Book Description
“There are places that I have never forgotten. A little cobbled street in a smoky mill town in the North of England has haunted me for the greater part of my life. It was inevitable that I should write about it and the people who lived on both sides of its ‘Invisible Wall.’ ”
The narrow street where Harry Bernstein grew up, in a small English mill town, was seemingly unremarkable. It was identical to countless other streets in countless other working-class neighborhoods of the early 1900s, except for the “invisible wall” that ran down its center, dividing Jewish families on one side from Christian families on the other. Only a few feet of cobblestones separated Jews from Gentiles, but socially, it they were miles apart.
On the eve of World War I, Harry’s family struggles to make ends meet. His father earns little money at the Jewish tailoring shop and brings home even less, preferring to spend his wages drinking and gambling. Harry’s mother, devoted to her children and fiercely resilient, survives on her dreams: new shoes that might secure Harry’s admission to a fancy school; that her daughter might marry the local rabbi; that the entire family might one day be whisked off to the paradise of America.
Then Harry’s older sister, Lily, does the unthinkable: She falls in love with Arthur, a Christian boy from across the street.
When Harry unwittingly discovers their secret affair, he must choose between the morals he’s been taught all his life, his loyalty to his selfless mother, and what he knows to be true in his own heart.
A wonderfully charming memoir written when the author was ninety-three, The Invisible Wall vibrantly brings to life an all-but-forgotten time and place. It is a moving tale of working-class life, and of the boundaries that can be overcome by love.
Customer Reviews:
A captivating story of a harsh life.......2007-09-03
This book is full of the details of a life that many of us will never experience. The authors story of extreme poverty living in a large family with a hardworking but struggling mother and a distant and often abusive father is both horrifying and captivating.
While it sounds like this should be a depressing book, the details of the moments of hope and happiness lifts it out of the dark side of life in Lancashire and made me wonder about the future for the various key characters. The book is set before and after the great War, but it could be timeless. The central location is a street of two rows of houses facing each other with the 'jews' on one side and the 'christians' on the other. For most of the book there is almost no mingling between the two sides. But at times when their lives are most difficult, they do get together to support one another.
I don't want to give away the story line too much. Some of the difficult scenes are extremely hard to endure, but the details really light up this book even things are hardest.
I would not recommend for anyone younger than about 13, there are too many difficult details here. But for the rest of us, there's LOTS to learn about the silly things that divide us and the fact that despite religious difficulties our lives are more similar than we'd like to believe.
Poignant and profound.......2007-06-26
An absolutely wonderful book written by a 93 year old author who captures the very essence of anti-semitism in pre-World War I England through his own childhood experiences. The last chapter is so descriptive and poignant...really tugs at the heartstrings. I hope Mr. Bernstein continues to share his gift of the written word.
Excellent book.......2007-05-28
Wonderfully written. This book surprised me because of its unpredictability. I couldn't put it down. Mr. Bernstein's story is beautiful, it's a wonder why he waited so long to share it.
A read to get you thinking.......2007-05-25
My six member book club read this last month, and all of us, including our most critical member, found this book very enjoyable and enlightening. The inclusion of dialog easily puts the reader in the time period. The tone and style of the author encourage empathy and understanding of both populations on either side of the invisible wall. The author conveys his and his sibling's emotions in the gentlest of ways while the reader easily grasps that at the time they were much more. While not quite a page turner, my attention never lagged and I would have willingly read more. I would have appreciated more wisdom on the overall subject such as was found in Arthur's letter to Lily.
Vivid Memoir.......2007-05-25
Harry Bernstein writes in a descriptive manner that makes all the characters seem to be living right in front of the reader's eyes. The story is so interesting that I could not put the book down until I finished. It was hard to believe that a man at ninety years of age could remember so much detail and emotion back to his early childhood. The book was well worth reading. I look forward to Mr. Bernstein's next book.
Book Description
A stunning literary survival story, hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a "moving, beautifully written account, by turns raw and tender."
Across Sudan, between 1987 and 1989, tens of thousands of young boys took flight from the massacres of Sudan's civil war. They became known as the Lost Boys. With little more than the clothes on their backs, sometimes not even that, they streamed out over Sudan in search of refuge. Their journey led them first to Ethiopia and then, driven back into Sudan, toward Kenya. They walked nearly one thousand miles, sustained only by the sheer will to live.
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky is three boys' account of that unimaginable journey. With the candor and the purity of their child's-eye-vision, Alephonsion, Benjamin, and Benson recall by turns how they endured hunger and strength-sapping illnesses. How they dodged the life-threatening predators-lions, snakes, crocodiles and soldiers-that dogged their footsteps. How they grappled with a war that threatened continually to overwhelm them. Their story is a lyrical, captivating portrait of a childhood lost to war, and of the perseverance of the human spirit.
Customer Reviews:
A life-changing experience.......2007-10-04
I never thought that a book could move me in the way that this has. It is gripping, inspirational, horrifing, beautiful tear-jerker that will keep your jaw dropped. You will be forever changed by this true account of a tragedy that sadly many Americans do not know about. Amazing book. Make sure to have a box of tissues by your side!
A must read.......2007-09-26
I couldn't put the book down and at the end I cried. It was hard to believe that boys so young had been through so much. If your interested in whats going on in Sudan than I think its a must read.
True, Real, Humbling.......2007-09-26
This book is so powerful, these boys journey is so humbling, there is no way that you could read this book and not look at your life in a different way. The crazy thing about it is that it is ALL TRUE, this is thier account of their lives, this book has encouraged me more to want to fight for social injustices.
