McDonald's Books

Awesome resource to use prior to taking the NLN Nursing Entrance Exam. Very easy to read and understand. The answer key is very helpful because it explains the correct answer. The review and/or helpful hints in each introduction prior to each section of the exam was easy to follow. I recommend this textbook to anyone preparing to take the NLN Nursing Entrance Exam.

I study the book from front to back and the pretest was nothing like the test. the test had nothing to do with nursing but I did recieve the book in a very timely manner and I was pleased with Amazon.com

This book is really helpful, and it goes back to the basics, but the only problem that I have is that they do not give an explanation for the wrong answers in the biology section, other than that it is really helpful..

the exam has more complex questions than the book prepares you for science section and vocabulary was lacking

I took exam yesterday. Now I can compare how well the book prepares for the test. It prepares you partially. The verbal part (reading) is the same as on the test, but vocabulary part is not. I may be had 1 or 2 words out of entire book on the test. The best I can suggest, buy SAT verbal book to go over words , because they expect you to know high school lever vocabulary words. Math part was very similar to what they give you on the test, however there were some problems which book did not cover, but again test givers expect you to know. The science part on the test ONLY partially (half) was of that what was given to study in the book. Only partially helpful. I did not have any questions about microbiology, microscope, more about gravity, electricity, not much about physiology. There was not questions about tests for glucose or starch, but there was some questions from chemistry. My impression after the exam was that the book would never prepare you completely for the test. You have to get some high school books OR SAT on the different topics and go through questions, because the test questions will be random from each area, just as in SAT books. Lucky those people who claim that they got the similar questions in all areas, but it is less likely that you will get the same, more likely you will get random questions from each area, even those parts which book did not cover.

first time i have bought a used book and i must say it arrived like new. very happy with my purchase. was said that it was like new, well it really was new.

This is a great collection of beverages choices, even includes some nonalcoholic beverages. Several winners here!!

The publishers of this guide simply aren't making an effort: they just reprint this book year after year. They fail to take notice of readers' hopes for changes, as well as the changed landscape for alcoholic drinks. Until we stop buying this awful book, they'll keep printing it.

One of the major weaknesses of the book is its index. Want to find all drinks with orange juice? No go. How about a "hot toddy?" Sorry--you have to look up "hot brandy toddy," but that's not its common name! Maybe you'd like to make something with the last of your coffee liquor, so maybe the index or table of contents will guide you there? No ma'am.

Then, as many reviewers have mentioned, half the drinks in the guide are dated, and countless modern favorites are not included. If I were buying a drink guide I would definitely look elsewhere.

This is one of those nifty little reference books to have on hand during a party, or behind the bar, when you just don't remember (or know) how to make a particular cocktail or mixed drink.

Strengths:
* Decent overview of the basic essentials of tending bar: tools, party planning, etc.
* Encyclopedic breadth of recipes, both old and new. You wanna make an old fashioned sloe-gin fizz ? No problem. Want to know how to make "simple syrup" for Caribbean drinks and classic cocktails from the roaring 20's ? It's in there. Perhaps some haute toity blue blood, huffing a tiparillo behind a pair of 1950's vintage hornrims (and a pile of bar cash) wants a Pousse Café (one of the most anal-retentive and pretentious mixed drinks ever devised, BTW) ? No problemo, and don't forget to pour the different layers of chartreuse across a spoon to keep the layers distinct ... not that (in all reality) you'll ever actually get an order for one.
* Conveniently sized and fonted to provide maximum information in a small book ... that easily fits in a bar kit, behind a counter, or near a cash register. Well indexed too. In other words, this is a book designed for regular use and quick reference ... not for sitting idle on your coffee table.

Weaknesses:
* It's rather weak on instruction - but in the book's defense, it's a reference book by design, not an instructional book, and it's targeted for people who already know basic bartending.
* It's a bit weak on frozen/blended drink techniques - overdue for ergonomic update and expansion.
* It could include more information on various specialty liqueurs, and their flavor/usage.
* I'm slighly annoyed that despite 60+ reprintings, there are relatively few changes from revision to revision.
* It could give some tips on how to evaluate important tools like blenders.
* Although the book offers great breadth of recipes, it neglects (my 64th edition version doesn't) to provide things that professional bartenders find useful ... such as tips on how to organize a "speed rack", and helpful mnemonics for high-demand drinks (ex: a "Kamikaze" has "Very Little Time" ... VLT = Vodka, with a splash of lime and triplesec. Here's another: "Margarita" has "Tiny Little Sour Toes" ... TLST = Tequila, with lime, sour mix, and triplesec. Mr. Boston's doesn't really cover such helpful tricks - but it could and should).

