Charles Jaco, who covered the Gulf War in person while working for CNN, has crafted a simple but solid introduction to the war. This is the book to start with if you want to quickly review the main points of that conflict. However, I have a big caveat-no maps. Anywhere. No where in the entire book is there a map of Iraq, Kuwait, or even a regional one of the Middle East. I understand that the Idiot's and Dummies series are designed to bring the casual reader up to speed on a topic quickly, but in this instance, the topic is heavily dependent on geography. To not have at least one basic map of the Iraq/Kuwait area is unthinkable. Basic treatment of the topic really requires several maps, one of the larger region, and then at least a few more detailed ones. It is extremely hard to make connections between the military movements described in the text without a map for orientation. This seriously detracts from the quality of the book. Unless one is a geography guru already, the book must be read with access to a good map that you've managed to obtain from somewhere else. I give the item 4 stars due to the text, but functionally, this work is really lacking without some maps. Any upcoming editions, if published, really need to think about addressing this problem.

If you can only own one book on Operation Desert Storm, make it this one. Jaco (remember him from CNN?) does a great job giving us the inside scoop on the real story behind the Gulf War. He also does a superb job of connecting the dots between Desert Storm and September 11th. The style is breezy but not condescending. Great up-close battle sequences, as well as historical perspective, and the links between 1991 and the War on Terrorism. Lousy title, great book

If you only have one book on your shelf about Operation Desert Storm, make this the one! Jaco (remember him from CNN?) does a wonderful job with the inside scoop on the war. But in the last 1/4 of the book, he really shines by "connecting the dots" between the remnants of the Gulf War and September 11th. Ever wonder why "they hate us?" Then get this book and read it. I picked it up quite by accident, even with the lousy title, and just kept on reading. It's an antidote to over-simplified explanations about the Gulf and the War on terrorism.

This is a very interesting book on the collapse of East Germany (the German Democratic Republic; GDR) at the end of the Cold War. Maier is a distinguished scholar who uses the example of the GDR to explore the factors and specific events leading to the fall of the communist states of eastern Europe. The book includes a careful and insightful of the nature of repression in the GDR and how the organization of the state and society gradually undermined the legitimacy of the state. There is also a fine analysis of the economic factors that led to the economic crisis that precipitated the crisis of communism at the end of the Cold War. Maier uses a comparative approach to show differences between the GDR and the failure of neighboring states in eastern Europe, mainly Poland and Czechoslovakia. He is very good on showing both the common features and the specific and important differences between these nations and how these differences resulted in the different character of state collapse in these nations. The common factors he isolates, however, can be taken as the underlying causes of the collapse of all the communist states. This analysis is interwoven with a detailed and very readable narration of the unraveling of the GDR and its subsequent absorption into a unified Germany dominated by the old West Germany. This book reveals a large number of remarkable ironies. We have the spectacle of the aged GDR leadership requiring the censorship of Soviet publications to prevent ideological contamination of the GDR by reformist ideas. The same leadership, however, borrowed excessively from Western banks and governments in an effort to raise living standards in the GDR and then concealed the extent of the debt from their Soviet partners. Probably the only time the people of the GDR had real freedom of action was after the Soviets relinquished their control and mass demonstrations were key factors in bringing down the GDR. Once the communist state was destroyed, however, unification became inevitable and terms of unification were dictated by the West Germans.
This book does have some shortcomings. This is not a history of the collapse of communism as a whole, so there is no treatment of events in the Soviet Union except as how they impinge on the GDR. It is very clear that the actions of Soviet leaders, particularly Gorbachov, were critical. Once the Soviet leadership made clear that they would not back up the use of force to prevent the fall of the GDR, it was over for the communists of the GDR. This is kind of like analyzing the movement of the moons of Jupiter through the Solar System without analyzing the movement of Jupiter itself. Several chapters contain asides in which Maier departs from his main narrative or analysis to pursue somewhat tangential themes. These asides vary in quality. For example, his discussion of the differences between attempted revolutions in Germany and those in France and England is interesting. His suggestion, however, that the communist command economies weren't intrinsically flawed is belied by the economic data he presents. Another minor defect is the presence of some paragraphs containing academic jargon. To paraphrase Stalin, whenever I read the word discourse, I reach for my blue pencil.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this excellent book on the collapse of East Germany. The description of what exactly went on in the different parts of the population and especially at Politburo level, using a wealth of recently opened sources, makes for fascinating reading. The dynamics of the rapid breakdown feel like an snowball tunging into an avalanche, leaving the leadership in total bewilderment and disarray. To the eternal credit of Gorbatsov, who made clear he would not support the DDR in military action, no bloody attempt to repression ensued, and so one of the most pervasive and controlled police states ever created melted away. It is also thought-provoking on the subject of what constitutes a state; it is essentially a psychological concept, and if enough people stop believing in that state, the state effectively stops functioning and exists no more.

