S Books

This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to understand the U.S. Constitution, but especially for high school and college graduates who know they want to go into law as a vocation. My grandson, who just graduated from high school, was really pleased that I gave it to him, since he's planning to study Constitutional Law.

I have a friend whose son is adamant that the Federal Income Tax is illegal(16th Amendment)...so I purchased this book...looked up the 16th amendment...and sure enough it is VERY LEGAL...only kooks try to avoid paying it...well I copied the pertinant pages from this book and gave them to her so that she could pass them on to her law-breaking son...If you really want to know what the LAW OF THE LAND is ...then read this book...read it multiple times and please read it to your children...so that they understand our Constitution.

With each clause of the Constitution placed in historical context and reviewed in light of recent Supreme Court precedents, this academic tome brings together the brightest young and old minds in conservative and libertarian legal thought, including Eugene Volokh, Nelson Lund, Claire Priest, and countless others. Indispensible guide to anyone interested in an original meaning view of the Constitution. Not a better guide out there for originalist scholarly thought.

Every American Citizen should read this book. Understanding the relationship between citizenship and the rules by which the people authorize governance are very well described. With the press for democracy in the world, we tend to forget that the United States is not a democracy but a republic. Likewise, compliance with the Constitution prevents the establishment of an aristocracy. With the current arrogance of elected officials, we as a people have an obligation to become better informed on the roots of our sovereign law (which comes from the people) and what should be enforced; and that enforcement comes from our knowledge of the Constitution! The Heritage Foundation has done a superb service for all Americans in preparing this guide!

Edwin Meese was head of the editorial board for this guide, which is put out by the Heritage Foundation. That might suggest to some people that there's a conservative slant to the guide, but those people would be wrong. The Heritage Guide was first brought to my attention by a very liberal aquaintance who praised it to the skies, and then by a very conservative colleague who likewise praised it highly. They both had good reasons to praise it.

The Guide takes you through the entire text of the Constitution, line by line, article by article, starting with a three-page discussion of the preamble. It's written by around 100 contributors, all of them well-regarded experts in law and political science. Their discussion of even contentious topics (e.g., Amendment II or privacy rights) is dispassionate and clear, laying out for the reader the history and the case law behind contemporary constitutional issues and avoiding value judgements. The contributors write without legal jargon and with admirable directness, making the Guide accessible (not just accessible, but even enjoyably readable) to anyone with a good highschool education. The sophistication of their discussion, though, makes it suitable also for university students at all levels and for anyone who has any interest at all in the U.S. Constitution. No matter what your position is on presidential war powers or gun control, you come away from this guide with a clear and concise understanding of how the legal debate got where it is now. Each article in the Guide is followed by cross references to other passages in the Constitution, suggestions for further research, and a list of significant cases touching on the particular Article and Section of the Constitution discussed. Thus the Guide isn't just good reading on its own, but an excellent tool and springboard for further research on any constitutional topic.

This book should be required reading for university undergraduates, and for at least those few who will fall under my power next year, it will be. I intend to use this book in my classes on "Law and Literature" and "Law and Economics" as required supplementary reading. It will help clarify class discussions that revolve around constitutional issues, improve student papers, and make my students better informed citizens of the United States. That last one is the real payoff for everyone. I recommend this book far beyond the mere number of stars by which Amazon allows me to rate it.

"We are a band." Soren makes this statement many times throughout the book. He is telling his friends, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger, that they are a family and always need to stick together.

This book is about four little owls. They are trying to find The Great Ga'Hoole Tree. They are hoping to find Soren's family there. I felt really bad for the little owlets because they are orphans. They are trying to survive out in the wild on their own. At least they know how to fly, hunt, and fight.

They don't end up finding Soren's family at The Great Ga'Hoole Tree. The four owls, and Soren's old nest made Mrs Plithiver, end up living there. They each go into trainings and got picked for a job. I felt really bad for Soren because he didn't get what he wanted and everyone else did.

Near the end of the book, Twilight and Digger had the job to rescue owls and put them back into there nests. Well, there were no hollows around, so they brought them to The Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Digger was on the ground and saw an owl. It was Eglantine, Soren's baby sister. This was such a happy moment in the book. I am so glad that they found her. I was really sad though to find out she is sick. Soren stayed with her day and night. The real question I had after they found Eglantine was, "Where is the rest of Soren's family?"

