Subjects:  1. Ancient - Rome    2. Empire, 284-476    3. Germanic Invasions, 3rd-6th centuries    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Medieval    8. Rome    9. Western Europe - General    10. History / Ancient / Rome    11. History, World | Ancient | Roman   

Reviews (5)

Publisher's Weekly Reviewer is off the mark
The Publisher's Weekly Reviewer is off the mark in his closing statement that 70 percent of the Russian population voted for Putin.S/he has no clue about the true political situation in Russia.During elections, competing political parties have no chance in gaining votes due to the Kremlin's firm grip on campaign activities.What the Kremlin wants is what the Russian people get.Does this reviewer really think the elctions are free and fair and that 70 percent is anything close to an accurate figure?There is no real democracy in Russia, and the majority of voters are so impoverished economically and uneducated (through no fault of their own) that when it comes to elections that you can't really expect them understand how to vote when they can't even buy medicine or food.Politkovskaya was murdered today.Sure her work was often over-emotional and perhaps it isn't brilliant in translation, but she was one of the few brave journalists to tackle the tough issues and to not self-edit.Her death follows that of Starvoitova, Gongadze (Ukraine), Khlebnikov and countless other post-Soviet journalists.Do some homework next time you write a book review.
Anna is Dead; Does That Convince the "Publishers Weekly" Reviewer?
Or is that just more "anecdotal" evidence?
This book has the wrong title
Readers who buy this book with the hope of learning about the overall situation in Putin's Russia, as the title promises, will be sorely disappointed.It's really just an author rant about soldier abuse in Russia's military today - a serious human problem, to be sure, but a very small slice of what a Western reader would want to know about this vast and complicated country.And even on the narrow subject the author actually addresses, the level of writing and analysis is little above a blog posting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1952-    2. 1991-    3. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    4. Government - International    5. History - General History    6. Modern - 21st Century    7. Political Freedom & Security - General    8. Political Science    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics and government    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Post-Communism    13. Presidents & Heads of State    14. Putin, Vladimir Vladimirovich,    15. Russia (Federation)    16. Russia - History    17. Social conditions   

Editorial Review

One of the most beautifully crafted books I have ever read, with some of the most poetic prose passages I could imagine, such as the following, resonating with a stately and timeless quality so absent in our modern life: Read more

Reviews (97)

FEMALE AFRICAN BUSH PILOT IN THE 30's GIVES INSIDE VIEW
Beryl Markham's book West with the Night is a true story of how she lived and worked in Africa as a push pilot back in the 1930's -- almost amazing for a woman...what an experience alone-- what an adventure-- but her writing -- ahhh that's something amazing in itself....from dealing with the Blackwater Die to the lion who almost ate her to search for a Libyan port and a fallen colleague-- a beautiful book...each chapter is written almost like a true short story....she's a beautiful writer and to think this is a piece of our women's past that is here to still cherish-- belongs on the shelf of every women's studies office...great for a young woman to read....especially great gift to a chick going off to college.

Beautifully Written
West With the night is Beryl Markham's memoir of life as a bush pilot in 1930s Africa. The beautifully written prose paints evocative pictures of the Serengeti in the reader's brain, and each paragraph is dense and satisfying. A wonderful read, especially for fans of Out of Africa - and some of the same people are mentioned in this book.
Probably the most beautifully written book I have ever read.
The exceptional wordcrafting in West With The Night brings Africa alive and makes it almost a personal experience. Beryl Markham was a most interesting individual and her life growing up in Africa is the beautiful background for this book. I have only reread one book in my sixty-some years and this is it. I enjoyed it at least as much the second time around.
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Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Aviation - History    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Great Britain    7. Markham, Beryl    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Women    10. Women air pilots   

Reviews (24)

