Customer Reviews:
Tells the Story.......2006-03-21
This bio does what the title says it will. It tells us about the extravagance and the fast times of Doris Duke. On the plus side, there is a lot of material here and it reads better than a tabloid, but the many quotes from people with axes to grind hamper its credibility.
According to this book, DD believed most people, esp. potential husbands were after her fortune, and from this book, one would have to agree with her.
DD had to have another side that is not presented at all. She did manage to keep and grow her wealth at a time when her peers were losing theirs. In this book, the lawyers and financial advisors work off stage. For instance, the book would have you believe that DD's lawyers miraculously appeared minutes before her second marriage to secure a pre-nup to save her fortune.
DD not only increased her fortune, she won almost every legal battle, even when the facts were stacked against her. To do this she had to have a stable dialog with professionals and devote time, that the author would have you believe she spent partying, to managing the estate.
DD, one of Hawaii's most intriguing citizens, needs a more serious and comprehensive treatment.
Tedious biography in need of a good editor.......1999-10-27
Doris Duke enjoyed being a recluse and keeping out of the spotlight. Reading this book by Ms. Mansfield, it appears Duke did a good job at maintaining her privacy. Most of the information appears to be drawn from old newspaper articles, magazines, and other public documents. There is very little first hand information except for the occassional quip by Zsa-Zsa Gabor (!) -- a rival for one of Doris' many paramours. As mentioned in a previous reader's review, this book goes off on many tangents regarding folks other than Duke -- as if the author was required to produce a specified number of pages. I found myself skipping over many pages at a time. Perhaps biographies are supposed to reveal deep, dark secrets, but clinical descriptions of Doris' lovers' genitalia seem a bit excessive. Skip this book and watch the made-for-tv movie with Miss Bacall.
If I could choose no stars I would.......1999-05-12
It was a poorly written, disorganized book. Not worth the paper it was written on or the money spent on it.
Informative & historical, but not very enjoyable to read........1999-03-31
I read the book because I had seen the miniseries on TV and was interested in more information. It included a lot of facts and was interesting from an historical perspective. However, I didn't think it was particularly well written from a literary perspective. It was also hard to follow because it jumped around. It included a lot of information that was interesting, but not directly related to the subject. Sometimes it seemed like it went off on tangents. Overall I would rate it average, it was informative, but not very enjoyable to read.
Average customer rating:
- broad street bullies
- A must-read for Flyers fans!
- An Excellent Book by the Greatest Announcer
- The best Flyers book, by the best ever play-by-play legend!
- A MUST for Flyers Hockey Fans ! Long Live GENE HART !!
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Score: My 25 Years With the Broad Street Bullies
Gene Hart
Manufacturer: Bonus Books
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Walking Together Forever: The Broad Street Bullies, Then and Now
ASIN: 0929387171 |
Customer Reviews:
broad street bullies.......2005-07-02
the book was in great condition. and as a flyers fan, i am happy to have this book in my library.
thanks!
A must-read for Flyers fans!.......2001-03-14
Having grown up a Flyers fan and hearing Gene Hart for many years, I loved this book. It's a great combination of how Gene became associated with the Flyers, as well as a timeline of the Flyers' history from the beginning up to the early 90's.
An Excellent Book by the Greatest Announcer.......2000-07-08
I first started listening to Gene Hart calling Flyers games in 1968. He was a wonderful announcer when the Flyers were mediocre and was absolutely superb when they were on top. I've heard a lot of sports broadcasting in a lot of cities around the country in the last 35 years and no one else in any sport approaches Gene's work. I was disappointed when he stopped announcing and deeply saddened with his passing last year. His book is every bit as fine as his radio and television work. Of the several Flyers books in print, his supasses the others in intimacy, first hand recollections and general nostalgic value. I sure miss Gene Hart, but this book and some tapes of television broadcasts he did are my most treasured sports memorabilia. He is a Hall of Famer and his writing belongs there too.
The best Flyers book, by the best ever play-by-play legend!.......1999-09-03
This book is probably the best history of the Flyers that you could find out there. Full Spectrum ranks right up there, but it doesn't have Mr. Heart's personality like SCORE! does. I'm gonna miss Gene.......
