Washington Books

Perhaps more than any other English-speaking author, Graham Swift is able to capture the poignancy, the thwarted emotions, and the poetry which can lie behind seemingly mundane lives. Although not as well-known as "Waterland" or "Last Orders" (which cover much the same emotional landscape), "The Sweet-shop Owner" seems to be their equal in quality. The novel covers one day in the life of an aging, lower-middle-class man, moving back and forth from the minutia of his business routine to the painful memories of his failures as a husband and a father. Swift's prose really is a joy to read -- at its best he can create a "Madame Bovary" sort of mood -- and he can create vividly believable supporting characters, like the drab shop assistant who has centered all of her hopes on marriage with her boss or the self-indulgent teenager who nevertheless finds herself awkwardly responding to the title character's decency.

From the first sentence, I draw into this poignant, spellbinding story. Although I think Willy, his wife and his daughter hurt each other and all of them become victim, I could identify with any of them.

An exceptional first novel from an important novelist, thus 5 stars. Here, Graham Swift looks at boundaries: The narrow geographical boundaries of the small London suburb in which the story is set ("We never moved out of these narrow bounds. Born here, schooled here, worked here,") and the narrow emotional boundaries of his characters' relationships (The paragraph continues, "And even when I met her I stood here on the common and thought: enough, now everything is in its place, and I in mine.") The theme of narrow boundaries is deftly rendered in the relationship of the sweet-shop owner, Willie Chapman, and his wife Irene who, from the start, sets the limits of their relationship, and in the father/daughter and the mother/daughter relationships, all locked within narrow confines.
Swift is quoted as saying: "I think if you know that you have a talent, then . . . you should try not to dissipate it. You should try to hold onto it and keep it, concentrate it - not to do as the whole world tends to do these days, and diversify. Diversification doesn't work with art. Keep the old firm in business, don't go into other fields of trade." Although some believe that his later work reveals a talent as a dramatist, may his "old firm" of novel writing thrive well into the future.

I was browsing the FAQ on Elizabeth George's website where it said that Graham Swift was one of her favorite authors. Elizabeth George is my favorite author (I highly recomend reading her book For The Sake Of Elena or Deception On His Mind) so I decided to give him a try. I am very glad that I did. Graham Swift came close to replacing her as my favorite author. This book is one of the best that I have ever read, and I have since devoured everything that he has published. This book had a deep effect on me and if you read it, I think you will find it a very rewarding experience.

Just a great simple, and true story. I was a tailgunner on B-17s same time as Picardo in B-24s. Picardo tells it as it was. Authentic as you can get.

Highly recommended

Eddie Picardo represents thousands of prople who served our country in a time of need. Eddie has done a great service to all of his fellow veterans by recording his memories. The book covers some personal experiences prior to WWII as well as time he spent in the military and after. It is a good general review of the times.

This is not a flowery high-end literary treatment of the WWII tailgunner experience but is certainly an enjoyable story. I felt like I was listening to somebodys Dad do a good job of telling about their experiences in the big war.

The book tells it like it really was. No glossing over. Mr. Picardo's true feelings are felt thru out the book.

This work, aside from all useful insight into inner city culture, is able to offer the perspective qualitative research a good example of how to construct observation and insider knowledge into one. When writing-up qualitative research it is often hard to determine what balance between observation and insider language must be presented to convince the reader. This book, by its example, provides a very successful model that can be used by almost anyone. Simply stated, you must get this book in order to improve your qualitative research. Good luck!!!

This study of Black streetcorner men by noted anthropologist, Dr. Elliot Liebow, was his doctoral dissertation. It became recognized as one of the more important sociological treatises, at the time it was written; a time during which Blacks or African Americans were still referred to as Negroes. Dr. Liebow's year and a half long study of a group of disaffected Black males, who routinely frequented a streetcorner in Washington, D.C.'s inner city, provided the basis for the dissertation that gave rise to this book. His analysis of this particular societal subculture, in the context of the overall social milieu in which it exists, is still relevant today. While scholarly, the book is written in an engaging conversational tone, which makes for easy reading. This book should be read by all those with an interest in the social sciences.

