Washington Books

If you are interested in the way that politics drives (in some cases distorts) how government accomplishes what it has to accomplish, or you're interested in how government actually works (not what flacks, spinners, and headlines would have one accept on faith), you're cheating yourself if you do not read everything that Elizabeth Drew publishes. This book is no exception.

Of the cataclysmic changes that The New Yorker magazine went through starting in the early 1990s, one of the earliest and worst (and that's saying something) was parting ways with Drew, who until then had been writing the Letter from Washington column, and publishing a book every couple of years, it seemed. Her reporting was and is unparalleled: factual, addressing in detail questions that actually matter, not polemical (unless one considers disappointment with the corrosive effect of money and political fund-raising polemical); its equivalent or even a reasonable substitute was and is not to be found elsewhere.

Her current periodical gig is with The New York Review of Books, and this book reprints 3 of her columns (2 are also book reviews) published in NYRB in May and June 2003 and February '04. They cover key aspects of Bush's political side (particularly Karl Rove); the current Congress (which doesn't present much contrast to the Bush Administration); and Bush's Iraq-focused side (the "neocons"). The Rove and Congress pieces are the latest dispatches in Drew's long-term effort to report on how the profession of political strategy affects policy outcomes.

The neocons piece is quite different, and it is important because its subject is one of the more successful projects in the history of American policy entrepreneurship. A few friends/colleagues with ideas about the Middle East, not one an elected official (except Dick Cheney), convince the world's current great power, led by a man who campaigned against "nation building," to wage a major war that fulfills their dreams. Most entrepreneurs would be satisfied if they convinced investors to put up money and start a successful business; in the policy world it's a coup if a ground-breaking law is enacted (maybe even an agency created). But a war--billions invested (with a vague up-front price tag), thousands dying and sacrificing--and the conquest of a sovereign nation: for that you have to give the neocons their due. And study them. Drew's report is a fascinating short account of a subject that has generated several books and will continue to do so.

Elizabeth Drew, courageous journalist and scholar long based in Washington DC, here republishes a series of articles originally presented in the American intellectual journal New York Review of Books between May Day 2003 and Saint Valentine's Day 2004. Altough it reads with journalistic immediacy, the historical importance of the events described and of the larger issues addressed makes this collection essential reading for us now today, as we approach another election cycle.

Ms. Drew completely covers the ins and outs and hidden agendas of the first WBush regime. The first article in this collection in fact reports the doings and bio of Karl Rove, as it ostensibly is a review of the books Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential and Boy Genius: Karl Rove, The Architect Of George W. Bush's Remarkable Political Triumphs. This article remains important for us to consider now, as it exposes the nefarious strategies of this powerful man, who recently claimed to join the rats abandoning the sinking ship of state, but who remains firmly in power.

Among those who have been lost since the publication of this book is of course General Colin Powell, who here emerges as a noble and even heroic figure of integrity, but a tragically heroic due to his honesty, integrity, diplomacy (over war, which he experiened first hand, unlike the civilian saber rattlers involved) and his wisdom, and thus not one long to endure within the darkening regime of the W.

The second article republished comes from June 12, 2003, and mostly focuses on the neocons in power, inclduing Perle and company, and thus of course the corrupt, embezzling proposed puppet Iraqi president Chabadi. This article gives us further insight into how and why things went horribly wrong in Iraq.

The third article entitled Hung Up in Washington examines the Tom Daschle book Like No Other Time: The 107th Congress and the Two Years That Changed America Forever with many realted issues. It examines the shifts of power at that time, and includes insight into 9/11/01 on Capitol Hill. It includes the interesting insight that no one ever revealed the source of the anthrax envelopes sent to Democratic congressional leaders's offices. One wonders (although not Drew) what happened there while their offices were evacuated for cleaning for weeks and what partisan bugs were installed.

Despite the slim size of this volume, at seventy pages, the substantial and well researched and elegant writing of Ms. Drew makes these important articles for us to re-read at this point in time. The excellent and measured preface by PBS's Russell Baker makes it even more valuable, and at this current price we cannot afford not to read it.

Know your history. Read this book.

Claudia Wild's book is an indispensable guide to all of the best birding sites within a 200 mile radius of Washington, DC. It is a "must buy" for birders of all skill levels if you visit or live in DC, Maryland, or Virginia. She also covers Delaware, Cape May, NJ, and parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Her directions are easy to follow and her writing style will make you want to read about favorite birding areas again and again. Most important, this book will make it easy to find target birding species (in the appropriate season). This book is a solid 5 stars !!!

Claudia Wilds has done a wonderful job of presenting lots places, including little nooks and crannies to find birds in the greater D.C. area. Directions to locations are detailed and generally accurate, with lots of helpful information.

Well written, and easy to understand. A wonderful guide for exploring the world of birds.

This beautiful book tells the story of an amazing jewelry maker. Gorgeous photos show off her work, which incorporates found objects, fabrication, beads, and natural materials in imaginative, exciting ways. Truly inspiring work that transforms the ordinary into unnique art.

To Ramona, a domino is not merely a game piece. A domino can join other found objects in a necklace. This catalogue of 32 of Ramona's necklaces, appearing in a Bank of American gallery presentation from 18 November to 14 December 2001, are just plain fun. Of the 32 pieces, my favorite is an eye-catching necklace including cast silver, black and yellow African millefiore, and bauxite beads -- a stunner!

