The Hearsts: An American Dynasty

Amazon.com

In 1979, Lesra, a 16-year-old African American boy from an impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood, befriended three thirtysomething Canadians in the borough on business. The boy, whom the Canadians flew to Toronto to visit them, had led a life so far from the comforts of nature that he stumbled trying to walking on a lawn. Charmed by the exuberant and obviously intelligent Lesra (Lazarus), and aware that without decent health care, a safe environment, or an education he would have little or no hope of success in his dangerous neighborhood, this exceptional group of people invited him to live with and be educated by them. Lesra thrived under their watch--but the story of Lazarus and the Hurricane is only beginning.

After finally being taught to read, at age 16, Lesra immerses himself in The Sixteenth Round, the autobiography of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. The African American prizefighter was tried and convicted in 1966 for murders he didn't commit (the book's title refers to his bouts with the legal system as he tries to get himself exonerated). Lesra and his Canadian "family" pursued both a cause and a friendship with Carter that would transform all of their lives. The Canadians are active but not particularly distinct personalities in this book--a group of do-gooders who don't want too much credit. And Lesra, though he is finely described in early chapters, also falls away from the center of the story once Carter comes into view, for the Hurricane is a centrifugal force that cannot be ignored. Widely read and sensitive, but also pleasure-loving and intensely vital, Carter is the reason readers will be unable to forget this story. And they shouldn't. As Carter revives his fight with the support of his new friends and generous lawyers, working through a byzantine maze of court rulings and appeals, the shortcomings of America's legal and prison systems are made painfully clear. The compelling, bittersweet story in Lazarus and the Hurricane should be a call to action. --Maria Dolan

Book Description

This remarkable true story begins in a Brooklyn ghetto when a group of Canadians meets Lesra (Lazarus), an illiterate black teenager who wins their hearts. They end up bringing him to Toronto to help with his education, and while learning to read, Lesra finds a copy of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's The Sixteenth Round. It was a book destined to change Lesra's life forever, and the lives of his adopted family.

Rubin Carter, the subject of Bob Dylan's song "Hurricane," was a number one middleweight boxing contender who had been wrongfully imprisoned after a white jury found him guilty of the murder of three whites in 1966. A huge public outcry followed the publication of The Sixteenth Round in 1974, culminating in a retrial, which was a virtual reenactment of the original travesty, with Carter receiving the same triple life sentence.

Moved by Lesra's passion, his adopted Canadian family contacted Carter and reinvigorated the legal battle. The inspiring relationship that ensued forms the heart of Lazarus and the Hurricane--a riveting legal drama, fast-paced murder investigation, and above all, a moving account of hope, humanity, and the indomitability of the human spirit.

Customer Reviews:

Best book I have ever read.......2007-08-12

This is the best book that I have ever read. What a devastating, yet inspiration story all at once. The tragidy that society placed on minority groups in the past has to be told and this is told so eloquently. This is a must read for every man, woman, and child in our society today. We must never forget the past so that we do not go there again. This tragedy should never be repeated. The story of what life is all about is in this book. It will touch you like no other book has before.

Good Story ...Told Not So Well.......2005-12-25

I really enjoyed the Ruber Carter biography The 16th Round. Carter is an amazing writer and he has an amazing life story. I figured this book would be sort of a follow up to his book taking us from incarceration in the end of 16th Round to freedom in Lazarus...
Instead of getting to the story like Carter was able to the authors of this book felt the need to give a over done bio on Lesra Martin, who would come to befriend Carter. While it seems their intentions were positive for this kid they tend to paint his pre Canada picture as almost insulting this poor kid because of how he talked and acted, and I found the actual presenting his dialogue in supposed Brooklyn slang to be slightly distracting, and we could have done without the language lesson in "Black English"
Sadly after this intro to the character of Lesra they really fail to mention him much after the story gets going. Lesra is lost to countless stories of trips to see Carter in prison and legal insight.
The authors who are not Americans seem to almost take enjoyment in bashing the American legal system. They offer a very uneducated assumption based point of view on facts and issues I feel they had little understanding of. And while personally I feel Carter was not guilty of the crimes, the authors paint Carter as a tragic hero you should feel bad for, however that is by far over shadowed by their self-righteous telling of the legal battle in which they take the light that is supposed to be on Carter and apply it to them. They seem to want to have the reader view them as these people who are so good hearted and do everything to aide Carter so well that you can't help but love them.

