M K Joseph has written a haunting tale you will never forget. Despite the title, the story is not actually about War and suffering. It is all about the complex interactions our human species has -- and the incredibly complex choices we are forced to make -- when faced with extraordinary circumstances.

I first became acquainted with this story through Film -- one of the few movies that is every bit as good as the book. The movie is hard to find on video, and the book is hard to find on the shelf. Both are worth persisting for.

Buy the book, see the movie, and see if you agree. In America it would have been a Pulizer prize winner. In New Zealand, it was yet another superb work of art, quickly forgotten.

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Noted author and scholar Rabbi Jacob Neusner wrote, "this book brings to synagogue song the discipline of the musician, the learning of the scholar, but most important, the aesthetic sense of the pious person who serves God in the beauty of holiness. Teaching us what has been and what can be, Levine promises to turn what is into something better:musically a service to God through aesthetic beauty consonant with the musical tradition of Judaism. A book of enormous value to the life of Judaism today."

In addition to giving Jews everywhere a key to unlock the secrets of their traditional chant, the book is also a practical guide to one branch of a universal musical tradition: liturgical chant. It's a must read for anyone interested in what makes the cantorial art so compelling to listeners and so important to worship.

An unusually clear and concise introduction to several areas of American Literary Theory. All to often, books of this sort are written by professors for an audience of professors. Dr. Spikes' book, instead, is an excellent tool for students and general readers intent on understanding just a little better the texts they read.

If you are writing software which must be internationalized, then there is no question that you need this book and you need Unicode. What ASCII is for the United States, Unicode is for the rest of the world. In this world (particularly this software world) of pontificating know-it-alls-who-don't, it is getting rarer and rarer to find complete compendiums of an entire domain of knowledge which can serve as the seminal reference for all successive work. This book is one of those rare seminal references which has in it the greatest quantity and greatest quality of wisdom and knowledge on the alphabets of the world for use in computer software.

From the perspective of domestic software developers within the United States, Unicode is essentially 7-bit ASCII in a 16-bit unsigned integer. In the immensely popular C and C++ languages Unicode strings behave like ASCII strings:
. Unicode 0/null terminates C/C++ strings, just like ASCII 0/null.
. Unicode has a type in ANSI Standard C and ISO Standard C++ (and ARM-defined C++): wchar_t. For C/C++ programmers, char=ASCII wchar_t=Unicode.
. Unicode has a plethora of standard string manipulation functions already standardized in ANSI Standard C and ISO Standard C++, usually substitute the str with wcs (e.g., strcpy=wcscpy, strcmp=wcscmp, strcat=wcscat) and substitute the char parameters with wchar_t parameters. Abracadabra, your software is well on its way to being able to have strings in any foreign language as well as English.
. Unicode characters are all the same size (16-bit), just like ASCII (8-bit).
. Unicode's first 127 values are essentially 7-bit ASCII values.
. Unicode completely eliminates all that darned "code page" baloney.
. Unicode completely solves all that "How do we stuff that odd foreign character into the printable characters on screen/paper?" problem.
. Unicode is an ISO standard which came from a defacto United States computer industry standard. It is not ivory tower; it is in common use.
. Unicode was developed with you the software engineer and programmer in mind from day one. Unicode was developed with C++'s/C's wchar_t in mind from day one. It all fits together with Unicode.
. Unicode is used as a supported string technology (or the only string technology) in: Java, C++, C, Windows NT, Novell Netware, Solaris, and numerous other computing environments.
. Unicode supports all alphabets in use in the world today, plus alphabet-less languages such as Chinese, as well as languages whose alphabets are still being formalized.
. Because Unicode characters are all the same size, Unicode characters are random-access in that one can access any character (pick a card, any card) and know by looking at its value what that character is. Other multi-byte character sets must be parsed sequentially from the beginning of the string to assure that one has detected what mode some escape sequence has shifted that portion of the string into.
. Unicode seeks to solve every defect of previous multi-byte character sets. Unicode is the fittest to survive. All other multi-byte character sets should be (and will be) abandoned.
. Unicode = exportable software world wide in the global economy. ASCII = limiting your market to the English-speaking minority of the world.
. Unicode = supporting the information systems of all of the foreign branch offices of your company. ASCII = crippling your information system so that it supports nothing more than the English-only offices.
. ASCII = string equivalent of the Year 2000 Problem. Unicode = the fix to language-crippled software.

(And we won't even discuss the obvious and total superiority of Unicode over EBCDIC!)

In short Unicode is good for the software industry. This book is the official reference for Unicode from the inventor of Unicode: The Unicode Consortium.

The views contained within this feedback is in no way associated with my employer nor any other organization.

This book, like a more recent one by WG Sebald, The Emigrants, gives a speaking, stunningly well-written account of what it was like to be a Jew in central Europe in the first half of the 20th century. But it is a book that would fascinate anybody, even a deracinated Irishman like me.

