history

This is a fine, fine read that lives up to its reputation as the classic account of D-Day--and also as a truly riveting read. For a treatment of the strategy of which the Normandy landings were a part or for what came after (or, for that matter, before) June 6, 1944, you'll need to look elsewhere, for Ryan focuses on the sixth itself and discusses strategic elements virtually not at all (except for some tangential remarks on Germany's strategy for defending occupied France). But at the level of the soldier on the ground, in the thick of battle, this is great reading.

Ryan breaks his book down into three parts: "The Wait," "The Night," and "The Day." The first part details the day or two before the invasion, during which the tense Allies finally decided that the sixth and not the fifth would be D-Day and during which things worsened for an already unprepared German army (such as Rommel's departure from the front for a visit home). After something of an anti-climax on June 5, when the landings were pushed back a day, events accelerate rapidly. After midnight on June 6 ("The Night"), paratroopers land behind the beaches. The Germans were surprised, but the Allied effort was confused and scattered since many paratroopers missed their drop zones by as much as miles.

Dawn brings even greater surprise to the German leadership in France, most of whom believed the invasion would come at Calais, when they spy the massive invasion force with its thousands of vessels off the coast at Normandy. Americans land in the west at Utah and Omaha, while British and Canadian forces land at Sword, Juno, and Gold in the east. Classic episodes ensue at Utah, where resistance is light and troops under Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., move inland to meet up with airborne soldiers. Much bloodier combat took place on Omaha, where many Americans fell. Omar Bradley was on the verge of pulling back from Omaha and re-directing troops to Utah when men of the 1st and 29th Divisions finally gained a foothold and began to break down the Germans' fortified positions and pillboxes. Meanwhile, to the east, British troops are led into battle by bagpipes and achieve successes.

Portrayed mostly through the eyes of the troops, Ryan's account is gripping, engaging, exciting. For the most part, he follows the American-British-Canadian offensive, but he also gives attention to the German defenders (including a particularly interesting account of a company inside a pillbox). Ryan captures the confusion on both sides and conveys that things soon fell into place for the Allies while the Germans seemed to fall into greater and greater disarray. It would be a long fight--another eleven months--until Germany fell, but that struggle began on the Normandy coast on June 6, 1944: the longest day.

A masterful account of the first twenty-four hours of the D-Day invasion. Mr. Ryan transports the reader all over the battlefield, giving numerous perspectives (both allies and axis) to the events that unfolded on June 6, 1944.

When I was a company commander serving in Germany, I required all my company officers to read this book as part of their professional development. They all thanked me afterwards for introducing them to one of Mr. Ryan's classic WWII books.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in WWII, or has read any of Mr. Ryan's other books (A Bridge Too Far, The Last Battle). Personally, I read this book and viewed the film (which is also a classic) before visiting the Normandy beaches. I felt this preparation made my trip to Normandy more meaningful and enjoyable.

I have seen the longest day and read the book. Obviously I am going to say I enjoyed the book more then the movie but I think they go hand in hand. The book is add suspense while the movie seems a little less serious and tries to add comic relief. Also the book is very detailed while the movie just brushes over a some accounts. I liked this book becuase it was, or felt like a series of actual personal events from various soldiers. For the most part the book sounds like soldiers letters or daries put into a fairly accurate timeline with d-day. My favorite account would be the german officer that was so shocked by the landing he didn't notice his boots where on backwards until after the day had passed.

If you have been a fan of this serial within the past two decades, you will undoubtedly enjoy "Another World: The 35th Anniversary Celebration." However, Poll's treatment of the earlier years (what I call the Jacquie Courtney era, 1964-75) pales in comparison with her coverage of recent "AW" history. Artwork is sorely lacking in this part of the book, which is criminal. Recent "AW" junkies will never get a feeling for the distinct tone of the show before its 1975 expansion. We see no photos of Carol Roux, Audra Lindley, Joe Gallison, Jordan Charney and other early stars of the show. Did anyone consider buying "Daytime TV" archive photos for this section? Also missing is the fascinating behind-the-scenes history of the show (e.g. the Reinholt-Dwyer-Courtney firings), which, of course, shaped the future direction of the show. Finally, not to be a stickler, but the "comprehensive cast list" contains several omissions (e.g., DeAnn Mears as Cybil Harak, Ilene Kristen as Madeline Thompson, Carla Borelli as Reena Bellman Cook, Ben Hammer as Striker Bellman, etc.). Overall, however, Poll does a commendable job with capturing snapshots of a hugely panoramic subject.

