Self-Coaching has had a profound effect on my life both personally and professionally. I have suffered from anxiety for many years, trying desperately to find a technique or method to help alleviate my solicitude. Nothing has worked like Dr. Luciani's book! His straight forward, basic, step by step approach allowed me to understand that my anxiety disorder is something that I can control, reduce, and eliminate. In fact, I was so moved by the transformation in my life that I am persuing an MSW degree so that I may help bring to others the relief that I have finally found.

I purchased Dr. Luciani's book a month ago and found it simple and to the point. For many years I've been over-thinking my severe anxiety and panic problems. I just assumed the answer had to be more complex, more complicated. Self-Coaching taught me otherwise! I've been reading self-help for the past decade and consider myself somewhat of an authority on the subject. To be honest, I wasn't expecting this book to be the answer, but as they say, the proof is in the pudding.
Forget what you think about anxiety and expensive remedies (threapy and the many tapes on anxiety I've accumulated included), buy this book and find out the simple truth about how to start feeling better. In just weeks, Dr. Luciani's technique of Self-talk taught me how to break my anxiety habit. I wish I could tell the world how well this program really, truly works!

As someone who has suffered from chronic anxiety, depression, and OCD for the past 10 years, all I can say is that Dr. Luciani's book has changed my life. I have seen multiple psychologists, psychiatrists, and other doctors (and taken different medications), and nothing has had the profound effect of this book. I have also shared this book with friends who have similar sufferings and just reading certain passages to them has profoundly changed their lives. With a one time psychiatry session costing $175 an hour, and medication and what not over time costing thousands you deserve to spend under 20 bucks for this. To be honest I would trade in all the other support vehicles (doctors, therpists, medication) I've dealt with the past 10 years for this book. It's that profound, and entirely on the mark. I can't say enough good things about it. Don't wait to start healing. By the way I buy tons of books from Amazon and this is the first one I've done a review for -- I think it's so important to share this book.

"The Heart of the Matter" is the sad story of a man tormented by an inability to live up to the dictates of his religion. Deputy Police Commissioner Scobie begins the book as a rare subject, an English colonial policeman in Africa not on the take. He is cursed, however, with a wife who constantly, if not always overtly, reminds him that the life he has provided for them is beneath her. Louise Scobie is one of those Catholics of the mid-twentieth century that believes things like missing mass on Sunday is a mortal sin, but unfortunately can't bring herself to "avoid superbia" as the nuns used to admonish schoolchildren in the fifties and sixties. In other words, Louise is a snob. When it's announced that her husband won't be promoted when the commissioner retires she simply can't deal with the shame of it.

Most of Scobie's capacity for love died several years earlier at a boarding school in England when their nine-year-old daughter was taken by a sudden illness--the difficulty of communication and the fact of World War II prevented him from even attending the funeral--and the third person narrator notes how he retreated into his job, but "[t]he less he needed Louise the more he felt responsible for her happiness." Louise does see Scobie's struggles, even gently accusing him of wishing she were dead. He responds, as he always does, that her happiness is his priority, and promises to find a way to pay for her passage to South Africa, where she'll be able to be with friends and without the ignominy of not being the new commissioner's wife. The only way to find the money is to borrow it from a well known but smooth Syrian crime boss who likes Scobie because he can trust him to be incorruptible.

Crossing the proprietary line of borrowing the money flows into crossing the mortal sin line as Scobie takes up with a much younger woman. While he grows to love Helen, whom he meets in a hospital while she recovers from nearly dying in a shipwreck, he cannot love what he sees himself becoming. Scobie's struggles with despair are moving and genuine, even as the reader perhaps wishes Scobie were just a little bit smarter than he is. If he were of course, he wouldn't be Scobie, never able to attain his desired simple life where he can do his job and feel loved and loving, redeemed and free.

Greene's narrator is sympathetic and not particularly judgmental. The style is clean and direct and the book is well organized. I won't necessarily rush out and read another book by Greene, as it's time I avoided reminding myself of the Church-inflicted and self-inflicted moral tortures that Catholics put themselves through. He's a fine writer, though, and "The Heart of the Matter" is a fine book.

Graham Greene's "The Heart of the Matter" is a powerful story about the choices a man has to make with regard to love, duty, and honor -- his responsibilities to his wife, his job, and God. There are heavy religious overtones to this novel, but they never feel preachy or compromise the strength of the drama.