A MUST for Flyers Hockey Fans ! Long Live GENE HART !!.......1999-07-21
No one can tell a story the way Gene Hart did. He made you feel as though you were a part of every experience he retells in this book. Gene's love & passion for the game of hockey and the Philadelphia Flyers is clearly evident in this book. Gene not only chronicles the Flyers history from their entrance into the NHL, he also gives you a deep insight into the pride and character of a close knit group of players. We are all truly enriched by Gene's efforts.
Customer Reviews:
Great Read for Industry Insiders and All.......2006-11-22
Well written and easy to read, Dawn Steel combines key events in her life with key strategies to make it in today's entertainment world. The book is humorous and enlightening. It may not be The Art of War, but it's a great read none-the-less. It's just too bad the book was so hard to find. No longer available as a new buy, it is readily available in the used book market. Although Dawn left us in 1997, her spirit lives on within each page read. A recommended read for those looking to learn the basic principals of succeeding in this industry.
Dawn Steel died in 1997.......2005-07-24
Dawn Steel, Hollywood's first female movie mogul, died in Cedars-Mount Sinai Hospital on December 20, 1997,of a brain tumor after a long battle with cancer. She was 51. Steel was named president of Columbia in 1987, leaving two years later when Sony took over. Commenting on Steel's death in the New York Times, writer-director Nora Ephron said, "Dawn certainly wasn't the first woman to become powerful in Hollywood, but she was the first woman to understand that part of her responsibility was to make sure that eventually there were lots of other powerful women. ... The situation we have today, with a huge number of women in powerful positions, is largely because of Dawn Steel."
A Trip to Hollywood!.......2005-03-10
They Can Kill You...But They Can't Eat You (Lessons From the Front) by Dawn Steel. Some might call this a book strictly for women...but it's not. Dawn Steel, former, first, and only woman who ever became president of Columbia Pictures, gives us a fast-paced peek into the world behind motion pictures, sharing so many names of stars, producers, directors, writers, who was and is the "in crowd," that you can't possibly grasp the magnitude of what it takes to have those new movies appear before us each week.
The book, according to the inside cover, was written "For every woman (or man) who knows there's a great person in there dying to escape, but lacks the confidence or tools to truly express oneself...for every woman trying to get out of the typing pool...for every woman who wants to be valued for cherishing her role as a mother...for corporate vice-presidents who are as sick as Dawn Steel was of wanting to be one of the boys...for every woman who, just as she conquers the next step, wonders, "so what do I do now?" Dawn Steel offers hard-won insights to help accelerate the trip, eliminate some of the angst and pain, and create a spirit of optimism and hope."
Dawn Steel's book is fun--it makes you cry, it makes you angry, it makes you cheer when she succeeds. It makes you sad when one more job is lost, but over it all, it makes you realize your own potential. You realize that others have had those wild entrepreneurial schemes, and that they have gone out and did them! Dawn sold amaryllis as "penis plants" and created the advertisement headline to "Grow Your Own Penis. All it takes is $6.98 and a lot of love." Now, when you read about someone who comes up with such ideas, you just got to love her...right?
Dawn's life is anything but normal and traditional. Her book opens as she overhears in the "second-floor ladies' room in the Administration Building at Paramount" that "She's dead." While her first reaction is to paraphrase Mark Train, "The reports of my death had been greatly exaggerated," she shares that it actually "took another six months for them to kill" her.
From Paramount to Penthouse, to Columbia, to selling her own ideas, Dawn tells all of us that we can survive anything--being fired, having someone come in over or under us in the corporate ladder and sabotage us, being chased out because of being pregnant, or being referred to as "The Queen of Mean" in newspapers.
The life of Dawn Steel started in 1946 and as her story is told, Dawn highlights for the reader what was happening at that time. These little references takes us back through our own lives and we live her life along with her as songs like "Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah" that year, on through to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" in 1987, play through our minds. She helps us recall how the last thirty or so of our lives have gone, and you find you quietly do a comparison of where you could be if you had dared to "risk."
