had a story in THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2005 which I thought was fantastic. This novel, too, is great. It follows a short period in the life of one Albert Lippencott, or Mailman as the narrator refers to him, who is--you guessed it--a mailman. As such, he has a lot of time to think, and his wandering mind takes us to some very interesting places. He is at a crossroads of his life, where he finds himself in hot water thanks to his curious hobby of reading some of the mail he delivers. A paranoid person by nature, we never know how much of what Mailman believes is happening is true and what's in his head. And although Mailman is a flawed character, often acting selfishly and immorally, you get the feeling that he has decent intentions, most of the time. And regardless, he is thoroughly likable, like a character from Seinfeld or Ignatius O'Reilly, from A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES.

The writing of this book, the vivid description, the subtle humor, and the fun with which Lennon portrays all his characters made this one of the most enjoyable books I've read in awhile. I plan on reading more of his stuff.