Average customer rating:
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A Prison Diary: Vol. One
Jeffrey Archer
Manufacturer: Ulverscroft Large Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Rich & Famous
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
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Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0708948790 |
Book Description
In 1994, Marla Streb left her promising career as a biomedical researcher to climb onto a bicycle and hurtle herself down the side of a mountain at speeds topping fifty miles an hour. And at the age of 36, she continues to compete and win against women ten years younger at the highest levels of her sport-downhill mountain biking.
Astonishingly enough, this is not the most intriguing aspect of Marla Streb. Downhill chronicles her life before racing-her training as a classical pianist, bicycling throughout Europe with her companion turned boyfriend Marc, crisscrossing the country in a battered polka-dotted VW bus, and, perhaps the defining moment of her life, the loss of her brother. As she recounts her experiences with humor and grit, Marla Streb reinforces for all readers the need to abandon everything to pursue what you love and to live passionately.
Customer Reviews:
This bike is about so much more than biking!.......2004-05-14
Marla Streb's autobiography might be the last book you'll read in a while. Why? Because after reading it, it's quite likely you'll find yourself out doing things, being active, and really sucking the marrow out of life--instead of sitting around reading. It happened to me. I was an avid reader. Then I read her book. I loved it and had to ration it out so I didn't read it all in two sittings. Then, out of habit when I finished reading it, I stocked up on books at the library. Several chapters into one, I realized, "Why am I reading about other people doing things that I could go out and do?"
You don't have to aspire to be a pro mountain biker to be able to appreciate and enjoy this book. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has felt lost or to anyone who isn't quite sure he/she's enjoying his/her life as much as possible. Marla's been there, and found a way to achieve happiness. It's an inspirational book just as much as it about sports and about one person's journey to personal greatness.
Marla isn't just a super-fast cyclist... she's smart as a whip, funny, kind, patient, friendly, supportive, generous, very self-aware, and not self-centered. Buy this book! If you love it, buy another copy and donate it to your local library so other people can be inspired as well!
Goddess finds way along the bikepath.......2004-02-26
"Until I started down this path I was lost". So Marla Streb begins "The Life Story of a Downhill Gravity Goddess." Anybody, who's maybe lived a little bit, poked around in the dark for more years than necessary, doing what never felt right in the first place, will be able to cord right away with Marla's feeling lost, then feeling lost no more. And that fact, maybe more than any other contained in this book, is what put the hook in this reader from the get go. Contrary to what the title of this work proclaims, I believe this book could be just the first chapter to be added to in a larger volume of contributions from Marla Streb. This is not a book penned by a celebrity talking about how great they are. This is a book written from the heart about the subject of life from someone who learned young just how precious life is. With this book Marla has contributed something special back the sport that she excels in. By reading this book and learning more about her path, you may see and learn more about your own.
I couldn't think up a non-cheezy title...so this will do!.......2003-11-04
This book was a great read. Marla is one talented girl, she is very honest about everything from personal choices, professional direction, drinking, training, relationships, everything. Which anyone who rides comtemplates. She debunks the notion that racers are superhumans, and really reveals a lot in this personal journey. I think that anyone can relate to this on a whole bunch of levels.
I ripped through this book in record time. From the riding in europe, to breaking collarbones, career paths, longterm significant others, she does what a lot of us do...using cycling to figure out what happiness is and sort out all of life's big questions.
Give this book a go.
Book Description
This collection of essays--the first of a series of volumes that will offer in-depth analysis and research on Charles Chaplin (1889-1977), his films, and his times--focuses on the filmmaker's 1940 satire on Nazi Germany, The Great Dictator. This film has recently attracted intense interest following its complete restoration by the Cineteca di Bologna and its international re-release for theater and home video. The Great Dictator is also the subject of a remarkable documentary, The Tramp and the Dictator, by the distinguished historian and filmmaker Kevin Brownlow, who has served as an advisor for this book. Other advisors and contributors to the volume include some of the world's leading authorities on Chaplin and early film comedy: David Robinson, Chaplin's principal biographer; Eric James, Chaplin's longtime music associate; Glenn Mitchell, author of The Chaplin Encyclopedia, and more.