Underlying the story line of her life, the glamour of working at major motion pictures and for "men's magazines," Dawn inserts, casually, but effectively, all the lessons learned in these fascinating arenas. So in the midst of learning about the problems of making the movies, Fatal Attraction or Flashdance, or while negotiating or going to events with Harrison Ford, John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, et. Al., Dawn drops in her sage advice, like:
Sometimes you have to accept that there are bosses and colleagues whom you can never turn around. Instead of going home frustrated and torturing yourself and the people around you, move on and find another way. There are people with whom you pass a point of no return and you should give up on them...
You can't let your competition sway you. On of the most important things I learned is that you must be willing not to get it. You must be willing to let go. Then it will come back to you...or
Set your boundaries ahead of time. Set your appetite ahead of time. Then be ready to let go...I learned my job by doing and watching...
As these little nuggets sink in, you realize that this book is about power, personal power. But after all she accomplished, Dawn Steel closes the book with an image..."I had this image of my mother. She was going off to work, dressed in one of her suits. She had to go to work. She had to take care of her family. She didn't have a job with a fancy title, or a plush office, or her own parking space. The guard didn't know her; in fact, there probably wasn't even a guard where she worked. She didn't have a hundred calls a day to define her status. She wasn't looking for anyone to rescue her. She wasn't looking for power. My mother did what had to be done because the power was already in her." And Dawn shares her own realization that she, too, didn't want to look for power anymore...that it had been there, inside her, all along.
This book makes you feel good. It's definitely written for those in the business world, but is written from such a personal slant, where even how potty training for your daughter is handled during the work day, that you don't realize until you've completed the book how it has elevated your spirits and challenged you to look at your life and use that power that is there within us.
Take a trip to Hollywood with Ms. Steel--you'll have a wonderful time!
The kind of advice your best girlfriend would give you..........1999-09-16
I happened upon Dawn Steel's book and fell for the title. She speaks honestly and with humor about her triumphs and her trials, demonstrating that to succeed, you must first take some risks. I was saddened to learn of her death a couple of years ago--she's someone I wish I'd known in person.
must-read stuff for women in the work place.......1998-06-15
i just liked this book alot. i fell in love with dawn steel. she was a mover and a shaker. her energy jumps to you from the book. i recommend this book to any female who feels lost, misdirected, or going nowhere in her career. this book ought to be everywhere.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Video Age International, published by TV Trade Media, Inc. on November 1, 1993. The length of the article is 724 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: They Can Kill You ... But They Can't Eat You: Lessons from the Front. (book reviews)
Author: Fred Hift
Publication:
Video Age International (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 1993
Publisher: TV Trade Media, Inc.
Volume: v13
Issue: n10
Page: p8(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
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Gabriel Faure: His Life Through His Letters
Gabriel Faure
Manufacturer: Marion Boyars Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0714527688 |
Customer Reviews:
A Title For Your Review.......1999-12-21
After playing an arrangement of Apres un Reve by Gabriel Faure, on the trombone, I decided to learn more about Faure. When I stumbled upon this book, I found a profound and insightful look at Faure's life through his own letters. I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
An inspirational real world practical handbook for nayone seeking a career in the highly lucrative field of voice-over acting.
Customer Reviews:
Genius!!.......2007-07-26
Like a good song that make you get up and move, this book is pure inspiration! The stories are told in a way that gives you the experience of discovering the truth of your own heart. I appreciate the contributors' honest accounts of their setbacks, and discomforts. I also wanted to know what the professionals learned on their way to reaching the pinnacle of their success. Most of all, it delivers a powerful message of having the nerve to turn out the odds. It stimulated my conscience in a way that even my understanding of passion elevated to another level.
Even though I'm not a voice over actor, I'm still an actor who audition on a regular basis. The principles are the same and I've had to refer to the lessons more than a few times. Needless to say, this book has served me very well. I applied the lessons to my line of work and have gotten amazing results.
