Research Books

This is one of the best military history books out there. Its an account of a raid to free POWs carried out during the Vietnam war. What is so good about it is that it gives a truely comprehensive from top-to-bottom account of the mission from conception to execution and even following through to the political aftermath. while the mission was not successful in its objective (the POWs were moved before the team arrived), the plan involving a raid deep into North Vietnam was carried out flawlessly.

While many things have changed since the time the book was written, people, organizations and politics have not. The book is a case study with wide ongoing application. Its also a fun read for anyone interested in politics, the Vietnam war, special operations or military history in general.

The Son Tay Prison Raid was a good idea but was based on poor intelligence. Benjamin Schemmer did a good telling the story. It's too bad it doesn't have a happy ending.

Sam McGowan
Vietnam Veteran, author "The Cave"

Great account of the brilliantly executed 1970 special operations mission to rescue POWs, and the breakdown in intelligence which resulted in the rescuers coming away empty handed. If you've read about the mission to rescue the hostages at the embassy in Iran a few years later, you'll recognize a number of the names. (See Delta Force by Charlie Beckwith for details on the Iranian mission.)

First published in 1976, "The Raid" is the story of the heroic attempt to rescue 61 Americans from the North Vietnamese POW camp at Son Tay in November, 1970. It is thoroughly and meticulously researched. Its' 3 reprints attest to the quality. Author Schemmer had some obvious command cooperation in its' compilation. "The Raid" devotes more effort -and pages- in depicting the painstaking step by step preparation and practice that was dedicated to the rescue than the actual time on the ground. That is understandable, since the mission lasted less than 30 minutes. The camp was empty and no one was rescued! The author examines the intelligence "considerations' behind that unpleasant fact. More time and space is given to the inevitable damage control that the Pentagon and White House had to tackle. That easy to appreciate as well, given the frantic antiwar feelings in this country at the time. The raid took place less than 4 months after our troops were withdrawn from Cambodia. That incursion had sparked huge domestic protests. There are three outstanding traits to this tale: The first is the obvious bravery and courage shown by the men involved. The second is the sheer amount of logistical support and inter -service coordination that the effort required. There is an impressive array of those Command acronyms. As any veteran would rightly suspect, there was a bit of infighting as well. I appreciated reading that General Ryan, Air Force Chief of Staff, gave an open letter to some of the chief planners directing they receive complete "no questions asked" cooperation. Those who felt unable to comply were to call the General directly! How many calls do we think Ryan received? Finally, we the author incorporates the human beings who were the actual prisoners. We read of some of the more distinguished, such as Robinson Risner and Jerimiah Denton as well as those not as famous but who suffered as much and more. "The Raid" is almost a mini-history of the POW saga-one that extends to this very day. Over 1,800 men remain unaccounted for. Some claimed the raid to be a failure. It strikes this reviewer as an outstanding success. That's because after Son Tay, most POWs were consolidated into the big Hanoi area prisons. There was safety-not to mention a command structure-in numbers. Treatment improved, especially since many prisoners could help themselves. This reviewer would like to compliment President Nixon and Defense Secretary Laird for supporting a military action they knew would be unpopular and suspected might be unsuccessful. Canceling the operation would have been the easy way out; they courageously chose the difficult course. To this day, Mr. Nixon remains the only Chief Executive to seriously address the POW issue. Those buying "The Raid" should strongly consider Frank Anton's "Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" It's time frame perfectly complements Mr. Schemmer's tale. Finally, there is the virtual Bible on the subject, "Code Name Bright Light". That may be a lot of reading but what subject is more worthwhile?

On November 21st, 1970, a rescue mission would be launched inside North Vietnam that would eventually gain status as being possibly the most incredible operation ever conducted during the Vietnam war.

The culmination of months of grueling planning and training, intensive coordination through military channels, extensive secrecy, and special operations wizardry would lead to the daring raid on the Son Tay POW camp just 20 short miles outside of Hanoi. So well prepared was the team that after the raid's accomplishment, no lives were lost and everyone returned safely after just 26 minutes on the ground. Everyone except U.S. POW's, that is, who were unfortunately not at the POW compound being that it had been abandoned only months previously. Information discovered as to why the Son Tay facility was empty would prove to be both revealing and disturbing to the raid planners and executers.

In assessing the aftermath of the mission itself, although deemed a failure by the mainstream media and squabbled over by Congress, the military, and intelligence agencies, positive aspects would eventually come to light to justify the raid a success after all. Unknown to many outside the purview of the POW's themselves, the raid was an eye opener to the North Vietnamese who now fully realized that America would defy the greatest of odds to repatriate their POW's and show them that they were not forgotten. The Son Tay rescue mission was a serious morale booster for our U.S. captives and also hastened their improved treatment from their North Vietnamese jailors.

