1990 Books

Though my atlas is in need of an update now, more than seven years after I purchased it, it is still the only one I use when I have a choice. It is, quite simply, the most readable atlas there was when it was made, and, I can say from experience, more accurate than AAA. The hierarchy of lines and type, the fonts, the use of color, and the use of solid color borders on the highway roads especially, increase the readability of the map greatly. It is the only one that can be read at a glance while on the road (not that I recommend doing that...often).

I bought my National Geographic atlas last November. I have been pretty amazed at its accuracy and detail. I think it is ALOT better than Rand McNally or AAA maps. I threw away all my other atlases!

Blows Rand McNally and AAA away! If you need an atlas, quit looking and buy this one. Best I've seen.

Take it from a real "map nut", this is the best road atlas ever. RM and AAA might as well stop publishing. Not only is it VERY readable, but it contains references to interesting places along the way, places like "Carhenge", lots of rail and otehr museums and other off-beat but interesting sites you just shouldn't pass up.

My friend from Ohio summed it up best: "When I look at it, I can see the roads." As the earlier reviewer says, it blows Rand-McNally away. I was a big RM loyalist until we used the National Geo atlas on a recent drive from New Mexico to Iowa.

The major highways and state roads are much clearer on these maps than in the RM, and the national parks are exponentially more visible.

It is a pleasure to use this atlas. Can't wait til the 2000 version comes out in September.

an extremely helpful church encyclopedia, including up-to-date information on people, the pope's writings, encyclicals, and curia, travels, etc.

This book is filled with historical information as well as current information for Catholics. I am going to try to get one every year.

it is just what I wanted, an up todate review of the Catholic Church

Need the name or biography of an American bishop or a cardinal? How about a list of Beatifications by Pope John Paul II? Or perhaps information on Catholic colleges, religious movements, or the Catholic Press? How about a Reader's Digest-condensed version of Pope John Paul II's encyclicals?

Whatever Catholic bit of information you are seeking, the chances are pretty good that Our Sunday Visitor's 2001 Almanac will have what you are looking for.

Next to my dictionary it is one of the most used books sitting on my shelf.

Updated annually, it provides addresses, phone numbers, and web addresses to all things Catholic.

The 2001 edition also features special Jubilee year coverage, in-depth coverage of the revelation of the "Third Secret" of Fatima, extensive coverage of the Pope's trip to the Holy Land, articles in defense of Pope Pius XII, the Vatican list of the greatest films, and much more.

Whether you're a Catholic student, writer, professor, or lay person you will find this small book indispensable in your work.

This book is a complete Catholic reference with sufficient sources for additional information. Excellent history of the church and catechism brief reference.

I have enjoyed the drawings in Martha Perske's book Pencil Portraits 1971-1990. I would love to get larger prints of some of the drawings or prints (not bound in a book). Are they available? if so, where can they be purchased?

I admit up front that my review is a bit biased, because Martha and I have been friends for more than 50 years. But this book, showing some of her very early sketches, lets you watch her talent mature, until when you look at the later drawings, you think they must be black and white photographs. Her ability to capture the beauty of these children (and adults) with disabilities is truly a gift from God. Her husband, Bob, captures the essence of Martha in his foreward, and when you read Martha's words about her father, you will begin to understand the depth of this woman. I have many wonderful memories of times spent with Martha and her parents, and know that the love and support she received from them helped her to develop into the woman she became.

In collaboration with her husband, several wonderful books have been published dealing with the many problems of people with disabilities, both from the viewpoint of their parents and carekeepers, and from the disabled themselves. Enough good things cannot be said about their collaborative efforts. But if you simply appreciate an extraordinary artistic talent, Pencil Portraits is a must.

In October, Martha will be receiving yet another in a long list of honors. She will be honored as an Outstanding Alum of our high school, Topeka High. Certainly not as noteworthy as some of her many other honors, but more special to me.

A pencil.

In my hand it makes numbers and scribbles letters that often even I cannot fathom. In the hand of Martha Perske it creates miracles that can melt even an icy heart. In this new book from Abingdon Press, we see a collection of her artwork depicting persons who have disabilities over a twenty year period beginning in 1971. We see her bring the human essence of all of us into her illustrations with such warmth, joy and compassion that I marvel not only of her self-taught talent, but of her uncanny ability to see in our soul.

