Asia Books

I've been a fan of Stephen Turnbull's informative and beautiful Samurai books since the early 90's, when I discovered his books in my local library. This is one of his best, much better than many of his recent works. If you're interested in the Ikko-Ikki sects, the warrior monks, or the conquests of Oda Nobunaga, this book delivers!

Really informative. I was actually surprised! Some really nice pictures in the book also. After reading, I now have a thorough understanding of Samurai, warrior monks, japanese warfare, etc.

With lavish illustrations and comprehensive text, "Samurai Warfare" by Dr. Stephen Turnbull gives the reader an overveiw of Japans elite soldier caste from the earliest use of the term to the advent of gun powder in Samurai warfare.
For those just delving into this ancient and mystic age in Japans history, Samurai Warfare offers the reader an easy to understand primer in the history of those responsible for enforcing the will of the Emporer and Nobles

Although very brief, and covering a lot of ground, this book takes a new look at some familiar topics (familiar to students of Japanese military history, that is!). There are some fascinating surprises here, such as the Kuniyoshi illustration of a samurai musketeer with a rather ominous-looking gun and sashimono. The color reproductions of key paintings are extremely detailed and sharp.

After the concise overview of the dynamic changes in samurai warfare over the centuries, Turnbull rewards the reader with informational case studies toward the end of the book. Although somewhat short on specific details and explanatory maps (maps at more frequent intervals during the campaign study would have been helpful), the strength of the book lies in its analysis of the specific construction of the hatamoto of certain daimyo. In addition, the analysis of the Battle of Anegawa (along with additional research by the reader) provides a good reference for scenario construction by gamers and hobbyists. Overall, Turnbull provides an inspirational resource.

my 21 month & 3.5-yr-old daughters love reading this book together & separately, each on her own level - highly recommended; each of the 7 sisters has a special skill, each is valued, each contributes to the good of their family (no parents in this story); my husband was concerned for the dragon, a plot line dropped somewhat abruptly, but the girls just love it!

I read this to my 4 1/2 year old. We started with The Story About Ping, and then looked for other books about China. Before reading The Seven Chinese Sisters, we read Mei Mei Loves the Morning, Dim Sum for Everyone and Good Morning, China.

Although The Seven Chinese Sisters doesn't give a lot of cultural information on China within the text, the pictures do. It's set in a picturesque valley with mountains in the background. A small village with traditional Chinese houses is near the river running through the valley. Across the bridge is a forest, and through the forest and up the mountain is where the dragon lives. Although the dragon takes the youngest sister, he isn't terribly fierce, so he shouldn't scare a young child who is having the story read to her (at the end of the story I mentioned to my daughter that the dragon is pretend, and that dragons are only in books and sometimes on TV, but they are just pretend...since we've talked about the concept of pretend/real in the past, she understood right away).

I like that when the sisters see that the dragon is starving, they say they will bring him noodle soup tomorrow (today they have to get Seventh Sister home because "she's all worn out, and she needs her diaper changed"). Unfortunately, the story never says that they did take the dragon any soup, so I turned the pages back to where they made the promise and explained to my daughter that the sisters brought him some soup the next day. I wish the author had included that in the story.

My 3-year-old and I enjoyed reading this book together. She had a great timelearning about each sister and how everyone has her individual talents. I enjoy the book about individuality and self-reliance.

We first came across this book at the library. My then 5 year old daughter always talked about it after we returned it, so we decided to buy it for her 6th birthday. She loves pretending to be made into soup for the dragon!It's a fun book with wonderful illustrations and a fun story.

The story of how seven sisters work together to brave the unknown danger and the known danger of a dragon is delightful. My two daughters love this story. My youngest wasn't interested in it as I started reading, but by the 3rd or 4th page, had put down her crayon and was watching and listening intently. The tale of sisters helping each other and that each has a different but equally valuable talent is a good lesson. Both my girls loved the colorful pictures. It has remained on the top of our read a loud pile for quite awhile...and even made it to school as a favored show and tell.

