Hoffman Books

Simply put, this should be the first book one gets when they approach terrorism. Every academic who has written anything about terrorism has quoted him. That should tell you something. If you want a more detailed review, read one of the many 5-star reviews. To the guy who gave this book 2-stars, where are you a student? If you had to use a dictionary then you shouldn't be studying this complex issue to begin with.

Other great books on the subject include but not limited to- Terrorism in Context- Crenshaw; Inside Al-Qaeda- Gunaratna; Ghost Wars- Coll; Origins of Terrorism- Reich. Anything by Robert Pape esp Dying to Win & Bombing to Win(this one isn't about terrorism but it's the best study of how effective aerial bombing campaigns are- very related I would say.)

I picked up Bruce Hoffman's book at the suggestion of an associate who knew of my interest in history and influences therein. Mr. Hoffman's experience and understanding have produced a treatment on the mind of the terrorist and terrorist organizations - both domestic and foreign - that is, in my opinion, unmatched. INSIDE TERRORISM will hold a permanent place in my library, and receives my highest recommendation.

Other Suggest Reading:

Ku Klux Klan America's First Terrorists Exposed (Shadow History of the United States)

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

In the wake of the 9/11 disaster a plethora of books has been published on the nature and structure of the terrorist threat. Some are quite good, but others are absolute nonsense. Interestingly, some of the best books on both terrorism and counter-terrorism predate 9/11 and were written before counter-terrorism became the cottage industry it is today.

This book by Bruce Hoffman in cooperation with the Rand Corporation was published in 1998 and remains one of the best books available on the nature of terrorism. Hoffman provides a useful and on the whole an accurate explanation of the differences between secular, religious, transnational, and state sponsored terrorism providing useful examples of each. He also provides a good deal of probably accurate information on terrorist motivations and operational procedures. Finally he was prescient enough to recognize that the phenomenon represented by Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda represent an ideological movement rather than a structured organization. After four years of the so-called, `Global War on Terrorism' this fact is slowly sinking into U.S. Government circles. Hoffman only lightly touches on the related issue of the al Qaeda financial structures, but notes the relatively small amounts of money actually required for most terrorist operations.

As indicated Hoffman does not limit this book to Islamic religious terrorism but also delves into motivations and operations techniques of secular terrorism as well. Perhaps most importantly given the July 2006 Near-East crisis, he uses Hezbollah as an example of the dangerous nature of state sponsored terrorism. All in all a sound book that contains markedly better information on terrorism than many more recent books and reflects the fruits of sound scholarship.

I live in Israel. We live with terrorism daily and I have been following the events worldwide in the news for many years.

This book does an excellent job of summarizing the history of various terror groups, their changing techniques, failures and successes.

HHG

I found this book to be quite enlightening as well as facinating to read. Refusing to engage in the political rhetoric surrounding terrorism, the author, Bruce Hoffman, (an expert in counterterrorism at West Point as well as a professor at Georgetown)follows the evolution of terrorism as a means of calling world attention to forgotten or underpublicized plights of the disenfranchized in order enact political change, through what he terms the "internationalization of terrorism" where terrorists enact "major media events" by the targeting of symbols of power. He examines the refinement of terrorist tactics by the Palestinian organizations, and refutes the idea that terrorism is ineffective, pointing out how the Palestinian cause has gained worldwide recognition and (frequently) sympathy through the advertisement of their cause via use of terrorist events. He investigates the role of the media in this process, and develops the hypothesis that part of what has occurred leading to the current state of affairs is, like an addict, the terrorist organization needs increasingly horrific and intense events to gain the attention that will put it in the media spotlight. This is supported by how the news of "car bombings" in Bagdad start to sound like weather reports--because they are a daily occurance and fail to engender the level of horror and outrage that they should, and would have, just a few years ago. This is an excellent analysis of the historical developments that form the basis of present-day terrorism, and Hoffman is only able to do this by putting aside the rhetoric of "evil" which only confounds our capacity to understand and effectively address the threats of terrorist activity.

This is a very well written book and entertaining for chess fans.I really like the dynamics of the Father and Son relationship portrayed in this book ,the Father here is a real character,part pathological liar part comedian.A man who has to invent fantastic stories to compensate for a childhood of neglect,which I found sad.I knock a star off because of all of the exposed scandal of the chess world in this book. The story of the Libyan tournament is also very entertaining and well written. All and all an excellent read.

The account of a man's journey through the chess world. Beginning as I young child, Paul Hoffman was fascinated by chess. He developed strong skills into college where he ultimately gave up the game he loved. Only after some years of adulthood, did he take up the game again. The book is the narrative of his adventures with chess. Along his journey he has played, met, and interacted with numerous grandmasters. His accounts of these men and women are interesting because of the strange personalities that chess seems to breed. Chess is a game for the genius as well as for the crazy. The book deals with his difficult past, his lying father, and his quest for completion. Anyone desiring to dig deeper into the chess culture needs to read this great book.

