Book Description
My new friends have begun to suspect I haven’t told them the full story of my life.
“Why did you leave Sierra Leone?”
“Because there is a war.”
“You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?”
“Yes, all the time.”
“Cool.”
I smile a little.
“You should tell us about it sometime.”
“Yes, sometime.”
This is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s. Children have become soldiers of choice. In the more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them.
What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived.
In A Long Way Gone, Beah, now twenty-five years old, tells a riveting story: how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts.
This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty.
Customer Reviews:
Enlightening........2007-10-03
I think this is a wonderful book, so moving and beautifully written that you wonder how a person can manage to lead a "normal" life after experiencing what he has been through. The author tells the story matter-of-factly without whining or complaining about the hand he's been dealt. Because of this, it makes the story even more impressive.
Not just a good read, a book that enlightens is a must-read.
Fantastic book. Recommend for all ages!.......2007-10-02
This book is truly amazing. It is almost unbelievable to read about the lives of people like Ishmael, but it's true, and it's happening today. Yes, in some parts it is certainly hard to read, but it's worth it. It is better to be shocked and scarred by this book than ignorant to it. Ishmael is a wonderfully optimistic person, and I think we can all learn a lot from his courage. In his own words, Ishmael is not an expert on the history of Sierra Lione, but by putting a face and name to this story, you will still learn a lot from him! I recommend this book to anyone and everyone!
Easy to read, hard to digest.......2007-10-02
I read this book on my flight to D.C. a couple of months ago. It was probably the fastest I have ever read a book. It was very easy to understand and painted an incredibly vivid picture in my mind. The content is important and the way Beah wrote his story makes it accessible to all.
Painful but Poignant.......2007-09-27
This book is not for the fainthearted who wants a feel good story; this is tough book to read, however, it is an important book to read as well. So often us here in the west are isolated from the fact that there are tough places to live on this planet, places where people are forced to do unspeakable acts and are exposed to unimaginable acts of violence.
This book takes on the voyage of a young man named Ishmael, who lived in the war torn country of Sierra Leone. His life is completely turned upside down by the civil war in that country. Ishmaels story is first a story of losing his family, than of losing his innocence as he is forced to fight for the Countries Army that's fighting the "rebels". After that the story focuses on his rehabilitation in a place called Freetown and eventually his new life in the United States (although I would like to know more about how he is today).
The most amazing part of this story as an American who simply didn't understand the truth, is that this Ishmael was 12 years old and was killing people, not because he was an animal, but because he was drugged and forced to become one merely to survive. This is a concept that as westerners we look on and go oh that's too bad, but do we really take the time to understand that this happens all the time in the same world we live in? Do we take the time to understand that there is big world out there and for the most part it isn't that safe little havens we take for granted? I challenge anyone who reads this book to be able to look at the world the same again.
A must read.......2007-09-26
This book is very graphic in its detail of events. It will put you right there on the front line and in the eyes of danger. I felt as though I was there experiencing all that he had. Then again I could never imagine experiencing all that he did. Its a touching story that will bring back to reality on the issues that have been going on for ages.
Book Description
As he is driving home from a minister's conference, Baptist minister Don Piper collides with a semi-truck that crosses into his lane. He is pronounced dead at the scene. For the next 90 minutes, Piper experiences heaven where he is greeted by those who had influenced him spiritually. He hears beautiful music and feels true peace. Back on earth, a passing minister who had also been at the conference is led to pray for Don even though he knows the man is dead. Piper miraculously comes back to life and the bliss of heaven is replaced by a long and painful recovery. For years Piper kept his heavenly experience to himself. Finally, however, friends and family convinced him to share his remarkable story.
Customer Reviews:
90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN.......2007-10-05
I found it believable and an amazing description of his experience of seeing heaven's gates,etc., but after that, the long drug-out story of the author's recovery was somewhat tedious.
Book title is misleading.......2007-10-03
After the 90 second replay of Heaven, the rest of the book was just reading about his stay in the hospital and his slow recovery. I was disappointed.
Heavenly Inspiration.......2007-09-26
This book isn't for everyone. It's a heartfelt tale with many great lessons. Don's experiences demonstrate the most valuable lessons in life:
- trust that God has a purpose for each of us;
- often the best way to help others is to let them help you;
- everything leads to good if we let it;
- often the smallest gestures can have the most impact;
- even the worst experiences have silver linings;
- heaven is real and waiting for us.
