California Books

"Chasing Rainbows, Catching Dust" ranks right up there with books by Jackie Collins and Pat Booth - every bit as hot and entertaining. I couldn't stop turning the pages and didn't want it to end. The characters and descriptions were so vivid that I could clearly see the story playing in my head. It would make for an excellent movie. I can hardly wait to see more work by this author.

Ordinarily I am not a reader and prefer to do other things, so I can't remember the last time I read a book from start to finish. As a rule they just don't hold my interest - BUT THIS ONE DID AND I COULDN'T IT PUT IT DOWN. I can definitely see this as a movie - it has all the elements - suspense, love, greed, sex, murder. Now I'm waiting for more.

Suspenseful, intriging, and exciting. Loved it! Hope to see more from this author.

I was addicted to the characters in no time and couldn't put it down. The suspenseful read seemed to fly by and left me wanting more.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who's interested in going for a great ride from start to finish!

One of the few publishers still brave enough to issue regimental histories is Savas Beatie. What sets them apart are two things. The books themselves are always wonderfully designed and constructed. When you buy one of their books you get the real deal, top quality bindings and paper, bright illustrations, crisp text. But they also take care to make certain their readers get a good story. They do not give you the collated reprints of the Official Records that sometimes passes for a unit history.
Richard Brady William's Chicago Battery Boys is a shining example of why their books, on so seemingly parochial subjects, are so deserving of the time and money of student's of the Civil War. The book itself will catch your eye. The text will keep your attention. The Chicago Mercantile Battery was raised in the Windy City in 1862, in answer to the second great call for troops that went out that summer. Sent to Grant, they made their fame at Vicksburg where six of their number earned Congressional medals of honor when they carried one of their gun tubes by hand up to the rebel works and began firing at point-blank range through an undefended break in the wall. Their heaviest battle came a year later, at Sabine Crossroads, where they were the only gunners able to get their carriages off the field, only to have to spike them when the route of retreat became irretrievably snarled.
The book is packed with maps, illustrations, and pictures of the men who made this battery a great and memorable unit. The author freely reprints their letters in those instances where the participants themselves can tell the story best. When they can't, he steps in to clearly set out the course of events. If you have an interest in Grant and the western theater of the war, this book will be a welcome addition to your collection.

Until now the Chicago Mercantile Battery for many years shared the unjustified obscurity of many western and trans-Mississippi theater units. Richard Williams has done a stellar job in putting flesh-on-the-bone of one of the more interesting artillery batteries to emerge from Illinois. Presenting and then carefully developing primary sources, the reader will walk away with a very complete and satisfying understanding of Chicago's mercantile battery and its heroic leader, Captain Patrick White. Well written, organized and attractively presented, this is certainly one of the better regimental histories I have had the privilege of reading.

This is one book that one cannot put down. The narrative by Mr. Williams is so nicely done and unobtrusive that I found myself actually seeming to "hear" a professional narrator guide me through the historical events that were occurring on a state/regional/national level during the time of the civil war. I have become acquainted with all of the characters as if they were friends. Of course, Will Brown stands out as each of his weekly letters to his "Dear Father" gives the reader an authentic glimpse at the live of a soldier, which is succinctly intertwined and "in step" with the progression of the narrative. Mr. Williams perspective on the "politics" of the time, the Generals and their capabilities or lack thereof is particularly keen and insightful.

I have to say that this is one of the best novels/historical records that I have had the privilege of perusing. I was saddened when I am finished reading the book as I will miss the feeling of being an actual participant in the story rather than an impersonal reader.

I highly recommend this factual record by novice and historian alike.

