Asia Books

This book is a wonderful, simple, and quick read. Of course the subject matter does get unpleasant, but it's good to know the facts from the perspective of His Holiness at the time that he wrote it in 1962.

The book tells the story which everyone knows: how the Chinese invaded Tibet and the Dalai Lama was forced to feel to India. But this book goes in to detail and as a reader, it was great to finally get the "real" details of that story, again from his perspective. Prior to reading this, I only knew the story based on films and summaries in guide books, etc.

I highly recommend this book, and I would suggest reading this one prior to reading his second autobiography, "Freedom in Exile" from the early 1990's.

I enjoyed this narrative, my first experience with the writing of H.H. Dalai Lama. He writes so well. It's clear, descriptive, and engaging from the first sentence to the last. Suitable for all ages, the earlier the better. It has really sparked my interest in this country,, or at least how it once was. It has been almost two generations since this tragedy and I doubt things will ever be the same. Well, at least the chinese have thier railroad at the expense of an entire nation. Oh, but the writing isn't bitter at all. Just me.

Having long been a fan of the Dalai Lama and his other books, I was anxious to read his autobiography. It is an amazing story that he has to tell. We should hope that our world had evolved beyond invasions after World War II, but that proved not to be true when China invaded Tibet and eventually ousted the ruling party in 1959.

Having been previously familiar with the story of the exile of the Dalai Lama to some degree, I was anxious to learn about it in more detail. Truly the people of Tibet are and continue to be victims of China. China crept into Tibet saying only that it would help to modernize the "backwards" people of Tibet. After numerous broken promises the Dalai Lama exited just ahead of the first morter blasts that rocked his palace. China's only real goal was to take possession of the land at any cost.

Few religions place a greater emphasis on peace than the Tibetan form of Buddism. While the author gives readers some of the basic principles of the faith, the language should not be confusing to those not familiar with Buddism. This amazing story, though it ends with the Dalai Lama's arrival in India, is still fresh and eye-opening today.

I am a college student who has studied China extensively in school. I can speak Chinese and have traveled to China several times and to Tibet once. While I have never agreed with many of the Chinese governments policies in the areas of religion, personal freedom, Tibet, and Taiwan, I think this book could have done more for its cause.

I decided to read this book after I spent 2.5 weeks in Tibet last year while studying in China. Tibet was one of the most fascinating places I have been to and I really wanted to know more about what happened there after China invaded. This book tells the Dalai Lama's story very well. Up until the last 15 pages or so, I really loved the book. However, before closing, the Dalai Lama makes several accusations about Chinese human rights abuses in Tibet (beatings, child abductions and the like) but provides no evidence of their existence.

While I personally feel Tibet was and still is a sovereign country and what China has done is wrong in many ways, the charges made in the last few pages don't belong in this book. While the Dalai Lama's story of his life and last days in Tibet are very powerful, I really think it would have been even better had the those last parting shots been omitted. Charges of human rights abuses such as these are very important and would be better served in a book of their own.

I think most Americans will enjoy this book but not share the same reaction I had to the last few pages. I have studied China for several years now and have heard accusations from both China and the world on countless occasions on a wide range of issues. Maybe this is why I get turned off when I don't see concrete evidence included when someone makes a charge such as the Dalai Lama does at the end of his book. I still think the Dalai Lama is a wonderful man and has an important story to tell, but feel this one could have come across a little better.

Even if you already know the life story of His Holiness, this is a great read. Written in the Dalai Lama's usual clear and forthright style, the story is deeply moving. Recommended for students of both Buddhism and history.

Wow another great book from naruto, this book was sweet and great the fight between haku and sasuka was great, and the whole thing of this book is awsome nice and enjoyable books to read i have 14 naruto books and there were awsome iam going to get more but this was great.

My 9 year old son won't rest until he collects the entire series; I'm just happy he wants to read!

