My son and I read this book this summer for his summer reading program. Not only did my son, who was 7, enjoy the book but I couldn't wait to learn more from our readings. We read the book in two days. I am suggesting this book to his 2nd Grade teacher this year. This is a must to read book!!!

This books presents a "personality study" of Wilson. I ordered it as a political scientist interested in individual-level analyses of international relations. I came to it with little or no particular interest in Wilson or House (who?) or American politics during the Wilson administration. I knew nothing of the authors.

I read the book in 2 days because I could not put it down. It well deserves the status of "classic." Although the psychological disposition and development of Wilson provide a motif throughout, the authors state their case in moderate terms and are kind enough to limit jargon-filled discussions to very few pages. Some readers will sense contradictions in the analysis, but they are not too distracting. Meanwhile, an impressive tale is told. The reader goes from the singing of hymns in church as a child to a bizarre last speech on a balcony (before Wilson dies). Wilson emerges as a perfectionist, an idealist, one full of self-doubt, and yet one unwilling to compromise EVER ! He also emerges as someone who had low self-esteem and a giant, hyper-sensitive ego which allowed him about 3 friends (his 2 wives and Colonel House). House was valued by Wilson because he knew how (and was willing)to flatter and say "yes" a lot to Wilson (to his face anyway). Personal diaries and letters add color to the discussion of the relationship. Wilson's complex make-up interestingly resulted in all too predictable dispositions and behavior. Participants at the Paris Peace Conference and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge understood this and played him like a cheap deck of cards. Thus, this great read teaches lessons about politics, personality and life!

This is a very well wriiten psychology book. It will help you to understand yourself better. I wish the publisher will do the reprint

I believe that this book is one of the most importants books of this century. You should read it.

This is a good book. I recommend to you (especially for psychologists and constructivists) to read this book (and also the Vol. 2). The publisher should reprinted this book!

Yes, it's been said, this game is like the X-Files, only it's not. This is much, much cooler. Character generation is easy enough, and there's a lot to work with. The rules, too, are fast and easy (with the possible exception of combat, which can crawl a bit). There is enough information here to keep a creative GM busy for an eternity, and if you add some of the sourcebooks (all exCellent, mind you), things just get better. Even if you're not a gamer, get this just to read about a very, very chilling world not unlike our own at all...

Imagine the X-Files crossed with big guns and you're just about there. This is a superb RPG with a very detailed and beleivable background. Characted generation is a little complex but you end up with exactly the character you were looking for. This main rule book has a wealth of information about weapons, technologies, alien races, supernatural, psychics and with regular source book releases there is plenty for a GM to work with. Combat is swift and deadly just as in real lifa and your characters will have to do some good thinking if they want to come out of adventures unscathed. This elimenates all the dungeon hack and shoot em up scenarios which plague most RPG's. You will love this game, I know I do.

I'll admit I was suspicious when my wife suggested this game: I mean, I like the X-files, but this had been done to death hadn't it? Coupled with cliched artwork... I sat back and almost challenged it: "Make me like this" And I loved it. The background is great, the world believable, but above all, it's all so very very easy. No huge rule lists, no super list of weapons, just pick and play. Character generation was a snap, and we were off into the world of AEGIS: Saving the world from threats it didn't need to know existed.

My only gripe was that the cell generation system seemed ridiculously complex... but that said, everyone else assured me it was prefectly sensible when you get yo know it. And I will do.

The key to understanding this book, I think, lies in starting with the subtitle: "Russia's Literature of the Absurd." Kharms and Vvedensky are pen names of Russian/Soviet writers who are known in their home country for their children's books. This is because their more serious and creative writings did not agree with the Stalinist conception of proper art. Hence it was almost impossible for them to publish what they wanted. The editor George Gibian compiled in this volume the stories of Kharms and Vvedensky that have been preserved by their friends or simply lovers of literature. Some of my favorites in this volume are "Cashier" and "Power." I also enjoyed Kharms' poem about melancholy, which is printed in English in the Introduction and in its original Russian at the end of the book.