The whole story is better than fiction, it is reality. Highly recommended.

Professor Maier does an excellent job of giving an accurate, researched and detailed account of the end of the "first socialist state on German soil". Although not a consummate expert on the subject and certainly not a contemporary historian at heart, Professor Maier succeeds in presenting a readable and fascinating book. The text could stand to be slightly less academic -- the long section on the nature of revolutions is, in my opinion, a bit tedious. Nevertheless an excellent account, certainly the best one in English, for scholars and laypersons alike.

Much touted "Southern Womanhood" at it's most self-absorbed. You get it all here. Crinolines, silks, swoons, duels, sabres, smiling slaves, dashing officers, horrid yankees laying waste to all that is beautiful and noble, backbiting jealousies, scandal. All of the stuff that made "Gone With the Wind" a bestseller. Tennessee Williams would have had a grand time with this narcissistic young lady. A modern day psychologist could have made a fortune on her. Imagine an egomaniacal preppie girl in a civil war setting and you have Sarah Morgan. She sighs, she weeps, she yearns for death to relieve her imagined sufferings. Gallant Confederate officers lay court to her and her sister, while she denies that they could take an interest in her plain, ordinary, self. This after spending endless pages describing her preparations to meet them, entertain them, etc. She is remarkable for her ability to deceive herself. Other than how it affects herself or her narrow circle, she is oblivious to what's happening around her. Battles that slaughtered thousands are barely, if at all, acknowledged. The slaves are pictured as happy, singing, smiling, non-entities who amaze and anger her when they give up their joyful lives to run off the the horrid yankees. Some of the other reviewers have called her a sort of "pre-feminist". A long, very long, stretch based on her mild yearnings "to be a man", or "being a worthless woman." Hardly Anthony or Stanton, or even Mary Chesnut. For the most part, she accepts, even embraces, the status quo. She describes endlessly and picturesquely her mourning over her brother killed in a duel over an imagined slight, but never questions the idiocy of the "code duello". She blathers about the "gallant grey coats", but ridicules and snickers at the common soldiers. She has no use for the lesser classes and disdains, with horror, any contact with them. There is no high adventure or heroics here. Though she whines a lot, her actual suffering is minimal. She and her family abandon their house in Baton Rouge (because of a threatened Confederate attack) and end up in a 3 story mansion in New Orleans provided by her Unionist brother. Two other brothers die of disease in the war which illicits melodramatic scenes of grief in which she portrays herself as outwardly stoic but suffering in martyred silence. In short, she is a typical adolescent, concerned only with how she looks to her circle.

Having said all that, I liked the book. It gives a vivid portrait of the thinking of what I imagine was common among the upper crust of Southern society during the horrendous slaughter they initiated. Arrogant,self-satisfied, self-righteous, horribly self-absorbed, and ruthless. By the end of the book, I wished Sherman had been less restrained, and reconstruction a lot more successful.

If you would prefer someone who actually thinks about the issues, who reports on the happenings, who questions the icons, try Mary Chesnut. Her attitudes aren't all that much different (with some notable exceptions), but her feelings are real, and, unlike Sarah, she does divorce herself from her mirror.

When reading this superb Civil War diary the reader is immediately struck by two things. One, it is hard to believe that so young a woman could have expressed herself and her feelings so beautifully, and two, it is even more amazing that everything contain in this diary is exactly as Sarah Morgan wrote it originally. That is to say, it was not polished and edited afterwards (as Mary Chestnut intended to do, but was not able). If you want to take a glimpse at what living through four years of war was like for a Southern family and especially a young Southern woman you need look no further.

What an amazing book! To read this book is to take a trip back in
time. Not a politically correct book, but the diaries of a complex
young woman who was haughty and kind, flirtatious and proper,
deferential to men and determined to be an independent spinster. Sarah
Morgan was a rebel in terms of both her Southern heritage and her
pre-feminism beliefs. Her words depict a white world-view that doesn't
recognize its own racism, as well as her personal defiance of
society's expectations of her as a woman. She was a talented writer
with opinions that varied from modern, by today's standards, to
cripplingly in sync with the standards of 1860s Louisiana. As a Civil
War book, as a woman's memoir, and as a journey into one of the United
States' most fascinating and tragic times, this book is truly
outstanding.

