Mr. Isaacs has done a credible job of detailing the ongoing tragedy of Vietnam and its impact upon our politics, our foreign policy, our citizenry, Vietnamese immigrants and many veterans groups and issues, especially the POW/MIA issue. THat he does so in so short a book is a testament to the emotional power of his writing. However, the chapters are uneven, some are so short as to be barely worth mentioning, others give us an overview of issues without going to deeply in to them. The most interesting chapters are the ones on the POW/MIA issue and our ongoing Vietnam syndrome. In the POW/MIA chapter, the author nicely skewers those who continue to perpetrate the myth that there are still POW's in Vietnam. Inded this is one of the greatest postwar tragedies, that many groups feed off the grief of families by keeping this issue at the forefront of their conciousness (and their pocketbook) when in fact there is no proof, living or otherwise of any remaining POW's in Nam. Isaacs points out the folly of the issue and the fact that it keeps us from both reconciling with the families of those lost and normalizing relations with a country that is eager to put the war behind it as well. But the author points out that the war was never really about Vietnam, but more about us, and that is the real tragedy and the source of many of the misunderstandings of the war. The longer the war went on, the more the issue became saving American pride and face, and the less the issue was the people of Vietnam and the impact the war had upon them. Indeed, most postwar discussion focuses on what might have happened if we had either pulled out earlier or let the military unleash its full power, instead of talking about what did happen and why. This only lends credence to the authors point that the issues of the war have not yet been resolved, nor are they likely to be for a long time. If you are looking for a good overview of post Vietnam war issues, this is an excellent source book; but if you want to go into depth on one then its probably not what you are looking for, though it is useful in framing issues. Since this book came out there has been a huge output of information on the war, much of it excellent, though much of it falls into the trap of discussing what ifs instead of what did happen. And those of us who follow politics have heard the frequent references to the Vietnam syndrome by Clinton, BUsh, Reagan and others, both in describing past conflicts, i.e. the GUlf War, BOsnia, Haiti, and in framing future foreign invlovements, i.e. John McCain. Though the author only glazes over the issue i nthe syndrome chapter, another tragedy of Vietnam is that the U.S still has no recognizable foreign policy i nthe post cold war world. Good, if too short of a book, though unquestioably many will find fault with the author's politcs, even in a post war context.

I almost stopped reading this book after the first 3 chapters. While Dr. Isaacs claimed in his preface that he was attempting to be objective in his discussions, subtle derogatory(and I believe unfounded) comments about conservatives, particularly Ronald Reagan, made me doubt his objectivity. I have read enough books with obvious biases against either liberals or conservatives; I felt I didn't want to waste more time reading another one. I'm searching for the truth about the war, not rhetoric. However, I continued to read and I am glad I did. In particular, the chapters on the MIA/POW issue and Southeast Asians immigrants and refugees are absolutely excellent. Given my desire to learn about this period of history (I'm 36 years old and was only 12 years old in 1975), the chapter, Learning about the War, is also very interesting. While I don't feel the first 3 chapters offer anything new to the Vietnam discussion, chapters 5 - 8 are a treasure.

This is one of the best books I have read on the Vietnam War. Isaacs seems to have thoroughly researched the ideas and events he presents in each chapter. I found the chapter entitled "The Myth" very enlightening. The degree that it appears our government messed up in so many areas of this conflict -- before, during, after, and still to this day -- is appalling. I was gratified to see his chapter on The New Americans! As a college teacher, I have encountered many young Vietnamese Americans, but not until this year did I have one thank me for my service (and that of others)during the war that enabled her and her family to come to America (she is a straight "A" student in a professional health curriculum -- she works so hard because she knows the opportunity she has been given). It was disgusting, however, to learn the details of Bill Clinton's evasive manuevers during the war. I do not believe Isaacs will find agreement from Robert Hemphill (author of "Platoon: Bravo Company")on his comment about the movie "Platoon" being the most realistic portrayal of the war. Every student of the Vietnam War owes it to themselves to read this book!

A proud member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, USS RANGER (CVA-61), 1964-65 and 1965-66 Yankee Station and Dixie Station tours.