How to experience this book? How do you review a book you don't "read", except for the forwards by both Martha and her equally renowned partner and husband, Robert Perske. Do you view the book? Are warmed by it? Enveloped by it? I shared my copy with staff who were not brought up with the Perskes work and some were brought to tears by the unabashed joy radiated in Martha Perske's illustrations. Can a ten-minute read to complete a book touch such nerves? Yes, and her work has for many of us for more than twenty years. The book also shows the growth in her artistic talent during the span covered by the book, from a lighter touch to illustrations of such richness and depth that one can only marvel at her talent. What is unchanging during the 20 year period is her ability to capture the beauty, common humanity, and the shining light even in a person with the most severe disabilities.

I recommend this book to those in disability services who are familiar with Martha Perske's past work and, like me, have been sustained by the humanity in her illustrations when our advocacy might flag from weariness, from budget cuts, from administrative indifference that disadvantage those we serve. Her work is a tonic during those questioning moments. I also recommend this book for those who are not in disability services so they can understand, without a word being spoken, the common humanity within all human beings and the motivation behind our work .

I recommend this book to anyone with a bookshelf, a coffee table or for a friend during gift-giving time. Every member of my Board of Directors will receive one as a gift for their gift, their volunteer service.

###

Ed Goldman is the Executive Director of Solano Work Services, a vocational training and employment agency serving persons who have disabilities in Suisun, California. He has over thirty years experience as an advocate, government official and manager of services.

PERSKE: Pencil Portraits 1971-1990

A Review by Dr. Denis W. Keyes (College of Charleston)

Martha Perske is a uniquely talented artist and her efforts throughout the years have produced beautiful and remarkably vivid images of real people living real lives. Martha is a self-taught yet utterly remarkable artist, whose engaging insights into the faces (read `souls') of the people she portrays can at once tug at the heartstrings while lifting the spirits of the viewer. Her husband, Bob Perske, is a gifted writer whose powerful prose shouts down the mediocrity of the silent majority, exposing a need or illuminating the plight of this defendant with mental retardation or that family with some related problems. This exceptionally talented couple can often be found wherever there is some question about justice and disabilities.

Bob Perske's gift is in his ability to tell true stories about the myriad injustices accompanying many of the lives of people with disabilities, and he does it in such a way as to educate, enlighten, move, frustrate, and sometimes even anger his readers. Yet, when Bob and Martha work together to produce joint projects, it is their ability to compliment each other's work that seems to tie it all together. For instance, Martha has illustrated Bob's numerous books for years, lending her artistic expertise to his linguistic skill, and the end product has always been impressive. The cover of his last text, *Deadly Innocence?* (1995, Abingdon Press), told the story (that was elaborated inside) of a man on Death Row who was clearly mentally retarded, and arguably not guilty. Such is the depth of Martha's gift: Her art tells a story that each viewer elaborates upon. This time, it is Martha's work that is being spotlighted: while Bob has written an introduction that emphasizes the subject matter at hand, that being portrayal of people with disabilities in pencil and paper. Perske: Pencil Portraits 1971-1990 (Abingdon Press, 1998) is the result of their latest collaboration, some twenty-seven years in the making. This time, Bob's contribution is short, but characteristically to the point. In his introduction, he outlines a brief history of his understanding and appreciation of Martha's talents and her mission. But Martha's contribution is not limited to her drawings; in a candid and moving essay, she describes her closest association to a person with a disability: her Father's recovery from a stroke that permanently paralyzed his right side.

An interesting aspect to note in these pictures is the progression of Martha's use of her talents as the years passed. The earliest pictures, signed merely "Martha," illustrate a more sketch-like quality, while later pictures take on a near photo-image realism that brings out the minutest details, physical and emotional, in the faces of her subjects. Even the simplest images take on an individual personality that those who have known these people with disabilities will instantly recognize. A picture of a child attempting to dial a rotary phone dial brings to mind the strong desire for individuality and independence, while the next page shows an occupational therapist assisting a child feed herself, graphically illustrating the fact that we cannot always do things on our own. Examples of such simple nuances abound in this book, as do fine illustrations that evoke joy and sorrow, awe and inspiration. The Special Olympics, social activities, and even a music lesson are among the scenes offered. If the Inclusionists movement is looking for a poster illustration, they may want to consider page 93, or perhaps page 111. There are even a few portraits of the people who are first in Martha's life. For example, anyone wondering what Bob and Martha looked like about twenty years ago should check out page 61.