Time for climbing...and more training...and more Tazuna and family and find out about Inari's Dad. More of all cool manga. Guess who's baaaaaaaaack You'll have to find out

Time for climbing...and more training...and more Tazuna and family and find out about Inari's Dad. More of all cool manga. Guess who's baaaaaaaaack. You'll have to find out by reading

Kakashi is resting his poor body with training Sasuke,Naruto,and Sakura.Let's see if they can get the hang of runing up trees.Also,Naruto unknowing meets Haku who he thinks killed Zabunza.We also see Inari's real problem with heroes.Last but not least,a final confrontation between Zabunza and Kakashi.Wait a minute...he seem to have brought a friend...

This really let's you see what family members were going through. My uncle is mentioned in this book, and he doesn't talk about this at all. This really shows me why he doesn't want to.

An incredibly moving story of Recon in Vietnam. Many very familiar names. Superbly told tales. It will give you a respect for the Viet Vet Reconner, or any Marine, you won't soon forget.

This is my favorite vietnam book yet. I couldn't put it down. The stories told made me feel like I was there. The short stories at the very end were hilarious.

Great book. Have never been in the Marines but this book made me feel like I was in there with them. What is a Hero. It's Someone who is selfless,and would give his life for his friends. We had quite a few of them in the Rangers which is the unit I served with in Nam, but I am sure that each unit had them. Roadrunner6 out

I was a grunt in a Line Company with the 3rd Marines on Operations Taught Bow at Charlie Ridge, Hastings and Prairie on the DMZ.

We might have been a little louder than recon liked, but we carried about 50#lbs more on our back than they did and we were invited to their parties. He did make it sound like we were gate crashers!

An excellent book, "Home Is Where You Dig It". It is worthy of the saying, "From the outside, you can't understand it, from the inside, I can't explain it, Semper Fi.

I think I probably read the first printing of Once a Warrior King and that was probably over a decade ago now, but David Donovans account of his time in Vietnam still remains one of my favourite accounts of the conflict.

I read this four years ago as a junior in high school for my American History Class. The course was offered for college credit and I used to get frustrated by all the books my teacher made us read, not to mention the essays we had to write in response to what we learned. Near the end of the year she assigned "Once a Warrior King" and I was so impressed that I never forgot the impact the book had on me. It was a vivid statement from the point of view of a man fighting in Vietnam and I could feel everything with accuracy as if I had gone through the same trauma. He was a warrior king and it was a classic.

This is absolutely the best first hand account of the Vietnam War. Very well written, detailed and introspective.

This book brought back painful memories for me. As a young sailor on a River Assault Boat in River Assault Division 92, I participated on "Operation Barrier Reef" in January 1969, from the MACV compound described in this book. Although this book does not cover boat operations and the part that Mobile Riverine or River Patrol Units played during this period of time, it is an excellent description of the warfare of the period and operations in a remote area of Vietnam without fire support or air support. Those of you that want a graphic description of
river operations in that area, read the prologue from Brown River, Black Berets, a description of a firefight on the Dong
Tiem Canal, that I participated in January 1969. Both books
are excellent background sources for river warfare and the
seldom covered special unit operations.

I was stationed in Duc Pho, Southern I Corp, and spent over 8 months living in a remote village with my platoon during 1969 and 1970. I saw so very much and understood so little. This book brought back the conflicts that haunted me for years and helped me come to grips with the most significant year of my life. Fear, anxiety, exhaustion, isolation, and confusion blended into an environment that this book describes like none that I have read.

This book would be a fantastic story if it was written TODAY. It's even more incredible that it all happened in 1932-33.

There are so many levels to enjoy in this book ...

* The pure adventure of it all - setting out on a motorcycle (a 750 pound, 6-horsepower monster, no less!) to travel around the world in 1932. It simply is mind-boggling that he pulled it off.

* The observations he makes along the way and how relevant they are even today. His observations of Afghanistan, in particular give insights into what has always been a war-torn country. If Bush & Co. had read this book, maybe we'd have left well enough alone.

* His pure tenacity and luck to get in-and-out of the situations he stumbles into. Being in jail is just part of the gig, and he takes it all in stride.

* The writing itself ... clean, crisp, and engaging. I couldn't put this book down.

