Reviews (147)

All the testosterone you could want
This is not great literature but, in fairness, neither was it intended to be. Just raw action-adventure that started the Navy SEAL craze.Rough and ready Marcinko can server it up with all the testosterone anyone could want. Its an exciting read for anyone who wants the feel of the modern warrior spirit.

Rogue Winner!
He is forthright, honest, opinionated.He is brave and intelligent.This book is written with a sarcastic sense of humor that blends well with the topic of the Navy SEALs and more importantly, Marcinko's carrer in said field.Frankly, I couldn't put it down.

"Howard Stern Goes to War" has won legions of pimply adolescent male fans.
I don't know that any or all of Marcinko's tales are true but I do know that he was found unfit as an officer and was sent to prison for several crimes and was released from military duty. This certainly explains his characters disdain for superior officers and the "Top Brass" as he calls it. I have read his autobiography and I can report without pause that IT IS NOT an autobiography; it is a work of fiction. I imagine the fiction represents what he wishes his life had been if he had made different decisions at critical points in his life. Nevertheless, it is a "Howard Stern Goes to War" novel and has won him legions of adolescent male fans.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. General    5. Historical - U.S.    6. History    7. Marcinko, Richard    8. Military    9. Prevention    10. Terrorism    11. United States    12. Fantasy    13. Literary Criticism & Collections / General   

Reviews (44)

The Biggest Brother
Outstanding book! Easy read, yet thorough.Considerable information on MAJ Winters, his personal life, and the true heroism of those he led in combat.Highly recommend for study of leadership.

Interesting
Just finished reading this book and found it interesting. There's no question Maj. Winters was a leader, but the author left me puzzled. I'm inclined to think Winters and Sobel must have had something personal between them to cause such lasting animosity. Also interesting was the fact that Winters seemed to criticize anyone with authority above him, even into his later life, working at different jobs and then with the filming of "Band of Brothers", he just never seemed to be satisfied with higher authority. (He even criticizes Gen Taylor for taking leave...) He gives the impression that only his decisions were the right ones. I think he liked Nixon, because Nixon would do almost anything Winters suggested. Don't get me wrong now, I'm convinced Maj. Winters was a hero. I'm just puzzled, that's all.

A great book with minor shortcomings
This is a very compelling read and was hard to put down.Mr. Alexander truly brings to life Major Richard Winters, and even though his experiences during WWII form the bulk of the book, his prewar life and postwar life are also covered.We learn about the forces that shaped him, what his early life was like, his connections (with both family and friends) in his youth in Lancaster, his college days, his decision to enter the Army for what he thought would just be a brief peacetime term of service, and why he decided to transfer into the Airborne division after initially thinking it would be foolhardy to be in that branch of the service.Most of the chapters focus on his service in WWII, both during his training in the U.S. and England and in the actual fighting in mainland Europe, and here we get more insight into his thoughts, feelings, experiences, and motivations, coupled with portraying very well the things he had to go through as a soldier.However, I agree that for people who have already read BoB and seen the miniseries based on it, a lot of this can seem like little more than a retread of familiar material instead of providing a huge amount of insight into new things, apart from how it's now focusing solely on Winters instead of the other guys in the company.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Army    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Campaigns    5. Company E    6. History    7. Military    8. Military - United States    9. Military - World War II    10. Parachute Infantry Regiment, 5    11. Regimental histories    12. Soldiers    13. United States    14. Western Front    15. Winters, Richard D    16. World War II    17. World War, 1939-1945    18. History / Military / World War II   

Reviews (4)

"Canopy Meg" is the Perfect Role Model for All of Us
What a really terrific read!In this book Dr. Lowman has co-authored with her sons, we find a beautiful story of developing a conservation ethic for families. The tone is so positive and inviting, I felt like I was up in the canopy with them.
Notes On Meg's Book
Notes on Margaret Lowman's book, "It's a Jungle Up There---More tales from the Treetops," with Edward and James Burgess.Yale University Press, 2006.
Wonderfully Inspiring for Young and Old Alike
This book is a great read.Written by a mom-scientist and her two sons, it offers a captivating look into some of the most interesting natural environments around the world-all viewed from the treetops.Armchair ecologists, parents, kids, teachers, and tree climbers interested in adventure, science, and/or world travel will thoroughly enjoy this book.It's the perfect follow-up to Life in the Treetops.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Ecologists    5. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    6. Fiction    7. General    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Psychological    10. Rain forest ecology    11. Scientists - General    12. Women ecologists    13. Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology    14. Biography: general    15. Forests, rainforests    16. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS   