Benjamin F. Schemmer has written a fascinating and in-depth study into one of the most sensational rescue missions ever accomplished in the history of warfare. Richly detailed and researched, included are photographs, maps, and appendixes with a multitude of statistics and operational facts. Whether just a casual reader or an avid fan of Vietnam era history, The Raid is an excellent book from start to finish. For those readers interested in the complete story of POW rescues in Vietnam, I would highly recommend the book "Code Name Bright Light: The Untold Story of POW Rescue Efforts During the Vietnam War" by George J. Veith.

I have read this book. I was with A Co., 3rd. platoon during this time at Hue. It was a very trying time for all of us. I was also one of the people who was with Capt. Helvey when we went on our little night trip. The book talks so much about the first few days of the month of Febuary. In fact we were there for the whole month. It was Feb 24 that My machine gun crew was killed as we were trying to advance toward Hue, "AGAIN". To Broadus Dale Hilyer, "Rest in Peace" You were a great friend.
The book also reflects on the Que Son Valley. I have since had the pleasure to meet Jim Hietz who was wounded on Jan. 7, 1968. Jim was also in the 3rd platoon. We met for the first at a 1st Cav. reunion this year(2002), Wow, what memories we had to talk about. I will also add that I was and will forever be impressed with all the many fine people that I met at this reunion. History is in this book, good, bad, or indifferent, it is there for everyone to read.

George Patterson

I am one of the three Pathfinders with 2/12 and was in the foxhole to the left of Mr. Krohns. He did a wonderful job of telling it exactely the way it was. I can still remember that night as if it happened yesterday. I returned later with 5/7 and recovered the deceased troopers we had left behind.
Juan C. Gonzales(Night Jumper 4-2)

Charles, I want to thank for writing this book. For years I lived with the memories, questioning what had happened. I was in Company D, and on Jan 3,1968 they did use a flame thrower, the guy just missed me. I became a WIA just days before the end of your book and I was able to relate my experience during this time. Again, Thank You, it really helped.

Charles Krohn has presented a well researched book that sheds new light on a complicated battle, the fighting for Hue City during Tet. His book is a valuable addition to history because it specifically deals with a regularly overlooked topic: the 2/12 Cavalry's involvement in the battle for Hue and it's fight against the NVA headquarters there. He was there. In addition, he touches upon the battalion's earlier fighting in the Que Son Valley.

I was the 2-12 Cav S-2 from January 2000 to July 2001, this book is everything a staff officer should and must read. I came upon the book because it was about my unit, it has been deliberately overlooked by army professional reading lists. Mr. Krohn's account highlights the unfathomable value of honesty and integrity in our profession; the lack thereof causes lives. An excellent read, a heart-wrenching story even today for those who were not there. "Those who do not study the past are doomed to repeat it." Thank you Mr. Krohn.

The book was delivered on a timely basis and was in pretty good shape for being so old.

This review is not a hoax: I read this book while in solitary confinement for assaulting another prisoner. It was my first exposure to analysis of self-destructive behavior and its damning cyclical pattern. I was a two-time loser. A career criminal who had followed the all too familiar progression from juvenile home, jail, to prison. This book change my life. After serving a decade and a half in prison, I am now at the top of my class in graduate school. It is never too late to pick up the pieces, but we must first learn what those pieces are and how and why they were smashed into pieces in the first place. This book will teach you how to do just that.

ALL I CAN SAY IS: READ THIS DELIGHTFUL, ORIGINAL, AND FASCINATING WORK. IT WILL GIVE YOU MUCH TO REFLECT ON! A TRULY CLASSIC AND TIMELESS WORK BY KARL MENNINGER.

Dr.Karl Menninger was Topeka(KS)-based psychoanalytic-psychiatrist and believed the Death-Instinct in the human. Therefore some readers may think this book, which is almost-perfect based upon the Death-Instinct theory, is nothing but the pessimistic. But we shouldn't forget a simple-but-hard fact that we ourselves live in the auto-pessimistic era;the post-9.11 terrorised era. In this realistic-and-therefore-neither-sentimental-nor-romantic book Dr Menninger teaches us that some people destroy themselves with using the others and therefore they NEED the others. Of couse,not everyone may believe his theory and,ultimately,not everyone needs to believe,but-or-still this book,I believe,is the best starting point of thinking about the human;ourselves.

