"What makes a leader truly great?" [reads the back jacket of this book...] "Is it simply a matter of management style or personality?"

No, answers the author -- it is simply a matter of being a good Christian. But what is a good Christian? Why, that is simply someone who believes exactly as Marvin Olasky believes. It's just that simple...

unfortunately, the book also irritated me, and I have never been called a liberal by anyone. While I appreciated Olasky's assertion that private morals DO matter in public office, I thought his approach was simplistic and narrow. If one takes Olasky's arguments to their logical conclusion, one would have to say that there aren't too many people in the history of humankind who have adopted the correct religious view. Olasky's version of heaven is going to be quite thinly populated I suspect...Jefferson, who was a founding father of our republic and doubled its size while in office, is portrayed as a godless, snobby, scheming, screw-up. Jackson, a violent man who defied the Supreme Court and signed the death warrant for thousands of civilized Cherokees seeking legal redress, is portrayed as your favorite god-fearing uncle. I suppose the battalions of left-wing revisionists brought this sort of book upon themselves in a way, but sometimes I just wish the pendulum could settle in the middle for a while. History should be about getting at the TRUTH, not supporting your pet argument at all costs.

Conclusion: the less thoughtful among the fundamentalist Christians will find fodder for their arguments here and will save having to read all the real history in the bargain. The Clinton-esque liberals will bust veins in the heads over this outrage. The true historians will quietly shake their heads and toss this book aside.

I purchased this volume after watching Olasky on C-Span. Being familiar with his magazine, "World," and the Turning Point Christian Worldview Series which he edited, I was impressed with his thesis: character counts. To Olasky, character is displayed by the diligence one gives to daily duty--fidelity to one's faith, fidelity to one's mate, fidelity to one's deepest covenents. Though perhaps simplistic and certainly not an exhaustive list of criteria by which to judge a man, these are fundamental to what a man becomes. Moral vision--character--counts. In this, Olasky is on target.

Olasky's efforts to review the moral and social characteristics of select American leaders, both political and social is clear in its content and abolute in the documented truth he brings to light. A number of the subjects reviewed clearly illustrate the dilemma of American culture - pragmaticism at the sacrifice of ideals higher and more substantive than the needs of the moment. Judeo-Christian ethic, the core of our history, is brought to light in a very real manner. Political history students of all ages will benefit by his illustrations and analysis.

Read A THOUSAND COUNTRY ROADS by Robert
James Waller, an epilogue to THE BRIDGES OF MADISON
COUNTY . . . I was sooooo looking forward to this to see
what happened to Robert Kinkaid and Francesca Johnson,
the memorable characters introduced in the earlier book.

But this short tale did very little for me, and I must admit
that I was disappointed . . . very much so, in fact. Francesca
plays far too small a part . . . instead, I got to meet other
characters who frankly had little interest to me.

Waller certainly does have a way with words . . . as such,
several passages did nevertheless catch my attention . . . among them:

Still, Richard had a sense of it all. His deathbed words, a muted, scratchy sound deep in his throat only a few hours before he became unconscious. "Francesca, I know you had your own dreams, too. I'm sorry I couldn't give them to you."

"Hell, yes," the old man said. "Ain't met him yet, but like dogs, overall. Hardly ever met a dog without all the elements of good character--trust, loyalty, honor, all that. Can't say the same for most people l've met."

Carlisle started to protest, but Kincaid held up one hand, indicating he had more to say. "This has to do with a view of life and death that's almost impossible to explain in words. It's more of a gut-level feeling that time and I are old partners, that I'm just another rider on the big arrow. My life is worth no more than what I have done with it, and I've always seen the search for immortality as not only futile but ludicrous, just as elaborate coffins are a pathetic attempt
to evade the carbon cycle."

Robert James Waller's "A Thousand Country Roads" is NOT a continuation of "Bridges of Madison County" as some readers thought but actually deals with the in-between, after Kincaid left Iowa and before he died. During this time, he met up with a son he thought didn't exist and it shows how close both Kincaid and Francesca at meeting each other. Also, I am amazed that some readers wanted to know if they were going to meet even though it said clearly in "Bridges of Madision County" that they would not meet.

The author's writing skills is great and very personal. The book is short but especially intense and deep. Waller has the ability to bring and draw his readers into the story and just mesmerize his readers. Some might not like this book or feel dissatisfied because the ending is not what they want even though the ending was already determined in the previous book. I do agree that Waller should not dwell on the Kincaid past quite that much. However, I still think this is still a great story. I also highly recommend that the readers should read "Bridges of Madison County" first in order to understand better the story.

