Traditional Food from Scotland: The Edinburgh Book of Plain Cookery Recipes (Hippocrene International Cookbook Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Too many of the units of measure are in oz. It would be better if they were converted to cups, tbsp, tsp, etc. It is a pain in the posterior region to have to weigh ingredients, not to mention that buying a digital scale these days gets you on the... It also needs a substitute for "suet" (which is a mixture of bird seed and beef fat where I'm from). Other than that, I think it is a good companion book for other Scottish cook books.

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A wonderful assortment of Scottish recipes and helpful hints for the home, Traditional Food from Scotland offers a window into another era. This comprehensive and easy-to-follow guide to the best of Scotland's culinary traditions covers everything from soups ("Red Pottage"), to simple vegetable dishes ("Asparagus and Sprue"), to a wide variety of fish and meat dishes ("Stewed Finnian Haddock," "Shepherd's Pie"), to puddings and sweet dishes ("Vanilla Soufflé"), to baked goods ("Raspberry Buns").Additional sections in the back of the book cover the preparation of preserves, beverages, and a variety of miscellaneous staple foods. Featuring over 500 "plain cookery recipes," this treasury of traditional Scottish fare is sure to delight.

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Bedtime Stories Review

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(More customer reviews)My 3 year old absolutely loves these stories. He has memorized the "Beast with a Thousand Teeth" and we have much fun playing out the stories. As a long time python fan, it is so much fun to have my son enjoy it too!

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Bedtime will reach a new level of popularity when you read the irresistible Bedtime Stories by well-known authors Terry Jones and Nanette Newman. You'll meet furry, fuzzy, and slippery characters who star in seven outrageous stories, like "The Beast With a Thousand Teeth," "A Fish of the World," and Spider the Horrible Cat." These modern fairytales, enchantingly illustrated by Michael Foreman, are a real delight! They are witty, heart-warming tales full of humor and fun that children will love.

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Don't Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin': The Authorized Story of Public Enemy Review

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(More customer reviews)Whilst I was down town in my local bookshop, killing an hour or two until the cinema opened, I happened to come across this book whilst browsing the music section. Truth to told I was a big PE fan, and until listening to 'Rebel without a pause, I wasn't really down with hip hop. I had no real intention of getting this, but the more I read, the more hyped I was to spend some quality time reading more. I duly copped it, and the best part of two days (it would have been quicker, but little matters like the wife & kids got in the way) devouring it. .I really enjoyed this book. My highlights were the sections that covered their early years, pre PE, how the collective ended up on 'Strong' Island, the paths that led them to hooking up. I especially enjoyed the sections that covered their four great albums: Yo! Bum rush the show, it takes a nation............, Fear of a black planet, and Apocalypse '91. Controversy was never far from Public Enemy then, and it was great to get a insight from the protagonists themselves in their own words, what with the infamous Griff with the Washington Post/Village Voice, to frictions with Def jam, and within the group.
The only flaw for me upon finishing this book is the very reason that it's also a good read. Due to the fact that Russell Myrie had authorized access to the group, he is able to let them tell the story from their own recollection, as opposed to devising arguments to fit the scenario from his own reasoning. But, I think this also hampers his own view point concerning the group. For example, he try to sell the argument that time has proved that 'Muse Sick-n- Hour Mess Age is not as bad an album as some 'critics' would have you believe. Whilst I partly agree with that statement, to me, that album was the moment the group's creative juice fell off. It was also the moment the language, i.e. the swearing, increased, and continued to do so, on future releases, compared to what had gone before. Also a s my last purchase of any PE material was said' Muse Sick', and the chapters that followed, relating to events from 1994 to the present day, weren't as exciting to me as there Golden age, previously mentioned
That aside I really enjoyed this biography, and would recommend it to any/all PE fans

