Joseph Mitchell's Up in the Old Hotel is by far the best book that I have read by an Amerian writer. His words paint pictures so vivid that I could smell the ale from the saloons, hear the laughter from the comrads, feel the salty sea air around Fulton's Fish Market, and tast the diner/coffeepot food. Mitchell succeeded in creating nothing less than magic in these stories. Each is so independant, but yet together they weave incredible tapestries. The New York that Mitchell portrays here is one that could only be viewed from these stories. The way that the people and places are captured will preserve their memories for ever in the minds of his readers. An excellent book, I personally recommend to every lover of the American Dream

Yes, as the other reviewers have already noted, it's true that Mitchell captures a sense of place and character as well as any writer working today, but the real reason to buy this book is the opportunity it will give you to revel in the rhythm of some of the most hynpotic sentences you will ever read by an American writer. If you think I'm exaggerating, then just open the book to a piece called "The Rivermen" (pg 574) and read the opening paragraph, in which Mitchell describes the Hudson River and his sighting of a sturgeon:

" ... it rose twice, and cleared the water both times, and I plainly saw its bristly snout and its shiny little eyes and its white belly and its glistening, greenish-yellow, bony-plated, crocodilian back and sides, and it was a spooky sight."

If you love sentences like this, get this book. I've been teaching college composition for a dozen years, and can think of no better model for clean, elegant prose.

This book would be interesting even if it weren't so cleverly written. The character's that Mitchell portrays: Joe Gould, the bearded lady, the denizens and proprietors of McSorley's saloon are so... for lack of a better term human that this story would be worthwhile to read as if it were just a part of Joe Gould's 'Oral History'-- for what it contributes to a knowledge of a time that has long since passed us, for the insight it has provided in to a world that has since disappeared. Mitchell describes a world that has left us and makes it seem as if it were still with us; I think that I'd give this book four stars just for the characters and the insights alone....

But one could say the same about writers like Iceberg Slim; certainly, he too described shady characters in works like 'Pimp' and 'Trick Baby'; today, those seem more annoying than invigourating, and his writing more self-aggrandizing than reaching toward a verismilitude. Mitchell seems with us. His work could stand alone as a work of fiction rather than one of journalism; if it is six-hundred and eighty for pages (I think it is...) all are worth reading in multiple.

I highly recommend this book. And I'm usually not a fan of works of this type. If I were to be, another neat book that is vaguely similar but a lot older is Hamilton Holt's 'The Life Sotries of Undistinguished Americans as Told by Themselves...'

This is the most helpful "how-to" book I've ever read. It's informative, easy to read and funny, too! It makes the complicated process of generating publicity seem manageable for the beginner. The author uses humor and very interesting "stories from the trenches" to illustrate the steps involved in handling your own PR. The book is geared towards authors but I think it would be valuable for anyone who needs to get the word out about their business, product or even themselves. I highly recommend this book!!!!

For those of us who would like to have a PR firm working for us but cannot afford to do so, this is the perfect answer. Mr. Marich has taken this mine field and made it simple for all to work their way through. I would reccommend to anyone that needs to promote anything that they are working on to read this book. It is easy to follow and shows the authors good sense of humor by not taking this work too seriously. Good reading.

Joe Marich, one of Hollywood's top PR professionals, has written a unique and powerful book designed to help the reader achieve literary success. Especially for authors who have learned the hard way that getting your work published does not guarantee that anyone will actually find out about it, buy it and read it, Joe's book is that single, incredibly helpful tool for actually making sales! Joe's easy and enjoyable writing style, insight, smart and potent advice all add up to a delightful and valuable tool for writers of all kinds. Go Joe!

This is a great book for the general public as well as naive health care professionals to learn about Natural Medicine. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF THIS BOOK AND STUDY IT. YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND ON IT. I have learned that I am eating totally wrong and am setting myself up for a cardiovascular disaster. And I'm a doctor and should know better! Now I can set things straight.