In the midst of cancellation, this book by Julie Poll offers a way to remember television's best soap opera. Relive the lives, loves, tears, and joys of Bay City's finest! I really enjoyed the book from cover to cover. The new photos, the dialogues from the episodes, the behind the scenes information... They are an amazing read for any AW fan, and at this time, more poignant than ever. AW will forever remain close to my heart. The book is the definitive way to celebrate AW's 35th anniversary.

Anyone who watched this soap will enjoy this book. Since this soap was taken from us on the 35th anniversary, this book has even more meaning. You will get to relive the highlights and story lines now missing from our daily lives. I get mine out about every 6 months - or whenever I need a Bay City fix. Looking through the book always manages to bring tears or laughter to me.

It is awesome to hear the real old-timers talk about baseball's early days. They are old enough to be candid, to be sure. The interviewer does an admirable job of staying in the background, asking prompting questions only when needed and these are show his excellent preparation without making him seem like he's their (baseball) equal.
My only complaint, having heard this on CD (and I did that because I very much wanted to hear their actual voices) was that the audio was not done too well, mostly too faint except on extreme volume settings. Anyway, it was definitely worth the effort.

I'll be blunt. This is the single greatest baseball book I've ever read. I wouldn't be surprised if it were the best baseball book ever written. This book conveys the tone of baseball's early days. The players tell their stories in their own voice, oft-times a considerably different manner of speaking than we use currently.

I greatly enjoyed the slang words the old ballplayers used. They taunted rookies by calling them 'bushers'. One player warned another (speaking of Nap Lajoie) 'Watch out for the Frenchman.' Priceless!

Outside of the words, the stories themselves paint a glorious picture of baseball at the beginning of the century. The lesser ballplayers, the Hans Loberts and Chief Meyers', give their impression of the all-time greats; Wagner, Lajoie, Mathewson, Cobb, Jophnson, Bender, Waddell, and Shoeless Joe. Much of what we now know about these legends came directly from the recollections in this book. This is a baseball treasure and belongs in every serious fan's library.

Words alone cannot describe what I have read. Smoky Joe Wood, Rube Marquard, Wahoo Sam Crawford, and many others. We are talking legends of a game gone by. True hero's when a baseball world needed hero's. Many thanks to Lawrence Ritter for capturing moments in time with these baseball legends. I'm sure that they all had a million stories to tell, but I'll settle for just the few that are represented in this book. In today's baseball world of outright sheer greed and selfishness, it was so refreshing to hear stories about baseball's yesterday when times were simpler and the game was just a game. How I miss those days. How I miss those players. Thank you to them for allowing a little boy to dream the dream. Thank you for a memorable look at a simpler time, Lawrence.

I read the book In My Hands by Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer Armstrong for a school project in reading class. At first I did not think I would like this book because the holocaust is such a horrible thing. As I read on though I could not set the book down. It kept me turning the pages. Irene Gutowna is a seventeen-year-old, gentile, Polish girl who gets dragged into the war and separated from her family. Irene could not even image what would go on over the next five years of her life. Everything would change.
One day she goes outside past curfew and is raped and beaten by Nazi officers. She devotes herself to doing anything she can to get back at the Nazis for this horrible act against her, and for taking over her beloved Poland. While in recovery she learns and teaches herself the German language. She ends up working for a German Nazi cafeteria that is located right next to a concentration camp.
She starts off small by putting food under a fence, in hope that someone in the horrible camp will get the food. This was just one small step in Irene's great journey. Eventually it leads up to hiding ten Jewish people in a German major's villa and feeding them food. When the major finds out Irene is hiding and feeding the Jews in his basement of his house, he is infuriated. Forces her to become his mistress. If she had denied, he would have had to turn her and the others in. This would mean the sentence of death for all. These are just a couple of things Irene does to corrupt the Nazi party. This book was very inspiring to me. To know that someone would be so willing to risk so much, even his or her own life and for fighting for what they believe in.