It is your soul that will find food here. Unless you put the suggestions to practice, the secrets will pass you by leaving you once again with frustration and doubt. In other words, this book will point you into the direction of your hearts' desire. If you follow your heart, "Secrets" will find and move you in some way. Only when ready to receive new information will your thirst for knowledge and a new point of view expand. After reading, I asked myself, do I dare? The stories in this book tells me the answer is a question of courage and effort; a question of desire. We either love/enjoy our labor or not. It's for each us to decide.
Certainly, you'll get a second wind after reading this gem of a book called, Secrets of Voice Over Success.
Joan:
You and the other contributors' courage have encouraged me. If just one soul is empowered, that's valid enough. And, you've even managed to find a creative way to enlarge the vision of humanity by contributing to a good cause such as the Alzheimer's Association. Bravo!!! Your work is a perfect expression of love in action! Now suddenly the impossible seems possible!
A Bible for VO artists.......2007-07-23
This book does what no other VO book has. It puts aspiring VO talent into the world of successful VO talent. Every other book I've looked at is a technical guide...dry and dull. Training is important and I've had my share but this book answers all the FAQ's the other books miss. If you want to make a living at VO this is a must have.
GREAT INSIGHTS FROM SUCCESSFUL VO PROS!.......2007-07-21
One of the most common question questions I hear in the Los Angeles voice over world is how did the big guns get to the top. Well, this book uses standardized interview questions to 19 of the top vo talent in the U.S., Joan herself being one of them. You couldn't wish for a better one on one interview with each one.
Everyone interviewed certainly had distinct things to say, but some common threads were "just fell into it", battled racism on the way and hard work and persistence really pays off.
A note to the wise: if you're in this business for quick profit forget about it. This career path has alot of competition, and only those with stamina and passion for voice work will stand the test of time and make a full-time living at it.
The Alzheimer aspect was valuable in today's society where it is estimated that in the coming decades, unless something is done, millions of the aging group of Americans will succumb to this heart-wrenching disease. Go Joan!!
Tansy Alexander
Inspiration is sometimes all that's needed.......2007-06-29
I'm just flummoxed by a previous review of Joan Baker's "Secrets of Voice-Over Success". Ms. Baker is deemed by the reviewer to be irrelevant, obvious and out of date because she neglects to deconstruct the semiotics of the latest manifestations of an ever-changing gamut of voiceover styles. Whazzat? Pretty heavy, I guess, but these quibbles convey nothing of the wonderful and inspiring book I read. What could be more relevant and uplifting than the tales these voice artists relate as to how they reached the high level of success they enjoy today. These are top people, engaging in national level campaigns right now. Their voices are supposed to be irrelevant? I don't think so.
For a newcomer to voiceover like myself it's so encouraging to learn how others overcame pitfalls and obstacles to make it in our chosen field. Joan Baker's nifty volume is like a pat on the back and a helping hand along the way. Kudos to Joan and to all the artists who so generously gave of their time and experience to help make this marvelous book a reality. And what more wonderful theme to tie the volume together than touching on the effects of Alzheimer's on the lives of so many of us? Something tells me that one day, when we've reached the other side of the River Jordan, we'll be surprised to learn just how much good this book will have done to help those poor souls afflicted with Alzheimer's.
Secrets is a gold mine!.......2007-06-26
I orginally met the author Joan Baker at her Learning Annex workshop called "Make Millions With Your Voice" where I was very very impressed but after just finishing her book and meeting more than half the people in the book at her workshop-Iam overwhelmed with inspiration!
Thank you Joan Baker and the Vo Artist's in Secrets for moving me forward in my vo career that I've been navigating for the past 6 years. Thank you!
I would recommend this book to anyone seeking solutions in the Vo industry.