As a college student, (Junior) working towards a degree in History, I found Stingray, by Major B. H. Norton, USMC, to be a well-written and informative book on one aspect of US military history. While I wasn't even born during the Vietnam War, I have now gained a better sense of history and underdstanding by reading this, and other, books written by Major Norton. Stringray describes a military concept used by reconnaissance Marines during the Vietnam War. The author begins by setting the political and military tone of the times, and then describes how the Marines had to change their "concept of operations" to match wits with the Viet Cong, and later, the North Vietnamese Army as it invaded South Vietnam. With the help of first-hand accounts and by having other Marines' explain their understanding of the Stingray Concept, Major Norton has produced a book that paints the entire picture; from those recon team members who went out on patrol, to the officers who were involved in "fine-tuning" their plans. I found this book to be enlightning and very useful in undestanding what happened during this time in our nation's history. I'm looking forward to more books by Norton. He seems to know how to put it all together. A very good book.

I found Stingray to be a well written description of what Marine Recon teams were doing during the course of the Vietnam War. The research that Major Norton has done helps novices, like me, who served in a different branch of service, understand this part of the Marine Corps' history in warfare. I would recommend this book to anyone interested, not only in Marine Corps history, but in understanding how military doctrine and tactics are developed. Now, I am intereseted in reading the other books this author has written. I would rate this work as a 5-star effort -- well done. PRJ

Stingray is the story of how a "Fighting-Tactic" was born and used to great advantage as a "force multiplier" against the NVA during the course of Vietnam War. Written by Maj. B. H. "Doc" Norton, USMC, a former recon team member, this history is complete and extremely well-written. As a student of military history, this is one book that is a welcomed addition to my library of military history books. Major Norton has taken the time to research the Stingray concept and introduces General Nickerson, Alex Lee, C. C. Cofman, and other Marines who designed and reformed the concept on the battlefield. I would hope that Marine small unit leaders would be wise enough to carry this book around with them and use it as a teaching aid for field Marines. This is, in my opinion, another very successful book by one of the Marine Corps' best authors.

I was given the book as a gift by one of the contributing writers It was good to hear about people that I served with in 3rd Force Recon Co. from Nov.65-Dec.68..... I think that books that are written in this style lack emotion and color, sorry but I have to be honest. Also,concerning the subject( stingray patrols) though I am not a military scholar I did participate for 20 months in both Stingray and Keyhole (4 man team) patrols. We suffered less casualties using the Keyhole approach and still inflicted many casualties on the enemy. I don't share the praise given to this concept of warfare, all it did was waste many good friends of mine. Although I don't care for this sort of effort, it is probably interesting to many other people and I am sure that it is worth the price but not 5 stars..... Sorry but that is how I feel about the book.....

This is by far the weakest book I have read by Bruce. I enjoyed it, but I think anyone that has never been in Nam would have trouble understanding it. After having read the other books by Bruce I was mildly dissapointed in this one. I am not saying it wasn't a good book,but I think Bruce has put out better books.

Roadrunner 6 Out

There are no words adequate to convey the effect THE STONES CRY OUT had on me when I read it in 1986. It haunted me for years. I wanted everyone I knew to read it.

Just several years ago I met a woman whose entire family - her husband and all her children - died under the Khmer Rouge monsters.

Amazingly, after the stories Miss Szymusiak recounts: of the young girl who was killed for being too pretty, of those murdered for daring to exhibit signs of affection for one another, and of unspeakable tortures inflicted upon absolutely helpless and innocent people of all ages, the chapter which really drained my blood was the one detailing her witnessing the beginning of the purge. The author notes the young Communist cadres being themselves called in for interrogation and torture and disappearing one by one.

This is a chilling account of the darkest period in 20th Century history.

One of the earliest (1986) accounts from the survivors of the Pol Pot regime, "The Stones Cry Out" seems to have set the style and standard for another more recent child's-eye perspective on the same era, "When Broken Glass Floats". The minute details of everyday life, not abstract poltical assessments, form the basis for our childhood memories. The author's account carries an unvarnished realism which draws the reader into her film-like image of daily life under threat of starvation and execution. This is probably as close as a reader can come to the truth of events in Cambodia during 1975-79. Oral histories such as "The Stones Cry Out" are perhaps the best way for survivors of human rights abuses to indict the perpetrators. Sadly, tribunals driven by international politics are unlikely to have the same impact as the simple testimony of a victimized child. Highly recommended reading for all those with an interest in human rights, Cambodia, and Southeast Asian culture.