The main character is Major Henry Scobie, the deputy-commissioner of police in a British-occupied West African state during World War II. He's an honest cop on a force that is given to corruption: Some officers routinely take bribes to overlook diamond-smuggling operations, many of which are masterminded by a sly Syrian named Yusef, who manipulates his friendship with the officers through favors and blackmail.

Scobie's wife, Louise, is miserable; she is lonely and feels ostracized by the other officers' wives in the community. She would like to leave and go to South Africa for a while, but Scobie can't leave his post to go with her or afford to send her because he's been passed over for promotion to commissioner. His last resort to scrape together the money is to borrow it from Yusef, which puts him squarely under Yusef's thumb.

After Louise's departure, Scobie meets a girl named Helen whose husband drowned when their ship was attacked. He falls in love with her despite the fact that she's young enough to be his daughter and mocks his piety. He wonders if adultery can be a sin if the love is genuine, but this is not just a cynical attempt to rationalize his infidelity. Adding to the conflict is a clerk named Wilson who is in love with Louise and, while he pretends to be Scobie's friend and moral compass, acts a sort of dual role as watchdog and betrayer.

Like the protagonist of Greene's "The Power and the Glory," Scobie's character is defined by the fact that he is a devout Catholic who is contritely aware of his sins. Although he believes that suicide would be eternal damnation, he poses a crucial question for himself: Would it be better to kill himself for the sake of honor than to live shamefully, insulting God by kneeling before the altar while living adulterously?

I see Scobie as a "white knight" type of character -- a cavalier, a protector, someone who was born to be a policeman, someone who is sworn to follow the moral code of Christianity. When he fails in this task, or believes that he fails, he is forced to question the validity of continuing his mission; that is, his life. After reading so many novels about people with moral uncertainties, I find a fresh perspective in this man who draws courage from his convictions and acts accordingly.

This novel is a brilliant masterpiece which speaks directly to the reader's heart.

The writing is of such finesse and the plot so powerful that you won't be able to put down the book until you find out how Major Scobie "resolves his problems" in the end (his problems centre on how to ensure his wife's, his mistress's AND [even] God's happiness even if it means he has to pay the ultimate price for it).

The novel will evoke every kinds of feelings in the reader. I know I felt love, tenderness, sadness, sometimes impatience but always PITY for Major Scobie, a deeply religious man who is merciful, responsible and kind towards everyone else but whom nobody really cares about, what more pities. Even though "everyone" claims to love Scobie or to value his friendship, they are actually selfish, ordinary people who have their own hidden agenda (even if they don't realize it) and want something or other from Scobie. All these "demands" weigh the poor man down so badly that in the end, he is driven to commit the final act of damnation so that (or so he thinks) the ones he loves will be free of him and they will no longer be unhappy.

It's truly wonderful and fulfilling to read a novel which offers such a great insight into the mind's psychology and the human heart. I've been a fan of Greene's works since I read "The End of the Affair" which I loved dearly.

I believe that one doesn't have to be a Catholic to appreciate and understand the novel, despite its heavy references to the religion (eg. about sins, confession, communion, repentence, etc).

I can't praise this novel highly enough! Just pick it up! It may even transform some of your views on life (for the better). If not, at the very least it'll transform you instantly into a Graham Greene fan (that is, if you aren't one already)!

About the book: It was a book that I expected to gain a jump start knowledge of UML, and that's exactly what I got.
Targeted Reader: The book is targeted towards OO programmers. Note that on page 62 they mention Public/Private/Protected in one paragraph, and the uml usage in another. If your not a programmer, I think you would be lost with their glossy explaination.
glitch: Did you notice the figure 3.12 is exactly the same as 3.11. That would be because it's wrong! The figure 3.12 does not contain the "responsibilites" area, as it's states. (opps). See 3.15, the guard class to see a usage of this. This one glitch does not detract from the overall usefullness of the book.
My background: I'm a C/C++ programmer with 11 years experience. I've also used the booch notation ONCE.
My reason to buy this book: At Several interviews I've been on lately, they have asked about UML experience.
Employers are getting very very picky, it is imperative that employees keep up to date on the latest tools just in case you find yourself back on the market. Also note that Rational Rose has created documentation that also creates prototyped code! Documentation time does not take away from the development time! I bought stock in the company, and currently I'm very happy.