Isaac Asimov is quite well known translator from Japanese to Russian. He conducted life of intelectual indulging himself only in his job and writing some high-brow pieces of literature, not for ordinary people. And then he decided to do something with his skills and wrote Azazel, his first detective story. It's great, with atmosphere dating back to Doyle and Christie. And it's not only intriguing, gluing, interesting, thirillind, crisp etc. but also perfectly written with a hand of Russian intelectual.

This is a collection of funny short stories by the author, all about the two-centimeter high demon Azazel (not its real name, but the real name cannot be pronounced easily). Azazel rides about in the pocket of a friend (descended from magicians and able to summon a demon), and the friend narrates the adventures. The problem is that Azazel wants to be helpful, but the wishes people have in mind are not always translated well in their directions. It is like programming a computer - you must be very careful (garbage in means garbage out, or in this case bad or incomplete directions may have unexpected results).

Want to be attractive to women? Done! Whoops, you didn't mean that kind of woman? Afraid of bullies, and don't want anyone to lay a hand on you? Done! Whoops, you didn't mean everyone including your girlfriend? You get the picture. Remember King Midas.

Adventures of this inadequate demon, which is summoned by those, who can't summon more potent demons causes lot of belly shaking humor, which will have you reading the book over, and over, and after some time passes you will recall the good chuckle you had while reading it, and so you will go back, and read it again. Out of the hundreds of books that Asimov wrote in his very prolific span as a writer this is one of his masterpieces, and once you acquire this book, you will not let it go. Trust me.

Among the thirty-one short stories, totalling some
200.000 words, included in "the complete robot", I
particular enjoyed the 10 stories featuring
chief Robopsychologist Susan Calvin.
Susan Calvin, the star of US Robots and Mechanical Men inc.
The woman with the acid charm and the steely character,
the women who loves robots a lot - and men, not that much.
Surely it is a must read. And surely no serious sci-fi
reader should be without this collection.

This collection of classic science fiction short stories works on a number of levels.

First and foremost, this is darn good reading, filled with Asimov's good humor and ability to tell an entertaining story.

Secondly, it is mostly a prelude to his robot novels, Empire series, and Foundation series. Most of the stories are in a time period before CAVES OF STEEL. One obvious exception is an Elijah Bailey & R. Daneel Olivaw short which is a follow-up to the first two robot novels. One story, "Victory Unintentional", refers to the Terrestrian Empire, and others, especially some of the Susan Calvin stories, have to do with man's first expansion beyond our own Solar system.

Thirdly, we're given a variety of levels of science-fiction writing. We're told where the original stories were first published, and we see Asimov's versatility and ability to write for various markets. Many come from Astounding/Analog, the magazine which published the hardest core science fiction. A couple come from the Ziff-Davis magazines, AMAZING STORIES & FANTASTIC which were soft-core s-f magazines. A couple come from THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE-FICTION which had a more literary slant. Several other classic s-f magazines are represented. However, some stories come from non science-fiction magazines, such as SATURDAY EVENING POST and the Boy Scout magazine BOY'S LIFE, each carefully tailored for the market.

As noted by others, the Susan Calvin stories are especially good. They, along with a few other stories, appear to have been slightly revised for the sake of continuity. In fact, I question whether or not Susan Calvin was originally mentioned in "Robbie", Asimov's first robot story. Somehow, I doubt it.

At any rate, this is easily one of the best collections of classic science-fiction as well as being just plain darn good reading that you'll find.

I suppose I'm biased as an Asimov fan, but I really think it's a shame this book is out of print in the U.S. It was worth the $20.00+ price. If you want to read the robot stories of Asimov's which he did not include in _I, Robot_ ("Robot AL-76 Goes Astray" was great), this is a must.

I have been delving into my Jewishness for the past six years, and have read a lot of books about Jewish holidays, ritual observance, and life cycle events. I had come to the point where a lot of books I picked up were repetitive. I just wasn't getting anything new out of them. This book was recommended to my by a rabbi and has definitely taken my learning to a new level. As a teacher of several Introduction to Judaism classes, this is also a GREAT reference for answering new questions posed by my students. Two notes: This is dense, and is not suited to a cover-to-cover reading. It's a reference. Second, Klein uses Hebrew extensively. I would not recommend it to someone who does not read Hebrew. You don't need to be fluent, but an ability to read and a vocabulary of 250 words or more would be a base requirement, I would say.