Reading this book made me want to read Mr. Hoffman's other books, which seem to be out of print.

I do not know what impression this book could make on someone who doesn't play chess. Myself, I can't imagine my life without chess.

So, if you play chess, love chess and it's history, it's hard to imagine you won't find this book interesting, entertaining and instructive.

At least one reviewer didn't like the fact that the relationship between the author and his father is the thread that leads through the book. It didn't bother me at all, in fact, it's what holds the book together.

A very interesting read about top-level chess players. The author points out repeatedly that many of the Grandmasters in chess exhibit some pretty serious personality flaws that almost border on mental illness. I gather that the stress involved in their matches causes these problems to magnify. Paranoia being a primary concern of several players. If you thought Bobby Fischer was the only chess player with "problems" this book will make you rethink that view.

After reading this most interesting book I'm not sure why Paul Hoffman thinks that chess is the most dangerous game. I think it's because he believes the game is addictive, not because some prominent players have been mentally unstable, including two world champions, the uncrowned Paul Morphy and the briefly crowned Robert J. Fischer. Both Americans deserve the epithet "the pride and the sorrow of chess," but I don't think we can blame chess for their mental problems. Both were clearly paranoid, and in Fischer's case we can say schizophrenic as well. And of course Alexander Alekhine was an alcoholic, and any number of chess players have been and are eccentric and/or socially backward, some in the extreme.

At any rate, this is simultaneously an emotional memoir about the author and his bizarre father, an excellent reportage on the contemporary game, and a well-researched mini history of the game. Hoffman, whose "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers" about the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos, became an unlikely international bestseller (see my review at Amazon), writes beautifully and doesn't mind exposing human foibles, although he is noticeably generous to himself and his friends.

Hoffman's chess rating as revealed on page 18 is 1915 (Class A, just below "expert," which is just below "master"), but in his encounters with some of the game's famous players in simuls and in offhand games, he appears to be stronger than that. As he notes, a Class A rating puts him in the top ninety-five percent of all US tournament players. (p. 18) So he is clearly strong enough to understand the world of competitive chess. And he does. He also understands the personalities and it is here that he shines. Whether he is writing about perhaps the greatest player of all time, Garry Kasparov, or about some nut job like the murderer Claude Frizzel Bloodgood III, who as a prisoner in 1970 or 1971 is said to have played 1200 postal chess games at once, Hoffman's prose is vivid and he makes the personalities come to life.

Kasparov doesn't fair entirely well, with Hoffman showing him to be mean spirited when he loses and vindictive. But Hoffman's friend, Canadian GM Pascal Charbonneau, for whom he served as second during the World Championship matches in Tripoli in 2004, shines forth as both well balanced and likeable, as well as being one heck of a chess player. Nigel Short with whom Hoffman spent some time, comes across as a bit juvenile and something of a sex addict, but relatively modest for a chess genius.

Stories, stories, and stories. Some of them like scenes from spy novels. Hoffman in Moscow under a KGB building, quaffing vodka and smoking a hookah pipe...In Tripoli being detained by Gadhafi's henchmen, fearing for his life, or at least worried that he might end up in a Libyan jail...In Washington Square Park, NYC, watching the hustlers and maybe being hustled.

There's an excellent chapter on women in chess where Hoffman devotes some revelatory ink to the American women stars, Jennifer Shahade, Irina Krush and others. By the way, why is it that chess players seem to have a disproportionate number of their names beginning with the letter "k"?--Krush, Kasparov, Karpov, Keres, Korchnoi, Kalvelak, Keene, Kieseritzky... Yes, I used to play the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit. And I bet Hoffman did too, or does, since he loves gambits, although he doesn't mention it in this book. Maybe he's saving it for a surprise. Be forewarned: it's unsound, but you gotta love the name. And did you know that Hungarian whiz kitten Judit Polgar, the youngest of the famed Polgar sisters, became a grandmaster at the tender age of 15 years, four months and 28 days? It took the great Bobby Fischer 15 years, six months and one day to achieve the same title.

An interesting mini story in the book is that of Bruce Pandolfini who, although only a National Master (below International Master and Grand Master), parleyed TV exposure during the Fischer-Spassky titanic into a lucrative chess teaching career in which he made more money than just about every chess player who ever lived. Hoffman has him picking up a couple hundred grand a year teaching kids at upwards of two hundred bucks an hour the finer points of the Sicilian Defense or how to win a bishops of opposite color ending. (In my experience being two pawns up helps a lot!)

My favorite story in the book is a short one that appears in an endnote on page 412. It concerns Soviet GM Alexey Suetin who got an old Belorussian master as a second for opening preparations. Only trouble was that instead of helping Suetin, the old guy accurately predicted just what would happen to him against a couple of opponents. And so it did.