Customer Reviews:
a must-have-book.......2003-01-04
this was my first dollshousebook ever, and still is my most favorite one, very claer instructions-foto's.
In a class by itself........2000-03-24
The only book that shows you how to create luxurious Colefax & Fowler interiors in miniature. 'The Yellow Drawing Room' is a superb variant of Nancy Lancaster's famous, full-scale classic. If you like stately English houses, this book is a Must. Not a book for beginners.
A Must for the Do-It-Yourself Miniaturist.......2000-03-13
Jessica Ridley has miniatures in her genes. After all, her grandfather was the designer and builder of Queen Mary's Dollhouse. :-) She is a miniaturist and faux painting artist who incorporates her specialty in her projects, giving the reader alternatives to the usual approach to dollhouse decorating -- namely siding for the exterior and wallpaper for the interior.
She teaches techniques for faux finishes, customizing and building furniture and accessories, as well as using interesting and unusual materials. The instructions are illustrated with plenty of color photographs, so you can see how the project looks at the different stages.
I highly recommend this book because I think that it stirs up your creative juices and inspires the miniaturist to try something new and personalized in their projects, while at the same time saving money. Who could ask for more!
Full of great ideas.......2000-01-15
Ms. Ridley provides instructions for many settings, but many of the techniques and projects could be used anywhere, such as the flooring or stove used in the Scandinavian room or the instructions for making blinds in the modern room. The pictures are great and really help explain what's going on. NOTE: includes ideas for creating a modern room -- rare in miniatures!
Excellent book for the miniature fanatic!.......1998-04-03
This book provides ideas and directions to create the wonderful room scenes Ms. Ridley has designed. It also provides detailed instructions and tips about a variety of other subjects of interest to the minaturist such as working with polymer clay and converting common household items into exquisite 1:12 scale pieces. The detail included is extraordinary and inspirational. I highly recommend this book!
Book Description
This book will provide seasoned agents with the tools and training they need to achieve maximum productivity.
* Develop a personal winning style.
* For any agent who wants to improve and make more money.
* Dozens of worksheest, exercises, and self assessments identify weaknesses to eliminate
This set is a book of 192 pages, plus two audio tapes.
Customer Reviews:
Very Insightful.......2005-03-01
This is the book that just might give your business a boost! After being in the real estate business for over 5 years now, Carla brought up a few new angles that I had never considered in all that time. Her ratios of sales calls-to-closings are pretty close to actual numbers needed and are realistic. I have just re-done my personal marketing pieses and I have met pretty favorable results with them so far.
I grew tired of the constant plugs to buy "up and running in 30 days" and also the audio tapes for the book, so that's the reason it got 4 stars. Otherwise, it's a great book to put a spark in your business and re-capture your drive for success.
What I Was Looking For.......2003-10-17
I've been in real estate for 2 years and am constantly looking for books to help me understand this business and of course, how to do it better. This book was just what I was looking for! I highlighted and tooks notes while reading and am now implementing everyting into my system. I've gotten some great ideas and insights and feel energized to get out there and try some of these ideas. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is at the beginning of their career, or just needs a push to get back the old excitement. It's great!
Book Helps Managers Create More Experienced Agent Production.......1998-04-28
We worked with a local consultant in using On Track to Success in 30 Days to create a course for our experienced agents. We involved our managers, too. In a few weeks, we raised the production of our experienced agents, and saw them actually scheduling meetings themselves to prospect! The book has all the checklists, evaluations, and real life stories necessary to help experienced agents reach the next career level. I highly recommend it to any real estate owner, manager, trainer, or experienced agent who wants to leap experienced agents' careers forward--fast. We also had Carla Cross come to our company and present a program, to motivate and inspire agents, and we had a teleconferencing event with her to kick off our workshop series. George Pittman, Ammons Pittman Realtors, Raleigh, North Carolina
Book Description
When Bob Goebel left home to join the Army Air Corps in 1942, he was a nineteen years old and a high school graduate. Cadet Goebel worked his way steadily through the Basic, Primary, and Advanced phases of military flight training, and found in himself an aptitude for flight. After graduation from flight school with his new wings and new commission as a 2d Lieutenant, he and his classmates were posted to a fighter squadron defending the Panama Canal. By the spring of 1944 he was on his way tto Italy and the 31st Fighter Group, one of the top fighter outfits of the war. He was also headed for a new aircraft, the legendary P-51 Mustang. After 61 combat missions now Captain Goebel was offcially credited with 11 victories in his Mustang. Returning home in September 1944 he was not yet 21 years old.Goebel's memoir is a classic of combat aviation, giving the reader a true sense of what it was like to fly and fight as a World War II fighter pilot.- Covers stories about the often overlooked 12th AF in Italy- Tales of flying the classic P-51D, America's ultimate piston engined fighterAbout the AuthorFollowing the war Robert J. Goebel attended college on the GI Bill, earning a degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin. Returning to the air force he served on active duty for almost thirty years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1966 after working on the Gemini launch vehicle for NASA. He then worked in the aerospace industry including the Skylab project. Now fully retired he lives in Torrance, California.