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Russell Myrie’s Don’t Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin’ is the first authorized biography of Public Enemy, the foremost hip-hop group of all time. With unprecedented access to the group, Myrie has conducted extensive interviews with Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Terminator X, Professor Griff, and the Shocklee Brothers, along with many others who form a part of Public Enemy’s legacy. Beginning with the group’s inception on Long Island and working up to the present day, Myrie writes with in-depth detail about the making of each seminal album, including It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and their multimillion selling album, Fear of a Black Planet. Myrie delves into the controversy sparked by Professor Griff’s alleged anti- Semitic remarks, the complexities of PE’s relationship with the Nation of Islam, the group’s huge crossover appeal with white and alternative music audiences in the early nineties, and finally the strange circumstances of Flavor Flav’s re-emergence on reality TV with shows such as The Surreal Life and Flavor of Love. A rare behind-the-music look at the group that fought the power, terrorized the music industry, and was crucial to the development of the hip-hop music phenomenon.

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Looking Like the Enemy: My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese American Internment Camps Review

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(More customer reviews)Looking Like the Enemy is a not-to-be forgotten book. I savored every word and image as I tried to imagine how I would feel in Mary's Matsuda's shoes as a teenager imprisoned by her own government simply because of her parent's ancestry.
Mary's writing is so vivid and she makes the internment come alive as she shares her thoughts and feelings at being plunged into this terrible situation. While her anger and fear are so real, so also is the hope that her mother in particular, instills in the family.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand our history and also racial discrimination. In our world today when many are punishing those who "look like the enemy", may this book serve as a lesson to us all.

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In 1941, Mary Matsuda Gruenewald was a teenage girl who, like other Americans, reacted with horror to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Yet soon she and her family were among 110,000 innocent people imprisoned by the U.S. government because of their Japanese ancestry. In this eloquent memoir, she describes both the day-to-day and the dramatic turning points of this profound injustice: what is was like to face an indefinite sentence in crowded, primitive camps; the struggle for survival and dignity; and the strength gained from learning what she was capable of and could do to sustain her family. It is at once a coming-of-age story with interest for young readers, an engaging narrative on a topic still not widely known, and a timely warning for the present era of terrorism. Complete with period photos, the book also brings readers up to the present, including the author's celebration of the National Japanese American Memorial dedication in 2000.

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Accidental Revolution: The Story of Grunge Review

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(More customer reviews)This may be the worst book about popular music that I have ever read. Anderson's near total lack of knowledge about the Seattle musical environment of the late 1980s and early 1990s is stunning, and it is a wonder that any publisher would allow this drivel to see the light of day. It is very clear that little or no original research was done for the writing of "Accidental Revolution."
Additionaly, the author utilizes the kind of smarmy, communications-major, writing style that many sanctimonious-yet-ignorant blabbermouths use to mask the fact that they do not have any insights. Sorry Anderson, cheesy "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" one-liners don't make you sound like an insider; they make you sound like a wannabe.
As far as specific content is concerned, the most egregious part of this book is the "great grunge discography" which includes albums from the Gin Blossoms, Buffalo Tom, Live, and (cough-cough) Everclear! It does not include anything from the Melvins, Skin Yard, or TAD. Need I say more?

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Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Hole and Alice in Chains are the names that come to mind when we talk about grunge. But never before has there been a complete history of grunge with razor-sharp critical analysis--until now. Grunge, a style of music that wed classic rock riffs with punk ethos, was the musical movementthat defined the 90's and left an indelible mark on the music scene at large. But how did this musical phenomenon emerge from the Seattle underground to become a universal beacon of despair for millions of restless kids around the globe, and why did it resonate with so many disenchanted outsiders?Kyle Anderson answers these questions and more, examining the connection between grunge and punk, how Kurt Cobain's disdain for Axl Rose propelled Nirvana to instant success, the singer who officially killed off grunge with his trite lyrics and pseudo-grunge attitude and the band the ripped off Pearl Jam, made millions of dollars by selling out to the media and went on to become the most hated band ever.Accidental Revolution is an essential guide to the triumphs and defeats of a musical revolution and its unforgettable icons.