If this isn't the best nontechnical book on chess ever written it will have to do until the real thing comes along. You will be entertained even if you don't know your Alpin Counter Gambit from your Maroczy Bind. And if you do, you'll stay up half the night reading this fascinating tour through the land of pawn grabbers, Elo's and MCOs, mating nets, The Luzhin Defense (novel by Vladimir Nabokov, made into a movie) zugzwang, Grob's Attack, smothered mates...

Which reminds me of something. I once won a game against a chess master with a smothered mate--via the familiar 1. Nh6 (discovered and double check with knight and queen) 1....Kh8; 2. Qg8+ RxQ; 3. Nf7 checkmate!

I know, I know--another case of "Chess nuts boasting by an open foyer." But you could look it up. The score was published in Isaac Kashdan's Sunday chess column in the Los Angeles Times in the middle sixties when I was an undergrad at UCLA.

Nina Kiriki Hoffman is a new discovery for me, and one long overdue. The Silent Strength of Stones is an excellent introduction to her writing, which -- like contemporaries Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, Terri Windling, etc. -- crafts a highly developed fantasy world within the framework of a thoroughly modern, very real society. Her characters are finely drawn and wholly believable in this setting, and the story resolves neatly while still leaving ample room for a sequel.

Hoffman is an exciting writer -- I can't remember the last time I found one who intrigued me this much!

Although "The Thread That Binds the Bones" gets a little more attention, "The Silent Strength of Stones" is my favorite Hoffman book with "A Stir of Bones" running a close second.

The standout for me is Hoffman's Nick Verrou, the young hero. He is not perfect by any means but his motives, actions and reactions are very true. His voice is clear in the story even if he's not always sure of where he is going.

The other thing that I like is that Hoffman resists the urge to have a closed ended narrative. Not every story thread has an ending. Although the main story plot has closure, there are other significant moments that do not and within this story and the way that the characters interact, the open-ended storytelling makes sense. It may be understandably frustrating to some readers, but I felt it was appropriate because the main characters are young and nothing at that age has easy closure because they are really just at the beginning of their lives. Hoffman allows that sense of non-closure come through.

The last thing that I like is Hoffman's prose. There is something magical about the way she writes. Smooth, clear, and deceptively simple. She makes the story that unfolds seem effortless and natural. That's a rare talent.

Hoffman is not for everyone but for those of us who find her and admire her work, she's a treasure. And "The Silent Strength of Stones" is my favorite treasure of hers.

Exceptionally-intriguing fantasy novels by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, who's won all kinds of writing awards--Bram Stoker, World Fantasy. The Thread that Binds the Bones and The Silent Strength of Stones deal with an extended family of magic-users, and all the moral/social/familial dilemmas in which they find themselves, in relationships within the family and with outsiders. The magic is believable, all tied up with dead ancestors and unseeable spirits and ancient family history, and it varies from person to person, family to family, generation to generation, like any other inherited trait (instead of "Oh, she's got her grandmother's blue eyes!" it becomes "Oh, she's got her grandmother's second sight!"). Thread deals with the arrival of an outsider, unrelated to the Family in any way, whose inate powers are different from, and stronger in some ways, than those of the Family, and who falls in love all in an instant with a semi-despised daughter of the Family, and between the two of them, the slow steady decline into evil behavior begins to reverse. Stones deals with a long-lost unknown cousin of the Family, living on his own, unaware of his potential, who meets up with some of his relatives and comes of age.

They're good, really really good. Eerie, resonant, by-the-pricking-of-my-thumbs stuff...

This was a really great book. It sucks you in and is very hard to put down. Its just enough fantasy and magic for me. An ordinary guy in an ordinary life, and he turns out to be not so ordinary after all. I don't like the whole unicorn and dragon adventure quest type fantasy that is everywhere, and have a hard time finding ones I think I'll like. This was one of them..very different type of fantasy. I wish I knew a category to call it. I don't know what it is about her books, but I just can't get enough, I wish 'Thread that Binds..' wasn't so hard to find. I read the Red Heart of Memories, and then I was immediately hooked on her writing.

What else can I say? This writer wraps you up in a world so believable, so tangible that you forget everything else. She makes you laugh and cry and sigh, sometimes all in a single sentence. I have never read anything by Nina that has failed to please and this is yet another winner. This is dark fantasy that chills. She and Joss Whedon should collaborate sometime!

I had hoped for more from this book. This is what I found: incoherent politics, sometimes amusing anecdotes about growing up in a dumpster-diving family, & a dearth of practical information. Much of it is written as if it were intended to convince people who are dubious about dumpster diving that it is not as seedy or foul as it's thought to be. I think it misses its mark here, since it's likely that anyone who might consider reading this book is already more open-minded in this regard.

But not to be entirely critical, there is some merit to the book. There *is* practical advice here. Some of the philosophizing catches fire. Many of the anecdotes are rewarding, both as useful examples for your own diving & in their own right as well. But having said this, even the positive aspects are limited. For example, a lot of the practical advice is quite basic, things that a reasonably competent person could be expected to figure out on his or her own.

