A friend bought me this book for Christmas because I was thinking of running for office. I didn't think much of the book until I sat down to read it. What a great book! This book dosen't waste your time reading through a lot of useless material to get to the point. I already had some ideas as to how I was going to run my campaign. After I sat down to read the book, I realized that some of my ideas would have wasted a lot of my time and money. Now, with the advice from this book I will be able to put on a much more effective campaign. I have a few friends who are thinking of running for office and I plan to do them a favor and buy them this book.

What an easy book to read. It's written in laymen's terms and it is so easy to understand. The author goes straight to the point on every page. There is no wasted space here. The advise on targeting the voter and how to maximize your time when going door-to-door is worth the cost of the book itself. If you are going to run for a public office, as I plan to, this book is a very wise investment!

The advice I found in this book was fantastic! It showed me several ways to save a lot of money in a campaign for public office. I really liked the advice in the first two chapters about what to expect when you get into politics. It was a real eye-opener for me. With all that I have learned from this book, I know that my first campaign will be ten times more effective, and I'll save money at the same time! I would recommend this book to anyone who even thinks they might someday run for office!

Extraordinary Powers is an amazing book that tells a plausible story with likable main characters. And it makes your palms sweat, the clarity with which he describes frantic chases, gun fights and emotions.

The greatest triumph of the novel is its unpredictability. Admittedly, the beginning gave me what I had anticipated but from then onwards, every thing that goes is never what you expect. Just when you settle down for a respite from the intense action, Finder slaps you in the face and keeps you turning pages at ten pages a minute with another chase, more mind-reading and more uncovering of the conspiracy. A very well-crafted work.

That is where the story succeeds, in capturing your attention and keeping you reading on. The novel is utterly well crafted, the conspiracy completely probable and the action searingly hot. Most notable is the ending which is satisfying and better then at least half of the other books availible. Just when you least expect it, the dazzling suspense starts boiling again.

Like every other book, this one has its flaws, namely the fact that the dialogue is unconvincing. Every one talks in exactly the same way! Finder also tends to occassionaly drift away and end up overwhelming the reader with TOO much detail.

All this aside, Extraordinary Powers is one HELL OF A READ.

High Crimes is the latest (last?) in Finder's collection of four (to date) outstanding novels which, upon investigation, reveal some of the most enlightening political info and predictions of our time. His first book, Moscow Club, accurately predicted the Soviet coup just before its occurrence. His second, Extraordinary Powers, accurately predicted the exposure of a high ranking CIA mole. His third, Zero Hour, explains the pitiful security of the world's finance system (and thank God it hasnt come true yet!), and his latest High Crimes pre-dates by three years a remarkably similar tale as the one recently uncovered concerning former Senator Bob Kerrey's command in Vietnam. A truly informative and knowledgeable man with a knack for fantastic presentation, Finder's books are some of the finest around. Pick them up, and you won't ever want to put them down.

Extraordinary Powers is the second in Finder's collection of four (to date) outstanding novels which, upon investigation, reveal some of the most enlightening political info and predictions of our time. His first book, Moscow Club, accurately predicted the Soviet coup just before its occurrence. His second, Extraordinary Powers, accurately predicted the exposure of a high ranking CIA mole. His third, Zero Hour, explains the pitiful security of the world's finance system (and thank God it hasnt come true yet!), and his latest High Crimes pre-dates by three years a remarkably similar tale as the one recently uncovered concerning former Senator Bob Kerrey's command in Vietnam. A truly informative and knowledgeable man with a knack for fantastic presentation, Finder's books are some of the finest around. Pick them up, and you won't ever want to put them down.

This book won the Pulitzer prize for the soundest of reasons. As the other reviews indicate, this book gives perspective to the actions and times of General Stillwell in China, but like Ms. Tuchman's other books "Stillwell" operates on several levels, giving a sensible and ultimately useful history of Sino-American relations since the arrival of the American missionaries in the middle of the 19th century. By the time I finished reading this book, American foreign policy towards China made great sense even when those policies were ill-founded. I don't believe you can find a more profitable or enjoyable read in all of history. Definately give this book a read.

This book is about a period that is both so important and yet largely neglected in American education. The book is quite easy to read with its strong steady narrative flow, its interest in the personalities at play as well as its study of the background of their struggles. Since the book came out around the time of the Vietnam War, I assumed it would be more anti-American foreign policy in tone than it is. It's quite balanced.