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The DC Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles from the DC Universe Review

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(More customer reviews)I like this even more than the Marvel Vault, which came out last year. The DC Vault has better content as far as the history of DC is concerned, starting with More Fun comics and leading up to recent history. Martin Pasko, who many longtime DC fans will remember as a key writer during the 1970s, wrote the text that accompanies the multitude of pictures and collectibles. He includes numerous typed and handwritten memos from DC Comics writers and editors that give us a fascinating inside look at how certain decisions were made.
The collectibles that are reproduced here are really, really sweet.
For starters, the cover of the DC Vault is a reproduction of Dick Sprang's "Secrets of the Batcave" lithograph that he produced in 1994. Some of the 1940s items are the Junior Justice Society Decoder Wheel, a Wonder Woman Sensation Comics button, and a Batman 1943 mask that announces the newspaper comic strip. There are some never-before seen items, like Neal Adams concept drawings for a "Superman-land" amusement park, where we could have explored the World of Krypton. A sticker reproduces the "Shazam Is Coming" button that announced Captain Marvel's 1970 comeback into the DC Universe. My favorite reproduction is the History of the DC Universe Jam Poster (shown above), where a few dozen DC artists collaborated to draw their famous characters: Carmine Infantino on the Flash, Neal Adams on Deadman, Joe Kubert on Hawkman, Walt Simonson on Manhunter, Curt Swan on Superman, etc. I had this poster when it originally came out and somehow lost it, glad to have it back now. It even has Dave Gibbons doing Rorschach, which must make Alan Moore's head spin around.
If this wasn't enough, the DC Vault contains tons of preliminary cover and character sketches. There's a really cool Hawkman concept cover sketch by Kubert, as well as a Ragman character description. Brian Bolland's pencils to one of his famous Wonder Woman covers is included. There are a number of covers which had to be altered from their original state, and Pasko speculates on the editors reasons for doing so. There's so much in here that I can't possibly describe...if you're any kind of DC fan, you need to buy this book, now. Nuff said.

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In 1935, popular culture was forever transformed when DC Comics published the first book of "all new, all original” comic material. To the delight of millions of readers everywhere, the modern comic book was born, and from its pages came leaping an exhilarating cast of characters. Now The DC Vault unlocks DC Comics’ most fascinating secrets and deeply buried treasures, presenting a colorful array of historic and never-before-published memorabilia, including early sketches, covers, memos, press materials, and much more. From a working reproduction of a 1942 Junior Justice Society of America decoder, to a series of Public Service Announcements starring Superman and Batman, to the original pencils and inks for Wonder Woman #63, this dazzling chronicle contains more than 25 plastic-encased archival pieces for readers to pull out and examine—all while learning about the artists, writers, and world-famous super heroes that make up the DC Universe. Whether you’ve been collecting Superman comics since the ’40s or have just discovered the amazing Sandman saga, you’ll revel in this vibrant treasury!

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Cook : The Extraordinary Voyages of Captain James Cook Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book based on the recommendations here; unfortunately I have to say it's been a disappointment, and I feel compelled to write my own review too. While the book is obviously well researched and rich in details, the author interferes too much in the narrative -- I am frankly not very interested in Nicholas Thomas' personal relationship with Cook and Australian history. He claims in the introduction that he wants to stay away from the hero and anti-hero biases, but the whole book is very judgmental of Cook and his crew. In trying to be politically correct in 21st-century terms, the author fails to capture the 18th-century spirit of the voyages. Indeed, he paints a dark, boring picture of Cook that doesn't coincide with the exciting contemporary reception the navigator had in the second half of the 18th century. The style is poor, with long, convoluted sentences that take re-reading to decypher. Most annoyingly, there are several typos of foreign words, which I find unacceptable for a book published by a major publisher -- it shows a lack of attention to detail. I wish I could recommend another Cook biography, but I simply don't know. I can, however, highly praise Diana Preston's newly published biography of William Dampier, _A Pirate of Exquisite Mind_ for those interested in European navigators.

