T Books

Frances Conley offers a compelling indictment of gender discrimination at Stanford Medical School, past and present, focussing on her own recent experience. I started this book at midnight and could not put it down until finishing it at 4 a.m. Conley provides case after case of medical school professors given virtually absolute and unchecked power over their subordinates and their subordinates' careers, abusing that power, and the medical school administration covering up that abuse. While she never addresses the issues of solidarity in the face of sexual harassment, her cases all indicate that when one woman protests, she loses, and only a pattern of abuse reported by multiple women leads to any punishment of the harassers at all. Conley was fortunate and grateful that 37 others came forward to support her claim that Gerald Silverberg engaged in inappropriate sexual contact and other activities counterindicating his capability for leadership. I'll be passing this book onto many women who have had the choice to be treated at Stanford Hospital and may well now rethink that choice.

As a minority faculty in the academics Frances Conley's book vividly portrays the reality of the ivory tower that, though pretentiously progressive in ideas, is way behind the iota of gender equality that exists outside the academe. I, sometimes, feel I am living in the medieval period when entering the academe.

When I first came across this book I thought this must have been written in the seventies and I could share it with my students as a historical autobiography of sexism in an academic institution. I was horrified to find that it was written in the nineties about one of the most prestigious institution in California.

I have always felt alone, alienated in the academe and of course disconnected from other women who were struggling too much to bother with the problems of their women peers. This book validated my experience and helped me understand where my alienation was coming from.

I wish this book could be a standard read for all freshman students in all universities. Only when women who appear to be in power tell their stories of powerlessness and abuse can we act collectively to stop the misogyny that exists among our men and more particularly among our elite men.

Men groping women. Men coming on to women, and making incredible jackasses of themselves in the process. Men getting drunk and acting like barbarians. Men with one thing in mind. Men whose compulsion to talk about sex is so strong that they do it at highly inappropriate times in public. Men who think that pressuring women is their God-given right. If you think that what I just described is a high school football team on an overdose of steroids, you're wrong. These sexual antics weren't perpetrated by adolescents with testosterone bubbling out their ears, they were committed by male doctors at Stanford University. Not being stupid, these demigods put two and two together and realized that they could use their power to pressure women. One of these men made a fatal mistake, though: he pressured Dr. Frances Conley, a topnotch neurosurgeon and renowned researcher at Stanford. Bad move, fella. I suppose that guy never learned that if you're going to pick a fight, you don't provoke someone who can whack you back so hard you just might rethink whether it's wise to be a bully.

As publicity spread about Dr. Conley's fight, more and more women came forward to reveal their stories. This was certainly an eye-opening book. Before reading it, I'd never given much thought about the sexual harassment of women in medicine and allied healthcare fields. Perhaps we're more civilized here in Michigan, because I've never seen or heard of any such hanky-panky. Well, let me revise that last statement: I have witnessed a lot of sexual inducement, but what I saw was women chasing men not the other way around. But everyone knows that those California folks are trendsetters.

Dr. Conley never envisioned herself as a trendsetter, though. For years, she passively participated in the abuse until a concatenation of events convinced her that it was time to draw a line in the sand. To make a long story short, the men didn't believe she'd put up much of a fight, but she did, and they lost. Big time.

(...) Perhaps the most chilling message in this book is that some men in positions of power are willing to use that power to stifle the careers of women. So what is an attractive woman to assume? That if she goes into medicine her pulchritude will serve as a magnet for sexual harassment? Perhaps this abuse is, unbeknownst to me, more pervasive than I think. I suppose because most of my friends are women, I can't understand men who view women as being somehow inferior. However, you shouldn't necessarily construe from that statement that I think women physicians are as competent, on average, as male physicians. There's no doubt that some are, and there's no doubt that Dr. Conley is a superior physician, not just competent. (...) My only major criticism of the book is that it is too focused upon abuse of women by men. Since the core of this book is hinged upon some of the depredations that ensue when power is abused, I think she could have achieved a more balanced perspective by pointing out that powerful people often use their power against men, too � not just women. I've seen male docs fight one another with such a vehemence that it made the stories in Dr. Conley's book seem as pleasant as afternoon tea and cookies with a neighbor. Consequently, while I don't intend to trivialize the unfortunate reality of the abuse Dr. Conley documents, it's important to keep in mind that this abuse is but one aspect of a much larger problem. In defense of Dr. Conley, broadening the scope of this book to include other aspects of hospital politics would have diluted the message she wished to inculcate, and it would have made for a very unwieldy book. With that in mind, I suppose I'm on shaky ground by wishing that her book had a wider focus. Her book, her demeanor, her dedication, her resolve, and her competence are commendable. Dr. Conley is a great doctor and I am happy to have met her, however indirectly, by reading this book.

