These dying words of Mr Kurtz were first read in 1899 when HEART OF DARKNESS was published. Twain's KING LEOPOLD'S SOLILOQUY came out in 1905 and Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle wrote THE CRIME OF THE CONGO in 1909. Additionally, the Congo Reform Association (in support of which both Twain and Conan-Doyle wrote their books) began operating in 1904 with the sole purpose of bringing to public attention the terrible situation in the Congo Free State under the rule of Belgium's King Leopold II. It's obvious then that the horrific treatment of the Congolese as described in KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST was known about and well documented. The issue here is not one of a lack of awareness. In fact Hochschild says there was "a storm of righteous protest" and moral outrage in England and America when the facts became known. No, the issue is more to do with why this genocide of 100 years ago remains such a relatively unknown story and is rarely ever mentioned when the topic of discussion is man's cruelty to man. It's not because the carnage was insignificant. In terms of numbers the death toll stacks up well with other holocausts. Hochschild estimates the number of Congolese that died between 1885 - 1920 from between 5 to 10 million.

In attempting to come to terms with this and explain why there seems to be so little present-day consciousness of what took place, the author admits to his own lack of knowledge prior to his research. A partial answer is that in the Congo today, there is very little information available on this period. More significantly though it is because of the special nature of the Congo and its colonial history. But it seems to me the book shows that most importantly, in a country that has known only paroxysms, death is a constant and numbers are merely matters of scale on a continuum. The special characteristic of the Congo is that it is incredibly blessed with natural mineral wealth - coal, cobalt, copper, diamonds, gold, manganese, offshiore petroleum, silver, tin, uranium and zinc. Not even mentioned yet are the products that this book talks about and what King Leopold was greedily ravaging the country for - rubber, ivory and timber. Against this background, and with interests in Belgium, France, Germany, and England eyeing this and other African wealth, who really is surprised to learn that economic considerations and international political deliberations have in the past swept human-interest issues under the carpet.

Hochschild does an admirable job of highlighting the human rights context of his story. For him the heroes are the two founders of the Congo Reform Association - Edmund Dene Morel and Roger Casement and the villains are of course King Leopold and the man whom the King initially depended upon to organize the Congo Free State - Henry Morton Stanley. Morel's "flash of moral recognition" that something was terribly wrong in the Congo is how we begin this book. While we can see some of the colonials as illustrative of the heart of darkness, and Hochschild's description of some of the massacres is indeed gruesome, this book is far more than a simple, sensationalist, expose on the evils of the white-man and colonialism. There are some interesting sub-texts here. While white missionaries were instrumental in bringing much of the attrocities to light they were also not above dark deeds. Initially the Belgian church in the Congo portrayed criticisms as an attack on Roman Catholicism by protestant missionaries. This may have also been due to the fact that some were American, and black - George Washington Williams and William Sheppard for instance. Both catholics and protestants were also initially fooled by Leopold's pious pronouncements and believed that he was unaware of what was being done in his name.

The Congo is a huge country. It has an ancient history and culture and it is populated with various different ethnic groups including pygmies. It was visited by Arab traders and slavers long before Europeans arrived and now, decades after independence, still struggles with issues related to political, economic, and social cohesion. KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST only covers a part of this history and therefore only offers a limited answer to the puzzle that is today's sorry state known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However even as a partial answer, it is well worth reading.

Every so often, a book comes along that opens your eyes. This is such a book. Before reading King Leopold's Ghost, I was ignorant of the genocide of colonial Congo, but after reading a few hundred pages, not only did I learn of the key players involved, the crimes committed and actions taken to combat the situation, but I also wanted to know more about imperialism in general.

Writing a book on a little researched topic such as this, Hochschild rises to the occassion and writes an easily read yet amazingly complete rendition of the situation. He introduces us to numerous charcters: Stanley,the egocentric mentally unbalanced explorer; Williams,the American missionary who brings back tales of the horror; Conrad, the author whose voyage to "The Heart of Darkness" prompted his novel, Morel and Casement, the men who made righting the wrongs of the Congo their crusade; and King Leopold, who..... well, you'll see. Tracing the story of the Congo from exploration through the selling of the Congo by King Leopold to Belgium and then on to an investigation of the world-wide forgetting of the entire episode, Hochschild has created an amazingly complete history. This story of the struggles between good and evil is so packed with incredible characters, adventure and murder that you'll never want to turn on the television again!

One of the best indictments of colonialism that I have ever read, King Leopold's Ghost is obsensively a book about power and greed.

