Radicals & Visionaries: Entrepreneurs Who Revolutionized the 20th Century

Book Description

A provocative collection of in-depth profiles that take you beyond the media hype and corporate PR to reveal the true-life stories of the men and women whose vision, drive, desire and passion shaped the last 100 years.

Customer Reviews:

great book.......2002-09-30

This book is similar to the -chichen soup- series type of short stories of the GREAT PEOPLE of todays.

It is inspiring and have great insight.

The only problem is putting too much people into a volume, there is some -depth- missing. It feels some sort of too-narrow and too-thin-spread. You wont get the depth of a biography, not even close, but then you get a lot of great people's short stories of their lives.

Most of the current greats are included, each with their short interesting quotes.

Overall, this is a greatbook especially for some short battery charging type of reading. One can read a few pages now and then and still enjoying it.

Wow!!.......2001-01-10

Moving, inspiring, stirring and exciting, the short biographies are readable, short and sweet. I picked up the book thinking that I'd read a few stories a night and was totally floored after reading the first few. The stories were ordered alphabetically which in itself brought a randomness to the sequence.

BUSINESSES'S GREAT MAVERICKS.......2000-12-09

What do a bunch of computer geeks, housewives, washer woman, book retailer and others have in common? They and the rest of the group profiled in this anthology are the movers and shakers who changed how we do business and developed new industries that will shape the future.

Radicals & Visionairies gives you a brief look into the lives of seventy entreprenuers who changed the face of American business. Some of them have become house hold names (Walt Disney,Clarence Birdseye, Henry Ford) while others may not be as well known but their achievements live on. The individuals examined represent a diverse group of people coming from every social, economic and ethnic class. A few could be called egocentric, free wheeling and downright crazy. All of them were able to overcome obstacles in their lives and bring to America a new and diverse economy.

Unlike other profiles which go from "rags to riches", Thaddeus Wawro focuses on what innovation or new invention that the person developed which had a great impact on business. You see that these mavericks refused to follow the conventional business pack and moved out on their own.

This book also deals with what makes success. Each person doesn't have a "set formula" which says this will lead you to success. All of those profiled came to success in a different way. Their stories are enjoyable, informative and inspirational. These radicals should jump start you in thinking about entering the entrepreneur path.

70 Revolutionaries.......2000-05-12

This is an anthology of 70 micro-biographies, each of which includes some insightful comments and occasionally a little-known fact or two about the subject. Many of the selections are predictable: Michael Dell, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, William Hewlett & David Packard, Ray Kroc, Steve Jobs, Akio Morita, Ted Turner, Sam Walton, and Thomas Watson Jr. What surprised and pleased me is that Wawro also discusses several other "radicals & visionaries" which I did not expect to be included: Desi Arnaz & Lucille Ball, Clarence Birdseye, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, Berry Gordy, Hugh Hefner, Jim Henson, John Johnson, George Lucas, David Ogilvy, Ron Popeil, Martha Stewart, and Oprah Winfrey.

This book is great fun to read...as well as informative. Wawro does indeed cover a wide as well as diverse range of entrepreneurs who helped to revolutionize the 20th century. My only complaint is the Wawro, who obviously completed a great deal of research inorder to write this book, did not include an annotated bibliography for readers who wish to learn more about the 70 subjects discussed. Perhaps it was impractical to do so. This is nonetheless a commendable achievement which I recommend highly.

Great Read!.......2000-05-08

Truly an intriguing book. The stories of these entrepreneurs are both revealing and inspirational. The author's in-depth research uncovers fascinating, little-known facts about such modern business geniuses as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Ted Turner, Sam Walton and many more.

Book Description

The Big M is the story of the quiet and self-effacing hockey legend whose mighty strides and explosive shot contributed to six Stanley Cup teams. Ted Mahovlich, Frank's son, interviewed such hockey greats as Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Guy LaFleur and Henri "Rocket" Richard to re-create one of the greatest NHL careers of all time.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2005-04-07

This book has been very enjoyable. Ted Mahovlich has done an excellent job in telling us the interesting story about his father. He showed us the Punch Imlach lacked class and Frank Mahovlich had a lot of class and finally enjoyed his career when he joined the best organization in sports at the time the Montreal Canadiens. I would recommend this to any hockey fan or sports fan in general

A brilliant biography of the legendary Big M........2001-08-22

Frank Mahovlich was one of THE great players in the history of hockey. This books gives a thoughtful and intelligent insight into the mind of the quiet giant who won four Stanley Cups with the Leafs and two more with the Canadiens.