Yeah, I'm an M.D. and have been trained to treat my patients with chemicals (Allopathic Medicine), but I have been trying to expand my knowledge base about the practice of medicine and luckly stumbled on Dr. Murray's Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.

I will integrate what I have and will learn about Natural Medicine in my everyday practice (and my own life!). I feel that, with certain exceptions, Natural Medicine should be tried first. Only when that fails or is inappropriate should Allopathic Medicine be used.

There is a growing trend for M.D.'s to use Natural Medicine in their practice. ...

When I bought this book, I had no idea how powerful an effect it would have in my life. As a science afficianado (and probable borderline hypochondriac), I have taken vitamin supplements for years "just in case" I might not be receiving proper nutrition from my modern microwave and fast food regimen. The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine is an eye-opening discovery of the side of medicine that is too often missing in the world of the M.D.: treating the cause of an illness, not just it's symptoms.
The writing is comprehensive yet precise, including evidence of the therapeutic effect of a given supplement, it's method of action (pharmacology), and even caveats about any weaknesses in supporting studies, including whether evidence comes from statistically meaningful double-blind controlled studies or from clinical or cultural experiences.
If you are the type of person to take supplements, exercise, or eat healthy and natural foods out of a desire to protect your health, I highly recommend you BUY AND READ THIS BOOK! And if, on the other hand, you don't do any of the above, and you have a medical condition or take any presription or over-the-counter medication, or just generally feel yucky, I would definitely urge you to BUY AND READ THIS BOOK!
And Finally, if you are currently in the medical field, or typically prescribe or endorse only synthetic drugs manufactured by American Pharmaceutical companies licensed by the FDA, please BUY AND READ THIS BOOK!
Then again, I'm probably biased; after acting on the information in this book, I feel better than I have in a long time. And as any scientist will tell you, such results are not statistically significant ; )

I have long been a proponent of taking my own health into my own hands. Murray's reference book was first given to me by a friend. It encompasses a diverse array of health concerns and treatments that WE, the people, can access on our own. With sites like Amazon where we can peruse books on alternative health as well as one my friend recently recommended, Papanature, which has a substantial stock of natural supplements and vitamins. etc. I was pleased with the information, the documentation links, the products and the prices which Papanature provided so I ordered. Many of the items covered in Murray's Encyclopedia can be found from this source.

What luck I had picking up this gem at a used book store. Few books I've read have gripped me in the way 'The Berkut' did. Heywood's attention to detail and his unique hypothesis make this a great book. This is well worth the effort of finding, and if you own the book, pass it on, as I'm going to do. I am still debating, I think this book might lend itself woderfully to a movie, but I'd hate to see it ruined, if done poorly.

Very intense, very plausible and I didn't want to put it down. When I finished the book, I was left with the question, "What if this is not just fiction?" I would recommend this book to anyone. It's nice to get away from the techno thriller

I read this book about 10 years ago and loved it. I still remember it vividly. I can't say that about most thrillers I've read, which all seem to fade into one big, mushy "web of international intrigue". Anyway, Barnes and Noble has a fantastic interview from about 6 years ago with Mr. Heywood. Go to their site, locate the author and click on "biographical information". Finally, he evidently has written a couple other books: "The Domino Conspiracy" and "Taxi Dancer".

America was drawn to the story of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin when he publicly shared with the community of the Archdiocese of Chicago the news that his liver cancer was inoperable on August 30, 1996. The Cardinal wrote The Gift of Peace to share his thoughts on the last three years of his life. His writing reflects the principal role of a Roman Catholic bishop - - the teaching office, to nourish within the community the principles of faith illustrated by the realities that present themselves in the course of everyday life.

Like most Americans outside of Chicago, I first learned about the Cardinal in the news coverage that accompanied his last year on the front pages of the newspapers. He wanted to walk with the community as he confronted his death. Sharing with the community both the pain of his illness and the discoveries of the intellect that bridged for him, first acceptance of his terminal illness, and then the process of personal reconciliation of his life journey.