This book is a great guide for both new X-philes as well as seasoned vets. Great background on all X-Files characters/actors. Excellent episode synopses, which always include comments that help fill in the gaps. This is one of the only books I've seen with a comprehensive review of all 4 previous seasons in one place. I was a new fan to the X-files this season (5th) and this book helped me locate and understand key episodes that I needed to see to understand the "conspiracy" storyline. I can't wait for the book for the 5th season!!

For the first 150 or so pages of Nostromo, there were several times when I almost quit. The amount of detail about the political and social organization of Conrad's imaginary country was so dry and technical that I felt like I was reading an encyclopedia. But, the strangest thing happened on about page 151. . . I started to get into the book! Then, I couldn't stop. In retrospect, I believe that the exposition at the beginning of the novel could have been dispersed throughout the narrative, rather than shoving it down the reader's mouth at the beginning.

Nevertheless, Nostromo is a stunning and extremely pessimistic examination of the "heart of darkness" within all humans. Virtually all the characters are driven by self-interest and greed, and even our "hero" (Nostromo), is at times bestial and self-involved. But, I still loved this book! Joseph Conrad is like the literary equivalent of Paul Verhoeven- an extremely bitter artist whose dark view of the world serves to shed light on the audience. I know it sounds strange, but I mean exactly what I say.

Conrad is my favorite 20th century author, so I am biased. The reviewer who compared him to Tolstoy was on the money. Both lived lives that gave them fodder for their fiction; Tolstoy as a soldier in the Crimean war, an aristocrat facing the turbulence of the political and social upheavals of fin-de-siecle Russia, and Conrad as a mariner and a Polish transplant who carved out a language and a career for himself in England. Nostromo contains some of the most vividly realized characterization, plot, and sensory detail of any novel ever written in the English language, period. Do not pay any attention to a customer whose review is based on listening to the audio tape version. It doesn't do the book justice and is indeed labored to the extreme. I would also hope that readers do not form their opinions from the BBC film. It is infinitely shallow by comparison to this rich work. While the "eponymous" character remains purposefully enigmatic, the other inhabitants of Costaguena are stereoscopically fleshed out. We are on intimate terms with the Goulds. We know Decoud's innermost thoughts. It's true that Decoud is the central character of this novel. His isolation and mental defragmentation is Conrad's arguement for and refuation of existentialism. We are all islands, yet no man is in island. Take your pick. This is a very large piece of fiction. Do not approch it as you would some best seller. It's not going to entertain you on every page. What it will do is reward you in riches that can never come cheaply. Yet it is not like Finnegan's Wake, where you have to have your Boedekker's guide to see you along your journey. It's also a great adventure story, with a larger than life hero. If I could suggest one book to represent the most finely crafted novel of its era, this would be it.

Joseph Conrad is one of the most effortlessly cosmopolitan writers in the English language, and "Nostromo" finds him in a fictitious South American country called Costaguana whose mountains are a bountiful resource of silver. And Conrad is probably the only writer who can transform his novel's hero from an all-around tough guy to a heroic savior to a sneaky thief to a tragic victim of mistaken identity through plausible twists of fate without ever letting the story fall into disarray.

The main action of the novel takes place towards the end of the nineteenth century in a town called Sulaco, which is the base of operations for the San Tome silver mine up in the nearby mountains. The administrator of the mine is an Englishman named Charles Gould, whose primary challenge is to find American and European speculators to invest money to keep the mine in business. The other problem he faces is a civil war between the present government and a faction of rebels led by a general named Montero. Gould's wife Emilia is a prominent figure in town, an elegant matron with a philanthropic attitude towards the downtrodden native mine workers and townspeople.

The hero, Nostromo, is an Italian sailor who settled in Costaguana for more lucrative work and is now in charge of keeping the dockworkers -- the "cargadores" -- in line. When Montero's troops invade Sulaco, Nostromo and Martin Decoud, an aristocratic Frenchman who runs Sulaco's newspaper, escape on a boat with the town's silver treasury to protect it from the marauders. Their boat is sideswiped and damaged by a ship commanded by a rebel colonel named Sotillo, and they are forced to moor on a nearby island and bury the treasure there. This island is the future site of a lighthouse to be maintained by the Violas, an Italian family whose patriarch, Giorgio, once supported Garibaldi and still reveres the man like a deity. There is obviously much more to the plot, too much to reveal in this review, and there are many additional important characters, but these are best left for the potential reader to discover.

Narratively, Conrad keeps the story moving with plenty of action and suspense combined with the typical excellence of his prose. Structurally, though, is how Conrad's novel intrigues its reader: He frequently shifts viewpoints, in both place and time, to give the effect of different perspectives of both the immediate events and the long-term history of Sulaco. Contemporary reviewers of the novel apparently saw this technique as an artistic flaw; in retrospect, it seems well ahead of its time.

