Events Books

As a native of industrialized Pennsylvania I'm perplexed by how little is known of the tragedy of Centralia. I was unfamiliar myself until some years ago when I innocently passed through the area on route 61. I found a ghost town with an orderly street grid, with city blocks completely devoid of all but one or two lonely buildings, and vast abandoned fields covering what could have been orderly neighborhoods. I thought, what in the world is this? I also witnessed what I thought was a natural hot spring emitting steam from a hillside. Only over time did I learn that the hot spring was really smoke from the underground mine fire that wiped out what was once a normal small town.

DeKok's book is probably the most extensive investigation of the Centralia tragedy, especially with his coverage of the political ineptitude over decades that made a minor problem into a major disaster. Dekok reveals that the town started the fire itself in 1962 by burning trash in a landfill that had an unknown connection to an old mine shaft, which ignited the slow-burning coal in the mines beneath the town. For 19 years the slow fire affected more and more people with toxic fumes, until by 1981 tragedy struck when a gentleman had to be hospitalized and a boy fell through a flaming cave-in behind his house. DeKok covers the years and years of political and bureaucratic ineptitude that merely led to "studies" of the fire rather than action, as the people of Centralia were pawns in a game between apathetic agencies with overlapping jurisdictions, plus buck-passing between the state and the Feds. Even the citizens were torn apart by divisiveness caused by stress and anger. Eventually most of the residents chose to be relocated to other towns by the government, and DeKok's most moving coverage concerns the social agony caused by this final abandonment of the town.

As an update since this book, the fire is still slowly burning beneath much of the area. For their own strange reasons, a few residents are still hanging on in their lonely houses and still dealing with fumes and cave-ins. St. Ignatius church was demolished recently and route 61 has been permanently re-routed around the section that kept collapsing. This is the legacy of uncaring politicians and bureaucrats.

The title of my review says it all. A good read but one that will get your dander up about how this was handled.

This is a great book! I recomend it to anyone who likes learning new things and to people who enjoy nonfiction.

This is a fascinating book, and a very easy read for one that delves into the mires of local and state government officials dropping the ball. DeKok's attention to detail paints a picture comparable to a Stephen Soderburg film. And despite the clarity he brings to a tragic situation, he never strays far from the real story: Real everyday folks caught in a quagmire of safety issues, home ownership, health and politics.

I first found out about the underground coal mine fire at Centralia PA and the devastation of the town above it while surfing the Web, looking for information about urban ruins. The photos I saw on various websites were eerie: where a small town once stood there was now only streets and sidewalks. A sliver of a dwelling that had once been part of a string of row houses stood alone, propped up on either side by brick chimney-like buttresses that provided the support that other dwellings, now torn down, once gave. Steam rose from cracks in a twisted and abandoned highway or from patches of scorched earth surrounded by dead vegetation. While these photos were very creepy and intriguing, I didn't stop to read much about the story of Centralia; I was on a quest to find out more about abandoned sites closer to my home in New York State's Hudson Valley region that I have seen for myself and visited: the Lente house, Bannerman's Island Arsenal, and the Cornish Estate.

Years later but a few weeks ago I happened across the last five minutes of a segment on C-SPAN's Book TV that caught my attention. Joan Quigley, author of "The Day the Earth Caved In" was talking about the Centralia mine fire. From the little bit I saw of the show it was clear that there was much more to the Centralia story than what I gathered from the photos on the Web. I eagerly wrote down the name of the book and its author so that the next time I visited Amazon I could order it. After adding the book to my shopping cart, Amazon suggested that I also might want to check out David DeKok's "Unseen Danger", an earlier volume on the same subject. I ordered both.

As chance would have it, "Unseen Danger" arrived about a week before "The Day the Earth Caved In" and now, having read both books, I'm glad it did. I have a busy life and don't have a lot of time to read but I found Mr. DeKok's telling of the story so compelling that I neglected a lot of my duties around the house to make time for it. I took it to work and read it on my lunch and dinner breaks. I stayed up into the early morning hours, far longer than I should have, to finish it in a couple of days instead of the weeks it usually takes me to read a book.

As the blurb quoted on the cover from the New York Times Book Review states, there are "enough bureaucratic villains [in this story] to fill a Dickens novel." I would add that there were some Centralian citizens (especially one infuriatingly obnoxious homeowner in particular who I kept hoping would disappear into a subsidence) and the local Catholic church (who should have also suffered the same fate) who deserved to be included in that category as well. This is a story of missed opportunities, inter-governmental squabbles, denial of the present realities and local feuds all working together to turn the lives of the residents of this beleaguered town into a living hell. Mr. DeKok does a fine job of telling the story and it is obvious that he put a tremendous amount of effort into researching it and a lot of detective work into trying to separate fact from fiction, especially when it comes to the matter of how the mine fire got started in the first place. He paints a clear and terrifying picture of what the residents who were most effected by the danger had to go through before they got some relief, and the unconscionable indifference that government officials showed to the plight of their constituents in order to protect their own political behinds. The cast of characters in "Unseen Danger" is large and varied and includes the above mentioned villains and a few heroes too. The attention to detail is astounding and makes for extremely compelling reading.