It has been a long time since we've heard these all-too familiar names: Francesca Johnson and Robert Kincaid. A decade ago, it was impossible to enter a movie theatre or abookstore without being bombarded with images of the world's all-time bestselling hardcover novel: The Bridges of Madison County. Now, we hear those names again...

A Thousand Country Roads is aptly described on the book jacket as an epilogue to Bridges. It is exactly that. This new book shows us some of the inbetween spaces in the lives of Robert and Francesca. A Thousand Country Roads aims to answer some questions about what happened to the two lovers after their affair at Roseman Bridge. What it does, and does well, is give us more insight into how the events in Bridges affected both Francesca and Robert and how they deal with it. Interestingly, for both people, a nostalgic journey is in the works.

Adding some excellent new characters and a few very clever twists, Robert Waller has recreated a lot of the magic of Bridges in this new tale. Readers who loved Bridges will anxiously follow the paths of Robert and Francesca as they explore what happened over those stolen four days, and examine what their lives have become Because of its nature though (it is an epilogue), it is certainly not going to be enjoyed by anyone who hasn't already read Bridges of Maisdon County.

The magic of Bridges is sustained in A Thousand Country Roads, and, a decade later, Robert Waller is back on the map. An execllent way to complete the picture for anyone who read and loved The Bridges of Madison County.

Although I agree with the other reviewers that the prose is awful, that was not my major problem with Mr. Thackara's novel. Instead, I found the behavior of almost all of his characters incomprehensible in one way or another. They have these strange reversals of positions that are not adequately accounted for; misunderstandings arise between them that would never occur if the characters were actually the people that they had initially been drawn to be; instead it seems Mr. Thackara justs molds them at will as necessary to suit his story. Hasty ex post rationales are then sometimes tacked on to explain their behavior.
In War and Peace, the echoes of which you can clearly trace in the characters and plot of Mr. Thackara's novel (and to which he himself pays homage to in the words of Baron von Sunda), all of the characters, e.g., Prince Andrei, Rostov, Natasha, Pierre, were real people whom I understood and felt for even when, especially when, they made tragic choices, labored in ignorance or doubt, or when, through great suffering, they were transformed. I did not buy The Book of Kings with the expection of encountering the art of Tolstoy but I did expect to meet human beings who I would care for and empathize with.
Beyond his gift with language, Tolstoy is a genuis because he could capture History, Fate, War, Tyrants and Slaughter as well as the blessed uniqueness of the indivudual.

After having read this book, I must take serious exception to the detractors that have given this book an undeserved thumbs down. It is frankly dirty pool to compare it unfavorably to War and Peace, one of the great historical novels of all times. It is likewise unfair to criticize the author as being full of himself, or unable to write in a manner in which people speak; that is what may be termed style. It is also disingenuous to admire the typeface as the only redeeming quality of the book. How about criticizing Proust as being wordy? That the prose is self conscious adds, to my mind, a kind of period authenticity. Much of the writing of the time was similarly stilted. Look, for example at Paul Scott's Raj Quartet, Robert Musil's Man without Qualities, or Anthony Powell's Dance to the Music of Time, each of which compares favorably to this book, and none gets such an undesrved bashing. Upton Sinclair won a Pulitzer for the Lanny Budd novels with this self-conscious prose and none of the substance herein. Thackery and Trollope were every bit as convoluted. It seems that the critics should cut Mr. Thackara some slack; just sit down and enjoy the journey.

The story traces four friends, two principally, through prewar and subsequently war-torn Europe, elaborately staged from drawing-room to battlefield. The prose is indeed ornate, but after all this was a time of demagogues and hyperbole. My sole criticism is that it is far from unexplored country. Like an old silver mine, all the nuggets have been carried away long ago. It is prettty derivative stuff. It is not a new idea that the reality of war makes disillusionment of ideals. Still, this is a story that needs to be told lest we forget. We watch Grand Illusion now, realizing that it is as compelling as it was more than a half a century ago, although the acting seems wooden and it is in black and white. We have not as a society had to face a loss of innocence for some time, and perhaps that is the best reason to read this period piece and be caught up in the hubris of a near forgotten past.

I can honestly say that this is the best book I've ever read. The bias I have in my opinion is that I read it while I was temporarily living in Germany. I read the book, and then went and visited the places I had just read about. The way James Thackara used real historical events and people, and then wrote his story around it was brilliant. You won't be able to put this one down.