Bottom line - books don't survive to 60+ editions unless they're doing something right. It's a very handy little reference book, and despite it's hefty recipe archive, it takes up surprisingly little space on your shelf ... by design. This one was a toss up between 3 and 4 stars for me ... but it's been useful enough to me over the years, despite it's flaws, to get the 4.

I consider myself a professional bartender. I also collect barbooks. For years I had heard how awful this book was from people in the industry, so I never bothered to buy it. One of my previous day-time bar gigs (pool bar, Hyatt, Key West) had a copy, so I'd thumb through it in my down time. Soon it morphed into a game I'd play with my customers. Name your favorite drink, and then see how bad Mr. Boston would muck it up.
If you are shopping for an end all be all guide for cocktails at home, or for professional use, I recommend..."The Craft of the Cocktail" by Dale Degroff. Or try "Killer Cocktails" by David Wondrich. "The Joy of Mixology" by Gary Regan is also a great book.

I have just learned that their is a "platinum edition" of this book that has been updated by many experts in the industry who I respect and admire. If it has to be Mr. Boston, you should check out that version.

Three very different Brazils are presented in Brasyl, a book that blends science fiction, history, mystery and more in three separate stories. In one, a self-made man in a near future Sao Paulo of riches and poverty finds himself immersed in a dangerous underworld; in the second, an ambitious Rio TV producer seeks a different kind of reality show and finds herself involved in a dangerous conspiracy; and in the third, a Jesuit missionary sent into 18th century Brazil to locate and punish a rogue priest finds himself in a dangerous Amazon world. All are involving, riveting stories perfect for science fiction collections.

I did finish reading it but it was hard work. Really hard work. It is much too liberally sprinkled with either genuine foreign words and phrases, or fabricated ones. For versimilitude I suppose, but it just made it too, too tedious to read and enjoy.

The basic idea of the plot was quite clever, with a few inventive items but all those makey uppy words. Yerruggghh

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1DMWT3JAKIWSV An imaginative and well thought through book with attitude and street grit.
Brain teasingly engaging as we journey through multiple quantum realities in this fast-paced and colourful SF novel.

tried to read it twice but had to put it down twice. Would have given it 3 stars if I could have finished it. Would have given it 1 star if it didn't interest me at all.

The writing is pretty bad. It's overly flowery. He uses a lot of portugesse words in his descriptions and character interactions while rarely giving context to the words. This would be fine if he repeated the context so overtime the book built up its own internal lexicon but it doesn't. So it fails.

I am a science fiction fan so for me ideas come first and writing second. Writing style is a poor cousin of the idea in my mind so it is unusual for me to comment on the writing. However in this case the writing got in the way of some potentially very interesting ideas. So I wanted to like this book but the writing is so bad it clouds the ideas and makes reading the thing pointless. Twice!

I think what irked me most was when his clumsy ham-fisted research showed, and it showed a lot. Science Fiction fans are used to being treated with unfamiliar terrain. It's one of the appeals of sci-fi. Most good writers will let the world subsume the reader. The world gains reality and internal logic. Good examples are books like ON or FEERSUM ENDJINN. Bad examples are books like Brazyl. In Brazyl he TELLS rather than SHOWS you the world. It constantly feels like you are being TOLD what the author learned in the last year. Each new phrase, sentence, lingustic flight of fancy rather than being deeply immersed in the world of the story reads like the skin deep school boy research it is.

A bit harsh I guess... ymmv

Brasyl is a work of true brilliance! If William Gibson will still penning mainstream science fiction works than this is what he would have evolved into.

Never has South America seemed so real as in this fictional cyberpunkish take on what it might end up as.

I love it. If you have any taste, you should too!

This book has arrived just in time for the 2008 election. Along with the PBS program, "Bush's War", this should be required reading for all voters. We can change the future but we must understand the past. Thank you again Susan for your excellent analysis.

JUST WHAT THE TITLE SAYS.
AMAZING HOW THE FEMINISTS ARE UPSET ABOUT 9/11 AND WHAT HAPPENED "TO THEM" INSTEAD OF WORRYING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO US AS IN U.S

In "The Terror Dream" Susan Faludi writes, "A culture forges myths for many reasons, but paramount among them is the need to impose order on chaotic and disturbing experience--to resolve haunting contradictions and contain apprehensions, to imagine a way out of darkness." Throughout her book she presents a fascinating argument detailing how from the time of the Puritans, through the age of the wild frontier, to the era of the John Wayne archetype, American mythmakers--journalists and book publishers in particular-- have mythologized the 'heroic' male and consigned women to the role of frail 'victim' amidst the background of national anxiety or tragedy. Faludi skillfully presents a well-researched look into the Puritan view of the importance of being weak before God and how captivity was seen as a way to strengthen that aspect of their faith and character. Faludi introduces the reader to the 'captivity narrative' which was popular at the time and featured such heroines as Mary Rowlandson, who survived and escaped captivy from the Indians.