Just read it
Given the sales rank of this important volume concerning Islamic jurisprudence, evidently more English-speaking readers are investigating the serious matter of Islamic values than I previously believed. And considering the appalling rise in the numbers who believe America attacked itself on 9/11--or that its war on terror only produces more of the same--that is very good.
An invaluable resource for MUSLIMS, of the Shafi'i school.
My title says all you need.1000 pages of rulings, NOT PROOFS, based on the compound work of many well know Shafi'i scholars, along with ALOT of extras. The author makes it clear there is still another book yet untranslated with the proofs. The original arabic text is next to the english, plus explanations from contemporary scholars(not just the translator), though admittedly the explanations are limited. I am not going to be the one to pick apart the holes in all the uneducated, hate-filled, pro-western reviews, though I could.I just hope it doesn't turn people off who are simply looking for the correct way to pray. If that is the case I recomend Al-Maqasid first.Read the older pre-911 reviews, including a review from Sh. Nuh.
Sharia Revealed
If you've ever wondered what's the big deal with the imposition of Sharia law, read this book! A clear-cut text which points out once and for all Islam's incompatiblity with the finest Western principals and values.The Koran, the Ahadith and this book (which is derived from the Koran and Ahadith) are the three key source books for clearly viewing the tortured logic of Islamic jurisprudence and the slippery world of Islamic situational ethics. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Early works to 1800    2. General    3. Islam - General    4. Islam - Law    5. Islamic law    6. Law    7. Religion    8. Religion - World Religions    9. Shafiites    10. Islamic studies   

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. World - General    7. History / General    8. World history   

Reviews (2)

Insightful and Riveting and Revealing
I read this book over the course of one weekend, it was that good. The book gets to the heart of what our severely wounded veterans face from the exact time of the injury on the battlefield to the care they receive in our military hospitals, to their day to day recovery, relationships with their families and how they cope with the loss of not only a limb but in some cases, their whole identity.This book made me realize how much they really do lose and sacrifice to defend this country no matter where or when.I have a new appreciation for the true heroes of our day, the men and women of our military, especially the heroes who lose limbs in the line of duty.

A Must-Read for the Wounded and All Who Care About Them
With great insight and compassion, Michael Weisskopf brings us the stories of the amputees of this generation's wars.Weisskopf himself lost his dominant hand while embedded with soldiers in Iraq in preparation for Time's 2003 Person of the Year edition. He picked up a grenade that landed in his vehicle and awoke to a whole new life: Ward 57 of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Embedded war correspondents    3. History    4. History: World    5. Iraq War, 2003-    6. Military    7. Military - Iraq War    8. Military - United States    9. Modern - 21st Century    10. Personal narratives, American    11. United States    12. Weisskopf, Michael    13. Wounds and injuries    14. History / Modern / 21st Century   

Reviews (34)

Question Everything!
When you venture down the rabbit hole deeper and deeper, exploring all the information you can find about what really happened on September 11, 2001, your concern with the official story of 9/11 should transcend politics, religion, race, and ideology. It should have everything to do with truth, constitutional law, ethics, corruption, deception, blatant disregard for human health and human life, and morality beyond any personal choices most of us will make.
History of False Flag operations
Webster Tarpley has been writing exposes for a long time now. His earliest work of note was in the late 70s called "Chi ha ucciso Aldo Moro?" which was on the murder of an Italian Prime minister. He is also known for his studies on the Bush family.
Among Hundreds of Books, The Strongest Approach to Truth
It is with great sadness that I conclude that this book is the strongest of the 770+ books I have reviewed here at Amazon, almost all non-fiction.I am forced to conclude that 9/11 was at a minimum allowed to happen as a pretext for war (see my review of Jim Bamford's "Pretext for War"), and I am forced to conclude that there is sufficient evidence to indict (not necessarily convict) Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and others of a neo-conservative neo-Nazi coup d'etat and kick-off of the clash of civilizations (see my review of "Crossing the Rubicon" as well as "State of Denial").Most fascinatingly, the author links Samuel Huntington, author of "Clash of Civilizations" with Leo Strauss, the connecting rod between Nazi fascists and the neo-cons.
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Subjects:  1. Government policy    2. History    3. History: World    4. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    5. Sociology - General    6. Terrorism    7. United States    8. War on Terrorism, 2001-    9. World - General    10. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries    11. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    12. USA   

Reviews (2)

Proves that counter-insurgency is not new
Despite being over sixty years old, the 1940 edition of the USMC's Small Wars Manual remains one of the cornerstone documents for fighting counter-insurgency warfare.Written in a direct style that is absent from today's military documents, the small wars manual covers the art of fighting limited wars from A-Z, to include ambushes, running elections, disarming the population, and dealing with locals.This book is widely used, often imitated, but never beaten.Far from a historical document, the Small Wars Manual remains vital today.

