This is one of the most interesting books on Michael Collins that I have read, primarily because it has excerpts from newspapers and eulogies put out at the time of his death, as well as a very interesting description of the man and his life by his nephew, also named Michael Collins. Michael Collins was one of Ireland's greatest heros, but for many years after his death almost nothing was written or discussed about him officially, or so it seems. This book remedies that by taking us back to the time of the War of Independence and the Irish Civil War and showing us the man as seen by his contemporaries. It is absorbing reading.

Simple copies of the secret files that were kept on Michael Collins would have been wonderful enough, but A.T.Q. Stewart's articulate introduction to the material makes for a truly outstanding reading experience. The introduction is well decorated with a number of black-and-white photos, some that will probably be familiar (e.g.- the uniformed General Collins and Collins posing with Arthur Griffith before the Treaty negotiations) and some that will be new to the eye. The actual text of this book consists of just over 100 copies of documents regarding Collins. A particularly telling document speaks of Collins as "a young man of fair complexion, clean shaven, strong jaws and features" who "belongs to a family of 'brainy' people." Stewart mentions this passage in his introduction and relates the astonishing story of how Collins was smuggled into the G-division of Dublin's Metropolitan Police HQs to read the files kept there. He narrowly missed being discovered and was able to read that amusing statement about himself.

This book reveals as much about the Irish struggle for independence and the bloody civil war that followed as it does about the life of Collins. The fact that reading this text is tantamount to reading pieces of history makes the adventure take on a very real dimension; the names you encounter are names of actual people rather than fictional characters. I believe this book to be a great investment for anyone interested in the Irish pursuit of independence, the Troubles, and/or the life of Michael Collins. If, however, you are looking for an introduction to the life and times of Collins, I would suggest that you pick up a traditional biography of him (see the works of Frank O'Connor or Tim Pat Coogan) rather than this title simply because the names, dates and places will mean much more to you if you are already acquainted with the basic story before you dig in.

Each year Section 1983 litigation makes up by far the bulk of the civil work of federal courts. Section 1983 has produced some of the most confused and confusing doctrine in the law, largely because it operates at the frontiers of some very serious conflicts between competing and perhaps irreconcilable constitutional mandates. Collins, a professor at Tulane Law Schools, KNOWS this material better than most of the judges who will decide 1983 cases every day. He practiced in the area for a number of years, and teaches a course specifically on 1983 at Tulane (as well as civil procedure and federal courts courses). He's also one of the clearest writers you'll find in West's Nutshell Series. Make no mistake, this material is tough, and it's extremely helpful having someone as bright as Collins guiding you through it.

The title only hints at the wide range of fascinating stories in this collection. I read some of his work a few years ago and was hooked. Now with this book I was able to enjoy his very early stories. I didn't realize he'd been writing for so many years and that Ross Macdonald and Sue Grafton both recommended his novels and stories. They're right. Anyway, my favorite story is PART OF HISTORY, the final one in the book, because it shows how the real world of war and espionage works. My second favorite is OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD. It has an utterly surprising twist at the end that I'm still thinking about. And finally, FREEDOM FIGHTER is haunting. It was named one of "Best American Short Stories" when it was first published in 1964. I highly recommend this collection. It's a gourmet feast from a master of crime fiction.

Michael Collins was command module pilot of the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon in July 1969. Had he not forged such a distinguished record of achievement in the cockpits of exotic, out-of-this-world air & space craft, first as fighter jet test pilot and then as astronaut, Collins would have likely experienced noteworthy success at the keyboard as a writer. After seeing this book on a recent list of the "100 Greatest Adventure Stories," I decided to give it a read. Collins' brilliant narrative helped me rediscover those feelings of admiration, wonder and awe that I experienced as a young boy while watching the space launches and moon walks on B&W TV. This is a fascinating, revealing and oh so candid first person account of the pathway that took Collins to the moon and back--his early career as a fighter jet test pilot, selection and induction into the astronaut corps, preparation and training of an astronaut, the personalities of many of Collins' colleagues in the space program, the exquisite and intricate planning intended to minimize the risks to these brave explorers and ensure their success, his own anxieties and something of the impact on the families of the astronauts. All of technology's wonderous achievements of the last 20 years, e.g., laptop computers, cellular phones, internet, cable TV, etc. seem to pale in comparison to the marvel of sending man to the moon and bringing him home again...safely. While circling the moon in the command module Columbia, Collins needed to correctly press a sequence of computer buttons 850 times just to manage a successful rendezvous with his partners Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as they returned from the surface of the moon in the lunar module Eagle. Just one example among many of the incredible vision and engineering and planning involved in NASA's glory years of success. Despite his wonderful accomplishments, Collins does not take himself too seriously, tells his story with wry humor and is maybe a little irreverent. His story sent tingles up and down my spine again...after all these years!

