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Reviews (177)

Passion with humor
He is the host of a syndicated radio talk show and television program.He brings freshness and humor to life and politics. Each new day he fights with passion.
Sick Logic
One of the things the author says in his book is that Americans should support the troops so that they don't wonder if they are baby killers like the troops that were sent to vietnam. What the hell kind of sick twisted thinking is that to use? So if babies are getting killed, and civilians in other countries (or even our own) are getting wrongfully killed, we should say, "Hooray hooray, and here's some polish hotdogs our beloved troops, ignore that you are killing people wrongfully!"
Funny And Truthful
The Real America is much like Glenn Beck's radio show - humorous and full of common sense.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Essays    4. General    5. National characteristics, American    6. Political Process - General    7. Political Science    8. Popular culture    9. Social values    10. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    11. United States    12. United States - General    13. History / United States / General   

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Reviews (48)

An Interesting View of US History
We the people of the United States like to think of ourselves as peace loving icons, holding ourselves up above the petty problems that affect the rest of the world. And there is a certain amount of truth to that.
Paring history down to the essential lessons.
I will not repeat the many excellent comments here except that Kinzer writes very well, making the read fascinating and factually solid.Other points:
Regime Change Begins At Home
It's no mere cliche to state that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Here Stephen Kinzer examines the almost completely unsuccessful legacy of American "regime change" operations. Starting in the late 1800s, American leaders have worked to overthrow uncooperative or politically undesirable governments that acted independently and in their own interests. Almost always, American business profits were threatened, but politicians have consistently justified these operations with jingoistic language about security, freedom, and democracy. Don't believe the hype, then or now.Kinzer's coverage of regime change operations is illuminating and often quite infuriating for the thinking American, especially in the stories of Guatemala, Iran, and Chile, where American operatives overthrew democratically elected governments and installed repressive dictatorships, simultaneously harping about the benefits of freedom, while merely protecting the freedom of corporations to rob sovereign nations of their natural resources. And with the exceptions of tiny Hawaii and Grenada, all of our regime change operations have contributed to the oppression of newly "freed" peoples, and created dictators and terrorists who have made America much less safe in the long run.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Audio - Nonfiction    3. History    4. History: American    5. International Relations - General    6. Intervention (International law)    7. Iraq War, 2003    8. Legitimacy of governments    9. Military - General    10. Military - United States    11. Unabridged Audio - History    12. United States - General    13. History / United States / General    14. History/Military - United States    15. Political Science/General    16. Political Science/International Relations - General    17. Unabridged Audio / History   

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Reviews (5)

A marvellous piece of audio history
As one not old enough to have heard Winston Churchill's speeches at the time he originally gave them, I found this tape simply marvellous. MAGNIFICENT SAMPLE OF ONE OF THE GRETEST WORLD STATEMAN
SUPERB WORK AND FIRST HAND ACCOUNT AND NARRATIVE OF THE DESTROYER OF NAZI TYRANNY IN THE WORLD. ALSO THE NARRATIVE IS THE ONLY LEGITIMATE EVIDENCE OF HOWGRAVE THE SITUATION WAS NEVERTHELESS THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER HAD WORDS OF HOPE AND SALVATION THRU HIS OWN MADE DETERMINATION TO SAVE THE NATIONS OVERUN BY NAZI TYRANNY BUT MOST UNIQUE HIS BLIND FAITH AND CONVICTION THAT ALMIGTHY GOD WILL DELIVER THE WICKED MAN UNTO HIS HANDS FOR THE MAINTAINANCE OF CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS ON THE WORLD.

An Excellent Compilation of Speeches during WW II
I enjoyed the speeches compiled for this two tape series.They were quite informative, and reflected the mood of the man and the country before, during, and after WW II.I was disappointed the publisher didn't make an effort to clean up the radio static recorded.With digital editing these days, the static could have, and should have been removed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography    2. Audio Adult: Other    3. Military - World War II    4. Presidents & Heads of State    5. Unabridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography    6. History / General   

Editorial Review

In the follow-up to his bestseller, Read more

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Reviews (28)

Maddenly Engaging
Another Ridley home run! He's batting a thousand. Not bad for a popularizer of science.
Genes taking their cues from the environment
This is a great overview of the current understanding of the role that genes play in the development of our personalities and behavior.The book is written with the general public in mind and Ridley does a nice job of condensing complex information in a clear and concise way.
Very articulate.Great explanation of "The 4th dimension"
The fourth dimension being time.Genes are turned on and off, sometimes multiple times, over the course of one's lifetime.A given gene may do different things at different developmental times, as well as different things to different parts of a developing body.This, explains Ridley, explains why a parsimonious 30,000 genes can manage the creation of an organism as complex as a human being.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Anthropology - Physical    3. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    4. Audiobooks    5. History    6. Human genetics    7. Life Sciences - Genetics & Genomics    8. Nature and nurture    9. Physiological Psychology    10. Science    11. Science / General   

