If you are a fan of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, or Dale Earnhardt Jr. this book will not disappoint you. There are lots of pictures in it too.

I highly enjoyed reading Sing & Change The World. I was inspired by the stories, letters, and facts that were presented in the book. This book needs to be read by people who don't have singing in their lives. It might change their life.

David Dayton weaves tales of historical trivia with first-person letters from celebrities and his circle of friends (including me)to shed light on the phenomenon that singing is universal -- it relieves pain, saves lives, serves as a memory aid -- and is just plain enjoyable.

I felt awkward about reviewing a book that I saw take shape during our Thanksgiving dinners, New Year's Eve parties, and life cycle events. That's when I realized that the best person to tell you about "Sing and Change the World" is someone who watched its development from the bubble of an idea to a complete literary work. This is the book you buy for your friends who think they can sing and the ones who are afraid to try, the karaoke lover and the solitary hummer -- bottom line, everyone! Even the Grinch would adore this book.

The Opposition Presidency: Leadership & The Constraints Of History by David A. Crockett (Assistant Professor of Political Science, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas) is an insightful 286-page treatise (including Notes, Bibliography, and Index) surveying and examining American Presidents throughout U.S. history as "opposition leaders." Focusing especially on Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton, but generalizing to others as well, The Opposition Presidency studies political balances, these presidents' attempts to push their agendas (often past a Congress or Senate of the opposite political party), and a great deal more. An intriguing and scholarly study, The Opposition Presidency is especially recommended for Political Science reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

im a kid i loved this book because believce it or not it gave me seven typed spaces of info on the transcontinetal railroad. i found it agreat source.

How closed did David Crockett come to being presidient of the United States? Closer than you might think.  That's one of the many interesting issues covered in "Three Roads to the Alamo" This book is deep and well researched.  The foot notes were as interesting as the book itself.  Most Bubba Texas history buffs never considered Crockett, Bowie and Travis until they bite the big bullet.  We sometimes forget that Davy Crockett was not much more than a tourist.   He had just lost an election and  made one campaign promise that he kept.   He said, "If I lose this election I'll either go to hell or Texas." He chose Texas.  His travels led him to San Antonio at a time that coincided with the defense of the Alamo. James Bowie was a land swindler that forged a lot of Spanish land grants in Louisiana and did a poor job of that.  He was kind of hiding out from creditors and enjoying his new squeeze, a pretty local girl from a influential San Antonio family.  She died of typhus that rampaged the area and Jim went into a depression that kept him from a timely exit from San Antonio. William Travis was thriving in Texas with a law practice.   Only after he had sneaked out of Alabama leaving a family and lots of debt.  This book does a great job of explaining how these three men came together and rose above their short comings to lead a brave defense of the Alamo.

Three key figures in the Alamo legend, three biographies intertwined into a single story. Davis is able to write parallel accounts of the lives of Crockett, Bowie and Travis, so that the reader knows what the others have been up to while reading about the third. Meticulous research, and Davis does not bog down the narrative with long explanations about sources. However, he does supply adequate information in the notes at the end of the book, for those who are fond of reading them. Perhaps the most interesting information to come from the book is the shattering of myths surrounding these three men. Travis was a failure in life, whose law career didn't pick up until he abandoned his native Alabama--and his wife and family--for Texas. Bowie was a swindler, who forged documents claiming to be Spanish land grants for land in present-day Arkansas and Louisiana. And Crockett was the Jesse Ventura of his day, an unlettered self-promoter who became nationally known in the early 1830s and parlayed his fame into a political career that eventually collapsed for lack of substance. A great American story, "Three Roads to the Alamo" can be enjoyed by anyone--even Texas newcomers like me.

This book combines the best in historical detail and accuracy with a bold, dramatic narrative that propels the reader forward. Travis, Crockett and Bowie are revealed as full human beings not caricatures or tall-tale characters. The research is exhaustive and the portraits of the men are clear and strong. One knows the tragic event that sealed their fate, and Davis debunks some of the myth clouding the Alamo and the three men inextricably linked to it. It is also a book about a young country and the unique and fascinating men that forged the American West. Not just for Alamo enthusiasts--there's plenty here for everyone! It contains the exhaustive research, humor, attention to detail and "readability" that characterize Davis' books. If you've read his Civil War books--give this one a try! If you've never read him, it's a great introduction to his style. Quite Simply a GREAT read.

