Central America Books

I'm 22 and I got this book because I realized that I knew nothing about the Korean War. You rarely hear about this war, either in movies or in the news...you always hear about Vietnam vets and recently Iraq and Afghanistan. This book is basically a photo documentary with tons of pictures..I like it because I don't have much time to read due to a heavy school load, but the captions provided a lot of details and together with the pictures, it gives a brief but clear glimpse into this war. The pictures are 98% about the allies who were fighting against the north, I had hoped to see some pictures from the North Korean perspective...but there is probably a book out there that does that..if the Korean War isn't toooo forgotten. All in all, I reccomend this book to anyone who wants a quick and easy immersion into the Korean war.

No other book can transfer the reader to the Korean War era and the many battlefields of that nearly forgotten conflict with such immediacy like Giangreco's book. It's one matter to read about a war and quite another to really see it and the faces of the participants! The photographs are all black and white but they are numerous and excellent and the human drama goes hand in hand with the operational aspects of the campaings. Highly recommended!

I believe William Walker's account of his adventures in Nicaragua demonstrate lucid thinking, an ability to enthrall a reader and a defininite articulacy.

William Walker leaves us with some insight to the level of arrogance he attained during his lifetime. The man betrayed the people who solicited him for support. Only General Munoz suspected Walker's motives, which may have been why the General was murdered. Walker gets 5 stars for the arrogant coward he was and for documenting it.

We just returned from Panama and Costa Rica and this was the best of all the books I got. Far from complete; but none of the resources are, it was the closest to complete. I really appreciated the layout, the amount of information packed into it, the features on each animal such as where you were most likely to see it, the area it covers (all of Central America which is hard to find) and the size being small enough to carry along on a hike. Good purchase and I will keep it!

I brought this book along with me to Central America and am glad that I did. It's a great little book, with detailed information on different species of wildlife found in Central America, where they are most likely to be seen, and so on. There is also detailed information on different parks to visit and what you may see there.

I used this book along with Central America on a Shoestring by Lonely Planet. You might just buy the book to help plan your trip, or to bring along with you as well. I found that the Watching Wildlife guidebook had a lot of extra information on parks and wildlife not included in the Shoestring guide, so was glad I had it with me. You might find more detailed information on parks in other guidebooks, so I would consider my interests and a guidebook's coverage of parks and wildlife in deciding whether to bring this book in addition to another general guidebook. The book is a tad bit heavier than you might expect, perhaps because of lots of glossy photos. On the other hand, this book can help you identify many animals you may see, and because it includes natural history information on different species, it can serve as a travel guide and natural history guide in one.

Not being a student of Panamanian history, I read this book out of simple curiosity. And what a wonderfully-told story I found! Dr. Pearcy has a wonderful way of making the complex quite readable. He moved past stereotypes and looked beyond his own expectations to find "the rest of the story." This is a great example of how research should be done--just reading the endnotes was fascinating--and how it can be made accesible to both scholars and laypeople. Especially with the Canal turnover approaching, this would be an important book to read.

Pearcy's book examines the involvement of the Panamanian military and national police in the evolution of Panamanian politics from 1903 to 1947. Pearcy begins with Panamanian independence, and concludes with the rejection of the Filos-Hines treaty that would have granted the United States more extensive military bases. Pearcy's goal is to also explain the advent of military rule in Panama that ended with the arrest of Manuel Noriega in 1989 following the invasion of Panama by United States forces.While providing a conventional political history, Pearcy also explores related issues that provide the context for political developments. This includes a sophisticated demographic analysis as well as an in-depth examination of Panama's economy. This book is well worth reading, and will hopefully show other scholars how to write political history that contains more than a token background section.

Fantastic book. Excellently written. Perfect for any lower Central American Archaeologist.

A superb collection of some of the best work by the most knowledgeable specialists in the region. The prestige of Dumbarton Oaks is inspiring, and this book will stand for many years as a classic work on the archaeology of the regions between Mesoamerica and the Central Andes.

I think Perry's book entitled Western Civilization is very lear, articulate and comprehensive. I have been using it in My Humanities courses and it is the best book I have come across so far.

As an adult student, I feared having to take History 101. It was an online class, and the professor I had was not very good, but this book taught me a lot. The authors emphasize the relationship of ethics and morality with the development of western religions and governments from early Mesopotamia until 1789. For example, it helped me to understand the different viewpoints of the contemporary issues happening in the Middle East (why and how religion serves as a basis for many governments.)

If you are considering taking a History course that uses this textbook, or just want to learn more about how our world's societies have developed, I highly recommend this book. I didn't continue with History 102, but I did buy Volume II of this book series from Perry, et al., to continue my understanding world issues. Please join me!

When Courts And Congress Collide: The Struggle For Control Of America's Judicial System by Charles Gardner Geyh (Professor of Law and Charles L. Whistler Faculty Fellow at Indiana University at Bloomington) is an in-depth, comprehensive, and scholarly study of the history of various checks and balances involved in the procedures of the American court system. Analyzing the influence of the judicial decision-making and control through congressionally appointed judges, When Courts And Congress Collide produces a definitive study of the intricate political power struggle arising from the ideological processes of judicial powers and competing influences throughout the entirety of America political, cultural, and economic life. When Courts And Congress Collide is very strongly recommended to students of American history and political science, as well of the study of the American judicial system in history, in the present, and the foreseeable future.

