United States Books

I loved loved this book....I checked it out at our local library and read it cover to cover in two days...Thats a record for me...I love that this woman took a sensible approach to her weight loss and over a course of 4 years, took the weight off. I find it frustrating when all the books tell of 100+ weight loss in a matter of 10-12 months...It made me feel lazy and inadequate to have lost 60 in a year...but not anymore having read this book. So many of the things she went thru I can relate to and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel gives me so much added motivation to keep doing what I am doing and it will pay off...It has already...Definately a book to read over and over again:)

This is a wonderful book showing some ups and more downs of the scale. This woman shows by example in her experience that if we don't follow a food regiment 100% you can still attain your goal of loosing weight. It is really refreshing to read that you can make a goal even when you slip away from it now and then, but you have to not give up. A good read hard to put down.

I bought this book on Saturday and finished it on Tuesday. I could hardly put it down. I also weigh what Sandra did and then some. This book was really motivating and I saw so much of myself in it so I could relate to it. It really gives me hope and shows me I am normal. I have been going to T.O.P.S. since April 2001 and have lost over 30 pounds and began backsliding. Now I see that may happen from time to time and I just need to stay motivated. Thank you for this book.I am a 37 yr. old widow with 2 children and really need to stay on track to be here for them and I think this book will help me.

I enjoyed the spirit with which this book was written. By the time I finished I felt as though I knew Sandra and her wonderful supportive family. I was cheering her on throughout the book. Not only did she lose weight for herself but she chose this time to help others and start up aerobic classes for women who feel left out at most health clubs. Her relationship with Richard Simmons made me smile. They had such mutual respect. It is wonderful that she accomplished what she did, helped others and at the same time wrote an enjoyable uplifting book.

In particular I liked the way she did not hold back her feelings or her problems. She tells it "like it is". I recommend this book even if weight loss is not the goal. She puts a positive spin on other things as well.

Not only is this book the bargain of the year, but it is literally the best diet book ever written. This lady tells her story from the beginning to what is going on today. It is like reading her diary. There are no gaps to the story-which I really appreciated. She tells you every step she took to lose the weight including what exercise she did along the way. She also tells you how your family and friends will react to your weight loss. For anyone who wants a "Step by Step" account of how a friend lost her weight, this is a "must" read. After reading Sandra's book, you feel like you are her friend. Very inspiring with an honest approach to weight loss. I can't say enough about this book!!

If you are interested in and fairly familiar with New Jersey politics and politicians this is a reasonably entertaining and informative book. It's no page-turner, but not bad.

Even if you live a continent away in Washington state, "The Soprano State" will amuse, educate and yes, horrify you. Authors Bob Ingle and Sandy McClure have put together an appalling catalog of the "worst of the worst" New Jersey politicians and public servants and their most outrageous shenanigans.
As the authors note, "why should such a wealth of lunacy and depravity" be enjoyed only by New Jersey? My personal favorite, in a chapter titled "All Aboard the Gravy Train," is an anecdote about how sometimes "the legislative gravy train delivers real gravy." In that case, New Jersey taxpayers coughed up $124,000 over three years to purchase 300 lunches each day the Legislature was in session to feed 80 members of the assembly, 40 senators _ and lobbyists. The lunches were trucked in from a well-connected restaurant 57 miles away!
¶ It's tempting for us outsiders to feel smug, but there's also a nagging worry: what if our politicians are just less obviously outrageous, and our reporters more lapdog and less pit bull?
¶ Beyond the entertainment value, this book is a cautionary tale, reminding us that citizens anywhere can be fleeced by those we elect.
¶

Reads easy and smooth like good fiction. 5 stars plus one. I must say though that only God himself really knows the depth of this modern day corruption that seems to permeate this most heavily populated State. The authors did a swell job expounding on the alleged conditions in NJ. I've known people from NJ and at least some of the subject matter in this book corroborates their stories. I myself have visited NJ before and I found that it had many desirable attributes, like the Jersey Shore for instance. Conversely, I don't have any doubts whatsoever why anyone would desire to move out of this beautiful State due to the preposterous school taxes and the high cost of housing. Could it be that the developers pay off politicians to skirt environmental and building moratorium laws? I don't believe everything in the printed form but this book, along with others, points to the "signs of the times" so to speak. This book was worth the price and the time expended to digest the information given. Where the population is multiplied, so too the corruption it seems. The most interesting and prominent feature in this book was the Public Sector accounts which point to the lack of accountability. Is this book a clarion call for better checks and balances? Read for yourself and make your own assessment. By and large, the funniest part was chapter 8: "The Gospel According to the Mob." In closing I must say that truly there is nothing hidden that will not be made manifest eventually.Lethal Option: A "Simon Says" Detective AdventureThe Den of IniquityThe Partner

