history

Author Michael Zak's writing is very readable; it is both informative and entertaining for the lay as well as the professional audience. He has a straightforward style for presenting facts, yet he also writes with a passion that moves the reader to conviction; at times I felt as if I was actually there.

If you are a Republican, you should buy this book; it will make you proud of your Republican heritage. If you are a Democrat, you should also buy this book-you may find some surprises about your Party's history as well. As Mr. Zak so eloquently quotes in his text, "For you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." (6)

Despite the Elizabethan setting, readers of any age will identify
with Kate's timeless adolescent insecurities and feelings of inferiority towards her sister, touted as "the pretty one." But she rises above these feelings in a time of need, and proves herself to be strong, smart, mature, and incredibly courageous, a great role model for young girls. This is a gripping, cleanly written, and sometimes harrowing story with a thoroughly satisfying ending. Its Newbery honor was much deserved.

Totally wonderful book! I'm not in the least surprised this is a Newberry Honor book! I must warn you though that this book is for ages 12 and up. Not at all appropriate for kids younger than 12. But because of the intriguing plot, the well-developed characters, and the fact that it is so much fun to read makes it even enjoyable for adults!

The characters of Kate Sutton and Christopher Heron are wonderful! I immediately fell in love with them. They are both stubborn, very determined, and faithful friends. The humor and banter are very witty and makes me laugh all the time! Though I have to tell you that the book is over-all pretty serious.

I strongly recommend "The Perilous Gard" and I'm most assured that everyone who will read it will put it on your favorites list!

But most of all there is love, and once we get over the nature of that love, we can surrender ourselves to enjoying the flow of the story as we follow Alexander the Great, one of history's most fascinating figures, on a journey of conquest through the known world.

We follow him from the viewpoint of the Persian boy of the title, a narrator very different to the usual fictional protagonist. But this boy is not fictional, he really lived, and I venture to suggest that Mary Renault's tale is not half as colourful as the real thing must have been.

I find it hard to lay a handle on this book. It's fiction, it's history, it's a romance, a war story, an epic adventure. It deals with the great themes of humanity and it's a ripping yarn.

If you've read any of Mary Renault's other books, you won't need convincing. If you haven't, then enjoy this one as your first taste of her opus, because it is one of her very best.

Read it. Yeah, it has homosexual themes, but as others have said, its not primary, its an afterthought of the writer. Bagoas is simply a fantastically written character. Taking a few historical bylines from people like Arrian and Plutarch, Mary Renault has created a fascinating figure in history. It wistfully makes you wish you could actually meet this eunuch and find out what his life was truly like.

Renault also covers the story of Alexander's campaign with clarity, compassion and with a marvelous sense of adventure for her readers. The information on life in an ancient army camp is well-written, not over explained, and the campaigns themselves are only as a non-soldier like a former palace concubine could see it. Renault has a fantastic grasp of Alexander that, while it might not be spot-dead on, it has to be close.

Everyone clearly comes to life. I'm just so disappointed that something like "The Continuing Life of Bagoas" was not written following the sequel to "The Persian Boy". Hints of Bagoas' life following Alexander's death is mentioned throughout the book....but oh, what I wouldn't give for more. I also highly recommend the sequel to "The Persian Boy", "Funeral Games" for the follow-up of Bagoas, though he's mentioned sporadically, it does have him as a bit of a plot point.

-Ken G.

I was just in awe at the book, I expected many pages of text, but I can't remember a full page of text in this huge book. It's full of illustrations and pictures that really make you feel like you're one of the Imagineers checking out ideas for the parks.

For anyone who likes Disney, or really anyone who enjoys design, art, architecture, etc.; or just needs a good coffee table book, this book is stupendous, and you get a deal here on Amazon. ...

I hope they come out with another book.

It is late summer, 1944. Adolf Hitler's armies in Western Europe have been retreating steadily from France, Belgium and the Netherlands ever since D-Day, when Allied forces invaded Nazi-occupied France and began moving like a juggernaut toward the German border. All signs point to a completely demoralized German army, made up primarily of old men and young boys. The German occupiers flee through the Low Countries on bicycles, in carts, and on foot. By September 1944, it seems only a matter of time before the Third Reich collapses under the relentless assault of the Allies.

British Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery persuades the Allied high command to adopt his bold plan to win the war in 1944. Called "Market-Garden," the plan calls for Allied forces to seize and hold a series of bridges spanning the Rhine River on the border between Germany and The Netherlands. The capture of these bridges will give the Allies the route they need for the invasion of the German homeland. If successful, "Market-Garden" could spell victory for the Allies in 1944.

The plan is ambitious and, on the surface, well thought out. It will have two parts: "Market" will be the airborne assault. Allied forces will land and seize the bridges along the Rhine. The key bridge - the linchpin of the whole operation - will be the bridge at Arnhem. The "Garden" portion of the plan is an armored ground assault by a column of tanks that will travel 80 miles to provide relief to the paratroopers holding each of the bridges. However, Monty's plan has a fatal flaw: Allied intelligence has failed to reveal the presence of a seasoned German armored division hiding in the area.

