Thomas Books

Our church has used the Maxwell Leadership Bible over the past 3 years to equip current and future leaders. We give this resource to over 80 committee and team moderators, to share the many leadership qualities and lessons based on scripture. The response has been very positive and folks are grateful for the recognition and support.

This is an excellent tool to have on hand for those that are in leadership roles in the workplace. I really love how the scriptures highlight the leadership abilities of those mentioned in the bible. I highly recommend this bible if you want to be inspired to be a better leader and witness as a christian.

Just bought it yesterday to replace my Spirit Filled Life NKJV and it's fantastic! The layout is interesting and makes reading again lots of fun!

I would recommend this Bible to everyone! Whether you think of yourself as a leader or not, this Bible is for you.. God made us all in His image!

Happy Reading!

The Maxwell Bible is awesome--I still like the old King James better than the new King James--But all the insights he gives on the people written in the bible--gives you lots of food for thought and you see things in their life and yours in a whole new light.

If you want to learn more about understanding people this is a big help-it also helps you appreciate God more.

I was surprised at the largely positive reviews of this one, which is the reason I'm posting a review myself.

After reading the numerous glowing reviews here, I bought the book expecting a tightly woven, fast paced read, but found the book poorly organized, sprawling and fairly inconclusive on many points. The actual experience of reading the thing (which is quite short at less than 200 pages) was tedious for me, almost a chore. It really frustrated me, because the true telling of stolen law enforcement software, government lawsuits, CIA spook meddling and a murdered journalist should be anything but tedious.

And, I REALLY wanted to like it too! Unfortunately, important characters and events are given little in the way of introduction or explanation, the chapters (and content within) are muddled and disorganized, and the overall argument is dificult to decipher and supported only weakly.

The book could've benefited by better authors with a more competent grasp of structure and delivery (Yeah, there are typos), and a few hundred more pages of hard research and structured content. The case deserves better handling than this.

Still, I recommend it, as it's pretty much the only game in town. But treat it a primer or a guide, not as the thrilling read it fails to be.

5 stars for subject matter and noble aims, but 2 stars for execution. I give it a 3 on the whole.

...i've read numerous conspiracy books, but this one is certainly one of the better. very well written. ... good read.

Danny Casolaro was a relatively wealthy individual who decided he wanted to become a writer. He already had a few articles published in various magazines when he first learned about the PROMIS software. Basically, PROMIS is a database program with amazing flexibility and statistical abilities and can also be used to predict future trends, submarine locations, etc. This software was developed by private individuals with some help in funding by the U.S. Department of Justice. However, the government decided to [take] the program instead of paying for it and began to market it as their own. This information is widely known and well-accepted and much documentation of this exists (including a successful lawsuit by the software developers that was later overturned on the flimsiest of grounds through the interference of the powers that be). However, when Casolaro set out to write an article about the robbery of the PROMIS program by the government, potentially to sell it to a computer magazine, the deeper he dug, the more sinister things became.

First of all, he learned that the DOJ had a backdoor added into the program so that the U.S. could access the files of whoever they sold the PROMIS program to, including the governments of Israel and Canada. This led to further revelations and meetings with various informants that further revealed a complex web of deceit leading down some surprising avenues. Casolaro now changed his plans to writing a novel, perhaps even presenting it as fiction in order to avoid scaring off publishers. But before this happened, Casolaro was found dead from what was an obviously staged suicide and many of his notes disappeared.

This very well documented book (that also verifies and is verfied by information published elsewhere) chronicles Casolaro's story, citing many excellent sources, including court records and affidavits. It also attempts to recover and recount some of the information about the conspiracy Casolaro began to call "the Octopus" because of its many, long-reaching tendrils. While it is not always clear Casolaro was on the right track (Casolaro himself often took note of what information seemed manufactured to mislead and discredit him), it is clear he was onto something big given his subsequent murder and its sloppy coverup.

Casolaro might have led a comfortable life as a mediocre writer publishing the occassional article, but because of his sense of justice and the need he felt to uncover the truth, he was ruthlessly murdered. This book is a wonderful epitaph to two courageous men (including co-author Keith who mysteriously died from knee surgery).