Must Read.......2007-08-11
I have a BA in English and taught high school literature courses for seven years before becoming the administrator of an alternative school. I consider myself well read. Therefore, when I say this was the most moving book I have ever read, I do not say so lightly. I had the honor of meeting one of the authors, Benjamin Ajak, at a recent conference. While his English is not articulate, his message is gut wrenchingly moving. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is not a summer beach romance. It is the story of the survival of the human spirit at its most base level. It is both appalling and inspiring. It is a must read. If you are not a humanitarian before you read it, you will be after you read it.
Must Read.......2007-06-27
Amazing!
This sad true account of the lives of the people of Southern Sudan is a must read.
Book Description
Dick Cheney is the most powerful yet most unpopular vice president in U.S. history. He has thrived alongside a president who from day one had little interest in policy and limited experience in the ways of Washington. Yet Cheney’s quiet, steady rise to prominence over a span of three decades occurred largely behind the scenes. Now veteran reporters Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein reveal the disturbing truth about the man who has successfully co-opted executive control over the U.S. government, serving as the de facto “shadow president” of the most dominant White House in a generation.
Cheney has always been an astute politician. He survived the collapse of the Nixon presidency, finding a position of power in the administration of Gerald Ford. He was then elected to the House of Representatives, and later he earned a spot in the cabinet of the first Bush presidency. But when he became George W. Bush’s running mate, Cheney reached a new level of influence. From the engineering of his own selection as vice president to his support of policies allowing torture as a permissible weapon in the “war on terror,” Cheney has steered America consistently rightward. In Vice, Dubose and Bernstein uncover startling revelations, including
• the extraordinary intimidation of CIA officials by a vice president bent on obtaining intelligence to support a foregone conclusion: the invasion of Iraq
• details on Cheney’s secret energy task force, including his meeting with Enron chief Ken Lay months before Lay was indicted–and how Cheney went to court to erode the powers of Congress
• how Cheney helped to kill 2003 diplomatic overtures from Iran to discuss concessions on its nuclear program and policy toward Israel
• Cheney’s role in engineering multibillion-dollar military contracts in Iraq to benefit Halliburton, the company he once ran
• eyewitness reports from prominent Republican and conservative sources who go on record for the first time to tell the truth about how Dick Cheney has hijacked the American presidency
In the words of one of Cheney’s colleagues from the House: “Dick keeps his own counsel. He’s completely in control. He’s completely sure of himself in everything he does. It’s what got him to where he is today: the most powerful vice president to ever hold office. It’s also what’s bringing about his downfall.” In Vice, we get an unprecedented exposé of how Cheney operates and what his vice presidency will mean to America–now and in the future.
Customer Reviews:
An Absolutely MUST READ.......2007-10-04
This is perhaps the most insightful book published so far of the Bush-Cheney era, and certainly the most in depth look into the exploits of a man who has been at the center of power and steered our country into more disasters than any man alive.
For seven years we've been blaming the man at the top when we should have been looking at the man pulling the puppet strings. One can not ignore a man whose political career has involved him in every war this country has been in since Viet Nam as advisor to Presidents, Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, and planner and coordinator of our disaster in Iraq.
And lest we forget, former CEO of Halliburton, the only entity in the world to profit from that war.
Read this book and ask yourself the question why any sane person, Republican or Democrat, would want to inherit the Presidency in 2009.
Profiling the biggest Dick in history.......2007-04-04
Former president Richard Nixon was often referred to as Tricksy Dick by his critics. Such a name is probably more appropriate for our current vice president, Dick Cheney. This book explores the personal and political history of Dick Cheney, beginning with his schoolboy days in Wyoming, and ending with his supposed involvement in the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson. The facts and interpretations put together in this book portray a stubborn, cunning man, the ultimate bureaucratic warrior who is always ten steps ahead of everyone else. Probably the most interesting part of the book is the number of individuals who reflect negatively on Cheney's personality, such as his vindictiveness, his dishonesty, his bullishness, his inability to compromise, and his fear-based hysteria. The overall portrait is of one scary man and probably not the best choice to pick for an elected official. Excellent book.
Cheney: Secretive and paranoid.......2007-03-09
"Vice", a perfect name for this book, confirms what so many of us have long thought about Dick Cheney...he's cold, secretive, ruthless, heartless and ultimately paranoid. Making the case against the Vice President with an astonishing narrative, authors Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein peel away the layers behind the throne's real power. If the emperor has no clothes, it's the work of his tailor.
As the authors point out, Cheney doesn't seek power so much as power seems to follow him. With incredible luck and skill, Cheney rose from being President Ford's Chief of Staff (the youngest in U.S. history) to a ten-year stint as Wyoming's only Congressman, to George H.W. Bush's Secretary of Defense to his current role in the White House. While not a meteoric rise, it followed the building blocks that Cheney so desired. He could not really have been disappointed that his brief thoughts of a run for the White House didn't pan out.....he's gotten his wish to be in charge.
To be fair, Dubose and Bernstein give Cheney some credit...he was well thought of as SecDef (contrast that one to Donald Rumsfeld's malfeasance!) and his crisis management on 9/11 was intact. But one angle that the authors argue is this...that Cheney's series of heart attacks may very well have made him a changed man...and not one for the better. Certainly his hatred of the CIA gets full coverage in "Vice" and we also receive a comprehensive look at Cheney's relationship with Halliburton. There's even a chapter on the dark one's dark partner, Lynne, titled "Lady MacCheney"...if you thought lowly of the Veep before, this chapter will seal the deal.