Told alongside the biographical narrative of The Big M is the author's experience of going on the road with his father, in the touring team of NHL past masters. Not only does this expose the reader to some beautiful anecdotes about other former stars of the game, but also captures the bond between father and son in a most moving way.

Ted Mahovlich is a very accomplished writer, telling his father's story with compassion, respect and honesty in a fine style that makes the book hard to put down. A must for any fan of hockey and/or good writing.

The Big M: The Frank Mahovlich Story.......1999-11-30

This book is great, not your normal biography. Ted Mahovlich captures a seldom read about side of his father Frank, along with the exploits of his spectacular career. The author spent considerable time traveling and playing with the old-timer greats while interviewing them as wells as capturing moments the common fan is not privey to. If you are a hockey fan -- this books for you. (Yes I know I live in Texas, but I moved here)

Average customer rating:

The Big M : The Frank Mahovlich Story
Ted Mahovlich
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8MHPE

Book Description

Fully revised and updated -- including the 2003 Academy Awards -- Cinema Year by Year is the definitive chronology of the movies. Thousands of lively, informative articles trace the development of the cinema from the first experiments of Edison and the Lumieres to the global film industry of the 21st century, accompanied throughout by stills, posters, portraits, and other images, this volume is a pleasure to browse as well as a terrific reference for movie lovers.

Customer Reviews:

Much more than a coffee table book.......2003-12-23

If you enjoy watching or just knowing about cinema, this book is for you. For those of us that are old enough to remember, we are whisked back to what we were doing at the time and remember the impact of the first of a series or the first of a new technique. For the rest of us it gives us the backgrounds that we did hot have the privilege of seeing first hand.
Being divided into years makes it easy to retrieve information and to view what was going on at the same time.
The book its self looks like a collection of newspaper articles and posters of the time of each movie. You can not get this information from some cheap cinema magazine.
For those people who are too impatient or that browsing drives them up the wall there is a comprehensive Contents and Index; includes are special features such as "The Oscar Story" and "
Special Effects: Tricks of the Trade."
They seem to have left out a few of my favorites yet, I am just having fun reading the blurbs. The have everything from "Laura" to "Total Recall"

Book Description

Just as a person contrives a style, the purpose of which is integration and the effect of which is presentation, so a nation collectively projects an appearance, a "national" style. Such styles are made of many layers. The deepest layer is composed of the immutable and the traditional. Nearer the surface floats fashion, changeable but sometimes more abiding. And frothing on the surface is fad. By definition a fad is novel and appears from outside. Fads must have instant appeal and do not have a long shelf life. In Japan, an assortment of islands, the outside is often the quality that defines the inside. Japan has a history of chasing fads and fashion. Since the 19th century, foreign products have been welcomed in, from the cult for "squeaky shoes" in the mid-19th century to the current fad for virtual reality girlfriends. Japan’s mandate was that, having been opened late, it had to hurry to catch up. Fads provide both a social distraction and a sense of cohesion, indicating not only foreign importation but also native adaptation. The Image Factory is both an investigation into fads, fashions and style – such as US Army surplus uniforms, "pachinko", mutating hair colors – and an appreciation of their inherent meanings. The Japanese have seized upon fads and fashion as an arm of enterprise to a much greater extent than elsewhere in the world. Ephemerality has been put to work, the transient has become industrialized, and the results are highly conspicuous.

Customer Reviews:

More on Japan from the Dean of gaijin writers.......2004-10-20

This book attacks a fairly narrow question, "Why does a society with such a reputation for conformity chase such outlandish fads?" Donald Richie, a long timer writer on Japanese culture, tackles this in a series of essays on pachinko, the culture of cute, sex culture and even Japanese who try to look foreign.

In the essays, he proposes explanations for these contradictions in behavior. Perhaps dressing in the outlandish fad of the month is part of a uniform for being in a group that dresses that way - membership created as such. The mobile phone craze (replacing Manga, another fad) is interpreted as an exercize in proving one's group belonging. In doing so, he also suggests that perhaps some of these beliefs about conformity are not to distinct to Japanese. Perhaps their uniqueness is in fessing up to a more universal tribalism.

Very interesting reading for both those interested in contemporary Japan, as well as people interested in the nature of belonging.