The good stuff could have been extracted & put into a fifteen page pamphlet & been well worth two or three dollars. As it is, it's not worth the money or the time it takes to ferret it out of all the dross, unless you have more than enough of both to spare.

This book is all about looking through others people's garbage cans, and finding something useful, valuable, or sellable. A LOT of good tips, especially the part about dealing with good-for-nothing rent a cops or other nosy jokers looking to make you feel guilty about being gainfully employed in salvage. Includes tips on how to minimize such confrontations and shakedowns.
The author of this book emphasizes that most people, rather than finding a way to recycle, just put their burdens in the Garbage can; perfectly good and useable stuff: jewelry, watches, money, coin collections, antique toys, reloading supplies, firearms, even brand new goods still in the original box- UNOPENED!
Carry some soap and water and clean up after a dumpster episode. not hard, maybe potentially lucrative to look. Just watch out for body parts...(some people never find them; I seem to find lots).

Hi. I'm Ace Backwords and I did the comics for the "DUMPSTER" book, so of course I think the book was great. If you liked that one you might also like my new book, "SURVIVING ON THE STREETS: How To Go Down WIthout Going Out" (Loompanics). It takes some of the basic self-sufficiency concepts of the "DUMPSTER" book and applies them to living on the streets in general. Check out the www.amazon.com site for more details. Naturally. And buy a copy of "THE ART AND SCIENCE OF DUMPSTER DIVING" while you're at it!

This book lays it out all very clear for those who have never even SEEN a dumpster. I go dumpster diving so none of the information was really all that new to me, save for the info he gives on food (especially bloated & dented cans). I really enjoyed reading his childhood stories & diving experiences. I paid roughly $15 for the book after shipping costs over Amazon. I had a gift certificate so for me it wasn't that big of a deal. For people who are really tight on money, it would probably be better for you to just go out and DIVE! If you lack commonsense & any safety precautions at all, than the $15 could definitely prevent any injuries. I loved this book and was considering ordering the sequel, but the reviews I've read on it have not been very positive. Like many have said, there is a lot of things you must look past - profanity, disrespect, etc. All in all I think it's a good book.

I have been diving for about 16 years and I love to do it! I found John's book at Tower Records in Fresno, CA about six years ago. It was perfect! Most of what John said in his book I was already doing. The best excuse I have used is "I'm looking for boxes, I'm moving." And to keep a box or two in your car just to make it look good. I have gone as far as getting gate codes to gated communities. Working as a pizza delivery man helps. With this book and my own experience I have made an easy money and I have had so much fun doing it too. Pick up a book today and I promise you will be amazed!

This is a fine mystery. First off, we have a body on page 18. Die-hard mystery lovers notice this. Christie could open with a body, but modern writers often don't introduce the victim until half way through the book.
Nick, the protagonist, is upset about the death of a former student and from time to time, asks questions, talks to people who might know something. Stefen, his pardner, advices leaving it to the police. In between, we have fun peeking into the lives of these academic types. They cook gourmet meals together, drink exotic and expensive wines and whiskies, listen to classical music, watch old movies and ogle the yard boy working in the neighbor's yard. That handsome yard boy, who is student of the professor whose yard he's mowing, soon insulates himself into Nick's life, maneuvering to be his teaching assistant and flattering him. Stefen seems jealous. There are women associates storming around and behaving erratically. There are no nice women in this mystery, with the exception of a cameo by Stefan's step-mother, Minnie, a sweet Jewish mama type who handles her husband well, by ignoring him. So, anyway, the reader gets interested in what they are doing about the death of the student and how they are relating to each other and their associates and soon you're caught up in the whole thing and can't put it down, until the neat ending when everyone gets what they deserve - maybe.

I was reluctant to read DEATH OF A CONSTANT LOVER. I had read the first two Nick Hoffman mysteries, LET'S GET
CRIMINAL and THE EDITH WHARTON MURDERS, and had come away from both with a bittersweet taste in my mouth.
While each was generally well written and entertaining enough, they each suffered from the same set of irritating flaws, not the
least of which was a narrator dog-determined to show off his own erudition at every turn.

But I am glad I read CONSTANT LOVER. In fact I find it the superior entry of the series so far (I've got two more to go
before I can set a final tally). Yes, Nick/Raphael still shows off every chance he gets (why, he can quote Henry James verbatim,
years after reading him - can you?), but he leavens the pretension with references to pop culture. And there are plenty of other
compensations here as well. The characterizations, while veering towards exaggeration (I'm talking about supporting characters
now), are uniformly good, even compelling. The mystery is genuinely interesting, exciting, and tension-racked. And the little
scenes of lovers Nick and Stefan at home are fun to read (I especially love their dinners, composed of exotic, delicious
sounding meals). But most of all I love Hoffman's barbs at the present state of academia - the backstabbing, the boredom, the
pretension. For Hoffman, academia is a world where the professors hate books, hate their students, and hate each other and
are there not out of love of learning or teaching but to fortify their own lofty positions in the Ivory Tower. And the
administrators are even bigger cads. As a university teacher I can truthfully verify that, yes, for the sake of fiction, Nick/Raphael exaggerates some but not by much.