Book Description
Growing up in Hanoi, Haiphong, and Saigon, Mai Elliott loved listening to the stories told by her parents and other relatives about their parents and grandparents. She found these tales fascinating - some funny, some tragic. She knew one day she would tell their stories and she has in her book The Sacred Willow. In The Sacred Willow Mai tells the story of her family over four generations, from the 19th century to the present. She takes us back to the vanished world where her great-grandfather, Duong Lam, rose from poverty to become a mandarin at the imperial court. She tells of childhood hours spent in her grandmother's sil shop - and of hiding while French troops torched her village, watching blossoms from the trees torn by fire flutter "like hundreds of butterflies" overhead. She reveals the agonizing choices that split Vietnamese families, while her father, loyal to his mandarin heritage, served the French colonial regime, her eldest sister joined the Communist guerillas and vanished for years into the jungle. Finally, Mai traces her family's journey through some of the most harrowing events of recent times - the fall of Saigon, the exodus of the boat people, and the re-education camps endured by those who were left behind. Writing with insight and compassion, Mai Elliott weaves a narrative with the richness and colour of a historical novel. Haunting, heartbreaking and inspiring, The Sacred Willow wo;; fprever cjamge pir imderstamdomg pf Vietnam and our role in it.
Amazon.com
Most books about Vietnam focus on the French who colonized it or the Americans who sought to "save" it. This combination of memoir and family history shows the Vietnamese "as they saw themselves as the central players in their own history." The author's perspective is particularly enlightening because her relatives, though unquestionably better-educated and better-off than the typical Vietnamese, made a variety of political and social choices over the course of the turbulent century she chronicles. Her great-grandfather was a mandarin and member of the imperial court; her father was a government official under French rule; her older sister married a Communist. Elliott herself enrolled in Georgetown's School of Foreign Service in 1960, married an American, and supported the U.S. crusade in Vietnam until her experiences interviewing Vietcong prisoners of war for a Rand Corporation study convinced her that the corrupt Saigon regime failed to offer a convincing alternative to Communism. Because she had family on both sides, Elliott's portrait of the war is subtler and less didactic than previous accounts by proponents of either ideology. Her prose is a bit formal and dense for the casual reader, but by telling her relatives' personal stories and explicating their culture's traditional values, her reflective narrative makes humanly complicated a history too often oversimplified. --Wendy Smith
Customer Reviews:
great read.......2007-05-15
This is a great story of Vietnam and its evolution as a state. I found the author's detail and historical knowledge very rewarding. Anyone interested in the people culture of indochina should read this book.
rlk
Personal account of history.......2007-05-07
If one wants to understand Vietnam it is always important to read books with a Vietnamese viewpoint rather than those written through Western eyes. The author covers a wide time span in Vietnam's history and she presents it accurately while also dealing with the personal side of historical events. For anyone interested in understanding Vietnam this has to be added to one's must read list.
Recommended by a Vietnamese friend; did not disappoint.......2003-03-16
I did not realize the importance of reading a book written from a Vietnamese viewpoint until I began reading other books on Vietnam written from Western viewpoints. Certain events, such as the lasting meaning of the Tet Offensive of 1968 and Vietnam's engagement of the Khmer Rouge are shown in a completely different light in "Sacred Willow".
In addition, Elliot's coverage of an unwieldly time span is impressively complete, even though the ealiest events comprise only a few chapters of this 500-page tome.
Elliot keeps her references to her experiences in America to the bare minimum necessary to flesh out the story, which I found appropriate in a book about Vietnam (not about the Vietnamese-American immigrant experience). There are several memoirs out there dealing with Vietnam, but none are as clearly focused on Vietnam, or have near as broad a depth as this book. I am utterly satisfied and excited to have this one in my personal library.
A Personal Account of the Impact of history.......2003-02-05
Duong Van Mai Elliott has given the world as intimate an account of the entire breath of Viet Namese history as you'll ever encounter. It is remarkable how close to the ground her family has always been throughout her country's efforts to break the bonds of colonialism, regardless of the oppressor. She casts history accurately, relates its impact on her forebears and brings the whole discussion front and center in the conflicts that arise among siblings as they come to terms with some who embrace Ho Chi Minh, others who embrace US personnel.
Mai's own story is full of that heart-rending division as she comes to term with her husband's family, who while very supportive of their daughter-in-law, really are not aware of the enormous drama taking place in the souls of this family. It is not like the Viet Namese to be outwardly emotional, and so their resolve to be brave in the face of often crushing personal sacrifice leaves you stunned.
One of the things I got from this book was that the US never stood a chance. The Us never understood what the central issue was for the Viet Namese people, inspite of having liberated themselves from similar colonialism in their own history. Replacing one colonialist for another, be they kinder or crueler, was not the point: they were still colonialists, and too often the US opted for choices based on ideologies instead of on the human factor, a point the Viet Minh knew was more powerful than bullets.
