Canada Books

Yes, I am addicted to the planet. So this January I purged books that were of no use to me. What a waste of money and storage space! This time, I borrowed Adria Vasil's guide book from my local public library. I decided that I was not going to invest in yet another book unless I knew for sure that it would be a blessing in my life. It is a book for people who want to do somehting to lighten their impact on the planet. It's about taking baby steps of change in order to build a more positive way
of doing everyday life on this earth. It has been a tremendous blessing in my life. It is the book I keep coming back to in my home to read up on everything from beauty purchases, to pharmaceuticals, to diapers, to travel, to pesticides, to homemaking. Anything in your home is in here. It would make a great housewarming gift or baby shower gift. Practical, helpful and user friendly advice. Ideas that I never thought of that make life simpler, easier and more sustainable to the environment. I love this book.

What a great read! It is packed with very useful information and there was never a dull moment. No need to skim or skip boring sections. We could all use some information on keeping our lives green and simple! I found this book online and am glad I bought it, even though it was a bit pricey for my reading budget. I found some really great environmentally friendly products and related green news at www.enviropages.org ! I will be looking for more information and books on keeping my family's farm as green as possible. Kudos to the author for such a success!

I read stipettes from our local Canadian newspaper and I love what this author has to say. I would like to buy a dozen copies to give as gifts, but not at the $29.99 price. Will this be available in paperback soon at a lesser price$. Thanks in advance for your reply
Sara at mthrtrkr@eastlink.ca

Want to help save the planet one simple step at a time? Adria Vasil's highly entertaining and informative ECOHOLIC will supply all the advice and tips you could possibly need. Her informal and often humorous approach to some pretty grim facts about the amount of toxins we're wearing, inhaling, and decorating our homes with (and this is only a fraction of the big picture) is enough to make one want to stay in bed, except that most bedding is chemically saturated. Adria demonstrates how everything we buy, consume, and excrete, effects our planet's increasingly fragile ecosystem. But she also offers hope and practical solutions to coping with our toxic environment.

Although I've been recycling for years and shop as little as possible, I'm not a staunch environmentalist. Yet, this book made me realize there's many more eco-friendly things I can do. While plenty of information is given, Adria also provides many useful websites for further information, though how many of these websites will be around three years from now is anyone's guess. Still, given the growing concern for our planet, there will always good information somewhere on the Net. Do yourself and your children a huge favour. Buy the book, try some of those tips, and help make this planet a little better.

I also thoroughly enjoyed this book, an account of a period in Styranka's life that many may fantasize about but few come close to living. Styranka's writing is clear and almost conversational as he narrates his fetish and submissive lifestyle as a young adult, interwoven with zen practice. This book was hard to put down. There is one frustration, however. Styranka became the willing slave of a beautiful lesbian who was capable of considerable emotional and physical cruelty. Despite her physical perfection, his mistress was a person who turned out to be the victim of childhood abuse that she didn't want to deal with. There's an emotional disconnect between them, despite descriptions of good times they also enjoyed. There were times when I wished I could climb into the story and ask him why he stayed in the relationship for as long as he did. Hopefully, a healthier BDSM relationship wouldn't involve the non-negotiated abuse Styranka endured. At the end of the book, he suggests that he has found one. An excellent, honest book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Endless Knot. It was an easy read, honest, descriptive and emotional rather than intellectual, which allowed me to connect with it. I cried a couple of times as I could relate to the author's experiences. The juxtaposition of the author's spiritual life and his life in the fetish world is beyond fasinating. A submissive slave with a foot fetish he was, but he had the guts to ask all the big questions. My boyfriend loved it too!

I found this book grabbed my interest and I couldn't put it down until I read it twice. The appeal of this book lies in the author's ability to translate his pursuit of the fullfilment of his fetish into the universal condition of humanity. It makes you re examine your search for happiness and materialism. It illustrates the truth in the age old cliche "beware of what you ask for because you might just get it". Sometimes what we think we want is just blocking the truth of who we are. Styranka's writing is direct, unpretentious and a pleasure to read. I really reccomend this book!!

