Heroes, Rogues, and Lovers: Testosterone and Behavior

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To understand how life works, you must understand testosterone. This male hormone--which is present in both men and women--determines who leads society and how it is led; the professions we choose, and in some cases, how well we do in them; and in some cases how long we live--after all, the high-testosterone guy tends to be a risk-taker.

Author James Dabbs, a social psychologist, has been studying testosterone for decades at Georgia State University, and many of the studies coming out of his lab have made headlines. To pick just one of dozens of examples, he and his colleagues found that high-testosterone soldiers were more likely to get in trouble with the law, use drugs and alcohol, and have 10 or more sex partners in a year. The more testosterone one has, the more wild oats one feels compelled to sow.

Of course, testosterone isn't a static thing; it rises with feelings of victory and accomplishment and crashes with feelings of defeat. Dabbs takes us through the world of testosterone--from the basic chemistry to how it affects love, work, and society--and makes it literate, erudite, and outrageously entertaining. Snippets of Shakespeare are used to make a point alongside stories of high-testosterone female prisoners. Men will find Heroes, Rogues, and Lovers a glorious explanation of their hormonal core, while women can use it to understand the men in their lives, and even themselves--after all, testosterone increases libido in geese as well as ganders. --Lou Schuler

Book Description

Since the early 1970s, when studies of testosterone first gained wide public attention, this principal male sex hormone has taken the rap for a range of characteristics or behaviors, including low intelligence, rape, and road rage. The truth is both remarkably more complex and more interesting scientifically. From prehistory to the present, testosterone has played a significant role in the development of human society as well as in romantic, marital, and parental relationships. It affects women as well as men in such areas as language ability, cognition, and spatial orientation. Interweaving intimate case histories with first hand scientific research, Heroes, Rogues and Lovers engagingly explains the animal within us all, revealing testosterone's function in human evolution and its role in surprising links between animal and human behaviors.

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Since the early 1970s, when studies of testosterone first gained wide public attention, this principal male sex hormone has taken the rap for a range of characteristics or behaviors, including low intelligence, rape and "road rage". The truth is both remarkably more complex and more interesting scientifically. From prehistory to the present, testosterone has played a significant role in the development of human society as well as in romantic, marital and parental relationships. It affects women as well as men in such areas as language ability, cognition, and spatial orientation. Interweaving intimate case histories with first hand scientific research, Heroes, Rogues and Lovers engagingly explains the animal within us all, revealing testosterone's function in human evolution and its role in surprising links between animal and human behaviors.

Customer Reviews:

Credibility Issue.......2007-08-20

This book is a mixed bag of facts and conjecture. The parts of the book that are most unappealing and lack scientific merit are the author's use of his friends, family and fictional characters to explain the impact of testosterone on behavior. Dabbs' continuous reference to his and his students' testosterone studies without disclosing details and whether any scientific peer reviews were published or conducted calls into question the credibility of his book. It seems as if he and his students set out to prove their hypotheses by doing little more than soliciting spit tests and celebrating the results.

For much of the book, Dabbs opines negatively of high testosterone men. High testosterone has lost its place in modern society, he argues. More successful and educated white color workers have lower testosterone levels than less educated, lower income but higher testosterone blue color workers. Towards the end, however, he raises the specter of channeling the effects of this powerful hormone to positive outcomes such as altruism and heroism. Proper upbringing and social activities can curb the negative tendencies of high testosterone individuals.

In the epilogue, Dabbs admits to the complexity of nature vs. nature analytics and the extent to which testosterone influences behavior. But certain assertions are "clearly established" he claims: Testosterone increases muscle strength, sexual activity, delinquency and marital instability. Other connections, which he claims are less certain include occupation choice, e.g. actors and athletes have high testosterone levels, sex differences, e.g. women maintain lasting relationships while men drop strong loyalties when they change jobs or sports teams, and the nature of heroism and altruism. This is the area the author dabbles in the most, and unfortunately, because of the lack of depth, Dabbs' arguments are not presented in a convincing or thoughtful way.

Robert M. Sapolskly accomplishes in one chapter of his book "The Trouble With Tetosterone" more than Dabbs' entire book.