In the era of the wild frontier, however, the image of the rugged, solitary, independent frontiersman, best embodied by Daniel Boone, who fiercely decried the exaggerated image of him put forth by his contemporaries, become dominant and was made so by an increasing number portrayals of poor, defenseless women. Indians were made out to be the bad guys and I thought it was interesting how Faludi pointed out the similarities between 9/11 and the execution of nearly 300 Native American Indians in 1862. Faludi notes that in each crisis, society reacted in a way that did not allow a discourse to exist. The literary critic Kenneth Burke once wrote that, "History is an endless conversation." In the case of the 1862 execution of the Indians and the days immediately following 9/11, there was only a monologue. I did not know that very few women were allowed to contribute to Op-Ed sections of newspapers right after 9/11. Why? I was surprised to learn that some people reacted to 9/11 by saying, 'Well, this blows feminism right off the map!' Faludi rightfully questions the relation between feminism and the horrific events of 9/11.

It is a shame that people will most likely never know about the heroic exploits of Cynthia Ann Parker or Hannah Duston, but I am glad that there are people like Susan Faludi who will remind us that history and the mythmakers have overlooked figures who play such important roles in rejecting gendered stereotypes.

This is an excellent book and like many good books, it kept me thinking, even when I was not reading it. I am sure some people will not agree with everything she writes, but her argument deserves to be considered.

Being a long-time Faludi fan, I was not quite sure if I wanted to read a book about 9/11, not because I had been traumatized by the event or anything, but I was unsure that I would find a book that looked at all of the complex views of such a complex event. However, I found, as usual, Faludi's insight into the propagation of the Male-as-Hero Myth and the Female-as-Victim/Weak Myth to be an intriguing lens through which to look at 9/11. This books continues, in a way, the material that the author brought to BACKLASH, that women in a certain context can be subjugated or oppressed, depending on the need of those in power (in tis case, the media, and by extension, politicians). Faludi adds to the age-old paradigm of women as either virgins or whores; now they are also victims, even when they really aren't. Clearly there were heroines of 9/11, but why have they been obscured? One reviewer of this book actually proves Faludi's point about blaming feminism for being crybabies rather than being "Americans". I hate to be the one to burst anyone's bubble, but women are Americans, too, and they have every right to assert their position as participants in this Great Experiment, especially when they are purposely being erased by conservative pundits and the sexist media. I cannot wait for this book to come out in paperback so that I can put this as required reading on my college syllabus.

Susan Faludi begins her latest book `The Terror Dream' with an account of how she dreamt of being aboard a hijacked aircraft the night before the 9/11 attacks.

This astonishing claim to precognitive powers is not out of character with the rest of Faludi's book as her claims are based upon the same magical thinking that results from the minds tendency to infer patterns of meaning from the flimsiest of evidence.

Astrology, tea-leaf reading, augury and the reading of goat entrails gain credence by believers selecting evidence based upon coincidentally accurate predictions and the suppression (conscious or unconscious) of more significant evidence of failure.

So it is with paranoia.

Faludi makes two basic claims: that there has been a recent assault on the freedom and independence of American women; and that this assault has been a reaction to the 9/11 attacks.

Neither claim stands up to much scrutiny.

Faludi claims that images of womanhood in the USA have reverted to `Doris Day' or `Betty Crocker' stereotypes. They are 'demonised' if they do not behave in `undemanding, uncompetitive, and most of all dependent' ways. However, Hilary Clinton is currently neck and neck with Barack Obama in the race to the White House, Condoleezza Rice is Secretary of state and women are in prominent roles in the both the media and on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Faludi also seems to inhabit an America where TV series such as `Alias', `Cold Case', `Lost', `Standoff', `The Closer', `Damages', `Bones' and the `CSI' franchise are not populated by strong, independent women.

The position of women in American society has never been more powerful, and the images of women in the media have never been more positive - part of the reason, in fact, for the USA becoming the target of attacks by misogynistic fundamentalists.

(Not surprisingly, the misogyny of the 9/11 attackers and their supporters is ignored - but that would involve widening the scope of the book to address global concerns beyond Faludi's ethnocentric focus. Like most social critics she has little to say about the thousands of deaths which occurred on 9/11, only the way she believes the issues have been represented.)

Since the first part of her thesis - that the position of women has taken a significant downturn - does not stand up, it's hardly worth examining the second claim - that this is a result of 9/11 - but I'll try.

If there *had* been a `backlash' against women due to America's weakened self-image this would contradict her earlier book `Backlash', which `found' an identical situation for American women when America was at it's strongest: an imperial power basking in it's victories over the Soviet Union.

It's illogical to claim exactly the same result from opposite causes and it casts further doubt onto the usefulness of her previous work.

