I have had an insatiable craving for knowledge regarding the bloody regime of Idi Amin. George Ivan Smith's Ghosts Of Kampala was about as filling as a rice cake. Henry Kyemba's A State Of Blood was more like Thanksgiving dinner! Kyemba spent five years as a top cabinet member in Amin's regime...he knows what was going on and has no misgivings about exposing Amin. This book also has 66 b&w photos inside, ranging from the sublime to the horrifying. Kyembe fled Uganda in May of '77, so the fall of Amin is not included here. If you want to know about the atrocities and the day to day life of the man some called The Black Hitler, it's all here for you. Kyemba delivers the facts with both passion and urgency. His battle with his conscience bleeds through the story quite often. A State Of Blood is Kyemba's attempt to bring Amin's barbarism to the light for international eyes to see. If Idi Amin intrigues you at all, then you need to read this book. It will show you things that most decent people would rather not see. It's a well-written book. It is also an addictive, fast & easy read. You may not like what you read here, but you will find that you must keep turning the pages until this dark journey reaches its conclusion.

This unbiased work provides a good overview of the societal changes that have occurred in Egypt during the last 50 years and the challenges that remain. It will prove particularly helpful for people who are planning to go to Egypt and/or deal with Egyptians on more than a superficial level, as well as for those who want to add some depth to their understanding of the Middle East generally. A good overview of a fascinating country.

it's hard to believe that the ox could write such an awesome book. go ox!

This book has little known facts, stratagies, and techniques for scoring well on the MCAT and also gaining entrance into medical school. It's a great book for those who are just begining the long process of studying for the MCAT exam. This won't be nearly enough information to cover all the bases for the MCAT, but it will answer most of your questions about the MCAT and what type of score you need to attain. It also briefly mentions some medical schools and an overview of their avarage admission statistics. It does fail to give information about osteopathic medical schools, however, which is a significant drawback. Otherwise it is highly recommended for potential medical school applicants.

I was looking for an MCAT reveiw book for my son. I came across this one in our campus bookstore. I found it to be well organized, well written, and nearly complete. However, the biology section is missing at least one key topic - a discussion and a schematic drawing of the nephron. Perhaps this deficieny will be taken off in the next edition.

In my experience, this book was not helpful for Step 1 preparation. Partly because Behavioral Sciences is not heavily tested in the exam and clinical vignettes are time consuming. Also, I felt that by studying a standard review book alone, I was able to remember the distinguishing aspects of each disease. However I am sure there are many people who would find this book useful.

This is the worst book of the series and is a waste of time. Pharmacology cannot be taught by clinical vignettes and the author himself recognizes this. In the book review section of First Aid, Dr. Bhushan admits that it is not an ideal review source. The problem is that within two lines of the clinical vignette, the drug is revealed, so there is no chance to guess the answer. There are less time consuming ways to learn the side effects of drugs.

This is the Psychiatry section of the Underground Clinical Vignettes series. If you have trouble getting a general image of psychiatric disorders, or cannot associate important facts with clinical scenarios (keywords etc), this is the book you need. Because, as matter of fact, that is exactly what you need to do during the test. On the other hand, do not think you can get away by just working on this book. This book covers 54 major cases that you frequently see on the exam, but of course this is not enough. This can be a great "supplement", but not enough to use it as a "major source". I especially suggest this book as a good reinforcement if you are using "Blueprint Psychiatry".

The book had some interesting parts but was overall a dull experience. It did prompt me to take a Namibian safari but overall it was below average.

This is by far the best of the best when it comes to books on Namibia, Africa's most mysterious nation. Tahir's prose is as smooth as silk. Buy it and enjoy!

I have read many books on growing up as child of an alcoholic and the dysfunction that goes along with this chldhood trauma. Usually I can not put the books down. I found this book to be just another story of an abusive family life. It was not informative and could no keep my interest. I was very disappointed.

Hassan El-Amin makes use of the ultimate case study, his life. The result, a blueprint for self-knowledge and self discovery. The author's notion of the Inner Child and how it influences our adult lives is very compelling. The author's words like a key began to unlock and open the door to my own journey of self-discovery. The book is formatted and edited for an easy read, without all the typical "bells and whistles" associated with other books in this genre.

Coming Face to Face with Your "Inner ME" is a deeply moving book that engages the reader to be part of the book rather than just an observing audience. Anyone who has been wounded or is seeking the road to inner peace will recognize him or herself in the book and will feel a personal connection with the author.

I felt the author's pain as I equated the parallels in my life. It was as if I was making the journey alongside him.

