Book Description
Six fan-theorists attempt to unravel the clues of THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. Joyce Odell of Red Hen Productions, Daniella Teo of Mugglenet, Sally M. Gallo of The Leaky Cauldron, Wendy B. Harte and the mysterious "Swythyv" - along with editor, John Granger (author of Hidden Key to Harry Potter, etc.)- provide Harry Potter readers with exciting and insightful ideas of what happened and what will happen based on their close reading of the texts ... ideas that will challenge and engage readers everywhere. Travis Prinzi, creator of THE SWORD OF GRIFFYNDOR website, writes that these essays "will stand as a monument to the kind of guesswork we were all involved in as we awaited the final Harry Potter book."
Customer Reviews:
YOUR TITLE SPOILED THE BOOK FOR ME.......2007-09-25
I've managed to stay spoiler free for all these years, and while buying Book 6, Amazon recommends this damned book to me. Thanks.
An interesting look at the phenomenal Potter series.......2007-08-27
I admit that I rushed through Book 6 of the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," basically taking in the plot as it was presented on the surface and without considering much of what I already knew about the way J.K.Rowling has worked in creating the series. "Who Killed Albus Dumbledore" was a real awakening for me to the clever, layered and nuanced ways in which this series has unfolded, and to the deceptive techniques of mis-direction Rowling uses to create suspense and to focus the ideas beneath the surface of what appear to be simple fantasy narratives. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to prime themselves for a rewarding reading of Book 7, "...and the Deathly Hallows" (which I'll be reading soon after a careful RE-reading of HBP...).
Harry Potter Spoiler right on the front cover!.......2007-08-13
How could someone who's such a harry potter fan that they write a book about it, want to spoil book 6 by giving the most major plot detail right in the book title?
Amazon should take this off their site.
Interesting, very interesting..........2007-08-10
I found the theories fun to read about before reading book seven. Being a light reader, I often missed subtle hints that Rowling dropped n her earlier books. Quite interesting.
Worst book ever..........2007-08-09
Seriously who puts such a huge spoiler in the title! I can't believe Amazon is connecting this book to the harry potter series... i can't believe it is suggesting it to readers when IT HAS A SPOILER IN THE TITLE!! This book really ruins it for new fans just getting into the seriers. I would have never the 6th book if I had saw something like this. It would have totally ruined it for me.... there is a certain magic to reading books and getting invested in the characters... to show something that doesn't even happen until the end of a loved character is cruel.
Book Description
Little readers will love second-guessing this funny, fractured fairy tale that replays the story of Little Red Riding Hood from the poor maligned wolf's point of view.
No, please. Look at me.
Would I LIE to you?
It was the old woman who started it.
Everyone knows there are at least two sides to every story, and if you believe in the big-eared, sharp-toothed villain of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, there's a logical explanation for everything. As our antihero tells it, it all starts with the helpful wolf doing odd jobs for Grandma (are you sure you don't want to sit a little closer?). How was he to know that he spoiled Little Red would come along and ruin a good working relationship? Zooming in dramatically from strategic angles, the amusing illustrations offer visual clues that this is a story to be taken with a grain of salt - and a lot of giggling.
Customer Reviews:
A Fine Example of when the Illustrator and Author do not speak...........2007-09-10
Although I think the illustrations are lovely I really disagree with the previous reviewer. During a residency for a Library Science class we were asked to look at ARC of some children's books and this was one of the titles I chose. I found the illustrations did not match the text. The illustrations would have been fine for the original tale of Little Red Riding Hood. But for a reverse of the tale it did not work. The wolf was too scary and one does not sympathize with scary creatures. I would not recommend this title.
Beware the Wolf's Story!.......2006-01-21
Toby Forward hails from Liverpool, England and has written another fine book for children - "The Wolf's Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood". Wonderfully illustrated by Ishar Cohen of Palestine, the artwork reinforces the perspective of the wolf on the events in the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story, retold here by the wolf thanks to Toby Forward.
First of all, nothing that happened in the Little Red Riding Hood story was the wolf's fault - "Would I lie to you? It was the old woman who started it". He says that he was just a friendly wolf doing odd jobs for Grandma - "Anyway, I did odd jobs for the old woman. Called her Grandma". Then that spoiled Little Red Riding Hood showed up and ruined everything - "so I leaped out of bed, ...Then she started screaming". Now that you know the truth, you can trust a wolf, can't you? "Do I LOOK like the sort of wolf who goes around eating grandmas?", he asks.