Nor is her argument that the `rescue narratives' presented in the media worthy of serious consideration. The view that these hark back to a myth of the frontier in which white women were kidnapped by native population essentialises these narratives as uniquely *American* when in fact such rescue myths are almost universal and date back many thousands of years. Faludi's claim seems to rest almost entirely on a cod-psychological analysis of the 1956 John Wayne film, `The Searchers' which doesn't even do justice to that one film, let alone give profound insights into the psyche of 21st Century America.

Faludi came into much feminist criticism over her previous book, `Stiffed', which wallowed in male victimhood. Here Faludi is attempting to reposition herself once again as champion of the *female* cause; but this book exploits the uncertainties of 9/11 and systematically devalues the genuine gains of the feminist movement.

It will sell well - paranoia and self-pity are a powerful combination - but from Faludi's claim of precognitive powers onwards this book inhabits the same fantasy world as do the internet conspiracy theories circulated in the wake of 9/11 which claimed that the Americans blew up the World Trade Centre themselves using pre-planted explosives or invisible rockets made from alien technology retro-engineered from the Roswell UFO crash.

I can completely understand how poltergesit activity can on the salvage ship,Normal people put into a tense atmosphere,tired,cranky,with serious personal problems of their own on a ship they don't like and/or openly hostile to are a disaster waiting to happen. Its calledTK.

After watching the movie Event Horizon I realized that it is to most people more grose than scary. This was the only movie that scared me after watching it over and over again. The book is the same, its a little different than the movie, not totally, things are described better than in the movie and you get a sense of how the characters felt, like how scared they were. Anyways, I really enjoyed this book and the movie the same. If your looking for a good scare then read this book.

If you have seen the movie and really appreciated it, then the book filled all the holes. You have to read between the lines to see it though. I am not sure what you should do first though, read the book or watch the movie. I watched the movie first. To make a long review short the book is short(as is the movie,) but is gripping and as terrifying as the screenplay.

This is it. I read some of the "bad reviews" that are already on this website concerning this book. After reading the reviews, I decided that the "bad reviews" were unfounded, and were left by people who just didn't "get" the book.

Black Holes are still a mystery to us, as is death, space exploration, and Heaven/Hell. This book ties all of these things together for an excellent thrill ride.

Good job McDonald, this book goes down as one of my favorites of all time. I have read 100s of Fantasy novels, but science fiction novels just don't interest me. But with this book/movie, I made an exception.

I E-mailed Mr. McDonald personally and gave him a message, which summed-up is the title of this review. I think the novelization is well-written. It departs from the movie in several places but where it does so it makes the story more credible, tightening it up and offering explanations for much of the confusion on the screen, and makes Capt. Miller seem more logical, as well as explaining the Weir/Beast's motives. Moreover, it plays down the gore in the film, particularly the "in hell" scenes. Unfortunately, there are still plot holes, but I blame these on the original screenplay.

It isn't great literature, but if you want a fairly gripping read, it's a pretty good way to spend a day.

The book describes how business is conducted in India. While things have improved a bit since dismantling of license raj, behind the scenes rampant corruption still exists. While Ambani followed the other businessman of his day, one needs to give him credit to think and execute big and create entire markets in the process. While his son Mukesh has been performing well, the same cannot be bet on his other son Anil in the long run. I have some international prints of this book that I will be glad to sell.

The Polyester Prince is a balanced book on India's own robber baron. Mr. McDonald pays tribute to Gujarati traders/ Banias in the first few chapters by acknowledging their exuberance of speech, inventiveness, and commercial drive. Dhirubhai first displayed his diplomatic and negotiating skills during the Junagadh freedom struggle. At Yemen, he exploits the fact that silver content in rial was higher than the pound. There he also learned the fundamentals of business by taking position in rice, sugar, and other commodities. At India, Dhirubhai progressed to trading in REP licenses and later textile manufacturing. One of Dhirubhai's greatest attributes was that he networked and lobbied furiously. He cultivated several journalists, politicians, and bureaucrats including Girilal Jain, Murli Deora, Yashpal Kapur, T.A. Pai, R.K. Dhawan, P.C. Sethi, Pramod Mahajan, and Pranab Mukherjee. Several policies such as the High Unit Value Scheme were introduced for the sole benefit of Reliance and tariffs mostly for the detriment of competitors like Kapal Mehra (Orkay Silk Mills) and Nusli Wadia (Bombay Dyeing). Reliance was the first to recognize the most important external environment- Government of India. Dhirubhai used the government to destroy Indian Express and Bombay Dyeing. Wadia, Mehra and the journalist Gurumurthy were arrested on fake charges. He is alleged to have tried to get Wadia assassinated through Kirti Ambani and contract killers. Reliance also resorted to envelope journalism and later buying out a newspaper to unfairly cast DMT as inferior to PTA. Dhirubhai is rightly called father of Indian equity cult as he patronized convertible debentures. One out of every four investors in India is a Reliance shareholder. The Ambanis used loopholes, shell investment companies/ tax havens in Isle of Man, duplicate shares, insider trading, and financial engineering tricks to ensure that Reliance was the largest zero-tax company and a pure cash flow operation. Though correctly described as ruthless and daring, Mr. McDonald overlooks that Dhirubhai was an innovative financier, brand builder (Only Vimal etc.), and an industrialist way ahead of his times (vertical integration, GDR etc.).

