Gaines Books

This book is definately worth reading. There are plenty of images and they are beautiful. There are some essays but they are short and do not take up very much space. I really enjoyed the book because the reader can experience each of the pieces on their own. Great work and a great book.

I usually start reading these volumes in the "Our Presidents" series thinking I pretty much know all the important things about the particular president in question. William Henry Harrison: son of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, made his reputation as a general at the battle of Tippecanoe, the first Whig elected President, died a month into his term from pneumonia contracted on a rainy inauguration day, and his grandson Benjamin Harrison was also elected President. So basically I thought of William Henry Harrison as one of those generals who kept getting elected President in the 19th century with decidedly mixed results. Of course, Ann Graham Gaines quickly proves me wrong in this informative juvenile biography.

The minor point would be that Harrison was not made a general until sometime after the battle of Tippecanoe that gave him his famous nickname and one of the great political slogans in American History. However, the major point would be Harrison had what is arguably the most impressive political resume of anyone ever to win the White House (previously I would have said that honor went to George Herbert Walker Bush). Harrison started out as a soldier but resigned from the army to become secretary of the Northwest Territory before going on to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, appointed governor of the Indiana Territory by John Adams, reelected to the U.S. House, then elected to the Ohio State Senate and then the U.S. Senate from Ohio, and appointed minister to Columbia by John Quincy Adams. His political career apparently ended by Andrew Jackson's election, Harrison actively campaigns for the presidency as early as 1835 before joining the Whig Party and being elected in 1840. In the middle of this political career he had time to be a general during the War of 1812, so while he was a soldier, he was also a formidable politicians.

Ironically, William Henry Harrison served the shortest term of any President. Gaines can only sketch out what Harrison might have done while in office, but such speculation surely pales in comparison to his overall political career. It is interesting that the Harrison family is not mentioned in the same breath with other American political families of note, to wit, the Adams, Roosevelt, Kennedy and Bush families. The book is illustrated with historic paintings, prints, and such from this time period, although I was disappointed that the daguerreotype of Harrison, the first taken of a sitting President (we have one of John Quincy Adams as well), was not included. The margins of the volume are filled with Interesting Facts, such as Harrison being the last President born before the American Revolution as well as being the oldest President ever to be inaugurated up to that time at 68 years of age. Detailed sidebars provide more information about Tecumseh, Presidential Campaigns, and Death in the Highest Office.

There has been some mention of Benjamin Harrison in the press, since he was the last President to lose the popular vote but win in the Electoral College, so it is rather ironic that there are such strong parallels between the other Harrison and the other Bush. Still, the greater irony is that one of the most forgotten Presidents did so much that has been forgotten. William Henry Harrison might be a historical footnote, but his political and military resume makes it a rather lengthy footnote.

This book takes me back to when I was a child in the 1970's, poring over my MAD paperbacks. I got this book when I was around 10 in 1980 and it remained one of my favorites. Now, after 20 years of disappearance, I've received my cheap $1.25 copy via amazon and couldn't be happier.

Wallace Wood delivers a great contribution with a detailed set of illustrations in "Credits For the Common Man", one of my personal favorites. Some early Dave Berg teaches us about "Boating". Bob Clarke gives us "MAD Children's Books", which is hilarious. Don Martin, of course, gives us a few demented early works. George Woodbridge is up to snuff with "Basketball". All in all, a very solid & enjoyable collection from the late 50's & early 60's, which is a great "early classic" period for MAD.

I get so nostalgic when I read these old paperbacks. I'm so glad they are still available & so cheap (even as low a a penny?). MAD needs to get together with a campaign to reissue ALL of their paperbacks before they become extinct. So, we MAD fans need to reunite & make the "Usual Gang of Idiots" restore their legacy & create a demand for these wonderful books - before its too late!! Holla if ya hear me!!