This is a wise, thoughtful, thought-provoking book that is essentially about pursuing the things that we think will bring us pleasure, happiness, fulfillment, wholeness.
In this sense, the issues raised by Mathew Styranka are not solely related to sex and fetish desires, but can be equally applied to almost all other aspects of life.
Curiously, however, even though Zen figures prominently into Styranka's story, there is no mention between karma and his fetish needs and his relationship with ''Lara'' his dream/nightmare mistress of several years. He also writes of ''the dangers this lifestyle entails'' but then does not explain them. Maybe these questions aren't crucial to the overall story, but they did emerge in my reading. Too, there are at least a handful of misspellings that distract momentarily.
After this fetish cycle in his life, Styranka does seem to have reached a core understanding of his being-ness -- that no one, and no thing, beyond yourself can bring you happiness or wholeness. What's more, our perceived needs can amount to a kind self-imprisonment and self-torture as a result of thoughts. It's not easy to be free, aware, awake, present.
In the beginning of the book, he quotes an old man as saying, ''You can't teach people lessons.''
If there's any main lesson of this book, perhaps it's that: you have to learn the lessons yourself. And one way to do that, as Styranka writes in his author's note, is to live your ''dreams, fantasies and life to the fullest, always with a questioning mind, in search of Truth.''
Bravo to Mathew Styranka for sharing his journey.

This is one of the best books about organized crime/mafia l have ever read; it is concise, factual and full of much detail and well reasoned explanations, it was great to read a book by a journalist who has done his research well and is also a very good writer. This book brilliantly captures the rise of Johnny Pops and the Mafia in Canada, especially Hamilton, Ontario in the 20th century.

All the rackets of gambling, stand over, [...], labor and drugs are well covered and explained as the author links various criminals together and how they interacted, co-operated and fought each other. The book details the violent, and uncertain world of Johnny Pops and other criminals and Pops comes across as a man who was scared of nothing except the tax man and later in life going back to jail where he spent a quarter of his life. This book is great read for true crime buffs.

I read this book 3 times and every time I learned something new. I can honestly say that I already knew all this. I am Frankie's adopted son. I didn't know much about this buisness and when I asked he himself told me to read this book. After never understanding I understand. And I garentee you that this book is a real life and indepth look at life in the real Canadian Mob. It will tell you about the family's buisness and personal affairs. If you have ever wondered about the inner workings of a true Mafia family, this book will tell you. Nothing sugarcoated just the truth.

Probably the best Canadian organized crime history yet! And I have read several.With Pops killed and the Musitanos getting 10 years (Feb 5/00),the Papalia story continues. What's next for Organized crime in Canada?

The Enforcer is a wonderful book for anyone who has a feeling for the life of the mafia. Johnny Papalia was a one of a kind who beat all the odds in life and the mafia. This book is highly recomended. 5 Stars

Barbara J. Olexer's book, THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN IN COLONIAL TIMES, should be required reading in our school's American History classes. She tracks the long interaction between `new world' explorers/settlers and various Indian tribes east of the Rocky Mountains; often providing information of later (seventeenth century) anti-Indian action and current remaining Native groups. Her discourse, based upon extensive research, paints a comprehensive picture of the actual aspects of European's relationship with Indians, beginning with the "Norsemen's discovery of America in the tenth century." Previously, the record of our country's background of Indian mistreatment has been ignored; or twisted to give an acceptable perspective of the struggle by so-called civilized newcomers against the indigenous population who were called "savages", "barbarous enemies" who, like others would, fought to protect their lives and livelihood, their culture and religious ways. By using quotes from both sides obtained from various archives, Barbara reveals the real savages with the attitude "that it appears visibly that God wishes that they yield their place to new peoples." These Indian nations and tribes who were to `yield' revered nature, had social structure, were peaceful, content, helpful and generous. One firsthand observation came from a colonist captured and released: "There was never any lack of food...they shame the Christians; are more generous...they keep their word exactly as promised. They are not avaricious, not so haughty, do not quarrel quickly. Among the young, also, I did not notice anything improper." This book is vital in establishing a true record of our nation's colonial past and early westward expansion.
Phillip A. Nickel. Ph. D. mynickelsworth5@aol.com