Not exactly the place to start but for those interested in an easier read this is it. Karl Menninger is awfully Freudian but this becomes a bit of a page turner. Introspective, incredibly insightful and definitely worth the time and money. This is an essential for your collection. If you like this one you will love his "Love Against Hate" (but it may be out of print).

On the treadmill of front-line marketing, it's easy to get caught up in the never-ending lists and deadlines, rather than stepping back to think more broadly and deeply about who we really are, who we're trying to reach and what we're really trying to accomplish.

As I read the Zaltmans' Marketing Metaphoria, it felt like a sudden holiday getaway that whisked me away from my lists and deadlines and into a calmer, almost meditative place. Readable and engaging, this book helped me step back and reflect on the great metaphors that make humans tick. The Zaltmans' genius is in not only identifying these metaphors, but also helping the reader understand their relevance in marketing and communication strategy. The book does a beautiful job illustrating how "deep metaphors" are the story elements and images that create meaning and purpose in people's lives. With many great examples they also illustrate how insightful marketers can use these deep metaphors to create meaning and purpose for companies, brands and products in people's lives.

Like any great holiday getaway, at the end I was not only refreshed and rejuvenated, but I was changed for the better. This book's vivid examples and passion for the subject make it irresistible for marketing professionals to look for themselves, their customers, brands and companies amongst the metaphors - and to begin "deep thinking" about their work.

For anyone interested in more than just superficial communication, marketing, image or brand, this book will provide gratifying insights that change how you understand and craft the stories you tell.

The Zaltmans' new book can truly be described as insightful. By way of transparency, I should point out that I am priveleged enough to have Jerry Zaltman's endorsement on the back cover of my own recently released book, "Brand Meaning." Though I have never met him, I know Jerry to be an astute and visionary commentator on consumer behavior. Anybody who has read "How Customers Think" will know that. What "Marketing Metaphoria" illustrates so well is that only by probing deep into the way people think about and view the world around them can one hope to connect with consumers in a visceral and enduring way. The book provides a framework for identifying such "implicit cognitive influences" (see back cover) - here in the form of deep matephors - and that is what makes it important reading.Brand Meaning

...as a professional who has introduced neuroscience into leadership, I can personally attest to the importance of "thinking more about our thinking" when it comes to why we do what we do. Though we all on some level know this, Zaltman has written brilliantly and pragmatically these sometimes forgotten truths that truly affect decision making. This is a classic!

By way of full disclosure, I was a graduate assistant for Jerry Zaltman when he was a Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Naturally, I've followed Jerry's many publications for these past 20 years and have never found the time I've invested in reading his latest ideas less than incredibly worthwhile.

Interestingly, I bought this book based solely on the title and my expectation that it would be full of new ideas and insights about how using metaphors in marketing tactics would influence consumer behavior. While this book does cover material related to that sort of thing, it really covers so much more. The first two chapters on thinking deeply, "Workable Wondering" and focusing on consumer similarities set the stage for how to take the insights and ideas from the next 7 chapters (one per each deep metaphor) and incorporate them into your own thinking. The last chapter ties things together and presents a number of ideas for how Deep Metaphors may influence a number of marketing strategies and tactics.

This book is written to stimulate your thinking about how Deep Metaphors apply in many areas of marketing and consumer behavior. It doesn't present a list of "to dos" or lay out a plan of action that you should follow. Instead, you'll find yourself seeing what you, your consumers and your competitors do in a new light.

Another great book from Zaltman, with more excellent insights into the way people think.

I found it a more straightforward read than the excellent 'How Customers Think'. And it has an even blunter message for managers: "Start paying proper attention to how your customers really make their buying decisions, or miss out!"

As a metaphor elicitation specialist I was wowed by some of the fine detail, such as the description of the relationship between deep metaphor and emotion. But if most readers focus on the high-level message - the crucial importance of deep metaphor in guiding human behaviour - I'll be absolutely delighted!

If, like reviewer Dave Lakhani, you're disappointed by the book's lack of a detailed methodology for eliciting metaphors, why not check out a non-proprietary technique such as Clean Language? Though I suppose I would say that, wouldn't I... :-)

Easy to use with the correct midpoint sort, which I was able to do in Kepler easily. Provides insight into the interpretation of midpoints, which ones are important and what the important ones mean.

"After teaching advanced students for more than a decade I have been continually disappointed and frus-trated by the lack of a comprehensive text on midpoints. Until now. Don McBroom's new book, "Midpoints" combines theory and application into an incredibly accessible synthesis of an otherwise complicated subject.