This book is good to get more facts but if you are looking for a follow up to Carter's story it's not here, this is instead an undiverse retelling of Carter's legal battle, less from the point of view of legal experts and more so that of "crusaders" who were out to see Carter free.
I respect what they helped do for Carter but find the way they recall the story to be offensive and at times selfish.

Fair treatment of two great stories.......2005-03-21

This book is not as well-written as some of the other books out there, but the stories it tackles are certainly interesting.

Rubin Carter, the brash young boxer turned local cop fall-guy, has a heartbreaking story that begins the moment he is taken in for questioning in a murder that he didn't commit, and ends years later, when he is finally exonerated as an older man.

Lesra has an even more heartbreaking story; as a pre-teen, he is in a prison of his own, the prison of a miserably poor life in the ghetto that has deprived his good genes of achieving their potential.

The book tracks the arrest and imprisonment of Carter, and the story of Lesra as he is taken in by a group of Canadian liberals who wish to give him a better chance at life. To me, the story of Lesra was even more interesting than the story of Carter. The most compelling scenes in the book happen when Lesra begins to adjust to his new lifestyle, and to transform from a physically stunted, uneducated boy into a sensitive and articulate young man. It gives pause to anyone who has ever said that those who live in poor urban America just need to work a little harder if they want to get out. The book makes the argument that the environment of the ghetto is so harmful that just being born and raised there creates a version of you that is almost incapable of rising above the more obvious obstacles.

Young Lesra becomes interested in Carter after reading his book, and he and his guardians become involved in trying to achieve justice for Carter. After a long and trying bureaucratic battle, they finally help to free Rubin Carter, whose innocence could not be questioned by anyone remotely acquainted with the facts of his case.

As much as I liked the stories, the writing was not very good, and often impaired my enjoyment. The fact that the authors are Lesra's Canadian friends is treated rather awkwardly, and characterizations of all of the main characters is pretty subjective, with the kindest possible spin given to every harsh word or action.

This contributes to a feeling that the authors are not being completely honest about the story; it's not that I think they're lying, but rather that they aren't willing to evaluate everything with a critical and objective eye. In one sense, the most important sense, the idea of six comparatively wealthy do-gooders taking a boy out of the ghetto and then taking the ghetto out of the boy is noble and uplifting. But another way to look at it, as a group of meddlers playing God with a human guinea pig, is never really addressed. It kind of reminded me of My Fair Lady in some ways. It's not that I disagree with the wonderful gift that they have given to Lesra; it's just that I think there's more to the story of how they came to decide to do that particular good act.

Overall, I do recommend this book because it has a lot to say, and to prove, about race relations and injustice in America. The unveiling of the corruption of those who sought to have Carter imprisoned is absolutely and unequivocally shocking. The difficulties that the innocent Carter encounters are just disgusting; he's not an innocent man in prison seeking to establish his innocence, but rather an innocent man in prison whose innocence is well-documented, and who can't seem to get anyone to listen, despite resources and national attention well beyond what most prisoners have. Lesra is equally exemplary of another serious problem; how can we expect good citizenship from America's urban poor when their environment is so suffused with negativity and animalistic treatment, 24 hours a day and seven days a week? The pull-themselves-up-by-the-bootstraps argument never seemed so hollow.

Inspiring Lives.......2005-01-08

Two stories in one book, the first part about a young man named Lesra (short for Lazarus) and then the full history of Rubin Carter known as the Hurricane, a black American framed for a crime he never committed and wrongfully imprisoned. A third influence which shadows both stories is a group of people known as the Canadians, their motivations are not revealed to the reader yet without the actions taken by these Canadians the stories with happy endings told in this book would not have been possible.

