finally a readable book,  style and facts and sympathy
924702
I think this is a very valuable and interesting biography. Interesting because Mz Medwick has a scholars touch, she is comfortable with the material and has done much research. Also the author presents the  information so that it can help others. Even if the reader is not a  believer I think this book will reveal a time and place and personality  that will be informative and entertaining, this makes it valuable.
2292004
I have had the pleasure of knowing the author. I don't want this review to seem biased, and I hope it doesn't come across that way, but, the reason that I wanted to start this review off with that information is that, of all of the researchers I know, Carmine has the most unbending desire to seek out evidence. He disdains conjecture. If there is one word that, above all, that comes to mind when I think of Mr. Savastano, it is "evidence." He has spent many, many hours scouring documents trying to find the most rock solid pieces of valid information. Corroboration and substantiation are hallmarks of his work, almost a part of his personality.

Let's talk about the book. He has tackled three subjects that will forever be connected in the minds of US historians, as well as people who lived through the heady days of the 1960s: the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King. This would be a daunting task to most authors, due to the complexities of the subjects, but Savastano, true to his form, has cut through a lot of the complexities and gets right to the marrow of the issues. He begins with the assassination of John Kennedy. Instead of taking the tempting route of waxing poetic about the historical importance and drama of the event, he simply gives conclusions behind possible motives in a very direct way. In my mind, this is a very refreshing approach. He continues with this tone throughout his treatment of the three assassinations. Very direct, easy to follow, but backed up with evidence. Savastano avoids controversial conspiracy theories and instead focuses on what he has found in the official documentation, much of which has been made readily available through the Internet and has yet to be fully utilized, thereby giving readers a chance to learn from his hard work.

I found the book to be very easy to read and very informative. Also, the subjects of the deaths of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King have sort of taken a backseat to the JFK assassination, so purchasing this book gives a buyer a chance to read a primer on three events for the price of one book. Overall, a very effective and well-constructed piece.
1649576
Factual, very readable. As a fellow former insider I found very little to quibble with on his factual presentation. It has enough detail to convey the facts without getting bogged down too much in unnecessary side excursions. As a fellow recovering Scientologist I found his chapter on getting free from Scientology to be invaluable.

It is hard to get outside myself and imagine what someone completely new to the subject might experience reading this book, but I think they would find it very valuable. There is even a brief section on how to help your friends or relatives that are trapped in the cult. If you read that, and follow up with reading some of the references you could help someone quite a lot.

Finally, why Scientology? Why not read about warm puppies or sunsets instead? Factually Scientology is a tiny footnote in the history of obscure religious excesses and would not be long for the world if the criminal justice system was a little more active. Next year it may be even less. But the flaws in the human psyche that made Scientology possible, and which also drive far more active and dangerous movements, are still with us and will probably always be with us. We can read about the silly things Scientologists believe and laugh, but belief in silly things is not what makes them dangerous. It is what they do, the damage they cause in their ignorance and fanaticism, the terrible cost in human lives and sanity, that makes them worthy of study.

Chris has done a good job of making it understandable, and showing how intelligent and successful people can get sucked in along with the hopeless losers.
1337244
I liked 'Serial Murder 101.'

It is, first, well-written for a book of its type, with a clear, no-nonsense format that gets the facts across. Furthermore, the author shows an impressive objectivity throughout the text, allowing very little emotion or opinion to color her account of the case -- refreshingly so, in my experience. (For me, there's nothing more frustrating than reading a nonfictional book that's riddled with unessential commentary and distorting bias.) Another plus in this regard: the book contains a minimum of sensationalism, despite the overstatement inherent in its title (Mr. Krajcir's academic involvement in crime was minimal, if I remember correctly). As it were, these elements combined to render 'Serial Murder' fit for study and evaluation, rather than tabloid-like entertainment.

