Henry Books

I have a bookshelf that groans under the weight of tomes about Antarctica. No one has forgotten the Nimrod Expedition that knows anything about the "Heroic Era", so I found the title to be at least presumptuous. So let's get to the critique: Riffenburgh at first concentrates on the historical context, the post-Victorian Edwardian Era of the UK, which was gratifying. I didn't know that the Presbyterian elite that ruled Ireland were called "the Pale". From that I assumed the origin of the expression "beyond the pale". Purely a synthesis on my part. After that, I was happy to hear about the comparatively numerous encounters with orcas on the sea ice. Previously I'd only heard about photographer Ponting's "close call" on the ice floes. I submit that they were only curious, having never seen humans before. It was clear from the narrative the killer's engaged in much "periscoping", hauling their upper bodies out of the water and "scoping out" these weird new things. Since there has never been a documented account of killer whales - in the wild -attacking a human being, I prefer to believe these early 20th century types assumed a nefarious motive on the whales' part where perhaps none existed. Now that we know far more about them I suspect the explorer's worries were overblown. In an orca's case, I'm pretty sure they didn't think these guys were seals. In other news, killer whales exist in Antarctica. That would make them pole-to-pole mammalian predators. If I was them, maybe I'd want to knock one of these boys into the water so I could echo-sound 'em with my primary sensor. Just my theory. The author addresses, but doesn't dwell on, the misery that is man-hauling. That was fine with me, I'd already been through it in previous books. For all that, caloric requirements, cold's effect on the human body, read "Race for the Pole" by Ranulph Fiennes. To really wallow in it, read Roland Huntford's stuff. When I started reading on this subject the pickings were pretty thin (early 90's). Now, I can't keep up with the books being written. Perhaps that's the Discovery Channel, and Nature Channel, March of the Penguins, etc ad infinitum. Now, what I want to see is an effort to recover the tracked vehicle that sank through the ice in the bay - it's only 600 feet deep. Bring that thing up. It seems that the Scott and Shackleton expeditions resulted in the first caterpillar-tracked vehicle ever invented. The author adds a few bits of new knowledge while thankfully avoiding as much as possible well-trodden ground. I was primed for more Scott-bashing; he avoids it though I sensed he wanted to. Read this simply to add to your knowledge, if such is your bent, about Antarctic exploration. To know everything that's been written about it requires this; synthesize your own opinions only after your own bookshelf is filled with this research, done for you at minimal cost, and for that, my hat is off to this author and the rest. BTW, if melting icecaps drowns our coastal cities, perhaps an ameliorating factor would be that Antarctica would become the most beautiful place in the world, like Alaska's inside passage, only a lot more of it. Nature always balances the books.

After reading this book I unexpectedbly became an Ernest Shackleton and Antarctic exploration fan. Next I read The Lost Men and am reading Endurance. This is a thorough history that reads like an adventure novel. Highly recommended!

Today you can look at what's going on at the South Pole by simply pointing your browser at: www.phys.unsw.edu.au/southpolediaries/webcam.html. It's hard to imagine that in 1908 Shackleton went through so much trouble trying to get there and not making it. I look at the pictures of him using pony's to pull sledges. And his boat, the Nimrod, with her sails set; you almost want to say, "are you kidding."

There is a lot of discussion in this book about the conflict between Shackleton and Scott. It has been said that if you really wanted to get somewhere on an expedition, you should go with Scott. But if you're priority was more on getting home alive, go with Shackleton. This was, I think never so evident as in Shackleton's next voyage in the Endurance.

This book focuses on the voyage of the Nimrod, as it says in the sub-title, but it is more than that. The insight Mr. Rifenburgh shown in his understanding of the people, the way he brings them to life with good story telling and his grasp of the overall view of the explorations make this book an absolute delight.

Everyone has heard about Ernest Shackleton's remarkable Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, when his ship Endurance was crushed in the ice and Shackleton made his epic open-boat journey to South Georgia to help rescue his men. What most people don't know was that the first expedition Shackleton led to the Antarctic was every bit as full of derring-do and death-defying moments as his later one. Moreover, historically it was much more significant than his other ventures.