Thematically, the novel presents a debate about the benefits and problems of imperialism and colonization, using Costaguano as a model colony and the Gould Concession as model imperialists. When Sotillo accuses foreigners of robbing his country of its wealth, Gould suggests to him that a country's resources (i.e., Costaguana's silver) can be used as an asset only from the cooperation of the native workers and the capital and technical knowledge of the colonists. Such a concept seems relevant to global economic development throughout the twentieth century.

Victory is in many ways more fluid and readable than Conrad's more dense works (for comparison sake I'd previously read Heart of Darkness and Conrad's collection of short stories Tales of Unrest.) In Victory we have Conrad's standard fare of tragedy and man's isolation, but in this case wrapped in a tale of adventure and swept along by an uncharacteristically eventful plot.

Conrad's works have, of course, been reviewed to exhaustion; the only thing that I could hope to add would be my emotional response to the novel as a reader.

Personally through the majority of the novel I found Heyst to be the only truly well defined character. Much of what we learn of him is revealed indirectly through the observations of others, but somehow Conrad manages to use this method to flesh out a complex and intriguing figure in Heyst. The remanding characters, while interesting, serve mostly as scenery. The villains Jones and Ricardo, while interesting, struck me not so much as human characters but as forces of impending doom; they could have as easily been an approaching storm or a plague or any other brand of natural disaster. The girl Lena in the end is the one exception; perhaps the one thing that I found most gratifying is the way in which her character developed as the novel neared its climax.

The Penguin Classics version is well footnoted for those of you (like me) that would have missed some of the more obscure Biblical references and allusions to Paradise Lost. The notes also comment on the narrator's shifting viewpoint, and on revisions Conrad made to subsequent editions. For those readers interested in an insight into Conrad's thinking I'd recommend this version.

Victory is the story of a man named Heyst who leads an isolated life in the South Pacific. However, he is drawn out of his isolation when he brings a woman to his island home. A chance encounter between a dishonest German who dislikes Heyst and two criminals sets up the dramatic ending. Conrad's style is as fluid as in his better known books, such as Lord Jim, and it is amazing that someone could write English so well who did not learn it until later in life and who always spoke it with a heavy Polish accent. Victory is similar to Conrad's other works in that the plot flirts with melodrama, but always is rooted in realism. Those who read the book will find the title apt.

Victory is the best of the handful of Conrad novels I have read (for reference sake, the others are Lord Jim, The Secret Agent, Heart of Darkness, and Nostromo). For one thing, the other novels were much heavier in their narrative and descriptive content. As a result, I often suffered from mental imagery overload when plodding through a page-long paragraph. Victory has more dialogue, making it an easier read. Conrad's characters are always great, and the ones in this book are no exception. I also really liked the correlation between these characters and their environment. Heyst living in a serene yet isolated island matched his aloofness perfectly. As the book reaches its climax and tensions reach a boiling point, Conrad adds to this tension in godlike fashion, as the storm evinces the internal and external struggles occurring in Heyst. Of course, Conrad don't write no happy tales (sic), but in the end, I think that the title Victory was still very appropriate. This was an excellent read and one of the best novels I have read in a long time.

Know of of a lawyer (whom does not already have this indespenseable tool) or of a person heading to law school; then you should buy this book for them, i.e., Black's Law Dictionary by Bryan A. Garner (Editor), et al. The reference book starts out with a pronunciation guide; preface (which is very well written indeed); guide to dictionary; list of abbreviations; dictionary; seven appendixes, legal maxims, the constitution of the united states of america, universal declaration human rights; time chart of the united states supreme court; federal circuita map; british regnal years; list of works cited. The price is abit steep ... but it is well worth its price.

The point of contention which normally arises in a discussion of this Pocket Edition of Black's Law Dictionary is the price. Many other products exist which are less than half the $ price tag.

The only response is that these other books are a waste of money. Dollar for dollar there is no better option than this near perfect book. The months of preparation by renowned lexicographer Bryan Garner (author of the Dictionary of Modern American Usage), along with legal librarians and any number of other professionals and assistants have created a volume that will serve the law student especially well.

The relief of not carrying the full dictionary in their backpacks is worth the students' money. And every student should own both a full and a pocket dictionary. These are indispensable tools.

If you are not going to carry Black's Pocket Dictionary you are better off using the full 7th edition available (maybe) at the reference desk of your law library. Save your money.

...

Know of of a lawyer (whom does not already have this indespenseable tool) or of a person heading to law school; then you should buy this book for them, i.e., Black's Law Dictionary by Bryan A. Garner (Editor), et al. The reference book starts out with a pronunciation guide; preface (which is very well written indeed); guide to dictionary; list of abbreviations; dictionary; seven appendixes, legal maxims, the constitution of the united states of america, universal declaration human rights; time chart of the united states supreme court; federal circuita map; british regnal years; list of works cited. The price is abit steep ... but it is well worth its price.