All stories are short, many less than a page long. They can finally take their proper place among important works of Russian literature. I cannot say that I was captivated or dazzled by this book, but it has interesting moments that will be appreciated by anyone interested in Russian literature or the literature of the absurd.

I don't know how effective Kharms was at making a points about Stalinist Russia, about art in the postmodern world or even about great literature. While you can certainly detect those elements in his short-short stories and his plays, they're more fun to read simply because they're so CRAZY FUN! Perhaps I'm taking some of the more serious portions having to do with death, rape, etc. too lightly, but at the very least you will be always surprised and captivated by these works. Try them out. Besides, when a story's only two paragraphs long (as many of them are) what do you have to lose?

I advise against reading this book in public, as your hysterical laughter could lead to suspicious glances at best, being carted off in a straightjacket at worst.

Lovers of film, and especially those individuals who are interested in the behind-the-scenes action of movie making, will be thrilled by George Alexander's Why We Make Movies. Not only does the book get up close and personal with 35 or so of the most notable filmmakers of our time, it also serves as a historical context for black film, and provides information not commonly known about our favorite actors (including how Tupac got his first role in Juice), scripts, budgets, television productions, and the many problems encountered and conquered when it comes to filmmakers such as Spike Lee, George Tillman, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Robert Townsend, John Singleton, and many more.

The book is upfront about the racial and discriminatory issues that plague the industry and how, perhaps, one should approach filmmaking once they are aware of all the long standing issues. You get to read which scene Spike Lee regrets out of the dozens of movies he's made; you get to read what kind of power, if any, do successful black filmmakers have; you get to know their feelings about the current slate of movies that are being released, how directors prepare for shoots, just a wealth of vital information and tidbits that will broaden your knowledge about the industry.

Although the age range, gender, and backgrounds of the interviewees vary, one common bond is their love for film. Why We Make Movies is an important, eye-opening account that will cause your view of the magic of films to be enhanced.

George Alexander's book is a winner! Two thumbs up. One of the best books on Black film available. Look for Alexander to becoming the next great film reviewer. Take it from me - buy this book. You will enjoy it!

I have read "War & Peace" twice. I was thirteen the first time I read it, sixteen the second time. I don't say this to brag; rather, I want to encourage more people to read this astounding book. I think people are afraid of it because of its size. But if I can read it, you can! Russia comes alive through Tolstoy's pen in the most amazing way. He paints the vast landscapes, the passionate Russian people, the historical events of the times (the early 1800s) like a master painter. "War & Peace" is, in effect, art, a massive collage of images, textures, and colors. It is soap operatic in that it has several threads woven together within the narrative. Occasionally, it is difficult to keep them apart, but does get better if you just stick with it. I understand that there are some parts many people find boring, such as Tolstoy's philosophizing and his lengthy descriptions. Yet those, to me, make this novel even more vivid, the characters and Tolstoy himself more alive. Tolstoy has a gift with characters; you feel transported back to the nineteenth century drawing rooms of wealthy Russia, with the silken swish of ladies' skirts and the haze of cigar smoke. "War & Peace" is not for everyone. Yet those who make their way through it will be rewarded many times over.

War and Peace had stared at me from my bookshelf for over a year before I had the courage to begin. A present from a friend, War and Peace seemed more like a challenge than a gift: a challenge that could develop into a war of attrition between my completism and my boredom.

Nevertheless, one chilly December day, I took the plunge into nineteenth century Russian life, into the lives of a circle of aristocrats, and into the Napoleonic wars. I was immediately struck by Tolstoy's flowing prose, his humour both gentle and ascerbic, and his skill in creating and developing characters of real depth. War and Peace was a suprisingly easy read. Each short chapter containing interesting incident. It is also a book of great variety. It vividly depicts the sufferings of war, the opulence of the Russian aristocracy, and the joys and woes of family life. It touches phychological, social, political, historical, and religious themes all intertwined in a charming story.

However, its outstanding feature is its characterisation. One cannot help but feel intimately connected to the Rostov family, the well-meaning but flawed Pierre, the self-sacrificing Princess Mary, and the tragically disillusioned Prince Andrew. As I became increasingly involved in the book I looked forward with real anticipation to reading my nightly chapter. I did not want the story to end.