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Body Work: Beauty and Self-Image in American Culture Review

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(More customer reviews)Gimlin achieves her purpose of sharing information on the justification behind body work through the format of her book. First, she presents her research then she provides a conclusion. Gimlin does this for each chapter, which changes as she looks at the different forms of body work. This allows the reader to assess the work and come to their own conclusion before reading her thoughts. This directly incorporates the reader into the book, which maintains their interest. The format is a major strength of the work.
Another strength of the book is the quotes from interviews that Gimlin conducts with the subjects and her field research. The interviews add reality to
the work and also encourage the interest of the reader. In Sociology, field research involves the researcher actually being in the environment of the subjects and even participating in their activities. This also adds to the element of realism and gives an everyday perspective of what women go through. These elements combine together to add personality to the work.
A weakness of the book would be the author's focus on only female body work. For comparison purposes, including males in the study would open up interpretations for the double standards placed, or shed light on whether men have the same stigmas to overcome. Gimlin answers the question on her exclusion of males by stating, "While contemporary men must undoubtedly work to negotiate the relationship between body and self, women, more than men, face social pressures that make the negotiation difficult and complicated" (Gimlin, 12).
An aspect of the book that I truly enjoyed was its feminist sociological viewpoint. So often we only see situations from a male viewpoint, even if the literature is geared towards women. Gimlin takes a whole new look at the beauty industry and its relationship to women and comes up with a perspective of the self-empowerment of women. We are not forced to conform by society, but we choose. As a young woman on my way out on my own, I value this book. It gives women a new outlook so that instead of feeling helpless and pressured to look a certain way in order to succeed and be happy, they can change or not change their body based on one thing: their own happiness. Gimlin's stress on
empowerment is something every woman can take away from this book. Her message is reinforced by her format and the purpose of the book is accomplished.

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Today women are lifting weights to build muscle, wrapping their bodies in seaweed to reduce unwanted water retention, attending weigh-ins at diet centers, and devoting themselves to many other types of "body work." Filled with the voices of real women, this book unravels the complicated emotional and intellectual motivations that drive them as they confront American culture's unreachable beauty ideals. This powerful feminist study lucidly and compellingly argues against the idea that the popularity of body work means that women are enslaved to a male-fashioned "beauty myth." Essential reading for understanding current debates on beauty, Body Work demonstrates that women actually use body work to escape that beauty myth.Debra Gimlin focuses on four sites where she conducted in-depth research--a beauty salon, aerobics classes, a plastic surgery clinic, and a social and political organization for overweight women. The honest and provocative interviews included in this book uncover these women's feelings about their bodies, their reasons for attempting to change or come to terms with them, and the reactions of others in their lives. These interviews show that women are redefining their identities through their participation in body work, that they are working on their self-images as much as on their bodies. Plastic surgery, for example, ultimately is an empowering life experience for many women who choose it, while hairstyling becomes an arena for laying claim to professional and social class identities.This book develops a convincing picture of how women use body work to negotiate the relationship between body and self, a process that inevitably involves coming to terms with our bodies' deviation from cultural ideals. One of the few studies that includes empirical evidence of women's own interpretations of body work, this important project is also based firmly in cultural studies, symbolic interactionism, and feminism. With this book, Debra Gimlin adds her voice to those of scholars who are now looking beyond the surface of the beauty myth to the complex reality of women's lives.

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Historic Silver Spring (MD) (Images of America) Review