Leopold, a King of a small country and a man with very limited powers, decides that he desperately needs to find a colony where he can reign supreme. He finally discovers Central Africa, a place that hasn't been gobbled up by the other colonizing powers, and claims it for his own. What ensues is one of the most brutal subjegations in recorded history. King Leopold's reign in the Congo was so vicious that even the other colonial powers of the day had to condemn him.This book is the story of a man that was so greedy- even the pretext of humanitarian aims were summarily ignored during his rule.

One of the things I liked most about this book is that it deflates the hero status of people like Henry Morton Stanley- an insecure man who shot Africans for sport. In his place, Hochschild has given us people like E.D.Morel, William Sheppard, Roger Casement and Hezekiah Shanu to look up to. People who tried to make a difference when it wasn't popular to do so.

This book is the very sad story of how the ego of one puny despot lead to the deaths of millions.

Informative, honest and well written- I highly recommend this book.

There is no denying that P. D. James is one of the best living mystery writers of all time. In her latest work, DEATH IN HOLY ORDERS she sends her main character, Commander Adam Dalgliesh, to a small theological college in England named St. Anselm.

Dalgliesh has spent several happy years of his youth there and the place has special memories for him. In this particular case, he is sent there on business to investigate the death of a young student at the school. The school is suffering a lot of setbacks because there is talk that the Church is planning on closing St. Anselm down. Things go from bad to worse when an Archdeacon is killed inside a chapel.

The characters in this book are not flat. They are multidimensional where we get to see the weaknesses or flaws each character tries to hide. As always most of P. D. James books are not quick reads but one does enjoy it.

If you like this book, I recommend you try P. D. James' previous novel A CERTAIN JUSTICE. It was one of the most superb novels I have ever read.

It has been some considerable time since P. D. James has written an Adam Dalgleish mystery. The last, I believe, was "A Certain Justice." For some reason I had trouble with that novel. I bought "Death in Holy Orders" when it came out, but let it languish on my shelf for a while before diving in.

When I finally started reading the new novel I realized that I had entirely forgotten what an accomplished writer James really is. Her ability to create vivid and believable plots, settings and characters really is remarkable. Capable of extreme power when she needs to call upon it, James is not a lighthearted writer. But neither is her style oppressive or exhausting.

Commander Adam Dalgleish, her detective, is a character painted with considerable sensitivity. He is an unusual character for a policeman, sober and philosophical. His avocation is writing poetry, at which he has enjoyed considerable success. The death of his wife at an early age, and the nature of his job gives him with a poignancy which perfectly balances the tragic nature of the crimes he investigates.

When a theological student at St. Anselm's College is found buried under a sandfall, his father is not satisfied with the finding of accidental death by the Suffolk police. Adam Dalgleish is asked to look into the crime. He had spent several summers at St. Anselm's and so was familiar with the setting. Although unable to form any conclusion about the boy's death, Dalgleish is struck by many coincidental events and is not totally satisfied. Margaret Munroe, a nurse and attendant at the school, dies of apparently natural causes, but the death prevents Dalgleish from following up some important evidence.

St Anselm's is facing closure as the result of the Episcopalian Church's need to consolidate its theological training. The holdings of the school are quite valuable, and an unusual will makes the disposition of these artifacts is a bone of great contention between Archdeacon Crampton, who represents the diocese and Father Sebastion, who heads St. Anselm's. There are few in the school who have reason to like the Archdeacon. He sent one of the clergymen to prison for sexual misconduct on trumped up charges. A local policeman in retreat at the school suffered disciplinary action when he investigated Crampton's complicity in the death of his first wife. Several students were vehemently antagonistic to the Archdeacon's behavior.

When Archdeacon Crampton is found horribly murdered before the altar of St Anselm's church it comes as no surprise. Dalgleish takes over the case with his regular squad, and quickly determines that the crime must have been committed by one of the school's residents. Sensing a subtle mind at work, the commander is faced with a complex investigation full of contradictory clues and intuitions.

For all the time that P. D. James lovingly puts into the details of setting and characterization, "Death in Holy Orders" is hardly slow paced. I found myself quickly drawn in and it was a great struggle to put down the book the few times I was able. Dalgleish's introspection keeps the plot from becoming shallow, providing a satisfactory experience at many levels. The will be a serious contender for mystery story of the year.

I find P.D. James to be one of the best British mystery writers I've ever read. Her characters are deep and realistic. And she is skilled at describing human weakness in subtle ways as she weaves her stories.

Death in Holy Orders is a very satisfying read, especially if you enjoy James' detective, Adam Dalgliesh. Dalgliesh is an intriguing character because we get glimpses of his well-hidden emotion and humanity, but never enough information to let us know him well. This is consistent with Dalgliesh as a character since he is extremely private and a mystery to most of his subordinates throughout James' Dalgliesh series. I was especially pleased that James chose to allow Dalgliesh to move forward in himself in this book. It will be interesting to see how he changes now that he has chosen to open himself and his life to the possibility of love.