Olexer does a good job of reporting the Pequot War, King Phillip's War, and the numerous Indian wars that followed. At times my reading was impeded because I kept shaking my head, thinking, "This is amazing, why didn't I ever hear about the Indian slave trade before?" One special feature of the book that I liked is that she gives a brief (very brief) account of the many tribes that are still extant. A lot of them are prospering and some are flourishing. The Pequots, for instance, after being reduced to three survivors on their reservation, have recovered sufficiently to have donated fifty million dollars to the new National Museum of the American Indian.

In THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN IN COLONIAL TIMES, author Barbara J. Olexer examines the subject of American Indian slavery. While she does trace the roots of American Indian slavery back as far as 1013, her discussion primarily focuses on the colonial period, particularly the 1600s and 1700s. THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN... offers an illuminating look at what, sadly, is a little-known subject. Given the dearth of books on this topic, Ms. Olexer's tome makes a welcome addition to the existing literature.

Starting with the Norsemen's "discovery" of America in the tenth century, THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN... explores the topic of American Indian slavery. What started as the kidnappings of individual American Indians eventually escalated into an American Indian slave trade, albeit on a smaller scale than the African slave trade. The trade reached its height during the 17th and 18th centuries, but had largely ceased by the 1780s. The reasons for the American Indian slave trade were many. Commonly, colonists instigated warfare between already unfriendly tribes, as a means of weakening their enemies as well as obtaining American Indian slaves "legally." Additionally, trading in American Indian slaves was another tool with which to rob the Indians of their land. American Indians were often tricked into slavery, ambushed by unscrupulous colonists, or simply kidnapped and "exported." By the end of the Revolutionary War, however, American Indian populations were decimated to such a degree that slavery was no longer necessary. Nor was it profitable; Africans were more plentiful and made for more obedient and resilient slaves.

THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN... covers both the scale of and the reasons underlying the American Indian slave trade. The book is divided into eleven chapters: It Began as Kidnapping; The Pilgrims and the Pequots; King Philip's War; The French in Canada; The English and the Westo; The Traders and the Neophytes; The Tuscarora and Yamassee Wars; The End of the Trade in Carolina; The French in Louisiana; The French and the Natchez; and Conclusion.

As you can see from the chapter titles, Ms. Olexer looks at the French as well as the English settlers, and also examines Spanish-Indian relations. A number of American Indian groups make an appearance, including the Huron, Eskimo, Pequot, Narragansett, Saconnet, Nipmuc, Mohegan, Iroquois, Seneca, Tuscarora, Westo, Powhatan, Catawba, Chowan, Yamassee, Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Waccamaw, Natchez, Sauk and Fox tribes, as well as the Wampanoag Federation and the Five Nations. Geographically, the discussion concentrates on the north- and south-east of the United States. Several chapters are devoted to the Carolina region in particular.

Although schools and scholars are finally beginning to acknowledge our forbearers' brutal treatment of the Americas' original inhabitants, the subject of American Indian slavery still merits little attention. Indeed, I don't recall learning of the topic at all during elementary, junior, or high school. Unfortunately, few books exist that tackle this significant topic. Barbara Olexer's THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN... helps to fill this void, and makes a great addition to the history buff's bookshelf. It's a must-read for anyone interested in the American Indian experience or the history of slavery. An added bonus: the author donates a portion of the proceeds to the National Museum of the American Indian.

