Dunne Books

What a great surprise to find this book in perfect conditon at such a great price. thank you also for your promptness

What a treat for me. I had never before read a "swashbuckling" adventure story. Despite not understanding anything about ships and sailing(lots of the language was foreign to me) I was totally engrossed and caught up in the universal themes of strong family and friendship bonds, loyalty, revenge, good vs. evil, etc. To its credit, this book just takes you away. It reads very quickly(once you skip over nautical stuff).

An exciting read that is a kind of cross between Treasure IslandTreasure Island: The Graphic Novel (Puffin Graphics) and Anthony Adverse in Africa
Anthony Adverse in Africa. It has a little too much sexual content for even an high school level
but not very exceptional for popular novels today.
Details of sea life and the hardships of prisoners is vivid
and realistic, but the compounding of gun powder in the African wilderness is very unlikely.
Some suspension of credibility is to be expected with such fiction.
That there were wars between the colonial powers:
Belgium
France
Holland ( Netherlands)
England
Germany
Portugal
Spain
in Africa is not to be doubted. That the wars were this
extensive, this early is somewhat doubtful.
The matchlocks used match the ones in the film The Seven SamuraiSeven Samurai - Criterion Collection - 3-Disc Remastered Edition
as a Dutch weapon. The English of this period actually used Flintlocks
which needed no slow match from what I have read.

I was disappointed in this one because I was expecting something as well-researched and based in history as the old Hornblower novels. Suffice to say this one ain't.
It is riddled with historical inaccuracies. There was no war between the Moghuls and the kingdom of "Prester John" at that time. And there are so many little details which a modicum of research would have revealed, such as the (Urdu speaking) Moghul Maharaja speaking Arabic, or a description of what is obviously a hummingbird (which lives only in the Americas) -- small points but when I say this sort of thing was repeated ad nauseum you get the message.
Smith even borrows an incident from "Hornblower and the Atropos" in which someone is shot in the chest but the bullet travels around the rib to the back, where it lodges and causes fever and inflammation. Forster uses the incident for character development (the wound is the result of a duel between two cantankerous individuals; the wounded man is absolutely vital to Hornblower's mission and the other duelist is the doctor who has to save him while Hornblower is all but tearing his hair out). In Smith's hands, however, the wound is simply part of a battle and the extraction of the bullet the excuse for as much gore, pus, agony, etc., as he can lay on.
Also, I HAVE to ask: is anyone out there familiar with fencing or swordfighting? I've done a little fencing, and the climactic fight in which Hal kills the evil Colonel Schreuder turns on a trick of swordfighting which simply doesn't make sense to me. It sounded odd when I read it, then I tried to visualize it, then it seemed like nonsense. I even got a couple sticks and tried it out with aanother friend of mine who's a better fencer than I. It just doesn't work.
I gave it two stars because if you like gore, sex, and fantasy in a historical cloak, this is OK.

This was my first Wilbur Smith book. I thought it was all right for an adventure genre. There is enough historical research to add color. And it certainly moves along well. Many of the events are not believable, but you can say the same for James Bond. The book jumps between history and legend easily and superficially. Boys grow into manhood overnight. Women fall deeply in love by seeing someone from afar. Crocodiles are much more aggressive than in real life. But it is easy reading for passing a few hours.

Fantastic account of an Englishman's desire to be Irish. Hilarious.
The account link's historical fact with whimsy and is soul searching at the same time. It captures the essence of the Irish Pub.

The delivery and price were fine, but the pages in the middle of the book are all scrambled up and I had no patience to deal with it.

It took me a while to finish this book, not because I didn't enjoy, to the contrary, I wanted to make it last as long as possible, so I rationed out 10 or so pages a day and would get my fill of laughs and insight into traveling in modern Ireland.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - Mr. McCarthy's humor and insight into the factors and foibles of humans had me laughing through each chapter. Bravo!

After reading the negative reviews of this book (and there aren't many), I wonder two things: did those reviewers read the same thing that I did and, if so, do they have any appreciation for good writing?! McCarthy's book is excellent, and his sharp wit and superb sense of humor come across brilliantly throughout the pages. On my first visit to Ireland in December 2006, I stopped by several of the places that he describes, including Abeystrowry, Dursey Head, and MacCarthy's bar. They were made all the more special by knowing that I was trodding in Pete's footsteps. His book is well worth the time and money you'll spend, and you may find yourself reading it again and again (as I have). Ignore the negative reviews (there will always be boorish morons in the world), and treat yourself to a fantastic read!

In the early twentieth century, we had "To kill a Mockingbird". Now in the twentieth century we have "until Proven Innocent". I highly recommend that you read this book.

As Nadine Strossen of the ACLU said in her blurb of "Until Proven Innocent," this book illustrates the importance of rights for the accused. Let's keep that in mind when we rush to judgement against the many, many people with far fewer resources who are accused of various crimes. Investigations utilizing DNA research have acquitted many people (mostly poor minorities) who not only had their reputations destroyed, but who spent years in a cage, sometimes on death row. It's curious how this case has gotten such sustained national attention, while far more egregious cases of false charges go barely mentioned, if at all. How many people are familiar with the case of the dozens of people of Tulia, Texas who were imprisoned by the acts of a single rogue DEA agent Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town? Matters are even worse when it comes to people of color who face charges of "terrorism." Actually, some of the Arab people we are "renditioning" in gulags around the world haven't even been formally charged. They've just been caught in the U.S. empire's unjust war of terror The Road to Guantanamo.