However, in my opinion, the book is not without its flaws. While the above mentioned attention to detail is most welcome, at times it can be confusing, especially when trying to picture the relative locations of the events. Three small maps are included in the paperback edition that I read; one showing where Centralia is located in relation to large East Coast cities, a local map indicating local landmarks and some street names along with the locations of the fire's origin and the site of one especially scary event, and a third map that indicates where the fire hot spots were located in 1983. These graphics are only helpful in a minimal way and don't go far enough toward clarification.

Photographs appear at the start of each chapter and there are a few in the bodies of the chapters. In terms of graphic clarity (not subject matter) all leave much to be desired and in many cases they are of such poor quality as to be useless. They have the appearance of being photocopies of photocopies of photocopies and are of such high contrast that the very features that they were intended to illustrate have become invisible. I do not blame Mr. DeKok for this - his publisher should have done a better job. As for the type of photos included, there are many of Centralians effected by the fire, some of the government workers who had to deal with the situation on almost a daily basis, one of the fire itself, and many of the government figures involved. However there is one glaring omission: aside from the cover photo which is obscured by the bold lettering of the book's title there are no pictures of the town, either as it was at the beginning of the story, during, or after. For those, one must go to the various websites dedicated to the subject.

Ms. Quigley's book generally does not suffer from these kind of setbacks. Even before her Prologue we are provided with a nearly full page map which clearly indicates street names, locations of local landmarks, locations of the principal character's homes, indications of the sites and scope of efforts to stop the fires, and a distance scale to help us better grasp the relative proximities of the places and events described. I wish I had this map while I was reading "Unseen Danger", it would have increased my appreciation of that book all the more. "The Day the Earth Caved In" contains eight pages of black and white photographs, all well reproduced, including one of the authors' grandparents row home from 1984, and one taken in 2000 of a tourist observing a cloud of vapor emanating from a non-descript area in the woods, as well as photos of mine workings from the 1880's and pictures of some of the people central to her telling of the story. As with "Unseen Danger" wide angle photos of the town before and after are absent and their inclusion would have helped drive home the immense scope of this catastrophe. Again, one has to search the Internet to find those kind of pictures.

While David DeKok relates the Centralia story by presenting an almost day by day account of the events that occurred he does not get inside the heads of the principals too deeply. He doesn't have to - anyone who has an atom of imagination can empathize or sympathize with the horrors that these people must have been through. But what left me scratching my head in bewilderment after I finished his book was why the Centralians were so reluctant to leave their homes and flee the danger. I suppose this is because I was born and raised in New York City and have moved to new homes five times since I left my parents house - once because the dangers of living in a loft on NY's Lower East Side became too much to bear. It wasn't until a few days ago while discussing the matter with a co-worker who grew up in a small town in upstate New York (population about 2000) that I really began to understand what made Centralians want to cling to their homesteads so tenaciously. Joan Quigley, by telling her version of the story through the eyes, histories and emotions of a few of the key players attempts to explain that sense of attachment, but is only partially successful. Ironically enough, it is DeKok's sparse explanation that comes closest to what my co-worker told me and what I've observed since moving from NYC to a small town: that many people living in small towns are fearful of the outside world and are much more likely to cling to surroundings that are much more familiar and therefore comforting.

Quigley's device of presenting the story by delving into the personal histories and feelings of her selected subjects is a welcome supplement to the mine fire disaster story as told by DeKok but ultimately it falls short in conveying just how desperately dangerous their situation was. At times I got the impression that she feels that the personal relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children or neighbors and neighbors is the interesting part of the story and the mine fire and its dangers were just a backdrop to that soap opera. Major events, like one man's close encounter with death by carbon monoxide poisoning while asleep in his bedroom and the circumstances leading up to it are described in great detail in "Unseen Danger" while Ms. Quigley mentions it almost in passing, preferring to more often dwell on what clothes a person was wearing. (What bearing does who wore what color pants suit on a particular day have on the story at hand? Inexplicably, these kind of observations appear far too frequently.) This is generally indicative of both authors approach to their subjects.

Similarly, Mr. DeKok tends to speak with authority and presumably understanding on technical matters while Ms. Quigley shows some lack of comprehension. For example, at one point she states that oxygen was the fuel that kept the mine fires burning. Just for the record: coal is the fuel that is consumed by the fire while oxygen needs to be present for oxidation - burning - to occur; oxygen in and of itself does not burn. This is elementary Junior High school science. While I realize that the point Ms. Quigley was trying to make was that some scientists proposed that if the mine fire were to be deprived of oxygen then it might go out, it is this misunderstanding of basic physics that influences me to trust Mr. DeKok's opinions over hers.