Thank you, Don Piper!.......2007-09-26
Thank you, Don Piper, for your book 90 Minutes in Heaven. Although I have been a Christian forever, Heaven was always an abstract "iffy" to me. Six months ago my husband took his own life due to depression over work and financial matters, and my belief in Heaven dropped a few more notches. The first question I asked my Lutheran pastor when he arrived at my home that tragic day was, "Is ----- going to heaven even though he took his life?" I was reassured that he would, but your book made me see the situation 100% more clearly, and for that I will be forever grateful. Your book has convinced me that my ---- is no longer in any pain and that we will be rejoined one day.
nintey minutes in heaven.......2007-09-24
I enjoyed this book and passed it on to a friend who also enjoyed it. Life is short and enjoy every minute you have!
Book Description
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Will Smith, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS is the inspiring, rags–to–riches story of the charismatic Chris Gardner –– a once homeless father who rasied and cared for his son on the mean streets of San Francisco and went on to become a crown prince of Wall Street
At the age of twenty, Milwaukee native Chris Gardner, just out of the Navy, arrived in San Francisco to pursue a promising career in medicine. Considered a prodigy in scientific research, he surprised everyone and himself by setting his sights on the competitive world of high finance. Yet no sooner had he landed an entry level position at a prestigious firm, Gardner found himself caught in a web of incredibly challenging circumstances that left him homeless with his toddler son. Instead of giving in to despair, the two spent almost a year moving from shelters, "HO–tels", and soup–lines, even sleeping in the public restroom of a subway station – ultimately making an astonishing transformation from the bathroom to the boardroom.
Part "Finding Fish," part "The Pact," THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS is a mythic, triumphant, and unstintingly honest memoir whose hero will appeal to every American.
Customer Reviews:
Meaningful Inspiration.......2007-09-11
Mr. Gardner's story is more than another story about having to pull oneself up by their own bootstraps, it is a mantra for Urban Americans who are dealing with cyclical social issues. Poor Education, Poverty and Single Parent household stories are no longer acceptable reasons for not achieving, unfortunately they are too common place. The Pursuit of Happyness is a great example of the saying "In order to be it, one must see it"!
Heartwarming.......2007-09-08
I've read one of the most touching and heartwarming book of one's life. It is a story that spreads open past hurts, the need for bottom-line respect that should come from the people who should give it (family) and speaks of success despite of...
The Pursuit of the Imagined.......2007-08-28
Chris Gardner says in the Acknowledgments, "Quincy Troupe [co-author] once paid me a backhand compliment by telling me that I was as crazy as his previous subject, Miles Davis. I'll definitely take that as a compliment!" Gardner's imaginings, that he could possibly become anything other than a replica of the hardworking poor men who enveloped his childhood, define him as crazy. His success is crazy. How he managed it defies sanity.
Gardner imagined a future bright enough to deflect the piercing influences of his childhood--violence, an alcoholic stepfather, a jailed mother, rape--and was able to grow up to be a man possessing little, if any, humility (refreshingly different than most memoirs). Good for him. That Gardner was once homeless and is now wealthy is interesting; that he had no reason to expect to succeed but succeeded anyway, is inspiring.
I should be so crazy.
Note: The movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" deals only with Gardner after he has lived in San Francisco for a while. My only complaint with the movie is its depiction of Gardner's wife. She is shown as an uneducated woman only capable of working in restaurants; she's actually quite educated, a dental school graduate who is waiting to sit for her dental boards. Tsk, tsk.
Engaging and Entertaining.......2007-08-23
I haven't seen the film, so I have nothing to compare it with. I found this book to be inspiring. It was a quick and easy read. It was entertaining and realistic. The language is colorful and his life is graphic. It's not a story for the faint of heart, but his experience is a wonderful read. Some of the other reviews have taken exception with the way he lives his life, but his account is genuine. His life is real in all its glory and its shortcomings. It's a wonderful read.
Satisfying story, though not much like the movie.......2007-08-15
Successful and wealthy businessman Chris Gardner truly knows what it means to achieve -- it was only through hard work and good luck that he managed to escape a lifetime of poverty and hopelessness.
As a child, Gardner grew up fatherless and poor, experiencing physical and emotional abuse at the hands of a stepfather who almost killed his mother on numerous occasions. Gardner and his sisters spent several years in foster care, and life was often bleak. But, thanks to the Navy, he was able to escape his inner-city existence and begin a promising medical career.
Just as things were beginning to look promising, a series of small misfortunes all piled up together, and Gardner -- along with his toddler son -- became homeless.
Despite the enormity of the task at hand, he managed to make the best of his circumstances, even with a large amount of humility and humor.
If you're like me, however, and decided to read the book after seeing the movie, you may be a bit startled. While the 2006 movie focuses mainly upon Gardner's homelessness and struggle within the world of stocks, that portion of his life -- however poignant and powerful -- is but a small section of the book.
Overall, this memoir is engaging and memorable, a true journey from rock bottom to success.