It is unacceptable that men are sometimes falsely accused. It is also unacceptable that each year in this country, around 30,000 women are impregnated through a sexual assault. It's also unacceptable that each night several hundred women will be punched, have their teeth knocked out, or be threatened by a man who reminds the woman that he has a gun.
It's this larger context of violence against women and the unjust imprisonment of minorities that the discussion of this case has ignored. Media figures who have given this case so much attention, like Sean Hannity, haven't said much of anything about the people on death row who Jesse Jackson helped to release. Many people who are concerned about the injustice of this case couldn't care less about the injustices activists like Jesse Jackson have been working on for years Legal Lynching: Racism, Injustice and the Death Penalty. In fact, cases involving poor minorities being railroaded have become more likely since right-wing politicians have cut the funding for services like legal aid.

Two of the books that cover this case use the term "political correctness" in their title. Right-wing ideologues have massively publicized and seized upon this case to advance their perception management agenda PR! - A Social History of Spin. Meanwhile, they will systematically ignore even worse cases of being "found guilty until proven innocent," to say nothing of the hundreds of thousands of people in prison for violations of unjust laws, such as the laws of the anti-Constitutional "War on some Drugs" Perpetual Prisoner Machine: How America Profits From Crime.

We need to look at cases like this in their larger context. We need to ask why there was such a coordinated and sustained effort to entrench this particular case in the public mind, while other cases are marginalized. And we need to avoid the efforts by some to use this case to diminish the very real and very common instances of violence against women.
Here are some resources for those who are interested in the related subjects of race, class, gender and justice:
Global Lockdown: Race, Gender, and the Prison-Industrial Complex
Slam
The Warehouse Prison: Disposal Of The New Dangerous Class
Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison, The (8th Edition)
Overcoming Violence against Women and Girls: The International Campaign to Eradicate a Worldwide Problem

So many of the other reviewers have so forcefully and eloquently expressed my feeling about the book, I need hardly add to them. But my "heading" is quite serious: This book is worthy of a Pulitzer and a National Book Award -- non-fiction, investigative reporting, whatever the categories. (I believe the Pulitzers are to be announced in early April.)
Bob

It is quite likely that the infamous Duke rape case chronicled in Taylor and Johnson's book will one day be regarded as the emblematic parable of our time - in much the same way that the McCarthy hearings have become the emblematic episode of the early 1950s Cold War. It is difficult to conceive of an event that could more starkly highlight the societal dysfunctions of our era.

Taylor and Johnson's book amply demonstrates the incompleteness of viewing the Duke rape case simply as a rogue prosecutor running amok, unfairly targeting three boys despite profuse evidence of their innocence, and getting his comeuppance in the end. However unethical his conduct, DA Nifong could not by himself have catapulted these young men to national infamy. That sorry result required the active collaboration of countless accomplices: in the media, on the Duke faculty and administration, and within associations dedicated to the propagation of identity-politics grievance-mongering.

Indeed, the distinguishing aspect of this case is not that a prosecutor attempted to wrongfully charge three boys with rape -- for it seems sadly inevitable that somewhere, sometime across this nation, some such prosecutorial misconduct will recur. What distinguishes the Duke case is the ease with which so many attempted to shoehorn the events into a preconceived narrative of race- and sex-based exploitation (a narrative further spiced with an element of "revenge of the nerds" (faculty and press) against the "jocks" they resented.)

It is daunting enough that so many would jump to completely unsubstantiated conclusions before all the facts were out. The even greater tragedy is that once the facts were known, many people in positions of power and influence simply chose to disregard them insofar as they were inconvenient to the fantasy narrative in which they had invested so much of their professional identity. Perhaps the most egregious example of this is the disgraced "Group of 88" Duke faculty, who published an ad that presumed the fact of a sexual assault, contained a series of anonymous, unsubstantiated race-baiting quotes, and which encouraged the noise of the mob over the dispassionate evaluation of the evidence. Sadly, most of the Group of 88 has failed to apologize for their contribution to the hysterical atmosphere that gave momentum to the wrongful prosecution, but has since portrayed themselves as victims rather than transgressors, and misrepresented the plain language and intent of their own published statements. The juvenility of the Group of 88's methods of processing information has been on public display, and it has been an ugly sight to behold.

The stubborn refusal of so many in academia and the press to recognize factual reality even in the face of overwhelming evidence rightly calls into question the states of both competence and ethics in America's universities and in press rooms. As one example, noted sports journalist John Feinstein, we now know, was exactly wrong in his initial written interpretations of events, yet still had the audacity to write an article well after the resolution of the case, decrying the continuing lack of accountability in the Duke athletic department, while himself once again getting the facts wrong, and oblivious to the irony of his own calls for accountability in others. That so many in academia and journalism could sail blithely through this episode without looking themselves in the mirror and acknowledging their own pivotal roles in a gross injustice, sadly, speaks volumes about the state of both professions, and greatly explains growing public cynicism about each. Nifong was prosecuted for his misconduct, but Feinstein, Nancy Grace, and the Group of 88, among others, are still paid handsomely to prattle on as though their credibility is intact.

Taylor and Johnson relate the facts of the case in vivid, gripping detail. I give the book four stars rather than five because at places the text veers unattractively into an overheated blog style. The story is damning enough without this occasionally hamhanded commentary by the authors. But this is a minor sour note in the book; the reader is likely to be so incensed by the facts of the case, of which this is the best available history, that they will be unperturbed by stylistic imperfections.