This book, by the late Rabbi Isaac Klein, of blessed memory, is the only fairly comprehensive guide to Jewish religious practice issued by the Conservative movement. As such, it is an indispensable reference to the practicing Jew. Readers will find that their is, in fact, very little difference between the modern Orthodox Halachah and that set forth by the Conservative movement's Rabbinical Assembly. The difference is, of course, in the theological approach.

Rabbi Klein's book,which has been updated and supplemented a number of times to reflect changes since its publication in 1979, is a good source for the torah, talmudic and traditional approaches to all areas of Jewish practice. The book includes one of the most comprehensive approaches to the Kosher laws I have ever seen. It also covers synagogue practice in great detail, differentiating between laws (halachah) and customs which have taken on the effect of laws. (minhag) I myself pick up the book for review whenever necessary, for example, reviewing the section on brit milah (the circumcision) after my son's birth. This is not a book for beginners who have no familiarity with Jewish practice. It is a good stepping stone for the beginner who would like to have more comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Jewish practice. I learned more in this book than in six years of Hebrew School. For the beginner or for someone looking for a much easier book of this nature I recommend Rabbi Kotlach's "Jewish Home Advisor". For someone looking for a more comprehensive work and not ready to tackle the Shulchan Aroch, this is a wonderful resource.

Every serious open minded Jew should be familiar with this book. Every Conservative Jew should own it. More importantly, it is a book that every Conservative Rabbi should urge his/her congregants to own. That won't happen- but you should still buy this book and tell your friends to buy it too.

The American Revolution and YOU ARE THERE! A fine, fast paced novel of an area little written about, the politics and adventure in luring France into the war.

Set in the 9 months following the Declaration of Independence, the story follows American Navy Captain Issac Biddlecomb as he escorts Ben Franklin to France to discuss an alliance with Britain's old adversary. While waiting for results, Issac is allowed free rein to prey on British merchants, which he does to devastating effect, making him the single most wanted man on the high seas. Greed and over-confidence prove to be Isaac's undoing and things go wrong in a big way, but the ever resourceful Isaac has ways of dealing with it. Meanwhile, skulduggery and espionage is afoot in France, with Isaac, as well as American hopes for assistance in France, as the target.
All this makes for a thrilling read, as certain capture is turned into escape, daring moonlight raids are almost foiled, and bold-as-brass deception sticks it right in the eye of the British.
Based on historical facts and real characters, this is a good as O'Brien's best and definitely the best yet in the Revolution at Sea saga.
Once again, the author's notes give us the history behind the fiction, and a glossary of terms, plus map and diagrams of rigging and ship layout, make this a very enjoyable read.

As an officer in the United States Navy, I was often frustrated with modern naval fiction. The great writers, O'Brian and Forrester wrote about the Royal Navy and mentioned the US Navy only in passing. Thank God for James L. Nelson! Now American readers can be proud of their own great naval heritege which Nelson truly brings to life! I couldn't put Lords of the Ocean down. Filled with action,intrigue, and historical accuracy, Lords of the Ocean is a book that I will be recommending to commanding officers to put on their command reading lists.

The pictures and overall quality of the book are excellent. If you used to own one and are tempted to surprise your loved-ones with a nostalgic impulse buy - this book will put you over the edge! Laurence Merideth is unparalled in approach to writing and knowledge regarding VW's. You will not be disappointed!

Being a vw bus person--especially 1967 and older--i would recommend this book to anyone--several of my VW Bus friends are in this book!! hopefully someday i will have a VW Bus of my own in a VW book. Vintage VW??--Drive-um!!

Its the quality of the photography that makes this book stand out. Rowan Isaac is famous for his outstanding photographs of cars. Look out for his other Bayview Books on Jaguar XK 120/140/150 and the Porsche 356. He has also done Landrovers!

The only complaint about this book is that the stories are sometimes so short that the characters cannot be developed. But the themes are excellent. Like poetry, just the skeletal outline of the plot will please you. Three of my favorites (relying on memory, I read this book years ago) were A.C. Clarke's story of the haunted space suit, "Columbus is a dope" by ? (both ironically comical) and the provocative "hunted aliens". I think the excellent "Time Machine and Dinosaur Hunter" story is in here too, but I'm not sure.