This book was assigned as part of a course taken on Oppression and Poverty in America. An excellent book for anyone interested in learning about life in the inner-city. Written in 1967 as a field study by the late Elliot Liebow, it offers a view of life that is not seen by most college students. I have assigned it to my Intro to Sociology class as a stepping off point for discussion about American culture, poverty, and family life. Very easy reading and truly a book that should be read by anyone who wants to begin to understand and accept diversity among people.

Admittedly, I first read Tally's Corner almost three decades ago -- and it still has a hold over me. In those 30 years, I went from studying sociology to making films to doing start-ups in Silicon Valley. I am now in the process of ordering more copies to distribute to friends. Tally's Corner is an exceptional work. It had its origins in a doctoral thesis and yet it reads like a novel. Its powerful message aside, Tally's Corner is marvelous reading. Anyone who wants to write something important and lasting should look to Liebow to see how it is done. Tally's Corner defies the contrary logic which says "no pain, no gain" -- that all things profound must to be impossible for everyman to understand.

In 1985, Arte Público Press published Helena María Viramontes' first book, "The Moths and Other Stories," which has become a classic in Chicano literature. Since then, her short stories have appeared in more than 80 anthologies.

Viramontes published the novel "Under the Feet of Jesus" (Plume Books) in 1995, about a makeshift family of migrant workers. It was met with great critical acclaim and now graces many high-school and college reading lists.

Now, fans of Viramontes' writing can delight in the publication of her new novel, "Their Dogs Came With Them" (Atria Books, $23 hardcover). It possesses Viramontes' trademark poetic grittiness, with well-drawn characters who almost leap from the page.

The novel is a heart-rending but hopeful portrait of lives that are rocked by the turmoil and violence of East Los Angeles during the 1960s.

Asked whether she saw some form of redemption arising from her mostly female protagonists' struggles with poverty, bigotry and governmental abuses, Viramontes responded with characteristic candor:

"If I didn't want to recognize the redemption of their everyday ordeals, why write about them in the first place? I marvel, truly marvel, at the everyday, ordinary ordeals of human life, and I want to give justice to an existence that very few people or readers acknowledge."

In many ways, this sentiment is emblematic of Viramontes' perception of writers and their role in society. She asserts that "serious writers have the responsibility to try and disrupt patterns of thought and behavior that damage the integrity of life. That's why most writers do their best work while living on the fringes of a society."

With respect to writers of color such as herself, Viramontes provocatively adds: "Because our communities are constantly bombarded with inhumane violence and racism, I think we writers write with greater urgency." She takes this role seriously: "The greatest compliment to a writer is if a reader is disturbed enough to begin questioning his/her own beliefs."

In choosing the setting and era for her new novel, Viramontes did not need to stray far from her roots. She was born in East Los Angeles into a large family that always extended to relatives and friends who had crossed the border from Mexico to California.

While attending Immaculate Heart College, she worked part time at the bookstore and library to help pay for her education. Viramontes eventually earned her master of fine arts degree from the University of California at Irvine.

She has gone on to win many awards, including the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, a Sundance Institute Fellowship, and the Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature.

Today, Viramontes is a teacher and mentor to many young writers. She is a professor of creative writing at Cornell University.

Despite well-deserved acclaim, Viramontes does not pretend that writing is easy. "Their Dogs Came With Them" was more than a decade in the making because teaching and life's other demands often devoured her attention.

When Viramontes could make time to return to her novel, she sometimes suffered from writer's block. But she did not give up:

"I just kept my fingers close to the keyboard, walking distance close, just in case something would happen. I had to pay close attention. I reminded myself that a novel begins by one word following another."

Viramontes also observes: "Writing novels is certainly not for the fainthearted, and writing them on a university schedule can be brutally challenging."

