I read the introduction thinking "Yeah, this guy has a point. We need to communicate with our teens and solve problems individually." Unfortunately the book then proceeds to portray adolescents as irresponsible, immature creatures who can be classified according to ten undesirable attitudes and behaviors.

When we learn to respect our teens the way they are instead of putting them in categories, they will have fewer "problems" with parents, peers, and society in general. And books like this will no longer sell.

First, Nostradamus-- I'll admit that I'm more or less uninterested in the prophecy side of the verses. I was interested in reading them for their historical value. As such, it's a great read. Through the verses, you get a look at the period's preoccupations-- who is named pope, the future of France, alchemy, and the desire to distinguish prophecy from astrology. Nostradamus has had an enduring impact on writing since he put his prophecies on paper, and you can trace that legacy here from the original verses.

The commentary-- Henry C. Robert's interpretation taught me more about World War II than anything else-- he seemed determined to prove that a disproportionate number of the verses referred to the second World War. Probably unsurprising, given that he first wrote his interpretations in 1947. However, he stretched so hard to fit the words to his ideas, that it unfortunately made me suspect his translation. I also could have done with more of an effort for establishing on what basis he was assigning some of the meanings (explanation of period symbolism, the alchemical references, etc.).

If I get a chance to buy another translation version and compare, I probably will.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in the heavens."

As might be expected, in view of Ziring's credentials, the 'textbook' is written with a consistently proUS, and generally anti-UN bias. It tends to downplay the UN's effectiveness, it attempts to demonstrate that all issues must be resolved within the context of political realism, and it implies on every occasion available that regional alternatives are to be preferred over the UN. These leitmotifs are pervasive throughout the book, with the exception of a few small patches of optimistic idealism, remnants no doubt of the second edition which Ziring failed to purge.

The biases of the book are nevertheless put forth with subtlety. When Ziring writes of the US refusal to pay its back dues to the UN, for instance, he refrains from ever using the word "refuse", opting instead for evasive locutions such as "reductions in the U.S. contributions were made necessary by subsequent congressional action...." Relative space allocations are used to forward the political agenda as much as the normative commentary: e.g. the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is given more space than on the UN Human Rights Commission, and in the entirety of this 552 page book, there are only about two or three pages-worth of information about UN environmental initiatives. In terms of security issues, the UN is portrayed as a last ditch recourse which should normally defer to 'more effective' regional organizations such as NATO and the OAS.

As an example of sophisticated pro-American propaganda, this book is high quality; as a textbook for studying the UN, however, it can only be recommended to those in search of a tool for undermining the organization's legitimacy.

It's helpful to know what the book isn't before you read it. It is not a detailed analysis of the specific criminal activities of Robert P. Hanssen, master spy. You won't learn the nitty-gritty on what secrets were passed to whom and when. Instead, Into the Mirror is a glimpse into the psyche of Hanssen himself; how he grew up; how he thought; how he wound up as a spy.

Part of the frustration in reading the book was that fictional tales generally require a likeable central character. Hanssen is not, and Schiller--properly--makes no apparent attempt to make him so. Once the reader accepts the notion that the protagonist is a weird, perverted traitor with few redeeming qualities, the reading gets easier.

The fascinating aspect of the story is that the trail leading Hanssen to spy for the Soviets and Russians against the U.S. wasn't littered with the kind of political travesties one would expect. Hanssen wasn't the victim of capitalism gone bad, or Rodney Kingesque mistreatment. His parents weren't ultra-liberals, communists, anti-American, or even particularly political. His father, though overbearing and mildly abusive, was a big-city cop. Hanssen was a converted Catholic who appeared to love his country and excel at his job. He was just your average schlep with a money management problem. This led to his first sale of classified secrets for cash, which quickly led to a near-clinical compulsion to spy for the pure excitement of it.

Into the Mirror reveals a strange man with unquenchable and unsavory sexual tendencies (allowing his best friend to secretly watch him make love to Mrs. Hanssen), and a twisted value system that somehow allowed espionage (which he knew led to the deaths of several men) to coexist with Catholicism. Oddly, we see a man who, but for an errant fork in life's road, could have easily been a patriot and contributing FBI agent. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

Schiller portrays Hanssen's life as full of contradictions; from his dogmatic membership in the Catholic society, Opus Dei, to his prurient pornographic pursuits; from his rise in the ranks of the FBI's prestigious counterintelligence squad to his indictment for espionage. Never before has the nation seen a traitor like Robert P. Hanssen gain access to the halls of justice masquerading as a protector of liberty all the while posing as Ramon for his Moscow handlers. We can only hope that it will never happen again.

I read this book in two short sittings finding myself pulled into Schiller's portrayal of Hanssen's clandestine life. You have to feel sorry for Hanssen's family for the pain and disgrace he brought on them, but you will feel no sympathy for Hanssen himself who you learn from the text took up spying to pay off credit card bills and live a more lavish lifestyle. Hanssen will never see in his mirror the face of a patriot.

After about fifty pages, I was wishing someone had killed me. Did Mr. Woods used to write scripts for Soap Opera's? Here is an actual line from the book: 'With nothing left to do, Stone reflected.' What? Why would you even write that? I suppose you have to pad the word count for the publisher.

There are no interesting characters that aren't stereotypes to the hilt. The dialog makes All My Children look like the West Wing.

Its no wonder that talented new writers can't break into the market, .... I was suckered into it because I was desperate for something to read on the plane and the gift shop didn't have a lot to offer.

Oh Well, I know I seem harsh, but there should be some kind repercussion for churning out this kind of stuff. Almost everyone else here seems to think he's god's gift to mysteries. Go back to the classics from Chandler, MacDonald, or some new 'classics' from McBain or Ellroy.

I'm a huge Stuart Woods fan. Have been reading him from the beginning and love his style.

I'm especially fond of his Stone Barrington books. Barrington is not a perfectly sculpted hero with a dazzling smile and impeccable manners. In fact, Stone's a bit of a rouge, which is exactly why he has so many loyal female fans, I'm sure.

Stone's long-lost love Arrington is in trouble. Her fabulously famous film star husband has been murdered and Arrington's the prime suspect.

Stone comes to her rescue, of course, even though he has to leave his new bride in Venice and fly half-way around the world to do it. Stone solves the mystery, but it's never quite that simple with a Woods book. There are twists and turns and sub-plots to spice things up and there's more than enough interaction between Stone and the fairer sex to heat up the pages.

Stuart Woods is a master of his craft. I've had the opportunity to interview him and found him every bit as charming and rakish as his alter-ego.

Enjoy!