Unlike so many unit histories, Richard Williams's new study on the Chicago Mercantile Battery is a deep, rich, and rewarding reading experience. The artillerists served from August of 1862 until the end of the war exclusively in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters. The high points of their service were during the Vicksburg campaign (where several received the coveted Medal of Honor) and along the Red River, where the battery was overrun and captured. In addition to offering a standard history of the war in a larger context and the battery's role therein, Williams weaves the letters of gunner Will Brown (and a few others) into the narrative. Brown's endlessly fascinating letters home to his father (which he wrote without believing they would ever be published) provide insight on battle experiences, slavery, presidential politics, generalship, and much more. Thanks to Brown's correspondence, we learn what he and his comrades were thinking and feeling while they were thinking and feeling it, instead of after years of reflection. An interesting twist develops when the coverage of the book splits to cover the survivors of Red River and their own unique ordeal, and the experiences of the other "Chicago's Battery Boys" who languished under terrible conditions in a Confederate prison. The extensive end notes span 120 pages, and the bibliography offers a wide array of firsthand research. Williams's study is well written and always interesting. Every history buff will profit from reading it. Includes a Foreword by notes historian Edwin C. Bearss. ISBN: 1-932714-06-5; photos, illus., original maps, roster, appendices, biblio., index, hardcover, d.j., 636 pages. $39.95
Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of the Chicago Mercantile Battery. The book tells the story of its role in the Civil War's western theatre as well as what life was like from the view of the soldiers as the war wore on. Rick Williams did a wonderful job of weaving in Will Brown's Civil War letter collection and other material, which bring a vivid 1st hand account of the soldier's struggles to life.
One of my favorite letters is from Corporal Charles Haseltine. He and the Battery Boys encounter the 1st Regiment of Mississippi Light Artillery in the edge of the woods at Champion Hill east of Vicksburg. They get pinned down in front of the Coker house under heavy fire when a piece of artillery shell tears thorough a straw Rebel hat on Haseltine's head. He had just picked up the hat the day before and thought it would bring him luck. The shell knocked him out and the Battery Boys left him for dead at the end of the day. As dusk falls on the battlefield, the Confederates' Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman is hit by the same shell that kills his horse and the Federals disrupt Pemberton's retreat toward Vicksburg. That night,, four of Haseltine's friends return to the Coker house property to retrieve his body and discover he is alive. Back at camp, a doctor stitches the corporal's forehead back in place, and he lives to tell his story!
The author goes on to describe the Mercantile Battery's role in the Siege of Vicksburg. The Battery Boys drag a one-ton gun up a steep embankment to within 20-30 feet of the 2nd Texas Lunette to fire 14 rounds into the enemy's fort, which enabled the Union infantrymen to withdraw without further damage..
A nice touch that every reader may not notice but will enjoy is the integrated placement of maps, photographs and sketches. Each of them is strategically located on the same page where it is discussed in the book. This placement must have taken quite a bit of effort during the publishing process, but it definitely makes reading the book more enjoyable.
I recommend Chicago's Battery Boys for history enthusiasts who are interested in getting a fresh perspective on what was happening during the Vicksburg and Red River Campaigns. Besides following the various battles, readers may also like the behind-the-scenes look at was happening with civilians in Illinois, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The extensive footnotes will undoubtedly appeal to Civil War buffs who want to delve into this story in greater detail.

while in France recently at Chalon-sur-Soane I visited their photography museum. They were doing a special exhibit of this work. I was so totally impressed on how Miller could capture these photos while seeming to be invisable to his subjects that I investigated when I returned and discovered that this book was available. I bought TWO; one for myself and one for my daughter who is a serious photographer.

These striking images of Bronzeville -- "Chicago's Harlem" -- will blow you away. The humanity they portray, in all its beaten-down, lifted-up, heartbreaking reality, makes me wish I knew personally every man and woman depicted herein.

Wayne Miller, a white photographer now well into his 80s, went into the Bronzeville ghetto over a two-year period and made these touching pictures; then they "went into a drawer" for 40 years, until finally the Univ of Calif Press published this book. (The book itself is as well-produced a book of photographs as you are likely to find anywhere.)

My grandfather Nathan Joseph ran the States Theatre at 3507 S. State St., in the heart of Bronzeville, for some 50 years (unfortunately the States is not depicted herein). I myself have written a novel of Bronzeville called "To Love Mercy" (Mid-Atlantic Highlands, ISBN 0-9744785-3-9). A historical Afterword appears at the end of "To Love Mercy;" it is an oral history of Bronzeville, in the voices of a dozen people who lived there in the '40s and '50s. This Afterword is illustrated with seven of Wayne Miller's photos from "Chicago South Side, 1946-1948."

I have given close to a dozen copies of "Chicago South Side" as gifts. I was coming to Amazon to buy two more copies when I saw this opportunity to write a review.

These photos have moved me to tears. Buy this book.