This book is a good example of dishonesty and lying, which the wolf engages in throughout his story. The story helps children to tell the difference between a truthful statement and a false statement that purports to be true. Children learn what it is called when someone says something that is not true - it is called a lie.
This book can be used as an introduction to discussing types of dishonesty with your child, from exaggerating, flattery, twisting the truth, and not telling the whole truth (so you don't get into trouble) to cheating on tests or outright lying. For extension, children can go to www.ImpeachBlair.org and read the lies that Blair manufactured for Bush to do American-powered British empire against Iraqis. Helping children develop honesty and the ability to detect dishonesty is important to their ability to make their own decisions despite attempts by others to manipulate them, whether it be their peers, politicians, or consumer culture.
In short, a wonderful book to help your child detect dishonesty.
Book Description
Some of the finest writing and reporting on the events of September 11 was done by Der Spiegel, Germany's magazine of record. With its main office in Hamburg, base of operations for terrorist ringleader Mohamed Atta and many of the others, Der Spiegel's journalists were on the front lines of the earliest investigation into the identities of those who, on a cloudless summer's morning, brought Holy War to America.The award-winning team from Spiegel was also at Ground Zero, talking to people, gathering stories, interviewing survivors, seeking the words that might express the interconnections of horror and heroism. The words came to them from those who had been inside and somehow gotten out, and take us as close as we can get to what happened. Combining first-class investigative journalism and writing of extraordinary clarity, Inside 9-11 is a heartbreaking and gripping reconstruction of the events that changed us all. No book can encompass what took place on 9-11. But here is one that gives it human dimension.
Customer Reviews:
You are there!.......2006-02-14
I read this book soon after it was published in hard cover and to this very day I occasionally think back to the accounts of that horrible event documented in this dazzling recounting of the last day and days in the lives of the people involved.
Not only does it offer the reader painful moment by moment insight into the loss of so many innocents but also takes you through the planning and unstoppable march of the terrorists toward their personal obliteration.
This is not a book to speed read. It is best to absorb, reflect and wonder why, Dubya, why?
Truely heart rendering.
Page-turner .......2005-09-19
For those that want detail and inside facts that are missing from other books on this topic, this is the book to read. It lets you look into the last hours of the poor victims and also the criminals. Fast pased, though you may have to put the book aside to gather your emotions from time to time. I've read several books on this tragedy, but this one gives interesting facts that other books did not touch on.
The floor gets extremely hot and the staircases are collapsing.......2005-07-23
After the recent London underground bombing attack [juli 2005] my hometown bookshop displayed, on a special table, literature about terrorism. Here I found 9/11. I wanted to buy it allthough I hesitated, was I ready to read this? Once reading I finished it within days. The German writers-team of Der Spiegel took me through the stories of all kinds of people who were linked directly to 9/11. They interviewed members of the New York Fire Department and people who worked in the Twin Towers and how they all tried to resist the inferno after the planes hit. You also get acuinted with the hijacker's and their dark years before they attacked, as well as persons who knew them well, like landlords, co-workers, friends and family. Every person somehow comes alive by perfect narration, and many details are moving. Its very personal, which makes it touchable. The writers convinced me they are born writers. I can really recommend this book. It gives faces, like me and you, to a very bad event of the recent past. And last but not least, it presents insight in how different people cope with the aftermath of 9/11.
A reinforcement of stereotypes.......2005-07-11
This book starts out interestingly enough, drawing us into the lives of characters whose lives were about to be so tragically affected by the horrendous events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Unfortunately, it gradually deteriorates into that familiar litany suggesting that all Americans are self-sacrificing heroes, and most Muslims are murderous, manipulative, shady characters.
An appalling ignorance of cultural differences -- for example the importance of the Qu'ran, or respect for women that is demanded by Islam -- is demonstrated by the authors. Instead, these are brushed aside as strange quirks of a secretive cult.
If you want a read that confirms the stereotypes of Americans as uniformly brave and caring of others, and Muslims as cowardly terrorists, this would be an excellent book.
If, however, you want a more balanced account of the bigger picture, I'm sure (I hope) there must be better, less-biased information available.
If you must read this, read with awareness of pro-American faultless flag-waving patriotism.
A disappointing piece of flagrant propaganda.
-Mick Loosemore
Surrey, Canada
Rubish.......2004-12-11
Bla bla bla. Read "Inside Job" by Jim Marrs and watch the DVD "9/11 In Plane Sight", maybe you'll learn the truth!