Given all the recent conservative uproar about Terry Schiavo, and the resulting DeLay/Frist threats to "discipline" the federal courts, not to mention the continuing fallout over Bush v. Gore, this book could not have come along a more opportune time. And a fine book it is irrespective of the timing. The author, currrently a law professor but formerly a judicial clerk, litigator, Judiciary Committee staffer, and judicial branch "lobbyist," is admirably equipped to address this important topic. This is simply the best book on this topic I have seen and an invaluable reference source on this topic.

Basically, the author contends that the various methods we usually associate with legislative control of the judiciary--including impeachment, control of jurisdiction, budget, etc. -- have, with one exception, not proven effective. That one exception is, as recent Supreme Court and Circuit Court nominee hi-jinx illustrate, the power of the Senate to confirm judicial nominees. The central reason for this sitution, the author demonstrates, is a long-run recognition by Congress of the importance of judicial independence resulting in a marked reluctance to interfere with sitting judges and their decisions.

In order to explore this relationship, the book first looks at the origin of judicial independence before and at the constitutional convention, the Judicary Acts of 1789 and 1801, five key periods of stress between the courts and the presidency and congress, and the development of a self-regulating and discipling judiciary (e.g., the Judicial Conference, the Rules Enabling Act, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts). Separate chapters address impeachment (perhaps a bit too much in detail) and appointments, appointment being the sole way to exercise control unrestricted by concerns for judicial independence. A very strong chapter discusses the ways in which courts can avoid or mitigate conflict, including the Aswander rules and Bickel's "passive virtues" among other topics.

The author suggests this "dynamic equilibrium" may be shifting due to congressional interference through such devices as sentencing guidelines. For its part, the Rehnquist Court cut back the margins on long established congressional power in several areas. Moreover, the judiciary has developed an interesting technique of lobbying congress for or against changes, and striking down as unconstitutional those legislative changes with which it disagrees. Hopefully, the author is overly pessimistic--it would be a shame to have radicals of whatever persuasion controlling the federal courts to suit their own agendas. An outstanding discussion, superbly researched, and skillfully written (though a bit overly detailed in sections).

I have a five year old, Diego, that absolutely loves this book. I am originally from Costa Rica and was looking for books that would interest him while teaching him something as well. This book reminds us that there are many wonderful ideas and theories that explain the beginnings of the Earth and that it is wonderful to share in others' thoughts (on this and other subjects). The illustrations are amazing. The colors are vibrant and the characters are each beautiful in their own way. I now have a 7 month old daughter, Sofia, and I can't wait to share it with her.

I am a mother of two small children ( 2 & 3) and they really enjoyed listening to this story being told aloud at a recent book signing. The colorful art on every page keeps my children very interested in this wonderful book.

There were a lot of American fighter groups based in England. One of them had to have the best record, and that was the 56th. Flying P-47s the 56th ended the war with more than a thousand victories.

This is the story of the group from its formation to the end of the war. It is based on the official records of the group as well as with interviews on over a hundred vetrans of the group.

One, surprising to me, incident described in the book involved taking an old worn out P-47 and re-building it as a two seater. The worn out airplane had been flown for three hundred hours. Now a days, a plane with only 300 hours of flight time is hardly broken in.

There have been many books on the top-scoring 56th FG. Some have recounted the missions flown, victories scored, etc. in greater depth. Some have featured many more photographs. But Freeman's book has really captured the essence of the 56th FG - who those people really were and why they were so successful. In my estimation, it ranks as perhaps the best book on the Wolfpack.

Most 56th FG histories, and most group histories in general, relate WHAT that particular unit accomplished. They never go beyond that point and reveal to the reader WHO those people were, what they were like as people, how various pilots and group personnel were viewed within the group, personality clashes and so on. That kind of information takes a lot of more digging on the part of would-be authors.

Freeman took the time and did the research to be able to present the human face of the 56th FG. So if you want to get the straight skinny on Hub Zemke or Dave Schilling, Bob Johnson, Paul Conger, etc. and learn why the Group became the 8th AF's top guns, grab a copy of Freeman's book. You won't regret it. Highly recommended!

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Sadly, WOLFPACK WARRIORS was one of the last books penned by Roger Freeman. Freeman was THE 8th Air Force historian. His "Mighty Eighth" books stand as testament to his skills as a researcher and writer. He will be sorely missed!

In a new and expanded edition, Women & Guns: Politics And The Culture Of Firearms In America by Deborah Homsher is enhanced with primary source material as she lays out the contemporary phenomena of rapidly growing numbers of women in the United States who are arming themselves with guns for personal protection. Women & Guns is neither pro- nor anti-gun control, but a clear, balanced, methodical, insightful examination of what is happening with respect to this hot button social issue. Highly recommended for academic and community library reference collections, Women & Guns throws a spotlight of information and resources on the pressing danger and allure of guns in American society today.

For me personally, target shooting is a fun sport that has an added benefit of relieving stress. There's nothing like the thrill and excitement of hitting a bullseye.

Self defense is a whole other area women can get into after learning safety and the legal responsibility that goes along with that education.

This book interviews women from every walk of life, average citizens in a variety of situations from sport to self defense. The book removes the stereotypical pro or anti-gunner and lets the reader explore the cultural of firearms.