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(More customer reviews)Years before I ever thought about doing a book on Silver Spring's history I was talking to a woman during the course of trying to raise awareness of the need to restore Silver Spring's 1937 post office mural, "The Old Tavern" (it had been removed from the post office over a decade earlier and placed in storage). I remember her telling me, rather adamantly, "Silver Spring has no history!" I could only think to myself, "My, what an ignorant remark to make about ANY place."
That brief exchange always stayed with me. If this one person thought that way, there were probably many more people who thought the same as she did. Thus was the "seed" planted for eventual publication of "Historic Silver Spring."
As founder and president of the Silver Spring Historical Society, this book justly falls under our organization's mission of "creating and promoting awareness and appreciation of Silver Spring's heritage through sponsorship of educational activities and the preservation and protection
of historical sites, structures, artifacts and archives." My hope for the book is that local residents (and their kids!) or even visitors will use the book as an actual guide to their exploration of the fascinating history of downtown Silver Spring.
The book is divided into four chapters of photographs:
1. Through the Lens of Willard R. Ross: Silver Spring in 1917 and 1928
Willard R. Ross (1860-1948) was a Washington, DC post card photographer who was the first to systematically document downtown Silver Spring, first on June 21, 1917, and nearly eleven years later on March 28, 1928. Twenty real-photo post cards views depict how the original "silver" spring (named for the mica specks in the water) and Georgia Avenue looked when the area was still mostly rural.
2. From Country Estates to Light Industry to Urban Towers: South Silver Spring
South Silver Spring is the area of our downtown community that borders the District of Columbia. Depicting views of the summer estates belonging to founder Francis Preston Blair and his two sons, all constructed in the mid 19th century, photographs show how the area quickly became industrialized in less than 100 years. Today this same area is experiencing an unprecedented building boom of apartments and condominiums due to the area's close proximity to public transportation and the downtown Washington, DC core.
3. Main Streets of History: Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road
These two primary arteries that serve as downtown Silver Spring's "Main Streets" are visually documented as one walks north on Georgia Avenue from Eastern Avenue (at the District of Columbia line) and proceeds to Colesville Road. Incredibly, many of the early to mid 20th century commercial structures located on these two streets still survive and have been restored (the 1938 Silver Theatre and Shopping Center are examples) but far more many structures are in danger of demolition as the "revitalization" of downtown Silver Spring begins to reach out from the central business core of Georgia Avenue at Colesville Road.
4. East Silver Spring's Forgotten Origin: Silver Spring Park
This 100 year old residential neighborhood, located two blocks east of Georgia Avenue, is the second oldest neighborhood build adjacent to downtown Silver Spring. A leafy neighborhood of bungalows, its recent surge in popularity (as well as real estate prices!) has begun to exhibit threats from "McMansionization" (tearing down of original smaller homes to consruct larger ones), encroaching commercial zoning, and potential routing of state of Maryland-subsidized light rail public transportation.
To get a better idea of what is contained in "Historic Silver Spring," an index has been prepared and is viewable at http://www.homestead.com/silverspringhistory/bus.html.
If you grew up or lived in Silver Spring and have stories to share, please send them to [...]. The society would also love to see photographs, post cards, advertising memorabilia, etc. for possible use in a future companion book.
Thanks for looking!
[...]

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Images of America: Historic Silver Spring celebrates the community's past, beginning with founder Francis Preston Blair's 1840 discovery of the mica-flecked spring and the 1873 arrival of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Vintage photographs document the progressive growth of the "Main Streets," Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road, and the construction of the Silver Spring Armory and National Dry Cleaning Institute in 1927 and the Silver Theatre and Silver Spring Shopping Center in 1938. The volume culminates with modern pictures of downtown Silver Spring's 21st-century revitalization, which continues to preserve the past and secure the future of the area. In a pictorial journey through the community's Central Business District and bordering residential neighborhood, East Silver Spring, Historic Silver Spring honors the people and places that have come before.

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Morning Miracle: Inside the Washington Post A Great Newspaper Fights for Its Life Review