...i've read numerous conspiracy books, watched the videos, et. cetera, but i dare say this is one of the better!!! certainly, a must read for any conspiracy bluff! go get 'em, tiger.

Kenn and Jim's magnum opus. (RIP, beloved friend to humankind.) This book is as scary as they come, and stranger than fiction. As a conspiracy writer, I found myself shaking while reading it. THEY are real, and THEY can do and have done horrifying things. The Octopus is the Matrix vivified.

This book is especially important for anyone who still naively believes "there are no conspiracies." The word "conspiracy" means "to breathe together." Only two people are needed to make a conspiracy, and this book will leave you breathless.

Danny Casolaro is a heroic figure who bravely and, perhaps, foolhardily attempted to foil the Octopus, whose tendons reach into the most intimate parts of all our lives. He should never be forgotten. Thank goodness for the valiant likes of Kenn Thomas and Jim Keith for telling his story. Movie studios should be clamoring for this highly untold story - but they are no doubt part of the Octopus. Danny, Kenn and Jim should be lauded for their audacity and courage in bringing forth this treacherous tale of murder and mayhem. Such valor is akin to that of Gary Webb in his expose of CIA drug-dealing.

Carry on, fellow warriors for truth.

Acharya S; Archaeologist, Historian, Mythologist, Linguist; Member, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece; Associate Director, Institute for Historical Accuracy; Director, Center of the Research and Study of Theology; Author, "The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold"

This book is excellent. The fictional stories are engaging and thought-provoking. The non-fiction side is equally engaging. I experienced a difference in my life before even finishing the book. It's well-researched, down to earth and solid. I highly recommend it!

I work in the wellness industry and my patients have read this book and formed a love/hate relationship with it. The info that this book brings to light is shocking. Everyone needs to be educated on this material, it will save your life! I have changed the way my clinic helps people my saving from our system that kills people, yikes!

This book combines the hard science and a fictional story to bring home a point about health and wellness. Everyone interested in their health or health of a loved one should read this book.

Never have I found so much good insights in one place and in an easy to apply format. This book has changed my life and given me hope for something better.

FINALLY somebody wrote a book to fairly and accurately contrast the dominant models of health care in our country. The Mechanistic Model vs. the Vitalistic Model.

Having been employed in Big Pharma for years and seeing the inner workings of an industry that HEAVILY influences doctors prescribing habits, I can say this book has hit the nail right on the head. Not only does it expose the fallacy that "drugs cure", but it also documents the devastation on health care in America through medical error and adverse drug reactions. Justly it properly positions the mechanistic model where it was INTENDED to be used.... Crisis and Trauma.... not healthcare.

Most importantly, however, this book, eloquently and clearly gives the roadmap to outrageous health: spiritually, emotionally, and physically. As a Doctor, "One Minute Wellness", is on my MUST read list for my patients, my family and my friends.

Kudos, Dr. Ben and Dr. Loman

I found this book very helpful. I learned what a difference it makes, in which way you communicate with your child and with other people. It had a very positive impact on my relationship to my children and other people. I highly recommend it.

If you don't feel closeness with your child, can't get them to open up even with the kindest efforts, feel like you can't imagine why your relationship isn't good because of all the love you give, and your child would rather spend time with the computer than with you, and they won't listen to you....YOU NEED THIS! I was able to understand instantly the unintentional messages I have been sending! I've read MANY parenting books, never have the results been so immediate--almost magic, and so simple to understand and use. In four days, while still reading, I used/practiced the techniques described--and my 15 year old has responded with profound openess and helpfulness. Because I am respecting his needs as a person (and have learned how to comunicate this), he is in turn respecting my needs! Brilliant! Buy it at ANY cost!!

I read this book in a communications class in junior college. I do not have kids, but it is the foundation of the way I relate to people and to my students. So many people do not know how to talk with others without blaming. This book shows you how to own your power and let others have theirs, too.

I believe all parents or would be parents should have a copy of this book. It would be a great baby shower gift. Helps you understand yourself and children, and actually makes you like yourself and children. I can't say enough on this book. It brings the best out in you, and also makes you feel like you are not the only parent on earth who goes through tough times in your home raising kids. The book was written over thirty years ago but still works in this day. I use the skills almost all the time with my daughter who is fifteen and I have had the most conversation I have ever had with her since applying the skills the book suggested. Truly the most effective book on parenting I have ever read.

