Agencies

"This is an exhilarating book, full of spirit and spark. It vividly and
passionately describes the author's groundbreaking, bureaucracy-busting work
as head of the National Performance Review. Ignited by Tom Peter's In Search
of Excellence,
Stone became Al Gore's right hand in working to reinvent government. His
book is filled with wonderful stories of revolutionaries from every rank and
level. It contains many great tidbits of advice and wisdom. The author used
to refer to himself as Energizer in Chief. His book is just that: an
energizer. It breathes the soul of civic revolution. It is full of fun as
well, an easy read. Stone is totally devoted to action that breaks down
ridiculous and often absurd barriers from getting the job done right. But
the book is full of humanity as well, as when Stone decides to retire so he
can live closer to his young grandchildren. If you want to touch clear,
decisive, humane leadership, if your soul needs a spark to re-ignite itself,
run -don't walk- to get this book."

This tell-it-like-it-was gem about the author's thirty years of public service is nothing less than remarkable. Adroitly written with good humor, Stone's quiet, but dogged steadfast nature is wonderfully evident in every page and makes you count your lucky stars that people like him actually join the ranks of our government. These experiences should serve as a guide for future generations of civil servants tackling the often thankless and misunderstood job of government service. But more than that - there is a lesson plan for all of us who navigate the treacherous waters of small and big organizations alike. I for one, plan to give this book to my twenty-one-year-old college graduate to read.

On the advice of a friend who knows one of the "Cast Of Characters" (a "Yank In The Bank"), I ordered a used copy of this long out of print book. What an eye opener. It's amazing what a group of "former" senior military officers and spooks can get up to when allowed to run amok overseas. You name it and they got away with it. Even though some of the principals are dead, nobody has been held accountable for the myriad of crimes that have occurred abroad. With the lack of support rendered by the U.S. government (especially the F.B.I.), it makes one wonder how "former" some of the players really were. It's amazing how many of these same people reared their ugly heads years later during "Iran-Contra". Read the book and then decide for yourself.

As an Australian I was both surprised and gratified that an American journalist should want to trace the extraordinary history of the Nugan Hand Bank's Australian operations. This great document decribes the most cut-throat, heroin dealing, crime syndicate ever to have sullied our shores, and all under the covert auspices of the C.I.A. Kwitny's research is exhaustive and his even handed way of presenting his findings is exemplary of fine journalism. The implications hatched in this veritable can of worms will have net-sleuths busy for years tracing the myriad references to the numerous associates of Nugan Hand who vanished into the night only to surface again in the Irangate scandal. Essential reading for anyone trying to come to terms with the scourge of heroin, the world arms trade and those members of the U.S.'s covert agencies that spread misery in their own and other countries...Read it if you dare!

Kern has done a remarkable job with this very difficult subject. I have read many books about Soviet spies, but this is by far the best one, in terms of the depth of understanding of the political system in the Soviet Union at the time. The portrait of American leftists and bureaucrats is priceless. This author has brought rigorous logic and impeccable scholarship to this field. All this, and it reads like a mystery.

A Death in Washington is a genuine page turner: Gary Kern manages to not only give the relevent facts of Krivitsky`s perilous and dangerous journey from believer in the great experiment to defector (where he gave early warning to the west of Stalin`s agenda), but best of all, it is written with great stylistic aplomb. This is a rare book which in its critical detail can satisfy the professional but is also completely accessible to the general reader; you will recognize many of the players, and the connections between them are clearly sustained. It is the general reader who will be most astonished by the sheer criminality of Stalin and the terrible code of the spy`s world. One of the great pleasures in this book is the psychological and methodological analysis inherent in the character of Krivitsky which enabled his survival until the very end. I think the book a very important addition to the literature which is becoming more available on the Stalin period, and I think that a thoughtful consideration of Kern`s invaluable and dramatic presentation will help us better understand the Russia which is emerging today on the world stage. I highly recommend the book. I had read it as slowly as I could so as to prolong the pleasure and thrill it gave to me.

Great fun. Observant, with lots of humor. This book captures East Africa just before it exits the British Empire.

A great read. Colman's perceptive, humorous comments bring exotic East Africa to life in the twilight of the British Empire. Beautifully written.

The Einstein File by Fred Jerome, quickly dispels the poplar image
of Albert Einstein as an absentminded, head-in-the-clouds-genius.

