Creighton University Books

I am in agreement with the other reviewers that this is a very good history of the US/Philippine War that should be more broadly read. Parallels with Vietnam and the present oily Iraqi War are eerie: attacks on the patriotism of war critics to silence them, support of the wide spread use of various tortures against the adversary including "The Chinese Water Treatment" (aka "Chinese Water Torture"--from which "Waterboarding" is only a variation), the excusing of massacres of civilians by American soldiers, etc. There truly is nothing new under the sun when it comes to these dirty little 3rd world wars. I'm reminded of the poet Robinson Jeffers' poem "Blood Lakes." So many blood lakes and we always fall in--with apologies to Jeffers' spirit if I've essentially misquoted him.

Perhaps we can overcome our national "Altzheimer's" on the issue of these 3rd world colonial/neo-colonial wars and stay out of them when the next opportunity presents itself. In the meantime, I would settle for our exit from the present Iraqi mess with all due and reasonable speed. America's moral force and image in the world is not improved by our involvement in such bloody horrors.

A very interesting story about the American armies attempt to end the Phillipine insurgency that broke out in the wake of the Spanish-American war. Originally allied with the Americans the Phillipinoes were angry that the U.S had promised indpedendence and from their point of view, reneged on the promise. An insurgency broke out and the American army used classic anti-insurgency methods to break it, including creating institutions and providing incentives for the people not to back it, as well as combatting it. Famous figures such as Roosevelt, Taft, Pershing and Macarthur's father were involved. This is an important part of American history that is often forgotten.

Seth J. Frantzman

This book reviews the politics and media surrounding the actions by the US in the Philippines following the Spanish-American war. It gives great insight into the propaganda used to sell the war to the American pubic and to obfuscate the atrocities that American soldiers committed there. Miller paints a fascinating picture of egocentric American political and military commands steeped in duplicity and self-delusion; these patterns will be interesting and familiar to any student of the wars in Vietnam and Iraq.

The material is sourced mainly from newspaper editorials, political speeches, congressional inquiries and the letters of politicians and high ranking military figures.
This book will not tell you anything about what the war was like for the soldiers on the ground, American or Philippino. It won't tell you much about tactics. It won't teach you anything about Philippine culture of the time, either.

This book is an excellent general history of the American invasion and conquest of The Philippines in 1898-1902. The author immersed himself in private letters, official hearings, and newspaper editorials from the era. The result of this research is a compelling picture of a sleazy and violent episode in American history, when Republican politicians launched a war to boost their prospects in the 1898 midterm elections. The book is timelier than ever after 9/11, since imperialism has come back into vogue in the guise of anti-terrorism -- anyone who has illusions about America's "innocence" today should read Miller's accounts of atrocities and racism circa 1900.

I gave the book four stars instead of five only because the narrative is based almost exclusively on U.S. sources. In particular, Miller's endless rehashing of imperialist and anti-imperialist newspaper editorials gets quite old at times.

This book was originally from 1982, written in a time of post-Vietnam regret. However, this book may have picked up on themes, very much in the U.S. press in the period of the Philippines war of a century ago, that are suddenly current in fall 2005: systematic use of torture by American forces (particularly the "water cure"); carelessness with the lives of civilians in the battle zones; denunciation of Americans with doubts about the war as unpatriotic or traitorous; the denial of normal legal due process to an enemy deemed too savage and inferior to be worthy of it; considerable confusion on the events where U.S. forces transpose one war (i.e., Spain 1898 or War on Terror 2001) into a new one (the Philippines in 1899 or Iraq today) more by act of U.S. will than enemy action. The author does stretch some comparisons between the Philippines war and Tonkin Gulf and My Lai, but given the events of Operation Iraqi Freedom the book seems eerily more relevant now.