Definately the untold story of slavery in America and the Western World. Olexer gives us the history, peppered liberally with text from original documents, showing that our roots of slavery are much deeper than we are commonly taught.

The writing is easy to read, but painful to acknowledge. While Olexer gives us an unvarnished piece of our history, she never devolves into sermonizing or shaming the reader. We are left to make our own conclusions and search our own souls, which is always far more disturbing.

I thought that this was a great book for kids in 6th grade because we learn about Canadians and WW2. I felt sorry for Sara Warren because she is trapped inside feeling like she has to choose between Mr.Ito and her family because of the War. This is a wonderful book for our time going through the war against Iraq. The front cover is all ready a great description of the book.

In my state we have something called Readind Competition.It's where you have to read a book and answer qustions about it. I raed this book for it and loved it.It's sad and exiting so please buy it it's worth the money!

This story "The Eternal Spring of Mr. Ito", was about the hardships a girl named Sara Warren and her friends and family faced while World War II was going on. Sara Warren lived with her parents in England, but because Germans were bombing England, her parents sent her to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to live with her relatives. She stayed with her Aunt Jean, Uncle Duncan, cousins Mary & Jamie, and their friends. Many horrible and unexpected things happened.

This was a really interesting novel. To me this novel explained life and all the horrible things that happen. Mr. Ito was a very special man to Sara.

To me this novel means a lot. It means that even when things are at their worst, there is still hope. And that little hope may be strength and courage to move on.

The significance of this novel within the theme of Heroic Adventures was expressed a couple of ways. Sara stood up for herself and the way she cared for things and helped people made her a hero. She looked beyond everyone's face and saw something different that made her want to help people. Sara displayed heroism in a way that she cared for her plant, and everyone around her. She especially cared for the Itos because of all the trouble they were going through. Sara was very strong when things were at their worst.

The genre I would include this story in is realistic fiction. Everything in the story was true. World War ll really happened, and sadly people do die. Comparing this novel to the last novel I read, I like this novel much better. Their similarities were both about heroes and a girl that tries to save the day.

I would absolutely recommend this book to others because it is very interesting. I guess I could say that I learned something from this book. That is that once you read this book, you can't put it down!

This is agreat book. Anyone who is looking for a Historical Fiction book, this is great!!!

My copy of Bennett Cerf's, "Famous Ghost Stories," is old and yellowed and I would not part with it. I purchased it as a new hardback Modern Library Book in about 1959 and still take it off of the shelf to explore it's delightful scares every halloween. To me this book has come to symbolize ghost stories and dark fall evenings.
Within Cerf's anthology there are some standard such as W.W. Jacob's, "The Monkey's Paw' and Saki's "The Open Window." The reader will also find some rarer treats in August Derleth's, "The Return of Andrew Bentley' and Ambrose Bierce's, "The Damned Thing." Cerf had fantastic taste in ghost stories and assembled 15 that range from pleasent to down-right horrifying. Modern Library has allowed this wonderful classic to go out of print which denies modern readers access to the best ghost story anthology every published and makes it virtually impossible for me to replace my old yellowed copy...
Though I may be telling the reader to go find Shangra-la, find a copy if you can. I beg modern library to re-introduce this great anthology to the public. Hwlloween is always coming you know.

this collection is indeed yet another example of a should-have-been bona fide classic all but languishing in bibliophile limbo; i naively lent my own first copy--the 1944 pb edition--out to a 'good friend' only to later discover that its $.25 thrift store price belied its actual rarity in light of its disappearance. behind cerf's editorial modesty is the brilliance reflected in his selections which represent the best of the genre with stories and authors both well-known and unfamiliar; though sourced from differing places, time periods and publications, all succeed as both literature and ghost stories--unsettling the reader with well-written, intelligent, and ultimately satisfying tales for neophyte and scholar alike.

This is far and away the finest collection of ghost stories I have ever read. This is not a book for those who dote on slasher stories or sex. Nothing here but bone-chilling tales of fear and horror in a classic mode.