The only disappointing feature was Tolstoy's insistence on including chapters devoted to elaborating his historical philosophy. To my mind, his philosophy simply marred the gently unfolding story, was repetitive and boring, and seemed irrelevant. Fortunately the strength of the rest of the novel outweighs this Achilles Heel.

Although my blind urge to read the Great Classics has (thankfully) faded somewhat over the years in favor of reading whatever I damn please, I finally decided it was time to give War and Peace a try. After all, how can anyone who enjoys novels resist the lure of "the greatest novel of all time"? And Tolstoy himself was an unusually interesting man -- not a screwed-up genius but one who seemed to eventually figure it all out. It took me maybe a hundred pages to get into the rhythm of the book and figure out who all those characters with multisyllabic Russian names were. After that, it was totally engrossing and surprisingly easy reading. There's no point giving you a book report on what happens -- you're supposed to read it yourself -- but I do disagree with some of the other reviewers who didn't care for the sections describing Tolstoy's philosophy of history. I found those sections (a very small proportion of the book) fascinating, albeit a change of pace. This is part of what makes the book great. War and Peace is not just a story of what happens to a bunch of made-up people, but a major work of art expressing the wisdom of a great man.

Pygmalion is a brilliant success by George Bernard Shaw to modernize the legendary Greek tale of a sculptor who falls in love with his artsitic creation and wishes to bring her to life. The rags-to-riches tale of Eliza Doolittle captivates the reader with its fast paced storyline, and witty dialogue. Shaw fascinates the reader with complicated characters such as Henry Higgins, Doolittle, and Colonel Pickering. Set in England, during a period of sophistication and elegance, Higgins and Pickering were faced with the seemingly impossible task of transforming a filthy flower girl (Eliza) into a beautiful duchess. The outrageous antics that ensue are both humorous and entertaining. Shaw's playful dialogue and timeless plot have been updated to fit the social and cultural standards of our time. For example, Alan Jay Lerner's My Fair Lady is an internationally acclaimed musical adaptation of Shaw's classic play. 1999 brought yet another adaptation of Pygmalion, in the form of the film She's All That, penned by R. Lee Fleming Jr. This teen comedy brings a new twist to the classic characters of Shaw's play. Pygmalion is a quick read and an enjoyable way to spend the day, and the characters in the story will remain with you forever.

This is an enchanting film for which George Bernard Shaw won an Oscar (which I believe he displayed proudly) for best screenplay after adapting the play "Pygmalion." It is true that the movie lacks the grand production values of "My Fair Lady," but it is much closer to the drama that Shaw had in mind. The dialogue is much richer than "My Fair Lady," which still managed to keep much of the language of the play and some of the movie.

Like many of Shaw's plays, it is built around his pet ideas -- here (in a simple form) the notion that class distinctions are not genuine and could be overcome through education. Unlike some of Shaw's plays which read like socialist tracts, this one has very human characters who keep your interest throughout (in contrast to "Major Barabara" which was a rather tedious movie).

For me, Wendy Hiller make a marvelous Eliza Doolittle. Although Leslie Howard is very good (and presumably what Shaw had in mind), it is hard to forget the bluster Rex Harrison -- a great actor himself -- brought to the role of Professor Higgins. Hiller brings a wonderful dignity and pathos to the role of Eliza Doolittle. The rest of the cast is very good and the sets are very authentically set in Edwardian England.

This is definite buy if you like Shaw, theatre in general, good movies from the 30s, or want to see a richer version of "My Fair Lady."

This superlative, award winning film adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play is as delightful today as when it was first filmed, nearly sixty five years ago. This ageless story, based upon greek mythology in which an ivory statue of a maiden, Galatea, is brought to life by the prayers of its sculptor, Pygmalion, features a professor of linguistics, Henry Higgins (Leslie Howard), who takes a cockney flower seller, Eliza Doolittle (Wendy Hiller), and bets that, within a matter of six months, he can turn her into a lady who can pass in high society without betraying her lowly origins.