Another reviewer has noted that Mr. Miller's research was almost entirely from U.S. sources. That does take it down from five stars but we should remember that this book, as with the Iraq war, is more about the U.S. mind-set than about the other side. Thus the book's tone is a bit as lurid as the press of that day but it is startling how the U.S. public read this news coverage year after year and then -- as Mr. Miller notes -- forgot. We might wind up putting Iraq out of mind as well, its veterans and victims as forgotten and neglected as those of 1902, a point Mr. Miller does us a favor by raising. Scary.

GEN Abrams was responsible for the quality of the Army today and since he was the Chief of Staff. His wisdom and insight into soldiering, leadership, and combat ability is what won the Gulf War. Dr. Sorley is right on the money. It is obvious that Dr. Sorley really admires GEN Abrams and he has done his homework. It's a shame that GEN Abrams died so early, he tranformed the United States Army into the force it is today, or was at the time of the Gulf War.
...

Sir Robert Thompson, a British counter-intelligence expert, called Abrams "the best U.S. General since Grant." Reading Sorley's terrific account of Abram's life, it's hard to argue the point.

Abrams was an armored warfare genius. His gruff, no-nonsense exterior masked a big heart and an abiding, deeply rooted love for his men and his country. His selfless devotion to duty is a model for us all.

For a more in-depth analysis of Abrams'considerable (though largely overlooked) post-Tet, post-Westmoreland successes in Vietnam, read Sorely's "A Better War."

GEN Abrams was responsible for the quality of the Army today and since he was the Chief of Staff. His wisdom and insight into soldiering, leadership, and combat ability is what won the Gulf War. Dr. Sorley is right on the money. It is obvious that Dr. Sorley really admires GEN Abrams and he has done his homework. It's a shame that GEN Abrams died so early, he tranformed the United States Army into the force it is today, or was at the time of the Gulf War.
I met GEN Abrams in 1973 in Germany as a young Corporal and he spoke with me for a few minutes, but he struck me as unpretentious and humorous. I met Captains and Majors who had a bigger ego that him.

Sir Robert Thompson, a British counter-intelligence expert, called Abrams "the best U.S. General since Grant." Reading Sorley's terrific account of Abram's life, it's hard to argue the point.

Abrams was an armored warfare genius. His gruff, no-nonsense exterior masked a big heart and an abiding, deeply rooted love for his men and his country. His selfless devotion to duty is a model for us all.

For a more in-depth analysis of Abrams'considerable (though largely overlooked) post-Tet, post-Westmoreland successes in Vietnam, read Sorley's "A Better War."

Creighton Abrams may have been the greatest American soldier of the second half of the 20th century. He served as a tank commander under General George Patton at the Battle of the Bulge, in occupied Germany and wartime Korea, as commander of United States military forces in Vietnam, and as Army Chief of Staff. It was a remarkable career! Lewis Sorley's admiring biography of General Abrams narrates the principal events in appropriate detail. In the prologue, Sorley asserts that Abrams was "the quintessential soldier," explaining that Abrams "demonstrated strategic and tactical skill and audacity," extraordinary physical bravery and intellectual courage, the capacity to lead and inspire men, [and] talent in dealing with complex and ambiguous managerial challenges." The measure of the value of this book lies in whether Sorley effectively makes that case. I believe that he largely does, as the result of which this is a very good, if not great, professional biography.

Although Sorley's approach to biography is conventional, he demonstrates on several occasions that Abrams's views could be very unconventional. Early in his chapter about West Point in the mid-1930s, for instance. Sorley asserts: "From the beginning Abrams was alienated by some aspects of the cadet experience." According to Sorley, Abrams was highly self-motivated and self-disciplined, and he resisted the petty tyranny of cadet life. After Abrams graduated and was commissioned, Sorley writes that he "was tolerant of his soldiers' having fun." (Sorley quotes one Abrams subordinate that the general, if Abrams had a weakness, "he sometimes was too easy on some people.") After World War II, while Abrams was serving in the Plans Section for Army Ground Forces in Washington, D.C., he was assigned to prepare a study on the future of the horse cavalry and quickly concluded that there was none. In 1965, shortly after President Johnson ordered American forces in Vietnam out of their advisory role and into combat, Abrams was briefing a civilian official about the sociological impact of the draft and stated that "the only Americans who have the honor to die for their country in Vietnam are the dumb, the poor, and the black." According to Sorley, "[o]ut in the field Abrams disliked briefings, especially of the canned and rehearsed variety," and "[o]ne of [Abrams's] favorite ways [to find out for himself the truth of what was going on] was through small groups of young officers he would have in for dinner." And when Abrams left Vietnam, Sorley writes that "he went as he had come - no bands, no ceremonies, no flags, no fuss." Similarly, when he arrived back in Washington, according to Sorley, he got rid of the Chief of Staff's ""big black Cadillac limousine...using instead a small Chevelle from Pentagon motor pool that was painted robin's egg blue. No amenities, not even a star plate."

