Editorial Review

Was there ever a time in America that could be described as the golden age of women? Certainly each era has had its perils, but Read more

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The Ideal Time and Place for these Wonderful Women
To Be Young Was Very Heaven is both a beautiful and an apt title for this entertaining and inspiring book by Sandra Adickes.It tells the story of a number of left leaning, idealistic, young, and adventurous women who emerged in New York around the turn of the century and grew in prominence and significance larger than than this one town in this one time.Among the more famous women are Margaret Sanger, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Dorothy Day, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (a personal favourite).This book is not a dry, academic look at the reasons behind the rise of some women at this time, nor is it an examination of the lives of the women in general in New York at this time.This book, instead, explodes with the joy of being in the right place and the right time and having the courage and idealism to believe you can change things.Ms. Adickes takes the reader to the beating heart of New York when it truly had one and brings this time alive and shows us some true heroes in their prime.A pleasure to read.

facts about a fire
It is an amazingly organized and coherent book about an amazingly explosive time and place. And therefore a precious resorce- where probably was x when y was organizing in Nebraska. And is full ofusefulreminders of what the world beyond New York was really like through theexperiences her subjects brought back with them from trips outside. But it fail to convey to me the hope or the horror of the times. Though theauthor herself felt them as evidenced by the title. Maybe she simply has tocover to much given a broad audience. There is enough in every page,sometimes every paragraph for alife and times books and a novel on thesize of Dickens or Balzac not to mention having to give constant backgroundon the Haymarket riots and presidental elections and on and on .Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: American    6. New York    7. New York (State)    8. Women    9. Women social reformers    10. Women's Studies - General   

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Left Leaning Hoosier- Thank You for being a Hysterical Moron
any leftish baffon who writes comments like yours proves that i need to read the book. i look forward to a terrific read.

No ZERO stars option?
Does anyone even care that the "Author" John Miller, formerly of ABC's 20/20 and then the head of counterterrorism for the LAPD, is currently the Assistant Director of Public Affairs for the FBI in the BUSH regime...I mean...Administration.
page turner
Informative, yet entertaining...highlights mistakes in policy and intelligence without grinding a political axe. A must read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Government policy    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: American    5. Prevention    6. September 11 Terrorist Attacks    7. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    8. Terrorism    9. United States    10. United States - 21st Century    11. United States - General   

Editorial Review

Journalist Mark Bowden delivers a strikingly detailed account of the 1993 nightmare operation in Mogadishu that left 18 American soldiers dead and many more wounded. This early foreign-policy disaster for the Clinton administration led to the resignation of Secretary of Defense Les Aspin and a total troop withdrawal from Somalia. Bowden does not spend much time considering the context; instead he provides a moment-by-moment chronicle of what happened in the air and on the ground. His gritty narrative tells of how Rangers and elite Delta Force troops embarked on a mission to capture a pair of high-ranking deputies to warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid only to find themselves surrounded in a hostile African city. Their high-tech MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters had been shot down and a number of other miscues left them trapped through the night. Bowden describes Mogadishu as a place of Mad Max-like anarchy--implying strongly that there was never any peace for the supposed peacekeepers to keep. He makes full use of the defense bureaucracy's extensive paper trail--which includes official reports, investigations, and even radio transcripts--to describe the combat with great accuracy, right down to the actual dialogue. He supplements this with hundreds of his own interviews, turning Read more

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A good book
A good book and story that needed to told, the movie can lets you see the action better, but book makes you see the men as heroes.
Impressive
It should come as no news flash that this is a fine piece of journalism.After you've read it, which shouldn't take long, you might think that you blasted out of Mogadishu with Delta Force on the "Day of the Rangers".
Eye-opening book, but a second-rate audio book
Blackhawk Down follows the harrowing story of a two-day battle that took place in the remote town of Mogadishu in October '93.The description of the Americans and the Somali people is detailed and interesting.It is amazing to read how an actual battle took place.The book is full of gore and human suffering, which proved to be a real eye-opener for me.This is probably the most violent book I've ever read (or in my case listened to), but the message is powerful.Out there beyond our country we have soldiers fighting battles we might not even be aware of, but the battles are important nonetheless.Lives are important and we have soldiers risking theirs that we may live ours.My respect for the military went up several notches after experiencing this book.
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Subjects:  1. 1934-    2. Africa - Central    3. Africa - General    4. Aidid, Mohammed Farah,    5. Army    6. Army.    7. History    8. History - Military / War    9. Military    10. Military - Other    11. Military - Strategy    12. Military - United States    13. Operation Restore Hope, 1992-1    14. Operation Restore Hope, 1992-1993    15. Task Force Ranger    16. United States    17. United States.    18. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    19. Somalia    20. USA    21. War & defence operations    22. c 1990 to c 2000   