This makes a fun subject boring, tedius and scholarly.......2004-10-07

This book makes a fun subject boring, tedius and scholarly. I would only buy this book if you have to write a paper on the subject. I bought it for fun reading because I love cosplay, manga, anime, Japanese pop culture and Japanese fashion. However, this book is filled with complicated, esoteric language meant to alienate the average reader. I don't know who the author thought he was writing for, but it was definitely not for young people who would be intersted in this stuff. It sounds like he was writing it for college literature professors. He really makes it boring! If you want to read a fascinating book about the seedier side of Japanese culture, like about the sex trade, geisha and hostess bars, read Butterflies of Night ISBN: 059532603X. If you want to just see hilariously outrageous photographs of Japanese fashion, buy Fruits by Shoichi Aoki ISBN: 0714840831.

An up to date book of a changing landscape.......2004-03-21

This is an up-to-date book. In a country where fads and fashions change rapidly this book serves as a postcard of the now. The author's writing is articulate and indicates a wide array of research and reading going into the material presented here. He has a good knowledge of the Japanese words used, and their lexigraphic meaning. He has been to the places he talks about and spoken to the people involved.

He covers fads and fashions such as kawaii (cute), manga (comics), pachinko (vertical pinball as gambling) and kosupure (costume play). He also doesn't shirk away from the sex industry and porn, an major cultural asset in Japan. The use of mobile phones and faux theme parks. From fashion shops in Shinjuku and Harajuku to the seedy parts of Tokyo.

Maybe the only thing missing I feel is a discussion on the different aspects of Japanese drinking. Alcohol is an important part of Japanese culture, as are hostess bars. But that is mostly an avenue of the salaryman, where as this book deals more with the younger generations.

Think of this beek as a modern version of Alex Kerr's Lost Japan.

The book also contains 48 colour photos which help to highlight and detail the topic material.

Book Description

The decision to source software development to an overseas firm (offshoring) is looked at frequently in simple economic terms - it's cheaper, and skilled labor is easier to find. In practice, however, offshoring is fraught with difficulties. As well as the considerable challenge of controlling projects at a distance, there are differences in culture, language, business methods, politics, and many other issues to contend with. Nevertheless, as many firms have discovered, the benefits of getting it right are too great to ignore. This book explains everything you need to know to put offshoring into practice, avoid the pitfalls, and develop effective working relationships. It covers a comprehensive range of the important offshoring issues: from ROI to strategy, from SLA to culture, from country comparisons to provider marketing. Written for CTOs, CIOs, consultants, and other IT executives, this book is also an excellent introduction to sourcing for business students.

Download Description

The decision to outsource software development to an overseas firm (offshoring) is frequently looked at in simple economic terms - it's cheaper and skilled labour is easier to find. In practice, however, offshoring is fraught with difficulties. As well as the considerable challenge of controlling projects at a distance, there are differences in culture, language, business methods, politics and many other issues to contend with. Nevertheless, as many firms have discovered, the benefits of getting it right are too great to ignore. This book explains everything you need to know to put offshoring into practice, avoid the pitfalls and develop effective working relationships. Split into three parts: offshoring fundamentals; management competencies; and a section on broader issues including a unique look at the viewpoint of an outsourcing provider. Written for CTOs, CIOs, consultants and other IT executives, this book is also an excellent introduction to outsourcing for business and MIS students.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2007-10-05

Best off shore book out there... great info...lays it out pretty straight. Easy to understand and follow.

An excellent introductory volume and roadmap.......2007-05-01

This volume is well-written, lucid and easy to follow. The authors have done an excellent job in providing an explanatory framework for offshoring, as well as giving a realistic look at potential costs and benefits. Their list of suggestions and guidelines is comprehensive. The book avoids the trap of becoming overly technical and steers clear of being specific to any particular country or industry. I was pleasantly surprised to find chapters on such important topics as country-specific legal pitfalls, privacy rights issues, and how to sell the idea of offshoring inside a company resistant to the idea. The authors livened up their material with numerous case studies to illustrate key points. The level of detail they provided on how to write a solid Service Level Agreement (SLA) was also impressive.