Tuchman obviously regards Stilwell as the hero of the tale. It's hard to come to any other conclusion about this deeply humble but brilliant, unwearying but always frustrated man. Yet she is quite fair in assessing the difficulties faced by Stilwell's close-to-home antagonist, Chiang Kai Shek. She is also not sparing in describing the courage, success and tactical genius of Claire Chennault, whose (clearly wrong-headed) conception of the War was opposed to that of Stilwell.

The story of America in China in WWII and its aftermath is so fascinating, so HUGELY important - and still so relatively little publicized - especially in relation to the affairs of MacArthur, Nimitz and Halsey in the Pacific or Eisenhower, Bradley and Patton in Europe.

I long for a movie that will show the fascinating struggle among Stilwell, Chiang, and Chennault in relation to the Japanese and Mao's Communists. It can be said that America's foreign policy in 1943-50 has far less immediate impact in post Cold War Europe today than in Japan, China, Burma, and Indonesia. America's two costly wars since WWII have been in Asia. This book gives a wonderful background to anyone interested in how did the existing state of affairs in China come to pass?

America was intimately involved - particularly two Americans - 1) Claire Lee Chennault, a maverick Cajun from Louisiana who resigned from the American Air Force in rage at their refusal to adopt his revolutionary views on fighters and bombing - and became the head of China's Air Force in 1937; 2) Joseph Stilwell, an upper middle class WASP from a family that went back to the early 1600s, who had been intimately involved with China since the 1920s.

It's just a great story, and it's unlikely you know much of it.

I dicovered this book by accident in a used book store a few years ago. My first introduction to Barbara Tuchman, and I was hooked. The other reviewers have highly rated the ease of reading this book and I wholeheartedly agree. This is a substantial book on many levels. I would like to comment that in addition to its ease of reading, it brought to light a man that I believe has been neglected by post World War II historians, politicians and his own military. I recall the (1960s) film titled Merrill's Marauders in which General Stillwell makes a brief appearence. Little did I know then what depth of involvement he had in China and that theatre of the war. One knows of Patton, Nimitz, King, Halsey, and of course, Eisenhower and MacArthur, but Stillwell, well, he truly had the most thankless job in WW II. Ms. Tuchman did a wonderful job of describing a China caught between feeble attempts at modernizing and reverence for the old ways, competing political systems and national interests at a time of great change in the world at large. I came away from this book with the utmost respect for General Stillwell.

This was a brilliant work from days gone past. Oddly, the story could happen as easily today as it did when written, the only difference being that the censored content of yesterday would be praiseworthy subtlty today.

As the backcover quotation reads, it made William S. Boroughs "want to be a writer." It made me wonder why I can't find his second book. It should be noted that the illustrations by Art Spielgelman clearly add to the aura of the consuming experiece.

I highly recommend this book that can be read in under an hour. Give it to poetry haters. They can access the work thouugh the tough sexy voice and may enjoy poetry as might have been impossible before.

A brilliant piece of writing. I truly enjoyed this book.March has created a vivid world with a minimal amount of words and a very interesting style of poetry. I don't know that I've ever read an extended poem (for lack of a better word, it doesn't really qualify as an epic) that had me so involved and so interested in the story being told. The illustrations are amazing in this edition of the book as well. Highly recommended!

The wild party is a brilliant poem that pre-empts the beats' sense of rhythm and love for the low-down and dirty elements of modern life. Even though it was written six decades ago, it is fantastically modern. With a pulsuating, driving style that includes violence, humour and excitement, The Wild Party grips the reader from beginning to end. Spielgelman's illustrations, although nice and evocative, do not match the pure intensity of the writing. Well done to Spielgelman for finding this 'lost classic' and re-publishing it (although on the spine his name gets top billing which seem a little self-centred seeing as the books power lies entirely in the words, not the pictures. Indeed the writing is so bitingly vivid that the pictures are unneeded). I have read this book over a hundred times and it never fails to quicken my pulse and ressurect my love for poetry.

I was aware of the many moral positions taken by John Paul II on different issues. But this book explains the philosophical and theological background to the positions. The chapters on conscience, law, and freedom are especially good. Very careful scholarship.

There's a lot of uninformed controversy over the moral teaching of John Paul II. Finally, a group of Jesuits (who else?) have clearly explained the teaching of the pope. This is a very fine study of the Pope's teachings on controversial issues: family planning, economics, religion and politics. There is a wide range of opinions, but most authors clearly support the Pope.

This is an impressive book on the moral thought of John Paul II. The Jesuits write with verve about the moral views of the pope. The viewpoints go from liberal to conservative. The most interesting chapters talk about how the Pope's moral theory affects the political activism of the church.