I ordinarily do not read humorous novels more than once. The only exceptions would be _A Confederacy of Dunces_ By John Kennedy Toole and _The Big U_ by Neale Stephenson. I would not hesitate to put this book in that class.
I get a sense here that Busch must have indeed "written what he knew" because it just comes across as so fresh and uncontrived. These are real people, in a real madcap Village world. You actually end up CARING about them, which is rare for a modern novel.
Yes, I consider this book to be a "guilty pleasure", but that's because I grew up wanting to be an artist and a bohemian- and ended up an engineer in suburbia. At least in this book I can vicariously live an interesting and creative life around interesting and creative people....

Charles Busch is the author and original star of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, and this, his first novel, is basically the fictionalized account of the creation of that play. And it's not exaggerated at all, really, I mean it, really! Theatre people never exaggerate, right? It holds up--amusing for anyone who's ever worked in the theatre or has had anything to do with performance artists and/or drag queens. Memorable, outrageous but completely-believable characters (once you buy into the narrator's POV). Kind of an artistic thriller--will the show go on? Who's sleeping with whom? And why? Whose persona will Julian Young adopt next? Quite fun. I hesitate to label this as "summer reading," but I'd bring it to the beach and let the passers-by wonder what I was laughing at...

I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to have a good time. It is obviously based on Busch's own life, but that is what makes it so funny. He is one of the funniest, most gifted playwrites aound and his talent translates easily to the novel. I wanted this book to keep going. I still haven't found anything as hilarious since this was published.

I have not yet read this particular book, however, I am interested in edible wild plants. I have found a good book by Tom Brown, Jr. on the topic and thought I would inform other interested persons of this author because it seems not many people except those on the east coast have heard of him. So, if you are into edible wild plants, check it out! : > )

I first came into contact with this one at a school library. After looking at it once, I found myself buying a copy. It actually surpasses its title. It claims to be only about edible plants, but it also directs you in the process of making Mescadine Grape leather (a type of cold drink) and other recipes, and it even tells about edible fungi.

it would be good for the reader who wants to learn more about egypt without reaaly getting too deep into the history & geography of ancient egypt

This is one of the most interesting books on ancient Egypt that I have ever seen. The book begins with an excellent history of Egypt from prehistoric times through its conquest by the Macedonians. Along the way, there are many subsections on subjects from Aten through zoological gardens. Later chapters cover ancient Egypt's rediscovery at the end of the Eighteenth Century, and its influence on western civilization up to today.

This book has many excellent color pictures and maps, a good glossary and list of Egyptian gods, and an interesting list of all of the kings of Egypt. This is an excellent introduction to ancient Egypt, and an interesting look at a wrinkle in modern Western civilization. I highly recommend this fascinating book.

Sarah writes with all her emotion and holds nothing back. She writes very detailed however at times it can be a little slow in parts and I found myself trudging through it at times. However, it was an interesting view from a young woman in Civil War times with two brothers in the army and a brother who had been involved in a duel.

Sarah Morgan is a girl of apparent intelligence and wit with a palpable charm. I don't agree that her concerns were trivial. They are those of any young girl thinking about love, marriage, family and her future. Her worries for the safety of her three brothers serving in the Confederate army were certainly not unwarrented since two of the three were killed by war's end. The book is very involving. My sympathy is all with the Northern army but I do care what happens to Sarah and those she loves.

Ms. Morgan's diaries are so beautifully written that they read like a novel; there is never a dull moment as she describes with great detail life in Baton Rouge during the Civil War. Even if the reader is not a Civil War buff, he or she will find this book spell-binding. The book includes informative footnotes, fine copies of historic photographs, and is a MUST for those pursuing courses in women's studies, the American Civil War or Southern history and culture.

Overall, I would characterize Charles Tripp's book as a chronological monologue that tells the story of what happened, starting from the beginning and going along in chronological order with meticulous attention paid to dates, and names of political figures. Reading this book often became a monotonous affair, as the author explained the names and dates of yet another coup d'état or of yet another rebellion in Kurdistan, each coup and ethnic rebellion not significantly different from the one before it. In terms of clarity of presentation that this book achieves, I would say that while it is very good at describing what happened, it is much less clear at explaining why things happened. It often presupposes that the reader possesses background knowledge of Middle Eastern politics or of other disciplines. For example, the book talks extensively about the war between Iraq and Iran, but fails to explain the nature of the Iranian revolution, and how such a revolution would affect the Shi`a in Iraq. The book talks about the Gulf War, but does not explain that the reason for US intervention was largely economic. Perhaps these questions do not pertain directly to Iraq, but I think that providing some background information about other countries' interests and situations (when these countries came in contact with Iraq) is necessary in order to understand what was going on. Another thing I found frustrating is that the book did not explain what the real difference between Sunnis and Shi'a is about, and why the Sunnis have always been in control of the Iraqi state, even during Ottoman times. Another issue that I found particularly bothersome is the lack of emphasis in the book on explaining why Great Britain chose to define the borders of Iraq to be the way they ended up being. Why was Kuwait separated from Basra? At no point does the author address this question. Overall, I would have appreciated this book more if the author spent less time talking about what, who, and when, and more time explaining why.