One rare instance where Ms. Quigley's narrative excels over Mr. DeKok's is in her scathing indictment of the Reagan administration and of the local Catholic church, an institution highly revered and trusted in Centralia, who let their parishioners down as shamefully and grievously as the government had. Mr. DeKok also criticizes these institutions, but instead mostly relies on the method he employs when dealing with other facets of the story, that of letting the facts speak for themselves. Ms. Quigley does this as well, however, she goes one step further on this one point by including examples of government official's blunders not cited in "Unseen Danger", in particular those of the lunatic James Watt (who was Secretary of the Interior near the end of the story) whose public statements were so insane that President Reagan gladly accepted his resignation, and none too soon: after Watt left office he was indicted on charges of influence peddling. None of this information about Watt was in "Unseen Danger" and I strongly feel it should have been.

Both books tell pretty much the same story (though from different perspectives and not equally as well), but one disagreement between the two is about how the fire started in the first place. In my opinion Mr. DeKok presents a far more plausible explanation, citing specific evidence in chapter 3 of his book while Ms. Quigley covers the subject in an author's note at the end of hers. While she states that her research provides strong evidence for her version of the events, she reveals very few specifics of it and appears to rely heavily on the testimony of residents living near the ignition site, claiming that they had no reason to lie. I view this claim with a lot of skepticism. Her own depiction of the character of the Centralia residents (especially some who lived near the dump) leads me to conclude otherwise. Also, Ms. Quigley seems to overlook one gigantic 500 pound gorilla in the room: Why would the town dump be set on fire if it was already burning? It seems painfully obvious to me that they wouldn't. In any case, the cause of the fire is only one part of the story and either scenario would have led to the same result.

If one is interested in reading about this subject my advice is to get both of these books. Read "Unseen Fire" first (it is by far the better of the two because in part it tells the horrific story in much more frightening detail) but keep "The Day The Earth Caved In" handy so you can refer to its superior map. Then read Ms. Quigley's book as a supplement, to flesh out some of the characters involved and to learn a handful of interesting but not necessarily essential facts that were left out of Mr. DeKok's. Some may find her more personally intimate and emotional method of storytelling preferable to DeKok's somewhat dry, fact based delivery but I for one did not. For as much as I enjoyed "The Day The Earth Caved In" on a certain level I think I did so because I already knew the facts ahead of time. Much to her credit, Ms. Quigley invoked in me even more sympathy for the people she chose to focus on than I had before, (at least those who were deserving of it,) especially one young couple's story of being pulled apart because of wanting different things out of life, which paralleled my own personal experience. However, I feel that this concentration on the private lives of a select few takes too much attention away from exploring and understanding the broader picture of governmental incompetence that any one of us could fall victim to under similar unfortunate circumstances.

Hope that nothing like this ever happens in your town.

I recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand this very complex and beautiful region of the world.

I recently visited Bosnia and I couldn't find any travel books, so I bought this instead. Even though it's not intended as such, it served quite well, at least in terms of giving a history of the situation, and describing the various places.

It's now a few years old, and it could use some updating as the situation has now changed. But in general, a very good read.

Untangling... is a great read--incredibly succint and informative first section putting Balkan geographics, politics, historical,religious, and ethnonational concepts into perpective for an average american guy like me, larger main portion a real fascinating page turner by a great American writer with a hell of a lot of guts for a solo, freelance journalist traveling all around Bosnia and Hercegovina during these tumultuous times! chilling. talk about timely expose' ! this guy was still over there just as the bombs were about to fly in the Serbian/kosovo conflagration. highly recommended.

This is a very special book. It offers a unique snapshot of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of the nineties, at the end of the most difficult decade and at the same time at the beginning of a very long (as Gale Kirking says, maybe even not yet found) road to democracy.

The book is not written for an average reader. In fact, I believe that an average reader would not even finnish it. But it brings a great value to everyone interested in the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the whole region or in the events at the end of the last century. The book is very descriptive and documentary. It has a great historical value. Never more will Bosnia look the same again as pictured in this book. Things are moving very fast in that part of Europe. But if anyone wants to know, what it looked like in 1998 and 1999, it is in Gale's book.

I had the pleasure to work with Gale for several years and I always admired his writting skills. And again, in Untangling Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gale's ability to picture places, people and events is amazing.

Based upon Gale Kirking's extensive travels and conversations with Serbs, Croats, and Muslims, Untangling Bosnia And Hercegovina: A Search For Understanding is an up-to-date, "reader friendly" survey of the civil war between the Serbians and the Moslems in Bosnia that lead to United Nations, NATO, and American interventions. This 400 page historical and political compendium is enhanced with maps, a bibliography, glossary, and index. Untangling Bosnia And Hercegovina provides both the historical background and contemporary context to achieve an accurate and insightful understanding of the root causes and consequences of this bloody European conflict marked by ancient hatreds and modern politics, ethnic cleansing and religious warfare, shattered economies and blighted landscapes. Untangling Bosnia And Hercegovina is highly recommended reading for students of international studies, political science, 20th century European history, those with friends or family affected by this modern tragedy, and anyone seeking a proper understanding of the conflict and what to expect next.

After reading "Vinland Discovery (The Unfinished Story)" by Mr. K. Budden, I am convinced that the true Vinland has indeed been discovered...in White Bay. This account, with demographics and actual artifacts,proves that Vikings did actually settle in White Bay. I would love to see the Newfoundland government assisting Mr. Budden in proving it to the WORLD!

