Reviews (3)

One of the important books you'll ever read
The essays in this timely and essential volume are written by a variety of intellectuals from academia, the military, the sciences, and beyond.To read this book is to discover the reality that is kept from consumers of watered-down and even deceptive mainstream news sources (remember WMD?)There is no question that a conspiracy was involved in perpetrating 9/11--the government itself assures us this conspiracy involved 19 young Arab Muslims and a few ringleaders like Osama bin Laden (FBI says no hard evidence to link him, hence no indictment) and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (whose "testimony" was provided to the 9/11 commission by the CIA, and makes up most of the official case for the Muslim/Arab conspiracy theory.)The flimsy official story is contradicted by historical precedent of false-flag terror committed routinely by nations such as the U.S., Italy, and Israel, among others throughoiut history (search for the Lavon Affair, e.g.)This issue, as well as the inexplicable collapse of building number 7 and the twin towers are dealt with by examining facts surrounding the events, not speculation or conjecture.The conclusion that is evidently correct is that elements of the U.S. government with help from the intelligence services of Pakistan, Israel, and others engineered a spectacular attack in order to draw the U.S. into a war our people would otherwise never have supported.This issue is changing the world as I write these words and this book, which I own and will treasure as part of my collection of true 9/11 investigative work along with David Griffin's other books and books like the Terror Timeline by Paul Thompson, is an invaluable introduction to the issues for those just becoming aware of this historic hoax.Because of purposely deceitful "theorists" out there whose aim is to give the truth movement a bad name by for example claiming no planes hit the towers, volumes such as this are key to sorting fact from fiction and beginning on the path of restoring our democracy, exposing corporate media complicity in government corruption, and most importantly effecting a long-needed reconciliation with the Arab and Muslim peoples we have allowed to be unjustly persecuted for these crimes.

The Top 100 reviewer Seth did not read this!!
This is very interesting stuff folks. You have to actually read it (but first read the offical account and the NIST report and all that good stuff) to come to a conclusion. I own it. Seth is a loser. And you will just have to read it on your own. Later.

A pack of lies
First of all the title is misleading, those people who are involved in this book are not 'intellectuals' in the true senseof the word.Many of the articles deal with conspiracy theories about 9/11 so really its not intelletual since no intellectual can honestly beleive that 9/11 either A) was planned by George Bush and the CIA, B) was planned by the same group that killed JFK, C) didnt actually happen.Once one discards those rantings by lunatics one is left with a book that whines about American "empire" but what exactly is this empire?is it the empie of billions in aid to african countries?is it the empire of the country whose people give the most to phlanthropy?Is it the same empire that is both balmed for helping the Taliban against the Russians and then ignoring them?is it the same empire that is allies with Saudi and Israel?
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Subjects:  1. Government - National    2. History    3. History - U.S.    4. History: American    5. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    6. United States - 21st Century   

Reviews (60)

depressing book
I got this for my dad to read. I talked to him about a month after I gave it to him and he told me that he was only 50% through it. When I asked why, he said he could only read 3-4 pages at a time because it got him so depressed reading about the destrction of our country. I guess that is why 'reality bites.' Most certainly recommend.

Great Wake Up Call
There is no doubt that illegal immigration is destroying this country for a number of reason, not the least of which is the utter refusal of millions of people to bother learning English. But this book focuses on much more than just language and shows us how so much of what is wrong with the country is a direct result of what comes through its borders. These include drugs, diseases and terrorists as well as lifestyles, cultures and mindsets that are antithetical to freedom, capitalism and democracy just to name a few.
If You Love Your Country--Read this Book
I believe that Tom Tancredo is probably only one of a handful of U.S. congressmen left who are truly upholding the U.S. Constitution.In his book, he outlines all of the many threats that are coming at us through our porous borders:Gangs, drugs, lower wages, drain on social services, diseases (such as leprosy) and the degeneration and disintegration of the American culture (especially here in the South--Dixie).The only thing that he leaves out is the advent of the North American Union as the cause for Washington's lack of interest in securing our borders.This could be, because at the time that this book was written, he was not aware of it.I only became aware of the NAU a few months ago.Also, I read a lot of posts on this review board criticizing the fact that Mr. Tancredo used a photograph of a battered, mutilated American flag.I take no offense to this.The picture is merely a representation and symbolic of the way that America's culture, social fabric and heritage is becoming mutilated and battered by illegal hordes.When armies go to war and carry their flags, they often become ripped and battered and even a little burned, but this in no way diminishes their worth or what they stand for.Thank you for reading this review. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Border patrols    2. Emigration & Immigration    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Illegal aliens    5. Political Freedom & Security - General    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Prevention    10. Public Policy - Cultural Policy    11. Terrorism    12. United States    13. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    15. USA   