There are so many books upon the shelves of Amazon.com on the topic of Death and Dying. None of them adequate to the task of being "how to's", but offering reasonable guidance for that most personal of tasks, confronting personal death and death in the family. Yet, I keep coming back to The Gift of Peace. Perhaps, because of the Cardinal's one-to-one conversation by which he engages the reader.

For those of us that can prepare for death, a struggle may develop as we form a personal inner conversation to embrace with grace and maturity and purpose our changed fortune. The Cardinal models in the journey of his illness the direction our own path may take.

Upon hearing the first fateful news of his illness, the Cardinal experienced a feeling of helplessness. The same helplessness I nervously experienced when the heart specialist began taking my history. The Cardinal acknowledged then, as I did also, the state of great anxiety as patients wait to hear from doctors what their fate will be. "God was teaching me yet again just how little control we really have and how important it is to trust in him."

The Cardinal describes how terrible illness changes lives - - not only the life of the person carrying it, but also the lives of friends and family members who love and care for that person. We follow in the book's narrative the Cardinal's trajectory along illness as described by Therese A. Rando: keeping alive, understanding and acknowledging the illness, experiencing the pain, framing realistic expectations and completing unfinished business.

And in the midst of the Cardinal's struggle, he continued his own ministry to others with cancer. "Somehow when you make eye contact," he says, "when you convince people that you really care - - that at that particular moment they are the only ones that count - - then you establish a new relationship." It is all about entering into an intimacy with those we minister to, however brief, forever permanent.

Jesus learned this lesson from the Canaanite woman to whom he first avoided, saying he was sent to minister only to the house of Israel." She continued to confront him, to engage him. She established a relationship that from that moment forward propelling Jesus' ministry beyond Israel to embrace all the nations. For ministry, the Cardinal concludes, is about imparting a sense that "somehow you truly care and have somehow mediated the love, mercy and compassion of the Lord."

Ministry to the dying is all about strengthening the relationship between each person and God. I understand that each of our ministerial encounters is unique. Our need for healing is no different in dying than in living - - however the more apparent and actively sought out for. I strive to go to the bedside with practical skills fashioned around a dynamic toolbox of appropriate pastoral applications.

A dynamic shaped by what the Cardinal would call prayer and prayer's search for peace. Peace that accompanies recognition, acceptance, reconciliation. And as a pastor, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin offers us a simple prayer that we may find the gift of peace. It is in the journey toward death's great mystery that we call out to the Lord for peace. The peace that finds voice in prayer. Prayer that nourishes. Prayer that heals. Prayer that reconciles. Prayer that brings us to salvation.

A year ago, on November 14, 1996, our beloved Cardinal Bernardin died, as we the people of his flock, spent time in prayer and reflection over his years as our shepherd. It is amazing to realize how we were enveloped into his loving care, even as he lay dying. Some months later, his book, "The Gift of Peace: Personal Reflections" was published, as his gift to us. More than its worldwide sales, is its personal value to those who read it, perhaps once, maybe several times. How many people near death will ever have the energy to focus on the Lord's Presence, amidst physical pain? For Cardinal Bernardin, the pain he wrote about may have focused on physical and emotional difficulties that surfaced in the final three years of his life, but clearly, there are words in his book that can yet feed the flock, "how if we let Him, God can write straight with crooked lines," if only we let go of the control and allow HIM to direct our life's journey. This does not mean we should make no plans, but rather, set aside time daily to draw close to the Lord, and let go of the concerns that may grip us --- to make room for HIM in our lives. Is there room for HIM in the inn of our deepest selves? There is no other option. No matter what difficulties or hurts arise, we are all still family, always needing to work on healing; the other choice leaves us without family and friends. Cardinal Bernardin speaks of redemptive suffering -- the kind Jesus felt, the kind we may experience. The message clearly leads the reader to know that we, like Jesus, can move beyond the suffering, toward something better, allowing the Lord to work in our lives, bringing us into communion with Him and others who are feeling pain and suffering. In the midst of his pain, Bernardin's faith was strong, but he was preoccupied with the pain. His message is this: develop a strong prayer life in your best moments so you can be sustained in your weaker moments. Lean on family and friends, and church community, as they minister. As you read this book, you may feel the connection with Cardinal Bernardin because either you or a family member or friend is experiencing the pain and suffering of illness. Cardinal Bernardin's presence remains with us, in these words, "Pray while you're well, because if you wait until you're sick, you might not be able to do it."