Sorley occasionally offers significant insight. For instance, Sorley writes that Johnson's decision not to call up the reserves at the beginning of the expansion of the war in Vietnam was "perhaps the most fateful decision of the entire conflict." (Abrams explained the impact of this decision: "We decide[d] to use the Army in Vietnam, minus the National Guard and the Army Reserve.") In addition, according to Sorley: "A pervasive atmosphere of mistrust and antagonism characterized civil-military relationships in the Pentagon of the 1960s." Sorley describes the battle of Tet in 1968 as a "true watershed," which is not penetrating analysis, but he proceeds to explain: "Before Tet, America was seeking a military victory in Vietnam, but after it she was seeking to get out." About Abrams's appointment to the position of Army Chief of Staff, Sorley writes: "Creighton Abrams returned from Vietnam to head an Army that was widely viewed, both by the nation and from within its own ranks, as dispirited and desperately in need of reform. His appointment was the first step in getting on with the job of rebuilding."

In other places, Sorley's approach to his subject approaches hagiography. For instance, although Abrams' performance during the relief of Bastogne was heroic, Sorley's assertion that this made Abrams "the most famous small unit leader of the war" is debatable. And Sorley's assertion that "Abrams command in Vietnam was...arguably the most difficult any top American soldier in the field has ever had to face" seems extreme. But Sorley may well be correct in writing: "In terms of prior experience Abrams was probably the best-qualified man ever to assume the duties of Army Chief of Staff."

This biography concludes with Abrams's death. I would have much preferred for Sorley to devote a few pages to placing Abrams's accomplishments in the context of American military history from World War II through the middle of the Cold War. But Abrams had an extraordinary career, and this is a very good narrative of it.

This book really spoke to me. My mother is suffering from Alzheimer's much like the Author's did. I am several states away from my parents and I could relate to Charlotte's brother who didn't live near their mother. I have 2 sisters that help care for my parents but I had been having problems understanding the disease and my sister's words about what was going on with my mother. This book gave me insite to what my sister might be feeling as well as somethings my own mother might yet go through. I purchased the book for my sister and called her just to talk to her. That is something I hadn't done for a long time. I suggest this book to anyone that has a loved one with Alzheimers.

This book is full of real life; so enjoyable to read; the kind you do not want to put down until you are done--and I didn't. Then it leaves you with thinking and feeling about the very important things in life around us, like those we love and care for every day.

I cried and I laughed throughout the entire book, and at the end I felt as though I had somehow shared part of the authors road with her for a brief time. She was so vulnerable with all that she walked through in her own personal experience with caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's. I really appreciated that about this book.

The author did an outstanding job presenting the reality of Alzheimer's from a medical standpoint, as well as that of being a family member affected by the disease. Then she walks you through the role of being the actual caregiver. Wow!

Being a health care professional myself, I felt the facts and new insights that were presented in this book were excellent. It is a great resource for those working with Alzheimer patients and for any person who has been called to the care of their own loved one with Alzheimer's. It was a beautiful illustration of laying one's own life down and all that entails. It is a challenge to those dealing with caring for their own ill loved one, as well a great source of encouragement!