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(More customer reviews)Dave Kindred's THE MORNING MIRACLE doesn't compare with Gay Talese's THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER, and isn't even the best book on the Washington Post (Katharine Graham's PERSONAL HISTORY), but it is a first-rate account of a venerable institution struggling to survive in the 21st century. The heroes are Post writers Dana Priest, Annie Hull, Anthony Shadid, Sally Jenkins and Gene Weingarten, individuals who see journalism more as a calling than a career. Walter Pincus is the old truth-telling prophet. Len Downie is revered as the near perfect editor. Ben Bradlee is almost made to walk on water. And yet, despite such talent, the Post is losing money on newsprint and the direction forward is murky, so much so that one Post writer suggests Kindred's title should be DYING WITH DIGNITY.
As Kindred focuses the story on the period of time between 2005-2008, the staff knows that beloved publisher, Don Graham, will do anything to keep the print side of the paper afloat. But, in seeing his personal (a divorce settlement) and professional (age) life slipping away, he believes that the only hope is to turn to youth for leadership, particularly niece Katharine Weymouth. Understanding the business side of the Post, and more aware of the importance of its online future, Weymouth is the logical successor. But, Kindred is not placated with the choice. He finds her oblivious to the decline of the quality of the Post as the staff shrinks through forced buyouts. And, worse still, he knows that she has no ear for words, no sense of the history of print. She quotes Metro Columnist Marc Fisher as putting forth the Post's objective in a tidy fashion when he writes it is "to speak truth to power, to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." Kindred's scorching reaction, "The words were written by Finley Peter Dunne almost a century ago. Old news to people who know newspapers." But, such tough talk belies the reality that without Weymouth's bottom line agressiveness, the Post might fold altogether like the Seatlle Post-Intelligencer or the Rocky Mountain News in Denver. Kindred grudgingly knows that the Post must adapt or die.
Weingarten turns out to be Kindred's sage. He pinpoints the critical difference between reading a newspaper and something online. With a newspaper, you never read what you think you will. You see different headlines and pictures and end up reading somethng you otherwise would have bypassed. Online, you pick out what you read. You confirm what you already know and you never expand.
Weingarten also provides the most laugh out loud moments in the book, such as when making a graduation speech to journalism majors and telling them that the business is changing so radically that it is hard to tell what future journalists will look like. Weingarten exclaims, "I mean literally. For all we know, they might have gills and three buttocks. That's how fast things are changing. But rest assured that, however dizzying the rate of change, when what's at stake is the sacred art of truth-telling, there is always one constant. One thing that will always be the same: Your editor is going to be an idiot."
In the end, Kindred concludes that the Post will no longer be the paper of excellence that the Grahams, Bradlee and Downie created anymore than today's world can be the same as the world of a generation past. But, he does take comfort that there will always be journalists who love to get the story right and won't rest until they do.
For those who love words, and print, and might even still walk out into their driveway every morning to pick up the Post, this is a great book to read.

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A History of the Jewish People Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a big and interesting book. It begins with not only the traditional telling of the origins of Biblical Israel, it does not shy away with the intellectual problematics of that story. However, it is not as dismissive of the ancient stories as are most modern critics.
Only about one third of the book deals with biblical times at all, and much of that is well within historical times in the sense that we have contemporary records from other sources. The bulk of the book deals with the Jewish people in other settings, how their fortunes ebbed and flowed, and how they finally won emancipation in Europe.
There is also a telling of the rise of the Zionist movement, the Holocaust, and the founding of modern Israel. Although the later is very short and does not deal with the latest developments because the book is now twenty years old.
It reads quite well. You need not let its thousand page length hold you back because it reads more like a novel than a dry and dusty history. If you take your time reading it you will have more time to think about what you are reading and it will stick with you permanently. If you dash through it, all this great information will evaporate like the morning dew.

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A History of the Jewish People presents a total vision of Jewish experiences and achievements--religious, political, social, and economic--in both the land of Israel and the diaspora throughout the ages. It has been acclaimed as the most comprehensive and penetrating work yet to have appeared in its field.

Six distinguished scholars at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, have set forth here for the first time the authentic story of the Jewish past that is relevant to the Jewish present. Special attention is paid to the significant historical sources that have come to light in the past decades, to the findings of archaeological research, and to source materials in Jewish studies such as talmudic literature--sources that have too often been ignored by historians.