Review by Kevin Pezzi, M.D.

I'm not an MD or a PhD; I don't work in a hospital or academia. Yet I too have experienced sexual harassment, and I too have consulted the EEO department that is supposed to get involved in handling these issues, and I found that they were disinterested, that they gave subtle and obvious messages that the problem was "my" problem and not the corporation's, and that they relied on my being too timid or unmotivated to initiate a lawsuit so the whole thing could be, well, ignored. Sexual harassment exists because the society permits men (even encourages men) to expect that it is their right to harass women. Not all men harass, and not all men admire harassers. In fact, it is quite the opposite, but those who possess the attitude that women who dare to compete must be put down through sexual threat or debasement will harass (they also enjoy and even need it, since these men have very real problems). Through her description of her own experiences, the author illuminates the social mechanism of harassment. She also brings to light the story that all we women know -- what it feels like to be the victim not just of a troubled person but of an organization that insists she accept the role of victim. When we are harassed, we women discover the battle we are in, not against one man but against all those societies which are founded on (this does sound harsh, I know) the hatred of women. This is a marvelous book -- hard to read at times if you've been there -- but it is important that women know what we are facing (especially our daughters, who like us may have been programmed to think that all men will be nice to us, will treat us fairly, and that if someone is abusive, it is our own fault, there is something wrong with me, etc.). Important too is having the author detail the steps she took to handle the harassment. This is a very supportive book for anyone enduring just such a situation (harassment as well as gender discrimination, which is a lot more rife and a lot less obvious). I'd recommend this to any woman who is willing to step outside of the traditional role, because we all need to know what we are up against, how the system is going to fail us, and especially all the steps we are entitled to take to combat this problem so that we change society's viewpoint and not just our own. I'd also recommend this to men, because there are many who are supportive of women in the workplace. Our husbands and boyfriends need to read this book to know how difficult it is for women, because in the end we can only effect a change if we all stand together.

Sadly, any woman who's achieved a doctorate (& not just in medicine) will relate wholeheartedly to this book. I greatly admire Dr. Conley's unbelievable courage in standing up to the Boys' Club & trying to make things better for women in academia. Hopefully this book will encourage ALL women to stand up to the misogyny & be heard.

What Dads Can't Do is the perfect Father's Day gift. We first got this book as a gift for our preschooler from his teacher. My husband read it, loved it, and kept it! So I ordered another one for my kids. The story reminds us what it really means to love our kids.

I love these What ?? Can't Do books and so does my 18 month old. He actually brings them to me to read to him.

The illustrations are great and the words are so true and endearing. I have almost all the books in the series.

If you think of your kids thinking of you like this... it's a whole new relationship.

I so enjoy the humor in each of these books! Your children will like the pictures of the "goofy" characters. You will enjoy the subtle adult humor when reading to your children.

What Dads Can't Do is written from a preschooler's admiring perspective of a dad's helpful habits. Any father will be delighted to think that perhaps some of that self-sacrifice is perceived in positive ways by the tykester set. This book would make a wonderful gift from a preschooler to her or his father for Father's Day. The humorous, warm watercolors of Stegosaurus-type dinosaurs make the messages tickle your laughter button even more than would usually occur with these dry one-liners.

"There are lots of things/ that regular people can do/ but dads can't."

" . . . can't cross the street without holding hands."

"Dads can push, but they can't swing."

"Dads can't pitch a baseball very hard or hit one very far."

"When dads play hide-and-seek they always get found, but they have a hard time finding you."