The book IN MY HANDS, is about a woman named Irene Gut. She is a strong-willed and intelligent girl. When the book starts, it is the beginning of World War II. Irene is seventeen at the time and is going to nursing school in Radom. When the German's attack Poland, Radom is bombed. She escapes and lives in the woods with others that are on the run. One night some soldiers saw her and raped her then left Irene in the snow to die. Thankfully, some other soldiers come and found her. Taking her to the hospital, was the best thing for Irene. She met a doctor that helped her escape. From then on she was on her on. She went on to serve German officials food and learned of what horrible things were being done to the Jews. She felt that this was wrong and Irene had to do something about it. The beginning of her rescue mission was leaving buckets of food underneath the fence of one of the ghetto's. It progressed into harboring Jews in the basement of a German major that Irene was a house-keeper to. She has to become the major's mistress because he walked in and saw what Irene was doing. It took unbelievable strength for her to make it through all that had been done to her. She was one of those people that the worse things get the stronger Irene got. The book was put together very well. It told the story of Irene Gut very vividly that you could actually hear and see it happening. The another good thing was the vocabulary was very extensive. This book is a solid book that everyone needs to read because it is a first hand experience of the Holocaust.

I just finished listening to this book on tape. It was extremely well done from Irene's recollection of events. The Holocaust was an atrocity to society, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't study the topic. Hitler and his regime need to be understood to prevent similar occurences in the future. I can't image what she was going through during those times and I wonder how many of us could even begin to imagine her anguish.

A truly moving personal account about the War in Afghanistan by Vladimir Tamarov, born in 1965 in Leningrad, who served twenty months in that conflict. The many faces of evil in war, the coming of age from boy to man, the senseless killing of human beings, are topics that powerfully emerge from Tamarov's "diary of war". The book contains truly interesting photographs which tell a tale of haunted faces, fear, beautiful landscapes, the quiet moments of relaxation before doom and mayhem, camaraderie, that visually transport you to that nonsensical conflict.
The pictures captions come from the author's war diary. They reach, at times, powerful lyrical levels when dwelling about the central issues of the "personal experience of participation" in war. But at the end, the revelations about the stupidly conceived privileges of the brass, the manipulation of the gun ho adrenaline of the young soldiers, the doubts about the sense and rightness of the fight , the telling dreams about the horror of the annihilation of the innocents, all fade away.
Only the ultimate reflection of the fighting soldier, in all the wars that have been fought, remains, with detailed form. You are there only to survive and protect the guy next to you in the foxhole, the only one who really cares about you when the bullets are flying around. The most difficult and daunting times in the life of a young man, who has fought as a soldier and survived to tell the tale, are here, poignantly, but at the same time with sad detachment, recalled in a manner that will make you think profoundly about the banality of war. Kudos to the author for this inspired personal diary, about his experience in Afghanistan. A review by your friend Luciano Lupini.

It is intellectually refreshing to read accounts of war by an author who actually
knows what he's talking about. In "Afghanistan: A Russian Soldier's Story," the
author is Vladislav Tamarov, who, at the age of 19, was sent as a young recruit of
the Russian army to fight in Afghanistan. This book is a reflection and a
commentary on that war, a war which not only changed him but had definite
political effects on his entire nation.
But this book is not meant to be viewed as a scholarly tome on the philosophy of
wars; instead, it is one young man's personal treatise on "what it was like" to be
mounting a military mission on foreign soil, a mission that, for his nation, turned
out to be quite a failure. What the ingredients were of that failure are still being
debated internationally, but the personal musings on this young man are far from
clinical in its citings. Tamarov transcends the clinical and presents a startling and
poignant perspective on the entire project. It's almost as if Audie Murphy had
written (and photographed) his own days in World War II, it is that gripping.
"Afghanistan: A Russian Soldier's Story" personalizes these young soldiers (often
illustrated by the author's own photography). It is, as Faulkner would say, "full of
sound and fury." Alas, it signifies something, however, to extend the Faulknerian
metaphor, and that something is a combination of pathos, incredulity, shock,
amazement--the whole gamut of startling and revealing emotions. Tamarov's story
reveals the fears, the lack of comprehension of such a mission, the relationships among his fellow soldiers, the consternation he
feels toward the whole picture of this Soviet move into Afghanistan. As a young
soldier, Tamarov was not privy to the higher political, social, economic, and
religious aspects of his country's undertaking, of course, as few citizens really are.
However, Tamarov was astute enough to keep a private diary and to have a camera