You need a strong stomach to read the grueling ordeal of a 12 year old girl in Cambodia under the Pol Pot regime.
The latter and his cronies turned a whole country into a concentration camp guided by the iron fist of a centrally planned economy which was based on rice production quotas.
Starvation and killing of whole families including babies were part of normal daily life. The author herself lost nearly all her family.
The slogan was 'be deaf and dump if you want to survive'.

Exceptionally, this book also relates the disturbing facts which happened in a Red Khmer camp in Thailand until one year after Pol Pot's defeat by the Vietnamese.

Molyda Szymusiak tells only the facts. She doesn't explain the overall picture of Pol Pot's regime, politically, socially, economically or internationally.
Therefore I highly recommend the eminent works of David Chandler as well as Philip Short's magisterial biography of Pol Pot (Saloth Sar).

This book shows painfully the disastrous consequences of a power grasp by ideological fanatics who created a one party state bureaucracy which wielded total uncontrolled power over the population.
This regime was a terrible shame for the left.

A very disturbing read.

My heart sank lower and lower with each successive chapter. This is certainly not a book one can read while couching comfortably on a sofa. If you are familiar with Cambodian history of the Khmer Rouge regime, this book is indeed a chilling read. But at the same time, one can't help feeling admiration for the author's fortitide in the face of unimaginable hardship and horror.

Actualy I would rate this 4 and 1/2 stars.

Having read "First they killed my father" by Loung Ung It would be difficult for me to review this book with out comparing it to Loung Ung's memoir.

Both are essentially the same story, a young upper middle class girl living in Phnom Phen in april of 1975 when thier life, family and happiness are torn from them by the khmer rouge.

Many of thier experinces are similar as you might expect (long hours in forced labor, family deaths, witnessing murder ect..) but each has a unique story of thier own.

The writing styles also vary greatly and this is where Loung's "First they killed my Father is the better" book. Molyda tells her story in a very straight foward manner. Her discriptions of murder, torture and rotting corpses are alomost clinical in tone as if she is afaid to visit or express her real feelings at the time (and who could realy blame her) we are giving only hints about her family and life before April 17th 1975 (to be fair this may be in part to spare distant family members still in Cambodia from retalation)

In Loung's book however we are treated to two light hearted chapters discribing her life in Phnom Pehn before April 17th 1975 this gives the reader a chance to feel they realy know her, her brother's, sisters and parents thier strengths and weakness'.

Loung's memoir is far more emotional in tone and feeling leaving the reader almost gasping for air at points.

For those overly squimish that makes "The Stones Cry Out" the better of the two books. It is also the better of the two books if your sole interest is the surrounding history of the killing fields.

But for those just wishing to read a great emotional book "first They killed My father" is the better choice but I would highly recomend both to all.

i liked the pictures in the book though there is not a whole lot of written material on Tibet. it is a perfect book for someone who is curious about Tibet with all its beatiful pictures and some history. this is a good book to ocassionally go through the pictures again. it is an excellent book to show to a friend who drops by your house or a gift to your children.

The following is a review of The Tibetans: Photographs by Art Perry that appeared in the December issue of Photo Metro magazine.

Perhaps the best book to date on Tibet. This work goes beyond the easy cliche images of dramatic landscapes and content-less smiling figures that populate so many other books. This is no parachute in, shoot pix, and fly out to publishers and galleries book. Perry spent five years on the project and represents both the beauty and the grit of day-to-day life. It shows. The book is quite well designed with intelligent text by Robert Thurman.

The following is a review of Art Perry The Tibetans: Photographs that appeared in The Toronto Globe and Mail, April 8, 2000.

(Headline:"Turning the spotlight on photography books," by Martin Levin.) For many years, B.C. writer and photographer Art Perry has documented threatened cultures, including the Nubians and the Mayans. Here he turns his attention, and his fine black-and-white photographic sensibility, on Tibetans, the world's most famous enigmatic people. Perry takes us to remote monasteries, up the Chang Tang Plateau and to the Tibetan exile communities in India and Nepal. The whole conveys a powerful sense of meaning - and loss.