I have read a couple UML books and I am recommending this one to my colleagues, especially if they are UML novices. It is wonderful for people who have not had any experience in UML or system flows, as it assumes you know nothing, which is a good place to start. Not only is it very readable, easy to understand and well written, but I'd especially recommend it for managers who need an understanding of UML and its benefits. I generally don't enjoy reading these kinds of books, but I did enjoy reading this one and got a great deal out of it. Joseph Schmuller is an excellent writer who unlocks the potentials of UML in the real world. One you read this book, UML will be a useful tool for which you see many possibilties for using it.

I was asked to start studying UML in order to begin applying it in our next project, it wasn't my responsibility to draw and create the diagrams from scratch, but at least i should understand them.

I wanted a book that is written for a beginner,a book that will help me through my first step, i looked around on the other books,they were so huge and so detailed oriented, and most of them were for a higher level than a beginner.

Whats so good about this book?

- Style of writing,its so good, you can notice this right from the introduction.

- The way he took the reader to the new world of diagramming through UML, he first explains what is UML..then why do we need it, and starts to give a brief about its component so you can imagine the big picture, in addition to the Object Oriented Design concepts.

- The examples are very well chosen, simple yet so powerful to illustrate and understand.

- The way he guides you through his explanation by starting with a simple model in each chapter that eventually ends as a different model by adding every thing you read to it.

-The case study is very helpful to implement and make sure that you understand what you read.

I recommend this book for every one who starts reading UML, its not the reference but its definitely the book you want to start with, after that you can move to another advanced book, and ofcourse i would recomend the modified modeling language refrence manual for the three amigos, although thier are many good and not detailied books such those books that deals with Java and UML or C and UML if you are to be specialaized oin one prgramming language.

Joe Pistone is a real American Hero. The former F.B.I agent spent six Years deep undercover as Donnie Brasco, a jewel thief, and infiltrated the Mafia, penetrating it's upper eschalon and bringing their power structure crashing down around their heads, resulting in over 100 convictions...

Pistone, along with Richard Woodley, does a great job of bringing real-life Wiseguys like "Lefty Guns", "Sonny Black", and Tony Mirra to life on the printed page, and even though I know Pisone survived his ordeal (He obviously did- He wrote the book!), I was still constantly worried about him. Any fan of true-crime will love Donnie Brasco!

The book was based on the true life events of agent Joseph D. Pistone, and is nothing short of perfection. It tells the story of the real mafia life, which is not often portrayed on paper. Agent Pistone's book takes the reader into the life of the capo's and the soldiers of the Bonanno family. Its is a very interesting book, and also a great fim starring Al Pacino and Michael Madsen. I work in a bookstore, and have read numerous mafia books, and this is one of my favorites.

Donnie Brasco is the story of FBI agent Joseph Pistone who took part in one of the world's longest running undercover law enforcement operations in history, posing as jewel thief "Donnie Brasco" to ingratiate himself into the circles of Cosa Nostra and their affiliates. You're taken on a ride through all the real-life close calls and near-disasters when discovery seems almost imminent, when Pistone is caught in the middle of a war between his gangster 'friends' and their gangster enemies who, thinking he's one of them, considered him a target, and even as Pistone is arrested by local cops who know nothing of the operation and assume he's just another wiseguy working the town. The reality of the book is very powerful and definitely has an effect on you.

Know of of a lawyer (whom does not already have this indespenseable tool) or of a person heading to law school; then you should buy this book for them, i.e., Black's Law Dictionary by Bryan A. Garner (Editor), et al. The reference book starts out with a pronunciation guide; preface (which is very well written indeed); guide to dictionary; list of abbreviations; dictionary; seven appendixes, legal maxims, the constitution of the united states of america, universal declaration human rights; time chart of the united states supreme court; federal circuita map; british regnal years; list of works cited. The price is abit steep ... but it is well worth its price.

Know of of a lawyer (whom does not already have this indespenseable tool) or of a person heading to law school; then you should buy this book for them, i.e., Black's Law Dictionary by Bryan A. Garner (Editor), et al. The reference book starts out with a pronunciation guide; preface (which is very well written indeed); guide to dictionary; list of abbreviations; dictionary; seven appendixes, legal maxims, the constitution of the united states of america, universal declaration human rights; time chart of the united states supreme court; federal circuita map; british regnal years; list of works cited. The price is abit steep ... but it is well worth its price.