Lesra was 15 when he was hired to work at a lab in Brooklyn as part of an government funded summer program for inner city youth, it was there that he met a group of Canadians who were working at the lab on a research project. He was invited to visit them later for a weekend in Toronto and they were shocked at the appalling state of his education, though in high school he was unable to read or write and had an extremely limited vocabulary, didn't know how to read a map and had never run on grass. Lesra moved in with them in Canada and they took over his education, Lesra eventually went to university and his whole story of being rescued from a ghetto life and realizing his full potential in a different environment is uplifting.

As Lesra is discovering whole new worlds through books he comes across, "The Sixteenth Round" by Rubin Carter, and Lesra begins writing to Rubin in prison. The group of Canadians become involved with the Hurricane and the rest of the book is devoted to the freeing of Rubin Carter, the incredible amount of work it took and the history of Carter's case in the courts of New Jersey.

Though the book was engrossing there is too much left hanging, mainly what is the motivation of the Canadians and who are they really? Also the title is somewhat misleading as we don't hear much about Lesra except at the beginning. Finally, if it is true as suggested in other reviews here that Rubin was having a love affair that went on for several years with one of the Canadians, then that would most certainly be a glaring omission giving quite a different view of the same story.

Inspirational Story.......2004-05-04

This story is an inspiration. The idea that good can win over evil. That the poor and uneducated will be taken in and educated and the wrongly accused will be freed is a very nice idea. While I'm sure that many of the gritty details of have been over looked or glossed over, I believe that adds to the inspirational value of the book. Afterall, if this story did not have a happy ending Rubin Carter would still be in jail and we would have all forgotten about him long ago.

Lazarus And The Hurricane - The Freeing Of Rubin 'hurricane' Carter

Average customer rating:

Lazarus And The Hurricane - The Freeing Of Rubin 'hurricane' Carter
Sam and Swinton, Terry Chaiton
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JZDWO2

Average customer rating:

Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
Sam Chaiton
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VXQGKO

Average customer rating:

Lazarus and the Hurricane (The Freeing of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter)

Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739409123

Average customer rating:

Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
Sam Chaiton & Terry switon
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VBGGVK

Average customer rating:

Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

Manufacturer: Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HR1Y9C

Book Description

Hollywood's West examines popular perceptions of the frontier as a defining feature of American identity and history. Seventeen essays by prominent film scholars illuminate the allure of life on the edge of civilization and analyze how this region has been represented on big and small screens. Differing characterizations of the frontier in modern popular culture reveal numerous truths about American consciousness and provide insights into many classic Western films and television programs, from RKO's 1931 classic Cimarron to Turner Network Television's recent made-for-TV movies.

Covering topics such as the portrayal of race, women, myth, and nostalgia, Hollywood's West makes a significant contribution to the understanding of how Westerns have shaped our nation's opinions and beliefs—often using the frontier as metaphor for contemporary issues.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Renaissance Quarterly, published by Renaissance Society of America on June 22, 1998. The length of the article is 653 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Institutional Patronage in Post-Tridentine Rome: Music at Santissima Trinita dei Pellegrini, 1550-1650.
Author: Mitchell P. Brauner
Publication: Renaissance Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1998
Publisher: Renaissance Society of America
Volume: v51 Issue: n2 Page: p633(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Rebuilt bigger, faster, stronger

Classic Battletech: Technical Readout 3055 Upgrade (FPR35006) (Battletech)
Classic Battletech
Manufacturer: FanPro
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Classic Battletech: Technical Readout 3058 Upgrade (FPR35015) (Battletech)

Classic Battletech: Technical Readout: Project Phoenix (FPR35032) (Battletech)

Classic Battletech: Dawn of the Jihad (FPR35023) (Classic Battletech)

Jihad Hot Spots: 3070 (Classic Battletech Sourcebooks)

Classic Battletech: Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex (FPR35022) (Classic Battletech)

ASIN: 1932564330
Release Date: 2005-11-30

Product Description

The Changing Face of Battle

In 3055, a new breed of Inner Sphere BattleMech started rolling off assembly lines- specifically designed to counter the Clan Invasion-while additional second-line Clan 'Mechs began to appear. Now, twelve years later, those designs have become a staple of the modern battlefield, giving rise to notable MechWarriors and new variants, while the demands of the ever-popular Solaris VII Games has resulted in a plethora of new dueling 'Mechs using prototype technology.