This book is fantastic whether or not you ride a motorcycle.

HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Overall, the book is interesting and informative. It gives some great detail about the middle east, India and Asia in general. From a people perspective, I liked the fact that Mr. Fulton goes into some detail about what the people were like and some personalites. I did find however, that in some spots he focused too much on what people thought and not enough on his thoughts and feelings about "where" he was. Toward the end of the book, he rushed. He spent 80% of the time on the Middle east and India, 10% in the rest of Asia, and no time at all anywhere else. Again, overall, it was interesting and informative, but it did not capture my attention like say Jupiters Travels (same genera, by Ted Simon)
rk

this book was a pleasure to read, since I have been to many of the places he has been. It is true and wonderful and I am glad that from now on it is mine.

I could not put this one down. The story is so fantastic that you almost can't believe it happened. To see the world a little as it was 70 years ago was truly a window into the past.

Robert Fulton is a suprizingly good author in that the book flows smoothly and he only talks about what he finds interesting.

I really enjoyed this book; it was too soon over.

I have ridden motorcycles for many years and would liked to have seen more comments on the practical aspects of the trip, even though it was many years ago. I suspect that Mr. Fulton did not keep daily notes but probably wrote down his memories at the conclusion of the trip, thus the detail is not always there.

The portrait of the middle East gives something for the people of today something to think about - basic beliefs and attitudes in that region may not have changed at all. Our expectations may need to be adjusted.

A long trip on a motorcycle is an unforgettable experience for anyone, even today. Four or five days from home, and the resources available there, projects the rider into a state of independence and freedom that I have not found any other way - imagine what it was like for Fulton to be riding across the desert, months from home, no road in some cases, towards the unknown, his life dependent upon his machine continuing to run, and totally on his own.

Every rider should get to read this book - a great treat for the imagination.

This book was so helpful to me... I keep buying it and giving it away! It is the best book I have read on coping with PTSD, and I have read them all. It tells you what to expect and why. Who to contact in the VA for help. What forms will need to be filled out and how to deal with all the government agencies. Also lists several self-help groups. Everything from A to Z. It will give you a whole new understanding of your father, brother, husband, or significant other.

Patience has been able to visualize and understand the realities of what has happened to the Vets who served in Vietnam, either directly or indirectly. She will cause you to remember those things which were long forgotten, or filed away deep in your mind. I want to read this book again and again, to help bring my life back out of the dark. THANK YOU Patience

This book has been one of the most treasured, comforting and hope-giving literary works for me and many other women and families. Whenever I have mentioned this book to women who have been struggling with dealing with a loved one suffering with PTSD, they have described it as 'a manual' It is so filled with pratical information and real life experiences, that you feel compelled to read and reread every word. I checked it out at the public library and didn't want to return it, because I wanted to always have it on hand. But alas, I am aware that it would benefit so many others if I returned it. I have borrowed it again and again. I have been unable to find it,available in a bookstore, because the title has been changed and I was not aware of that. I am so very happy to find it available again, and the price is so reasonable, that I know I will be able to tell others and they too will want to purchase. Actually, I was given the job of tracking this book down, so that it might be purchased by the women in my spousal support group, and also by the facilitator. They will all be happy that I was successful in locating this book. Already I have three people committed to purchasing it. Thank you Patience Mason, for having the insight to write this book and to share it with all of us. I have also read Chickenhawk by Patience Masons' husband. It was a very powerful book also, but more difficult to read, for me. The events were so vivid, and the emotions so filled with pain , it helped to understand better the conflicts experienced and also the repercussions to the continuing lives of the Vet and their families.

I highly recommend this book to ANY combat veteran's wife and family. It should be required reading for any wife of a combat veteran even if her husband has not been diagnosed with PTSD.
I have been with my wife for ten years. Last year she took our children and left me becuase she thought that she was going to lose her mind. She always thought that if she could do better then I would be OK. It didn't work and I blamed her for everything.
When she left, I promised her that I would get counseling. I did and was diagnosed with PTSD. I've had it for twenty years and never knew. After three months, she returned home and began to study this book. She totally understands now and we are healing together. We are both amazed at how accurately this book portrays our own life.
She is now my BEST FRIEND and only support system (nobody else understands). We finally have a real relationship.
My wife gets frustrated when she re-calls all of the people who told her to leave me. If it wasn't for this book she may have. Thanks Ms. Mason for opening your life to help others. You have blessed another family.