If you've never read P.D. James before, start at the beginning! She's good and gets even better as she goes.

I thought that Heart of Darkness was an excellent book that everyone should read. I portrays every single persons true self, there sense of darkness and treachery in the world. Not every person you meet shows there sense of darkness, but this book displays how there is a feeling in that amongst all of us. Joseph Conrad shows a lot of feelings that some humans experience, like racism, and insanity. This book takes you for a real roller coaster ride. If you liked Heart of Darkness, you should see the movie Apocalypse Now. This movie is exactly the same thing as this except it's in a different time period. This novella is a story about Marlow and is adventure through the Congo River. As Marlow goes down the river, he encounters several obstacles that make him realize the true threat of the Congo River. The plot and the themes of the story are difficult to understand but eventually it can be grasped. The only attribute I particularly didn't like about the book was the extreme detail that Conrad shows in the book. I thought that he could have summed up most of the stories details to a shorter version. All and all it was a very interesting book.

Heart of Darkness is a novella that really needs to be read more than just once to fully appreciate Conrad's style of writing. The story is an account of one man's simultaneous journey into the darkness of a river as well as into the shadows of a madman's mind. There is a very brilliant flow of foreshadowing that Conrad brings to his writing that provides the reader with accounts of the time period and the horrible events to come. Through Conrad's illuminating writing style we slowly see how the narrator begins to understand the madness or darkness that surrounds him.

I recommend this particular version of the novella because it contains a variety of essays, which discusses some of the main issues in the reading and historical information. Issues like racism and colonialism are discussed throughout many essays. It also contains essays on the movie inspired by the book Apocalypse Now, which is set against the background of the Vietnam War. I recommend reading Heart of Darkness and then viewing Apocalypse Now, especially in DVD format which contains an interesting directors commentary.

There can be long debate about the hidden meanings, etc. in Heart of Darkness. And, of course, if one pays even a scintilla of attention. one's mind will no doubt be provoked by this deep, mysterious and moving tale. For example, there could be (I'm sure there has already been) a century long debate on the exact meaning of the title. However, besides the import of its moral/human/instinctive/spritual teachings, Heart of Darkness is often overlooked for the sheer excitement and anticipation the words cause. This is, to put it bluntly, a terriffic story. I was so anticipating the meeting between Marlow and Kurtz that I could barely stand it. And the visual imagery is astonishing. I will never forget the stakes with heads of savages. One must wonder how familiar Conrad was with the story of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula)!! Of course, it is the importance of the work that has made its immutable mark on literature. Any reader will surely be able to recognize his or her ! own instinctive/unconscious capabilities (desires, perhaps?) when they read this book. Who among us can wholly deny that we would not have behaved like Kurtz when left unrestrained by our society and placed in a position where it was not difficult to make a relatively unchallenged rise to power? Perhaps imperialism, left unchecked, is human nature, and our nature, our instinct is to civilize those different from us by way of any means feasible, which, with "savages" or the "uncivilized", is violence, fear or terror. Do a quick check of history, and you will find this to be true. The Heart of Darkness may in fact be the heart of man, a metaphor for the instinctive nature of man.

The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time, edited by Peter Guzzardi, consists of a collection of material found on Adams's hard-drive after his untimely death in 2001, together with various earlier essays, stories, interviews, etc. It forms a tribute to the creative genius of Douglas Adams (and a last chance to squeeze some money out of the Hitchhiker franchise).
The book begins with a prologue, originally written by Nicholas Wroe for The Guardian, and an introduction by Christopher Cerf. After that, the collected material by Douglas is arranged into three parts, entitled, appropriately enough, "Life," "The Universe," "And Everything." The third part contains, among other things, some unfinished chapters from the next book that Adams had been working on before he died. That book was to have been entitled The Salmon of Doubt. These chapters have been edited together from several different versions that Adams had left behind, and forms only a short beginning, frustratingly, of the whole story, ending as it does abruptly in the middle. As the result stands, it is a story about Dirk Gently, but Adams had earlier confessed himself stuck, having found that the ideas he had been working on were more suitable for a Hitchhiker story, than for a Dirk Gently story. His plan was accordingly to write the sixth Hitchhiker book, and incorporate the best ideas from what he had already written on the Salmon of Doubt. Sadly, he never got a chance to do this.
Among the other material in the book, there are two pieces of writing that were of special interest to me. The first one is a reprint of an interview that Adams gave for American Atheist, and the other is a printed version of an extemporaneous speech that Adams delivered at Digital Biota 2, Cambridge, in which he gave his view on the origin of the concept of God.
The material collected in this book shows Adams at his funniest best. The chapters of The Salmon of Doubt that he had finished gives as a glimpse of what would have been another triumph of comedic writing for Adams, had he only been given a chance to finish it. The book ends with an epilogue written by Adams's close friend, Richard Dawkins.