Book Description
The book that rewrites the fiction of secular dinosaur lore. Beautifully illustrated, highly imaginative. Takes young, inquisitive readers on a pre-flood journey through God's creation. Travel side by side with Tracker John and his pet dinosaur DJ! Children will love the heartwarming story and fun-filled adventure. Adults will appreciate the scientific teaching of a biblical alternative.
Customer Reviews:
Biblical view of dinosaurs.......2007-07-03
Biblically accurate, but a little advanced for my Pre-K and Kindergarten kids. Too much text to keep their attention. Will be useful for later grades. Great way to find out the truth about dinosaurs and why they couldn't have lived millions and millions of years ago.
Deceptive indoctrination tool.......2007-01-02
This book is a great indoctrination tool for anyone who wants to shield their child from current theories on dinosaur extinction and replace them with pseudoscientific hogwash masquerading as Christianity. The authors use the book as an excuse to attack science and promote Creationism.
This book does not represent the Christian viewpoint. It represents a very limited fear-based viewpoint.
It is perfect for those people who believe that accepting science means rejecting God.
Pope Pius accepted evolution as a possible theory over 50 years ago.
Creationists listen to me for a moment. Imagine a God who can create small cellular organisms and an environment to act upon them and eventually come up with self-aware soul-containing beings.
This is less preferable to a God who makes mud-people and then magically breathes on them?
If you want your child to grow up ignorant this book is for you!
Truth or faith?.......2006-08-30
This book is NOT a science book. This is a Christian explanation to help fill in the gap, since dinosaurs weren't mentioned in the bible. If you truly want to teach your children science... let them examine ALL theories. I think it's ignorant and unfair to shelter your kids from information that is commonly understood to be the most likely theory, by scientist around the world. This is definately a "homeskooling" book for people who want to impart the theory of "inteligunt desine".... but my kids are actually going to college someday. So I'm going to pass on this one.
Great alternate to secular books.......2006-03-10
This book is a great alternative if you are looking for something that presents a Creationist view (ie Intelligent Design) of our world. It gives various theories on when the dinosaurs lived as well as what happened to them - all of which are in line with Biblical teaching. I was thrilled to have something in print that taught what our family believes.
First Dino book I haven't had to edit.......2005-11-25
This is a book about dinosaurs written from the perspective of biblical truth. Anyone who thinks science and religion are opposites should skip reading the rest of this review and this book. For everyone else, don't be fooled into thinking the religion of evolution has any scientific basis. This book shows how we find out about dinosaurs now, how they were created with the rest of the animals on day 6, and how all those who didn't get on the Ark died with everything else when the flood came. It also explores what happened to the dinosaurs since then. If you believe in a literal six day creation and the biblical flood, then this is "must have" book for your children.
Book Description
One of the most complex mysteries in world history is the assassination of President John Kennedy. More than thirty years after his death we still don't know what really happened. From careful research using over 25 sources and over a span of more than fifteen years the author, formerly employed by the Central Intelligence Agency, has selected 501 questions, both frequently asked and one-of-a-kind. Examples: What prominent world-figure claimed to not remember where he was on the day of the murder? What was deleted to cause the 18-minute gap on the Watergate tape? Why did Jacqueline Kennedy climb out onto the trunk of the limousine? What were the odds against 18 material witnesses being dead within 39 months of the assassination?
Written in easy-to-read stle this book asks, then answers the questions and ends by giving the reference to which the reader wishing more information may go. One-hundred and fifty photographs of people and scenes involved with the Kennedy murder add interest to the book.
Customer Reviews:
Exceptional book. Extrordinary Research!.......2004-07-01
What at first seems to be just another "JFK - what really happened book", turns out to be one of the best investigative pieces of research I've seen on the subject.
The power lies in the questions. The realization that something really corrupt and unspeakable happened in this country is hammered home with a simple yes or no answer determined by indepth research. The implications of those involved is chilling.
I've seen the JKF movies and read a few books and remember when the asassination was announced. Information I've never heard before is presented in this book.
"What Really Happend", brings up facts and answers questions that will send chills up your spine. Eye opening information presented in a concise and chronological format making a complex subject and course of events more comprehensible.