The scariest thing to be reminded about after reading "Vice" is that Cheney is still in power, although reading this book just after Scooter Libby's conviction adds an extra bit of interest... will the Vice President's power now begin to wane as he becomes the most reviled person to hold that office in history. Time will tell but in the meantime, read "Vice" and learn more about the enemy within. It puts you right in the thick of the swirling current surrounding Dick Cheney and is wonderfully written. I highly recommend it.
Must read.......2007-01-18
Whether you believe Dick Cheney is trying to protect our country by "fighting terrorism" or is simply unhinged by hubris (and perhaps ill health), you need to read this book. Don't be swayed by terms like "Torture Presidency" or "Lady MacCheney". Yes, the book has bias, but its reporting is too thorough for dismissal as a partisan hack job.
Anecdotal evidence suggests his influence is banking. Yet he bestrides this administration like a Claude Raines villain in an old Warners adventure movie, a guardian-chamberlain dominating Dubya, the cocksure, brittle dauphin on the throne. Fellow reviewer Robert D. Steele says Cheney should be placed in irons, and presents persuasive evidence crystallizing the themes of the book.
Vice documents how Dick Cheney and his long-time counsel David Addinhgton have put into action an authoritarian "unitary executive" theory to give the president unwaarranted powers, and have arrogated these powers to the vice president's office, accountable to no one.
It's all here: torture, signing statements, shadow governance in "the dark side, if you will," as Cheney puts it, eavesdropping on the White House staff, the lies leading to the Iraq War, the wiretapping, the seeret energy task force, sweetheart Halliburton contracts, the failure - almost surely deliberate - to reconstitute Congress in prospective post-attack plans. The 25 questions for Dick Cheney at the end (page 225 or thereabouts) should be at the top of Congress's list when Cheney and Addington get their subpoenas.
At the the same time, the book raises as many questions as it answers, largely due to the authors' lack of access, a largely absent paper trail (a tip learned from Cheney's mentor Don Rumsfeld) and the secretive nature of this enigmatic American version of Yuri Andropov. (An aside: The handling of the Texas hunting accident and subsequent reassignment of all the Secret Service agents had touches of Kremlin black comedy).
The book raises, but cannot answer, Cheney's evident shift from an extreme, but pragmatic, right-wing Rpublican who said Saddam Hussein's downfall was not worth "very damn many" American lives, to the rigid, hell-bent-for-war authoritarian ideologue we see today. (Is it 9-11? Partly. The heart attacks? Perhaps. Cheney's onetime friends are baffled. But the authors can only raise the questions.)
So, if the final book has yet to be written, this one gives us a useful map. The surprise is that it has not received more notice; it is on par with - and in some ways superior to - the recent works of Suskind, Ricks, Isikoff, Woodward, Rich and Chandrasekaran, among others, who have tried to shed light on this administration's apparently endless dark corners.
Extraordinary Detail That Should Put Cheney in Irons Immediately.......2007-01-10
EDITED 5 September 2007 to add ten links to other related books.
This book is vastly more detailed, and covers more high crimes and misdemeanors, than either State of Denial, which misunderstands Bush as being in charge, or Crossing the Rubicon, which focuses primarily on Cheney's role in first permitting 9-11, and then working assiduously to cover up his malicious malfeasance. See also Ron Susskind's book, "One Percent Doctrine," which crucifies Cheney, Rumseld, and Rice.
I take this book so seriously that I urge everyone to get the "Do It Yourself Impeachment" kit. He should be required to immediately resign or be impeached. He should not be allowed to serve another month in office.
For the sake of brevity, here is a list of impeachable offenses documented by this book:
1) Secret meetings in violation of the law to include exclusion of government experts
2) Refusal to honor demand from Congress for a list of participants
3) Lies to the public about Iraq, while holding maps of oil fields and already having in mind a US-only domination of those oilfields (he first focused on Iraqi oil while serving Secretary of Defense Brown)
4) Over-ruling of the Environmental Protection Agency on very important matters including its concern over Halliburton's reliance on hydraulic fracturing that uses chemicals that contaminate aquifers--Cheney personally ensured that the EPA's wording was replaced with Halliburton's wording.
5) Consistent and pervasive usurpation of Congressional authorities and consistent and maliciously deliberate avoidance of appropriate disclosure.
6) Fostered attacks on Sy Hersh, and considered authorizing a break-in on his home.
7) From the 1970's, see also Ron Susskind's One-Percent Doctrine, subverted the authority of the Vice President, Nelson Rockefeller, and teams with Justice Scalia (then an assistant attorney general) to increase executive privileges and push back reforms.
8) As a Congressman personally blew off Russian offer in 1983 for arms cuts, and subverted the authority of the President and the Secretary of State then serving.
9) As an extremist Republican, supported Ollie North and the White House in violating the Congressional prohibitions on aid to the Contras, and obstructed justice thereafter.
10) Page 78 has a lovely discussion of how Cheney and North were "in the zone" in deceiving the public and Congress during the televised hearings.
11) Adopted as his own the lunatic report by Khalizad (who is a very lazy scholar, see my review of his rotten RAND book on revolution) and Libby, on how the US as a superpower should be able to do ANYTHING.
12) Attempted to undermine due process and keep tactical nuclear weapons in the Army inventory.
13) Subverted the authority of the Secretary of State (Colin Powell) by allowing his daughter to overrule Ambassadors and meet privately with various heads of state.
13) Lied repeatedly to the public about his continuing financial equities with Halliburton, and was so involved in giving Halliburton up to 16 billion in no bid contracts.
14) Shut both foreign competitors and more cost-effective indigenous contracting solutions, severely harming the national security of the United States by fostering an environment of unproductive looting by Halliburton, Bechtel, and others.