Perhaps the clearest picture of the insidious forces of illiberalism that tried their best to deprive these young men of their freedom is obtained by drawing analogies with the McCarthyism of the 50s, as the authors do. It is frighteningly easy the way some people can change from persecutee to persecutor in such a short time. What is just as worrying is that this illiberal bloc that has developed in the States is mirrored all over the western world by similar forces in each country, which have spread like a particularly virulent fungus to wherever democracy has taken root, and which all guarantee the continuation of similar injustices, while the individuals involved continue their backpatting, under the illusion that they are fighting for freedom rather than against it. Well, this book is a wake-up call for you guys - the party's over, or at least winding down. For so long, critics of illiberalism have been branded right wing conservatives, fundamentalists, etc. if they so much as raised a voice in protest. It is important to all reading this review for you to know that by buying and reading this book, and throwing in your weight against these disturbing forces in our society, you are not throwing yourself in with conservative, reactionary, forces, but are in fact, taking a stand against them. This book is a Godsend to all who have suffered from today's McCarthyists, be they in America or around the world, because it gives an insight into the kind of minds that are ruining any hope of a decent society for our descendants to grow up in, and it is to these innocents that every thinking man and woman is morally obliged to ensure that those who have perverted the names of equality and correctness fail to reach the misty, utopian goals they have set for all of us.

I enjoyed this book about Tony's adventures in Ireland. Like the cover says--he made a drunken bet no one expected him to keep, kept it anyway, and ended up with this adventure.

I, and several others in my bookclub, have no desire to see the stand up comedian in person. He didn't really come off as a funny guy in the book, particularly because he bombed both times he had a chance to show his stuff, but the book is delightful because it is peopled with quirky unforgettable characters and there's a wry humor in the writing.

SPOILER:
Tony's success in getting around Ireland with the fridge was definitely due to the call-in radio show that followed him from the beginning. He hardly struggled to hitch. Or find a place to sleep. Or eat. But that never diminished my desire to continue reading. It actually made me want to read more--to see how popular the guy could get. The adventure was fun to follow to the end, which was the funniest part of the book with its wonderfully anticlimactic kitchen appliance parade. I think the Irish people redeemed themselves there.

Don't read this book to discover Ireland--it's not a travel story of that sort. You do get some nice imagery/descriptions, but not enough to make it a standout feature of the book. You get more about the people than the land.

One neg is that I really don't feel like I know Tony Hawks much by the end of the book. You know more about some of the Irish characters than you know about him. Very little background info/motivation for actions, etc. is offered, and I wonder why. A little bit (not a ton) of that would have improved the story for me. Another neg is that the book made it seem as if all of Ireland is drunk all the time. It might be because Tony hung out mainly in bars, but it seemed like an unfair implication (then again, I am very unfamiliar with Ireland and Irish people).

In the end, this is a fun read about a crazy adventure in Ireland.

This is a laugh-out-loud funny book. After reading it, I wanted to visit Ireland. Sure, the premise of the book is a bit ridiculous. Traveling around Ireland with fridge to win a bet. However, the author consistently points this out himself. The people he meets are interesting, and his take on them (and the adventure as a whole) is well written and worth reading. As a bonus for those who can't read, there are many pictures in the middle of the book.

I plan to order several more copies of this book and give it to many of my friends. It makes me laugh out loud! Very well written.

'Round Ireland With a Fridge' is the first of Tony Hawks' two books inspired by a loony bet with a friend. I liked this book well enough, but I think it falls a bit short in comparison with his 2004 follow-up, Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, which I think is pure genius - an inspiring work never to be dislodged from my Top 10. It's brilliant.

In 'Round Ireland,' I give Tony credit for recognizing the role that morning DJ Gerry Ryan had in his success. Ryan literally put the whole country on alert for Tony. He set the tone for Hawks' circumnavigation of the Isle when he called it "a totally purposeless idea, but a d-mn fine one." That Ireland rallied to that call is a testament to a wonderful country and its good-natured people.

Tony Hawks is a legend. Absolutly brilliant.... one of the few books which have actually made me laugh out loud. Be wary of reading in public places because the constant smile/giggling to yourself can prove to be a little socially akward.

I read all three in this series of "Alternative History" and found the first two fascinating reading and all three were page turners. The last, however left me with more issues that I could not resolve. The end result was as expected. Lee surrenders. I could accept all of the alternative presentations and battles but I could not accept George Armstrong Custer being killed in a battle. What will happen at the "Little Big Horn"?

The first volume covers the battle of Gettysburg, though with strategic maneuvers beyond anything contemplated by the actual participants. Like any successful counterfactual history, the authors are careful in their initial changes - in fact, most readers will not even be aware of the changes in the battle to after the end of the first day's fighting, but by this point many small changes have already occurred - enough changes in fact to lead Lee to a strategic masterstroke on a par with Jackson's Chancellorsville march. From here the story rapidly diverges from what we know as history, but never beyond possibility, and it's amusing to see various participants like Sykes, Sickles, Joshua Chamberlain and others perform in this parallel universe.
The battles scenes are excellent and provide a closeup look at the experience of individual troops. They note often how the opposing sides would arrange unofficial truces when the battles end. You'll probably suspect that the climactic battle of the second book won't resolve everything since there's still that third volume! But that never subtracts from the tension & suspense of these books. Great history - my only regret is that Gingrich didn't start writing novels earlier, rather than spending so much time fighting other battles in Congress.

One small annoyance is the tendency of the authors to put anachronistic quotes in the mouths of their actors. The most prominent one was during a race between the armies towards the coast in which a general remarks let the man on the farthest edge of the flanking troops touch the sea with his sleeve" - a statement actually made 50 years later by the German general during their flanking attack through Belgium. There are several more of these pillaged pedantries scattered thru the books, but their effect is minimal.

This historical novel is the third and final part of a trilogy that began with Gettysburg, and as the title suggests, this volume chronicles the final stages of the Civil War. The trilogy begins during the Battle of Gettysburg, and describes how the course of the war might have changed had General Lee taken General Longstreet's advice at the end of the second day of battle. What follows is a riveting account of the rest of the "alternate Civil War". The authors describe strategy, tactics, and battle scenes with great realism, and all the developments were easier to follow than the "real thing". Character development was very thorough and added a great deal to the over all understanding of the events (I hope not too much "fictional license" was taken).

