Thomas Books

Wow, could this be the best computer book ever written? Well, if you are using Oracle and you want to understand how Oracle works, it just might be. It's packed with performance information, and even if you are not using Oracle this will be helpful for any (esp for Postgres users)

This is hands down the best book I've read on Oracle. It should be mandatory reading for anyone working with an Oracle database. Period.

I have close to 15 years of experience with Oracle, and have designed and developed large scale (>1TB) transactional systems. I've worn the hats of DBA, architect, developer, consultant, etc. The information in this book is invaluable.

If you work with Oracle this is a manual you need on your desk. Not just for DBA's but also for developers who will derive a good insight into how they should be developing their code.
Very technical but not to the point that brain freeze occurs.
Would highly recommend it.

This book is accurate and undoubtfully an excellent source to learn more about the Oracle Database.
Tom is an author full of humor with a versatile approach to performance. In his book he shows his approach to performance and put light on common practice like database independence and read-write consistency or like constraints enforced by triggers and autonomous transaction.
No doubt I learned a lot in this book!

I actually helps you understand, rather than just throwing information at you (as many books do)

This is a great book! My only downfall is that I keep giving away my copies. I was attracted to this book because of the cover first of all. I Love Coffee! I was also looking for a short morning devotional. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to wake up their soul and start living their life for God. This would make a great gift for a new believer.

I did this book with a group of ladies and it was awesome. Each chapter touched deep into my life. The ladies in our group come from all walks of life and it touched each of them as well. A great book!

I am reading this book a second time, this time with a group. It never fails to wake me up, help to look deeper at things I do and why I do them.

It saddens me to see the author attacked here as a hypocrite, b/c if we get honest how many of is aren't hypocrites? Can we all say we take our own advice 100% of the time? Ye who are without sin, throw the first stone. Go and sin no more.

The author steps out of her comfort zone and gets gut-wrenchingly honest in this book. No, she isn't perfect. I don't recall her claiming to be. Read this book if you are a real woman with real sin and real redemption. You'll find it's real good.

As one of the immensely popular "Women of Faith" conference speakers, actress/author Johnson doesn't need my plug--but she gets it! Her writing is vunerable, deep, and funny. I especially liked her musings about savoring our sexuality (a topic often overlooked or avoided by the Church) and embracing our beauty. Each chapter also includes fun coffee trivia. (Side note: I led a Bible study on this book at my church, and it was a big hit with the younger women. We all loved her video presentations that were included with the study guide and students' books. They made us think, laugh, and cry, within the space of five minutes! Her "mom" segment is priceles--I can't believe she doesn't have kids of her own!) Be sure and have a journal and highlighter nearby when you read Fresh-Brewed Life, because you'll want to remember a lot of what this author says. The book is comforting and stimulating at the same time--just like a good cup of joe. :)

This book literally jumped off the shelf at me! I LOVE coffee, so I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but the whole coffee theme/book cover is what snagged me. The next thing I knew, I was at the checkout stand. That night I began reading this amazing little book and the next day, returned to purchase an armload of more copies to send my best friends. My copy now has underlined passages and margin notes all over it! I can't even begin to describe how it has spoken to me and influenced me at this point in my life. These are messages I needed to hear. Nicole sure knows how to cut to the chase and speak right to the heart. It's been an extremely refreshing experience reading this book . . . which gives "wake up and smell the coffee" a whole new meaning!

I found this incredible interview regarding how the game of Golf has changed over the years. You wouldn't believe the evolution! If you have any interest in the history of Golf, this is a must read. If you want to become even more knowledgeable on the subject, scroll to the bottom of the interview and get in touch with the author. After reading, I guarantee you will be able to lead the most interesting discussions and impress your friends!

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/interviewroden.html

Curt Sampson has done a really fine job with this book ! I really like his idea to interview Valerie Hogan. Hogan wrote Power Golf NOT 5 fundementals, he brings this out in the book.

