history

Rick Taylor is a Specialist 4th Class, US Army is a frequenter of mid-1960s Bangkok, Thailand brothels and prone to clashing with his military superiors, falling in love with Thai women, and embellishing tales of the legendary Whore House Charlie -- his hero and godhead. Dean Barrett's Memoirs Of A Bangkok Warrior satirizes military justice (especially as it applied to enlisted men), and through satirical human, raises questions of a soldier's role in war and peace. Memoirs Of A Bangkok Warrior suggests that the clash of cultures and values between American officers and enlisted men often exceeded that which existed between Thais and Americans. Memoirs Of A Bangkok Warrior is recommended reading for anyone who ever donned a uniform and found themselves far from home.

Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior is set in Bangkok during the 1960's, a Bangkok far more innocent than it is now. A time when American GIs could give mess hall apples to taxi drivers in lieu of cash (Thais love apples but they don't grow well in their climate). Dean Barrett handles character and dialogue quite impressively, and his protagonist ("Pineapple") is a remarkable reference point amidst the madness of war in Southeast Asia. It is a very funny and very special novel, tremendously entertaining and would make a fun movie. It is as spicy as the food of the Thais and his knowledge of both military madness and Thai culture is obvious. I also enjoyed the love story between the soldier and the Thai woman but it is the satirical humor that stands out for me. A great read!

Hey, I just saw a link to this book and had to give it a thumbs up. I had a business in Thailand and I'm an avid reader and found this book while there. Hilarious. Great fun. Worth reading.

"Montana: Behind the Scenes" has already found its place among my most treasured reads, and I haven't even finished reading the thing yet. I've read slightly beyond the first couple of chapters but felt the need to put in my two cents' worth about this delightful paperback even before I got past the Gumbo chapter (more on Gumbo later). I was captured first by the witty cover, and soon found myself going way beyond the posted speed limit just to get to the Gumbo. What is this Montanan-style Gumbo, you ask? It's not what you think. It's even better. Rest assured, you'll want more Gumbo than this brief chapter provides, but it'll whet your appetite for more Montana, Durrae-and-John-Johanek style. You don't have to live in Montana to appreciate this book, but reading it will make you want to put THIS trip on your travel planner. The sooner the better.

The Johanek's have gone beyond your basic travel book and made it personal. Their writing style is refreshingly witty and enthusiastic. I can tell they really enjoyed writing this book. It made me want to travel to Montana and visit the places, as well as the people that they wrote about. If you haven't thought about visiting Montana before, I guarantee you will after reading their book.

Fantastic book that makes you want to get in your car, head to Montana, and then get off the interstate and out of the cities. The vignettes of the small towns, unusual places, and unique people give even the armchair travel a delightful tour, without even being there. Nice writing, an excellent read.

This is the good stuff...my favorite volume of the whole series. The centerpiece, in my mind, is the debate of Finrod and Andreth, which through alternate existing versions and Christopher Tolkien's editorials, we can piece together the REAL origins of the Edain in Tolkien's universe. I don't want to give it away, but it will absolutely shock even those who are extremely familiar with the Silmarillion and Lost Tales of Numenor and Middle Earth. The other groundbreaking info is JRR's decision to go back and re-write a lot of what would become the Silmarillion...he was considering such plot elements as placing the sun and moon before the Two Trees, which would radically alter the entire universe as we know it.

I was hoping to find as much of interest in the companion Volume 11 but was disappointed...this, #12 (Peoples of Middle Earth), #9 (End of the Third Age) and #5 (Lost Road and Other Writings) should be the next steps for the Tolkien diehard who wants to go even further than the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle Earth have taken them.

. . .plus cultural information!

This book, the first of two in the "History of Middle-Earth" series dealing with later textual developments in "The Silmarillion" provides a great deal of information on how Tolkien's philosophical and theological development influenced the later aspects of this work. (As the reader should remember, Tolkien worked on these legends for more than 50 years.)

However, one of my greatest delights in "Morgoth's Ring" was a lengthy essay detailing aspects of Elven culture, including information on courting, betrothal, marriage, and child-rearing. Also included is a discussion of the judgement of the Valar concerning the remarriage of Finwe of the Noldor.