We can be grateful for her perseverance. "Their Dogs Came With Them" establishes that Viramontes is simply one of our finest chroniclers of the ordinary but heroic ordeals of human life.

[This review first appeared in the El Paso Times.]

As a graduate student at Harvard in literary studies, I was shocked and saddened to read such an ill-informed review of Viramontes' second and astoundingly luminous novel.

Not only was the review factually incorrect--for this is Viramontes' second novel (not her first, as the reviewer claims), but, far more gravely, utterly incapable of appreciating the artistic power of a truly original and monumental novel. American literary scholars have already heralded Viramontes' new work as the "Middlemarch of Los Angeles," justly comparing it in power and scope with the greatest works of nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature.

Viramontes stands out among the even most talented of contemporary writers, and her work (including her first novel, "Under the Feet of Jesus," and her many wonderful short stories, including the widely anthologized "The Moths") has already earned her an unforgettable place in the canons of American and world literature. Her work is regularly taught alongside that of Joyce, Steinbeck, and Cisneros, and she is legendary for her innovations in prose and poetic intensity. "Under the Feet of Jesus" has been cited as a "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman," and is now an indelible part of our literary heritage and one of the most groundbreaking novels in decades.

"Their Dogs Came With Them" is Viramontes' "Ulysses"--a contemporary, multi-lingual, prismatic epic that bears no resemblance to the flat, one-dimensional easy-read novels that Publishers Weekly review seems to favor. The Publishers Weekly review seems to have read the novel haphazardly or perhaps not at all, as it gives no sense of the Viramontes' careful construction and dynamic interweaving of multiple narratives and perspectives--the novel is not 'loosely constructed' (a complaint that was, incidentally, often leveled at Joyces' "Ulysses" when it first appeared), but rather innovative, unconventional, and poetic in the best sense of the word.

Viramontes' novel grows out of its characters and the brute materiality that affects them, and its style is as complex and materially present as the story of Los Angeles life that it tells. The alleged "difficulty" of the novel lies in its challenges to the traditional tropes and characters of American literature--in its original voice, unique form of storytelling, and in the brilliance of its form. Viramontes' rich language demands our attention and, like other great writers, challenges the conventional ways in which we have learned or become accustomed to read.

While Viramontes' first novel was a lyrical tour de force, this current work is of a darker and textually different tone. The depth of the novel lies in its ability to characterize and describe in ways that surprise and illuminate, to render without merely 'reporting.' Traditional tropes of American and Latino literature are displaced, meditated on, and reworked, while Viramontes' lucid and ever-metamorphosizing style evokes the unique subjectivity of each of her characters and the fractured temporality of their experience. Any serious reader seeking unconventional beauty and innovative form will appreciate the texture of "Their Dogs Came With Them," as well as its refusal to conform to conventional storytelling.

Yet Viramontes, like Joyce, never sacrifices content for form, or a powerful portrayal of characters for her ever-deepening linguistic artistry. In its texture and intricately imbricated layers of narrative, it is constructed with genius and care. The ethical and esthetic value of this novel lies in its refusal to sacrifice or to romanticize the baffling, 'frustrating' and incomprehensible violence of urban life in twentieth century. The novel's form demonstrates and reenacts the violence it describes, revealing and rehabilitating the difficulties and frustrations of trying to tell stories about the ignored and the oppressed.

To read and review this novel with no ear for artistry or innovation, and with utterly no appreciation for Viramontes' rich legacy in American literature, as Publishers Weekly has so unfortunately done, is not only to do a great disservice to Viramontes and potential readers, but also to miss what may be the first true masterpiece of twenty-first century literature.

The title of this wonderful novel is taken from The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico by Miguel Leon-Portilla. Specifically it refers to the dogs that came with the invaders who destroyed the Aztec culture.

Helena Maria Viramontes's novels and stories are informed by her childhood experiences in East Los Angeles and the impact of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers on her family.