Fascinating read! He has some really grand artifact findings and some great arguments especially with the demographics.

Quite the story to be told and to watch unfold. Let's see if the government will cough up a dig to find the truth of the site!!

"Definitely a book that answers questions and makes you ask many more. A great read! Can't wait for part two".
Ern Simms, St.Anthony, Newfoundland,Canada.

I enjoyed the book so much that I had to read it a second time. I think the theory put forward in this book makes more sense than the Viking site at L'Anse aux Meadows, with all it's shoals and breakers and not even an harbour and no trees for miles. The Vikings were very inteligent people and were great navigators. Common sense tells us that they continued to a more favorable place. Mr Budden,in Vinland Discovery-the unfinished story, tells us where.
Frank Slade,Korean war veteran
St. Anthony, Newfoundland.

"Definitely food for thought. You have some real good arguements.Well worth the read.You have definitely done your homework".
Mike Sexton,chief Viking enactor at the Viking site,L'Anse aux Meadows,Newfoundland.

Written by James R. Mancham (the founding President of the Republic of Seychelles, a small island nation in the Pacific), War On America: Seen From The Indian Ocean is a cold, hard, factual look at American foreign policy and its ramifications since the 1960s, from this island nation's point of view. Covering events up to and including the September 11 terrorist attacks, War On America is a straightforward, candid, outside perspective that reveals the sometimes arbitrary and self-serving aspect of America's view toward the world, and its repercussions. Informed and informative, War On America is strongly recommended as a very insightful book and important, timely reading for students of contemporary international studies in general, and the non-specialist general reader wanting background information on how we as a nation became embroiled in a long term war upon "stateless" terrorism.

In a letter dated 31st March addressed to the author President Chirac of France wrote " It is with great interest that I have noted your analysis of the international situation against the background of your experience and wisdom. Like you I aspire that be built, from day to day, a world which is more balanced, equitable and peacful. In this way, France contribute, where ever she can, to promote priciples essential to peace and to the well being of our humanity."
Weekend Nation Seychelles 4th May 2002.

I loved your book!

It is a masterpiece of inspiration, historical relevance, and the candid reality of post modern politics.

War on America As Seen from the Indian Ocean is a must read and must be discussed handbook for every Academic Honors Program student and demands its own course within America's High Schools and Universities as a study of Global Politics, Global Economy, Global Human Rights, and the Global cry of a people through her founding President and impassioned leader...my friend, HE Sir James Mancham.

At times I cried as I walked through the pages of your experience...

Unless our nation's Honors Students comprehend the complexity of a visionary's role in making history with desirable outcomes for the greater good, and step into that role, even to make a brief wrinkle in the fabric of time, our students are destined to repeat small town thinking, small town politics, small town isolation...and end up somewhere that is called nowhere with no one to care...

The major themes in 'War on America seen for the Indian Ocean' are woven around two key themes: 'Seychelles' strategic location and the naivete of US foreign policy. It describes the recent past of the country at the height of the Cold War and the enormous sacrifice paid by the First President, Sir James Mancham, who was forced into exile following a Marxist-inspired coup that could have been prevented in the first place had the then US Administration paid a little more attention to its smaller allies. The author believes that Seychelles can serve as a model for other countries that are grappling with post-colonial divisions amid a unipolar world. More than simply a political statement and argument on a flawed US foreign policy, this book is also an affirmation of Sir James' love for the people of Seychelles in its quest for peace, stability and reconciliation. Small island countries should take note. An excellent publication.

This timely book is written by a former president with personal experience with the projection of US interests overseas. It looks at America's capability to lead the world in a campaign against terrorism after September 11. He uses sources friendly to America, or Americans themselves--including Henry Kissinger's "Does America Need a Foreign Policy?" to show why America needs to ground the use of its power in a consistent moral policy, promoting peace and human rights not by caprice but by willing acceptance in a world desperate for true leadership.

I consider myself a moderate in social issues and conservative on economic issues. This is a very relevant book. The author really understands how our government, at all levels, occasionally anoints itself with greater power than provided by the Constitution, to the detriment of regular citizens. It seems that this occurs more regularly in the West, where government controlled land abounds and political power falls below that of both coasts. The author, and the Foundation he heads, appear to have both the skills and mindset to stand up to the government and champion the rights of the rest of us. Good for them. Read and learn, and spread the word.

A thought provoking and revealing study on some of most significant and successful legal challenges to the Federal Government's ever-expanding reach into the lives and land uses of those uniquely American Westerner.
Who better than William Perry Pendly, a true "western warrior" in every sense of the phrase, to bring us these inspiring stories of the men and women he has led and the court battles they have waged in their noble yet unsung effort to preserve true Republican ideals and the Western way of living.

The United States is fortunate to have Perry Pendley and his Mountain State Legal Foundation. Pendley's most recent book, Warriors for the West, is one of those accounts that law students should read as Introduction to Legal Reality 101 and internalize as illustrating some of the problems that an ordinary citizen can encounter.