"They aren't very good wrestlers."

"Dads lose at checkers/ and cards/ and almost every other game."

"Dads aren't good at sleeping late. They can't comb their hair or shave by themselves."

"Dads like to go camping but they need lots of help setting up the tent." "And cooking."

As you can see, the manly virtues being praised here are inclusiveness and helpfulness. When dad operates like mom, then he "can't" do something . . . but that's really all right.

My favorites in the book include:

"Dads seem to have trouble holding on to their money." This is combined with an illustration of a dad buying a child a toy in a store.

"Dads like to go fishing, but they don't like to go alone. And they need extra practice baiting the hook."

"Dads can't read a book by themselves."

"Sometimes they leave a night-light on because they're a little scared of the dark."

"And most of all, whatever happens, a dad never ever stops loving you."

The book is written in such a way that this book can be seen as being about a dad who's married to a wonderful mom, one who's divorced and whose children are visiting, or to a single dad who's raising children by himself. I liked that feature very much.

The book is also appealing because it will make a dad feel good whenever he does one of these things. He knows that his son or daughter will appreciate his consideration from having read this book. So having this book available in your house is a little bit like making every day Father's Day!

After you finish the book, dad, you can develop even more closeness by asking your wee ones what else dad can't do. I'm sure they'll come up with some dillies to amuse one and all.

Find more ways to help . . . because you never stand higher in the world's estimation than when you stoop to aid another.

Barbara Probst offers an enlightened and cogent rearrangement of perspective in her excellent new book When the Labels Don't Fit. In this compassionate guide, she asks parents to change their focus from their child's behavior to his or her temperament, regarding difficult reactions not as defiance or inscrutability, but as rich and valuable elements of personality. It's a subtle difference, but this book is all about subtle shifts that make huge impacts.

Using a comprehensive questionnaire early in the book as guide, Probst urges parents not only to examine a child's reactions, preferences and attitudes, but also to reflect keenly their own. Parents' answers help to reframe the initial question from "Why is my child doing this?" to "Who is my child?" She provides numerous examples and strategies aimed at mitigating the many bewildering incidents that parents often face. By turning the spotlight onto parents' personal tendencies and preferences, Probst encourages them to think a little deeper about their child and themselves, and guides them to embrace the uniqueness of their challenging child.

As parents we know they are unusual in their intensity and rigidity but we also sense our children do not necessarily have a disorder. We see them as eccentric, sensitive, thinkers who feel deeply. Pediatricians and mental health professionals often find they fit the criteria for Aspergers, ADHD, Anxiety or other diagnoses. But DO they really have these? Barbara Probst gives us answers for how to approach and support our challenging and often very gifted youngsters who need us to understand them, not change them. She shows us practical strategies for learning about ways in which we can work with their temperaments - especially when they are different from our own. This book is a very important contribution to the field and the children will some day thank her for writing it.

I was very excited to read Barbara Probst's book and to see the focus on our children's characteristics, rather than a slew of diagnostic conditions--the "alphabet" kids. After reading endless parenting books which set out discipline techniques which only work for a short time, this book instead helps parents look at their children as people and try to understand their specific needs and temperments. I often catch myself engaging in a dispute with my challenging son, and using Barbara's techniques I am able to take a step back and realize that he has a strong need that is interfering with what I view as a simple request. Once I change my mindset, I can often avoid a huge blowup and have him ultimately cooperative, even if it takes a few extra minutes or a little extra effort. This book can bring big changes and improvements in the lives of families with challenging children.

I started reading Barbara's book the other night and I stayed up WAY too late reading and reading and reading. What a relief to find an approach to undestanding and appreciating my very difficult little boy. Barbara's approach to temperament and to understanding the core character traits of a difficult child is really refreshing and so OPTOMISTIC. I am already recommending this book to everyone I know who is struggling with their children, and let's be honest, who isn't!!!!

With insightful explanations and easy-to-apply tips, this book is a valuable tool for parents. Probst provides strategies that can't help but improve the quality of life for both child and parent. When the Labels Don't Fit is a book that can -- and should -- be shared with family, teachers and others who are important in a child's life.
Amy Price
Executive Director
SENG

Over the Andes and through the jungle to ineptness we go. A quite humorous account of science gone jumbled. But not all is lost here.

