Last year was the 20th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, which was first written as a protection for Taiwan against abandonment of its people and government by the administration of Jimmy Carter and its successors. The bill became law and survives until today. This work appeared to coincide with that anniversary. The law provides that this country will maintain Taiwan's ability to resist a coercive settlement by the Beijing government. It has provided a center line for U.S. policy in the Western Pacific, but not without its detractors and would-be renovators. Trying to sort out the political threads that run through our relations with China and Taiwan, and the positions taken by Members of Congress, past and current, I found this book to be useful. It has organized relevant sections of the Congressional Record by section of the Act, some of which received no attention, while others, much discussion. It covers the period form 1994 to 1998 (ending with the 105th Congress), and captures the change in tone from the Democratic-controlled Congress to the Republican-led. It contains several useful appendices which provide a useful view of the security situation in the Taiwan Strait, as well as the positions of the Taiwan Government and the Clinton Administration. I was interested in what some specific Congressmen had said, and an index of names made that easy to determine. It isn't easy or light reading, but useful for those trying to analyze the interaction of Congress, the Administration, and our foreign policy in a critical part of the world

This book is full of fun recipes and ideas for daily magickal living, but is definately not one of McCoy's best pieces of work. I am a big fan of Edain McCoy and was slightly let down by the content and writing style. Recommended for the formulary or for the McCoy Groupie, but not much else.

When I first skimmed through the book, I was going to give it 2 stars... It was not what I had expected it to be. I had expected it to be a book about spells in enhance or increase beauty, but in fact, it is mostly about spells using beauty products (such as soap, lotion, perfumes, etc.). I was rather disappointed at first. But, then I decided to read through it a little more thoroughly. It does include some recipes on beauty-enhancing spells and items (beauty soap, beauty perfume...). In addition to that, it explains how to make basic soap (but not from scratch!), lotions, perfume bland, massage oils, shampoos, conditioners, and other products. For anyone interested in both spellcraft and natural beauty products, I would definitely reccomend this book. Anyone looking for a get-ptretty-quick spell, don't bother with this, there's nothing like that in here. My final vote: 4 and a half stars

Beauty is part of Goddess-hood! This book has fresh, wonderful smelling and natural recipes for a variety of purposes, to be used in spells or to just enjoy. There is also information to help create your own blends. It even has a "wash that man out of your hair" shampoo! If you love bath and beauty products as well as natural magick, this is a great addition to your library!

You can tell that Stephen Ambrose truly likes and admires his subject, Dwight Eisenhower, yet he's able to present a very balanced sketch of the 34th President in "Eisenhower: Soldier and President".

This is Ambrose's condensed, one-volume biography based on his earlier two-volume work, but I didn't feel as though I was missing out on anything.

I gained a better understanding of the realities of war from this book. Eisenhower knew when he launched the D-Day invasion, that thousands of soldiers would die even if the mission was successful. It made me think back to earlier in the book, when a young Eisenhower bemoaned the fact that World War I had ended before the West Point graduate saw any 'action'. Be careful what you wish for. Even in monumental success, there had to be quite a weight on Eisenhower's soul from all the young lives lost under his command.

I had a little trouble warming up to Eisenhower as reluctant politician. He obviously wanted to run for President, he just didn't want to be seen as someone who wanted to run - he insisted on seeming above the fray, passively waiting to be drafted into presidential politics. Similarly, he liked to act like he was above party politics, was coy about his party affiliation for quite a long time, didn't really want to be associated with Republican party politics - he just seemed like he was in the mushy middle to me.