This book is an excellent counseling tool for the spouses of combat veterans who live with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have given this book the many spouses. Many say that the greatest thing the book does for them is help to show that they are not alone in their experience with the veteran PTSD sufferer. Patience Mason gives the spouse an understanding of what is going on that leads to a sense of comfort and the courage to continue the battle. The battle, is to find a way to stay with their vet and at the same time preserve their own sanity. This is the best book out there for contents and ease of reading!

"Ours is the signal honor of being the nation's bulwark. One day we must prove ourselves worthy."

Requiem for Battleship Yamato is about sacrifice-immolation on the altar of national survival. It was written not to needlessly lionize the wanton sacrifice of combatants in order to bring to an end what one historian called "a war to establish and revive the stature of man." Instead, it was written, and properly so, as catharsis: Yoshida Mitsuru, as a 20-year old ensign on the bridge of the Yamato during its final voyage, had witnessed War, and thus wished that future generations would no longer be called upon to "prove themselves worthy," and to bear the burden of armed conflict.

Yoshida's prose satisfactorily captures the spirit on board the Yamato prior to its climactic encounter. Yet there is no way to adequately describe what the men of the Yamato went through during the ship's final hours. One author called it "a glorious way to die." Alternatively, the battle could be described as a nautical siege, a maritime battle of Troy. There is no apotheosis in death; death is merely a release from duty. During the battle, one man struggles to keep the deck clean by throwing overboard limbs severed by bomb shrapnel or machine-gun fire. Below decks, men grapple with the bodies of their comrades; once-inviting hot tubs (the Yamato has several of them, we are told) are filled to the brim with the ranks of the dead. In the bridge, officers are mowed down by machine-gun bullets. There is no sanctuary aboard the most massive dreadnought ever constructed.

This is a highly readable book, redolent with poignant memories, written by a man who had the courage to confront his phantoms. Through Yoshida's book, many souls who fought during the Pacific War found a voice.

"Three thousand corpses, still entombed today. What were their thoughts as they died?"

In the 1950's and 60's, Japanese memoirs of the Pacific War flooded forth from the publishers. Saburo Sakai's "Samurai", Hara's "Japanese Destroyer Captain," Mochitsura Hashimoto's "Sunk!" are just the tip of the spear. But Yoshida's "Requiem for Battleship Yamato" is simply in a class by itself. The youngest officer on board the mighty battleship, he was present when the giant was ordered on her suicide sortie. Escorted by the anti-aircraft cruiser Yahagi and numerous destroyers in April 1945, Yamato's mission was sublimely ridiculous: sail down toward the Ryuku Islands (where a massive American task force was staging the invasion of Okinawa), attack the landing force, beach itself, expend all weapons and ammunition, then the surviving crew members would join the garrison in Okinawa's defense. It was no surprise that the force didn't even make it halfway before being annihilated by U.S. planes. Yoshida's book is poetic and is beautifully translated by Richard Minnear who also provides a superb introduction as well. Yoshida's account of the American air attacks which inevitably shattered the Yamato, the Yahagi and most of the escorting destroyers come off as not combat, but high slaughter. Veterans who survived idiotic orders and suicide charges will find a spiritual brother in Yoshida. Don't be surprised if you have a tear in your eye for the brave crews of these ships as you close this book for the last time.

Written as a tribute to his shipmates, "Requiem" is also a powerful anti-war book.

young, naive and inexperienced the author chronicles his one and only combat mission. relating his service on the japanese battleship 'yamato' author mitsuru gives perspective not only on what he does but on what he feels. fortunately for the reader mitsuru is an articulate writer who has had the opportunity to rewrite his recollections numerous times over the years before settling on this 'definitive' edition. the book runs as a subtle parallel of stories between the events happening around the author during war and what he thinks and feels as he faces his own mortality. an excellent perspective of man in conflict.
also worth noting is the outstanding translation and introduction by richard minear.