Given the high-power talent behind the camera (Brian DePalma), in front of it (Al Pacino), and at the typewriter (Oliver Stone), SCARFACE should have quite a lot going for it. It does indeed, although I can't quite call this a GODFATHER-type masterpiece for certain reasons.

Ostensibly, this is a reworking of Howard Hawks' classic 1932 gangster pic about Al Capone. This time, the setting is Miami circa 1980, the contraband in question is cocaine, and the lead character, Pacino's Tony Montana, is a Cuban-born criminal who just came off the Mariel boat lift with 125,000 others that Castro let go, twenty percent of whom were known criminals. Pacino gets in on the ground floor with a local drug boss (Robert Loggia) and soon works his way to the top, doing just about everything to tick someone off--associates, enemies, cops, his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer), his sister (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and the Colombian drug kingpins he has to do business with.

But in his cocaine-fueled journey to achieve the so-called American Dream, he neglects to follow two rules taught to him by Loggia: (1) Don't underestimate the other guy's greed; and (2) Don't get high on your own supply. He finally crosses the line in the end by alienating a Colombian drug boss (Paul Shenar) so much that Shenar sends assassins to Pacino's Miami villa. The result is a horrific and bloody shootout in which most of the assassins are rubbed out, and so is Pacino.

Without a doubt, SCARFACE continues to generate wildly divergent opinions, both pro and con. I for one had some trouble trying to stomach Pacino's Cuban accent at first, but then his ultra-charistmatic performance kicked into high gear, four-letter words and all. The film is very true to its essentials of showing how a certain segment of the Cuban boat people, a very SMALL segment, tried to latch onto the American Dream by trafficking in illegal narcotics and thus earning millions. Probably the most interesting thing about SCARFACE is the political view that Stone espouses in his screenplay: he seems to espouse a very Reaganesque view of the world of the 1980s (virulent anti-Communism; anti-Castro), but in truth he is severely critical of those very same policies that motivated Castro to send the worst of his worst onto American soil and thus accelerate this nation's drug problem.

SCARFACE does have its faults. It requires a lot of patience to sit through with a running time approaching 170 minutes, and I am not all that sure there is enough in there to sustain it for that kind of length. The film continues to be controversial in some quarters for its extreme (as opposed to merely excessive) violence; the chainsaw scene in an apartment, the hanging from a helicopter, and the ultra-gory shootout at the end rank as some of the most violent scenes ever shown on film. Only four other films in history challenge it in this respect: THE WILD BUNCH, SOLDIER BLUE, TAXI DRIVER, and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Finally, this film set a record for the greatest number of times the "F" word, or variations of it, are used; I lost count at two hundred. This IS a bit much, although it probably fits the reality of the situation it depicts.

On the other hand, DePalma, whose 1976 film CARRIE remains one of the touchstone suspense/horror films of all times, does make quite a lot out of Stone's wild and crazy screenplay--though surprisingly, for the violent scenes, he doesn't use slow-motion or montage that much, which would have earned him favorable comparisons with the legendary Sam Peckinpah. Just as solid is the camera work of John Alonzo, who worked on CHINATOWN and BLACK SUNDAY, among others. Giorgio Moroder's score is pretty good, though I do admit it gets a little cheesy after a while. And Pacino's performance is also high-caliber; just get used to his Cuban accent, and it works very well.

This film comes highly recommended, but with this warning: It is definitely NOT for younger audiences, it is rated 'R' for a lot of good reasons.

Actor Al Pacino gives a powerhouse performance in 1983's SCARFACE. Paciino plays Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee hoodlum, who quickly rises to the top of Miami's cocaine industry. On his way to the top, Tony uses any means at his disposal to get there, no matter who he hurts or betrays in the process. Pacino takes hold of the character and never lets you forget that he is "Scarface". The supporting cast is wonderful too. It features Steven Bauer, as Tony's right hand man, "Manny" Ray. Michelle Pfeiffer is Tony's girl, Elvira, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, in a role early in her acting career, plays Gina, Tony's sister.

