Books

Average customer rating:

An Extraordinaily Thoughtful and Courageous Book
Please Pardon the British Humor...
honest
More of a thank you than a review...
Flaws in Dawkins' key argument who designed the designer?

The God Delusion
Richard Dawkins
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Letter to a Christian Nation
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist

ASIN: 0618680004

Book Description

Discover magazine recently called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" for his fierce and effective defense of evolution. Prospect magazine voted him among the top three public intellectuals in the world (along with Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky). Now Dawkins turns his considerable intellect on religion, denouncing its faulty logic and the suffering it causes. He critiques God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign (but still illogical) Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry, and abuses children, buttressing his points with historical and contemporary evidence. In so doing, he makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just irrational, but potentially deadly. Dawkins has fashioned an impassioned, rigorous rebuttal to religion, to be embraced by anyone who sputters at the inconsistencies and cruelties that riddle the Bible, bristles at the inanity of "intelligent design," or agonizes over fundamentalism in the Middle East—or Middle America.

Customer Reviews:

An Extraordinaily Thoughtful and Courageous Book.......2007-06-27

Anyone who thinks of themselves as "religious" or believes in a God should read this book. If, afterward, they still believe, they just might be right.

Please Pardon the British Humor..........2007-06-26

Mr. Dawkins uses our own logic against our beliefs, and does so effectively. The illogical belief structures that exist in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are laid bare. Some chapters are superb.

Others, however, are not. Mr. Dawkins is overly smug, uses humor in a manner confusing to non-British readers, and fails to answer some questions adequately. Mr. Dawkins flounders badly when trying to explain such issues as why religion is so prevalent if there is, in fact, no God.

I know of no other book that addresses this range of topics in a logical manner. Whether or not you are ultimately convinced, the exercise is well worth taking.

honest.......2007-06-24

This book is remarkably fair, thorough and thoughtful. Publisher Weekly's caustic review was obviously written by someone who reacted badly to irrefutable evidence that some of his his/her most cherished beliefs are false.

More of a thank you than a review..........2007-06-22

Dr. Dawkins,

Thank you for writing this book. You've made an excellent effort in explaining to religious believers that they have faith without a scrap of evidence. If The God Delusion has helped to persuade a few believers in to accepting a new faith, based on evidence, you should be proud of your accomplishment and rest easy knowing that your book has sold over a million copies! Well done.

Brad Schwie

Flaws in Dawkins' key argument who designed the designer?.......2007-06-20

Is Dawkins' key argument (Ch. 4, pp. 157-158) "who designed (God) the Designer?" flawed? A self-explanatory Designer presents no more difficult a hypothesis than cosmic origins which are alleged to be "non-self-explanatory." Arguably, an "ultimate Designer" explains the design in things with less difficulty than evolutionary incrementalism. Such a Designer need not be reduced to a convenient "god of the gaps."
No matter how incrementally design emerges throughout cosmic origins and development, its emergence from nothing creates more problems than it solves, for example, the necessary positing of an infinity of universes (and eleven or more dimensions) which would be required for the present universe to occur by random selection. An ultimate Designer is no more demonstrably complex than E=MC squared.
Dawkins very productively contrasts the numerous unacknowledged errors endemic to so many religious claims with genuinely critical thought. There his work thrives. But his argument against design rests on assumptions and emotion which hint of ideological infallibleness and self-certitude more than solid evidence and logic.

The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

Average customer rating:

Hey, this book is about me!
Fantastic and very insightful - 6 Stars
Extraordinary SYNTHESIS of forces of today
Fabulous book!
A must read

The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
Thomas L. Friedman
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't

ASIN: 0374292795
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Amazon.com

Updated Edition: Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a presentist. His aim in The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive Tree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The world isn't going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman's breathless narrative much of its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that futurists--the optimistic ones at least--are inevitably prey to.

What Friedman means by "flat" is "connected": the lowering of trade and political barriers and the exponential technical advances of the digital revolution that have made it possible to do business, or almost anything else, instantaneously with billions of other people across the planet. This in itself should not be news to anyone. But the news that Friedman has to deliver is that just when we stopped paying attention to these developments--when the dot-com bust turned interest away from the business and technology pages and when 9/11 and the Iraq War turned all eyes toward the Middle East--is when they actually began to accelerate. Globalization 3.0, as he calls it, is driven not by major corporations or giant trade organizations like the World Bank, but by individuals: desktop freelancers and innovative startups all over the world (but especially in India and China) who can compete--and win--not just for low-wage manufacturing and information labor but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well. (He doesn't forget the "mutant supply chains" like Al-Qaeda that let the small act big in more destructive ways.)

Friedman has embraced this flat world in his own work, continuing to report on his story after his book's release and releasing an unprecedented hardcover update of the book a year later with 100 pages of revised and expanded material. What's changed in a year? Some of the sections that opened eyes in the first edition--on China and India, for example, and the global supply chain--are largely unaltered. Instead, Friedman has more to say about what he now calls "uploading," the direct-from-the-bottom creation of culture, knowledge, and innovation through blogging, podcasts, and open-source software. And in response to the pleas of many of his readers about how to survive the new flat world, he makes specific recommendations about the technical and creative training he thinks will be required to compete in the "New Middle" class. As before, Friedman tells his story with the catchy slogans and globe-hopping anecdotes that readers of his earlier books and his New York Times columns know well, and he holds to a stern sort of optimism. He wants to tell you how exciting this new world is, but he also wants you to know you're going to be trampled if you don't keep up with it. A year later, one can sense his rising impatience that our popular culture, and our political leaders, are not helping us keep pace. --Tom Nissley

Where Were You When the World Went Flat?

Thomas L. Friedman's reporter's curiosity and his ability to recognize the patterns behind the most complex global developments have made him one of the most entertaining and authoritative sources for information about the wider world we live in, both as the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and as the author of landmark books like From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Tree. They also make him an endlessly fascinating conversation partner, and we've now had the chance to talk to him about The World Is Flat twice. Read our original interview with him following the publication of the first edition of The World Is Flat to learn why there's almost no one from Washington, D.C., listed in the index of a book about the global economy, and what his one-plank platform for president would be. (Hint: his bumper stickers would say, "Can You Hear Me Now?")