Overall, this book was an excellent read, as was the entire trilogy. I think they would be worthwhile to the most casual student of the Civil War.

"Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant-The Final Victory. Thomas Donne Books, St. Martin's Press, New York. 496 pages with maps and numerous Civil War Photographs. Hardcover 2005/Softcover 2006.
"Never Call Retreat" is the dramatic conclusion to the Civil War trilogy penned by Newt Gingrich, past Speaker of the House and William R. Forstchen, Ph. D., history professor at Montreat College which attempts, in part, to answer the question: "Could the South have won the American Civil War?".
The "yes or no" answer to tha question is forcefully and with knowledgeable insight presented in the conclusion of this spellbinding fictionalized account of the final weeks of the war. Before the conclusion is reached many notable persons and their actions are presented. Custer, Longstreet, Jackson, Stuart, Sheridan and Sherman all are provided their due in the pages of historical time and place.
Lincoln, Grant and Lee, being the principal players in this the bloodiest conflict endured by this nation are shown to be men of strong religious backgrounds and beliefs. All abhor the human suffering and loss endured by the combatants. They are also shown to be cognizant of the pain, worry and heartbreak borne upon the mothers, wives, sweethearts, children and other family members.
"Never Call Retreat" does not skin over the events of the day. The vivid details of moving an artillery piece to the line of battle over a road knee deep in mud down to including the loss of a trooper's boot sucked up by the mud brings the reader to feel he is by the near wayside observing if not in the mud itself straining and sweating in compnay with the combatants.
The action(s) provide hours of excitement worthy of the James Bond 007 thrillers such as: two steam locomotives sent hurtling down the tracks towards each other to collide head on at the center of the bridge. The resulting explosion caused by the impact plus the tremendous rupture of the steam boilers renders the bridge to the devastation and destruction intended.
Also the maniac charges of the Confederates again and again against the three-inch ordnance rifles loaded with double cannister (100.50cal steel balls) is as strong an epistle of man's animal indecencies as this reviewer has had occasion to have read. Grant's compassion is revealed when he orders his artillery commander: "For God's sake, Henry hold fire", stopping the harvest of human flesh likened to the sweep of a sickle through a field of wheat. "Never Call Retreat" should be required reading and study by all politicians, especially those arm-chair types who advocate military action but have never been on the receiving end of shots fired in anger.
The filling of canteens down stream from the scene of battle with water streaked pink by blood is another meticulous description of the gruesome nature of warfare.
The reader is again and again skillfully brought into the narrative to be one and the same as if he is subjective rather than objective in nature. He becomes an insider rather than an observer while reading the insightful narrative of the building of the pontoon bridge. The descriptive wording of the difficult straining to implant a king-pin to secure the bridge spans is felt as is the spray of the waters of the river.
After the defeat General Robert E. Lee addresses the Confederate Assembly with words that are as meaningful as the words of Atticus Finch (a.k.a. Gregory Peck) in his summation to the jury in "To Kill a Mockingbird". He asks that the hostilities cease and that all, North and South, start to mend and bring the opposing forces into a unified union.
The novel alternates between the White House, The Northern and Southern armies in a time sequence used by the author W.E.B. Griffin. The days/dates do not relate to the times of the actual war, and the reader must keep in mind that this is fiction.
Could the South have won the war? The authors say NO! I suggest you read the book and draw your own conclusion.

Gingrich and Fortschen have written an excellent conclusion to their alternative history of the Civil War. AS I stated in my review of the first book, those of us who grew up in the south have lived with the "what if?" Questions our whole life. The first volume of this series posits a Confederate victory in the Gettysburg campaign. But even with that victory could the Confederacy have pushed the campaign to victory and what would have been required to acheive that victory.

The authors have done an excellent job of taking into account the difficulty of capturing Washington and the overwhelming superiority of men and material the Federal forces had. To win this war, it would have required a quick knockout after July 4, 1663. this book shows why this would have been difficult. The difficulties in controlling a captive population, sabotage, internal weakness of the confederate government all are taken into account in this book. I think the embrace of "colored" troops and the army of workers is probably a stretch.

The book involves a short period around on final conclusive battle in Maryland, not far from the site of the Battle of Sharpsburg. The carnage is overwhelming, but in comparison to Cold Harbor, it seems feasible. The authors show an excellent knowledge of the area the battle is fought on.

I enjoyed the trilogy. It was fun fiction, but it also helps the reader to address the 'what if's" Recommend

Pat Buchanan is a smart man, that much is clear. His recollection of history may be immense, but his perspective is off the mark. Buchanan talks a lot about not getting involved in the affairs of other nations, often pointing out that George Washington advised against such things in his Farewell Address. Indeed, it is true that America has become much more interventionist than in previous eras, but the reason is simple: globalization has changed the game.

The threat of nuclear and biological weapons used by Islamic terrorists against the United States, weapons that could annihilate an entire metropolis and potentially ruin the American economy, is something men like Washington could not have foreseen. The bottom line is this: the business of other nations has become America's business. The old kings of Europe weren't that much of a threat to America as much as Bin Laden is, and that's the point Buchanan misses. The fact that Bin Laden's lackeys could reach America in a few days is something Washington never had to deal with.

I find it ironic that throughout his book, Buchanan points out how America is too imperialistic and trying too hard to spread democracy everywhere. Looking at America's so called "imperialism", one realizes that America doesn't have any colonies and doesn't actually own all that much outside of less than a 1000 military bases around the world (in countries like Germany, Japan, and Britain no less - do you think this can be called imperialistic?). Even more ironic is this: Bush is bluffing about spreading democracy. As Buchanan points out, the Gettysburg address was nothing more than wartime propaganda, as is Bush's intent to destroy anyone that is not democratic. In reality, Bush is simply fighting in Iraq to prevent good ole' Saddam from harboring terrorism even further, it had nothing to do with democracy or freedom. Being that countries like Iran would love nothing more than to sell a bit of nuclear materials to guys like Bin Laden, it is not unreasonable to intervene there either. America has to become interventionist or we'll lose an American city and then some. Buchanan wants to stick to the politics of the early days of the Republic, and it simply won't work.