Thus, that was, for me, the book's ultimate value: as an existential study. Namely, 'Serial Murder' ran the gamut of subject matter, from psychological inquiry, to the raising of philosophical questions, to a broad-scale examination of the human experience at large. Through the stories of Mr. Krajcir, his victims, and their survivors, we can learn a lot, as much about ourselves and the depths of the mind as about the external world; in fact, these insights could, in some small way, work toward the prevention of future crimes, by addressing the confusion and self-contradiction that afflicts so many of us today. If nothing else, the book presents one practical, takeaway lesson: that, yes, there are confused, predatory individuals within the general population, who seek to fulfill violent desires rooted in obscure motives -- so, protect yourself accordingly. (Even for me personally, who has made an extensive study of such individuals, I found it helpful to be reminded of this reality, which can so easily be forgotten if one does not regularly cross a predator's path.)

I did come away from the read with one complaint: the latter portion of the book is unnecessarily detailed, as to become awkward (in particular, the interviews with Mr. Krajcir could, in my opinion, have been summarized without factual sacrifice, rather than printed verbatim). Though, this was a mere nuisance, failing at devaluing the book as a whole. (Also, I suspect that this drawing-out was done for editorial purposes, to expand the text to a paperback-friendly size.)

My thanks goes out to this book's author, subjects, and publisher. I am grateful for, and have benefited from, your work and service.
4826984
Two of the best authors...factual, yet readable by the general public.
3685521
Rescued from our library recycle bin (a great source for free reads and neglected treasures), this one proved worthy.  Since I never review material thats already covered, I hope to add some worthwhile comments for other readers.

Its a terrific book.  I thoroughly enjoy every page.  That some reviewers didn't like a few characters proves Mr. Dodge succeeded in transcribing truth.  Dont be misled or neglect this book.  It is a significant, minor masterpiece, a superb bit of modern American literature.

No spoilers here.  Read the book for your own conclusions.  Be assured Mr. Dodge knows his music and rock-and-roll history.  He is a serious fan of early rock and that brief, fecund, promising period just after the sterile fifties, with information carefully inserted at appropriate times without appearing like lectures.  I enjoyed reading lyrics and the book sent me to the internet to supplement what I missed.

Mr. Dodges supporting cast is believably true and they are all, each and every one, interesting.  Fascinating.  His gift for dialogue is right on, from Granny Norgadams Midwestern twang to Double-Gones colored dialect.  A few dull moments tested my patience but generally his book is quick paced with many surprises and delightful experiences.

I do not suggest the story to those intolerant of swearing or unsympathetic of addiction.  Mr. Dodge clearly understands the demands and insistences of psychotropic drugs and alcohol.  It is purposefully scatological and real, gritty, pithy, honest and provocative.  In a remarkable display, all our human emotions are dissected, joy and despair, love and hatred, avarice and charity, and it goes on and on.  I read slowly and carefully to savor Mr. Dodges illusions and the careful, thoughtfully controlled chemistry of his prose.  This is not a quaint allegory and there is no preaching.  One accepts Mr. Dodges view or walks away blindsided and obtuse.  There are no prisoners or middle ground.  This is a remarkably skillful, cunning writing.
903605
My husband had this book and recommended that I read it.  It is a large tome and I approached it with a bit of trepidation, expecting something Dickenson, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  It is very approachable and highly readable.  This book is, basically, about the life of Tyl Ulenspiegl, from his birth, following him as he grows into manhood.  He is a highly charismatic person and, although it is a bit of a detriment in the times he lives in (set in the earliest years of Christianity, when it was most set on wiping out any vestiges of Paganism using the most ghastly means possible, and upholding "holiness" using those same means), quite the ladies' man.  The story follows him as he is banished from his home village in Belgium (I think - it has been a couple years since I read it and it is a bit hard to excavate from where it is right now) for many years (as well as keeping us updated on what is transpiring back home) and he keeps running across many of the same characters in his travels.  He unfortunately arrives home just in time for a gross miscarriage in justice; but I do not wish to ruin the story by providing any spoilers, so I will not go into any specific details.  This book provides many moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity; it also has just as many moments of somber sorrow.  It provides ghastly horror as well.  The overall message of the story seemed to be that when the Men in Black Robes (religion) were given too much power over the people, then destruction of their lifestyle was sure to follow; however, life would go on, because humanity could rise above any circumstances thrown their way.  In the end, it is a message of the triumph of humanity over the pettiness of religious dogma, I felt.  I should also point out that not all religious persons were painted in negative light - only those who were extremeists.  Many were true Christians, willing to follow the examples set by Christ of true love for their neighbors.  I don't want to put off people from reading this book, thinking that it slams all religion, because it doesn't - it just speaks very strongly against dogmatics who attack that which they don't understand and thus feel they must destroy it.  This is an amazing book and I am very sad that is is no longer in print - I hope that people can get their hands on it and read it - it is very worthwhile.
4115185
Now that winter is here you may be looking for a book to keep you company as you sit by the fire on long evenings. If you have a taste for American history this is an almost perfect choice. Granted there are no surprise zingers, no wow new factoids, but this very readable, well organized and precise biography of Washington is a contemporary version of "The Essential Man." As his contemporaries sometimes noted, Washington seems to have been providentially at the center of the important events of his times. The early chapters of the book present a clear version of the Jumonville affair and its consequences. And then effectively develops the metaphor of Washington as a sort of keystone holding the arc of the revolution in place. Recent televison presentations on the battles of Long Island and later Trenton, as well as some discussions of the sufferings of the troops at VAlley Forge, give us some sense of how important Washington's ability to keep the army in existance was for the success of the cause. There is a sound case that it was the army,  not cities or fortifications which was essential for final victory. The military analysis centers on this theme and how it played into and against Washington's character. His personal convictions concerning the necessity of the Constitutional reform and his sense of the presidency are seen within the scope of these shaping experiences. The final chapters, detailing the Federalist - Republican conflict reveals a side of Jefferson and Madison which is not often made so public today. Certainly there is adequate reason to question the belief advanced elsewhere that reactionary elements hijacked the revolution in the establishment of the federal government. The lessons of this book are still to be considered in today's national life.
1923200
Like the author, I have despaired over the lack of quality, integrity, interests and objectivity of the news industry, and have sadly concluded that the only one left with any objectivity at all is the BBC. So it was very interesting and informative to read an insiders take on this business.