I can't believe this brilliant collection of thrilling fiction is out of print. Someone should wake the publisher, add a new introduction by Stephen King some great cover artwork by say William Joyce and watch the thing go right back on the New York Times bestseller list. This is great stuff!

This is probably Vollmann at his best. It isn't "Argall," which I found esoteric and difficult. I didn't finish "Argall," and I really suspect that the novel is less well-read and understood than it is publicly praised.

"Fathers and Crows" isn't difficult - it's passionately involved, balanced, epic and completely absorbing.

William T. Vollmann may be the most important young writer in North America. This, his third novel details the clashes between native and european cultures in North America in the sixteenth century. Vollmann chronicles the unrelenting brutality of the time period and the inevitable economic imperatives that predict the demise of native American culture once the resources of the land become apparent. He manages to skillfully blend the mysticism of native culture with the harsh reality of the landscape and the men whose very nature it was to take what they wanted. He melds these disparate themes together in an exotic narrative that forces one to examine how European contact decimated the native peoples. When one completes the novel there is no doubt how the war was one; the only question left being our consciences and how to reconcile modern day attitudes withe stark reality of history. This exhaustive effort brings us almost halfway to the authors stated goal of a seven novel series; one can only wonder what is left in store but with Vollmann's imagination in full flight we anticipate a wild ride ahead

This is one of the best novels I have ever read, if not the best. Vollmann's prose-- his use of language, his landscapes, his characterizations, everything-- is absolutely gorgeous. This book is such a treat that I intentionally read it slowly in order to savor it. I can't reccomend it highly enough.

plucked Blossoms of SOULS (Fearing Never a Thorn); Who PRAYED BLOOD to SANCTIFY THE BONES OF CATAMOUNTS; who foreswore RUM, WOMEN and LEAD, Who were SO ASTOUNDED at the unfathomable extinctions of SAVAGES; who MADE MORE MIRACLES THAN THEY SAW!

Thus begins Vollmann's Second Dream "ABOUT OUR CONTINENT IN THE DAYS OF SAINTS". Fathers & Crows is long, and long-winded, however if you're up to the task and looking for a very interesting journey into New France (Canada) as it was in the early 17th Century, then this is the book you've been looking for. Without going into detail about William Vollmann or his 7 Dreams project (see my review of THE ICE SHIRT, vol. 1) I should point out that this is a blend of history and post-modern novel writing. Time is skewed in such a way that the characters (such as Champlain, Poutrincourt, or Pere Brebeuf, for example) are sometimes walking through modern day Quebec and not realizing it. As in The Ice Shirt, Vollmann occasionally blends his contemporary experiences traveling in and around Montreal into the "plot" (though there's not really a plot in any traditional sense here) is very effective in adding perspective into the history which has taken place, and CONTINUES to take place. Even Jesus, St. Ignatious de Loyola (especially), and Roberto de Nobili arrive on stage here! And special mention to the converted "Savages" such as Amantacha, Joseph Chiwatenah, and Catherine Tekakwitha.

Fathers and Crows is about the French colonization of Canada, and begins almost 500 years later, after the Vikings left the continent in failure (but not before bringing the Ice Shirt). Not long after Columbus arrived, French explorers such as Cabot, and then the map-obsessed Champlain, along with the Poutrincourts and the Pontgraves, sailed along the Fleuve St. Laurent and founded small outposts in what is modern day Quebec. From the very beginning they encountered native American peoples such as the Algonkins, Huron, and the dreaded Iroquois. The French, unlike the English in Virgnia (see vol. 3, ARGALL) attempted to assimilate these various tribes, mainly through trade (IRON for BEAVER pelts) and most importantly, through submission to CHRISTIANITY. Thus, the Grey Gowns (the Recollects) and later on, the more successful Black Gowns, or JESUITS.