Every person alive can benefit from reading this book. I've just finished it & already see improvement between me and my 3 teens(and feel more forgiving toward my own parents, teachers). Parent Effectiveness Training translates into ALL relationships and makes them BETTER! Thank you a MILLION times.

Hine's book is a meticulously researched, wonderfully illustrated work on how the American mindset of the 1950s and 1960s created both the consumer culture and the physical environment in which it thrives. All of this is masquerading as an enjoyable, nostalgic, amusement park ride through the world of split-level houses, tail finned cars, and orange Naugahyde-upholstered furniture. It's a fun read for all baby boomers as well as for any of their children who are trying to figure out why their parents think pink and green go together. By the way, I also recommend this book to any Europeans trying to understand American culture. Read this and the short story "The Concrete Mixer" by Ray Bradbury and you'll understand why McDonalds and Wal-Mart can't be stopped.

Populuxe describes the postwar era from 1955-1964 when American consumerism reached its fullest expression. Since that time we have just recycled and re-invented that period's concepts and trends. Mr. Hines points to the product launch of the 1955 Chevy as marking the beginning, as it was the first mid-price car with tailfins, terminating with the staleness of the "future" presented at the 1964 World's Fair that came in the months after the crushing blow of JFK's assassination.

Thomas Hine describes the era as one that simultaneously looked back to the old west and to a space age future. The old west was a useful paradigm because it brought to mind the pioneer spirit; the sense of self-invention involved and the space age came with the atom bomb, sputnik and the astronauts. Fueled by sudden prosperity, shaped by sophisticated advertising and product marketing, embraced by an American middle class rich with dollars and plenty of leisure, it was the time of ever-growing tail fins on cars, the latest kitchen gadget and exuberant roadside architecture.

While the book would be highly enjoyable just for the descriptions of the products and trends of those times as well as the treasure trove of classic photos, Mr. Hines does more than that. He shows how the tenets of consumerism were laid out in this time; from feeding people a readymade identity through the products they purchased to creating new markets by fulfilling consumers desires rather than their needs. A toaster was no longer a machine that grilled bread. It was a space aged accessory that told its purchaser that he or she was pioneer in the land of tomorrow.

While the colorful plastic and steel designs of the '50's and '60's lacked the beauty of the bronze and silk Art Deco styles of the '20' s and '30's, they are still full of a spirit of fun and excitement.

Before Thomas Hine invented the term "Populuxe," the hopeful designs found in '50's and '60's fashion, furniture, architecture and automobiles were linked with the Space Age, the mighty atom, Rock 'n' Roll, and a nation in love with its wheels. Looking toward a bright future helped the Western world bear the reality of the shadow of Communism. As a guy with dim memories of this era I can say that this book is great fun to read with plenty of vintage pictures and insight into how the Space Age came to be and what it all meant.

I found this book in college, used as a text for the Industrial Design dept. I was a Criminal Justice major myself, but found this a great look at American culture.

This book could be a blueprint for the whimsical looks at the 50's seen on History Channel documentaries.

Hines book is a fun, unpretentious look at the times that led to the designs. It is refreshing that the author didn't take the easy route and simply churn out a tome laundry listing trends simply to make fun of them. The book shows a great understanding and admiration of the industrial art of the era without any pretense or hubris

Hine's work is a meticulously researched, wonderfully illustrated work on how the American mindset of the 1950s and 1960s created both the consumer culture and the physical environment in which it thrives. All of this is masquerading as an enjoyable, nostalgic, amusement park ride through the world of split-level houses, tail finned cars, and orange Naugahyde-upholstered furniture. It's a fun read for all baby boomers as well as for any of their children who are trying to figure out why their parents think pink and green go together. By the way, I also recommend this book to any Europeans trying to understand American culture. Read this and the short story "The Concrete Mixer" by Ray Bradbury and you'll understand while McDonalds and Wal-Mart can't be stopped.