Reviews (6)

Good effort, interesting, but must less substance than expected
I do not regret buying or reading this book, but I am greatly disappointed by both the lack of detail and the lack of visualization that I was hoping for.
A unique story told in an average manner
It took about a week for me to read The Jasons. Maybe less. I enjoyed the book, especially the details about the individual scientists and their quirky personalities. In fact, the author seemed a bit overly attentive to this stereotype: an ivory tower academic out of place in the "real world" but too arrogant to notice. That got kind of old after a while, especially when there seemed to be notable exceptions (MacDonald and Drell spring to mind).
Truth is Funnier than Fiction
I used to work in one of the New Mexico labs mentioned in her book and am familiar with many of the cast of characters in her book- especially Forrest Agee who liked to be called "Jack", Tony Tether and "Uncle" Rummy.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Group work in research    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History Of Science    8. History: American    9. Physicists    10. Scientists    11. Scientists - General    12. United States    13. United States - 20th Century    14. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    15. History / United States / 20th Century   

Reviews (3)

Combination biography and investment ideas
I personally don't care for dry investment books.I read for entertainment.This book provides a great combination as it is a biography of a family steeped in money management and also gives tips of how they were able to grow their fortune.

More Than a Dynasty
While this is not a "how to" book it certainly is "why to" book. It's a look at remarkable family that gives anyone who has never invested in the stock market a perfectly good reason why they should! Patience and long term results are a philosophy that has worked well for them over the years. It's a look at a concept and philosophy handed down by the patriarch of the family that wealth should not be handed down, but earned. Spanning 4 generations,Rothchild gives the reader a remarkable insight into a family that works hard and plays hard. Even with this success the family has given back through many philanthropic endeavers including millions to the United World College. The college, with 10 campus' world-wide endeavers to bring students of different cultures and backgrounds together to foster understanding of each other in a world that desperately needs it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1907-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Business    7. Capitalists and financiers    8. Davis, Shelby Cullom,    9. Finance    10. History    11. Investment Finance    12. Investments    13. Investments & Securities - General    14. United States    15. Wall Street    16. Business & Economics / Finance    17. History of specific subjects    18. Investment & securities    19. USA   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Business    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational Behavior In Business    8. Business & Economics / Organizational Behavior    9. Nuclear issues   

Reviews (22)

Excellent Bio
Having first read the Warburgs I figured this would be a good book. But it was better then that. Ron Chernow really knows how to write a book that will keep your interest from one page to the next. He has an eye for the business info that you want to know and knows right where to put it. Great detail is written about the way Rockefeller thought about life and business. You will learn the business tactics that Rockefeller used to enlarge his organization, one of which was selling for less then the competition which really works just look at Walmart! All the details that you would be interested in knowing about Mr. Rockefeller you can find in this book and you will enjoy the time spent reading it.
A Reverent, Comprehensive Work Of Biography
It's been over a year since I read Titan and it still impresses me. Only the imbalance in it, fueled by the author's obvious non-impartial admiration for Mr. Rockefeller, kept me from rating this thoroughly-researched life story a fifth star. This is much more than a character study or a "his life and times" sort of book, but I am surprised to see how many other reviewers looked on Titan as a how-to manual for getting rich themselves. Typically I don't read other reviews before I compose my own, but this was one of those rare occasions when I made an exception and am glad I did since it allows me to make the observation that I personally didn't see this book that way. Titan is not light reading but after finishing it a reader will be well-versed indeed on John D. Rockefeller Senior and Standard Oil, the age of the monopolistic trust, the downfall of trusts in the United States, and have insights into both the work ethic of Mr. Rockefeller, and the huge differences between his views on philanthropy and those of his peers, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan. There are also some juicy gossipy details here and a cast of villains, Jay Gould foremost, that spice this book up. Titan is a destined for classic status in the ranks of non-fiction, and it deserves that, though bear in mind what I said at the start about a certain self-evident lack of impartiality on Mr. Chernow's part. It never affects the candor of his scholarly investigation into who John D. Rockefeller was, but it does bleed through more than it perhaps ought to.