For the first time, Classic BattleTech Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade? presents 'Mechs built using technology from MaximumTech, Revised?, as well as MapPack: Solaris VII?. Upgraded in appearance and technology, the designs first presented in the Solaris VII box set and Solaris: The Reaches are now back in print, along with several new Solaris VII designs. Additionally, as well as the upgraded appearance of selected Clan designs, all the art work for Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade is new, providing fresh illustrations of now classic Inner Sphere BattleMechs.

Customer Reviews:

Rebuilt bigger, faster, stronger.......2006-04-26

The original 3055 manual was a highlight of the FASA years, in my own humble opinion, and the art in there gave us some of the best miniatures in the universe, such as the Gallowglas, the Gunslinger, and the Grand Titan. However, it was plagued by that most FASA of occurences, errata. Tons of it. LOADS of it. Did they even look at it? Once you got past little things like the Titan weighing 7.25 tons too much, it wasn't half bad. The new manual corrects all that, and adds dynamic new art for some of the best 'Mechs by Matt Plog. With the addition of new fluffed out variants and 'notable Mechwarriors' and Solaris VII Mechs (level 3 for the first time in a TRO, baby!) it's not just an Upgrade, it's a whole new beast. Trust me, any fan of Battletech won't mind having both the 3055 and 3055U in their collection.

Average customer rating:

A Triumph!

Interesting Book

A great book!

Required Reading for All Investors Young and Old

Mind numbing

Stock Cycles: Why Stocks Won't Beat Money Markets over the Next Twenty Years
Michael A. Alexander
Manufacturer: Writers Club Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Introduction | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Stocks | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Unexpected Returns: Understanding Secular Stock Market Cycles

Investing in a Secular Bear Market

Just One Thing: Twelve of the World's Best Investors Reveal the One Strategy You Can't Overlook

The Kondratiev Cycle: A Generational Interpretation

Bull's Eye Investing: Targeting Real Returns in a Smoke and Mirrors Market

ASIN: 0595132421

Book Description

For most Americans, a 401k plan is their first exposure to investing. Many of us are relying on the stock market to provide for us in our retirement yet at the same time, most of us are afraid of the stock market. It's a valid concern. How can something so important to our financial future be so completely unpredictable?

When Michael Alexander first started investing in the stock market, he noticed that few analysts seemed to have much knowledge of what the market has done in the past. While no one can give precise answers to questions about the future of the market and be right all the time, Alexander feels that it's possible to gain an understanding of the future of the stock market by studying its past.

Analyzing years of historical data for patterns of behavior that might repeat in the future, Alexander provides strong statistical evidence for a cyclical pattern in the stock market. These Stock Cycles show that long periods of poor stock returns have always followed long periods of good returns. Are we in for good times or is the party over?

Customer Reviews:

A Triumph!.......2006-03-13

This book changed my life! This is a must read for everyone whether you invest in the stock market or not. This book displays the kind of economic and literary genius that comes along once in a lifetime. His points are well thought out and clearly articulated. SCWSWBMMOTNTY is a must have. I hope to one day meet the author and discuss this book over a beer.

Interesting Book.......2005-08-19

Alexander describes his P/R valuation concept to serve as a marker in substitution to P/E, that has (nowadays) jumped to astronomical values, difficulting the overvaluation/undervaluation analysis.

He also describes in this book the concept of Kondratieff Cycles, although he has a posterior book dedicated only to this subject.

The problems with the book:

1) Equations should be typed using an equation editor, that is, the equations are bad typesetted.