Reading this book is like sitting with a master astrologer who takes you by the hand and expertly guides you through every twist and turn that comes with learning this technique. Bountiful examples and illustrations provide visual explanations of this tool and blend seamlessly with Don's relaxed instruction.

Basic concepts including midpoint pictures are quickly dispatched and build the foundation for more ad-vanced applications including unaspected planets, the Aries point, and special aspect structures. Don then finishes the book with a basic introduction to how progressions, transits and solar arcs affect midpoints, per-haps laying the groundwork for a follow-up volume devoted to forecasting.

What more can one say about this book? Only that I will make it a required text for my intermediate and ad-vanced classes and will have it close at hand as I prepare my own client' charts."

I take this book everywhere. The layout of it is structured and easy to read. So many problems that I had with midpoints have now dissolved. It's a much-needed accessory to my learning astrology. I love the formula method for midpoints you use and I am now trying to use this method interpreting aspects such as Natal ones more accurately.

It is very easy to read and for a topic such as midpoints, it is crucially important to have a methodical and logical structure to understand midpoints. I feel certain that Don has achieved this.

I think this is really essential reading for astrolgers at all levels.

Coming from his former life as a pharmacist, Don McBroom carries the physician's caduceus into the alchemical world of planetary symbolism. With this beautifully written book he helps us to understand that we are who we become by responding to our compounds. Midpoints in astrology are little-understood amalgams, so much simpler in design than one would imagine. Every astrology student except the most elementary will surely shout a big "Aha!" after an enjoyable sit with Don's first book. I look forward to many more wonderful ideas from the McBroom closet.

Author Don McBroom presents a brilliant and easily accessible method integrating midpoint analysis into natal chart interpretation. He provides numerous examples of high profile celebrities to elucidate the value of this technique with amazing clarity, depth and detail. Midpoint analysis is the "icing on the cake" in horoscope preparation, providing a wealth of important and enlightening information in horoscope preparation. This accessible book should be on every astrologer's bookshelf, whether student, novice or advanced practitioner.

As a medical research scientist, I can say beyond a doubt that a flu pandemic is brewing that may change modern civilization in ways that will go beyond our wildest imagination soon. Physicians are observing the creation of a super strain of the avian influenza virus, H5N1, so-called bird flu, that has the potential to kill millions of men, women, and children in every nation. According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a recipe for disaster is clearly in the early genetic-mixing stage. We stand on the abyss of a global wildfire event that will start with the flick of a "viral" matchstick, burn everything in its path, leaving civil disorder and misery in its aftermath on an unprecedented-scale. But what can we do other than prepare ourselves for the inevitable death of our society as we know it? Other than prudent safety precautions, we can also boost our immune systems psychologically against the true number one killer: s-t-r-e-s-s.

Just look at what happened to millions of people impacted by natural disasters in the past year alone from earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis worldwide: They are suffering from PTSD--Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Guess what stress does to your ability to fight bacterial and viral infections? Do you know that when a pandemic strikes within 30-days 100% of the population will be exposed to the virus, but that only 50% will get ill? Did you know that a pandemic comes in 3 phases with the second being the most deadly? Did you know that the most susceptible age group when the virus "hits" is not the young or the old, but the tender-age group 20 to 30? In plain terms, this book will give you the rest of the story; how nature ensures the "survival of the smartest!" Indeed information is power and it will make the difference between life and death in the coming pandemics!

So get smart and raise your I.Q.: "immunity quotient!"

Dr. John Jay Harper is executive director of the not-for-profit, American Delphi Academy, Spokane, Washington, author of Tranceformers: Shamans of the 21st Century, and a bird flu report website at johnjayharper.com

David Kennedy believes that government health officials and the medical community at large are in the hip pocket of big drug companies. This conspiracy has caused important, effective, powerful remedies, like vitamin C, to go unnoticed and unsupported. History will tell whether he is right about that.

What may be more important is that Kennedy and others believe Vitamin C can prevent and treat the avian flu. If this is true, Vitamin C can provide an inexpensive, powerful, effective treatment for a lethal virus.

It now seems clear to every serious-minded person that the Asian Bird Flu is going to attack, the only question is when. When the epidemic strikes, it will be deadly and fast. According to Kennedy, mega-doses of Vitamin C will be effective in protecting people against the flu. For those that have it, he believes that mega-doses of Vitamin C, administered intrvenously, may save many lives.

This book is mostly about the curative effects of Vitamin C. Based on studies and reports of it curing polio, cancer, and other deadly conditions, Kennedy, Linus Pauling, and others state that the health benefits of it are dramatically understated and even unknown.