How can anyone even tangentially involved in the legal arena dispute the preeminence of Black's Law Dictionary? It simply has no peer. If you are unable to effortlessly recite definitions used in lay english, you don't have a prayer with legal words, phrases, and terminology.

This work contains thousands of definitions, has been recently updated (7th edition) to encompass new and evolving areas of the law, and addresses more legal maxims than a college latin professor can shake a stick at. It is, therefore, simply the best.

I would like to briefly and concisely address come of the concerns of other reviewers. First, the color of the cover is completely irrelevant to the quality of the book. Get over it. If the problem is really that bad, buy a can of spray paint. Next, this monster doesn't go to class - it sits on your desk at home. If you need a pocket law dictionary for class (which you do), go buy one. Stop complaining because it won't fit into your Levis. Finally, if you don't think you need it, you need it more than you think. Every first year law student cracks this book early in the first semester. There isn't one law school professor in the country who doesn't own a copy. It's standard fare at all major law firms. So again, please tell me, why don't you need to purchase the most comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date legal dictionary in the world?

I believe that this book encompasses the time period with both dignity and deference. The brilliant writings of the character's feelings and their actions. This novel, for all those who love history and the Cold War, is an excellent read.

"Snow Wolf" is a novel by Glenn Meade about the assassination of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. I picked up this book a number of years ago when it was first out in paperback, and immediately the book ranked among my favorites. I read it again and again, enjoying it every time! The depth of historical detail and graphic picture of life in Stalinist Russia is amazing and very, very interesting. As a Russophile and amateur Russian-language student for many years, I found this book absolutely amazing! It definitely is historically accurate and I have no doubt it will rank among the best books you have ever read. Please pick up this book TODAY!!!!!

This has to be the best thriller of all time. Simply wonderful. The characters and the story live with you long after you'ver finished the book. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I have also just finished reading The Sands of Sakkara. It has a lot in common with Snow Wolf, I think--and it's another terrific read. Thank you, Mr Meade. You're better than anyone around in the thriller writing business. And far better than Clancy or Forsythe ( Frederick, not Bruce) Keep them coming!

Hooray! Now here is a book that shows what Feng Shui really is! If you always thought "There must be more to Feng Shui than hanging crystal balls in the corner!" here are your answers. Don't get confused by the title, this book is for the serious student. It also can turn any idiot into an expert. Elizabeth Moran not only compiled the Feng Shui knowledge from the masters Joseph Yu and Val Biktashev, she also added a lot of scientific material to explain the origin of the concepts behind Feng Shui.
Like any "Complete Idiot's Guide" this one is well structured, you can take the long tour and read about all the backgrounds before you get to the practical applications, or you can immediately flip to the Feng Shui stuff and start practising in your own house. Wonder where your wealth corner is? In Traditional Feng Shui there are even two and there is also your personal wealth direction!
It was very brave of Elizabeth Moran to completely rewrite the book. (Make sure you get the "Second Edition!") The first edition was already better than average, but it still contained some confusing concepts. Now the Second Edition is THE book that a master can recommend to his clients if they want to know more about why he told them to move the bed.
It covers the two most common Feng Shui schools practiced throughout Asia - Eight House School and Flying Stars, it explains the backgrounds, advantages and disadvantages of both and how to combine them in reading the same house. For easy reference every possible star chart is in this book - they come in circles so the beginner can easily apply them, though it may be a little confusing at first for the advanced student.
Giving you even more at no extra cost, this book also includes an easy to read and easy to apply introduction into Chinese Astrology. All the tables are there to construct anybody's horoscope chart - and you don't have to learn a single Chinese character.
The Chinese believe that Heaven, Earth and Man must come together to create luck, that is doing the right thing in the right place at the right time. This book provides you with all the knowledge to find out when and where you can do it.
About the reviewer: Robert Schmitz is a professional Feng Shui consultant in Berlin, Germany. I am asked quite often which books I could recommend. Now I found one!