at the ready and when the time came, his views on the whole affair have been
revealed. He, of course, is not alone in these feelings, and his book seems to speak
for Everyman. War is not good, it's not kind, and its aftermath is oftentimes
beyond redemption. But "That is war," he writes. "We didn't invent it but having
been in a war we understand the meaning of the word." And amongst the pages of
this compelling read, Tamarov presents a definition that is at once disturbing and
yet so to the point. War is hell and he shows us circles that even Dante didn't
consider!
"Afghanistan: A Russian Soldier's Story" is a must read for hawks and doves
alike. And while no new theories are advanced (and the author doesn't pretend to
offer any), this depiction of one of civilization's evils is worth the read. One book
and one reader can't stop war, but in his own way, Tamarov has taken his own
"small step for mankind." And it's a start.

Here is a riveting memoir by Vladislav Tamarov. In 1984 men were drafted into the Soviet Army at the age of eighteen. There was no choice. Unless you were in college or disabled, you served. Many men broke their legs to avoid serving. Others, the more wealthy, bribed their way out. Vlad was in college two years when the law changed and he was off to boot camp. Training the men needed, they never received. Training the men did NOT need, they got. (For example, lots of time was spent learning to parachute, even though it was a well known fact that no one used parachutes in Afghanistan.)

Vlad was born January 12, 1965. His "Date of Military Service Application" was April 26, 1984. This memoir really began when an officer walked up to Vlad at a distribution center and asked, "Do you want to serve in the commandos, the Blue Berets?" Vlad kept a tiny calendar where he crossed off his six hundred and twenty-one days, one-at-a-time. Vlad kept detailed records of each mission he participated in. He had his own little code, shown in this memoir. Two hundred and seventeen of those days were spent on combat missions. In addition to Vlad's coded diary, he secretly took many photographs. This book has dozens of the pictures littered throughout, and makes a powerful impact on those who read it.

***** Vlad, a minesweeper, portrays the horrors of war in vivid details. The reader can almost hear the explosions nearby and smell the fear of being shot at. Once you have read THIS book, you will never forget it! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

The true story of how the world's toughest and best fighting teams are molded - one day at a time. It is an extremely well-written, fast-paced account giving us a rare glimpse into the making of Navy SEALS. The chapter on Hell Week alone is worth the price of admission.

This is one book where the journalistic and writing skills of the author places the reader smack in the middle of the action. I felt as if I was living the experience of the officer and enlisted trainees as they endured bitterly cold ocean temperatures, endless physical training, and numerous psychological uncertainties. The joy of graduation day for those who finish is impossible to fathom for an outsider, but the author managed to project the feelings and emotions to the extent that I was grinning and yelling HOOYAH in my living room!

Captain Couch has written an outstanding book that every American can be proud of. Its timing is obvious--no doubt some of the fine young men described in the book are laying it on the line in Afghanistan and points elsewhere as we speak. There are plenty of lessons for life and business within the story of SEAL Class 228--stuff that can be applied by everyone who strives to be the best, persevere, and contribute as a team player. Hopefully many of our esteemed civic and political leaders, present and future, will pick up a copy.

As for the graduates of SEAL Class 228 and their brethern, let's jusy say that after reading The Warrior Elite, I believe you will realize how fortunate we are to have them on our side.

This is absolutely the best book on BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL) Training that I have ever read. Most of the SEAL training you hear about is the infamous Hell Week. This book does an excellent job of showing you that Hell Week is merely a speed bump in a SEAL's training.