"Market-Garden" begins on September 17, 1944, and initially looks headed for success. Allied paratroopers quickly capture two of the four bridges, but the attacks on bridges at Nijmegen and Arnhem - the "Bridge Too Far" - soon run into trouble. The Nijmegen brige captured by Allied forces only after stubborn German resistance and heavy fighting. The British 1st Airborne Division lands in the wrong place and loses its communications. A British airborne battalion commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Frost captures the Arnhem bridge after heavy fighting. German Field Marshal Walter Model, who is in the area almost by accident, observes the assault as it begins to unfold, and quickly guesses its objectives. He assembles all German troops in the area and counterattacks. Near Arnhem, the 1st Airborne quickly comes under siege miles away from its objective. Frost's battalion also comes under heavy siege. Ultimately, the successful German counterattack and siege nearly destroys both Urquhart's and Frost's commands. The British are forced to withdraw, and "Market-Garden" ends in defeat.

I found "A Bridge Too Far" to be one of the best books about World War II I've ever read - better, even, than Ryan's earlier book "The Longest Day." Ryan writes a masterful account of this tragic battle. His narrative is gripping and dramatic throughout. He incorporates many first-person accounts of the participants in the battle from all sides - Allied, German, civilian, and Dutch underground. With an historian's eye for factual interpretation, Ryan exposes the political wrangling which went on at the highest levels of the Allied command, and the false assumptions, miscalculations, blunders, and self-deceptions which marked the Allied planning and execution of "Market-Garden." With a journalist's unfailing eye for factual accuracy and detail, Ryan describes with spellbinding realism the fighing on the ground and in the air. Throughout the book, Ryan never loses sight of the human dimension - the sometimes superb and more often erroneous judgments made by Allied and German generals and colonels; the extraordinary valor of the ordinary soldier on both sides, officer and enlisted man alike; and the dedication and sacrifice of civilians and the Dutch underground.

"A Bridge Too Far" is a wonderful work of history, one which I heartily recommend to all readers!

The feelings that this book stirred up in me was powerful, a proverbial "emotional rollercoaster". I beamed with pride about all the successful missions and the excellent job the military was doing as related by Durant. I was depressed when things did not look favorable for Mike during his captivity. I cried when he read the letter from Stephanie Shughart, the wife of a Delta Operative KIA Somalia.

Mike took me along with him on this mission of Operation Gothic Serpent, I felt like I was right there with him in the cockpit of "Super Six-Four", fighting off the "skinnies". During his captivity, I felt like an observer in time. From the time we got the word that the mission was a go, "F----- Irene", to reaching for the power levers just prior to crash landing, to toasting the return of Mike Durnat, I was right there. Mike introduced me to some of the finest fighting men this world has ever known. I felt I knew these brave men, their memory lives on in all who read this book. Never before has a story of such heroic men and their families been told, at least not to my knowledge. I was heart broken when we learned that Cliff, Donavan, Randy, Gary and the others did not make it home alive.

Mike Durant had to write this book, he had to tell this story, no question about it. More than a book, this work is a record of history. It gave us a glimpse of what it is like to defend this great country. I had the utmost respect for our service men and after reading this book all I can say is I have never been more proud to be an American. Mike Durant, "I'm Lucy!"

The slices of his life besides his captivity in Somalia also give insight into this man and show how they forged his will and gave him the ability to survive his 10 days in captivity and keep his mind intact.

I'd reccomend this book to anyone who has read Black Hawk Down; especially if you think Bowden came off as a Clinton apologist. Durant expresses the feelings of every red-blooded American Serviceman who has served durring the past 10 years!

I found one small error in the book and even it was probably just an oversimplification and not crucial to the plot, itself. Other than that, it's earned a place of honor on my bookshelf. One that is increasingly becoming more "Army" than "Marines". I left the Corps 10 years ago and I'm going into the Army in the next 10 days!

All we need now is for this story to be turned into a movie and done well. The small piece of it shown in Black Hawk Down does not do this man any justice.

Thank you, Michael Durant. God Bless you and your family! Semper Fi! Hoo-Ah! NSDQ!

The book is divided into subjects, and can really be read in any which way suits the reader - you can begin in the beginning, middle or end, and you will be just as easily captivated.

For American Jews with less than thorough knowledge of Judaism, this is a perfect book. It also makes a perfect gift for a Bar/Bat Mitzva, and for anyone else interested in what Judaism is about, and what it has to say.

For interested non-Jews, this book provides a distinctly Jewish and Zionist perspective on the religion and the people. For example, few non-Jews (or Jews for that matter) know that "Jews" and "Judaism" really do not refer to a religion, but to a people whose homeland is Judea, which is often referred to these days as "the West Bank." The central and overwhelming importance of Judea (and its ancient capitals, Jerusalem and Hebron) and Israel to modern Judaism is evident in Telushkin's book.

Overall, an outstanding, inspiring work of great scholarship and sensitivity.