I don't know if Kennedy is right about the pharamaceutical industry, time will tell. If he is right about Vitamin C and the bird flu, our family will be protected by an inexpensive, easily-available remedy. If he is wrong, we will have taken a lot of Vitamin C.

The highest potentcy in tablet form I am able to find are on amazon.com at 2000MG. Forget Tamiflu and pass the orange juice.

I was a little disappointed that the information in the book, I already had most of in my head, due to the fact that I'm a Linus Pauling fan when it comes to nutrition. However, if you don't already know what I'm talking about, then this book is very important to you because it offers you the opportunity to embark upon a personal oddyssey beginning with a most critical, ubiquitous nutrient your body is not capable of producing, due to genetic damage that everybody has. You need this book.

To Mr. Doubting Thomas... why don't you just read the book and then weigh in. That's part of the problem with Americans and this country's sick-care system... too close-minded. Americans take what health officials tell them as gospel and fail to seek out truth and knowledge for themselves. I received this book Saturday and read through it carefully. I found it to be a valuable read. Knowledge that serves good.

After having read this book I now feel I can do something to protect my family and will be starting us all on vitamin c!
I really felt this was information that could help us especially since it came from people who are considered tops in their field and had scientific studies to back up what they are saying and in some cases were Nobel prize winners.

I loved this book it puts a different view on things. It has an easy read feeling to it. I enjoyed it very much

Great book and an inspiring insight into the life and research of a zoologist... even for a non-biologist. You don't have to be a biologist, a zoologist, or even a scientist to enjoy this book. Passive fear gives insight into a common reaction of a diverse group of animals to fear, a somewhat unexpected reaction. But, the book is much more than a book about animal reaction to fear, the book gives the reader fascinating insight into the life of a science researcher and the paths research takes one along the way. I highly recommend the book.

For many not grounded in science, the process of scientific discovery is difficult to comprehend and somewhat mystical. Many books describing science are dry and sprinkled with incomprehensible words. "Passive Fear: Alternative to Fight or Flight" is completely different.

Dr. Norbert Smith has condensed and clarified some of the methods by which scientific discoveries are made in this exciting, autobiographical book. He has a gift of drawing the reader into his quest so that we begin to ask the same questions he was compelled to answer. Along the way, he chronicles the story of his boyhood interest in animals and the wonders of nature.

Readers will begin to understand the differences between research conducted in the laboratory, with artificially bred animals, as opposed to Dr. Smith's field research using animals born and raised in the wild. Readers will enjoy Dr. Smith's discussion of the problems in using those artificially bred lab animals to understand what really goes on in the world.

Dr. Smith clearly and succinctly describes the thrust of his research. He wished to understand a response many animals have when confronted with a fear-inducing situation. He observed a slowing of heart rate, as opposed to popular wisdom stating that heart rate should increase. He details his groundbreaking work in fitting devices to animals to gently measure their heart rate and body temperature. He worked with such unlikely research animals as alligators, woodchucks, swamp rabbits, gray squirrels, and box turtles.

Readers will agonize with Dr. Smith as he describes the difficulties in procuring funding for his novel research. They will also rejoice as Dr. Smith's research findings turn traditional science on its head, but gradually come to be accepted. A bibliography lists 17 of his publications which have appeared in prestigious journals such as The Journal of Applied Physiology.

In summary, this book opens readers to the joy of science. Young readers contemplating a career in science will better understand the exciting road ahead of them. Seasoned scientists and researchers such as myself will benefit from reading the trials and travails of a fellow scientist. However, above all, any reader wishing to gain an expanded view of science would do well to pay close attention to Dr. Smith's book.

Finally! A science book that I can easily read and understand. Dr. Smith captures the reader's attention with humor, mixed in with science. What a great combination. I don't think I learned as much in my college biology class as I did reading this book -and I sure laughed & enjoyed myself a lot more. I highly recommend this book to everyone - it's easy, light reading and you'll learn something in the process. Keep the books coming Dr. Smith! I can't wait to read the next one.

Wayne Frair

For Amazon

This interest-holding scientific autobiography commences with an exciting biology fieldtrip. Author Smith, then a new graduate student, saw the eyes of an alligator. He called to it, and this 6' wild male swam across the pond to his feet. He captured it for brief study and release.

This account introduces a main theme of the book--study organisms in their natural environments. Smith designed new radio telemetry systems, and these were employed mainly in field studies of reptiles and some mammals.