It is not that the federal government is deliberately malicious in dealing with its citizens; to so think would be paranoia. It is more that vast bureaucracies have their rules and guidelines, and for the well-meaning innocent caught up in the process, it often appears that even with the best of good will, the citizen will be wrong/wrong/wrong. And, if (s)he has the temerity to suggest the USG is wrong, it will be a painfully expensive and humiliating experience--and "common sense" is highly unlikely to be part of that process.

Pendley illustrates this reality in a series of highly readable case studies ranging from the grisly fate of those who encounter grizzly bears to why racecar driver Bobby Unser is a criminal. These stories would be funny, if they were not so infuriating. Over and over in the reading, one cries out for the official who would say, "Wait a minute; this is really too silly to continue." But you end with the impression that stopping the grinding mill before you are finely ground, is more a matter of luck (and good lawyers) than not. We need more Perry Pendleys; it is not only the West that requires warriors.

This is a book that goes to the heart of the struggle for America as the founding fathers envisioned it. This book attacks the lies that radical left wing groups have been using for over a generation to scare the American people into inaction. This book shows us the real story behind the hype and media attention on environmental policy, affirmative action and public use. Mountain States Legal Foundation is the voice of the silent majority in America today.

This book is filled with interesting but very disturbing true stories of westerners (and others) who must fight in the courtroom to protect their liberties and rights guaranteed by federal law. Although the author is an attorney, he writes for lay audiences and makes a very compelling case that government is much too big and powerful and its lawyers do not care about justice. The willingness of ordinary Americans to go to court for years and years is inspiring. All of the book is very well documented. I recommend it most highly!

The book arrived in the estimated time and in the condition advertised by this seller.

Buying this product (We the People: Shorter Sixth Edition) off of amazon was an excellent choice. Considering that the campus bookstore charged 3x more, this was an outstanding value for such an in depth look at American Government.

The book is in perfect condition and is the edition that I needed. I also believe it was brand new and it was cheaper than what my bookstore was selling it used.

I saved lots of money buying here and it was still new i couldn't believe it

Easily applies governmental fundamentals to real world issues. Allows for quick and easy understanding

This book is remarkable in its power and simplicity. Indeed the reactionary H.L. Mencken was moved to write in the mid-20's that though he had a distaste for their political ideas Berkman and Emma Goldman were very good prose stylists, showed a great deal of intelligent and clear thinking and that the United States sorely needed Berkman's contribution to the debate on national problems.

Of course, Goldman and Berkman were among the many hundreds of non-naturalized Americans who were deported during the Mitchell Palmer Red Scare of 1919 for actively speaking out against American participation in World War I. Berkman himself was a terribly reviled figure. He served prison time for attempting to murder Henry Clay Frick while the latter was killing strikers and successfully crushing the union movement at Andrew Carnegie's steel plants in Homestead Pennsylvania in 1892.In this book Berkman gives a history of some of the martyrs in the struggle for the dignity of labor in the United States. He notes the case of the militant union activist Tom Mooney. An investigator from the Department of Labor concluded that the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce had been actively trying to frame Mooney for a variety of crimes. Mooney kept getting arrested and released but during a preparedness day parade in San Francisco in 1916 a bomb went off and Mooney, along with Warren Billings, was charged with having personally set off the bomb. Berkman notes that after Mooney's conviction many police witnesses came forward ( they were backed in this by the sworn testimony of three police officials) and said that they had been bribed and threatened so that they would perjure themselves. However Mooney's death sentence was only commuted to life imprisonment and he remained in prison until 1938.

From reading Goldman's and Pateman's introductory notes to this book I thought that the book might be a little patronizing when it was said that it was intentionally constructed with the most simplicity possible in order that the general worker might comprehend anarchism. But it is anything but patronizing. In this book Berkman exhorts the worker to understand how foolish she is to believe that she has the same interests as her bosses and how workers are duped into fighting wars for imperialism and profit.

He exhorts the working class to understand that it is the laborers who create the wealth of society not the bosses who shuffle papers, speculate on the stock market and figure out how to squeeze more work out of laborers while maximizing profits. It is the workers who should manage business enterprises themselves. He outlines his industrial syndicalist method which he believes provides the best chance to bring this society about. Workers should form councils in their individual workplaces made up of workers of all skill levels and crafts. These councils especially need to attract professionals like engineers. Industries of course need managers trained in technical matters but these managers are merely administrators of the industrial plans laid out for them by the workers of an individual firm and offer advice but certainly do not have any authority over the workers. All the workers need to acquire the basic outline of the sciences and methods of operation required to run their industries according to Berkman. The worker's council in one firm federates with other worker's councils at the local, regional and national levels.

Berkman explains that incentives to workers are pretty irrelevant. When one sees a lazy worker it is evidence that they are being forced into a line of work that is not stimulating to them. Under anarchism everyone will have the ability to be educated and trained for a line of work of their own choosing, to explore the possibilities of their own intellects, unhindered by the need to survive by enrolling in wage slavery for some job you don't like.