Though she no longer draws the images that have won her acclaim, she is, nevertheless, still an artist. Despite talent that merited a special presentation of her work to the late Princess of Wales, Martha Perske does not present a proud persona. Her beauty is in her art and her life, both of which are captured in this beautiful book. And that is the reality of her art.

You must have this book in your permanent collection. The beauty of the human spirit is captured by Martha Perske with a divine skill. If this collection of children with disabilities does not touch your heart - check your pulse to see if its still working. This book is for any parent who truly loves their children, for any grandparent who shares the world with other grandparents in their pride of parenting of all Gods children.

Jerry Fink

The author goes above and beyond the "real" effects that the U.N.-U.S. imposed sanctions are producing up to this day to the average iraqui citizen.If the overkill of the iraqui infrastructure wasn't enough, sanctions have taken back the iraqui people to a pre-industrial age.

The author provides a vivid picture of the effects of the US's methodical destruction of the life support infastructure in Iraq during "Desert Storm" and its relationship to, and the continuing use of, "Economic Warfare", i.e. "sanctions" to produce hundreds of thousands of deaths, targeting especially babies and children, the elderly and the chronically ill, by starvation and preventable diseases.

The author provides a vivid picture of the effects of the US's methodical destruction of the life support infastructure in Iraq during "Desert Storm" and its relationship to, and the continuing use of, "Economic Warfare", i.e. "sanctions" to produce hundreds of thousands of deaths, targeting especially babies and children, the elderly and the chronically ill, by starvation and preventable diseases.

The author goes above and beyond the "real" effects that the U.N.-U.S. imposed sanctions are producing up to this day to the average iraqui citizen.If the overkill of the iraqui infrastructure wasn't enough, sanctions have taken back the iraqui people to a pre-industrial age.

The United States Government blockades of Cuba and Iraq are acts of genocide against national groups, `deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part'. Simons summarises: "United States policy, a slow and knowing extermination of a national people, falls unambiguously within the terms of the UN Genocide Convention."

Eight years of sanctions have killed two million Iraqis, including a million children. Bush began them, supported by Major. Now Clinton maintains them, supported by Blair, `the perfect peacekeeper', in Kofi Annan's words. Protocol I, Article 54 of the Geneva Convention states, "Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited." The United Nations General Assembly has repeatedly denounced the US blockade of Cuba as illegal and demanded that it be lifted. (British Governments usually abstain on these votes.) Ramsey Clark, a former US Attorney-General, says, "I see the blockade as a crime against humanity, in the Nuremburg sense, as a weapon of mass destruction. The blockade is a weapon for the destruction of the masses, and it attacks those segments of society that are the most vulnerable ... infants and children, the chronically ill, the elderly and emergency medical cases."

Some say we must ensure that economic sanctions respect agreed exemptions. The exemptions are for public relations: sanctions are designed to kill. A doctor might as well call for the humane implementation of torture. US and British Governments have consistently vetoed the delivery of baby food and medical supplies to Iraq. The US Government has consistently blocked contracts for medical supplies arranged by British companies.

The sanctions are a continuation of the war by other means. The war itself was more a traditional colonial massacre, with one side having a huge advantage in forces and weaponry. The US and British forces fired tens of thousands of depleted uranium (DU) shells. They are an illegal weapon, under UN Resolution 32/84 of December 1977, which bans the use of `radioactive material weapons'. The US Army admitted that some US soldiers were unknowingly exposed to DU radiation during the War. Obviously, we need not look any further for the cause of `Gulf War syndrome'. The US forces also used chemical weapons against the Iraqis. At the war's end, the US forces bombed troops no longer able to offer resistance, and those in retreat: both of these are war crimes.

To blame Castro and Saddam Hussein for their peoples' suffering is like blaming Churchill for the British people's suffering under the Nazi blockade, or like blaming the rabbis for the Jews' suffering under the Nazis.

It is a hideous mockery even to talk of an ethical foreign policy when genocide is being perpetrated. We should demand an end to the sanctions, otherwise we acquiesce in genocide.