The following article appeared in The Vancouver Sun, May 10, 2000

'Tibetan images snag major prize for local photographer' by Michael Scott, Sun Visual Art Critic

Vancouver photographer Art Perry has won a major international award for his large-format photographic book The Tibetans: Photographs. Perry, an instructor at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, becomes the second winner of the $30,000 Roloff Beny Photography Book Award at a ceremony in Toronto. (Magnum photographer Larry Towell received the first Beny Award for his book El Salvador.) The publisher of Perry's 1999 book, Viking Studio (an imprint of Penguin Books), will share in the award, receiving a $20,000 prize of its own. Perry spent five years collecting images of Buddhist societies in the Himalayas, working primarily in Tibet, but travelling also to Ladakh and Nepal. Last year, the Washington Post named his book one of the year's 10 best. A Vancouver Sun reviewer wrote: "Perry takes us from the slightly familiar markets and brothels of Lhasa clear through to the monasteries and mountaintops that have not been otherwise documented. The text is as clear-eyed as the pictures, but the message it contains is not entirely pretty. Though Buddhism practiced by the Tibetans will certainly endure, Tibetan Buddhist culture is very much under attack, perhaps by we western cultural imperialists, certainly by the country's Chinese occupiers. Read it, or just look at the pictures, and those Free Tibet bumper stickers will seem a lot more immediate." Here in Vancouver, Perry teaches a multi-disciplinary course at Emily Carr on the history of bohemianism - a course that covers film, punk rock and jazz as well as visual art. (I start by telling my students to stay up all night before coming to class," he jokes.) Perry also teaches a course in contemporary literature, a field that has sparked his interest in his own Irish roots. He says he will spend part of the Beny prize money on a sabbatical year in County Monaghan in northern Ireland. Perry plans to pursue both writing and photography during this time. "I have to say I am very, very honoured to be receiving this award," he says. "My father had some of Roloff Beny's big books and I grew up handling those incredible pages. There aren't people in those images, but they were lush and magnificent." Expatriate Canadian photographer Roloff Beny made an international name for himself in the 1970s and early 1980s chronicling a world of sensual beauty, with major large-format books on subjects such as pre-revolutionary Iran and Italy. He died in 1984.

The following is an article that appeared in the National Post, Toronto, May 11, 2000

(Headline: Photography book award, by Finbarr O'Reilly, National Post)

Vancouver-based photographer Art Perry has won the second Roloff Beny Photography Book Award for The Tibetans. The country's top photography book award, presented last night in Toronto, earns Perry a cash prize of $30,000. His American publisher, Viking Studio/Penguin Putnam, also gets $20,000, while two runners-up, Courtney Milne and Linda Rutenberg, get $5,000 each. Perry, who is a lecturer at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, spent five years travelling throughout Tibet and the exiled Tibetan communities in India and Nepal, documenting with a camera the people he met along the way - monks, nomads, city dwellers. Through the Dalai Lama, Perry gained access to seldom-visited monasteries in remote regions where he captured a traditional way of life that is being threatened by the Chinese occupation of Tibet. In a current project, the Ottawa-born Perry has been documenting in both writing and photographs the fractured cultures of Northern and Southern Ireland. The project, which he began in 1998, is a lifelong dream of Perry, whose family is from Belfast. The award was created in memory of Roloff Beny, a world-renowned photographer who was born in Medicine Hat, Alta., and is intended to encourage excellence in photograph publishing.

I put this up there with the Vietnam novels of Tim O'Brien. I was blown away by it. Too bad more people have not heard of it. Please read this book!

This is one of the best books written by a combat soldier in Vietnam. You travel with Ehrhart from his home in Perkasie, PA to boot camp and then to some of the most harrowing fighting of the Vietnam War. But this isn't just another great war story. There's a personal voyage of discovery--as there is in many war stories. But this one is into a deep and broad wondering, not just about the nature of war and the feelings roused by killing and seeing death, but into a broader horror about the truth of this war. Ehrhart slowly peels back the layers of his awakening, not so much to any truth, but to a series of questions about his own gullibility (perfectly understandable) and a nation's gullibility. The truth as it is revealed seems too simple to Ehrhart; the twisting of honorable intentions too obvious. But if he get's it, many of those he faces upon his return do not. What to do? Write about the simple yet profound truths he found in Vietnam, and keep writing about them since the follow-up books are very moving and affecting portraits of a man being honest about himself, and in the process divulging powerful insights about our nation. The personal in this case makes big points about who are all are as Americans. Can't recommend his writing highly enough.