This text is not appropiate for any for introductory class to neuroscience at any level (whether grad or undergrad). The depth and detail leaves the reader confused at best. Perhaps it is suitable for an advanced gradute seeking to remedy any detail oriented holes. For all others, it is a precursor to a headache.
The smart money would go with the Kandel who clearly defines
his purpose at the outset of his classic book.
(I notice that the reviewer ,who bestowed the text 4 stars, and the author both call San Diego their home.)

To me as bibliophiliac and a cognitive psychologist interested in neurobiology, this is the textbook of choice and an object of desire. It is very up-to-date and well-written. Although some people have detected some lack of coherence in this work, I find it refreshing that the sections recognizably come from different research teams with somewhat different points of emphasis, but without anyone pushing his own scientific interests on the expense of those of the readers. This also guarantees that it is not only an accumulation of facts but has also interesting theoretical discussions by leading researchers. It is optimal for readers having at least some laypeople knowledge about biology, medicine, or neuroscience, and just want to know more (possibly everything), or who require a thorough and citable review of a certain topic. Readers completely new to the field may find it difficult to pick out the information suited for a beginner level - a less voluminous book would be more helpful for them. I would rather not recommend it for undergraduates courses. I would also prefer a somewhat stronger emphasis on cognitive neuroscience - after all, a few hundred pages more would do no harm...!

This book is a veritable tour de force from leading researchers in the area of neuroscience. It is comprehensive in scope going from modern molecular and cellular neuroscience to cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. Includes strong sections on developmental neuroscience, sensory and motor neuroscience, and regulatory systems. The book is extremely well and attractively produced; the graphics are superb. Exceptional value for money. It has been written by leading scholars involved in teaching neuroscience at the graduate level (although it may be suited to advanced undergraduates and academic medical students). Definitely the leading book in the area; required reading for professional neuroscientists and academic clinicians.

I had a good laugh when reading your reviews of a Cliffs Notes. I mean....oh, man....*laughs*. The book is great and I can't believe you even bothered to pick up an abreviated version. It might be several hundred pages, but it's a page turner. So, expand your mind.

"Crime and Punishment" for a high school or college not enamored with Russian literature can be intimidating. This CliffsNotes volume helps clear up the seemingly muddy waters.

While not all CliffsNotes are worth buying, in this case, it can enhance and encourage the reading process. They explain the many characters in two sections.

The first is not unlike what introduces many playbills. For example, for Sonia, it says "Sofya's nickname." Maybe that it is common in Russia, but it would have thrown me for a loop. For Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov, it says, "A poverty-stricken student who conceives a theory of the superman or extraordinary man as a justification or rationalization for his crime."

The second guide explains in a page or two the context and major concerns of only a few characters.

Because they have Russian names unfamiliar to most of us in the United States, their little guide will be handy to keep open as you read the actual book.

The chapter synopsis is also useful for teachers who are overwhelmed with responsibilities. I have used it for this reason with a private student. I had not read the work and needed to be up to speed quickly. The synopsis put the book in context, making expectation available to me as I read. This helped me know what was worth focusing on in our all-to-brief look at this classic.

Other sections explain motifs and arguments of Hegel and Nietzsche regarding the superman ideas presented. Lacking is a section on biblical references, which, for students without much biblical knowledge, will limit their appreciation of the depth of "Crime and Punishment." Judith Gunn's "Dostoyesky: Dreamer and Prophet" is a good follow-up for the student looking to understand Dostoyesky religious perspective and Russian nationalism.

I fully recommend "CliffsNotes Crime and Punishment" by James L. Roberts.

Anthony Trendl

James L. Roberts' Cliffs Notes for Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" begins with a brief look at the Life and Background of the Author, which is sufficient to allow teachers/readers of the novel to recognize some key parallels between fact and fiction. The Cast of Characters list includes a "note on pronunciation" that will be useful. Following a Plot Summary, Roberts provides a look at the general Structure of the novel, and I appreciate that he wants us to being thinking about this BEFORE reading "Crime and Punishment." He also sets up the general roles of the main characters and the result is that even if you do not read the Summary/Commentary section, Roberts gives you more than enough to think about at this point to enhance your reading of the novel.