Although the reviews for LITTLE MISS EVIL and BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE are mixed, I am looking forward to
what Nick Hoffman gets himself into next.

In addition to crafting an intricate plot (I didn't know "whodunit"), Lev Raphael's third Nick Hoffman novel delivers entertaining insights into the making, canonizing, selling, and teaching of literature and micro- and macropolitics in and around a multiversity. He also provides interesting examples of building and sustaining gay and Jewish identities. Reading Raphael will probably lead to reading or rereading several novels by Edith Wharton, who was Raphael's research specialization, and is also Nick Hoffman's -- at what is turning into the State University of Murder around him in English/American Studies/ Rhetoric amalgamated department at SUM.

Delightfully witty with just enough of a mystery edge to make even the most ardent mystery novel officiando interested in the plot twists, Lev Raphael has woven yet another skillful installment in the life (and deaths) of Nick Hoffman. Raphael's depiction of American academia is, perhaps painfully, right on the money. He captures not only the politics of American higher education, but also some of its more colorful characters. Yes, the plot's good: all of his novels thus far have exhibited the nice twists and turns one expects--wants--from a murder mystery novel. However, Raphael goes beyond that and peoples his novels with wonderful characters who bring life and wit to the novel. His are not plodding sleuth sagas. Raphael blends mystery plot with style, satire, and character development (hey, when was the last time you read a murder mystery series in which the main character developed over time?). As a writer, Raphael has a keen ear for dialog and a keen eye for description. A must read for readers of any genre!

If you can't go home again, you can always return for a visit or two. Self-described recovering academic Lev Raphael left university teaching for a full-time writing career. In between producing more literary works -- a novel, a collection of short stories and an analysis of Edith Wharton's fiction -- he's also written three witty mysteries skewing the academic world he left.

His comic alter ego, Nick Hoffman, came to the State University of Michigan to teach classes in the English, American Studies and Rhetoric Department and to be with Stefan, his partner. He also wants to make tenure. But his sharp tongue, lack of allies and preference for teaching over research hurts his chances enough if it weren't for all the bodies he keeps discovering.

By the time Raphael's third book opens, Hoffman's career is foundering and sinking fast. His involvement as amateur detective has brought unfavorable publicity to the university, and his chances darken further by simply being within eyeshot of a murder -- this time of a young man killed during a melee between a campus preacher and a group of students.

"The Death of a Constant Lover" -- the title is a reference to 19th-century English novelist Benjamin Constant --is more a novel of university life and politics than a murder mystery. The investigation moves in fits and starts as Hoffman finds himself also dealing with other problems: death threats are being sent to his office mate, a woman hired to fulfill SUM's diversity quota, and the effect on his relationship with Stefan when he is dropped by his publisher.

Raphael's third book is slightly darker than his first two. Hoffman's joie de vive is dampened by the violence around him, making "Death of a Constant Lover" not so much a darker book -- we're not talking about James Ellroy here -- but simply not as bright and vivacious than the first two books. That's not a criticism so much as an observation that Raphael has put his finger on a key problem with the detecting genre. Death is serious business, and cracking jokes like Noel Coward around the body doesn't ring true. And yet, some sense of humor is needed to keep one from turning Gothic. Homicide detectives and crime reporters tend to develop a callous form that can be shocking to those who The tradeoff here is that Raphael has a sure grasp of his leading characters, and "Constant Lover" is a deeper and more thoughtful mystery that approaches the depth of P.D. James or Martha Grimes.

This is a neat little book. It explains not only the major
rituals and holidays in Judaism, but also WHY these holidays
and rituals occur. It also explains what has happened to
these rituals and holidays through the centuries. For instance,
there is a Biblical prohibition against shaving....yet all but
the very, very, very, very Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men DO shave.
The reason for this is that "shaving" has become synomous with
using a RAZOR. When electric shavers came along, many Jewish
men, wanting to appear less conspicuous in their lives,
decided they COULD shave....with electric razors! As the
author says, "the prohibition against shaving has virtually been
re-interpreted out of existance."

I heartily recommend this book -- for Jewish people who want
to know more about their heritage, for open-minded non-Jews who are curious about what Judaism really is, and for anti-Semites, (yes!)
....because, between the covers of this book, they will learn
the gentleness and wisdom which comprise REAL Judaism. (A
reader may not agree with everything in this book..but he or
she will certainly come away with more Respect for Judaism as
a religion!)