In this story, Ehrhart beautifully tells of the I Corp Marine's experience in '67-68. The cost, both physically and spiritually,to the soldier has to my mind never seemed so true. Can the innocence and ignorance, if indeed they are different things, last in the face of the reality of war's warped and mishapen environment? What happens to the soldier when faced with his own ignorance and the evils of war, for which he is in many ways responsible? The tension between the two different Ehrharts in the book lies in the attempt to justify his actions in Viet Nam to himself, and if nothing else, to find some comfort even from outside himself. He is both proud and disgusted (I wish I had a stronger word here) by his "accomplishments" in Viet Nam. Where do we find ourselves when the conflict is over? The answer is perhaps nowhere, perhaps in the shower. (You must read the book to understand my last statement):)

Was required reading in a class I took about the Vietnam War. Reading this memoir rapidly went from a school assignment chore to pleasure. I read the next two books in the series the following summer. Ehrhart exposes his inner self on the page to the point where it can actually be somewhat difficult to read. He gave a lecture to our class at the end of the semester, and it was quite moving. Do check it out.

The Vietnam war, what was it like for a combat marine? Read this book and its sequel to find out. Mr. Ehrhart is a gifted storyteller. His story is unique. It's amazing how little it is referred to in bibliographies.

Reading the introductory first chapter I was worried that Hutton's reputation for careful analysis may have left him, as he appeared to offer an overly simple thesis and an embrace of the United States' system of government that was too uncritcal.

Thankfully that chapter is misleading as Hutton leads his readers through a detailed analysis of China's economy that is equal parts illuminating and disturbing, and begins to build explanation on his desire to see US-style enlightenment institutions develop in China, while being very open about the fact that several of those institutions are in severe decline within the USA.

Some of that coverage of the USA, its history, institutions and current situation, feels like it would have made sense as a separate book, slimming down this volume considerably and potentially making the material much more accessible for those with limited time. But the intertwined themes do make sense and the reader is considerably better placed to judge the material when we have both parts together.

At times there is certainly still a sense that Hutton is calling for a form of cultural imperialism. The merits of the institutions he outlines are clear, but they have grown out of a lengthy philosophical tradition which China does not share and it is vital that any such institutions are contextualised if they are to succeed in China.

I think it is fair to say that the conventional wisdom is that the United States and China are on a collision course. John J. Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago summarizes this point of view this way; "China and the United States are destined to clash militarily and the United States has an interest to do all it can to forestall China's becoming economically rich enough to challenge it." Author Will Hutton vehemently disagrees with this point of view. In "The Writing On The Wall" Hutton presents a methodical, logical and compelling case for the United States to pursue policies that will only encourage the continued and inevitable modernization of China. Hutton's thoughtful and convincing analysis of the situation certainly turns conventional wisdom on its head.
According to Hutton, the continued mercurial growth of the Chinese economy is simply unsustainable given the current policies being pursued by the Communists who are still in charge in China. There is simply no way that the policies and political environment favored by those who are currently in power in Beijing can mesh with the continued and sustained economic growth that China is seeking. Time and again Hutton points to the nearly total lack of what he terms "soft" infrastructure as the primary reason why current Chinese policy is doomed to failure. This rather monolithic economic system lacks such fundamental cornerstones as a legitmate banking system, a free press and the ability of workers to organize. Add to that the fact that most major industries are still SOE (state owned enterprises) and it is plain to see why the major flaws in the Chinese economy are almost certain to rear their ugly heads in the near future with potentially devasting consequences for us all. And there are a whole host of other systemic problems with the Chinese economy that time does not permit me to list here. Hutton argues vigarously that the United States and the EU should be encouraging the Chinese to move away from those policies that will ultimately hold them back.
I found "The Writing On The Wall" to be a particularly well written and equally well documented book. Will Hutton avoids a lot of technical jargon and presents his case in clear, easy to understand language. Based on my limited knowledge of China prior to reading this book I would have probably come down on the side of Professor Mearsheimer. I thought that conflict with China was a probably a foregone conclusion. But Will Hutton has convinced me of the wisdom of encouraging China to modernize and perhaps even in making some changes in the way we do business ourselves. "The Writing On The Wall" is an extremely thought provoking book and one that I can very highly recommend!

So happy this wasn't another paeon to chinese industrial invincibility like china inc. (which was ridiculously glowing bizlit).