When workers have a direct ability to manage their own affairs in voluntary cooperation with their fellows, it exercises their intellects and gives them self-respect. It is quite the opposite in capitalism of course where the worker is directed and bullied and squeezed by the boss day in and day out.. It was this idea that inspired the Russian revolution, Berkman observes. The Bolsheviks on the contrary believed in a hierarchal one party dictatorship but in the several months before November 1917 they embraced anarchist ideas and rode to power on them. However within six months the soviets (workers councils) of the Russian soldiers, workers and peasants were emasculated, becoming only tools of a centralized dictatorship. The spirit of voluntarism and sacrifice evaporated which had motivated many poor and miserable Russians to defend their cities against the White armies and help get the factories and farms moving again. The philosophy of the Bolsheviks, as Berkman quotes Bukharin, was to make socialists out of Russians by making them undergo compulsory labor and executing anyone who objected. Having no say in how their country was governed, Russian workers and peasants lost enthusiasm for work. Workers started to desert their factors for rural areas. Bolshevik hoodlums came around to villages and terrorized people and requisitioned entire villages' agricultural produce. Then famine came along. Bolshevik commissars received the best rations of all and lived in decent comfort while the rest of the population starved. No one gave more fuel to the fire of counterrevolution than the Bolsheviks' own policies.

Berkman was a very courageous man. He could have been a good soldier and kept quiet about what was going on in Russia and hoped that things would get better. The refuge he and Emma Goldman found in Russia after 1919 was now closed to them and for the rest of his life he lived in France on a very precarious passport, deported a number of times but always managing to get some strings pulled to get back in. He committed suicide in 1936, too soon for him to see the anarchist revolution in Spain.

His discussion of the bourgeois criminal justice system and the proper treatment of counterrevolutionaries is interesting and thoughtful.

This is a very straightforward, accurate introduction to the political philosophy of anarchism. Berkman wrote this book so the "anglo-saxon american working class would understand and relate to it". In other words, the book is very easy to read, unlike a lot of other anarchist literature of the era. He divides quite a few topics into short separate chapters. He speaks about war, labor, capitalism, etc. I suggest this to those who are anarchists, or those who just want information on REAL anarchism. (not mindless "chaos" or "disorder" as some people believe this philosophy to be about)

Hands down one the best books I've read about Anarchism. Very inspiring. Easy to read, hard to put down. Definitely check this book out!

I first heard of Anarchism, in high school, in politics class. Our teacher gave us a paper, with a table of different political theories such as Conservatism, Socialism, Anarchism, etc., etc. We as a class had to go through the table making notes together, and when we were finished, we didn't have anything for Anarchism. A student was curious and asked the teacher what Anarchism was, and the teacher said: "It's probably people running around killing each other" etc., etc. That's what I thought Anarchism was ever since, until I somehow stumbled on this book. Don't believe the capitalist claptrap, of what Anarchism supposedly is in history books. A thing you notice among many Anarchists is their idealism, which I admire, and their vision of the perfect future which I think is very unrealistic. An example is Émile Henry. He has good ideas but he goes on to say something along the lines of there will be no more murder out of jealous passion anymore. That is just silly. You see this with Orthodox Anarchists and Fascists, which are the two extremes of governance. They both have the idea that their ideas are infallible. Two Anarchists that I think have good ideas that can be applied and are very realistic include César De Paepe and James Guillaume. Find a copy of "No Gods No Masters" by Daniel Guérin for those Anarchists I mentioned above, including Henry. "What is Anarchism?" focuses on Anarcho-Communism. A lot of the arguments against Capitalism are very useful. They cover many of the questions ordinary people ask about Anarchism and even Socialism. If you want to know what Anarchism is all about, this book should help you greatly.

Emma Goldman records in her autobiography that Berkman found *What is Anarchism* a difficult book to write. He wanted to write a book that would explain anarchism to the average American. Given that the average American misunderstood anarchism to be about throwing bombs, Berkman had to begin on a basic introductory level.

He pulled it off masterfully. Berkman takes a commonsense and conversational tone throughout the book, and he covers considerable ground. He explains to readers how the capitalism is basically a system of wage slavery and he discusses the other great social harms it produces. He differentiates left anarchism from western European socialism (a system of reformist capitalism) and from Marxist socialism. In fact, Berkman often discusses the Bolsheviks in the USSR, who imposed an oppressive system of, effectively, state-capitalism that he witnessed first hand. Other topics include trade unions, war, religion, violence, revolution and others. Berkman is particularly effective in discussing how an anarchist revolution would not be one given to wanton destruction, that it would try to preserve as much life and infrastructure as possible. And he sketches how an anarchist society would operate.

Those who are completely unfamiliar with anarchism will find this book worthwhile. Anarchists will also find this book helpful because Berkman shows how to explain anarchism on an intuitive level.