An Old Book but Surprisingly Revelant
Between the two world wars the United States sent its military forces to numerous small countries to bolster the US diplomatic efforts. The countries so 'invaded' included virtually every Latin American country and countries as far away as China and the Philippines. In order to have their forces operate, the United States military has to have manuals that define what the forces are going to do.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History: World    3. Modern - General   

Editorial Review

Armstrong, a British journalist and former nun, guides us along one of the most elusive and fascinating quests of all time--the search for God. Like all beloved historians, Armstrong entertains us with deft storytelling, astounding research, and makes us feel a greater appreciation for the present because we better understand our past. Be warned: Read more

Reviews (173)

Excellent History of 'God'
Karen Armstrong is certainly one of the finest writers on religious issues.While not herself a believer in 'God', she speaks from experience (she was a nun for several years in the Roman Catholic Church) and also great understanding and sympathy.
Actually...a history of western religion
While Karen Armstrong admittedly attempted a difficult objective, her errors small and not so small still deserve mention.
Ode to the Mighty One
"A History of God" is Karen Armstrong's opus (in my humble opinion), and is an admirable achievement, for it is both secular and theological, without being sanctimonious. I have taken the time to read several of her books and each is superlative in its own way, but most focus on historical time periods that are only part of the 4000 year saga that is revealed with such power in "A History of God."
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Subjects:  1. Biblical teaching    2. Comparative Religion    3. Comparative studies    4. General    5. God    6. God (Christianity)    7. God (Islam)    8. God (Theology)    9. History    10. History of doctrines    11. History: World    12. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (1)

Concise, but...
It leaves of on chapter 15 or 16 whereas, the next volume picks up on Chapter 13. Why didn't they just combine the two volumes since this book is so short anyway instead of reprinting the last 2 or 3 chapters in the second volume? What a ripoff...
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. History / General    6. Other Geographical Groupings, Oceans & Seas    7. World history   

Editorial Review

Bernard Lewis is the West's greatest historian and interpreter of theNear East. Books such as Read more

Reviews (250)

Please, America, read this book!
This book was recommended to me by a liberal historian. Since then I've noticed that the Bush administration sought Bernard Lewis's advice at one point. The reason everyone respects him is that this historian in his nineties who has been studying the Middle East since the 1940s knows things we all ought to know about Muslim civilizations. But we were not taught any of these things in school--not even college. Not even graduate school, for most of us. Answers to theconflict between the West and the Middle East will be hard to find, but if we don't even understand the context, things will just get worse and worse. So please read this great book, and then go on to read more books by Bernard Lewis!

Unobjective, cowardly, apologetics
There is no doubting Bernard Lewis is a capable scholar. However he is one of the pioneers of the wave of apologetic Historians who are rewriting history. Basicaly, history to Bernard Lewis is: Muslims good Christians bad, all things from the west are bad and all things eastern good, all the worlds wrongs are the wests fault. He seems to beleive that the islamic invasions were paeceful and did not involve mass forced conversions and slaughter of non muslims. He is a totally unobjective historian who is guily of putting forward a mythical and fantisical account concerning the birth and rise of islam. He is directly part responsible for legitmising the modern wave of Islamic terrorism agasinst all non muslims today. He never questions the islamic sources authencicty and disregards all other non muslim sources on the rise of Islam. He has thrown away any opportuntiy to fairly study Islamic and Arab history. Bsically a coward and an apologist.
What Went Wrong With the Writing of This Book?

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Subjects:  1. 1517-    2. History    3. History & Theory - General    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Middle East    7. Middle East - General    8. History / Middle East    9. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (189)

The Education of Little Tree By: Forrest Carter
This book is about a boy orphaned very young who is adopted by his Cherokee Grandmother and half Cherokee Grandfather in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennesse during the Great Depression. He Grandparents named him Little Tree. He is taught how to hunt and survive the mountains the Cherokee way, taking only what is needed by his Grandfather. He is taught the joys of reading and education by his Grandmother. He also learns the way of white businessmen and tax collectors and how Grandfather scared the away. Little Tree is sent off to an indian boarding school run by whites. We learn of the cruelty of indian children. Little Tree learns how the world differs from the Cherokee way.
The WORST book I ever recorded...
When I was first chosen to narrate this book, I knew nothing of the racist past of it's author -- I knew only that it was the single worst book I'd ever been assigned.The negative AudioFile Magazine review of my recording (quoted here on Amazon) is completely fair.Reading the book to myself in order to prepare to record it, I found it annoying in the extreme -- the so-called prose is precious and poorly written, and the allegedly authentic colloquialisms are grating.When it came time to say it all aloud, for the first time ever (and I've narrated upwards of 200 audiobooks) I found it impossible to invest this piece literary flotsam with any emotional content whatsoever.As declining the job was no longer an option, I merely tried to stay out of the way and give it as simple and logical a performance as I could, but I was unable to compensate for the God awful writing, and unable to disguise my contempt for the entire enterprise.It remains the worst recording I have ever done, and I was, for a time, quite ashamed of it.Now that I discover more about it's hate mongering author, I'm actually pleased that the recording stinks.I now believe I gave this garbage exactly the reading it deserved.(I must add that I learned a valuable lesson: never record a book you loathe.I was subsequently offered the execrable "Left Behind" series for young adults, but having suffered through "Little Tree," knew better than to lend my voice to the spewing of "Christian" hate.)