The author, having made his living from writing for three decades or more, has produced a smooth, polished product. It flows easily from paragraph to paragraph and is a thoroughly enjoyable read.  The tales of early life in Dublin, his parents and their influences, his early stage career, cutting his teeth in broadcasting and then settling into the Calgary Herald as a respected Herald Staff Writer are all excellent reading.

Brian does bog down a bit, in my opinion, on the management issues, labour difficulties and protracted strike that led to his eventual exit from the newspaper. This is understandable to a degree, given how involved he was with the Club of 93. The average reader may also want a dictionary close by, so thank goodness for the Kindle automatic lookup feature, which instantly defines a word.

All in all, I highly recommend this book. It is insightful, very well written, and a clear explanation as to how Canada greatly benefits from a more open immigration policy. A policy that focuses on those who are willing and able to learn and make serious contributions, in this case to our literary heritage that is just now finding its presence. I look forward to reading his other books.
815678
This book is a very readable survey of the last 30 years or so of capital punishment law in the U.S., although the focus on case precedents, constitutional issues and the appeals process probably make it most of interest to attorneys and others who know something about the justice system.  It relates the stories of numerous attorneys, defendants, and activists involved in cases, and is told primarily from the point of view of the defense, although occasionally you hear the voice of a prosecutor. If you know anything about the anti-death-penalty movement in the USA you will recognize many of the key characters and cases, and the book will give you a good timeline and background.  If you are interested in learning more about this area or are still figuring out where you stand on the death penalty, this book will provide good food for thought.

The book is not for the squeamish, since the details of some of the crimes leading to Death Row are pretty horrific, and may make some readers wonder how anyone could stand to defend a person.  The fact that at least some of the anti-death-penalty advocates and activists are cast in a bit of a heroic light contrasts with the fact that many of their Death Row clients are without a doubt guilty of very bad acts.  Nevertheless, the author does get the point across through many, many examples that capital punishment is an unwieldy process, unevenly applied.  I was on the fence about the death penalty when I first read this book but after I read it, I was convinced that the death penalty as applied in the US today is irretrivably broken due to the disparity in sentencing and the very real possibility that some innocent persons end up getting executed.