2) As a scientist (He holds a Ph.D. degree) he should present the material in a clearer way to facilitate the reprodution of his results. He should include, for example how he choose the parameters of his valuation model (Chapter 4). In the appendix he gives the parameters but it is lacking details supporting his choices and also some parameters. (for example, what the length of the moving average to smooth the economic expansion parameter n ?).

3) Sometimes he uses English when equations are more appropriated (ex: p.96 "inflation rates over successive fifteen year periods were calculated and examined for the 1730-1800 period" How exactly he did the averages? Centered? Trailing? Weighted?)

So that my conclusion is: Very Interesting Research that could be presented in a clearer way.

A great book!.......2004-08-07

If you are investing long term money without reading this book, then you are doing yourself a big disfavor. This book explains so much about economic cycles and how they coincide with stock cycles. I cannot say enough about this book and why I think everyone should read it.

Required Reading for All Investors Young and Old.......2003-09-13

I wish I read this book five years ago before the bubble broke, I'd have alot more money now if I did. Alas, hindsight is 20/20. However, this is the first book that presents a very logical and thorough view of investment cycles that are clearly present in our economy. Yes, this book is somewhat tedious as another reviewer commented, but the true nature of the opportunities and risks of investing in the stock market are not something that reads like a vapid tabloid story. The lessons available to be learned and applied from "Stock Cycles" come only from studying, interpreting, questioning and back testing large amounts of data produced from the trading of stocks every day of every month of every year for decades and decades. Michael Alexander has done just that resulting in a work available for the layman to the investment professional from which to benefit. Michael Alexander also challenges the investment industry in that it has massaged much of that data to the detriment of the individual investor, ie.: the mutual fund industry and its "buy and hold" mantra it has been preaching since roughly the beginning of the last bull market in 1982. The mutual fund industry makes its money by maintaining a large asset base from which to generate fee revenue. Sure, "buy and hold" works pretty well in a secular bull market, but there have been many times in the past 200 years where there was little if any growth in stocks and the stock market for an extended number of years. And that number of years may be too long for many investor's investing goals to be achieved. Alexander shows that there is large amount of economic evidence indicating that we may be in just the beginning of one of those stagnant, yet unsettled cycles. Though Alexander's conclusion and recommendations on what to do now are vague, I think the overall message of the book is to invest with extreme caution but taking an active approach to investing, take profits if you have them and minimize losses should they occur and to beware Wall Street saying: "It's different this time", 'cause it's not. A must read.

Mind numbing.......2003-06-28

The author goes on and on detailing the past but drew no sound conclusions. Left me wishing he would just make his point. This book was a tedious read.

Book Description

Stephen Heywood was twenty-nine years old when he learned that he was dying of ALS -- Lou Gehrig's disease. Almost overnight his older brother, Jamie, turned himself into a genetic engineer in a quixotic race to cure the incurable. His Brother's Keeper is a powerful account of their story, as they travel together to the edge of medicine.

The book brings home for all of us the hopes and fears of the new biology. In this dramatic and suspenseful narrative, Jonathan Weiner gives us a remarkable portrait of science and medicine today. We learn about gene therapy, stem cells, brain vaccines, and other novel treatments for such nerve-death diseases as ALS, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's -- diseases that afflict millions, and touch the lives of many more.

"The Heywoods' story taught me many things about the nature of healing in the new millennium," Weiner writes. "They also taught me about what has not changed since the time of the ancients and may never change as long as there are human beings -- about what Lucretius calls 'the ever-living wound of love.'"

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

Customer Reviews:

found it boring.......2007-03-29

I read this book solely based on the author's fantastic first book "time love and memory", but found this book to be utterly boring. Instead of an entertaining read filled with scientific facts, we get the tragic and predictable story. Given the slow pace of medical research on most complex disease, the odds of even a billionare being able to save a brother in a short time frame are near zero, let alone a family of more modest resources. The writing style seemed overly simplistic, and i kept thinking that there were many facets of the story that to me, would be much more interesting, but didn't get told for whatever reason. With great respect for the author, i found this particular book unappealing.