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Terrific Narrative and Maps about the battle of Cowpens!
This book is a wonderful narrative about the battle of Cowpens and the personalities involved. It reallly is great for readers at any age who would like an easy to understand historical reference. The maps by John Robertson are an unexpected surprise! They enable the reader to take learning about the battle a step even further, and provide a good in depth resource about the time and spatial elements of the battle. Anyone visiting the area should enjoy this book with the whole family to make the trip complete! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Campaigns    2. Children's 12-Up - History - General    3. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Cowpens, Battle of, Cowpens, S    6. Cowpens, Battle of, Cowpens, S.C., 1781    7. History    8. History - United States/Colonial & Revolutionary    9. Juvenile literature    10. Revolution, 1775-1783    11. United States   

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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - U.S.    3. History: American    4. United States - Colonial Period    5. United States - State & Local - General   

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Subjects:  1. History    2. Islam    3. Islam - General    4. Islam - History    5. Islamic Empire    6. Islamic countries    7. Large print books    8. Religion    9. Religion - World Religions   

Editorial Review

During the Cold War, Soviet nuclear submarines tirelessly patrolled the Atlantic. Their missiles took aim at Washington, New York, and other major American cities. But they were also fairly low-tech contraptions, at least in comparison to the sophisticated U.S. subs that quietly tracked them. In 1986, one of these Soviet vessels nearly suffered a meltdown not far from Bermuda in what might have been a worse-than-Chernobyl accident. Read more

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"The Hunt for Red October" only true
The parallels between this book and "The Hunt for Red October" are rather spooky considering "Hunt for Red October" was written first and is fictional while this book is non-fiction.Makes me wonder if some of the key players in this story were acting out "The Hunt for Red October" for real. Hostile Critic
I was excited when I found this book on Amazon and quickly purchased it. Once I got it I drove right in.Unfortunately this pre-reading excited set an expectation in my mind which was not fulfilled with the actual text. I also have a rather strict interpretation of a non-fiction book; I want an accurate telling of the story, not a lot of extra adjectives at every turn.The description of the book and some reviewers here have stated that the book read like a good novel, many state it is similar to The Hunt for Red October. In my opinion the book is no where near the level of Red October and if I wanted fiction I would buy fiction. At every chance this author tried to raise the level of excitement by over dramatizing each event.Even the initial cast off was stated in batted breath tones. And let's just say that for a fiction writer he really did not do a good job. "K-219"
"Down three thousand fathoms deep, Deaths of millions in her keep; With her, in eternal sleep -- Sergei Preminin."With these words begins Russell Hoban's poem immortalizing an extraordinary deed of an ordinary Russian submariner."Hostile Waters" also recounts Seaman Preminin's selfless sacrifice, which saved the lives of countless unsuspecting Americans.But this is only one of the riveting episodes of desperation and courage chronicled in this true story about a doomed nuclear submarine.Authors USN-AWS Capt. (ret.) Huchthausen and Soviet Capt. 1st. Rank Kurdin were participants in the ongoing Cold War events which led to the tragedy of K-219.Written with the assistance of accomplished novelist Robin A. White ("Siberian Light", "Ice Curtain"), their book reads like a spellbinding adventure of disaster and heroism on the sea.In 1986, the Soviet Navy, in its futile attempts to match its superior American counterpart, was sending its fleet of obsolete boomers to patrol the eastern coast of the US.Capt. Igor Britanov knew that his noisy, decrepit boat was being tracked from the moment she left her home port, and that once in American waters, he was being shadowed by a state-of-the-art hunter-killer.Following an unintentional collision by the USS Augusta, K-219 sustained severe damage which left her flooding and burning, with an open missile-hatch, on the surface.In a cascading chain of catastrophe, her nuclear reactor began to overheat.As the US military went on DEFCON alert, K-219 foundered in her desperate and dangerous death-throes.You, the reader, will intimately experience the Soviet crew's minute-by-minute struggle for survival.You will bond with the Russian Captain, whose fatherly affection for his men inspired their loyalty and dedication to the point of personal sacrifice.You will be astonished by the attrocious actions of the American Captain, which alienated his own crew and ultimately cost him his career.You will be disgusted by the competative uncooperativeness between the American armed forces, and the open hostility between individual branches of the Navy.You will be dismayed by the utter callousness of the US and Soviet governments whose disregard for human life imperilled the world.And you will never forget Sergei Preminin, who voluntarily entered the hot reactor and manually cranked down the stuck baffle-plates, thus preventing a meltdown mere miles off the American coast.For an eye-opening and disturbing view of US Cold War politics, and an even-handed and compassionate portrayal of the Opposition, read this "ten-star" story! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Large Print    5. Large-type books    6. Military - Naval    7. North Atlantic Ocean    8. Safety    9. Soviet Union    10. Specimens    11. Submarine disasters   