The book subtly hints at some of the "class" distinctions between the lawyers on either side.  For example, one of the anti-death-penalty counsels went to a very fine school and was also one of Bill Clinton's defense attorneys, while the prosecutor on the other side is someone without such advantages who feels that he has had to fight for everything he got in life.  If you know anything about the legal system, you know what the book doesn't explicitly state, namely that losing a major death penalty case can adversely affect the career of a prosecutor or other state or local official, while it may or may not have an effect on the defense counsel depending on where he practices and the public's perception of the convicted person (i.e. guilty, innocent, or having some mitigating circumstances).  But these points are not hammered home in the book; you just have to know or understand them as you read the human-interest stories within.
2196124
Few people I know of reach out to buy these sort of books but I was given this book at a gift exchange.
Naturally, this book remained on the coffee table awaiting it's funeral after an appropriate mourning period.
That is till my wife picked it up and started reading it. At the best of times, she does read the odd newspaper article but she persevered with this book.
Piqued at her perseverance , I started reading it too. The book is fairly easy to read and what I found refreshing in this book is the examples and anecdotes are stated matter-of-factly. Having read it, I felt pleased with myself and more importantly, with the book too.
Felt a good book needs a friendly holler once in a while!
3277713
Cornwell's book deserved to be written and read by all. It is a well documented and very readable book about a very controversial subject.
While it is easy to look at the book as anti-Catholic, it is not.  It is a history of individuals, who happenend to be the leaders of a church, who believed that the health and strength of the church was more important than the lives of nonbelievers.  While this can be understandable conduct for most, it is difficult to understand for those who are supposed to be the Vicar of Christ on Earth.  If the book was limited to this subject, it would have been worthy enough.  However, the strident position of the church that it had done nothing wrong is perhaps of more interest.
That the church defended the treaty with the Third Reich that prohibited the Catholic Center party from continuing in the political field is undefendable.  It removed the last political barrier to Hitler's rise to power and facilitated the Nazi siezure of power.
Cormwell chronicles the above and deals deftly with the subject.  An important read for those who wish to learn the history of the rise of Hitler and the limitation of established religions response to evil.
1402747
This book was given to me as a gift in 1989.  I'm ashamed to say that I only just completed reading it.  Several times I tried, only to get bogged down somewhere in the first 50 pages.

This time, however, I persevered and found myself in the midst of a great historical account of the horrors and fascination of the French Revolution.  I then read it in big gulps that went far too late into the night.

Schama brings clarity and magisterial comprehensiveness to his task.  His account is both fascinatingly readable, but retains a scholarly persuasiveness.  Schama also has definite views of his subject.  He makes a strong case that the ancien regime was undergoing rapid change from absolutism to constitutional monarchy, and that the Revolution, with its several year side trip into violence and repression, actually retarded societal transformation and led inevitably to the rise of the Terror and ultimately of Bonaparte.

Schama also makes a compelling case that the horrors of the Revolution were a natural result of a society built on abstractions like the "General Will" (which allows those in power to define it and proscribe all who do not follow it).  Without making direct comparisons, Schama's narrative demonstrates that the French Revolution was precursor to the even more invidious violence of Stalinist and Maoist communism.  Pol Pot would have fit in well in France in 1793.

At the same time that Schama provides a strong overarching narrative, he provides intimate portraits of the participants, including a convincing defense of Marie Antoinette's innocence of the "big lies" that the propagandists of the revolution spread about her.  She was flawed, but she was not evil.

Finally, Schama highlights the power that a small group of committed ideologues and opportunists can wield if they have control of propaganda and the ability to mobilize the duped masses.  These are lessons that Lenin learned well.

"Citizens" is one of the finest examples of popular history.  It is readable but grounded in impeccable scholarship.  The sixteen years that passed between its publication and my reading of it has not robbed this great book of its freshness and relevance.
2423048
Very well written, researched and sourced. Hall's point of view also gives the story a credible but surreal and haunting quality. He keeps a healthy objectivity about his explanation of events, conversations, and facts, but his connection to the story brings a sense of somber appreciation to his analysis, which comes across earnestly to the reader. I do wonder if the mysteries have been solved or any more questions answered in the years since this book's release. Thanks to Andy for telling this tragic story in such a compelling but respectful fashion.
2337070
When one reads a book about recent presidents or politics, one can expect there to be a certain bias.  This is natural from any author.  After reading over 500 pages on the presidential lives of every president from Truman to Obama, I could not think of a phrase or sentence that reflected any partisanship of the authors.  This is high praise.