Before there "The West Wing" made Dr. Josiah Bartlett the president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson was the first college professor to make it to the White House, a fact which has inspired me for most of my life. In this juvenile biography of Wilson for the Our Presidents series, Carol Brunelli and Ann Graham Gaines tells the story of how this scholar, whose first name was actually Thomas, became the most idealist president in the nation's history. Young students will also be interested to learn that historians suspect Wilson might have suffered from a learning disability, which would mean that George W. Bush would not be the first president to overcome that disability.

The first chapter of this informative little volume not only establishes the idea of Wilson as a scholar, but also shows how his written works constituted rather prominent critiques of the American system of government. The second chapter covers his entry to politics as Wilson went from being a professor at Princeton to the university's president, and then the reform oriented governor of New Jersey. After only two years as governor, Wilson became the Democratic candidate for president in 1912, and with Theodore Roosevelt running a third party campaign against his hand picked successor, William Howard Taft, Wilson was able to take advantage of the split to win the White House.

Brunelli and Gaines devote two chapters to Wilson's tenure in the White House. The first focuses on Wilson as a reformer in the White House, lowering tariffs and establishing the national income tax (with varying rates), reforming banking, and improving working conditions (including making it illegal to hire young children). The final chapter looks at Wilson's leadership during the First World War, because although Wilson campaigned for re-election on a pledge to keep the United States out of the war, Wilson ended up seeing German aggression as making it necessary to make the world "safe for democracy." Much of the chapter is devoted to Wilson's failed efforts after the war to get the United States involved in the League of Nations, including his debilitating stroke. But the authors make it clear that Wilson's beliefs have been vindicated, not only by receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, but by the founding of the United Nations, which is seen as being based on Wilson's goals.

As always in addition to the main text providing the basic biographical information about Wilson's private and public life, there are sidebars on topics such as Wilson's first wife and the Committee on Public Information. The margins are crammed with Interesting Facts such as Wilson's first memory was hearing Lincoln had been elected (he would have four) and that he was a baseball player as a boy. The back of the book has a Time Line covering Wilson's life, Glossary Terms, a list of Our Presidents, Presidential Fact, and places to look For Further Information. The volumes in the Our Presidents series work well either as introductions to each president or as a second biography that starts to provide more details. The books are also illustrated with historic photographs and drawings, with this volume including what might be the oldest color photograph of a president that I have seen.

Bob Woodward drew heavy criticism for his purported 'death bed' conversation with Bill Casey (which Casey's own wife denies.) Woodward deserves more criticsm for his patronizing "criticism" of the Bush administration's post-Iraq war failures.

Woodward has long been held in high regard by the conservative elitists as he has long traded inside access for less-than-scathing stories about the corruption and ineptitude of our various political leaders.

Very little within this book comes as "news," let alone as shocking as very little was reported that wasn't covered within the various 'evening news' programs. Furthermore, Woodward does little to corroborate the testimonies of the various interviewees (such as cite documents or statistical analysis.)

Truth be told, there is a much more sinister story to be told and Woodward never attempted to broach such controversy, instead relaying on the well publicized and unobtrusive truth that was known the world over.

I cannot fathom the beautification and brilliance that Woodward must have bestowed on the Bush White House in his previous accounts of the decision making of this embarrassment and dangerous power base. However, to his credit, most of those who are positioned to know may still have their informative hands bound behind their backs out of fear of violating their individual confidentiality contracts.

Obviously, Bob Woodward mcuh prefers to maintain his inside connections rather than telling the American people the entire truth of the corruption that led to the 2003 Iraq war.

I sought a truly insightful and informative book, instead, I read every passage feeling as though Bob Woodward is concerned more about his own status rather than telling the world of the truth within.

Bob Woodward does a good job of presenting a selection of the day-to-day functions of the Bush Administration in getting the US into Iraq, for good or ill. He doesn't present the reader with heroes or villains, nor does he draw any moral/ethical conclusions about any of the players. He does draw conclusions about what happened and why, but the conclusions are based on solid evidence and interviews, often with people whose names have seldom or never been in the news. The picture that materializes out of this book is of a chief executive who, once he was elected, really didn't know or care how anything got done, and who surrounded himself with other religious-right neoconservatives who were equally determined to do it. There are key points in the book where suggestions or decisions are made, or deceptions are presented as truth, and in most cases, Bush is not present. he just wasn't around. If the book has a protagonist, it is Donald Rumsfeld, who is determined to control every last detail of the War, and who is allowed, by a cowed and frightened bureaucracy, to get away with that, with the results we have before us now.