And now you can listen to our second interview, in which he talks about the updates he's made in "The World Is Flat 2.0," including his response to parents who said to him, "Great, Mr. Friedman, I'm glad you told us the world is flat. Now what do I tell my kids?"

The Essential Tom Friedman

From Beirut to Jerusalem
The Lexus and the Olive Tree
Longitudes and Attitudes

More on Globalization and Development

China, Inc. by Ted Fishman
Three Billion New Capitalists by Clyde Prestowitz
The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs

Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz
The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli
The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto

Book Description

The World Is Flat is Thomas L. Friedman’s account of the great changes taking place in our time, as lightning-swift advances in technology and communications put people all over the globe in touch as never before—creating an explosion of wealth in India and China, and challenging the rest of us to run even faster just to stay in place. This updated and expanded edition features more than a hundred pages of fresh reporting and commentary, drawn from Friedman’s travels around the world and across the American heartland—from anyplace where the flattening of the world is being felt.

In The World Is Flat, Friedman at once shows “how and why globalization has now shifted into warp drive” (Robert Wright, Slate) and brilliantly demystifies the new flat world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, he explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; how governments and societies can, and must, adapt; and why terrorists want to stand in the way. More than ever, The World Is Flat is an essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.

Download Description

The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist gives a bold, timely, and surprising picture of the state of globalization in the twenty-first century

Customer Reviews:

Hey, this book is about me!.......2007-06-28

I've only read the first few chapters, but this is an interesting book on how technology is making the world flatter, bringing us all closer together and giving more people more power to influence the world.

It hits particularly close to home for me, because I've been using many of these technologies for a very long time. Recently become a remote worker and am becoming even more of a player in the flat world.

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I would recommend it to you, as well.

Fantastic and very insightful - 6 Stars.......2007-06-19

Mr. Friedman is par excellence. He has coined these new buzzwords and introduced a whole new subject that very profound affects every individuals and beyond including things that make up this world. A must read and a keep sake!

Extraordinary SYNTHESIS of forces of today.......2007-06-10

The World is Flat is an extraordinary SYNTHESIS of forces shaping the world today - chiefly a new globalization where individuals hold power - not companies or nations.

Friedman looks at globalization through an staggering number of lenses - politics, economics, environmentalism, socio-economic division, national identity, healthcare, poverty, terrorism - the list goes on and on.

This may sound chaotic, but somehow Friedman binds it together into a cohesive, coherent body of thought, resulting in a portrait of a global community with both tremendous potential and tremendous challenges.

I see I'm reviewer #999 of this book, so no need to go on. IN SUM, check out this book if today's world seems fragmented, and you want a vision of the pieces fitting together.

I listened to this book unabridged on compact disk, read by Oliver Wyman. Wyman does a terrific job capturing Friedman's enthusiasm and optimism - to the point you think Friedman himself is reading it. It's a captivating listen, but 20 disks long. Give yourself a few months!

Fabulous book!.......2007-06-08

The World Is Flat offers an incredibly insightful analysis of the factors affecting the business world today, bringing together technology (in a way that is accessible for non-geeks!) sociology, economics, etc. It is an exciting read, and I couldn't put it down! This is a must-read!

A must read.......2007-06-01

The world is flat provides a very detailed explanation on why, how and when globalization turning points happened, and who made them happen, but above all it provides the reader with general guidelines on what to to to avoid being run over by this porcess.

America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It

Average customer rating:

Salient Reading
America Alone
Great insights, articulate, maybe a bit wrong
The Greatest Most Informative Book on America
Comedic Look at a Tragic Issue... A Must Read

America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
Mark Steyn
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Face of the Tiger

ASIN: 0895260786

Book Description

In this, his first major book, Mark Steyn--probably the most widely read, and wittiest, columnist in the English-speaking world--takes on the great poison of the twenty-first century: the anti-Americanism that fuels both Old Europe and radical Islam. America, Steyn argues, will have to stand alone. The world will be divided between America and the rest; and for our sake America had better win.

Customer Reviews:

Salient Reading.......2007-06-28

With his trademark wit and insight, Mark Steyn provides important insights into the Radical Islamic movement/invasion of Western Civilization. As Mr. Steyn points out the demographics of Europe are rapidly changing in an overall bloodless fashion through high Muslim birthrates. Steyn illustrates the implications this brings to Western Culture or as radical fundamentalists put it, "The Great Satan."

What is eye-opening about this treatise is how the West seems to be in a slumber, going out of its way to accomodate its enemies despite said enemies statements regarding their intent of the destruction of Western Civilization. Steyn writes that we do so at our peril.

"America Alone" is one of the most important books to come out in a long time. Whether you are Conservative or Liberal, Republican or Democrat pick up this truly salient read.

America Alone.......2007-06-27

This book should be required reading foar all Americans. The threat posed by radical Islam is real and is growing, literally, all over the world. This book portrays how political correctness as esposed by the secular progressive liberal movement in America and throughout Europe will lead to a takeover by radical Islam. It is a wake up call for all Americans.

Great insights, articulate, maybe a bit wrong.......2007-06-23

Mark Steyn's "American Alone" has as its major themes the European demographic baby bust, the rise of Muslim populations, and the bad news a rising Muslim culture would mean for the west, especially in a world with growing welfare states and wimpy citizens afraid to resist.

His writing is powerful and funny at times, and he isn't shy about getting the digs in ("Curiously, those environmentalists calling for a dramatically smaller population never seem to lead by example, and always manage to give the impression that no matter how small the ark is, they're a shoo-in for a first-class stateroom"). Steyn's style doesn't appeal to everyone. Here it makes a grim subject an easier read.

I took off one star because the book was somewhat repetitive, even at its modest length, and I believe Steyn is projecting trends forward for an extended period, when almost anything can still happen. For example, will Europe really be majority Muslim some day? Will European leaders really cave in to Muslim demands, and will the Muslims really make and enforce such demands, as they grown in numbers? I am greatly concerned by the picture Steyn paints, whereas I was not totally convinced his arguments are correct. Could be wishful thinking.

Mr. Steyn has plenty of experience already in complaining about the welfare state and the growing influence of government in America, and his arguments (if you agree with him) are well-stated. His point in doing so is that America will need to defend itself from the rise of Islam and its threat to American values, and we won't be able to do that if we are already handing over control of our lives and responsibility to the government. "A soft culture will, by its very nature, be unlikely to find the strength to stand up to an assault by blunter, cruder forces...."