Few people, even non-golfers, can escape ever having heard of Ben Hogan. Maybe you don't know exactly who he was, but the name is oddly familiar.

To golfers, Ben Hogan is as close to legend as anything. Other players, even Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods, lack the mystique which has encompassed Hogan, even many years after his death.

What few of us know is just who he was. This information may not be so pertinant to people who play the game, since they are mostly interested in his swing. However, anyone who has touched even in a small way on part of his career realizes the great mysteries that lie in his life and being.

"Hogan" may not answer everything satisfactorily, but it comes as close as any are likely to get. This covers his life in as much informative detail as could be needed, and presents Hogan not so much in a less-than-glamorous light, as is common to biographies, but rather in a "judge for yourself" presentation of evidence for what made the man what he became.

Anyone curious about this modern legend will get more than he bargains for. Where perhaps the book does not go into his game to the extent golfers may want, the story of Hogan's life is engaging enough without it.

In my very large golf library this is clearly the best book on golf
I have read period. For the first time you get an insight into the "wie ice mon" in what reads like a novel.

When I was growing up the names of Palmer, Nicklaus, Trevino, Player, and their generation were the top competitors. Ben Hogan was a revered name, but one of past glory. His great year of 1953 was in the past. I had heard about his auto accident and his amazing comeback, but this book helped me see the man who "dug it out of the dirt" through hard work, discipline, and ferocious tenacity.

Mr. Hogan started out with less than most. His father's suicide and the family's subsequent poverty didn't leave him with many open paths to success. He found golf and found that it not only matched his physical skills, but was an even better match for his nearly obsessive temperament.

The swing he developed has become the pattern millions of us try to emulate, although he would find our haphazard approach to the game less than useless. Why we love being duffers would be beyond him. He knew how to work and to practice. I still cannot fathom the kind of internal strength it would take to come back from that terrible leg shattering accident when his Cadillac was struck by a bus. He played in great pain for the rest of his life and had four surgeries on his left shoulder. When I realize that his greatest achievements and most of his wins at major tournaments were after the accident I am simply dumbstruck.

Mr. Hogan was a very private and enigmatic figure. Mr. Sampson does a good job in teasing what facts we know into a good story. We get interesting stories from the golf side of his life (mostly stories told about Hogan by others) and those are very enjoyable. However, I like the way Mr. Sampson puts all that in the context of a real person - a real man. Ben Hogan wasn't a fictional character even though the media version of him was a distortion of the actual hard working man who practiced, practiced, and then practiced some more, who loved his wife, Valerie, and built a successful golf equipment business.

Ben Hogan made a long journey through life and I think this book tells the story well.

It was more of a mystery than a romance. I prefer to be more emotionally drawn in than this book provided. However, someone looking for more human relationships fiction and mystery might enjoy this more than I did.

Ellie traveled to Pine Bend, Texas, to do research for a book she was writing about Mabel Beauvais. Mabel was a blues singer who disappeared twenty to thirty years earlier. Ellie was also trying to discover who her father was. She knew he was in Pine Bend when Ellie was conceived. Ellie's mother died when Ellie was six months old. The story was a little frustrating when Ellie talked to people who knew answers to her questions but refused to tell her anything. The ending was satisfying and the answers to the mysteries were good and unexpected. Although there was some underlying sadness in the story due to so many good young men dying in the Vietnam war, leaving their loved ones to live on without them.

Regarding the SPOILERS below,I am not giving away answers to the main mysteries.

CAUTION SPOILERS:
Ellie and Blue fell in love. The problem for them was that everyone Blue had loved had died on him, so he was reluctant to love again. Why he changed his mind at the end of the book and decided to be with her and not fear losing her was not clear enough for me.

I was also confused with a few scenes throughout the book titled "The Lovers." When reading them I wasn't sure if they were a dreams of Ellie or Blue or were flashbacks to events in the lives of Mabel or Ellie's mother. At the end of the book I concluded they were of Ellie's parents, but I would have preferred knowing this earlier when reading them.

Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: five very passionate. Setting: current day Pine Bend, Texas. Copyright: 2000. Genre: romantic mystery.

Okay, yall, I suck at reviews b/c I cant seem to say what I want without telling all. LOL But I had to try with this book. My Grandmother sent me this book b/c I will read anything. I picked it up 2 days ago and couldnt put it down. I got so wrapped up in the story of Ellie, Blue, and Mabel. The chacters in the book are wonderfully written. Even the supporting characters draw you in. I love Blues and Jazz and this books makes them come alive on paper!!! You can almost hear the music swirling around you as you read!! The story behind the story is just another draw of this book. I have never been SO pleased with a book. Again all I can say is WOW!!! Go Ruth for writing such an AMAZING book. I honestly was upset when it was over....so AWESOME that I wanted more!!!

I really enjoyed this sensual romance as the hero and hrone fight their demons of the past to trust to love. Both have loved and lost and so are fearful of getting involved with each other, but anyone can see Blue and she are made for each other.

Interesting secondary characters create a very believable world. As always her heroes are divinely sexy, very manly, but perceptive and sensitive. The mystery element as she seeks her identity, which, if not entirely surprising. is handled well. A super read, one any lover of romance and women's fiction will really savour. She has a wonderful way with language and a true ability to capture setting and character with wonderful details.

This is a book that you will continue to experience long after you finish. The book is filled with love and secrets. The secrets which are uncovered lead not to unhappiness but to more fullfillment for the people involved.

Along the way, you experience the beauty and meaning of music, that special kind of music called the Blues. You find yourself wanting to hum an old song or turn on the radio and find a new tune to refuel you with a passion for life.

There just is so much in this one book. It is impossible not to love it and not to remember for always.

Hadn't even heard of Ruth Wind before but halfway thru this book I'm looking for other books of hers. All the ones listed seem to be either much lighter in nature or out of print. She's a terrific writer with an ability to draw you into her characters' feelings and to the atmosphere. I hope she writes another "real" book.

What an incredible book!!!! WOW!!!! I admire the man behind this book, Les Brown. He is real! He asks you questions to get you to think of where you are and where you want to go. IF you have not found success, regardless of the "excuse", this is a must read!!!! It is Powerful!!!!Les Brown really makes you figure out where your place is in this world. You have one, you just have to find it. Thank you Les Brown. God Bless you!!!!! My husband is suppose to read this book next.....I think I might have to get him his own copy. :)

I purchased Les Brown's "Live Your Dreams" when it first came out and it made a great difference in my life. I started having more confidence in who I was and it helped my reach beyond anything I previously thought I could accomplish. Since then I met a young man who I feel could benefit from "Live Your Dreams" and absolutely had to buy it for his birthday. I hope that this title will eventually be brought back as a CD. I feel anyone could find peace and confidence in themselves after listening to Les Brown. He offers hope and possibilities.

I bought this book as a result of the fact that for two days in a row, I had the privileged to be at a seminar given by Les Brown at Jesus House DC, Live and uncensored. After listening to him, I purchased most of material including this book. Reading the material simply brings him back live to my mind. It is as if he was right there next to you talking to you; showing how and why you CAN DO THIS! You have potential. You can make it; here is how. Then he explains the steps to achieve your greatness. This book is a must to any one who wants to make it to the top. My heartfelt Gratitude to both Les Brown and Pastor Ghandi of Jesus House DC for exposing us to such priceless and tremendous knowledge.
Dr. Israel King,Ph.D. Author of How To Keep A Man

Les Brown is phenomenal and very motivating. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone.

I first saw Les Brown on PBS television while he was giving a motivational seminar. I couldn't change the channel. He was so good. So motivating and fun to listen to, I just had to hear every word he had to say.
When I saw his book, "Live your Dreams" in the bookstore, I knew I had to buy it. It was a great investment.
The book is entertaining, honest, extremely enlightening and of course, motivational. I enjoy this book so much that I can't recommend it enough. Anyone who wants to go against the odds and be successful in life will need the right motivation and attitude. Les Brown's "Live your Dreams" gives you that much needed boost in moral support.