I found this book by referral from other's reviews of lesser astronaut books. Several reviews said, in effect, "don't read this book but find yourself a copy of Carrying the Fire." So I did and now I know what they meant.

Michael Collins was the third astronaut on the famous Apollo 11 flight that landed on the moon in July, 1969. Unfortunately, because he wasn't one of the two in the Lunar Module, he isn't often mentioned. He stayed in lunar orbit as the Command Module Pilot. This book is Collins' telling of what it was like to be an astronaut, both in the Gemini and Apollo programs. He talks about the astronaut selection process, and what it was like to go through it. And he tells the story - from a very personal perspective, of what it was like, what he felt, what he worried about, what angered him, and well...you get the idea - of preparing for and flying a Gemini and Apollo mission.

Because this is his story, and his first person telling of the story, there isn't really anything here about the lunar landing itself. Rather, he talks about what he was doing when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed and walked on the moon.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It often made me laugh out loud and I certainly believe that I now know how Collins felt during his tenure as one of America's Astronauts. I found the book both well-written and engaging. I also found, to my surprise, that this is a humble, revealing and candid story. Highly recommended if you are interested in the genre.

I admit it, I took this book out from the school library when I was 12 and still have it 20 years later. Even at five cents a week, the overdue fees are not worth thinking about. As a schoolkid in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, not many of us dreamed we could ever be astronauts. After reading this book, I did. It didn't matter that by the early 1980s when I read Carrying the Fire there was no manned space programme to speak of. It didn't much matter that I didn't become an astronaut, just a military pilot.

What matters is that Colins's story touched, inspired and motivated me to believe I could do anything I put my mind to, and showed that there's more to success than glory, adulation or being the one kids can remember in history quizzes.

Good on you, Michael Collins. You're an inspiration. All you Amazonians out there who've leapt onto the space history band-chariot since Apollo 13/Earth to the Moon, take note. This is where it started. Find a copy and read it (just don't bother trying to get one from the Hutt Valley High School Library - it's out on loan right now.)

A landmark book for modern American history that should be on the bookshelf of every serious historian as well as every single concerned American. Let me give my reasons.

This book is an extraordinary feat of investigative journalism. The information and facts that Piper uncovers are used in an extremely powerful way to reveal a whole sequence of Israeli/Jewish actions culminating in the assassination of JFK (who was an implacable opponent of the Israeli nuclear weapons program of the early 1960's and 1950's ).

The depth and thoroughness of Piper's investigative journalism literally takes one's breath away. At the same time the book is very easy to follow and understand as Piper methodically builds up his damning case against showing the depth of Israeli involvement in the JFK assassination.

Once I started reading this book I could literally not stop until I had finished. I thoroughly recommend this book as a way to expand one's mind beyond the confines of the modern day media which has severely suppressed this book making it almost a taboo for mainstream booksellers to stock it. This is shown by the fact that it takes Amazon.com 4 to 6 weeks to obtain a copy.

As an Israeli/American peace activist I welcome this book . This book is especially topical today as the search for peace in the Middle East continues. As Israelis as well international Jews who care about our country I believe it right and proper to engage in an informed and vigorous debate about the undoubted wrong-doings of our government in an open and informed way. This is the only way in which the worst excesses of Zionism can be curbed. This book provides us all with just such an opportunity.

There seems to be a lot of misperception of what Final Judgment does and does not say about the JFK assassination. The book does not say that "the Jews killed JFK." That's horse manure.

What the book does say is that:

When New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison charged businessman Clay Shaw with participation in the JFK assassination conspiracy Garrison stumbled upon the Israeli Mossad connection to the murder of President Kennedy. Shaw served on the board of a shadowy corporation known as Permindex. A primary shareholder in Permindex was the Banque De Credit International of Geneva, founded by Tibor Rosenbaum, an arms procurer and financier for the Mossad.

What's more, the Mossad-sponsored Swiss bank was the chief "money laundry" for Meyer Lansky, the head of the international crime syndicate and an Israeli loyalist whose operations meshed closely on many fronts with the American CIA.

The chairman of Permindex was Louis M. Bloomfield of Montreal, a key figure in the Israeli lobby and an operative of the Bronfman family of Canada, long-time Lansky associates and among Israel's primary international patrons.