Throughout, the volume demonstrates that Tolkien wished to truly create a complete culture, not merely a history.

A worthy addition to this series.

This is the tenth volume of a detailed study about the "Silmarillion" era (Pre-"Lord of the rings" epoch). No question from the silmarillion, is left unanswered after you've read this hyper-detailed book about the fallen ainur, Melkor, most known under the name Morgoth meaning "the enemy of the world". Here is described the rise of Arda, the assignments given by Eru, the lord of all, to the ainur, making them become the Valar, AND how Melkor (who was Eru's favorite and most skilled of all) fell from grace and lusted to control the earth and everything in it. In this book , you will find how immensely great was Morgoth's power and how he could even distort Eru's very designs in the birth of the universe. It also includes lots and lots of informations about particular elven kings, half elven and men, who had a particularly important role in the historyand shaping of Beleriand and Middle-earth. All fans of middle-earth and fantasy are advised to get this superb annal of the history of middle-earth and dive once more into the realm of the tree-light gems...

I've been searching for a book like this for the past two years. It contains information on the different types of habitats, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, trees, lichen, wildflowers, mammals (...the list goes on) found in the New England area. It even has a collection of star maps for people who are also interested in the New England night sky. The information is well laid out and easy to read and is accompanied by detailed color diagrams and photos. What I like best about this book though is I no longer have to carry around 5 different field guides when I go out hiking now. I only need to carry this one.

My wife and I both really enjoy the descriptions of New England habitats, geology and other natural phenomena, and the information about parks at the end.

We take many drives to different parts of New England, and go exploring. Often we see something and wonder what it is. Now we keep this book in the car. It has greatly increased our knowledge and appreciation of our new England home.

Since reading this one, we have bought others of the series on the strength of the habitat and other "natural history" information. The authors' writing is clear and engaging and makes the material accessible to the tenderest of tenderfeet.

Simply an AMAZING book! there's a little bit about a lot of things! Weather, geology, flora and fauna, star charts, sea shells! While you'll need a more specific field guide for your particular interest, this is the one book to have from the beach to the mountains.
Probably an adequate bird guide for hikers, and an adequate hiking guide for birders.

It's not an easy feat to write a fantasy novel that will stand out from others, but that is exactly what Ann Chamberlain has done. She has adeptly managed to seamlessly blend truth, fiction and myth in a story that transports readers to another time and place. Although there are instances where the names and places were a bit confusing, it was easy to overlook that and focus on how skillfully the story was told. It read more like history than fantasy and at times I had to remind myself that the spells of magic in the book were fictional...or weren't they? That's what Ms.Chamberlain makes you think and feel. At some points in the book I felt the influence of pagan rites (for lack of a better term) and realized that she had successfully woven it into her story and managed to show it in a better light than others have previously done. In this story the heretical and heathenish behavior unfavored by the Catholic church was shown to the reader to have origins of good intentions--something that I'd never seen before in a book. Ms. Chamberlain's storytelling also was successful in creating characters that were extremely likeable and/or despicable. I pitied Jean Le Drapier and also liked and disliked Gilles, his milk-brother. I have yet to make a determination about his character until the next book, which unfortunately won't be out for several months. For me, this book is exceptionally good and I'll be sure to put it right next to my other favorite trilogy: The Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams.

Merlin of St. Gilles' Well blends Arthurian legend with the story of Joan of Arc's rise. History, fantasy and action blends in this opening book which represents the first of a focus on Joan of Arc. Here a boy's vision of a Maid and her powers slowly evolves to reality against a backdrop of change and discovery.

I borrowed this book from the library and found it so captivating and enjoyable that I plan to buy. It is definitely a book you would likely read more than once.

The basis of the book is a story of pagan religion & magic in France -- it is told from the point of view of the main character (a child) who grows up seeing horrible violence and wonderful magic. He learns about life and love and the wonders of magic and the world. Ann Chamberlin tells the story with such clarity that you can picture what it was like during that century, you can picture the fantastic situations as they happen -- a wonderful writer! Any fantasy enthusiast will enjoy this story. Wonderful book!