Editorial Review

As grippingly as any novelist, preeminent World War II historian Stephen Ambrose tells the horrifying, hallucinatory saga of Easy Company, whose 147 members he calls the nonpareil combat paratroopers on earth circa 1941-45. Ambrose takes us along on Easy Company's trip from grueling basic training to Utah Beach on D-day, where a dozen of them turned German cannons into dynamited ruins resembling "half-peeled bananas," on to the Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of part of the Dachau concentration camp, and a large party at Hitler's "Eagle's Nest," where they drank the madman's (surprisingly inferior) champagne. Of Ambrose's main sources, three soldiers became rich civilians; at least eight became teachers; one became Albert Speer's jailer; one prosecuted Bobby Kennedy's assassin; another became a mountain recluse; the despised, sadistic C.O.who first trained Easy Company (and to whose strictness many soldiers attributed their survival of the war) wound up a suicidal loner whose own sons skipped his funeral.Read more

Reviews (388)

I don't know why people find it nessesary to mention the miniseries, this stands on its own!
I've seen the miniseries, I've read the book. The book is much more interesting. First, the direct quotes and sources comparing it to other books written about comradeship, or being a soldier in general are indespensible as a way to not only know what you are reading is the way it was (not a director's interpretation), but to gain more knowledge that was not supplied in the book itself. Second, there is more in the book than the show. Last, and most important, when concieving a picture about what it was like with Easy, it is more fun and entertaining (in my opinion) to first think of it the way your mind takes you. I do reccomend watching the show surely, but read the book first, it is fun to see how your perceptions match up to that of the show and its producers plus, if you know what and how everything happens, the book is easily ruined and your picture of what it was like in your mind is nullified.
wonderful look at a true band of brothers and how they came to be
With the exception of Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, which is fiction, I've never read a book on World War II before. And aside from my interest in Cold War/atomic culture, war isn't normally on my bookshelves. But after seeing a couple of the final episodes on repeat on the History Channel of "Band of Brothers," the miniseries based on this book, I gave it a go.
Another Flag Waver
I really can't add much to the reviews already written except to say that 'Band of Brothers' is a must read for WWII buffs or anyone interested in the brave acts that bring young men to perform totally without thought to themselves, but rather to their comrades.As we have come to expect from Stephen Ambrose, the book is well written, well researched, and will keep you interested from cover to cover.As I have said in some other of my reviews, "This one will make you want to go out and fly that American flag proudly." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Airborne troops    2. Campaigns    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: American    6. Military - United States    7. Military - World War II    8. Regimental histories    9. United States    10. Western    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. American history    13. History / Military / United States    14. USA    15. World history: Second World War   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - U.S.    3. History: American    4. United States - General    5. History / United States / General    6. USA   

Reviews (37)

I couldn't have lived through this hard time
The author has done a wonderful job of researching the years of the dust bowl. I found this book to be excellent although depressing, if that makes sense.I am in awe that anyone stayed on the prairies and survived at all. Eating pickled tumble weed to your family because nothing else would grow.
Absurd Voice Acting
This book was OK, I suspose I would actually give it 3 and 1/2 stars if I could. It did get a bit boring in my opinion, but then again perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time. The worst part about it is the guy who reads the audio book version. He tries to come up with a different voice for everyone in the book, and fails. Most of the people protrayed come off sounding like somecrazy old coot from a 1960's Disney movie. Sometimes it's so bad that it's funny. I certainly don't think it's what the author was going for.