The book The Journey is a very well put together book. I would recomend this book to anyone who loves books about animals and adventure. This would be a good book for teenagers, adults, and even younger kids. This series also leaves you hanging for the next book. I can't wait to read them.

Cameron Sparks


IS THIS A GREAT BOOK?
"A wise old owl sat on an oak; the more he saw the less he spoke; the less he spoke the more he heard; the more he heard the more knowledge he gained; why aren't we like that wise old bird?" ~ Old English Proverb.
The Journey is one of the best books in Kathryn Lasky's Guardians of Ga'Hoole series of twelve books. This book which is a fantasy fiction is about four young owls Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger who recently escaped from St. Aggies Academy, which is a school that mistreated them. The owls go in search of the Great Ga'Hoole tree where a group of dignified owls live. The dignified owls are considered the guardian of Great Ga'Hoole Tree. It is rumored that they live in the tree; however, most owls in the kingdom do not believe that the dignified owls or the tree exist. According to legend, the four owls have heard that the dignified owls have done great things to help other owls. They believe that the dignified owls can help rescue others from St. Aggies Academy. After a long journey to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, the four owls experience even more adventure.
The Journey to me is a really good book, and I think that this would be an excellent book for grade school and middle school students to read because of the following reasons: First, it describes the events in the story very realistically. Second, it shows good characterization of the owls and other characters that are introduced throughout the book. Third, it surprises you with events you were not expecting. For Instance, when Digger and Twilight were on a search rescue mission to bring back some injured baby owls and they stumbled upon Soren's sister who was badly hurt.
This book was a definite page turner because each chapter made me want to find out what's going to happen in the next chapter. The plot was exciting and adventurous. Even though the characters were owls, I related to them as if they were human beings experiencing the same difficulties that human beings face. I definitely connected to what they went through during their journey; especially Soren because he had a sister that he cared a lot about, like I care about my sister. The biggest surprise in the story that kept me reading was when they rescued Soren's sister. I recommend this book to kids between the ages of 10 through 13. Overall, The Journey is an amazing book and a must read!

After leaving St. Aggie's with his friend Gylfie, Soren, Ms. P., Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger leave to go find the great Ga'Hoole tree. The tree is full of magical owls who perform great deeds at night. While on the journey to this wonderful tree, the "band" stops at many different places. First, the band stops by the Mirror Lakes. This scene is summer all year long. To owls, this place is a paradise! After leaving the Mirror lakes, the four owls completly miss the great tree and run into a little home called the Narrows. Here, a group of puffins survive using certian skills to hunt and nest. After having the puffins look after them, the gang sets off once agian to find the glorious tree.
Once they reach the tree, the four owls are greeted by the king and queen of the tree: Barran and Baron. These two help find a home in the tree for each owl and show them how the tree works or operates. The next night, Soren and the band find out that they will be placed in different chaws or classes in the tree to learn certian skills. Soren is unhappy with the idea of the band being broke so he talks with the teachers of the tree to see if somehow the band could be placed in the same chaw so they could be together. The king and queen talk Soren into spitting up the band for a better cause.
Later that month, Soren's long-lost sister,Eglantine, is found. Unfortunatly, his sister is under a certian spell that almost sounds like moonblinked(when owls go crazy because they sleep at night). Luckly, the owl singer and harp player was able to brake the curse with her songs and harmonising. Now that Eglantine is cured, Soren is releived for the moment.
Suddenly, an urgent message indictates that Ezylryb, Sorens teacher of his chaw and loving, caring, mentor is missing! On a exciting search and rescue mission, Ezylryb is lost and can't be found! Will Ezylryb be found? Will Soren and Eglantine ever find their family? The story contineus in the next book of the series.

Book two had an interesting beginning but it explained a little too much of the first book. My favorite part was when Soren got picked to be a collier (who carries coals). This also required him to know the weather. I liked when Eglantine got shaken out of a trance with music.

This series has taught me a lot about owls and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.

On their journey to the Great Ga' Hoole tree Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, Digger, and Mrs.Plithiverget moobed by crows. During the mobbing Digger gets his wing badly hurt. Mrs. Plithiver fixes up Digger's wing. The four owls and Mrs.Plithiver start back on their journey to the Great Ga'Hoole tree. While on the sea of Ga'Hoole they get blown off course to the ice narrows. When they finally get to the Geat Ga'Hoole tree they learn about navigation weather and much more. Soren along with the weather and cothering chaws go to a foresrt fir to collect coals for the Great Ga'Hoole tree. When Soren gets back he finds out that Digger, Twilight, and Gylfie are out rescuing owl chicks.