I look forward to book two with great enthusiasm!

As a music fan, there are two things you want to add to your experience, a songlist compilation and a biography. Anything more is really too much, but in the case of groundbreaking album cover art, and knowing Pink Floyd's history of employing visual effects in their shows, a book like this is necessary, especially since albums are gone now, and the tiny graphics you get on a CD jewel case don't compare with the stuff promoters used to jam into album jackets. This book is a trip into Storm Thurgeson's head, not necessarily Floyd's. The difference is not much since Storm was a boyhood chum, and listened so well to his employer's ideas, instead of pushing his own. That's one reason the band was so successful musically as well, was Hypnosis' reliance on the members' themes. This book is not a graphic artist's design book, though I wish it were, but it would be tons bigger. It covers 30 years (and not even all the Floyd's covers (for instance, The Wall)). But you will appreciate the fact that Storm operated more under impluse as a designer than by today's modern design houses which try to render graphics in a production line style...can't be done. The author's bylines give us insight if not in technical process, then in the intellect process, and it's good fun knowing this guy was a friend to the Floyd for a LONG time, even having to uncomfortably stand in the middle of relationships for the 'Is There Anybody Out There?' live Wall issue. All in all, I'd give 5 stars for the artwork and presentation, but lose half of one for lack of technical explanation. Enjoy!

Few people have been more closely associated with Pink Floyd over the band's 30-year career than graphic designer Storm Thorgerson. And virtually no one (outside the band members themselves) has been more responsible for the mystique that shrouds the band and its music.

In "Mind Over Matter", Thorgerson explains in some detail the concepts and techniques behind the creation of some of the most evocative and memorable images in the history of Rock and Roll. With stories and recollections dating back to the band's foundations in the mid-sixties, Thorgerson goes piece-by-piece through most of the band's catalogue, recounting not only how he and his team created the images, but also detailing what they are meant to represent and how they relate to the music.

The book features beautiful color reproductions of the band's album covers, lyrics layouts, and CD booklets. (All but two Floyd albums-- "The Wall" and "The Final Cut"-- are included ; these are omitted because Thorgerson was, in his own words, "temporarily relieved of [his] duties" for these albums.) But the biggest treat to the serious fan are the reproductions and discussionsof lesser-known images, such as a tour promo and program from 1975, and artwork specially conceived for the 'deluxe' boxed set "Shine On". Also included are the designs for the remastered and repackaged CD releases of the Floyd's albums, as well as some art which was apparently created just for this book.

As a full-sized coffee table book, "Mind Over Matter" is gorgeous to look at. Thorgerson's text, which is witty and insightful, makes for a good read. All in all, no Pink Floyd fan should be disappointed.

I absolutely knew I had to purchase "this" book the second I saw the book cover. Storm Thorgerson is utterly amazing, eyecatching & perhaps a bit eccentric (aren't most true artists?) I loved reading about his ideas/how he came up with them & how he laid them out in the end, and after reading this book, I now want to check out other material on him as well. Pink Floyd is indeed legendary as are the works of Storm Thorgerson. A Fantastic view of Unimaginable Talent. Check it out.

An enthralling tale of the most famous vessel in American history and the man behind its inception, told with verve and a style that kept me up way into the night - finishing the book in 2 sittings.

Finely researched details and verbatim accounts of proceedings give a fascinating insight into the chain of events which drag our designer hero into the Civil War as the pivotal figure in the defeat of the South. It also shows the idiocy and lack of informed decision-making, as well as the intelligence which pervaded the Armed Services chain of command (probably to this day).

The actual battle is a bit of a let-down after the big build-up in the race to complete the Monitor's construction in time to challenge the Merrimac's dominance of the war. It serves to show how small things can turn the tide of events against all the odds (see also Battling the Elements : Weather and Terrain in the Conduct of War) - in this case neither of the two combatants were badly damaged, yet the South suffered a crushing blow, purely from the knowledge that there was a better power afloat, and the Merrimac was scuttled by her own crew.

If you are interested in History, Industrial Archaeology or Military Strategy, don't miss this one!