I recommend this less with an eye toward the terrorism angle that certainly boosts interest, but more toward the cultural risk and threats to liberty, even if we never have another terrorist attack. According to Steyn, we could win the terrorist battles and lose the demographic war, and that wouldn't be pleasant.

The Greatest Most Informative Book on America.......2007-06-23

This is a book that should be read by every American; at least every voter. I have never read another book that opened my eyes to what is happening to our world. This is the greatest history book I have ever read. I am buying copies for relatives and friends.

Comedic Look at a Tragic Issue... A Must Read.......2007-06-19

This is an excellent book. It is a must read. Hopefully, due to Steyn's humor, those who might normally pass this up will actually read it. It's very telling that humor seems necessary to get Americans to read a book on so serious a topic. I'm sure it's because we're all still Amusing Ourselves to Death.

Steyn examines world demographics to open our eyes to the startling rise of militant Islam in population and assimilation into Western nations of Europe and America.

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition

Average customer rating:

Ties it all together
advanced common sense
A great book on usability!
Must have for ALL levels of web designers
Straight-forward

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
Steve Krug
Manufacturer: New Riders Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites
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CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions

ASIN: 0321344758

Amazon.com

Usability design is one of the most important--yet often least attractive--tasks for a Web developer. In Don't Make Me Think, author Steve Krug lightens up the subject with good humor and excellent, to-the-point examples.

The title of the book is its chief personal design premise. All of the tips, techniques, and examples presented revolve around users being able to surf merrily through a well-designed site with minimal cognitive strain. Readers will quickly come to agree with many of the book's assumptions, such as "We don't read pages--we scan them" and "We don't figure out how things work--we muddle through." Coming to grips with such hard facts sets the stage for Web design that then produces topnotch sites.

Using an attractive mix of full-color screen shots, cute cartoons and diagrams, and informative sidebars, the book keeps your attention and drives home some crucial points. Much of the content is devoted to proper use of conventions and content layout, and the "before and after" examples are superb. Topics such as the wise use of rollovers and usability testing are covered using a consistently practical approach.

This is the type of book you can blow through in a couple of evenings. But despite its conciseness, it will give you an expert's ability to judge Web design. You'll never form a first impression of a site in the same way again. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

User patterns
Designing for scanning
Wise use of copy
Navigation design
Home page layout
Usability testing

Book Description

Five years and more than 100,000 copies after it was first published, it's hard to imagine anyone working in Web design who hasn't read Steve Krug's "instant classic" on Web usability, but people are still discovering it every day. In this second edition, Steve adds three new chapters in the same style as the original: wry and entertaining, yet loaded with insights and practical advice for novice and veteran alike. Don't be surprised if it completely changes the way you think about Web design.

Three New Chapters!

Usability as common courtesy -- Why people really leave Web sites
Web Accessibility, CSS, and you -- Making sites usable and accessible
Help! My boss wants me to ______. -- Surviving executive design whims

"I thought usability was the enemy of design until I read the first edition of this book. Don't Make Me Think! showed me how to put myself in the position of the person who uses my site. After reading it over a couple of hours and putting its ideas to work for the past five years, I can say it has done more to improve my abilities as a Web designer than any other book.

In this second edition, Steve Krug adds essential ammunition for those whose bosses, clients, stakeholders, and marketing managers insist on doing the wrong thing. If you design, write, program, own, or manage Web sites, you must read this book." -- Jeffrey Zeldman, author of Designing with Web Standards

Customer Reviews:

Ties it all together.......2007-06-27

All in all, while there doesn't seem to be a ton of NEW information for web designers that have been in the field for a few years or more, Steve does a fantastic job of taking all of the bits of knowledge and tying them together in a cohesive, easily understandable structure, shedding new light and insight along the way. That's not to say there is NO new information. Everyone will find something in here that they didn't know before. More importantly, however, are Steve's perspectives into really making what you already know work for you.

The book does a great job of breaking down the web design process in an easy to digest step-by-step process, calling out challenges, obstacles, and no-brainers along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed having lots of what I'd picked up over the years brought into focus and examined through new filters.

The one thing that I wish this book had is a detachable checklist. Or one that you can download and print from his website, http://sensible.com/. Now that the entire process is broken down and defined, it would have been nice to have a quick-reference checklist for practical use a day-to-day operations.

advanced common sense.......2007-06-14

At 200 pages, this book is probably the best must-read book on creating usable web sites. Krug introduces all of the main concepts of usability, in what he calls "advanced common sense" language.

There are a lot of difference between web site usability and application usability... mainly because everybody uses web sites, so the audience is highly diverse, and they will leave your site for a better one relatively quickly. Usability has a lot to do with concise writing, intuitive structure, foolproof web forms, and the optimal blend of content and functionality. He covers many important topics including:

* how to write for the web
* the difference between usability testing and focus groups
* the fierce politics of the home page
* navigation structures that work well
* usability testing on a shoestring budget
* how to interpret test results

Even if you don't have the resources for a usability test -- in fact, especially if you don't -- you should get this book and follow his simple rules to make your web site ten times more usable.

A great book on usability!.......2007-05-30

Small book but packed with a lot of information...great book!

Must have for ALL levels of web designers.......2007-05-26

If Steve Krug has more experience with web design than you (and changes are he does), then you should buy this book. He has some good things to tell you.

It's easy to read, fun, short and power packed with the basics of excellent web design. It's obvious an enormous amount of effort went into getting it just right.

I've been designing for 10 years, and much of what he is saying is familiar to me, but the way he says it is so well organized and so fun that it's just delightful, and I can't wait to give it to my bosses to read. It's a great "read on the plane" or "read in two evenings" book.

But it's more than just a fun read. It's helping me to organize my thoughts and I'm having more fun designing that I've had in years.