An incredible book about a neglected part of American history...
This ranks as one of the best books I've ever read...The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan.It stunned me on a number of levels.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - U.S.    3. History: American    4. Natural Disasters    5. U.S. History - Depression And New Deal (1929-1938)    6. United States - 20th Century    7. United States - 20th Century/Depression    8. United States - State & Local - Midwest    9. History / United States / 20th Century   

Reviews (2)

Negotiation versus Regime Change
Scott Ritter provides chapter and verse on how conflict with the Axis of Evil nations could have been avoided with direct negotiation.The mullahs of Iran sought to negotiate with everything on the table, including nuclear weapons and a treaty with Israel. North Korea still wants direct negotiations.So did Saddam. We don't negotiate with regimes we want to remove.Bush prefers to "take them out" no matter how many americans die.

Could have, would have, shoud have...
This could have been one of the most important books of the year. Scott Ritter provides important, but tangential, information related to Israel's influence over U.S. foreign policy, the history of the IAEA in Iran, and the theory of regime change as the real reason for U.S. "concern" over Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure.
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Subjects:  1. Government - U.S. Government    2. History    3. History: American    4. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Public Policy - General    7. United States - 21st Century    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    9. History / United States / 21st Century    10. International relations    11. Iran    12. USA   

Reviews (39)

Best review book for AP US History
This is with no doubt the best review guide that you can buy for AP US History, if you use it to its full potential, no questions asked.
Review section was okay, practice tests were lacking
I really didn't go through this book as much as other prep books. The review section, while lengthy, lacked information on specific historical figures and left out many of the unifying themes that are indispensable when writing essays for the exam. At best, I skimmed some of the sections, but I found some irrelevant information. This book is great if you have lots of time on your hands to read all of the review section carefully. As for me, I found the information presented in a less than stimulating manner and I ended up relying on course-notes outlines, rereading my American Pageant, the Princeton Review book and my teacher's afterschool review sessions.
Amazing
I never had to read the textbook provided by the school this year.I just used this book which prepared me for the AP.This book should be bought by everyone who takes APUSH ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Advanced Placement    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Juvenile Nonfiction    4. Study Aids - Test Preparation    5. Study Guides    6. United States - General    7. Learning & study skills    8. Study Aids / Advanced Placement   

Editorial Review

As teenagers from a rough part of Newark, New Jersey, Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt, and George Jenkins had nothing special going for them except loving mothers (one of whom was a drug user) and above-average intelligence. Their first stroke of luck was testing into University High, one of Newark's three magnet high schools, and their second was finding each other. They were busy staying out of trouble (most of the time), and discovering the usual ways to skip class and do as little schoolwork as possible, when a recruitment presentation on Seton Hall University reignited George's childhood dream of becoming a dentist. The college was offering a tempting assistance package for minorities in its Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Plus Program. George convinced his two friends to go to college with him. They would help each other through. None of them would be allowed to drop out and be reabsorbed by the Newark streets.Read more

Reviews (46)