Customer Reviews:
Written by an expert.......2007-08-09
This book puts you in WWII aviation. It takes you throught flight training and into combat in the Mustang. I am a current flight instructor and believe me this book is realistic as it gets. If you love aviation you will love Bob Goebel's book.
Outstanding Read.......2007-05-21
Well written book. Holds your interest throughout, with paragraphs ranging from technical to personal. Lt Col (Ret) Goebels accounts are fascinating and easy to understand. Going from the innocence of youth to a double ace, his acounts will keep you wanting to read more.
As inferred in his Forward, our ability to get this information first hand is fading rapidly as our WWII veterans are getting fewer by the day. Keep their memory and actions in you hearts and prayers and read books like these to learn and respect our past.
Entertaining Book Buy A First Class Hero.......2006-08-16
Well after receiving my signed copy of Roberts book ( he e-mailed me and asked if I would mind if he signed it and what to who) Imagine me telling him " please dont sign my book ! " it just shows me what a class guy Robert is and why it seems like the hero types are always very humble!
The book is too short I wanted to read more ! I really enjoyed reading about Roberts expliots during his endless training and most interesting his actual combat experiences....he learned by accident really that getting in super close to your prey almost guarantees a kill ...so close he flew through a BF109's gycol and oil! I always imagined myself as someone who with the right training and character would have maybe made a half decent pilot in WW2...I guess its ok to dream....I do though know that Roberts book made me experience all the feelings he felt while becoming a real hero and I thank him for his service and for a fine book as well!
Buy It and have him sign it!
Holds your attention from cover to cover.......2006-08-03
I've read over a dozen personal accounts of fighter pilot's experiences from WWII. This one takes second seat to none. Goebel did a tremendous job of putting you there. From a young boy right out of high school, hopping freight trains and hitch hiking across the country, to a seasoned 21 year old double ace returning home and wondering how he will fit back into a world outside the air warrior fraternity, you are giving the opportunity to live those few years where young men came to define the words, Fighter Pilot Ace.
Mustange Ace: Memoirs of a P-51 Fighter Pilot.......2006-07-11
Book was not long and drawn out. It was very interesting and gave a very good perspective of the life of a WWII Fighter Pilot. I enjoyed it very much.
Average customer rating:
- Alamo-philes will probably LOVE it
- You Don't Know the Alamo Until You've Read This Book
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Exploring Alamo Legends
Wallace Chariton
Manufacturer: Republic of Texas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| 19th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Old West
| 19th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Texas
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Folklore & Mythology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
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General
| Mythology
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1556222556 |
Book Description
After years of researching all available Alamo records, including primary letters and accounts by participants, government documents from the period, newspaper articles, diary entries, and even receipts, Wallace O. Chariton has answered these and many more of the perplexing Alamo questions. No punches are pulled in this hard hitting investigation. Some of the answers presented may excite your patriotic yearnings: other more controversial answers may ignite your historical anger. In either event, some new light has been cast onto a few of the shadows of the Alamo legend.