Titanic
An epic of one of the great men of his time.I set out to read it because I felt I should know more about one of the most important businessmen America has produced.But soon I was captivated by the writing and the story of a remarkable man.It is great biography and it is part of the history of this nation.It is a must read.One of my all-time favorites.Can't go wrong. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Business    6. Capitalists and financiers    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Industrialists    9. Philanthropists    10. United States    11. Biography & Autobiography / Business   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Cataract    6. Great Britain    7. History    8. Intraocular lenses    9. Medical - General    10. Ophthalmologists    11. Surgery    12. Biography & Autobiography / Medical    13. Biography: general    14. History of medicine    15. Ophthalmology   

Reviews (23)

If you are lucky,this is what friendship is really about.
I turned this book over and over in the local bookstore and asked for it for my 50th birthday from one of my children who knows how deeply I regard my life-long friendships.It took me 3 days..I was reading it at stoplights...while cooking dinner, hoping I would have a long wait at a doctor's appointment just to give me the excuse to read it.I laughed out loud and sobbed out loud.
Wonderful tribute to an amazing friendship
As a resident of Chicago, I've missed Bob Greene's writing and so I picked up this book.It is a wonderful, warm & realistic portrayal of the friendship of 5 men over more than 50 years.
And I Know That I Am Glad...
that Bob Greene is back in print. I've missed my daily devotions -- supplied by Bob Greene in the Chicago Tribune for so many years -- and I was absolutely thrilled to discover this book in the Seattle airport book store last week.I had just said good bye to "my Jack" -- a lifelong friend I seldom see -- and was feeling grateful that each time we reconnect, it is such a rich experience. Bob has a wonderful way of reaching beneath the surface and touching the heart. This book is a loving tribute. I'm on Amazon to order several copies because I can't think of a better gift to share withgolden friends. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American Literature - Individual Core Authors    3. Authors, American    4. Bexley    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    10. General    11. Greene, Bob    12. Homes and haunts    13. Ohio    14. Ohio - Local History    15. Personal Memoirs    16. Biography & Autobiography / General    17. Biography: general    18. English    19. Marriage, family & other relationships    20. USA   

Reviews (58)

Brilliance qua Judge Judy!
If you get this for Christmas, just make sure you also get something in writing that says it's a gift, not a loan.

She may be angry but she has a point
So just as I was about to condemn all books that have catchy titles, I come across this one. We all know that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover and title. I learned that I also shouldn't judge a book by its author's TV show. A court session on TV? Just another reality tv show right? Ive seen only a few episodes of Judge Judy and I can't help but think that the 'cases' were very trivial, and were just hyped by a super sharp tongued judge, and a super reactive audience. I was amazed by Judge Judy Sheindlin's no hesitation, no holds barred approach to telling off those that have wrongfully crossed family laws.
Judge JudyRules!
As usual, Judge Judy tell's it like it is. There should be more Judge's like her. Two thumbs up! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civil Procedure    2. General    3. Juvenile courts    4. Juvenile justice, Administration of    5. Law    6. Lawyers & Judges    7. Legal Profession    8. Legal Reference / Law Profession    9. New York    10. New York (State)    11. Sociology    12. United States    13. Biography & Autobiography / General    14. Central government policies    15. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    16. USA   

Reviews (24)

I live here, she knows my name.
I live here. Heather knows my name. I know hers. I'm even rated a quick mention in her book. But there are many people in town she doesn't know. Heather doesn't get to the trailer courts and the local convenience store all that often. And in all fairness, the publishers were the ones who slapped the title on this book. Heather's Haines is just that Heather's Haines. It is Haines as seen through 'A Prairie Home Companion' liberal vision of life. On the surface it is all embracingly fair, painting a picture of wonderful quirky resilient people all moving, even if unconsciously, towards a politically correct utopia. Yet the reality is of course quite different.
I can relate
I live in rural Colorado and first moved here from New York City just after graduate school.Heather's accounts and comparisons of living in a small town in Alaska I can relate to. Opportunities are limited but adventure is bountiful. Her stories and feelings sound so familiar to me it is like looking in the mirror.The sections in between the chapters "Duly Noted" bring the characters and flavor of the community to life.Somehow I never quite thought of a cemetary as a multi-residential district but I guess it is.The residents just don't move.If you are thinking Alaska is for you read this book first.I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.By the way I picked this book up because I am going to Alaska next year.

Pearls of neighborly wisdom
Heather Lende's neck of the woods--Haines, Alaska-- is a place where the name of the game is subsistence,and the surroundings are both breathtakingly beautiful and frequently downright dangerous.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Alaska    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. City and town life    4. Description And Travel    5. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    6. Frontier and pioneer life    7. Haines    8. Outdoor life    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Regional Subjects - West    11. Rural Sociology    12. Sociology - Rural    13. Travel    14. United States - West - Pacific (General)    15. Biography & Autobiography / General    16. TRAVEL / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Reviews (3)

The Reflections of A Smart Lady
The book may be a memoir of her life, but it really exemplifies the simple fact that Lynn Sherr is a smart lady. She's bright. She expresses so well not only the pain of loss, but also the joy of life. This is not only an excellent guide on how women can navigate the treacherous channels of a network news operation or business, but a guidepost for women and men on how to live.