This is a marvelous collection of images from everyday Balck Chicago life in the late 1940s. There are scenes of street life, back alleys, patrons at a pool hall and tavern, and night life ranging from a female personator dressing to Duke Ellington hunched at a piano at rehearsal and an ebullient Louis Jordan on stage.

This book is a treasure. I wish I could find more by this photographer (my searches have come up empty). The photographs take you right inside each scene, and often pack a powerful punch of sadness, joy, intimacy, life. The printing quality is excellent. If the publisher can collect more of his work, I will be the first customer.

This is one of the best photographic books I've seen -- ever. Wayne Miller manages to make personal contact with the human beings who lived on Chicago's South Side in a way that few photographers have ever matched. The warmth and complexity of these photographs, the compassion and human understanding involved, are most remarkable -- especially since the photographer stood on the other side of America's terrible racial divide from his subjects. Anyone who loves classic documentary photography, or who simply loves human beings in their complexity, should order this book.

This book is the first of Abigail Padgett's "Bo Bradley" series. It is very well written, and gives some important insight into a very important issue, as well as being an extremely good story.

I really liked this book because it was interesting and you would never want to put the book down. It's mysterious and rare. It's about an investigator named Barbera Bradley and she tries to save a 4 year old boy from two dangerous guys that try to murder the little boy named Weppo. She got a mysterious call to run away with the child. This is my favorite book I'v read so far.

Mix a child-protection officer with her Irish grandmother's Gift of "knowing," an elderly Indian receiving beneficient messages from The Spirit, and the officer's bi-polar illness, and you have a marvelous ride on a merry-go-round. Add a French pediatrician, a cold-eyed Texan running for office, and the "severely retarded" child who unites all. Allow plenty of time, because you won't want to stop for bedtime. A rare treat.

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down. Being Bipolar myself, I could completely identify with the main character, Bo's, inner challenges. The author has done a very, very good job of capturing and describing what goes on inside the mind of a high-functioning person struggling to stay sane, and she's done it in a way that brings a lot of humor. Bo is so likable, so determined, so admirable. The central storyline is very engrossing, and the whole southwestern setting and mystique are icing on the cake. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read the next one.

I really liked this book because it was interesting and you would never want to put the book down. It's mysterious and rare. It's about an investigator named barbera bradley and she tries to save a 4 year old boy from to dangerous guys that try to murder the little boy named Weppo. She got a mysterious call to run away with the child. This is my favorite book I'v read so far.

Child of the World is a complete resource for parents, grandparents, teachers and anyone who is a friend to a child between the ages of three on up to twelve years old. It offers very practical advice to support the Montessori lessons of practical life activities, sensorial experiences, language, math and geometry, art and music, social studies and the physical and life sciences, from age 3 through age 12 and beyond. It has been referred to as "a Montessori course in one volume."

Susan Stephenson has been teaching in the Montessori field since 1970, has read all of Dr. Montessori's books and pulled out the quotes that are most helpful to parents and teachers. Child of the World is filled with clear guidance using the priciples of Dr. Maria Montessori. She addresses the joys and challenges of supporting children's process of becoming a fully human being with common sense and deep insight into the nature of the human being. You can feel her enjoyment and appreciation for the unique needs and gifts of the developing sensibilities of the child. Here she offers a perspective that encourages us to observe, reflect, and connect with the child, while offering activities which foster independence, life skills, communication, time for personal reflection. All those who desire to preserve the dignity and joy of the young child will admire how Susan conveys great respect for the inner life and spiritual nature of children. She has gathered together gems of wisdom, practical help, and activities, books, and games that expand the world of the child. She has travelled the globe collecting precise, beautiful and often handmade items that invite the child to interact and discover. Child of the World is also a source of delightful and inspiring books and materials.

Child of the World (three to twelve years) and its companion, The Joyful Child (birth to three) offer kind guidance along a sure path for developing the skills and attributes that will assist the child in preparing for life. These are the resources I have depended on to find wonderful additions for my Montessori environment during my 32 years of teaching. It is also the place I rely on for gifts for my grandchildren and resources to have ready when they come for a visit. Child of the World is a great resource for the many years from three to twelve and supports us in the attitudes and applications of good child support. Both of these publications are welcomed into Montessori training centers, schools, and homes worldwide as a clear and concise guide to basic Montessori principles.