"Jewish Literacy" covers a vast (and I mean vast) range of topics relating not just to Jewish religious beliefs but also culture, customs, scripture and history. Despite the massive amount of topics, the book is still in-depth enough on each topic to give the reader a decent understanding.

The "readability" of this text is excellent. "Jewish Literacy" is flexible in purpose; one can read straight-through or can consult it like a reference encyclopedia. It is well organised, flows well and is consequently ideal for either situation. In addition, the book uses language the average reader can understand and explains even the most basic of Jewish terminology for those very unfamiliar with Judaism.

If you are going to own one book on Judaism, this should be it!

After having reached a hundred pages or so (the limited viewable amount kindly and generously made available by the Publisher - he must have known what he was doing, the smart chelloveck), I decided, what the heck, let's just buy it. Well, I have never regretted it...

This book (670 pages in full length) astounds one as to its vast, elegantly segmented, multi-facetted and easy-and-friendly-to-use approach.

Its lighthearted and friendly tone will even cheer you up on some of the traditionally more dramatic and gruesome themes. The freshness is envigorating and encouraging. What the author manages to do is to almost never ever make what is called an authoritative statement (in my humble opinion, such so-called "authoritative statements" can generally, if not most of the time, be considered as partial and personal views/vistas), but usually always manages to give an alternative view on a specific subject.

The end-result is a vast and multi-sourced overview, a mild although quite thorough presentation of a great amount of subjects attending the History of the Jewish People.

This book is something like a must for its extensive vastness. By never unduly and wryly scratching below the surface of things, it remains easy and friendly to use, even allowing and lending itself for some sporadic readings, enabling one to gain some sporadic insights and knowledge on a quite great variety of subjects.

Well, Easy-Reading does it, every time. And here, Joseph Telushkin seems to have done a marvelous job.

To sum it up, this book is a pleasure, deserves actually six stars, is highly recommended, for just every and anyone.

******************************************************************************************

Post Scriptum, a personal note (being human, I just can't avoid it): There is an almost exasperating tendency of many Jews to define Judaism and Jewishness in their very own terms and within their own (at times petty) referential system. Even an often subtle author such as Joseph Telushkin makes this mistake in this otherwise magnificent and extensive Magnum Opus that is "Jewish Literacy" when he states that the Satmar and the Neturei-Karta positions can by no means be regarded as significant of the Jewish people. How wrong... He then compares the Satmar and Neturei-Karta positions towards Zionism as analogous to that of the Christian sect of Virginia's Snake handlers, a mere fringe of each movement, both, in his own words totally insignificant. I believe that the author somehow errs in not seeing that both Virginia's snake handlers and the ultra-Orthodox anti-Zionist position are the views of sincere fundamentalists, that feel in no way entitled to disregard a significant portion of their Scriptural inheritance (Mark 16;16-18 and B.T. Ketouvot 111a, respectively). Such utterances attempting to define fundamentalist movements and tendencies as a mere fringe, are tantamount to imply that most Jews and most Christians have always been experts at comfortably following a religious herd of some sort. Far be it! If you need to be reassured as to the remaining vital strength of some of Judaism's proponents and exponents, get Aviezer Ravitzky's fascinating and incisive book "Messianism, Zionism and Jewish Religious Radicalism", where the sheer vast amount of diverse sources and positions (most of them unavailable in all but Hebrew) are in a position to satiate even the most information-hungry and avid enquirer of true facts (it may even appease your soul to see that the so-called "religious tree" is not yet fully dead and dry). Finally, but since this is my sole substantial disappointment to the vast gathering of factual information contained in "Jewish Literacy", I was surprised and somehow disappointed about the total omission of a rather great figure, and a no less great individual, namely that of Menachem Mendel of Kotsk. But this detail probably just emphasizes my general satisfaction with this small but nonetheless vast and handy encyclopedia of Jewish history that constitutes Joseph Telushkin's "Jewish Literacy".

******************************************************************************************

Three Musketeers is filled with action, laugh out loud humor and intrigue. This, its sequel, is filled with mind-numbing palace and political intrigue that is not very intriguing.

The only part that was mildly interesting was how the four characters turned out after twenty years. There is also an intriguing descendant of deWinter, but his role is only sporadic.

When I think of the original Three Musketeers fondly, I am sure I will have long forgotten this long interminable book of palace political maneuverings. If you loved the original and want to leave your recollection untainted - skip this one!

It didn't have to be that way. Deferred maintenance on the dam whose failure spelt doom for Johnstown was, according to McCullough, the deciding factor in the collapse. The storm, which finally put the dam down, was merely the inevitable stimulus; the breeze against a house of cards. McCullough, without hysterical blame-placing--indeed, almost tacitly--places responsibility gently, but no less convincingly, on the appropriate shoulders, and, in doing so, makes a powerful statement about 19th-century class structures

Couple the social commentary with a hair-raising narrative style (the train racing with the wave-front, whistle tied open, still sticks in my mind, many months after reading), and McCullough produces top-notch, exquisitely researched, gripping (though perhaps a bit thin), popular history.

I heartily recommend _The Johnstown Flood_.