Unfortunately, democrats, libertarians, and the rest of the reform parties don't understand that we need to preemptively strike terrorism before they hit us. They think Islamic jihadists hate America because of our presence in the Middle East. Really, it's about the West controlling the world when Islamic jihadists think they should. They simply hate the West: they see us as decadent sinners whose lives have no value. Why do you think countries like Britain and Spain received their fair share of the jihad? Why do you think France has a little problem with their Muslim population? These countries do very little to keep a presence in the Middle East. Yet still, they were hit indiscriminately. Buchanan just doesn't get it: just like Hitler didn't stop at Poland and wouldn't have stopped with the Soviet Union, these jihadists wouldn't stop in the Middle East. If they could, they'd bomb anything they could in France, Britain, Spain, and any other "infidel" country to achieve their vision of a Muslim world.

Pat Buchanan's is a rare voice, one that refuses to tote a party line, and instead seeks to grapple with some rather irrefutable facts. While I plan to do further reading from other perspectives on those aspects of the book I found most interesting or difficult to swallow, I thought it was a very lucid presentation.

As with most of his recent books, he criticizes our government (and those in a position to influence it) for maintaining various trappings of empire, ones that he believes will mean the end of the United States as the leader of the free world if they are not abandoned in short order. Thankfully, there's far less speculation about neocons and their motives than in "Where the Right Went Wrong". I would also read this book before "Death of the West", which is a little more overwrought.

Whatever you think of Buchanan (and especially if you think he's just a cranky racist, which I believe is flatly false), this book is well worth reading, and soon. I believe he has the facts squarely on his side in this case. Even if he's wrong on half his points, he's still prescribing necessary medicine.

This is another 5-star book from Pat Buchanan on the subject of U.S. foreign policy.
While he does repeat some of the information from past books, "Day of Reckoning" is less of a history lesson than past offerings.

Buchanan, like Lou Dobbs and Jerome Corsi is highly critical of the secret plan for the North American Union and NAFTA Superhighway. It's pursued for the benefit of transnational elites at the expense of our sovereignty.

This book is a scathing critique of Bush's National Security Strategy(Bush Doctrine) which is fueled in large part by the "Wolfowitz Memorandum".

As Burke stated "Great empires and small minds go ill together." We are seeing the manifestation of that right now. Buchanan correctly points out that "terrorism is the price of empire."

Ignorance of history, arrogance, and ideology are all equal parts of the Bush Doctrine.
Perpetual war does not bring perpetual peace. Thus the allergic reaction to anything resembling diplomacy.

The history of a mission to make the whole world a democracy traces back to Wilson and it failed as miserably then as it does now. True to form, yet today, those who oppose the global democracy myth are labeled "isolationists." The author accurately argues that George Bush has done more than any other one man to isolate our country with his foreign policy blunders.
Buchanan points out that a fundamental flaw with that quest for worldwide democracy is that Islamists don't normally embrace freedom of religion.

His thoughts on free trade are on point. He explains why Marx favored free trade. That was interesting as well as who really profits from the "global economy".
"Free trade puts the claims of consumers ahead of the duties of citizens. And history has proven free trade to be both a serial killer of manufacturing and a Trojan horse of transnational government." a well written quote from page 222.

Buchanan cites a few quotes from Chalmers Johnson's "Sorrows of Empire", another excellent author on the subject of errant U.S. foreign policy.

He also offers a sensible 10 point solution to the illegal immigration problem and suggests routing the decision whether to go to war or not the Constitutional way- through Congress.

"Day of Reckoning" may be Pat Buchanan's best book yet. I recommend it.

I picked up this book knowing very little about Pat Buchanan's history. That was my biggest mistake becuase I was completely caught off guard by the subtle racism that this book contains. Now before I get slammed for saying this, people must understand that racism isn't limited to hurtful words. Mr. Buchanan was a perfect gentleman throughout this work but where he fell short is that he seems to honestly believe that American history and culture is the domain of white Americans. He goes as far as saying that we as a nation were making progress in helping African Americans becoming productive members of our society. Wow!! There's a bridge that I could sell you if you believe that rubbish. He does make great points such as when he called out the massive influence of sovereign wealth funds. Then again you can probably get that information minus the closeted white supremacy statements via the economist or any other sound publication.

Many of the reviewers (most?) tend to note only the parts of this book with which they agree. There is some great information in here but the devil is in the details, as always. Thus, three stars.

Patrick Buchanan, the author, has written many similar books and is known for these best-sellers as well as being a long-time talking head representing conservatism on TV and also as a Presidential candidate in the Republican and Reform parties. He gave a speech in the Republican National Convention years ago that was credited for electing Bill Clinton. This is not really true, but is the interpretation that the liberal media put on this speech that I recommend as the last gasp of traditional conservatism in the Republican Party before the liberal neo-cons took over. You need to know Buchanan's history as you read this book because his opinions don't really fit into any pigeon-hole, they're best described as Buchananist rather than conservative or liberal.

For example, take Buchanan's views on Immigration. He lists excellent statistics and anecdotes demonstrating that immigration will be the death of the US as we know it. But his 10 steps to fix it are on page 245 and do not include items such as deportation, local government enforcing immigration laws and the like. Buchanan does call for a fence and enforcing employment laws. So is this conservative or liberal? All you can really call it is Buchanan.

