This is a simple, direct story that works. It doesn't let the reader down in any way, from first page to last. The plot is sensible, the side-plots are engaging, and the characters are deftly drawn with a few short sentences.

William Coughlin has a way of keeping you hanging on and won't let you go. Just when you think you know what is going to happen, he comes up with a surprise. The more I read, the more I wanted to read!! Although most people hate lawyers, this one was actually human!

This book was still on 3,000 ft. plateau and was still good

This is without doubt the most outstanding work on the subject of losing a spouse or lover. The rality and compelling writing make it a must read for anyone, whether they have suffered a loss or not.

This small work is essential reading for understanding Islam. The previous review suffices, but I just wanted to add a note about the work's content. During my first reading, I thought that the work was overly bogged down with a discussion of education and its development throughout Pakistan, Turkey, etc. However, upon a second reading, I found this to be the most profound and impactful section of the work, as this is the locus of the true reform of Islam and its true modernization will occur. Thus, this work is partly a late scholar's dream for the future of his religion. Though at the same time, it is deeply grounded in history and its realities.

Fazlur Rahman is truly one of the greatest scholars of Islamic History, in addition to being very controversial. In this book, Fazlur Rahman explores the transformation of the Islamic intellectual tradition, ranging from philosophy and ethics, to jurisprudence. He brilliantly exposes and analizes the tension that exists in the interpretation(s) of the Qur'an. Rahman ambitiously demonstrates that for Islam and the Qur'an to be what Muslims actually claim them to be, comprehensive in scope and pertinent for every age and society, then Muslims must re-evaluate the Qur'an in positive ways, and in light of modernity and its challenges. In a similar vein, Rahman argues that for Islam to truly demonstrate its principles of social equality and justice, Islamic scholars must re-examine their methodology and hermeneutics. Amongst several other things, Rahman critiques the repetitive rhetoric and anti-philosophical trends that the Islamic intellectual communities faced during Islamic Medieval times.

This work is a significant contribution to understanding the Muslim world today. It is a genuine search for broadening the scope of Islam by extrapolating upon its inherent egalitarian principles. It is also a beautiful re-evaluation of the Qur'an, by having studied it throught the context of its revelation. I recommend this book for Muslims as well as Non-Muslims interested in the study of Islam and Islamic Intellectual History.

If you're looking for a great place to start learning about Relativity and physics in general, this is it. Even if your math skills have lost their luster it won't be a problem. I recommend reading this first, then if you're having trouble or don't understand a few points, read Einstein's Universe by Nigel Calder.

This is one of the slimmest books that I bought in 2001, bargain priced, and I was sure it could tell me a lot about myself as well as about how Einstein thought. I spent 1964 through 1967 studying the kind of mechanics which Einstein is thought to have expanded into another dimension by making time an axis which allows consideration of systems moving at different speeds. E=mc-squared was a formula that I knew from high school. When I was learning calculus at the University of Michigan in the fall of 1965, it seemed to be the perfect mathematics for expressing what happens to objects in motion. In algebra, the big problem for those of us with a one track mind, capable of being surprised by solutions which didn't actually fit the problem, was solving equations in ways which did not involve a solution that required dividing both sides of an equation by zero. In calculus, major trends were often considered much more important than minor trends when everything was divided by quantities that were so small, they were like numbers approaching zero, and borderline concepts were subject to the kind of ambivalence that makes borderline psychological experiences such a booming field in the area of personality disorders, but the key thing about this book is the attempt to keep an eye on what can be learned from science. I thought that I was picking up what still made sense to me in the U of M introduction to Physics until there was a question on the final exam which asked for a mathematical manipulation of equations to produce the result E = mc-squared. I knew some equations, and wrote a few things down, but I didn't come up with that answer. I think I even looked in the textbook after the test, to see if I had forgotten something which was on one page, but I couldn't find that page. This book has what I should have known then.