When you type in "feng shui," amazon search brings up 406 books (as of May
2002). Only about 10 are worth reading. Just because a book is popular
doesn't make it valid. As a tradition feng shui practitioner, I'm incensed at
what's happening in the book market. No doubt feng shui is hot. People are
getting book deals who have no knowledge of feng shui. Clearing Clutter? Give
me a break. Tradition feng shui has nothing to do with clutter clearing,
spirituality, religion, or "handing bells in your front door to ring in
happiness" as was printed in the magazine Feng Shui For Modern Living. This
is junk feng shui. New aged psychobabble, pure and simple. There is no wealth
corner. You won't find a mate by hanging a picture of lovebirds in your
bedroom. Mirrors won't attract or deflect good or bad qi. Please support this
book. Moran, Yu, and Biktashev are respected authorities of traditional feng
shui. They give instruction about two tradition methods - Eight House land
Flying Star. Here, you'll learn to determine what house (and mate) is
favorable to you. You'll learn about furniture placement and land evaluation.
Also, there's an entire section about The Four Pillars of Destiny, a system
of Chinese astrology. Here, you can learn to calculate your luck -- your
best years, months, and day, and your best colors. Other good books are by
Eva Wong, Raymond Lo, and Stephen Skinner, all of whom spoke at the feng shui
conference mentioned at the beginning of this review.

I would recommend this book to people who have a serious interest in feng shui and have read previous books and would like to go deeper.

This book has a lot of background information that will not appeal to time starved dabblers. But then again, I do not think that this is the target audience that the authors had in mind. This is a serious textbook despite the "Idiot's" title. But as an "Idiot's" book, it implies that this is a (serious) amateur's (apprentice's) book.

Think of this book as a fundamental Feng Shui 101 text.

The Four Pillars, Eight Trigrams and Flying Stars sections are excellent and the most readable that I have come across. Although there are some differences regarding the Eight Houses, it is only to be expected.

Also, there's quite a bit of overlap with this book and the other Idiot's book on I Ching which some of you may wish to acquire.

It will give the reader a darned good foundation and crystallises previous ideas into working knowledge. As a 101 book, it goes deep but not enough to graduate.

Overall, very well laid out and logically presented. It lays very solid foundations and builds on them progressively.

Well done Elizabeth, Messrs Joseph and Val! Now please bring out a second level journeyman book with lots of in-depth flying stars and case studies. :-)

And any other book you may care to release in between.

This book is written as fiction, although anyone who has read it agrees it is NOT fiction. The Apostle John, the Revelator, teaches the author, who, in turn, teaches the reader, a new method of discerning the truth termed as the "Intuitive Principle". Intuition is not new, but the method of using intuition to rise above the "beast" is being presented as a old but new method, thereby providing the reader with a most valuable asset of communication through the soul with the Christ Himself. Another principle introduced is the "Oneness Principle". In addition, the explanation of why John is a true Immortal is simple and believable. There are many truths in this book that John easily explains that make sense, such as reincarnation, karma, the New Jerusalem, The Ancient of Days, Shamballa, to mention a few. The author, Mr. Dewey has done an excellent job of communicating a story about his encounter with John, the author of the Book of Revelations. It is not channeled material. Is it fact or fiction? Only those who have ears to hear and eyes to see will be able to discern the answer to this question.

Quite simply, this book has changed my life.

Even though it was written as fiction, eternal truths weave through every page. Truths that uplift the spirit and give one hope for the future.

Dewey gives a new (but strangely familiar) slant on many subjects that have consumed philosophers, religious teachers and ordinary seekers for eons, such as: who we really are, what our mission is, the nature of God, the work of the Brotherhood of Light, soul contact/Christ consciousness (to name just a few). His teachings on these topics filled my heart with joy - here is a man who knows the Truth!

I have no doubt that Dewey is a significant teacher with a God-given mission to assist prepare the world for the next stage of its evolution. I am also certain that this book is one of the most important books to be written in years.

If you have a yearning in your heart to understand the mysteries of life, read this book. But be prepared to never be the same again.

This is the one of the most thrilling pieces I have ever read, because it confirms what Jesus said, that there would be some that would not taste of death as written in the Bible, in Matthew. This book will make you look inward and at yourself in an entirely different way. If you believe in miricles, you will believe this one. He has made the first 21 chapters free to read on the web, by just doing a search on the title. This little free-view absolutely made me thirst for more! I had MANY inner questions answered and confirmed. As a whole, it makes for great reading and spurs you into looking forward to MORE of what the author will have to offer.