If Tom Clancey wrote Civil War history, "Monitor" would be the result. Although non-fiction, this is as exciting a read as "The Hunt for Red October" would be if it were set during the Civil War. Military techno fans unfamiliar with the subject will be fascinated by how advanced and visionary the "cheesebox on a raft" was, and they won't ever look at mid-19th century technology as being quite so archaic again. For those familiar with the subject, you might find a more detailed and scholarly book about the Monitor elsewhere, but it certainly won't be as enjoyable to read. This is the kind of book that got you hooked on Civil War history in the first place, and deKay is to be applauded for reviving the clear prose-poetry style of the late, great Bruce Catton.

Monitor skillfully holds the reader spellbound about the ship, and her irrascible genius inventor. I also came to realize just how technically advanced this ship was compared to her contemporaries. This book is a quick and powerful read that you don't want to put down, and it conveys the depth and level of accomplishment achieved by John Erriccson in getting her built in the short time he did. An outstanding history replete with circumstances and entertaining anecdotes as well. A highly recommended book.

I read this autobiography many years ago, and recently, decided to give it another look. Mr. Williams pulls no punches in this very honest, entertaining, and well-written story of his life in and out of baseball. Unfortunately, due to the strange circumstances surrounding his recent death, many fans will forget his tremendous achievements in our national pasttime. Along with the fact that Mr. Williams lost five or six prime years of his career due to his military commitments. He was a true patriot, and his war anecdotes are entertaining, educational, and provocative. He flew planes with the same focused determination as hitting a baseball.

Reading the book again also reminded me of a childhood memory. My father, Michael, was a batboy for the Washington Senators during the 1940s. He knew Mr. Williams, along with Mr. DiMaggio and other stars of that era. I used to ask my father about both of them. "DiMaggio was a complete all-around player, but Williams was the better hitter. He used to stay for hours in the clubhouse after the game. Weighing his bats. Sanding them down. They both were very quiet men, but Williams was even more taciturn. But writers of the day used to goad him on, and he would take their bait. That's how he got his tempermental reputation."

When I was a child, I attended the Ted Williams Baseball Camp in Lakeville, MA. It was run with military precision, and even as a child, you were treated as an adult. Coaches never berated you in front of your teammates as was customary in the Little Leagues or Boy's Clubs. The whole atmosphere and environment were conducive to promoting your best efforts. The presence of Mr. Williams was felt everywhere. On rainy days, we used to watch countless films about the science of hitting.

This book is an excellent story, and for many of us, will take us back to our youth. But young baseball fans also can benefit from this tale of one of our greatest athletes and patriots.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

If you ever end -up talking baseball for hours with your friends then pick this book up. Because it is like talking about baseball with Ted Williams. You get to hear how an ecenteric kid grows up to be the best hitter ever, but still be an ecentric man. I never read a book by someone who loved his work as much as Williams, even with the disapiontments of his life. The book is realistic in its prespective. Williams is matter of fact (endless cool facts and pitching hitting deuls) about the negatives in his carrer. He shows his obessive side and professional drive all at once. BONUS GREAT PICTURES OF WILLIAMS AND OTHER GREAT PLAYERS! I also suggest my favorite baseball book of all time My Luke and I by Elanor Gerhig (OUT OF PRINT BUT DEFINATLY worth the hunt)

The story is an entertaining look at Williams' career as a ballplayer, fisherman and ex ball player. It talks about his strange career with the Red Sox fans that would boo him in spite of his brilliant hitting. His study of the game, especially batting and dedication to being a near perfect hitter is a pretty good insight into why the booing bothered him so much and led to some bad displays of resentment by him to the fans. The spitting incidents and the time he accidentally threw a bat into the stands and hit a lady spectator on the head are well covered. His resentment toward most sportswriters is a continuation of his reaction to the reception he received in Boston. It's a large contrast to the welcome given to Joe DiMaggio in New York and the rivalry between Williams and DiMaggio is covered too. In later years, Williams mellowed and so did the fans so that their relationship was a good one. One wonders what kind of statistics Williams would have had if he had not missed five years in the military service, being a pilot in World War II and in Korea. One of his statistics that I don't often see mentioned is the fact that he is one of only two players to win the Triple Crown twice.