There is a particularly English (ie the Country as opposed to the language) method of writing that, even as it describes sci fi, fantasy or simply The Bizarre World in general, cannot help but conjure images of village greens, stately homes, cups of tea, and cricket matches; PG Wodehouse, Michael Palin, Terry Pratchett and Evelyn Waugh are all exponents of this art, but Douglas Adams was one of my favourite, if not most prolific, authors in this style. His sad death last year has provided his publisher with an excuse to publish this, final, collection of his work.
And quite a mixture it is; here are prologues to books, introductions to events, eclectic newspaper and magazine articles, short stories and one unfinished novel, the work in progress known as 'The Salmon of Doubt', a Dirk Gently book. Would he have approved this book? Well, given that he was willing to pen an introduction to PG Wodehouse's unfinished 'Sunset at Blandings', the evidence very much points (at least, in my mind) to the fact that he would.
Even as an introduction to his work, this book is worth a read - it opens with a biographical portrait and the selection of material covers most of his written life. For Adams enthusiasts, the book is goldmine - perhaps not the mother lode, but certainly a mine containing enough nuggets to make you happy with the purchase.
One point - it is not really 'hitching the galaxy for one last time' as implied on the cover; there is only a short Hitch Hikers story here, and it has appeared elsewhere.
However, to summarise: if you've never read Adams before, this will leave you seeking more. If you already know him, this an affectionate if varied romp through his literary history.

I purchased Douglas Adams' posthumous book exactly one year and one day after his extremely untimely passing. I have always thought that there is something inherently wrong about losing one's idols. "Salmon of Doubt" is a prime example of how wrong it truly is.

"Salmon of Doubt" is so absolutely and quite wonderfully Douglas.

This collection of articles, interviews, random thoughts and unfinished novel is an genuine treat to read. His unmistakable voice shines through on each and every page. For someone who professed to agonize over the whole "writing thing", Douglas did it with a style that is often imitated, yet never will be duplicated.

I was delighted to see "Cookies" make its way into this collection. I laughed when he included in the 4th Hitchhiker's novel, and was fortunate enough to hear him retelling this true story. He had everyone at this Chicago hotel bar in absolute hysterics some years ago, reliving the moment. I have never forgotten it.

"Maggie and Trudie" also stands out as one of my other favorite entries here. As does "The Private Life of Genghis Khan". The interviews included also give a further glimpse into this marvelously gifted man.

There is no doubt in my mind that the ever-so brief "Salmon of Doubt" story/novel itself would have been a joy to read had he been around to finish it. It would have worked perfectly well as the next Dirk Gently (or possible 6th HH) novel. I found myself reading this portion quickly, watching the pages dwindle and knowing it was going to abruptly end. It did. Now I'm left wondering what happened to Dirk and Desmond the rhinoceros. It's going to bug me till the end of time. Which I am sure would thrill Douglas to no end.

I'll have to ask Douglas when I see him at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe how it all ends.

I've read this book twice now and keep thinking, "what a great idea, too bad the med guy didn't farm the idea out to someone who could write!" But he thought he did; wish he'd sent it to me. Ignoring all the trivial errors (misspellings of diseases, "North Ridge earthquake," calling the valley fever org. "cocci" when that term refers to all cocci forms of bacteria, "congenital arthritic hip" of Drew (think they meant congenital dysplasia causing the arthritis, not too many babies born with arthritis!), the faults in writing are amazing: rotten character development (for ex. Byrne is described in such detail at first encounter w/his pony tail, and when he has to cut it off, but do we ever hear about his pony tail again? So much for his Samson anguish), bringing up interesting points only to drop them (Kameron's taping of Byrne's comments at Mia's lecture, mention about doctoring them -- never shows up again), and leaden writing style.

Guess there's going to be another book soon, maybe the Fifth Horseman? Hope these two get a better editor.

Interesting subject matter but the many editorial/writing flaws in the book kept detracting from the story. I got worried when there was a date/time error in the first few pages of the book and the problem continued throughout. I don't mind flashbacks to earlier dates if the characters don't know on that earlier date what they had found out 2 weeks later according to the book's timeline.

There was other incorrect information in there such as the young Jewish boy saying he got hooked up to the Library of Congess to search Grateful Med. Grateful Med is provided by the National Library of Medicine. It made me wonder what other errors I wasn't aware of in some of the scientific/technical aspects of the plagues.