Straight-forward.......2007-05-25

A great no-nonsense book taking the mystery out of website readability.
Many ideas and suggestions. Well-researched. Helpful

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

Average customer rating:

Scahill has created a masterpiece.
Great liberal insight
Blatant bias erodes credibility
Very enlightening, in an interesting and sometimes shocking way.
Slanted, but vital account

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
Jeremy Scahill
Manufacturer: Nation Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1560259795

Book Description

Meet BLACKWATER USA, the world's most secretive and powerful mercenary firm. Based in the wilderness of North Carolina, it is the fastest-growing private army on the planet with forces capable of carrying out regime change throughout the world. Blackwater protects the top US officials in Iraq and yet we know almost nothing about the firm's quasi-military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and inside the US. Blackwater was founded by an extreme right-wing fundamentalist Christian mega-millionaire ex- Navy Seal named Erik Prince, the scion of a wealthy conservative family that bankrolls far-right-wing causes.
Blackwater is the dark story of the rise of a powerful mercenary army, ranging from the blood-soaked streets of Fallujah to rooftop firefights in Najaf to the hurricane-ravaged US gulf to Washington DC, where Blackwater executives are hailed as new heroes in the war on terror. This is an extraordinary exposé by one of America's most exciting young radical journalists.

Customer Reviews:

Scahill has created a masterpiece........2007-06-27

I don't normally write reviews. But seeing as this book tends to attract some negative reviews, and I did buy it and absolutely love and enjoy it, I felt it my place to offset those reviews.

I will keep this short. The book is very engrossing, it is non fiction but extremely difficult to put down. A very attractive combination. The content is so well researched and studied. Many reviews portray the author as slanted. He is, and I am surprised he isn't much more so given the content of the book. When you get to the end you will notice the 50+ pages of footnotes. Every fact/quote/statistic is thoroughly researched and documented. I won't go into the subject matter, as it is far too much to discuss in a review. I strongly encourage anyone on the fence about reading it to opt for exposing your mind to this very important work.

Great liberal insight.......2007-06-27

Scahill sheds light on the vastly changing foundation of how warfare is played out all around the globe. Much of this book is investigative research centered around the Blackwater company, but there are many others around the world that are seizing the opportunity and money to put themselves and their men in harms way. In my view, these companies are doing these jobs with much more efficiency than national governments yet the governments struggle with how to categorize these private sector businesses and how they operate.

Blatant bias erodes credibility.......2007-06-26

This book seems a liberal house of cards with Scahill's sources selected to support his views. For example, he quotes sources saying US Marines sniped woman & children in Fallujah based on their predominance in the wounded. Well, duh, the young 'military-age males' were probably killed by the Marines while they hid & fired from behind these woman & children - isn't this equally likely? Also, quoting Al Jazeera for the story of the Falluja battle was it for me. I took everything subsequent with a grain of salt. I'll give Scanhill credit for digging out a lot of history and connections but the Democratic liberal bias is too rich for my diet.

Very enlightening, in an interesting and sometimes shocking way........2007-06-24

I picked this book up a few days ago and slowly and deliberately read through its 400 or so pages. What I loved about this book is that Scahill shows just how much the Bush administration likes to surround itself with like-minded religious zealots. And how far-right religious types like to set themselves up in positions of power to further their religious agenda. I never got very political until I saw the idiocy of the Bush administration, but what I did notice even as a younger man that the far-right is filled with people always trying to impose their religious ideals on people with their wealth, their political and religious connections, and now it seems even by use of military force.

I did find it funny though that just like a lot of the big far-right Christian owned companies in the U.S., Blackwater's personel seems to be being outsoruced to cheaper and cheaper "labor" from poorer countries with cheaper "labor". Hahahaha...

Slanted, but vital account.......2007-06-23

Privatization! The neocon 'cure-all' is now fully operational with America's mercenary force, Blackwater USA. Jeremy Scahill's exhaustively investigated expose' is not totally objective, but the problem it uncovers is important enough that this book will hopefully become the leading edge in a call for sanity. Blackwater is a private military contractor operated by Erik Prince, a member of the radical religious right. As such, this organization reflects its leadership. And the American public are involuntarily supporting Blackwater, as the Bush administration funnels hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to this 'private contractor' that performs a variety nefarious missions that our military wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.

In essence, what the Bush administration neocons have created here is a land-based contemporary version of eighteenth century privateers: government sanctioned pirates, free to plunder approved targets of opportunity.

This is not the America any of us grew up in. And this is not the America we should leave to our posterity.

Average customer rating:

Suite Francaise
YUCK
Moving
Excellent Depiction of the German Occupation
Tell me about Life in France during the War(II)...

Suite Française
Irene Nemirovsky
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Water for Elephants: A Novel
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ASIN: 1400044731
Release Date: 2006-04-11

Book Description

By the early l940s, when Ukrainian-born Irène Némirovsky began working on what would become Suite Française—the first two parts of a planned five-part novel—she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz: a month later she was dead at the age of thirty-nine. Two years earlier, living in a small village in central France—where she, her husband, and their two small daughters had fled in a vain attempt to elude the Nazis —she’d begun her novel, a luminous portrayal of a human drama in which she herself would become a victim. When she was arrested, she had completed two parts of the epic, the handwritten manuscripts of which were hidden in a suitcase that her daughters would take with them into hiding and eventually into freedom. Sixty-four years later, at long last, we can read Némirovsky’s literary masterpiece

The first part, “A Storm in June,” opens in the chaos of the massive 1940 exodus from Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion during which several families and individuals are thrown together under circumstances beyond their control. They share nothing but the harsh demands of survival—some trying to maintain lives of privilege, others struggling simply to preserve their lives—but soon, all together, they will be forced to face the awful exigencies of physical and emotional displacement, and the annihilation of the world they know. In the second part, “Dolce,” we enter the increasingly complex life of a German-occupied provincial village. Coexisting uneasily with the soldiers billeted among them, the villagers—from aristocrats to shopkeepers to peasants—cope as best they can. Some choose resistance, others collaboration, and as their community is transformed by these acts, the lives of these these men and women reveal nothing less than the very essence of humanity.

Suite Française is a singularly piercing evocation—at once subtle and severe, deeply compassionate and fiercely ironic—of life and death in occupied France, and a brilliant, profoundly moving work of art.

Download Description

Irène Némirovsky was born in Kiev in 1903 into a wealthy banking family and emigrated to France during the Russian Revolution. After attending the Sorbonne, she began to write and swiftly achieved success with her first novel, David Golder, which was followed by The Ball, The Flies of Autumn, Dogs and Wolves and The Courilof Affair. She died in 1942.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Suite Francaise.......2007-06-27

The book was interesting, but a bit confusing with so many charachters to keep track of. I thought the appendices were more interesting than the story.