Now you can read a straight-forward history on this time period in another place by a traditional historian, but after having read The Ice Shirt and now Fathers & Crows, I'm convinced that Vollmann's Seven Dreams are excellent blends of history and modern travelouge, along with personal experience (and a predisposition to favor women in the form of prostitutes), and extensive research into personalities, events, technologies, religion, and mythology. Sometimes he may play a little "loose" with time frames, but he documents just about everything somewhere in his 100+ pages of Glossary notes!

On a final note, it's not necessary to start with Vol. 1 at all -if the subject of first encounters between Europeans & Native Americans; Jesuits, French explorers, French Canada, or anything at all to do with North American cultural history (and legacy) interests you, then this a great book (and series) to own. You'll dream of floating down Canadian rivers, or ascending the rapids with the Jesuit Peres doing St. Ignatius' "EXERCISES" (around which the total drama unfolds, as it did with Ice and Frost and varioous "shirts" of reality in vol. 1).

Unbelievable that this amazing novel has so few reviews (but, actually, maybe not given the sad state of most American reader's attention spans anymore - oh well, too bad - YOU'RE ALL MISSING OUT!). For those who do find their way here, give Fathers & Crows a shot. Yes, it's long-winded and you may get bored and say "enough"! Fine. If not, like me, you might just paddle on in your canoe and find yourself hooked, and learning a heck of a lot of new and mostly obscured or glossed over (or simply forgotten) history which will tell you EVERYTHING about who we are as North Americans today. Happy voyages, eh! Next up: ARGALL.

Although the description above states that this issue of Flames Across the Border is out of print, it fails to add that it was re-issued in August of 2001 by Anchor Canada. Its ISBN is 0385658389. Amaazon.ca stocks it. So if you want to read this very good book, you still can, without searching for used copies.

History written like fiction. Can';t say enough about how readable and entertaining this book is. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the War of 1812

It is a pity that Americans do not understand nor have any knowledge of the War of 1812. Our relationship with Canada would better understood and accepted if it did. Pierre Berton, a Canadian, has told the story of the war from a Canadian perspective but in such a manner that we can all relate and sympathize. He has taken reality/history and written it like historical fiction while maintaining a scholarly credability.

In almost a half century of reading, I can recall about a dozen books that were absolutely captivating, as much for the author's narrative skills as through the subject matter. This is one, and Pierre Berton is almost the only author whose works made that list more than once. The War of 1812 is a generally neglected subject in America, except perhaps for the New Orleans campaign of 1815. Berton writes from a distinctly Canadian viewpoint, although he writes so wonderfully that even the most chauvinistic American will hardly notice and won't care. Any time I begin to write something that I hope readers will enjoy beyond simple information, I try to look back over a little of Berton's work in vain hopes of picking up something of his incomparable style.

I think the reviewer below summed it well in his subject line saying "McLuhan for the coffee table." Essentially this book is a list of one-liners and ideas of McLuhans. Snippets and paragraphs from books and articles. Could very well be for the beginner, but without explanitory notes (but with pictures); while it could also be for the person already well versed in McLuhans thoughts. Either way, I found it a great book as I find his thinking fascinating, curious and many times humerous. Well presented in large paperback format with slick paper and color photos, this book is a quick and easy McLuhan treat.

Forward through the Rearview Mirror: Reflections on and by Marshall McLuhan can be considered one of the greatest tributes McLuhan could have ever received. By preserving the particular organization, writing style, and design McLuhan used in The Medium is the Massage and Global Village, editors Paul Benedetti and Nancy DeHart are able to keep his soul and ideology alive. Insights not only from McLuhan himself, but also from many other media theorists who react and share their experiences about the readings, are the editor's elements to explain what was going on deeply inside McLuhan's mind.