The war decimated Viet Namese as well as Americans, a point too often overlooked in the rush to build monuments to people who had no business there to begin with. The killing fields that would follow in the wake of the US departure would exact a toll on the humanity of a remarkable people. Time would show that the ideologues of Uncle Ho were little better than oppressors from afar. Mai saw it up close and personal.
The familial rifts remained. Still there is so much healing needed. This book will not resolve anything for the reader. Imstead, it shows that history happens to real families. Holocausts impact real people. The numbers and the monuments don't tell the story at all.
THE SACRED WILLOW.......2002-02-12
I am a Vietnam vet that thoroughly enjoyed this historic background as portrayed by Mai Elliiot in this remarkable book. I have always been amazed our government prepared us so lightly for a conflict that needed the knowledge Mai exhibits for this far-away land we tromped into so blatantly. Only a vet could begin to comprehend the extent of Mai's wonderful treatment of her native people's travails and create the respect one has to garner for their toughness and leathery resiliency.
I flew helicopters in the Mekong Delta in 1966-67 at Vinh Long, with the Outlaws of the 175th Aviation Company--a very lucky assignment. I grew familiar with the terrain this VN author describes and the torment of her citizenry in this conflict. Every vet and family member of a Vietnam vet should have this book in their library; hurry up and buy it before it is past!! My book of the same title as my unit covers our flying experiences as youthful US Army Aviators.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent treatment of this subject
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Sikorsky H-34: An Illustrated History (Schiffer Military/Aviation History)
Lennart Lundh
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
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Loach!: The Story of the H-6/Model 500 Helicopter (Schiffer Military History Book)
ASIN: 0764305220 |
Book Description
Originally designed in 1952 as an anti-submarine warfare platform for the U.S. Navy, almost two-thousand Sikorsky H-34s have served on every continent with the armed forces of twenty-five countries Ð from combat in Algeria, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and throughout southeast Asia, to saving flood victims, recovering astronauts, fighting fires, and carrying presidents, military H-34s have met every challenge handed them. With continuing post-military service, the number of countries which the H-34 has called home has swelled to nearly fifty. Revitalized with turbine engines, it has yet to fade from sight. Whether lifting construction material or supporting police departments, the "DC-3 of helicopters" will still be flying on its fiftieth anniversary. The most detailed account of the H-34 to appear, Lennart Lundh's Sikorsky H-34 reflects over a decade of research. It takes the reader through the H-34 from nose to tail, and across its service from Argentina to Vietnam. Few of the photographs have been published before, and many are drawn from private collections. A special feature is the chapter of impressions and anecdotes from fourteen H-34 crew members., over 350 color and b/w photographs, 8 1/2" x 11"
Customer Reviews:
Excellent treatment of this subject.......1998-07-18
The definitive book on this famous helicopter. Over ten years of research went into it. Covered in detail are the design, use, and world-wide operational history. Included are hundreds of back+white and color pictures. Required reading for Sikorsky helicopter fans.
Amazon.com
Man Without a Gun is a thrilling memoir of Giandomenico Picco's two decades as a high-level diplomat for the United Nations. Over the course of his career, Picco helped negotiate the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and helped bring an end to the bloody Iran-Iraq war, but he also had several harrowing encounters with Middle Eastern terrorists--whom he met unarmed. In one memorable episode, he walked out of an embassy in Beirut and was grabbed on the street, thrown into a car with his face jammed to the floor, and whisked to a secret location to discuss the release of Western hostages with their masked captors. Other experiences are equally unnerving, such as a trip to Tehran to share unwelcome news with Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani: the United States had just refused to reciprocate an act of goodwill (the release of hostage Terry Anderson). Picco wondered whether he would get out of the country alive; he did, but only because Rafsanjani offered this advice: "I think it is best if you leave Tehran very, very quickly."