As a former kid from New Jersey I purchased the book as
somewhat of a lark. After devouring the material it was
no longer a lark. The pathetic corruption is so clearly
detailed and documented it makes your head spin.The New Jersey I left in 1974 had an outstanding public school system which has been decimated by the lads in Trenton,
draining resources from small school districts and pumping
those funds into inner-city enviroments. No measurable
improvement is to be found. the State is bankrupt,under-
funded pensions and corrupt at every level of government.
If you live in NJ you have to read this.Then start packing

This book should be called, "The Corruption State," which is a better title, since New Jersey is one of three in our country that's known for corruption from the top all the way down to the smallest town. If you can dream up a way to squeeze money out of a taxpayer, then you can be in NJ politics. They are professionals here and have perfected the art of stealing from your wallet.

After this book was published, they came out with two more ways to take money out of our wallets: They want to charge us $.10 for a deposit on every can and bottle that can be recycled IN SPITE OF US ALREADY RECYCLING! So...if you want your dime back, YOU have to take it to a redemption center to get your dime back.

The next new tax (they call it a "user fee") is they want to add $.40 per 1,000 gallons of water onto our water bill. Call it what it really is: a tax.

This book was at times so funny it was infuriating, so maddening it made you furious, so ridiculous it drove you insane, yet us as residents here are powerless to do much about it as long as these jerks run this state. The endless pay-to-play, patronage, favoritism jobs in Trenton (the state capital) and beyond will continue as long as there is a New Jersey. Even if you vote, they will still continue to run this state using the newly elected as their puppets. It's been done before.

We are NOT in debt; not if Atlantic City gave Trenton $468 MILLION dollars in 2007! This is just one example. It's the wasteful spending, it's the three, four and five jobs one person holds PLUS their pensions and benefits that's draining our state's treasury and the cronies who run this state allow all this! Why? Because they're part of it, they receive it as well and they make damn sure that their family members and friends are also on the dole as well so everyone has a piece of the action.

Excellent book. My only regret is that I can't move out of my home state (NJ) sooner than I want to! What a shame...I grew up here, I love the area, but I can't afford to live here anymore, not when the pickpockets control this state and it's never going to change, even with Christopher Christie doing his best to root out the corruption.

"Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System. The First 100 Missions." Long title. Big book. Loads of detail. A treasure for shuttle geeks like me.
This book is packed with mission details and hundreds of rare photographs. One shows a close up of one of the struts that holds the shuttle onto it's 747 carrier. On it are stenciled the words: "PLACE ORBITER HERE. BLACK SIDE DOWN. LEFTY LOOSEY, RIGHTY TIGHTY." Where else are you going to find things like that? It's all here. Pictures, histories, charts, and diagrams. Like the missions chronicled inside, this reasonably-priced book will take some time to analyze and review again and again so you can catch all the details.

I bought this book as a keepsake, but have found it very informative. Shuttle workers and space enthusiasts alike will enjoy this book.

If you want to know more about the developmental history of the Shuttle program, Jenkins' book is for you. Within the books pages there can be found a wealth of information going back to the early 1940s and stopping in the year 2000 with the launch of the 100th shuttle mission. With the conclusion of the program in 2010, I am looking forward to the 4th edition (if one is on the horizon).

gave this book as a gift, there appears to be a lot of information with a lot of pictures.

This is the 3rd Edition, by Dennis Jenkins, which covers the first 100 missions.

This is one of the most, if not the most, comprehensive work on the background, concepts, and evolution that led to our Space Shuttle, for the non-technical reader. I purchased it because whenever I looked up winged spacecraft on the Encyclopedia Astronautica website (itself a marvel of space history; even National Geographic was referred to that site by NASA!), this book was cited as a reference. It has provided me with weeks of enjoyable reading since Christmas, and I'm still not finished with it! Highly illustrated. It will be one of the primary references in my space library for years to come. Hopefully Mr. Jenkins will produce a 4th edition after 2010, after the Shuttle retires, which will cover the Columbia disaster, and the final history of the Space Shuttle. My highest recommendation!