Besides being a "Hall of Fame" ball player, Ted Williams was also a hall of fame fisherman and there is a lot of fishing talked about in the book.

Ted Williams was definitely one of Baseball's greatest hitters and an individualist, plus being quite a character. This book gives a good insight into these things in his "own words". It should be a must for any baseball fan.

This is the work of an angry scholar, not with malice but with justified anger at the institutional decay and rotten leadership across Africa. He has written what many of us, Africans, are afraid to say about our corrupt and murderous leaders. But he is not alone. An increasing number of Africans are risking their lives to demand fundamental change in their countries, and he has struck a responsive chord not only among these courageous individuals but also among those who are afraid to criticize African leaders. Africa is, indeed, in a mess. Even a country like Tanzania, where the author comes from, which has been an island of peace and stability for almost 40 years since independence and is one of the very few countries on the continent which have escaped the scourge of war and ethnic conflict, was rocked by civil strife after the general elections in 2000. And the future of the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which formed Tanzania, remains uncertain, as the author himself and other Tanzanians know very well. The author is also courageous enough to suggest bold initiatives as the only practical solutions to some of Africa's intractable problems, however unpopular. An astute observer of the African political scene where some pundits tend to gloss over problems for the sake of African "unity," he knows, as many of us do as well, that good intentions are not enough. Optimism is not enough. And peace agreements mean nothing when all parties to the conflict do not endorse them, and implement them. That is why he has, although grudgingly, boldly suggested that only separation of the Hutu and the Tutsi, into Hutuland and Tutsiland, will end the spiraling cycle of violence and genocide in Rwanda and Burundi. And it is going to be a Herculean task if this is attempted, not only in logistical and financial terms, but also because of the symbiotic relationship between the two groups. They are inextricably linked. They live on and share the same land; they also share the same culture and the same history, and even the same family ties in many cases, a situation almost unique on the continent. Even in integrated societies across Africa, almost all the tribes have at least what they call their own homeland, their own tribal area, separate from the rest and where they can seek refuge if they are expelled from other areas: as happened in the case of the Ibos in Nigeria when they fled the North where they were being slaughtered by the Hausa-Fulani in the 1960s; in Congo when the people from Kasai Province were massacred in Katanga Province in the 1990s and fled back to their home region; and when the Kikuyu were expelled from the Rift Valley Province, President Daniel arap Moi's home region, also in the 1990s in a campaign of ethnic cleansing characterized by massacres even when the victims were fleeing back to their native Central Province, just as it happened in Nigeria and Congo. But that is not the case in Rwanda and Burundi. There is no place of refuge within those two countries for either the Hutu or the Tutsi. And the author knows that, as he clearly states in his book. In fact, his country Tanzania is burdened in a very special way because it is Rwanda's and Burundi's neighbor and for decades has been home to the largest number of refugees from those two countries. It's also interesting to note that both Rwanda and Burundi were once part of Tanzania (then Tanganyika) before World War I when the colony comprising these three territories - Tanganyika, Rwanda, and Burundi - was known as German East Africa. Reunification of the three countries is a remote possibility at best, although some people may want that. For example, Professor Ali Mazrui, a Kenyan, has eloquently argued that Burundi should become part of Tanzania as a way of ending the ethnic violence in that small African country. Mwakikagile implies just as much in his book, "The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation," when he talks about the need for regional integration and opening up borders of African countries to allow free movement and settlement of people to ease population pressure and reduce ethnic tensions. But that is not very likely, either, and it will remain a distant goal for years to come. So he sees the establishment of separate Hutu and Tutsi independent ethnostates as the only lasting solution. And he is not alone in this. Even a number of African leaders feel the same way, although they don't have the courage to say so in public, as President Moi has, and as the author openly advocates in his book. They're afraid chaos will ensue, as other tribes across the continent also start to demand independence, breaking up African countries. And it is a legitimate concern. But the alternative is not the solution, especially in the case of Rwanda and Burundi. The alternative is war, and more genocide. Even Nelson Mandela's peace initiative has failed to end the conflict in Burundi. The government of national unity formed by the Hutu and the Tutsi is not going to last, anymore than it will in Somalia, another subject the author has addressed in his book, again suggesting bold solutions. Also, his discussion of the enslavementof blacks by the Arabs in Sudan and Mauritania, and even of black children sold by fellow blacks to other blacks in black African countries, is one of the most poignant chapters in the book. It is heart-rending. He takes African governments, and civil rights leaders in the United States, to task for doing nothing about this modern-day slavery. And the civil wars across the continent do, of course, get full attention in the book which ends with a powerful chapter containing many solutions to Africa's numerous problems.It is one of the most poignant studies of the modern African state ever published. It is also one of the most important books of the last decade about this troubled continent.