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too much fbi
they can take down big paulie but they can't save our crumbling country from their treasonous higher-ups. when i buy a mafia book i prefer to read about the mafia, not about the boring ass cops. its like 75% feds, 25% mob. don't read unless you're interested in the fbi. its not a true mafia book

Not bad for non- fiction
Boss of Bosses was not a book I would have normally chosen to read for pleasure. I was assigned to read this book through school and I was pleasantly surprised. As all books that have to establish a timeline do, this book started out really slow. By the time I reached midpoint, I was deeply engrossed in the reading. If you are into non-fiction law enforcement books, this is a highly recommeded read. If your not, it is still a decent book to sit down with.

The fall and murder of Godfather Paul Castellano.
This is a great read, and the only reason why I gave it a four star is because the authors seem to sympathize with Casellano.Castellano was the head of one crime family of five in New York.They specialized in corruption and punishment of those who didn't let them get their way.When Paul talks of clipping people, he means he will have someone murder them.Should we have sympathy for someone who has clipped others, being clipped himself.Or for that matter, the man who busted up people with a baseball bat getting six slugs in him.I think not.These guys got what they deserved.The only bad thing is the Gambino crime family fell into the hands of John Gotti and his son.They were bigger hoods than Castellano.
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Subjects:  1. 1915-1985    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Castellano, Constantino Paul,    6. Criminals    7. Criminals & Outlaws    8. Criminology    9. History    10. Mafia    11. Organized crime    12. United States    13. Castellano, Constantino Paul   

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Subjects:  1. Canada - Post-Confederation (1867-)    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Social History   

Editorial Review

Was the fall of Communism a direct result of a covert confederation between the U.S. government and the Vatican? So claim reporters Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi in Read more

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Critically objective but respectful
Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi have written an excellent portrait of Karol Woytyla - both the man and the pope.The authors are objective about John Paul II's world vision, triumphs, shortcomings and place in history while being respectful at the same time.
The Political Part was OK
Among the many books written about Pope John Paul II, the book by Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi, His Holiness, stands out. That's because it's focus is on the role played by the Pope, working along with the Reagan Administration, in causing the fall of communism.
Boring and biased
It is just too difficult to sort out the ideological agenda of the author from the facts. Bernstein utterly fails to understand one of the most interesting people of our time. This book has all the trappings of a serious work but when I read about the Pope I want to know what inspired the man. This tedious chronological and "investigative" work fails to provide that and thus we are left with a very boring read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1975-1985    2. 1985-1995    3. 20th century    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Catholic Church and world politics    6. Christianity - Catholicism    7. History    8. Large Print    9. Religious    10. World politics    11. John Paul   