A Pleasant and Uplifting Surprise
I'm a fan of memoirs, but this one took me by surpriseIt is one of the best I have read recently, especially from a contemporary figure who is also a journalist.It is a coming-of-age story, of both an individual and an era.It is an insider's glimpse of some of the most important events of the last four decades, textured with details that place them in fresh context and present the human beings behind the sound bites.It is a love story; and it is a guidebook that will help steer many people through unexpected crises.I bought it to learn more about journalism and what seems to be the weakening of many of its standards.It didn't disappoint me in that regard, but it uplifted me through what I learned about life.

Outside the Box: A Memoir
I loved this book! She brought me into the world of women in the media.I felt it was a true coming of age of a young woman coming to New York and making it despite the overwhelming odds against her. She crossed so many worlds and shared her experiences withthe reader. I think that this should be required reading for every young woman who comes to New York to make it in the Communications industry. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Television Personalities    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Sherr, Lynn    8. Television journalists    9. United States    10. Women    11. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (21)

Sandy Weill is a testament to belief in delivering value
This book could be considered a corner stone foundation marker in understanding what makes people relevant, even when they are not.
finished the whole book overnight
As a person used to work in Wall Street and live now in China, I read the Chinese version of this book. It was as if I lived, breathed, angered, and cheered with Weill, Dimon, Prince.... One of the best books about wall street of past 10 years. I ordered this book in English and will read it again, for at least once.

Riveting and rollicking?You bet.
The top business journalists in the world are the ones that research and pen the groundbreaking Page A1 stories in The Wall Street Journal.The Journal breaks these stories over and over again, and other news organizations simply trail in their wake.Monica Langley is one of these trailblazers.In 'Tearing Down the Walls,' she expands upon a lengthy Page A1 profile she had written about Sandy Weill and details his Horatio Alger story.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Business    5. Biography: general    6. Current Events / General    7. Entrepreneurship   

Reviews (1)

Deftly written, much to be enjoyed
It is difficult enough to write engagingly about someone who died over two hundred years ago; David Bodanis has written an excellent history not merely of one interesting person but of two:Emilie du Chatelet and her sometime lover Voltaire.In a narrative spanning (in detail) nearly two decades, in which Voltaire's fortunes rose, sank, rose, sank, and rose again and in which Emilie herself underwent tribulations both common (failed love affairs) and uncommon (struggling to create a place for herself amongst the first rank of European thinkers), Bodanis succeeds admirably in engaging our interest and sympathy.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. Authors, French    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Europe - France    8. Europe - General    9. France    10. France - History    11. Historical - General    12. Literary    13. Mistresses    14. Scientists    15. Scientists - General    16. History / General   

Reviews (11)

A Millions Little Pieces, Jr.
I am currently in Kabul, and have read almost every English-language book on Afghanistan that is popularly available. I have also lived in Kabul and traveled to Feyzbad, Kandahar,Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kunduz and along the Uzbek Border. I speak mediocre Dari. Among the books that I enjoyed were those by Saira Shah's grandmother (try "My Khyber Life") and her father, Idris Shah. The same cannot be said for Saira Shah's. Shah' work, however. Part of my complaint was that the book isn't about anything much - its just a list of what she claims were her experiences in and near Afghanistan.I would compare them to a series of interesting letters detailing what I did on my afghan vacation. What they don't provide is insight into what was happening in Afghanistan or Peshawar, why, or what is going on now, or much cultural or historical information.
Myth, identity, realities . . .
Part memoir, part reportage, this beautifully written book is also an inquiry into the nature of myth, identity, and the limits of human endurance. Born in England and raised on the memories of her Afghan father's homeland, the author journeys as a young journalist to Afghanistan during the Soviet Occupation in the 1980s, traveling with the mujahidin rebels, who with massive infusions of weapons from the CIA eventually drive out the Russians and then quickly succumb again to an equally destructive civil war and the inevitable tyranny of the Taliban. A witness to these struggles and the widespread human misery they caused, Shah is present again in 2002 as the Americans retaliate in response to the 9/11 attacks.
Absolutely amazing!
This book is one of the best books I have read.It was touching and made me realise what an amazing life Saira Shah has led.After I closed the book, I could not pick up annother book for a couple of days - I did not want to spoil the feeling it had left me with.This book will move you, make you think and touch you.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    5. Ethnic Cultures - General    6. Women    7. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    8. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Julia Kristeva's