Promised the Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race

Book Description

A female world-record-setting pilot, Jerrie Cobb was recruited in 1959 to take the astronaut tests. She excelled, so the doctor who supervised the selection of NASA's Mercury astronauts recruited additional female pilots. Twelve performed exceptionally. Stephanie Nolen tracked down eleven of the surviving "Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees" and learned the story of those early days of the space race and the disappointment when, in 1961, the women were grounded.

Customer Reviews:

Promised the Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race.......2007-06-14

Great read! Arrived in excellent condition and quickly

A good canadian view.......2005-10-06

Well for a canadian to begin digging into american history that might have been forgotten WOW.....You picked a good topic....
And to think a person who washed out stopped this from happening.......

Nice work....

Jonathan

Well-written, fascinating story.......2004-07-23

As a Canadian, for many years I have had the pleasure of following Ms Nolen's International journalism in the Globe and Mail, our country's national newspaper. In that same newspaper, I spotted a glowing review of "Promised the Moon" by Roberta Bondar, and it was then that I purchased the book and learned the little-known story of the Mercury 13.
Ms Nolen has certainly done her research. She has tracked down the surviving members of the Mercury 13, and told their story in such a way that even a space "layperson" such as myslef can understand the details. A fascinating, well-written piece of non-fiction by an award-winning journalist. Highly recommended.

An Interesting Story but a Misrepresentation of NASA.......2004-01-08

I am perplexed by the misrepresentation that is presented about this book by the publisher in its advertising copy. There was never a NASA program, clandestine or otherwise, to bring women into the astronaut corps in the late 1950s and early 1960s. We can debate whether or not NASA leaders should have been open to appointing women astronauts, but the reality was that such an expansion of the astronaut corps never even crossed their minds at the time. Additionally, Stephanie Nolen was not the first to "track down" and interview the women who undertook physical tests identical to those of the Mercury Seven astronauts. Margaret A. Weitekamp's work on the subject predates Nolen's research. It was first presented in a dissertation at Cornell University, and is forthcoming as "The Right Stuff: The Wrong Sex: The Lovelace Women in Space Program" from Johns Hopkins University Press in 2004. It will be the authoritative work on this subject.

In addition, the story of the "Mercury 13," as some call these women, is pretty well known in the spaceflight history community. In 1960, Dr. W. Randolph 'Randy' Lovelace II invited Geraldyn 'Jerrie' Cobb to undergo the physical fitness testing regimen that he had helped to develop to select the original U.S. astronauts, the Mercury Seven. Jerrie Cobb became the first American woman to do so, and she proved every bit as successful in the tests as had John Glenn and the other Mercury astronauts. Thereafter, Lovelace and Jerrie Cobb began to recruit more women to take the tests, totally without NASA involvement. Jacqueline Cochran, the famous American aviatrix and an old friend of Lovelace, joined their recruiting effort and volunteered to pay the testing expenses.

By the end of the summer of 1961, twenty-five women had undergone the examinations at the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The women came to New Mexico alone or in pairs for four days of tests. All of the women were skilled airplane pilots with commercial ratings. Most of them were recruited through the Ninety-Nines, a women pilot's organization.

Of those tested, thirteen women did exceptionally well and became known as the "First Lady Astronaut Trainees" or "Mercury 13." A few then agreed to undertake additional tests, and some believed that the further testing represented the first step allowing them to become astronauts, although there was never any intent of this on the part of NASA officials. Indeed, Mercury project managers were unaware of these tests.

When NASA officials learned about Lovelace's attempts for further tests from the Navy, which Lovelace had asked to undertake these tests at Pensacola, they told Navy flight surgeons that this was not a NASA project. The Navy then canceled the tests. Jerrie Cobb and Janey Hart (married to U.S. Senator Philip Hart of Michigan) then began a campaign in Washington, D.C. to have the testing program resumed. On the July 17-18, 1962, Representative Victor Anfuso chaired hearings of a special Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics about this subject. Jerrie Cobb and Janey Hart testified for the women. John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, and George Low testified for NASA that setting up a special program to train women astronauts would hamper the effort to reach the Moon by the end of the decade. This ended the hearing and no women entered the NASA astronaut corps.

When Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963, Clare Booth Luce published an article about the women in "Life" magazine criticizing NASA for not achieving this first. It included contemporary photos of all thirteen women. Of course, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983, and in 1995 Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle. At Collins' invitation, eight of these women attended her launch.

In hindsight, one may criticize NASA leaders for not expanding the astronaut corps to women but there is no documentation whatsoever to suggest that there was even a consideration of doing so at the time. Perhaps John Glenn said it best when he remarked in recent years that the agency was reflective of its times. It is important to note, I think, that the first astronauts selected after the completion of Project Apollo--the class of 1978--did include women and other minorities, and therefore reflected the social changes experienced in the nation as a result of the women's movement.

Horribly written by a novice space historian.......2004-01-08

This is one of the many space history books written by someone whos only exposure to the field was in researching for this one book. The book drives one point repeatedly: at the time women were expected to stay at home with the babies and not fly in space. Anyone with knowledge of this era in American history knows this, and this is one of the only bits of actual information provided.
The author does not include dates or references where appropriate. All references are collected in alphabetical order at the end of the book--no foot or endnoting. The lack of dates is at points so great that it is easy to get lost in the timeline of the story, as most of the events of the book take place in a three year span that Nolen jumps around in.
Perhaps the most distressing thing about the book is the tone she takes when talking about NASA and the Mercury 7. At points she inserts off the cuff remarks about NASA leadership or members of the senate that called a hearing into the cancellation of the women's astronaut testing. Nolen takes the anti-NASA side saying that NASA refused to let the testing of the women continue and that they are at fault, when her own book indicates clearly that NASA never wanted the testing done in the first place and had no plans for female astronauts in the 1960's. Many at NASA were insulted, rightfully so, when a group of 13 women said they wanted to be astronauts when NASA had tested hundreds of men and only accepted seven!
Of all the space history books I have read (and I have read well over 30) this one is the worst. I highly advise not spending time on this book.

Ad Astra per Aspera.(Scientists' Bookshelf)(Book Review): An article from: American Scientist

Average customer rating:

Ad Astra per Aspera.(Scientists' Bookshelf)(Book Review): An article from: American Scientist
Kathryn D. Sullivan
Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Promised the Moon : The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race

Average customer rating:

Promised the Moon : The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race
Stephanie Nolen
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJC8KM

Book Description

Skill. Stamina. Diligence. Though these are crucial ingredients for every successful athlete, each individual profiled in Slam Dunk2 agrees that it is Jesus Christ alone who is their true source of greatness. With detailed testimonies of athletes David Robinson, Charlie Ward, Hersey Hawkins and thirteen more NBA players, this book will be an inspiring read for athletes and fans of any age.

Customer Reviews:

All the memories, mystique... and meat!.......2000-09-03

Ah, yes... every single March, when that one evening rolls around when a red carpet's rolled out and somebody makes a name for himself or a fool of himself, or somewhere in between, we can only say one word unanimously: "WHY?" And now you will know why... you will know the whole truth, all the hearts and flowers and arsenic. In this juicy tale of the Academy and its unique, oddball system of selecting who gets the Oscar, who should get an Oscar, and it-was-just-too-darn-bad-so-and-so-didn't-get-one, Anthony Holden takes us back to the late 1920's, when a small group of individuals banded together to form the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. From then on, we're taken on a tirade of how simple campaigns, malicious manipulations, and simple mistakes or happenings influence the decisions for Oscar's many surprising receipients. Stars and directors share memories and reminisces throughout the book, which is also illustrated with several darn good photos. The book remembers Oscar's infamous moments such as "Scott, Brando, and The Art Of Rejection" to Greer Garson's "hour-long" speech and dear, sweet Sally Field's "You really like me!" speech. The book also details times when the Academy has been put on the spot: i.e., 1952. In a year of big, bustling dramas, the Academy was able to sigh with relief and vote the year's best picture to the big, bawdy "The Greatest Show On Earth". Another example, this time exploiting the Academy's sentiment: 1981's Best Actor: ailing Henry Fonda won over the "sure-fire" Burt Lancaster. That same sentiment also dealt many, many very deserving Oscar receipients the less glorified "Lifetime Achievement" Awards. And sometimes the Academy has been downright prejudiced: 1954's Best Actress: Grace Kelly over scandal-ridden Judy Garland (the book reveals that Kelly won by a mere seven votes to Garland). Most film critics today will cite Garland's as the better performance, but in 1954... And there have been bitter disappointments. Rosalind Russell's publicity agent had a house riding on a failed 1947 Best Actress win, and Bette Davis was stunned beyond belief when Anne Bancroft won 1962's Best Actress for "The Miracle Worker" over her "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?". The bottom line: the book is bursting with facts, dirt, and fun and all the way through it keeps up the things the Academy Awards are famous for: drama, suspense, and pure, unadulterated entertainment.