I thought this was a great follow up to See You At The Top. I enjoyed it and Zig continues to inspire me.

A renowned writer and speaker, Zig Ziglar is known for his passionate and empowering presentations - even if you're not a self-help junkie, do yourself a favor and pick up one of his audio books for the experience. 'Over the Top' is all about goal setting, performance, and motivation. As with any self-help book, there is plenty of repetition, and a few insightful examples. Personally, it helped me identify several new areas for improvement, as well as, reminded me of several habits which I have forgotten. The only word of warning: there is a heavy dose of messaging on spirituality and religion. If you're new to the self-help section, I would recommend starting with Jack Canfield's 'The Success Principles'.

Another great book from Zig Ziglar!! Zig teaches you a lot of stuff that will help you live a better and more fulfilled life, in all aspects!! This is good read!! What I got most out of this book was how to set goals and meet them. I now use the Personal weekly perfomance record to see where I am at on daily, weekly and annual basis. Works great!! Read this book!!!

I have read Zig's books, attended his seminars and listened to his audio tapes.....I think I like this book the best of them all. His ideas are timeless and I love his positive mental attitude. Also, he is a funny guy and that comes through in the book. He is a model of success and his strategies in this book, if followed, will make you successful. Finally, this book is easy and quick to read....

I am a christian and have read the post about the person trying to make void what Zig teaches because he is a Christian. It is probably a good guess that the post was from someone that does not know God. I love Zig, his books are awesome and his insights; I am sure come from the Holy Bible and God. The truth always comes from God. I love all of the posts for this review. I even like the one from the anti-christian because in a way it shows that God can work through his willing and obedient people to teach men the best way to live.Some people want all the rewards w/o the sacrifice.

Seven Sisters is quite an enjoyable read. This book introduces some new characters to the Benni Harper series and makes for an mildly suspenseful read.

"Seven Sisters" is the seventh novel in the Benni Harper series. Benni Harper, a lifelong resident of the mythical Central california Coast town of San Celina, is a former cowgirl, a quilter, and now has a job as the curator of San Celina's folk art museum. Benni, who was widowed when her first husband died in a car accident, has been married to San Celina's cheif of police Gabe Ortiz for several years at the time of this story.

The story starts off with a bang when Gabe's nineteen-year-old son Sam tells Benni and Gabe that his girlfriend is pregnant, and they plan to marry. The story rapidly becomes very complicated when the identity of Sam's girlfriend is revealed. She is Bliss Girard, one of Gabe' rookie policewomen and, more importantly, a grand-daughter of the Brown family, one of the town's oldest and most powerful families. When one of the extended members of the Brown family is murdered at the engagement party for Sam and Bliss, the family struggles with the realization that there is most likely a murderer among them. As the police search for the murderer, the Brown family tries to keep all their secrets hidden. And Benni Harper struggles with trying to maintain a balance between her natural sleuthing capabilities and her role as the police chief's wife and future mother-in-law to one of the Brown family grand-daughters. Benni also experiences more than a touch of jealousy when Gabe's gorgeous ex-wife Lydia comes to San Celina to meet her son's fiancee.

The California setting is richly described with the conflicts between cattle ranching, horse racing, and grape growing.

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. As I mentioned above, "Seven Sisters" is the seventh book in this series but it was the first one that I've read. What a happy discovery to find a whole new series with a wonderful setting and a richly developed cast of characters. I'm looking forward to reading all the other books in this series!