This is a good example of a start up and how much work is involved. By highlighting the ups and downs, it paints the real picture of a start-up, not just the glam.

If you wanted to read a definitive true story about pre dotcom, bubble and post bubble trials and tribulations, this is the one, sinc eat the end they built a solid profitable company. I chuckled at all the characters that McVickers met with the language that was used when reason left the industry to be totally replaced/driven by greed. . For those of us lucky enough to enjoy that whole wild ride, this book brings it all back. The start-up struggles and financing on debt. Placing bets on directions with your own well being/family. The people are all there, reluctant angels, greedy guys, lazy guys, arrogant amd humble types, disaster hires, reluctant hires wanting a big piece of the action, VCs, investment bankers, handlers, hold-up artists, PR pros, Barney deal makers, aggressive Competitive cos and their VCs, Take no prisoners sales guys/CEOs. This is all played out from the point of view of a fairly humble technical guy who just wanted to do something good. And the money stories, they all were happening. This is well written, easy to follow and a good pleasurable read. If you are in start-up and looking for something big, read this one!

This book covers many aspects of the entrepreneurial process. Written in a journal-style, the book takes on more the form of a dramatic novel, covering the growth of McVicker's company, Neoforma, from their beginnings as a poor internet start-up, all the way to their IPO. McVicker navigates through the convoluted process of starting this business, and provides a tremendous amount of insight into his experiences. The names in the book take on life as McVicker describes them interacting in the start-up process. Well written and packed with information, this is a good read for anyone interested in starting their own business.

Starting Something captures the rocket ride to IPO in a truly remarkable way that makes the reader feel he's riding co-pilot. I found the discussion about their venture investor, Venrock Associates, to be of particular interest because it appears that "Bret," the Venrock Partner, was given additional equity in Neoforma after Venrock's investment (pp. 308-310). The problem with this kind of thing is that Bret works for the limited and general partners of the firm, not himself, and he took equity right out of their pockets.

Is there any way to justify Bret's actions here? Please, tell me that I'm missing something here.

I fully admire the guts it took for Wayne to start a business, I fully admire the hard work he and his employees put in, and I fully admire his candor, since there was a lot in his book that deserved to be told, especially on the company-investor relationship side. But I couldn't help noticing that whenever he spoke glowingly of the company's progress and achievements, he measured them in terms of employee growth and fundraising stats, rather than REVENUE or PROFIT.

Here's why:

1999 - $1 million revenue, operating loss of $51 million
2000 - $10 million revenue, operating loss of $219 million
2001 - $3 million revenue, operating loss of $273 million
2002 - $4 million revenue, operating loss of $81 million
2003 - $11 million revenue, operating loss of $65 million
2004 - $13 million revenue, operating loss of $62 million
2005 - revenues finally started growing for real, because they bought some with their own stock, and then were acquired by another company end of 2005/beginning of 2006

Total for the six full years:

Revenue = $42 million
Losses = $751 million

That basically means the company spent $793 million in order to get $42 million of revenue. Think about those numbers for a second. If you're providing a service, and people are paying you 5 cents for every dollar you spend, well, maybe that's not such a great business to be in.

This book's an engaging and well-written chronicle of one of the shining examples of bubble era craziness. I'm not at all downplaying the truth or value in the general lessons, in the growing pains & emotional reversals of fortune Wayne goes through, and I'm not trying to pin the blame on him for all the missteps. I just hope that aspiring entrepreneurs who read this book balance it out with one on a business that worked, because there are a lot of those that make for interesting reading too, and luck isn't the only thing that distinguishes their trajectory from this one.

Great read for people who love to travel (and eat) off the beaten path. Probably should add that it's often from a female point of view. Loved the recipes.

Linda Ellerbee is a little older than me but I can still relate to her view on the world. In her book, her experiences take us to far away places where she meets fascinating people. She tells of her time in Greece where while she lives as a local for a month, British tourists experience Santorini from the seat of a tour bus. I will never travel as a tourist again. Yet, she remembers to bring these experiences home - linking them with her past and present. Her "take the bull by the horns" approach to life and travel may not be for everyone, but it sure has inspired me to look at life a little differently - make things happen, don't wait for it to happen.