Sandra Johnson is an amazing storyteller! She brought the account of St. John's Baptist Church and the seige upon it to life for all of us who have had the good fortune of discovering this book. It is the incredible journey of hate and love and the enormous range of emotions in between. It is also the tale of unlikely friendships, terrifying and horrifying events, injustice, and the hope and promise of racial harmony. This is a book that I personally hope will be brought to the big screen -- so all those folks who aren't readers will be exposed to this story. (Film producers: somebody out there please take note!) I firmly believe that the entire world needs to learn of Standing on Holy Ground -- it truly is one of the handful of "must read" books. It would be wonderful if every high school or college literature class would somehow use this book as required reading. It has much to offer about friendships, volunteerism, racial inequities, dedication and hard work, and perseverence in the highest form. We should each take it upon ourselves to spread the word of this book, for it was by accident that I learned of this extraordinary tale. I was not surprised that Ms. Johnson was awarded the coveted Christopher Medal for her effort in bringing this true story to life. I anxiously await her next book with her special gift to convey emotions, report facts, mesmerize the reader, and spin the tale to the upmost. Don't keep us waiting Ms. Johnson!!

A really good book - easy to read and follow. The author makes you feel as if you have known Ammie personally, along with all the other players in this story. For most of us, we have not been exposed to the prejudice and hatred that exists around us and the pain and heartache that is produces. It brought me to tears several times, but it also warmed my heart. I highly recommend this book to all.

I was introduced to this book by Ammie's daughter, Christy. Christy played an integral part in my new book "Angels and Quilt Pieces...Our Journey with a Katrina Family" - which will be available July, 2007. Christy was one of our "Angels" and gave us the "quilt pieces" story and theme.

I was fighting tears before I finished the first chapter. I thought we had come farther than this. What broke my heart was not just that a few twisted individuals would commit such atrocities, but that the victims did not trust the system to come to their aid. That speaks volumes. We still have a long way to go and Sandra's book has made that abundantly clear. Those who helped turn things around for this church are true heros and much braver than I.
Betty Wilson Beamguard

STANDING ON HOLY GROUND is compelling and thought-provoking and reads like fiction, but becomes all the more riveting and terrifying when you realize it's a true, unadulterated story of the modern-day South and the racism that still exists. But it is also a story of triumph and how two women, against all odds, brought a community together -- a community that reached out beyond the town, the county and the state and effected thousands of concerned citizens in America. Sandra E. Johnson's prose is solid, unbiased, but also visceral an unblinking in its re-telling of the obstacles and challenges faced by two friends (one black, one white) and their fight to save a rural country church from hated and racism. This is a "must-read"!

Sandra E. Johnson has created a masterpiece in journalism! No bias can be found anywhere in her book--only the facts. As the story unfolds, one truly begins to feel as he or she were treading on Holy Ground (page after blessed page). Upon reading this book, no one can ever say againg that the truth is boring or that real stories must be embellished for artistic flare and entertainment. Johnson's words hammer home every riveting detail in a fashion that makes the reader feel as if they are gliding through a well-written novel. Who needs fiction when you can have this kind of truth?

Through telling of how diverse people banded together to rebuild St. John Baptist Church, Sandra Johnson shows the world that love, faith, hope and a spirit of unity can come together to work miracles. It is a message that she proclaims to us all and we're the better for it.

This book is comprehensive while retaining the currency of a bi-weekly magazine. All of it is worth reading and the sacrifices of its heroes should be known to all. Especially, Chapters 8 and 9 come alive with the horror that soldiers met in turning the war around. The book, like the best of its players, strives to find the positive way forward in a dangerous world. It makes me want to do more in support of the American military, as well as the Iraqis who want a peaceful and just world.

Great analysis of a great commander. Shows the human side of what it took behind the scenes to accomplish what GEN Petraeus and his people achieved. A book for anyone seriously interested in how to lead people as well as anyone interested in how Iraq has been transformed.

An overview of American and Iraqi political, military, social and religious histories plus a bio of General Petraeus told in episodic
pivotal moments of choices, impacts and combat. Like the situation, a complicated read. I learnt a ton more than anything aired on tv channel news.

Must reading if you want to understand what is and has been going on in Iraq. You have to like a story about a General if you are going to like this book.