While Graham Greene's writing is noticeably without flashiness, it is also without flaws. Always subtle and graceful, with each novel he wrote he quietly established himself as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. The Quiet American is no exception. It is a perfectly balanced novel. Greene expertly juxtaposes the character of Fowler, the British journalist, with Pyle, the American aid worker. Fowler is older, more reserved, more experienced. Pyle is young, more ambitious, and seemingly more naive. Fowler lives his life by the journalist's number one rule - stay impartial, don't take sides, just report what you see. Pyle, by contrast, is passionate about making a difference in the struggle against communism in Vietnam. They serve as beautiful foils for one another, and together they guide the reader through a profound exploration of the importance of being committed to a cause. As Greene writes, one must eventually take sides in order to truly live. This book is also an elegant comparison of two different cultures. One learns lots about Vietnam within minutes of arriving, Greene points out. And it is also a tender love story, though not a traditional one. Greene masterfully blends this love story with a powerful and morally complex political scenario in a way that few modern writers could pull off. As with all of Greene's work, this is excellent fiction.

The "Quiet American" is set in mid-1950s colonial Vietnam. The author, a Brit, does an excellent job in setting the scene and characters. Virtually everything is appropriate to what must have been the time and place. Therein lies the diffficulty with the novel. While very well written, with sharp, cynical dialog, it is all too easy to read too much into "QA". There are all kinds of opportunities to behold allegorical references in Alden Pyle (the namesake),Vigot(the French detective), Fowler(the cynical Brit journalist) and especially Phoung, the young Saigon woman. Poor Phoung!! She and that sister will outlive us all. Armed with 20/20 historical hindsight, how easy it is to proclaim that "QA" is prophetic and prescient! If only LBJ had read it! Or Nixon!! This reviewer (and Vietnam vet) is a bit more cynical.The devil's advocate in me might state that Greene merely wrote a superior novel, set in Vietnam, but with nothing more added. Pyle, Phoung and the whole crew represent no one other than themselves. The story can stand quite capably on its' own two feet. with no "historical perspectives" required. The conflict between these views is the essence of "QA". I have to mention a classic line from the plot: "The French Army controlled the highways until 7PM. After that, they controlled the watch towers".That was Vietnam in a sentance. Every night our unit went back to our base camp, closed the gates and posted guys in the guard towers. Vietnam is a scary place after sundown and Charley (the Viet Cong or "Victor Charley") ran the place after dark. The headline is borrowed from my buddy, Jim Lydlle, the chaplain's assistant. Of the 2 opinions above, I prefer the latter. "QA" is not prophecy. It takes an American or a Frenchman to capture the essence of Indochina, just as I believe only Brits and Irishmen can write about Ireland. Readers wishing to appreciate the fascinating French Vietnamese period should pounce on "Street Without Joy" by the late Bernard Fall. The reader able to ignore all these constraints will enjoy "The Quiet American" on its'own merits. Too many constraints?. Welcome to Vietnam!

Graham Greene is the sort of writer with very broad appeal. He deals with important ideas, and his fiction has real substance, but at the same time his novels are virtually effortless reads; they are action-packed, exciting, and wonderfully entertaining.

"The Quiet American" is by no means his best novel, but it is still a damned good one--certainly in the top ten of the Greene ouevre.

The story, set in French-occupied Vietnam around 1953-54, is rather simple. The narrator, an aging, cynical war correspondent (Thomas Fowler) tells us how his little Asian paradise was ruined by the arrival of an American military advisor (Alden Pyle) sent to help the French fight Vietnamese communism. Fowler went to cover the war in Vietnam, and as sometimes happens with war correspondents, fell in love with the country and its people. He fell in love with a beautiful young Vietnamese girl (Phuong) and discovered the pleasures of opium. Ignoring the inevitability of the French defeat and the seizure of the country by the communists, Fowler believes he can make a home for himself there in Indochina to live happily ever after with his girl.

Pyle arrives. Ostensibly, his official mission is to provide advisory support to a clumsy French army that knows nothing of guerilla warfare. He is much younger, much more naive (seemingly) than Fowler. The two develop an odd sort of friends-but-rivals relationship as Pyle openly declares his intention of marrying Phuong and taking her back to America.