The Pact... Packs some good information for young people and their parents
The Pact was a book that I was interested in reading for some time. My son (9 yrs old), and I decided that the best time to read the book would be before his bedtime. We would alternate reading different chapters. The Pact was an inspiring story that I believe anyone could relate too. It's about community support, friendship and perserverance. This generation needs to hear stories about what is possible, and this book delivers on that message. I strongly recommend it for youth groups everywhere. We need to teach our kids how to choose friends, and that friends can support and nurture each others dreams. Dream BIG!
I will put this on my recommended list for students
One of my biggest challenges as an educator is building literacy. I know that the most successful students read outside of class, but I have a hard time finding books that manageable and interesting enough to grab the interest of the students that I work with in DC. I will recommend this book to my students because it helps make the choices of black students real in clear language. How do you successfully defer gratification for years and years to build a career? This book doesn't have definite answers but it does give an example that students can look up to. More programs like the Seton Hall program that helped bridge the transition to college are necessary for first-generation high school students. I also dug the fact that these three black men did not seem to be supermen in the way that Cedric Jennings was portrayed in "The Hope In the Unseen". Books like "The Pact" show that the best dreams are birthed by students in the presence of consistent mentoring. I hope that all urban mentors and educators will consider this book for motivational fuel.
Great read...
I read about these three in some magazine (Essence?) while I was in a bookstore cafe. I went upstairs to browse the book and ended up buying it. I'm so glad that I went to that bookstore just to browse around or I would have never known anything about it.I'd heard of these three from another magazine I subscribe to but never really knew what their deal was.It was very interesting to read about three young men who grew up in the inner city projects of Newark, two of them exposed themselves to crime, all of their manhood was tested, and two went to jail/juvenile hall. But with all those pitfalls, each one of them had a personality that would not let each other fall down.One was an activist, the next was a serious hard worker, and the third an optimistic motivator who stayed out of trouble.These guys were so good for each other. It was interesting to read about their sides of the story in a conversational tone that showcases their down-to-Earth personalities, their mild secrets that the other two will enjoy reading, and even a couple love interests would probably be flattered too.
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Subjects:  1. African American physicians    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    7. Medical - General    8. Medical - Physicians    9. People of Color    10. Practice Of Medicine    11. Sociology Of Medicine    12. Biography: general    13. Family & Relationships / Child Care    14. Medicine    15. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (60)

Fascinating and life saving
Couldn't put this book down!Instructive and illuminating!Tales and advice can apply to any hiking and biking trips that our family takes in the future.

Mostly good
I was afraid that this book would be a boring, thorough, and complete list of Grand Canyon deaths.It isn't -- except for Chapter 4.With that exception, this book is a complete page-turner, well-written and informative.
Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon
It is a most interesting and informative book.It should be read by anyone who has or wants to hike the Grand Canyon.It relates individual stories of people that have died in the Canyon and what they did wrong that caused or contributed to their death.It weaves many of these stories together to create an excellent book that was hard to put down.
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Subjects:  1. Accidents    2. Anecdotes    3. Arizona    4. Grand Canyon    5. Grand Canyon (Ariz.)    6. History    7. Social Science / Death & Dying    8. Travel    9. Travel / Parks & Campgrounds    10. Violent deaths    11. Death    12. Death & Dying    13. Parks & Campgrounds    14. Social Science    15. United States - State & Local   

Editorial Review

Bill Gertz, who covers national security for the Read more

Reviews (113)

Lackluster but marginally revealing...
This is a Washington Times correspondant's look at Clinton Administration boon-doggles from overtures to the Red Chinese to foolish nuclear aid programs to North Korea. Succinctly stated Gertz indicts the former Clinton administration for it's blind eyeon vital national security issues. Though, at times it seems trifling and it seems Gertz is fishing for intrigue. Since the highlight of the book is a spying Russian naval vessel blinding an American with a laser, I was kind of bored. But I still found some of the content redeeming.

Pretty Pernicious stuff
I am beginning to hate to read these books about President Clinton because it seems that everything he did as the President was to line his pockets. Accurate portrayal of a moral relativist former President.
Bill Gertz is probably the foremost authority in the United States on American-Chinese relations. During the Clinton years Gertz kept America informed, through his brilliant articles in The Washington Times, regarding the Administration's ill-advised "policy of engagement" with China, a policy which, at the end of Clinton's eight years in office, had served to permit China to aid rogue nations in the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and to improve its arsenal of ICBMs, many of which were aimed at us, while aiding Mr. Clinton's Hollywood contributors and several unscrupulous high-tech corporations as they developed markets in China for their products.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. 1993-2001    3. 20th century    4. Clinton, Bill,    5. Foreign relations    6. General    7. Government - U.S. Government    8. History    9. International Relations - General    10. National Security Issues    11. National security    12. Political Science    13. Politics / Current Events    14. Politics/International Relations    15. U.S. Foreign Relations    16. United States    17. Arms negotiation & control    18. Central government policies    19. Clinton, Bill    20. Political Science / General    21. USA   