In his acclaimed study of counterinsurgency, LEARNING TO EAT SOUP WITH A KNIFE, John Nagl includes this note from Vicount Montgomery of El Alamein, to the Colonial Secretary,
" Dear Lyttelton, Malaya
We must have a plan.
Secondly we must have a man.
When we have a plan and a man, we shall succeed: not otherwise.
Yours Sincerely,
Montgomery (F.M.)"

Linda Robinson, in her brilliantly conceived and executed, TELL ME HOW THIS ENDS: GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS AND THE SEARCH FOR A WAY OUT OF IRAQ. addresses the Iraq war in terms of both the plan - how it was developed, adapted, and executed - and the man: Petraeus. In so doing, she has written a classic analysis that ranges from U.S. national policy through the levels of strategy and operations down to the tactical and back again. In telling the story of General Petraeus and his plan she also tells the tales of the other actors, American and Iraqi, Ambassadors and Generals, Lt. Colonels, Captains, Sergeants, soldiers and Marines. And she shows how the smoke and sounds of battle (and the silences) flow from policies, plans, and military doctrine.

Robinson's story focuses on David Petraeus and takes the reader through a series of key mentorships and experiences. The most important mentor was General John R. Galvin who encouraged Petraeus to seek his doctorate and brought him into contact with counteinsurgency in 1986 when Galvin was the commander of the U.S. Southern Command in Panama. Robinson notes, in this context, that Petraeus co-authored Galvin's important article, "Uncomfortable Wars" dealing with counterinsurgency in Latin America published in the Army War College journal, PARAMETERS, and later in Max Manwaring's edited volume by the same title. From this background and later experiences in Iraq, Petraeus led the effort to redefine Army and Marine Corps counteinsurgency doctrine while commanding the Army's Combined Arms Center.

For this, Petraeus assembled a team under the leadership of his West Point classmate, Con Crane, and including LTC John Nagl. Robinson points out the debt the authors acknowledge to Manwaring's work on small wars issues. From the doctrine that his efforts produced, the newly promoted four star General Petraeus developed the strategy that came to be known as "the surge" (of which the troop surge was only a small, if important, part).

Robinson uses this story to show how an effective military commander works to achieve unity of effort up to the political level, laterally with the American ambassador in Iraq, and down to the troops under his command. In the process, she demosntrates the difficulties inherent in coalition counterinsurgent warfare.

The weakest section of the book is her last chapter (which is not very weak at all) where she suggests approaches for the future in Iraq. The only problem is that much of the future is now and some of her suggestions have been overtaken by events.

That said, the only appropriate words for the book are superlatives!

One of the best David Hockney books.
A must have if you are interested in his photo montage method aka joiner method.

i had read it before and i just had to have it, its an amazing book even if you dont know david hockneys work, the book will make you fall in love with him and his art

This is an interesting book because it explains the discovery of ways of seeing, and in the process of explaining alters the way the reader sees art.

The challenge of pop art or abstract art is that to the uninitiated it seems gimmicky, and one often goes 'you've got to be kidding?' But with this wonderful exploration of the different ways that art and photography are ways of capturing a point of view, not a reproduction of a point of view. And more importantly, how Mr. Hockney comes to these expressions of point of view you get a glimpse of not only an interpretation of art, but the process of art. I love words and the essays are as magnificent as his art in their clarity and honesty. The section on his photo montages are amazing.

Fortunately for us, Chronicle Books continues to grace the art bookstores with superb and affordable monographs on art that make a difference. In this completely enchanting, richly illustrated book David Hockney conducts a conversation with us, the reader, sharing his unique and genteel ideas on how he sees and hence composes the paintings and drawings and photographic montages and sets of operas that have so enriched the art world since he first began his long career.

Hockney's writing style is quietly warm, honest, clever, whimsical and very informed. In this truly magnificent volume he is sharing not only his forays into experimental art (his influences from Picasso, Bacon, and the many MANY illustrious friends who fill his life), he also allows us to understand why he experiments with photography (his explosive yet intimate collages of Polaroid rooms of conversing friends are unique to Hockney), his manner of viewing huge spaces and then parceling them onto paper or canvas in a manner that allows us to see vistas not available to the isolated glance, his still lifes, his sketches and portraits of studio visitors - the volume of work is staggering.