I'm not with Hutton on all his assumptions-- such as the sweeping assertion that social mobility is decreasing in the west--huh?-- but he's honest and takes a principled, methodological approach in his analysis i like.

i will search out other hutton titles now!

As an American peasant, who has never taken a course in economics, I was curious about, What is all the todo about China? What is Chinas history that I would understand them better? How bad is the huge differential in GDP really hurting our economy? Whats the REAL chance of my job going over seas? Should I truely despise WalMart? Why don't we just with-draw all our troops, and to hell with the rest of the world?

To say Mr. Huttons book is comprehensive, is like saying the Grand Canyon is Big. He made many good points, and seemed to make alot of sense to my un-trained mind. I will definately have to re-read it again to gain the full benefit.

Did he answer all my questions? Yes and a whole lot more. I highly recommend his book to any who would ask the hard questions.

Am I now fully educated on the subject? No. But, am I now a part of the enlightenment.....definately.

This book provides an interesting description of China's many problems and offers a set of policies designed to counter what threatens to be the globe's most pressing set of conflicts. For an alternative view, see my own book The Coming China Wars: Where They Will Be Fought and How They Can Be Won

This exhaustively researched, well-documented and courageous book is incorrectly titled; it should have been "Buddhism At War" as that is its focus. Perhaps the editors/publishers were unwilling to draw the ire of the religious community or the existence of Damieville's "Buddhism And War" required another title; perhaps "Zen At War" was just more marketable.

As Victoria's book elegantly points out, however, every sect of Buddhism in Japan was part of "Imperial Way Buddhism". Buddhism morphed at every opportunity into what the Emperor and his bureaucracy wanted. Every accommodation was made if the Buddhists could use it to their political advantage, even if it contradicted their teachings or enabled the massacre of countless non-Japanese sentient beings.

A fundamental entanglement in this book is that "Zen", which translates as "meditation", is somehow dependent on Buddhism or that the two can only exist together. Meditation existed in the country of Buddha's birth (and in other countries) millenniums before he was born. All Buddhists do not meditate and all meditators are not Buddhists.

There is little doubt, and growing scientific evidence, that meditation develops concentration, detachment, heightened awareness, focus, clarity, etc. That is why so many cultures and countries embrace it for war and martial techniques, but also enhanced performance in commerce, athletics, artistic creativity, stress relief, flower arranging, calligraphy, etc.

A leading contemporary Zen teacher, Toni Packer, once far up the American Rinzai Zen Buddhist hierarchy, abandoned Buddhism entirely, forming an iconoclastic approach, a Zen completely stripped of any Buddhist doctrine, dogma, ritual, hierarchy, titles, robes, etc. Buddhism is not necessary for Zen or for enlightenment.

This leads to the second entanglement in this book, that enlightenment is uniquely Buddhist and therefore must align with Buddhist teachings. Enlightenment, as well as available documentation can attest, has occurred in every culture, climate, religious background, century, etc. To evaluate enlightenment by whether it abides by Buddhist doctrine is backwards at best.

The real blame here is on a religion, Buddhism, which was exploited by a militarist imperialist society in manipulating and disempowering millions and enabling the most heinous crimes. Rather than criticizing just Buddhism, however, perhaps the time has come for us to reevaluate the concept of religion. The real truth is so simple; it is just to be in one's natural state. Why are these religions necessary?

This book gives an excellent perspective on the role of Zen in modern Japanese political philosophy. It has always played a critical role in Japanese military theory and the martial arts. In modern times it became an integral part of the political theories that set Japan on a course for military expansion in Asia. The book is well-researched and documents how top Zen leaders actively supported Japan's dreams of empire.

This book is critical reading for anyone seriously interested in Zen. Having committed his life as a Buddhist monk only to make these shocking discoveries must have been heartbreaking for Victoria, and it is remarkable that his tone remains as objective as it does.

Victoria is a refreshing and desperately needed antidote to Kapleau, Suzuki and all the rest the phony gurus peddling sundry brands of spiritual snake oil to vulnerable people desperately seeking some measure of assurance and comfort in this harsh world. His book reminds us that, however we may seek our own individual peace and spiritual security, we can never find it through lies, self-delusion, gurus and preachers.