Subjects:  1. Economic conditions    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History - U.S.    6. History: World    7. United States    8. United States - General    9. American history    10. History / General    11. USA   

Reviews (162)

Disturbing, eye-opening, but not sold
Ruppert's book pulls a lot of stuff together -- maybe in the end, too much. I was weary of it after 590 pages, and his concluding argument "summation to the jury" was to me the weakest chapter in the book. Perhaps it is just not possible, yet, to boil down Peak Oil, Patriot Act shenanigans, govt complicity in 9-11, PROMIS software and the kitchen sink into a single Theory of Everything. However, the author deserves a high grade for trying and is certainly worth reading.
Superb Detailed Analysis of World Events + 9/11
Crossing the Rubicon was one of the first books I read in this subject area, but I've subsequently realised it is the best. Michael Ruppert was someone I found out about when, like many, I tried finding out about the realities of 9/11 and the politics and manoeuvring behind the scenes. I watched one of his lectures delivered at a University in which he covers, at a high level, all the major topics addressed in Crossing the Rubicon.
Scholarly, brilliant work
Michael Ruppert's book, "Crossing the Rubicon" rips veil after veil away from your eyes. It is well written and well edited, and flows along briskly. I couldn't put it down. His ideas are backed up by hundreds of footnotes, which serve as a springboard for your own research. If you are happy in a make-believe world, don't bother reading this book. If you want to take the "red pill" and see the matrix, buy this book. I am recommending it to every one I can. Entertaining and horrifying at the same time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 2001-    2. Drug traffic    3. Foreign relations    4. General    5. Petroleum industry and trade    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics and government    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Reference    11. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    12. United States    13. History / United States / 20th Century    14. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    15. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Editorial Review

First published in 1970, this extraordinary book changed the way Americans think about the original inhabitants of their country. Beginning with the Long Walk of the Navajos in 1860 and ending 30 years later with the massacre of Sioux men, women, and children at Wounded Knee in South Dakota, it tells how the American Indians lost their land and lives to a dynamically expanding white society. During these three decades, America's population doubled from 31 million to 62 million. Again and again, promises made to the Indians fell victim to the ruthlessness and greed of settlers pushing westward to make new lives. The Indians were herded off their ancestral lands into ever-shrinking reservations, and were starved and killed if they resisted. It is a truism that "history is written by the victors"; for the first time, this book described the opening of the West from the Indians' viewpoint. Accustomed to stereotypes of Indians as red savages, white Americans were shocked to read the reasoned eloquence of Indian leaders and learn of the bravery with which they and their peoples endured suffering. With meticulous research and in measured language overlaying brutal narrative,Dee Brown focused attention on a national disgrace. Still controversial but with many of its premises now accepted, Read more

Reviews (134)

Tragedy as history
This book details the atrocities and lies that propelled the U.S. through one of the most savage campaigns of destruction and theft in the history of the world.I couldn't put it down and I couldn't feel good about any of it.The machinations and manipulations have never been clearer to me than what Dee Brown presents.It's a must-read for every American who wants to know what this country was like a couple generations ago.

How the West was lost
This is a fantastic classic detailing the demise of the plains Indians and deals with them incident by incident, tribe by tribe, chief by chief from around the 1850s to the early 20th century.
Rebalancing Process
This is a harrowing book to read, yet withal it is very informative and gripping. It was first published a considerable time ago, yet its impact is still great - one can't fail to be moved by the plight of the Indians when faced with the tidal wave of white emigration. It struck me that this could almost be described as a nineteenth century version of the execrable film "Independence Day" except that there's no implausible happy ending.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: American    5. Indians of North America    6. Native American    7. Native Americans    8. United States - General    9. Wars    10. West (U.S.)    11. American history    12. Indigenous peoples    13. Western & Pacific Coast states   

Reviews (40)

People of faith are waking up
People of faith are waking up that what we have in the running of this country is anything but Christian or Godly. This book takes the serious approach.