In terms of assessing the pedagogical value of the book, I would say that because this book doesn't make connections between histories of various developing nations, does not define general themes and trends, the book itself becomes much more meaningful when read in conjunction with another book on Third World Development, Howard Handelman's The Challenge of Third World Development, for example. When read in this way, Charles Tripp's "History of Iraq" becomes a colorful and clear illustration of the many issues that concern developing nations. From legacies of colonialism (national borders, rulers, elites, etc), to the use of patronage by third world countries' governments, to the impacts of agricultural reform, to ethnic and religious conflict, and the involvement of the military in the political affairs, this book serves as a real world illustration of the many themes that pertain to Third World development.

A solid history of modern Iraq. Good background for specialists and non-specialists alike.

The previous review is grossly unfair. The book is supposed to be a concise history, not an exhaustive analysis of every single issue and event in Iraq. There is an excellent list of suggested sources should the reader wish to engage in further research on any topic. The book is erudite and well-written. It does not assume that the reader has an extensive knowledge of the Middle East. Two friends borrowed this book for coursework and I had a hard time getting it back, actually.

Having recently learned that my uncle was a member of the 1st Cavalry, 5th Regiment and part of the "Flying Column" which liberated Santo Tomas in Feb 45, I was fascinated by Mrs. Van Sickle's eyewitness account of her time in the camp, and of her retelling of the evening of liberation. Her storytelling STYLE isn't particular gripping, but her STORY itself IS gripping and she tells it with an honest, informative approach.

Emily Van Sickle has written a wonderful memoir of her struggle during World War II to survive internment by the Japanese in the Philippines. Interned in Santo Tomas University with her husband, Emily chronicles the daily boredom, increasing starvation, and then the unbridled excitement of liberation by U.S. troops.

Anyone interested in first-person wartime stories should read this book. It adds a new dimension to World War II stories of internment--this is unlike the experiences of European Jews and of Japanese-Americans, but still gives the reader pause to wonder at the atrocities of war.

this rough guide isn pretty much the same as the other guides.. as usual in singapore it contains the usual places.. orchard, little india, sentosa, east coast and the usual touristy places. It does not include the heartlanders area eg. Hougang, Yishun etc. For eg, in woodlands.. it only mention the the zoo.. did you know that's a big Shopping Mall in Woodlands called the Causeway point.. nect to the MRT station.. As for eating places.. it fail to capture the good places for local food.. may interest the food lovers and those adventourous enough to try..

It should include a portion on the heartlanders.. I'm sure some tourist may want to see our locals their way of life.. for eg a tour of an HDB estate (public housing) that may include the market, the coffeeshop, look at the flat inside out.. etc.. the peculiar and distinct characters of the heartlanders.. etc.. otherwise tourists may think S'pore is just of the "place"

This guide is great, at least from a pre-trip standpoint. When it comes to planning a trip to Malaysia, the historical and cultural aspects of the book are above reproach. The authors clearly know their way around the country. But that doesn't translate into using the book when you get to Malaysia. While hotel prices are listed, they're done so using a code system, forcing readers to continue flipping back to the key located early on in the guide. I've relied on Lonely PLanet's guidebook before, and I'll keep doing so - only because its layout is superior to the Rough Guide.

Even if your not planning on taking a trip to Malaysia anytime soon, this book will prove an interesting read for those who love learning about the world. I recently took on the task of writing a paper about Malaysia for a college-level geography class. There were certainly more traditional reference guides at my disposal, but I found this book to be more informative than any other book I used. Unlike most other travel guide series', Rough Guides do an excellent job of not only making sure travelers know where to stay and what to eat, but how NOT to make fools of themselves by ignoring local customs and traditions. This guide through Malaysia is no exception. The section on Singapore and Brunei provide significant, and substantial information, while the chapter on Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, answered every question a traveler could possibly think of. Every part of the guide proved truly helpful in my research and study. And more than anything, it has inspired me to visit the place that I've learned so much about as a good travel guide should.