Despite my frustration with the authors/editors not catching some of the inconsistencies, I managed to finish the book because the subject matter interested me. However if you want to read books along this subject line, I'd have to recommend "The Hot Zone" or "The Cobra Event", "And the Band Played On" or several other books (some fiction & nonfiction like those mentioned above)before recommending this one. It was a struggle to stick with it even though the characters were fairly well developed and the concept was intriguing.

If you can avoid all the techno-[material] and long histories of some of the characters, you're in for a frightening look at how easy bioterrorism is. THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE revolves around a madman's plot to mirror the ten plagues of Moses and kill off vast amounts of people all in the name of God. Character-wise, there's no one here we haven't met before, and even the villain is rehashed from Dr. Phibes through Hannibal Lechter. However, the book has some terrifying scenes and some surprises, too. It's a little long in the tooth and is nowhere as realistically frightening as THE HOT ZONE, but it's still a scary read.
RECOMMENDED.

I picked up "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemmingway after I read the original New York Time's review of Jack Kerouac's "On The Road"(My favorite book) comparing the novel to "The Sun Also Rises." The two books had very little in common but I won't go into that. "The Sun Also Rises" is Hemmingway's tale of his lost generation of rich kids who fought in World War 1 and now do nothing but travel, eat, and go to clubs. The book's subject is a very fascinating one and the reason that kept me reading. However, Hemmingway half way through the novel starts to bore us and turns us from the novel instead of getting us interested in the characters. Judging from the split reviews I've read on Amazon, I've concluded you'll either be bored with this book or think it is a masterpiece.

The novel starts us out with Jack, a wounded ex World War 1 soilder who spends his better days hanging out in Paris Cafes and nightclubs. We are also introduced to Robert; an old school friend of Jack's and despised by others around him for being a Jew. Robert is an outsider of Jack's group always trying to fit in and cursed out by the group (I'll get to that later.) We also meet Brett, Jack's-I believe ex-girlfriend- who never knows weather she loves Jack or not. People believe that she is one of the best female heroine's in 20th cent. Literature. The group with a few others decides to go to Spain and see the bullfighting. In Spain, we think the characters will somehow be changed or come to terms with their lifestyle but it is pretty much the same as their lives in Paris. Even, the bullfighting just seems like a ho-hum experience to Jack and his friends.

Your average chapter in the book is something along these lines...Jack wakes up with a hangover around noon and quickly goes down for breakfast with his friends, Robert comes around and everyone yells at him, When Robert leaves everyone says anti-Semitic comments about him, Jack listens indifferently, everyone decides to meet at a place for dinner, everyone takes a nap then goes to dinner, they all order expensive wine and insult Robert more, they go to a club, Brett and Jack end up going back to their places, Brett is about to make love but then doesn't, jack falls asleep drunk. The whole process is repeated over and over through the book. Hemmingway writes in a repetition and simple tone. It all depends on your taste in the style of writing. I personally don't mind because I like Brett Easton Ellis and he has the same style; but with "The Sun Also Rises" it annoyed me because the novel was too long for it and these characters were too well-developed for that style. This novel deserved more depth and detail to it.

One part that I could not stand in the novel was the harshness of the characters towards Robert. Ok understand that I know it's a novel and reflecting the times but this novel just went too overboard. Every time Robert came in, I just wanted to flip past that part of the book. Hemmingway depicts these scenes in a distasteful manner that turned me off and I'm not easily stirred by writing.

In the end, I felt let down because no changes happened to the character lives and the conflict never changed. Why go through all the trouble if it's just Much ado about nothing? The novel was good however, in portraying the time period and "the lost generation" of the WW1 generation. That I give Hemmingway credit for. "The Sun Also Rises" is worth your time and like I said; you'll either hate or love it. Overall I gave it three stars because I neither hated nor loved it.

Writing a reader review of a classic might be considered a fool's errand (what is there to say that hasn't been said) but my re-reading of Fiesta made a sufficiently strong impression on me that I'm motivated to say a few words.

I'd originally read this book ten years ago as a college undergraduate; a chore forced upon me as part of a course requirement. In the years that followed I've become a fan of contemporary writers like Richard Ford, J. M. Coetzee, and Howard Norman for their brutally economical style. But upon my re-reading of Fiesta I'm reminded of what I perhaps knew all along - it all started with Hemmingway.

In Fiesta, as in all of Hemmingway's works, you find yourself concentrating on what is said, rather than how it is said. This makes the characters compelling and real. One thing that makes this novel a classic is the fact that the characters are as immediate and relevant now as they were when the novel appeared in 1926.

The book has a variety of lively and beautiful settings throughout the Spanish countryside, focusing famously on the bullfights in Pamplona. Hemmingway brings these sights and sounds to life. In terms of human nature, however, there isn't much pretty to be seen. Envy, alcoholism, racism, and despair are the main currents of emotion, consuming a group of rich well-bred expatriates who on the surface shouldn't have a care in the world..