YUCK.......2007-06-23

Sorry, but I can't believe anyone enjoyed this book. It was our book club pick for the month and halfway through I sent out an email asking for ANYONE to give me some hope to continue. No one could do it. It was difficult to keep track of the characters, and I didn't "care" about any of them, they just weren't developed enough.

Moving.......2007-06-16

Russian/Jewish author, Irene Nemirovsky set out to write a 4 or 5 part epic in 1939, just prior to WW2. She achieved only two of the books which were to make up her epic before being captured by the Germans and killed in Auschwitz concentration camp. Her surviving work, which was scribbled in tiny writing in notebooks, was somehow saved by her daughters and remained lost for over 50 years. This book is the first two sections of her work, unedited and without a final polish, nevertheless it is a masterpiece of simple yet superb writing, detailing the lives of various classes of Frenchmen, and how they all coped with bombing, evacuation, lack of food and amenities and the things which make up everyday life. Some of the so called upper classes do not come out of it smelling like roses, while the so called "noble peasants" appear brutish and ugly with selfish and animal like behaviour. When I started this book, I was expecting to read about acts of unspeakable cruelty, committed by the Gestapo but the author did not live long enough to write about these future events. The world has surely lost by not being able to read this lady's thoughts over the years of late 1941 and into 1942, as her writing is masterly yet simple and without any of the so called "clever tricks" that some writers aspire to in order to appear more brilliant. M/s Neminovsky writes without pretension and from the heart.

Excellent Depiction of the German Occupation.......2007-06-15

I was in a bookstore, and a woman was showing her friend this book and supplying him with some background information. She said, rather loudly, "I thought the book could have used an editor." Yes, well if that's her biggest criticism ...

Lack of editing or not, I couldn't put this book down until I finished it. "Suite Francaise" is extraordinary, not just because of the weighty story behind its birth but because of the way it was written. This is no story of the unsullied French pitched in territorial battle against the demonic Germans. That would have been too easy. Nemirovsky's characters and situations are complex, illustrated by how easily alliances can shift in the interest of self-preservation. (Nemirovsky does, however, prove herself to be a bit of a moralist.) I especially loved the first novella, "Storm in June." The descriptions of the people fleeing Paris a classic nailbiter. I'm also grateful for the appendices which outline some of Nemirovsky's ideas for the latter, unrealized sections of the book.

In a perfect world, Irene Nemirovsky would have lived and completed the novel; but in a perfect world, the events that led her to write this book wouldn't have occurred. I'm glad this book was found and is a testament to Nemirovsky's writing abilities as well as an addition to her legacy.

Tell me about Life in France during the War(II)..........2007-06-14

As an American living and traveling in Europe
for the past 25 years,
I often wondered.....

"What was it like to live in Paris
when the Germans arrived?
What did real people do to survive,
physically and emotionally?"

Irene Nemirovsky answers these questions vividly,
personally, in this "can't put it down" novel.

Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World

Average customer rating:

Great Book
Now I know what's out there!
Fan or not!
Thank goodness there's someone out there who can help
Awsome Audio Book

Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World
James J. Cramer
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743224892

Book Description

How do we find hot stocks without getting burned? How do we fatten our portfolios and stay financially healthy? Former hedge-fund manager and longtime Wall Street commentator Jim Cramer explains how to invest wisely in chaotic times, and he does so in plain English in a style that is as much fun as investing is -- or should be, when it's done right.

For starters, Cramer recommends devoting a portion of your assets to speculation. Everyone wants to find the big winners that can bring outsized gains, and Cramer explains how to allocate your portfolio so that you can afford to take this kind of risk wisely. He explains why "buy and hold" is a losing philosophy: For Cramer, it's "buy and homework." If you can't spend an hour a week researching each of your stocks, then you should hand off your portfolio to a mutual fund -- and Cramer identifies the very few mutual funds that he'd recommend.

Cramer reveals his Ten Commandments of Trading (Commandment #5: Tips are for waiters). He explains why he's not afraid to compare investing to gambling (and tells you which book on gambling you should read to become a better investor). He discloses his Twenty-Five Rules of Investing (Rule #4: Look for broken stocks, not broken companies).

Cramer shows how to compare stock prices in a way that you can understand, how to spot market tops and bottoms, how to know when to sell, how to rotate among cyclical stocks to catch the big moves, and much more. Jim Cramer's Real Money is filled with insider advice that really works, information that Cramer himself used to make millions during his fourteen-year career on Wall Street.

Written in Cramer's distinctive turbocharged style, this is every investor's guide to what you really must know to make big money in the stock market.

Download Description

"How do we find hot stocks without getting burned? How do we fatten our portfolios and stay financially healthy? Former hedge-fund manager and longtime Wall Street commentator Jim Cramer explains how to invest wisely in chaotic times, and he does so in plain English in a style that is as much fun as investing is -- or should be, when it's done right. For starters, Cramer recommends devoting a portion of your assets to speculation. Everyone wants to find the big winners that can bring outsized gains, and Cramer explains how to allocate your portfolio so that you can afford to take this kind of risk wisely. He explains why ""buy and hold"" is a losing philosophy: For Cramer, it's ""buy and homework."" If you can't spend an hour a week researching each of your stocks, then you should hand off your portfolio to a mutual fund -- and Cramer identifies the very few mutual funds that he'd recommend. Cramer reveals his Ten Commandments of Trading (Commandment #5: Tips are for waiters). He explains why he's not afraid to compare investing to gambling (and tells you which book on gambling you should read to become a better investor). He discloses his Twenty-Five Rules of Investing (Rule #4: Look for broken stocks, not broken companies). Cramer shows how to compare stock prices in a way that you can understand, how to spot market tops and bottoms, how to know when to sell, how to rotate among cyclical stocks to catch the big moves, and much more. Jim Cramer's Real Money is filled with insider advice that really works, information that Cramer himself used to make millions during his fourteen-year career on Wall Street. Written in Cramer's distinctive turbocharged style, this is every investor's guide to what you really must know to make big money in the stock market. "

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-06-01

Enjoyed the book. He may be annoying on TV; however, he gives great advice and has helped us earn money. Have since bought another one of his books.