This book is an easy read (2 to 3 hours) with deep insights about following your passion. The information is depicted like a story of a mentor and mentee.

Mr. Reid's message is very inspirational and it moved me to take action resulting in profound changes in my life. Mr. Reid "walks his talk" therefore the principals that he teaches automatically has an powerful impact to the reader in the most authentic way. A true masterpiece, pack full of solid teachings that will affect your life in an Incr-e-i-d-ible way!

This book is a quick and easy read that gets down to the basics of what it takes to be successful without the hype. Straight forward and fun to read, The Millionaire Mentor is a must for anyone who is looking for the foundation that all successful individuals have in common.

One of the Best books I have ever read! Teaching you the laws of success in a story format that hits home. A must read for anyone who wants to get to the next level of success.

Don Boyer
Creator of The Power of Mentorship series

I love the fact that the book is a combination of fiction and nonfiction, putting across a great message told as a story. To use a famous sales quote: "Facts tell, Stories sell", and the story in this book really makes sure that the message hits home.
If you love books like "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki and "The One Minute Millionaire" by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen, make sure you get a copy of this great book as well.

Night of the Living Dummy is a Goosebumps book by R.L Stine. It's a great book because it's kind of scary, because a girl named Lindy and her sister Kris were walking around the block and they swear they saw a kid hanging out of the dumpster. As Lindy walked closer she realized that it was a dummy. So when she got home she named the dummy Slappy. That night it came to life and started to cause trouble. I recommend this book third through fifth grade, because it would be too frightening. I give this book 5 starS because I like scary fiction stories.

This book isn't to bad. it was very enjoyable. It's a good book for kids 12 and over. I love R.L. Stiens's books whaen i was a kid. I still will read goosebumps when i can't find nothing else. This is probably the best kid's sereis books out there. Night Of The Living Dummy was pretty intense. It Is a good book.

Wow, this book was awsome really awsome toatally triple awsome! I thought this was better than Night of the living dummy 2! I wonder why it shows Slappy on the cover of the book but the main ventriloquist dummy is Mr. Wood which on the other hand isn't as cool and evil as Slappy. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!!

The books in the Goosebumps series regularly seem to take the vein of a morality tale (of a twisted sort) where one virtue, evil, personality flaw, or issue is taken up as the focus of the story, and Night of the Living Dummy is no exception. The order of the day here is competition...in this volume we meet twins Lindy and Kris Powell who are constantly competing, arguing, trying out do, out wit, and one-up one another. Their parents are frazzled and fed up with these beautiful twins who seem to frequently cross the line into cruelty and viciousness, and often behaving without sympathy toward one another and others.

As we join them, the twins are exploring the house across the way from theirs when Lindy discovers a ventriloquist dummy in the construction dumpster...even better he appears to be in excellent shape. To Kris' horror, Lindy keeps the dummy, which Kris initially distains as stupid, gross, and boring. Shortly after finding him, Lindy manages to gain some skill and when her act becomes popular with their classmates...popular enough to get her some gigs doing birthday parties with her act, Kris decides that she too MUST have a dummy. Her parents initially rebuke her, dummies are expensive and try to get the girls to share which outrages Lindy...she becomes quite cruel toward her sister calling her a copy cat and really wanting this one thing for herself.

When their father manages to conveniently stumble upon a second dummy in a second hand shop for a good price, it seems like the problem is solved...but Lindy is still angry at her sister for trying to steal her thunder and begins to pose the dummy so that it appears to be alive, frightening her sister terribly...when the secret is revealed, Kris is crushed...but shortly after the dummy DOES come to life and the twins are left without their parents support (they are just fed up with talk and whining about the dummies to hear a single thing more about them). Will the girls be able to stop Mr. Wood? Will he make them his slaves? You'll have to read to find out...what you get is always different than what you expect with these stories, and Night of the Living Dummy is no exception, it does have a signature "got ya" moment at the end.

Overall, Night of the Living Dummy is well written and the characters are simple but adequately written. The girls are sympathetic in some instances and not in others...there are times in the story when you think they are getting what they deserve for the way they behaved...but in the end, you want them to pull out of it and save themselves from Mr. Wood. At the very end, just when you think it's all going to be ok, boo...an abrupt shock at the end and the story is over, leaving the reader wondering how the girls will get out of their predicament...this one reeks of sequel, which I understand there are several of. I give it five stars, this is much better written than some of the other books I've read in the series and for taking something that's already kind of creepy (the dummy) and making it horrific several times over.