For years now, I have been told that I have Borderline Personality Disorder. I was never told what I could do to heal myself though. Thank God I found this book because not only is it informative but it gave me solutions, specific activities that I could do to realize where my problems came from and how to overcome them. I recommend this book to anyone who is tired of suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder.

At first when i bought the book i new that wasn't for me... I kept it in on the shelf for 6 months. Then i got curious and start reading it. How the story is written you don't have to reflect the things that happen on yourself, but when you have Borderline you automatically project the life of the main character on yourself. For me that automatically gave me a solution of finally doing something with my life, in stead of mokking and becoming a grumpy person. I can truly say: This book saved my life. :)

This is one of the best self-help books I have read. It is an intelligent, thorough, clear introduction of borderline personality disorders. It is designed to assist the reader in progressing through the illness at the same time they increase their understanding of the illness. The journal exercises are clear and very helpful. The writing is professional and well documented. This is very, very well designed and well written book. Worth every penny I paid for it and the two weeks I spent reading it very carefully.

I've enjoyed reading Gerald Lund's The Work and the Glory series. Having just finished All is Well (Volume 9), I now know more about LDS Church history and I've come to better appreciate the sacrifices that my ancestors made for their faith and beliefs. As a member of the LDS Church and as a history buff, I believe that The Work and the Glory series is a valuable means by which one can learn more about Church history.

All is Well (Volume 9) deals with the initial migration of the Sainits to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. I knew very little about the details of this historic event until I read this book. For instance, I didn't know that the number of Saints making the initial entrance into the Salt Lake Valley was so few in number. I also knew little about the Mormon Battalion and the Donner-Reed party's disaster. Because of this book, I now feel compelled to learn more about the West's rich history, in addition to the history of early Mormon Utah.

I agree with other reviews that The Work and the Glory series lacks a certain authentic element. In a way, the characters seem to be modern LDS Church members transported back in time. And I think Lund could have made more of an effort to make the characters not come across so perfect. However, I do understand that the context in which Lund wrote these books is one that is faith promoting, and I have no problem with that.

Hi, I am 13 yrs. old. The work and the Glory series are the best books in the world. I have read them all atleast 4 times each. Once o got out of 5th grade, i was what, 11 yr old, I took them off our self and read them and have read all of them in 3 weeks!
These series are not only wrote by one of the Quorum of the Seventy, but beats Harry Potter, And Lord of the Rings.
This Series are about a family living in Pennsayaia, Just a little after Joseph Smith has recievced a vision on hill cumorah, and is four years of learning are nearing to an end.
Any way, the family listens to Joseph and 1 member hates him and turns, well, goes really bad. 1 doesn't hate him but won't let his family talk about it, and the rest find it to be true. This series goesthrough the period of time from a little before the Book of Mormon is published, through Joseph Smith Marytr, and ends were The Family enter the Salt Lake valley and is starting to settle there. This book is so detailed, it's like you are actually there in the story wacthing all these people get, what the word? Suffer through the trial the mormon has face, but you can't do anything about it. You see the Hauns Mill Incedant, Joseph Get killed, The suffers and pains Emma smith goes through. Gerald N. Lund has made the History of the Latter Day Saints come to life in these 9 books. I think he sould be awarded for the best author of the year! Not to be mean, Yea, Harry Potter is Cool, Lord Of the Rings shows Courage, But there is no book That is Like this, with the Exception of the scriptures. Go and get yourself lost during where the church is brought back to the earth. And this book is not just for grown up, and members. This book is for every one no matter what age, It is like a story. A really good story. I just can't stop saying things about it

I'm an aspiring writer, and have wondered how to bring my religious beliefs into my writing, yet keep my own style. Gerald Lund has succeeded in this challenge admirably. He has preserved the historical context of the early Church, yet has created a personal aspect that could make any artist cry. Joshua's personal trials and growth kept my continual sympathy, and I smiled to read of the simple family joys of the Steeds. The sorrows were there too, and the shattering conflicts--the deaths, poverty, and sickness of the most-loved characters, and their sympathy with actual historical figures. I also admired this author's ability to insert fictional characters into real events with minimal interference, adhering closely to all known occurences and headcounts. I, along with others, am sometimes disappointed by the Steeds' role on the sidelines, but so many other families--like my own large collection of LDS ancesters--were little-mentioned in the records we have, out of the many who traveled west with and after Brigham Young. I appreciate that the author lets us know when he changes anything, and even gives his sources. These books are truly a work of art, simply good to read for members and nonmembers. I'm sad they're over, but will always say to the author, well done!