Book Description
A dramatic autobiography of one of China's dedicated, courageous, and intensely persecuted house church leaders.
Customer Reviews:
Heavenly Man Review.......2007-09-20
This book is exciting! I could not put it down. This details the
plight and success of the Jesus's Church in China. A must reading for
anyone interested in what God is doing in the world other than U.S.
An inspiring, thought provoking journal of a man that only God could protect.
1st century Christianity is happening in China!.......2007-08-23
If you think church is dead and Christians are boring, then you must read this book! I am completely humbled by what God is doing in China. Brother Yun's story is incredible, beyond what mere words can describe. We're talking apostolic conditions here, miraculous jail escapes, healings, visions for communications, praying and fasting, and thousands coming to Jesus Christ, conversions of peasants, farmers, prison guards, Communist leaders as well as hardened murderers.
Read this book, I promise you will not see things like you did before.
Shame on the west.......2007-08-15
This book should be read by everyone who calls themself a Christian!
The lives of those of Christians like Brother Yun put we soft, spineless, pampered, high maintenence American Christians to shame
6 Stars if there were such a category.......2007-08-11
If you only read one book (aside from God's word) the rest of your life, read this book. It's a great testimony of the quality, depth, and richness of relationship one can have with Jesus Christ. After reading it, I am somewhat embarrassed to idenify myself as a Christian given the ease of my life compared to those written of in this book! An amazing story of God's power and providence. The testimony of brother Yun is one that is provoking me out of complacency and on towards longing for God to reveal himself more and more in my life. This is not a light-hearted, feel-good Christian book. This is a "here's what it costs to follow Jesus" book. Absolutely wonderful!
Fantastic Book!!!.......2007-08-09
I had this book on my shelf for years, then finally picked it up one day and couldn't hardly put it down. I don't typically read books very fast, but I think that it only took me about 2 days to finish. It is a great book. Amazing story, glory to God!
Book Description
Meet Denver, a man raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana in the 1960s; a man who escaped, hopping a train to wander, homeless, for eighteen years on the streets of Dallas, Texas. No longer a slave, Denver's life was still hopeless-until God moved. First came a godly woman who prayed, listened, and obeyed. And then came her husband, Ron, an international arts dealer at home in a world of Armani-suited millionaires. And then they all came together.
But slavery takes many forms. Deborah discovers that she has cancer. In the face of possible death, she charges her husband to rescue Denver. Who will be saved, and who will be lost? What is the future for these unlikely three? What is God doing?
Same Kind of Different As Me is the emotional story of their story: a telling of pain and laughter, doubt and tears, dug out between the bondages of this earth and the free possibility of heaven. No reader will ever forget it.
Customer Reviews:
Very touching.......2007-10-01
This is a very readable book. It is also extremely touching. Several times as I read,I found tears streaming down my face. It will restore your faith in mankind and that there is more to a person than meets the eye.
A must read book.......2007-09-29
I don't have proper words to express this "amazing" book.
I can now better understand how it used to be in Slave times,
and feel a better understanding of my own faith and life after death.
I cried at moments of revealation! Would help anyone become a believer.
This book changed my life!.......2007-09-25
It's very easy to forget that this is a true story - it is such an amazing story that it could be fiction! It's a beautiful, poignant, touching book and it changed the way I view the homeless and how I share my resources with others. LOVED IT and I've been telling everyone I know to read it too!!
book.......2007-09-18
I ordered this book for my husband who had heard it was wonderful. He thought it was the best book he had ever read and he highly recommends it!!
A Story of Redemption.......2007-09-18
If you believe in and love stories of redemption, Some Kind of Different As Me is a must. If you know someone who does not believe in redemption or who is struggling to find it, give them this book and encourage their reading it.
This engaging book was given to me by my brother-in-law who, like me, grew up in the pre-segregated South working with black acquaintances who we liked because they did our menial work and our bidding. This story helped me to realize, in a new and fresh way, the bondage they were in. The account helped me realize the desperate position of poverty and the plight of one without education.
This is a true story of Ron Hall and Denver Moore, the two extremes of our society, who found friendship and God's gift of forgiveness, grace, and fulfillment in life through a lady named Debbie.
Denver was a sharecropper in Louisiana who escaped virtual enslavement on a freight train to Fort Worth, Texas where, without skills, he became a vagrant on the streets of that city. Alcohol, drugs, and 10 years in prison hardened him to a solitary, untrusting, antisocial street person without identity or hope.
Ron was a wealthy, self-sufficient, international art dealer who began to serve food once a week in a local mission at the insistence of his wife, Debbie, who had a strong social conscience. His first service was done just to please his wife and his involvement inflicted great wounds to his sensibilities. He was surprised to find himself intrigued to get to know the most distant the of the homeless that they served. After months of trauma without success, Ron finally gets Denver to agree to have coffee with him.