Lindy and her sister Kris discover an old dummy in a dumpster walking home one day. The dummy is in perfectly good shape and they can't understand why somebody threw the dummy away. Lindy decides to keep it so she names it Slappy. Lindy tries Slappy out on two of the kids her and Kris babysit. Slappy is an instant success. Kris becomes extremly jealous so Lindy decides to keep him. Lindy and Kris's dad buys Kris a dummy of her own which upsets Lindy causing her to play a mean practical joke on Kris. But soon after Kris gets her dummy, strange things start happening. No way it could be Mr. Wood (Kris' dummy) right?

I fell in love with the Mccaughey's right after the babies births. I still find them amazing. This book was excellent. I like the way it was written from both Bobbi and Kenny's points of view. I highly recommend it. :)

In the rush to see how many they could breed via one pregnancy, neither of the McCaughneys apparently gave much consideration to the serious long-term health problems of their miracles. This book is a continuation of the same circular logic that they subjected the world to during their odyssey.

As a person with a severe disability myself, I have little sympathy for people who intentionally go out of their way to place a pregnancy in circumstances that can give children a disability. Both Bobbi and Kenny were warned of the risk but apparently placed public relations dreams at a much higher priority than health and well-being.

Certainly, there is a degree of risk with every pregnancy from environmental factors, but to knowingly place children's health in danger because you have to have your own biological kids at all costs--irespective of who suffers---is selfish and emotionally immature.

There is nothing brave or heroic about increasing child suffering when there are numerous risk factors already in this world.

I have been a huge fan of them ever since I saw them on a magazine covor. I love this book because it shares feelings and hopes that at first they didn't want 7 babies but after time they couldn't bare to lose one! A must read! This is good for children to!

This book was great. I had a really hard time putting it down. I have three kids so I can relate to some of the things that was said.

This is the best book that I've read in a long time that expresses faith in an ordinary, loving person such as Bobbi. (I didn't mean that as an offense) She has done the right thing by glorifying God in the press and in the book. I commend her efforts, because our God is an awesome God, and if we believe and have faith, He will supply ALL our needs, and He has kept His promise to her and her husband. I know that being in the public isn't what she dreamed of, but in this way she Glorified God, and that was meant to be. :)
God Bless You and Your Family,
Sandra D.

Frank Miller doesn't pull many punches when he writes. I use the word raw to describe his writing because honestly, there is no more appropriate word if you ask me. His characters exist and breathe unapologizingly in the world of Basin City and That Yellow Bastard is way at the top of the best Sin City books for a reason. You have a hero that doesn't have an ounce of quit in him and who's pushed beyond what's even amorally admisible. Hardigan is the type of hero everyone says they would be in a situation such as that but quite frankly, I don't think there exists someone who is as unbreakable as Hardigan. Moral dilemmas don't exist when it comes to saving a kid from a rapist but it all gets way complicated when push comes to shove comes to murder. The beauty of Sin City is that even though it's noir fiction, you can't help but believe these characters, feel their pain, feel their anger and silently nod as some questionable decisions regarding what's right in this world are taken by a hero that shows that being a hero sometimes means not giving a damn and taking your hatred for one Yellow Bastard to the brink of sanity.

A mostly honest cop close to retirement saves a young girl, foiling the plots of some crooked colleagues and other powerful men. He takes the torture, deprivation and long prison sentence to protect her, revelling in the letters she writes him.

They stop, he is let out. Finding the girl, he realises he has been played, and knows there is only one way to stop the little yellow bastard and company.

Frank Miller's Sin City is paradise for noir fans, nothing can't happen in these graphic novels. "Walk down the right back alley in Sin City, and you can find anything." Book 4 of 7, That Yellow Bastard is a tale of bravery and sacrifice. It's my absolute favorite of all the Sin City books, Frank Miller's dark and extremely stylized way of telling this masterpiece is electrifying. The artwork is tip top, the writing is crisp and smooth, and the characterization is excellent. I hope you enjoy this amazing book!

A fan favorite due to the movie, John Hartigan is probably the most unusual character in the Sin City roster - an honest and honorable cop in a very corrupt and dishonest city. Not surprisingly, things do not go well for him. Betrayed by his partner and set up as the patsy for a heinous crime, he represent the epitome of honor as he quietly and passively accepts his fate in order to protect the innocent.