In the pages of "Final Judgment" the Israeli connection to the JFK assassination is explored in frightening--and fully documented--detail. For example, did you know:

• That JFK was engaged in a bitter secret conflict with Israel over U.S. East policy and that Israel's prime minister resigned in disgust, saying JFK's stance threatened Israel's very survival?

• That JFK's successor, Lyndon Johnson, immediately reversed America's policy toward Israel?

• That the top Mafia figures often alleged to be behind the JFK assassination were only front men for Meyer Lansky?

• That the CIA's liaison to the Mossad, James Angleton, was a prime mover behind the cover-up of the JFK assassination?

Why didn't Oliver Stone, in his famous movie "JFK" not mention any of this? It turns out the chief financial backer of Stone's film was longtime Mossad figure, Arnon Milchan, Israel's biggest arms dealer.

The very fact that the Israeli lobby has gone through such great lengths to try to smear Michael Collins Piper and to try to discredit Final Judgment gives the book great credibility. If the book was really so silly or so unconvincing, it doesn't seem likely that groups such as the Anti-Defamation League would go out of their way to try to suppress the book as they have. The fact is that Piper demonstrates that Israel did indeed have a very strong motive to want to get JFK out of the way and that numerous people who have been linked in other writings to the JFK conspiracy were (as Piper documents) also in the sphere of influence of Israel's Mossad. Not only Clay Shaw in New Orleans, but also James Angleton at the CIA, who was Israel's strongest advocate at the CIA and also the CIA's liaison to the Mossad. The Israeli connection is indeed "the missing link in the JFK assassination conspiracy."

The "Reader from Chicago" who wrote the review of Final Judgment posted here is really off the beam and I suspect he (or she) is deliberately distorting what Piper's book does say in order to try to discourage people from reading it.

The fact is that Piper's book documents (quite clearly, in my estimation) not only the means, opportunity and the motive for Israeli Mossad involvement in the assassination (working in conjunction with the CIA), but it is also quite fascinating and very interesting read. "Boring" is the last word I'd use to describe the book, and it is certainly not "poorly written."

What's more, the book is not--I repeat--not "anti-Semitic" and the book has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the subject of the Holocaust.

In fact, anybody familiar with any of the standard writings on the JFK assassination will recognize the names of some of the key players in the scenario Piper documents: Clay Shaw, David Ferrie, Guy Banister and James J. Angleton of the CIA--and none of them were Jewish. So where this reviewer gets off saying that Piper finds "a Jew under every rock" is beyond me.

I have read literally hundreds of books and magazine articles and other material on the JFK assassination and not in a single one of them--with the exception of Final Judgment--did I ever learn that President John F. Kennedy was trying to stop Israel from building the nuclear bomb and that this literally touched off a "secret war" behind the scenes between JFK and Israel's prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who resigned (among other reasons) in disgust over JFK's policies with Israel. In fact, Israeli historian Avner Cohen in his book, Israel and the Bomb, documents this quite thoroughly.

And in Final Judgment Piper also outlines some interesting Israeli connections by people who have been linked to the JFK assassination and cover-up, including Clay Shaw of New Orleans. Even Israeli journalist Barry Chamish has written in an Internet review of Final Judgment that he finds Piper's Israeli connection (via Shaw and Permindex) quite convincing.

There was a controversy in the Chicago area following an attempt by the Anti-Defamation League (an Israeli lobby organization) and people associated with the ADL to prevent Final Judgment from being placed in the Schaumburg Township District Library. Chances are the Reader from Chicago is probably an ADL representative!

Piper does much more than convince readers of the multi-layered conspiracy to remove JFK from office: he convinces us that the facts have always been right before our eyes. "Final Judgment" is easily the most well-documented conspiracy book of our time....a great -- and frightening -- work.