Editorial Review

Let's get one thing straight: Carl Hiaasen doesn't like the Walt Disney Company. Whenever the giant entertainment conglomerate stumbles, as it did with its proposed Civil War theme park in Virginia, Hiaasen cheers. When a rhinoceros mysteriously dies at Disney's new theme park, Animal Kingdom, Hiaasen secretly hopes for the worst, because, as he writes, "no scandal is so delectable as a Disney scandal." Read more

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Fundimentally flawed, but a fun think piece.
In Team Rodent, Carl Hiaasen delivers an honestly entertaining picture of his own reservations at what he sees as the Disney Corporation's attempts at becoming a culturally omnipotent force.This piece is more of a political pamphlet in format: it's too long to be considered a simple essay, but it's certainly short enough to be read in a single sitting.
A quick, fun read for Hiaasen's fans
Not much to add beyond the title of this review. Yup, Carl despises Disney.A very lucid and well written diatribe.

Carl Hiaasen Takes on the Mouse
In this essay-style book, Hiaasen takes on Disney and all its decadence from the point of view of a true Floridian. Very funny and full of disturbing Disney facts (including one about the mysterious torture and death of an Animal Kingdom rhino; ties between Disney and the destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew; and all the yucky deals made between the rat and the state of FL's government). Good read, highly entertaining for Floridians, tourists, and anyone who loves Hiaasen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Audio Adult: Other    3. Audiobooks    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. General    6. Literary Criticism    7. Unabridged Audio - Business/Professional    8. Walt Disney Company   

Reviews (2)

I would even read it for recreational reading
I had to read a lot of Carson's books for school. I enjoyed reading this history in particular. Everything is clearly spelled out, understandable, and makes perfect sense. Carson's tells the history that you won't find in most history books, which is very welcome.

The best modern history of the U.S. in my opinion
By the late 1970s, conservative historian Clarence B. Carson was known as the author of several volumes on American intellectual, political and economic history, including *The Fateful Turn*, which chronicled America's abandonmentof individualism in favour of collectivism in the years 1880-1960 and *The War on the Poor*, an examination of the disastrous effects of government programs to "help the poor".Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Other    2. Unabridged Audio - History    3. United States - General   

Editorial Review

What do you get when you combine the resources and ethos of the BBC with the literary panache of one of the world's best narrative historians? The answer is Simon Schama's Read more

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Reviews (41)

Great--but don't buy hardcover version
This is a wonderfully readible history of Great Britain and I enjoyed this volume tremendously--until I finished page 352.The version I have then jumped back to page 321 and repreated pages 321 through 352.Then it jumps to page 385.So I'm missing pages 353-384.
Excellent read
This is volumn 1 of a 3 volumn series.It is well written well researched and enables the reader to enjoy history.The events and characters come alive in this series and you fell history as it is being made.A series well worth reding.

Good for sippin'
Leslie Klinger, author of "The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes," describes Simon Schama's "A History of Britain" as "magisterial," and that indeed is how I felt about the televised version (produced in the U.K. by the BBC and aired here in the U.S. on the History Channel).But for some reason I find myself somewhat disenchanted by its printed form.That it is beautifully written is almost indisputable.It should appeal to anyone with a broad vocabulary or to those who like to read with their dictionary close at hand.But at the same time, some might perceive Schama's style as simply a case of "showing off."Balancing $20 words with $.99 specials to create an understandable and aesthetically pleasing result is a delicate art, and there are times when the narrative seems a bit too adorned.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - History    2. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    3. Audio Adult: Other    4. Europe - Great Britain - General    5. General    6. History    7. History / Great Britain   

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Wonderful history through songs
I have enjoyed Civil War Songs from the first listening. Hearing thehistory of the Civil War told through songs written by people who wereexperiencing the war first hand made it all the more real.I have touredmany a battle sight from Gettysburg to Antietam to Manassas (Bull Run) andfound that these historic songs bring an added understanding to thebattlefield sights, as well as, a better understanding to the political andeconomic effects the war was having on the nation.I hope everyone has thechance to enjoy this fine narration with historic songs of the Civil War ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Other    2. CD-Miscellaneous Music    3. Folk    4. Civil War, 1861-1865    5. History     6. Music    7. United States   

Subjects:  1. CD-Miscellaneous Music    2. Christian - General    3. Country & Western - Country    4. Music   

Subjects:  1. CD-Miscellaneous Music    2. Christian - General    3. Country & Western - Country    4. Music   

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Vintage Tony Hillerman
I purchased this after hearing Tony read a few passages at a lecture. The book is a series of essays Tony wrote as his Masters Thesis at the University of New Mexico. They are true tales of New Mexico, but told only as Tony, one of America's greatest yarn spinners can. Most, in particular the "unfeloneous unbankrobbery" in the title essay will have you holding your sides, while at the same time learning something about the unique culture of the Land of Enchantment. Highly recommended as well is Tony's autobiography "Seldom Disappointed".