This book is worth the chase. When you first search for this book [...], you are alarmed at the price. The [...] plus price tag is incorrect, this book is available for less than [...].

Mukesh and Anil Ambani, the sons of the late Dhirubhai Ambani have spared no effort in ensuring that this book is virtually impossible to find. If you go to any book store in India, be it in Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore at any of the chains liks crossroads,odyessey, higgenbothams, oxford or at any used book dealer, you cannot find this book.

Even if you have the ISBN number and you call the Australian publishers, due to lawsuits, they will provide a standard apologetic " we do not have any copies available, we do not intend to reprint". So strike out trying to call the publisher and buying this book.

If you go to any major online book store amazon.com, half.com, overstock.com, ebay etc.. you will not find a copy. If you go to any major public university library or public library across america you will find the standard " we have put your order request into our system, but we still have not heard back from the xyz source".

In europe, south america, australia, nz, japan, india, north america, dubai, western africa, china, russia, central asia.. this book is hard to find.

So your wondering how can I find this book? two options, u can take a chance at the website mentioned by rohit shah below, or you can go to the Harvard University Library in Cambridge, MA, USa which has two copies available.

[...],

Hamish McDonald has pulled this one off with a master's touch. It covers decades of Dhirubhai's life - his dreams, struggles, failures and successes.

Too bad this book was banned in India and is out of print. One word to describe the experience - Masterpeice!

I must add, The Library at University of Georgia has two copies!!!

I bought this book directly from the publisher as it has been banned in India and after reading it is easy to understand why. Ambani's were the most visible business family from India in 80s. Everyone knows that powerful political connections are responsible for the meteoric rise of the ambani business empire. What the book talks about are many issues, which were kept under the carpet and never ever spoken in public. It is a very interesting reading.

Anyone who is interested to learn how business can be done in India, especially before the privatization, must read this book. The link between politics and business is very powerful and though it may have diminished a little in today's India, it is not completely gone.

I recommend this book to anyone who is trying to analyze the strengths of Indian business environment as an emerging country and wish to do business in India.

I have read a number of books about the founding era and the founding fathers and found E Pluribus Unum to be no more difficult to read or understand than any other similar book. You do not need to be a history major to read and comprehend it. What the negative reviews reflect is a complete failure of our educational system. How can high school or college students not be able to understand anything about the founding of this country? Note to all such students, Wikipedia and the History Channel are not substitutes for a real education in the history of this country.

It appears that one person from the same university reviewed the book 3 times and gave it only one star. Someone is trying to smear the book and bring down its rating.. Read it for yourself and ignore the ramblings of ignorant, lazy college kids.

Dr. McDonald's work here is nothing short of brilliant, but this is hardly surprising coming from one of the nation's foremost historians. The low reviews this book has been getting on Amazon are really a shame, because it's a work of art. McDonald provides a masterful account of the creation of the American republic, giving the reader not just the major events of the period, but also shedding some light on the reasoning behind those events. His focus on the regionalism of early American politics shows the volatile nature of the compact forged in Philadelphia, which would ultimately lead to the destruction and reforging of that compact some seventy years later under the Lincoln administration. His wit and insight make this a truly enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in the period, as do his careful renderings of some of the more prominent figures involved in the Founding. Highly recommended reading to any history buff, or indeed any American citizen.

~E Pluribus Unum: The Formation of the American Republic, 1776-1790~ is an astute and intriguing look at the formative years of the American Republic. The United States was taking shape from the days of the Confederation to the 1787 Constitutional Convention and many pivotal debates emerged as to the nature of the burgeoning federal republic. Particular emphasis is placed also on the Washington Administration and . McDonald offers an informative and intriguing scholarship, which is a solid contribution to constitutional history and early American history.

In the 1920s and 30s socialism was all the rage among the "literate" types in US universities as well as Universities world-wide. A writer named Charles Beard made a name for himself in the field of American historiography by claiming that the Founders wrote the Constitution based only on their avarice and greed, that economics was the sole reason that the country was formed. And it was an economics of exclusion, greed and elitism that they created, too. Beard was an avowed socialist and communist and his agenda was to knock down the USA's reputation as the democratic light of the world a few pegs, if not to totally destroy it. He succeeded for several decades.

Then came Forrest McDonald..

