Well done book about very bad prople
353273
Well written, quick read, interesting topic. For some reason i'm required to write 14 more words. Now 2.piss off wanker!!
3067976
This book does a very good job of helping people recognize behaviors and actions that may lead to trouble.  Unfortunately, this book has some flaws and certainly could have been better.

Mr. De Becker is clearly an expert at teaching about manipulation, grooming, and other patterns of behavior that often precede violence.  He does a great service in explaining techniques used by antisocials and ways to counteract them by following our instincts.

On the down side, the book contains a lot of anti-gun propaganda.  The author tends to make unsubstantiated claims about how having a gun makes one less safe.  He uses a couple of examples while ignoring the hundreds of cases annually where individuals with weapons have saved their own lives or those of others.

Additionally, he tends to do a lot of self promotion for his company and name dropping of the ultra leftist elites of Hollywood.  Although it may impress some readers that he has connections with Rosie O'Donnell and Barbara Streisand, it certainly does nothing to enhance his credibility.  On the contrary, it makes him appear to be a liberal with an agenda.  In this case, that is making people less self reliant for their own protection while promoting his company.  That is unfortunate as it takes away from the rest of the book that is so good.

In spite of the propaganda and self promotion, I would encourage people to read this book.  It has a lot of good to go along with the bad parts.  It might just help save the life of someone who is involved with an abusive partner or dealing with a stalker.
1633797
The author has written a well documented and detailed account of how less than 1% of Americans are getting rich of the backs of the other 99%. And, it isn't just individuals who are reaping millions of dollars from taxpayers...it's also corporations.

Some of the items presented in detail in the book include how one of the largest baseball teams in the country destroyed a public park for a new stadium, had it paid for by the citizens, and then gave payback to politicians who helped.

Or the two major hunting and fishing chains that got millions and millions in tax subsidies to build stores based on false and unsustainable promises, and continue to try to rape the treasuries of communities across the country with more false promises.

Or the company who built a call center in Buffalo using tax subsidies and sold it to the public through a newspaper owned by the same company.

These are just several examples of the material detailed in the book. In addition to showing who is taking, and how, the author details who is fighting back and how they are trying to in an era when the courts and politicians are held by corporate interests.

The book is well written, and well documented. In addition, the author took what can be a very dry subject and made extremely readable. This book should be read by every American, particularly in light of the upcoming presidential elections.  Some familiar names will pop out at you as individuals who made their fortunes off our backs.
2351536
Disregard the 1-star rating. I intended to rate it 5 (best), but I can't find a way to to edit the rating.

This is a very good book with a bad title and a very bad cover illustration. The publisher must have had it in for the author.

It might better have been called "Facing Old Age - Yours Or Your Parents'"  As Dr. Gillick uses the term, "Denial of Aging" simply means that pretending you're not getting old doesn't work. "Eternal life," in the subtitle, is not a theological concept but a reminder that, eventually, you will die.

Muriel Gillick is a geriatrician and medical professor whose concern for her patients has turned her into an advocate for the elderly in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. At times she can even be their advocate against their caregivers. It is to caregivers that  she addresses her most heartfelt advice. Paraphrasing, it is that ultimately, when hope is gone, it's OK to let go. At the end, the answer to "We can't just let her die", is "Yes, you can."

In the rest of the book, she offers advice to caregivers looking out for their relatives. She considers assisted living and nursing homes to be a continuum. The former, after a time, leads to the latter; meanwhile, the cost increases as the assisted living facility finds - or asserts - the need for added services.

I gave copies of this book to my two sons, who may someday have to be my advocates. I told them that I hope they don't need it for a while and, when they do, they should check to see if Dr. Gillick has updated her advice to deal with our ever evolving health care system.