Disappointing
This book was assigned school reading.I found it rather boring and the language used in the story became annoying after a while.Not recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    2. Classics    3. Juvenile Fiction    4. Literature - Classics / Criticism    5. Readers - Chapter Books    6. Biography: general    7. Historical fiction    8. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    9. Tennessee   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (91)

Oh, just shut up and read it!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again now: It must be nearly impossible to write a general textbook on world religions that is (A) uniformly high-quality, (B) inoffensive to any reasonable person, and (C) easy, even fun to read. Huston Smith's The World's Religions fails each of these tests, especially the third one. I encountered an earlier incarnation of this book (then called The Religions of Man) as a freshman in college, served as a teaching assistant in graduate school for a prof who used it in his freshman world religions class, and used it myself for teaching a first-year course in world religions for many years. So, I've probably read this doggoned thing 100 times. I have, therefore, noticed problems of which even Huston Smith himself is likely unaware.
Close to worthless
Books like this have several inherent weaknesses.They appeal to those who are secular first of all, those who grew up without religion or with a minimal amount or to those who were raised religious and therefore have a sudden apiphany of wanting to 'know the other' and be 'open minded'.THe second problem is that the book is written by someone who comes obviously from one of the major religious groups, and therefore cannot truly be expected to be unbiased.Lastly the book suffers from the fact that it tries to steam down and condense each religion into a lovable little nutshell.There is no critiue, there is no analysis, and worst of all no judgement.
a great introduction
This is a great survey of major world religions. It's slender and highly readable. Smith takes complex religious and philosohical ideas and makes them easy to understand. If you're just starting out in the study of comparative religion, I'd start with this book and then move on to more challenging texts. This is a great primer and it may be all you need. Highly Recommended.
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Subjects:  1. Comparative Religion    2. General    3. Reference    4. Religion    5. Religion - World Religions    6. Religions    7. World - General    8. History of religion    9. Religion / Comparative Religion   

Reviews (59)

How a book can create a conflict, Said and his gross mistrepretations
Edward Said, created a proble and made a career of the Israel Palestine Conflict, and conviently died before he could also resolve the death and destruction he brought to the Arab Palestinians. He was a one man destruction derby under the guise of poetry, linguistics and hate and he helped stir up anti Israel and anti Jewish hatred on every University he spoke at. Hopefully, this "vintage" book will become no longer relevant, ans disappear.

Irresponsible and Lacking Rigor
Said's book has, sadly, been hugely influential on thousands of university students, their professors, and many living in the islamic world.His book should not be read without concurrently reading Ibn Warraq's critique _Defending the West: A Critique of Edward Said's Orientalism_.
Breaking stereotypes
Seemingly unable to come to terms with the Muslim world, Orientalism is as timely to read today as it was when it was first published in 1978.Edward Said offered a much needed examination of many of the texts that had come to represent the corpus of "Orientalism" in Western Humanities classes.He went back to the late 18th and early 19th century to set the basis for this new field of study that emerged from the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt.What began as an investigation of the monuments of the Near East soon developed into a study of the people, their culture and their religions. The only problem was that these studies treated the "Orientals" like anthropological specimens, never getting beyond general categories and treating Islam like it was some perversion of Christianity, inspired by an anarchist in robes.
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Subjects:  1. Asia    2. Asia - General    3. East and West    4. Ethnic Studies - General    5. Foreign public opinion, Occide    6. History: World    7. Imperialism    8. Middle East    9. Middle East - General    10. Orientalism    11. Sociology    12. Study and teaching    13. Asian / Middle Eastern history    14. Social Science / Ethnic Studies   