I started reading the Benni Harper mysteries "in the middle" of the series. I was hooked and immediately bought the whole series so I could follow the storyline thread. Her stories are very different from other mysteries with "predictable" plots but if I were to expand on that, I'd give away the unfolding of the Seven Sisters story. Actually, Earlene Fowler has a marvelous gift for drawing one into the lives of her characters. She makes me laugh, and provokes a "being there" frustration (empathic with Benni's frustration)with the events. Her stories are not all nice and neat - hey, life isn't nice and neat. But they aren't what I would call icky, gruesome and gory either. If she has written a series of "chick-lit" mysteries, it's chick-lit at it most fun. Her subject matter is also fascinating as a learning experience. That's from a fan who is nearly as old as Dove! Don't pull just one book (such as Seven Sisters) from the series - start at the beginning and become part of the community - flawed tho it may be. It's laugh-out-loud funny, snuggle-up-under a quilt comfort, confusing and unnerving chaos - and an absolutely marvelous read (even if, but please don't, read out of the series order). I'm so glad I discovered Benni Harper and her family and friends!

This is the seventh book in the Benni Harper mystery series and takes place in San Celina, California.

Benni Harper the curator of the local folk art museum and her husband Police Chief Gabe Ortiz seem to have worked out a lot of their earlier marital problems when Sam, Gabe's son tells them that his girlfriend Bliss is pregnant. Bliss, happens to be a member of the very wealthy and influential Brown family.

Both families seem to rally around the young couple and even Gabe's beautiful ex-wife appears for the first time in this series. At a party celebrating Bliss and Sam's engagement, a Brown relative is found murdered. Benni tries not to become involved in the case, but is forced into helping by Ford Hudson the officer in charge of the homicide investigation.

This interesting story is a little darker than the other mysteries that Benni had been involved with and takes us into the tangled web of old family secrets and the truth about the seven sisters.

I love this series -- I am an unabashed fan. Even though I figured out the mystery very early on, I still enjoyed it very much.

This book is the rare mystery where the murderer never gets a legal comeuppance.

The principles of Somatics absolutely address all your aches and pains whereby you take control to put yourself back in place by training your muscles. Best if you can locate an instructor for class instruction to enhance the illustrations as well as add new exercises. It is most unfortunate that Thomas Hanna did not continue on earth to realize his contribution for so many.

The Somatic exercises have given me more fluidity and ease of movement that anything I've tried - Yoga, Pilates, Egoscue, physical therapy. I actually felt an amazing difference the first time I did these exercises. I continue to do them every day, I enjoy doing them because they allow me to move with far less discomfort and pain. The book may be a little challenging, but well worth the effort. Be sure to read it and then begin the exercises so you have a complete understanding of what the exercises are about and why they work. I'm recommending this book to everyone I know that has lower back/hip issues. The exercises have also been helpful in increasing the range of motion of my shoulder which was beginning to 'freeze up' for me. This book can change your life.

A friend recommended this to me after I had been incapacitated by back pain. I just woke up crippled by back pain one morning - the first time in my life. After weeks of doctors and little relief, I read the book and tried out the exercises. I immediately felt the benefits.

The book is organized as first, a series of case studies, which the author uses to illustrate his theory of muscle amnesia, followed by a series of illustrated exercises with detailed instructions. Anyone reading this book should first read the case studies before doing the exercises.

The author's objective is to help you reacquaint you with parts of your body that you have lost touch with - and therefore lost control of. He believes that much back and body pain is due to involuntary actions of muscle groups that we have forgotten how to control. By doing exercises and focusing on how they feel, we can regain sensation and control of our muscles. We can replace painful involuntary muscle actions with graceful voluntary ones.

All I can say is, the exercises - and theory - helped me, and I do the short version of the exercises most days. The exercises are not strenuous or painful - they are pleasurable and relaxing, leaving you feeling invigorated.

Hanna Somatics is very beneficial for all people. It really blows the "your just getting old" myth and is an easy method to feel better in your body at the same time as doing something to make it work better. It is easy reading and the pictures of the exercises at the end are helpful. However, the simplicity of the exercises does not translate well in the explanations, so it would be very helpful to find a Somatic Educator to go over the exercises with you once or twice. Well worth the price of the book.