The ideas conveyed in the book are explicit yet mind blowing. Their profound meanings penetrate one's rational, emotional and spiritual being.

I'm thankful for the author's generosity in sharing his wisdom and pain, as countless people will be ushered by his work to a more fulfilling life. This is a truly inspirational writing about dignified human triumph over life's great tragedies.

Given the fascinating, albeit monstrous, subject he had to work with, George Ivan Smith came up short. The book is written with less personality than Al Gore! Smith's writing is so dry that it is a struggle to wade through the slower parts(and there are many of them). Amin is infamous for his insanity, his humor, and for his brutality...Smith seems to want to focus more on his politics. Idi's politics weren't very interesting, hence the dullness of the book. Don't get me wrong, some of the madness is captured here. The trouble is that Smith can't keep his obvious bias and lack of comprehension out of the book. Idi Amin was a terrible human being, make no mistake about it, but Time magazine gave me more to hold my interest in one 1977 article than Mr. Smith manages in this 198-page yawn. Look elsewhere if you want to see the train wreck that was Idi Amin!

This book does give the reader a glimpse of the evil of the Idi Amin regime that terrorized Uganda from 1971 to 1979. It also gives us some insights as to how such an evil dictator could stay in power for so long while perpetrating so many dreadful crimes. It was a combination of other black African leaders studiously looking the other way and refusing to condemn him -- Julius Nyere of Tanzania being a major exception, considerable moral and material support from wealthy Islamic regimes such as Libya under Gadaffi, and, of course, sheer terror against all who dared to speak against him. My biggest problem with the book was its turgid style of writing: I found it necessary to re-read many a paragraph before I got the gist of what it was all about.

As opposed to the two previous reviewers, I thought this was an extremely well written and researched book. The author was a UN official during the 1970s and was able to draw upon his and his colleagues' experiences to form a very good portrait of one of the worst rulers in Africa's history. He starts with a very informative discussion of Amin's youth and career before he took over the Presidency of Uganda in 1971, destroying such myths as Amin's claim that he fought in Burma and India during World War II. He draws upon personal correspondance with former Ugandan President Milton Obote to provide a detailed account of Amin's coup and his foreign policy with other African countries in the 70s. Going in depth about Amin's search for oil in Lake Albert and his collusion in the assassination of Burundi's King Ntare V, Smith also provides the reader with an account of how bad life was in Uganda in the 70s. He justly praises the bravery of Makerere University students who stood up to Amin several times while condemning the lack of interest of other African politicians (except for Nyerere) and Western governments in putting an end to Amin's bloody regime.

The only criticism I would have of the book is the lack of any serious economic analysis of Uganda in the 70s - after all, it was Amin more than anyone else who turned Uganda from one of sub-Saharan Africa's richest countries to one of its poorest - but this is a minor quibble since that information is available elsewhere. This is a highly recommended book.

I was largely disappointed with this book - I expected an autobiographical glimpse into the life of a pioneering feminist Iranian princess and her family. What I got was a "dear diary"-style mess penned by a selfish and astonishingly conceited young woman. Princess Taj al-Saltana's memoir of her life in her father's harem is loaded with self-aggrandizing statements and little else. Granted, the princess' spoiled brat mentality and overblown self image are undoubtedly products of her coddled earlier life as the daughter of the Shah, however, the constant self promotion makes for terribly boring reading. Taj rehashes the same themes and stories time and again, all while constantly paying homage to her own alleged beauty and intellect. I am sorry to say that the princess' method of relating her story was tiresome, and I couldn't wait for it to end. I found myself rolling my eyes each time I came across a ludicrous reference to her great beauty or amazing mental capacity -- her photographs and her actions do not quite measure up to her excessive claims. I was also disappointed by the lack of information regarding harem life. For example, while she writes of the rituals involved with marriage, her disjointed writing style and intense self-focus give the reader only a fleeting idea of what actually happened during her marriage ceremony. The princess' writing is unfocused and often skips back and forth in time, making her story difficult to follow. The reader is provided with very little useful information about royal harem life. The princess' interest in civil rights for Iranian women is overshadowed by her greater interest in her own freedom to do as she pleases.

The book was edited by Abbas Amanat, who provides a dry and lengthy prologue (of just over 100 pages) which sets the stage for the princess' memoir. I found it puzzling at first that the prologue was so long, however, I soon recognized the need for it. The princess provides very little historical orientation in her memoir, and it is necessary for the editor to fill his readers in with pertinent information regarding the political and social atmosphere in turn-of-the-century Iran. While I agree that the intended topic of "Crowning Anguish" is fascinating, those interested in learning about harem life would be better off skipping this book.