A wide array of resources and excellent links such as lectures, children's projects, etc., at the always-current websites of the publisher of Joyful Child and Child of the World:[...]

Cathryn Kasper, AMI/USA consultant

I must say, this is the bargain of the year for making Montessori philosophy understandable to parents. An excellent overview, practical and clear. Also, the materials offered in the catalogue section are much less expensive than those usually found in Montessori schools and so are valuable to parents for their children at home.

This product is an excellent educational resource. The notes on child development ages and stages are very useful; I have used it extensively during the past ten years in homeschooling my own child (and the children of others).It is now the mainstay of my step-daughter's homeschooling curriculum for her three children.
Child of the world is an excellent tool in ensuring your child has a well-rounded education. My current copy lives on the coffee table. Children love to peruse it before birthdays and christmas!

This is a great book with all the basics for a home school. It helps you set up, explains how to go about teaching, offers tons of resources and then there is a catalogue to buy great aids, toys and materials needed. The perfect all-in-one and very [reasonable] for the great stuff it has. I know I bought the expensive guides and now only refer back to this one!!

This book can be ordered directly from the publisher at www.michaelolaf.net and a lot of the text has been placed free at this site. It presents a clear picture of Montessori ideas for both the preschool and elementary school, and can be used for projects at home as well. The "book" is also a catalogue of books, toys, and materials that engage the child in a healthy and fun way while educating.

Since losing his job as an aerospace engineer, Jack Liffey has become something of a specialist in finding missing children. So, when an old school acquaintance asks him to find his missing daughter, Liffey is happy to help out--even if the acquaintance insists on reports and psychological analysis (he's a psychologist). The missing daughter was associated with four Persian-american high school boys, also missing. It doesn't seem like an especially difficult case, although the arrival of an FBI agent gives Liffey a hint that things are going to get difficult.

Liffey's investigation takes him from Los Angeles to Mexican border towns, involves Arabic terrorists, terrorizing Mexican drug dealers, and layers of government corruption, lies, and secrets. As always, Liffey finds a portion of what he is looking for--and a lot more. Persian-American student Fariborz Bayat plays a major role in helping Liffey and, through Liffey, gains a deeper understanding of his humanity, his relationship with Islam, and his moral senses.

Author John Shannon has created a powerful and complex character in Jack Liffey. His love for his daughter, philosophical approach to the world, anguish over his erratic sexual performance, and tough moral code make him both admirable and approachable. As a reader, I'm not sure I would like Liffey, but I am sure I would want to have him on my side.

Shannon knows that moral questions can be tough, that an assurance of righteousness is often the mask of evil, and that goodness exists outside of the arbitrary whim of a God--but he conveys his message through story rather than through artifice. CITY OF STRANGERS is a powerful and emotionally moving story. I highly recommend it.

I loved this book! John Shannon combines great plot, great characters, and a social conscience in a thriller noir style mystery. The plot is fairly complex and covers a lot of ground - racism, class bias, the divisions among arabs and persians, terrorism, dirty bombs, drug smuggling, divorced parenting, car trouble, and raising a teenage girl. Some diaglogue borders on didactic, but still engrossing. The setting is LA grungy, very realistic. If you like your thrillers with some gravity to them, you'll like this book. I can't wait to read the next one.

I recently reviewed John Shannon's book "Streets on Fire" rather negatively. I want to go on record as saying that I just dislike the *book*, not the character or the author. This next entry in the series, Jack Liffey's sixth adventure, is called City of Strangers, and though I was at times a bit annoyed with the author's attitude towards Muslim extremists, I found the plot very believable, and the ending satisfying.

This time around, Jack's been hired by a college roommate who's now a shrink. The shrink has a daughter who's 17 and who's vanished without a trace. The only real clue is that she had an Iranian boyfriend, who dumped her after converting to a more radical version of Islam. When Liffey interviews the boy's parents, it's immediately apparent that things aren't what they seem, and the story takes off.

Shannon's made Liffey into an interesting character. He's sort of the prototype of the old-fashioned private eye. If he gets into a fight with the bad guys, he *might* win if there's only one guy to fight. Two, and he'll probably lose. If they shoot at him, he ducks, runs, hides, whatever, and gets hurt more often than not, winding up in the hospital. And of course the women enjoy him a great deal, and he winds up in bed with 1 or 2 per book.