NPR does a great service in bringing us voices that we may otherwise never hear. Michael Collins is one such voice. Hailed in Europe and lauded with prizes, I'd never heard of him. In his interview he gave such a personal account of his struggle and survival in America as a young immigrant, that I decided to read his book. He seemed to suggest that we as a nation had lost our ability to think politically, to react to world affairs. Needless to say, I bristled at this contention. I wanted to ask him why he stayed?
I can't say I agree with everything in this book, but it is an uncanny vision of America, a re-vision of past events overlayed with some heavy, but insightful analysis of us as a country. His contention that over 20,000 people were murdered and this constituted an undeclared revolution within America in the early eighties now seemed more insightful than when I first heard the figure. Collins contended in the interview that Americans were apt to dismiss this figure as gang related, to mitigate the level of violence to a subgroup of our nation. However, in The Keepers of Truth he has created the emotional and political landscape of America, peopled it with all the hopes and fears we share. He shows the rise and fall of characters, not always their own fault, but victims of society, and we are asked to have humanity and understanding for those who fail, and indeed, in this book, failure seems inevitable, or at least decline. (It is hard to decide what I feel about this contention.)
Collins raises serious societal issues in of all genres to adopt, a crime, or mystery novel, and he pulls it off with such verve of language, suspense and pace, that one had to give him his moments on the soapbox. As a denizen of the midwest I can vouch for at least the atmosphere and tension Collins creates. It is a startling achievement for a foreigner to understand, or maybe, not understand, but question us with such probing questions.

This is without a doubt one of those monumental works of fiction that will continue to be read in years to come. I heard Collins on PBS, and bought the book, intrigued by a foreigner writing about the USA.
And whoa is all I have to say! What a tour de force, a work that ranks up there with immigrant writers like Kosinski, and as insightful and deep as White Noise.

The surreal world of The Keepers of Truth is a chilling one. I say surreal, but maybe a heightened sense of realism is more to the point. This is that edgy talk to the camera style of book, borrowing from a cinematic technique.
With atomistic detail, the author describes time/place and characters to such an extent that within twenty pages you are transported back to the late seventies/early eighties, history rises up and you feel the mood and motivations of that time. His inclusion of the Iran hostage crisis, his sense of the pivotal changes in American society motivated and centered around our own sense of insecurity and loss hauntingly echoes the tragedy we faced in the wake of the WTC. And maybe that was what really did it for me, the sense of history repeating itself, our nation having to fight again for its freedoms.

This book will stay with me, its characters, the white trash Ronny and his spiteful estranged wife, the newspaper owner and photographer, the photographer's wife Darlene. Collins brings such a collection of characters together who cut to the essence of our collective fears and joys, our struggles to make it in this world.

A voice both within and outside America narrates this surreal elegy to the death of American Industrialism and the passing of a certain blue collar security and life. The voice within is the voice of the American people, and Collins (an immigrant) has such an ear for our language its uncanny that we wholly feel that we are reading an author who is one of us. The banter, the pace, the descriptions are all quintessentially American, but lurking throughout the book is this outside voice, a voice that cleaves apart the political and social matrix of who and what we are. We see ourselves again for the first time through this voice. Our America is presented in all its familiarity, but somehow there is a spin on this vision.
It's hard really to describe this book more than to speak of its mood, of its profound ability to get at your psyche, but it does and for the few friends I've lent the book, they also feel its resonance, that it has a life after you finish it.

I think this book is destined to be read for years. It rings with such authenticity and raises so many questions on the predicament of humanity in the late and early 21st century, that it serves the launching pad for understanding where we are at this time in history. It does not provide the answers, but sometimes the questions need to be asked first...

The book is difficult but not tedious. It's a pity that Tim Coogan didn't supply a little background on Irish History, just to put the events he describes in context. Without that, it becomes a little difficult if you have no idea who or what he is referring to. When he gets into the main subject of this history, one tends to get lost in a maze of characters, and their various alliegences. Nevertheless it offers a very complete treatment of the Anglo-Irish War, the negotiation of the Treaty, and the subsequent Irish Civil War. The ugliness and brutality of the war with the British is upsetting, and may well leave you feeling very angry. Finally let me say that Michael Collins emerges from this story as an extrordinary young man of enormous ability in so many ways, who with a little help from his friends did manage to get the British out of Ireland, or at least out of the twenty-six counties. The absurdity of it all, is that he was killed by his own people when he was little more than thirty years old.

Tim Pat Coogan's book "The IRA" is on the bookshelf of practically everyone with an interest in modern Irish politics. His biography of Michael Collins seems destined to join it. It is not an easy read, and contains a mass of detail of Collins' life from childhood to the ambush in which he died. The detail can be overwhelmingly dense at times, and often harrowing, and sometimes Coogan makes too many assumptions about the level of background knowledge of the reader. But if you've seen Neil Jordan's recent film, this biography will fill in the political and personal background of the man who made modern Ireland. Coogan's biography left me a lot wiser about the history of modern Ireland - and also served as a sad reminder of the importance of the gun in Irish politics

Tim Pat Coogan's Michael Collins is an excellent biography of the man who ran the day to day war for Irish independence. Collins orchestrated the "direct force" strategy against British rule, that, after several years of bloodshed, led to a settlement that rendered most of Ireland free. For his efforts in achieving more than any Irishman had achieved in 500 years, including legendary figures such as O'Connell and Parnell, Collins was assassinated by his allies, who felt that the peace treaty with Britain and freedom for the south were just not good enough.