In 1923 eight scientists plus the author venture through the South American mountains and rainforests to make further discoveries in their respective fields of study. Touted as, "The most perfectly equipped expedition that has ever started to explore South America", it quickly unfolds into a blundering journey with many problems and mishaps.

Thanks to MacCreagh's sense of humor and wit we see how every imaginable incident went from bad to worse. One by one these scientists quit the expedition to forsake the author and one other to travel up the remote Uaupes and Tiquie Rivers meeting face to face with hostile natives. What transpires is a remarkable short term study into the culture of these indigenous peoples.
Entertaining read.

I am enjoying this travel account very much. It's like Bertie Wooster goes to the jungle.

Mr MacCreagh has maganed to write an outstanding book based on a rather unsuccessful expedition. It is the tale of an expedition of eight eminent scientist in the Amazon, who were put together not for their ability in the outdoors, but for their scientific knowledge.

The author is a helper/manager of the expedition. He manages to describe the expedition from its beginning in the Bolivia highlands out to the Amazon plains and to its disintegration. It is quite clear that the scientist were not sure what to expect, and so had not prepared accordingly. Huge volumes of luggage went unused and were a huge burden. Egos and discomfort made the scientist into bickering children and inept explorers. The author masks their names because apparently these were well known figures of their time.

There is a bit of scientific content in the book, but clearly the main reason to read it is for the good humor of the author in describing the situations they get themselves in. One learns more about people and how they behave when taken to extremes than one does about the Amazon.

When your read of other expeditions and how well they were conducted, then you read Gordon MacCreagh's humorous account of a mistake-ridden expedition into the Amazon, and you may wonder how this could happen. Clearly, the leader of MacCreagh's expedition was no Roy Chapman Andrews. Too many mistakes with both men and equipment. It is a humorous, often hilarious account of how not to conduct an expedition into the Amazon -- or anywhere else. I found it to be much better than Peter Fleming's "Amazon Adventure" and somewhat better than Arthur O. Friel's "River of Seven Stars," which has not been reprinted. MacCreagh's sense of humor and keen observations are what place this book at the top of my list of exploration/expedition books. I found it difficult to keep from sharing portions of this book with family and friends...

I can't believe you can get this book used! I own three copies and I don't even loan it out. This is a terrific expedition book and a wonderful book about being human. My family was thrilled to know that this book was being re-issued. Like one of the other reviewers, I was brought up knowing who the various scientists were because my father had worked with a colleague. It gave us plesure to know the names, some of whom were quite well known even today. It was also nice to know that at least for the eminent icthyolgist and the eminent entomologist the work that they produced from this expedition was very useful. I have recommmened this book countless times, and get copies for friends I really like.

Patricia Sprinkle is one of my favorites becuase she doesn't just "phone it in" with her series books. Great character development and an ending full of surprises.

I had not read Patricia Sprinkle before I read Who Left That Body In The Rain. It wasn't as easy to figure out "who done it" as you might think and I appreciated the challenge. An quick read.

This is the first Patricia Sprinkle book that I read, and ever sense I have some to love her writing style. This book is excellent not only for the vivid portrayal of life in the South and the customs that go with it, but also for the intrigue and suspense that keeps the reader guessing almost to the end as to who the killer really is. This list of suspects goes on, and on, and with one major suspect on the lam, its easy to finger that person right off the bat. I really enjoyed this book and the McLaren Yarbrough is a delightful heroin.

Except for the first two books, I have read all of Patricia Sprinkle's Thoroughly Southern Mystery series to date and have loved each one. The stories envelop the reader in the cozy comfort of visiting with old friends, without ever letting them overstay their welcome. Each book reveals something new about returning favorites and introduces enough new friends, family members, and villains to keep things fresh and interesting. The mysteries are clever, intriguing, complex. The setting is rich in the regional flavors, customs, and manners of the small-town South, but never at the expense of other cultures or groups of people. This series never disappoints.