Overall this was an excellent volume, and the only two objections that I have are both minor. First, the book could benefit from a small amount of updating; some of the data, especially in Part I of book, dates from 2001-2003. In any other discipline, that would still be considered fairly recent. However in technology, that verges on being stale. In addition, that was the period of the global downturn in IT. The authors' data would be obviously impacted by that global economic event. To be clear: I do not believe that any of the authors' points would be reversed by updating the data. On the contrary, I expect that current data would only strengthen their points, as the trends they identified have only accelerated since the book's first publication. Second, as noted earlier the authors provided several cases of companies who tried offshoring and either failed, or suffered setbacks. Given the fact that offshoring is not the cure-all for every company, it would have also been useful to see a couple of case studies of companies who investigated the offshoring option but decided against it. It is just as important to understand why a company declines to offshore, as it is to understand why they would undertake to do so.

This is a book that I wish I had read before working on several offshoring/outsourcing projects for former employers. It is highly recommended for anyone who is contemplating the offshore option, or who has recently been put in charge of making such an option successful.

Useful reference for IT Professionals.......2006-04-17

"All things being equal, any manager would prefer to manage a co-located team rather than a distributed team," how true. Authors Erran Carmel and Paul Tija believe that IT managers need to feel as comfortable with managing distributed teams as they are with co-located teams. They intend their book, Offshoring Information Technology, to act as a primer for IT professionals, students and teachers in business and technology programs as well as policy makers and analysts in and around governments. That is a lot of end parties to satisfy, so does this book hit the mark.

Erran Carmel had previously authored, "Global Software Development Teams", in 1999, and has deeply focused on the topic of developing software with global teams for years. It is obvious that a researcher was one of the co-authors, as very accurate listing of references are made, more than you usually see in many of these books on offshoring. These references provide another list of papers and publications that the reader can use for further research. The book makes excellent use of cross-referencing between topics, which also adds to its usage as a good reference tool.

Right off I like the preface in which the authors define the terms offshoring and outsourcing. Since I agree there are many strange definitions leading everyone to think outsourcing means offshoring, this needed to be included. The offshore stage model, previously defined by one of the authors in a research paper, puts the offshoring numbers in to perspective by dividing it in to stages and the number of Fortune 1000 companies currently using the offshoring model. These numbers may be surprising to some, as the actual usage is much smaller than is played up in the media.

The book is full of case studies, most of them fairly interesting. The case study in chapter 9 is meant to show the difference between working in a low-content country versus a high-context country like India. I, along with I believe many practitioners, will look on this case study and say that Christina (not her real name) was not a good manager, no matter where she was working, if they thought dumping a bunch of new work on a team was not going to impact the schedule. Low-content or high-content country aside, the project manager made too many assumptions and may not be the experienced project manager that she thought she was. I think others will see the same when they read it. Another real life case study gives an example of one company trying to do a comparison between countries; what do we learn from it, price wins out over quality in the end, which in reality is often the case.

The emphasis on knowledge transfer is exceptional. This area is often glossed over in many offshoring books. Chapter 7 which is dedicated to managing the offshore transition defines different ways of undertaking knowledge transfer. One of the ways that they describe is to have the developers work in different positions, i.e. put them in to the user's position, so they understand why the user works the way they do. They state that this is new. I started out in banking twenty years ago and this is how I started out, working the user positions of the applications which I was then to develop and maintain, so I do not think this concept is new. But perhaps the authors mean this is new for offshore outsourcing. In all though this section on knowledge transfer is valuable and looks at all of the different types of transfer: skills, process, domain and work and cultural norms. Good emphasis on the fact that the easiest one to achieve is skills transfer, but the other ones are more difficult to achieve. For example it is more difficult to have someone work on dispute resolutions app for credit card processing, when they do not understand how credit card processing works.

Chapter 8 on overcoming distance and time emphasizes and outlines virtual team management. Much of the information presented is included in many books on virtual team management, but as this book is a primer for IT managers, it has a place in this book. Readers will find the suggestions on iteration development; formalizing the iterations and frequency of iterations particularly helpful in a real situation. I whole heartedly agree that this is what builds trust. If you have frequent deliverables, and the remote team meets those frequent deliverables, i.e. they do what they say they are going to do, trust is built. The authors also define the range of deliverables and that it can be anything: plans, outlines, prototypes, simulations, design reviews, test results, software code reviews, module integration and documents. Again I wholeheartedly agree. This will be an area that many IT managers may have to get used to because at first to some it seems like "make work", when in fact all of what is delivered from the offshore is and should be useful for fulfilling the project.