The 15 short chapters are sequential and bursting with the author's enthusiasm. The book is a good read and easily completed at one sitting--also a nice gift for your biologist relative or friend.

Wow. This book makes me long for my grad school days. What an inspired story of scientific pursuit, history, evolution, ethnobotany, and the love of pomegranates. I love this book so much I want to eat it. This is a must read. He includes detailed descriptions of plant guilds that would grow well in dry places and some information that could lead readers to find sources of pomegranate germplasm. I love how he weaves his story together. The botanical terminology makes my heart flutter! I want to visit the places he's been. Reading this book right now is especially poignant as many place names he uses have been on the news as sites of bombing and military action. I wish it were not so and this book gives me greater depth of appreciation for the history, ecology, and beauty of these areas.

I was expecting just information about pomegranates. Boy did I have pleasant surprise. Pomegranate Roads not only gets the the 'ole taste buds salivating, but it also provides amazing insight into a man with a great passion for his work. Equally impressive is the historical perspective of the fall of the USSR and what it did to this small part of biological diversity as well as the cultural impacts. An excellent memoir unto itself.

If you are curious about pomegranates, this is the book for you! Even if you do not eat them or grow them, this is a wonderful story about human passion.

I purchased this book primarily to learn about pomegranates as I am in the process of planting a small orchard of pomegranates. I found it to be a wonderful history lesson and an adventure. I am planting several of Dr. Levin's cultivars and have a great appreciation for all of the work he carried out for some 40 years, often at great risk of life. I often felt I was on these adventures and now wonder if I could ever participate in some exploratory treks. It's painful to read how the research stations have been bulldozed and wish more of the 1,117 cultivars could be rescued. It was hard to put this book down and I now have a much greater appreciation for being able to grow some of Dr. Levin's cultivars. I only hope I can do them justice!

Some chapters of this book make you feel like you've just watched an Indiana Jones movie, while other chapters would make a great NOVA science episode. On his scientific treasure hunt for exotic pomegranates, Dr.Gregory Levin has--unassumingly-- run into vipers dancing on their tails, and seen cave paintings of kangaroos on the border of Iran and Turkmenistan! Levin knows which godesses were idolized in pomegranates and what the penalty was for felling a pomegranate tree in ancient Egypt. Yet the tone of this adventure is deeply thoughtful. In 1941 when young Levin and his parents were digging trenches around Leningrad in preparation for the seige, Levin watched a drift of butterflies land on a nearby tree. "Their life cycle was ending," Levin says,"and they had all landed on the tree to die. The tree was their cemetary." Here's an author who sees reflections of the human condition in Nature all around us. And like a good hiking companion he doesn't keep pointing things out, but leaves you alone to take it all in for yourself.

Ari Siletz, author of "The Mullah With No Legs and Other Stories."

throw away all your phonics rules and worksheets and Hooked on's.

If you wish to read, then read.

If you want to teach others to read, give them something they will read.

Lower your standards. Read the cereal box, the soup can, Calvin and Hobbes, Incredible Hulk, Barefoot Gen, Maus, whatever absolutely they want to read. Just read. Just do it.

The great Dr. Krashen here shows you how.

Here in this second edition, updated to the latest research of 2004 which serves to confirm his earlier conclusions, Dr. Krashen gives us and our students permission to read whatever interests us, so long as we will read.

By reading we learn to read.

No brainer.

Few people know that the great American comedian of film and stage WC Fields began his vaudeville career as a fantastic juggler, manipulating cigar boxes and pool cues and balls, etc. with great skill and alacrity. After years of this someone gave him a manual of How to Juggle, which had so many rules and advice, including regarding breathing and concentration, that in his next performance he failed while he tried to remember and observe the rules of good juggling. He could no longer concentrate as he focused on concentrating. He later recovered his incredible skills when he could finally again forget the rules and just juggle.

Same with reading. Throw away those high priced "how to read" and phonics books. Just read. The industry gives you nothing to really read, just exercises with no benefit and little interest. Just read what you want and you will read.

Only the great publication houses with phonics programs and worksheets to sell at a high price tell us (and the big government that now runs our schools) otherwise. There is too much profit to be lost, and too much lobbying going on in the halls of our state houses and Congress, and the w White house.

By the way, why does the current Secretary of Education have absolutely no experience in any kind of education? Kind of like that FEMA guy, or Gonzo, etc., etc. Still she forces us to buy worksheets instead of letting us READ freely in order to learn how to read. Library funds are decimated while the industry reaps great profit and the government its lobbying bribes.