Retired Captain Dick Couch is a 1967 graduate of the US Naval Academy and Honorman of BUD/S Class 45. In this book, he takes the reader through all six months and three phases of BUD/S. Due to training requirements, he isn't really allowed to fraternize with the BUD/S trainees, but he does a good job of portraying some of the students of Class 228. So much so, in fact, that I found myself getting a bit choked up reading about their graduation ceremony. It felt like I was there, sitting proudly in the audience as I watched a family member or friend graduating from BUD/S.

It's amazing that you learn that the average SEAL is not a hulking mass of muscle like you would be apt to think. Many are under 6 feet tall and weigh in the area of 160-170 pounds. Certainly not the stereotypical Rambo-like visage one would expect (note: Rambo was a Green Beret, not a SEAL; you will also find out through other reading that most Green Berets are not like Rambo, either). One learns that what separates these elite men from others who fail the BUD/S course is heart, will, and determination. Strength, stamina, and endurance are important, but the strongest and fastest do not always make it. It is the heart of these warriors that stands above others.

Couch takes it a step further and touches upon post BUD/S training, the future of Navy SEALs and their possible role in the war on terrorism, following the 9/11 tragedies.

He mentions in this book that he is currently working on a new SEAL book scheduled for release in the spring of 2004. "It follows the path of a BUD/S graduate as he earns his SEAL qualification and prepares for operational deployment with his SEAL platoon. As with 'The Warrior Elite', [he is] following a group of men through their advanced SEAL training--the training BUD/S graduates must successfully complete before they are awarded their Naval Special Warfare Insignia, the Trident...[he is] also oberserving SEAL platoons and SEAL teams preparing for operational deployment." I can't wait for this new book!

I HIGHLY recommend this book to potential SEAL candidates and anyone interested in the training of this elite fighting force.

After reading this book, you will have a good understanding of just what it takes to be a SEAL.

The book is supplemented with many color photos, to give you just a taste of the real life behind those mental images you have built up.

This is a MUST READ for SEAL enthusiasts and fans of hard charging, tough as nails military reality.

Hooyah!

The history of the Panama Canal, and it's construction is very unique in itself. The references of all the French names (although I couldn't pronounce all of them) were very interesting and kept me hooked. I'm a history buff, so naturally, I like to read historical books.

After nearly a hundred years of owning the Panama Canal, on December 31, 1999, the United States gave the Panama Canal back to the nation of Panama. When Europeans first began to explore the possibilities of creating a pathway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the nation of Panama did not exist; it was a part of Columbia.

When prospectors discovered gold in California in 1848, all that changed the author, David McCullough writes in the book. The Panama Railroad, at the time, was the most high-priced stock listed on the New York Exchange. Building a canal through this area that would be approximately fifty-one miles seemed to be an easy situation for investors, but it turned out that it took over four decades and an army of workers to complete the canal. In the book it mentioned that enough soil, rock, and dirt was removed to build a pyramid a mile high.

When the construction began, McCullough notes that the leader of the project was Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went bankrupt. After President Theodore Roosevelt orchestrated the purchase of the canal, the United States entered the picture. A revolution took place that removed Panama from the rule of Columbia.

David McCullough is a very unique and interesting author and writer, and he kept me captivated while reading this book.

The historical aspecets of the book are accurate as far as my research has gone on the Panama Canal. This book is just fasinating because of the history that is involved. When Theodore Roosevelt bought the canal and a revolution occured between Columbia and the United States, the United States won, and the canal became ours. But remember, on 12/31/99, we returned the canal to its rightful owner, the nation of Panama.

The Path Between the Seas explains just about everything one could ever possibly want to know about the Panama Canal. You start off by reading about why the canal was needed and learn about the pioneers of the building of the canal. You then read about the French Era which is filled with scandal, lies, and a start to the canal. Then you read about the American Era. The America era is alot more interesting than the French. The American era starts with "TR" becoming president. The Americans start a Revolution in Panama fight off the misquitos and successfully build a canal in Panama.Thourghout the book you learn about the backround of the men who built the canal and about the life and times not just in Panama but in France and the United States. This is a must read by the award winning David McCullough that anyone interested in engineering, history or just learning new things should read.