So wrote editor Tim Page of Robert G. Ingersoll in the introduction to this short, easy to read book. Ingersoll was one of the intellectual giants of the second half of the 19th century. Sadly and tragically he is now all but forgotten. Known as The Great Agnostic, he spent his life pointing out hypocrisy, railing against injustice and ridiculing superstitious beliefs. As America's foremost practitioner of rational thought, he had the ear of many a President. Yet he remained always modest and never deviated from living a life characterized by kindness, love of humanity and generosity in all things.

Any writing or speech attributable to Robert Ingersoll is worth reading and rereading. And those contained in What's God Got to Do with It? are no exceptions. This collection consists of a number of short works on a wide range of subjects. Like his admiration for Robert Burns and Thomas Paine. The unfairness of tax exempt status for churches. The ugliness of corporeal punishment of children. The futility of prayer and fasting. Women's rights and much, much more.

For those unfamiliar with the humanistic philosophy of Robert Ingersoll, this book would be a fine place to start. America sorely needs another Ingersoll now more than ever. He was one of the greats.

If only more people had the guts to put the defense of the constitution ahead of their personal desires this country would be great forever. Robert Ingersoll is one of the greatest Americans of all time, and his words should be studied in every history class in America. Why aren't they? I will let you figure that out.

This book is a quick read with short chapters. Very logical and intelligently expressed. Ingersoll was a man ahead of his time. After readig this, I will certainly look for more of his writings.

At only 130 pages or so - and short ones at that, this is not some massive tome by a guy who wrote 120 years years ago in flowery 19th century language that will sit on your shelf gathering dust.

You can chew this up in an afternoon - or a few afternoons, if you'd like to savor it more. And it's completely readable prose - no archaic Victorian language here.

In fact, the main thing that makes one realize that this book isn't contemporary writing is the lack of cynicism and snarkiness aimed at the other side; religious zealots that want to insert God into public policy, law, education and so on.

There's no bitterness here, no anger at what has been lost or could be lost in our society if we overthrow rational thought, enlightenment and science over for any 2000 year old magic book.

Ingersoll's points about why God is not mentioned in the US Constitution and why that was such a bold important step in the evolution of society is something that I wish every fundamentalist in America would read and consider.

Tim Page's non-sycophantic intro to Ingersoll is also well-done, pointing out how remarkable he was, even if his writings never produced the single polished gem that might have kept his works known a little more in the early 21st century.

It's a valuable book for any freethinker in America today; cheap, and well put together. Highly recommended.

This brief selection of Robert Ingersoll's writing is one which I would repeatedly pick up to read an essay, put it down and walk away, and read some more the following day. No, it was not that bad, it was, in fact, that good. I felt the need to read it over a week's time rather than finish it in one sitting on a quiet afternoon, which easily could be done, so that the words had time to soak in. Ingersoll, though he wrote over a century ago, gives modern readers a great deal to think about. Truly, it is easy to forget that these works are not contemporary, as the issues he speaks about are still relevant, and perhaps even more so now. It is not until he mentions things such as workers earning three dollars a day that we are reminded of our distance in time, if not in character and predicament. It also reminds us of how desperately our country needs an Ingersoll today.

Ingersoll was a pragmatic agnostic and an incredible moral thinker. Then, as now, his skepticism kept him from reaching high political office. Readers will find that his reasoning is sound and powerfully convincing while his language remains approachable but still with its own inspirational beauty:

"You cannot be so poor that you cannot help somebody. Good nature is the cheapest commodity in the world; and love is the only thing that will pay ten per cent to borrower and lender both. Do not tell me that you have got to be rich! We have a false standard of greatness in the United States. We think here that a man must be great, that he must be notorious; that he must be extremely wealthy, or that his name must be upon the putrid lips of rumor. It is all a mistake. It is not necessary to be rich or to be great, or to be powerful, to be happy. The happy man is the successful man. Happiness is the legal tender of the soul. Joy is wealth." (Ingersoll 1877)

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough to anyone who is concerned with the state of America and its constitution, church and state relations, child abuse, and various other issues. Ingersoll reveals even the ridiculousness of today's political debates, where a candidate's faith is often more important than their political platform. Tim Page's introduction is informative and places Ingersoll's works in their historical and modern context. Also, Page has edited some of Ingersoll's essays, but not to their detriment. And really, at ten dollars (almost four days pay in Ingersoll's time, but probably less than an hours work for you), how can you go wrong?

Rarely does one book encompass all of the finest elements of fiction-- well-developed, intriguing characters; a heart-warming and seamless plot; and most importantly, an authentic, crystal-clear voice. "When Charlotte Comes Home" is such a book. In her first novel, Millea Smith creates the well-detailed universe of Omaha in the 1960s and 1970s, and the results are breathtaking. As a lover of contemporary American fiction, I place her among the likes of Anne Tyler and Barbara Kingsolver. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!

The novel opens in a compelling way, as before we begin, we know that Charlotte will not come home. Until and after we get to that point, we are treated to a wealth of interesting characters who, like us all, do the best they can in a time, the 60s, and place, Omaha, that limit them. Smith writes with truthful candor about untimely death and its impact on the Holly family and their friends. The novel portrays all its varying characters with generosity, compassion, and understanding.