Get with Reality
If you have spent ANY time in New Mexico (or a lifetime like me), there is a Favor & Life Style here that is Unique. With the Modern World slithering in & changing everything, this book is a Wonderful Testament to the way things used to be. If you are here for any length of time you may still experience some of the conditions & Personalities described, but like the Roswell Aliens, they can be difficult to find. If you have no sense of Humor, don't read this-try the daily paper.

Deceptive Packaging
I bet I'm not the only one who was fooled into thinking this book was a work of fiction.The cover art looks just like Hillerman's best selling novels.I liked the lead story, "The Great Taos Bank Robbery", but therest were only mildly interesting.Not worth the price of admission. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - History    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Audiobooks    4. General    5. History    6. New Mexico    7. United States - 19th Century    8. United States - State & Local - General    9. History / United States / 19th Century   

Editorial Review

In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of saints and scholars," the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells.Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the West's written treasury.When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture. ... Read more

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Reviews (232)

history with flavor
Anyone who over-reacted to this book considering it bigotry should lighten up. The title indicates that it has a Irish focus and that it is bravado in its very nature.This is a great story that should not be treated as a the most accurate take on all of civilization and mankind. It has the flavor of the Irish in the very words of the book and the telling of the story. So often do people criticize anything that has any flavor or opinion, but it is so easy to do that. We are not all world historians who get off on reading just the facts. Just as in reading Vasari's "Lives of the Artist's" nobody should complain about how he goes on and on and on about how Michelangelo was God's gift to the world, rather we should have a laugh be entertained and learn a few things about the nature of humanity. Good Read.

Readable, Anecdotal and Enjoyable
Always amazes me to ponder how a single person can change the course of history, as Thomas Cahill shows. For example, if St. Patrick hadn't returned to Ireland to found monasteries, we would be reading a different history of continental Europe. In fact, there might not be a Europe. Really enjoyable book with interesting anecdotes. Very readable, except for occasional flights of political correctness. Makes me want to find out more about Medieval Europe.
Bad Bigoted History.
Read the top most "helpful reviews of this shockingly offensive pamphlet." I am sure you will find the one star reviews far more honest and detailed than the "Naive positive reviewers." There are always people who will whitewash bigotry if it supports their own ethnic delusions of grandeur. I am the third Asian person to boycott this author. I have noticed that many others agree with us. THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 400-1400    2. Abridged Audio - History    3. Books    4. Civilization    5. Civilization, Classical    6. Europe - Ireland    7. General    8. History    9. Ireland    10. Learning and scholarship    11. Medieval, 500-1500    12. Study and teaching    13. British & Irish history    14. History / General   

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Reviews (49)

Five Stars
A wonderful book about extraordinary real women who deserve their own spot along side the Founding Fathers. The bravery and the guts of these women surprised me. Each one was heroic in her own way and has made me want to learn more about each one.

History Comes Alive ...
This is a very fascinating book and I am glad that I was able to buy it not too long ago. I remember reading the back of the book at the bookstore and thinking, "I have to have it." That first thought hasn't changed.
LOW-KEYED, INFORMATIVE AND PLEASING READ
I rather enjoyed this low-keyed take on history.The reading was easy and it was fun and I did indeed learn some facts I was unaware of.This by no means is "hard core history" and I doubt if it was ment to be.The book of course take a look a the wives of some of our founding fathers and the role they played at the time.The book appears to be reasonably researched, as any book of the nature can be, and the author uses an easy and informative style.On the otherhand, I doubt if this work will satisfy the hard core reader of history any more than it will satisfy the reader who is wanting a cozy sort of read...it sort of falls in the middle somewhere.I read it for pleasure and did receive that from it.Recommend this one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. 19th century    3. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    4. Biography    5. Historical - U.S.    6. History    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Unabridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography    10. United States    11. United States - General    12. United States - Revolutionary War    13. Women    14. Women in politics    15. Women's Studies - General    16. Social Science / Women's Studies   

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Reviews (113)