... because you will be inspired to visit Panama to see the Canal. Fortunately tourism in the Canal Zone has become much easier ever since the US withdrew from the country. Many of the exclusive areas formerly reserved for Canal personnel are now open as hotels, restaurants, and for general tourism. McCullough writes about the flood of tourism that attended the Canal's construction and opening. He is probably responsible for quite a bit of the modern Canal tourism!

This is the first Sharpe series book that I read, and it won't be the last -- I plan to follow the series in chronological order (although that's not the order in which Cornwell wrote them).

Richard Sharpe is an infantry grunt who joined the British army to avoid jail for his crimes. Beaten down by his sergeant, trudging through southern India in England's ubiquitous (woolen) redcoat, he first considers fleeing the army but is soon framed for a whipping after encountering his first firefight. Events and a sympathetic officer contrive to launch Sharpe into a spy mission to rescue a British officer who is in the custody of the Tippoo of Mysore -- the man whose kingdom the British are trying to topple in order to control southern India and who has planned a surprise for the British for their impending attack on his fortress.

Cornwell keeps the action flowing, uses his viewpoint characters well and has vast knowledge of both his general historical subject as well as the tactics, arms and daily life of the British army in the Napoleonic era. Sharpe is a common soldier with a strong will to survive and an appreciation of loyalty and bravery, not a super-heroic James Bond with old weapons. And Cornwell doesn't pull his punches regarding the darker aspects of British imperialism. This is accessible writing that flows, unlike other historical novelists who write with an eye for the arcane. Good stuff.

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After having read the Starbuck serie (Civil War) from B. Cornwell, i had great expectations. To my great delight, the same feeling of plunging in the middle of an historical battlefield seized me after a few pages, making me forget about (every bloody thing I had to do in) my new house for a few hours.

SHARPE'S TIGER is the first in the serie (of about 12) in chronological order. Even though Mr. Cornwell does'nt write them this way, if you want to appreciate the historical flavor and Sharpe's career in Her Majesty's army, you want to read them chronologically.

The reader looking for nice fancy figures of speech will be left unsatisfied. Political correctness is also left in the closet. It is blunt, direct cannon-fodder daily life we are looking at and it is written that way

You may disrespect these incompetent officiers, having bought their grade, you will probably hate Sgt. Hakeswill, the potence saved maniac. you will feel pity for Mary and the destiny traced for her.

One thing is sure, we will all finish that book with the smell of gunpowder floating around us and a smile in the historical note about general Wellington

All rights reserved to The Reviewer Provided by courtesy to Amazon.com

I really have to hand it to all the positive reviewers for this series and this book in particular; you are right. Sharpe is outstanding and I can't wait to read more of the series. After months reading positive reviews of some of the earlier books in the series (and by earlier I mean those that were published first in time) I decided to give Cornwell a go. What I expected was a rip roaring adventure and I was not disappointed. In fact, I was esctatic! Believe everything good you read about Sharpe's Tiger: the book is fun without being light. Cornwell includes some very helpful maps and his prose is extremely colorful. He is particularly good at describing battle scenes and dialogue. Expect to finish this book at record time; its not short, its just that you will want to read just one more exciting chapter. Now, if only movies could be this good!

Skeeve, a magician's apprentice. Aahz, a green scaly Prevect from the dimension of Perv. Gleep, Skeeve's pet dragon. Tananda, a green haired, shapely assassin. These are just a few of the characters you'll fall in love with just from reading this first book in the Myth series. Follow the adventures of Skeeve as he meets and becomes the apprentice of Aahz and accidently aquires Gleep at the bazaar on Deva. Be enthralled by following the characters from Skeeve's home dimension of Klah to the bazaar on Deva and back to rescue the world from the evil wizard, Isstvan. The story is enchanting, the dialog is hilarious, and the characters are, well, many dimensional. If I were to write a book, I hope it would be as entertaining as this one

Another Fine Myth is the beginning of Robert Asprin's Myth series, one of the best (and THE most hilarious) fantasy series of all time. This introduces us to the characters that make the series so wonderful. Some of the characters are

Skeeve: The apprentice to a washed out, burned out magician. When that magician is killed, Skeeve has to find a way to save his own life and find justice for his mentor.

Aahz: a Pervert, (oops make that Pervect), a demon rendered powerless by a practical joke gone awry.