The book is 250 pages and 8 chapters of Buchanan's opinion on the end of America as we know it. He notes our imperial overreach with American troops in over 150 countries and the huge outlays of our money to protect other places like Europe and Japan and Israel and Palestine and South Korea and ... well,you get the picture. This anti-imperialism is one of the strengths of Buchanan and this book, and it is hard to argue with as current events unfold. Even the liberals realize that something has got to give and are supporting "change" and "hope", rather than their usual tax and spend. (And I realize that change and hope are just euphemisms for theft from one group to give to another. I teach my children and youth groups how to spot idiocy in political speech by teaching them about the uselessness of the holy word "diversity". I ask them is diversity good. Usually 100% raise their hands. I then ask them is "frequency" good. A few less than 100% raise their hands, and a few look puzzled. Is frequency good in catching pneumonia? Of course not. Is it good in getting paid? Of course. So frequency by itself is meaningless? Yes, it is. Now take a simple math problem 2+2=4. I then list some diverse answers. 2+2=5, 2+2=3, etc. Now is diversity in answering this question a good thing or a bad thing? It is a bad thing. So whenever any idiot politician of any party says he is for meaningless things like diversity, change, reform, or hope, you should know that he is treating you like the idiots you are.)

Buchanan loves to quote Bush inanities along the same vein and then point out that Bush is wrong. If you're a Bush supporter, you will be very uncomfortable with this part of the book. Buchanan also does a great job on free-trade vs. protectionism and the de-industrialization of America with its resultant loss of good jobs and the middle-class. Read the book for this, if nothing else.

I have several problems with the book. First is that Buchanan basically says that Amreicanist principles like those in the Declaration of Independence are meaningless, political terms. If true, then nothing has meaning. I kind of think our right to life and such guide our politics and lead to pro-life, pro 2nd amendment type views. I won't surrender these to anyone and Buchanan kind of glosses over this. He posits four principles that all can unite behind now that the culture war is lost and we'll never agree on abortion, immigration etc. I disagree vehemently with Buchanan on these principles and I can't understand why reviewers give this book 5 stars unless they haven't read the book in depth and are voting because they like Buchanan and conservatism.

These principles are republicanism, federalism, localization, and democracy. These are vague terms, poorly defined by Buchanan. He defines republicanism as having our representatives rather than judges make our laws. He is of course correct, but this only works under a framework of laws like the Constitution and Common or Natural law. So Buchanan misses the root of our system which is morality and Constitutionalism. Federalism means the 50 states should decide matters like abortion etc. Kind of a State's Rights principle. (I'm making these points clearer than does Buchanan.) I'm not sure what Buchanan means unless he wants to let each state decide for themselves crucial cultural issues. But doesn't the Declaration empower the Federal Government with protecting life (forbidding abortion etc.)? I'm not sure how to make the Federal courts and government give this power to the states, and I don't want California making marriage based on nothing more than a shared perversion legal and forcing my state to accept it under the full faith and credit clause of Article 4.

I agree with letting the closest political unit make decisions for its people, as long as it is under the Declaration and Constitution. (The true meaning of Republicanism is rule by law, and not rule by judges OR representatives.) And the last principle, democracy, is one that Buchanan rails against in the rest of the book. Democracy, according to the US founders, is the worst form of government and always becomes a mobocracy like we are now seeing in the US as the majority now want to raise taxes on the minority that makes more than them (Is this really taxation with representation, if my representatives have no power to represent me?). More than 50% of the people now derive a significant portion of their income from the government along with myriad unearned benefits from free drugs to inadequately funded retirement pyramid schemes (social security). Like Tytler noted so long ago, democracies only last until the people figure out they can vote benefits to themselves taken from others. So I am puzzled at Buchanan championing this particular un-American principle. In America, the people rule under moral, God-given rights and a Constitution to protect those rights. We were never intended to be a popularity club where the guy that tells the biggest lies and promises the most gets elected.

Parts of the book repeat what I think Buchanan said better in earlier books (particularly The Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization). So overall, three stars for the reasons mentioned. Vincet Veritas and Long Live the Republic!

Hard Work Pays Off

The story Junction Boys by Jim Dent is a book about a group of Aggies who need a new coach so they can get back to there winning ways. Texas A&M found the right man for the job. They hired the legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Bryant was in consecutive winning seasons with Kentucky before he decided to make the switch to A&M. When "Bear" arrived he was there for one reason and that was to win a championship. He figured the only way he could was to take the team to a town called Junction. On there way the team noticed that the ground was getting dryer and dryer. At the camp Bryant was in no mood for messing around. He was running the team more than ever. All the players were getting dehydrated, cramping, and even worse, quitting. The Bear didn't care that half the team was quitting as long as he could get a championship. After the dreading camp the team wasn't doing any better during the regular season. The first season the team only won one game. But the next two were the seasons to remember. "A terrific football book"- Tom Landry, former Dallas Cowboys football coach. Junction Boys was a great book about a very hard working team. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the game of football. And if you're looking for any good book to read this would be a great choice. This book has it all, comedy and serious. This terrific book is the perfect book for a perfect football fan. There is also a movie about the Junction Boys starring Tom Beringer. The movie is a little different but is also a great football story. I recommend this book to anyone who loves the great game of football.

Read about the greatest football Coach of all times. Great read.

When Gene,"Bebes" Stallings was asked if he ever got tired of
talking about Junction,he said,"It's like an old fish story:The
more you tell it,the worse it gets." "The Junction Boys" could be
summed up as someone's idea of having a bad time at training camp.
The story starts with Bear Bryant's arrival in College Station in 1954,and concludes with his passing in 1983.In between,the Aggies go from the bottom of the ash heap,to the top of the
mountain.The individual stories of the boys,along with the
rich history of Texas A&M,make this a book for the ages.It's
the best sports book that I've read.