I highly recommend this book to health professionals dealing with Alzheimer's, and the friends and most of all, families, of those whose lives this tragic disease has struck. You will not regret the time devoted to this very meaningful book.

The Long Road Called Goodbye is a chronicle of the progress of Alzheimer's in the life of a elderly woman. I must admit I had a hard time putting the book down and read it in only two days. This book was invaluable to me, because my mother also has also been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. About five years ago I was certain something was wrong with my mother. When I tried to discuss it with my siblings they acted as if I was off my rocker! My siblings couldn't see it. How Alzheimer patients can put on a front at times and seem perfectly disease free is discussed in the book.

Alzheimer’s feels like a journey into a black hole—a wide expanse of unknown, uncharted territory. This book sheds some light on what we can expect in the years to come, ways to help out, loving options for patient care, and ways to cope. It has also helped me identify where my mother is in the process at this time. This book gives hope and understanding. If you know anyone or any family suffering from this disease I recommend you read this book. The Long Road Called Goodbye is written in plain language (not medical jargon) and is a wonderful step in getting the disease out into the open, so it can be understood rather than just feared.

A very informative book written without the medicinal coldness of medical terminology. A truly real life journey of a beloved family member and the family through the anguish, confusion, sorrow, and most of all the challenges faced with the oncoming and changing stages of Alzheimer's Disease. As a spouse of an Alzheimer's victim, I wish this book had been available 6 years ago, It would have helped even more than it has today. The author has given us all a new insight and awareness to this disease and shines a new more hopeful light on how to deal with this terrible disease. Even Medical Professionals could learn something from this book this book is a precursor to the delema we will be facing in ten years when some 14,000,000 boomers will be on the Alzheimers journey.

This book looks at some of the hard decisions caregivers, esp. of Alzheimer's patients, "get" to make. How much social contact should a person with Alzheimer's have at various stages of the disease? What is "life support" for Alzheimer's patients? What type of care (nursing home, foster care, assisted living, live-in help) is best for someone battling dementia? And does a caregiver get through these decisions guilt-free? If you know anyone with Alzheimer's Disease, read this book. If you are a caregiver, it will help you make your own decisions; if you are a friend of a caregiver, it will help you support the caregiver; if you are a friend of the Alzheimer's patient, it will help you "find" your "lost" friend.

For many years, I belonged to a reading group who explored different angles of diversity in literature; Michelangelo's poetry was one of the books we used, as it gave us the opportunity to explore different aspects at the same time. How would someone whose creative genius in some media (painting, sculpture, architecture) made him an immortal in history translate onto the written page? Would Michelangelo's sexual orientation, always a topic of debate based upon various images in paint and stone, as well as personal stories and correspondence, be more observable, or more obscured by his poetry?

Gilbert presents a very good volume of Michelangelo's poetry - coupled with selected letters, this gives a good insight into the spirit of Michelangelo beyond the visual artistic productions. The poems are translated into verse form, not a choppy word-for-word translation, and there are notes that are helpful without being distracting.

Gilbert begins with a brief biographical essay, exploring Michelangelo's artistry and relationships - so far as his poetry is concerned, he was not widely published in his lifetime, but did have some poems circulated, and sought the critical analysis and advice of other respected literary figures of the day. Michelangelo's poetry was known well enough to become the subject of composition (Bartolommeo Tromboncino set one poem to music) and general reference (Benedetto Varchi, when lecturing on artistic theory, used Michelangelo's poetry as examples).

Michelangelo's grand-nephew, in publishing the poems in 1623, changed phrases and pronouns to make the poems conform to standard conventions - men would not be writing love poems to men, etc., and this change continued into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries unquestioned. This, however, is not a major theme in this volume.

With regard to the quality of the poems, Michelangelo's literary output was less admired for its aesthetic and technical value as much as for the ideas contained therein. Even here, Michelangelo's ideas were fairly conventional, common among the educated literati, and rarely giving profound insight. Even so, his poetry was artful, technically interesting if not brilliant, and full of emotion as Michelangelo was known to be.