15) Ignored his dual mandates on terrorism and intelligence. The book suggests that Bush was not briefed on Al Qaeda for the first eight months he was in office (the Vice President's priorities were energy and missile defense).
16) Personally impeded negotiations with North Korea after they proved amenable to diplomatic engagement.
17) Personally rejected Iranian overtures for negotiation conveyed by the Swiss in 2003
18) Personally reinforced Rumsfeld on use of torture, by-passing the President's more measured restrictions.
19) Conspired with Speaker Hastert to subordinate the House of Representatives, using a special office of his own (first time in history) so that Representatives could be brought to him rather than his calling on them.
20) Manipulated the President into numerous "signing statements" inconsistent with the will of Congress that ignored legislation then in force.
21) "Bureaucratically emasculated" the President (page 177--if the President has a friend that reads this review, PLEASE get the book and the review to the President--he really may have no idea his balls have been cut off)
22) Contemptuous and manipulative of the CIA, refusing to accept their best professional judgments based not only all source intelligence, but on a extraordinary effort by Charlie Allen in running line crossers into Iraq to document beyond a shadow of a doubt that there were no weapons of mass destruction there.
23) Lied repeatedly, over and over, to the public, to Congress, to the President, to foreign leaders, even after the lies were exposed he continued to repeat them.
The book does not discuss the 9-11 situation and emerging findings that place the Vice President at the center of our deliberately inept response.
Two gems apart from the impeachable offenses:
1) The search for a Vice President was a complete fraud, he was picked from day one, and made a fool of every serious candidate, while also personally leaking to destroy Keating just to ensure the only real rival would not be considered at the last minute.
2) The discussion of Joe Lieberman's refusal to confront Cheney with all that was known to be wrong with him was explained at the time as "taking the high moral road." I am not so sure. I speculate that Lieberman is actually a neo-con and has been playing the Democrats for fools while minding the interests of his Wall Street masters.
On page 147 the authors discuss how Cheney accused Clinton and Gore of "extend[ing] our military commitments while depleting our military power." Lovely. And now?
The authors conclude that Dick Cheney is "nakedly amoral." I agree.
One final scary note: in the many doomsday drills that Cheney participated in across his career and inclusive of his Vice Presidency, they always failed to reconstitute Congress.
Dick Cheney has done more damage and is a greater threat to our Republic and others, than Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein combined.
The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11
Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil
Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory
9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA, Fourth Edition
State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III
The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America
9/11 Mysteries Part 1: Demolitions
9/11: Press For Truth
9/11 - The Myth and the Reality
Aftermath: Unanswered Questions from 9/11
Average customer rating:
- Medical pioneer
- A new concept in medical care.
- It just makes sense!
- Great Read.......informative and suspensful
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Courage To Heal
Paul Bernstein MD
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
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ASIN: 1425983790 |
Book Description
Who was the most influential physician of the twentieth century? Jonas Salk? Christian Barnard? Benjamin Spock? Set in a world of iron lungs and the Great Depression, when women and babies are dying in poorly run charity hospitals, Courage to Heal is based on the true story of a young surgeon, Sidney Garfield, who along with the twentieth century's boldest industrialist, Henry Kaiser, changes the face of American medicine. Garfield is brought to life in this story of an intransigent physician, his fight to provide health care to all, and his smoldering love affair with a beautiful nurse who marries the man determined to defeat him. The New York Times and NBC Nightly News call Garfield's legacy the "future of American Health Care." Courage to Heal won first place fiction at the Asilomar Writers' Conference in Northern California, a group that includes NY Times bestselling authors Fannie Flag and Susan Vreeland. All proceeds from the sale of this novel will be donated to the Sidney Garfield Memorial Fund and to the Permanente Federation to continue Dr. Garfield's legacy by encouraging innovation that will improve health care for all. VISIT ONLINE AT WWW.COURAGETOHEAL.ORG
Customer Reviews:
Medical pioneer.......2007-02-22
The courage to heal reads more like an adventure than a biography. Sidney Garfield, like all great pioneers, is single-minded in his quest to bring affordable health care to the people. I found it interesting to see how the concept of prepaid medicine evolved and particularly the resistance they met from the medical establishment. I particularly enjoyed the historical setting in the thirties, forties and fifties. Bernstein brings us into the dramas of medical emergencies. We get a glimpse into what that world was like when polio was rampant and antibiotics were still a novelty. This book seems particularly relevant today with so many people without access to medical care due to deficiencies of the fee for service system. I recommend this book highly.
A new concept in medical care........2007-01-05
This is a fictionalized account of the creation of Kaiser Permanente, the granddaddy of HMOs. Dr. Bernstein has told a fascinating story of its creation and successful rise in the face of resistance from the medical establishment. Highly recommended.
It just makes sense!.......2006-12-29
Sidney Garfield started a system of medical care based on keeping us well, with Doctors that make money by keeping their patients healthy instead of sick. What a novel idea! It's obvious why the AMA tried so hard to put him out of business, and the reason why so many people agree with what this doctor started. I totally loved this book! This historical novel is both captivating and educating. [...].
Great Read.......informative and suspensful.......2006-12-23
This well might be my favorite historical fiction novel--mainly because it has two gripping plots going at once, a doctor struggling against all odds and a love story, adroitly melded and each providing enough suspense to keep the reader glued to the page. I loved this book and cannot wait to read more. I recommend "Courage to Heal" highly, not just for those addicted to historical fiction, as I am, but for new readers as well. It stands alone as a great, fast, suspenseful read.
Product Description
The enchanting true story of a love affair that broke down the walls that divided a neighborhood, bringing to mind the memoirs of Michael Patrick McDonald and Frank McCourt.