Tanda: A beautiful, voluptuous green haired assassin with a firey temper and wicked sense of humor.

And Gleep: A loveable but dumb baby dragon.

This book is ideal not only for fans of fantasy but for humor fans as well. I picked it up and could not put it down. I also couldn't stop laughing! Don't just buy one, buy one for your friend! It's that good!

The book itself is wonderful and author does a wonderful job of explaining the years of conflict in the in this particular region of the world.

There are times particularly in the introduction when you want the author to shut up and get on with the story. Later on you see how much this one example(in the beginning) kind of weaves all of the points to come together.

Overall-Good book if you like history (and good journalism)

This is a truly great book in that it shows us how people from different cultures and religions were able to live together in the Middle East in a not so distant past.
It is really sad that this once very culturally rich area of the world is now dominated by hate and fear.
I gave the book only four stars because it lacks a table of contents, there are no maps whatsoever that may follow the author's travels and the pictures included, besides being only a few compared to all the places Dlrymple visited, don't have a coherent order.
Otherwise, the book is a true pleasure.

Not since Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has a travelogue been so much more than a tale about a trip.

From the Holy Mountain is about a Scottish Roman Catholic who, in 1994, decided to retrace the steps taken and chronicled by Fr. John Moschos back in 587 A.D. Dalrymple visits Eastern Orthodox monasteries in the Middle East where, even as late as 1994, local Muslims came to worship, and brought animals to sacrifice to Christian saints whom they believed capable of divine intervention in their lives. The book is about Greece and Turkey and Syria and Lebanon and Israel and Egypt in 587 A.D., in 1994, and episodically in-between.

William Dalrymple is a skilled writer whose prose moves at a fast pace, without sacrificing the detail and anecdotes which lend humor and humanity to his story. Dalrymple has the gift of conversation. His interpersonal encounters keep the story alive.

Dalrymple has a prodigious vocabulary, and visits some obscure places, so the book is best read with a dictionary and a good atlas nearby.

For anyone with an interest in any of the countries mentioned above, an interest in the Byzantine or Ottoman Empires, an interest in early or modern Christianity, in early or modern Islam, or simply with a traveler's soul, From the Holy Mountain is a great book.

It's a pretty quick read and full of information. Written as a conversation between subjects and the author, he has entertaining and rarely heard of facts to make situations more interesting than they would be in a text book.

The entire book is based on the travels of John Moschos, and Orthodox Christian monk, and a fellow monk friend of his leaving from the area near Constantinople in 587 and travelled around the contemporary Byzantine Empire of the late sixth century. They visit monastaries, holy sites, hermits, stylites, seemingly insane ascetics. One of them who was actually commanded by his bishop to desist in his extreme ways lest he harm himself while being crouched over in a 4" high cage in the blazing sun for years on end.

Dalrymple follows Moschos in his travels except 14 centuries later explaining in detail and with sorrow the extreme changes which have taken place due to Muslim invasion, persecution, and denegration of Christian communities. Interviews and conversations with Armenian, Jacobite, Coptic, Greek, and Antiochian Orthodox (all one Church, just the cultural identity around the parishes) as well as a few Catholics, all but one of whom were Marionites, more than just a few Muslims (almost all of whom are Palestinians), a few Nestorians, and in Alexandria what was left of the Jewish community, too small to even have the minimum amount of males to keep up the synagogue services fill the pages in conjunction with quotes and anticdotes from Moschos.

Some of the stories are extraordinarily tragic such as interviews he has with Armenians and Jacobites concerning the rounds upon rounds of massive holocausts the Muslim Turks have wrought on them and are now denying as "Christian Myths and Propaganda" (such as the 1.5+ million murdered by the Turks in 1915 alone). Dalrymple even has a evening long conversation and stroll through the city with the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem at the time while he is told the tragedies and discrimination the Armenians, Christians in general but especially the Armenians are under going under the Israeli government.

Most of the stories, though, even when they are tragic, are given a humorous spin by the author. He is a master writer and is able to put the most complex of histories into laymen's terms.

Over all it is an excellent read, well worth the read and I highly recommend it. Of the 35 or so books I read a year, this is one of the best, probably in the top three.