This is a hard-to-find book, but well worth the search.
great great book.......2002-08-10
this book is a simple question and answer book.
it dosen't go into the assassination of JFK, but rather it answers the questions of who was this guy and what was his role.
you learn about when ex-President Jimmy Carter was giving a speech on the JFK assassination and then the tv sound just went mute. the book answers what Jackie was actually reaching over the car for and who people like Lee Bowers were and what Richard Nixon and J Edgar Hoover had to do with the JFK assassination.
this is a very simple book, but it's very informative and very well written.
has numerous photos of some of the people mentioned in the book.
great book.
Customer Reviews:
Even THIS Book Is HERE ???!!! Wow........2005-12-01
I Remember Having Come Across This Book In A Box Someone Had Brought To Work,With Others,To Give Away.Thought It Was An Excellent One.I Remember Also Reading Before Or After This "Kent State".I Guess It Must Have Been "The Stories Of My Lifetime" Period Of My Life Or Something.(Me Being Born In 1962-Too Young For The First Woodstock.Too Old For The Second).
For Some Reason The TV Series Based On This Book Kept Me As Enthralled.Couldn't Wait To Watch It Every-Friday?-I Think.I Even Remember A Couple Of The Stories-Annette O'Toole As "Everybody's Girl".Yea You Guessed It.The Class Slut Who Eventually Married And Was Compelled To Cheat On Hubby.And Kristopher Tabori (You'll Find His Mother,Viveca Lindfors, Playing Dotty Aunt Bedelia In Stephen King And George Romero's "Creepshow".Acting Talent Runs In That Family)-Anyway,Tabori Did An Excellent Turn As "The Class Hustler".He Was Conning Money Out Of People In Pool And Other Sports.Then He Goes To Vietnam And Comes Back An Amputee.Two Powerful Episodes Inspired By One Powerful Book.This One Here.(I Guess That's Why I Got Hooked On The Show,Too,Huh?)
Dated but Still an Important Book.......2005-07-20
I bought my copy at a used book store and I didnt expect that this will become one of my favorites.
TIME magazine featured the students of Palisades High.Ten years later,two men who remained friends after high school decided to write about their classmates as well as themselves (to be fair).They interviewed some of their classmates (those stereotypical personalities you know in high school like the Quarterback,The Popular Guy,The Nerd,The Bad Girl,etc.)and none of them expected the revelations about those people that they used to know.Most stories are quite tragic,probably because these people are trapped in all the expectations from other people and themselves.
This book is very well written that a reader would end up as if they personally know these people.
Same Old Lang Syne.......2005-02-06
"What Really Happened To The Class Of '65" purports to be a sociological examination of the Baby Boomer generation's road to maturity, but what really is great about it is its candor and vivid accounts of high school life.
The members of the class are a mix of different types recognizable in schools today: The star quarterback, the flirt, the joiner, the outcast, the slut. Of course, within those broad categories are individuals with complications and insecurities their smooth exteriors often hid. Kids work very hard at protecting their inner selves from scrutiny. Fortunately the older versions of these kids are all-too-happy to share the details of their class insecurity, sexual desires, and what they thought of each other.
"I just remember her being sort of a snob, and I could never quite trust her," one female class member says of another. "She would be my friend one day, and the next day everything would change..."
"He was totally sarcastic," goes a recollection of another class member. "I enjoyed his sense of humor, but a lot of people didn't. I know this because people used to ask me how I could stand to go around with him."
You can recognize such characters from your own high school years. I know I can.
I wish the authors did more with the "when they were young" element of the story. There's some recountings of favorite music and when President Kennedy was shot, but not enough. The focus, after various classmates give their snapshot portraits of each subject in turn, is often on what these kids grew into. The quarterback is now a New Age minister. The flirt is now a lesbian. The outcast now lives in Micronesia. Several have been arrested for drugs.
It's here where the story becomes more specific to its time, the freewheeling 1960s and 1970s, and you get that sense of things coming apart unique to that era. There's still poignance in the stories, though, especially two. One, the school dreamboat, pursues an acting career with diminishing success and commits suicide. Another, the aloof dreamer, joins a series of movements and finally becomes a John Bircher, renouncing sex, movies, and society in general as he lives in his own dreamworld. "Ten years from today I expect to have written at least ten books which are far superior to anything a college or high school student sees in his literature courses," he tells the authors.
I haven't done a search of the name "Jamie Kelso" on this website, but I sense that I won't find much if I do. At least he participated in one terrific book.