In the opening prologue of Senator Lieberman and co-author Michael D'Orso's book "In Praise of Public Life," Lieberman tells about a lunch that he had with his interns and how his interns described how disenchanted many of their classmates and cohorts are with public officials and public life. Lieberman further describes how this conversation motivated him to write this book, in defense of politics and public life. From this opening prologue I expected to read about the "success" stories of Lieberman and others in passing legislation, helping a constituent, or making sweeping changes that would motivate people into running for office.

Yet, this book is much more realistic, it provides the 'real' spin on public life. Lieberman's style of writing draws upon many of his own experiences to aid in the understanding of what it takes to be a public official. From these examples Lieberman hopes that the reader will understand the sacrifices, long hours, partisanship, sacrifices of family and personal freedom required to live a life in public office. Lieberman further hopes that this book will motivate people to take a part in public life in varying degrees- from voting, contacting elected officers, or perhaps running for office. In all, this slim book is a decent read and very interesting in understanding a different side of politics.

Joseph Liberman isn't like other politicans, but it many ways he personifies exactly what we desire to elect into office: personality, honesty, and integrity. In his most recent novel, Senator Liberman opens with a preface and first couple of chapters that are second to none in showing how a powerful university education and lofty aspirations has helped him in his accention to the top of the political hierarchy. Through his grass-roots foundlings as the first individual to attend college in his family, I've gathered an aura of self-determinism that's seemingly very important in the world of politics. No one was driving him to seek the offices he did more than himself; he was his own political machine. His experiences in attending to the necessary evils of campain raising and meeting with disenchanted voters, the Senator delineates how an ordionary individual may look upon the life of a politican's day-to-day hussle and bustle. The constant struggle to gain leverage in a power-hungry Congress while not compromising morals is notably difficult.

"In Praise" has given me a taste of politics in a witty, succint view, and I would reccommend to anyone who has two hours to be enlightened.

This book was written before Senator Lieberman's nomination for Vice President, and it remains a valuable read now that Election 2000 is over. Whether you're a Democrat, Republican, third party member, independent or undecided, this book has a great deal to recommend it. It should be required reading for anyone considering a career in politics, and for citizens who want an accessible account of what the life of a modern politican is like.

Senator Lieberman begins by explaining that "career politician" -- a term so often seen as negative -- does not have to mean someone who is entrenched in graft and dishonesty. Just as professionals in other fields have a responsibility to uphold the very best standards of their professions, so do politicians. Lieberman considers politics to be his chosen career, the same as a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or other professional. He strives to do his job with a strong sense of moral responsibility, fully aware that public life is, well, public. He writes: "I assume that everything I do in my life -- EVERYTHING -- could possibly become public and therefore I should not do anything privately that I could not justify publicly." (p. 51)

The Senator's arguments in favor of politics as a bona fide career also changed my own stance on term limits. Before reading this book, I thought term limits were a good idea, as a way to prevent bad politicians from becoming entrenched. But, as Senator Lieberman eloquently points out, running a country is a big responsibility that takes years of experience. Having a large portion of the Senate turn over every few years would be inefficent, because everybody would be relatively new to the job. Besides, Lieberman points out, we already have ways to remove bad politicians. They're called elections.

As a religious Jew, I also appreciated the Senator's openness about the role that religion plays in his life. There have been other Jewish politicians in high offices, but none, so far as I know, have been as open as Lieberman about their beliefs. All too often, American Jews are reluctant to discuss religion in public, giving the false impression that we don't believe in anything. Senator Lieberman brings some balance to this issue, while educating the public about Judaism in the process. When, for example, he was asked by the press, "How do you relax?" his answer was, "The Sabbath." This book he gives a good picture of how he balances Sabbath observance with carrying out his public duties. During national emergencies such as the Persian Gulf War, he votes on the Sabbath, under the principle of temporarily setting aside the Sabbath prohibitions in order to save lives. (For the benefit of Lieberman critics who ask "How can he be revere life and support abortion rights," let me point out that Jewish law permits and even requires abortion under certain circumstances, and these differ from the Roman Catholic stance. Those who are interested in further details should read David M. Feldman's book, "Marital Relations, Birth Control, and Abortion in Jewish Law," which I have reviewed here on Amazon.)

In conclusion: I heard Senator Lieberman speak at a rally in Duluth during the Presidential campaign, and was very impressed with him, both as an eloquent speaker and a mentsch -- that wonderful Yiddish word that his campaign added to our national vocabulary, meaning "a fine human being". Our government could use a lot more politicians like him -- whatever their party affiliations. This book really deserves ten stars!