Linda writes just the way she speaks and when you read this you feel like she's talking directly to you. This is a book that you never want to end. It's a memoir about travel and food and friends and lovers and misadventures - and she has done it all.
Most of the time she travels alone - she prefers that so she's forced to talk to the people where she's visiting. Occasionally she goes with a family member or friend to revisit a place from their past. She's been to some places that you've never heard of but want to go to after she describes it. Linda says that `our travels are not always the voyages of discovery we say we seek, but rituals of reassurance.' What fun!
When Linda gets together with her girlfriends, she reminds us that to women girlfriends are not a luxury they are a healthy necessity. They sit around and talk-talk-talk and even though they are now women, they feel like a girls again. And her holidays will remind you of your own and others when she describes how despite tradition, love, hope, passing time and sweet memories the holidays will always be messy.
She tells us about becoming a grandmother and says she will be available, understanding, and weird - because as a mother she was mostly weird. She plans to take her grandchildren places and show them things and give them wings. We all wish we had a mother/grandmother like that. I especially related when she talked about giving her children cookie dough to eat. My girls still keep a roll of cookie dough in the refrigerator for emergency sugar fixes.
And the food - she makes it part of every story and it all sounds so good. She even provides you with recipes.
One delightful thing she tells us (and she tells us quite a lot) is that `sometimes in life, if you're lucky, you are where you most want to be at that moment'. And wouldn't we all like to do that at least once.

[...].

Ellerbee creates in words the literary equivalent of the best dinner, the best trip, and the best dessert you ever had. Whether heartwarming or heartbreaking, her adventures around the world making strangers into friends (and meeting herself in the process) are truly memorable. She makes you long to break out of the tedium of your own life and discover the world as she has. A delight.

Ellerbee writes just the way she speaks, and when you read Take Big Bites, you feel like she's talking directly to you. This is a book that you never want to end. It's a memoir about travel and food and friends and lovers and misadventures. She has done it all. Most of the time, she travels alone. She prefers that so she's forced to talk to the people where she's visiting. Occasionally, she goes with a family member or friend to revisit a place from their past. She's been to some places that you've never heard of but want to go to after she describes them.

"Our travels are not always the voyages of discovery we say we seek, but rituals of reassurance," she writes. What fun!

When Ellerbee gets together with her friends, she reminds us that, to women, girlfriends are not a luxury, they are a healthy necessity. They sit around and talk-talk-talk, and even though they are now women, they feel like girls again.

Her holidays will remind you of your own and others when she describes how despite tradition, love, hope, passing time and sweet memories, the holidays will always be messy.

She tells us about becoming a grandmother and says she will be available, understanding, and weird because as a mother she was mostly weird. She plans to take her grandchildren places and show them things and give them wings. We all wish we had a mother/grandmother like that. I especially related when she talked about giving her children cookie dough to eat. My girls still keep a roll of cookie dough in the refrigerator for emergency sugar fixes. And the food... She makes it part of every story, and it all sounds so good. She even provides recipes.

One delightful thing the author tells us (and she tells us quite a lot) is that, "Sometimes in life, if you're lucky, you are where you most want to be at that moment." And wouldn't we all like to do that at least once.

by Doris Anne Roop-Benner
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Through My Eyes is one of the best books I have ever read to my children. As an African American, it is extremely important to me that my children know their history. The story about Ruby Bridges helps children (and adults) to understand that no matter what obstacles are placed before them in life, failure only happens when you give up and accept defeat. In other words, what someone else thinks of you is not necessarily how you should define yourself! I encourage everyone to read this book to their children.

This book is fantastic and I bought it for my students. The problem is she uses the N word so much. I had to comb through the book and ink out the word. I do not want children using that word to each other, and yes my students ARE BLACK, and especially don't want my white student learning he can say the word too. Then again it seems very immature that 1 can use the N word and the other cannot. It's a word that nobody should be using. Bridges could've just said "the whites shouted angry slurs" kids, of all colors, will pick up on what those words are through inappropriate means. Otherwise, I would still recommend to buy this book at is a wonderful book and has plenty of history and information.

I really loved this book, it has a lot of pics and information about the time everything happened. This girl is such an example for everyone...

I chose this book from my summer reading list because I have a special interest in the Civil Rights Movement. I learned about Ruby Bridges during African American Month at school and got really interested in her story. I liked this book a lot because it taught me about integration and segration in a way that was easy to understand. The photographs brought the story to life, and I liked the way the story was told from Ruby's point of view. I would really recommend this book to kids my age (third grade) and older who are interested in this kind of book. My parents really liked the book too!