The final section of the book, 7. AN ELEMENTARY DERIVATION OF THE EQUIVALENCE OF MASS AND ENERGY, from pages 70 to 73, claims to use the law of conservation of momentum, an expression for the pressure of radiation, and two coordinate systems, one of which is moving rapidly along the direction of the axis of a system which is fixed relative to a body that has equal radiation hitting it from both sides. I doubt if the professor for the Physics class expected me to think of this method of finding that E = mc-squared, and I'm still not sure that I believe this approach proves it. In the still system, the momentums of equal and opposite radiation complexes cancel each other completely, so the amount of energy which might be involved doesn't matter. For the system which is moving, the radiation is assumed to be hitting the body from some angle related to that speed, and the change of momentum added by the component along the axis of motion does not change the speed, so the additional momentum is considered an addition to the mass of the body. The mathematical solution depends on solving equations for the difference in the mass observed for using two different systems, one of which is observing zero momentum, and the other thinking, "We anticipate here the possibility that the mass increased with the absorption of the energy E (this is necessary so that the final result of our consideration be consistent)." I believe Albert Einstein wrote this book, but I still wonder what it is telling us.

einstein, who opened our mind to see beyond was the common man could do, to see beyond what our limited senses told us about our world. the concept of relativity is an eye opener, and what better way to know about it than by reading the works of the man who envisaged the theory. each of the essays in this book are worth the price in itself. a must buy book for every budding physicst!!!

If you have nothing better to do than listen to uninspired mind of a main character that leaves you feeling uninspired in the end, go ahead and pick up the book. If rediculous endings do not at all cause uneasiness, go ahead and read it. It wasn't a terrible book by any means, but there's nothing other than an absurd ending that's memorable.

I loved the Sloan character and wished that Coughlin wrote a series.

Coughlin did a great job with Sloan.

Attorney Charles Sloan, "Call me Charlie, every one else does.", has a serious case. Not only his client's life, but his own career hang in the balance, and Charlie must walk a desperate tight-rope to victory or failure. If he fails, his client could go to jail for life - or worse! But Charlie knows that his life is just as much in the balance as the prosecutor, judge, and media try to sell him down the river. A five-star read if ever I've seen one.

If you're looking at this book, chances are you've already come to the conclusion that there's something deeply, seriously wrong with modern American culture. Community is disrupted, economic principles favor the wealthy few over the working many, and government is unresponsive to our demands. The environment is in freefall, education is a joke, and you can't talk to your loved ones because they're too damn busy watching the idiot box. Now you want to do something about it.

This book consistently fails to tell you how.

For the greatest part of the book, public-interest advocate Kalle Lasn holds forth on the problems with our society, from the small (mindless TV addiction) to the medium-sized (allowing fashion companies to dictate our ideals of beauty) to the monumental (destructive, unsustainable economic practices). All this is useful, enlightening stuff to know, but let's be frank, we wanted to read this book because we already had an idea of these facts. Now we want some ideas of what to do about it.

The subtitle on the front cover promises to tell you "How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge." Good luck finding that. Lasn is fond of patting himself on the back for his past efforts in that direction, but he doesn't really tell the reader what an individual, with an individual's budget of money and time, can really do. He says something at one point about things that can be done, but he speaks of really big options. Take media conglomerates to the World Court? If I had that kind of budget and know-how, I wouldn't be reading this book, now would I?

In giving us the detailed information on the flaws of society, we are having the gaps in our knowledge filled in, and that's handy. However, by telling us what's wrong and not what to do about it, it's as though we're being given bullets without a gun. This book is excellent if you're looking for a position piece, an explanation of what Lasn thinks and why, and of course that's always helpful. However, if you actually want to weigh in and suggest what somebody could do about it, you're woefully on your own. Here's hoping this is simply Volume One and more information will be coming later. However, it's been three years without a follow-up. It looks like us would-be revolutionaries are on our own from that side.