I hope Signet will one day offer BUT WHY SHOOT THE MAGISTRATE? and WHEN DID WE LOSE HARRIET? in the same style as the rest of the series so my collection may be complete.

I had a hard time deciding whether I should give it 5 stars or 4 stars, because it took me a long time to get into this book and get interested in the characters. I didn't really care for the setting. To me, it wasn't really cozy enough.

The writing was good. The clues/twists/surprises were clever. The more pages I read, the better it got. When I got to the last 100 pages, I couldn't put it down. It was so interesting, and it kept getting even more interesting by the page.

So while I was deciding whether this deserved a low 5 or a high 4, the last 100 pages convinced me to give it a 5. The last 100 pages were so good - those pages in themselves deserved a very high 5!

I bought this book when it was first published, I have people in my life who are actively using!! I actually bought 3 and gave them out to friends as well. I absolutely could not put the book down!!!! It was amazing to me that someone could write something that I had lived with almost to the T. It gave me understanding from a different perspective and enlightened me on different ways of seeing the disease. I would highly recommend this book. If you know or have anyone in your life with addiction this book is a MUST HAVE!!!!!!! It will help you understand things you never would have thought, AND will help you deal with and know what is helping the addict, and what is hurting them!!!!! You need to get this book TODAY!!! It saved my sanity!!!

I have read several books and literature on Alcoholism and this is my favorite one. I highly recommend it to anyone who is struggling with addiction or knows someone struggling with addiction. Mr. Herzanek shares some real-life stories that we all can relate to. He speaks from experience because he himself has come a long way in recovery from his addictions. This book tells of ways you can show the addict "tough love" and ways of "bringing up their bottom" while still loving them and having hope that one day they will "get it". It also gives hope to the addict that no matter how bad things are, it CAN get better!!!

I recommend this book for anyone that has a family member or a friend with an addiction. The book gives you first hand experiences from the author that has been there. I can't recommend this book enough. It is a book that when you start reading it, you can't put it down. It helped me to understand what my son must be going thru and pretty much what to expect. It is a book about real people.

Joe Herzanek, former drug and alcohol abuser, has done more than get treatment for his addictions. Herzanek conquered his demons and has spent his sober life serving others suffering from addiction. He founded the Changing Lives Foundation [...] and has served as a chaplain and counselor at jails and prisons for fifteen years. Herzanek is currently the Chaplain at the Boulder County Jail in Boulder, Colorado. Why Don't They Just Quit? is more than the typical self-help book. The winner of a Next Generation Indie Book Award, this book is gritty, honest, and full of practical tips, resources, and an Alcohol and Drug Addiction Self Test. I loved the myriad quotes sprinkled throughout from such diverse individuals as Mother Theresa, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, and Herzanek's own family members. In the foreword, Joe's wife, Judy, the Creative Manager for the Changing Lives Foundation says, "Joe speaks from firsthand experience, having survived shattered relationships, a life-threatening disease, physical and mental withdrawal, police problems, and raising two teenagers." It is the intimate way in which the author shares himself that lends what could be "just another addiction recovery book" a fresh and hopeful voice. I would recommend this for anyone who has been impacted by the effects of addiction. (Recommended by Julie McGuire, Associate Editor, The Internet Review of Books - [...]

After painfully watching my sons' struggle with their substance abuse addictions for 10 years and trying desperately to help them, to no avail, this book spoke to me in a manner in which no other book on this subject ever did. Through Mr. Herzanek's experience and knowledge of this insidious disease, he gave me the strength, courage and hope to help my sons start on a road to recovery. I also contribute his words, to my healing as well. My sons could relate to his book, and it gave them hope too. I recommend this book to anyone caught in the web of addiction, whether it be the one addicted or the loved one of an addicted person. Thankyou Joe, for caring so much and giving of yourself to help those in need.

My daughter loved the book. The conditions was just as the seller stated. The price was good. We are both pleased.

This is such a great series I wish the author had written more books!!! If you love History and Adventure this is an excellant series to read.
I've read and reread these books so many times and I still get drawn in at how beautifully it is written. DEFINETLY BUY THIS SERIES!!!!