Here's To Life's Rambunctious People!.......2006-09-22

First, let us explore what exactly is a hero. My first and lasting hero since early childhood has been Douglas MacArthur, mainly for his stubborness and his ability to do as he said he would. I appreciate those who keep their words, as I try to do. I follow through if I say I will do something. I always wondered why he would say "I Will Return" to the people of the Phillippines when President Truman forced him to come back to the United States during WWII. He was given hero status with a ticker-tape parade down Broadway in New York City. In this book, I am able to finally learn that in the Phillippines, he was President Quezon's military adviser. How, being a great general for and from America, could he hold this post simultaneously. As we live and learn, we find that even our heroes of a lifetime are only men with feet of clay. I had another (different type completely) hero for six years who showed his true colors by telling lies.

Now to Rogues, we see those in the movies, like Captain Kidd, the sailing robbers like those "orphans" in 'Pirates of Penzance,' some movie stars, and most often convicts of all persuasions. All of these people are maimed by an overabundance of testosterone. Even some women have high terosterone and just aren't very feminine, examples such as Joan of Arc, Queen Victoria, Doris Day, and mothers of sons. Beauty queens like Miss America are not as intelligent and most always have daughters.

What's wrong with rambunctious women? Many women are braver than some men, as they are cowards. Men has less verbal ability than women and hold things in, resulting in violent acts. Verbal ability is part of an evolutionary package which emphasizes abstract thought and imagination. Some male novelists have more imagination, that's for sure, but women have greater verbal intelligence. More men have the "selfish" gene instead of self-confidence. I like a man who knows who is is, outside and inside.

This book uses too much textbook analysis to prove their points. The mind, the brain, thermostat, all used to try to explain the sexual attraction by humans. It is not set in stone -- it depends entirely on the individuals involved. Hawaii is the best place to go for sexual partners because of the beauty, heat, and lack of clothes they enjoy. Good, sensible women want sexy men who are sensitive and reliable, a fleeting species.

Birds of a feather stick together like peacocks. Similar people are attracted to each other. They use other species like birds, fish, animals -- nothing is omitted (ancient tribes and warriors) for the natural selection to work during the seasons of love. We inherit our tesosterone level, just as we inherit our height, body build, eye color and other characteristics. It helps the body to build muscle, make new red blood cells, "release neurotransmitters in the brain where it exerts a powerful influence on our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us." Our choice of marriageable members of the opposite sex is not random; it is destined for procreation. We can love many men we don't want to marry; love is different from sex.

Those individuals who have high testosterone include circus performers, flamboyant showmen, and colorful people like the Kennedy clan, according to this book. I've seen my share of those pushy people, and they turn me off from the beginning. I prefer sensitive, musical people who are smart enough to know when to come in out of the rain.

Could have been much shorter.......2004-10-31

The author strings together a well researched cache of interesting anecdotes which do a great job a grabbing your attention and illustrating the point. However, he never goes into any of the bio-chemistry of how it all works. So, I guess its more of a sociology oriented book. But it never realy goes anywhere.

Factoids like "men with high testoterone are more aggressive, and more likely to beat their wives etc. etc." didn't give me much to chew on. I did enjoy the statistic that shows that high level corporate types who have successfully clawed their way to the top are not necessarily high in testosterone, though they might think they are... (they actually "relationship" their way up -- which should be good news for women execs). I thought about the execs I know and laughed.

Ah well.

Wit, Wisdom, and Empiricical Research!.......2002-03-20

Heroes, Rogues, and Lovers is a terrific book for those who attempt to stay current with contemporary research within the biological and psychological sciences. Dabbs research provides empirical support for the link between testosterone levels and behavior. Not only is the evidence compelling within this well-written book, but it is funny, witty and reads like a fireplace novel with the inclusion of stories of spit tests gone awry and colorful descriptions of subjects for whom the "spit test" was administered. Worth every penny spent and every minute read!

science by anecdote.......2002-01-27

An interesting topic but the book is ultimately very disappointing. There are far too many anecdotes and not enough hard science -- in particular the interaction of testosterone with other factors such as intelligence or the levels of other hormones is only touched on. The description of the ancestral environment and the role of testosterone in human evolution is comic book at best. The book serves a useful purpose in surfacing the role of hormones in human behavior and demolishing the naive pc supposition that the only differences between men and women are due to education and culture; but leaves the reader wanting more. There is a much better book waiting to be written on this theme.

Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney

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Tiring
A paean to the life of creation
The brighter side of human achievement
A creative description of creative people
Don't Miss This!

Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney
Paul M. Johnson
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060191430
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Book Description

Twenty years ago Paul Johnson published Intellectuals, biographical essays forming what Kingsley Amis described as "a valuable and entertaining Rogues' Gallery of Adventures of the Mind." It was a bestseller in many of the score of languages into which it was translated, but also criticized for describing clever people "so as to bring out their bad behavior" (Bernard Williams, New York Review of Books).

Paul Johnson now meets the charge with this companion volume of essays on outstanding and prolific creative spirits. He looks at writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Mark Twain and T. S. Eliot, artists like Dürer, and architects such as Pugin and Viollet-le-Duc. He explains the different ways in which Jane Austen, Madame de Stael, and George Eliot struggled to make their voices heard in the masculine hubbub. Victor Hugo allows him to ask, "Can imaginative genius coexist with low intelligence?" Johann Sebastian Bach gives him the opportunity to focus on the role of genetics in creativity and to explore the strange world of the organ loft. Louis Comfort Tiffany takes him into the technology of glass-making and the tragic vagaries of aesthetic fashion. Some essays make illuminating comparisons: of Turner with his contemporary the Japanese master Hokusai, and of the two great dress designers, Balenciaga and Dior. The final essay examines those two inventive geniuses, Picasso and Disney, and asks which had the greater influence on the visual arts of the twentieth century -- and beyond.

Paul Johnson believes that creation is a mysterious business that cannot be satisfactorily analyzed. But it can be illustrated in such a way as to bring out its salient characteristics. That is the purpose of this instructive and witty book.

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Twenty years ago Paul Johnson published Intellectuals, biographical essays forming what Kingsley Amis described as ""a valuable and entertaining Rogues' Gallery of Adventures of the Mind."" It was a bestseller in many of the score of languages into which it was translated, but also criticized for describing clever people ""so as to bring out their bad behavior"" (Bernard Williams, New York Review of Books).

Paul Johnson now meets the charge with this companion volume of essays on outstanding and prolific creative spirits. He looks at writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Mark Twain and T. S. Eliot, artists like Dürer, and architects such as Pugin and Viollet-le-Duc. He explains the different ways in which Jane Austen, Madame de Stael, and George Eliot struggled to make their voices heard in the masculine hubbub. Victor Hugo allows him to ask, ""Can imaginative genius coexist with low intelligence?"" Johann Sebastian Bach gives him the opportunity to focus on the role of genetics in creativity and to explore the strange world of the organ loft. Louis Comfort Tiffany takes him into the technology of glass-making and the tragic vagaries of aesthetic fashion. Some essays make illuminating comparisons: of Turner with his contemporary the Japanese master Hokusai, and of the two great dress designers, Balenciaga and Dior. The final essay examines those two inventive geniuses, Picasso and Disney, and asks which had the greater influence on the visual arts of the twentieth century -- and beyond.

Customer Reviews:

Tiring.......2007-07-09

I'm reasonably certain I qualify as the intended audience for this book. Relatively conservative, relatively well-read, a skeptic and a bit of a iconoclast. Should be a sympathetic reader. Yet I found it tedious and frustrating. Between his repeated braggadoccio and the lightweight analysis, I was generally disappointed. My son called him a pompous blowhard for his small, but endlessly annoying, autobiographical snippets. For instance, like Durer, he always travels with his watercolors. Cool! He recalls that memorable evening when he, C. S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien were wrestling with an Eliot poem, and the day he remarked to Anthony Powell.....well, you get the idea. How about that untranslated French? (Sorry, Paul, I'm a mere monolingual dummy.) And the one that nearly sent me screaming into the night, when referring to Pride and Prejudice, he let this fly: "to many, though not to the most discerning, her greatest achievement." Whom is he including in that rarefied group do you think? Ultimately, Paul Johnson reminded me of the Oscar Wilde wannabes I all too frequently met while I was studying in Oxford. Cape, beret, French cigarettes, often with a holder!, and a bon mot for every occasion. Their goal in life was to prove they knew your speciality more thoroughly than you did. I soon learned to recognize their uniform and flee them as I would a man in a white robe and pointy hood.