I enjoyed this entry into the series a lot more than the last one. The author didn't try quite as hard to make LA look silly, and the plot was more satisfying. Recommended.

What is notable about John Shannon's Jack Liffey series is the author's depth of feeling and respect for young people. What is also of signal importance is the author's talent for creating thoroughly believable characters--even the villains. Take, for example, the fat man so immense that he requires two chairs to accommodate his width. In anyone else's hands, this creature would be a blob of amorphous evil--intent purely on doing his motiveless bad deeds. But with Shannon at the helm, we're presented with a history that makes the character so real that his behavior is genuinely shocking because we don't want to think that someone thoughtful and articulate can, given his intimate first-hand acquaintanceship with pain, proceed to inflict that same pain (literally) on someone else. Yet he does. And it feels very real; the reader shares Liffey's injuries--both physical and psychic. The same skill is at work in defining the young people in City of Strangers, especially the exquisitely drawn Fariborz who is a living, breathing portrait of internal conflict--a good soul on a crusade to awaken people to the wrongness all around them.

As always, when Liffey ultimately makes contact with the young people he's been hired to find, there are deeply thoughtful exchanges. Never condescending, never patronizing, always self-deprecating, yet always sensitive to their struggles--whether real or imagined--Liffey enters into their lives offering his battered heart and body as support for their sorrows. No one I've read has such a profound grasp on the issues that are central to the lives of youngsters approaching the treacherous border of adulthood. Liffey is a good man whose empathy is a poultice for the injured young, drawing out their pain and taking it into himself--like the archetypal sin eater.

Then, gleefully, there are the apocalyptic views that are sprinkled throughout every Liffey adventure. This time out, sadly, there are no little rat-like dogs to be hated. But there is a billboard advertising Drive-Through Hi-Colonics. Relief Without Waiting. (Hilarious!) And there are a couple of bemasked individuals on the street, holding up a banner that says, "Open Up Area 51, Display the Alien Remains."

Finally, happily, Jack has connected with the redoubtable Miss Rebecca Plumkill. And there are bits of a shredded foam pillow littering the bedroom. Now how, we have to wonder with amusement, did that happen? And aren't we glad that some warm light has managed to filter through the gloom of Jack's sorrows!
My highest recommendation.

Here's another great book from John Shannon! It's full of contempory issues such as dirty bombs and Arab Islamic terrorists. As well as covering Los Angeles scenes, which Shannon does better than anyone else I've read, he takes us across the border for a danger-filled visit to Mexico, complete with a vicious drug lord. Jack Liffey gets pretty beaten up this time, but he encounters a couple of interesting new women to ease the pain. He survives it all with courage and integrity intact and with a little help from his daughter Maeve, who seems to be more involved in keeping him alive as the books go on. It was such an engaging story that I could hardly put it down! I'm eager for the next book so I can find out which little corners of L.A., ethnic groups, and social issues, the multi-dimensional Jack Liffey will deal with as he and "Sancho Panza" Maeve drift around my city.

A fine tribute to those who served in our Amphibious Forces.
This is a very well researched book about the men who served on our Amphibious Ships during WWII. The detail can't be found in any other source. It's not just the story of one ship, it's the story of all the ships that helped win the war.
In addition to being incredibly well researched it is very readable and a must read of those who served, their families and those who want to learn about this part of our history.
Russ Padden - Webmaster for Amphibious Forces of WWII

I served on an AKA (USS Yancey AKA-83) during the Korean War. I am the historian for the Yancey and found the story of the Tate similar to the Yancey's experience during WW2. The Yancey was in commission for about 25 years was a part of Antartic expedition (Natl Geo.Oct 47'), the Korean War, the Cuban blockade and was in both the Pacfic and Atlantic fleet. I was very pleased to read about the day to day experiences of the AKAs in the Tate story

Last night I was reading this book well past midnight. I could not put it down until I saw how the Tate and her sister ships came through a series of unrelenting kamikaze attacks. The narrative in this book is riveting. I read it to gain insight into my father's WWII experience. He served aboard the USS Ormsby (APA-49). I was particularly interested in the many first-person stories that provide windows into the lives and experiences of sailors aboard these ships. I was surprised to find how well I was able to follow the combat sequences. I usually get lost in a jumble of unit designations, but the author took great care with charts, maps and verbal descriptions so I was able to understand what was going on and why. He explained the complex choreography of amphibious assault in a way that even I could understand. It is a great read.