It is in reading that we read. It is in reading that our reading skills grow, no matter what you read. As you read lower level materials, your mind will automatically seek more challenging materials and reach for more. After Marvel you will want Tolkein. After Harry Potter you will hunger for James Joyce, forever. And then Dante and the Bible remain.

I have been a bilingual teacher and practitioner for many decades, as my grandmother before me. I recall from my first hearing of words and of speech my bilingual Church (Latin with occassional English, briefly), etc. Dr. Krashen's method here serves all students, especially our bilingual students developing reading skills in their most comfortable language which are applicable later to the target language (here ENglish) without even their being aware of it. They will wonder when you taught them to read in English.

This book is based on solid research and bursts most of the popular and powerful misconceptions and myths regarding teaching methods and politicians with profitable interests who would stop those strategies which are most effective.

Please study this book carefully for the scientifically proven truth, based on reliable research methodology.

In order to learn how to read, read. Whatever you choose, whatever interests you, but easy reading, within your frustration level, within your enjoyment level.

There's plenty of good stuff to read right here on the amazon. Check out my reviews for a few!

And then read to your family, too, in joy and in peace, and relearn the love of reading together. Turn off that television and just read already!

I teach ESL at the middle school level. This book was so powerful and convincing that I immediately changed my lesson plans to include SSR on a daily basis.

My friend casually slipped this book to me over the lunch table. She said I may find it helpful in my struggles teaching middle school and high school English to second language learners. Little did she know how helpful this book would be. After reading the book, I immediately consulted with my colleagues and we began a program of free reading. It's working! I actully have students thanking me for letting them figure out for themselves that they really didn't mind reading! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a very readable compilation of the research that's been done and how to apply it! Worth every penny!

Stephen Krashen does a wonderful job of presenting an easy to read book on research concerning children and reading. The info provided can be extremely useful when ordering books and planning programming for children. Some parts of the book get dry and a little slow but overall the results are fascinating. The copyright date of 1993 makes the book slightly out of date and I would love to see a second edition of the book to see if anything has changed since then.

I am the Library/Media Specialist for a school district in Alaska on a grant to increase literacy through literature. I heard Stephen D. Krashen speak at a school librarian convention and was so impressed that I read this book. The district has Silent Sustained Reading as its number one directive to all the teachers, but the idea is difficult for some teacher's to accept. I am hoping that by lending this book to teachers we can get fuller compliance. Having taught children's literature class at the college level for six years, I have read a lot and firmly believe in the work done by Krashen as presented in this book.

With the intelligence community re-inventing itself to meet emerging threats, the Heuer book's re-release will serve the new generation of analysts well.
The first two chapters deal primarily with biases, mindsets and perceptions -- those key areas which have had less than a good impact on thinking in and outside of the intelligence field. The eighth chapter covers what he is known best for, the Analysis of Competing Hypotheses, covered in a step-by-step manner.
I require all my analytic students to read this book and I find it gives me new insights with every re-reading.
The new publishers have done us all a favor by putting this into the public venue once more.
Heuer's work and his ongoing contribution to the field make him an international intelligence treasure.

This book is simply a must read for anyone interesting in the field of intelligence. Heuer really knows his stuff.

The core function of the U.S. Intelligence System is to collect unprocessed information (data) and transform it into useful knowledge (intelligence). This transformation is accomplished through a cognitive process called `analysis' (more accurately research and analysis). Richard Heurer examines this process and attempts to explain how it is performed. This book reflects his long experience working for on the thorny issues associated with understanding analysis on behalf of CIA. The book is less than successful primarily because Heurer appears to believe that mere technique or `tradecraft' can be codified and used to produce good analysis.

In point of fact to focus on technique is to ignore the reality that the entire process of intelligence production is dependent on the analyst's knowledge of the target. This knowledge enables an analyst: to collate unprocessed information and extract relevant pieces from it; to recognize patterns of behavior and anomalies within the target; and to steer collection programs to obtain still more information about the target. Target knowledge, particularly for CIA analysts, should enable the analyst not only validate discrete target related events and occurrences, but also to integrate them into knowledge packages that would actually be useful to intelligence consumers. Perhaps more importantly, Heurer ignores the truth that good analysis is more dependent on the personality of the analyst than on any amount of training. The qualities of persistence, curiosity, objectivity, and intuition cannot be acquired through teaching. Finally Heurer gives very little attention to the value of sound research as an indispensable part of the analytic process. The analyst who presumes the information before him is all there is to a story is making a major error. True as, Heurer notes, information must be managed with care or it can overwhelm an analyst, but target knowledge should allow the analyst the wheat from the chaff. Properly executed research can result in a more informed and accurate intelligence product.