Ambrose provides interesting insight into Eisenhower's relationship with his Vice President, Richard Nixon. When they were running in 1952 and Nixon was engulfed in the financial controversy that led to the famous "Checkers" speech, Eisenhower once again was passive - he didn't back Nixon up, he listened too much to the (mostly liberal, Nixon-hating) traveling media, he left it up to people sending telegrams to the RNC as to whether he'd keep Nixon on the ticket. The interesting thing, however, is that Eisenhower was infuriated by a little-remembered aspect of the "Checkers" speech. Nixon challenged the candidates on the Democrat ticket to disclose all of their finances, as he had done. Eisenhower knew that he would now have to disclose his finances as well and the intensely private Eisenhower (at least with regard to his finances) never forgave Nixon for causing this invasion of his financial privacy.

Sometimes when I read a book like this, the most bizarre and trivial thing will stick with me. In the case of President Eisenhower, it was this unusual example of candidate Eisenhower's detachment from everyday American life, found on p.299 of the paperback edition: "To leave his mind and his time free, he had others to do the most basic of human chores for him. He did not dress himself - John Moaney, his valet, put on his underwear, socks, shoes, pants, shirt, jacket and tie." Unfortunately, now everytime I hear Eisenhower mentioned, I think about how he had a manservant to put his underwear on for him. I mean, how free does your mind have to be? (Thanks a lot Mr. Ambrose, I can't unring that bell).

This is an enjoyable and informative book. I knew next to nothing about Eisenhower before I opened it and I learned a lot. While I wouldn't say that Mr. Ambrose's book made me want to learn even more about Ike, it did make me want to read other Ambrose books.

Dwight Eisenhower helped make Stephen Ambrose's career as a historian after reading the author's biography of the obscure Henry Halleck. Ambrose repays the debt in spades with this well written authoritative account of Eisenhower's life. This is history writing at its most readable. Ambrose portrays Ike as a genuine American hero, but does not ignore the negative, such as his suspected affair during World War. Most importantly, this is a book for readers who do not want to get bogged down in the minutia surrounding every event in Eisenhower's life. What you get is a good overview, detailed enough to give a good portrait of the man behind the legend.

The beginning is the beginning of any average American biography. Born in the small town of Abilene, Kansas, raised by a warm family, and decides to attend West Point. But Eisenhower missed his chance in World War I, and the junior officer in his mid-30's looked like we would never see combat. He goes to the Philippines with MacArthur, and then joins Marshall in Washington. With the outbreak of World War II, Eisenhower was in Washington, and it seemed as though we would never see combat. But, a capable man with high military intelligence was needed to lead the Allied forces in the North African invasions. The rest is history. From his minor success against Rommel, to D-Day, to NATO Commander, and then President of the United States. Ambrose really outdoes himself with the insight about various political beliefs held by the lovable Ike. From the Eisenhower-Nixon relationship, (which is quite confusing, even after reading this book), to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, to the end of the Korean War, to Khruschev. Despite Eisenhower running as a republican, he was very much an independent, and that is illustrated plainly with the various quotes of "I prefer the middle of the road," and so on. Nixon was picked as his running mate mainly to appease the Old Guard. (It was rumored that Eisenhower's first choice was Thomas E. Dewey, and that made Taft, Knowland, & Company furious.) Eisenhower also wanted to put a cap on the Arms Race, and stop all nuclear testing in the atmosphere. We all know what happened. The Russians shot down the American U-2 spy plane, and merely a week before the peace talks in Paris, Khruschev went insane. The peace talks never amounted to much and Eisenhower's number one goal never came to be. Eisenhower, Despite his rocky relationship with Nixon, supported him undoubtedly in the 1960 election, and again in 1968. Even on his deathbed, Eisenhower managed to give diplomatic advice to Henry Kissinger and President Nixon. What a tough and selfless individual! Ambrose paints an accurate, yet superb picture of the man who was one of the greatest Americans of the 20th Century.

Kurt Cobain was much more than just the poster child of suicide that he seems to have become.

To the previous reviewer, you can't rate a book by it's cover! Did you even read this book? Or did you give it a low rating because you don't like that Kurt Cobain is on the cover? This is a really thorough yet concise overview of a subject. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about suicide.

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