Professor Godfrey Mwakikagile is unquestionably one of Africa's leading academic and public intellectuals addressing our continent's problems today with intellectual verve. One has only to read his book, "The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation," among others, to appreciate this.

A Tanzanian by birth, but a Pan-Africanist in outlook, he draws inspiration from two African titans, the late former Presidents Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, my native land, who saw Africa as one, even if a fragmented whole. Dr. Mwakikagile also takes a continental approach, providing a sharp analysis of the modern African state which, he contends, is deeply flawed. Few would disagree with him. Just come to Africa and see for yourself. Those of us who live here know this to be true, painfully true.

I just wish that his works were more accessible to members of the general public. As hardcover and library editions, the cost is prohibitive; and as college textbooks, accessible to only a few.

His work is outstanding, nonetheless. Africa has many intellectuals of his stature and calibre, but few as committed and analytical, and as compassionate for the masses as he and a few - very few - of his colleagues are. One is also reminded of firebrands such as Wole Soyinka and Ngugi wa Thiong'o and my fellow countryman George Ayittey, an economics professor and author of "Africa Betrayed," and "Africa in Chaos." Africa is indeed in chaos. It is, in fact, chaos!

We wish we had more of such committed intellectuals. And it would be even better if our leaders paid attention to what they say. Unfortunately, they don't. Instead, they destroy them. While other countries highly value their intellectuals and the contributions they make, African countries - the leaders in particular - destroy ours. And you wonder why Africa has lost so many of them to other countries where they have the freedom to think and say what they want to say? And you wonder why so many of those still in Africa end up in the grave or rotting in prison?

Our leaders can stop this brain drain, the carnage, and the persecution of these committed intellectuals and others - just plain ordinary folks - who demand their natural right to be treated as human beings in their own countries. But such fundamental change is impossible without transparency and accountability. And it is impossible without democracy, true democracy, not the counterfeit kind so prevalent across Africa. And the author make this clear, abundantly clear, in his masterpiece, "The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation."

African leaders, nothing but dictators, may hate to hear what Dr. Mwakikagile says in this book and others. But they would at least be of some service to Africa if they heeded Voltaire's advice: "I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it."

Unfortunately, they are not that enlightened, because of the darkness in their mind.

Professor Mahmoud Mamdani, a leading African scholar who teaches at Columbia University, uses Godfrey Mwakikagile's book "The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation," as a textbook for graduate studies. Other professors use the book as an assigned or recommended text for graduate students in African and development studies and international affairs. It is also found in graduate school libraries across the United States like all the other books written by Godfrey Mwakikagile who, himself, is becoming an increasingly influential African scholar.

But that is not the only reason why his book, "The Modern African State...," got my attention. At a recent academic seminar on Africa, one of the participants cited George Ayittey's work, "Africa in Chaos," together with Godfrey Mwakikagile's "The Modern African State...," in his discussion of civil conflicts on the continent. Most of the participants knew or had heard about Ayittey. But that was the first time some of us heard about Mwakikagile, although quite a few had. His work, "The Modern African State...," equally trenchant as Ayittey's, is a great contribution to the growing literature about post-colonial Africa written by the Africans themselves.

It is interesting to see that more and more African intellectuals are taking an "internalist" approach to Africa's problems instead of always blaming external forces for her plight. Dr. Mwakikagile is one of them.