I was required to read this book for a class on the history of the modern Middle East. I thought this would be one of the more interesting textbooks that I have to read this semester. I was wrong; this thing is painful.
I've been informed by a friend of mine from the area that it probably loses something in the transition from Arabic to English, but to me the whole thing is overwritten, self centered and features the "heroine" blaming her problems largely on society. Of course she does go into detail about that society, providing the historical value, but still. In places it reads like a manuscript rejected from Harlequin Romance Novels.
If you really want a picture of life in the Middle East. read "Struggle and Survival in the Modern Middle East" by Edmund Burke. Gives a better pictue.

A truly tragic account of the life of a Persian Princess in the nineteenth century, this book will touch nerves even today. But aside from recounting a life, Taj Al-Saltana's memoir makes three significant contributions to the history of Persia. First and foremost, it is an original and quite possibly the first modern-day feminist book by a Persian woman on the condition of women in Taj's era. Second, her memoir is immensely important to understanding life in the Qajar Dynasty's royal harem. Finally, this book allows the most private look into King Nassir Al-Din's life. Nassir Al-Din ruled Persia for nearly one half of the nineteenth century.

This book comes with a detailed introduction from its editor Professor A. Amanat of Yale University. The intro is in-depth, reader friendly, and helps set the stage for understanding Taj's era and life in Persia. I would highly recommend the Book "Pivot of the Universe" also by Amanat, on the life of Taj Al-Saltana's father, King Nassir Al-Din Qajar.

Save your money and read something else. Although this review book is designed to be high yield, the information contained is TOO BASIC to be helpful. I learned almost nothing new from reading this book. The USMLE will test a deeper level of experience and knowledge than is contained in this book. Anyone who has had an adequate medical education will find the information in this book almost trivial. There are few decent Step 2 review books out there; this isn't one of them. BIG disappointment compared to First Aid for Step 1.

First Aid for the USMLE Step 2, on its new edition brings readers preparing for the Step 2 of the American Boards a better book than previous issues. Content has been revised and expanded, and, although worse than the Step 1 equivalent, it is still the best book available to prepare for Step 2. It is excelent for last minute review, and also contains a very helpful analysis of other available board review books. Major problem is the abusive use of abbreviations that are not explained in the appendix.

Nice quick review of VERY good information. Great to read a couple of days before the exam to help put it all together.

I really liked the First Aids for USMLE 1 and USMLE 2 and found this book a much weaker cousin and very expensive for the content. There's nothing here that you can't get from JAMA or your Dean's office. The Iserson's Getting Into a Residency gives you a lot more info for about the same price. There's almost nothing to help out the IMG (who I suspect are frequent buyers) and (again) nothing for anyone with special circumstances, such as older age, second careers, disability, couples match, gay and lesbian issues, etc. Borrow a copy from the library instead.

I am about two months away from starting my internship and I'd like to offer those who are about to start the residency application process some advice. At my medical school, I am a member of a committee that provides guidance to students through the match process. Other members of the committee include residency program directors, interns/residents, deans, and clerkship directors. Our mission is to help students match successfully. Here are the books we reviewed:

FIRST AID FOR THE WARDS BY VIKAS BHUSHAN - It was the committee's feeling that this book is not as strong as some of the other books in the First Aid Series. It contains a lot of information about the different specialties in terms of spots available and competitiveness. But after reading through the various sections (personal statements, letters of recommendation, interview), most of our students didn't feel like they had a strategy for developing a great personal statement, securing a strong letter of recommendation, and knocking the socks off the interviewer. One of its strengths were the many examples of CVs and personal statements that if offers.

ISERSON'S GETTING INTO RESIDENCY - This book, which is now in its 6th edition, has an amazing amount of information. This is a book that clearly should be bought on day #1 of med school because it has info that is helpful in years 1, 2, 3, and 4. It's organized better than First Aid for the Wards.

THE RESIDENCY MATCH: 101 BIGGEST MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM BY SAMIR DESAI - This is a new book that wasn't available when I was applying for residency last summer. It's a different perspective on the whole process, with the author focusing on the mistakes students make. After looking it over, the members of our committee felt that these were indeed some of the major errors made during the way. In many cases, these errors can hurt your chances of matching with your top program. I recall making some of these mistakes myself and would have found this book useful had it been available. It's probably better to use Iserson's book along with this book rather than either one alone.

And finally, none of these books can take the place of a good advisor. That's the last piece of advice I will leave you with. Best of luck!

This book is in real good condition and surprisingly low price.