In 1965, McDonald shattered that anti-American, socialist paradigm. In his two most important books, E Pluribus Unum and Novus Oedo Seclorum, he revealed the philosophical influences as well as the economic ones that guided the minds of the Founders and their contemporaries. And exclusion, elitism and avarice were not some of those principles and philosophies.

McDonald's works are easily read by one not historically versed and clearly laid out. They are a must read if you want an introduction to early American thinkers and their goals and influences.

I agree with those who have already noted John Toland's superior research and writing skills, which are very much in evidence in this gripping, masterful account.

But as a lawyer I wanted to highlight how enjoyable and fascinating are the behind-the-scenes accounts of the various Pearl Harbor tribunals, which pinned guilt perhaps wrongly on some of the accused. I was particularly interested in famed Boston attorney Charles Rugg's defense of Admiral Kimmel, and the legal tactics employed to best make use of the otherwise secret cables and testimony that Rugg assembled on Kimmel's behalf.

A great account, and an inside look from a master historian of WWII, this one is a no-brainer for anyone interested in WWII history.

Due to his impressive body of work including "The Last Hundred Days" and "Adolph Hitler," John Toland will always demarcate the gold standard in history writing.

Thorough going in his research, dogged in pursuing surviving sources for their versions of meetings and moments and recollections, Toland's work shows what really good history writing can be.

In this way, it should probably be equal parts troubling for Roosevelt supporters and detractors that Toland has taken up the gauntlet that Roosevelt knew and allowed the Pearl Harbor diasaster and that even with his considerable talents he still makes a case that in the end amounts to such thin soup.

Spoiler alert! Those wishing to let Toland makes his own case should pick up his book so that this author does not make it for him.

For those still reading, Toland's case essentially boils down to his assertions that US code readers had received and deduced the significance of a one line message from Japan being "East wind, rain." Apparently code for "war with US is on," the message -- according to Toland -- boded additional significance based on prior intelligence reports indicating the likelihood of an attack on the US.

However, and this where the devil gets into the details, one of those prior intelligence reports reportedly went to J Edgar Hoover, then FBI Director, who according to Toland, sat on the message without forwarding it to Roosevelt. Such a state of affairs would have been believable because, at least in one other World War II case, Hoover's FBI sat on potential evidence of Axis wrongdoing. Certainly, to be complicit, it would have been better for Toland's thesis if there was some assertion that Roosevelt himself had gotten word.

Toland's thesis also stops at the level of indictment and not conviction because even if his evidence is taken at face value and given the weight intended it by Toland, it still fails to make any other argument than that because Roosevelt should have known that he did in fact know and that because it seems like Roosevelt intended and intentional loss of US forces that he was in fact complicit in the purposeful loss of US forces.

Still the same, Toland seems incapable of bad writing and like his other works he manages to produce a story complete with almost novel like nuances and character development.

The only problem is that in this book he may have finally succeeded -- albeit inadvertantly -- in writing fiction.

John Toland was an excellent writer. 'The last Hundred days' 'But Not In Shame' are both excellent books and are highly recommended. 'The Rising Sun' is good, very good in spots but the author was already losing his objectivity, clearly and sometimes blatantly. Toland was 'spinning' the story i.e trying to protray the Japanese as good intended ( the war was anti-communist not really imperialistic, yeah, right)culturally indoctrinated 'wrongheaded'( beheading POW's fits into Shinto, how exactly?). Even then He was trying to shift blame over unto the Americans as if the 'poor' Japanese had been duped by the manipulative Americans into war. But this book is almost a farce, come on, Roosevelt would let 'His' beloved navy get massacred so the American Public would permit us to go to war to save Europe? Sure there were hints clues signs there that the 20-20 vision of hindsight of history allow us to say that they could or should have been picked up on. Read Gordon Prange exhaustive series of books on Pearl Harbor for the real truth about the attack. Or read John Costello's book 'The Pacific War' for a very objective and much shorter recount of 'they knew what when' game that Toland weaves out of discredited and, in some cases, imaginary bits of psuedo facts. A good summation from that book is "The Japanese didn't want war, they just wanted Asia. And they were willing to go to war to get it." Toland has clearly lost his ability to to distinguish betweens facts and 'belief as fact'.

John Toland has done an excellent job in punching holes in the U.S. cover-up about Pearl Harbor. While it is still unproven that FDR positively knew, it is becoming harder to believe he did not. The Japanese did not maintain radio silence as Toland proves, and Robert Stinnett's "Day of Deceit" leaves no more doubt on this subject. Why people here appeal to the "authority" of Gordon Prange is beyond me. His stonewalling is simply unconvincing and written before much of the Pearl Harbor material was de-classified. Not to mention the fact that Gordon Prange was dead before his books were published! Or even finished! Ghost writers helped that project out. We'll know more when the government finished de-classifying. And if they have nothing to hide, WHY is so much material about Pearl Harbor still classified? The mere fact that Roosevelt moved the Pacific fleet from its normal anchorage on the west coast to Hawaii in 1940 (over the objections of some admirals) has got to make you wonder too.