Paul Johnson is a well-educated man with a breadth of knowledge I could never hope to match. He has read everything, seen paintings everywhere (documenting his worldwide travels while doing so...why did he tell me where these are other than to brag?) and listened carefully to an astounding collection of music. But he brings little real insight to the creative process, other than that these folks all worked very hard. Painted or wrote or read or sewed, they spent years practicing and honing and reworking. But I wonder if another book could be written about creative people who do not fit this mold, massively fertile artists who squandered their time in alcohol or drugs and yet climbed out periodically to produce something majestic.

Bach came from a musical family and worked hard. Genetics were helpful claims Mr. Johnson. But were they? Both Haydns came from a non-musical family and achieved a bit of musical success as well. So what role does genetics play? It varies.... How about education? Well, Eliot had it in spades, but Austen and Dickens did not. Some read endlessly, some not at all. Does it matter? Or how about genius? Are the most creative people the smartest? Slam dunk, right? Well, not quite. Victor Hugo was a dunce, a fool, a lecherous old man (and a lecherous young man as well.) Yet he managed to write books that will last far beyond the scribblings of men far more brilliant. So the conclusion seems to be that creativity comes from lots of different kinds of folks, living lots of different kinds of lives. Didn't need a whole book for that. When there is a heartfelt response to a great work of art, there are tears, or that mysterious welling, or overwhelming joy. I never felt that in this book. Paul Johnson failed to communicate how these masters managed to get their audiences to experience that. Clinical, straightforward, full of copious information, but little insight. Read or listen to the creators themselves. Far more enjoyable.

A paean to the life of creation .......2007-05-04

If in a previous work 'Intellectuals' Johnson was all acid in criticizing those who in his phrase ' put ideas before people'.In this work he is all sweetness in praising great creators who as he sees it ' people before ideas'. Johnson's praise of creation however is not confined to those we normally think of creators. Like the great American pragmatist thinkers he sees ' creation' as an inherent part of human everyday life. Furthermore he gives this concept a religious grounding, by speaking of the idea that God the Creator wishes human beings to be creators also. This idea is Biblically derived, and is a reflection of Johnson's own religious view.
In the opening chapter Johnson commends creators for their courage in overcoming adversities, for their persistence against rejection of many kinds. He writes, " What strikes me, surveying the history of creativity, is how little fertile and productive people often received in the way of honors, money or anything else." He gives the example of Vermeer whose great dedication and hard work did succeed in lifting his family from poverty. He says that Bach and Mozart too never really had full financial security despite their enormous productive efforts.
Johnson is an especial chamption of prolific, hard- working creators. His opening chapter is on Chaucer who virtually invents the modern English language and literature. He then writes of Durer one of those artists who was always learning, expanding and developing his powers in new areas. His third chapter is devoted to Shakespeare who Johnson calls " the most creative personality in human history" Johnson makes studies of two great Shakespeare characters Falstaff and Hamlet. Johnson focuses on the new phrases and words Shakespeare has given to the language. He emphasizes the speed and variety of Shakespeare's creation, the tremendous insight into human life and character. He sees Hamlet as a kind of deep thinker whose reflections throw light on every important aspect of human existence.
If Johnson points to Shakespeare as proof that the great creator can come from anywhere is in no way dependent on high origins- then he in his next chapter on Bach focuses on the opposite aspect, the genetic component. He writes of the Bach family which for three hundred years from the age of Luther to the age of Bismarck were at the heart of German music. Bach is praised not only for his hardworking dedication, but for his enormous originality- his creating in every music form known at the time ( except Opera) and expanding the dimensions and scope of each form.
In the chapter on Turner and Hokusai Johnson writes of creators who did not go outside their own form of creation- who were wholly dedicated to it. "Turner transformed landscape , during his lifetime into the greatest of visual arts,and left the world of painting permanently changed- indeed artists all over the world are still learning from him ..... Hokusai in effect created Japanese landscape painting from nothing, but he also portrayed Japanese life in the first half of the nineteenth century with dazzling graphic skill and an encyclopedia completeness that have never been equaled anywhere"
In his chapter on Jane Austen Johnson focuses on the special difficulties women have had historically in attempting to be creators.He points out that most women were simply barred by their families from any creative endeavor. He tells in a few especially instructive pages the story of George Eliot, who was at the outset something of a rejected if not ugly, then very plain 'duckling'. With the years ' she was increasingly recognized not only as a storyteller of extraordinary gifts but as moral mentor of formidable power. Polite society , far from shutting her out, queued up at her door and was often refused admittance." Jane Austen, Johnson indicates did not have anything like Eliot's success in her own lifetime, but her books are far more widely read today. Johnson points to her early elegance, self- confidence and ebullience in writing. Johnson sees her great transformation coming when she looked into the Romantic novels of her own day, and understood that she could do far better than them."Quite naturally, she perceived that real life , as she knew it from personal experience , was much more fun to write about than impossible adventures of which she knew nothing." Johnson laments her early death and puts her with those creators Keats, Shelley, Mozart, Weber, Girtin, Gericault, Bonningon who died young and left many with a longing for works of theirs which would never be. Johnson also writes of the architects A.W.N. Pugin and Viollet- le-Duc, of Victor Hugo, Mark Twain (For Johnson 'humor'is one of the greatest of all creative gifts) Tiffany, T.S. Eliot, Picasso and Walt Disney.
This is a wonderfully entertaining book. It is centered on a 'positive' subject most people I suspect are happy to read and learn more about . However here I would register one note, if not of dissent, then of reservation.
In his opening chapter Johnson writes of the great creative power of Wagner's operas. Johnson ignores however their evil and destructive ideology- He ignores the fact that great creators have often been evil people. He ignores too the fact that 'destruction is inherent in certain kinds of creation'.And great creators are often those with a kind of overriding ambition, a kind of Faustian hunger that means their creation brings with it great destruction.
The subject is darker than his list of creative heroes indicates. There is a whole literature from Rudolf Wittkauer to Kay Redfield -Jamison on the saturnic, dark, depressive force behind much great creation. And many many of the greatest creators were not the kind of sensible, practical productive businesslike figures Johnson praises. Consider
Johnson as religious believer does not really raise the question of why great creative gift and powers are sometimes given by God to evil people.
In his final chapter he speaks briefly about scientific and technological discovery as creative work. He cites Humphrey Davy's invention of the safety- mask for miners, and the over one thousand inventions of the greatest inventor of all , Edison. But he does not talk about Newton and Einstein. And he does not even begin to point out how scientific and technical creation are at the heart of so many dilemnas, including 'survival' facing Mankind today. In other words here too the darker sides, the more problematic sides of 'creation' are not considered.
Again though, despite these reservations, this is an exceptionally instructive and enjoyable work.