There are a few situations where puzzling statements are used such as the quote on pg. 28, just before a section on IT-enabled services. The quote refers to E-loan and its well-documented offering to its clients of a couple of years ago. At the time E-loan offered the users of their loan service to Press 1 if they wanted their loan processed in 1 day in an Indian center, or to press 2 if they wanted their loan processed in the US which included the statement that the processing may then take longer. In March of 2004, this was written up by many Indian firms as admittance by a US company that Indians are faster. It seems strange that the authors use this statement with no no explanation; for example was it really an admittance that Indians are faster or did it really mean E-loan had 4 times as many processors in India versus the number in the US, thus accounting for how loans could be processed faster there. Or were they working round the clock in India versus only one shift in the US, another reason for the difference. In other areas the authors go to great lengths to explain issues which are reported in the press, such as how offshore labor rates are reported in detail and what they really mean versus the actual total cost of ownership.

The book contains an excellent discussion on the different types of risk, very detailed, to a level not usually defined. Only one area, contractual risk, seemed to be lacking. The authors state that a buyer can mitigate contractual risk by signing a contract with a US company, if you are a US buyer, or with a UK company if you are a UK buyer, i.e. with a company which is also domiciled in your location versus in the offshore location only. The authors also refer to the chapter on Legal issues of offshoring where contractual risk will be further defined. In that chapter, however, only mention to reduce contractual risk is to work with providers who can provide a combination of onshore/offshore resources, thus enabling a buyer to access the provider's onshore resources if necessary. They seem to fail to mention one of the bigger issues; if the contract does go awry, even if you are dealing with the big Indian players, most of the assets that of that vendor are located in the offshore location. If any case, you will have to bring suit against that vendor in their home country. Large buyers already seem to be aware of this based on both outsourcing and vertical conferences I have attended over the last couple of years.

There were two areas where I thought more emphasis could have been made, if this is a book is really meant to assist IT professionals. One of these areas is helping the IT manager assess their own offshore readiness; how do they feel about the process, are they ready to change how they work, are they ready to manage by not walking around? The second area of missed opportunity is assisting IT professionals in defining what could be a new role for them in the global environment, for example by working in and/or managing the offshore office which is responsible for managing the onshore and offshore outsourcing for a client.

Offshoring Information Technology is an informative and educational book for IT managers looking to define their place in the offshoring world. The details provided on the offshoring process and through the case studies will make it easy for an IT professional to determine where they may need to gain additional knowledge to move their career forward. The book will be most useful and most familiar to those IT professionals currently working in or with large scale enterprises as most case studies and examples such as in total cost of ownership and the governance areas, use examples from large enterprises. This book is highly recommended for IT professionals who are looking at career development as well as those persons who are in a position to help their countries promote their outsourcing capabilities.

Valuable Strategic Perspective.......2005-10-19

This book does an excellent job of linking offshoring to a company's business strategy. Many companies are pursuing offshoring to take advantage of lower wages in other countries. Chapter 5 shows how cost reduction can be strategic, and the other potential non-cost-based advantages of offshoring. Its treatment is also balanced, showing the downsides, costs, and risks of offshoring as well as the benefits. And it talks about choices companies have in implementing an offshore strategy.

I am Executive Director of a research center on process management, and we have done research in this area. I know and respect Erran Carmel, the author, and Peter Schumacher, who co-authored Chapter 5. Peter's work is grounded in consulting that he has done at the Value Leadership Group, which advises companies on how to think beyond cost cutting and view offshore as an opportunity to build unique competitive advantage.

Useful and comprehensive.......2005-08-04

This is a rather comprehensive look of why software
development gets offshored and of how to do it right
should you decide to try it yourself. The authors are
an academic and a consultant, making the book an
appealing blend of evidence-based theory and practical
advice. The focus is primarily on software
development, with some attention paid to such
IT-enabled services as call centers.

The two most appealing things about the book are its
maintenance of a practical tone and its
comprehensiveness in identifying the many things you
need to get right to get offshoring to work right. For
example, international projects tend to get into
serious difficulty if the customer is unwilling or
unable to provide sufficiently detailed specifications
to bring task ambiguity down to the level that can
survive the communications problems caused by distance
and cultural differences.

The authors put a lot of effort into explaining why
some countries have been successful at growing an
offshoring business and others not. This insight is
valuable for companies into offshoring for the long
haul, as you need to understand how wage rates and
technology depth wax and wane over time.