This novel tells stories of Ermila, Tranquilina, Ana, and Turtle; orphan, charity worker, concerned older sister, and homeless gang member passing as a man. The women are connected by neighborhood and to an extent their own interactions. Plot is less important than the aura of East Los Angeles and most importantly the complexity of the four main characters.

Freeways are a structural element. Viramontes interviewed in "La Bloga" said: "I realized that the structure of the novel began to resemble the freeway intersections ... And like the freeways upheld by pillars, I realized I had four pillars in four characters of which most other characters orbited around."

Viramontes is sympathetic to the underdog., The freeway isolates the neighborhood and the characters. The characters struggle to build their own communities on their own terms despite the fear of dogs, the isolation of their neighborhood, and the fictional Quarantine Authority. Throughout, Viramontes is a master at creating mood through detail:

"The storm left the night bleak and all raw nerves. The bottles chink-chinked as she continued her aching walk. The run-in with the cholo chilled her into a wintry mood - she felt the loneliness of a last leaf awaiting its fall from a bare sprig. Her mental compass gone awry, she resolved to depend on her instincts. The woman found herself following a slavering dog that suffered a rash on its flanks. Sniffing and pawing around the storefront doors, parked cars, abandoned metals and throwaways, the dog resented the intruder, looking over its shoulder periodically to make sure she kept her distance from any edible discovery."

Altogether this novel captured my imagination. If you have any interest in Chicano culture, it will do the same for you.

Robert C. Ross 2008

In her two previous books, Helena Maria Viramontes stuns readers with her precise language and uncompromising insights. Their Dogs Came With Them has been long in coming but worth the wait. With this novel Viramontes has certainly created something new and powerful. She offers up the talents and gifts of her first two books and adds a breathtaking use of structure, all of this in the service of a striking story. Many writers are defeated by Los Angeles when trying to write about the city because it suffers, for sure, from muliple-personality disorder. But Viramontes is a master, and in her hands, she turns L.A.'s kinetic energies into a tool for her own purposes. In this vision, the city and the characters are scarred, but not hopeless; battle weary, but resilient. Indeed, Viramontes has written a novel for each of us who have fallen to our knees, but knowing we would stand again, and taller.

This book takes a different approach to improving your tennis game but I think it's a good one. The author is straight-forward and doesn't hold anything back. While he does give detailed instruction on the actually playing of tennis and covers all aspects of play he highlights the ways to really improve your game by your positioning, attitude, thinking, etc. He goes beyond the typical "hit the ball this way" method present in many tennis books but breaks down tennis play into easy to understand logic. There is a lot of information in this book but nothing a persistent, and hard-working tennis players can't handle. You will benefit most by reading, then using that instruction on the court then reading some more and applying your new instruction the next time you play. Take it one step at a time and I think you'll benefit.

The only problem readers will have is deciding which piece of professional advice NOT to highlight. By the time you're finished, your entire book may be streaked in bright yellow, like mine.

This is the only tennis book you'll ever need: it's perfect for beginners, yet contains enough tips from his professional days and those of his fellow legends that the most advanced players will also find it useful.

Burwash shows why his tennis instruction is famous in upscale resorts and clubs the world over.

When I first started playing tennis about 4 yrs ago, I E-mailed my mother a list of tennis books and said, 'buy 1 of them for my birthday.' Mom is great so she bought all of them. I flipped through them all, but I read, studied, and re-read Peter Burwash's book. I am now reading it for the 4th time and every time I get something new out of it. He discusses strokes, strategies, fitness and attitude. He does it all in a way that is easy to understand. I began taking private lessons last year and it was amazing how many things I learned that I quickly recalled from this book.

You cant go wrong with this book. From a beginner to an intermediate player, this book is a constant companion and contains help for everyone.