The brighter side of human achievement.......2007-03-26

I always make it a point to dip into the über-prolific Johnson's latest tome; his magnificent "Modern Times" had a most profound effect on the way I see and interpret the world. This latest effort is a sequel, of sorts, to Johnson's incisive "Intellectuals," in which the author drew stark contrasts between the lofty ideals of a gaggle of influential thinkers from Rousseau to Bertrand Russell and the frequently dreadful ways in which they treated the people in their lives. The message: beware letting such busybodies run things, as they recognize only "the heartless tyranny of ideas." As Johnson explains in the Introduction to "Creators", he caught a lot of flak over "Intellectuals"' "mean-spiritedness" (I prefer to call it "unwelcome truth-telling") and thereupon resolved to write a more "positive" survey of some of the world's most accomplished creative minds.

Creators could easily have been several times its final length, and one can sense in several cases how tempted Johnson must have been to expand his survey. In the section on Jane Austen, for example, Johnson manages to squeeze in micro-discussions of several other female authors, such as George Eliot and Mme. de Staël. (Perhaps he was trying to head off accusations of sexism?) By and large, however, Creators cuts the critical commentaries close to the bone and hews to its stated goal of using the figures discussed here to illustrate various ways in which the creative urge may manifest itself. Johnson evinces a clear preference for practical-minded, nose-to-the-grindstone geniuses such as Shakespeare, J.S. Bach, and Albrecht Dürer, who married disdain for overly "intellectual" theorizing to superhuman work ethics. By far the least likable of these pivotal figures is Pablo Picasso, whom Johnson compares unfavorably with Walt Disney in perhaps the most controversial of his essays. (Those who have read Johnson's "Art: A History" will be familiar with Johnson's attitude towards Picasso; it's the direct comparison with Disney, a bête noîre of the same cultural leftists who idolize Picasso, that will drive the latter folks crazy.) The book isn't as memorable or as eye-opening as "Intellectuals", but it will give a reader new to Johnson a fairly decent flavor of the man's working methods (dare I say, his sense of creativity?).