Sophie K.

This inspirational story, told by Ruby Bridges herself, can help children understand some of the struggles of African-Americans during the 1960's. Ruby's courageousness and determination is the message young readers are presented with. The real-life photos give readers a visual account of the hard times that Ruby and other African-Americans endured. Also included in this autobiography are quotes from many of the people that Ruby encountered in her life including her mother, her first grade teacher, Barbara Henry, and her childhood psychologist, Robert Cole. A quote from a 1963 speech by Martin Luther King is included which further supports the civil rights theme in this book. Excerpts from text such as The New York Times and Good Housekeeping gives readers even more factual information about the time period. The book includes photo credits as well as text credits with copyrights to ensure the reliability. This text can be used with children in grades five through eight studying the civil rights movement or school integration in the 1960's.

A most comprehensive source of information on this tragedy. Well written and well organized. Nicely stocked with period photographs.

A must have for any library on this subject.

This is the most outstanding book I have ever read. The pictures, the information, it could not have been written better. Anyone would love this book. Those who are in search of unique pictures would find this book invaluable, likewise those who are in search of information, facts, nowhere else seen loss of property claims would too find this book invaluable. Upon seeing this book in the book shop (I did not buy it here) I gave it absolutely no second thought and regardless of price bought it. I am a Titanic historian and I'm picky about the books I buy, and this book is just about the best book in my collection. Don't hesitate, buy it, you will not regret it.

I found this book in my local library and took it out to read. However as soon as I got it home and looked through it I was enthralled by the pictures. The text was fairly standard fare although some of the earlier chapters had interesting info concerning the planning and construction of Titanic. The pictures steal the show and they made up my mind to buy this book for myself as such pictures need to be looked at and digested over months and years rather than the few weeks one has with a library book. If you have any interest in Titanic - BUY IT.

John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas already known for their very involved Titanic research and dives in Nautile (IFREMER's Titanic submersible} have done a beautiful Titanic book describing stateroom's the voyage building and sinking in a beautiful 352 pages have put together a book which in itself is as good as Titanic: An Illustrated History. Gives insurance claims Philadelphia first class passenger mrs. Cardeza filed for 18 suitcaces , 3 trunks and a medicine kit . A book which many experts (Myself included ) Love . Excellent for any Titanic Buff!

I must say this is the most comprehensive book on the Titanic I have yet seen. Every facet of the liner's history from its origins to the wreck exploration is covered. Each chapter includes pictures of everything connected to the ship. Anyone with any interest in Titanic at all should have a copy.

I did think the authors could have done better with their chapter on the sinking itself though. As it is they wrote little text and tell the story through picture captions! It is as if a book on the Kennedy assassination covered details of the flight to Dallas and then said little about the shooting itself. I also feel the authors were a bit too soft on Lord of the Californian.

My twelve year old daughter and I listened to this book together, and in a rare instance of complete agreement, we both pronounced it EXCELLENT. We repeatedly found ourselves engaged painlessly in converation about what should have been difficult themes, such as all the different "wars" in Holling's life, the Shakespearean notion that conflict and humor can exist in the same time and place, lost opportunities, etc. Whether this book is a "winner" in literary circles is an issue I will leave to the experts. What I can say without reservation is that the book is truly a "winner" in terms of young person enjoyment and in terms of potential for readily sparking important conversation.

This is the first book I've read by Schmidt and I stayed up late just to finish it. There are many things I loved about this book. For one, Holling seems just like any ordinary 7th grade kid but then through his periods with Mrs Baker, he develops into a remarkable young man. Family life during the 1960s to early 1970s was also vastly different. Children were not as spoiled and usually listened to their parents even though they may have felt some resentment. I also liked the way Schmidt allowed the humour of so many situations in the book to surface so much so that I believe that most kids, boys especially would enjoy this book. I am now going to try and find a copy of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy!

Wonderful, refreshing, silly, plausible...I loved this book and highly recommend it for children and adults. It's a quick read with clean verbage. How unusual!

Wow! If I could give this book 6 stars-I would. I have read lots of middle school books, and yes a few have been excellent. This one was nearly impossible for me to put down. The book was so funny in parts, that I had a difficult time trying to stop laughing. Other parts were exciting, touching, a bit sad, and very thought provoking. Yes, this book is easy to read, but not at all shallow by any stretch of the imagination. It really has a lot to say, but does it in a subtle non-preachy way.