Reviews (6)

Covers Much More than the Title indicates
I thoroughly agree with Mr. Dougherty's enthusiastic reader review. The authors have put together a virtual encyclopedia on modern sub design and construction with real insight into what the subs were intended to do, and how some politicians and bureaucrats sabotaged the projects. I found particularly illuminating how each side of the Soviet-US conflict used the records and existing prototypes of Nazi Germany's U-Boat experiments. Baker's line drawings and diagrams are quite helpful in visualizing the boats, as are the ample photos of the real subs and scale models. This is a book to which I will return again and again whenever there is some news item about
Amazing Material
This material is really good... An impressive source of information about de development process of US and Soviet submarine.This work left behind the traditional american military propaganda and let us know the very good machines the soviet had.I highly recommend it...

A lok behind the scene
This is an excellent book! Full of detailed references it is the first book on early to modern submarines that gives us a look behind the scene. It explains very well the important role the submarines played during the cold war. We learn how design decisions were made in the U.S. as well as the Soviet Union, how such decisions were implemented, and we learn that rather few personalities played a very decisive role on both sides of the iron curtain. Near the end of the cold war, both, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were struggling with the problem of having to design a new generation of submarines which however started to be excessively expensive to build. Only the very knowledgeable reader may be missing here and there a more detailed account concerning "the design and construction" issues. It is clear that the authors have collected more information on these questions than what they were able to put in a single volume of reasonable size. But then this was probably also not their main goal, and the title of the book is exactly right: this is information about the cold war, on the people who fought this war, their political views and the way these views influenced the construction of the submarines they built to fight this war. Truly interesting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cold War    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. History: World    5. Military - Naval    6. Military Science    7. Modern - 20th Century/Nuclear Age    8. Soviet Union    9. Submarines (Ships)    10. United States    11. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    12. History / Military / Naval    13. Military vehicles    14. Naval forces & warfare    15. USA   

Reviews (1)

An Uneven Work
When I look at some of the entries in the Encyclopedia, I found unfortunate errors and very superficial research. The entry on Orangeburg County relies on the 1898 (that's right, 108 years old) history of the county by Alexander Salley, an ancient secondary source notorious for its inaccuracies. Several entries describe the early Swiss settlers (who dominated the earliest settlement of several large SC counties) as Lutherans, when in fact they were overwhelmingly Swiss Reformed, or Calvinist. Familiarity with primary sources would have told the authors and editor this. When we look for the settlers in Swiss parish records, they are in Reformed congregations. When we find records of the ordinations of ministers (prior to Giessendanner converting to the established Church of England in order to be paid by the colony) they are Reformed ordinations in Europe (for example Zubly, Theus) or Presbyterian if in South Carolina (for example, Giessendanner).When knowledgeable contemporaries refer to the religion of the Swiss settlers in Carolina, they say or imply that they were Reformed or Calvinist. Even Reimensperger's brochure encouraging Swiss to settle in Carolina specifies that potential settlers should be Reformed. Secondary sources would also provide the same information. Modern histories of the Presbyterian and Lutheran denominations in South Carolina acknowledge that the Swiss immigrants were Reformed. The Lutherans appear in SC only with the somewhat later immigration of Germans, who differed from the Swiss in other aspects of culture and history, as well as in religion. It is hard to understand how such a basic error regarding a significant part of early settlement in the state could be made in the Encyclopedia. Another entry tells us that the most "vibrant" German-speaking community in SC was in Charleston. I'm afraid the authors didn't have much information on which to base a comparison.
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Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. History    3. History - U.S.    4. History: World    5. Reference    6. South Carolina    7. United States - State & Local - South    8. American history    9. American studies    10. Reference works   

Reviews (13)

Excellent; 4.5 Stars
There has been a revival of interest in this book because of our entanglement in Iraq.There are considerable similarities between the military situation faced by the French armed forces and the problems faced by our Army and Marines in Iraq.The political circumstances faced by the French, however, are quite different from those we face in Iraq.Regardless of any analogy with Iraq, the Algerian war is an important subject in its own right and this book is an excellent account of that war.Horne based his book on the extensive secondary literature in French and what appears to be a large number of interviews with many of the major actors.Horne accomplishes the difficult job of providing a good narrative of the war proper, accounts of the r