At that meeting Denver asks Ron a peculiar question. "There's something I heard about white folks that bothers me, and it has to do with fishin." "I heard that when white folks go fishin they do something called `catch and release'." "That really bothers me", Denver goes on to say, " I just can't figure it out. Cause when colored folks go fishin, we are really proud of what we catch and we take it and show it off to everybody that'll look. Then we eat what we catch. So it really bothers me that white folks would go to all that trouble to catch a fish, then when they done caught it, just throw it back in the water." "So, Mr. Ron, it occurred to me: If you is fishin for a friend you just gon'catch and release, then I ain't got no desire to be your friend." Suddenly his eyes gentled and he spoke more softly than before: But if you is looking for a real friend, then I'll be one. Forever." (pg. 106)
Their friendship does grow and in remarkable ways they help one another overcome great tragedy. As they face these trials together, you see them grow spiritually and truly become the Body of Christ. Redemption comes to both as they find blessing in serving instead of judging. They have different backgrounds, different opportunities but they both come to expressed the love of Christ. As Denver says, "He is our hope".
Drayton Sanders, Dalton Ga. 9-16-07
Amazon.com
Psychiatry and metaphysics blend together in this fascinating book based on a true case history. Dr. Weiss, who was once firmly entrenched in a clinical approach to psychiatry, finds himself reluctantly drawn into past-life therapy when a hypnotized client suddenly reveals details of her previous lives. During one hypnosis session his client introduces the spirit guides who have been her soul therapists in between lives. This is when the story really takes off for Weiss, who discovers that these guides have specific messages about his dead son as well as Weiss's mission in life. No, we cannot verify the truth of this story using the limited scientific tools we have available. However, it is hard to dispute that this well-respected graduate of Columbia University and Yale Medical School has discovered a personal truth that has led him to be an enormously popular speaker, author, and leader in the field of past-life therapy. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
As a traditional psychotherapist, Dr. Brian Weiss was astonished and skeptical when one of his patients began recalling past-life traumas that seemed to hold the key to her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks. His skepticism was eroded, however, when she began to channel messages from the "space between lives," which contained remarkable revelations about Dr. Weiss' family and his dead son. Using past-life therapy, he was able to cure the patient and embark on a new, more meaningful phase of his own career.
Customer Reviews:
Many Lives Many Masters.......2007-10-04
I am very satisfied with this book on tape! I do past life regression for my clients and it's really nice to have an expert in the field that I can learn more from.
Many Lives, Many Masters.......2007-09-23
It was not so much the regressions into the past lives but the "rest periods" that interested me. The emphasis on teaching and helping spirits learn to change their flawed characters, in preparation for their next lives, confirmed some theories I had. From observation of spirit visits I know there are at least two laws: If you tell unwanted visitors to go away, they must obey. And they do not speak to us living. They do speak among themselves. My husband's spirit visits me at least twice a day. I talk to him but he cannot respond. If he could, I would have everything out of him in ten minutes because there is so much I want to know about the afterlife, and it must remain a mystery. Why, I do not know. He did answer one question: I asked how he was, and he wagged his hand in the comme si, comme ca gesture. According to Brian L. Weiss, Masters help those who are in need of guidance. Perhaps that is what my husband is doing, though I dare not presume he is on a high plane. Still, I might add one more facet to Weiss's thesis. Other, more evolved, spirits and not necessarily Masters, also teach. My husband brings home other spirits, some very primitive types who were probably clueless in life. I know he has befriended them. I found confirmation of my thoughts in Dr. Weiss's book.
Good reading...but I had some problems.......2007-09-23
First I "read" this book via an audio book version. I think Dr. Weiss is totally believable in his honest search to help Catherine. I think his approach will open many minds to explore or widen their religion/spiritual belief systems. Although I have some problems with some details contained in the book, I do think he has been a great help to those who are dying & their families.
The issues that I had problems with: 1. The MALE voice of the Masters...do
the "learned" ones always have to be male!! Perhaps the Masters used a male voice since they told him they were channeling their knowledge for him & not Catherine. With his cultural & belief system, a male voice would be more effective for him to consider the teachings. BUT not for me!! I would be more apt to listen a little more closely to a FEMALE Master; 2. the term "god" is mentioned 2-3 times toward the end of the book...It just seems like it should have been introduced earlier to me and 3. There is no mention of "WHO" or "WHAT" conceived Reincarnation plus its level system. I found that a big omission.