Bob Woodward once again shows his ablity as a writer. His book is not partisan and clearly states the background regardin Bush' decision to take the country to war. It is easy to read and quite informaive regardless of your political ideology. I would highly recommend it to those who don't feel they get the facts from the newspapers or the Sunday morning tald shows.

Either Woodward is making this book up as he goes along or he feels the best way to communicate Bush's character is to tell as many lies as he possibly can. Beginning in the prologue (xiii), we are told that in the mid 1970's, the CIA fresh from turning most of Latin America into military dictatorships, "was at perhaps its lowest point." On page 3, we are told that although George W. Bush is not known to have shown up for duty with the Texas Air National Guard (all the records of this Congressman's son's service, if there were any, having mysteriously disappeared) he learned to fly the F-102 jet (and why not, many a movie has shown us that a child can do it first time out of the box.)

I'd relay more lies had I not stopped reading.

This is an excellent study of how bureaucratic politics can deform the foreign policy process. You don't have to agree with Woodward's conclusions to benefit from this book.

Benjamin Franklin's long and productive life has a special appeal to many people. As Isaacson suggests, perhaps he is the founder who appeals to so many people because he seems more accessible. There are several things I learned in this book that I had not really considered before, mainly his relationship with his family and the opinions others had of him in succeeding generations. As the author remarks, we picture him (somewhat inaccurately) as a spectacled, elderly man engaging in his kite experiment or we see him dispensing maxims about industry and frugality. In reality, there was much more to the man than these images would suggest.

We sometimes stereotype famous individuals of the past as one-dimensional, but we are delighted and sometimes chagrined to learn that they are just as complex as we are. Franklin was no exception. We see in this book aspects of his relationships with people and his family that we would not normally come across in a brief glance of the man. He would, literally, be distant from his common law wife Deborah as his overseas trips would end up as years away from home. He would part ways with his son (illegitimate son) William over the independence debate. He would champion the cause of the artisan class and the middling sort, but just as easily associate with the powerful and the rich.

His varied interests and life experiences certainly endear him to many people. Not many founders can claim to have done as many varied things as Franklin. He wasn't a skilled orator or debater, or as deep a political philosopher as other founders were, as the author touches on, but these are probably other examples of why he seems more accessible to people. He was both conservative and liberal on varied issues, but was generally more democratic than other founders. He was also a very tolerant man when it came to religious sects. He was a scientist who believed in practical inventions and solutions; he wasn't as caught up in the language or theories as other scientists were.

I've left out much on his well known role during and after the American Revolution. This isn't to minimize his accomplishments in his profession or in the critical events of his day, in which he was often a key player. The author ably covers all of these important facets of Franklin's life. The numerous acquaintances with various people in this country and those in England and France, the flirtatious correspondences with some of his women admirers, and so forth are also ably covered here.

Clearly, the author likes this middle class / populist appeal of Franklin's and tries to present him in such a light. This is a wonderfully written biography that sheds much light on the man.

I am a fan of narrative nonfiction history, so I was a bit offset when I started reading Benjamin Franklin. It's not really a narrative biography, but by the end of the first page, I didn't care.

The book is well written by Walter Isaacson and it is about a fascinating man. I knew very little about Benjamin Franklin when I began this book. Not so now.

Isaacson looks at the many facets of the man's life--printer, author, politician, diplomat, revolutionary, inventor, scientist. Franklin was a man who defined his time and defined America, as can be seen by the fact that's he's the only American who signed all 4 crucial documents in America's founding.

Isaacson also looks at Franklin's faults and contradictions. Though Isaacson tries to figure out how they could exist in Franklin, he never quite manages to get inside Franklin's head.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable read. I came away with a new appreciation of Franklin.