"What would you do to save your brother's life?".......2006-08-17

A couple of years ago I had a cancer scare. There was a growth in my kidney that the doctors said was either a dense cyst or a tumor. So I had to have a CAT scan every six months for a year in order to monitor the growth. If it stayed the same, I was OK. But if it expanded, cancer was the most likely diagnosis. Fortunately, it turned out to be a cyst. But I came away from that experience with the knowledge that things can go terribly wrong in my body even if I do everything right. How do you deal with such a worst-case scenario, and how far do you go for a cure?

So it was with Stephen, a healthy and active 29-year-old from a successful family of overachievers. One day, Stephen was unable to turn the key in the door of the house he had just finished remodeling. He dismissed it as fatigue, but his hand continued to weaken and other symptoms arose. Finally, he could no longer ignore signs that something was wrong. He was examined and given a terrible diagnosis: ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). His younger brother Jaime, an engineer with an entrepreneurial streak, immediately switched careers to genetic engineering and began a race against time to save Stephen. Jamie founded an ALS foundation and enlisted the aid of various medical and research experts to help him find a cure using gene therapy. As Stephen's health declined, the pressure to find a cure intensified, until the stress began to take its toll on everyone involved.

I was afraid that "His Brother's Keeper" would be a turgid read, but I was mistaken. Jonathan Weiner writes in a clear fashion, and has the ability to make complex subjects easy to comprehend. The author uses Stephen's saga as a gateway to the world of cutting-edge medicine, including cloning, gene therapy, and the use of stem cells. He also reveals the arcane world of drug development and testing in the United States. Not surprisingly, medical ethics also come into play, such as the right and wrong of profiting via seeking cures, and experimental drug trials on dying humans who have no other options. But most compelling was the personal story of a family rallying to the side of a terminally ill member. Mr. Weiner was not exempt from tragedy either, for he parallels Stephen's fight with his mother's decline from a rare neurological disorder. His account of the moment when he discovered she was "not Ponnie and...not my mother (p 220)" is perhaps one of the most disturbing passages I've ever read in a non-fiction book.

Despite its excellence, I would've liked two changes in "His Brother's Keeper." First, it seemed that Stephen was a cipher in his own story. He pops in and out of the proceedings at various stages of disability, and appears lost in the tornado of Jaime's quest, the author's personal struggles, and the medical discourses. Perhaps that was intentional, but knowing Stephen better would have made him a more compelling figure. Second, the book does not end with Stephen's inevitable death and its repercussions. I wanted the closure of finding out how Stephen and his family dealt with his passing and the aftermath. But even with these issues, "His Brother's Keeper" is a fascinating tale of one family's forced entry into a part of medicine that is almost science fiction in nature. Recommended.

Science vs. Profitability vs. Humanity.......2006-03-12

The book itself is compelling as it glides you through the journey Jaime Heywood (the protagonist) takes in order to engineer a cure for his brother who has been diagnosed with ALS.

Weiner does a great job in showing the reader the reality and complexities behind scientific discovery and engineering. He also manages to showcase the giants in the world of neuroscience and neurology - the battle and fuse between academia and industry - the red line between ethics and empathy.

Although the summary on the back cover claims the book is written in 'translucent prose' - this is only partially true. It is evident that Weiner exerts considerable effort to keep the techno-jargons as simple as possible, however it is hard to appreciate the scientific gibberish without any prior knowledge (or interest) in the neurosciences.

Weiner writes in an incredibly personal manner and at times his bias and favourtism seems a little overwhelming. Nonetheless, Weiner is honest in the sense that he as a bystander (despite cheering the Heywoods on with all his might), is capable of comprehending the truth of the matter at hand - an incredibly interesting perspective.

The book reads almost like a non-fiction. The Heywoods seem almost too good to be true (any other ordinary family would have fallen to tatters). Then again not many families have handsome business-minded chap with lucrative connections in the MIT and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author documenting their story...

A good read.

Heartbreaking and uplifting:.......2005-08-14

I read a review of this book and instantly wanted to read it. It is a heartbreaking story of an amazing family and the sacrifices one brother makes for another. It is well researched and although science is one of the major stars here, the author makes it understandable to the lay person. It made me laugh and cry along with the family - the kind of book you save to read again. I will follow Steven's progress with care and keep this family in my heart for long after the book is finished.