Though Einstein is arguably the most widely covered, continuing
science story in history and is most noted for his scientific
theories that transformed our view of the universe. This book
chronicles the life of an Einstein that the masses knew nothing
about. An Einstein described as a troublemaker, an agitator, a
fervent pacifist, a socialist, and an open critic of racism.

Einstein arrived in the United States in 1933, the year of
the Nazi's ascent to power in Germany, and became the focus of
J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. And by any means necessary the FBI amassed
a 'file cabinet' of information on him. Fred Jerome stumbled on
documents that addressed Einstein as a Spy and a Kidnap Plotter.
And a dossier where Jerome discovered the political dimension of
Albert Einstein's life and his intense commitment to social justice.

Jerome says when he realized how much had not been told to us about
the life of the 'Man of the Century', he felt as though he had been
robbed. This is not another biography of Einstein, some two hundred
have already been written. It is a window opened by the FBI on the
nature of Einstein's politics, the depth of his public involvement,
and the generosity of his endorsements of organizations he supported.
And it is this activism that made Hoover's Bureau consider Einstein

dangerous. This book reveals information that makes one think the
history we know is sanitized, and what we don't know is at times
appalling. It talks of a 'list' maintained by the FBI on celebrities,
political figures and anyone thought to have affiliatiions with the
Communist Party. It underscores the dangers that can arise, and the
rule of law that exists in times of obsession with national security.
And it creates questions on where the line should be drawn on the issue
of an invasion of privacy. This one will make you take a seat.

Reviewed by aNN Brown

Einstein was a troublemaker, the author informs us at the beginning of this book detailing, armed with the 1800 pages of files released by the FOIA, with Hoover's Albert-paranoia in action, aimed at the great scientist, especially in the years of the Red Scare, McCarthyism, and the Cold War. The public image of the greatest scientist of the twentieth century has been carefully manicured, but behind the teddy bear was a determined activist on many fronts, who fell afoul of not only the Nazis, but of the FBI. Einstein's valiant stands on social justice, racism, antisemitism, war, peace, and the Bomb barely enter public consciousness through the layers of the myth. The record of Hoover's manipulations and skullduggeries is almost pathetic in its pickiun character, next also to its bungling and misinformation. It is, for example, discouraging to watch how Einstein is deprived of security clearance, lest a man with such a reputation and global popularity be, we suspect the motive, able to influence or speak out from the inside on the use of the first atom bomb. The portrait left of the reactionary and racist Hoover at the head of a critical institution pursuing this biased and incomprehending agenda is nothing less than appalling. The portrait of Einstein's deep social concerns (read a triffle 'leftist') in action is the real man, please.

Most books, as well as movies, have not yet figured out exactly what to say about the Vietnam war. While I'm not sure that this one has all the answers it was by far the most enjoyable fiction to come out of that conflict that I have come across. The story of the American "Gulliver" and his Vietnamese counterpart (and counterpoint) had me searching the used book stores in desperation after my brother lost my copy. Luckily I was recently successfull and I want to tell everyone what a very fine novel this is.

The most complex work Proffitt ever conceived on paper. And what a tour-de-force! I've had the pleasure to read Nick's other two books, which show a constant level of sophistication, character and story wise. The Embassy House is on a higher stratum by itself. You're introduced to the main character as he struggles to define himself against a backdrop of covert intelligence operations in vietnam. One of the many things that make this book special are the supporting characters. Almost each and every one of them is fully realized, whether American or Vietnamese. Another special thing are the relationships that develop across the pages. Reading through you can never feel comfortable relating to any of the characters. It is as if the author deliberately put up a wall between you, the reader, and the characters. This works so well for this book since these walls themselves exist between the characters. Gradually the pace of the war picks up pace and what unfolds is a powerful story weaved together by a highly regarded journalist and author. Do yourself a favor and pick up a used copy. The last I've heard, Nick has lost passion for writing after his third novel. Sad news for anyone who was looking forward for future works.

I am a graduate student in gender studies and really enjoyed this book. It is a valuable read not only for those interested in criminal justice, but for students of feminist methodologies. The author's ability to locate herself within and in relation to the project provides an all too uncommon example of accountable, feminist, and politically engaged research in action.
I only wish a paperback edition were available, at the hardcover price it remains unaffordable for most students.