Now I know what's out there!.......2007-05-26

This is really a stellar book. Although it doesn't give you many numbers or outline how to interpret financial statements, the information it does contain is priceless. If you want numbers, I would suggest you read Real Money first and then pick up Penman's Financial Statement Analysis and Security Valuation. Both books have specific purposes. Penman's is a textbook, but it is very readable and one of the best out there. It will give you the mechanics of reading and interpreting financial statements. Cramer's book is more theoretical, it will teach you how to process that information in the real world and how the mind of a great investor actually works. I highly suggest reading Cramer before you read Penman which may sound strange, but you are much less likely to get bogged down in the information put forth by Penman if you know what skills you're after and why you need to know them. Real Money is exceptional and realistic. Cramer doesn't cut corners when it comes to explaining how he understands and conceptualizes the market. It is a top notch resource worthy of any investment library.

Fan or not!.......2007-05-24

Excellent book for both fan and non-fans of the show. Not only offers sound stock investing advice, but does so intelligently and entertainingly.

Thank goodness there's someone out there who can help.......2007-05-14

My husband and I proudly wore our Cramer t-shirts this weekend while on vacation. We both love this man and loved the book. Cramer gives very specific ideas on how to make the market more understandable and workable for any investor, but especially for newbies like us. I am a business school graduate and never learned any of what Cramer shares in this great book. I also loved his more recent book (Jim Cramer's Mad Money: Watch TV, Get Rich), too. What a guy! What a country!

Awsome Audio Book.......2007-05-13

This audio book will teach you the basics everyone should know about investing. 5 Stars

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything

Average customer rating:

Social networking is a reaility - now how to use it.
Difficult Prose Stands in the Way
Pamphlet rather than analysis but still worth
Loved the first half
Tapscott hits and homer

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
Don Tapscott , and Anthony D. Williams
Manufacturer: Portfolio Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Communications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers

ASIN: 1591841380

Book Description

In just the last few years, traditional collaboration—in a meeting room, a conference call, even a convention center—has been superseded by collaborations on an astronomical scale.

Today, encyclopedias, jetliners, operating systems, mutual funds, and many other items are being created by teams numbering in the thousands or even millions. While some leaders fear the heaving growth of these massive online communities, Wikinomics proves this fear is folly. Smart firms can harness collective capability and genius to spur innovation, growth, and success.

A brilliant guide to one of the most profound changes of our time, Wikinomics challenges our most deeply-rooted assumptions about business and will prove indispensable to anyone who wants to understand competitiveness in the twenty-first century.

Based on a $9 million research project led by bestselling author Don Tapscott, Wikinomics shows how masses of people can participate in the economy like never before. They are creating TV news stories, sequencing the human genome, remixing their favorite music, designing software, finding a cure for disease, editing school texts, inventing new cosmetics, or even building motorcycles. You'll read about:
• Rob McEwen, the Goldcorp, Inc. CEO who used open source tactics and an online competition to save his company and breathe new life into an old-fashioned industry.
• Flickr, Second Life, YouTube, and other thriving online communities that transcend social networking to pioneer a new form of collaborative production.
• Mature companies like Procter & Gamble that cultivate nimble, trust-based relationships with external collaborators to form vibrant business ecosystems.

An important look into the future, Wikinomics will be your road map for doing business in the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews:

Social networking is a reaility - now how to use it........2007-06-05

I recently read a book called, Wikonomics - how mass colaboration changes everything by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams. It is a book about the social networking and collaborative sites that are becoming very popular. I found the book highly interesting since I try to follow trends and try to figure out what opportunities are available in which trends.

Wikonomics points out that many times traditional business is afraid of open source projects like Linux and Wikopedia but others see a corneacopia of participation and economy. The thesis behind the book is that the collaborative social networking type sites actually increase business opportunity and do not take away business opportunity.

The book had a number of possible subtitles including:

Edit This Book!
The Dividends of Collective Genius
We the People
Business (The Remix)
The new World of Collaborative Anarchy
Please Register to Participate
The Power of Us
Creating a New page in Business History
Unleashing Our Collective Genuis
This Book is a Stub
Harnessing the Power of Your Peers
(Your Input Needed Here)
Peer-Powered Prfit in Life, Business, and Individual Choice
The Peer Advantage: Myth or Magic?
Peer Producing the Future

The subtitles describe what the phenomenon is.

The book talks about the 4 principles of Wikonomics including being open. This flies in the face of some businesses which often try to keep their secrets to themselves.

Peering: most organizations have a higher archaric set up and the nature of Wikis is they are based on peer.

Sharing: again a conventional western society says, keep it to yourself.

Acting Globally: Wikies are a great way to get global knowledge working together.

It is a good book and a fairly quick read; fairly inspirational; however, I am still not sure what to do with it. Thinking...

Difficult Prose Stands in the Way.......2007-06-03

For me, a review for a book like this one is very difficult to write. The reason is that I agree passionately with much of what Tapscott and Williams have to say. I do believe that we are headed for a more collaborative "wiki-world" and that everyone needs to consider how to adapt to prosper in this new world. Unfortunately, this book is just frustrating to read.

Wikinomics suffers from a common malady among these "cheerleading for the future"-type books; namely, that what they take 300 pages to say could have been more easily and better said in about 60 pages. To keep things going for the requisite length, the prose is padded with myriad examples and anecdotes--some interesting, some less so. Every chapter is a variation on the same theme and, despite their catchy slogans for each chapter, did not need a full chapter's development as all roads here lead to the same destination.

Additionally, Tapscott and Williams are not powerful prose stylists. I read this book with a group of other people and the most common responses I heard were "dense" and "tough to get through." And I agree that it can be a real slog to get through some parts of this book. Another result, I think, of spending way too much time to get to too few points.

Which is really too bad. Tapscott and Williams have some powerful things to say but, though they are being propped up right now by their zeroing in on an important cultural target, I feel the importance of their message is ultimately going to be lost in time because of the prose. Still, they have opened up a big can of ideas which will hopefully find continued development.

Pamphlet rather than analysis but still worth.......2007-05-19

This is a pamphlet rather than a serious analysis of pros and cons (you will not come across many cons being discussed in this book), and the authors make great effort to "invent" a new jargon that has no other apparent use but to show off. In many ways this book seems to be as much about the authors as it is about the collaborative economy.