The one misnomer in this book is it's TITLE. It would be far
more accurate for this book to be named: "What is Judaism"?
To ask,"What is A Jew?", both "super-semites" and "anti-semites"
have wrong answers. "Super-Semites", (or, as I sometimes call them, "Professional Jews" -- because Judaism seems to be all they want
to "profess"!), seem to think Jews are almost another species....and
a better one, than other people. "Anti-Semites" think the same...
only they, of course, think Jews are far, far worse than other
people. (It is one thing to love your religion, and your ancestry, and find comfort and joy in them. It is quite another to feel superiour, in any way, because of that religion and/or ancestry! This for anyone, in my opinion, Gentile or Jew!) Indeed, both of these views, in my own opinion, and that of my Rabbi, when I was growing up....are totally, completely
wrong. "Jews are no better, and no worse, than anyone else. One God created everyone. This is to show that everyone is equal before the eyes of God",
So said my Rabbi. And my parents. And I agree.

"What is a Jew"? The answer is obvious. A Jew is A Human Being!

This book is written in a unique, FAQ format: ask a question, get an answer. Questions like: do Jews believe in life after death, do Jews believe that Judaism is the only religion, etc. Therefore, it's EXTREMELY easy to find the answer you're looking for; simply find your question in the list and jump to that page. That said, the answers are very to the point and don't go into very much depth. If you're looking for an in-depth understanding of Judaism, get Kushner's "To Life!". However, if you're looking for a quick reference or just a quick overview of Jews, this is a great book (especially for the price).

This is undoubtedly the best general intro to Judaism that I have come across. One important advantage of this book is that it covers in detail the views of all three branches of Judaism...Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. Another popular book on Judaism, Joseph Telushkin's Jewish Literacy is written strictly from an Orthodox perspective and therefore gives a much more limited, unyielding view of the Jewish faith than is really representative based on the overall population Since around 85% of Jews (according to a recent survey) consider themselves Conservative or Reform, it's very important to get the full views of the different branches before jumping in with Orthodox statements about homosexuality, the ordination of women, or other topics as if these views are shared by all Jews.

This book is organized in an easy question and anwer format and gives enough information without getting bogged down in too much detail on any one topic. This is the fourth revision since it's original publication in 1953 and reflects recent scholary research and re-appraisals.

As I read this book it helped me better understand my boyfriend's religion and beliefs. I do reconmend this book to anyone who wants to know about the jewish religion. Now when i am about my boyfreind's family and they talk about their relgion or certin holidays I was able to join in instead of looking like a fool not knowing. The book is very detailed and answers pretty much all questions about the religion that most peolpe ask.

Like another reviewer, I too use this book as part of an undergraduate course on Modern and Contemporary Judaism, which I teach primarily for military personnel as part of their distance education undergraduate degrees. I include a few other books in the syllabus, but this book is often one of the ones most frequently cited as helpful due to its question-and-answer format. When I was studying for a Jewish Studies certificate at Indiana University some time ago (nearing a quarter of a century ago), an earlier version of this book was one of my regular references for a quick and informative answer to questions as they arose. The more recent edition, revised carefully and thoroughly by Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, preserves the style and utility of Rabbi Morris Kertzer's base text while adding material both for extension of questions and updating of information.

The book is broken into nine major sections, each one presenting within a series of questions. The first section looks at the different kinds of Judaism - Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, etc., and some other issues that come up with regard to basic identity - what is a Zionist? How does the Jewish community relate to the wider community?

The next few sections look specifically at religious questions, in terms of Bible and history, ritual and practice, and basic belief structures. Rabbis Kertzer and Hoffman address the differences in beliefs and practices largely for a Christian readership or for the Jewish person raised in a predominantly Christian culture.

Other sections include ideas of home and homeland, calendar issues (what is Chanukah and why does it fall at different times of year? etc.), and Jewish views on various issues in shared society such as divorce, children, and other topics.

The book also includes a useful glossary. `Like members of any culture, Jews describe what matters to them using a specialized vocabulary.' Throughout the book, specialised words are provided with pronunciation keys (although there are a few sounds in Hebrew that are difficult to transliterate into English). In addition to the glossary, there is a very handy index, so that if the particular question needing to be answered cannot be found easily in the table of contents, the topic should be able to be found in the index.

This book is very useful for anyone who is looking for basic answers and insights into Judaism in its different aspects.

Enjoyed the entire trilogy, and liked how it finished.
As much as I wanted to find out whether Sebastian, Justin and Julianna shared the same parents, it was lovely that Justin chose not to.
Would have liked to have seen more of an interaction between mother and children/grandchildren after the 20+ years apart, but guess Daphne just wasn't a motherly type.
This was the fourth SJ book I've read, and I will certainly be reading more of her publications. Took me 4 days to read all 4 books (this trilogy plus One Moonlit Night), found it hard to put any of them down.