"Nimrod" is the story of that first expedition, when Shackleton, with no official support and pulling everything together on a wing and a prayer, led a small group of inexperienced men to the Antarctic. This party overcame numerous challenges to accomplish remarkable achievements, including making the first ascent of the great volcano Mount Erebus, being the first men to reach the South Magnetic Pole, discovering and ascending what was the largest known glacier in the world, being the first to reach the heart of the Antarctic plateau, and shattering the record for the farthest south ever reached, by coming to within 97 miles of the South Pole. But each sledging party that went out from base camp almost ended in death and disaster, and it is part of the enthralling telling of this tale that trouble builds upon trouble until only hardihood, courage, and a great deal of luck could pull Shackleton and his comrades out of the fire.

This book is a model of what history can be at its best: a masterful combination of scholarly research and compelling dramatic narrative that keeps one desperately reading throughout the night in order to find out what happens next. Riffenburgh has an obvious delight in the delicious details and inter-connections of history, and he knows how to mix a bizarre collection of eccentric characters and curious settings with lavishly descriptive accounts enriched by a healthy dose of suspense, humor, pathos, and gossip.

One of the major weaknesses of virtually all of the accounts of polar exploration published in recent years is that they have made no effort to put the myriad of ventures to the snow and ice into their place in history. Why were people so interested in the Antarctic as to be willing to put their lives on the line to explore it? What relation did it have to the imperial mindset dominant a century ago. How was it related to the exploration of Africa or the mountainous centre of Asia? This is the first tale of an expedition to look beyond the events of one trip and to answer all of these questions. It gives the rare but incredibly valuable insight into not only what happened by why, and it allows one to see polar exploration finally put into its historical context. One finishes "Nimrod" having been not only immensely entertained, but enlightened.

This is a book that, in its vivid detail, the energetic manner of its telling, and its insights into history, brings scholarship and engrossing writing into one. It is easy to suspect that Alan Moorehead, Peter Hopkirk, or Simon Winchester would be proud to have written it.

I enjoyed reading about the "behind the scenes" activities of medical witnesses at NIH hearings. Like the main character, Guy, I too would like to see stem cell research continue and expand to find cures for diseases like the Parkinson's that caused Guy to shake and to need medication.

The author did a good job describing Guy's reasoning and the widow Majorie's own worried thoughts about possible danger to Guy and to her. The "bad guys" who had broken into the neurologist's office and stolen patient files were determined to harm Guy and Marjorie. The wild, winding and speeding car chase almost made me motion sick.

If you enjoy reading mystery, crime and intrigue mixed with a budding romaance, THE SHAKER GUY by Evan C. Henry is the book you should read.

Guy and Majorie's budding romance and also the determination of these two to find the reason for the missing office files of the dead doctor kept me turning pages to reach the end of the book.

Well-written and fast-paced, this book is a non-stop read, but once you start it and get to know its main character, Guy Hopkins, you won't want it to end. From the first few pages, the reader is pulled into a story that not only unravels a riveting medical/political thriller...but the heart of a brave man who battles the daily trials of living with Parkinson's. Read it and gain a new understanding and respect for those with this debilitating disease; read it and be totally entertained.

As a physician I found this book a very interesting exposition of the many trials and tribulations of a person with Parkinsonism. The reader in me enjoyed the topical plot and the quick read.

A friend with Parkinson's gave me this book to read, and frankly, I didn't expect much from it because I'd never heard of Evan Henry or the publisher. But after I devoured it in two greedy gulps, I'm really glad I overcame my skepticism. This is the sweetest of all ripped-from-the-headlines novels, and the most spine-tingling and suspenseful of heroic journeys. Well-drawn characters, terrific pace and a gift for touching the deepest part of a reader. The author (or someone he loves) must have Parkinson's because he writes so movingly of the private battle of the Parkie to not allow the terrifying diesase rob him of everything that makes life worth living.

To describe "Short Bike Rides in and around San Francisco" as a cycling book does it injustice. Sure, it succeeds in describing ways around and out of San Francisco, but does so much more. Even for someone who's never been on two wheels, the descriptions of the neighborhoods, their attractions and history, is worth the investment. I strongly recommend it, the best cycling guide book of its type I've read.