As a stone felled Goliath, a twitch tries another........2005-04-26

A few years ago Stephen Heywood was a great looking guy with a seemingly unending future. Raised among academia and European holidays, he chose a different path, becoming a carpenter.

While other guys might make sure that the car was vacuumed out before a date, Stephen was concerned with having to start the car with his left hand, his right seemingly unable to turn the key. But, the object of his affection takes his hand anyway, beginning the journey together, towards...?

The reader learns that Heywood's affliction is ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Choices are to be made: To continue living life as he knows it, with needed changes along the way. The romance turns to marriage and later, he's blessed with becoming a dad. His brother leaves a career to pioneer in ALS research and fundraising.

This story is one worth knowing and certainly one a reader will remember. While disease may tether someone to the ground like Gulliver, as long as the brain can think, think, think! the giant survives. -Laurel825

Book Description

The turning point of the war in Burma in the Second World War was the Imphal/Kohima campaign of 1944. For four months there was intense and savage fighting with the heaviest of all along the road leading from Tiddim in Burma to Imphal.

The Japanese plan was to encircle and destroy this division before bursting into the plain and seizing Imphal. They failed in their first aim but, nothing deterred, General Mutaguchi, who commanded the Japanese 15th Army, took personal command and brought up all his available reserves, including all his tanks and most of his heavy artillery and prepared a final all-out thrust for Imphal. However, the British 4th Corps struck first. After three weeks the Japanese were virtually annihilated and Mutaguchi admitted in his diary that the campaign was lost.

With the door to Burma now undefended, General Slim's Fourteenth Army flooded through it to win the great victories of 1945.

History of the Second World War -- Kohima and Imphal -- Turning Point in Burma

Average customer rating:

History of the Second World War -- Kohima and Imphal -- Turning Point in Burma

Manufacturer: Marshall Cavendish USA Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PZKIRU

Product Description

Imphal: Crisis in Burma by Lt-Gen Sir Geoffrey Evans; Kohima" Turning Point in Burma by Arthus Swinson; Burma: The Japanese Verdict by Lt. Gen Iwaichi Fujiwara; Burma: The Supply Solution by Rile Sunderland

Average customer rating:

History of the Second World War, Kohima and Imphal, Turning point in Burma
Sir Basil Liddell Hart
Manufacturer: Purnell and Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MY0C9S

Purnell's History of the Second World War Volume 1 No. 61 Kohima and Imphal Turning Point in Burma

Average customer rating:

Purnell's History of the Second World War Volume 1 No. 61 Kohima and Imphal Turning Point in Burma
Purnell
Manufacturer: BPC Publishing Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LDI7JW

Book Description

As he campaigned for the presidency in 1968, Robert Kennedy outlined what seems today a redemptive vision for America. Tirelessly, before the kinds of vast crowds reserved for rock stars, RFK articulated with passionate eloquence the disasters of a misguided war, the pain of the dispossessed, and the way out of war and poverty. And then, 81 days into the campaign, he was assassinated. Now, in The Gospel According to RFK, writer Norman MacAfee has brought together for the first time the best of Kennedy's presidential campaign speeches and contributes lively and engaging commentary that makes them fresh, relevant, and especially timely.

Customer Reviews:

More True Today Than Ever.......2005-11-08

Perhaps I am not as objective as other reviewers of this book in that Robert Kennedy is one of the people I most admire. Having read numerous books about him, I was delighted to find this little book. More than any biography, this book speaks about who Robert Kennedy was.

If Robert Kennedy were alive today, he would not be pleased with the current direction of the government. By looking at the speeches documented in this book, one could see exactly what RFK stood for. In the clever design of this book, the author prefaces each of Kennedy's speeches with a short explanation of how that stance applies today. Speeches topics range from civil rights, environment, poverty, education, war, and employment. Of the quotes that best states what Kennedy is about is "I believe that men would rather work at disagreeable jobs that accept the humiliation of a handout..."

