"It was a warning sign, both the onset of a collapse and a new beginning."
598419
Jacobsen pens a tale of transition set in Oslo, Norway in the 60s, a decade of turmoil and societal change that leaves its mark on those buffeted by a government and a lifestyle in flux. Little Finn has enjoyed a predictable, if quite penurious life with his mother, Gerd, in a small flat. But times are difficult for the young widow, who undertakes a slight renovation in hopes of taking in a lodger. Eventually a suitable man is found, one who brings along a coveted television, through Finn remains suspicious of the worldly, well-traveled man of few words. More changes are on the horizon- particularly the arrival of Finn's six-year-old half-sister, Linda, a small, quiet child who unexpectedly takes root in his heart at the same time that Finn's relationship with his mother seems to disintegrate.

A subtle, powerful novel unfolds as the household accommodates both lodger and half-sister, a sweet child whose presence forces Finn's mother to share long-held secrets in a an explosive drama that reveals buried family skeletons, years of shame and denial. Finn's journey is profound, the bridge from happy child to more cautious, less gullible adolescent fraught with landmines that blow his every assumption to unrecognizable bits. The price of admission into the adult world is costly, if necessary, requiring a reassessment of all he has believed. Full of insight, outrage and the sheer weight of emotional awakening, this novel is deeply moving, a rare and contemplative story of decisions, choices and the gift and burden of love. Luan Gaines/2011.
3583466
It appears that much thought went into what would have made this series of events possible. I really enjoyed how the collapse of Allied aid created the mess that it did.
2319993
I felt like it was a big wake up call. It is very blunt and forward. But very much needed.
1691363
One hopes in review of the current dangers that we get serious about solving political/economical problems before it's too late. This book is a revelation that would bring disaster to modern civilization. Well done, Ted.
1953414
The average human being walks this planet in a daze, unaware that there is much more to this world than meets the eye. Still, that a change of direction is greatly needed is obvious to most. Our socio-economic system is failing.
In her book, Ms. Frighetti is making us aware that 2012 is a pivotal year: it marks the beginning of the era of the Fifth Sun (to the Mayans), which portends a change of consciousness in humanity, evolution. She also makes us aware of other cultures with similar prophesies. And, she is also trying to make us understand that to change our direction, our effort is required: "The choices we make now will help to write the next chapter in humanity's story." Indeed!
Ms Frighetti also tries to make us aware that everything is energy in flow. I enjoyed her visit to the Montana vortex and the House of Mystery, where the energy of the vortex affected her perception, and altered the growth of plants and trees around. Interesting pictures!
This book is delivering a timely message.
745830
The story that Mr. Rickards tells of a world financial collapse is all too real and frightening. The market collapse as foretold by him many years before was totally ignored by those on Capital Hill and the housing market also took a big hit without much help from the government supposed to protect its citizens. His insight and advice as how to survive the next massive monetary tsunami is priceless and should be heeded by all those with their heads in the sand and money invested in the corrupt financial system.
1724463
I agree with much of what Mr. Ruppert has to say in this documentary about how people assume infinite expansion is possible in an essentially finite ecosystem. However, I was more interested in viewing this Great Recession piece in retrospective.  At present the global economy is more jeopardy from over supply of oil than from under supply. A great irony given the fact that peak oil prophets will some day be proven correct.  Only, civilization may find a much different way to collapse long before then.
1954906
There is a pervasive mood in America today -- an uneasy feeling that we sense is growing and with which we deal in different ways. Sales of firearms and ammunition are skyrocketing, and not because the citizenry fears an invasion. Stockpiling of food, water, and essential items continues to grow, and not because we are all joining the Church of Latter Day Saints. If you ask friends they will give it different names, but they will agree that some kind of trouble is coming. "The Fourth Turning" describes that trouble as a 'crisis.'

Written twelve years ago, this book examines our understanding of what winds the clock of history and our expectations of what future time may bring. It is based on two notions, a periodicy recognized by ancient Greeks and Romans, the "saeculum," and the idea that we are all members of defined generations. These are not radical ideas, since a saeculum is roughly eighty years (the 'long life' recognized in Biblical times) and we all admit to being a member of some generation, whatever its name. What is radical is that Strauss and Howe superimpose the ideas of saeculum and generations (four generations equal a saeculum) on Anglo-American history and then invite our attention to the fascinating results.

No doubt it is their analysis that led to the misleading subtitle "An American Prophecy." Misleading, because the book does not foretell America's specific future. Instead, in 1997 when the authors wrote it, the book foretells that an American crisis will arrive on schedule in what they call the "oh oh decade." Twelve years later we have arrived in the "oh oh years," and we sense we are in a crisis. What happens during that crisis and, more importantly, what happens afterwards is largely left to the reader, though in 1997 the authors listed the elements that they reckoned would be in the crisis and their list is uncannily correct.

Those reviewers who gave this book five stars understood its reasoning and message. Those who did not like the book were either believers in lineal cultural history (the inevitable march to utopia) or they did not understand it (the prose was 'too confused') or they found the ideas in conflict with their education or preconceived misconceptions of history and current events. It would have been instructive if each had put the year of their birth in their review and noted the generation of which they believe themselves a member.

As I write this, Amazon has 83 reviews of "The Fourth Turning," including reprints of book reviews from the media -- positive or negative, that number of reviews is a testament to the importance of this seminal work of William Strauss and Neil Howe. It is a book that should be read by all Americans, whatever their generation.

Chet Nagle is the author of "Iran Covenant" a thrilling novel about Iran's nuclear weapons program and how to end it&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Iran-Covenant/dp/1439216207/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Iran Covenant</a>
1886216
I read a lot of books on the topic of preparedness (prepping) and survival.  Some are non-fiction but many are in the genre of survival fiction.  The genre of "survival fiction" or "post dystopian fiction" typically tells a story of how the main characters prevail (or not) following a disaster, collapse, or some other disruptive event.