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The United States and Pakistan, 1947-2000: Disenchanted Allies (The Adst-Dacor Diplomats and Diplomacy Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ambassador Dennis Kux, who had previously authored the study of India-US relations, India and the United States: Estranged Democracies, 1941-1991, has once again produced a masterly account; this time of the US-Pakistan relationship. Thorough in description, tracing events from the initial encounters between US and Pakistan since 1947, to President Clinton's visit to Islamabad in March 2000, Kux's narrative makes for an absorbing and gripping read. Heavily referenced, it has drawn from a variety of sources, including the US national archives, the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson presidential libraries, Nixon's papers and the Public Record Office in London. He also obtained documents by invoking the US Freedom of Information Act. Moreover, he was able to interview over 50 senior Pakistani officials who had played key roles in their country's dealings with Washington. The result is some rare insights into the making of history, much of it so far hidden from view.
Kux has an added advantage since he served in the American embassy in Islamabad in two critical phases, from 1957 to 1959, and again from 1969 to 1971, and was eyewitness to many of the events that led to the blossoming of the relationship.
Few relationships in the international arena have been as turbulent as Pakistan's with the United States. Washington's engagement with Islamabad has swung like a pendulum in the last fifty years or so. Ambassador Kux tried hard, with some success, to remove the misgivings of Pakistanis about the American lack of sincerity in bilateral relations as Washington always dumped the country once its interests were served. This once again is the topic of intense discussion in Pakistan today, even among the educated and the pro-Western class. To understand the dynamics of this ever changing relationship, especially in the emerging scenario, this timely book is a must read.

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"Dennis Kux's book possesses a wealth of new information, based partly on fresh research in published and archival sources, but based even more impressively on the more than 100 personal interviews he conducted with former diplomats and defense officials in both the United States and Pakistan."--Robert J. McMahon, University of Florida"Kux's study is, to my knowledge, the first full-dress, comprehensive, and authoritative study of U.S.-Pakistan relations. Focused primarily on formal diplomacy between these two countries, it systematically chronicles the major events, deftly handles the primary issues, and sympathetically considers the key political and diplomatic figures on both sides."--Robert Wirsing, University of South CarolinaU.S.-Pakistan relations have been extraordinarily volatile, largely a function of the twists and turns of the Cold War. An intimate partnership prevailed in the Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan years, and friction during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter presidencies. Since the Cold War ended, the partnership has shriveled. The blunt talking to delivered by President Clinton to Pakistan's military dictator during Clinton's March 25, 2000, stopover in Pakistan highlighted U.S.-Pakistani differences. But the Clinton visit also underscored important U.S. interests in Pakistan.The first comprehensive account of this roller coaster relationship, this book is a companion volume to Kux's Estranged Democracies, recently called "the definitive history of Pakistani-American relations" in the New York Times. (Fall 2004)

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Fortune's Fool: Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Warner Music, and an Industry in Crisis Review

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(More customer reviews)The demise of the music industry is a topic of continuing interest - Goodman's excellent book using Bronfman as the central theme - nicely captures the utter disregard for both the customer and artist, the genius of Steve Job's iTunes/iPod platform and the scramble - still in progress to redefine what the inevitably volatile music business will be in the future now that the big companies have milked all they can from reissuing everything they can on CD. I remember the period when Elvis' first recordings - titled the Sunrise collection - were rereleased by RCA every year with "newly" discovered material.
I was interested that one of Lyor Cohen's label heads had to scout strip clubs to understand what was happening in the music scene - says something about where society is going. Incredible amounts of money exchanging hands for trivial and thoughtless strategies. Goodman appropriately focuses on the central role of Ahmet Ertegun as the last of the old school of record and label makers.
As to Bronfman - he comes across as very wealthy with any ascribed successes coming from throwing enough against the wall that something sticks. $50 million bonuses and losing $130 million in 3 months trying something appear to be par for Bronfman's course. Wonder how he missed the Brooklyn Bridge.
As the other reviewer noted, the cast of characters lack the charm and idiosyncrasies of the record men of the 50s and 60s - Sid Nathan, Hy Weiss, Jerry Wexler, Berry Gordy etc. and the 80s not to ignore Malcolm McLaren. Not a business for the pure of heart.
Good book.