But until that happens, this is the book I want them to have.
3984305
I think the author portrays what REAL cheerleaders go through...mess-ups,  wrong dismounts,  unstable bases.  It really adds up and he portrays the pressures that cheerleaders are under going into competition or even just  performing a new cheer at a game.  I know because I am a cheerleader  myself.  Some things in the book may seem offensive to people but it is the  complete truth of what goes on and how people actually feel when they step  off the competition mat.  They may be a part of a whole team but if they  mess up,  they feel like the bad link in the team and he really shows that  you can only be as strong as your weakest player and cheerleading shows the  utter truth in that statement;  one of the most difficult SPORTS offered.
1832450
First rate rendering of how our government has been corrupted by money -- the money lobbyists hand to pols, the PACs, and the people like the Kochs, Mercers, and Polks who finance the organizations that twist and turn and influence via their organizations, infiltrations of academic institutions etc.  All if it done not for the betterment of the country or society but to enrich themselves, reduce their taxes, abolish the laws that hold them in check etc.
Excellent but also a very depressing book to realize how awful these people and their minions are and how little the average person can do to change the situation so long as the money keeps flowing to promote the worst that can be done.
4660780
From what I have read in this book, it instantly caught my attention. The beginning started with an incident that occurred and caused a huge disaster to a student. This ruined her reputation in many ways. There were many topics that involved real life problems that are occurring and have occurred. One of them was the lead poisoning and how this can affect students taking tests.. this poison caused brain damaged and failed students when taking their exams and of course watchers are instantly blamed for. Over all, I learned that teachers are always blamed when it comes to education. The government and students always point dumbness to teachers, this is wrong. I recommend this book to many teachers and those who plan to become teachers. Not only teachers but students as well so they can see teachers point of view. This is one of the best books I have read.
2357657
Great book dealing with a horrible subject.  It was very tastefully done.  The story developed  well and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  While it is book one of the series, it was a complete book with an ending, not a cliffhanger.  The other books will just be a continuation of other brothers, thank you for that.  Would recommend this.
1300933
I won't go on about this book but to say that the reviews here are correct.  This book is good, the author did an excellent job and it is devastating to see what these poor people went through.  The worst part for me was the trampling, "every man for himself" people who were running out of the tent when the fire started.  Women, children and men being trampled and suffocated by the crowd due to panic. The most heartening part were the ones who went back in or grabbed children to save them.  This is a horrifying but true story and very well done.
4926666
I as well enjoy a bad movie that's so bad it's good. As always there are a lot of the usual suspects in here but there are quite a few in here I had not heard of or had just heard the title in passing somewhere. This has given me quite a few movies that I've added to various queues and look forward to on any number of levels. This book is very entertaining and well written. I think it's a nice book for someone who's new to this journey and good for those who have already been on it. A very good book and I definitely recommend it.
1989647
This is a fascinating report about a dysfunctional family and their friends. I saw the TV broadcast series having the same name then had to read the trilogy books by Gerald  Durrell which were very enjoyable and should be read before reading this one. This book provides a lot of factual information on this dysfunctional family and is very interesting. The book is well done and I highly recommend it.
3775847
Anyone who has gotten a mortgage, is considering applying for a mortgage, or wants to understand the games that some mortgage companies play with people's lives should read this book. It drills down to the impact on several of the victims lives and describes the courage and dedication of a few of them who took on the irresponsible lenders. The lack of oversight, corruption, and greed  by many of the parties described in this book is appalling. And as a new administration starts to roll back the protections put in place to prevent this type of behavior, we will very likely see a repeat of the same bad practices.
3320877
The book was very well written.  The circumstances were horrible beyond belief.  I can't say "I loved the book", but it's one people should read.
723570
I have, and have read, lots of these doom and gloom, the sky is falling type books over the years.  Well, now the sky IS falling!  Some are good, some are trash.  This one is excellent.  Very well written - articulate - and well researched.  And, he predicted the real estate bust currently underway perfectly.  I like that.

The tail end - he touts the services of his own company in excess for my tastes - sounds like a big infomercial.  It tarnishes his credibility a little bit.  Still, the advice is sound and the first 3/4 give you the background and insight into where we are today.

I find it most interesting (although absolutely horrifying) to read each days headlines now - to see what bankers, real estate types, and politicians are saying.  It seems clear their solutions will either be ineffectual, or make a bad hangover much worse, but the hangover will arrive eventually - that's for sure!
3169492
Great book, good advice, learn from the mistakes of others. I enjoyed the gruesome stories but within a week of reading that the commercial tours don't have deaths, two German men died on commercial trips
2370647
The authors father, Brookes Bargainier, lives two doors down from me.  I was having coffee with him one morning when he bragged to me, "This is the book my son wrote".  I borrowed it from him and read it in four  hours.  While I didn't find it particularly well written, and even less  well edited, the story it told swept my mind up into a maelstrom and flung  it far and wide.  The events portrayed, while horrible enough as fiction,  are made even moreso with the knowledge that they're based on fact.  It is  indeed a sad commentary on the state of affairs in America today, and the  road down which we are headed.
721448
First of all this is not a partisan attack on the rich.  It is a scathing indictment of the justice system and even though written by a liberal / progressive it is particularly harsh on the Obama Justice department.  I don't agree with Taibbi's politics but this is a great book about how regular citizens and particularly the poor and minorities are abused by the justice system at all levels of government while the super criminals who are super rich and well connected politically get away with huge crimes.  It is eye-opening and very depressing.  Well done and very highly recommended.