"Leading by Principle" Worthwhile Reading
Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.'s WHO SAYS ELEPHANTS CAN'T DANCE? is Gerstner's account of how he managed the turnaround of ailing computer mainframe giant IBM during his years as CEO (1993-2002).The book is at its best when Gerstner gives his personal account of his first experiences with Big Blue.For me, though, the details of the IBM revival are less captivating, and my interest began to flag about halfway through the book.
Good insights but falls way short of greatness
Gerstner had a big constraint while writing this book - he was writing for a general audience who may not have the inclination to know every single thing he did at IBM. Even after accounting for this, it is particularly disappointing that the book completely glosses over the real details surrounding the decisions that turned around the company. As he himself says, hard and tedious data crunching coupled with solid analysis is the basis of any decision and while the general public need not know the intricacies of every single thing, it is sad that he did not include a single case-study end-to-end.
Nice introductary read.
I'm going to be an intern in IBM starting June and I was told to read this book as an introduction to what Gerstner did with IBM.Quite honestly, all I knew of Gerstner was the simple fact that he turned around an ailing IBM and made it into the company it is today. This book certainly gave me more insight into the workings of the company and the man who changed the way it worked.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Business/Professional    2. Audio Adult: Business    3. Business & Economics    4. Case studies    5. Computer industry    6. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    7. Corporate turnarounds    8. Electronic office machines industry    9. History    10. Industries - Computer Industry    11. Leadership    12. Management - General    13. United States    14. Business & Economics / Management   

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Sound bites and highlights, but not much depth.
For somebody who was not alive in JFK's time, this seemed like a great way to get a feel for the politics and history of the 1960s.This approach, though, gives only a few minutes, five at most, of each speech and so thelistener gets a famous highlight, but no depth of experience.I am excitedabout the primary exposure, but much more content and length is necessaryfor this to be of much use to a serious fan of history or politics.

Great promise but fails to deliver what the buyer expects
This volume was a disappointment because only portions of the various speeches are used. One would expect the complete speech including the classics (American University, Inaugural etc.) Still it is fascinating tohear one of the great modern orators making his case both domestically andinternationally. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Biography & Autobiography / Presidents    4. Political History    5. Reference / Quotations    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. 1917-1963    8. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    9. American speeches    10. Audiobooks    11. Biography    12. Biography: general    13. Kennedy, John F.    14. Oratory    15. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    16. Politics and government    17. Presidents    18. Quotations    19. Speeches    20. Speeches, addresses, etc.    21. USA    22. United States   

Editorial Review

The seemingly impossible Zen task--writing a book about nothing--has a loophole: people have been chatting, learning, and even fighting about nothing for millennia. Read more

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Reviews (102)

The universe begins and ends with zero
Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea is a tour of the historical advances that were made in mathematics and science due to the use or misuse of the dual ocncepts of Zero and Infinity. The author tours throught the ages as he traces the path that humankind has taken with this concept and its implications.
Eye-opening and fun
This was a great book.I took it on a trip, and it provided sufficient reading for a couple plane trips and a couple boring nights.Though written by a mathematician, it's appropriate for nearly any audience, and I've had no trouble passing it off to friends who aren't engineers.
Zero and I
Zero is the most interesting book I have ever read. It ponders the existence of infinitely small amounts of everything as well as infinitely large amounts. Everything can be divided into an infinite amount of pieces, but although the size of the pieces decreases as the amount of pieces increases, the sizes will always approach zero, but never hit it. How can zero exist as a number then? Zero began as a place holder in Babylonian and Mayan societies. It was accepted as a place holder in some societies, while rejected in others. Zero does not conform to the laws of mathematics, and therefore became a difficult concept to accept. Since it did not fit in with laws, it could destroy all logic. Charles Seife wrote this "biography" as a result of his love of math and science, and his desire to inflict logic upon others. While this book provides for interesting intellectual insight into the history of math and the importance of logic, it also offers the reader a feeling of relative size, both massive and miniscule, in comparison to the rest of the world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Audiobooks    4. General    5. History & Surveys - Modern    6. Philosophy    7. Unabridged Audio - History    8. Zero (The number)   

Editorial Review

British-born Jonathan Raban sets out on a passage from Seattle to Juneau in a small boat that is more a waterborne writing den, and as usual with the brilliant Raban, this journey becomes a vehicle for history and heart-stopping descriptions that will make readers want to hail him as one of the finest talents who's picked up a pen in the 20th century. The voyage through the Inside Passage from Washington's Puget Sound to Alaska churns up memories and stirs up hidden emotions and Raban dwells on many, including the death of his father and his own role of Daddy to his young daughter, Julia, left behind in Seattle. More than just a personal travelogue, however,