I think anyone grades 5 or up would love this book. The book is told through the eyes of a 7th grade boy, and it is comes across so real it is impossible not to have a connection with this character. You don't have to be a middle school teacher or an avid reader to love this book. It is one of those very few books that knocks down all walls and invites all readers to enter.

On the suggestion of a friend who has excellent taste in books, I bought this book for my eleven year old son, who's appetite for books exceeds what I can keep up with! It was so gripping that he sat up until two in the morning to finish the book. (I can sympathize; I've done that!) His review (five stars) for the library book club was so enthusiastic that the next night I sat up until two in the morning to read it! This is probably the best recent children's book I've found! I loved it! And it gently introduces topics such as racism, the Vietnam war, bullying, determination and self-sacrifice that parents can discuss with their children. Kids love the book because it's witty and has a great story. Then again, I loved it for that too! So four thumbs up, two from me and two from my son!

This is quite a good book that really allows the reader to get behind the author and penetrate the subject matter in a slow, moving way. There are quite a few elements of humor in it, one of which lead to a friend of mine who was walking the streets of NY fall into a manhole while I was reading it on the phone to him (he was o.k.). The book ends with quite an explosive passage that might make many gag, but, for this reader, I swallowed it up.

I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed reading the book. It was very enlightening and I learned a lot.

"What Color Is Your Scarf?" is by a man who came out late in life, has recognized his frailties and is attempting to make himself better. In the book, Brown tells you how he is attempting to overcome his imperfections. He has a plan and he makes the telling of it interesting.

I see no reason why the wisdom Brown inculcates wouldn't be useful to anyone as a coming-out guidebook. I would recommend it, especially to people just going through the coming-out process, regardless of their age.

I related to a lot of things that you mentioned. Thanks for the words.

Your book and web page are a delight. I'm a 60 year old man, came out 15 years ago and am as happy as can be.

This is a book people might shy away from since it deals with the 1988 campaign, and those candidates are basically ancient history (except for Biden). However, what the book really describes it literally 'what it takes' for any man or woman to believe they can be President.

We look at the people running today, and we see them as TV characters and sometimes buffoons, but forget that in their youth they were probably the smartest, most popular, most driven people we would have known. Just to get to a place where one can entertain the idea of running for President takes a life of very, very few wasted opportunities.

So, while this book doesn't talk about Obama or Clinton or Huckabee, etc., you can read it and at least get sort of a sense of what the candidates are like behind the masks they put on.

The best thing that can be said about "What It Takes" is that you will read it and you will appreciate that Presidential candidates actually are qualified, and while they might make terrible decisions, they really are the best we have.

"What It Takes" is an antidote for cynicism.

It's a great insight into the psyche of candidates, the jargon of campaigns -- and a demonstration of just how tough campaings are. (The author of this book is also a frequent contributer to Rolling Stone and Esquire. Some of the language in this book certainly isn't appropriate for younger readers).

Ben Cramer follows the major candidates in their races to become president in 1988. He reproduces their speaking and thinking styles in such an incredible way that you will never be able to think of any of these people (Bob Dole, GHW Bush, Jesse Jackson) in quite the same way you did before.

His intense focus on how the candidates act differently when in private than they do when they're out giving their stump speech makes for fascinating reading. If you're tired of dry books that are "nothing but the facts, ma'am," you'll love this well-written story.

No study of modern American politics is complete without reading this book. At the center of the political universe is the presidency. What kind of people seek this office, and all of the attendant scrutiny and hardship that even the most fortunate candidates endure? What personal attributes set one candidate above the rest?

Essentially, one of these men will be the most powerful man in the world, and have a chance at shaping history. This book answers the questions "why" and "how."

Cramer understands his subjects, and the profiles of each candidate would be excellent stand-alone biographies. Extremely readable and well written, without sacrificing substance.

A truly unique and indespensible work. To find out what it takes, read this book.

As a lifetime Democrat, I was horrified to read this book and feel not only sympathetic towards Bob Dole, but also admiration.

Of course, the author goes on to confirm my worst fears about George H.W., Reagan and some of the Democratic party's candidates from the era.

A stunning work. It is inspring and depressing at the same time.