A powerful, subtle, novel. If you, like me, were beaten over the head with this novel as part of your college literature requirements then give it another try.

While I must admit, it was difficult to grasp at first, once the prose captured my attention, there was no putting this book down. One understands Hemingway's gift when reading this book. It is filled with such beautiful language, and lyrical descriptions that sweep you from the heart of Paris to the mountains of Spain.

Hemingway's first published work describes the ex-pat lifestyle in Paris exceedingly well. Having lived very near to where Jake, the main character lived, I could identify with his vivid descriptions he paints very well. His foray into Spain with his fellow ex-pats is also very vivid.

Hemingway's descriptions are unmatched. While some may not particularly like his writing style, if you do, you are in for a treat.

I feared that I would loathe this book as I had onced loathed another Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea. However, that was not the case. The Sun Also Rises is a much more involved story, not quite as steeped in symbolism and weighted by lengthy descriptions.

The Sun Also Rises is a fair balance of prose and description, settings and characters. If you've read other Hemingway and were not certain whether or not you liked it, try The Sun Also Rises. If you enjoy Hemingway, don't avoid this because it is his first novel, savor it.

5/20/02

It is World War I. the fighting between the allied and enemy forces throughout Europe has worn on for months. Almost everyone is tired of the fighting but continue to serve for the good of their countries. For an American serving in the Italian Army, who lacks the patriotism for the country he serves, it becomes quite difficult to focus on the importance of the cause at hand. The discovery of love by Fredrico Henry proves to be a major distraction that ultimately affects the remainder of his presence (or lack of presence) in the war and his subsequent lifestyle. Ernest Hemingway left A Farewell to Arms, although with many sub-themes, with a focus on the classic theme of love and war. The focus on these two themes is evident in the way the two affect each other and in the organization that Hemingway used in the novel. Because the main character narrates the story himself the reader has a keen insight on his true feelings on both love and war. We find in the beginning of the novel that Henry has no incredibly strong viewpoint on the war itself, he seems not to like or dislike it. It is not until the presence of a person who creates love and passion in his life that a true standpoint begins to form. It is the desire to return to love that gives him the inspiration to break from his present situation later in the story. The other major character that could be considered more static, as compared to the dynamic nature of Henry's character, is Catherine. With her love and dedication she produces the inspiration in Henry that creates the changes in his character. The presence of the conflict of war in the novel is used to show the changes that it too can have directly or indirectly on a person's outlook on life. The novel is organized in a manner that seems to separate the effects of love on a life and the effects of war on that same person. The primary chapters of the book deal with the terrible images and injuries that Henry encounters during the fighting. Hemingway does an excellent job at painting a picture of the horrifying aspects of war during a specific battle scene early in the story. He also does a great job in later parts of the story at relaying the way that Henry and Catherine feel about each other. He does this with detailed inner monologues on the part of Henry, and complex but easy to understand dialogues between the two lovers. At the very beginning the novel is somewhat hard to get into because the narration starts by trying to pull the reader into an event (the war) that has already started. There is though some action that pulls you quickly into the plot, and is then followed by the basis of Henry and Catherine's romance. The book is organized in to chapters within books one through five. This separation of parts of the book, and the flow of the writing proves to make A Farewell to Arms an easy reader. One difficulty that a reader may encounter while experiencing this reading may be the complex dialogues. Sometimes the dialogues carry on for so long that it becomes hard to keep track of who is talking at what time. At times it may be necessary to go and read back through the text to understand exactly who is speaking in order to retain its significance. The plot overall is not hard to understand or hard to follow and creates a quite rewarding experience in the end. While reading this book it became quite easy to get close to the characters. Characterization is utilized well by Hemmingway to achieve this true knowledge of both Henry, and Catherine at times. The message of the book can be looked at as one that stresses the importance of love in trying times of chaos. This novel also gives an insight to the softer sides of the war. Although brutal at times, it gives outlooks into the slower and less action pact parts of fighting that are not often seen in a war novel, such as time spent with other soldiers in the mess hall, strong friendships, time in the hospital and the bliss of residing in a country neutral to the war.

Hands down, bar none, this book is incredible. I can't do it the justice it deserves, but here's why I LOVE this book.

I'd never read Hemingway before, but after I got over his (famous, as I now know) writing style, I was captivated by the story that unfolded before my eyes. Hemingway's stark prose truly lends an air of bleakness to the events surrounding the lives of Henry and Barkley.

From a historical standpoint, Hemingway's account of the retreat from Caporetto is fantastic in its description of the morale-impaired Italian army, where execution by lot-drawing was accepted practice.