Recently I lost my father to a 10 year bout with cancer. This book provided me with joy, tears and abudance within a month of my own fathers death. Cardinal Bernardin was a remarkable man who had the courage to face his accusers, his illness and ulitmately his death. He has reconfirmed that faith, hope, love, forgivenss and kindness is the very essentials of what life needs to be about. It is clear from the Cardinal as it was from my experience with my own father that even when you think you are at your darkest human hour you need to reach out and make a difference every single day until your final moment in this part of your journey here on earth.

This book is a must read for anyone who has doubted that there is peace in death. He reconfirms that the lessons most important in life are to continue to give of yourself every day despite the adversities you face. In his illness, through his false accusation and his wonderful rediscovery of a deeper faith in Christ it makes accepting God's plan for you important.

Anyone who has an ill parent or someone close to them should read this book it will give you a much clearer spiritual understanding of illness, death and living every moment under God's plan.

I was typing up descriptions of books I bought in a box lot to sell and decided this one was in just too poor condition to sell, but it was medical, which always interests me, so I decided I should read it first before throwing it out (it's literally falling apart), AND BOY, AM I GLAD I DID! I found it totally absorbing, but surprisingly not so much from the medical aspect as from the simple human drama aspect. The cover emphasizes its focus on the corrupt medical system it describes, but to me it was more about a man losing himself in the pursuit of money & prestige, and having a crisis brought on by the death of a patient, that turns him back around, back to the idealistic doctor we liked in the beginning of the book.

There were numerous British words I didn't know what they referred to, but I found I was able to just skip over them & keep reading without losing the essence of the plot or the sense of timing/tension/drama that kept bringing me back to read more.

An excellent read. I couldn't put down this book about the life of a young Scottish doctor right out of medical school. The book is punctuated by lots of heartwarming moments, but the author also gives us some thoughts on the ethics behind the medical profession. Highly recommended.

I picked up this book because it was mentioned in my great-grandmother's diary from 1941. Written in the 30s, it tells the tale of a young Scottish doctor in the 20s, as he goes from a small-town doctor in a rough situation to a well-paid London doctor with a fancy office.

The story's written with intelligence, as the doctor ponders various ways to deal with the bureaucracy he faces. He deals with incompetent doctors, old doctors that have no desire to learn new treatments, young doctors more concerned with money and prestige than patient care.

And, as he gets absorbed into the system, the doctor begins to be lured in by the money. He starts to prescribe the 'easy' solution to patients, even if it's not the right answer, so that they're happy and he gets more cash. He does finally realize, in the end, that working for the patients is more important than gaining lots of cash, but only after some hard lessons.

I have a few small complaints with the story. One is that the wife could have been a really interesting character, but she's a little flat. She is sad when he becomes money-hungry, and draws back, but that's it. She was a schoolteacher when he met her, and it's made clear that she's very intelligent. But still she just sort of goes along with him, making his meals, wishing things could be better, but far be it for her to actually help out. She tries to get his friends to see him one night to bring back his old ways, but when that fails, "ah well".

My other complaint is that he slides far too easy from a passionate patient-first attitude into a "cash is nice" mentality. But that was necessary for the plot to progress.