Another fine discussion revolves around is spectacular sets for opera (Tristan und Isolde, Turandot, The Magic Flute, A Rake's Progress, Die Frau Ohne Schatten) - these coming from an artist who is almost completely without hearing making music visual!

For all lovers of Hockney's work as well as for those who want to understand why he so very popular, this is one of the best introductions available about the man and his work! Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, July 06

I have been a fan of David Hockney's for many many years and was delighted to find this book. He writes in an understated, easy way about his art and about modern art in general.

Two of the sections were particularly interesting: "Art versus the Art World" and "The Power of Art".

In the book, Hockney explained how places and his personal experiences have influenced his art over the years. He talks about how he is incorporating photography into his work and feels that it is an artist's responsibility to be open to new forms of expression. He says he is an "artist who is always working". I think he is always experimenting too, with different methods of expressing his artistic vision.

He said he asssumes that if he is interested in painting something, others will be interested as well. I loved this viewpoint....in other words, he creates for himself.

This was a lovely book---especially all of the GORGEOUS color reproductions which traced the Hockney's evolution and his journeys.

Summary: A Thousand Hills by Stephen Kinzer/Rwanda's rebirth and the man who dreamed it

This is an awful and a beautiful story of Rwanda, pre and post-genocide, a gripping story like you have never read before. It is a book about a country that was forgotten and how in this globalized world, that is not possible to do anymore without grave consequences. It is also an important story of a country that has come back from the brink of hell to a totally different future. It is a story that is taking place right now.

It is also the story of Paul Kagame, almost murdered at the age of two years along with his family by a death squad in the "practice genocide" of 1959, a refugee in Uganda most of his early life, a visionary guerilla leader with a simple dream to return to his homeland and now the President of Rwanda trying to bring this future into reality. This is a story of leadership and the script is being written now.

Stephen Kinzer, an award-winning writer that has worked in more than 50 countries, has written a compelling, incredible book. It is history from a different perspective that I had not read about before. It is a book that many political leaders from Europe, the USA and most of all the UN will be upset about regarding the colonial period and specifically the genocide of 1994. When individuals and countries had the power to do something, most did little if nothing. Rwanda is a small, landlocked country with few resources. This was an African issue, tribes fighting tribes, colonial powers protecting their age-old self-interests. So most did nothing. That is the awfulness of a "A Thousand Hills" where the darkest part of the human soul came out with all of its hate and prejudice. Some wonder whether it will happen again.

However, this is not just another book about the genocide. It is a book about a audacious vision of turning Rwanda into a different place by 2020. It is about a leader with a dream of a secure and free Rwanda, reducing poverty, providing clean water, electricity and education in Rwanda and creating jobs, business, good governance and ending corruption to mention a few. There are incredible stories of what is taking place in Rwanda to make this dream a reality.

There are also serious criticisms. One of the most stinging criticism lies at the door of the United Nations in 1994 and their failed peace-keeping efforts under the direction of Kofi Annan, their mis and/or failed-communication to the countries in the Security Council of what was actually taking place on the ground in Rwanda and their lack of taking any responsibility of that failure after the genocide. There are also criticism of the leadership of President Paul Kagame.

After reading this book, I want to know more. I want to go to Rwanda and see the changes and see what is happening. If radical change can happen like this in Rwanda, it can happen in any country. I highly recommend this book. Get your tickets......

Excellent, my husband could not put this book down, written well, good understanding of the conditons and history of Rowanda.

A well written, captivating history of the recent war and current recovery in Rwanda. The concept of people giving forgiveness following mass killing is an integral part of healing of this country.

Paul Kagame, along with Morgan Tsvangirai and Yoweri Museveni, represents one of Arica's most brilliant contemporary leaders. Kagame was born in 1957 to a Tutsi family and at the age of three was forced to flee his country after a Hutu uprising forced more than a hundred thousand Tutsis to flee in an early form of ethnic-cleansing. In 1979 Kagame joined Yoweri Museveni's guerilla movement in Uganda, where he was residing as a refugee. Museveni was fighting the dictator Milton Obote and when Obote fell from power Kagame was able to study first hand the outcome of the overthrow of a viscious dictator. When the Rwandan genocide broke out in 1994 Paul Kagame was in charge of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a mostly Tutsi armed guerilla group. His well disciplined army overthrew the genocidal regime and he has been in power ever since. This book examines his role in nation building and in reconciliation and it a wonderful account of the history of Rwanda before 1994 and after. In this it helps fill this important gap in the history of the country.