Fabulous Insight & Resource.......2007-09-09
This book has been invaluable to me over the years and I've read it time and again. Weiss lets us into the "inner circle" of therapy and shows us how ordinary people can experience physical and emotional pain from unresolved issues in another lifetime. Read this book and you will never look at your life and challenges in the same way again. It provides hope and courage and is a must-read for anyone seeking wholeness and understanding. Many Masters, Many Lives gave me the insight essential to my own novels of karma and past lives, in particular Field of Destiny.
A message of hope........2007-08-27
As a former biologist and pre-medical student I opened the cover to this book with a touch of skepticism. The idea that our human community might not be clued into the powerful reality proposed by Dr. Weiss comes as shock - afterall we are the most technologically advanced society to date aren't we? Perhaps, but what "Many Lives, Many Masters" relates to the reader is the idea that we may have been missing one of the most intuitive and gentle forms of healing in our search for a chemical panacea. Beyond the seemingly magical results of Dr.Weiss's therapy with Catherine, is a glimpse into the human soul and its fate after this lifetime. If you have ever wondered about miracles, quizzed at reincarnation, or experienced the unexplainable then you must read this book. I would suggest you also read his later book: "Through Time Into Healing", it serves as a broad compendium of other case histories that bolster the practice of regression therapy as an effective tool for spiritual and physical healing. Brian Weiss tells his story in a humble and organized manner, with the mind of a scientist he looks for evidence to support the data he collects and investigates alternative viewpoints as a devil's advocate might - addressing the skepitical paradigm. You will be a calmer person for reading this book.
Average customer rating:
- I know, I know...
- A must read for anyone
- Good stuff, but less important than his other work
- Buy the ticket...take the ride
- A wild and extraordinary ride down a lost highway ...
|
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
Hunter S. Thompson
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Journalists
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Popular Culture
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
True Accounts
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Espionage
| Murder & Mayhem
| Organized Crime
| Serial Killers
| True Crime
1960s
| 20th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Writing
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Journalism
| Writing
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Fiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Reference Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library)
-
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
-
The Rum Diary : A Novel
-
On the Road (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)
-
Fight Club: A Novel
ASIN: 0679785892
Release Date: 1998-05-12 |
Amazon.com Reviews
Heralded as the "best book on the dope decade" by the New York Times Book Review, Hunter S. Thompson's documented drug orgy through Las Vegas would no doubt leave Nancy Reagan blushing and D.A.R.E. founders rethinking their motto. Under the pseudonym of Raoul Duke, Thompson travels with his Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo, in a souped-up convertible dubbed the "Great Red Shark." In its trunk, they stow "two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers.... A quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls," which they manage to consume during their short tour.
On assignment from a sports magazine to cover "the fabulous Mint 400"--a free-for-all biker's race in the heart of the Nevada desert--the drug-a-delic duo stumbles through Vegas in hallucinatory hopes of finding the American dream (two truck-stop waitresses tell them it's nearby, but can't remember if it's on the right or the left). They of course never get the story, but they do commit the only sins in Vegas: "burning the locals, abusing the tourists, terrifying the help." For Thompson to remember and pen his experiences with such clarity and wit is nothing short of a miracle; an impressive feat no matter how one feels about the subject matter. A first-rate sensibility twinger, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a pop-culture classic, an icon of an era past, and a nugget of pure comedic genius. --Rebekah Warren
Book Description
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken.
Now this cult classic of gonzo journalism is a major motion picture from Universal, directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. Opens everywhere on May 22, 1998.
Customer Reviews:
I know, I know..........2007-09-30
I know, it's THE Hunter S. Thompson book. It would be like having the gall to write a review for the Grapes of Wrath or Slaughterhouse Five and think you'd be doing anything other than blabbing just to see your own words on a computer screen.
That said, read this book this instant. Whatever good anyone's ever said about this book, it's twenty times better. I read it in two sittings and only stopped myself from reading it again because it was a library book and had to be returned.
The late HST's gift for gonzo, that strange mix of fiction and nonfiction, is ultimately realized in this book. Reality is seamlessly mixed with a bizarre fantasy world of sentient reptiles and split personality through the medium of hard drugs that serve to clarify (and sometimes amplify) a violent and twisted town in a strange time.
This book will have you laughing hysterically at parts, so don't read it around other people unless you're okay with passing it to them. This book will have you cringing at the brutality of human nature at points, so have your wits about you.
I really can't say anything else, other than that this book must be purchased and read this very instant if you haven't already done so.
A must read for anyone.......2007-09-21
Thompson's book helps create a vivid picture of the drug fueled 60's and early 70's a way no one else has before.