Fowler gradually discovers that Pyle's real purpose is the covert support of a "Third Force" (in real life, this was Ngo Dinh Diem) which will replace the French-backed emperor Bao Dai. Pyle, he discovers, was also involved in a terrorist bombing which killed several innocent bystanders. At this point, goaded by jealousy and fueled by anger at Pyle's (and America's) presumption that the West knows what is best for Vietnam, Fowler betrays Pyle (this is never made completely clear, but that is my reading) and helps some Viet Minh thugs ambush him. Pyle is killed, and the authorities find his body in the muddy river. Fowler briefly struggles with his guilt over this complicity at the end of the novel but we are left with a sense that Pyle's death would have happened sooner or later regardless of Fowler's interference.

The book was attacked as anti-American and pro-Communist when it was published. Greene was no communist, but he made no secret of his feelings about the American presence in Vietnam. In many ways the book really does illustrate 1950s-early 60s America's failure to see Vietnam as a unique country with its own unique problems rather than another "domino" in danger of toppling to Sino-Soviet aggression.

Read the biographies of Graham Greene and Edward Lansdale (the real-life character on which Pyle was based) for details on Lansdale's activities in Vietnam and Greene's reaction to them.

This book was interesting and I couldn't put it down. Of course, this was written by Jules Verne and was filled with exciting moments. Philleas Fogg, an Englishman, bets 20,000 pounds that he can travel around the world in 80 days with his companion and sevant named Jean Passepartout. After betting this money at the reform club, he departs soon from London and travels all the way around the world. After arriving in many different countries by many different means of transportation, he lands in India and runs into a enchanting young princess who is about to be killed. Fogg and Passepartout come to the rescue and keep moving right along. And soon, they fell in love. But this whole time, there was trouble right behind him. Detective Fix thinks Fogg was a bank robber and this detective is following him everywhere so he can arrest him in London. Passepartout ends up thinking this man is a member of the reform club, and thinks he's trying to stop them from getting there. After many close calls through transportation and an arrest, Fogg arrives. But you'll have to read it yourself to find out what happens. It's a wonderful book and if you haven't read it, it's a good book to read.

Before there was any kind of high-speed travel an English gentleman named Phileas Fogg betted 20,000 pounds that he can travel around the world in 80 or less days. He starts his journey in London. On his way he meets a beautiful Indian Princess. Fogg also gets mistaken for a criminal. During his whole journey he has a detective following him trying to arrest him when the warrant arrives. In the book you follow Fogg's adventures through four continents when he is racing against time. The book is fast-paced, action-packed adventure with both romance and danger.

The characters in the story were introduced very well, especially Phileas Fogg. In the beginning of the book you get to know that Fogg is a very private gentleman. He never goes to any social places except the Reform Club. A remarkable thing about Fogg is that his life is centered around the clock. He is very precise and always on time. Every day he follows the exact same schedule. Phileas Fogg does not have a wife or any kids.

The setting of the book was very jumpy. Since Fogg travels through many continents and countries the setting changes all the time. You still feel you know a little bit about every place that he comes to, even if he only stays there for a couple of hours.

When I started reading the book I thought it would be a really good book and it really did meet my standards. I would recommend it to any one who likes adventure and action. Since it is written in so many different versions a person almost any age can read it.

I think this book is a superior book because it is full of action. This book is about a man named Mr. Phileas Fogg, and his faithful servant, Passepartout, that wager a bet that They can travel the whole world in eighty days stopping at Suez via Mont Cenis and Brindisi, then to Bombay, then Calcutta, Hong Kong, Japan (Yokohama), San Francisco, New York, back to London, all within eighty days, and by steamboats, and trains. However, a nosy detective, Detective Fix, tracks them down, and tries to arrest Mr. Fogg because he believes that Fogg stole fifty-five thousand pounds. As one may guess, this greatly detains Mr. Fogg, and it seems like he may not make the trip around the world after all. However, the Fix never seems to catch up with Fogg, and Fogg triumphs over most of the obstacles that come his way, like missing boats, missing trains, missing people, and Fogg even meets and rescues a beautiful Indian Princess called Aouda. However, Fix finally catches up to the detective, and everything seems lost for Fogg until Fix discovers that Fogg was not the robber, and Fogg is released. Even so, Fogg is one day late, and in doing so, misses the train that would have taken him to London precisely to win the bet. He ordered a special train, but even in doing so, still misses the bet...or so he thinks. The ending of the book is a very unexpected one. Read this book and find out!