In the end Heurer makes a valiant attempt and certainly provides some important ideas and concepts that do help the analytic process. His arguments about perception, managing information, and open mindedness are all perfectly valid. Yet at the end of the day, target knowledge and personality will trump technique (tradecraft) every time.

One reviewer has the following criticism: "The book is less than successful primarily because Heuer appears to believe that mere technique or `tradecraft' can be codified and used to produce good analysis." Whether or not Heuer actually believes this or not, I do not know, however, I disagree with this criticism as it pertains to this book. I have never worked in a formal intelligence environment or as an intelligence analyst, so I am only addressing what I perceived as the intention, stated or not, of this book.

I believe it is clear that he is addressing this book (or series of articles) to those who are already trained intelligence analysts in some capacity, and is discussing the importance of, and giving some instruction on how, to avoid the pitfalls and hindrances associated with our human cognitive processes. From my perspective, he is not trying to teach a particular one-size-fits-all analysis technique, or trying to imply that anyone can perform and excel as an analyst just by following a prescribed procedure.

Actually, I believe he addresses some very deep and sophisticated topics in a very practical manner. His writing is very plain and easy to understand, as are the examples and studies he cites to make his point. He does not attempt to write like a scientist, he keeps the subject matter on a level that makes it easy to understand, which in turn, makes it more useful to you. (You cannot apply what you do not understand.) In fact, as I read this book I could immediately recall situations in my life where I paid a price for making some of the mistakes he outlines and see that I could have brought about much better conclusions and solutions if I had the knowledge in this book.

This is a very good book for any type of manager, lawyer, analyst in any field, detective, researcher, etc..I cannot imagine anyone not being helped by the subject manner in this book and his very practical instructional approach.

I have used what I learned in this book, and couple others, in some recent business problem solving efforts, and had very successful conclusions to these efforts.

Richards Heuer's Psychology of Intelligence Analysis is based on a compilation of declassified articles from the CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence, prepared for intelligence analysts and management. However, this book will benefit anyone conducting analyses of complex scenarios in a structured way, including health care professionals, financial and market analysts from all industry verticals, law enforcement and security staff, auditors and fraud investigators, and many others.

Heuer's point is that `analysts should be self-conscious about their reasoning processes. They should think about how they make judgments and reach conclusions, not just about the judgments and conclusions themselves'. The book presents a discussion of how mental models and subconscious cognitive processes can limit our reasoning capabilities (especially when coping with uncertainty and doubt), as well as an introduction on how we can try to understand and negate these effects.

In his analysis, Heuer presents data from internal and external cognitive studies, scrutinizes past CIA success and failure cases, and proposes a re-evaluation of the way we generally look at problems. The author brilliantly makes his point in Chapter 13 by showing scenarios in which the reader is invited to review previous statements and `evidence' from the text, look at the discussion from different angles, methodically apply or remove certain models, and then compare his/her own conclusions as a professional analyst would be expected to do.

The outcomes are disturbing, but not surprising. Disturbing because it is alarming to see how our judgments are normally biased by previous experiences, pre-conceptions and mental models; also because it is extremely hard to change or even notice this fact by ourselves. Not surprising because we can see the same analytical problems happening over time; even when talented, trained professionals are warned about the dangers of cognitive biases, such as `events that people experience personally are more memorable than those they only read about. Concrete words are easier to remember than abstract words, and words of all types are easier to recall than numbers. [Information having the qualities cited] is more likely to be stored and remembered than abstract reasoning or statistical summaries, and therefore can be expected to have a greater immediate effect as well as a continuing impact on our thinking in the future'.

Heuer's presentation of the subject is very pleasant to read, fluid and rich in real-life examples from psychological research, political and military intelligence, and other domains. The author clearly differentiates empirical data from his own assumptions and opinions, even when his conclusions are naturally drawn from research data (i.e. following his own advice).

The book leaves the reader with some unanswered questions as to how one can change his/her own biased mental models to improve the outcomes of an analytical process, as many issues simply have no known remediation and are deeply rooted in the way humans reason. That being said, the greatest value of this book comes from Heuer's recommendations and logical steps to be followed in order to improve the accuracy of verdicts and conclusions, and avoid known cognitive traps that can ruin even an expert's assessment. Heuer also points out that by knowing about the existence and understanding the nature of the problem, we can further research ways to identify and isolate negative effects of cognitive limitations on our forecasts, plans, and professional judgements.