Leslie Howard, wonderful in the role, is the quintessential Henry Higgins, playing him as an arrogant, aristocratic misogynist whose own mother (Marie Lohr) barely finds him tolerable. Henry makes his bet about his prospective success with Eliza with his friend, the kindly Col. George Pickering (Scott Sunderland), a wealthy gentleman who bankrolls the costs of Eliza's transformation from guttersnipe to royal pretender.

Wendy Hiller is perfectly cast in the role of Eliza, having a certain earthiness about her, which makes her so believable as the cockney upstart. Yet, she has enough of an incandescence about her, so as to make her believable in her transition from gutter to drawing room. Scott Sunderland is wonderful as Col. Pickering, the buffer between Henry and Eliza. Marie Lohr is excellent as Mrs. Higgins, Henry's exasperated mother. The scene in which Eliza has tea with Henry's unsuspecting mother and her guests is one of the funniest on the silver screen. Look also to a wonderful, comedic foray by Wildred Lawson, as Eliza's father, Alfred Doolittle.

All in all, this is a film that has withstood the test of time. The precursor for the musical adaptation "My Fair Lady", Pygmalion reigns supreme. Nominated for four Academy Awards and winning two, this is the definitive adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play, sharp and witty. Deftly directed by Leslie Howard and Anthony Asquith, it is simply a magnificently acted, comedic film, and one that those who love classic, vintage films will enjoy. Bravo!

Alexander L. George has built his career around the premise that American policymakers do a poor job managing international affairs and that scholars could help them do better if only (a) policymakers listened to scholars and (b) scholars had anything useful to say. In "Force and Statecraft," George and Craig offer thick, lavish descriptions of various diplomatic crises but very little in the way of either prescriptive or theoretical principles for managing them. In other words, they have little to say, so it's unlikely policymakers will pay much attention to them.

The first half of the book consists of lavish -- almost tedious -- descriptions of various foreign policy realms of the past, with chapters built around a curiously (for George) systemic view of international politics. Though individuals flit in and out of the narrative, the "system" does carry a lot of the variance in this book.

The second half of the book consists of a review of "tools" of statecraft but these, again, lack theoretical rigor or for that matter prescriptive reliability. Instead of variables we get "conditions" for success. Whether or not policymakers are able to discern if these "conditions" obtain is, one supposes, non-random but, if so, George hasn't much to say about this.

Like the tools he promotes, it appears that management of any diplomatic situation is "context-dependent." Readers looking for theories of diplomacy, international politics, or even George's own creation, coercive diplomacy, are likely to be disappointed. But if all you want is a once-around-the-great-power-world recounting of some 19th-20th Century history, you could do worse.

Okay, maybe not an entire IR degree. Most require classes in economics and geography as well. However, this was a required text for one of my international affairs classes, and it was one of the few books that I refused to sell back at the end of the semester, despite being the quintessential starving college student. Although it is clearly written and easy to understand, it is not simply a collection of truisms that any first year student would take for granted.

Force and Statecraft really does contain just about everything you need to know for an IR degree. It is organized by topic, which many of my classmates found boring. However, I found that this allowed for the clearest exposition of the ideas possible, and allowed the authors to examine each idea in detail before moving on to the next.

The pairing of the authors is excellent. Alexander George is a political scientist specializing in foreign relations, and Gordon Craig is a historian specializing in diplomatic and interstate history. I am convinced that it is this pairing that allows Force and Statecraft to have such a broad scope without losing any of its expertise, as often happens in books by a single author. Both are excellent writers, and their other books are highly recommended as well.

This book begins, as many IR degree programs do, with a diplomatic history course. This is essential to understanding international relations today, and Craig makes it exciting and interesting. It should be noted that this first section also covers the importance of economics and domestic opinion in the making of foreign policy, something that is often overlooked by other books. The book then goes on, topic by topic, to discuss the major topics in foreign policy, paying particular attention to the techniques of diplomacy and foreign policy, something also lacking in most books in the field. This is a book anyone interested in foreign policy should have on their bookshelf.

I used this book in 1996 and it was great I just wish that it would be updated more often.