Younger sister Julianna gets her own story in the last installment of the Sterling siblings series after Sebastian and Justin's stories, Perfect Bride and Perfect Groom. Four years ago, Julianna was left at the altar and vowed never to trust a man and never to marry. On her way to her home in Bath, Julianna's coach is overtaken by the notorious highwayman the Magpie and when Julianna is injured in the coach's crash, the Magpie takes her to his cabin to recover. When the tables get turned and Julianna shoots and almost kills him, she finds she cannot leave him alone and decides to stay and tend his wound. The Magpie is actually Viscount Dane Gransville who is a spy for the crown. He is posing as a highwayman trying to catch a master counterfitter. Off guard by his attraction to the lovely Julia, she shoots him but when she stays to take care of him his heart is completely lost. When the Magpie lets Julianna go and returns her home, she spends the following weeks pining for a love that she's lost, when a chance encounter leads her to her love's true identity what will happen?

This was definitely the best of the series and I loved Julianna's strong character and Dane's personality. Good book.

This was a dud.
Personally, I don't think that I would be caught dead with anyone called "the Magpie". It makes me think of annoying squawks that they make and road kill. And a man that would call himself that, no matter what his intent may be, is a huge dork in my eyes.
Also, this chick has got some serious issues. And I don't want to read about them. She feels sorry for herself the entire book and Dane takes pity on her. What self-respecting woman wants a man to have her because he is pitying her? Geez!
Sorry, just not a great read.

This is definitely one of Samantha James' better books, in my opinion. Both characters felt "real" and made me believe they were in love with one another deeply. Both had great senses of humor too, which is always a plus. This book had everything you need to create a good romance: a dashing hero, a beautiful heroine and, most of all...PASSION! This book is sharp and fast-moving. Filled with Lovable characters, exciting and not too heavy action-mystery twists. Lots of laugh out-loud, I-can't-believe-they-did-that scenes and oh so plenty of heart warming moments. The reader will feel the despair, the heartbreak, passion and the joy of Dane and Julianna in this very excellent character driven romance. I found the characters to be multi-dimensional and the author weaves a mystery into the story without slowing it down or interrupting the romantic flow. The plot and characters seemed fresh, the pace was quick, and it was a totally engrossing read. Full of enjoyable supporting characters and stories. I love this book.

Although the first book in this trilogy was my favorite, that doesn't knock this book out of the running for awesome read. I really enjoyed every bit of this book. I thought it was so cute and sweet( and okay a little sappy)the way he called her "kitten" throughout the book. It showed he had affection for her from the beginning of their relationship. Of course anyone who lets you SHOOT you and not be the slightest bit angry with you must have some affection for you. I can't think of one thing that bothered me about this book and i wouldn't hesitate to say so if there was. It was fast paced and kept my attention from start to finish. I'm a little sad to be done with the Sterling family, but i thought it was a wonderful end to the trilogy.

The witty and literate Lev Raphael always seems to break the old Yiddish proviso: "You shouldn't 'mix in!' " Anyone who has been to college, on either side of the lecture podium, will remember the ambience and hierarchy so archly portrayed in his Nick Hoffman Mystery series, and will empathize with the intellectual curiosity of the "inquiring mind."
Tropic of Murder enmeshes the familiar characters of Michiganapolis in more Academic power plays [presaging some astonishing cognates in current political maneuvers!], that send our heroes to a tropical Isle in search of peace and lethargy. A kind of Club "Med-ri-cide" interrupts, so Nick and Stefan do indeed "mix in," providing us with another rapid-fire romp. Save yourself a ticket to Bahama; curl up with this Crima-Colada treat.

There's nobody out there who writes academic satire as pointed as Lev Raphael, and this book carries the bizarre doings at State University of Michigan to new heights and new lows.

Raphael's characters aren't caricatures, though, and that's because of the book's emotional depth and the fine writing.
His plots poke fun at the mystery genre while being smart and well-wrought, and puzzling out the solution is as much fun as being entertained by the witty narration.

I loved seeing Nick and Stefan in a different setting for part of the book, and hope that Raphael will occasionally send his sleuths further afield, while anchoring them at the academic snake pit his fans have come to know and love--at least love reading about.

This was my first Lev Raphael book and one of the few books I've read in the murder-mystery genre. Now that I've read it, I plan to read the rest of the Nick Hoffman series -- and perhaps his other books as well.

What impressed me most about "Tropic of Murder" was the intelligence and wisdom displayed by the main character, Nick, and his partner Stefan. Fictional "private eyes" seem often to be paranoid loners or gritty malcontents. But Nick is in a long-term, committed relationship, and he and Stefan clearly care about each other.

Though (like any couple) they have their problems, Nick and Stefan maintain a quiet dignity in the face of racism, academic infighting, homophobia, and, of course, murder. Theirs is not a wisdom that was "learned on the streets by staring down the barrel of a gun", etc. Instead, they are well-read, sensitive, self-aware, and relatively sane and happy, especially compared to many of the damaged souls they encounter. These are just the sort of people you'd want to be around when on vacation - or when investigating a murder.

I also liked, for the most part, the author's use of literary and pop-culture references to describe situations. I'm a "reference buff" myself, and I think it worked very well in many places. (Were I to nit-pick, I'd say he used it a bit too often -- but it certainly did not detract.)

Strongly recommended.