This book contributes a unique perspective to women's studies, criminology and prison studies. It is refreshingly inter-disciplinary in a field that is all too often characterised by staid, empirical surveys. For anyone interested in gender and power, and in punishment, I highly recommend it.

Horace Greenstreet, a Pinkerton operative, involves his wife, Sadie in a 1870's period adventure. Lucky for him that he does, for she seems to be the better detective. This exciting historical mystery is set along the Ohio River and the plot weaves through its waterfront towns and riverboats.
The story is enhanced by many historically and technically accurate references to travel and the customs of the period. Lithographs and other illustrations add flavor that stimulates the reader's imagination. While the tale is of a fictional Pinkerton operative, the investigational techniques accurately represent those in vogue during the era...just as in THE PINKERTON EYE. Readers will enjoy the adventures of this pair of detectives and may associate Sadie with Doyle's Doctor Watson. It was an altogether good read.

"It should have been, to paraphrase Dickens, the best of times, and, though it was far from the worst, I could not help but feel something was missing. Life had taken a turn some years back -- a sudden turn, like a leaf just off the rapids finding itself among a hundred other leaves in slow-moving backwater. I was just now beginning to see that life is best on the rapids."

Those who want to see what is possible to accomplish with a historical mystery need look no further than Richard Moquist's debut novel involving Sadie Greenstreet, the discontented wife of a Pinkerton agent who gets a chance to investigate a steamboat slaying on the post-Civil War Mississippi River.

Although happily married and with a career of her own as a Chicago journalist, Sadie knows something is missing. So when her husband is again to be sent away on a mission, she puts her foot down, determined to go along with him. Sent to ensure the safety of a river boat owner being pressured to sell out, she gets an opportunity to see a way of travel slowly being eclipsed by the railroads, and when the owner is found dead, at his writing desk, she gets to try her hand at detecting the not-so-gentle art of murder.

Moquist tells their story briskly and economically, using the vivid vernacular and descriptions from those times in a way that Dianne Day and Elizabeth Peters does not. A generous selection of photographs and illustrations, cleverly mingled among the text, are included. By the end of this tale, Sadie discovers what was missing, and with a telegraph from Alan Pinkerton in hand asking them to investigate a troubled baseball team in Cincinnati, the foundations are laid for an engaging and much-anticipated series.

Compiled and edited by Peggy Garvin, and featuring an informative introduction by Greg R. Noteness, this newly updated sixth edition of Government Information On The Internet is a superbly organized and presented guidebook to informationally enriched sites on the World Wide Web which offer complete and accurate data on law enforcement, health and science matters, white house information, state-specific information, information specific to nations other than America and much, much more. Government Information On The Internet is recommended for political science students, government employees, lobbyists and activists, and the non-specialist general public as an excellent, easy-reference resource that describes each offered website in detail is perfect for skimming through options at a faster speed than search engines can cough up or web browsers can download.

Now in a newly updated and expanded fifth edition, Government Information On The Internet is a solid, thorough, accessibly organized reference book of World Wide Web sites corresponding to countless institutions of the American Government, as well as state and local government information, and a special section of government information for numerous nations around the world from Albania to Zimbabwe. Solid, detailed descriptions of what each governmental web site has to offer as well as an index for quick and easy reference make Government Information On The Internet a first-class reference for anyone who has to look up specific facts relatively quickly. Government Information On The Internet is specially recommended as a resource for college and community libraries that offer public Internet access.

I read this book because a former colleague recommended it. We were having problems dealing with our advertising agency--especially its creative people. My company would make what looked like a simple request, but we just could not get the results we wanted or expected. It's simply uncanny how accurately Ms. Salz describes the advertiser-agency relationship as my company has learned to understand it! For awhile, her book became required reading for everyone in our advertising dept. "Our people" have a new-found respect for "their people," and the agency is already sending us work of a quality we had only dreamed of before.

My agency AE gave me this book so I was skeptical about it, to say the least. But I have found it enormously helpful. Salz just demystifies the whole marketer-agency relationship. I especially loved the quotes from people on both the agency and marketer sides of the business telling the truth about what they want and need from the other members of the team. Salz explains what challenges I face and how to meet them as I go through the steps of developing an ad. Now I know what to do to motivate my agency people. How to critique advertising. And I know what not to do, too. I found the book invaluable and recommend it highly to anyone who's new to working with an agency. Or people who want to know how to get their agency teams to do the best work for them.