Rudelson's interpretation of Uyghur history and the roots of Uyghur nationalism are very shallow. I can say this book fails to give the reader a clear picture who the true Uyghur people are and why they are fighting against the Chinese government.

Rudelson has translated the famous Uyghur nationalistic poems such as "Oyghan" by Abduhaliq Uyghuri, and "Iz" by Abdureyim Otkur. However, he did not really understand the hidden meaning in these poems. His interpretation of these poems is quite on the opposite to the original meaning contained in these great poems. There is also a lot of negative elements in his book. But the most distasteful one, I believe, is he associated Uyghurs with Nazi ideology. He identified Uyghurs as more pro-Hitler without any proof. Historically, Uyghur haven't had any direct contact with the Jews.

The solutions he has offered to the current Uyghur problem are: 1. Uyghurs will be crushed if they are against the Chinese state; 2. So, Uyghurs should take up their historic role of middle-men or intermediaries in Central Asia by cooperating with the Chinese state. His solutions sound to me: 1. Shut up grumbling about your sufferings under the Chinese rule. It is not a big deal. Better forget it since you can't do anything about it; 2. Be happy as a second-class citizen in China. You can't be anything more than that. Serve your Chinese master and benifit his business with all your heart.

His analysis of contemporary Uyghur society is quite obscure. He said, Uyghurs have oasis identities such as Urumchilik, Kashgarlik, Turpanlik, and Hotanlik etc. which, in my opinion, is kind of true, though I have never heard of the word "oasis identity" before reading this book. He claims that Uyghurs are more into these identities than being Uyghur. Some people put their oasis identities above the identity of being Uyghur. This, from my point of view, is basically fabrication. Even though some religious Uyghurs may unconsciously mix Uyghur=Muslim and Muslim=Uyghur identities . But they never and ever mix Kargharlik, Turpanlik...with the very identity of their nation-Uyghur.

The only thing I kind of approve in his book is his explanation of the intricate relationship between Uyghur intellectuals and pesants. He said, Uyghur intellectuals are very secular and Uyghur peasants are very religious. Uyghur intellectuals have failed to relate their ideas and ideologies to the Uyghur peasantry in most cases. Therefore, there is a big gap remaining in-between. There is nothing unique to relate them and unite them together for now. I believe this is crucially important for the Uyghurs to find something to relate.

Without wanting to get bogged down in specific details that are not the focus of the book, I note that I too have been surprised when Uighurs voiced appreciation for Hitler, usually in the form of wry commentary when watching films set in WWII. It's not a question of associating Uighurs with Nazi ideology, but rather (as Mr. Rudelson says) a variation of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' logic. The author himself points out that these sentiments are unlikely to be anti-Jewish, just anti-Han Chinese.

It is key to remember that Mr. Rudelson did field research for social anthropology. His book, while touching on the political issues that always accompany a modern book on this area of the world, is not meant to offer solutions or even examine these complex issues in detail. It is an attempt to analyse and draw out how Uighurs view themselves from a local perspective and in the larger context of Chinese nationality. The fact that Mr. Rudelson's research topic seems so basic to readers familiar with XJ and the Uighurs shows how much more research is necessary for even a reasonably accurate portrait.

The approach is academic, and as such, the author considers multiple viewpoints and interpretations, which is key to deconstructing complex issues. There are no absolute answers offered, nor can there be, as anthropologists work with people, not mathematical formulas. The evidence, in the form of answers from interviews with Uighurs, is presented, and then a possible theory is developed. It is clear that Mr. Rudelson has unique and deep sympathy with Uighurs, but he manages quite well to maintain his perspective without allowing his feelings to cloud either his judgement or the issues. Nor does the discussion become overly academic -- this book is great for an educated but non-specialised reader.