Average customer rating:
- Simple, basic Jefferson primer
- Accomplishes what it set out to do - Recommended
- Thomas Jefferson
- The Power of Ideals
- An excellent synopsis of Jefferson's legacy
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Thomas Jefferson
R. B. Bernstein
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson
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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
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Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson
ASIN: 0195181301 |
Book Description
Thomas Jefferson designed his own tombstone, describing himself simply as "Author of the Declaration of Independence and of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia." It is in this simple epitaph that R.B. Bernstein finds the key to this enigmatic Founder--not as a great political figure, but as leader of "a revolution of ideas that would make the world over again." In Thomas Jefferson, Bernstein offers the definitive short biography of this revered American--the first concise life in six decades. Bernstein deftly synthesizes the massive scholarship on his subject into a swift, insightful, evenhanded account. Here are all of Jefferson's triumphs, contradictions, and failings, from his luxurious (and debt-burdened) life as a Virginia gentleman to his passionate belief in democracy, from his tortured defense of slavery to his relationship with Sally Hemings. Jefferson was indeed multifaceted--an architect, inventor, writer, diplomat, propagandist, planter, party leader--and Bernstein explores all these roles even as he illuminates Jefferson's central place in the American enlightenment, that "revolution of ideas" that did so much to create the nation we know today. Together with the less well-remembered points in Jefferson's thinking--the nature of the Union, his vision of who was entitled to citizenship, his dread of debt (both personal and national)--they form the heart of this lively biography. In this marvel of compression and comprehension, we see Jefferson more clearly than in the massive studies of earlier generations. More important, we see, in Jefferson's visionary ideas, the birth of the nation's grand sense of purpose.
Customer Reviews:
Simple, basic Jefferson primer.......2007-09-17
This is an extremely basic and simple 192 page summary of the life and accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson. In that context, it is perfectly acceptable. For the life of me, however, I don't see how this could be rated a five (or even four) star effort.
If you give this 5 stars, what do you give Truman, or John Adams or War and Peace? When you go to your average Holiday Inn, do you give it five stars? If so, what is a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton? Do you award the gold medal to a diver who does a perfectly executed swan dive? Degree of difficulty must come into play.
Having said that, if you're looking for a beginner biography for your junior high student, this would be an excellent selection. If you're interested in the American Presidents series and want to skim the surface of many of our Presidents without going in depth on any of them, this would be the way to go. If you're looking for depth, analysis and context, however, I'd certainly look for more than a 192 page summation.
Why then did I purchase this work? I knew what it was when I bought it. I had just finished Ron Chernow's "Hamilton" and had previously read David McCollough's "John Adams". Both of these subjects were rivals and at times bitter enemies of Jefferson. Having been brought up to view Jefferson as a Founding Father of great intellect and importance, it was a little disconcerting to view him through the writing of McCollough and Chernow as a dishonest, venal, calculating opportunist. Chernow, especially, falls into hero worship mode when comparing and contrasting his subject, Hamilton, with Jefferson.
In buying this work, I was looking for a more balanced effort without having to invest the time in an 800 page biography which largely recounted the historical events already covered in previously read biographies on Washington, Adams and Hamilton. For that purpose, it was just what the doctor ordered. Unlike Chernow, Bernstein examines his subject warts and all. He acknowledges and doesn't downplay his weaknesses, while at the same time revealing his unquestionable brilliance in many areas.
I highly recommend "Hamilton" as an outstanding history lesson and biography of a little appreciated and sometimes disregarded founding father. However, this little tome is a good antidote for the character assassination sustained by Jefferson in the aforementioned work.
Accomplishes what it set out to do - Recommended.......2007-09-01
Historians have tackled Jefferson's towering life and voluminous writings and correspondence with equally imposing full-length biographies, the best of which is over one thousand pages long. Scholarly and informative, sure, but prohibitively long for the first-time reader.
Bernstein's book complements these monumental biographies, serving as a balanced primer to his life. Although familiar segments of Jefferson's life seem glossed over, a close reading of the text shows that Bernstein indeed possesses a full understanding of Jefferson. Bernstein knows more about Jefferson than is revealed only in the text; however, for the sake of maintaining a short, readable biography, he chooses a minimalist approach. The author certainly simplifies certain episodes, but in such a way that provides enough information for the casual reader while still providing a springboard for the more serious student of history.
Bernstein gives a chronological narrative that is easy to follow (supplemented by a timeline in the appendices) and hits all the salient points. Far from being a partisan against Jefferson or his apologist, the author succeeds in balancing the need to view Jefferson in his own time with our desire to to judge him against today's moral standards. Never does the book get off-track with partisan attacks or psychological field trips intent on discovering the "real" Jefferson, as other historians often attempt.
Recommended as a (very) short introduction to Jefferson's life and lasting importance.
Thomas Jefferson.......2007-08-24
I liked this book I haven't read any other books on Jefferson but I enjoyed this one. It was recommended by another reviewer as the best one he had read so I decided to try it and I was not disappointed. I've enjoyed reading it and learning more about the person who was Thomas Jefferson.
The Power of Ideals.......2007-06-03
This is the first book that I've read about Jefferson, my knowledge of this Founding Father to date having come from high school and college courses and an occasional newspaper article. This compact, well-written biography makes for a compelling read and, for me, clearly whetted my appetite to find out more about what made this oratorically-challenged man of ideals tick.