Also does not show any real business model, i.e. how to make the "wikinomics" work to actually earn some money - the "economics" part simply points out that collaboration is feasible and if one does it right it could (or should) save money.

Mostly well written (apart from the jargon bit), but goes a bit over the top in promoting the idea (and the authors) with quite a few examples either exaggerated or not discussed fully. Definitely could use more of critical thinking. For those that want more in depth and level headed approach to the same subject, I would recommend Yochai Benkler and The Wealth of Networks.

Despite my criticisms, I am glad I read it. But it is more of an airport lounge type of reading than a serious analytical work.

Loved the first half.......2007-05-15

I love the first half of the book..but the second is not as inspiring.

Biotechnology is discussed in the second half. Needed more cases/examples on this subject.The author starts the book with insight on genesis of collaboration, its impact on profit as well as non-profit organizations.

Overall a good book for wiki inquisitive mind.

Tapscott hits and homer.......2007-05-14

Wikinomics identifies many, if not most, of the essential characteristics of the emerging business models of the Internet. Early instances are observed and generalized to define emerging business models that will prevail over the next decade or two. The level of disruption to existing business is not explored enough other than to indicate that those who do not adapt will be left behind. Evidence of the intelligent real time enterprise has been growing over the last few years. Wikinomics is one of the first books to describe the "how" this model will evolve.

Average customer rating:

no help
Excellent Title for End-Users
Windows Vista Inside Out Book only so-so
Windows Vista Inside Out
Vista...From The Inside Out...

Windows Vista Inside Out
Ed Bott , Carl Siechert , and Craig Stinson
Manufacturer: Microsoft Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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2007 Microsoft Office System Inside Out
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Microsoft Windows Vista Business UPGRADE [DVD]
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ASIN: 0735622701

Book Description

Written by the authors of the immensely popular Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out, this book packs hundreds of timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds for using the latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating systemall in concise, fast-answer format. Dig into the work-ready tools and resources that help you take your Windows Vista experience to the next level. Get the answers you need to use the new features of Windows Vista, including the sidebar and gadgets, and the Windows slideshow. Youll also discover how to use new features in Microsoft Windows Media Player and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7. Get up-to-date information on how to configure and customize your desktop, how to use new security-enhanced features, and more.

Customer Reviews:

no help.......2007-06-15

I have used Windows for several years. I bought a computer with Vista installed. I got Inside Out hoping to find new tips and tricks and didn't. The illustratins about changing colors are in B/W. The print in illustrations is too small.

Excellent Title for End-Users.......2007-06-05

If you're an administrator and are looking for a title to give you an edge on configuring, managing, deploying, etc. Vista, this title isn't for you; the Windows Vista(TM) Resource Kit is what you're looking for. This book is for average users new to Vista who want to familiarize themselves with the new OS and the bundled applications.

For the most part, the first 9 chapters cover the basics of Vista insofar as the user experience is concerned, concentrating on configuration, getting your plug and play hardware to work, understanding and using the embedded software, and using the provided support tools to help yourself and your friends. The coverage in this area is very complete, well written and easy to follow, with very little missing insofar as things "you should know". Although separated by a few chapters, chapters 15 thru 19 continue this coverage with information about the digital media (pictures, video, and music) tools included (Windows Media Player, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Media Center, and DVD Maker).

Chapters 10 thru 14 deal primarily with security and in-home networking. These sections include understanding what viruses, worms, and spyware are, reviewing the security tools and utilities in Vista that can protect you from these kinds of threats, and keeping your system updated. This is followed by an overview of local account management and parental controls, and finally setting up a peer to peer network and sharing resources. Again, all these sections are very well written and make it easy for those that might be uncomfortable with these areas to read and implement successfully.

The remaining chapters step up the technical level to include information on system maintenance, system tune-ups, troubleshooting tools, service management, as well as the registry. Many of these topics, if not properly explained, can cause the reader to have issues with their system when not properly implemented, but the authors have done a good job of explaining the what's and how's, as well as providing good recommendations on when to not do something.

If you're looking for a good end-user book to teach you the basics of Vista and then advance your skills on the OS, this is an excellent and inclusive read that won't leave you looking for additional materials later on.

Windows Vista Inside Out Book only so-so.......2007-06-01

This book is not nearly so helpful as the previous books for Win XP. The author spends too much time explaining the cutsey additions to Windows (in Vista) and hasn't experience with the real problems folks have with the changes between XP and Vista. Such as the restore point where Vista decides how features should be used, but the imposed choice may not be what is needed.( like how do you find how to creat a restore point and how to find the point needed.

Windows Vista Inside Out.......2007-05-27

Excellent book full of detail to come to terms with a new operating system. Vista has so many options available to customise it for your use, with some of the defaults not being helpful, eg setting a recover point, set off. Could be made better by use of colour in diagrams. A needed reference book because of the differences from XP.

Vista...From The Inside Out..........2007-05-26

As with all new toys...manuals are a necessity unless you are the type that breaks them to learn how to fix them. The authors have used the Inside Out format successfully to make the transition to this new OS a more user friendly experience. I personally feel that it is well written, easy to understand and clarifies a lot of the mysteries that come with the new platform...overall a good read and an excellent resource book.

The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot

Average customer rating:

Judas the Ensnared
The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
Lacks Impact
Disappointed
A new perspective

The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
Jeffrey Archer , and Francis J. Moloney
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity
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The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed

ASIN: 0312375204
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

The very name of Judas raises among Christians an instinctive reaction of criticism and condemnationThe betrayal of Judas remainsa mystery. Pope Benedict XVI, October 2006 The Gospel According to Judas, by Benjamin Iscariot sheds new light on the the mystery of Judasincluding his motives for the betrayal and what happened to him after the crucifixionby retelling the story of Jesus through the eyes of Judas, using the canonical texts as its basic point of reference. Ostensibly written by Judass son, Benjamin, and following the narrative style of the Gospels, this re-creation is provocative, compelling, and controversial. The Gospel According to Judas, by Benjamin Iscariot is the result of an intense collaboration between a storyteller and a scholar: Jeffrey Archer and Francis J. Moloney. Their brilliant workbold and simpleis a compelling story for twenty-first-century readers, while maintaining an authenticity that would be credible to a first-century Christian or Jew.