A enlightening history of role of Zen Buddhism in the Pacific War. Victoria analyzes how Zen and the Japanese military affected each other. He takes the writings of the leading Buddhists of the time to tell the story. A classical study on how religion and society influence each other., even a supposedly peace loving religion can be twisted into an instrument of the state. Sheds some light on one of the forefathers of American Zen, D.T. Suzuki

What I found most disturbing about this book was not so much what Victoria had to reveal about the Zen culture of Imperial Japan, (don't get me wrong, that was pretty darn disturbing too)but rather the reaction that came from many, if not most, of North America's Zen masters. Almost to a one, they refused to even admit the core issue that the book arises: "If an _enlightened_ person can support an evil empire, what does it say about being enlightened?" No one doubts that Catholic Popes can committ evil acts (Dante fills Hell with them), but then the Catholic faith makes far lessor claims about the spiritual powers and insight of its clerics.

In contrast, Zen Buddhism makes the extraordinary claim that each and every Zen master is part of an intact person-to-person chain of direct mind contact to Bodhidarma, through to Guatama Buddha himself. Moreover, they maintain that this direct contact through the Zen transmission is essential to enlightenment, which cannot be learned "on ones own" or "through books". Moreover, Buddhist make the claim that Masters, and people they acknowledge as "awakened", have achieved some sort of real "awakening".

The cheesy responses that I have read and received from the Zen Masters I have read on the subject all invariably come up with the same sort of defence: cultural relativism. I was horrified to see this because it strikes me that not only were they willing to so "scale back" what "enlightenment" means that a deeply enlightened Zen master (ie: in Imperial Japan) would lack the discernment to see through government propaganda, it means that the individual modern master (ie: the one writing in "Tricycle" or communicating to me over the internet) lacks the discernment to see the profound implications of Victoria's book.

The process of reading Victoria's book and investigating the reaction of the North American Zen "establishment" made me totallly re-examen my understanding of Zen and Buddhism as part of the "community of world religions". It gave me an increased sense of my own worth as a Master of Western Philosophy and a student of world religions in the face of the significant claims exerted by Buddhists about their own implied superiority over these alternative spiritual systems.

I do not want to denigrate the significant and obvious merits of Buddhism and Zen, but _Zen at War_ has shown that there are no "priviledged" ways to wisdom. All are equally valid, and all are equally flawed.

This is one rare aviation book that contains historical accounts and photographs of the only tactical airplane (Hueys and Chinooks for helos) used simultaneously by American and South Vietnamese pilots during that war. Accounts from Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) pilots are touching and prove that Americans weren't the only ones soaring over the Southeast Asian skies. I met one of those pilots. Dat "Max" Nguyen was the only VNAF pilot held in North Vietnam along with the likes of Orson Swindle and Paul Galanti. Great photos!

As a former combat Skyraider pilot, I absolutely recommend Wayne Mutza's book "The A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam: The Spad's Last War" as the definitive book on the history of the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. From the earliest days of the Skyraider following WWII to the current time, Mutza covers it all. His book is richly illustrated with rare photos that are the work of years of research. To top it off, his book is supported with first-hand stories of Skyraider veterans told in their own words.

I knew as soon as I read the stirring introduction that I was in for a treat. As soon as you think you know all about a subject, a book like this comes along. Then you realize that you only thougt you knew it all.

As one who has studied the Skyraider and those who flew her, this is a must read. I only wish I had it to refer to when I built my Skyraider websites

SpadGuy

Thank you, Wayne Mutza! This book has been way overdue.

The first four chapters deal mostly with the airplane and its origin and detailed descriptions of the massive amounts, types and mixtures of armament they could carry. From there the reader is carried through the Vietnam War and the part played by the A-1. Descriptions of attacks on the enemy, shoot-downs, lost friends, search-and-rescue flights, interpersed with comments by those involved in flying the A-1 make the book hard to put down. In addition, the feeling that comes through from the pilots is that the politicians who were running the war from their desks in their plush offices in Washington had to have come from somewhere near the bottom of the common-sense barrel, in spite of which, the pilots still took off on what must have felt like suicide missions at times.

Whatever Wayne did before he wrote this book could only have been a training program for writing this one. His interspersing of the comments by the pilots and crewmen, the feelings of the military for the stupidity of the politicians, the bravery of the military members, their rescue attempts, their appreciation of and loyalty to the incredible A-1 combine to make this one of the most readable and eye opening books I have read in a long time.