Although perhaps unsurprising given the scale of Japan's losses and the bitterness of defeat, the fact remains that there are relatively few accounts of the war by those who fought with the Imperial Forces, and even fewer available in English.

For this reason alone `Requiem for Battleship Yamato' would command attention even if it were only an average work. But it is not an average work; it is a classic in the truest sense of this much abused word, which must be placed alongside books such as `The Last Enemy' by Richard Hillary.

Written in a spare, almost poetic style, `Requiem' tells the story of the Yamato's last doomed sortie from the viewpoint of one of her junior officers. Alongside glimpses of life on board the great battleship, we gain an insight into the thoughts and personal lives of her crew as they prepare for what most realise will be a mission from which there will be no return.

As the tension mounts and enemy forces close in for the inevitable kill, Yoshida provides a moving commentary on the Yamato's last days and hours, with poignant vignettes of such figures as the force commander Vice Admiral Ito, who had correctly appreciated the futility of the mission yet carried out his task with calm resolution.

With the Yamato entering her final death agony, Yoshida gives us harrowing descriptions of the effects of explosives and steel on human flesh - a timely reminder in this age of glossy propaganda of the true face of battle. Then there is the homecoming, with Yoshida's personal struggle to come to terms with the meaning of his survival while so many of his comrades are dead.

No review of this book would be complete without acknowledging the outstanding work of its translator, Richard Minear, who has also provided an excellent introduction. Thanks to his efforts, this work will not only be read with profit by the military historian, but anyone who seeks to broaden his understanding of the human condition.

This book is not for readers searching for details of battle, or apologies for participating in the miltary adventure against the US. Yoshida Mitsuru was an unlikely survivor of a suicide mission.

Some of the reviewers have found this book morbid, and focused on death. Mitsuru attempts to describe his feelings and unaswered question that haunted him for the rest of his life. Why was he saved, when so many other died? Was there a purpose to his life, and the life of his dead shipmates. These are questions that all men ask to some extent, but for those caught in a war, life and death are close and constant companions.

The normal thoughts of young men towards life and the future are put aside as their ship plows forward on a suicide mission.

Do not buy or read this book if you are not prepared to think about the personal cost of war. Some have described this as an anti-war book. I do not believe that is a correct description. This book is written by someone whose education and social standing required him to enter the Navy, and go to war. I view this work as a refection of an eyewitness and wounded survivor. Such an experience at such a young age makes one an expert on the war experience, not the root causes of war or their justifications.

Most men who shared Mitsuru's experience do not write, or even disuss their experiences. For some, just the thoughts of their experience is unbearable and the reason some end their days in mental hospitals.

When Mitsuru wrote the first draft of this book, it fell under the authority and censorship of the American Occupation, which did not approve of the text.

Which brings up the question not posed directly by this book. What "truths" were censored during the official investigations surrounding Pearl Harbor, the Bataan Death March, and other matters that impacted on the ledgends and careers of Americans of that time?

Just like in "Deep Politics and the Death of JFK,"
Peter Dale Scott here gives us something so often missed
by focusing exclusively on the surface events:
a stark yet densely detailed map of
the subterranean sewers that are the sources of 9/11.

Scott is that rare thinker-writer whose sustained attention
and audacious inquiry have pursued the ugly truth to its deepest roots:
To read this fearless document is to be denied
the comfort offered by our systemic denial.

So be forewarned:
delusions and simplistic reductionisms die on the very first pages;
for reading the rest of the book, one must at times remind oneself to breath.