Definitely a great book to read to learn about life in the 20s to 40s, from the small towns of Wales to the busy streets of London. Interesting details about the damage that mines caused to the lungs of the mineworkers, and the ways that doctors worked with each other and treated their patients. A great read!

After reading Balance Point, I find myself torn between stating "One Hell of a story!" and "One Hell of a warning!" This is a truly spell-binding adventure tale with an incredibly important message. Usually, I find such books to be lacking in either entertainment value or in proper research. That is not the case with Balance Point. Joe's characters are as real as my next-door neighbor, and his premise is quite plausible. All considered, I find Balance Point to be the best book I've read this year. I hope Joe will crank out another book soon.

Once in a while, a book comes along at just the right time. This is how Balance Point affected me. I had long felt a conflict between the material and the spiritual realities. I'd continuously oscillate between the two, all-or-nothing style. Joseph Jenkins' new book showed me that my conflict was both misplaced and unnecessary. A better approach is to find one's "balance point." Better written than The Celestine Prophecy, the message here is at least as important. Jenkins takes his readers on an entertaining worldwide voyage of personal discovery ... and tells us how to save the planet while we're at it. Fun to read with exotic (but convincing) settings and characters, this excellent first novel is inspiring at the same time. Oh, and for anyone who still needs to know the difference between religion and spirituality, several passages in Chapter 24 define the differences with lucidity.

This is one book you will want to share with friends, family, maybe even strangers. If you're weary of excessively hyped, poorly written and unoriginal eco-spiritual and new age books, you must read Balance Point.

Having been greatly under-whelmed by such books as The Celestine Prophecy, Ishmael and Mutant Message Down Under, I started Balance Point with a cynical eye. My attitude quickly changed, however, as I was drawn into the story before the end of the first chapter. By the time I turned the last page a few hours later (Balance Point is a fast read), my head was reeling from the scope and the depth of the message.

There are so many things that impressed me about this book--too many to list here--but I'll try to hit the most important ones.

I liked the author's unpretentious, self-deprecating style. Rather than presenting himself as the all-knowing bestower of ancient wisdom, he makes his character the foil to the intelligence and wisdom of his aunt Lucy and the others he and his wife encounter on their travels. This allows the reader to take in the information and opinions expressed without ever feeling preached at or talked down to. And there's a lot of information.

In fact, I've never encountered a book with so much disturbing and frightening information that goes down so easily. The story is so engrossing and the author's writing style so light and breezy that only after finishing the book did it hit me just how much information had been conveyed.

That is not to say that Balance Point is a Gloom and Doom environmental book--quite the contrary. The book not only leaves you with a sense of hope and enthusiasm about the future, it gives you some important tools to put your passion into action. An addendum at the back of the book includes contact information for a host of organizations involved with the environment, ecology and sustainability. There's also a section of practical tips, ranging from household cleansers and toiletries to transportation and education. The addendum alone is worth the price of the book.

All in all, Balance Point is a remarkable book with an extremely important message. And if you're looking for a wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee eye opener of a book for an ecologically challenged friend, this is the one.

I highly recommend this book to readers who would enjoy a thought provoking hard look into the lifestyles, excesses, and inconsistencies of American culture. The book outlines the adventures and realizations that author Richard Joseph experiences in his travels around the world.

The story itself is a source of inspiration. The reader is taken on a rollercoaster ride through the trials and tribulations of the author's early life in New York City, into an entertaining story of realization. After reading the book I found myself re-examining my own life and the lives of those closest to me. The book has truly inspired me to take a hard look at my personal goals and long term plans for the future.

Transcend is more than 'just a book about travel'. It is more than a 'biography', and it is more than a philosophical and a psychological work. The writer takes us with him as he travels, not only physically, but also emotionally and psychologically. We see what he sees. We feel what he feels. All the while, we are traveling with a 'guy from Queens' whose eyes open wider with every scene, and no matter what our philosophical orientation, our eyes open wider too. Richard Joseph's world is no longer an island defined and isolated by Queens, New York City, American protection and culture. The book was written before September 11th, yet his shock at the reality of what he sees as the curtains of Oz fall around him is prescient of our shock at the reality we see around us now.