I happened upon this book at my library and thought it would be a good read. I had never heard of the author so wasn't sure what I was in for--Once I finally picked it up and began reading I was hooked!! When I finally found time to start reading it,it came at a time in my life when I really needed to be inspired, to laugh and realize there are other women who totally understand me. The chapter that touched me most was about Vivian the 87 yr old lady--who welcomed the author into her life and became such an inspiration. This book inspired me in so many ways--It gave me hope, renewed my faith and I plan on buying extras and sharing them with others who I am sure could use something gleamed from this wonderful book

Trying to feel fulfilled with only 1 other person in your life? It doesn't work. Several friends add the spice to the spice cake, the toppings to the pizza dough, the rainbows to the landscape. Read this book about friendship and mutual support and then go out and build your friendships!

My best friend and I sat in my living room reading this book to each other. We only paused long enough to grab some brownies from the kitchen and snag a box of Kleenex before diving back into the wonderful world of the Georgia Girls. We agreed that we felt like we went on the retreat with those women. We laughed and cried....sometimes these emotions even overlapped! It was truly wonderful. I've read nearly all of Becky Freemans books and once again she has succeeded in making me feel special as a woman, not on my own merit; but by just knowing that we all depend on Gods grace anyway.

I'm a Becky Freeman fan and have read all of her books. While her humor always brings a refreshing "out-loud" laugh, she has the ability to bring the reader into "deeper waters." This book is definately not the "shallow-end" kind of swim. I made the mistake of reading from it while in the plane on a business trip. The flight attendant asked me if I was all right--at least he got me a kleenex. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true-life stories about average women with an above-average inner strength. These gals may never make the front page of the news or be featured in the National Enquirer, but their stories are worth reading--ala "Chicken Soup" variety. Thanks for the refreshing swim, Becky, but next time, you need to put a "hanky warning" on the cover.

Real Magnolias was the most encouraging book I have read! It reminded me that I am not alone on this journey. There are friends around me who are going through the same situations and struggles in their lives. This book is about REAL women who share what makes them continue toward their walk with Christ. There is a lot to be said for women who enourage each other. Becky Freemen is a very unselfish writer who let these women tell their life story. Life stories that we all can relate too. Stories that are full of laughter, tears and hope for tomorrow.

THE SIGN OF JONAS is the journal of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton from 1946 to 1952, covering his early years at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemane through his ordination and his first couple of years as a priest. It is, essentially, a sequel to his best-selling THE SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN. The latter book is a more traditional autobiography, spanning his early life, covering his conversion experience, and culminating in his decision to enter contemplative life. What's so fascinating about Merton is that he was such a manifestly *human* human being, in the sense of having all of our weaknesses of body and mind; he was, in short, not what you'd think of as very saintly. Nonetheless, he was able to transcend those very human qualities, empty himself, and fill himself with God--and write about it in such a beautiful way that he is able to inspire and to move others to want to emulate him.

The journal entries that comprise this book vary considerably in style, tone, and content, but there are basically two types: Many of the entries, especially in the first half of the book are narrative, for instance, describing Merton's consternation over what he sees as a conflict between his writing and his need to live the contemplative life. This sense of inner discord is exacerbated by, on the one hand, his fame resulting from the publication of SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN and his desire (perhaps temptation) for the more hermit-like life of the Carthusian. His superior in religious life, the abbot, essentially orders him to (1) write and (2) forget about the Carthusians, and he is obedient to his abbot as the expression of God's will. Merton's descriptions of his monastic surroundings are lyrical and painterly. The narrative entries are furthermore peppered with good humor, both droll ("There is certainly something very touching about lambs, until they find their way into holy pictures and become unpleasant" [p. 168]") and childlike (during one of the services, he is distracted by the hunting scene depicted on the shirt of one of the postulants: "What disturbs me especially is that one of the huntsmen, on a very fat horse, is riding directly through the middle of the pack of hounds, at right angles to the apparent direction of the chase. And I say to him, `Where do you think you're going?' when my mind ought to be on the psalms" [p. 208]).