The one weakness is a lack of an index. You might read an excellent review, for example, of a burrito shop, but recalling on which ride that review occurred may turn into a serial search operation. Nevertheless, it still ranks as a 5-star on this rating scale. Virtually a must-read for all cyclists in SF.

San Francisco is a very "livable" city, especially without a car to worry or pay for. "Short Bike Rides..." suggests two dozen fun routes in and around the city that allow you to make the most of living here without a car. From the fastest way to get across town, to a wonderful rides in Marin and the East Bay I have ridden nearly all of these rides, and enjoyed them immensely. Not only are the directions and maps clear, but Kingman's comments are often very entertaining. There is also a handy supplement in the back listing public transportation contacts for taking your bike on BART, CalTrain etc.. Absolutely essential for any SF cyclist - commuter, weekend warrior, out of towner, tourist entertainer. And for less than $10 I have used this book 10x as much as any of the other rides books I have.

One note: I would assume Kingman is one hell of climber, since he does tend to downplay the physical effort required to climb the "hilly terrain" of some the rides.

This is my favorite bike rides book. It's an excellent read and lets you see the best of the city.

Not only is Henry Kingman's book a great way for visitors to explore San Francisco by bicycle, it is also a handy reference guide for local cyclists looking for new or better routes. Every S.F. cyclist should have a copy.

This is a great book to add to your collection. The pictures are vivid and the poetry is interesting.

This book is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever seen. Dinah has taken amazing time to think about her dolls, name them, and write according to the personalities of the people for whom they sit. I appreciate her work and the beauty of our culture being so eloquently represented. Wonderful!

This book will not only make you want to buy it, but will also tease you to start collecting dolls! Dolls from plain to the unique are captured beautifully and held spellbound with prose and print that is purely captivating!

Young and old alike will enjoy this book, which must be read aloud with attitude! A sure mother/daughter pleaser!

Children remind us that dolls enchant, comfort, inspire loyalty, and buoy our imaginations. All will find this true in Sitting Pretty, as author and educator Dinah Johnson shares her collection of black dolls.

Poetry and marvelous photographs reveal each doll's individual personality - there is Charnelle, an adorable baby doll clad in pink, Retta, an exotic West African doll, and, of course, the quintessential church lady - Miss Frona in her elaborate and lacy bib-collared Sunday best.

Author's notes reveal the origin and further information about each beguiling doll. This is a unique contribution to the annals of doll books, and a first rate one!

This story about a skinny brown dog, who gradually wears down the resistance of the baker, is comforting and amusing. The pictures are wonderful, especially of the "children", who are actually other types of animals, and are allowed into the bakery, while dogs are strictly prohibited!

This children's book is one of our favorites! The story is so sweet, and I also think the pictures are cute. My 4-year-old loves to look at all the pictures of the bakery food (he has a major sweet tooth). I am giving this book to many family & friends' children this Christmas.

I have a weakness for dogs. This book tells a sensitive, caring story about a sweet little dog and his quest to fit in. Beautiful!

Publisher's Weekly gave the art in this book TERRIBLE reviews, but I've got to say it: I LOVE THE PICTURES in Skinny Brown Dog. Yes, it's a little weird that Brownie is a pet when all the other animals are not. Yes, that's weird. But the animals are adorable and the story is absolutely endearing. My toddler loves, loves, loves Benny and his Skinny Brown Dog and so does her mom!

I own six copies of this book (four are loaners). My life revolves around literature, and this is one of the best books I've read. It's definitely my favorite. Rawlins uses relatively simple language with a powerful, poetic effect. If you have any kind of interest in the environment, backcountry travel, or the mountains--and even if you don't--read this book. Rawlins' writing is beautiful and intense; overall, I think the writing carries more impact than even authors such as Ed Abbey or Aldo Leopold.

Phrases such as "The cabin is a frozen skull" jump out, as do passages such as this: "At first you're a stranger to the forest. It's too quiet. You feel as if your every move is seen and judged. Then, without noticing a difference, you feel more at home here than anywhere else. It's as if your heart skips a beat and then begins on an older pulse." If you're not an environmentalist when you start the book, you might begin seeing things in a new light. If you were already concerned about the human impact on the world before you started it, you'll feel it more deeply.