Excellent account of what playing football for Paul Bryant was like when he was possibly at his meanest. Frustrations from dealing with The University Of Kentucky's lack of support for their winning football program (which Bryant was responsible for) and the job of turning Texas A&M around at that time would have made ANYBODY a little edgy I think!! If you love football you will love this book!!!

"The Junction Boys" is about Texas A&M's 1954 summer football camp, run by the incoming coach (who eventually became a legend) Paul "Bear" Bryant.

While another reviewer mentioned that the Junction story is such an oft-told tale that nobody could shine any new light on it, I will mention that I did not grow up in the Deep South or in Texas and football was not religion in my household - so this story was rather new to me. What I discovered was that it still makes for an interesting tale, one in which a demanding new head coach runs his previously pampered charges ragged and forges a champion. It's the kind of tale that people love, but it isn't just that simple.

When Bryant gets hired to coach A&M's football program, he already has built a reputation for success as coach at Kentucky, so it's not as though he just dropped out of the blue. It is mentioned that Bryant often felt unappreciated at Kentucky, being overshadowed by Adolph Rupp and his basketball-playing Wildcats.

The Texas A&M football team in 1954 is something of a joke. Rich alumni manage to secure roster spots for their sons, whether they're decent football players or not, and the fact that A&M at the time was very nearly a military academy in the vein of the Citadel meant that most high school stars would rather play at other schools where the atmosphere was more conducive to fun and games.

Bryant changed all this when he brought his players to Junction, a small East Texas town in the middle of nowhere. Although it is summer, and undoubtedly hot, Junction's typical summer weather isn't blast-furnace dry. Unfortunately for the players, Junction has been in a drought and the landscape is barren, dusty, cactus-grown, and unbelievably hot. Still - Bryant (admittedly surprised at the poor locale for his training camp)decides to run his players to the point of exhaustion, nearly killing one of them (who never really recovers his health). While this certainly runs off the weak-willed and those who thought they would live the life of a pampered scholarship athlete, it also runs off a lot of the team's truly talented players as well. The 34 survivors tend to be those that simply couldn't afford the alternative. Seriously undermanned (even in that era of one-platoon football) A&M proceeds to lose all but one of their games. However, they are a gritty and resourceful bunch, and are competitive in most of their losses.

Two years later, Bryant's A&M team is the undefeated Southwest Conference champion. Only 8 players are left from the 34 who survived Junction, but they all share that common bond and the legacy formed from that hellish summer camp.

I love this book. Having been diagnosed with Migraine Equivalent Meniere's. I was floundering around to find "proven" recipes for low salt way of life. I bought this book along with others. The others were not near as easy to use, read and understand. Since using this book I have never felt deprived because of my low salt diet restrictions. The recipes make mealtime a joy again.

Every cooking school should have this book as part of their curriculum. As the nation grows older more people will become aware that low salt is actually the healthiest way to live. It will also help reduce health care costs. Mr. Gazzaniga may have found the "exilir" to long and productive life.

I tried this book when I was told I had to cut back on salt. This book helped me see that a simple change in eating habits wasn't all that bad. I started to truly appreciate the real taste of food with the new recipes. Also, I was surprised to find things that were salty that I thought shouldn't be.

This book is a "must have" for those serious about low sodium cooking - an ESSENTIAL, along with "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt". Great recipes, and great advice about minimizing sodium in one's diet. A bargain for all the assistance it provides.

This book has changed my life. I was 29 (3 years ago) when I bought it hoping to reduce my sodium intake in an effort to lower my blood pressure. Exercise was not working and my doc wanted to put me on medication. After a year of hard work, I went from 140/95 to 120/75 and I owe most of it to the philosophy of this book. I don't necassarily agree with many other reviews that this is the "end all" cookbook. Many recipes are good and simple to cook however many are bland and leave me with no desire to try them again. More importantly, this book acted as a guide for me to essentially start over in the kitchen. It took me a good 2-3 months of trial and error with the recipes in this book to develop food with the flavor my wife and I desire. Now I prepare my own salad dressings, pizzas, bread, marinades, spaghetti sauce, etc. In every case, I love the food far more now than the original sodium laden store bought stuff I used to use. Now that I am making all this food myself, I have lost about 20 pounds and my wife and I are in much better shape. Everyone could stand to lose a ton of sodium from their diet - this book is the place to start!!!

I bought this with high expectations but have rarely used it. It has plenty of bread recipes but when it comes to comfort style, downhome food,,,,I just can't find the ones that suit me or my family...we are not into the types of food you get at a heath food store or any of those special grain type things like hummas, tofu,,etc...since he is very concerned about low fat,,,he puts applesauce instead of oil, and it has me trying to figure out how to put oil back in. If you are from the South,,these yankee type foods will not make you happy...compotes, etc. There could be a much better cookbook written for the Southern taste...if you are not from the West or the South,,,you will probably like the food. There are also, a lot of errors in it..which you have to go to his website to make corrections in your book...too much trouble for me...I want a book I can trust...

This is an excellent book on privacy techniques. What I like about it is that JJ Luna discusses various levels of privacy, and I have found that the more privacy you want, the more time/effort you will have to go through to maintain it. He talks about how to go about receiving your mail, where to choose to live, how use the phone, how to pay people, and how to title assets more privately. I like this book because JJ Luna does not try to force a one size fits all agenda upon people, but lets the reader decide on what level of privacy is right for them. There are varying levels of privacy which can be obtained for each one, depending on your circumstances (e.g. family, job, etc). Of course, the more privacy you want, the more you will have to sacrifice, but most of these techniques are simple and won't take too much extra time out of your week.

Another thing this book goes into is how to work in a more private fashion. There are varying degrees to this as well and to obtain the highest levels of privacy, JJ Luna ultimately suggests to become self-employed. He touches on some points on that as well, but if you want more on that, then also be sure to check out his other book called Work From Home At Any Age (ISBN 0976387239), which I also highly recommend.