The other major type of journal entry focuses on aspects of the spiritual life. These passages are beautiful, often abstruse, and occasionally exceedingly dense. They are suitable more for meditation than for simple reading pleasure. About halfway through the book, when Merton is ordained a priest, he becomes especially consumed by his new role and enraptured by the Mass. This in part reflects a pre-Vatican II understanding of the Mass that was more personal and less community-focused. For this reader, anyway, these passages are, though initially interesting, eventually a bit trying. Fortunately, Merton grows into his priesthood, and his writing reflects this, becoming less inward and self-absorbed. At the very end of the book, in the Epilogue called `Fire Watch," he is able to successfully join narrative and spiritual writing for a final meditation.

THE SIGN OF JONAS depicts Merton at a point in his life at which his ideas and thoughts are still maturing. It is, however that may be, a stunning piece of work. For my part, I found it more moving than SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN. In fact, I think it is one of the best pieces of 20th-century Catholic spiritual literature, a book that I found both edifying and a pleasure to read.

Sign of Jonas is a marvelous interweaving of three themes. Merton's love of nature is vividly described while he also relates his own spiritual growth as he moves through the years preceding and following becoming a priest. He tells of life at the monastery in a clear and,for the most part, affectionate way. The book moves smoothly from one of these arenas to another and back again. His explanations of his spiritual experiences are so very honest.It was my first Merton book and remains my favorite. When I finish the last page I turn to the first and start again. Reading and re-reading this book is like having a close friend.

For those who have come to know and enjoy Merton's writing, this collection of edited early journal entries provides a great deal of insight into the man and why he was able to remain so committed to Trappist life in his later times of trial. Much of the smugness of some parts of The Seven Storey Mountain are already gone, and we can see him maturing in his thought and his observations.

The epilogue, titled "Fire Watch," is worth the price of the book by itself. In addition, there is a pre-figuring of his famous experience at "Fourth and Walnut" in Louisville in his account of his first trip outside the monastery, approximately seven years after he entered. By following a typical journal format, one can follow the development of his thinking. (By contrast, a later similar book, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, is not necessarily arranged chronologically, which makes it more difficult for me to follow.)

Those who enjoy Merton will treasure this book.

What a wonderful way to start my new year with this book! A Benedictine Sister kindly gave me this book on my New Year's Eve retreat with them, after she learned that I love Merton's writings. How pure Merton's faith was, and how intensely absorbing his writing!

"All my desires draw me more and more in that direction. To be little, to be nothing, to rejoice in your imperfections, to be glad that you are not worthy of attention, that you are of no account in the universe. This is the only liberation. The only way to true solitude."

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is honestly in pursuit of the true faith.

Often referred to as "The Seven Storey Mountain: Part II", the "Sign of Jonas" is a nice collection of Merton's journal entries that chronicle his life after joining the Trappists.

"The Sign of Jonas" answers the simple question: "what happened after Seven Storey Mountain?" While some have been disappointed by the difference between his most famous autobiography and this collection of journal entries, I have to step forward and disagree.

I think this is a great book that speaks to the hearts of those who know what it is to struggle with your state in life, discerning your vocation and living the Gospel message to the best of your ability with all that it brings.

Give this book a try!

We got this book when my son was 3 years old and he loved it. It tells the story in a way that brings glory to God in the midst of difficult circumstances. Highly recommend!

If you want your kids to really know the full story of the first Thanksgiving, then you cannot forego this book. Squanto is one of those stories that has not remained at the fore front of Thanksgiving tales. And, that fact is a crying shame. This story will not only speak facts, it will teach several moral lessons that the child in all of us needs to learn. It is a reminder of how we can be thankful no matter what life hands us in the way of trials. Read this book to your kids and inspire them to live their best lives!

This is an excellent book for teaching the history of Thanksgiving. The story is well told, and the writing is well crafted. The pictures are remarkable; you can spend a lot of time looking into the faces of the characters, which are rich with emotion and humanity and realism. This book is a great investment.

This is an excellent resource to teach children the true meaning of Thanksgiving and how much God loves each of his children and has a wonderful plan for all of them. I would definitely recommend this book!

This was an incredibly beautiful rendering of Squanto's life. I highly recommend the book to all ages.

This review first appeared in the April 2002 issue of DR AHEAD, the newsletter of the Air Force Navigators Observers Assoication.