As a long time recreational player, I found this book to be an excellent source for improving my overall game. Instead of dwelling on how to hit the ball, Peter Burwash introduces the concepts needed to move your game up to a new level. With numerous concise descriptions of court positions, percentage tennis and mindful observations, Mr. Burwash gives you a set of tools to take what you already know and move your game up to a level where you will win more points and matches. I had always concentrated on hitting the ball and having fun. This books shows you how to do those same things with a purpose. I have tried many of his suggestions with great results. Highly recommended for a player ready to put brains before brawn.

Rarely does a man have an impact on society like Martin Luther King Jr. As an acknowledgment of his achievements, the Choral Arts Society of Washington has orchestrated a collection of hymns that were loved by Dr. King, and that represent the ideals he stood for.

In addition to the music CD, this boxed set includes a book of memorable quotes that describe him and his actions. Several of his most important marches and speeches are shared by those who witnessed them and supported him in his efforts.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s tragic death cut short his mission before it was completed, but his vision continued to carry others forward in working for equality. He and his dream should never be forgotten, and Voices presents a moving tribute to a truly great American.

Reviewer: Alice Berger, Bergers Book Reviews

Costco originally featured this cd set with book in their monthly booklet...I searched for it at 3 different stores...they finally told me it was probably only in the southern states...so dumb...but good old Amazon came through once again...I ordered 2 sets...awesome purchase! Thanks!

For many too young to remember him, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is, unfortunately, seen simply a figure from "ancient" history for whom we have a day off from work or school. And for many who did live through the Civil Rights Era, Dr. King is frozen in time in 1963, roaring "I have a dream!" to 200,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Dr. King deserves much more than either of these views.

As the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's death approaches, this handsome book-and-CD boxed set provide a highly-readable and highly-listenable history lesson for some - and a bittersweet reminder for others - as to how his life changed our lives. It helps to explain why Dr. King is (as New York Times editor Howell Raines puts it in the book) "a fully credentialed member of the American pantheon that starts with the Founding Fathers."

As the title discloses, this is largely a collection of "reflections ... through words and song" on Dr. King's life and work. Placed in context by brief, well-written narratives and references to key events in the history of the Civil Rights Movement, the collection includes personal remembrances and moving observations not only from legends and luminaries (such as Dr. Dorothy Height, Rep. John Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman, Julian Bond, Rosa Parks, Harris Wofford, Norman Scribner, Roy Wilkins, Bobby Kennedy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu) but also equally eloquent words from less extraordinary people and even schoolchildren. These reflections are organized into five musically-themed sections: "Discord" (1954-59), "Crescendo" (1960-63), "Harmony" (1964-67), "Elegy" (1968-69), and "Symphony of Brotherhood" (1970-present). Each section includes wonderfully evocative photos of Dr. King and his world.

My favorite section, "Crescendo," builds to the triumphant August 1963 March on Washington. Among other entries, poet Nikki Giovanni recalls Mahalia Jackson urging Dr. King to abandon his prepared speech and just preach spontaneously: "Tell them about the dream!" she says. The chapter ends, chillingly, with the deaths of four young girls less than three weeks later in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. (For a much more comprehensive, but fully readable, account of the era, I highly recommend Diane McWhorter's Pulitzer-winning "Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution," available from Amazon.)

As a Birmingham native who witnessed part of this history, I eagerly read "Voices" while listening to the accompanying 75-minute CD that well complements the book's words and photos. The 17 songs - each recorded live at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during 19 years of annual MLK Choral Tribute concerts - are performed by the Grammy®-winning Choral Arts Society of Washington, as well as by various church choirs that each year comprise the MLK Tribute Choir, and talented youth ensembles. The CD appropriately begins with "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (often called "The Negro National Anthem") and ends with Thomas Dorsey's "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" - one of Dr. King's favorite hymns which, just moments before he was killed, he requested be played at an event he was to attend that evening. Between those two are 15 selections that include spirituals, classical choral pieces, hymns, and a solid dose of foot-stomping gospel. The live recordings of this diverse "symphony of brotherhood" are moving - sometimes exuberant, sometimes mournful -- and often make the listener want to join the audiences' cheers.