The commentary on Vietnam is particularly biting when applied to Iraq. "Together we can make ourselves a nation that spends more on books than bombs, more on hospitals than the terrible tools of war, more on decent houses than military aircraft." I believe what Robert Kennedy said. America is the richest country in the world. There is no reason for people to go to bed hungary and die of starvation in this country. The book only demonstrates how far this country has to go for true equality. A politician would be well served in reading this before hitting the campaign trail.

Bobby knew what America needed....and needs.......2005-10-01

Most campaign speech collections (including from the candidates whom I liked) are light on substance. Those campaign speech books which actually dare to have substance unfortunately find themselves weighted down as being a product of their own time and the issues which they speak are not necessarily valid any longer.

Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign had so many ongoing presidential campaign themes with 'today' that this book remains relevant. It is one of the few 'historical' books which seriously could end up also being classified in the current events section of a library just because Kennedy's policy prescriptive remain this poignant.

This book (unlike previous texts from other authors) does not attempt to position Kennedy as a 'new democrat'. Rather, Norman Macafee uses Kennedy's own words to argue that he would have been a dam good president. Thinking is not a sign of weakness or indecisiveness, it is a sign of morality and ethics.

When compared against the current White House occupant who is infamous for hating to intellectually rationalize the consequences of his own policies upon others, a politician with such a powerful social conscience is all the more inspiring. This is an excellent book for anybody on the left who needs a pick-me-up and anybody in general needing to read about a presidential candidate who knew where they stood and what they stood for.

What would Bobby do?.......2004-07-16

Robert Kennedy's humanity, common sense, humility, and passion shine through his own words in this wonderful little book. The editor, Norman Macafee, does an excellent job of culling the best from the final 1968 campaign speeches. Most movingly, Macafee provides crystal clear brief introductory comments which set the context for each of Bobby's speeches and indicate how relevent his evolving thinking on the key issues of war, poverty, racism is to today's dangerous world. The echos in Kennedy's words of our own times are heart-rendingly prescient. The book's conclusion is achingly clear: if Bobby had lived we would not today be tangled in a pre-emptive war without end.

Thought provoking and inspiring.......2004-07-12

A wonderful collection of speeches from Robert Kennedy's tragically curtailed 1968 presidential campaign. They are challenging, thought provoking & inspiring - as you read them you can only think of what America & the world would have been like if he hadn't been assassinated.

What is also striking is how relevant & contemporary the issues & values articulated by RFK are for the times we live in today.

Norman Macafee prefaces each speech with thoughts of his own, putting the speeches into the context of not only Robert Kennedy's 1968 campaign but also how & why the issues & beliefs that RFK speaks about matters now.

I strongly recommend this book for every RFK admirer who cares about his legacy & what it can still offer to the world.

Book Description

Serengeti II: Dynamics, Management, and Conservation of an Ecosystem brings together twenty years of research by leading scientists to provide the most most thorough understanding to date of the spectacular Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in East Africa, home to one of the largest and most diverse populations of animals in the world.

Building on the groundwork laid by the classic Serengeti: Dynamics of an Ecosystem, published in 1979 by the University of Chicago Press, this new book integrates studies of the ecosystem at every level—from the plants at the bottom of the visible food chain, to the many species of herbivores and predators, to the system as a whole. Drawing on new data from many long-term studies and from more recent research initiatives, and applying new theory and computer technology, the contributors examine the large-scale processes that have produced the Serengeti's extraordinary biological diversity, as well as the interactions among species and between plants and animals and their environment. They also introduce computer modeling as a tool for exploring these interactions, employing this new technology to test and anticipate the effects of social, political, and economic changes on the entire ecosystem and on particular species, and so to shape future conservation and management strategies.

Serengeti II - Dynamics, Management and Conservation of an Ecosystem (Paper)

Average customer rating:

Serengeti II - Dynamics, Management and Conservation of an Ecosystem (Paper)
ARE Sinclair
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPX4MC

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books