The book also has a number of chapters written by
specialists in such important ancillary areas as
international contacts and managing cultural
differences. All in all, a very useful book.

Book Description

Medical technology meets the rural values of simplicity, home health remedies, and unwavering faith in divine providence when a country-boy-turned-country-doctor returns to his roots. House Calls and Hitching Posts is a sometimes humorous and often intimate account of Dr. Elton Lehman's 36 years of practicing medicine among the Amish of Wayne, Holmes, and surrounding counties in Ohio, for which he was named Country Doctor of the year.

Now you can witness house calls and private moments between doctors and patients. Joe brings his dismembered fingers to the office in a coffee can filled with kerosene. Katie delivers a boy for the doctor's first home-birth. And three-year-old Davy rallies to overcome a life-threatening illness at birth only to be crushed under a tractor wheel. Here are the joys and dilemmas of a family practitioner among a rural and predominantly-Amish community.

Customer Reviews:

Doctoring the Amish.......2007-09-16

If you are interested in Amish culture, this is a great book to read to get a snapshot of what types of challenges, ethical and medical, on a typical Amish farm. The writing style is easy to follow and very descriptive. The Amish people have such a strong faith and are very family oriented which is a refreshing change to read. If you are a nurse or a physician, you would really appreciate the ingenuity that is needed when dealing with blunt force trauma from a farming accident or just the challenge of getting to someone's rural home in 6 feet of snow.

Dr. to the amish.......2007-04-11

This was a wonderful book . Once I started reading it I could not put it down. It is amazing to realize that there are still Dr.'s out in the world that care so much for their patients.

House Calls and Hitching Posts.......2007-03-16

If you enjoy reading and learning about the Amish, you will enjoy this book.

Excellent Read.......2007-02-25

I had heard about this book from an Amish friend and how much she had enjoyed it. Thoroughly enjoyable to read. The story is an example of model healthcare and should be copied and learned from.

5th grade writing level.......2006-12-30

I can't believe this book has 4 1/2 stars! The writing was so terrible and the stories so very generalized and brief that I actually returned the book!

Book Description

Mapping the World is a one-of-a-kind collection of cartographic treasures that spans thousands of years and many cultures, from an ancient Babylonian map of the world etched on clay to the latest high-tech maps of the earth, seas, and the skies above. With more than one hundred maps and other illustrations and an introduction and running commentary by Ralph E. Ehrenberg, this book tells a fascinating story of geographic discovery, scientific invention, and the art and technique of mapmaking.

Mapping the World is organized chronologically with a brief introduction that places the maps in their historical context. Special "portfolios" within each section feature key cartographic innovators and maps of exceptional artistic quality or significance, such as the 1507 Waldseemüller Map, the first to use the name America. Unusual and surprising maps are also presented, including a set of playing cards that contained a secret escape map for American prisoners in Germany during World War II.

With its broad historical and cultural range, unmatched variety of maps from the finest map collections in the world, more than one hundred illustrations, and a fresh and authoritative perspective on the history of cartography, Mapping the World will delight everyone with an interest in maps and mapmaking like no other book on the subject.

Customer Reviews:

Cartography.......2007-04-11

A must have book for anyone that loves the history of maps and how they have changed during time.

Mapping the World.......2006-08-28

Stunning pictures, brilliant descriptions and text that is relevant, readable and informative.

Recommend for any serious world history collection, from the high school level on up.......2006-01-04

Mapping The World: An Illustrated History Of Cartography comes from one of the major publishers specializing in geography subjects: so one would anticipate an exceptional production in book form - and it's not disappointing. Author Ralph Ehrenberg is former chief of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress, among other major archives: his background lends to a lovely coverage of over a hundred maps from around the world and across the eras. Each full-page color maps is accompanied by a detailed history and explanation setting the map in social and historical perspective. Recommend for any serious world history collection, from the high school level on up.

And in this corner..........2005-12-21

Two very fine and beautiful books about maps appeared at the end of 2005, published within a month of each other. The other one is "The Map Book" edited by Peter Barber. I happened to discover "The Map Book" before "Mapping the World", although the latter was published first. Like "The Map Book", "Mapping the World" has at its center beautifully reproduced maps in chronological order with lively and informative texts and explanations. Unlike "The Map Book", "Mapping the World" has a single author of the texts, giving the latter a more unified voice and a greater sense of historical narrative. The curious reader may delve deeper into either book on any page and become engaged in the history, culture, and technology embodied in a particular map. Both books sit on my coffee table both for easy access and conspicuous display.