Customer Reviews:
Alamo-philes will probably LOVE it.......2002-04-26
Chariton is another writer who is obsessed with the Alamo and this takes away from what this book could have been. Chariton is DETERMINED TO PROVE that Crockett fell fighting ala John Wayne/Fess Parker and this takes up a good portion of the book. Wallace, GET OVER IT ! Chariton even has a photo of Wayne taken from the film THE ALAMO and tries to compare Wayne and Crockett ! This gives you an idea of the mentality of the writer and this book ! If he had left out these silly comparisons, this would be a more readable work. Historians of the Mexican side of the Texas War will notice how Chariton seems to ignore or even discredit the Mexican sources. Ahem, Mr. Chariton, do I detect a bit of "anti-Mexican" sentiment here ? Yes, we KNOW you are a "NATIVE TEXAN" Mr. Chariton, you remind us constantly. But if you wanted to make this a BETTER book, you should have spent more time in FACT, not opinion. And just a little reminder, THE MEXICANS WON AT THE ALAMO !
You Don't Know the Alamo Until You've Read This Book.......2001-06-18
How many men came with David Crockett to the Alamo? Did Crockett and some of his men surrender and were then executed when Santa Anna said, "I said take no prisoners"? Did a flag fly over the Alamo and what did it look like? Did Travis really draw a line in the sand and tell everyone that wanted to stay to step over it? Or did he say everyone that wanted to go to step over the line? These are just a few of the unanswered questions about the battle at the Alamo that Wallace Chariton tries to learn more about following years of research. And what makes this a special treat is that he tries to answer these and other questions with a sense of Texas humor. Not in a disrespectful way for these true patriots of Texas independence but in a manner that makes the reader want to turn the page and see what the next facts were that have been lost to the years. Chariton does a very balanced analysis on many portions of the legends of the Alamo that most people just take for granted. This book is a very enjoyable read for any person interested in Texas history...something in which every Texan should be interested.
Book Description
As the first full-length study of conspiracy theories in the Middle East, The Hidden Hand reveals how such theories play a powerful role in the political life of the region. Placing conspiracy theories in their historical context, Daniel Pipes shows how the idea of the conspiracy has come to suffuse life in the Middle East, from the most private family conversations to the highest and most public levels of politics. Pipes then looks at conspiracies and their strength as a partial explanation for much of the region's problems, including its record of political extremism, its culture of violence, and its lack of modernization. Concluding with speculations about the future of conspiracy theories, Pipes provides a key to understanding the often complicated political culture of the Middle East.
Customer Reviews:
A well written book on a topic that's often overlooked.......2004-12-10
Is it proper to discuss the popular beliefs of a group of people? Of course it is. Some groups of people are very superstitious. Some are more mystical than others. And some groups dwell on conspiracy theories to a surprising extent.
Pipes is right to being up this topic. He simply had so many experiences in which he heard some baffling conspiracy theories from otherwise intelligent people that he decided to look into the matter.
The author points out that all these conspiracy theories lead to Arab misunderstanding of the world around them. That's not good for anyone. In addition, they have enabled plenty of snooty feelings of superiority among Westerners, some of whom arrogantly see Arabs as inferior just because they act the way Westerners themselves behaved a few decades ago.
Pipes gives some examples of the conspiracy mentality. He shows how Nasser used it to misanalyze the Egyptian defeat in the Six Day War of 1967. And how others used it to tell fantastic stories about Israeli plans to acquire a rather large Empire, including not merely nearby cities such as Beirut, Damascus, El Arish, and Amman, but faraway ones such as Baghdad or Medina.
This attitude has led to a surprising evaluation of Zionism. That is, I can see being very angry with the government or policies of some nation. But I am surprised that anyone would find fault with the idea of a nation. Zionism is simply a philosophy of human rights for everyone, including Jews. Some Zionists may be good, and some may be bad. But Pipes shows that to many Arab conspiracy mentalities, Zionism itself is ominous and threatening. So much so that they are often in fear of their own compatriots being secret agents for Zionism (whatever that may mean)! And it allows them to believe simultaneously that the Zionists control the US and vice-versa.
The author asks if the conspiracy theorists are being sincere or manipulative. His conclusion is that for the most part, the politicians believe much of what they say. This is often true even when their statements appear to be in direct violation of facts, implausible, vague, unrealistic or illogical.