Richard Nelson, author and Burroughs Medal winner, might have said it best in his review of "Sky's Witness:" "A very fine writer...as lavish and varied as a jazz musician--lively, funny, sometimes outrageous; poignant, tender, engaging; richly informative; and deeply poetic. Filled with the joys of working on the land, Rawlins documents the subtle wounding of America's remotest wildlands, where rain and snow are tainted by the breath of distant cities."

Anyone willing to endure the physical hardship involved in self-supported mountain travel will appreciate Rawlin's extrordinarilly beautiful soliloquies on the mountain wilderness experience. Example: "But it wasn't the smell of the air that played in me so much as the light. The moon and sun lay opposite each other in the sky, exchanging their gleams, and the country was laid out below all rough and golden. The ridge was a strong point, the hardest rock in the range. On it you could meet the wind, face it, draw it in and breathe it out. And I felt a desire with no object or reason, except the land and the wild light."

Clearly Rawlin's regards the essence of the mountain wilderness and the essence of himself as one. He writes of the experience of being alone in a small raft on a clear summer night on a high altitude lake in the Wind River Range. "I've touched this water, tasted it. I've caught and eaten its trout, scooped it into pots for coffee, mixed it with my blood, taught it to walk and tell lies, and pissed it back steaming onto the ground. The lake and I have more than a casual acquaintance, yet in the dark, it seems not to know me. I can't see my reflection. The water that has claimed a part of my life now holds me in a star-flecked indifference."

I believe that all mountain travelers grapple with words to express their most intimate feelings about their mountain experiences. Rawlins gives these experiences expression with the skill of a violin virtuoso who is able to prolong the playing of a single note with haunting clarity and seemingly project it into eternity. So also does Rawlins project his love of the Wind River Range to a spiritual level. The drawings of Hannah Hinchman are exquisite!

If you want to hike, back pack, and live in the Wyoming Wind River Mountains for one year, C. L. Rawlins will take you there in these 300 pages. You will not find a better companion: his writings proceed in a rythmn -- moving from intricate description of rock, snow, and lake, to insightful and stunning explanations of nature itself, followed perhaps by a down-to-earth philosophical reminder. His humor catches one off gaurd and he tests more than a few other emotions. I returned from a four-day back pack trip in the Wyoming Wind River Mountains August 1996. Several days thereafter, by happenstance I noticed this book. In the early pages, Rawlins and his companion, John are skiing with fully loaded packs on the exact trail. up the Big Sandy Opennings, that I traversed. This book was an extra treat for me. Rawlins loves to walk and hike. He writes: "Walking feels good. It helps me think. The Grail, Mecca, Lourdes, the Frontier, Everest -- all are simply good excuses for going." C.L. Rawlins might be considered the "Annie Dillard of the Wind Rivers." When enthralled with a certain spot in his mountains, Rawlins writes, "Words make no sense at all. Being here does." He is humble. His words do make undeniable sense.

The books you have read in your life likely fall into one of several classes ranging from extremely poor to unsurpassed worth. On that worthy end of the spectrum, there have probably been those books that caused a pause in you upon reading the final sentence; a pause followed by a nod of thanks to the author for having given you so much pleasure. And then there are those even more rare instances where you reach that final page and feel that sense of want for more. Its a mixed feeling of love for what you have just read combined with the emptiness that follows upon closing the pages for that final time. It is as if you have lost a friend. Rawlins hit that chord in me with Sky's Witness. The Wind River Range is probably my most favorite place to wander, and I was led to this book after searching for all I could find written about it. But one does not have to go to The Winds or appreciate their grandeur in order to be captivated by the author's writing style here. His ability to describe thoughts and places and to reflect on their nature is almost a gift of magic. He covers a lot of territory, both physical and emotional over the course of a year. It has been about five years since I read it, and I still miss the times it gave to me. If I were to have any reservations it its regard, it would only be the put-offish nature that his personality occasionally evokes in his writing and some of the personal encounters that he describes. Put simply, he is certainly not one to be with when he is in a foul mood. But in praise, this again also speaks to his ability to convey all those elemental spokes of our humanity. If you are one who loves the outdoors, this book will go a long way for you. But even if you are not inclined to the rugged nature of the backcountry, this book will still bring rewarding moments to you during that time spent in that soft leather chair.