Editorial Review

Most Americans know her only as the 42-year-old seamstress who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus. Her quiet act of defiance is often considered the beginning of the modern civil rights movement, but historian Douglas Brinkley reminds us that it was neither the beginning nor the end of Rosa Parks's quest for justice. On that fateful day in 1955 she was already a veteran civil rights activist, married to a charter member of the NAACP's Montgomery chapter, and a devout member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the many black churches whose congregants organized and fought to desegregate the South. Brinkley gives a thorough account of Parks's political life in the South and in Detroit (where she moved in 1957 to escape death threats), capturing her majestic personal dignity. Yet he also places her activism within a vivid historical context, anchored by extensive interviews with her peers and Parks herself as well as scholarly research. His subject is now a frail octogenarian, but Brinkley conveys the power of her legacy in a moving final scene when Nelson Mandela, just four months out of a South African jail in 1990, embraces Parks as a comrade and a beloved mentor. Read more

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Rosa Parks
An inspirational story about the life of Rosa Parks, a mulatto woman who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery AL on Dec 1, 1955. Her courageous act became known as the beginning of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. Her quiet and non violent action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycot, provided the NAACP with a model case to end Jim Crow laws in the South and gave opportunity for young minister, Martin Luther King, Jr. to display his enormous leadership potential. The story reveals little known facts about the quiet and demure seamstress. It tells of her personal struggles with racism, poverty and chauvinism. It is a heroic story of an ordinary person with incredible inner strength.

Mariah Sanchious
True Life: Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
I do not think this is a very good book for a book report on Rosa Parks.Despite the fact the title is "Rosa Parks", I received more information on other things that were happening at the time and about other people than you did about Rosa Parks.However, this is a good book if you are doing a report or want to learn about African American History in the late 1800s and 1900s. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1913-    2. 20th century    3. African American women civil r    4. African American women civil rights workers    5. African Americans    6. Alabama    7. Biography    8. Biography & Autobiography    9. Biography / Autobiography    10. Biography/Autobiography    11. Civil rights    12. Civil rights workers    13. History    14. Montgomery    15. Parks, Rosa,    16. People of Color    17. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    18. Women    19. Parks, Rosa   

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Behind the scenes at our 20th century Camelot!
Although Sally Bedell Smith's "Grace and Power" cannot compete with Arthur Schlesinger's "A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House" nor with Theodore Sorenson's "The Kennedy Legacy," the author makes absolutely no pretensions of doing so. Far from a political history of the Kennedy years, Ms. Smith has drawn on private letters, personal papers and 142 interviews with those close to John F. and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy to illuminate the personal lives of the martyred president and his First Lady. Her take on the couple's complex relationship, including his compulsion to take numerous lovers and her manner of coping with this problem, are mainstays here.
Exquisite and containing information I've read nowhere else
What a unique way to weave the story of the politics, history, friendships, relationships, marriage into one finely written work.It's as if you can pick any day from January 1961 to Nov 25, 1963 and there, as if opening a long forgotten datebook, is the gem containing an intimate picture of a special family party, a state dinner, a cruise on the Honey Fitz, Jackie's White House school--name it, if it's personal and human (yet without judgement) you'll find it in Sally Bedell Smith's cultural/social history of the Kennedy years.It's not all fine dining and socializing because important history and the toll it takes is playing out all the while--a deft tapesty!

Grace and Power: Jack and Jackie reign at the top of the White House Hill
Washington insider and biographer Sally Bedell Smith opens the doors to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue during the Kennedy administration. This is a revealing look at the private passions, joys, griefs and lives of those people who were stars
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Subjects:  1. (John Fitzgerald),    2. 1917-1963    3. 1929-    4. 20th century    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. First Ladies    10. Historical - U.S.    11. History    12. Kennedy, John F    13. Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy,    14. Political culture    15. Presidents    16. Presidents & Heads of State    17. Presidents' spouses    18. U.S. Federal Government    19. U.S. History - Post World War II Period    20. United States    21. United States - 20th Century    22. Biography & Autobiography / Presidents   