It's all Here.......2000-01-17

Every person ever nominated for an academy award is listed in the appendix, but the book has even better things to offer.

Anthony Holden begins the book back in the 1920s and chronicles every year of the oscars up until 1991. He explains how the Academy began as a company union and evolved into the present day awards. There are many great stories. Most of them concerning the politics behind the awards.

He explains how the lifetime achievment awards were created to fill in the gaps of the hollywood greats who were denied the award for one reason or another. Many of these awards were shamefully given out when a person was on his/her deathbed.

Other interesting tid bits include the story of how France's Gérard Depardieu cost himself an oscar by giving a politically incorrect interview, George C. Scott's inconsistent reasons for turning down acting awards, and Woody Allen's indifference for the event as a whole.

Average customer rating:
Behind the Oscar: The secret History of the Academy Awards
Anthony Holden
Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster c1993
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ONKE1I

Book Description

"Voluptuous Panic is simultaneously appalling and thrilling, repellent and seductive, grotesque and gorgeous-not a typical coffee table book. It would go better with absinthe drunk from a human skull."-Gary Meyer, Clean Sheets

When Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin first appeared in the fall of 2000, it inspired wide acclaim and multiple printings. Anticipating the expanded edition, Feral House placed Voluptuous Panic out of print, and for the past year buyers paid as much as $460 to online dealers for a used copy.

This sourcebook of hundreds of rare visual delights from pre-Nazi, Cabaret-period "Babylon on the Spree" has the distinction of being praised both by scholars and avatars of contemporary culture, inspiring hip clubgoers, filmmakers, gay historians, graphic designers, and musicians like the Dresden Dolls and Marilyn Manson.

Voluptuous Panic's expanded edition includes the new illustrated chapter, "Sex Magic and the Occult," documenting German pagan cults and their bizarre erotic rituals, including instructions for entering into the "Sexual Fourth Dimension." The deluxe hardcover edition also includes sensational accounts of hypno-erotic cabaret acts, Berlin Fetish prostitution ("The Boot Girl Visit"), gay life ("A Wild-Boy Initiation!"), descriptions and illustrations of Aleister Crowley's Berlin OTO Secret Society, and sex crime ("the Curious Career and Untimely Death of Fritz Ulbrich").

Mel Gordon is professor of Theater at University of California, Berkeley, and also the author of Erik Jan Hanussen: Hitler's Jewish Clairvoyant (Feral House), and The Grand Guignol: Theatre of Fear and Terror (DaCapo).

Customer Reviews:

Voluptuous Panic by Mel Gordon.......2007-07-06

Excellent book, which had lots of information regarding Berlin, Germany in the wild 20s. I only wish there was more in depth material to read and more photo's. Especially interesting was the "Occult" section, which could have had a more in depth coverage, but I'm not complaining. Dietrich Eckhart, who belonged to a number of Occult Societies introduced Hitler to Ernst Rohm The Criminal Elements or crime section was also heady. Overall, well put together and very interesting. I think including the individuals and activies of some subversive groups in Berlin at the time would have been helpful in understanding the rise of Naziasm in the 20's. I understand there were a number of "White Russian" exiles that supported Hitler's cause.

explosive!.......2007-05-11

voluptuous panic is a great title. it's an even greater resource of smut, art nudes, photos of cabaret artists from weimar berlin.

and there's text, too!

if someone is going to do 'cabaret' send them here for ideas for set decorations, costume ideas and makeup tips for the kit-kat girls. then look at what others did with information like this because this should be one of the primary sources in re-enlivining that crazy, mad and very short period.

a horrifying and unprecedented view of pre-nazi berlin.......2007-03-18

I suppose there is the inherent interest and entertainment of antique hardcore erotica for some people, which this book provides, but the things depicted (photographically) and described in this book may completely alter your view of the past.