This is a great book, written not from a journalistic point of view nor from an official point of view, but from that of somebody who was a fire boss for over a decade on the Grand Canyon's North Rim fire crew. Written as fiction, although it is based on actual events with only the names changed. Edward Abbey, who worked in a fire tower on the North Rim for a couple of seasons, makes a thinly-disguised cameo appearance here as "Abner". Effectively captures the work, the culture, and the humor of forest firefighters in a way that no other book I've read has. If you're at all interested in the subject I'd recommend picking this up.

This book describes a seasonal firefighters job in 1977. This was before the advent of much of the specialized equipment used today. He also capture the essencial conflict between the resource/ranger staffs and real live firefighters. Reading this book I can feel the B2 unit digging into my back from my green canvas backpack.

If you liked "Mushrooms of Northern California", then you'll love "Flora of Mount Rainier". Once again Mr. Biek provides with an interesting and well informed account of the beauty of the world we live in. A must for naturalists and anyone who appreciates the great outdoors.

A thorough exploration of the flora of Mount Rainier. Perfect for naturalists, hikers and anyone who points to a flower and wants an answer to the perennial " What is that?" Ideal for anyone who who loves the outdoors and is insatiably curious about the environment around them. Obviously well-researched. Great illustrations and photos.

I gave this guidebook to friends going to Washington, DC for the 4th of July.
It was just what they needed to help them enjoy their week in DC. The map that was included made my decision to buy this guidebook over others easier.

FODOR'S WASHINGTON D.C. 2008 is a great book about the Washington D.C. area, covering both the city itself and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs, including Annapolis, MD and Arlington and Alexandria, VA. Whether you're traveling to the area, or are simply proud of being an American, this book is for you.

This guide was very informative. It included all dimensions of the DC area in an organized fashion. The map was convenient to use. School chaperones used this book to gather the details they would need for the recent student tour of the city.

This book was very well put together with wonderful pictures and clear explanations. It is interesting and informative.

Dating - in Geology at least- relies on an often stated presupposition: That whatever happended in the past happended slowly and at a constant rate. Well, things for dating are about to change as geologists take on board "catastrophic" events. One such "catastrophic" event is the Mount St Helens explosion which occurerd in the 80's. Geologists have now been able to carefully document the changes that occured with the eruption of Mount St Helens. What they found will fundamentally change the way we look at geological dating. In this book on the events following the eruption of Mount St Helens, the authors carefully show how a catastrophic event can cause sedimentation and erosion previously only assumed as possible over very long time periods. This is a must read for those interested in geological dating.

They'd been friends growing up on the small East Coast island of Harmony--Julia, Lauren and Cathryn, Amber and the others. Now one of them is dead, and Julia Lewis goes home for the first time in seven years.

Julia's grief makes this a bittersweet experience. But coming home is also a chance to revive old memories and reconnect with her circle of old friends. And to fall--hard--for a Boston journalist named Ben Grant who now owns the island's weekly paper.

Still, despite Julia's feelings for Ben, she can't accept his accusations about Amber's death--that it was murder, not suicide, and that Julia's friend, chief of police Charlie Slocum, ran a sloppy investigation.

With a charming smile and awkward questions, Ben's causing all kinds of complications in Harmony's little world. And in Julia's...

I've never been one to like romance, but this book caught my eye and I decided to read it. It was incrediable. The romance -- although clearly there was immensed in the plot so the characters weren't acting "gushy" all the time. It reminded me more of a murder mystery which just happened to have romance in it -- something i enjoy! I don't like romances that are all sexual all the time-- but Julia had the best of both. It was a book that kept you guessing until the end where Julia realizes something important about herself and life.

I have never been one for history books, but I have to tell you that if my history classes had books like this, I would have gotten straight A's. This book is truly fascinating not only because it highlights examples of courage in history, but it also leaves you considering your own character. The stories are inspiring and the book is very well-written. It does not read like a history textbook, yet I learned so much. It is amazing to think about the courage that people have inside of them, facing their fears fully knowing the potential consequences. This is a must read!

Why are some people courageous and others not? Just what is courage? Robinson addresses these questions in Part One with writing that is neither dry nor academic. This is not a textbook, it is an interesting read that explains a lot about the nature of courage and the way courage has shaped the history of America. In Part Two, Robinson presents seven compact biographies of Americans who have shaped American history: George Washington, David Crockett, Robert Gould Shaw, Crazy Horse, Matthew Henson, Rachel Carson, and Karen Silkwood.

While I appreciated the narrative style of "Founding Courage" and enjoyed it as an informative historical book, students will especially find it useful.

Very classic, humourous veiw of shakespeare

This book contains the four "best" comedies of Shakespeare, along with an excellent foreword by Joseph Papp. For each play, it contains a very well written introduction (one that is not only on the play, but links each of them together), Shakespeare's original source material (example: "A Merry Jest of a Shrewd and Curst Wife Lapped in Morel's Skin" for "the Taming of the Shrew"), and well commented textual notes. I found this collection particularly useful for an "upper-level" look at these four plays.