The Summary/Commentary section breaks the novel down by chapters and Roberts uses A-B-C notations to distinguish specific lines of analysis; I consider such signposting useful to students. As always, the best way to use these commentaries is to read them after the corresponding parts of the novel, rather than doing them all at once after (or before...) doing the reading. Roberts them explores the Extraordinary Man Theories of Hegel, Nietzsche and Raskolnikov in a short essay section students will certainly find provocative. The Character Review looks as Raskolnikov, Sonia, Svidrigailov, and Petrovitch while under Motifs he examines Confession, being "All Alone," the Square Yard of Space, Suffering and Fresh Air.

This is one of the better little yellow books with the black stripes, with its major strength being that Roberts provides his best analysis outside of the Summary/Commentary section. He also takes the time to develop his case on Structure, Characters and Motifs (not all of these books do). But above all, Roberts sets up the novel so that going into "Crime and Punishment" students are well prepared to deal with the major elements.

For cryin' out loud read the book! No one can put Melville's prose in a pamphlet.

Thank you Cliffs Notes :0) While Moby Dick is a somewhat challenging book to grasp and put into a more meaningful context, this companion guide helped me to better understand the text. While reading the original book along with the Cliffs Notes, I was able to more clearly express the book in my own words and earn that A on my paper. This is a definate help with a complicated text!

Great book, details, and synopsis. However the editors could have spent a little more time with exact detail, but for a large book there are many hidden meanings that the author put in.

Every time I try to look something up in this book, it's not on the page the index says it's on. This is a real time waster. This book is called a "users guide" and if you can't locate information from the index, what good is it?

this book will get you going just as well as the begginer course that PTC offers. It can save you a lot of time and money. I don't believe it replaces the course for first time solid modelers, but if you are familiar with paremetric modeling on comperable programs you could probably get by with this book, and trying to model a part from scratch.

I used the release 17 version of this book a few years back, & found it quite good; useful tutorials, and explanation of good parametric modeling practice at the same time.

This was a good introduction, but at 1 hour, it was way too brief. Much better is "Men and the Life of Desire"

This is an excellent starter book for stargazers, and fits into your pocket.

The book "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court"starts out with a man named Hank Morgan getting hit over the head witha crow bar during an argument. He awakes to find himself in 600ADCamelot where he gets taken captive by a knight and is to be burned at the stake. Hank tells everyone he's a magacian and uses a solar eclipse to his advantage to be freed from death. He becomes good friends with the king and goes on many adventures with him. Hank tries to modernize civilization but in the end fails miserably. I absolutely hated this book. It would go for pages on end where you wouldn't understand a single word they said. Many times they would attempt to throw in humor but... This book was VERY unrealistic with warping through time and having a solar eclipse fall right on the day of his execution. In conclusion, this book was a waste of my time and and will probably a waste of yours too.

I am a fan of most of Mark Twain's works; his wit and charm are unsurpassed, and are ultimately what makes his books worth reading. However, although the book contained elements of these traits, I felt it read more like a technical manual for modernizing a backward people. This made it a tedious read.

I read Connecticut Yankee and found it quite good. However, instead of reviewing the book per se, I would like to post a rebuttal to the views posted by the person from Minnesota and the person from Tibet.

The Minnesota person claimed that reading this book was a complete waste of time and furthermore that there were long passages that seemed incomprehensible. I can see how this might be true for a person of finite literary sophistication, so I'm going to assume that the reader must have been a high school student who tackled reading beyond his/her level of understanding, patience, and appreciation. The book is rich with historic accuracy about medieval life and every page is packed with subtle, humorous digs at both 6th century ignorance as well as criticism of his own 19th century attitude toward progress in the industrial northern states from where our protagonist hails. Obviously, the reader from Minnesota missed the point.

The reader from Tibet accused Twain of having anti-religious views. Twain's criticism was not of religion; it was of the church's hypocritical practices in _both_ the 6th and 19th centuries. It is still true today. In chapter 10, Twain writes: "Everybody could be any kind of Christian he wanted to; there was perfect freedom in that matter. But...I was afraid of a united Church; it makes a mighty power, the mightiest conceivable, and then when it by-and-by gets into selfish hands, as it is always bound to do, it means death to human liberty, and paralysis to human thought."

When was this more true than in the middle ages, when the Catholic Church orchestrated Crusades, was genteel in an age of feudalism, and later killed infidels in their inquisitions? It's clear that Twain simply doesn't wish to have a sectarian bias influence secular affairs; our First Amendment supports Twain's point of view.

You'd do best to disregard those other reviews, which hold Twain responsible for their own lack of understanding and appreciation of his novel, and read the book for yourself. It will be well worth your time.