Because the writer takes us through time as well as through physical space, he is in a process of growth throughout his work. And because the writing is so vivid, sophisticated yet down-to-earth, we grow with him. Interestingly, he never really leaves home. As much as Mr. Joseph's yearning drive sends him across the United States and then across the world, he always returns, sometimes reluctant emotionally - to an unchanged Queens - where the unchanged view is fixed painfully in Richard Joseph's past. An ongoing connection between the larger picture and the smaller, between the mountain top and the valley - in which the valley's inhabitants cannot see - can never see - the view from the top of the mountain. Yet there is a constancy and an underlying love for family which holds Mr. Joseph in place; while finding his way through a whirling vortex of events and psychological change, is fundamental and draws him back to his roots, perhaps against even his own wishes.

We are a 'guy from Queens' when we first venture out from a movie like cityscape description of that setting. We see the hands of the crowd clawing at the window, trying to reach us with malice, when we are sick and feverish on the train in India. We feel the snake on our boot and the terror. We should all read this book. It is for everyone. Hopefully it is only his first book. You will be spellbound - as I was.

Transcend is a book that's hard to describe, or rather, hard to categorize. It's part travelogue, part memoir, part philisophical rumination. It's the kind of book I wish my professors had had me read in my freshman philosophy class, because it's real philosophy, written by a real person, someone who truly and earnestly believes in what he is saying, someone who wants to change the world and actually took action and wrote a book. The first section of the book is a bit about Richard Joseph's life, his background and his travels through Asia and how he came to be traveling. This part makes for enjoyable reading. Joseph has an easy writing style that makes you feel like you are sitting having coffee or a beer with him, chatting with him, rather than reading. Towards the end of the first part, a friend commits suicide, and this suicide sends Joseph into himself, sends him thinking. The end product of these ruminations is the second half of the book. Joseph tries to understand why there are so many inconsistencies in current society, inconsistencies rooted somehow in race, gender, wealth and power. I cannot do his philosophy justice in a few sentences here. I will say only read this book. It is thoughtful, it will get you thinking. As I said before, I wish I had read this my freshman year in college because I think it can foster many meaningful discussions and debates, all the while being completely readable, thoroughly engaging. Joseph ponders and explores the underpinnings of our society. Transcend will make you think.

this one is awesome! perhaps the single most important book i've ever read. this is something really special! whether you are just now becoming interested in spiritual life and Self discovery or you've searched for decades, this beautiful little book could very well be an important step in the evolution of your spiritual conciousness. written from the unique perspective of Spirit talking directly and personally to the reader, it draws you in, opens your eyes, helps you see Who and What you really are. very highly recommended!!!

The Impersonal Life is the clearest, most simply written book about God I have read anywhere -- including the highly touted "A Course in Miracles," and the "Conversations With God" series by Neal Donald Walsh. My sense is that it may have been the source of inspiration for the writers of ACIM and Mr. Walsh. It is a constant source of inspiration to me. I'm buying more copies to give away. It is a 'must read' book for anyone seeking to broaden their spiritual horizon.

Moving to God consciousness is a common theme of "TheImpersonal Life" and "Conversations With God." I am notthere yet personally, but both of these books provide the encouragement and guidance we need to head in that direction. For most people, the first reaction to these words spoken to us is puzzlement or outright rejection. But those of you who reread and persist in your attempts to understand will discover first gratitude and then joy. A frequent exhortation found in TIL, "be still and know that I am God," can also be found in CWG, book II, page 153, God's third paragraph.