...But, then again, what is? I guess my expectations for this book were way too high. I loved "Catch-22", and it ranks amongst my favorite books of all time. But "Good As Gold" seemed...off. It reads almost as if someone was trying to immitate Heller (a poor immitation at that). It was nearly as funny as "Catch-22", nor was the humor as dark or ironic. It was absurd, for the most part. Only Ralph and the other Politicians in the book had lines with any real biting social criticism that were comparable to EVERYTHING EVERYONE said in "Catch-22". It does make many interesting comments on politics in America, though frankly they are expessed elsewhere in a more productive manner. I found my copy at Half price books for about a buck, and I consider it worth that much, at least. In short, read "Catch-22", if you just love it, read "Good as Gold" for a Heller-heroin fix...

(I do need to write up my favorite quote from the novel though...from Ralph- "American Democracy is the most rigid aristocracy on earth...")

Good As Gold successfully transposes the anti-logic and hilarity of Catch-22 to the world of lecturing and high-level politics.

Politics is, of course, a natural home for Heller's sense of the ridiculous. And although the machinations of the White House staff seem absurd, they are also naggingly true-to-life. The book is actually too near the bone for comfort on occasion.

But it brings tears to the eyes, it's so funny.

Gold at home with his extended family (where he spends much of the novel) suffering their babbling insanity is supremely comical. No matter how successful he is, they just treat him like dirt. And he has to grit his teeth.

These are hilarious characters and you just feel a touch embarrassed for whomever they were based on. Because they're too real to be entirely fictional... Surely.

Excellent, intelligent, funny, thought-provoking novel. But it's probably safer to not read it on the train. People might stare while you lose your composure.

It so apropos today. Bruce Gold has a job at the White House... to make sure the politicians say absolutely nothing of any importance at all, but sound like they are. This book is biting. Hilarious. I have read all his books and oddly enough while I loved Catch-22, and Something Happened, this one sticks with me. It is all about the Orwellian newspeak which I seem to hear everywhere these days. But done with a wicked sense of humour. Laugh out loud funny. The best political satire I have ever read.

In the opening prologue of Senator Lieberman and co-author Michael D'Orso's book "In Praise of Public Life," Lieberman tells about a lunch that he had with his interns and how his interns described how disenchanted many of their classmates and cohorts are with public officials and public life. Lieberman further describes how this conversation motivated him to write this book, in defense of politics and public life. From this opening prologue I expected to read about the "success" stories of Lieberman and others in passing legislation, helping a constituent, or making sweeping changes that would motivate people into running for office.

Yet, this book is much more realistic, it provides the 'real' spin on public life. Lieberman's style of writing draws upon many of his own experiences to aid in the understanding of what it takes to be a public official. From these examples Lieberman hopes that the reader will understand the sacrifices, long hours, partisanship, sacrifices of family and personal freedom required to live a life in public office. Lieberman further hopes that this book will motivate people to take a part in public life in varying degrees- from voting, contacting elected officers, or perhaps running for office. In all, this slim book is a decent read and very interesting in understanding a different side of politics.

Joseph Liberman isn't like other politicans, but it many ways he personifies exactly what we desire to elect into office: personality, honesty, and integrity. In his most recent novel, Senator Liberman opens with a preface and first couple of chapters that are second to none in showing how a powerful university education and lofty aspirations has helped him in his accention to the top of the political hierarchy. Through his grass-roots foundlings as the first individual to attend college in his family, I've gathered an aura of self-determinism that's seemingly very important in the world of politics. No one was driving him to seek the offices he did more than himself; he was his own political machine. His experiences in attending to the necessary evils of campain raising and meeting with disenchanted voters, the Senator delineates how an ordionary individual may look upon the life of a politican's day-to-day hussle and bustle. The constant struggle to gain leverage in a power-hungry Congress while not compromising morals is notably difficult.

"In Praise" has given me a taste of politics in a witty, succint view, and I would reccommend to anyone who has two hours to be enlightened.

This book was written before Senator Lieberman's nomination for Vice President, and it remains a valuable read now that Election 2000 is over. Whether you're a Democrat, Republican, third party member, independent or undecided, this book has a great deal to recommend it. It should be required reading for anyone considering a career in politics, and for citizens who want an accessible account of what the life of a modern politican is like.