Average customer rating:

Very good analysis of the catastrophic U.S. foreign policy

The bias of a Chompsky

FAILED STATES: THE ABUSE OF POWER AND THE ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY

Great

an uneasy reality

Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy
Noam Chomsky
Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Iraq | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books
21st Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Democracy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
U.S. | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance (American Empire Project)

Armed Madhouse: From Baghdad to New Orleans--Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild

Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic (American Empire Project)

The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East

Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq

ASIN: 0805082840
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

“It’s hard to imagine any American reading this book and not seeing his country in a new, and deeply troubling, light.”—The New York Times Book Review

The United States has repeatedly asserted its right to intervene militarily against “failed states” around the globe. In this much-anticipated follow-up to his international bestseller Hegemony or Survival, Noam Chomsky turns the tables, showing how the United States itself shares features with other failed states—suffering from a severe “democratic deficit,” eschewing domestic and international law, and adopting policies that increasingly endanger its own citizens and the world. Exploring the latest developments in U.S. foreign and domestic policy, Chomsky reveals Washington’s plans to further militarize the planet, greatly increasing the risks of nuclear war. He also assesses the dangerous consequences of the occupation of Iraq; documents Washington’s self-exemption from international norms, including the Geneva conventions and the Kyoto Protocol; and examines how the U.S. electoral system is designed to eliminate genuine political alternatives, impeding any meaningful democracy.

Forceful, lucid, and meticulously documented, Failed States offers a comprehensive analysis of a global superpower that has long claimed the right to reshape other nations while its own democratic institutions are in severe crisis. Systematically dismantling the United States’ pretense of being the world’s arbiter of democracy, Failed States is Chomsky’s most focused—and urgent—critique to date.

Customer Reviews:

Very good analysis of the catastrophic U.S. foreign policy.......2007-09-19

This is my first Chomsky book. It is quite clear he is an academic and able to say the same thing in different ways (at least through out the first half of the book) but the context is nevertheless good and important- as a nation, we are "bullies" and it is ok for us to break laws but not for everyone else. He gives specific examples like treaties that have been violated and UN resolutions that we vetoed and violated too in order to protect and pursue our national security interests. And given the new generation of politicians- neoliberals and neoconservatives- it is nothing new when it comes to the Iraq War- It's all in the name of national security. We really don't care about democracy in the Middle East only that our thirst for oil is met.

The second part of the the book he clarifies the context and the meaning of the failed states. He delineates several examples after World War II in which we meddled into foreign country affairs and created "failed states"- from countries in Central America, South America, and the Middle East. Now because of our corrupt, immoral, and greedy influence, we are now more than ever looking like a failed state.

I thought he made several very good points but it was nothing new to me given that I have already read various books relating to U.S. foreign policy already. The only criticism I had was that it seemed redundant at times. Overall though, very good and recommended.

The bias of a Chompsky.......2007-09-10

Mr. Chompsky never fails me. Whenever I want to read something that makes me dislike America, I can count on Noam. His failure to be honest in this book is apparent from about page 5 onward. His positive reviews are pretty much canned and produced by the Jim Jomes style followers he courts on college campuses. I give this book only 2 stars. One star because he uses a few big words and another star because in actually writing a book and marketing it, he is contributing to capitalism. Other than that, his rhetoric is tedous.

FAILED STATES: THE ABUSE OF POWER AND THE ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY.......2007-08-31

THIS WELL-RESPECTED AUTHOR HAS DONE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE A GREAT FAVOR WITH THIS EASILY READ, WELL DOCUMENTED BOOK. TO ADMIT THAT WE, AS AMERICANS, HAVE INDULGED IN AND ALLOWED SUCH ABUSES OF POWER IS HUMILIATING. BUT WITH THIS AWARENESS, THERE IS HOPE WE CAN CHANGE COURSE AND MOVE AWAY FROM BEING A "FAILED STATE."

Great.......2007-08-06

Well researched, well thought out. Another fine book. I will use it with my history students.

an uneasy reality.......2007-07-21

Reading Chomsky is like being sprayed in the face with a garden hose. Just as there is no question that you are now soaking wet, there is no question about what our country has become. Noam Chomsky is an excellent author who manages to get his point across with a good dose of truth and factual evidence. There is no denying what he says and it makes you fear the path our nation's leaders have chosen despite the wishes of the citizens. The author demonstrates a real need for change and gives you ideas on how to effect those changes. A quick read loaded with fact and not all that preachy. A good book to be sure.