"History does not kill," Picco writes of what his experiences have taught him. "Religion does not rape women, the purity of blood does not destroy buildings, and institutions do not fail. Only individuals do these things." Man Without a Gun is at turns wise and exciting--a wonderful and revealing account of modern diplomacy. --John J. Miller
Book Description
Can an unarmed man triumph in a land of terror and violence?
Man Without a Gun is the true story of a single UN diplomat's astonishing high-wire struggle for peace in the Middle East. UN secretary-general Javier Pérez de Cuéllar called the author "more of a soldier than a diplomat." And, indeed, his life is the stuff of John le Carré thrillers. But Man Without a Gun is more than a thriller: It is a real-life voyage through the maze of the secretive Middle East, the inside account of the political maneuverings that continue to dominate today's headlines, and the moving story of one man's struggle to bring some hope to a violent land.
In more than two decades, Giandomenico Picco negotiated an end to wars in Afghanistan and between Iran and Iraq with the force of his decency and the strength of the UN. But little could prepare Picco for the danger he would face in resolving the Lebanon hostage crisis. Negotiating with terrorists was not a matter of meeting gray men in gray suits in well-appointed offices. Picco worked on the ground, alone. He was taken to meet the hostage takers themselves many times, shrouded in a black hood, racing through the darkened streets of Lebanon as masked gunmen barked orders.
His life was at risk, but he was well aware that the lives of dozens of hostages, including Terry Anderson and Terry Waite, were at greater risk. And saving them meant negotiating face-to-face--Picco first had to win the trust of the Islamic mili-
tant leader who had taken them, a well-spoken, hooded man known to Picco only by the nom de guerre "Abdullah."
The details of Picco's secret negotiations have never before been revealed; until now, it was barely even known who the kidnappers were. As the chief UN hostage negotiator, Picco often had to make split-second, life-or-death decisions based on the promise of a masked informant or an anonymous official. Yet on the strength of his own word, he managed to forge an unlikely coalition among Iran, Syria, Israel, and the Lebanese groups to win the release of the captives.
"History does not kill," writes Picco. "Religion does not rape women, the purity of blood does not destroy buildings, and institutions do not fail. Only individuals do these things." Man Without a Gun is this remarkable diplomat's powerful testimony to the ability of individuals also to bring some peace to a troubled world.
Customer Reviews:
An inside view of Iran.......2006-04-15
I recently happened on to this book and bought one used from Amazon. I found it to be an interesting and very personal account of dealing with Iran behind the scenes. I think it is helpful and very applicable to the current situation with Iran. I found it to also be a quick and easy read that kept my attention throughout. You will like it - enjoy!
Diplomacy at its Finest.......2002-07-16
In the dangerous post 9/11 world we live in today, Giandomenico Picco's "Man without a Gun" should be a primer for anyone wanting to understand the complex intricacies of Middle East politics. "Man without a Gun" is an unique firsthand account of Mr. Picco's diplomatic experiences at the UN during the 1980s and early 1990s. The setting of "Man without a Gun" takes place in some of the most volatile areas of the world: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel.
It is fascinating to read Mr. Picco's first hand account from someone who successfully negotiated some of the most intractable crisis of the late 20th century including: Afghanistan/ Soviet-Russia war, Iran/ Iraq war and the Lebanon hostage crisis. Very interesting for US readers is that Mr Picco as an Italian and a UN diplomat, provides an important outside the Beltway perspective that Americans need to hear. Too often the US views the world as black and white, this simplistic world view has been the cause of many misguided US policies, not the least was our myopic view of communism. Mr. Picco refers to this US narrow world view when he describes how the US continued to provide arms to the Afghanistan Mujahideen in violation of the peace treaty signed with Soviet Union in 1988. Ultimately, the US arms hasten the fall of the Afghanistan government in 1992 that led to more fighting and ultimately led to the notorious anti Western Taliban regime.
The highlight of the "Man without a Gun" is Mr. Picco's successful efforts to free the Western hostages based in Lebanon. Its a fascinating to learn about the behind the scenes intrigue and the Herculean efforts pursued by Mr Picco in the Middle East and beyond to free the hostages. At a great personal risk, Mr Picco describes how he made secret rendezvous with the hostage takers and gradually over time earned their trust that formed the basis of the successful negotiations to release the hostages.