A creative description of creative people.......2007-03-19

Jane Austen produced novels in lieu of children, because she was not pretty enough to attract a potential father. T. S. Eliot produced poems, because his hernias sidelined him from physical things and thus gave him the vast amount of time and energy required to develop his intellect. "Shakespeare is the most creative personality in human history."?
Pablo Picasso was a women-beating communist (that never seems to be brought out by the popular press). Now if I run across a Picasso, in addition to cubes, I will see red.
Paul Johnson also gave me a new appreciation for the accomplishments of Mark Twain and Walt Disney.

Don't Miss This!.......2007-02-09

Paul Johnson has become almost like a family friend. His editorials in Forbes to his ginormous (if you have young adults, you know this word)tomes about history have allowed us to see in our mind's eyes the people and activies that have shaped the modern world. This short work describes some people we thought we knew: creators of fiction, art and fantasy fashion. Johnson brings the creators he describes into a spotlight that reveals finer details...details you don't want to miss.

Carnivals, Rogues, and Heroes: An Interpretation of the Brazilian Dilemma (ND Kellogg Inst Int'l Studies)

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In the footsteps of the masters

Carnivals, Rogues, and Heroes: An Interpretation of the Brazilian Dilemma (ND Kellogg Inst Int'l Studies)
Roberto DaMatta
Manufacturer: University of Notre Dame Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0268007942

Customer Reviews:

In the footsteps of the masters.......2007-04-06

I've never seen Brazil's Carnival, nor have I attended Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The last time I checked, though, they both were extremely colorful and exciting. People seemed to be having a lot of fun. If you're looking for even a faint echo of that, give this book a wide berth. DaMatta shuns almost any sort of description at all. He is SERIOUS ! This is a most academic book, meant not for general anthropologists, but for specialists in the study of ritual. For them, I would say this is a five star book---intelligent, imaginative, and interesting. If you plan to do studies of major rituals in any society---from the Balinese cockfight to the Spanish bullfight, from North Korean mass pictures in stadiums to the Ram Lila in north India---you will find this rock-hard analysis most useful and thought-provoking. You will be able to break off flints that will light fires in your research to come or make you re-analyze the research you have already completed. DaMatta not only delves into the meanings of all aspects of Carnival and how they reflect Brazilian society at large, but he ties his work to many of the past greats---Van Gennep, Durkheim, Leach, Turner, Geertz---and other, less known Brazilian social scientists' work as well.

He calls the Carnival "a multidimensional festival", with meaning on a number of levels. He contrasts the Brazilian one with the New Orleans Mardi Gras in one very erudite chapter and points out that if we examine both closely, we see that they are almost opposite in meaning. In Brazil, he compares Carnival with a military parade on Independence Day and with the religious processions that occur frequently during each year. Location or social space, dress, behavior---everything is grist for the mill. He stresses many times that `inversion' is the most salient aspect of Carnival. He has chapters on hierarchy in Brazilian society and on those who slip through the cracks--rogues, who might be heroes in fact. Without a great knowledge of Brazilian society (though I have read a number of books on it, and avidly consumed Amado, Machado de Asis, da Cunha, and other Brazilian writers over the years), I cannot say if I agree or disagree with the author's analysis. It is impressive, but extremely hard going. I found the discussion of ritual very valuable. DaMatta tried and succeeded in writing a theoretical book to rival those of earlier masters. His location in Brazil and writing in Portuguese probably precludes him being widely-known. His style reminds one of many French social-theorists. Yes, I mean only the most determined reader will make it to the end of CARNIVALS, ROGUES, AND HEROES. That's the sole reason why I have awarded an otherwise good book only three stars.

Road Work: Among Tyrants, Beasts, Heroes, and Rogues

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Fantastic...
Masterful storytelling.