The portrait painted of Jefferson is an interesting, occasionally troubling one, that of a man somewhat thin-skinned, who would suffer what he considered fools in silence rather than open his mouth, who didn't have (in today's vernacular) "the fire in the belly" for politics and trembled while delivering his inaugural address, and whose conduct with two married women was at best questionable. He was a man who could trot out the theory of nullification when affronted by a politically-charged Federalist edict (The Alien and Sedition Acts), a brilliant diplomat who never quite learned how to temper his correspondence and paid for it, a man whose political philosophy ran so deep that it ended up robbing him temporarily of a friendship with another Founder, and one who built his legacy around the common man but bristled at what the common man was doing to shine the light of liberty in Paris simply because he was so personally and deeply grounded in the Virginia countryside.
Then, of course, there are the conflicting acts and views that Jefferson took with regard to race. He stated that "All men are created equal", yet expounded upon what he saw as the inherent differences between two races that could never be reconciled within the same republic. His relations with Sally Hemings appear to extend from his view of her as property. As part of the Territorial Ordinance, he proposed, unsuccessfully, that all lands won from Britain in the Revolutionary War be off-limits to slavery, yet according to Bernstein, during the debate on The Missouri Compromise argued forcefully against that accommodation in terms of the sovereign powers of the individual states, "...each of which would regulate its own affairs, including the decisions whether to accept or reject slavery in joining the Union, or to preserve or abolish slavery thereafter."
Bernstein's work is a riveting read about America's greatest Founding Father, the one who gave the most eloquent voice to the colonists' hopes and dreams, who unlike some of his contemporaries clearly saw the American experiment as something to be exported, and who, through several of his acts as president, set in motion a seemingly endless debate about the meaning of The Constitution and when and how it should be interpreted as America grows and changes.
Bernstein's "Thomas Jefferson" is not the last word on the author of The Declaration, but it is a wonderful place to begin.
An excellent synopsis of Jefferson's legacy.......2007-03-06
In less than 200 pages, R.B. Bernstein summarizes the major events of Jefferson's life, gives careful treatment to the various controversies surrounding Jefferson, and places his legacy and context. The book takes Jefferson's writings seriously and attempts to explain the many seeming contradictions. With a very small investment of time, a reader will earn a strong, introductory grasp of what Jefferson accomplished and stood for.
The book reflects the current state of thought of Jefferson, which is less adulatory than previous generations. This Jefferson is not that of Dumas Malone, who merited six volumes of biographical treatment. Bernstein judges Jefferson harshly in certain areas, particularly his Presidency, which was a faillure apart from the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
I suspect it is this treatment that has earned this book severe ratings from those who dislike the current scholarly view of Jefferson. Still, Bernstein strives for fairness, and he closes by acknowleding the importance that Jefferson's Declaration of Independence has had on the course of world events.
Book Description
Based on new interviews and never-before-seen archival materials, Woodward and Bernstein takes a fresh, thought-provoking look at this unlikely journalistic duo. Thrown together by fate or luck, Woodward and Bernstein changed the face of journalism and the American presidency. For the first time, Shepard separates myth from reality as she traces the lives of the iconic journalists before and after Watergate.
Customer Reviews:
Illuminating Even Without Cooperation.......2007-04-02
The irony here is that neither Woodward nor Bernstein would speak with the author, despite having made millionaires out of themselves over the past 30-plus years by insinuating themselves into other peoples' lives and putting everything they've ever been told by anyone about anyone else between book covers. A bit of a double standard. Still, this look at how Watergate affected these two reporters is an engrossing read and a first class research job. Many many intriguing revelations for anyone who follows journalism and those who still like to read about the Watergate scandal. It's all tied up with a red bow because of the revelation in 2005 that Deep Throat was former FBI official Mark Felt, a secret that Woodstein kept religiously for three decades. Woodward's latest books on Bush are a bit boring, but that doesn't come across here. His Belushi expose remains his best, but this book points out that Woodward never again went outside politics in his reporting. Too bad. He should.
Interesting for journalism junkies, but sporadic.......2007-03-11
Parts of this were interesting and entertaining in adding to my knowledge about Woodward and Bernstein and I indeed recommend it, but with some stipulations. I had thought it would be mostly about what happened to them AFTER the Watergate coverage, but it mostly goes back over the Watergate coverage itself and then speeds through the rest of their careers/lives. The Watergate material is interesting, but I often felt it was more refresher course than revelation, and that I might as well be reading All the President's Men again. The internal newsroom politics material and some additional info about the two men and their lives are very interesting, though, especially about the reaction they got after the book and movie came out. She was too professorial at times here and quoting from other books and Halberstam's tapes for Powers That Be, for example, gets a little curious. I wish she had trusted her interpretive skills more and gone with that. Later in the book, she touches on the big issue of Woodward's later work -- his sourcing and omniscient approach -- but doesn't try hard enough to decide whether he crosses the line or not. And the way she fast forwards to the end, you almost get the feeling that this was written in 1995 or something, went unpublished, and got second life when Mark Felt's family pushed through the Deep Throat disclosure.
A Must Read for Watergate Addicts.......2007-02-12
A MUST-READ FOR WATERGATE JUNKIES! We have all followed Woodward and Bernstein's careers through newspaper articles and the occa¬sional TV interview. Now Alicia Shepard has gathered all those data into a book about what Watergate did for them...and to them. It is a fascinating tale of young reporters who got sudden fame and fortune early in their lives, and how Woodward prospered while Bernstein foundered.
Shepard had access to their entire Watergate archives, and my only criticism of the book is its liberal quotations of that material. When "letters and telegrams" pour in from all over the country to them, it is not necessary to quote from so many. It slows down the narrative and you will find yourself skipping over most of these repetitive passages. All in all, it is a 266 page book that would have a much easier read at about 225. But if you love Water¬gate and all that came in its wake, pick up this book and read about how it careened the careers of these little reports to un¬known heights and depths.