Recalling Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech, Atlanta Constitution editor Gene Patterson observes in the book: "He might as well have been singing." It's an apt metaphor, given the powerful role that music played in the Civil Rights Movement. Indeed, the book's introduction quotes Dr. King as saying, "The freedom songs are playing a strong and vital role in our struggle. They give people new courage and a sense of unity. I think they keep alive a faith, a radiant hope in the future, particularly in our most trying times." In our own "trying times" of today - when peace eludes us and genuine heroes seem especially difficult to come by - this book and CD "sing" of just such a hero's ideals of non-violence, faith, dignity, basic humanity, righteous struggle for a righteous cause, brotherhood and sisterhood among all peoples, and peace.

The release of this book and CD comes at a particularly good time to help keep Dr. King's legacy and ideals alive in the public consciousness. For an affordable 16 bucks, the book and full-length CD offer a great choice for those who would like to give inspiring, meaningful gifts to family and friends - whether for Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, or even MLK Day - to genuinely celebrate and promote peace on earth and goodwill to all.

For many too young to remember him, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is, unfortunately, seen simply a figure from "ancient" history for whom we have a day off from work or school. And for many who did live through the Civil Rights Era, Dr. King is frozen in time in 1963, roaring "I have a dream!" to 200,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Dr. King deserves much more than either of these views.

As the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's death approaches, this handsome book-and-CD boxed set provide a highly-readable and highly-listenable history lesson for some - and a bittersweet reminder for others - as to how his life changed our lives. It helps to explain why Dr. King is (as New York Times editor Howell Raines puts it in the book) "a fully credentialed member of the American pantheon that starts with the Founding Fathers."

As the title discloses, this is largely a collection of "reflections ... through words and song" on Dr. King's life and work. Placed in context by brief, well-written narratives and references to key events in the history of the Civil Rights Movement, the collection includes personal remembrances and moving observations not only from legends and luminaries (such as Dr. Dorothy Height, Rep. John Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman, Julian Bond, Rosa Parks, Harris Wofford, Norman Scribner, Roy Wilkins, Bobby Kennedy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu) but also equally eloquent words from less extraordinary people and even schoolchildren. These reflections are organized into five musically-themed sections: "Discord" (1954-59), "Crescendo" (1960-63), "Harmony" (1964-67), "Elegy" (1968-69), and "Symphony of Brotherhood" (1970-present). Each section includes wonderfully evocative photos of Dr. King and his world.

My favorite section, "Crescendo," builds to the triumphant August 1963 March on Washington. Among other entries, poet Nikki Giovanni recalls Mahalia Jackson urging Dr. King to abandon his prepared speech and just preach spontaneously: "Tell them about the dream!" she says. The chapter ends, chillingly, with the deaths of four young girls less than three weeks later in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. (For a much more comprehensive, but fully readable, account of the era, I highly recommend Diane McWhorter's Pulitzer-winning "Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution," available from Amazon.)

As a Birmingham native who witnessed part of this history, I eagerly read "Voices" while listening to the accompanying 75-minute CD that well complements the book's words and photos. The 17 songs - each recorded live at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during 19 years of annual MLK Choral Tribute concerts - are performed by the Grammy®-winning Choral Arts Society of Washington, as well as by various church choirs that each year comprise the MLK Tribute Choir, and talented youth ensembles. The CD appropriately begins with "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (often called "The Negro National Anthem") and ends with Thomas Dorsey's "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" - one of Dr. King's favorite hymns which, just moments before he was killed, he requested be played at an event he was to attend that evening. Between those two are 15 selections that include spirituals, classical choral pieces, hymns, and a solid dose of foot-stomping gospel. The live recordings of this diverse "symphony of brotherhood" are moving - sometimes exuberant, sometimes mournful -- and often make the listener want to join the audiences' cheers.