Road Work: Among Tyrants, Beasts, Heroes, and Rogues
Mark Bowden
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 087113876X

Book Description

From the #1 New York Times best seller Black Hawk Down to the acclaimed Killing Pablo, Mark Bowden has been praised for his unique, novelistic ability to put his reader in the heat of the story. Road Work collects Bowden's award-winning nonfiction, from his breakout stories for The Philadelphia Inquirer to his most recent high-profile pieces in The Atlantic. Road Work takes us everywhere from a small town in Rhode Island where one of the largest cocaine rings in history is uncovered, to the Luangwa Valley in Zambia where a bold team of antipoachers fights to save the fate of the black rhinoceros. Bowden's high-profile look at Saddam Hussein, nominated for a National Magazine Award, shed such new and dramatic light on one of the world's most notorious figures that it has been optioned for film. And his shocking exposé on the dark art of interrogation, also nominated for a National Magazine Award, offers an insider's eye into the unique and controversial ways in which we are fighting the war on terrorism. The stories in Road Work are powerfully gripping, elucidating, and often wryly humorous.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic..........2006-06-22

I love these anthology works -- it sure beats hunting down all the pieces online or whatever. The range of subjects is impressive. Saddam... bombing taliban... corrupt cops on the take...

Ok... let me confess -- I didn't read every single story in the book. (Sports, not really my thing.) That aside, this book is rad.

Masterful storytelling........2004-11-12

Mark Bowden is an anachronism, a throwback to the glories of earlier decades when skilled writers used magazine pages to tell real stories. How different from the infotainment and self-aggrandizing puff-pieces so common today.

Bowden's stories were originally written for The Philadelphia Inquirer magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone and others.

His subjects are as diverse as the "Dark Art Of Interrogation" to a study of Norman Mailer, nineteens stories in all and every one fascinating.

A wonderful excursion through the eyes of a man who can not only see, but can write as well.

Jerry

Road Work: Among Tyrants, Heroes, Rogues, and Beasts

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Road Work: Among Tyrants, Heroes, Rogues, and Beasts
Mark Bowden
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0143036734

Book Description

Anyone who has read Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down or Killing Pablo knows that he is capable of putting us in the heat of a story in a way few writers can. Road Work gathers the best of his award-winning writing, from his breakout stories for the Philadelphia Inquirer to his influential pieces in the Atlantic on the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Whether traveling to Zambia, where a team of antipoachers fights to save the black rhino, to Guantánamo Bay to expose the controversial ways America is fighting its war on terror, or to a small town in Rhode Island to penetrate the largest cocaine ring in history, Bowden takes us down rough roads previously off limits—and gives us another gripping read.

“Bowden's range is broad. . . . With heartbreaking detail, [these pieces] reveal his most effective reporting tool: empathy.” —Entertainment Weekly (A)
“Mark Bowden is a master of narrative journalism.” —The New York Times Book Review

Free Jerusalem: Heroes, Heroines and Rogues Who Created the State of Israel

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A fascinating book
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Unknown history of Jerusalem
Deftly written, and "reader involving"

Free Jerusalem: Heroes, Heroines and Rogues Who Created the State of Israel
Zev Golan
Manufacturer: Devora Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1930143540

Book Description

The history of the creation of the State of Israel during its "Wild West" days, when various Jewish organizations fought both the Arab armies and the 100,000 British soldiers who controlled Palestine. True stories of the not always savory exploits of the Jewish fighters who eventually became the leaders of the State.

1) Well researched and documented, the book presents new material about the 30's and 40's when the State of Israel was being molded. 2) Reveals the battle for Jerusalem and how it became the capital of the State. 3) Fresh biographical material on the early leaders of the Jewish State. 4) Details many of the controversial successes and failures of the different Jewish groups as they jockeyed for military and political power.

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating book.......2006-06-24

Much has been written about the history of Israel. But this book certainly fills in some of the blanks: namely early Jewish resistance to Arab aggression and British occupation.

Special emphasis is placed on the Irgun and the Stern Gang. And that raises the issue of whether the members of these groups were criminals or heroes.

In many cases, they were both.

There were Arab pogroms against Jewish communities in 1920-21, 1929, and 1936-39. One can understand why Arabs might have wanted to attack Jews. After all, the Arabs outnumbered the Jews, the British often did not interfere with Arab attacks on Jews, and many Arabs felt that as a majority, they had a Divine Right to oppress Jews. Besides, it was fun, and relatively risk-free.

Until, of course, the Jews began to fight back.