Toland is an excellent historian. He's put together a lot of different lines of evidence to insinuate that the United States was indeed aware of the Pearl Harbor attack before it happened. That's the gist of this book.

Does he prove it? No. There is no absolute evidence that proves FDR and the State and War Departments knew that Pearl Harbor was about to be hit. Toland's circumstantial evidence IS very strong, though, and if what he writes here is true (and he documents it all), then it is very difficult not to reach the same conclusions he does. I've always found it difficult to believe that, with the threat of war obviously hanging over the United States and Japan, we had no idea where the Japanese Navy was. But, again, there is no absolute proof, no documents that say "FDR knew." But no other historian, not even Prange, brings up the evidence that Toland does.

FDR apologists will hate this book. FDR haters will believe Toland has proven his case. Fair readers will wonder. Historians (and that's the way I make my living) will conclude Toland hasn't proven his point. Not absolutely. But he does do very good investigative work. We'll probably never know for sure what FDR knew or when he knew it.

I have several reasons why I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. The first is the abusive and crude language. I particularly dislike books that rely on cuss words to express frustration and hate.
The second is that there is no redemption in the story. Someone has already mentioned this, but I think it's worth repeating. Gabriel, the main character, gets in with the wrong crowd of friends. They form a gang and plan to vent their anger against the people they hate by destroying things. Gabe is obviously very troubled by his conscience, and has many opportunities to get out of his bad situation. After his first theft, he could have gone to the police and made restitution for his crime when it was still small. Instead he keeps hanging around the others in his gang who he intensely dislikes. In my mind, I kept shouting, "You know where this will end up! Get out NOW!", but he never does.
In the end of the book, he is charged (as an adult) with lots of bad stuff that I can't recall. I was wondering what the punishment will be, but the book never says. In the end, the four main characters lives obviously are destroyed by their crimes, but there is nothing in the book about making things right. I only made it all the way through the book because I was waiting to see how things would be made right again.
Another reviewer, A. Luciano, says, "...they used that [anger] as an excuse to hurt others who hadn't done anything to them. There was no redemption for any of the characters at the end; there was no sense that any of them had learned anything or had grown in any way, or even that they had found peace." and I think he's dead on.
Very Depressing.

When Gabriel's family moves to a secluded area in western New Jersey, after his brother is murdered, Gabriel finds himself involved with three other teenagers in a series of increasingly violent acts. Each teenager has his or her own problems. Hollis is the leader and instigator of the most serious acts, and forces the others to remain involved in the group, or else.
This book should be for mature readers only because of the mature subject matter and the offensive language.

Gabriel is angry. His brother was murdered in the city, but his family doesn't talk about it. Instead, his father simply moved the family far away to a house in the woods in a tiny town. Gabriel's mother deals by spending most of her time back in the city, even getting her own apartment there. Gabriel's sister deals by changing her hair into an attention-getting style. Gabriel deals by spending every night in a small abandoned shack with three other high-schoolers.

Lydia's father is a paranoid survivalist who is convinced that his family needs to prepare to a massive attack. Therefore, he forbids Lydia to make friends and he refuses to let her learn to drive, wanting to keep her under his thumb.

Alec has always been in trouble, and has even done time for his crimes. He is obsessed with Gem, a girl who thinks he is incredibly creepy and tries to avoid him at all costs.

Hollis is very strange--he is an overweight and nerdy student who has skipped two grades and is on track to begin at a prestigious college at the age of fifteen.

All four students are lonely and have deep-seeded anger that needs an outlet. When they all happen upon the abandoned shack, they start spending time there together. Before long they are committing petty acts of vandalism. Then Hollis comes up with a plan for increased mayhem. The others aren't sure about causing the amount of destruction he proposes, but almost without them realizing it, he has gained power over the rest of the group.

I didn't have any sympathy for a single one of these characters. They seemed to think they had really good reasons for their anger, and maybe they did, but they used that as an excuse to hurt others who hadn't done anything to them. There was no redemption for any of the characters at the end; there was no sense that any of them had learned anything or had grown in any way, or even that they had found peace.

I suppose my major problem with the book, though, was that the author pointed out several times that Gabriel's brother had been murdered over a leather jacket. She then mentioned several times that Alec was wearing a leather jacket. I expected there would be a nice connection of stories. Instead, there was nothing. I was so disappointed that I expected this payoff that never materialized.