I guess it is known that Berlin, prior to the rise of the nazis, was a decadant, burlesque place. But the variety and pervasiveness... and SEVERITY of this is not commonly known. In this book you will see gay nomadic boy scouts, theatrical spanking machines, nudist priests, gleefuly incestuous families (depicted in lifestyle journals for apparent mass consumption) and manuals of dentist chair molestation. It really is shocking - and all the more when you recognize these images as decisively in the past, and apparently NORMAL for this time period.

I used to look through this book whenever i went to this bookstore in 2000-2001, mostly browsing and skimming. It made a lasting impression and i have never been able to find similar information elsewhere. According to some of the reviews I've read, the author makes an unsubstantiated claim/conclusion that this period ended not because of social outrage or exhaustion, but because of particular economic and political circumstances. But for myself, foreign to this place and time (and culture), it completely changes my picture of germany, world war ii and modernity. Apparently there were sprawling nihilist fiends BEFORE mankind was confronted with the possability of nuclear annihilation.

I personally consider this a "coffee table book", albeit for S&M yuppies. It is way too flashy and consumable for research purposes. (I would hesitate to site it as a source for any paper.) However, as far as I can tell, it is one of the only accessable documentations of ...something I can't believe I've never heard of.

Weimar Berlin Is *ALIVE* and Electric!.......2006-07-26

This *is* the most comprehensive book about Weimar Berlin on the market. Full of never before seen pictures, illustrations, and information, this book is what any Deco era enthusiast needs. Mel Gordon's text is anything but dry, stuffy, or overly scholarly as these books can tend to be. No, instead, his enthusiasm and interests spill onto each page, electrify in a sence with his tell-tale approach and overwhelming details about Pre-War Weimar Berlin's enigmatic history. If Neo-Weimar studies are your cup of tea, then this book is the "on the rocks", "straight up", cold hard shot of gin! I recomend the 5th Edition (2006 Version) hardback that includes the original 2 sections that are omitted in the first few before it. The replaced sections are wonderful and if you've seen the book before, you will be quick to notice that Gordon has added *more* pictures and has corrected the color on the illustrations and paintings. In short, Mr. Gordon's work is quite simply the *ONLY* work out there worth reading about this subject. A UC Berkeley professor, accomplished writer of several books, and former New York Actor's Studio alumni how can one argue that his writings and lectures are not the most dead on and most effective out there? See him lecture, read his work, and keep tabs on this history agent provocateur; he is the future of our unique artistic and often risqué past. - Amanda Campa (of The Art Deco Society Of California)

Picture book for very decadent children.......2002-08-11

In glorious black-and-white pictures and color plates, Mel Gordon illustrates the splendour that was Weimar Berlin. This book is necessary for any uppity later generations who thought they came up with nightlife, sex and provocation.

Average customer rating:

Better than Dummies, JK Lasser for foreign workers/earnings

What a waste! IRS gives it for free.

Handy Tax guide

The Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2005 (Ernst and Young Tax Guide)

Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Taxes | Accounting | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Personal Taxes | Taxes | Accounting | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Tax Planning | Taxes | Accounting | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2006 (Ernst and Young Tax Guide)

The Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2004 (Ernst and Young Tax Guide)

The Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2001

The Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2007

J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 2005: For Preparing Your 2004 Tax Return (J.K. Lasser)

ASIN: 1593150199

Book Description

Year after year, The Ernst & Young Tax Guide hits national bestseller lists and garners rave reviews. The most user-friendly, most current guide available to preparing your own tax return, this essential resource contains all the information readers need to save on their taxes. The accessible format walks us step-by-step through the daunting filing process, with sample tax forms and schedules demonstrating how to fill out a tax return line by line. As the only guide that provides complete coverage of the new tax law provisions, the necessary forms for the upcoming tax season, plus the IRS's official filing instructions for these forms, it's no wonder The New York Times praises it as "the top choice among popular tax books." The Ernst & Young Tax Guide is really two books in one. The first book is a reproduction of the official IRS tax guide, Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax. Published annually, this guide contains the position of the IRS on many of the questions taxpayers need answered. The second book is the Ernst & Young guide, offering comments, explanations, and tax-saving tips on what the IRS tells us—and doesn't tell us. The two books have been combined in one volume to provide taxpayers with the most thorough guide on the market.