I think the best point that Pipes makes is that the environment in the Arab world is conducive to such beliefs. There really are quite a few conspiracies in that part of the world. There really is plenty of rewriting of history, so many people instinctively mistrust what they are told (only to replace it with even more dubious ideas). And the media in that part of the world are extremely untrustworthy as well. However, the mistrust and skepticism all this generates leads not to a more rational approach to reality but to more gullibility.
This is a very good book, and it shows that there is a need for education and modernization in the Arab world. And that more than anything, everyone needs to have a respect for truth and a willingness to cull lies and dispose of them.
A Must Read.......2002-04-18
Anyone interested in Middle East policies, politics, and general viewpoints would be wise to read this book. It goes a long way in explaining the backgound positions which pertain to the Palestinian-Isaeli conflict, the events of September 11, the Gulf War, etc. A fascinating and in-depth insight into the attitudes which shape the governments of the region.
Good reading now, valuable reference piece in the future.......1999-03-15
This book was read by the undersigned shortly after reading another book on conspiracies,"committe of 300 by coleman. Anyone interested in the truth as to conspiracys which have been perpetrated on, over and around you on a continuous basis for years, should make both the hidden hand and committee of 300 a must. Both books should be kept as reference material which can be utilized on a daily [YES DAILY] basis as to explain why certain things that happen on a daily basis do actually happen and what the truth behind it [whatever] is; especially pertaining to economics, government and foreign policy.
superficial & technically defective.......1998-08-16
I know the Mid-East, having lived & travelled there constantly for more than ten years & having returned very often since my last residence there to travel even more. Like the author, I am Ph.D. holder -- Mid-East history. I find this book very superficial; what else can it be for lack of real substance? Moreover, I randomly checked the index & found that not a single item panned out. Need I say more? I am sorry I bought it; that is more. And still more: with so many notes, a bibliography is a must, if for nothing more than to help the reader evaluate the book based on the sources consulted.
Part of the Elephant Isn't the Whole Elephant.......1997-04-20
The famous Indian story of the blind men who attempt to describe an elephant by only grasping parts of the animal applies to Pipes' work. He is quite correct in noting the destructive penchant for conspiracy theories in the Middle East. Where he goes awry is relying on this to explain away matters that cannot be so easily explained away and doing so in a manner designed to denigrate the peoples and cultures studied. In particular, it should be noted that conspiracy theories are common among all human groups who are - or perceive themselves to be -- powerless in front of an aggressive adversary. Just examine Africa-American opinion or even Irish opinion about the British in the 19th and early 20th centuries. By ascribing the common human conspiracy phenomenon especially to Middle Easterners, Pipes falls into the category of scholarship called "Orientalism" -- a type of writing that subtly seeks to describe Middle Easterners as "differernt" "dangerous" and "inferior" in their humanity. Second, Pipes does not credit another factor in the creation of conspiracy theories -- the actual existence of hostile agendas. Neither the United States nor Israel can always or possibly even generally be said to have the best interest of Arabs or Muslims at heart and they both are very powerful nations. This phenomenon reinforces the conspiracy-minded. To attribute the fears of these powers solely to a conspiracy mindset would be as unfair as ascribing Israel's fears of Arab military power to mere paranoia about anti-Semitism (although it could be argued that there is an element of that present). In short, Pipes has idenitified an important real phenomenon but like the blind man and the elephant has concluded things that do more harm than good. In that sense, this book is in a way, worse than useless
Books:
- A Tradition of Giving: Seventy-Five Years of Myer Family Philanthropy
- Ambassador from Wall Street: The Story of Thomas W. Lamont, J.P. Morgan's Chief Executive
- American Empress:: The Life and Times of Marjorie Merriweather Post
- American Police Dilemma: Protectors or Enforcers?
- Art Lover: A Biography of Peggy Guggenheim
- As I See It: The Autobiography of J. Paul Getty
- Beck!: On a Backwards River: The Story of Beck
- Bill Gates Speaks: Insight from the World's Greatest Entrepreneur
- Biography Today 2000: Profiles of People of Interest to Young Readers (Biography Today Annual Cumulation)
- Black Jack Bouvier: The Life and Times of Jackie O's Father
Books Index
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