There is a saying, "Join the Navy and see the world. Join the Air Force and see Texas." In these two books Tom Alexander takes readers on a tour of Texas to visit 19 of the 65 Army Air Force bases which operated there during World War II.

Volume I covers the bases which were at Amarillo, Pyote, Pecos, Sweetwater, Greenville, Waco, Harlingen, and San Antonio (which alone of these still survives as an active facility). Volume II adds to the tour the bases at Pampa, Hondo, Del Rio, Midland, Marfa, El Paso, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Austin, Big Spring, and Houston. Alexander tells how and when each base came into existence, what missions were fulfilled, who some of the people associated with the base were, how the thousands of Air Force men and women, mostly from outside of Texas, interacted with the nearby community, and what became of the facility. In addition the author looks at the nearby Texas communities before and after the bases were established and the impact that the bases had on the state as a whoe.

Information about the bases is carefully researched and documented with endnotes. There are scores of histrical and contemporary photographs. The books are rich with ancedotal material. Alexander writes with skill

The heart of these books is Alexander's powerful descriptions of the opening, operation, and disposition of the bases and the resulting impacts on Texas. Those who spent Air Force time in Texas will enjoy these books. Libraries in communities which have or had a military base nearby should acquire them. This goes for communities across the country, not just in Texas, because the lessons they teach are about how war and peach change America.

I really enjoyed reading "The Stars Were Big and Bright." There was so much informative and humorous information in a well written format. It was very interesting learning about the diversity in the locations of the air bases and I loved the old pictures. It was a book I didn't want to put down.

I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of the life and times of Sweetwater as well as what it was like to be a WASP in a small Texas town!

This book provides a worthwhile survey of the role of military aviation...anecdotal details keep the text lively...vintage and contemporary photographs make the book valuable for anyone interested in the military buildup that affected Texas communities...

I am a native Texan and history buff, but I was never aware of the important role many small Texas towns played in the aerial war efforts of the United States. What a revelation this book provided.

Very well written, interesting, informative, humorous and sometimes tragic, The Stars Were Big and Bright is one book that will remain in my personal library for years to come. It is sure to be reread whenever the urge to revisit the history of Texas' contribution to the U.S. Army Air Force's efforts during WWI and WWII.

I was impressed also with the numerous vintage photograps, maps, descriptions of the relevant airfields, aircraft photos and specifications, as well as the high level of documentation from primary source documents.

This book absolutely has to be the best book on this topic yet written. Perhaps the author, Thomas E. Alexander, will treat us to another great book in the future.

For anyone interested in the Civil War I highly reccomend this book. There are literally thousands of books on the Civil War but most of them focus on the political or military side. This book focuses on the aftermath of the battle, something that is overlooked by many historians. The reader will get a whole new perspective on the impact the War had on areas where armies clashed. Anyone even remotely interested in the Civil War should pick this book up. For those of you who have weak stomachs, do not read the book after a meal.

This book isn't about the battle of Gettysburg. It's about the price that was paid for that battle by the men who fought it and the citizens of the town. The aftermath of Gettysburg was a nightmare beyond imagination.

After the guns fell silent Coco shows us that there was much to do. Thousands of dead soldiers needed to be buried and tens of thousands of wounded to be treated. How do you do all that? The truth is you can't, at least not very well. In the end many bodies were buried in shallow graves that didn't take long to get uncovered by the elements. Some bodies were simply dumped into the crevasses in Devil's Den. The wounded in many cases were left outside for no other reason than you had over ten times as many wounded as you had population in Gettysburg and there simply wasn't enough room indoors for all the wounded men. Toss in countless horses whose corpses needed to be gathered up and burned and you begin to get the picture. The aftermath of Gettysburg was a gruesome horror story.

This book is not for the casual or beginning Civil War reader. There's nothing about infantry charges and military tactics here. Coco doesn't hold back and to be honest the book is rather disturbing. However it tells the story that I don't think any other book does and that's the frank truth about the aftermath of Gettysburg.