What is my feeling about the morality of all this? Well, for those Arabs who managed to kill a few Jews and the British who happily allowed themselves to be persuaded to fight against Jewish immigration, I have nothing but contempt. They killed hundreds of thousands or more innocent people who otherwise would have been allowed to move to what is now Israel.

On the other hand, the Jews who fought back often broke the law, and once we approve of such crimes in one case, we've established a precedent. I think people will indeed fight back even if doing so is a crime; I just think they have to be prepared to face the consequences. And some of these Israeli heroes paid very dearly for their deeds.

Given that the Arabs wanted to establish their right to oppress all Jews, they had few qualms about attacking "soft" targets. The stabbing to death of a couple of totally innocent and unarmed nurses is a good example. But the Jews who fought back had a problem. If they attacked soft targets, they would kill a few innocent people, but they would not accomplish much. If they failed to attack and kill anyone, the Arabs would simply slaughter them all. We see how a few Jews initially attacked people randomly in revenge for Arab attacks, but then quickly progressed to fighting against genuinely wicked and dangerous opponents.

I recommend this book.

Book Purchases.......2005-09-01

The only problem with this transaction is that I check-off the "no charge delivery option" (as I always do) but I was still charged for the delivery! Something did not work correctly at your end of this relationship. Other than that, the two books are what I wanted and they are what I received.

Unknown history of Jerusalem.......2003-09-23

Before this book I knew a little about Betar, the Irgun, etc. But I didn't know that blowing the shofar at the Western Wall on Yom Kippur was illegal and that every year the British put someone in jail for it. I didn't know about people like Moshe Seigal, who went on to become a rabbi. These are the heroes that "don't appear on stamps", many of whom are still around. For those who are alreday familiar with some Jabotinsky material, this book is focused on the 1920s and 1930s in Jerusalem as opposed to the more well known Begin period of the 1940's. Free Jerusalem definaetly fills in some blanks. The Israeli Army of today spawned from such humble beginnings. In today's Arab Israeli conflict the struggle for Jewish civil rights against the British empire is often forgotten, sometimes on purpose. That's what makes this book, and it's heroes so important. Written in English by a museum director from Israel, the book is fairly thin, easy to read, flows smoothly and can be understood by thsoe with or without a historical background. The old rare photos are great.

Deftly written, and "reader involving".......2003-08-09

Knowledgeably written by Zev Golan (a Nazi hunter who has worked with the Israeli police to capture infamous war criminals), Free Jerusalem: Heroes, Heroines And Rogues Who Created The State Of Israel is an historically accurate and quite dramatic history of the Zionist revolution and the events of history that led to the creation of the State of Israel, as well as that fledgling nation's imperiled beginnings. An enthusiastic, deftly written, and "reader involving" accounting of the heroic traits and foibles of the men and women who helped create the state Israel, Free Jerusalem is an enthusiastically recommended addition to Judaic Studies, International Studies, and Israeli History Studies reference collections and reading lists.

Heroes and Rogues (Rolemaster, 2nd ed, Stock No. 1420)

Average customer rating:

Best Role Player

Heroes and Rogues (Rolemaster, 2nd ed, Stock No. 1420)
Troy Christensen , Monte Cook , and Terry Amthor
Manufacturer: Berkley Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 155806141X

Customer Reviews:

Best Role Player.......2000-09-18

This book is excellent book about role playing. I have been trying to find this book for sometime. Now i got and i am really happy i found it. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in role playing games.

X-Men: The Last Stand: Rogue Finds a Home (I Can Read Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Great

X-Men: The Last Stand: Rogue Finds a Home (I Can Read Book 2)
Harry Lime
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 0060822058
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Book Description

Rogue is a mutant with special powers, but she finds others like herself at the School for Gifted Youngsters. Will she stay with the X-Men or try to make it on her own?

Customer Reviews:

Great.......2007-09-16

The book is great,colorful pictures, we actually passed it on to a younger little friend of my son's/ Says it is 2nd level reading. I think personally it's for 1st level.

Heroes & Rogues (Star Wars: The Role Playing Game)

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Heroes & Rogues (Star Wars: The Role Playing Game)

Manufacturer: West End Games
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ASIN: 0874312582

Rogues and Heroes from Iowa's Amazing Past

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Rogues and Heroes from Iowa's Amazing Past
George Mills
Manufacturer: Iowa State Press
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ASIN: 0813808650

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