On the other side is Hartigan's polar opposite. The title character is probably the single most despicable character in the series who tortures little kids before killing them, uses family connections to get himself off while framing an innocent man. The great thing about this book is that it really presents the two extremes of humanity and puts them at crossing paths to each other.

The story has more sticking power than many of the others by Frank Miller. No doubt this is due to the ending, far more poignant than that of others. It is too bad that Miller did not continue with this story line in other volumes as there are enough loose ends here for a number of good stories. Perhaps, though, the ambiguity is part of the charm.

Frank Miller gave noir a new, gritty face with the "Sin City" series, and his favorite is reportedly "That Yellow Bastard." It's another story where a hardened man goes down a dark path, regardless of harm to himself -- and Miller's exceptional art and storytelling are in their prime here.

John Hartigan is mere hours from retiring when he finds that little Nancy Callahan has been kiidnapped by murderous pedophile Roark Jr., who also happens to be a senator's son. Hartigan disarms Roark Jr. (both as a killer and a rapist) but ends up in prison, abused and hated, where his only comfort is his weekly letter from little Nancy. She knows the truth, and loves him for what he did.

But eight years later, Hartigan finally gets himself paroled, since he's concerned about Nancy. She's now an exotic dancer being pursued by a hideous, yellow-skinned creature -- Roark Jr., reborn as a horrendous, unnatural creature. Now Hartigan will do anything -- including sacrifice himself -- to save Nancy from her disgusting attacker.

A knight-in-tarnished-armor theme runs through the "Sin City" series, with deeply flawed men seeking revenge or protection for women. It started off the series, and popped up in many others. That story is at its height in "That Yellow Bastard," which also contains what may be the noblest character in the whole series -- and he's a broken-down cop with angina.

Miller's black-and-white artwork is as striking as ever, especially for a series where everything is a shade of grey. There are lots of shadows and stark faces, as well as the typical violence of the series -- guys, you may end up cringing a lot in the castration scenes. Yet somehow the violence seems appropriate, no matter how horrible it is, since it's being aimed at the deformed rapist-murderer.

Hartigan may be the noblest character in the entire series. The entire story is about him trying to protect Nancy, even to the point of suffering eight years of prison and beatings without a word. He's the only honest cop in Sin City, and similarly, Nancy Callahan retains a sense of innocence despite her raunchy job.

"That Yellow Bastard" is a raw, dark noir comic that somehow manages to be poignant as well. It's a disturbing ride, but still worth taking.

Richard S. Levick and Larry Smith have delivered the definitive book, at least for now, on crisis communications and litigation PR. (Brief disclosure: I have met and chatted with both of them, but this review is, I hope, unaffected by any personal contacts.)

Levick and Smith don't hold back in describing some disastrous public relations gaffes by major companies, and they also give credit to corporations that understood how important the "court of public opinion" can be. These authors also know how to write: the book is free from marketing and PR jargon, and is easy and even fun to read. As a media relations professional and former reporter and editor, I have put this book on my desk next to my computer.

The authors also recognize the importance of blogs - both as tools that a company or law firm's opponents can use and as tools that are well suited to defense as well.

The recommended use of "message points," though hardly original with Levick and Smith, reaches a high plateau here. Their recommendations for pharmaceutical companies, antitrust defendants, even asbestos makers, are not merely plausible but convincing.

Sometimes a firm needs to stand tough and fight the battle in the media. Sometimes it needs to stand down. Levick and Smith help explain the difference.

This would be a five-star review except that the authors' constant use of brief stories -- in a different and jarring typeface -- as sidebars in the text is off-putting and even a bit amateurish. Sometimes, it's even hard to follow. The fact that they must put "continued" lines into their book ("See page 147") should have been a tip-off that the typography here is not ideal.

Still, this is a terrific book.

Don't buy this book for your PR department. Buy it for your attorneys.

Levick bridges the gap between the need for an organization to speak publicly during a crisis and its legal department's desire to keep the corporate yap locked tight. An attorney himself, Levick understands perception trumps fact, and that at crisis time the real battle won't happen in a court of law; it's already happening in the court of public opinion.

Filled with insights and strategies for short-circuiting a media assault from newspapers still in print to online bloggers, "Stop the Presses" is a must-read for those who think they know crisis communications.