Customer Reviews:

Better than Dummies, JK Lasser for foreign workers/earnings.......2005-02-17

I've not purchased the book yet, but this 3 book review
[...] indicates that the E&Y book was the only book containing information about foreign income & foreigners living in the US. It was compared against:

J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 2005
Taxes 2005 for Dummies

What a waste! IRS gives it for free........2005-01-18

This book is nothing more than the Pub 17 available for free by downloading from the IRS web site. It does have some nice notes but the US Gov't should demand that Ernst & Young pay royalties to them...that's us taxpayers. No wonder the Big Five is now the Big Four and if this is what is out there perhaps soon to be the Big Three. E&Y has shown us a very poor example of business ethics.

Handy Tax guide.......2005-01-17

I have used the Ernst & Young Tax Guides since 1997 and have found them quite valuable. There is a lot of good information that helps you find unknown deductions.

The book cost $17.00, but should easily save you hundreds if not thousands in various tax savings.

The Ernst & Young Tax Savers Guide 2005-06 (Ernst and Young Tax Saver's Guide)

Average customer rating:

The Ernst & Young Tax Savers Guide 2005-06 (Ernst and Young Tax Saver's Guide)
Dawn Nicholson
Manufacturer: Tottel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1845922190

Book Description

With the raw emotion of The Diary of Anne Frank, Mona Golabek's powerful memoir is a poignant story of tragedy and triumph in a time of war. Famed concert pianist Mona Golabek shares the inspirational true story of her mother's escape from pre-World War II Vienna to an orphanage in London-243 Willesden Lane. 'The music will give you strength....it will be your best friend in life.' With these words-the last she would ever hear from her mother-ringing in her ears, young piano prodigy Lisa Jura boarded the Kindertransport and headed for safety. Amidst the dozens of Jewish refugees trying to make their way in war-torn London, Lisa forms indelible friendships, finds romance, and, against all odds, wins a scholarship to study piano at the Royal Academy of London. This is a stunning testament to the power of music to lift the human spirit and to grant the soul endurance, patience, and peace.

Customer Reviews:

The Power of Music .......2007-09-01

author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

from the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
August 30, 2002

Vienna, 1938. In the city of Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven and Strauss, 14-year-old musical prodigy Lisa Jura looks forward to a promising career as a concert pianist. Hitler has other plans. With the breaking of glass on Kristallnacht, Jura's dreams are shattered.

Internationally celebrated concert pianist Mona Golabek, with journalist and poet Lee Cohen, has crafted a loving, lyrical tribute to her mother, Lisa Jura, in "The Children of Willesden Lane: Beyond the Kindertransport: A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival."

Jura was one of 10,000 Jewish children saved from the Nazis by the British and sent on the Kindertransport to safety from Eastern Europe. Already being compared to "The Diary of Anne Frank," this simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting tale weaves together the stories that Golabek's mother told her about prewar Austria; the gut-wrenching separation from her family; life at the orphanage on Willesden Lane; and the power of music to help her survive.

As Jura's mother, Malka, puts her on the train, she says the prophetic words that will sustain and inspire her daughter and future generations: "Hold on to your music. Let it be your best friend."

In a world turned ugly, the beauty of music becomes Jura's strength, and, against tremendous odds, with the help and encouragement of the 30 other displaced children at the orphanage, she wins a scholarship to London's Royal Academy.

"Each kid saw something in my mother's music that reminded them of what they had left behind in Czechoslovakia, in Austria, in Germany," says Golabek, a Grammy-nominated artist, "and that's what I tried to do in the story, not only to pay homage to my mother, but to all these kids and to their bravery."