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Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track Review

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(More customer reviews)Imagine living a fairly quiet life, having come out of the "dog eat dog" corporate world and moved to laid-back Austin, Texas. A real, enjoyable change has taken place in your life. However, one day you go and see a flat track roller derby match, and you are hooked so much by what you have seen, you decide to try out for roller derby.
This is just the beginning of a personal journey by author Melissa Joulwan, aka: Melicious, who describes in her book Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track an amazing adventure that brought an admitted nerd into team sports.
Readers find out that Melicious in fact worked very hard to get as good as she could, and loved skating with her teammates, although after her first regular season, felt there was nothing really satisfying about the team sport aspect of this new activity. That situation would change, and so readers share in that pursuit that saw the formation of skater-owned and operated flat track roller derby, and eventually the formation of well over 150 roller derby leagues throughout the world.
I found this book to be difficult to put down, although Ms. Joulwan's descriptions are so vivid at times I had to slow down and savor her writing. For a roller derby fan like me, it was a thrill to find out how the revival of roller derby in this decade came about. It was fascinating to hear stories like how her first pair of roller derby skates used for tryouts were just the wrong color (white) and so her husband Dave drew an anarchy symbol on them in magic marker to make them derby acceptable.
It is the first of many wonderful stories in this book. Highlights include the story of how a major injury in an uninsured venue, drove a split in the organization she was skating in, and eventually led to a skater-run league that would be the pattern for most emerging roller derby leagues in the next four years. It is also satisfying to read about her many friends and co-league skaters, all of whom seem to have very unique backgrounds that came together in this passionate love of an emerging sport.
And for Melicious, after four years of skating, and being a fan at the first National Flat Track Championship in Tucson, Arizona, a real transformation had taken place. The former nerd and sometimes roller skater had become a teammate, and a sports participant. She had gone from an empty feeling on team sports early in her derby experience, to understanding the artistry and strategy in other team sports.
This book is a must read for fans of roller derby, but I also think it is an excellent read for sports fans in general. As a sports fan, and a former player and coach in sports, this book reminded me of the unique qualities of team sports. Winning games and derby bouts may be nice, but the discipline of sports and the friends who support the effort are invaluable. These teammates and friends are truly treasures of life and I think Ms. Joulwan has done an excellent job of communicating this in Rollergirl: True Tales from the Track.

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The 1950s phenomenon of Roller Derby is back in full force, and it's definitely not your grandma's game anymore. With leagues in more than one hundred cities across the country, a national tournament, and major sponsors, the new wave of the sport has gone mainstream. No one is better qualified to tell the story of Flat Track Derby's astronomic rise than Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan. As a founding member of the Texas Rollergirls -- the league that launched the sport and the reigning national champions -- she has helped redefine what it means to be stylish, sporty, and sexy. With her mouthy, tough-as-nails style, Melicious recounts her best tales from the track: her fierce rivalries with The Wrench and Ivanna S. Pankin, the scene at the annual national tournament, the thrill of a bout, and the infractions that so often bring her to the penalty box. From the minute she first laced up her skates and wrapped herself in her alter ego, Roller Derby has given her a confidence boost, and she shares the positive impact the sport has also had on girls -- young and not-so-young -- who tack posters of her on their bedroom walls and lace up their own skates. Complete with photos and suggestions on how to develop a Rollergirl name and persona, this unprecedented tell-all comes from the woman who's watched the sport evolve from an underground Friday-night event to a bona fide national phenomenon.

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The MC5's Kick Out the Jams (33 1/3) Review

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(More customer reviews)I like this book - really takes you back to the days of the "revolution" - could maybe have a had a little more analysis of the music, but it's a very good work on a band whose candle burned brightly and quickly.

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When the Motor City 5 stormed the stage, the band combined the kinetic flash of James Brown on acid with the raw musical dynamics of the Who gone berserk. It's a unique band that can land itself on the cover of Rolling Stone a month before the release of its debut album and then be booted from its record contract just a few months later. Rock had never before seen the likes of the MC5 and never will again. Many of us who were floored by the 5 in concert were convinced that this was the most transcendently pulverizing rock we would ever experience, while many more who heard or read about the band dismissed the 5 as a caricature, a fraud, White Panther bozos play-acting at revolution. There was always plenty of humor to the 5—visionary knuckleheads—though the question was whether they were in on the joke. Frequently ridiculed during their short career, they've since been hailed as a primal influence on everything from punk to metal to Rage Against the Machine to the Detroit populist resurgence of the White Stripes, Kid Rock and Eminem.

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