This is the only book I've been able to find with actual photographs of children with different physical and cognitive disabilities. It's invaluable in helping my 4-year-old understand and discuss this important topic, and it's my hope that preparing her in this way will help her react appropriately when she encounters someone who is differently abled. Some of the photos are a little dated, but that's very much beside the point. Definitely a great book for any preschooler!

I volunteered to put together a group of books for my daughter's preschool (ages 3 1/2-4) which dealt with the topic of diversity and disabilities. I have ordered and read about 15-20 children's books on the subject of children with handicaps. By far this was the very best one that I came across. It had beautiful photographs of children with all types of disabilities and the message in this book (unlike several others which I read) was 100% positive. What I mean by this is that while some other books on disabilities may deliver a message that says "don't be mean, or tease children with disabilities" , etc., this one was totally focused on all children as being lovable and worthwhile people -- very focused on only a positive message. I really enjoyed it and my daughter's class also did. The message is simple, straightforward and very warm. Compared to other books on the subject, this one really was written at a good level for the 3-4 age group.

I loved this book! Especially the cute little boy on the left-hand corner of the cover. That's my adorable friend Jon!!

My little boy who is Autistic and almost 10 years old loves this book. It is very lovingly written and has such a positive attitude about children no matter what their differences are. This is a must have book for parents, teachers and librarys in schools everywhere. We must teach children that being different is okay, that there is nothing wrong with it. Great illustrations too! My son brings me this book to read nightly and has for months. When this one wears out we will get another one to replace it...

This was required reading for a graduate course in the Humanities. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (February 23, 1868 - August 27, 1963) was an American civil rights activist, leader, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, educator, historian, writer, editor, poet, and scholar. He became a naturalized citizen of Ghana in 1963 at the age of 95. David Levering Lewis, a biographer, wrote, "In the course of his long, turbulent career, W.E.B. Du Bois attempted virtually every possible solution to the problem of twentieth-century racism--scholarship, propaganda, integration, cultural and economic separatism, politics, international communism, expatriation, third world solidarity. After graduating from Fisk University in 1888, Du Bois took a bachelor's degree cum laude from Harvard College in 1890 (Harvard having refused to recognize the equivalency of his Fisk degree), and in 1892 received a stipend to attend the University of Berlin. While a student in Berlin, he travelled extensively throughout Europe, and came of age intellectually while studying with some of the most prominent social scientists in the German capital, such as Gustav von Schmoller. In 1896, Du Bois became the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. After teaching at Wilberforce University in Ohio and the University of Pennsylvania, he established the department of sociology at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University).

"The Souls of Black Folk" is the most well-known work of African-American W.E.B. Du Bois, a writer, leader, and civil rights activist. The book, published in 1903, contains several essays on race, some of which had been previously published in Atlantic Monthly magazine. Du Bois drew from his own experiences to develop this groundbreaking work on being African-American in American society. Outside of its notable place in African-American history, The Souls of Black Folk also holds an important place in social science as one of the first works to deal with sociology. In Living Black History, (p. 96) esteemed scholar and Du Bois biographer Manning Marable makes the following observation about the book: "Few books make history and fewer still become foundational texts for the movements and struggles of an entire people. The Souls of Black Folk occupies this rare position. It helped to create the intellectual argument for the black freedom struggle in the twentieth century. Souls justified the pursuit of higher education for Negroes and thus contributed to the rise of the black middle class. By describing a global color-line, Du Bois anticipated pan-Africanism and colonial revolutions in the Third World. Moreover, this stunning critique of how 'race' is lived through the normal aspects of daily life is central to what would become known as 'whiteness studies' a century later."