This is a fine detailed history of the ex-Presidents' influence on their successors.  Even if you think you've kept up with the news over the last 60 or so years, you are sure to learn a lot - for good or for ill - in this wonderfully readable tome.

The authors give plenty of background.  The research was incredible.  Every fact is backed with a quote or reference.  All of it fits and enhances their history and major themes.  The themes?  Ex-presidents want two things: to preserve the office and its dignity and to contribute once out of office.  These themes recurred and the authors included instances on both counts of when these were assets to America and when they probably were not (see primarily Nixon).

Although the book looks daunting, it is so well written that the reader's interest is held throughout.  Parts read like a novel.  Highly recommended especially for political and presidential wonks.
134109
Anyone fortunate enough to read the first few chapters of this terrific work by William Manchester will no longer wonder why he is considered one of the finest historians writing about the 20th century. From the opening  description of the tensions in Washington in the early 1930s with the  conflict over the so-called "bonus marchers" to the ending essay  on the removal of Richard Nixon from the Presidency in disgrace in 1974,  there simply isn't a dull page in the book. As for anyone who hasn't  experienced this author and his superb prose style, there is no time to  waste!
This truly is a masterful and magisterial historical narrative of  the period of time from the onset of the Depression to the climax of the  Watergate scandal; all the color and detail one would want from a work  purporting to cover such a momentous time span in our recent national  melodrama is here in spades. His prose style is at once both erudite and  immensely readable, and he always seems conversational even when discussing  matters that are delicate or controversial. Whether discussing the  momentous details of FDR's "New Deal", the daring and cunning of  the Japanese in carrying out the attack on Pearl Harbor, the sad and  sorrowful political potshots taken by scurrilous swine like Joe McCarthy  during the House Un-American Activities Committee or the quizzically  vengeful approach taken by insiders during the Nixon years, Manchester  consistently steers us knowingly and safely through the rocks and shoals of  domestic history, avoiding veering into the controversial reefs and coral  that can rip us to shreds with partisan political revisionism and  politically-correct views.
As he does in other books such as  "American Caesar" and "The Death Of A President",  Manchester always satisfies the reader's curiosity without being salacious,  gossipy, or unfair. He takes great pains to be objective and as thorough as  possible, and the sources he cites are always impeccable. If I have any  criticism of the book at all, it relates to its long length, as I read the  two-volume hard cover version a friend gave me as a birthday present. It is  really a small quibble, however, for though it was along read I came away  from the several week reading adventure feeling much better informed, and  with a much better perspective on many of the troubling issues that have  transpired in the fabled years since the Depression. I heartily recommend  this book, but advise you to find yourself a comfortable armchair to escape  to with book in hand. You are going to want to devour it. Enjoy!
3671250
Books that I have read on the American Civil War generally tend to focus on a few of its many facets:  causes, politics, flamboyant individuals, military strategies, equipment, battles, health/medical issues, camp life, etc. This book concentrates mainly on the physical and mental anguish that were endured by Civil War soldiers, particularly those captured and sent to a POW camp. It also includes a great amount of detail on the horrible Sultana maritime disaster and its aftermath. As a vehicle, the author follows the lives of a few survivors, i.e., Union soldiers who endured the many shortcomings of camp life, were captured, suffered through - and barely survived - unspeakable horrors in POW camps, were eventually sent home weak, sick and malnourished via the grossly overcrowded steamship Sultana and somehow survived the Sultana's explosion/destruction on a cold April night on the frigid overflowing Mississippi River. Through vivid descriptions and spellbinding narrative, the author did an excellent job in imparting to the reader at least a glimmer of what it must have been like for a human being to go through all of this within a matter of months. The writing style is clear, widely accessible, authoritative, compassionate and immensely gripping. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, especially Civil War enthusiasts and those interested in true stories of human endurance and human behaviour under unrelenting traumatic conditions.