Kalle Lasn brings forth challenging questions and revolutionary solutions to the issue of consumerism in Culture Jam. The reader definitely gets a strong idea of where Lasn stands on this controversial topic. The author is an anti-consumerist who is deeply rooted to his commitment of changing this world into one where material possessions and international mega-corporations become unimportant and powerless. This, of course, seems like an extremely challenging, if not impossible task in a world dominated by corporations like McDonald's, Phillip Morris, and Nike. But Lasn does an excellent job of laying his experiences and ideas into a nicely written, easy-to-read novel.
Culture Jam is written in four parts titled Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Each season gives the reader a better understanding of what consumerism has done to America and the world in general, how the masses can unite and overthrow this trend, and what the world may possibly become if consumerism were reversed. Lasn seems very activist-oriented and ready to lead this new revolution of people he termed "culture jammers." Culture jammers would fight to "uncool" and "depopularize" consumerism and mega-corporations around the world. This would come in the forms of protests, plugging the airwaves with anti-consumerism ads, and simply not purchasing unnecessary merchandise and products. In other words, Lasn is a proponent of returning to a simpler life when people weren't judged by what they drive, eat, and wear and corporations didn't modify unique cultures found across the globe.
I found a lot of truth in Lasn's arguments against consumerism and how it is turning a diverse world into a homogenized society dominated by corporate rule. He is very firm in his beliefs and are worth reading by anyone, regardless of their stand on this issue. I started Culture Jam with a somewhat similar attitude to Lasn's on the state of consumerism in today's world. But I can definitely say that I'm not on the exact same wavelength as him in regards to the issue being presented.
Although some of his ideas and opinions are similar to mine, others seemed a little extreme for me. I could sit here and say that I only shop in thrift stores, live on a diet composed of all organic food, and ride my bicycle everywhere I need to go, but that would simply be a lie. I too partake in the guilty pleasures of purchasing brand name clothing when I can afford it, occasionally stop in McDonald's for a quick fast food fix, and drive my car if I'm not in the mood for exercising. And this is true of many people in the United States and around the world. I'm not saying that I participate in these activities on a daily basis, but instead realizing that complete abandonment of these practices would be a huge change in my lifestyle. But reading books like Culture Jam really get me thinking on a higher level of how even one person's actions can affect many. This is what I'll remember next time I feel the urge to needlessly spend money on products that will only put more power where it doesn't belong: corporate America.

This book is a must read! A book of this kind is long overdue. For those people who have a deep dislike of commercialism and this materialistic society we live in, this book is for you. We have all been brainwashed by the media in one way or another. That is why the majority of the people around you are getting more disfunctional, emotional, and crazy; because the images pushed into our subconsciousness by television is damaging to our mental health. Television and media tells us who we should be, what we should wear, how we should look, etc; while at the same time disconnecting us from our true individual selves. In other words this book tells us that we have been "dumbed down" by the likes of rock 'n' roll, billboards, shampoo commercials, and the likes of; and that culture is no longer grassroots, but pushed on us by CEO executives of ABC, NBC, MTV, BET, etc. We cannot think for ourselves anymore in this so-called American culture because of consumerism. I can go on and on about how in the first chapter Kalle Lasn explains how the need of people to imitate the "perfect image" causes depression, anxiety, and disorders in youth and women. This is a very very important book and must be read as many people as possible.

Coughlin has written a number of very readable lawyer novels. I have always felt he was among the very best of that genre. Not great prose, but entertaining and interesting reading. This book is certainly not anywhere near his usual quality. It is not badly written and has a somewhat believable and interesting plot if you can stand the repeated murder descriptions (OK, it is about a serial killer, so there will have to be some repeating), but why read this book if you are looking for one of the more typical Coughlin narratives? Select one of his other novels and ignore this one because it is probably his worst.

I may have missed something, but, the story never really told why he hated women so much,,Did he hate his Mother??? A lover??? The hunt could be for men as well as women, what did I miss???

I loved this book and I will read it again in the future. It's fast paced, energetic and it will keep you at the edge of your seat. Great read! I read it in two days.

This is the first book by Coughlin that I have read. It was engaging and enjoyable but not a pageturner. Coughlin spins two parallel but unrelated stories through the book. This leaves the reader to wonder if the two story lines will come together in the end or remain separate vehicles that develop the main character, Charles Sloan. As the novel progresses in a somewhat meandering fashion, the reader comes to know Sloan, who is a lawyer of keen mind and thought process, a recovering alcoholic, and, at times, a tortured soul. The story is able to hold the reader's attention but the ending is rather predictable. The story is written in the first person perspective of Sloan, much like the Paul Mandriani novels from Steve Martini. Personally, I will seek out a Martini novel before I again reach for Couglin.

Recovering alcoholic attorney is involved in two different cases. In one he is representing assistant police chief who's accused of stealing money used to pay drug informants. The charges seem to be political in nature. In the other, he is called into to represent various suspects being questioned in murders of seven year old children. The child murders cause him to question God although he is a lapsed Catholic and also cause him to slip in his alcohol recovery program. In the end, He's able to vindicate the police chief and secrets of the police chief's past are revealed. In the other, he discovers who the child-murderer is (really not too hard to figure) and confronts him.

I have read a number of Coughlin's books. Some are better than others, but this one proves again, as do his other novels, that Coughlin is among the best of the lawyer-novel authors. His plots are always interesting and developed; his writing is very good; there is humor and sophistication to a degree that is rare in this genre.