I was profoundly affected by Smith's precision in writing but most importantly by the novel's story. It is brilliant!

This is the story of Fred Holly, growing up in Omaha in the 1960s and 1970s; and the Holly family--Fred, Sarah, Laurence, who has Down's syndrome, and Charlotte, the youngest.

The Holly family gets to know neighbor James Day well, as he takes dance lessons at the same studio along with Sarah. Their parents, Morgan and Eileen and Serena and Ronald, become close friends. The children grow up in an almost idyllic world--with performances for the parents and friends in the attic that is their space, and art and dance classes, and a special school for Laurence.

Fred early on realizes he longs to live in the ivory tower that is the Joslyn Museum. He he takes classes there, volunteers, and dreams of being a museum director and leaving Omaha. As he gets older, he and his best friend James are exposed to the world of rock and roll, and first loves. Fred loves from afar, and helps his beloved though a rocky relationship with another boy. He is also angered by James' attraction to his debate coach, Neil; and does not quite understand his anger.

As they near age 18, the Vietnam War is raging. Suddenly Charlotte is ill--the annoying 11-year-old little sister who wanted to always hang out with the teenagers, who borrowed records and stole change--and their lives change forever.

This is Maureen Millea Smith's first novel, and it is a true gem. Intriguing and well-defined characters, a talent for depicting an era and a place, and a wonderful story combine to make this book nearly perfect.

Armchair Interviews: This would make a great book for a book club.

This book takes the reader deliciously back to the decades of the 60s and 70s. I laughed out loud when reading the author's description of the children's view of their parent's adult nights out. TheRolling Stones, Kent State, the Ed Sullivan Show, the draft and Vietnam are all captured delicately and beautifully, within the pages of Smith's book. I hurt and laughed and cried right along with the Holly family. This is a sensitive, funny and heartwarming book. Definitely destined to be a classic!

WHEN CHARLOTTE COMES HOME is a beautifully written story. Fred was a sensitive young man growing up in a Catholic family in Omaha when the death of his spunky younger sister caused a deep and far-reaching affect on his entire family and broader community. With the bleak backdrop of the 60's and 70's, Fred looks back on his early, formative years and his own sexual awakening and coming of age as a young gay man. Beautifully written, evocative of a definitive time and place, this story of one family's loss will resonate for anyone who has ever lost someone they love. And young people deciding who and how to love will find solace here too.

This book is an underrated classic and it's truly a damn shame that it's no longer in print! Essentially, this is Martin Luther King's blueprint plans for a post Civil-Rights movement America. He speaks of multiethnic coalitions, against the less positive aspects of Black nationalism, and he speaks of ways to "turn the streetcorners of the ghettos from dens of iniquity to miniature schools." Much of what he says here is quite practical also. Read this and you will be happy that, although Dr. King is no longer with us, his message has been preserved.

This book is simply amazing. Even though it was written 45 years ago, it has a terrific insight into the problems of America. Even though I am not Christian, I find that Martin Luther's ideas really apply to all people, no matter who they are. Its a pity that more Americans don't read his books. Anyhow, if you can find it, I highly recommend that you read it! :)

The beauty and depth of this book is that it tells us about human political relations today even though it was written over 30 years ago!

I also like that it is Martin Luther King in his own words (not some opportunistic interpretation of his ideas) on subjects like:
Black Power
Affirmative Action
Poverty
Love

It also makes it painfully clear the Martin Luther King Jr. was far more extraordinary in his leadership than we give him credit for being today. He thought deeply, connected the dots, and put his life behind his ideals. This is a must read for anyone who hasn't already connected the dots between justice, religion and love.

As a reader one often searches for a book that will inspire, and yet, teach. Martin Luther King has done just this. His prose educates and inspires passion. As an avatar for civil rights Martin Luther King Jr's story is as compelling as any figure in history-white or black. And if any reader wants to get a true measure of this brilliant man, look not just to the words of others, but to the words of the man himself. Allow Martin to transport you with his pithy, unpretentious prose to an area of higher consciousness.

Truly remarkable. A worthy read for any generation and for any interest-whether your interest be in history or in education, in a lesson in passion or well-written prose. Martin's words asks us the difficult questions that we are so afraid to ask ourselves. A reading of this Classic treatise can certainly raise one above the chaos that still exists and inspire us to build a community of human beings.

A read worthy of a 9 for content and for force.

Dr. King's penultimate book provides a snapshot of where we were in 1967. Two turning points had been reached.

First, his program of nonviolent direct action was clearly winning the struggle against old fashioned southern segregation, and Dr. King was looking toward the next step. He believed that the next logical step toward setting people free was a massive government program addressing the problem of poverty.

Second, within the civil rights movement, a "black power" mentality was gaining prominence. Some argued that whites should be excluded from the civil rights movement, and that nonviolence should be abandoned. Dr. King insisted that this approach would only balkanize our country, having disastrous effect, especially on blacks.

As with his other books, the author's brilliance, his scholarship, and his Christian love all come through.

It would be best to read "Stride Toward Freedom" and "Why We Can't Wait" before reading this one.