Unlike so much of the disturbing news coming today from the Middle East tinderbox, during Mr. Picco's tenure at the UN there was a streak of successfully negotiations with this part of the world and there seemed to be genuine hope for deceleration of tension in the Mid East. "Man without a Gun" provides insightful lessons on how the West can co-exist with the Middle East regimes. It is a shame that Mr. Picco's book is currently out of print, "Man without a Gun" should be re-issued so that more readers can have access to Mr. Picco's vast experience and excellent analysis.
Man Without Fear.......2000-10-11
Picco's vivid description of his courageous efforts to win the freedom of all persons (not just the Western hostages) who became involuntary pawns in the politics of Lebanon's civil war is fascinating indeed. The most remarkable aspect of Picco's work was his ability to gain and keep the trust of the kidnappers, despite the actions of the U.S. and Israeli governments which often undermined his efforts.
Picco is to be commended for risking his life on multiple occassions to save the lives of people whom he had never met. He did it because it was the right thing to do. Picco is a remarkable diplomat who simultaneously juggled the conflicting interests of the kidnappers, Iran, Israel, Syria and the United States.
This was definitely a story that needed to be told. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the now largely forgotten hostage crisis in Lebanon.
eye opening.......2000-01-31
I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. I went into it with a limited memory of what I had heard through the news of the time of the hostages and the Iran-Iraq war, but came out with a much deeper understanding - not only of the times, but also of the people, the real players. I have come to appreciate the work of the brave Mr. Picco and those who worked along with him, and I am grateful for their service to those who could not serve themselves.
An outstanding book, an outstanding man.......1999-09-23
Thanks for enriching and inspiring us again with your views on the true art of diplomacy. This book represents the materialization of something we were all waiting for after your unforgettable lessons in Gorizia. Credibility's once again is what will ultimately make us succeed in achieving results, a notion that may go, as it is masterfully explained in this great book, as far as saving human lives. Ancora grazie!
Average customer rating:
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In the Dust of Kilimanjaro (A Shearwater Book)
David Western
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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Wildlife
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General
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Conservation
| Environment
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Nature Writing
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General
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Reference
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ASIN: 1559635347 |
Book Description
"Kilimanjaro slowly takes shape as the night sounds die, its glaciated peak tinged pink in the early light. A solitary wildebeest stares motionless as if mesmerized by the towering mass; a small caravan of giraffe drifts across the plain in solitary file, necks undulating to the slow rhythm of their gangling stride. There is an inexplicable dÈjý vu about the African savannas, as if some subliminal memory is tweaked by the birthplace of our hominid lineage. -from In the Dust of Kilimanjaro.
In the Dust of Kilimanjaro is the extraordinary story of one man's struggle to protect Kenya's wildlife. World-renowned conservationist David Western-who grew up in Africa and whose life is intertwined with the lives of its animals and indigenous peoples-presents a history of African wildlife conservation and an intimate glimpse into his life as a global spokesperson and one of Kenya's most prominent citizens.
Beginning with his childhood adventures hunting in rural Tanganyika (now Tanzania), Western describes how and why the African continent came to hold such power over him. In lyrical prose, he recounts the years of solitary fieldwork in and around Amboseli National Park that led to his gradual awakening to what was happening to the animals and people there. His immersion in the culture and ecology of the region made him realize that without an integrated approach to conservation, one that involved people as well as animals, Kenya's most magnificent creatures would be lost forever.
His accounts of his friendships with the Maasai add a personal dimension to the book that gives the reader new appreciation for the centuries-old links between Africa's wildlife and people. Continued coexistence rather than segregation, he argues, offers the best hope for the world's wildlife. Western describes how his unique understanding of the potentially devastating problems in the region helped him pioneer a new approach to global wildlife conservation that balances the needs of people and wildlife without excluding one or the other.
More than an exceptional autobiography, In the Dust of Kilimanjaro is a riveting look at local and global efforts to preserve species and protect ecosystems. It is the definitive story of wildlife conservation in Africa with a strong and timely message about co-existence between humans and animals.
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