Discovering the courage to confront a demonic American empire
This is truly two books in one. Each half is vitally important to all Americans, but especially to those of us who wish to be identified as Christians.
The Book Hugo Chavez Should Have Held Up
One in three Americans has serious doubts about the conspiracy theoryoffered by the U.S. government that 19 Arabs armed with box-cutters wereresponsible for the hijacking of four airplanes, and the attacks on theWorld Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
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Subjects:  1. Causes    2. Christianity - Christian Life - Social Issues    3. Christianity - General    4. Christianity - History - Social Issues    5. Imperialism    6. Philosophy    7. Religion    8. Religion - Socialissues    9. Religious aspects    10. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    11. United States - 21st Century   

Editorial Review

Abraham Lincoln, who had worked as a riverboat pilot before turning to politics, knew a thing or two about the problems of transporting goods and people from place to place. He was also convinced that the United States would flourish only if its far-flung regions were linked, replacing sectional loyalties with an overarching sense of national destiny.Read more

Reviews (207)

a wonderful journey back in time
we loved this book - transported back to a time where our country was expanding - highly recommend

Very Well Written, Factual and Fulfilling!
Stephen Ambrose did a great job of explaining the complicated details that led to the miracle of the transcontinental railroad. Anyone who appreciates herculean feats and the web of intrigue surrounding their beginnings, eventual birth and their effect on our great country will love this story. A true five star book.

The Great race
An engrossing story about the companies and the men behind the building of the Railroad from Omaha to Sacramento. The US Government with its hands tied in the Civil war, sets up a competition between 2 private companies Union Pacific and the Central Pacific who start laying tracks from Omaho and Sacramento. The book details the progress through each state, with insight into the leaders and the workforce behind the construction. Then it reaches a fast pace once we enter Utah where the two tracks meet.
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Subjects:  1. 19th centurry    2. 19th century    3. Central Pacific Railroad Compa    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: American    7. Railroad construction workers    8. Railroads    9. Railroads - History    10. U.S. History - Civil War And Reconstruction (1860-1877)    11. United States    12. United States - 19th Century/Old West    13. United States - Civil War    14. United States - Reconstruction Period (1865-1877)    15. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    16. History / United States / General    17. Railway transport industries    18. Trains & railways: general interest    19. USA    20. c 1800 to c 1900   

Editorial Review

In this first of five volumes of autobiography, poet Maya Angelou recounts a youth filled with disappointment, frustration, tragedy, and finally hard-won independence. Sent at a young age to live with her grandmother in Arkansas, Angelou learned a great deal from this exceptional woman and the tightly knit black community there. These very lessons carried her throughout the hardships she endured later in life, including a tragic occurrence while visiting her mother in St. Louis and her formative years spent in California--where an unwanted pregnancy changed her life forever. Marvelously told, with Angelou's "gift for language and observation," this "remarkable autobiography by an equally remarkable black woman from Arkansas captures, indelibly, a world of which most Americans are shamefully ignorant." ... Read more

Reviews (285)

Intersectionality as described by Maya Angelou
In her autobiographical novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou recounts her life story as a young, keenly intelligent but insecure black girl in the South during the 1930s and California during the 1940s. The book conveys the difficulties associated with the mixture of racial and gender discrimination endured by a southern black girl, though, and this is perhaps the most fundamental theme explored in her autobiography. The intersectionality of race and gender is a pivotal thread of Angelou's theme, where more than one type of subjugation results in a multiple burden for the victim. Overall, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is a powerful, stirring account of the intersectionality of race and gender regarding black women. Though segregation had been officially declared null and void, many of the Southern states were steeped in racist tendencies that further multiplied the gender inequality that exposed b