But such an approach must be balanced with an analysis of external involvement, including colonialism. Africa is still reeling from its devastating impact. However, this does not mean that all of Africa's problems should be placed entirely on the shoulders of her former colonial masters, as many Africans who take the "externalist" approach are fond of doing.

Most of the problems Africa faces today - rampant corruption, mismanagement, brutal repression, ethnic conflicts, hunger, illiteracy, endemic poverty and disease - are either caused or exarcebated by the Africans themselves; not by the former colonial masters who are now even being asked by some Africans to go back and rule them again. Things are that bad. And it is African writers like Mwakikagile who should be commended for taking up the challenge to tell the truth about their continent, however bitter.

It would be even more encouraging if their kith and kin here in the United States, African Americans, also faced this reality, instead of romanticizing Africa. Randall Robinson of TransAfrica is the exception, together with a few others; although their attitude is not the same as the attitude of black conservatives who are sometimes extremely hostile toward Africa and usually don't want to have anything to do with - "that place." Foregetting that white Republicans and others don't care about them either. They don't even want them in the Republic party. Alan Keyes knows that. Brilliant, highly articulate, he should have been the standard-bearer of his party, but still was not nominated as the Republican presidential candidate because he is black. And, yes, African!

But bad as their attitude is, one must not entirely ignore what black American conservatives - they hate to be called African Americans - say about Africa. Africa's problems can only be solved by Africans. We can help them, but the initiative must come from them.

It is also in this context that Dr. Godfrey Mwakikagile's highly acclaimed work, "The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation," must be viewed; although, unlike black American conservatives who hate Africa and by extension hate themselves, he writes out of deep concern for the well-being of his continent as much as his compatriot Professor George Ayittey does, as do many others.

Joseph Plumb Martin who writes of his own experiences during the American Revolution is such an interesting and multifaceted character. He is a true rarity as he left us a firsthand account of a private soldier in the Revolutionary War. He is very human and suffers miserably under excruciating circumstances; yet, he is able to see the humorous side to things as well. There seem to be so few personal accounts of the Revolutionary War, but I am thankful that his is one of the few. Joseph is very intelligent as well, even philosophical at times. He is gentleman enough to even have sympathy for individual British enemy soldiers who are wounded and/or dying. He also thinks about the future and tries to give the reader many things to contemplate. Just one of many examples are as follows:
"...I, with some of my comrades who were in the battle of the White plains in the year '76, one day took a ramble on the ground where we were then engaged with the British and took a survey of the place. We saw a number of the graves of those who fell in that battle; some of the bodies had been so slightly buried that the dogs or hogs, or both, had dug them out of the ground. The sculls [sic] and other bones, and hair were scattered about the place. Here were Hessian sculls as thick as a bomb shell; ---poor fellows! they were left unburied in a foreign land; ---they had, perhaps, as near and dear friends to lament their sad destiny as the Americans who lay buried near
them. But they should have kept at home, we should then never have gone after them to kill them in their own country. But, the reader will say, they were forced to come and be killed here;
forced by their rulers who have absolute power of life and death over their subjects. Well then, reader, bless a kind Providence that has made such a distinction between your condition and
theirs. And be careful too that you do not allow yourself ever to be brought to such an abject, servile and debased condition."
Please get this book and read it. This should be required reading for every American citizen!

This book is one of the few historical accounts from a common
Revolutionary War soldier. Joseph Plumb Martin relates in detail
the events of our nation's longest war. From the winter at Valley Forge to the battle at Yorktown, the book is thrilling to read. Mr. Martin first published his narratives as Private Yankee Doodle. This book would be great for the library of those who love American history.

As someone who has sat spellbound reading the narratives of more Civil War soldiers than I can count this was my first for the Revolution. First of all and sadly, there simply are not very many. Thank God for this gem. Martin is funny. He is an excellent story-teller. He shares the hardships of the Continental (18th century vernacular for regular army) without whining. I cannot over recommend this very readable volume. As a living historian who will be presenting the struggle for independence to school kids this will be in the top five of my recommended reading lists.