I must say first, I enjoyed reading this book and could not put it down! The mystery and suspense was quite intriguing. If you will permit me to say so, although this book fulfills the reader's desire for thrill and excitement, it is the most unrealistic Civil War novel that I have ever read.

In particular, the characters Salina Hastings and Jeremy Barnes. Seemingly they are able to go everywhere and do everything, but traveling in those days was a major ordeal, and nothing to be planned in a few short hours. They are portrayed as entirely perfect in words and appearence, yet their actions and composure suit the modern public school teenager, not the gentle, modest character which was truly present in those days.

I found the historical events very accurate, though Salina's involvement was quite extraordinary for a girl of sixteen.

Word of Honnor is one of the best Civil War books that I have ever read. Salina is like every teenager girl her story just takes place in the 1800s. I really enjoyed reading a book that was so full of adventure and excitment.

The books in this series are absolutely incredible. The characters are very well developed, they are historically rich, and they are easy and fun to read. I read them until the covers were falling apart and I had parts of them memorized. I highly recommend them to anyone - even those who don't usually enjoy reading.

This is a model of clear and effective writing and teaching. Certainly one of the best accounting books I've ever read, it gives you the tools to start ABC analysis at once and never strays into jargon. The many examples of different company types and the simple to use and understand spreadsheet analysis keeps you focused on the theory of ABC rather than minute details of allocations. A book to keep on your desk.

I can not quite imagine a single decision made in any company that does not concern cost. And, when it is about accurate costing, I can not imagine another book on business that can better assist than this one.

First, the author defines the concept, states the reasons why Activity Based Costing should be implemented in every company, and then thoroughly shows you how to do it. Since the main step-by-step example in the book concentrates on a small manufacturing organization, those who are applying the concept to service organizations may have a harder time making the translation to their specific situations. Still, I don't think that will be much of an issue. The book is very well-written and must be digested by every professional with a passion for improving their company and seize a competitive advantage.

Hicks has a lot to offer in this book on activity-based costing, however it is not an easy to read. It very quickly dives into the weeds of detail. I think this is a very good second book to read on Activity Based Costing, because it goes into the details of how to actually implement a system. I would recommend that you first read Kaplan's "Cost and Effect," to get a good grounding in the fundamentals before reading this book.

This is a fantastic book on the subject of ABC. The costing model constructed in the book goes into just enough detail to give you a practical foundation for actual implementation, without getting lost in minutiae. At just the right times, the author also reminds you about the big picture and doesn't let you go away thinking correct decisions can all be boiled down to exercises in number-crunching. This is a must-buy, if you're serious about implementing ABC in your organization.

Activity-Based Costing: Making it Work for Small and Mid-Sized Companies, is a very well written and usefull handbook to design and implementation of Activity-Based Costing. It provides: a general description of key concepts of ABC, a practical guide to design of ABC system in the company, as well as description of any potential problems concerning implementation of ABC. I am working as a financial consultant (in Warsaw), and this book has helped me to help many companies that were loosing their cost-effectiveness. I think, that the author should have added some 100 pages to the book, and defined - described some aspects of Activity-Based Management - although that could have been too technical for most of the readers. Overall, I think that the book contains most of the knowledge needed for successful design & implementation of ABC. It really worked for me...

I began Rick's book on a day when the inspiration was much needed. As I began to read through the book, I was especially impressed by the story of Sue Thompson, moving through all manner of life challenges to achieve her dreams and artistic creation.

I was so enlivened by Rick's ability to translate and relate artistry with the action needed to create consciously and responsibly in life.
This is a great book to keep and re-read for artists in any genre and a must have-on-hand for coaches and seminar leaders.

Ellen Valentine, NC
Lifestyle and Nutritional Coach

I am not a writer...., instead I call myself a reader, and as I reader I am totally pleased and excited with the clarity, wisdom and common sense that The Affluent Artist brings to everyone. I am just so sorry it didn't appear a bit earlier so I could have made some timely changes, and therefore, minimized in a significant way the impact of what is going on with the financial world today (October 2008). I consider myself also an artist as I have been a photographer for more that 25 years, and I know what it takes to try to make a decent living out of it... ...to the point, that I have a "real JOB" to support myself, my family and my art....