One of America's most respected and and cogent sociopolitical scientists, Peter Dale Scott (UC at Berkley) has answered the most important questions about the Neocons and Bush Administration by connecting the hidden, and often times secret, historical facts that culminated with the appointment of George W. Bush as an illegitimate president and his assault on the U.S.Constitution and rush toward America world hegemony - -all in the name of Christianity. For the first time ever in print, Professor Scott has articlulated the events, forces and personalities that came to treasonous birth after WW-II, grew to early childhood shortly after the JFK assassination, enjoyed some control within the Reagan and Bush Senior administrations at adolescence and came to full adulthood within the present Bush administration. In a profusely documented, step by step, easy to read narrative, the author enlightens, astounds and cautions, building a case for his thesis that America is in deep trouble unless the electorate understands the issues and stops the Neocons (radical conservatives) in their tracks in 2008. His method is not conspiratorial, but honest without being apologetic or overly alarmist. If you what to understand what has gone on in this country since WW-II and the forces at battle behind the scenes and beneath the propagandist headlines, this is the book for you - - worth the price of one-hundred books and just as monumentally educational. If not, then go back to sleep and become part of the problem and not the solution. The work is undoubtedly one of the most important books written since 1970, given that it demonstrates how the Neocons do not believe in Democracy, the American voter or sovereign nations entitled to design and implement their own destinies. They do not trust the American people, the world or God - - instead, they are motivated by fear and the lust for greed and power. They have fascism written all over their foreheads - - perhaps the true Mark of the Beast that the religious right believes in and warns about so much. Do not walk, but run to buy this book.

The American author Peter Dale Scott shows how the richest 1% control key covert parts of the US state, including the Pentagon and the CIA. The private power of this military-financial complex has been secretly growing ever since President Truman founded the CIA. The US state serves the class interests of Wall Street's owners, not the national interest.

The US state is becoming more repressive: in 1970, 31% of California's budget went to higher education and 4% to prisons, by 2005, 12% and 20% respectively.

Scott shows how the US state built up fundamentalist Islam. From the 1950s, the CIA, allied with MI6, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, used the mullahs and the Muslim Brotherhood against secular nationalism across the Middle East. Later the CIA outsourced its operations to MI6, the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, the Saudis, the Shah, the French intelligence service, Egypt and Morocco. In Latin America, the US state backed the fascist Operation Condor run by the military dictatorships of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay, funded by South Korea, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia.

Scott describes how the US and British states have fomented wars across Asia. From 1986, the CIA, MI6 and Pakistan's intelligence service launched guerrilla attacks from Afghanistan into Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In 1988 the US and Pakistani states promised to end military aid to the mujehadin when Soviet forces left Afghanistan; Thatcher and Bush ensured that they broke that promise.

Scott shows how the drive for oil determines much of US foreign policy. For example, in 1997, the Wall Street Journal stated, "The Taliban are the players most capable of achieving peace. Moreover, they are crucial to secure the country as a prime trans-shipment route for the export of Central Asia's vast oil, gas and other natural resources."

In sum, Scott shows how the US state is not a force for peace and progress, as Gordon Brown fondly believes, but backs war and reaction. Its ruling class wants to continue their disastrous attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan: it believes what Kissinger said in 2005, "Victory over the insurgency is the only meaningful exit strategy."

Not a conspiracy book at all, but more a historical analysis of what's happened to US power over the past 50 years: how the "deep state" has swallowed what remained of the Public State. When people wonder why there seems to be a total de-link between what the American people desire and vote for, and what they actually get -- here is the answer. In November 2006, the US voted for the end of the Iraq War, the readjustment of the Bush Vampire tax burden, and for greater accountability(investigations, public hearings, supoenas issued, etc). What they got was the exact opposite. Why? This book is a good place to start to find the answer.

When Professor Scott gets to 9/11/01, he goes into very minute detail over the very strange discrepencies involving Dick Cheney's whereabouts from 9:25 to 9:55 the morning of the attacks. Cheney has just flat out lied about where he was and what he was doing. He tells the 9/11 Commission that he did not enter the security bunker/command post just off the EOB until 9:50. Yet several witnesses swore that he was inside the bunker(including Leon Panetta) as early as 9:25, repeatedly going off to make phone calls in the tunnel which leads from the bunker to the EOB, on secured, untraceable phones. Why lie about this? Who was he talking to and about what?