The hard-edged script for the film is written by Oliver Stone, who holds nothing back, as usual Directed by Brian De Palma, the movie doesn't flinch at all to tell its story. The film remains a favorite of mine and will leave you with quite a lasting impression. A "remake" of 1932's SCARFACE, in name only, the film is nearly flawless.

The "Collector's Edition" contains a feature length retrospective documentary, that is so well done, you almost forget that there is no commentary track. It is very comprehensive and covers all aspects of the film and its place in cinema history. There's also a number of deleted scenes and outtakes that were nice to see. These fine extras add up to one heck of a DVD for one of the best gangster movies ever made. SCARFACE should not be missed and comes highly recommended.

Al Pacino's most signature role ever! set in 1980 Miami Flordia, a Cuban Immigrant named " Tony Montana" ( Pacino) has a lot of problems ever since he moved into America, now he wants to become the "Cocaine King" of Flordia and head mobster, he would do nothing to stop with his greed and power.

A totally brilliant, entertaining, 3-hour and ultra-violent crime epic beyond anything you've ever seen. Brian Depalma did a great directing job with Oliver Stone doing the script, the acting is great, the pacing is fast, and action packed including the infamous Chainsaw Shower sequence. This movie has became a modern classic for years in the Mob film industry, this is a must see movie! but this isn't for everybody due to scenes of ultra-violence and tons of profanity, you won't be disappointed.

The cast also includes Michelle Pfeifer ( ever sexy in the 80's), Robert Loggia, Paul Shener and Steve Bauer. So if you like " Pulp Fiction", " Reservoir Dogs" and " Godfather Trilogy" check this one out.

WHETHER THIS IS, AS IT CLAIMS TO BE, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE LEGENDARY FRONTIERSMAN OR NOT (IT INCLUDES ENTRIES UP TO THE DAY BEFORE THE ALAMO FALLS!), IT IS AN ENTERTAINING NARRATIVE IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE TOLD AS THOUGH FROM FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE. CERTAINLY A GREAT AMOUNT OF RESEARCH WENT INTO THE BOOK, AND IT MAY VERY WELL BE THE AUTHENTIC ITEM WITH A "GHOST" (NO PUN INTENDED) WRITER SUPPLYING THE FINAL DETAILS. WELL WORTH THE TIME FOR ANYONE WHOSE INTEREST TRAVELS ALONG THESE LINES, BUT BE WARNED, THERE ARE SOME VIOLENT AND RACIAL DESCRIPTIONS THAT MAY OFFEND THE SENSETIVE. OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S A LOT OF FUN.

. . . inspirational account from a number of early Mormon pioneer journals and other historical souces. Well worth the price. Can be read on a day-by-day basis to gain appreciation of the great sacrafices made for religious freedom in America.

I read Judd's other book (Boone)about early frontiersman Daniel Boone and liked it so much i ran out and grabbed a copy of Crockett as soon as i could get my hands on it. I expected a similar tale of long hunting and trapping excursions, encounters with Indians, and an overall historical/fiction representation of this great outdoorsman's life. Unfortunately, as I read on, the main emphasis was more on Crockett's political ties and town life.

Might have been a good history lesson for some but sure wasn't what I was looking for. I had to put it down. Get Boone if you can find it. It's a much better book.

Since we homeschool this book fit right into our curriculum for daily story time...the kids couldn't wait to hear what would happen next... I found myself sitting up late at night just to read on, as each chapter unfolded to provide dramatic insights about what the life of Davy Crockett may have been like...This book has creatively woven historical FACT with creative insight into the thoughts and life of this almost mythical man...After reading this, we had the opportunity to visit Crockett Tavern near Morristown,TN, and it really re-inforced the history that my children absorbed from this book. We had hoped to read "Boone, a Novel" also by Cameron Judd, but were disappointed to find that it was no longer in print...