Customer Reviews:

Judas the Ensnared.......2007-06-28

I've been reading Archer since Kane and Abel and when I saw that he was writing a fictionalized account of the life of Judas as told by his son, I thought, wow, this could really be a great read and a little controversial. Neither came true. Basically, it's formatted like the gospels (nothing wrong with that), but just not an exciting read this time around. I was actually kind of bored reading it and the only reason I kept going was because it came in at around ninety pages so I persevered with it. The last chapter or two is when the basis of the story comes out and nothing earth shattering here. Judas was the victim of the religious zealots at the time to get rid of Christ. Maybe, maybe not. Does it change my point of view or my beliefs, probably not. Just something more to ponder about; the Bible, its writers (Did they embellish the truth from generation to generation before writing it down, whether on purpose or by accident. Kind of difficult to keep the same exact story going for tens or even hundreds of years orally without some of it being changed on the next telling), and the facts that surround it that science today continues to try to prove happened. I expected Archer to put this into more story form like all his other works and I think then he could have gone into more depth with this alternate theory and really provoked the reader's imagination. But he chose not to, giving us instead this lackluster rendition of what could have been a great story about Judas Iscariot.

The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot.......2007-06-21

The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
Where Do I begin. Lets start with the title, The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot by Jeffrey Archer, come on!! It should be the fictional story of The Gospel According to Judas by Jeffrey Archer as Benjamin Iscariot.
A Relevant Story:
A friend of mine recently told me of a Pastor who liked to make hot fudge, apparently he used all organic ingredients. One day the Pastor's daughter wanted to see PG parental guidance rated movie, that only had 5%, swearing/drug use or sex scenes. After much insistence the daughter when to see the movie, the next day the Pastor decided to make some hot chocolate fudge the aroma filled the house the Pastor stated that he'd used 5% of a special organic source and kept the matter a secret until all the fudge had been consumed. Then he asked did you notice any difference in the quality/flavour? No.. they replied, well the 5% special ingredient was organic it wont do any REAL harm, it was only dog p##h. lol
If you take a solid truth as the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus and you contaminant 5% to 10% of it with a special 'organic substance' what do you have in the end - dog p##h. I felt the tone and reason for the book was a Jewish backlash hardliner trying to have some justification why Jesus wasn't who he said he was the Son of God. The book was written from the sour grapes attitude, "[Jesus wasn't] ...the long-awaited Messiah."p1, on the betrayal of Christ, Archer says, "...Judas knew that he was innocent of such an accusation, as his only purpose was to save Jesus from an unnecessary death." After Jesus' Death, the sorrowful Judas goes a lives amongst the Essenes then a Masada as a "marked man". And the book concludes with "Judas died as Jesus did. He was crucified by the Romans." It's all a bit desperate!
The whole story Gospel of Judas is unbalanced what about Isaiah 53 The Sin-bearing, Suffering Servant? The Gospel of Judas omits the 30 pieces of silver, and suicide of Judas. The Gospel of Judas is nothing more that fragments of quotation out of context in Holy Bible blended together (very poorly) it just doesn't stick!
Let us set aside a few things, just say by chance that this gospel of Judas was right, and the whole of the New Testament wrong. Ok we've been deceived by the BIGGEST hoaxes since man made fire. We could be waiting for the Messiah to still come as the Gospel of Judas indicated, unhappily Israel still waits, they missed the boat. Not one Holy Prophet has been around for over two thousand years.
Israel is one of the most violent, sad and godless places on earth. There is no peace, the temple has gone, the glory has gone, as a nation they forsook the Lord time and time again and were taken off to captivity. Jesus said in Matt 23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city the kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See your house is left to you, desolate..."
Now let's just say that the Gospel of Judas is false piece of fiction. Look at the people in New Testament who believe and were change by it and gave their lives for it (Peter & Paul), they did not write empty words by words of someone who knew and walked and talked with Jesus. The story of people in Bible give us hope, in a world where we are saturated with Hollywood, sexism, drugs and alcohol, domestic violence (rape/guns) the list keeps on going on. I want freedom from all that this world offers because it like hot sweet chocolate fudge one isn't enough and one piece is too much.
In closing a quote from James 3:13, "Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.
What was Archer really trying to achieve by the release of this book?

Lacks Impact.......2007-05-28

In spite of the clever packaging---this small 100+ page novel appears to be an ancient leather-bound journal complete with built in ribbon bookmark--- Jeffrey Archer's "The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot" fails to deliver the punch needed to smack it into the significance realm of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I expected some grand revelation---perhaps Judas and Jesus had concocted the whole betrayal bit; Judas gladly takes the hit and for two millennia is thought to be the ultimate 30 pieces of silver traitor. As I read this little gospel formatted tome, I am thinking, Judas's legendary despicable actions were all part of his Master's ultimate plan, right?

Wrong.

Supposedly, in "The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot" Archer and Moloney collaborate to formulate a tale believable to both Biblical scholars and modern laymen readers. The format definitely bespeaks of their desire to create something that resembles a gospel rendering complete with chapter and verse and the Jesus quotations (most of which are familiar from evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) highlighted in a red italicized font. Nevertheless, the story itself disappoints as it is far too similar to the actual gospels from which it is based to excite any degree of controversy. The supposed mystery of the real Judas simply neglects to properly mystify.

Bottom line? Years ago, I had read Frank Yerby's novel, "Judas, My Brother." Believe me as scandalous as the plotline of this older book seemed to me then, it could far more captivate its audience now than this Archer-Moloney collaboration. Sadly, "The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot" attempts to retell the story of Christ's ministry utilizing a fifth evangelist format that simply doesn't work. Why read this when the original four authors of the New Testament gospels have already told the tale and have told it the best way possible? Not recommended.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

Disappointed.......2007-05-20

Since reading The Last Temptation of Christ, I have expected the gospel of Judas to be written. Archer and Malononey too often take the safe easy path and never challenge the reader as Kazantakis (sic) did. I had high hopes but ultimately was disappointed.

A new perspective.......2007-05-17

This was a beautiful and moving book. After all everybody thinks Judas was a monster and my opinion has changed after reading this book.

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