The academic world at the State University of Michigan is going out of control. As one crisis after another occurs English professor Nick Hoffman and his partner, Stefan, decide it's time to get out of there for a little break. A week at a Caribbean Club Med sounds like just the thing. But the island of Serenity is anything but serene as they find themselves face to face with murder.

Lev Raphael has written a wonderfully amusing, literary mystery full of the craziness of academic politics. The writing is a delight to read, the plot will keep you guessing and the characters come to life. A fun read that will make you want to read the rest in the series if you haven't already.

Nick and partner Stefan Borowski head for a Caribbean Club Med to escape academic departmental politics. But, of course, it follows them there, and then there is a murder. Nick, who is a PI manqué, naturally must investigate, especially as he and Stefan find the body and it appears that someone is trying to implicate him.

Not one of Raphael's best. Too many of the characters are one-dimensional, with no clear motivations for their behavior. Plotlines appear and disappear with no resolution. The solution to the mystery comes out of left field, as the murderer, for no apparent reason, decides to divulge all to Nick and then flee. Even WITH a confession, there's no satisfactory motivation for the murder.

And, Lev? While you may not care for Michael Cunningham's work, too much sniping at him in your book looks like professional jealousy. Tone it down.

Excellent book. Supplies detailed medical information and also prepares you for what you may feel emotionally at different stages.

This book sent my husband and me into a state of panic. The author would have you believe that a diagnosis of fibroids is something that alters the course of the rest of your life, and that every diagnostic test and therapeutic procedure is incredibly painful and invasive. That may be the case for some women, but not for all. We turned to this book after I was diagnosed with fibroids and, rather than giving us the information we needed to make educated decisions, it made us fearful of each step in the process. As it turned out, my fibroid (singular, something the book would have you believe never occurs)was removed surgically and I was back to work within 3 weeks, and my life has gone on quite happily. For women who don't know what to do when diagnosed with fibroids, I would recommend getting information from your doctor -- not this book!

I finally found this book! This author was a fibroid victim and it makes a big difference because a book published by a doctor is hard to understand and the reports they write are in medical languages. Questions that I've asked myself many months ago, were answered by the author. It is easy to read and understand. This book is a real eye-opener for me, especially when I am going through this the 3rd time. You don't know how much of a relieve it was when I found this book. Unfortunately our bookstore in Chicago do not have alot of books relating to fibroids or such. To end this review, definitely worth buying and is a good source of reference.

This book was one of the most helpful I've found in my years of dealing with my fibroids. Johanna Skilling also wrote a similar book in the First Year series, also excellent. I found the information was well-researched, based on my own years of scouring the internet and libraries for clues to this under-researched health issue. While fibroids aren't a huge problem for some women, for others their lives ARE permanently altered. This book presents the best information available to date, in a manner that is easily accessible to the lay person. I especially like that the author has herself gone through the process of choosing the best treatment option for her own case of fibroids. I came to the same conclusion that she did, and chose the same option for treatment. It was helpful to read someone else's decision-making process.

This is a great book to calm you down when you first get the scary news. It explains it all very well. Then pick up Allan Warshowsky's (I think that's how it's spelled)"Guide to a Natural Cure." Both are excellent. My symptoms are going away and the last time I saw my doctor she said they had not grown any more.

Explains the bewildering array of symptoms that can accompany MVP, which the book explains as an indicator of "an underlying instability of the autonomic nervous system." According to this book, people with MVP may experience anxiety, panic attacks, hyperventillation, phantom chest pain, difficulty concentrating, migraine headaches, and other seemilngly unrelated symptoms. I have given copies of this book to several people with MVP, and they all found it to be a helpful eye-opener! This concise book is easy to read and understand, and easily affordable to give to others.

Not knowing enough about this symptom, Miltral Valve Prolapse, this book was educational as well as thorough. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has been diagnosed with this symptom. I feel much more informed about this symptom, what other body symptoms may be related to Mitral Valve Prolape and also what natural ways we maintain this symptom, without taking prescription drugs which most doctors would prescribe right away.

I was desperate for a natural solution to get off the horrible drugs that doctors prescribe these days. I took his words to heart, so to speak, followed his advice, especially concerning food supplements. I am seeing a difference in only a couple of weeks. The one thing I have added is GABA, an amino acid, to help me sleep.

The book was very very thin, I thought it would have been a book with more information in it, seemed almost like an informational packet you would receive at a doctors office.

My wife suffered from mitral valve prolapse for several years until we discovered the many healing benefits of appropriate nutrient supplementation. Now that we take chelated magnesium and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) daily for heart health, her MVP symptoms have disappeared. Anyone wishing verification of the role of magnesium in mitigating the symptoms of mitral valve prolapse can find it discussed in Dr. Carolyn Dean's excellent book The Miracle of Magnesium. Another excellent book which also discusses the role of supplemental magnesium in relieving MVP is The Magnesium Factor by Dr. Mildred Seelig. Both of these books are available from Amazon at quite reasonable prices.