Recalling Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech, Atlanta Constitution editor Gene Patterson observes in the book: "He might as well have been singing." It's an apt metaphor, given the powerful role that music played in the Civil Rights Movement. Indeed, the book's introduction quotes Dr. King as saying, "The freedom songs are playing a strong and vital role in our struggle. They give people new courage and a sense of unity. I think they keep alive a faith, a radiant hope in the future, particularly in our most trying times." In our own "trying times" of today - when peace eludes us and genuine heroes seem especially difficult to come by - this book and CD "sing" of just such a hero's ideals of non-violence, faith, dignity, basic humanity, righteous struggle for a righteous cause, brotherhood and sisterhood among all peoples, and peace.

The release of this book and full-length CD comes at a particularly good time to help keep Dr. King's legacy and ideals alive in the public consciousness. This very affordable book-and-CD combo offers a great choice for those who would like to give inspiring, meaningful gifts to family and friends - whether for Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, or even MLK Day - to genuinely celebrate and promote peace on earth and goodwill to all.

This book gives a real life glimpse into the mind of an ex-KGB agent. It is fascinating to see how badly managed the KGB truly was during the cold war.

fantastic! informative! riveting! find out what really went on during thoze years in th CIA & KGB. one of the best books i have ever read.

This book offers a glimpse into the mind of an ex-KGB agent. It is amazing to learn how truely disorganized the KGB was during the cold war.

I think this author was trying to get some [easy] recognition with the title he chose, maybe making the reader think it was similar to the Kessler book Moscow Station. Unfortunately for this author that is where the similarity ends. The author was the KGB station Chief for the Washington D.C. USSR embassy for a number of years during the cold war. He promises on the dust jacket to provide the reader with an inside account of the methods of the station and a run down of the missions they took part in.

The author does a good job in providing the reader with many of the interesting tradecraft bit about the KGB in the U.S. and how they operated in Washington D.C. against the FBI. The author also does give us some insight to a few of the operations that the KGB ran; it just seams to me that this is a sanitized version of the events. I wanted more details on the intelligence they were able to gather and more of the operations they ran. I finished the book think this was a nice first step, but a fuller "confession" was needed.

Overall, the book is adequately written and does not drag or stumble. If you are interested in KGB operations in the U.S. then this is a nice start, but definitely the definitive account

I've been looking for maps that depict DC through the years. I live in SouthWest DC in one of the few new buildings that obviously took the place of many things that were here before. This book has been so helpful in showing the development of DC through the years. Between maps I've never seen before, plans and photos, this is a must have for anyone who wants to see the changes in DC in the past two hundred years.

Joe Passonneau has combined history, planning and architecture in our nation's capitol that has a certain relevance to every serious, large city in the country. What you really learn here is how architecture and planning can work together in a creative relaltionshiip and both better for the experience. If the elected officials were crafting laws with the same care, concern and perhaps even love, that architects, planners and a host of other insightful non-professionals were using to build Washington, DC, we would all be better off today.

The maps alone are glorious and probably worth the price of the book itself. Study them and you will start to understand and appreciate the historic process by which cities either reinvent themselves or fail to do so. Architects, planners and history buffs should own this book. Period.

As the title suggests, Washington Through Two Centuries is a terrific book for those interested in examining Washington's evolution over 200 years. I would caution however that it may not be a great book for someone who wants a condensed, easy to read story. More of a reference guide than a coffee table book, it takes a bit of time to digest.

Mr. Passonneau's book on Washington successfully covers the planning history of this country's capitol city, and essentially uses it as an illustration of how planning can guide development of a city on many levels. The maps in this book are the culmination of a thirty year project which, because it involved historically accurate hand drawings of the facades of all of the buildings in the covered area, is certain never to be undertaken again. Thus this book is not only extremely informative and interesting from historical, social and political perspectives, it is in itself a beautiful work of art, a feast for the eyes.