The book opens with Jura's tantalizing daydream of performing in a great concert hall and closes with the fulfillment of that dream, as she makes her debut before an exhilarated crowd. And in between, the pages burst with melody: Jura pounding the cadenza of the Grieg "Piano Concerto" to drown out the sounds of bombs during London's blitz, Jura visualizing Chopin fleeing a flaming Warsaw as she struggles with the somber coda of the "Ballade," Jura remembering her mother's Sabbath candles as she plays the solemn opening of Beethoven's "Pathetique."

"My mom and her mother never cared if a piece is in C major. What really counts is the passion behind it, the image. If it's `Clair de Lune,' imagine the moon over a desert island. That imagination allowed her to survive the horrors of what she experienced, because a C-major chord will not inspire you through the horrors. It's the moonlight, the idea that maybe the composer wrote it for someone he loved. These things inflamed her imagination, and that's how she inflamed mine."

And now Golabek's book will inflame the imagination of a whole new generation. The Milken Family Foundation, together with Facing History and Ourselves, an educational organization that teaches tolerance to 1 million students annually, are working with Golabek to bring the story to schools across the country by developing a companion curriculum guide.

Plans are under way to launch the book in Austria, and make it available to teachers as part of the now mandatory four-year Holocaust education program for students.

The saga of Golabek's 18-year struggle to get the story published is almost as harrowing as her mother's story itself. "It went through many, many writings; many, many ups and downs, starts and disappointments," Golabek says.

Now the accolades and offers are pouring in. On Sept. 24, she will be an honored guest speaker at the California Governor's Conference for Women at the Long Beach Convention Center and will appear at Beth Am on Nov. 17 with her sister, pianist Renee Golabek-Kaye, and Jura's four grandchildren, all musicians: Michele, 16; Sarah, 14; Jonathan, 8; and Rachel, 7. Brandeis University will honor her at the Skirball Cultural Center next March 31.

Last week Golabek was interviewed on NPR's Morning Edition and was the subject of a feature story by Andy Meisler of the New York Times. In the planning stages is a concert next year co-sponsored by the U.S. Holocaust Museum and the Austrian government. And, of course, Golabek is considering movie offers.

On her syndicated radio show, "The Romantic Hours," which highlights stirring writings against a musical backdrop (Saturdays at 10 p.m., 105.1 FM), Golabek often quotes the poet Jean Paul Richter: "Life fades and withers behind us, but of our immortal and sacred soul all that remains is music."

"That was a quote my mother taught me, and the whole reason why I wrote this book and why I created `The Romantic Hours' was that my mother felt through words and through music our souls would be immortalized."

Excellent read.......2007-08-15

This is one of my all-time favorite books. If you are a musician, you will fall in love with it. The story is inspiring and moving and will make you appreciate music to the greatest extent possible.

Fantastic!.......2007-07-29

Full of history. Easy to follow. Great read for young and old alike.

A Must Read for Parents and their children........2007-02-05

This is a story which every parent should read to their children. Talk about the history of WW2 and discuss the extremes of humanity. A book which once read you will never forget.

An Emotional Journey.......2005-07-18

What can I add that hasn't already been said on this page? Except that I hope you will read this book if you haven't already and that you will share it with any young people you know. Mona Golabek has written a sincere, heartfelt memoir of her mother during World War II, enriched by both musical and family values. Ms. Golabek's memoir clearly shows how great music has the ability to sustain and nourish the soul in desperate circumstances. The spirit of Willesden Lane, of the young people who survived the war, and of their parents who sacrificed all, live on in this poignant, beautifully told story.

Children Of Willesden Lane - Beyond The Kindertransport - Memoir Of Music, Love, And Survival

Average customer rating:

Children Of Willesden Lane - Beyond The Kindertransport - Memoir Of Music, Love, And Survival
Mona; Cohen, Lee Golabek
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ROQ66G

Book Description

Long before Civil Rights, the Tuskegee Airmen fought for equality. First they integrated the Armed Forces, then a whole nation and did it with competency, skill, valor, and courage in combating the enemy abroad and racism at home. Because they stood tall, African Americans and fellow Americans are the better for it. The book of over 500 pages also contains about 100 photos, an appendix full of documents, and an Index of 25 pages.