Initially I imagined reading this book from time to time, knowing I would "eventually" complete it.

Well, I was wrong. Isaacson's book is so engaging and Franklin so remarkable that I wasn't able to stop reading until the 84-year-old Franklin had come to the end of his life. If school books could be so appealing (and more teachers as captivated by history as Isaacson is by Franklin) - then soon we'd have a land full of knowledgeable history lovers. It would do a nation good.

You also can learn more about Franklin's worldview on thinkwriter.blogspot.com. He was the right man at the right time in America's history. . . and I daresay readers will appreciate him on a whole new level after reading Isaacson's book. Enjoy - no matter how long it takes you!

In "Benjamin Franklin," Walter Isaacson manages to chronicle the life of Franklin in a thorough, well-analyzed fashion, while simultaneously allowing the reader to draw many of his own conclusions from the research presented in the book.

I was intrigued to read this book after reading David McCullough's "John Adams." It's certainly no secret that Adams and Franklin did not get along terribly well during the bulk of their interactions in Europe, and reading that book left me guessing that, in all likelihood, there was another side to the story.

While at times it seemed that McCullough could be somewhat heavy-handed in his judgment toward Franklin, I felt that Isaacson did a good job presenting the most likely facts of the case and allowing the reader to determine the most likely manner in which the pieces fit together. He did certainly tend to err on the more sympathetic side of controversies surrounding Franklin, and was probably to generous in his judgment of Franklin's thoroughly practical and emotionless approach toward religion.

One thing I appreciated about this book relative to most other colonial era biographies was the focus on the years prior to the revolution, which obviously encompassed the bulk of Franklin's life. Franklin's life leading up to the revolution seems to serve as a microcosm of the views of the colonies in the years between the French and Indian War and the Revolution.

All in all, I heartily recommend this book to anyone with an interest in colonial America and the founding fathers.

It is enlightening how the spectrum at which Benjamin Franklin's contributions to America can hardly be contained in one book. A glimpse into his common sense, wisdom, and morality are organized with precision and passion through Walter Isaacson's masterpiece. I now better understand Franklin's connection with other fathers of our country and have a deeper desire to learn about them as well.

Futhermore, I am impressed at the background of the author. His experience and education give me more respect for his work.

This is a clinical but important retelling of what is perhaps the worst naval tragedy in US history. It is well worth the time and effort to read what it takes to be a real American hero. It would also appeal to those with shark or science interests or simply WW2 buffs who want a Pacific perspective on the war.

In this book, the captain of the USNS Indianapolis is court-martialed for losing his ship in an act of war. In fact it was the Navy brass themselves who should have been convicted of murder. They sent the ship out without escort, they didn't provide the captain with intelligence which might have prevented its torpedoeing. When the ship didn't arrive as scheduled the situation descended into such a comedy (certainly not the right word!) of errors that make you, the reader, want to scream. And, as is usually the case when the brass screws up, they cover their own rear ends and nail somebody who doesn't deserve it. This is a shocking story of institutional irresponsibility, but its also a story of incredible heroism and fortitude. And, finally, justice -- although meager -- is done. You will speed through this book. It is so compelling that you will drop everything else and read it from beginning to end. And when you're finished you'll conclude that the Navy betrayed these brave crewmen in the extreme. And you'll be grateful that even at this late date, they are beginning to get the recognition they deserve.

This book was simply amazing. I don't need to describe it in detail. Lets just say there were scenes in the book where I cried. I have read hundreds of books on World War 2 and this by far is the deepest. I actually thought I was there with them feeling their thoughts and fearing their fears. This book is a must.

You probably already know what the story is about, somewhat (the ship sank and many of the survivors set adrift with no boats suffered the fate of becoming shark food). What many don't know until they pick up the book, like I did, is the whole story of the Indianapolis; a string of mistakes and oversights, that resulted in an unnecessary sinking of a ship, death of hundreds of men and then the scapegoating of the ships captain who was left out to dry by the Navy.