Levick also explains the critical need for advance preparation, on-going media awareness and outside legal and communications counsel in a crisis, three steps lacking in too many organizations.

A clear winner.

Dennis Dean
The Dean Group

It's rare that a book can serve as an "insurance policy," but Stop The Presses comes as close as any I have read. Nobody relishes the idea of a crisis situation befalling them or their business--but crises do strike--and by definition, they are unexpected. If a company's management has read, or even browsed those neat little gray "So Don't Forget" boxes at the end of each chapter of Stop The Presses, it will have taken the first step on the road to preparedness.

Ricard Levick and Larry Smith make this sometimes frightening topic eminently readable, and fill the pages with useful, do's, don't and "don't forgets." Their experience is evident all through the book. No book is a substitute for the right advisers and advice, but this one covers many of the crises and legal/regulatory troubles with just enough explanation to start readers on the path to the right kind of actions.

As I stated at the start: it isn't quite an insurance policy, but for $30, it might just save your reputation or your company. And that's probably the best $30 you could spend. Buy it; read it; and hope you never need it. You'll sleep better at night.

After having devoured this book, I can highly recommend reading it.

It is easy to read and offers lots of very practical advice on how to master or even prevent crisis. Richard and Larry have apparently broad experience in helping troubled companies in times of difficulties; and they share their knowledge with a good portion of humor, many real world references and examples, and very helpful appendixes.

Their emphasis on "prevention" made it clear to me how important it is for nearly every company's "survival" to anticipate the potential for crisis and to set up early the required structures. I liked in particular the reminder - or wake up call for many of us - on how important it is to become part of the blog community.

This book should be bed side lecture for everybody who manages communication on behalf of any size and type of company, in particular outside counsel, members of legal and PR departments. It is a great 1x1 on crisis management but also offers lots of depth.

I immediately thought of British Airways' management who should have read this book before opening Heathrow's new terminal and entering into disaster. They would most probably be better off today!

Stop the Presses (2nd Ed.) is a reference book, but it can only be considered a primer for anyone needing to respond to crisis and litigation. I especially like appendix. Most readers will find them helpful.

This is a remarkable book. The author's knowledge, insight, analysis and synthesis are amazing. There's too much to praise about it, so I'll just mention one aspect: Amar makes a very compelling case that from the beginning slavery was a disease spreading infection in our society and political system (aided by the 3/5 clause), increasingly corrupting our character and institutions until a terribly bloody breaking point was reached. The evil was partially righted, then amorality returned, allowing a viciousness to fester until another crisis led to new progress. But it remains that slavery and its legacy constitute the central national failure, which we still haven't nearly corrected. Most of the book is quite positive, and slavery's not the principal focus, but Amar's treatment of it is both convincing and unforgettable.

For decades I've been wandering about with a mish mash of semi-contradictory ideas about the constitution. Mr. Amar has managed to correct, justify, and reframe most of them into a (_thoroughly_ documented) coherent whole.

Where the constitution is unclear, he quotes the debates and letters of the founders explaining what they meant. Where there is modern debate, he footnotes where to look for different viewpoints. Where there was debate during the writing of the constitution, he tells you who said what and why.

That would probably be enough to earn 5 stars, but he somehow managed to turn an erudite treatise on the history of one government into a page-turner. I don't know how, but there it is...

Wow, I learned more about the consitution then I ever could have imagined. I didn't have any idea about many of the themes and debates over the constitution and it's amendments. I'm a novice at political thinking, before the presidential campaign I could've care less about politics. Some of this is a bit over my head since I don't have a background in law or political history. However, Mr. Amar explains it well enough that most should understand. I can't recommend it enough for anyone interested in the constitution.

What an absolutely fantastic reference! Much of this book's praise has been sung by previous reviewers, but I'd like to add that I especially appreciate Amar's powerful paradoxes and equally profound "what-ifs." Buy the man's book so he blesses all of our futures with even more jewels of his erudition.

Although there are some tedious places, the book has a number of very valuable and interesting insights - especially the topics of the Second Amendment, the Eleventh Amendment, and the "privileges and immunities" clause stood out for me. He does a good job interweaving historical context and the text of the document. There are some unexpected emphases and omissions:for example, it emphasizes slavery more often and more heavily than I expected for an issue that was resolved 140 years ago, and there was a little less on the Bill of Rights and on executive power than I was expecting, although those are more contemporary issues. His chapter on the path, pre-Civil War to the 13th amendment, was terrifically concise but there is very little discussion on the issue of habeas corpus during the war. These aren't complaints, just notifications; overall it was very stimulating. Like most constitutional scholars, he has some outside-the-box interpretations that are obviously developed to accomplish a particular outcome but these are fruitful to reflect on as well.