One of the first of such novels was James Wesley Rawles book, Patriots.  For me, that book was an eye-opener not only in terms of what could happen, but also to what we, as individuals, could do to mitigate the impact of a collapse of society following a crisis or unspeakable proportions.  Part fiction, part manual, I still refer back to Patriots and learn from it.

That being said, I recently finished listening to the audiobook version of Kyle Pratt's A Time to Endure.  Halfway through, a light bulb went off in my head.  The so-called lessons I was learning not only rivaled those in Rawles' Patriots, but they were kinder, gentler and less militaristic in nature.

While listening to the book, I found myself formulating strategies that I would undertake in similar situations.  Yay!  That is why I read this stuff.

Although I read a lot of books, it is rare that I write a review on Amazon.  That said, Time to Endure struck such a positive note and gave me so much to think about that I feel compelled to recommend it.  Whether you are new to the genre and to prepping, or an old pro like me, consider adding this book to your collection.  You will not be disappointed.
4539176
It was a good attempt at explaining the collapse of Soviet Union. The need for continuing class struggle during the so finalist construction was ignored by CPSU after Stalin was not properly dealt with. The international conference of the Communist parties popularly known as 81 parties conference had rightly warned against the growing revisionist or right deviation in the international Commnust and Working class movement. However, the movement succumbed to Khruschev revisionism. The book has thrown enough light on Bukharin and his influence on Khruschevites. Organisational problems rather than ideological problems were exposed more.
256728
The author shows the scary side of the financial panic of 2008-09.  America focused on selling financial products to the rest of the world, and those obligations were not as stellar as they should have been.  With the current financial meltdown, much of the rest of the world along with the United States if facing the prospects of a global recession/depression as the trillions of dollars of these obligations are sorted out.  Meanwhile Wall Street has made its millions and passed the debt to future generations.

The author also talks about peak oil, dynasic politics, and financial and marketplace corruption.  When one looks at one's debt along with the government's obligations, one wonders whether the United States has ever gotten smarter following the Great Depression.

This is a scary book about the bad choices America made as a nation.  Hopefully all Phillips has said does not come to pass.  If it does, America will be in a bad position.  A good read.
1289113
Pan Am must have been a great place to work. And having the company suddenly and permanently cease operations was obviously traumatic to all these former employees. Other than a window into a particular moment in time, which this book ably opens, the story reminds us that this kind of thing is being repeated today, although on a grander scale. We read the new reports of mass layoffs and companies closing facilities; it's easy to forget that each person who's lost a job has had their life turned inside out, as these people had. This book serves as a gentle reminder that the cost of change can become personal very quickly, and that we need to remember this as we interpret the news for ourselves.
598721
It was actually a very good read.  The only reason I didn't mark that I loved it was because it was scary.  The first book "Second Term" was so frighteningly close to what is happening today that I found myself even more angry at what's going on today.  This second book 'The Warning' has gone beyond what is happening today and projects what could easily become in the next few years if we keep running down this path.  The similarity to actual people is shockingly accurate and gives one pause to worry and be concerned for our country.
640158
September 2008.

I remember it being the month where mainstream media is filled with bad news. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Washington Mutual, etc. etc... Stock market was crashing. Our company froze hiring, started cutting cost, the talk of laid-off started showing up in rumor mills. All kinds of unfamiliar financial terms started flying around, all flavors of economist are giving their opinion on TV/Radio/Newspaper/Internet. Some say it is going to be another Great Depression, some say no it won't be that bad. Whatever the government and the Fed did or did not do, someone would hurl critics at them.

Chaos and confusion reigned the day.

Sometime around 2009, we suddenly realized the chaos seemed to have subsided a while back. But when? and how? What worked?

I wasn't paying attention. Life somehow seemed to have moved on. The looming disaster that almost consumed wallstreet seemed to have been pushed aside by some unknown force.

I finally had some understanding of the tsunami like events during those days after i finished reading "Too Big to Fail" by Sorkin over the past few days.

What a great book it is! "Paulson, Gerthner, Bernanke and a dozen or so private and public sector figures who populated the drama", they were the ones who actually stared at the abyss that they never thought would happen in their lifetime. They not only didn't falter, but also managed to hold back the tide. Unbelievable.

We do live in interesting times. How lucky we are.

The book covered the approximately seven months period from the time when Bear Stern fell (3/17/2008) to the time when Paulse, Gerthner, Bernanke united to force the top 9 banks to sign up on TARP money (10/13/2008).
4795445
This book contains dozen or so papers written by academics and professionals.
Those papers shows casts different views on last crisis. From where it begin? Why? How was it possible?

After some time it is easy to find those that were guilty and improper procedures and point it.

The important thing is - did this crisis thought us anything?

One of the author said that after each crisis there were some guilty people thrown into jail, some regulations added and "it will not happen again" said.
But after some time the same or something similar happens.
The reasons of crisis are known from centuries and only thing different this time was different are which started it (not oil, tulips or gold but mortgages).

After reading those papers we can get some idea how was it possible and why it happened.
But no regulations can't prevent it because main cause of it was human greed, naiveness and stupidity.
And it is the most important and sad message from this book - that even understanding crisis won't prevent it to happen again in future.
2593012
' A Global Warning ' (History Channel Documentary) was well-organized with a wealth of supporting scientific evidence.  I also found it to be balanced in its perspective indicating global climate change is influenced by both natural events and human-induced activity.
2631655
The effects of Hurricane Katrina will be felt for several more years, but as the bad has subsided the good is becoming much more apparent. Hilry's book carries this theme and is written from a God-fearing person's perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the long-term changes brought about by disaster.