As the MTV programming, this book has a continuous flow in which each chapter looks like a new video clip, which is totally related with the preceding, and flows directly into the following. However, instead of creating these connections with complete paragraphs and nice connectors, the editors choose to throw isolated pieces of pictures, paragraphs and quotations. It is the inner most meaning of every written and visual piece what makes a unified theory out of this book. A new way of communication which McLuhan would define as "Any new structure for codifying experience and moving information, be it alphabet or photography, has the power of imposing its structural character and assumptions upon all levels of our private and social lives" (106). Therefore, a chapter named "Violence and Identity" will start with a two-page-black and white picture of a Ku Klux Klan's ritual followed by a quotation: "Violence, whether spiritual or physical, is a quest for identity and the meaningful. The less identity, the more violence." On the next page, a picture of a ten-year-old child wearing latex gloves and a gun in each hand; then, McLuhan's theory is introduced with big blue letters: "IT'S WHY THEY HAVE TO KILL," and so forth. This continuous fluidity of meaningful images and writings, involves the audience in an exciting rhythm, making it interact and experience what McLuhan was trying to say by "The Medium is the Message."

Instead of having a defined introduction, body and conclusion, Forward through a Rearview Mirror is composed of three different types of writing: biographical information, writings by McLuhan, and writings on McLuhan. Each one of them is placed by the editors to ease the reader's understanding of McLuhan's speech. Information about his background, life, and surroundings is provided by a timeline that covers his most important years: his experiences at different stages of his career, the birth of his own family, and his social life. All these factors influenced his way of analyzing our culture. From interviews, speeches, and books, Benedetti and DeHart quote McLuhan to provide objective information about his insights. Because most of his citations are abstract aphorisms, the audience can read his words either superficially or deeply, stimulated by the adventure of discovering his hidden insights, always present in his works. However, the reader is not alone in this adventure. Other media theorists such as John Fraser or Lewis Laphom share their experiences when reading the philosopher. Moreover, as the biographical information, these media producers also help to guide the reader by providing him/her with different analysis and points of view towards McLuhan. Although the book doesn't follow the conventional three-part linearity, it seems custom made for the rushing reader of the nineties. It doesn't matter on which page we open Forward through the Rearview Mirror. It can always provide an interesting analysis of our own society.

However, Paul Benedetti and Nancy DeHart do not only keep McLuhan's organization and writing style, but also preserve his idea of convey insights using the visual medium. Therefore, Forward Through the Rearview Mirror is designed to the image of McLuhan's major works The Medium is the Massage and Global Village. These two books submerge the reader into a multidimensional medium of meaningful abstract and figurative visuals. For instance, the editors create the same type of metaphors that McLuhan employed in his publications, by explaining the world's current globalization with ten bottles of Coca-Cola all written in different languages. Moreover, as Marshall McLuhan's last works, the unconventional format of this book also stands out in the reader's library. While both the medium is the massage and Global Village are smaller than any standard size book, Forward through the Rearview Mirror is wider and shorter than any conventional book.

Forward through the Rearview Mirror shows the complete involvement of Paul Benedetti and Nancy DeHart in McLuhan's life and ideas. Following Marshall McLuhan's guidelines, they carefully place each element in their book to create an outstanding piece. From its outside cover to its inner most meaning, this book breaks all standards, thus, draws the attention from an audience willing to find a new and high-quality product. Guided by McLuhan's print media by juxtaposing significant images and phrases to create movement and rhythm. When experiencing this book, the reader combines the sound of his reading and the meaningful visuals inside his mind, creating an audio-visual medium out of Forward the through the Rearview Mirror. If this phenomenon is achieved, McLuhan's theory is confirmed: "It is man who is content of the message of the media, which are extensions of himself" DeHart and Benedetti understand McLuhan, preserving his thoughts alive, and honor him in their piece of art.