The level of overall participation is the most remarkable thing about the book. All but two out of the 30 students profiled opted to be identified by their real names (the two not so identified wouldn't have been missed) and dish enough dirt on themselves and each other that you realize this could have only happened in the "Let-it-all-hang-out" era of the early 1970s. Though the book was a bestseller in its day, and even was the basis for a "Saturday Night Live" sketch, there hasn't been a true followup, which is not surprising. Doubtless many of the subjects didn't appreciate how much information the authors used, and those that did probably didn't relish a second exposure in the more judgmental 1980s.
The authors also give out information on themselves. Michael Medved especially comes off as a bit stuck up, but amusing. He toiled over an epic poem on the assassination of William McKinley, which a classmate pronounces "awful." There's also a funny account of how he lost his virginity, which if made into a movie scene today, would undoubtedly earn the wrath of Medved the popular reactionary film critic.
Funny, poignant, wistful, "What Really Happened To The Class Of '65" is like thumbing through someone else's yearbook and realizing you recognize most of the people there.
My, how times have changed.......2001-10-01
Written in 1975, What Really Happened to the Class of '65 is a compilation of interviews with 30 members of the 1965 graduating class of Palisades High School. Most of those in question grew up in very affluent households and most of them, in the course of their interviews, seem to have an almost astounding ignorance of the fact that their teenage lives were hardly the norm. However, that's not a major problem or concern. Instead, what makes this book interesting is seeing just how much time has changed -- both in the ten years between their graduation and the book's publication and, even more so, in the decades after the book came out. On the whole, everybody in the book represents a certain type -- popular jerk, pretty boy, quarterback, nerd, bully, cheerleader, ect. However, in the course of some remarkably candid interviews, they're all given a chance to establish their own unique, for-the-most-part fairly likeable individual indentities. Reading it made me wonder what was really going on in the heads of those people I knew in high school who I simply assumed were bullies or jocks or cheerleaders or geeks and nothing else? It actually made me want to get in touch with people I barely knew just to find out who they were now.
Most of the interviewees share in common an amazement at how much times had changed between their high school graduation and 1975. All of them, for the most part, are quick to point out that they're now totally different (read: better) people. Most of them, as well, sound like almost stereotypical creatures of '70s -- i.e., the quarterback becomes a bisexual, new age minister, quite a few have made fortunes of their own but still proudly wear their hair long and seem to believe they were personally responsible for ending Viet Nam and forcing Nixon to resign. While reading, I found myself wondering what happened to these folks once the '80s hit, much less the '90s. On the whole, you could imagine most of them probably voted for Carter in '76 and then spent the next decade pursuing the same basic life styles that they seem so quick to attack their parents for doing. Its a shame that Medved and Wallechinsky didn't follow-up on these people in 1985 and 1995. (Though Wallechinsky did write a sequel on his own, for some reason he decided to interview a new batch of people!) Of course, the most interesting change to be found amongst the people profiled is that of co-author Michael Medved. In the book, he almost practically boasts of how, once in college, he dedicated all of his time to "liberal politics." (Though, of course, he doesn't mention it, he was a friend to Clintons while at Yale.) Of course now, Medved is better known as one of the most outspokenly right-wing film critics out there. Many will enjoy this book for the nostalgia but for me, it'll always be wonderful proof that nothing -- be it your politics, your bank account, the length of you hair, or whatever else -- is ever as permanent as you might think.
Fantastic.......2001-05-16
Normally I dislike "reality TV" sorts of things- I feel as though I'm enjoying other people's misery- but I found this in the book section of a second-hand store (always a good sign) and grabbed it. It's basically a collection of stories of how a group of people spent the years 1965-1975. Despite the fact that these are real people and it's dangerous to use such a small group to make generalizations about a time period, I think I can safely say that it was a lot more action-packed than things are right now (or maybe I just lead an especially boring life). My only complaint was that so many of the stories were about the more popular or well-known students; I would've liked to see what happened to some of the other students. I'm not sure what this book proves, if anything; I get the feeling that there are a few great truths in it, if only I knew where to look. Whatever it is, it's a great read.
Book Description
In a startling look at the classic Annapurna -- the most famous book about mountaineering -- David Roberts discloses what really happened on the legendary expedition to the Himalayan peak.
In June 1950, a team of mountaineers was the first to conquer an 8,000-meter peak. Maurice Herzog, the leader of the expedition, became a national hero in France, and Annapurna, his account of the historic ascent, has long been regarded as the ultimate tale of courage and cooperation under the harshest of conditions.