For Du Bois the problem of 20th century is problem of color line. Concept of double consciousness is looking thru eyes of others. Notion of authenticity what does it mean to be authentic? His idea is very Freudian. Du Bois says authenticity is a longing for Blacks, but impossible because blacks can't be authentic have to live another way. Cornell West says Du Bois is a pragmatist. He is connected to the Harlem Renaissance. Paul Gilroy says Du Bois is more connected with Pan Africanism experience of displaced Africans around the world. What does he mean "souls of Black folk"? It is a metaphor for spirituality. Book is meant to provide progress for black folks. Freedman's bureau had some success like schools. He had issue with B. T. Washington populist message of wanting blacks to concentrate on jobs not the vote, higher education, or civil rights. Du Bois resents Booker T. Washington as spokesperson for blacks. Critiques American materialism. Standard of human culture and lofty ideals of life, the talented tenth. Book is pioneering for 6 reasons: 1. Identification of hyphenated self. 2. Recognition of Black culture like music, the Blues vernacular culture. The soul of the nation itself, West says musically is key to text, it "sings" the "sorrow song" is motif of life. 3. Important to Harlem renaissance period. 4. Pioneering work of sociology and psychology. 5. Higher education is means to self realization. 6. Relations to economics drives development of black life.

Double consciousness. His double consciousness gives us a vivid picture of how tragic the racist discourse is, defined by skin color. Black or white thus it strengthens arguments that each race had unique properties thus polarizing us. His book gives us this understanding of our mind and self identity. If Blacks accept the racial divide they then deny equality. He does see a black identity and celebrates difference made real in Black experience. Celebrates difference made real in peoples experience and beyond our racial fictions. How does he do this, what is the key? It is music the "sorrows song." Those voicings, these songs speak to slow tragedy. He precedes each chapter with sorrow song. The doubleness of consciousness is extended throughout the work. They convey resistance and defiance. Last chapter how prejudice works on people. Whiteness is non race. The great chain of being, your place in society. Rise of Enlightenment human is now sovereign leads to systematic study of man.

Du Bois was investigated by the FBI, who claimed in May of 1942 that "his writing indicates him to be a socialist," and that he "has been called a Communist and at the same time criticized by the Communist Party." Du Bois visited Communist China during the Great Leap Forward. Also, in the 16 March 1953 issue of The National Guardian, Du Bois wrote "Joseph Stalin was a great man; few other men of the 20th century approach his stature." Du Bois was chairman of the Peace Information Center at the start of the Korean War. He was among the signers of the Stockholm Peace Pledge, which opposed the use of nuclear weapons. In 1950, he ran for the U.S. Senate on the American Labor Party ticket in New York and received 4% of the vote. He was indicted in the United States under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and acquitted for lack of evidence. W.E.B. Du Bois became disillusioned with both black capitalism and racism in the United States. In 1959, Du Bois received the Lenin Peace Prize. In 1961, at the age of 93, he joined the Communist Party USA.

Du Bois was invited to Ghana in 1961 by President Kwame Nkrumah to direct the Encyclopedia Africana, a government production, and a long-held dream of his. When, in 1963, he was refused a new U.S. passport, he and his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois, became citizens of Ghana, making them dual citizens of Ghana and the United States. Du Bois' health had declined in 1962, and on August 27, 1963, he died in Accra, Ghana at the age of ninety-five, one day before Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, or philosophy.

The rediscovery and use of the National Portrait Gallery picture provide the crowning touch to this superb edition.

The Souls of Black Folk has become a staple of courses in American literature and culture, and it is a must read for anyone generally interested in the world we share. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Terri Oliver have done us all a great service by putting together what is easily the best edition of this twentieth-century classic: their preface alone is a valuable contribution to scholarship, and the contexts and criticism sections are a rich lode of information. I look forward to assigning this edition in a number of the college courses I teach.

If you read only one edition of this work, this is the edition you should choose. The preface is outstanding, and the "Contexts" and "Criticsm" sections (which comprise half of this volume) are extraordinarily helpful to the nonspecialist reader. Please note, however, that there is a serious error in at least one of the footnotes. On the last page of "The Niagara Movement" essay DuBois refers to Robert Gould Shaw, whom the editors describe (in footnote #4) as an African American Union Army Civil War hero. Not so! Shaw was white; there were no African American officers during the Civil War. (I contacted Henry Lewis Gates Jr. about this, and he confirmed that this was an error in editing.)

Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger (1819-1883) was a leading German Catholic theologian. He was a pioneer of positive theology and historical dogmatic theology. Among theologians, it is a catch phrase when referring to a traditional theologian, as opposed to a Modernist, to call him a "Denzinger theologian."

