Pennsylvania Books

"Freedom Seeker" is an excellent introduction to the man whose seeking set him on a long journey of faith. In his youth he became a "convinced" member of the Quaker faith. These beliefs and practices made him extremely unpopular with the ruling majority in Britain, including his father. (Happily, they were reconciled before the elder's death.) William Penn suffered much for justice & civil liberties.

Readers will learn that Penn was imprisoned time & again in disease-ridden and rat-infested jails. But these experiences did not scar him as the small pox of his childhood did. He is revealed as a disciplined person who would be a good role model for young readers.

Penn later followed his quest to set aside land in America for other freedom-loving people. He helped the Lenni Lenape natives as well as emigrating Pennsylvanians. While establishment of the Pennsylvania colony was his great achievement, he was able to live there for only a short time.

There will doubtless be some adults reading this book, who use it & the well-chosen bibliography as a 'starting place' for quests of their own. The basic truths of Penn's life and faith are depicted honestly for a wide audience. Some criticism is printed above but does not include a letter refuting it, as printed by SLJ. As for an opinion that "blotchy illustrations detract" we should all take to heart this quote from the late Richard F. Ericson, phD: "We cannot make value judgments for other people" !

FREEDOM IS ELUSIVE. Learning about the sacrifices made for faith will make us cherish our own more; and hopefully, help us better understand the beliefs of others. Reviewer mcHAIKU gives FIVE STARS to the author AND to the students who learn from the life of William Penn.

My research has led me to take freedom seriously. I ordered this book as relevant, but I had doubts about the word "embrace" in the title. I was suspicious that the embrace had to do with some form of sentimentalism. Now that I have begun to read the book, I am delighted to find it is incisive and objective.

An excerpt from the preface (page xiv)--

"In this book, I attempt a radical reexamination of freedom. I rethink the idea of freedom from the ground up, in a fresh and independent inquiry that draws upon the long tradition of philosophical discussion of these issues without drowning the reader in historical erudition or technical philosophical discourse. The book begins with a closer look at some perennial and recalcitrant philosophical debates about human freedom. It seeks to break out of those disputes by showing how they arise from fragmentary conceptions of freedom and from convictions about ourselves and our world that may seem innocent enough but only create confusions that have trapped modern thought in an impasse that seems inescapable. Closer analysis shows that those convictions depend upon assumptions that are both unnecessary and untenable and that each of the partical conceptions of freedom that have long muddled debate has a legitmate place within a more comprehensive understanding of what it means to be free. In the process, the contradiction between freedom and necessity gives way to a discovery of the necessary conditions of freedom.

"Once we understand the necessities of freedom, we must reconceive the relation between freedom and necessity. That means rethinking both the place of necessity in science and the place of freedom in nature. We must confront the neglected question of animal freedom and recognize that freedom is not a peculiarly human privilege. Still, human freedom does differ from animal freedom in ways reflected by the difference between natural evolution and humna history. Symbolism and culture vastly expand the range of alternatives available for human choice. They raise human freedom from the level of immediate options to the level of strategies, norms, and rules. They also lead, eventually, to a self-awareness of freedom that seems lacking in animals. Only human being seem able to establish freeedom as an ideal."

Finding a philosopher who writes about freedom as it is actually experienced, instead of free will versus determinism, is rare. Finding one who writes to human audiences in clear and friendly language is a real delight.

This book is a gem. I stumbled upon it in a supermarket and bought it as used.I can not believe this is Jeanne Mackin's first book! The book takes you back to eighteenth century France as if it had been written during the French revolution! I love it!!!

This very short book is an affectionate retelling of a father's bicycle trip across the country in 1923. Starting in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and ending in Los Angeles, the narrative follows the young Frank Kolbe as he sets out to see the world for the first time. The simple, straight-forward writing reflects the author's sincere desire to elevate the memory of his father and his adventures. Light reading, but fun.

End 1942 Allen Dulles gets in Switzerland, sent by OSS to set up an office in Berne. Soon after, the invasion of North africa by allies provoqued the invasion of southern France by german troops, and Allen Dulles was isolated in Switzerland, free to accomplish his mission. He began to open talks with german intelligence services - wich ended by building the famous Gehlen org. There is very little doubt that these talks were usefull to save the nazi organisation as well as nazi gold in Switzerland after war. Allen Dulles had no difficulties to get friendly with the nazis, being himself a nazi since before the war, serving german interests as a lawyer in Wall Street, with his brother Foster. What realy were saying Dulles reports to his superiors in the US is clearly interesting to understand at what degree he was building up his own policy or executing the policy of the american government. It is obvious that such documents may appear after being censored. But in any case, they are necessary to get the complete picture of that very important moment of modern history : when the nazis, in fact, won the war.

I've read many books on terrorism and have found many of them well written. This literature is one of the very best. It uses information by practitioners and provides like no other resource. A must for anyone in the terrorism/trafficking field.

From the Miners' Doublehouse: Archaeology and Landscape in a Pennsylvania Coal Company Town
Metheny has captured the essence of life in a coal mining town.
Following a brief history of company towns in the United States, Metheny focuses her study on the mining town of Helvetia, Pennsylvania in the bituminous coal field.
Using oral histories of people who lived in Helvetia during the 1930's and 1940's, she examines the relationship between the coal company and the miners and their families.

As a student of Prof. Boehrer, some years back, I heard portions of this book while he was working on it. His writing is tight with fact and ideas and sharpened by exquisite irony of language. This book starts being witty at the title. Palatability increases thereafter.