Even stranger is the testimony of an Air Force Lieutenant who kept asking Cheney the same question over and over: "Do the orders still stand? Do the orders still stand?" Eventually, Cheney got angry and responded: "Have you heard anything different?!"

What were the orders? The assumption is that they were orders to shoot down incoming planes. Yet, this query had already been asked at least once before the plane plowed into the Pentagon. And if they were the logical shoot-down orders, why would the Lt. keep asking for confirmation? Scott theorizes that the orders in fact were STAND DOWN orders.

A magnificent, chilling work by our greatest political historian.

This book is something of a curiosity. Published by the University of California Press, it is likely to have the most prestigious imprint of any book willing to entertain the possibility that Bush administration figures (above all, Cheney) may have in some way been complicit in 9-11. As it happens, Scott's case for this insinuation isn't all that strong. Cheney gave somewhat contradictory explanations of his whereabouts for about a half hour on 9-11. A plausible case can be made that there was a space of about ten minutes during which Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Bush may have had a private phone call on that day. And Cheney earlier approved a change in procedure around hijacked planes that may have slowed response to the 9-11 crisis, although it seems equally possible that this rule change was simply an unwise bureaucratic revision (as most people who've ever worked in an organization are aware, those kinds of things happen all the time, without any dark motives). Scott uses this evidence to suggest (although he is definitely circumspect and cautious in his claims) that Cheney facilitated 9-11 in order to create an opportunity to put into action continuity of government (COG) plans that had been evolving since the Reagan administration to exploit a crisis to deepen authoritarian tendencies of the US state. Ultimately the evidence falls short of that necessary to convince a critical reader, although the idea that the COG plans were around and used after 9-11 to initiate programs like warrantless wiretaps and the partial suspension of habeus corpus isn't particularly unreasonable.

Even if you find the evidence of Cheney's intentionality weak, you might still find The Road to 9-11 an intriguing read. Scott's vision of the world is that extremely powerful people (by virtue of considerable wealth and connections) operate through and often around the US government to achieve their goals. This is the 'deep state/overworld' that only momentarilly becomes visible during crises like the Iran-Contra scandal. Other scandals, like Watergate, may be the result of deep state activities and conflicts without being widely understood as such. Figures in US intelligence agencies have developed ties with their counterparts in Saudi, Pakistani, Israeli agencies and can operate without the explicit consent of their respective executive branches. Although it's not entirely unfamiliar territory, Scott's narrative of the US role in creating jihadists to torment the Soviet Union in Afghanistan and further afield is vividly wrought. Without being too explicit about this, Scott suggests that Democratic presidents like Carter tend to be the victims of these plots, while Republicans like Reagan and Bush empower the deep government figures. Although most conspiratorial thinkers are ultimately pessimists who believe that history is engineered by a handful of all powerful figures, Scott leavens this view with claims that the 'prevailing will' of a country cannot be easily denied (some examples of prevailing will--the desire of Iran to be rid of the Shah, the desire of the Vietnamese to be unified without foreign occupiers, the civil rights movement in the South). In his political assessments, Scott is a judicious left-liberal with some surprising insights. He argues, for example, that the much maligned Helsinki accords may have weakened the Soviet Empire by signaling to Eastern Europe that Western Europe no longer had expansionist designs. He argues for a movement in the US somewhere in between Move-On (which gets so close to the Democratic leadership as to compromise itself) and 'black-flag' anarchists, not bad advice. In describing the needed movement as a 'truth movement', however, I wish he had made more of an effort to distance himself from writers and activists who use that term to advocate blatantly crackpot theories about missiles hitting the pentagon, 'controlled demolition', robot planes, etc.