This book should be on the shelves of every English speaking Catholic, beside a copy of The Haydock Bible (The Douay-Rheims Old and New Testament) and Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. The Bible is the only perfect book but these books will provide a lifetime of contemplation of "those mysteries of faith which must be known and believed in order to be numbered among the elect" (Pope Pius X, Acerbo Nimis, 2).

The editorial review is correct in saying, "Although not every entry in this 653 page compendium of Church teaching is definitional (i.e. ex cathedra) it still should be considered the "locutus est" for every wayfaring Catholic whose patria, this side of heaven, is Roma." There are a number of statements in the book that do not command the consciences of Catholics with the same certainty.

The book font is about a 10 in Times New Roman. It is bound nicely and has some very helpful indexes. You will not regret the investment.

Essential reference book for those who love their Catholic faith and want to understand it more deeply.

Denziger's Enchiridion is a most useful reference for practicing Catholics. For your own edification, but especially when Catholic Dogma is assaulted by the "false teachers" about whom the Apostles and Saints warned [2 Peter 2:1-22, Romans 16:17-18; Colossians 2:8; 2 Timothy 3:12-13, 4:3-4 , et al.], "The Denziger" readily provides the Apostolic roots of true and unchangeable Catholic Dogma. The change agents mimic the Pharisees in "voiding the commandments of God for the traditions of men" [Mark 7:9], but those "false teachers" are helpless against The Deniziger's clear exposition of Catholic Dogma.

Referred to in theological circles as the "denzinger designations", this tome provides origins and primary sources for many of the more traditional doctrines and morals of the Catholic faith. It is an essential for any Catholic theologian or philosopher, regardless of "liberal or conservative" bent, so as to understand the rich history of theological discourse over the course of doctrinal development.

For the more modern reader, it provides perspective and direction from which to explore new arguments and avoid re-inventing the theological wheel. For the traditionalist, it gives essentials from which to begin a journey of faith. It should not be read with an idea that theology is something which is 'over, done & decided' but as a history of the development of dogma and support for faith seeking understanding.

MR,KYEMBA HAS TURN OUT A VERY POWERFULL BOOK ABOUT AFRICAN LEADERSHIP AND THE INTRIGUES THAT WENT ON DURING MR.AMIN TERM IN OFFICE.IT IS VERY ACCURATE SINCE THE AUTHOR WAS A MEMBER OF MR.AMIN INNER CIRCLE.I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL LOVERS OF POLITICS AND AFRICAN HISTORY.

I read this book a few months ago and it gave me an idea just how terrible it must have been to live under Amin's rule. The Author who was one of Amin's ministers had a good look into Amin and his government and how it worked. This book is deffinatly a good book to read if you want to know about Idi Amin and his regime.

My fiancé and I recently went to see the Academy Award winning movie, "The Last King of Scotland." In it Forest Whitaker gives a vivid and accurate portrayal of Idi Amin, the brutal former dictator of Uganda. Although some of the characters in the movie are fictitious, the general plotline is accurate. Amin was basically an uneducated thug who managed to take control of a nation and destroy it. I had read this book when it first came out and the movie prompted me to read it again.
In a continent where brutal, murderous dictators are the norm, Amin was one of the worst. He created a cadre of brutal henchmen whose only purpose was to terrorize the population into submission and grow rich in the process. They were allowed to steal anything from anybody with killing their victims largely acceptable. Under his reign, the Ugandan economy collapsed, what should have been a prosperous nation was turned into one of the poorest performing economies. His expulsion of the Asian merchant class was quite possibly the greatest single economic blunder made in the history of the continent.
Kyemba documents the rise of Amin, how at first he seemed to genuinely want to improve the lives of Ugandans. However, in the time worn tradition of tyrants, who only seem capable of becoming even more tyrannical, that soon changed. The latest estimates were that 300,000 Ugandans were killed under Amin's rule, many in as brutal a form as possible.
As Kyemba notes, eyes were gouged out, organs removed, limbs chopped off, and all for no reason other than to make sure that Amin's rule was absolute. Thousands of people were rounded up to witness executions so that there was no doubt in the mind of the people what would happen to them if they resisted.
This is a sad book about a sad state of affairs in a continent that seems forever doomed to be ruled by petty, brutal tyrants. After the movie was over, my fiancé asked me how accurate it was and she was surprised when I said it was very accurate. Amin did indeed do most of the things seen in the movie and once again, the rest of the world did nothing to stop it. That also seems to be part of the "forever doomed" scenario.