Good stuff, but less important than his other work.......2007-09-14
¨Fear and Loathing¨ is a great ride for sure. A drug-addled, hilarious, disturbing romp through Las Vegas in search of the American Dream. Thompson is definitely a skilled writer and an outlaw and this stuff comes through in this book. I don't want to shrug this work off by any means, but I definately prefer his other work, such as ¨The Great Shark Hunt,¨ because it truly brings out Thompson's outlook on the world, his hatred of wealth, power and greed, etc. This book is fun, but Thompson is definitely capable of more depth and thought. While this work might be what gave him his big break, he definitely went on to better things.
Buy the ticket...take the ride.......2007-08-23
A bizzare journey to the heart of the American Dream, funny, witty and full of memorable episodes. The illustrations by Ralph Steadman are also superb. Raul Duke says it clearly : "buy the ticket...take the ride"
A wild and extraordinary ride down a lost highway ..........2007-08-20
The lost highway of the American Dream.
I wasn't old enough to remember much from the late 60's early 70's let alone the political aspects of Nixon's presidency or the drug culture of the time, so this review won't have any profound social or political commentary, except that comparisons can well be made to the drug culture of today, and it is glaringly apparent that not much has changed.
Considering the climate of the time: Nixon's presidency, the war in Vietnam, and the country's young men succumbing to the draft, it was no wonder that an entire generation wanted something more, for this was not the American Dream they had been sold. And for some, the only way to drown out the hypocrisy gnawing at your brain is to give your brain an escape. Expand your mind, as that might be the only part of you that is truly free. Whatever it takes to get you directly out of your head -- the higher the better. This story chronicles a journey utterly devoid of restraint and reason as these two men, Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, and their trunk full of felonies set themselves loose upon Las Vegas -- the last vestige of the American Dream. However, their idea of the American Dream is not how most of us would understand it, but somehow, through the fog of hallucinatory metaphor, we can actually see and feel what the main characters are searching for so desperately.
All that aside, even if the 60's culture is beyond your age group, Thompson's writing is worth the read -- Brilliant, sarcastic, and frighteningly funny: Bars seething with has-been lounge lizards, tearing the patrons to shreds, blood soaked tacky hotel rooms, police car chases, kidnapping, gambling, excess, and debauchery ... not to mention the Narcotics Convention. The dialog is brilliant. Harrowing experiences abound; it is amazing that the two main characters make it out of Vegas alive.
Definitely a wild ride for all.
Amazon.com
In 1984, Ron and Dan Lafferty murdered the wife and infant daughter of their younger brother Allen. The crimes were noteworthy not merely for their brutality but for the brothers' claim that they were acting on direct orders from God. In Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer tells the story of the killers and their crime but also explores the shadowy world of Mormon fundamentalism from which the two emerged. The Mormon Church was founded, in part, on the idea that true believers could speak directly with God. But while the mainstream church attempted to be more palatable to the general public by rejecting the controversial tenet of polygamy, fundamentalist splinter groups saw this as apostasy and took to the hills to live what they believed to be a righteous life. When their beliefs are challenged or their patriarchal, cult-like order defied, these still-active groups, according to Krakauer, are capable of fighting back with tremendous violence. While Krakauer's research into the history of the church is admirably extensive, the real power of the book comes from present-day information, notably jailhouse interviews with Dan Lafferty. Far from being the brooding maniac one might expect, Lafferty is chillingly coherent, still insisting that his motive was merely to obey God's command. Krakauer's accounts of the actual murders are graphic and disturbing, but such detail makes the brothers' claim of divine instruction all the more horrifying. In an age where Westerners have trouble comprehending what drives Islamic fundamentalists to kill, Jon Krakauer advises us to look within America's own borders. --John Moe
Book Description
Jon Krakauer’s literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. He now shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders, taking readers inside isolated American communities where some 40,000 Mormon Fundamentalists still practice polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the renegade leaders of these Taliban-like theocracies are zealots who answer only to God.
At the core of Krakauer’s book are brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a commandment from God to kill a blameless woman and her baby girl. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America’s fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.
Download Description
JON KRAKAUER is the author of Eiger Dreams, Into the Wild, and Into Thin Air, and is editor of the Modern Library Exploration series.
Customer Reviews:
Scary, horrifying, True Crime being lived out every day!.......2007-10-03
I was sickened by what I learned in this book.
Interesting that these groups of FLDS take so much money from the government that they destest. That is tax money we pay in that is given to them to let them live that illegal and immoral lifestyle.
I have seen religious fundamentalism first hand and I think there is a note of mental illness attached to it in most every case.
Book was very informative. (Couldn't put it down.)
Prepare to be shocked.......2007-10-02
If you are unfamiliar with fundamentalist Mormonism, this book will take you on a journey to places that you will doubt could even exist in 21st-century America. In the style of Jon Krakauer's other writings, the book is engaging, addicting, and disturbing. Of course, the book's outrageous subject matter certainly helps that along.