Customer Reviews:

Valuable Material, Lousy Presentation.......2002-10-31

The World War II exploits of the 332nd Fighter Group--the first all-black unit in the US Army Air Forces--is a fascinating story on several levels. The pilots of the 332nd fought long and hard in the skies over North Africa, Italy, and Central Europe. They racked up an impressive record of enemy aircraft shot down, ground targets destroyed and--on the bomber-escort missions they often flew--friendly planes brought home safely. They also paved the way for the integration of the armed forces, and of American society generally, by showing that blacks could handle the stress of battle and the demands of high-performance airplanes just as well as whites. In a world where many (most?) whites saw blacks as innately inferior, the Tuskegee Airmen proved otherwise.

This book is a dense, detailed, information-packed history of the 332nd during and immediately after the war. It's a valuable source on a vital topic, and I'm glad it's out there.

That doesn't, however, make it a great book.

The style, for close to 400 pages, is choppy and unpolished with only a vague suggestion of a strong narrative line. Context is spotty at best, and technical terms sometimes go unexplained. The typography is idiosyncratic, and the inexplicable rendering of nicknames in italics and ranks, abbreviated, in ALL CAPS is distracting in a book where names come thick and fast. The type face itself is ugly, and the reproduction of many of the pictures is substandard. The index consists almost solely of personal names, which makes it intensely frustrating to use if you're not already intimately familiar with the story. To look up an incident in which two members of the 332nd sank a German destroyer, you have to know what their names were . . . no entry for "destroyer," or "strafing," or "naval vessels."

If there were other books out there that provide the sheer volume of facts about the subject that this one does, I'd give it about a star-and-a-half. There aren't, but there ought to be. The 332nd was noted for its professionalism; it deserves a more professionally-done history. Until that book gets written, though, this one (flaws and all) is essential.

Most enjoyable and most interesting!.......2000-02-14

In baseball, Jackie Robinson's impact can never be overstated. What he did for the game is immeasurable. In the world of aviation African Americans owe a debt of thanks to a group of men called "The Tuskegee Airmen". Their contributions to aviation are just as immeasurable.

Francis takes the reader back to the time when blacks in the army were living under Order 9981 from President Truman. Francis's gives you the triumphs and failures and brings it to life through each page. This read was truly remarkable.

This is the second book I have read on the Tuskegee Airmen, the first being a biography of Charles F. McGee, and for the second time I was moved by how this group of Officers and enlisted personnel worked through segregation to ensure the civil rights of those to follow.

Army life today, and the African American who serve with honor, can thank the men of this book for what they have. This nation owes a debt of thanks that can never be expressed enough. I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

Book Description

Using jargon-free language and a carefully structured comparative framework, this text combines intensive individual country studies of seven important contemporary political systems and systematic comparison of these countries in terms of six key areas. Explores England, France, Germany, Japan, China, Russia and Nigeria individually and comparatively. For individuals interested in a systematic, structured and consistent comparative framework analysis of 7 major political systems.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome transaction.......2005-12-20

Everything was better than expected. The shipping was fast, the book was in great condition, and I saved a ton of cash...

A *very* thorough look at other countries.......2002-02-14

This book is exactly what the subtitle says: an intro to seven countries. It is not exactly a book on comparative politics, although that's the course where it would be used. It devotes about 70(!) pages to each of the countries. Given the standard size type and almost total lack of pictures or feature boxes, the reader gets a LOT of info. It can be difficult to trudge through but it's a good resource.

One thing that would make this book better (though substantially longer) is introductory chapters explaining the characteristics of the three major types of countries. For a text which does a far better job in that area, pick up Charles Hauss' book on Comparative Politics.

Average customer rating:
Comparative Politics: An Introduction to Seven Countries
Frank Lee Wilson Rolf H. W. Theen
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OIM59W

Average customer rating:
Comparative Politics: An Introduction to Seven Countries
Rolf H. W. And Frank L. Wilson Theen
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIAXKU

Amazon.com

A classic is back in print! One of the favorite books of the back-to- the-land movement, The Toilet Papers provides an informative and irreverent look at how people have deal with human wastes over the centuries, and at what safe designs are available today that reduce water consumption and avert the necessity for expensive treatment systems. Van der Ryn provides homeowner plans for several types of dry toilets, compost privies, and greywater systems, and also discusses the history and philosophy of turning organic wastes into a rich humus, linking us to the fertility of the soil and ensuring our ultimate well-being. Van der Ruyn is a former architect, and his designs for compost privies are downright elegant as well as environmentally sound.