The story is wonderfully engrossing, as the love affair between Henry and Barkley grows from casual to desperate amidst the terrible circumstances of the First World War.

Absolutely, positively, the best book I've ever read.

I read this book when I was real little--maybe ten or eleven, or even younger--but the beauty of it has still stuck. Hemingway's style is pure and simple, but its amazing the pictures he paints with his words. The characters are more real, and more human than those conjured up by any other writer. Heminway's writing depicts life uncluttered, transcended, and purified into something clear and beautiful--yet still REAL. It's like an Ansel Adams photograph--the photo of a true master--except what's really amazing is that Heminway does it all with words (and not many of them!) Read it, if only to SEE the world in a clear focus, in a sharp directed color. I am thankful to have Farewell to Arms floating around in my memories because I have not only seen beauty, I've read it.

I must say, this is the first Jonathan Kellerman novel that I have ever read. The book was quite entertaining, although I find his writing style somewhat awkward (so is Stephen King's - and he sells millions of books!), even at times boring. The ending was definately not a surprise, and it happened so quickly I was left wondering: "Is that it! " There were too many references to O.J., which wasn't really needed (once was enough - but to go on and on about the case, come on, we've had enough!). Billy's character was strong and the writer made you care for him, as he went through his homeless life through the mean urban streets of LA - although I found Kellerman's characterization of Petra kind of flawed, especially the overuse of references to her past. I also found it bothersome and annoying all of the very simple character thoughts throughout the book (she thought, he thought, I thought, etc. etc.). All in all the book was entertaining - although I don't recommend it as the book of the year. But I'll read some other of Kellerman's work and see if it'll change my mind about his writing style and lack of "depth" in the characterization.

I can happily recommend this book - it passed my number one test of fiction; I liked the main characters, and cared about what happened to them. My second test, the pace, also received high marks - Jonathan Kellerman has mastered the art of keeping the story alive while "fleshing out" the characters until they are delightfully familiar (just ask anyone who follows the Alex Delaware series!).

However, I've got to subtract one star from the perfect score. While I love a happy ending, I had to roll my eyes (let's be honest - I nearly gagged) at the "too perfect" way in which the story is wrapped up and topped with a bow! If I had to fault Jonathan Kellerman's writing with one flaw - it would be the flip side of the coin that makes his fiction so good; the characters are so likeable, he can't bear to leave them unhappy! I won't ruin the ending for those who will still read this book (and I encourage them to do so!), but suffice to say - he REALLY liked Billy. Give me a break!

That said, if he decides to kill off one of my favorite characters in his next book, I'm going to be really angry! Ha! I eagerly await Jonathan Kellerman's next release!

Jonathan Kellerman is one of my favorite authors. I've read all his books including "The Butchers Theatre", the Alex Delaware novels and I've just finished reading "Billy Straight". If I had to pick my favorite Kellerman book it would have to be "Billy Straight". Billy is so lovable and moral and I cared so much for and about him. He's a 12 year old runaway from an abusive home who witnesses the murder that sets off this exciting read. I also admired and respected Petra Connor, the very professional and caring LAPD detective handling the case. "Billy Straight" is a great mystery story and much more. The characters are very well defined, there's lots of suspense and so much human interest. What else can an avid reader like myself ask for!! I recommend this book to all my friends and thank Mr. Kellerman for creating "Billy". I hope we'll be reading more about him and also Petra in the near future.

When I first read this book, I thought it was total [junk] because most of the science is all wrong. Basically, it went downhill after Physics of God-Dust, and by Skeptic's Disease, I was cursing Scott Adams.

Then I read the reviews here, and one of them mentioned how important it was not to skip the introduction, so I read that again. "The description of reality in God's Debris isn't true, as far as I know, but it's oddly compelling. Therein lies the thought experiment: Try to figure out what's wrong with the simplest explanations." Oh.

So my point of view now is that the book is basically [confusing]. People who hate it because of the made-up science should like - or at least tolerate - it because they *did* figure out what's wrong, and people who love it because it, like, totally changed their worldview, and brought them closer to god, should hate it because they got fooled and they're sheep. Baah.

I emailed my thoughts to Scott Adams, and he replied that he doesn't give out his opinion beyond what's in the introduction, so I'm posting this since most reviews here seem to miss the point.

Most people have a fixed sense of the reality around them. The common interpretation given by the scientific community, combined, more often than not, with a clear set of spiritual views, is often enough to satisfy our longing to understand the "Why?" of our universe.

But are there alternatives?

In "God's Debris", Scott Adams has delivered a rich dialogue, which contemplates, debates, and even defies many of these traditional perceptions. Alternate realities are provided in multifaceted chapters, converging, as you read, to provide one great concept. It is much like reading about the "Big Bang" in reverse.