I had severe chronic abdominal pain for the best part of a year. I had to quit my sport (rowing) and it really affected my studies. Truth is I was already beginning to realise that my problem was somatic and had begun to release the abdominal tension just by thinking about it. I discovered somatics after that. Personally I have found it an effective approach to releasing tension. It has worked for me but what I would like to know is whether it has worked for others?

The thing about this sort of book is that it is likely to attract positive reviews. We only see the successes and the failures are forgotten about thus distorting the reviews. Indeed this is a failure of the book itself. As a practitioner of somatics Hanna must have had people he could not help. What was their situation? How long did he work with them? As such the first part of the book which discusses case studies and its philosophical basis cannot be regarded as scientific. We can learn as much from failure as from success.

The only critical review at the time of writing is right to criticise the poor visibility of the skeleton diagrams. Others have criticised its lack of mention of the fact that there are people trained in somatic education. If you decide to take on the program then I advise you to go to someone trained in the movements otherwise you risk doing it wrong and wasting your time or at worst making your problem worse.

Somatics is not an alternative to Pilates or Yoga rather it takes certain aspects of those disciplines and refines them as well as adding some additional ideas not found in either. Pilates is about core stability, yoga is about... well yoga and somatics is about muscle tension. The book also fails to adequately put itself within context of other related disciplines.

Anyway, Somatics is a great discipline. I hope that the next edition works out these criticisms.

This is another book I read cover to cover in one sitting. I'm sad that it's over. The thoughtfulness and ethics and, well, honor of the writer touched me. Lots of cool insider info without compromising security. No bitchy backstabbing. No gratuitous back-slapping either. A very easy read that I couldn't tear myself away from. A couple months back, the current president was in my city for a couple of hours and the amount of disruption to traffic was startling. I now have far more appreciation for how difficult these visits are and how much orchestration they involve.

I wanted to get a little more background on the life of a Secret Service Agent. I found this book filled with interesting tidbits of information. It was an easy read that I found entertaining, as well. His recounts of what it was like working around the Reagan administration, the Pope's US visit, etc. kept me interested for several hours worth of reading. It personalized some of the details that the public often may not realize.

This book is well written with just enough detail to keep you in every scene. It hooked me from page 1 and kept me interested all along.

If you have any interest in the presidency of Ronald Reagan or the Secret Service, I highly recommend this book. The tone is very matter-of-fact, but what comes through is what an honorable person Joseph Petro is. He lost out on a possible N.F.L career when he was drafted for the Viet Nam War, but our country, and especially its elected officials during the time of his service, gained a great deal.

A very engaging book.

I found this book extremely enlightening as to what life as an Agent in the USSS will be like. Petro does a wonderful job at writing about what he is allowed to disclose yet still keeping the reader engaged. If you are interested in the USSS, you should read this book during your application process since little is know about the Service.

In the Prologue, the authors state victorious war veterans have long vexed politicians noting that "Early in the Revolutionary war, the Continental Congress provided for both disabled veterans and the dependents of soldiers killed in battle" and that "The last surviving dependent of the Revolutionary war continued to receive benefits until 1911." The authors write "By1932, the amount paid to Civil War (Union) veterans and their survivors amounted to twice the cost of the war." After World War I, in 1924 Congress passed a law that granted the WWI veterans a bonus. However, payment of the bonus was constantly delayed. The end result was the WWI veterans formed a bonus army that marched to Washington D.C. in 1932 to lobby for the bonus. Historians have given only passing references to the bonus marches, however their significance was great and their influence continues to today.