This is a great book for anyone who wants background and details regarding Skyraider deployment and operations in Vietnam. There are not the typical detailed specifications and profile drawings - although detailed appendices account for assignment, and often disposition, of every A-1 type that server in theater (listed by tail number) during the 60s and 70s, as well as Navy, Air Force and VNAF Skyraider deployments and order of battle and carrier/air field assignments.

After brief historic background chapters the book has sections on Navy Skyraider attack and SAR-support operations, the two Navy incidents that resulted in MIG kills, USAF ground support, interdiction and SAR-support, and VNAF operations.

There are dozens of color and B&W photographs in each section. One interesting section had several pages of A-1 pilot photos (mostly USAF but some Navy and VNAF) taken in the country or aboard ships.

This volume is highly recommended for the A-1 buff or modeler as well as those interested general military aviation history as well as Vietnam air warfare history.

As an ex-Skyraider pilot of the USAF Viet Nam vintage, I have to agree with the other reviewers of Wayne Mutza'a excellent book on the venerable A-1 Skyraider. It's great!

My wife has been after me for several years to write my own book on the SPAD --- once I read Wayne's book, I pointed to it and said, "It's already been done, there's nothing more to add."

The only down side I found was that the A-1 that had my name on it during my tour (A-1J #702) had apparently been lost to ground fire during a Search and Rescue (SAR) mission a few years after I left SEA in 1970.

This is a great book, I never get sick of looking at it. Highly recommend for lover of Asian stle living

This is an excellent look at the best examples of tropical Asian luxury living.

It is not a detailed exploration of regional design elements (look to Bali Style, Thai Style, Tropical Garden Design, et al, for the next degree of depth). It is, however, a rich overview of the best of SEAsian luxury architecture and furnishings.

Every page is simply gorgeous, with photos "bleeding" out past the paper, one trait of a good coffee table or style book. There is little or no image repetition in the coverage of the homes or boutique hotels featured, and each photo is perfectly focused, every composition seen in its best light.

In all the shuffle of Thai grandeur, Balinese earthiness, and Malaysian simplicity, the book might at first glance seem to be presenting a kind of fusion. I think it's fair to say that there is plenty of contemporary blurring of the distinctions between regions, but the reader can also look for regional elements and quickly learn them. Each property is given its own mini-chapter, which helps a lot. And the regional details and sensibilities really come alive when you read the accompanying texts, which are the work of expert style writers.

In fact, the contributors list reads like a who's who of style gurus. There is the clever and quippy Made Wijaya, descriptive Diana Darling, the meticulous William Warren, and details-minded Robert Powell. It's a great read!

I am a collector of Luca Invernizzi Tettoni's work because ALL of them is a visual feast for the eyes. This talented man has a knack for details and never fails to capture the vivid and glowing nuances that represents the best of Southest Asia's style. Take it from me, living in the same environment, I sometimes take it for granted. This book is more than just a coffee-table piece, to complement the gorgeous photography , the text , written by various specialists, will enlighten you with well researched information on local crafts and traditions. It also shows the transformation that SEA architecture and interior designs have undergone; overall a fascinating mix 'n' match of vernacular designs and contemporary style.

My dream is to be surrounded by teak and orchids, eating curry and sipping lime juice, and not owning any sort of time piece. Since that isn't going to happen for several more years I bought this book. I am neither a designer nor a photographer so my only input is how this book makes me feel. I have come to love Southeast Asia after several all too brief trips to the region and Tropical Asian Style, specifically Tettoni's photos, has brought some life to my dull suburban living room. And, while I realize that this book comprises several distinct cultures, it is the overall effect, not any particular region, that is so overwhelmingly beautiful. If you feel trapped in your American workaholic routine, this book is a wonderful diversion.

After reading it, I wanted to knock down every wall in my house. Or at least remove the window glass. My next house will definitely be designed based on the rooms in this book.

I didn't read much of the text because the pictures were so captivating. They show every aspect of the tropical Asian house, except perhaps kitchens, which seem to be nothing more than a stove-type device near the dining area. The predominant theme is living among nature and even inviting it to share the living space with you (or is it the other way around?). Instead of windows and doors, you see slatted screens and netting. Very romantic. And a far cry from most of America's obsession with locks and glass. I need to move......