Also read Jorge Luis Borges "Labyrinths" (one anthology) for a better treatment of the same theme (short stories with a sci-fi element).

I have read this book 5 years ago. The stories are great and the writing techniques superb. Some stories are only a page long and yet they will stay in your head for a long long time. I loaned my first copy to a friend and he lost it! Bought the second copy from Amazon and promised myself not to lend it out again!

Read it and get hooked to Science Fiction if you are not already a fan.

Does the collection contain a story called "The Veldt"? Pleae email me at noolib@hotmail.com

Collection of short stories written in the late Sixties or early Seventies. Asimov reverts to a couple of his previous themes, settings, and series here ~ several robot stories, for example ~ in fine style. The title story, i suppose it's the basis for the Robin Williams film i haven't seen, is the rather unsatisfying telling of a robot's limiting itself ever more narrowly in the search to become human; this has always, to my mind, been one of the poorer stories in the collection: Andrew's motivation is not clear, the actions of the people around him are far more acceptable than his; the ultimate definition of "human" as whatever the World Legislature decrees is highly unimaginative and extremely unworthy of the Good Doctor. Of the other stories in the collection all please me to one degree or another ~ as Asimov always does ~ though not all are all of the same quality: "The Tercentenary Incident" far outweighs "Stranger In Paradise" and "The Life And Times Of Multivac" "Waterclap".

There have been several groundbreaking works of Science Fiction that have brought the genre to its present glory of that of today.
The heartfelt story of an unordinary robot named Andrew who wishes to become a human being; or more a person under philosophical terms is an extraordinary achievement that has sparked great interest into the genre.
The story is one of great peril as Andrew a robot fights for acceptance in society, then fights for the right to freedom to later wanting to look human and to be accepted in society. Striving for humanity is his ultimate goal.
Living two hundred years and experiencing the loss of the members of the Martin family brings a touching heartfelt meaning to this robot story.
Isaac Asimov writes with creative flair, bringing out the emotions of everyone involved. He mindsets the extraordinary feelings of Andrew, the robot and gives him a unique personality with realistic goals.

This is a great story. One I would recommend to new readers of science fiction and old readers who want to recapture the esscence of what the genre is all about. Besides, it's a quick and enjoyable read for those with not much spare time.

Highly Recommended!

I found the story of a robot wanting to become more human fantastic. We take for granted all of the things that we experience and feel...and a robot wanted to experience the same things we did. I found it touching when he wanted to do what we find either dull or average. To him it was all new and wonderful.

This is an excellent book. It's written simply and clearly, no real complications, and the author can really connect with the reader.

The workouts are expained in a an excellent way; the alternating of workouts is the most effective I have ever tried, and particularly the type of training applied to each workout can create incredible changes for the better WAY faster than any other workout system I tried. It's simple: with a test, you find the right rate YOU need wo do your cardio at (and no, it's not the same old stuff), and work at that rate, until you feel you have improved and then you can take the test again and work out at the newly found rate. Same for the strength training: you find your 10-rep max, perform 3 sets (a warm-up set, a work set and a blast set) and stretch in between sets - a technique that is most effective for increasing muscle strength and particularly for women, to get rid of cellulite in your thighs.

The dietary prescription may be too much work for some, not doable for some others and fast burners (see metabolic typing) will probably need a little more protein and good fats to feel full; but generally the dietary guidelines are good and a definite improvement over most people's diets. The fact that the diet part of the plan cannot really be personalized to the needs of the reader made it lose 1 star, I would have given it 5 stars otherwise. But it really is an excellent book. If you feel it's time you start working on improving your body shape and your health, or if you have been working out but you don't feel you are getting the results you deserve for your efforts, this is the book for you - you'll change for the better, really fast.

This book is easy to understand and easy to follow. One does not have to follow every recipe. Just use it as a common sense guide, eat accordingly and follow the exersize regimen. It takes no more than one hour a day, sometime less than an hour. I lost 30 pounds of fat in 90 days following this program. I just wish that Greg Isaacs would write a follow up regimen for those who want to take his advice and move on to another level of health and fitness.