Senator Lieberman begins by explaining that "career politician" -- a term so often seen as negative -- does not have to mean someone who is entrenched in graft and dishonesty. Just as professionals in other fields have a responsibility to uphold the very best standards of their professions, so do politicians. Lieberman considers politics to be his chosen career, the same as a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or other professional. He strives to do his job with a strong sense of moral responsibility, fully aware that public life is, well, public. He writes: "I assume that everything I do in my life -- EVERYTHING -- could possibly become public and therefore I should not do anything privately that I could not justify publicly." (p. 51)

The Senator's arguments in favor of politics as a bona fide career also changed my own stance on term limits. Before reading this book, I thought term limits were a good idea, as a way to prevent bad politicians from becoming entrenched. But, as Senator Lieberman eloquently points out, running a country is a big responsibility that takes years of experience. Having a large portion of the Senate turn over every few years would be inefficent, because everybody would be relatively new to the job. Besides, Lieberman points out, we already have ways to remove bad politicians. They're called elections.

As a religious Jew, I also appreciated the Senator's openness about the role that religion plays in his life. There have been other Jewish politicians in high offices, but none, so far as I know, have been as open as Lieberman about their beliefs. All too often, American Jews are reluctant to discuss religion in public, giving the false impression that we don't believe in anything. Senator Lieberman brings some balance to this issue, while educating the public about Judaism in the process. When, for example, he was asked by the press, "How do you relax?" his answer was, "The Sabbath." This book he gives a good picture of how he balances Sabbath observance with carrying out his public duties. During national emergencies such as the Persian Gulf War, he votes on the Sabbath, under the principle of temporarily setting aside the Sabbath prohibitions in order to save lives. (For the benefit of Lieberman critics who ask "How can he be revere life and support abortion rights," let me point out that Jewish law permits and even requires abortion under certain circumstances, and these differ from the Roman Catholic stance. Those who are interested in further details should read David M. Feldman's book, "Marital Relations, Birth Control, and Abortion in Jewish Law," which I have reviewed here on Amazon.)

In conclusion: I heard Senator Lieberman speak at a rally in Duluth during the Presidential campaign, and was very impressed with him, both as an eloquent speaker and a mentsch -- that wonderful Yiddish word that his campaign added to our national vocabulary, meaning "a fine human being". Our government could use a lot more politicians like him -- whatever their party affiliations. This book really deserves ten stars!

This is book gives cinematography some simple rules that helps future filmmakers and the book explains the rules fairly well. In addition, the images and pictures in the book enhances the readers ability to understand what the writer is trying to communicate. It is a good beginning for those who are interested in film making.

If you're like me and you've sifted through dozens of books on film technique that were about anything but, you can stop searching. "The Five C's of Cinematography" is not only well-written but virtually everything in it is essential to learning good film technique. Most authors of these types of books either don't completely understand the medium, aren't interested in sharing their wisdom or are just looking to make a quick buck. Mascelli delivers all the goods. He provides the best explanation of the axis line I've ever read and his diagrams are simple, yet very helpful. This is a guy who clearly wanted to share his knowledge. You can throw out all your other filmmaking books.

I've read several reviews on this book and none of them mention the first thing that struck me about it - the dense, convoluted, heavy and generally biblical writing style ! Get to the point, Mascelli ! However, this broad-based and totally off-hand criticism of the entire book hasn't stopped me giving it five stars ! Why ? Because, overall the book is very well structured, and FULL of information. The style is part of his view of the world of film-making and his frequent trips round the houses take us to the many places that we need to visit in getting to know that world. I just wish that all the off-topic information had been broken down into separate chapters and presented as individual reading topics. But then it would be "The 50 Cs" and a very different book from Mascelli's ! No, I rate this book very highly as it is. I picked it up at a time when I couldn't even see a cut-on-action, never mind see why it was used, what the alternatives might have been, etc. I had previously read somewhere that "the camera should depict the action, not become part of it", yet never found a book which taught this as a method. I hoped that an "old-school" book might do that, and the "5 Cs" doesn't disappoint. Through it, I've finally started to "get" what film-making is about and, as I'm sure another reviewer has said, I'll probably never look at films the same way again. Besides, if someone thinks they're interested in film-making, this book is a good test. If they can't make their way through Mascelli's Mountain of Words, they're never going to succeed in getting a film made ! On the other hand, I only read it because I was stuck on a train for long periods of time, so maybe something easier to read would be of value. To a prospective reader, I'd say that this book is invaluable. You may never make a film they way this book describes, but you WILL need to know why not ! Do what I did - read it, then read it again and make notes, lots of them !