I do not generally take the time to write long reviews. I spend my time living and I read a lot of non-fiction books with the desire to deepen it. I submit ratings for those books I loved most. This is one of them. Read it. Whoever J.J. Luna is he challenges readers of his book to go ahead and TRY to find him. I say don't bother, you won't. This guy is for REAL.

This book won't really make you disappear, but it will help. Better than nothing.

Even with the changes in the laws, this is still one of the best books available. However, don't buy this book, wait for the 2004 edition coming out very soon.

A great book. I've also read "How to Hide Your Assets and Disappear" but this was a much better book. It's pretty discouraging because once you read this you will realize that the government really has us trapped. The key is not giving out your SS number or drivers license number or having your name attached to your "real" address. Both are almost impossible without a lot of work. I wish I had a book like this years ago. The version I read was printed a year before
9/11 so things have gotten much worse in terms of privacy, but this is a good place to start.

My Dad had a copy of this so I read it one afternoon for a laugh. It's not long. Basically, I agree with the other 2 people posting poor reviews.

The only person who'd need to use the tips in this book is hiding from the law for some reason. Either to hide assets or other skullduggery. The only legitimate use for it I can think of is if you have an insane ex-boyfriend who's out to murder you and will stop at nothing.

I think you'd have to be pretty paranoid to put this stuff into place - and some of the suggestions have absolutely nothing to do with hiding your trail. For example, it's legal in the US to give yourself a phony title such as Doctor, Professor, lawyer etc... as long as you do not practice or offer advice. With this false title you can try to infiltrate professional organizations/clubs. Uhm. If you are trying to hide from an ex boyfriend who's threatening to kill you & your kids - of what possible benefit is it to do such a thing?

I also felt that anybody who decided to live life that way would be pretty lonely because basically you can't have any friends because they might betray you to "your enemies."

Moreover, in one of the early chapters J.J. Luna quotes HIMSELF. Not exactly quality writing if you ask me. Totally goofy stuff!

I was hoping I'd find some good suggestions for protecting my identity online or other practical things but it all seemed a bit over the top to me.

This is an interesting read for anyone curious. Some facts are simple, practical, and easy to apply - such as checking off "temporary move" when getting your mail forwarded to a new address if it is not a temporary move. Other techniques and advice are interesting, but they're not always easy to execute. I found myself saying "sounds nice, but that's too much trouble" when a single mistake can "blow your cover." However I realize some people (e.g., battered wives) will find this book invaluable and will go to great lengths to protect themselves. This book was released years ago. I recommend consulting a PI for advice if you seriously need help of this nature.

This book is an Introduction or Beginner's Guide to Privacy Protection. There was NOTHING New within the wasted pages of this book, all the information found in this volume can easily be had by simple research on the web, the only thing you will find in this book that you won't on the web is the author's boring and useless stories. When I saw it was published by St.Martin's Press, I had my reservations on it content, as large or main stream publishing house's won't publish a book worth reading that does'nt fit within the parameter's of social conformity, and if they do (such as this book) it's only going to be filled with midless dribble and nothing of substance. So why did i buy it, well there were so many positive review's I thought I has missed a hidden gem, unfortunately all these positive reviews MUST come from those new to the privacy game.

I read the silliness written by "Miss Deplume" and shook my head. It is wrong and ignorant at best and I hope the thinking person will see this shoddy review is FAR outweighed by the postive comments.

We review our book regularly and are slowly instituting measures that provide us with more security. And let's face it---in this day in age there is one person and one alone who is watching out for your best interests: a look in the mirror will reveal who this is.

Growing up, our family was affected by violent crime more than once. Had we had some of Mr. Luna's tactics in place....they would not have happened.

In a culture that is increasingly naive about the evils lurking out there (Hello? Facebook?)...this book could literally save your life. And if you have a daughter- it is incumbent that you educate yourself and her.

Finally---If you're a criminal on the lame---find another book. This book is for honest folks looking to decrease their risk of identity theft or being the victim of a violent crime.

I've urged several of my friends to purchase this book and hope you, dear read, will do the same.

Don't waste your money on this book because its mostly useless. If you want it then get it used. The author wants gullible readers to jump through hoops in the name of privacy. There's a fine line between privacy and paranoia. And he just seems to want to scare you.

Let me start by saying that yes we're all part of "the system" but you can still manage to have your privacy. The government is made up of people, its not like they're some god up in the sky. And they make a lot of mistakes and mostly go after people who want the attention and make a lot of noise about it too.

Like people who hold protests and give the government headaches, these are the people that the government most likely will deal with.

I've learned the #1 rule of privacy is don't tell anyone anything that you don't want them to know. Even if they're family, best friends, the gf or bf of the moment, etc.

Even if they are trustworthy, sometimes by accident they might make things to others known that you would rather they keep private, like when they go out to a bar with other friends on a Saturday night and might let some things slip. No one is entitled to know your whole history if you don't want them to. An individual is allowed to their own privacy. Some things in life are just for you.

It also helps if you don't sign up for everything that people want you to sign up for. Like credit card offers, magazine/newspaper subscriptions, bookstore memberships, blockbuster memberships, grocery store memberships, if you move then don't register to vote, etc. It helps if you minimize your involvement in the system.

Starting over doesn't have to be some "fantasy" that you read about in a book. You can even legally change your name in court if you want to. Move to a new city in your state that's very far away from your old life, or move out of state and have a clean start.

I believe that our lives belong to us and if we can't live them as we wish to live them then what's the point, after all we only live once. But I really think that the best way to keep your privacy is to keep things to yourself, and minimize your involvement in the system.

I'm not saying you have to be a hermit, I'm a very social person but there are things that I do keep to myself.