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Best book in over 30 years, except of course for The Bible which has no equal
Book Review:"On Wings of Eagles" by Ken Follett; published by William Morrow, New York in 1983; Non Fiction.
Why Ross Perot Couldn't Get Elected Dog Catcher
This is an enjoyable book. Follett is a great writer. Read it, you'll enjoy it.
Narrative Non-Fiction At Its Best
I picked this book up to read after visiting Mr. Perot's office. The book is a testimony to the commitment of a boss and fellow workers to risk it all to take care of your people and your friends. Whatever the debate within the State Department about Perot not giving diplomatic measures time to work, Perot realized time was of the essence and decisions could not wait.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History: American    3. Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981    4. Large type books    5. Middle East - General    6. United States - 20th Century   

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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. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Historical - U.S.    6. History    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. United States    10. United States - General    11. United States - Revolutionary War    12. Women    13. Women in politics    14. Women's Studies - General    15. Social Science / Women's Studies   

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Only Useful If You're a Veteran Episcopalian
For the truly visually impaired Episcopalian this is a very useful book.The print is very readable.The true problem lies in the fact that it is not paginated like the Book of Common Prayer that is used in the Episcopal Church.If you are a newcomer to the Episcopal Church and not familiar with where things are in the Prayer Book, even with a "Sunday program" or "bulletin" it is difficult to find the appropriate pages in this large print book.The Episcopal service tends to jump around in the Prayer Book.Without reference to the corresponding pages in this large print book, a novice would be lost.Morehouse Barlow used to publish two large print paperbacks, one with the Eucharists Rites I and II and the other with the Psalter...they were paginated the same as the Book of Common Prayer.Why they stopped publishing in this form is beyond me. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - Study - General    2. General    3. Religion    4. Religion - Church History    5. Religion - General    6. Worship    7. Episcopal Churches    8. Religion - Worship - General    9. History    10. Ritual & Practices   

Editorial Review

On July 20, 1969, near the end of a great decade of near-space exploration, a small craft called Read more

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Why I liked this book.
This book fills in quite a few holes in my knowledge and curiousity of how a lot of things evolved.Many books spend so much time on Apollo especially 11 and 13. I always wanted to know more about how the size and shape of the Mercury capsule evolved and it's good to hear stories about the guys that originally concieved these ideas. Guys like Max Faget. Also, without telecommunication satellites- putting together a worldwide ground tracking system to track Mercury was an amazing feat, in and of itself, and to do it with such a tight deadline. These guys were good.Sure that stuff is pure engineering and probably pretty boring to the layperson. But those are the dotted i's and crossed t's that made it happen. Kraft was in on conception and implementation of this, and the evolution to Gemini and then Apollo.He is definitly has a no "B.S." management style and is the kind of boss that won't tolerate ineptness.
When NASA was exciting
Fantastic book for any "space cadet".This book, along with "Failure Is Not An Option", brings out the true story of NASA when success wasn`t measured in political currency.

Take it with a grain of salt
Much of what Kraft writes about in "Flight" has already been told, going back as far as Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff", or even further back in the contemporary media of the space era. The new material that this book offers is Kraft's unbiased take on the people he worked with during his many years in the manned space program, starting in the late 1950s when he was a member of the original Space Task Group at Langley. Kraft pulls no punches. Even some of his professed admirers such as Gene Kranz come in for the occasional dig, and he reserves an entire chapter for villifying Scott Carpenter, making statements that NASA's official biography of Carpenter refute. Kraft states that Carpenter did not have a college degree, and that he had no time working in flight test, both untrue. In his post-Mercury years, Carpenter was awarded the Navy's Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the prestigious Collier Trophy, also held by Chuck Yeager, not to mention seven honorary college degrees on top of his 1949 B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado. Hardly the life of a failed slacker. I wonder if Kraft has been similarly honored post-NASA? His outright falsehoods about Carpenter cast doubt on some of Kraft's assertions about others that he worked with. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aerospace engineers    2. Astronautics    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. General    8. History    9. Kraft, Christopher C    10. United States   

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"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. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business History    4. Business/Economics    5. Case studies    6. Computer Science    7. Computer industry    8. Corporate turnarounds    9. Electronic office machine industry    10. General    11. History    12. International Business Machine    13. Management    14. United States