For most of the past century, there have been two schools of thought about Hitler and Stalin. One states that Stalin wasn't really so bad, because he fought the Fascists; the other insists that Hitler wasn't really so bad, because he fought the Communists. Alan Bullock leaves both viewpoints in the dustheap of history, where they belong. Both Hitler and Stalin came as close to pure evil as human beings ever get; both stood for the utter repression of the human spirit and the annihilation of anyone who might possibly be suspected of standing in their way. Bullock demonstrates this in exhaustive, but never exhausting, detail. More people should read this book, if only to be cured forever of any temptation to support any form of totalitarianism, any time, anywhere.

What is most fascinating about this novel dual biographical approach toward understanding both Hitler and Stalin is the startling degree to which such an unorthodox approach illuminates one's understanding not only of their remarkable similarities, but also their philosophical, tactical, and personal differences. This truly is a fascinating and absorbing book, and it is well enough written that the narrative seems to spin along on its own strength, and we find ourselves captivated by the degree to which these two seem star-crossed in terms of their destinies. As Bullock deftly illustrates, the main differences between the two dictators were found in their personalities. Yet, even after all these crucial differences in both personal style and substance are considered, the degree to which they were similar is both remarkable and frightening to comprehend.

Stalin was a creature of bureaucracy, the ultimate insider, someone who knew how to use the organization bonding the Communist Party together for his own rise to prominence and power, an increasingly clever, adroit, and masterful practitioner of power politics. He was nothing if not careful, cautious, deliberate, and shrewd. Hitler, on the other hand, was a gambler, a masterful politician, a bold, easily bored, and endlessly distracted dreamer whose natural ability to charm, captivate, and enchant helped him to rise by extraordinary means. In many ways, these men came to prominence in quite different ways; Stalin, by mastering the art of bureaucratic manipulation and quietly assuming key roles within the organization that gave him friendships, alliances, and information that he used masterfully to rise through the ranks of the faithful, and Hitler, the manic-depressive natural leader whose charismatic popular appeal and desperate, authoritarian, and often violent measures were used to gain political power through extraordinary means.

Yet Bullock shows how similar both men were in terms of the way they used their power once established to execute their national responsibilities, and in the way they ruthlessly pursued their goals without mercy, remorse or any concern for others who suffered for their sake. Both used extralegal means to maintain position, both cruelly purged potential rivals through purges or political overthrows. Both bordered on being psychotic; Hitler coming close to being declared certifiably insane, and Stalin by having all the symptoms of classic paranoia. Certainly both had personal histories that can most kindly be described as bizarre in terms of the ways in which they treated those close to them as well as the populace in general. Both also seemed convinced of their own central and unique role in terms of their country's destiny, and indeed each identified his own importance in terms of succeeding in accomplishing that historical mission. Also, both were guilty of massive crimes against humanity, both against the opposing forces they captured and their own subjects. Hitler persecuted German citizens who were Jewish, Gypsies, or otherwise "undesirables", while Stalin persecuted Ukrainians in general and peasant farmers in particular, not to mention the systematic purges of thousands of Army, Navy, and Air Force officers he or his cronies suspected of potential disloyalty.

This is a wonderful book in terms of its insights, unusual research sources, and provocative speculations regarding each of these two quite unique historical figures. The narrative carries itself in an entertaining, edifying, and comprehensible fashion, and his use of photographs and maps serves the text well. All in all, I would have to describe this book as a must-read for anyone seriously interested in how the personalities and characteristics of these two key leaders in 20th century history figured into the unholy calculus of madness and mayhem, otherwise referred to as World War Two. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

It is difficult to describe Alan Bullock's fantastic dual-biography of Hitler and Stalin, and others have done much better here than I could. Allow me to add their voices to theirs in praise of this work. Bullock not only manages to convey the terrible sweep of history of the first half of the 20th Century and the impact of these two monsters of history, but does so in a very readable style. I marvel that a book of nearly 1000 pages, many of them filled with either terrible stories of oppression and horror, or else mindnumbing (but critical) economic statistics, can hold one's interest enough from start to finish. Highly recommended.