The poetry here is full of passion; the early ones full of the kind of love and passion of a young lover; the later ones looking for a spiritual value and perfection unattainable in this world even with the chisel or brush or Michelangelo. He incorporates a kind of Neoplatonic admiration of the ideal over the physical, and has a sort of pessimism even in the height of passion. He often looks upon the body as frail, fragile, a 'temporary wrapper for the soul' - this contrasts dramatically against his visual art, particularly sculpture, where the powerful bodies (most often male) were Michelangelo's 'signature'.

Michelangelo did not study Latin, so classical references are less here than more common contemporary influences. There are many magnificent lines and phrases here; I found my highlighter coming out numerous times throughout the poetry, and certain images remaining for a long time. This is interesting reading, all the more so given the other creations of Michelangelo - this book gives new insight into the mind of the great artist.

For anyone interested in the full life of Michelangelo this is a must read. The editor is quite helpful without being overbearing in his attempt to put the material into a context. There is a short but very nice biography at the beginning which helps the reader understand the flow of the artist's life. The selection of his personal letters helps us see Michelangelo as a person, a person with substantial family and business difficulties which constantly tried to divert his attention. His poetry is delightful and revealing. A valuable text for anyone interested in his life, art, or era.

"It is better to remain silent than to fall from the heights"

Primary sources need no review.

Even though I'm Buddhist, not Christian, I found this collection of prayers deeply moving. Amelia O'Dea has looked deeply into her own heart and found the ground that we all share, the soul-space beyond differences of creed and confession. Any survivor who reads these prayers will find sustenance.

I've had the priviledge of reviewing an advance copy of this book. The prayers reflect a survivor's journey as she looks to the healing only God's love can provide. In A Place Of Flame is a testimony to the truth that light shines in the darkness and overcomes it. Darkness cannot overcome the light. These are not prayers of self-pity, of "why me" or "strike the evil ones down". They are prayers that search for truth and understanding. They are prayers of growth and courage. They are prayers that will make you think, and cry, and give thanks.

I'd love this book if I was a college student eager to see my campus act responsibly. While the old, conservative farts are busy waging verbal wars over whether carbon is responsible for planetary warming, I'd use this book as the basis of a pro-active campus-wide green revolution. Much more interesting and worthwhile than being a university internet 'eco-warrior'.
Every university campus adminstrator should be given a copy of this release.

Enhanced with a new introduction by Christopher Moore, this University of Toronto Press trade paperback edition of The Empire Of The St. Lawrence: A Study Of Commerce And Politics by the late Donald Creighton (1902-1979) reintroduces to a modern readership a truly scholarly work addressing the rise and fall of a Canadian trading empire from 1763 to 1850. Individual chapters address major historical events and their repercussions in the region of the lower lakes, the conflict between commerce and agriculture, and much more. Organized into three principal sections (The First Unity of the St. Lawrence; Transition in the Region of the Lower Lakes; The Struggle for the Second Commercial Empire), and enhanced with "Bibliographical Note" and "Notes" sections, The Empire Of The St. Lawrence is a meticulously researched, college-level source book, that continues to be recommended for academic reference collections as a definitive and seminal work.

Poetic and critic Grennan provides a fine, comprehensive review of the modern Irish poetic tradition, using Yeats as a starting point and providing essays which consider the modern evolution of Irish poetry. An excellent survey of authors and titles evolves in an absorbing, intriguing discussion which will attract any with special interest in Irish poetry.

One of the best books recently published in medical ethics. The caring physician will be delighted at this passionate, yet well argued non-utilitarian essay. This is a unique opportunity for bioethicists, patients and healthcare providers to get acquainted with continental thinkers, rarely sited in the other side of the Atlantic. Prof. Welie outreaches well beyond the scope of bioethics jargon and literature. He draws insights from recent masters such as Camus and Levinas. Every physician who ever felt committed to the well being of his or her patients, and every person who sought such a physician for himself or his kin are likely to respond to this book as it reinfuses the spirit of passionate humanism back into the medical arena.