I understand that this book tries to reflect real teenager's feelings and that the ending is considered realistic, but I found Shadow People depressing. Four teenagers - Lydia, Hollis, Alec, and Gabe - start a group called Shadow People, where they plan to go out and release their fury on the unsuspecting town. I don't believe that the feelings and actions of the characters are accurate reflections of teenagers. Sure, we all get angry, but most of us do not blow up buildings because of it. When I read this book I was looking for an intriguing thriller, but the book is neither interesting or suspenseful. I wouldn't waste your time on it.

Shadow People by Joyce McDonald is a book I would recommend for young readers. It is very interesting and the format of the story is unique.

In Shadow People, Gabriel Hart is a teenage boy who moves to Knollwood, an urban town, with his family after his brother Ben was murdered.

He then encounters three other teens, Alec, Lydia, and Hollis, who share the same feelings as he does, anger, lonliness, and frustration. They all meet by accident but are all drawn together by a strong force which they can't explain. Each of them have their own seperate lives and seem harmless to other people, but when night falls they become violent. They destroy as much as they can every night.

However when Gem Hennessey comes into Gabriel's life she becomes all he can think about. She then falls in love with him.

Will Gabriel change his wild ways and chose a calm happy life with Gem or will he stay in his life of destruction with his new "friends". He will have to make his decision when one of his wild nights goes too far and he'll have Gem's life in one hand and his own life in the other.

Which will he chose?

This book was very interesting to me and I enjoyed reading it. I also recommend by Joyce McDonald, Swallowing Stones. That was also a very unique book in my opinion and I believe alot of people will enjoy her novels if they take the time to sit down and read them. They'll be happy they did.

Well, "this" book had "a" lot of potential. "There" were "an" awful lot of "quotation" "marks" that had "absolutely" no reason "for" being there. "If" the author is really "a" professor of "English" ---- Well, I "just" don't know "what" the future "of" our young people "is" going "to" be. Besides that, the dialog just went on and on and on and on..........

Story:
Jean and Edward are your typical medical students circa the early 1800's in London. Having studied for some time at St. Albans medical school they have come to the point of having to do their own "hands on" research. Unfortunatley in this time there is no such thing as medically donated cadavers and they have to procure a recentley deceased body from the local "resurrectionist". They employ a local lad who does the deed but they notice that the body they received died by someone's hand and not natural causes. In an attempt to bring what they thing think is a common thug to justice, they track down the man that found the body for them and and find themselves in the middle of mystery that could leave them with a case of rigor mortis if they aren't very careful.
-------
To start off I did enjoy this book by the end of it. It was just the getting there that was the problem. The characters talk like they proably would have talked back them, very verbose, very big words thrown in there and a *lot* of speculation back and forth between the two main characters. The idea (and I'm sure it was the point) is that this is a slightly more moderen sherlock and watson, which can be slightly annoying sometimes when it gets to be obvious that Jean is the fast / smart one and Edward is the slow / everyman one. For the most part it works and there a bunch of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and the last two chapters make up for the long road it took to get there. I would recommend this book to those who like the History in their Historical mystery books and for those like their mysteries to have a lot of twists and turns in them.
m.a.c

The Anatomists is a riveting mystery. The characters are well-developed, and by the end of the book, I felt as though I really knew them. The plot is unique and is also well-developed. I had a knot in my stomach, and was on the edge of my seat by the end of the book. I enjoyed The Anatomists from the beginning, and couldn't put it down until I had read the final page. The ending was more suspenseful than I could have predicted. I can't wait for the next book from this author! I hope there will be many more to come.

I just happened by this one in the local bookstore and was so happy to find it exactly what I was looking for. It is a fast read and thoroughly enjoyable- I have now passed it on to my Mom who is enjoying it just as much as I did. We were big fans of Bruce Alexander before his passing, and I find this book to have the feel of a combination of the Sir John Fielding books and a bit of Sherlock Holmes. Along with Legard and Montague, I am really hoping that McDonald will bring back Jimmy- he's a good addition to the cast of characters.
More please... we're waiting. :)

THE ANATOMISTS was the winner of the CourtTv (now TruTv) "2007 Search for the next great Crime Writer" contest. This novel was chosen out of over 900 submissions. I think it's a very enjoyable read if you like traditional mysteries.

This novel takes place in 1824 London, and it's two main characters are medical students of that time and place. Back in those days, medical students were routinely forced to rob graves in order to find cadavers for study (shocking but true). During one of their robberies, the medical students discover that their corpse has been murdered. They devote themselves to finding the killer, and the rest of the nvoel is devoted to their investigation.

THE ANATOMISTS has an intriguing setup, and McDonald does a good job of keeping the story interesting. I also enjoyed his re-creation of 1824 London. The major downside of this novel is the somewhat bland characterization --neither of the medical students is particularly interesting. One of them is supposed to be a "Sherlock Holmes" type character, but McDonald fails to make him the least bit memorable.

Overall, this is a fun book, especially if you like the old Sherlock Holmes mysteries or Agatha Christie's work.