I was an officer on one of the USS Tate's sister ships in the early 1960's, and I'm in contact with numerous shipmates from WWII. This book presents an accurate account of life aboard an attack cargo ship. Additionally, it gives interesting and informative accounts of the amphibious landing support mission in the Pacific. No other book has ever done either of these, though the famous "Away All Boats" dealt well with shipboard life in a fictional way. Combat Loaded is well-written from both the historic and human point of view. I read every word of it, and I found it hard to put down.

First, in the interest of full disclosure, let me first say that my father served on this ship, so please excuse me for being being a "homer" on this one. Ships such as the Tate and sailors like Dad played an important role in keeping many ships (battleships, carriers, etc") supplied and attacking the enemy. The designation AKA was funny in that the A stood for "attack", which means they had at least one gun.

Tom has done a great job of shedding light on a group of WWII's unsung heros, who faced the same enemy attacks as some of the better known Navel elements. Enjoy the book.

I remember the day that Kambiz received his book in the mail, "hot from the press," so to speak. We were studying in Middlebury, Vermont, and I had the honor to be a classmate of Kambiz. I flipped through the book, and though i didn't read it, it was obvious from the accuracy of his data on MSA-UCLA that he had done a considerable amount of fieldwork.

adambenwang@hotmail.com

I am a moslem and I think there are more things that any researcher about Islam must tell the people and I think this book is very useful for all the people in all contries. I like to thanks Kambiz Gh. for this book. I wish to have more books from him about Islam.

By reading this book one can get a clear, well researched, and 'real life' picture about Islam/muslims in the United States. Where there are so many unfortunate misleading information about Islam and Muslims in our community, Mr. GhaneaBassiri puts forth a true and dignified perspective about the religion and muslims' experience. This is a well written and thorough book.

This book is excellent for at least two reasons. Unlike other books on Islam in America, it considers all Muslims: immigrants, converts, black Muslims, and NOI. Second, Ghaneabassiri shows a human side to his subject, one which is lacking in other books. It is a shame the book is not in paperback.

GhaneaBassiri, an Iranian 174 doctoral student at Harvard, read widely, sent out a questionnaire, and talked to American Muslims. The result is perhaps the most sophisticated study to date of Muslim attitudes in the United States. He reaches two main conclusions.

First, immigrant and convert Muslims alike share a deeply ambivalent attitude toward American culture. They find immorality rampant in the country ("culturally retarded" is one interviewee's colorful term) 44 but see it as an exciting place of opportunity-not just for economic gain, but as a place "to live Islam." 44 This ambivalence, GhaneaBassiri finds, has direct political implications: "a significant number of Muslims, particularly immigrant Muslims, do not have close ties or loyalty to the United States." 47 Indeed, his questionnaire shows that 12 out of 15 immigrants and even 5 out of 15 converts feel more allegiance to a foreign country than to the United States. 45 Second, GhaneaBassiri finds that Muslims in the United States "are undecided about what Islam is and requires." 50 Taking advantage of America's unique religious freedom, they insist on exploring their Islamic identity and are bouyantly self-confident about their potential to lead the Muslim world. 57 This attitude, when coupled with the enormous ethnic and sectarian diversity of American Islam, translates into a disunity that has prevented American Muslims from influencing American politics. 101

Middle East Quarterly, Islam in the United States December 1998

Having spent my teenage years in Mozambique during the 1950s, I've always felt a strong affinity for Mozambique and its people. I read Finnegan's book with a heavy heart, finally piecing together the puzzle of what has become of the, "Terra de boa gente", the land of the good people. Finnegan's book is amazingly sensitive and intelligent. This is a book built on a foundation of deep insight, patience and great scholarship. Through Finnegan's incisive reporting, I was transported back to this "harrowed" land down to the smell of the wood fires. Not having been in Mozambique since 1968, Finnegan re-kindled my interest and wish to re-visit this challenged land and to see it again for myself.

This is a great introductory book to understanding the war in Mozambique from independence until 1992. This would be the first book that I would recommend anyone wanting to know about the history behind current events not only in Mozambique, but in Southern Africa in general. Finnegan divided the war into sections based on the provinces of Mozambique, and then told the unique story relative to each region and how the war was influenced by Mozambicans and its neighbors. If anyone is interested in further reading on Mozambique and/or Southern Africa, the bibliography in the back of this book is exceptional. Most highly recommended!