Book Description

A classic is back in print! One of the favorite books of 1970s back-to-the-landers, The Toilet Papers is an informative, inspiring, and irreverent look at how people have dealt with their wastes through the centuries. In a historical survey, Van der Ryn provides the basic facts concerning human wastes, and describes safe designs for toilets that reduce water consumption and avert the necessity for expensive and unreliable treatment systems. The Toilet Papers provides do-it-yourself plans for a basic compost privy and a variety of graywater systems.

Customer Reviews:

Water shortage???.......2006-10-29

As the world ponders how we will all survive as unpolluted water becomes scarcer and scarcer, eventually one has to ask, 'why do we go to the bathroom in a bowl of fresh drinking water????'

Please don't tell me that it's 'because that's the way we've always done it'.

It's time for this book.

Hopefully, it will be read by people who have the brains and guts and good-natured cleverness to actually do something cool and constructive and environmentally sound about these things.

Fascinating History and Current Eco-Toilet Design.......2006-10-14

With a title like "Toilet Papers" and from a distinguished eco-architect like Sim Van der Ryn, I needed no intro or review to buy a copy of this little, but well researched historical over-view of effluent mitigation and current eco-friendly toilet design.

This book is filled with good line drawings and photographs to depict everything from the historical perspective to the current dry toilets and their construction.

The book starts out with:
"Throughout this book, you will find the word "waste" used to refer to those raw materials-feces and urine-your body passes on to make energy available to some other form of life. This is what you give back to the earth. The idea of waste, of something unusable, reveals an incomplete understanding of how things work.
Nature admits no waste. Nothing is left over; everything is joined in the spiral of life. Perhaps other cultures know this better than we, for they have no concept of, no word for, waste". And under that thought provoking consideration of resource cycles, there is:

"A sound man is good at salvage, at seeing nothing is lost"- Lao Tze, 500 B.C.

The intro is by Wendell Berry, farmer, novelist, poet. He posits that "modern" effluent mitigation is as insane as drinking right from an un-flushed toilet: "It is not inconceivable that some psychiatrist would ask me knowingly why I wanted to mess up my drinking water in the first place". Indeed.

After the fascinating human waste history lessons, we are given a short crash-course on the biology of waste, then it's on to the fruit of the book: dry composting toilet designs and their efficacy. This is in good detail and makes for a complete handbook on waterless toilet design.

Finally, there is the Epilogue and I would be amiss in my review if I did not reveal a little taste of it: [Any technology divorced from the whole of nature tends to produce a condition that poet Robert Graves calls "mechanarchy": the perfection of technological means to produce a chaotic sterile environment. The current technology of "waste disposal" (the term reveals the syndrome) is still fighting a war against nature, built on fragments of 19th century science not yet integrated into an understanding of life processes as a unified, but cyclical, whole."] True enough!
Sim Van der Ryn has produced a gem of proper waste recycling in this informing little book. His website is well worth a visit also.

An informative companion to "Toilet Papers" is "The Humanure Handbook" by Joseph Jenkins- a how-to on safely composting one's excrement back into a nutrient rich amendment for the vegetable garden instead of flushing it away as waste.

Stop wasting waste--here's the why and the how.......2000-05-24

Most farmers and gardeners fertilize soil using manure from the many animals except humans. Because of our diet, humanure is unsurpassed in nutrients. Asians have used it for thousands of years. Generations of families using flush toilets have resulted in psychological negativity--the yuck factor. So humanure is mostly wasted and goes into sewage treatment plants or septic systems, causing much unnecessary expense and pollution of groundwater. The most commonsense treatment of humanure is to collect it, compost it, and then use it for fertilizer for ornamentals and those plants that fruit above-ground: fruit trees, tomatoes, peppers, beans and the like. Humanure composted for a year is indistinguishable from rich soil. Van der Ryn provides here the why and the how.

Stop wasting waste--here's the why and the how.......2000-05-24

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books