While the book centers on the true-crime story of the Lafferty murders, Krakauer indulges in some substantial subplots: a detailed history of the Mormon church in the 19th century, as well as an expose of fundamentalist Mormonism. Although Krakauer jumps among these three threads frequently, the book manages to hold together well.
Some Mormons might object to the way Krakauer treats the mainline Mormon church's beginnings, but I think his presentation is balanced. Also, I tremendously respect Krakauer for closing his book with a short, but honest, statement of his own world view.
Another Fine Work by Jon Krakauer.......2007-09-22
Highly recommended! Another excellent work by Krakauer. I imagine most of those who rate this work poorly, one or two stars, are more than likely Mormons or fundementalists. Just as any church, religion, corporation, government entity etc. doesn't like it's dirty laundry aired for all to see or have it's hypocrisy revealed, neither does the Church of Latter Day Saints & it's adherents. Unfortunately, you can never get to the truth of the matter if you deny that anything is wrong or that there is a problem. The Catholic Church hid it's problems with homosexuality & pedophilia for decades & forcefully denied there existence, Sadly, we now know it was & is all true. Well written, insightful, informative & a hell of a good read. If you enjoyed Everest Dreams, Into The Wild or Into Thin Air, then you should enjoy this excellent work!
Fascinating review of Mormonism.......2007-09-21
Extremely well written and especially relevant since Mr. Romney is running for President - not that he is a fundamentalist. The history of the Mormon church is most interesting and the current beliefs and practices of the fundamentalists are frightening.
A Unique take on Life!.......2007-09-21
The writer of this book takes down all the barriers to the real life experiences known by those who have experienced first hand the challenges of life under the influnce of others.
Amazon.com
In From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava, Jay Kopelman tells a story that is both tender and thought-provoking--candidly portraying the ugly conditions in wartime Iraq, while also describing his (and his fellow Marines') growing attachment to a scruffy stray puppy.
Here Jay Kopelman answers a few questions about his aspirations as a writer, and the effect his book has had on readers.
Questions for Jay Kopelman
Amazon.com: Before you met Lava and had this experience smuggling him out of Iraq, did you ever have ambitions to write a book?
Jay Kopelman: Yes, I'd considered writing a book previously and have started--but not finished--a novel. Not surprisingly, it's a military murder mystery. And I'm still hoping to get it published. I've also been offered a deal by my publisher to write another book. So I guess I'm now officially an author.
Amazon.com: How has the military responded to it given that you broke a number of rules during your adventure with Lava?
Jay Kopelman: I've actually not had any real feedback from the military establishment. In fact, mostly I only get the good-natured ribbing from my contemporaries about how much money I'll make or about who will play me in the movie. When the story first broke a year and a half ago, one of the generals jokingly asked me for an autograph, and I've given the previous commanding general for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force a signed galley. So, thus far, there's been nothing "official" to which I've had to respond. We'll see what happens now that the book is released and there's going to be a media blitz surrounding the book. What you have to remember, though, is that I really didn't use military assets to get Lava home. Nor did I ever endanger anyone in the military while doing so.
Amazon.com: In the book, you say that you would like it if it can bring hope to people who've lost loved ones in Iraq by showing them how something positive can come out of a brutal situation. Have you heard from people that your book has made them feel better?
Jay Kopelman: I've not yet heard from anyone who's lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, but I have heard from a counselor who works with the returning Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, who said she finds the story so very positive and helpful. She's planning to come to the book signing there. I also got an e-mail from a Marine who said that while her unit was in Iraq, they adopted a puppy and tried to bring it home, but he was ultimately put down. She says that the Marines "remember how Charlie the dog helped us. Charlie will always be loved. During a time when we were far from home that dog made us smile." So, I suppose Lava's story does help people remember and gives them hope. I've also heard from people who appreciate my candor describing the conditions in Iraq.
 td>
|
 td> |
Customer Reviews:
The War Told from a Soldiers Eyes.......2007-09-26
From Baghdad with love is the story of an American soldier in Iraq who finds a puppy. It is the story of he stayed sane, and what the right thing is to do. I bought this book so that I could get a human perspective on the war. I wanted to know what a man viewed as a killing machine thought of a puppy. This is what in essence what I got. The book gives a great story about the war that is not totally depressing. There are some points where you might get a little sad, but the general mood is much more upbeat. One complaint I have about the author style is that is goes from depressing chapters to happy chapters (and vise versa) with very poor transitions. The book does a decent amount of humor, but it is definitely not used in excess. The author does a great job of using just of humor to keep the mood light, but also not using so much that you feel like their making the war into a comedy. One observation I have to make is that although Jay Kopelman is seems a little sad talking about his experiences, but he does not have an extremely negative outlook. Also at some points he may get angry, he does not seem like an angry person. The book does a great job at keeping the story seem personal, but not making it feel to close to home. With many situations in the war the authors do not pussyfoot around the tough subjects. From Baghdad with Love is close to the perfect length. It has a little too short of an epilogue, and there are some things that I wish they would have elaborated on. In many of these situations they can not do this because it would put the people from Iraq that helped them in danger. I really loved in the book when the photographs, but they were in the wrong spot of the book. It belonged in the back with the epilogue. I wonder how much of the story is actually written by Jay Kopelman and how much is written by Melinda Roth. This is a truly interesting story of a war that is important for Americans to understand.