Seth J. Frantzman

President Paul Kagame is a man who inspires a wide range of emotions in those who meet him. Some like me admire him...Others hate him. Certainly many in French diplomatic circles see him as the devil clothed in Anglophone robes. In the Africanist analytical world, he is either Rwanda's greatest hope or its mortal danger. Certainly his enemies have reason to fear him even as his friends love him. Both enemy and friend know that the wise respect him.

I first met then Vice President and Defense Minister Major General Paul Kagame in the fall of 1994 when he was struggling to put the shattered country of Rwanda back together. Some were want to describe him as a "war lord" even as one could buy T-shirts with his picture on them with the phrase "Free at Last!" at Kigali's international airport. General Kagame was serious, determined, and it was clear that he was a strong man. What remained to be seen was whether he would become another "Big Man" in African politics or rise above that label to be a truly great African leader.

Like no other author so far, Stephen Kinzer offered us a peak inside the complexity named Paul Kagame. Kinzer enjoyed unprecedented access to the President of Rwanda and provided a colorful and insightful biography of the man. Like any good interlocutor, Kinzer understands that listening is best technique for the interviewer. He offers Kagame's own words to the reader allowing the subject of this biography to speak on his own behalf. That is not only fair, it is probably critical to understand this man who spent much of his life fighting the status quo--and ultimately winning.

According to Kinzer, Kagame's early life as a refugee in Uganda hardened him into the typical angry young man found in a life surrounded by poverty. Early on in his youth he became friends with Fred Rwigyema. Together they later would become co-founders of the Rwandan Patriotic Front. But first they would join Museveni's 40-man National Resistance Army in Uganda and overthrow Obote. When Rwigyema fell in the first few days of the RPF's 1990 invasion of Rwanda, Kagame resigned from the US Army Command and General Staff College to take command and reorganize the RPF. He and the RPF went on to win a military victory they did not really desire, sparking a genocide for which they could not be blamed.

Despite Kagame's military prowess, I found Kinzer's chapters on the post-war period from 2000 on to be the most illuminating because they concentrate on Kagame's role as President of Rwanda. At the same time, they provide great hope for the country's future and portents of possible disaster. President Kagame is indeed Rwanda's greatest hope. At the same time, he is his own greatest nemesis...

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Africa, small wars, reconciliation, and development. Kinzer's prose is easy to read and entertaining. His narrative is insightful. The Paul Kagame I knew came to life when I read this book.

The full review is posted on Small Wars Journal Blog at http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2008/07/book-review-a-thousand-hills-r/

Thomas (Tom) P. Odom
LTC US Army (ret)
Author, Journey into Darkness: Genocide in Rwanda
Journey Into Darkness: Genocide In Rwanda (Texas a & M University Military History Series)

After reading "Sculpting in Time" (which I suggest is important reading to understand tarkovsky and his work), I was hoping that his diaries would shed some light as to the inner workings of the mind of a cinematic genius. Despite many moments of creative prose, and interesting streams of thoughts, on the whole, I was disappointed. I felt as if I were a distant observer to his memories and daily entries. Perhaps some of the work is dry because he didn't intend to have this published, whereas "Sculpting in Time" was (hence the more coherent, poetic and dynamic work) for the audience. It is a good read, the blood and guts of the artist himself, but once again, I would read Sculpting first.

Andrei Tarkovsky Diaries are real, 1st hand exprience from a talented writer and great cinematographer. He is giving reader a very real exprience from Russia in years 1970-1986. I wished I could read this book in it's original language when I felt it too close to my soul, and I wished pages never ended when I finished this book. Read it even if you are not a movie goer or watched none of his movies.

Andrej Tarkovsky understood the truth of life, and dedicated his life to make us understand those important things. Mostly, in his films, but we shouldn't forget ¨Time Within time¨. To me, it's a guidebook to arts, and if you really want to understand what art is about, you shouldn't miss this book, no matter which art you're into. There's no better artbook, but a book written by an artist, and in this one, you'll not only find infomation on his screenplays, but his view and deep understanding on art.

This is an excellent book that provides the non-experienced and experienced Tarkovsky viewer entry into the wonderful worlds in which he lived.