This book is a great gift from Mr. Di Biasio to the world; I just hope the world takes full advantage of it !

Ernesto V.

As an entrepreneur in the creative fields, a potential pitfall is to focus exclusively on the success of your business, sometimes at the expense of your personal finances. You may find that large amounts of cash flow through your business accounts, but very little reaches your personal account.

Rick's book outlines a range of great personal finance strategies and approaches in plain English and with a great conversational style that help to address this issue. What makes this book unique is that Rick also addresses the underlying patterns and archetypes which form the basis of the starving artist mindset. A must read for any entrepreneur in the creative field.

This is exactly what we all need right now! Making things in the financial world easy to understand and guidelines for complete financial freedom!! What more could a person ask for! If you truly want to make changes in yoru financial life, GET THIS BOOK! It will be PRICELESS to you in the future if you follow this simple guidelines. It is a very entertaining way to understand something that is usually too overwhelming for us. EXCELLENT!!

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3H8RZOUKEKZP9 If you've ever thought, "I'm very creative but I'm not very good with money", then "The Affluent Artist" is the book for you.

As the Fleet Intellegence Officer of Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz Edwin Layton was in a unique position to see and to understand what was going on regarding the battles at Pearl Harbor and Midway. This welcome reprint to the 1985 book has to be considered one of the more definitive books of the couple of hundred on the subjects.

Layton was a language officer stationed in Japan before the war to learn Japanese. He followed Japan and the Japanese developments closely. He was at Pearl before the attack and remained there throughout the war. He was on the Missouri at the Japanese surrender.

There are a series of revisionist history books that propose such things as Roosevelt and Churchill conspiring to let the Japanese attack at Pears. Yes there is evidence that we had some intelligence pointing to the Japanese attack. But you have to look carefully at how much material there was, how many messages had been intercepted, how few had been translated and you come up with the basic understanding that it just hadn't been put together. A lot like the situation with 9/11, Monday morning quarterbacking is much easier than being in the midst of the game.

Layton was there, he knew what Kimmel and Short knew, indeed he had briefed them with the material on hand. Could they have been better prepared, yes, Layton says, if Admiral Richmond K. Turner had forwarded the information. But like any inter-departmental power struggle, Turner held the information to himself.

I was also surprised by the relatively little animosity shown towards the Redman brothers who bounced Rochefort and Safford out. Indeed Layton points out that the do it themselves style of Rochefort and Safford probably wouldn't have done a very good job of managing the Navy Radio Intelligence activities that grew to almost 8,500 people by the end of the war.

All in all, a must read for anyone interested in what happened at Pearl and Midway.

And I was there.
This is a great book by one who was there, Adm Layton. He was Adm Kimmels intelligence officer at Pearl Harbor.
He shows how the incompetence of the Navy in Washington led to the surprise attack at Pearl, by the Navy, specifically adm Stark and Kelly Turner, not giving Pearl the vital information they had about Jap intentions, but refused to give Pearl. The Navy also had 2 intelligence groups fighting for the information, and control, evaluating, and dissemination of the information. This too sabotaged the intelligence efforts, and does to this day.
Gen Marshall is also responsible for the debacle. He was reprimanded, but Roosevelt set aside the Congressional verdict on him.
Kimmel was judged not guilty of any wrongdoing by the Navy, but found derelict by Congress, a tragic miscarriage of justice, due to lies under testimony by Stark, and Turner.

The Redmon brothers are faulted too for ousting the most brilliant Navy intelligence officer, Rochefort, who correctly guessed the time and location of the Midway battle.

Another tragic aftermath of Pearl, was the loss of Wake Island. Kimmel had a carrier task force sailing to resupply and relieve the garrision that was under attack by the Japs. This would have surprised the Japs and could have sunk many Jap ships, saved Wake Island, and kept open the supply lines to the Phillipines. Unfortunaely, Kimmel was relieved, and Adm Pye replaced him Pye lost his nerve and cancelled the mission.