I absolutely love Jackie Collins, but I think that this book fell short at the ending.

I didn't like how Lauren eluded Nick for the entire book, even up to the last few pages. She seemed a bit too pretentous and untouchable. I thought she loved him?

Otherwise, I loved Nick and empathized with his pain. I had hoped Lauren would have been more of a likeable character.

I was expecting a little more from Jackie with this book. It was still an enjoyable read but nowhere in the league of some of Jackie's other books like "Chances".

I loved this book. I could not put it down and since the first time I read it, I have read it twice more. There are some great plotlines in this book that keep you on your toes.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I'm not a huge Jackie Collins fan, I've read some of her stuff and most of it just isn't my cup of tea. This one though! WOW! Its such a great story, peppered with flashbacks and different points of view. You just WANT Nick and Lauren to get together and just when you think they might, some tragedy yet again looms, ripping them apart. Its a smooth read, and hard to put down, so make sure you have lots of time on your hands because you won't want to stop reading. I first read this book about 6-7 years ago, put it on my bookshelf and just a few months ago pulled it out again. By this time, I had remembered the main story line but had forgotten a lot about the characters lives and the circumstances that bring them together...like the tornado....the murder....the marriages...wow.

If you're a Danielle Steele fan, but like me, think her stuff is a bit too syrupy sometimes, then this is for you. Jackie Collins pulls no punches in this one, just shooting straight from the hip and telling it like it is. Its a GREAT book, buy it for your collection and you WONT be sorry!

when the book said love story i thought it was going to be one of jackie's regular sleep around love story, but surprisingly this was a book of true love and not just true lust. great book i couldnt put down. =)

Very well put together book of white captives abducted by the Indians.
Scott Zesch did a great job at researching information to put to this book together.
This book tells the life of the captured and also helps the reader to understand how the captives became Inianized with in a short time frame.
The transformation of being taken from the captives white family to become Indians, then being recovered back to their birth parents gives the reader a better understanding of what they had to go threw.
Thank you Scott Zesch.

This is a must have book.

A few years back, Scott Zesch was doing family history when he ran across a grave of a long-lost ancestor named Adolf Korn. Scott eventually learned that Adolf had been a captive of the Comanche Indians for several years as a boy. After being "rescued," he was always strange, and ended up living his life as a hermit in a cave.

Zesch expanded his research, and the result was "The Captured," a fascinating book about children captured by the Comanches, their experiences, and what became of them in later years. Zesch discovered that children younger than puberty tended to assimilate almost immediately; they forgot their native language (English or German) and even lost their attachment to their mothers. Zesch examines this heartbreaking psychology through his research into the lives of the individuals, which he relates in vivid detail.

"The Captured" is a thoughtful book that both sweeps you up in human drama and leaves you with a lot of things to think about.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark"

My 7th grade Horizons English class enjoyed this novel immensely! We used it as an extension of Texas History, combined as an interdisciplinary unit.

I have a Great-Great Grandmother who was kidnapped by Indians and taken to Canada. Her story is lost but I wanted to get the gist of what kinds of things may have happened, and why she didn't want to be "rescued". This was just the ticket. Well-researched and written, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't dry or overly scholarly.

picked up my first copy of this book in Fredericksburg, TX where I happened to be eating some BBQ and looked across the street to see an old settlers outpost fort. I wandered around to check it out and the volunteer guide there showed me the book and said it was an amazing story about a little known niche of our history - children kidnapped by the Indians to re-populate their own tribes thorugh a process of "the strongest will survive and be good warriors" they rode the kids hard and if they cried or shoed signs of weakness, they killed them on the spot, figuring they wouldnt be worth the effort to train and raise. if the kids were able to endure the introduction phase, then they began living life like kings, training to shoot arrows, ride horses, fight, and hunt all day. leaving the domestic chores to the women. nearly all of them eventually were returned or sold back to the white settlers but some refused to go and a number of them ran away and rejoined their indian families.

it reads like an adventure book and proves that real life is better than fiction. the Author does a great job o story telling and is very diligent to accurately reflect true historical data as pulled from historical interviews, military records and newspaper articles.