I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to be left enlightened, perhaps not as a Buddhist monk, but more as an intellectual who has recently shod the burden of a close-minded view of everyday life. This is not a book of humor, but much like the irrepressible comic Scott Adams is known for, it should leave you feeling good.

God's Debris is one of those books that seems far too short. I read it in one sitting and wished for more. Whether or not you agree with Adams' conclusions, it will get your mind working in unexpected areas. Like the Tao Te Ching, Voltaire's Candide, Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra, Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Richard Bach's Illusions, my mind will be returning to questions and ideas raised in God's Debris for the rest of my life. Following is an excerpt from an e-mail I sent Scott Adams immediately upon finishing the book:

I just read God's Debris, and I was quite impressed. Clarity. Simple and profound. Many of the ideas correspond to my own thoughts, but you put a slightly different light on them or combined them in new ways, to my utter delight. It is very satisfying to compliment myself with the notion that a third party has confirmed that my ideas were grander than I had thought. I will bask in the illusion. However, while reading I couldn't help feeling that something even beyond these notions was creeping up behind me -- some way of seeing even further outside the human box, or perhaps further inside it. Perhaps even the idea that our notions are "delusions" is a purely human one -- resting on the shaky notion that there exists some absolute truth or fiction about things, when truth and falsehood are only a "useful delusion" that helps us to avoid being fooled in our daily lives. The idea (delusion) in the previous sentence helps me feel better about making practical use of my delusions, though I'm not sure why.

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, leads you through the heart-wrenching tale of a family of poor Lithuanian immigrants. His description is so amazing that you can actually envision the filth of the stockyards, smell the stench, and feel the pain and suffering of the poor, good-hearted immigrants. From the minute they arrive in America, they are faced with nothing but hardships, struggling to survive. The characters and the storylines were very realistic. This story was so real to me, that I actually got nightmares. My only dissappointment with the novel was the ending. I was hoping for something more about Jurgis and the family, but instead got a heavy speech on socialism. Socialism was a good turn for Jurgis, but I feel the story would have been a bit better if it had ended more personally, on his part. Overall, this was an excellent book. I think that everyone should read it becuase it has so much to offer. It not only gives us a vivid depiction of that period in time, it is overwhelming with emotion. It is a major contribution to our history.

The Jungle is a very well written book, particularly for an author who was only 28 years old when he wrote it. The story features an early twentieth century family who has just immigrated to Chicago from Lithuania, and their struggles to survive in America. This is not an inspirational story about the American Dream. Quite the contrary, it is a story about how the American Dream was a nightmare for many poor and uneducated immigrants. The Jungle chronicles the travails of Jurvis and his family, as they struggle to learn how to survive. It is depressing to read about the disasters which befell this family, and how their ignorance was taken advantage of on so many levels. One would hope that this no longer happens to immigrants, but of course, it does, just in different ways. Jurvis and his family work in the meat processing district of Chicago, and the book details the working conditions of the meatpacking plants. Those details led to investigation and greater regulation of the meatpacking industry, as well as modern child labor laws. In the last several chapters, we witness a transformation of Jurvis, as he learns his entire family has either died or is selling themselves into prostitution. Jurvis stumbles upon socialism, and quickly becomes a supporter of the movement to bring power to the working class people, and end the wage-slavery taking place in the meatpacking plants. Jurvis' transformation into a socialist is a classic pro-socialism story, and it was particularly interesting to read that part. This pre-communist account reminds us that socialism is really simply a political theory, which was never really properly introduced in supposedly socialist countries. I did find the last few chapters dealing with socialism to be hastily written, and not nearly as engaging as the first part of the book. The Jungle is a classic, and for so many reasons, it should be required reading in college, if not high school (but sadly, it is not).

The Jungle is a hearbreaking story of an immigrant family's struggle to survive in America. The family of Jurgis and Ona came from Lithuina in hopes of a better life. However, after months in America, their faith in America was torn to little pieces. Ona and Jurgis's lives as a married couple was nothing like expected. The pressure of work, poverty, and illness stilfled their spirits. This book also accurately revealed a sound historical document of the life and suffering of factory workers during the early years of this century. Antanas had to shovel the residues of chemically treated meat onto a truck headed for the cannery. Jurgis saw pregnant cows butchered and their unborn calves illegally mixed with other carcasses. Jurgis began to see how the packer operate. They sold spoiled or adulterated meat without qualms. Their workers were exposed to awful occupational diseases, yet the packers took no steps to protect the employees. They stole water from the city and polluted Chicago, and the city government turned their heads. After the death of Antanas, Ona, his two sons, and the lost of the house the family had struggled so hard to keep, Jurgis entered the world of crimes. He learned how Chicago's criminal underworld helped to corrupt the city's government.