Great size, design and easy to fold down. You don't need to carry a big and troublesome map to get in the city.. And you feel secure cause you don't seem like tourist cause it doesn't look that you are carrying a map.

This map is great. I have a wedding coming up and I intend to purchase a map for every person coming in from out of town. This map is easy to navigate, small and easy to carry, contains metro information, streets, hotels, points of interest, shopping, and restaurants. It is so handy! I recommend this for anyone planning a trip to DC.

Used this map for our vacation to Washington DC this summer. The fold out maps are detail and informative and on 2 scales so you both see the area map as well as the large city. I liked that the Metro stops were on the maps and that there was a separate Metro map on the backside. Fits easily into a shirt pocket or pants pocket.

All of the Monuments and Tourist sites were well marked and shown with a walking distance scale.

I moved to DC two weeks ago and went a week without this map and now a week with it. What a difference! At first, I was using a hodge-podge of metro foldouts, museum maps, and visitor guides. It was do-able, but messy and confusing and all the folding and unfolding was annoying and quickly dog-eared any maps I had.

I saw this pop up map in a store and got it because I thought it looked cute, but its dang useful and I take it everywhere, which it is small enough to do.

This is why its awesome:

- its sturdy and made with a cardboard cover that protects the inner maps
- its small and folds up to fit in a back pocket or purse, but expands to a nice size
- it has a full metro map on the back cover (exactly like the ones found on the trains)
- no folding! It pops out and pops back in, takes 1 second
- makes great use of space, a map on every surface except the front
- detailed with great information on the Mall area only on one map
- detail of old town Alexandra w/ bus routs and detail of Georgetown
- index of streets and places of interest with map coordinates on back of fold out maps (which makes them a little awkward to read)
- $6.95, how could you go wrong?
- dang it if it aint cute


Some things it might be lacking:

- it does not cover all that big of an area, but it gets 95% of what a tourist will visit
- no info on city buses at all, just metro trains
- the street maps shows the metro stops but not the lines of the routs
- it does not show where the outlets of the metro stations are, for example some metro stations are very large and have two or more outlets on different streets. This is small thing, but I had a map with this info on it and it was surprisingly very very useful

Even with these things "missing" I still gave it 5 stars because its super useful, nice looking, easy to read and use, and all for only 7 bucks! Also, they made great use of space on the map and if they added all of those things it would be a confusing mess or wayyy bigger. I just mention them to make you aware of its limitations.

Thanks to Dr. Cosby and Renee Pouissant we now have a fabulous book allowing elders, who have lived history, to tell us the truth about American History. At last a book that respects our elders and allows them the opportunity to express the truth of their experiences. It is entertaining, historical and informative. Once you start reading you can't put it down and when finished you are ready for the next edition. It is refreshing to read about courageous people who have been given the freedom to express their truth rather than stories that pretend to know their truth. Every school should have this book in their curriculum and the pattern of this book should be the impetus to get people of all ethnicities to respect their elders and learn from them.

This is a wonderful book of advice from wise African-Americans.
I recommend this book and another book called SURVEY OF 300 A+ STUDENTS,
by a wise African-American at Harvard (Kenneth Green).

This is one of those rare books I simply could not stop reading! I highly recommend it. The interviews are intimate and illuminating, and I think young adults in particular will be inspired, though middle-aged ones like myself can take heart in how much these folks are STILL achieving well after 70. While I enjoyed getting to know some of the famous people in a new way, I was especially impressed by stories of "unfamous" elders like the educators Jayme Coleman Williams and McDonald Williams, people who have had tremendous, sustained impact in their communities. The best part is, you can access even more of the work of the National Visionary Leadership Project at their web site, VisionaryProject.com

I enjoy reading this book. Really. The reason I gave it the four stars is that there wasn't enough of them. Mostly it had stories from famous people that we already know on. What I wanted to read was from people who are not as famous. Who had a lot of things to tell. I pray there is a sequel.