Greg's plan makes sense and you see immediate results. More importantly is how you feel about yourself. Early into the second week, you just start feeling trimmer, stonger, generally better! I highly recommend the Ultimate Lean Routine as a way of life and this book captures it all! Many thanks, Jill Bertolet

This book is a compilation of 8 short stories, some based on traditional Jewish tales.
I'd give this book a 1 star rating out of five. Some of the stories are mildly interesting, but most of them are too old( take place in Middle Ages or before) for my liking. There isn't much description either, so you can't envision the picture in your mind the author wants you to. Some of the stories do not have a plot and those that do have unusual endings or don't provide a solution to the problem encountered in the story. I really cannot his book even got a slight chance at possibly maybe being a Newberry Medal nominee.

The funniest translated story in English is in this book. It's "Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the Miser," and it's about silver candlesticks that die after the birth of silver spoons. . .

"In our time, when literature is losing its address and the telling of stories is becoming a forgotten art, children are the best readers," Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote in the three paragraph preface to this 1968 volume. No question, children make fine listeners as well, particularly to these eight stories, which include several Singer originals, as well as some he heard from his mother, who heard them from her mother and grandmother.

Whatever their etymology, the stories all exhibit the themes that run throughout Singer's body of work--spirit, life and the supernatural--all encased in an amazingly agile use of language and humor that glints at the edges.

The book opens with the tale of "Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the Miser." The former had a wife Shaindel and seven children and never earned enough to feed them. He had such poor luck working at trades that he decided if he should make candles, the sun would never set. During an especially cold winter, Shaindel told Todie that if he could not get something to eat, she would go to the Rabbi and get a divorce. "And what will you do with it," he asked her. "Eat it?"

Lyzer, meanwhile, was so stingy that he let his wife bake bread only once every four weeks because stale bread was eaten more slowly than fresh. Rather than feed his goats, he let them feast on the thatched roofs of his neighbors. He preferred to eat his dry bread and borscht on a box so that his upholstered chairs would not wear out. He was not a man to make a loan, preferring to keep his money in his strongbox.

But one day Todie asked to Lyzer to borrow a silver spoon, giving his holy word that he would return it the next day. Not one to doubt holy words, Lyzer loaned the spoon and was pleased the next day when Todie returned it, plus a silver teaspoon, explaining that the spoon had given birth. As Todie was honest, he had to return both. He repeated the exercise twice more.

At last, he came to Lyzer to borrow some silver candlesticks for Shabbat. Lyzer gladly loaned them. Todie sold the candlesticks, bought his wife and seven children a feast and on Sunday, returned to Lyzer to say that his candlesticks had died. "You fool! How can candlesticks die," Lyzer screamed, dragging Todie to the Rabbi. "Did you expect candlesticks to give birth?" the Rabbi asked. "If you accept nonsense that brings you profit, you must also accept nonsense when it brings you loss."

Others stories are less silly. We meet Peziza the imp and her friend Tsirtsur the cricket, who lived together in an old stove and shared stories gay, devilish, frightening, and delightful for telling on long winter nights.
And Rabbi Leib, who managed to escape the evil works of Cunegunde, a witch whose son Bolvan robbed the merchants on the roads and hoarded his stolen goods in a cave rendered invisible by his mother's evil magic.

Still others are sillier. These, not surprisingly, hail from that province of silliness, Chelm. In Singer's Chelm, like all renditions of the town, lived fools. Here, even their monikers are funny--names like Gronam Ox, Dopey Lekisch, Zeinvel Ninny, Shmendrick Numskull and Feyvel Thickwit.

Now Shlemiel of the title also lived in Chelm, and was a businessman, such as it were. He married Mrs. Shlemiel, whose father gave him a dowry, with which he bought a goat in Lublin. But on the way home, he left the goat tethered to a tree while he went into an inn for some brandy, chopped liver and onions and a plate of chicken soup and noodles. The innkeeper (not surprisingly) switched his old blind billy goat for Shlemiel's milking goat. Lots more fun and some Chelmnick wisdom followed.

Each good tale wags another. Poverty grew larger, and naturally her feet grew larger too. Menash had a dream, and yes, Shlemiel finally went to Warsaw. To discover the sense in this nonsense, get this book, and share it with your children, be they young or old. Alyssa A. Lappen