Coogan does an excellent job detailing the man as well as his accomplishments; he has a host of anecdotes about Collins's youth and the years he lived under constant risk of death while carrying out the guerilla war. The book, despite its rather grim subject matter, is also not without its moments of humor -- the stories of many of Collins's narrow escapes from his British pursuers and his incredible luck also lighten the story.

Coogan does an excellent job outlining the divisions that formed within the IRA, the IRB, Sinn Fein, and the Catholic church throughout the struggle, and explains clearly the politics behind Collins's assassination. He makes clear what other historians with a lesser grasp of the subject only manage to make a muddle of.

Highly recommended.

I've been reading many books of late about Irish history in general and Michael Collins in particular. I was fortunate to find this one in my read stack one night, when I wanted something "different" from the normal biography -- this book fit the bill!

First, it a collection of letters, with a few pages of text from the editor. These pages help place the letters into the context of Collins' and Kiernan's life.

Second, the editor didn't edit the letters (though there are few comments to explain a few obscure references); thus the reader is allowed to read the text with a minimum of "outside interruptions"; some people may not like this.

Third, there are a few photographs and samples of handwriting included. The photographs were what one would expect; they included the couple, as well as some mutual friends. What intrigued me more than the photos, were the samples of handwriting. Collins and Kiernan both referred to their pages as "quick notes" and such, yet the pages contained few cross outs and changes which indicated that that both writers gave their "quick notes" quite a bit of thought.

These letters are remarkable, as they allow the reader to see how the events impacted the writers; especially true for Collins, as he was quite dedicated to writing letters to Kiernan in addition to his duties. It is remarkable to read these notes from a man whose time was consumed by governmental duties, treaty negotiations and fighting yet still found the time to tell his beloved how much he loved her.

This volumne is a rare bird, as it both a book for historians and for lovers. Enjoy

These excerpts from the voluminous correspondence between Michael Collins and his fiance Kitty Kiernan reveal a rather strange relationship between a dynamic revolutionary leader-turned-statesman and a woman who seems almost totally focused on herself and virtually oblivious to the pressures and dangers under which he was laboring. The feelings between the two seem to reflect a range of emotions, including irritation, jealousy, perfunctory interest and exhaustion (his)during a particularly fascinating period of Irish history. One wonders what the attraction was between these two since she seems very little interested in or informed about the momentous events in which he was a key player. One also wonders whether the match would have been very successful had Collins lived long enough to marry his lady. Nonetheless, engrossing reading.

The Michael Collins we see in these letters is a man of deep feelings, not primarily for Kitty Kiernan (although that too), but for his country and his fellow Irish. It is hard to read these letters and understand where your editorial reviewer gets the idea that Collins was "vainglorious" or "petty" (was he/she perhaps thinking of DeValera?). Collins certainly had his faults but these were not among them and certainly are not reflected in these letters. Rather, we see a man tormented by the burden laid on him in trying to end the 700-year oppression by the British and save his country from the terrible civil war that ensued after the signing of the Treaty. These letters are fascinating in their revelations of both Collins' character and that of Kitty Kiernan, who comes across as rather shallow or at least uncomprehending of the terrific strain under which Collins labored. These are a must-read for anyone fascinated with Michael Collins and that era of Irish history.

I had seen this book at the library, and being a fan of Dante's Inferno, I checked it out. I was a bit disconcerted when I realized not all the stories take place in or near Hell, as the title suggests. Most of them occur here on Earth, where the characters are in a metaphorical hell. Surprise! Only a handful of the stories are worthy of note, including Gene Wolfe's and James Longrove's. The stories take place either in Hell, Chicago, or London. I found this last fact sometimes discouraging--i.e., I ended up skimming the story.

I recommend you get this book from the library before you spend the cash at a store.

Can't put it down. The intro promises that all the stories will be related to Dante's Inferno theme of Hellish portals on Earth, but they aren't all on that theme (in fact, one is a remake of the Christmas Carol). Scary and thought-provoking none-the-less.

I can't agree with the other reviewer. I found many of these stories scary precisely *because* they were based in metaphorical hells - hells we might actually live in, rather than encounter after death. Also, many stories were set in hells that were not on Earth but were also far from the fire-and-brimstone stereotype. The story "Office Space" alone makes this book worth buying.