I didn't find this book to be a non-stop page turner, but I did find it to be a lesson in history. Not just military but history in the sense that the military, in this case, or government, or big business, or life for that matter is not fair. In this case, people screwed up, people above the captain of the ship, but the old adage that the captain is fully responsible for whatever happens on or to his ship, ended up being used by cowards in the Navy, military and government to save their butts and string up a man loved by his men.

To some up the book in a few sentences would not do it justice, but it should be read. It is a story of not just abject horror and betrayal, but also of bravery and courage and needs to be read to be understood.

excellent book about an injustice done to a naval officer of wwII. Taken from the survivors' accounts, this book describes the hell that all of these men went through to survive five days at sea. It also tells how they exonerate the captain of the Indianapolis as not being at fault. It is only too bad that the navy only does this after the poor man kills himself from the shame of the original court -marshal! He did his best for his men during that time and should have been given a medal of honor! This account starts with him shooting himself so it can be a bit tough to listen to.

There is quite a bit of language in this book. Just letting you know.

I purchased the book because i really admire Richard Nourth Petterson for his book THE EXILE , though , reviewing Silent Witness has it's difficulties.

Of course , As in the former Petterson's book that i've read , toward the end I felt very intrested in whats about to happen , But im sorry to say that the book , in its complex didnt thrill me much , until the last 100 pages more or less.

The Exile is very different from this 1 , within every page I read ,I was consumed with suprise and shock so much I couldnt get my hands of the book so I must say im pretty dissapointed for this one .

to summon it in few lines

great ending chapters.
full of information about the characters and emotions but lack of suprises and didnt really thrill me as a reader.

This was my first Richard North Patterson book. I really liked it. Easy to read and easy to follow. I had trouble putting it down.

I can see that this author could become a favorite, depending on whether the errors of this book are common with him.

Beautifully written with great characterization, the first error of this book was a who-dunnit so obvious it couldn't possibly be true. Alas, it was. Laden with romance and a more realistic view of true love that just wasn't enough than I have seen in a long time. I found this well-done presenation very appealing. Treating a certain intimate act as enough of an anomaly to be a clue, however, had me wondering when the book was written. Ah, yes, even now enough of a no-no to effectively capture the readers' interest, it is perhaps easy to forget that what so many men fantasize about is likely what any rapist might do. Not trite, but ... more effective as an attention-getter than as a realistic clue.

Silent Witness is the first book I've read from Richard North Patterson. When I finished, I was left to wonder why I hadn't yet picked up any of his previous works. This book was fantastic. Patterson grabs the reader in the first few minutes and keeps him completely captivated throughout this legal thriller. I particularly liked the way he made effective use of movement back and forth in time to tell his story. Patterson pulls the story forward with strong character development, providing a range of emotions and motivations that spans the character set. Start to finish, this is a great story. Now, I'm off to tackle some more from Patterson that I have been missing.

This is one of those books you can't put down, and hate to see it end. I liked it so much, I bought one as a gift for my daughter. I read many novels. This one was in my top 10 of all time.

I have been in health care for over 35 years & have encountered very poor practitioners in every discipline. It is shocking that medicine does not police itself better. It certainly polices non-physician providers. One would think that physicians would require the highest standards in all physicians & would assist those whose care is substandard & even dangerous to unsuspecting patients. Nothing has changed since this story was written. I say to all people to be very careful in selecting a healthcare provider.

This is a gripping tale of what happens when organizations don't do their jobs. I know the parents of one of this mass-murder's victims who was able to conceal his crime because of the once common arrogance of hospital's and their medical staffs. As a hospital administrator, I can report that much has changed in the physician credentialing process because of the death and mayhem wrecked by the murderer Jeff Swango!

Not only was this book a great read, it also displays the significant truth about the world of medicine. This type of behavior (ignoring what's in front of you) happens everyday in medicine. All credentialing personnel should be required to read this book.

I was given "Blind Eye" when I first began working at a physician monitoring program as a clinician. At the time, I was under the impression that because physicians have so much responsibility to "do no harm," they would automatically report themselves or fellow physicians if they believed they were impaired mentally, physically or emotionally. How wrong I was!