This is possibly the only book that captures the essence of Tarkovsky even better than his own "Sculpting in Time", which is surely one of the greatest film theory books ever written. Extremely personal, the diaries offer a close-up view of T., from daily minutiae to spiritual and emotional crises. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who loves Tarkovsky.

At this time, this book book *is* in print in the UK, and is available from Amazon.com's British sister site, Amazon.co.uk.

Draper writes an extremely detailed case study of the events surrounding the two controversial decisions that led to Congressional hearings and tarnished Reagan's image as a leader of the country. The desire to fund the Sandinista rebellion in Nicaragua ultimately has been combined with the need to rescue American hostages in Iran. Draper follows the events leading to the decisions, introducing the reader to the multitude of players that had a hand in the actions taken by the US Government.

Evidence of Draper's in depth investigative skills comes to bear quickly and is clear throughout the book. Upon starting his research, he discovered a mountain of information in the form of records, interviews, hearing transcripts, letters, and many more articles. He states in his introduction that he was surprised by the amount of info and decided then to allow it to speak for itself. He presents his work matter-of-factly, without too much interpretation. It's a good choice, as the events speak for themselves, the lack of political bias is refreshing in a work written as recently as this.
Draper includes photographs, allowing the readers to visualize the men involved with the scandals. He doesn't, however, include maps or charts which would have illuminated some of the numerous facts and figures he gives. One of the most beneficial elements he adds is a chronology in the appendices. It gives a step by step overview of the events that can eliminate some of the over-worked detail he includes in the text.
This book is excellent for Graduates researching the period. It includes too much detail for the undergraduate student in a survey or limited study course. The reference material alone would be a benefit for research in the topics.

The information contained in this book will keep your jaw dropping from page to page. If anyone is wondering why George W. Bush isn't being impeached, after reading this book, you'll know why. Why wasn't Reagan ipmeached? Or Bush Sr.? The abuse of power, the parsing and skirting of law has been going on since the early '80s. Nothing is new - even the people.

This great book tells how a group of rightwing White House ideologues hijacked foreign policy from the State Department and the Pentagon, with disastrous results: terrorists were empowered and America's image was left in tatters. It might sound like "A Very Thin Line" is about the Bush Administration and Iraq -- but it is actually about the Reagan Administration and Iran/Contra. Aided by the documentary record compiled during Congressional investigations and criminal prosecutions, Draper recreates this sordid and hilarious episode from the 1980s in painstaking detail. His book is smart and readable. Anyone who was surprised by the intelligence and policy failures in Iraq should read this book for a reminder of how Washington really works. (I'm a State Department official.)

I read this book in college and gave my copy to my history prof when I left school. If I had known how difficult it would be to try and get another copy, I might not have left it. (just kidding Proffessor Gill) This is perhaps the best book I have read since Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich as far as bringing a dense and complicated seiries of events together in an easily understandable, fascinating read. I followed the Iran-Contra "affair" very closely as it happened, and read many books on it before this; but only after reading this book did I feel as if I actually understood what went on. A keeper for anyone's non-fiction library.

In a nutshell the author has reviewed the voluminous data, (transcripts, interviews, personal logs and diaries, etc.) and has written a coherent and engaging book documenting an extremely convoluted and complicated foreign policy initiative, (actually several initiatives) during the Reagan presidency. Aid to the contras, weapons sold to Iran and the diversion of funds from those weapons sales are tracked from inception to implementation to the exposure of these "affairs". This includes all the high hopes and noble causes, the "zeal" of the Americans involved, the greed and corruption of the middlemen used for the transactions, and at times the sheer incompetence which led to the inevitable exposure of what was really happening behind the scenes. This last item being the crux of the book - the hijacking of US foreign policy in the Middle East and Central America by a handful of men, (at times overworked, completely over their heads and out of their league), outside of any purview, oversight or review by the White House, Cabinet or Congress. As for who knew what and when, from President Reagan on down, the author also does a very good job documenting this time line and each of the major players involved. (As an aside, Sec. of State Schultz's involvement, or really conscious lack thereof, was an eye opener for me.) As for the timeliness of re-visiting this affair 20 years later and any lessons to be learned, if any, .... All I know is I found this book both fascinating and a little scary.