In True Summit, David Roberts presents a fascinating revision of this classic tale. Using newly available documents and information gleaned from a rare interview with Herzog (the only climber on the team still living), Roberts shows that the expedition was torn by dissent. As he re-creates the actual events, Roberts lays bare Herzog's self-serving determination and bestows long-delayed credit to the most accomplished and unsung heroes.
These new revelations will inspire young adventurers and change forever the way we think about this victory in the mountains and the climbers who achieved it.
Customer Reviews:
Judgment.......2006-10-30
I read Herzog's Annapurna before ordering True Summit, and responded to Herzog's book very differently than David Roberts did. Herzog wrote many things in Annapurna that might make a person critical of him. For example: leaving his hands exposed when it wasn't necessary, pulling a companion down by moving forward when there wasn't enough slack in the rope, and pursuing directions that turned out to be useless when his companions had argued strongly for better ideas. So when I started True Summit and discovered that the author criticized Herzog for glorifying himself, I was quite surprised. In fact, by the end of True Summit, my respect for Herzog had grown immensely. His companions and his detractors appear in True Summit to have been more disagreable than hinted at in the book Annapurna. And Roberts comes across as mean-hearted...part of a group attacking a man who managed to have a productive life and to inspire new generations of climbers in spite of having lost his toes and fingers. Herzog wasn't perfect, but who is perfect?
As for being self-centered at the expense of others, or for literaty effect, how is it that Roberts himself becomes a primary character in a book about Annapurna while he does almost nothing to cover the lives of the sherpas who were so essential to the trip? The tales of Roberts' climbing adventures become almost as central as those of Herzog, even though Roberts never got anywhere close to Annapurna. I'm not saying that Roberts' experience is uninteresting or irrelevant. But is he not succumbing exactly as Herzog did to a temptation to center on the self and to create a literary effect at the expense of providing more factual information about people essential to the trip up Annapurna?
Detailed but Interesting.......2006-04-20
I have read other David Roberts' climbing books and generally enjoy them greatly. He writes in a very detailed intelligent style with entertainment a secondary consideration. More of a college analytic paper than a novel which is appropriate.
This book takes that to a higher degree as he re-examines the famous 1950 climb of Annapurna. In that climb the expedition leader and a professional climber summit at a very high cost. One of the most famous books in mountaineering was written by the leader Herzog who goes to great fame and wealth from this climb. This book examines whether the book is 100% accurate or slanted. A great bit of time is spent in extreme detail discussing different wordings and accounts of the climb. This somewhat bogs down the story but to true climbers with a historical interest it will be very appealing. For me, it was a bit much.
But the final third of the book where conclusions are drawn and stories from the other climbers offer perspective really make this book worth the read. This book clearly demonstrates the courage and commitment of those involved and readers will definitely come away inspired by the story of the climb. As to me, I will not be drawn into the debate of what really happened. It is possible that different people can look at the same facts in a different way and I found more of that than any conspiracy. A topical but detailed climbing book so be prepared to not breeze through the book like a novel.
The view from the Chamonix guides.......2003-08-04
A talented and energetic mountaineer in his own right, rubber company executive Maurice Herzog did not worry about returning to work after Annapurna. Knowing that, it is no wonder the professional Chamonix guides, Louis Lachenal, Lionel Terray, and Gaston Rebuffat were more concerned about keeping their digits than reaching the summit.
Most moving is the story of Lachenal accompanying Herzog to the summit not because he cared about the summit, but because his professionalism compelled him to return his partner to safety. Lachenal lost his toes and never again climbed professionally.
This is the story of the guides, talented, courageous, and imperfect, whom we can respect and learn from, for quietly rising to the challenge of making the most of a compromising situation. While the the author's own mountaineering experiences in the chapters on Rebuffat and Terray could arguably have been saved for a different book, they explain the spirituality and passion he conveys as he interviews their survivors.
TRUE SUMMIT...TRULY WONDERFUL.......2002-04-15
This book explores what may actually have happened during the 1950 French expedition to the Himalayas which was 'led' by Maurice Herzog. This expedition was the first to summit an 8,000 meter peak, and it was the cause for much nationalist pride in post-war France.
'True Summit' is a very interesting read in terms of its research, as well as its historical and archival detail. Its author, David Roberts, is himself a mountaineer and has an innate understanding of the subject matter of the book, which contributes to its success.