This volume is a compilation of papers that highlight the transformation of Western leftist parties from romantic revolutionaries to pragmatic realists. This meant that these parties shifted on the political spectrum from the left to the left-center.
The chapters are thorough, descriptive and insightful and even though the different authors offer different writing styles, some studies in this book are attractive and entertaining while other chapters are dull and boring.
Readers will particularly enjoy the story of leftist failure in the US, where post World War II prosperity hindered the evolution of the concept of society. This individualism was emulated in England under Conservative premier Margaret Thatcher in the 80s. Magi became famous for her statement: "There is no society, only individuals," in reference to her rightist party's stance against the social welfare state.
The rightist leadership of England extended for most of the 1980s and 90s until the Conservative Party's several mistakes, coupled with the leftist Labor Party's "reconsideration" of itself leading to its transformation into the New Labor, brought Labor to power. When in power, the leftist English party moved away from leftism and the welfare state toward what it depicted as a "Third Way" style of governorship, which included more liberal economic policies.
But such a shift was not easy in France, where despite the Socialist Party's implementation of rightist economic policies starting the mid 1980s, the socialists could not express out loud their adoption of more center-leftist policies for the fear that their strong communist allies might abandon them.
Meanwhile, in Germany the social democrats endorsed "Third Way" policies and came to power.
In Poland, the disbanded Communist Party transformed itself into a Social Democratic Party and won over the Solidarity Movement, known for its freedom fighting under the communists before 1989. The reason for this leftist victory, the book argues, was the virtual inexistence of the middle-class which traditionally supports rightist parties and their market economy theses.
In Russia, the underdeveloped political culture has been unable to sustain majoritarian politics. Therefore, social democracy failed facing a dominant popular political culture based on a clientele network and favoritism penetrating the state bureaucracy.
The volume ends with a concise conclusion by the book's editor Erwin Hargrove. The book is both entertaining and enlightening for all those interested in political studies and political philosophy.

I was fortunate to get one of the last copies of Bob Gordon's book about the 1960 Eagles NFL Championship seaosn. It's out of print now.

But in "Game of My Life", Bob gets us inside the minds of some truly great Eagles players, some of whom played on that 1960 team. We get to read about Tommy McDonald's recollections of playing in Philly, and you may be surprised by the game he picks as the "Game" of his life.

Bob also captured the thoughts of Andre Waters just before he tragically died. With that in mind, reading his account of the game of his life is poignant in retrospect.

There's Vince Papale telling his own story, and we hear from old timers like Bill Bradley, Chuck Bednarik, Vic Sears and Ernie Steele, tha latter two of the early days in Eagles football. Remember the Steegles? The Frankford Yellow Jackets?

Then there's a recollection of that tremendous game in 1991, which has become Eagles folklore, and which has been called the "House of Pain" game. Remember, Eagles vs. Houston. Wes Hopkins nailing Ernest Givens over the middle! Andre Waters policing the whole field such that no Oiler receiver would go near the center of the field. Were we ever prouder of that defense then in that game? It's all here as told by ? (don't want to spoil the fun!).

We hear from Brian Dawkins, Frank Lemaster, Bill Bergey, Keith Jackson, Mike Quick, Timmy Brown and more. Dick Vermail weighs in as do Bill Campbell, Merrill Reese, Brian Baldinger and Dave Spadaro.

What makes each chapter so special is Bob's ability to interweave the history of the game selected by each player with the memories and images from the player's mind. Having that context makes the moment more enjoyable and special.

Each chapter also tests our knowledge of Eagles trivia. These questions are treats in themselves and will enhance your stature the next time you're at Lincoln Financial Field, grilling the hot dogs and drinking the beer hours before the next game, challenging your buddies to a delightful one-on-one about Iggles heroes from the past. And if you're an Eagles fan dislocated from the Philly area, well read a chapter, close your eyes, and you'll be back there at the Vet too.

You know, we all remember where we were when JFK was shot or when the Challenger blew up. For us diehard, ever-faithful Eagle fans, our lives are marked by the moments we share from Eagle games, won or lost. As certain songs make up the soundtrack of our lives, so too do certain special moments watching the Eagles on those small black and white TVs (or listening to a transistor radio) or today with the 50" flat screens, or maybe screaming your tonsils out, or crying our eyes out at the Vet or the Linc, or maybe Franklin field, all those special moments describe and define our lives just as much those songs or the history we witnessed. We were there, watching, listening, whatever. Bob captures those moments and lets us live them again. He provides focus on those fuzzy details in our minds, the ones we tell our kids and grandkids, and maybe great-grandkids about, you know "Billy, I was sitting there in 30-degree weather under a blue sky when Timmy Brown ran that kickoff back....," or "Suzie, I was walking through the bird house at the Philly zoo listening to my radio when so and so intercepted that pass...."

If you cried when they blew up the Vet, or raised your fist too when they carried Jeff Kemp off the field, or stood in near-silence at the Linc when the clock wound down and the Iggles beat the Falcons to get to the Super Bowl, you are the type who will pick up Bob's book and then call in sick at work, till you get to the end. Better yet, as the heroine said in the movie, "You had me at hello....", "Game of My Life" will have you at the Preface.

Bob is no novice writing about Philly teams. I've read all his books about the Eagles, Phillies, Villanova (my alma mater). But "Game of My Life" is his best, by far. You can't be a TRUE Eagles fan without owning this book on your shelf. I've read some chapters several times. I just can't put it down. I just plain enjoy the memories so much I want to re-live them again and again. You will too.