Buy this book and change your outlook on Nam forever. If you ever valued the boy next door, your son , or daughter you will want this book as a bed side companion to re-read again and again. Each story is a man lost, a mother in pain, a comrade who mourns . It paints the picture that we will be reliving for the men of Afganistan/Irag times. The book will be relevent for time immortal. At,6'3 and 320 lbs of old warrior ,
this book took me back and immersed me into the turbulent past times of my life. To damn up my tears , it would have been like holding back a hurricane because of the imagery in this book . This book is well worth the price. I bought it and will continue to buy it again and again until all those I know have a copy. America should emerse itself in the books wisdom about ours soldiers and society. We need to learn to drop the idea that all we are told is the truth and scrutinize our leaders more closely. Thanks Ms Palmer for this great and timely book of truth. Herb, I knew you at Lackland, I hope you have found peace.

If you lost a loved one in Vietnam then you'll understand the poingnancy, intimacy, loss, and anguish of the writers of these letters found throughout the book. It brings out the grim and stark realization that behind every name on the Wall is a story as told by the families who suffered a loss. The most important thing though is the book is about remembering those men and women who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Do I dare to give this book a less-than-glowing review? I am inclined to do so not because of the power and dignity of the people and the stories in the book--those speak for themselves. It was Palmer (the author) that bothered me. As I was reading the book, I could not help but feel that she was trying to manipulate me, tugging at heartstrings that needed no tug to be moved by these heartfelt stories. I felt a bit patronized by her. A good book (or movie, or whatever), if it moves me, should not make me feel the push; this one did, and it left me feeling the way people usually feel when they were pushed in a direction that they would have gone anyway--irritated.

Shrapnel In the Heart is a book to be read by everyone no matter what generation they were born in. Shrapnel In The Heart is a book that has letters and rememberances left behind at the Vietnam War Memorial. Some of the letters tell the story about the people behind the letter. The stories are sad, but the courage of the men and women is a true inspiration. The people written about in this book were extrememly young (18, 19, 20) and it seems like they died in vain. But through their letters that were left behind it is easy to see that these young men knew their duty and refused to shirk from it. These men and women are true heroes.

I read this book for a college history course and until now have thought very little about war, military, or world politics. Young people today rarely understand or realize what goes with becoming a soldier. This book gives real images of the devastation war brings from the people who lived through the tragedy of losing their loved ones. It opens our eyes to things we just shouldn't close our eyes on.

I first read this book just after it was first published some 50 years ago. It was, I recall, a pleasure to read then and doubly so to re-read the account of Corbett's adventures again today. Jim Corbett's somewhat matter-of fact, understated style is a delight to read and his simple yet vivid descriptions of the Indian locale and the people, who play a part in his story are those of a man that loves and deeply understands this land and its people. Corbett is no wanton destroyer of wildlife but a protector of impoverished and often terrified communities who understands and explains with sympathy, why the prey he hunted were forced to become what they were.

Any book by Jim Corbett is an interesting read. Although, nowadays, big game hunting is a thing of the past (I reckon), yet it is through the eyes of the author that the reader can seamlessly go back to the times when it was not so.

The stories are beautifully detailed in their descriptions of the expeditions, the customs of the hill folks, their traditions, courage, and (some interesting) superstitions. More often than not while reading the book, I have wondered whether whether I would know what happens in the end because of some absolutely incredible situations and circumstances described.

HOW THIS MAN COULD MOVE THROUGH THE JUNGLE SO EASILY I DON'T KNOW..HE MUST HAVE HAD BAZOOMAS LIKE BASKETBALLS...LOL

In a few words Jim Corbett can transport you back 60-100 years & make you feel like you are right there beside him tracking a Tiger in India. There is no bravado, he comes across as very humble. I had read his "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" several years ago & thought it was without a doubt one of the best books I had ever read. Even knowing how good his books were I was still highly impressed with this book as well. It isn't just the tigers he describes but the whole Indian country-side & the people & animals that habitat the place. He takes you there. Don't hesitate to read one of his books.

Once again in this book Jim Corbett has proved it, he was a awesome incredible gentleman. I have never seen anyone who could write like him. Amazing man with amazing courage. His modesty is revealed throughout his book. He goes through so much suffering and pain, but never once writes about it. From his book you can feel how much concern he had for people. People trusted him with with their lives. His book teaches us a lot about jungles. I would recommend this to anyone who likes animals. Once again Jim Corbett you were and still are the best writes of adventures.