I would, however, highly recommend that one first read Maurice Herzog's "Annapurna" which is Herzog's first person, romanticized account of the expedition and the source for much of what is analyzed in this book. Reading it will ground readers of 'True Summit' in the context out of which this book arises, and will make it that much more enjoyable.
After the ostensible summit of Annapurna (more about this in 'True Summit') by Herzog and Louis Lachenal who were aided in their harrowing descent by fellow expeditioners, Lionel Terray and Gaston Rebuffat, only Maurice Herzog went on to become a national hero in France. The other three mountaineers, all of whom were more experienced and proficient, were largely ignored in what was to become a carefully orchestrated, media event around Maurice Herzog.
"True Summit" attempts to set the story straight and right past wrongs. It also helps to debunk the self-serving, though gripping, sanitized account authored by expedition leader Maurice Herzog. What emerges is a more realistic picture of what may have actually transpired during that fateful, 1950 French expedition.
This book ensures that the contributions of three of the main protagonists, Lachenal, Terray, and Rebuffat, all highly experienced mountaineers from the Chamonix region of France, will not be forgatten. It is a memorial to their efforts during that expedition and well worth reading.
Roberts Debunks a Mountaineering Fairytale.......2002-02-06
Over fifty years ago, Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, members of a French expedition, reached the top of the Himalayan mountain, Annapurna. At 26,493-feet it is the tenth highest mountain in the world.
This first conquest of a peak over 8,000-meters (26,240-feet) was for France, then mired in a post-war depression, paramount to Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon.
The stirring book that followed, "Annapurna," written by Herzog, the expedition's leader, has been published in over 40 languages and has sold over 11-million copies becoming the best selling mountaineering book of all time.
For Herzog, who lost all his fingers and toes to frostbite, the book brought a life of fame and fortune. Although he never again did any serious climbing, Herzog became mayor of the famous French skiing town of Chamonix, served as Minister of Youth and Sports under Charles de Gaulle, was president and CEO of several major businesses, and served for many years on the International Olympic Committee.
In the years that followed, most of the world, including France, forgot about the expedition's three professional mountain guides: Lachenal, who lost all his toes after reaching the summit and died in a skiing accident in 1955; and Lionel Terray and Gaston Rebuffat, who gave-up their own summit bid to rescue the frostbitten Lachenal and Herzog.
In a 1980 article for the Sierra Club's journal "Assent," David Roberts, an acclaimed mountaineer himself, ranked "Annapurna" as the best mountaineering book ever written. Like most of the great climbers of the later 20th century, it was this eloquent and passionate book that first inspired him to seriously climb. So it was a bitter disappointment when in 1996 Roberts met Michel Guerin, a specialty publisher of mountaineering books in Chamonix, who revealed for him the truth behind "Annapurna."
In addition to an oath of unquestioning obedience to Herzog, the climbing team was required just before boarding the airplane to Nepal, to sign a contract forbidding them to publish anything about the expedition for five years after returning to France. Many of the climbers considered abandoning the expedition but relented. It was to be for each of them, their first trip to the Himalayas.
Near the end of the moratorium, Lachenal was preparing an autobiographical memoir, including all of his plainspoken criticisms of Herzog and the expedition. But after his death, Herzog was appointed tuteur, a legal guardian, of Lachenal's family. Along with Lucien Davies, the most influential man in French alpinism and the author of the oath and publishing moratorium, Herzog "pruned every scrap of critical, sardonic, or embittered commentary the guide had penned," about the Annapurna expedition. The whitewashed book, "Carnets du Vertige," was published in 1956.
For Herzog, sacrificing his fingers and toes was a minor price for the sublime victory that was reaching the summit of Annapurna. For Lachenal, it was merely a waste.
In TRUE SUMMIT, Roberts chronicles and analyzes the controversy stirred by the 1996 publishing of an unexpurgated version of "Carnets" and a subsequent biography of Rebuffat, which also revealed a highly critical view of the abilities and motives of Herzog, now the only surviving climbing member of the expedition.
Until his death from cancer in 1985, Rebuffat hid the negative of a photograph Herzog made Lachenal take on the summit, showing Herzog holding the banner of the tire company that employed him, the company that had contributed 500,000 francs to the expedition. For this treason, Rebuffat was never again invited on an official French mountaineering expedition.
The unveiling portrait of Davies and Herzog begins to ring similar to Ayn Rand's insincerely-altruistic and power-hungry characters Ellesworth Toohey and Peter Keating from her 1943 novel, "The Fountainhead."