Without trying to undermine the insights of McLuhan himself, I think that this book represents just another episode in the `everybody loves Marshall' series. Similar to `Digital McLuhan' by Levinson, this book is crawling with remarks stating how great and wonderful McLuhan was and that it is such a big loss for the world as we know that he's dead. I sincerely wish that - as McLuhan put it himself - the comments would engage more in a dynamic discours on his insights and thoughts and would try to make something out of it. But no, I find myself flipping through oodles of pages for the simple reason that it just contains one of those trival McLuhan-anecdotes/memorabilia. Supposedly McLuhan made it to the top ten of all-time thinkers - such as Nietzsche, Kant, Plato etc. Sure, the insights provided by him are pretty slick, but one has to look for them since most of the books concern the opinions of others that would also like to say a thing or two. It's like a bunch of groupies standing at the far end of a stage thinking that they now too are famous. As far the rest of the book is concerned, there are some nice quotes from McLuhan himself that could very well change your perspective on things happening in our world today. It provides some interesting insights and line of thought for further study. Respect goes out to the extensive bibliography that make it easier to trace back his work. It is truly `McLuhan for the coffee-table', but mind you, there might be a lot of uninvited guests.

If McLuhan is new to you, and/or if you have a short attention span, this is the one to pick up. McLuhan's timeless insights into the evolution of man's synthesized environment are juxtaposed with in-your-face photographs and artwork that serve as indisputable evidence of the truth of his analysis. Reading this book at 30,000 feet, I was struck at just how clearly McLuhan is able to penetrate the distraction, distortion, and pre- conceptions endemic to modern technical civilization. The book is indeed like a high altitude surveillance flight over the electomagnetic infrastructure of our age. The combination of images and text have a synergy imploring the reader to understand the accelerating importance of man's media in shaping his behavior. Serve with "Propaganda", by Jacques Ellul, and "Manufacturing Consent", by Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman.

Through a year as a journalist on the front lines of various African wars, Ian Stewart allows us into the person behind the byline -- the struggle to remain a detached observer while still remaining human, and then through the struggle for life and recovery itself after he is shot in the head while on assignment in Sierra Leone. While Stewart is the continuity from chapter to chapter, the stories that brought him to Africa in the first place are always front and centre. The background to each war zone is woven in, to ensure that while we are reading about his observations and struggles, we also are reading the stories that were (often) ignored by our daily papers in the first place. Stewart's writing style manages to turn what are sometimes very heavy, heart-wrenching and tragic events, into a fascinating read, one that is hard to put down. I definitely recommend this book.

This is an exciting, sad, funny and compelling book about a war correspondent - adrenaline junky who chases his dreams of being a big time journalist. The first part of the book is about his adventures, and he writes with great respect and care, as well as humor, about people in war torn countries, about historical conflicts, about civilians caught in the crossfire. The second part of the book (and this isn't a big secret but don't miss the amazing x-ray of his head!!!) is about how he was shot in his head covering a story in Sierra Leone and his tough recovery. He's introspective, thoughtful and nice. This book will keep you up at night, and you'll definitely be passing it from friend to friend, saying 'You've got to read this.'

This book gave me new insight into what makes journalists tick and a new understanding of African politics. I must admit to paying little attention before.
A thoroughly good read filled with moments of horror, excitement and humor.
The author offers us a glimpse of what it is like to suffer a brain injury and the road to recovery.
If you like adventure and human interest written in a crisp style this book is for you.
Looking forward to the next one.

Freetown Ambush offers a rare mixture of the excitement and adventure of "on the edge" journalism (and a sprinkle of travel writing), with cultural and personal sensitivity. The story Stewart tells of his year as a war correspondent and bureau chief for the Associated Press in West Africa takes us through horrors of war that most of us (thankfully) will never experience, but with an awareness that we (the public) need to know more than the events - we need to know the local people, and hear their voices. Stewart adds to this compelling mixture his own personal journey from surviving a rebel ambush that lodged a bullet in his brain, through recovery from brain injury and ultimately to reclaiming his life. Although the book educates us about "small African countries and distant wars" that most of the public doesn't know exist, in the end, the book inspires us to reclaim life, as Stewart, and the citizens of those far off countries do.