The first half of the text gives an excellent account of the 1932 bonus march. They called themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force (BEF), and they traveled in freight cars, state trucks, private autos, motorcycles and some even walked. They began arriving in June 1932, and upon arrival in Washington they were politically supported by the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars as well many members of Congress, principally Wright Patman. Fortunately, in 1932 the Washington Police Chief, Pelham Glassford, was a competent and fair chief who looked to the welfare of the bonus marchers. The BEF Commander-in-Chief was Walter Walters who was also competent, and was able to exercise control of the BEF that could have become a vicious mob. The major issue was by law the bonus couldn't be paid until 1945. However, by 1932 the nation was mired in the Great Depression, and many veterans desperately needed the bonus. However, the bonus exceeded the income of the government so both Presidents Hoover and Roosevelt vetoed early payment of the bonus.

The military erroneously thought the 1932 bonus veterans consisted of ex-criminals, radicals and non-servicemen and; were controlled by communists. However,Walter Waters bitterly opposed the communists. The BEF and splinter groups were encamped in Washington in vacant buildings plus 15,000 veterans and about 1,100 wives and children were camped in tents and shacks at Anacostia. Most interesting was the fact that at Anacostia and in the other camps, the color line didn't exist. The text contains several interesting personal stories. After the veterans made several attempts to secure payment of their bonus, Police Chief Glassford was told that beginning July 22 and completed by August 4, the bonus veterans had to be out of their camps; the Army now had control of the bonus armies. The army burned camp Anacostia and used tanks, bayonets and tear gas to expel the vets and their families from Washington. Two civilian casualties were attributed to Army eviction activities.

The text next covers two subsequent bonus marches on Washington in 1933 and 1934. In order to keep veterans from camping in Washington, the administration set up work camps for veterans in South Carolina and Florida. The hurricane that struck the Florida Keys on Labor Day 1935;was devastating and especially hard on the veterans in work camps on the Florida Keys. 259 veterans lost their lives. U.S. Government officials tried to cover-up the government's failure to take proper measurers to prevent lost of life maintaining it was due to "an act of God." Most interesting Ernest Hemmingway who lived on Key West wrote an excellent critique of the government's failure to take proper actions to evacuate the keys and avoid injuries and lost of life. The text provides an interesting account of this sad affair.

On January 27, 1936, Roosevelt's veto of a new bonus bill was overridden and the cash bonus finally became a reality. `The new bill differed from the earlier Patman bills in that this bill called for the issuing of bonds in $50 denominations.... that could be redeemed on June 15 or held at 3-percent interest to maturity in 1945."

With the United States entry into, World War II, Congress introduced legislation to provide benefits for the men and women in the military. By the end of 1943, 243 bills on veterans legislation were pending before Congress. Amazingly beginning on December 15, 1943, a special committee of the American Legion drafted a rough version of veteran's legislation laying the groundwork for what eventually became the GI Bill of Rights. The bill was signed by President Roosevelt on June 22, 1944 and provided six benefits: education and training; loan guaranty for a home, farm or business; unemployment pay of $29 a week for up to fifty-two weeks; job-finding assistance; top priority for building materials for VA hospitals; and military review of dishonorable discharges.

The text ends stating "Millions of Americans have since peacefully marched on Washington in support of various causes, their way paved by the veterans of 1932." This book is excellently researched, well written and hopefully will place the bonus march in its proper place in American history.

As a Vietnam combat vet I cannot be objective about this book. As I read it, I couldn't help comparing it to my own experiences of re-integrating into civilian life following my service. As I read The Bonus Army I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the sacrifices these men and their families made, not just in war, but in the aftermath.

Paul Dickson and Thomas B. Allen set out to chronicle an event, but wound up giving us a look at how politicians deal with the pesky problem of what to do with returning veterans. One of the most shocking aspects of The Bonus Army is how quickly the same men who cheered from the grandstands as these soldiers went off to war in 1918 now wanted them washed away and forgotten.

As an American war veteran I am grateful to Dickson and Allen for writing this book. It should be read by every returning Global War On Terror (GWOT) vet. Like freedom itself, when it comes to holding government to their promises after the trumpets fade, you only get what you are willing to fight for.