It would be considerably more difficult to do this research today, not least because of "fundamentalist" Islamic ideas creeping in via trade and contact with Pakistan, Afghanistan and the 'stans [Kazak / Kyrgyz & Uzbek Ferghana Valley]. The attempts of other Central Asian intellectuals to research identity building are not debated or discussed for appropriateness, and thus not allowed to compete and fail on their own in the marketplace of ideas. Anything that is tarred with charges of "fundamentalism", which covers just about anything related to Islam in the eyes of the government, is thus starved of the oxygen of public debate. Also, even if something is unrelated to Islam, controls on speech, music and poetry content, and public opinion that are more strict than other Chinese provinces ensure that ideas are restricted much more so than 10 years ago.

Mr. Rudelson was the first to attempt this type of research, and due to political considerations, there have been no foreigners allowed back since. This book is ground-breaking simply for that reason alone, but happily it goes beyond that in terms of applicability and usefulness to the China watcher and traveler alike. I cannot recommend it strongly enough for anyone who is interested in this fascinatingly complex border area between Central Asia and China.

However, the value of this book is damaged by Adams' arguments. The problem is not what he says, but rather how he says it. Adams attacks anyone and everyone he can get his hands on, from today's preachers to professors in academic institutions to the churchgoing public and more. While he has a right to criticize what he sees as wrong, the aggressiveness with which he criticizes reduces his credibility.

Adams also has a bad habit of quoting himself. Not that a writer should not make reference to his other works, but Adams frequently quotes himself when he could just as easily and more forcefully refer to the works of others. This habit sometimes makes him sound arrogant and unread.

Don't get me wrong - this is a solid book, and Adams has many good things to say about the weight and purpose of preaching. Any preacher should digest what Adams has to say. But when you read this book, be warned: Some of those razorblades are sharp.

The Web Server Handbook was a big help in uderstanding the whole process of creating dynamic Web pages and then setting up a server to deliver them. One of the most important things I learned from this book was that you do not have to buy a lot of expensive hardware and software--or be a programming genius-- to set up a Web server. This should be a big help to small businesses and nonprofits,students, hobbyists, and others who want to control their Web environment but can't pay $100,000 to have someone else set it up.

As someone who *will* be paying others to help me set up a site, I found the book invaluable in understanding specifically what the work is that they are doing, and to be able to participate more knowledgeably in getting a site that works the way I want.

This book was different from many of the other Web creation books I've read, in that, it is not exclusively tied to one company's software applications or one operating system. It allowed me to look at the differences between the Mac, PC, and UNIX Web worlds.

It also gave me an introduction to CGI and PERL. In contrast to some of the other books in the field, it doesn't assume heavy programming background to understand these tools.

Finally, a word about tone: the book's style is upbeat and engaging, and encourages you to dive into trying new things. I have found it a good read, and a great all-around reference.

The book opens up with a bit on Sandler's family life and some basic biographical information, such as where he grew up and some information on his childhood. After this there are chapters on his "Saturday Night Live" career, his movies, his CD's, and a plethora of other things. Movies such as "Happy Gilmore" and "Billy Madison" are touched upon here. There are plot summaries and many stories about things on the makings of the movies, such as tid bits on the actors and actresses and things about the production. All of the CD recordings that Adam has done are summarized here and there is even some information on specific songs.

Bill Crawford does what a skilled author doing a biography should do. He makes facts fun and interesting to read. But even more inmportantly, though, is that he carefully writes about Adam as a person. He shares information about his family life and hos friends that were made over the years. There is also information here on Sandler's love interests as well. And behind all of the money and fame, Crawford writes how this actor really acts for the love of the art and to please his fans.

The writing in this biography is clear and easy to follow, making for a quick and informative read. This biography is not one that is long and drags, giving pointless information on frivolous things, this will deliver the important information on Mr. Sandler. At the end of this biography there is a complete bibliography and list of Adam's television appearances, movies made, and CD's recorded. This is one biography that will not disappoint.

Happy Reading!

I enjoyed working with it, it is very easy to use and understand when using the book of meanings.