"Blind Eye" represents the epitome of how our medical system supports physicians, even when they are dangerous to themselves and others. Through a painstaking and exhaustive review of the life and career of Dr. Michael Swango, James B. Stewart illustrates how easy it was for a medical doctor to manipulate nurses, colleagues, administrators, patients, and even his own family into believing that he was a competent physician. Stewart further demonstrates how the "good old boy" system is alive and well in America, in which doctors look the other way when something seems wrong, even when evidence to the contrary is right in front of them.

If I had not read this book, knowing it is a true story, I probably would not have believed that a physician could truly get away with murder; now I am truly convinced that this is, unfortunatly, the case. "Blind Eye" should be required reading for every person who works with or sees a personal physician.

This is a fascinating story about how the medical establishment did not detect a psycopath in their midst. Even after detection, they allowed him to continue as a doctor.

Even more upsetting was the failure of the faculty of the college of medicine at Southern Illinois University to detect and fail incompetent students. These students, including Michael Swango, were allowed to continue; even after episodes of total incompetence. If these policies are common at other medical schools, it offers an explanation for the large number of substandard physicians.

In My Father's House has main characters of Oscie Mason and Will McLean. they lived in Manassas where war began, IN THEIR FRONT YARD! This book is not so much about the war but about people and relationships changing throughout the war. I chose this book being doubtfull, but I do not regret choosing it. I have read other books by Ann Rinaldi, and this by far is the best. Oscie Mason is a very brave character she stands up for all of brothers and sisters to their stepfather even when he is most intimidating. If this is a book that you pass by on reading you have missed a great book.

This is a great book with tons of historical information. It is well written and very entertaing to read while your learning about the Civil War. I gave it four stars because it that kind of book where the first time you read it, you love it, but when you try and read it again, you find yourself reading all night just so you can finish it and move onto something else. This is just my opion, so please don't take my advice litterly.

This book is worth every second of your time. It is an amazing historical fiction with accurate depictions of the life, events, and times of the Civil War. Ann Rinaldi has does a great job taking you through Oscie and the McLean family's troubles and triumphs, highs and lows, and deaths and births in their story. The Civil War begins on their property and ironically eventually ends on their property. The book really gives you an understanding of the characters, their actions, and emotions. Some might judge far too quickly in spite of the slow building plot. However, if you have even the average attention span, intellect, maturity, and an open mind you will love this book. Good work Ann Rinaldi. Keep them coming. I would love to see this made into a movie.
-I read this book as an assignment just as some of the others here did. I hope they aren't my classmates though.

In My Father's House follows a young Southern girl, Oscie Mason, as she lives twelve years of her life, plagued by the Civil War.
It all starts when Oscie's mother, Virginia, marries Will Mclean. Oscie does not like him, mostly because she is unwilling to allow her beloved father to be replaced. She is disrespectful and rude to him as often as possible, and the two fight with each other constantly, even when Oscie is only a little girl of seven.
But when Will Mclean buys a new slave, Mary Ann, Oscie is enraged. Oscie quickly finds that Mary Ann is evil, practicing voodoo, and is sure that she is set to curse the family. Meanwhile, talk of war is raging like wildfire.Will Mclean, or "Daddy Will" as the girls have come to call him, hires a yankee teacher, Button, to tutor the girls. Oscie grows attached to Button, and they become fast friends.
One night in January, upon the arrival of one life, another in the family is lost. This is the first tear in the family, and one in the many heartbreaks of Oscie herself.
This is a fabulous book. I could not put it down, and was finished with it in a matter of days. You have to be a mature reader to really enjoy the story though. Another Rinaldi triumph.

I received this book as an assignment for school, and I can't stand it! I'm a person who loves to read. I usually read about 4 books a week. But this book has taken me nearly 3 weeks to read. Oscie is much too mature for a seven year old, which makes the book extremely unrealistic. I've read historical fiction books before, and normally find them fairly interesting, but this book makes me wary to ever pick one up again!