Great Story.......2007-09-11
I thought this book was great. The way this marine and other fellow marines were able to bond with this puppy during the war was heart felt. Not only did the book describe the struggles to bring this dog back to the US despite military regulations, the book also described some struggles of marines being in the war itself. What an amazing book. I highly recommend it.
Heartwarming & Outstanding.......2007-09-06
The love shown to Lava is uplifting. Jay Kopelman and the Marines are to be commended for their kind hearts. I am so happy that Lava did not become a fatality of the war. If you are a dog lover. You must read this book.
Much better than expected.......2007-08-27
I expected this book to be just a nice story, but it is full of hard facts and details of the circumstances in Iraq. It was much more informative than I expected, and gives the reader a feeling for what our guys and gals are going through, and how they must turn their emotions off and on at the drop of a hat. The author also does a good job of not getting up on any soapboxes, for either side politically. Highly recommend it!
Semper Fi.......2007-08-26
It is an awesome book about a US Marine who finds a puppy in Baghdad and gets it back to the states. Lots of military jargen and details of firefights... almost makes me miss the Marine Corps---almost
Book Description
The inspiring true story of two great friends, a baby hippo named Owen and a 130-yr-old giant tortoise named Mzee (Mm-ZAY). When Owen was stranded after the Dec 2004 tsunami, villagers in Kenya worked tirelessly to rescue him. Then, to everyone's amazement, the orphan hippo and the elderly tortoise adopted each other. Now they are inseparable, swimming, eating, and playing together. Adorable photos e-mailed from friend to friend quickly made them worldwide celebrities. Here is a joyous reminder that in times of trouble, friendship is stronger than the differences that too often pull us apart.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful pictures and a moving story.......2007-10-01
This excellent account of the true story of Owen and Mzee will delight any young reader. The beautiful pictures of the animals and the park are perfectly complemented by the easy-to-read text making this book a wonderful story-time resource. Though young readers may be saddened when Owen loses his mother, his adoption by Mzee will soothe any lingering concerns while teaching a powerful lesson about acceptance. This book would be an inspiring addition to any family library.
I like this book.......2007-09-08
I bought this book for my four year old neice. It is a great story of friendship with the added bonus of being a true story. There are a lot of great photos in the book and my neice really enjoyed talking about the pictures and she added some details to the book just my commenting on what she could see in the pictures. I think this is a good purchase.
Great Book for Both Kids and Adults.......2007-08-31
Such a cute book and sent in mint condition. I would recommend this book for both children and adults.
Wonderful.......2007-08-01
What a sweet story. This book makes a great gift.It is excellent for adults to share with children.
Best Book About Love for Kids.......2007-07-21
This book is beyond heartwarming...my eyes brim with tears nearly everytime I read this remarkable story about dear Owen and sweet Mzee. My girls have been inspired by this story to not just let something be...get involved if you think it's right and not to judge a situation, to think "outside the box" and see how brilliant mother-nature is! This is a survival story and WE LOVE IT! Buy it, NOW!
Books:
- A Man on the Moon
- Art of Imagination: 20th Century Visions of Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy
- Art of Imagination: 20th Century Visions of Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy
- Bad Boy: A Memoir
- Beautiful Losers
- Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2007 (Birnbaum's Walt Disney World)
- Black, White & Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self
- Brando Unzipped: A Revisionist and Very Private Look at America's Greatest Actor
- Bulletproof Web Design: Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with XHTML and CSS
- Cinema for French Conversation: Le Cinema en Cours de Francais, Second Edition
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Free to Choose: A Personal Statement
- Zen Shorts
- The Lees of Virginia: Seven Generations of an American Family
- The Shi'is of Iraq
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
- Writings of St. Paul
- Trace of Desert Waters the Great Basin Story
- Cafe Tortoni
- The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf
- Economics of Technological Change I: Harwood Fundamentals of Applied Economics
A Thousand Splendid Suns
The Road (Oprah's Book Club)
Infidel
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