The story behind the story (tellers).......2006-12-16
When the five burglars bungled their bugging mission at the Watergate in June of 1972, they unwittingly changed not only our country's political history, but its journalistic one as well. Alicia Shepard has masterfully chronicled the successes and struggles, both professional and personal, of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the men who blew the lid off Watergate, in this informative and enjoyable book. She recounts their investigation of the scandal, illuminating a new perspective through extensive interviews with their editors. She pulls no punches in exposing their triumphs and their failures in the ensuring three decades, in their reporting, their marriages, and even their relationship with each other. The result is an eminently readable book that will leave you feeling as if you have finally gotten the inside scoop on the men whose names are synonymous with Watergate.
The Definitive "Woodstein" Biography.......2006-12-11
Alicia C. Shepard has written what should become the definitive biography of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Her book is scholarly without being pedantic and revelatory without being salacious. She skillfully shows how Watergate affected not only history, but journalism, and the lives of the two young men who doggedly pursued the truth. This book is must reading for anyone who wants to become a journalist, or who cares about what journalists do.
John DeDakis
CNN Senior Copy Editor, "The Situation Room"
Author, FAST TRACK
[...]
Book Description
"AMERICA'S COACH" "Life Lessons & Wisdom for Gold Medal Success; A Biographical Journey of the Late Hockey Icon Herb Brooks"
The inspirational story of legendary coach Herb Brooks comes to life in the pages of "America's Coach," a heart-warming motivational biography that celebrates the legacy of a true American hero. As the architect of the fabled 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey "Miracle on Ice," Brooks showed the world that through hard work, commitment and dedication, dreams really can come true. It doesn't matter if you know the difference between a blue line and a clothes line, Brooks' unorthodox ideologies and philosophies on team-building, leadership and motivation can be applied to the real world just as easily as they can to the business world. Follow along as Brooks' amazing life is chronicled from the frozen ponds of St. Paul's east side, to the bright lights of New York City, and everywhere in between. Woven throughout this colorful tapestry are anecdotes, quotes, funny stories, and nuggets of wisdom from Brooks himself, which provide a unique insight into the secrets of his success. Best-selling sports author Ross Bernstein, who had actually been working with Brooks on writing a series of motivational books at the time of his tragic passing in 2003, honors the legacy of his late friend and mentor by challenging you to achieve heights you never dreamed possible. And maybe, just maybe, even inspire you to create your own miracles.
Customer Reviews:
An American Coaching Classic.......2007-05-14
I really enjoyed this in-depth biography of the late Herb Brooks. The book provided information into the psychology and methods of a mysterious, complex human being who was clearly a master motivator and obsessive in his preparation. it provided wonderful insight into a true coaching legend. I recommend it to any hockey fan.
Book Description
The definitive biography of one of the most influential, flamboyant, and multifaceted musical talents of the 20th century, a man whose concert hall performances inspired generations of musicians and music lovers, and whose theatrical triumphs dazzled Broadway.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
Sorry, doesn't look like it's for me..........2005-10-07
I guess this is a really technical look at the composer's life without much backstage drama, because in leafing through the index, there's no mention of Carol Lawrence, Chita Rivera or Larry Kert, the famous cast members of the original production of "West Side Story." A short chapter is devoted to the musical, but without comments either from or on its legendary cast? Bizarre.
Call me shallow, but I don't want to read something that dry.
It was great!.......2004-03-10
It took me about 2 months to finish reading it, not because it wasn't a page-turner, but because it was a long book and also I'd been busy. It was actually a great page-turner. I could read on and on for 5-7 hours without a break.
Bernstein's personal letters to his friends and colleagues, including Aaron Copland, his thesis at Harvard, etc. were all very inspiring to read. There were quite a bit of poems he wrote also. The positive and negative sides of the great man were also well delivered without getting vulgar.
I really appreciated the author's knowledge about music and the classical music world and system.
The book makes you feel like you're living the life closely with the great man and gets you intellectually, musically, emotionally involved. You experience with him every success and failure Bernstein went through.
His talents were beyond human in some way, yet he was a man just like you and me. Sometimes his talents were greater than he as a man, and as a result the world occasionally saw him fall apart. The book is honest about his failures and misbehaviours without being accusatory. It makes you want to forgive the man for the wrongs he'd done. The burden he was carrying as genius was more than an ordinary man could bear.
The book also covers the Jewish culture, politics, world events, how Bernstein and his genius contributed to the world and American history, etc. in relations to his achievements.
There are enough interviews with his friends and family, reviews on Bernstein's works, letters etc. but the author uses his own narratives to tell us about the man, which is, I think, why this book is more solid and readable. Only, I wish there were more photographs. But oh well, you can't ask for everything.
Great, inspiring book. I might read it again.
Comprehensive, with a Human Touch.......2000-06-07
This bio skillfully covers Bernstein's background, his philosophy, his methods of viewing and performing music. Bernstein was a man of conflict, always wishing to compose (indeed, he wanted to be remembered not as a conductor, primarily, but as a composer) but knew he had to remain with conducting in order to earn his living. And Bernstein was a splendid composer .. I personally think his Candide and West Side Story are masterpieces without peer, and his orchestral works are incredibly daring and far sighted for their time. Bernstein, though a genius, was all too human. He struggled endlessly with his sexuality, yet remained entirely devoted to his wife and children. Burton thoroughly explores Bernstein's many friendships with those in the music world, the most touching being his involvements with Copland and Mitropoulous. Both recognized Bernstein's genius, and were also painfully aware of his inner conflicts and fragile ego, and strove to uplift and encourage him so that he might make his true mark in the arts. The photos in this book are splendid, and Burton's writing is crisp and engaging. You will come away from this book with a renewed respect and enthusiasm for Bernstein the man and the musician.