I knew little about the Bonus Army, other than Patton's role in breaking up their camp in Anacostia. Little, indeed. This book brings to life a rich period of U.S. history where the nation--or parts of the nation--came together in a period of economic desperation. There are a few villians, but far more unexpected heroes of high and low station determined to see fellow American treated with dignity and respect. This is truly a wonderful read that places the veterans in the Bonus Army in the same tradition as those who kept our republic alive at Valley Forge.

If you went to college or bought a house on the GI Bill you can thank the Bonus Army, a ragtag group of WW I vets who converged on Washington, DC in 1932 demanding payment of their dollar a day bonus promised to them after years of political wrangling. They were called communists, criminals and freeloaders by the president and members of congress during the worst years of the depression. President Hoover used US troops commanded by General Douglas MacArthur to drive them out of the city and the American voters were so outraged the incident helped carry FDR to the White House that fall. It would still be several years before the bonus was paid but the saga of the bonus army paved the way for the GI Bill of Rights and provided a model for every mass protest held in the capital since.
Dickson and Allen provide a stirring narrative with an all star cast that includes Herbert Hoover, George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, Andrew Mellon, Dwight Eisenhower and J Edgar Hoover.
The Bonus Army has faded from view over time and this worthy book brings an important era in or history back into focus.

Allen and Dickson have written a very compelling book on the history of the Bonus Army, veterans from World War I who converged on Washington in 1932 and subsequent years to demand their promised payment known as the "bonus". The authors give us a good background as to who some of these veterans were, what conditions were like in the country during the years of the First World War and the next two decades after that, who some of the major players were in the debates and issues concerning the Bonus Army and their time in the nation's capital, and lastly how our nation would treat veterans of future wars.

This book details some of the men who made up the bonus army and where they came from in their move towards the nation's capital, with special emphasis on Walter Waters and his group of men from Portland and their journey eastwards. In addition to these Bonus marchers we learn of Pelham Glassford, the Washington D.C. Police Chief who oversaw the gathering veterans, citizens and groups who gave aid to the veterans on their journey to Washington and while they stayed in the city, politicians like Representative Wright Patman who became a leading advocate for the veterans in the halls of Congress, and of course other political and military figures who would play crucial roles in the issues and events surrounding the Bonus Army.

We also learn of how America perceived these veterans as they marched towards Washington and during their stay there. One of the constant worries of some in power at the time, those in the Hoover Administration, the Congress, and the military was the threat of communism, i.e. the Red Scare. Some believed many of these veterans weren't real veterans, believing many had criminal backgrounds and held communist views who wanted nothing less than to incite violence in the nation's capitol or even overthrow the U.S. Government. These worries were vastly over exaggerated as there were very few communists in this group of veterans, and those that were had little or no influence. These were loyal Americans who had fallen on hard times and needed and deserved some help from their government.

The events of the end of July 1932 have garnered the most attention and left the most indelible impressions on the minds of those who have any knowledge of the Bonus Army. This was when the military was called out to disperse the veterans who had encamped in vacant city buildings as well as the larger concentration of veterans who had gathered at sites like Camp Marks on the Anacostia River.The use of force to disperse the Bonus marchers became a damaging symbol that left a stain on the Hoover Administration as well as the reputation of Gen. Douglas MacArthur who had led the effort to rid the city of these veterans. The authors of this book are fair in spreading blame and correcting some myths that had developed after these events, for example there were not upwards of 100 casualties in this event, which is detailed in one of the appendices at the end of the book.

Even FDR did not support the bonus payment, but his veto was overridden by both houses of Congress in 1936, thus the bonus became a reality. But the real accomplishment, as the authors mentioned, was the piece of legislation known as the GI Bill passed in 1944, helping veterans from the Second World War to secure the needed and well-deserved assistance from the federal government to help them fit back into civilian life. As the authors believe, the Bonus Army of 1932 and those that followed had led the way in securing even greater promises for future veterans who deserved and still deserve the thanks from a grateful nation. Allen and Dickson are to be commended for writing this compelling and important book on an often all too summarized period in American history.