Roberts' research is thorough as it is engaging, including numerous interviews with Lachenal's son, Rebuffat's widow and one with Herzog himself.
But what makes TRUE SUMMIT a truly enjoyable journey is Roberts' personal connection to the characters. As a young climber in the 1960s, tackling many dubious assents in Alaskan range, Roberts and his partners imagined themselves being Lachenal, Terray and Rebuffat. This book finally gives credit where credit is due. TRUE SUMMIT is a must-read for any serious armchair, or actual, climber.
Average customer rating:
|
Clifford Irving: What Really Happened (His Untold Story of the Hughes Affair)
Clifford Irving
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
| Arts & Literature
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Ethnic & National
| Family & Childhood
| General
| Historical
| Large Print
| Leaders & Notable People
| Memoirs
| People, A-Z
| Professionals & Academics
| Reference & Collections
| Regional Canada
| Regional U.S.
| Specific Groups
| Sports & Outdoors
| Travel
Criminology
| Crime & Criminals
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0006C4V52 |
Book Description
This book, based on primary sources (Japanese, Chinese and Western historical documents and eyewitness accounts), contains all the important facts about the events that took place in Nanking in 1937. The documents include population statistics and burial records. Under instructions from Gen. Matsui, the author went on a fact-finding tour of Nanking and environs in 1938. Tanaka also exposes the fakery behind the photographs used in Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking.
Customer Reviews:
Hiroshima bombing was made up.......2007-05-01
After reading this book, I came to doubt whether Hiroshima ever happened, because all those video document can be made up. And I never met a victim, and even if I met one, he could be a fake.
Why Japan lacks the kind of courage (that German demonstrated admirely) to admit their sin is beyond me.
Visit Nanjing and then decide.......2007-03-23
I visited Nanjing last year and toured the massacre museum. I challenge anyone to view the materials there and deny what the Japanese army did to the population of Nanjing in 1937-1938.
If you are in doubt, look up the diaries and/or records of Christian missionaries who sayed on in Nanjing during and after the Japanese occupation. They are remarkably detailed, and include names, dates, photos, and other damning evidence.
History from Japan's perspective.......2006-08-30
If you believe the writings in this book, then you'd have to also believe that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor because the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki!!!
True history by a credible scholar. Not the Chinese communist version........2006-06-12
Great argument based on fact and evidence. Japan did invade China and of course there were casualties. But it is disgrace to intentionaly exaggerate the number of victims or fake the incident. This book however argues the history based on the facts and evidence with no emotional involvements. Some chinse are obviously trying to degrade this book maybe because they are under heavy influence of Chinese Communist goverment. It is so to see that a lot people are still totally blind to the truth. People shoud read this book before getting trapped by China's anti-japan propaganda.
What really happned in Nanking!!!.......2006-04-28
I've read the book very carefully. Although I admire Janpanese culture, enjoy it's comic books, drive its economical cars..... I have to say the book is full of lies. It is shameful that even though Janpan is such a powerful and civilized counrtry, its ppl still show their ignorancy to the whole world by trying to deny what's really happened. The memories cannot be erased and the history won't be forgot.
Books:
- Wine For Dummies (For Dummies (Cooking))
- WORDS THAT WORK: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S WHAT PEOPLE HEAR
- YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger
- 1,000 Places to See Before You Die Traveler's Journal (Travel Journal)
- 12 Simple Secrets of Happiness: Finding Joy in Everyday Relationships
- A Taste of the Good Life: A Cookbook for an Interstitial Cystitis Diet
- American Cinema/American Culture
- Amistad Rising: A Story of Freedom
- Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls
- Blithe Spirit, Hay Fever, Private Lives: Three Plays
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
- The Photobook: A History - Volume 2
- Stoning the Keepers at the Gate: Society's Relationship with Law Enforcement
- The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence That Could Change History
- The Phantom of the Opera - piano vocal Selections
- The Quantum Theory of Fields, Volume 1: Foundations
- The Human Impact Reader: Readings and Case Studies
- Aging Populations and the Workforce: Challenges for Employers
- The Enneagram Triads: A Key to Personal and Professional Growth
- Encyclopedia of Retirement and Finance
Mugglenet.Com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Falls in Love and How Will the Adventure Finally End
Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader
What Will Harry Do? The Unofficial Guide to Payoffs and Possibilities in Book 7
Unauthorized Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows News: Harry Potter Book Seven and Half-Blood Prince Analysis
The End of Harry Potter?