MacArthur is noted, as being in charge of the Phillipines, and being under orders to attack Formosa with his B17's when Pearl was attacked. He had a 9 hour warning after Pearl had been attacked, and had been told to attack. It was not until years after this book was published that the records of why Mac did nothing in the Phillipines were found. He was paid $650,000 by Pres Quezon of the Phillipines to do nothing, as he wanted to be neutral. MacArthur lost the Phillipines, a far more important strategic outpost than Pearl, as well as half the B17's we had, and 1/5 of our fighters, on the ground, just as what happened at Pearl, only 9 hours later, after he had multiple phone calls from Washington to attack the Japs.

The battle of Guadalcanal and other Pacific battles is also gone into in some detail
It was Nimitz, not Mac Arthur that devised the island hopping idea.
A great book by a hero who was there.

First and major portion of book covering Pearl Harbor is excellent. However, after Layton's death, the book was continued from his notes and descriptions of campaigns after Pearl Harbor suffer in quality by comparison.

Before you jump on some revisionist books about Pearl Harbor, like Stinnet's Day of Deceipt, you should get it from the horses mouth! Layton, et al, tell a little known side of the war in the pacific. His opinions of some famous naval personalities like Stark and R.K. Turner will really have you thinking about how war is run when powerful, ambitious officers are running the show. It's a shame that lives had to be wasted while the U.S. got its act together to finally win the war in the pacific, but Layton's tale will give you a new perspective and supports much of what was previously written, like Prang's "At Dawn We Slept", about the debacle of Pearl Harbor and the genius that followed at Midway. Buy it!

Edwin T. Layton served as Fleet Intelligence Officer for Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz. He, along with the other members of station Hypo, were assigned the task of breaking into Japan's secret codes, especially their JN-25 cypher. Through exhausting efforts by its members, they were finaly able to penetrate enough of the JN-25 code to make reasonable assumptions as to what the Japanese navy was planning. "Magic" was the term used for the intercept and decryption of these secret codes.

However, no decoding was actually done at Pearl Harbor, because there was no "Purple" decoding machine there. All intercepts had to be sent to Washinton for decryption, and Hawaii relied on Washington for their information. Layton's thesis is that Pearl Harbor was denied vital intelligence which, if issued in a timely fashion, could have alerted Pearl Harbor to the impending attack which occurred on December 7, 1941. Although I agree with some of his thesis, I also believe that the Pearl Harbor commanders made terrible mistakes of their own which also contributed to the unpreparedness of Pearl Harbor.

One message that Washington failed to send Pearl Harbor which I believe, along with Layton, could have alerted the fleet to the attack was the so-called "bomb plot" message. In a nutshell, this message divided Pearl Harbor into several sections and placed ships in each section; almost like laying an invisible grid over the harbor. Of all the messages that Pearl Harbor failed to receive, this was probably the most important.

However, with this stated, I also believe that the commanders made grievous errors of their own. On November 27, 1941, a "war warning" message was sent to both commanders at Pearl Harbor. Both seemed perplexed and unsure of the course of action to be taken. Why was this? Both Admiral Kimmel and General Short were high ranking members of the military, yet they both dragged their feet when they received this message. Short simply ordered defense against sabotage instead of ordering an all-out alert, while Kimmel failed to order any further long-range patrols, plus he didn't order the battle force to sea. They seemed incapable of making any independent judgement of their own. Instead, they needed to be told directly what to do. These omissions are unforgivable.

Inter-service rivalry also played a role in the failure. As pointed out by Layton, there was very little inter-service cooperation or sharing of messages, so most of the time, one usually didn't know what the other was doing. Further, during the Midway operation, a rivalry betwen station Hypo and the Washington-based intelligence unit nearly cost us the battle, but fortunately, Layton and commander Joe Rochefort were able to convince Nimitz that Hypo, not Washington, was correct.

I thought this was a good book, but I disagree with Layton's assertion that Kimmel and Short were scapegoats and had no clue what was happening. Granted, there was some intelligence that was definitely denied to them, but they should have been able to interpret events on ther own, namely the war warning message. This book is a good counter-argument to other works, such as "At Dawn We Slept". The information about the battle of Midway is especially interesting, plus the story of the codebreaking activities was well-done.