This book, written by Idi Amin's former Minister of Health in 1977 just a year before his downfall, was supposedly the book that helped transform the world opinion of Idi Amin. He went from being considered a comical dictator (like the late Turkmenbashi) to a murderous madman who found no position or law sacred. (like the late Saddam Hussein)

Henry Kyemba opens the book with a short narrative of Ugandan history, and then explains how a man like Idi Amin could come to power so easily. Most interesting is a passage in which we find out Idi Amin could have been removed from the scene before he had any political will:

"Ugandan troops had been sent to the northern part of Karamoja on one of their regular trips to clamp down on cattle raiding...The information received in the Prime Minister's office was that a lieutenant had massacred a number of people in his search for arms. The British were considering prosecuting him...the decision was referred to Obote. He decided not to prosecute. I later learned that the officer involved was Idi Amin." (pg 22)

After Obote, the Prime Minister of Uganda, dissolves parliament and takes over power, Idi Amin is granted the highest army position. Finally, while Obote and much of his cabinet were away on a diplomatic mission in Singapore, Idi Amin led a coupe that put him in power. At first, all seems well. Idi Amin enjoys the popular support (Obote was an unpopular ruler) and he allows political enemies to return home. Later on, however, his reign of terror grows as he becomes more and more paranoid. He took foreign tribes (Nubians and Sudanese) and puts them in high positions, and gradually puts more Muslims into his cabinet. (Muslims are a large minority in Uganda) Any one considered an enemy was killed and dumped into the Nile, where they were expected to be fed to crocodiles. During all this, one wonders why Kyemba and many others did not simply flee. He answers that he was not yet ready to simply get up and leave, as that was really only optional for higher positions - he also explains that, early on, many people believed they could sincerely control Amin or change Uganda from the inside with their own influence. As Amin took greater control and Uganda descended into chaos, that idea became only a dream.

Granted, as I read I began to wonder how much was true. It's not that I don't think Amin was a terrible ruler, but often stories told by survivors - especially regarding Amin - get exaggerated. My fears were calmed a good bit near the end of the fourth chapter when Kyemba discusses a popularized atrocity that, in fact, never happened.

"The reports of this incident in the international press spoke of up to 700 dead...this is absolutely untrue...One girl, who was listed as dead, was in fact at her parents' house, where I found her fit and well. Another, who reportedly had a breast cut off, I also found, uninjured...Gross misrepresentation of this kind does nothing to aid the cause of justice in Uganda. The truth is horrific enough." (pg 127)

Eventually the crimes become too terrible for Kyemba to ignore. One of the worst acts described is one involving a new method of killing prisoners to save ammunition. Two prisoners would be brought into a room, then one would be given a hammer and told to kill the other to win his freedom. As soon as he had done this, another prisoner would be brought in, given the hammer, and be told the same thing. Henry Kyemba finally describes his escape from Uganda to England, and his ability to help get his family out as well.

The last two chapters are dedicated to mocking world opinion of Idi Amin, as well as a general call to remove him from power. Kyemba criticizes foreign diplomats for shrugging him off as an eccentric nobody, partially because of the bizarre telegrams he sent to different leaders. Kyemba also mocks black Americans in the 1970's who took racial pride in Amin's power, and seemed to ignore the plight of his people. I think such feelings of liking a person for their ideals rather than for who they really are still continues, and Kyemba's words ring true even in our modern times:

"For those visitors to accept such propaganda as evidence, and then to make statements about present-day Uganda, is as great a disservice to the country as anyone can possible imagine." (pg 244)

Overall, this book is a recommended reading. It is amazingly short and easy to read, and is a great source for history regarding Uganda, Idi Amin, or Africa in general. I would suggest finding a copy of your own. (or borrowing it from someone who owns it already)