Failed States- The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy

Average customer rating:

Failed States

Failed States- The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy
Noam Chomsky
Manufacturer: Metropolitan Books- Henry Holt & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0739471872

Customer Reviews:

Failed States.......2006-12-07

....Among the hardest tasks that anyone can undertake, and one of the most important, is to look honestly in the mirror. If we allow ourselves to do so, we should have little difficulty in finding the characteristics of "failed states" right at home. That recognition of reality should be deeply troubling to those who care about their countries and future generations. "Countries," plural, because of the enormous reach of US power, but also because the threats are not localized in space and time.

The first half of this book is devoted mostly to the increasing threat of destruction caused by US state power, in violation of international law, a topic of particular concern for citizens of the world dominant power, however one assesses the relevant threats. The second half is concerned primarily with democratic institutions, how they are conceived in the elite culture and how they performed in reality, both in "promoting democracy" abroad and shaping it at home.

The issues are closely interlinked, and arise in several contexts. In discusing them, to save excessive footnoting I will omit sources when they can easily be found in recent books of mine.
--- excerpts from book's Preface

Average customer rating:

Failed States: A Lecture
Noam Chomsky
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000N85U8G

The seamy side of U.S. foreign policy.(Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy)(Book review): An article from: National Catholic Reporter

Average customer rating:

The seamy side of U.S. foreign policy.(Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy)(Book review): An article from: National Catholic Reporter
Tom Gallagher
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from National Catholic Reporter, published by Thomson Gale on October 6, 2006. The length of the article is 933 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: The seamy side of U.S. foreign policy.(Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy)(Book review)
Author: Tom Gallagher
Publication: National Catholic Reporter (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 6, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 42 Issue: 43 Page: 12a(1)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Failed States: the Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy
Noam Chomsky
Manufacturer: Metropolitan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7BV0S

Book Description

This unique collection of primary documents examines the evolution of concern about environmental degradation, pollution, and resource conservation in America from the colonial period to the end of the twentieth century. The historical introductions to each part and to each document provide a context for analyzing each document and will aid readers to better understand the various stands taken in debates over how, why, and if our environment needs to be protected. Students and others interested in environmental problems are encouraged to consider all sides of these complex issues before drawing their own conclusions. The documents are taken from the writings of naturalists, including botanists and ornithologists; conservationists, ranging from forest managers to game hunters to grassroots activists; scientists, philosophers, and theologians; lawyers and judges; politicians and industrialists; sociologists and economists; artists, designers, architects; and poets and novelists; as well as from government reports; federal, state, and local legislation; and court cases. They include a wide variety of attitudes about environmental issues ranging from the apocalyptic view that we must immediately diminish our impact on the environment to the belief that we can use whatever resources we want for the advancement of human well-being because human ingenuity can resolve whatever problems ensue. The book, with its broad array of perspectives, will be a welcome resource for students wishing to explore controversial environmental issues from as many different angles as possible.

Documentary History of the First Federal Congress of the United States of America, March 4, 1789-March 3, 1791: Debates in the House of Representatives, ... of America, March 4, 1789-March 3, 1791)

Average customer rating:

Documentary History of the First Federal Congress of the United States of America, March 4, 1789-March 3, 1791: Debates in the House of Representatives, ... of America, March 4, 1789-March 3, 1791)

Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Congresses, Senates, & Legislative Bodies | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Constitutions | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Outdoors & Nature | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0801845769

Book Description

Volumes 12 and 13 of this highly acclaimed documentary edition cover the first Congress's second session, from January to August 1790. Among other important issues in this critical period, Congress debated Hamilton's report on the public credit, federal assumption of state Revolutionary War debts, and antislavery petitions from Pennsylvania Quakers. The editors once more have assembled the most complete and reliable text of the debates by examining a variety of sources: stenographer Thomas Lloyd's shorthand notes, his Congressional Register, and contemporary newspaper accounts.

Praise for previous volumes:

"A treasure-trove of incomparable knowledge about the beginnings of Congress."--Presidential Studies Quarterly.

"A window into [the] time... Rich in anecdotes and illuminating detail."--Washington Post.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books