I bought this book before a trip to Mozambique in the summer of 2000. I found it very hard to find books about the country. I found this to be the most complete book as far as giving me a big picture of what the people had been through in recent years. The book has many anecdotes to show the typical western reader just how different life is in Mozambique. I found that the sense of poverty as well as generosity and warmth that the author communicated was verified by my own experience. It is the stories of the everyday person in the book that are so wonderful. Stories of the joy of children upon recieving a gift of a pen or the desire of young man for a pair of shoes.

The Mozambicans are amazing people. I apprciated them even more because I had read this this book. I was filled with wonder at the total complete wonderful humanity I encountered given the populations truly horrible experience of war.

I bought this book before a trip to Mozambique in the summer of 2000. It was very hard to find books about the country. I ended up coming to Amazon and jsut doing a search. This was one of the books I bought sight unseen. It turned out to be the best. It was the most complete book as far as giving me a big picture of what the people had been through in recent years. The book has many anecdotes to show the typical western reader just how different life is in Mozambique. I found that the sense of poverty as well as generosity and warmth that the author communicated was verified by my own experience. It is the stories of the everyday person in the book that are so wonderful. Stories of the joy of children upon recieving a gift of a pen or the desire of young man for a pair of shoes.

The Mozambicans are amazing people. I apprciated them even more because I had read this this book. I was filled with wonder at the total complete wonderful humanity I encountered given the populations truly horrible experience of war.

This is a lively and well written book which deals with the period of civil war in Mozambique. It was completed and published just before the conclusion of a successful peace process and so provides a particularly clear and powerful view of recent history.It is based on the author's travels within country during the war period and includes extensive interviews. The people he talked and worked with emerge as very vivid and lively characters. The support of the rebels by Rhodesia and South Africa, and the reasons for that support, are well described. A must read for anyone going to work in Mz, strongly recommended for the serious traveler as well.

Conways 1906-1922 volume does an excellent,comprehensive,yet well detailed look at the most intense period of warship development and construction ever seen.All classes of warships,major and minor,of all countries are well addressed,with an excellent text as well as photos and sketches.It will serve a prominent place in my early warship library,along with their 1860-1905 volume.I was pleased at the high quality paper used,not often found today.Well worth the price to any enthusiast,casual or devoted!
Mike Dunham

It's very much like the 1922-1946 book in terms of coverage, and that's fine. What I wanted was a general survey like that, something to fill in the gaps in my knowledge for this period, and I learned many things here. There's only so much you can fit in a book like this, so I can't rate it down for lack of detail, other books can fill that gap.

The best book of it's type. While Jane's for the same general period is a collection of period work, complete with incorrect data used at the time, Conway's is an accurate library of the warships of the day.

This book, together with the other of the serie that cover the period from 1860 to the present, is an outstanding one, the ideal reference book for the person looking for informations about the evolution of the modern warships through the description of the ship themselves. The book is divided into sections, each dealing with one nation's navy; the ships of every nation are grouped by type and each class is described by a brief textual introduction, a tabular description with the main ships' detail (size, machinery, artillery, armour and so on) and, for each ship, the building dates and the fate. The textual description is, at least for the greater ship category (battleship, carriers and cruisers) quite detailed and reports a lot of interesting data about the building, the machinery, the operational career and some other interesting stuffs. There is a good number of very good drawings and photographs (not as detailed as a ship modeler would hope, but this book is not for the modeler) and you can find in the books every nation that ever possessed a warship. A "must have" for every naval enthusiast!

The 1906-1921 book of Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships is arguably the second best in the series after the outstanding (although increasingly rare and outrageously expensive) 1947-1995 volume. It includes highly detailed histories of the various ship classes and a great deal of information. This sets it apart from the 1922-1946 edition, which feels strangely empty because it contains little in terms of history of individual ship classes and drowns the reader in facts and figures.

As such, the 1906-1921 edition reads much more like a very detailed history book than its successor, while giving us the same amount of facts and statistics, and is all the better for it.

I recommend it without reservation to fans of naval warfare, provided you can find a copy...