Greg Coco's "A Strange and Blighted Land" is, as far as I know, a uniquely intimate and yet comprehensive look at the aftermath of Civil War combat. The Battle of Gettysburg left 6000 soldiers dead on the ground (with thousands more to later die of their wounds) and 20,000 seriously wounded. When the two great armies that had fought there marched away, the dead and the wounded remained in and around Gettysburg, creating a horror worthy of an inner circle of Dante's Hell. This is an unflinching look at the days, weeks, and months that followed. I see that a previous, anonymous reviewer at this site complained about the "author's incesant anti-war sermonizing." To the contrary, I consider that Coco did little "sermonizing". Rather, he lets the eyewitnesses speak for themselves, quoting liberally from a vast array of primary sources. The result is a powerful, fact-packed book that is certainly grim, even gruesome, and far removed from the conventional romanticing and glamourization of the very deadly consequences of genuine 19th century warfare. I think that anyone who finds him- or herself thinking back to the supposed glory of Civil War battle where everyone dies heroically and cleanly should read Coco's book as a strong antidote against such a false picture.

After the shooting stopped at Gettysburg, within a very short time the whole landscape had turned black from the flies spawned in the bodies of the fallen. The earth was soiled and black with grease and filth and the very air was heavy with foulness.

This is not a book for the faint-hearted, but it is a superbly well-researched account, drawn from eyewiteness statements and official documents of what happened when nearly 10 000 dead and two or three times that many wounded were left in a quiet farming community by armies that had gone elsewhere.

This is essential reading for anybody wishing to know the whole story of Gettysburg. It has many maps and illustrations and photographs not seen elsewhere, and a comprehensive set of notes.

The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was the largest ever fought on the American continent and the pivotal battle of our Civil War. Following the battle, with the retreat of Lee's Army and the pursuit by Meade's, there was a pressing need to take care of the dead, wounded, and destroyed that the armies left in their wake. There also was, and remains, a need to reflect upon the significance of the Battle and the lessons to be learned from it.

Gregory Coco's book, "A Strange and Blighted Land" (1995) gives a comprehensive account of the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Coco is a Park Ranger at Gettysburg, and he hasa written extensively and well about the battle. He is also a Vietnam veteran. His history in this book stresses eloquently, the carnage of war, its terrors and pain, and its irreplaceable cost in human life and treasure.

The book is arranged in five rather lengthy chapters. In the first chapter, Mr. Coco offers his readers a tour of the Battlefield in which he presents eyewitness accounts of the death and destruction evident over the 25 mile square Battlefield. The second chapter discusses the dead of Gettysburg and their burials. There is excellent historical material here about the establishment of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. In his next chapter, Mr. Coco discusses the Gettysburg wounded, both North and South, the medical and surgical practices of the day, and the camps set up in haste to care for the masses of grievously wounded soldiers. In his fourth chapter, Mr. Coco discusses the treatment of prisoners of war, and the fate of the many stragglers and deserters which followed in the wake of the battle. In his final chapter, Mr. Coco discusses preservation efforts for the Battlefield, culminating in the establishment of the Gettysburg National Military Park in 1895.

I have read several other accounts of the aftermath of Gettysburg. Mr. Coco's book is by far the most thorough. He has the factual details at his command and presents them in a convincing manner. He shows great familiarity with the Battle itself, and discusses well the controversies and issues in determining the numbers of the killed, wounded, and missing.

But there is much more to this book than a factual recounting of the aftermath of a battle. The book is written in an appealing, personal, sometimes buttonholing style in which Mr. Coco seems to be at the readers side offering observations and commentary on the significance of the events set forth in his story. He offers opinions on a variety of topics emanating from his reflections on Gettysburg and on war. (Specifically, Mr. Coco shows a healthy skepticism in matters of religion.) Mr. Coco focuses on the meaning to be drawn from Gettysburg and from our Civil War. His own perspective is clear. Mr. Coco is opposed to efforts to glorify or romanticize war. Again and again, he stresses the horrors of war and tries to impress upon his readers that the greatest lesson to be learned from Gettysburg is -- to try to prevent such things from happening. Thus his book concludes (p.373)

"Let us now leave behind the aftermath story with this hope: that for each and every attempt to parade the 'pomp and circumstance' of war, we give equal time to the corrupt and merciless monster shielded smugly within, because, 'if the bugler starts to play, we too must dance.'"

This book is both an excellent history and a deeply-felt attempt to think about the meaning of Gettysburg.