An Inspirational yet realistic biography.......1999-06-04
I agree along with many that this is the definitive Bernstein biography. I have read it on and off for over a year now, and have gone back to particular sections not only to refresh my memory but to re-read Burton's fluid writing. An inspirational book about an all-around genius and the whirlwind tour of a life he lived. The book motivated me to delve into Berstein's life even further (quite costly y'know... with all the recordings, Norton Lectures, Young People's Concerts, various other video performances, writings, etc.)
A balanced view of the myth and the man.......1999-01-08
If you are interested in Bernstein, this is the biography to read. It neither raises him up too high nor tears him apart. Much of it deals with Bernstein's inner turmoil and how that impacted his relationships. Bernstein's humanity comes through very strongly. An enjoyable read, good pictures too.
Book Description
"From its opening pages, in which she recounts her own premature birth, triggered by terrifying rumors of an incipient pogrom, Bernstein's tale is clearly not a typical memoir of the Holocaust. She was born into a large family in rural Romania...and grew up feisty and willing to fight back physically against anti-Semitism from other schoolchildren. She defied her father's orders to turn down a scholarship that took her to Bucharest, and got herself expelled from that school when she responded to a priest/teacher's vicious diatribe against the Jews by hurling a bottle of ink at him...After a series of incidents that ranged from dramatic escapes to a year in a forced labor detachment, Sara ended up in Ravensbruck, a women's concentration camp, [and] managed to survive...she tells this story with style and power." -Kirkus Reviews
"There are many recent accounts of Holocaust victims, but this work stands alone as a testimony to personal strength and an independent spirit." -Library Journal
"Extraordinary." -Booklist
"An engrossing history lesson as well as an important archive." -Faye Kellerman
"Well-told...deserves a prominent place in the archive of Holocaust survival stories." -Publishers Weekly
"One of the best of the recent wave of Holocaust memoirs" (Kirkus Reviews)
--An ALA choice for the Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, and the second-place winner in the General Trade Nonfiction category at the New York Book Show
--Includes an introduction by Edgar M. Bronfman
--Written by a strong woman with a colorful and unusual story to tell, this book is a standout in a popular subgenre of the memoir form
Customer Reviews:
Unforgettable.......2007-09-05
Although I have an interest in Holocaust memoirs and have read dozens to date, I found Bernstein's story both unique and compelling.
Bernstein begins by providing a full picture of her life, starting from childhood. Then known as Seren, the young Bernstein was happy, growing up as one of the youngest children in a large blended family in Hungary. Her father, a mill supervisor, never failed to provide well for his plethora of children, in-laws and grandchildren.
However, even he couldn't stop the forces that wanted to annihilate the Jews. In the early 1930s -- well before many people even had an inkling of the depth of trouble brewing -- Bernstein, her family and friends were forbidden from working or socializing normally. Before long, the huge extended family was unable to keep in contact, though geographically close by; and Bernstein and her father were imprisoned.
Bernstein's troubles, though, were only just beginning. Over the next few years, as she and her sisters struggled to maintain some semblance of normal lives -- young Seren working as a seamstress -- the Iron Guard began to close in upon them.
Bernstein details the long months when she, her youngest sister Esther, and their friends Lily and Ellen struggled to survive at a little-known all-women's work camp. Although Jews were only a small number of the prisoners, they were treated the worst.
Bernstein, who had a friend amputate her big toe after gangrene set in from the cold, and literally became a walking skeleton, was considered one of the luckiest ones -- she survived.
Told in a manner that is simultaneously human yet matter-of-fact, Bernstein's story of survival against all odds is magnificent. It's impossible to read it and not feel incredulous, let alone to ever forget how one woman could possibly survive so much.
unforgettable and moving.......2007-09-03
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I was unable to put it down and finished it in two sittings. It was simultaneously fascinating and appalling if that is comprehendable.
The horrific and degrading treatment of Seren and her fellow prisoners is beyond anything any of us can imagine and their ability to survive against all odds is truly heroic. Man's inhumanity to man is portrayed in all it's shocking detail. I found myself moved to tears several times, but could not stop myself from finishing the book as quickly as I could. It is definitely worth reading. You will never forget it.
Unique Holocaust Story.......2007-05-07
Sara Tuvel's story was unusal for a holocaust story because she was able to manipulate the system and remain free for the majority of the time. She was her own counsel from childhood through adulthood, with the ability to think for herself and the fortitude and discipline to prosper in any type of undertaking. Her story is both heart wrenching and uplifting at the same time. From a woman's point of view, this is a good example of a strong woman, who uses her intelligence, intuition, and fortitude to survive a terrible ordeal.
moving, thought provoking book.......2007-04-10
This is a fantastic book about a fantastic person during one of the worse times in human history. A must read.....
An amazing book, an amazing person.......2006-03-29
This is the most moving book I have read in my life, hands-down. Seren Tuvel's story is heart-breaking, yet courageous. This book is an absolute must-read for everyone.
Books:
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Musical Mind: The Cognitive Psychology of Music (Oxford Psychology Series, No. 5)
- The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (20 Volume Set
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (20 Volume Set
- The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music (NPR Curious Listener's Guide To...)
- The Pema Chodron Collection: Pure Meditation:Good Medicine:From Fear to Fearlessness
- The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music
- The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
Books Index
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