As a lawyer representing Haitian refugees , I was looking for a book that could put into historical context the experiences that I daily hear from my clients . This book , which I chose by pure happestance , is one of the best historical books that I have read. ( as a history buff I have read many). It exhaustively covers the whole history of the Haitian people in exquisite detail (1492 to 1995 ) and has definitely helped me better represent my clients in a very hostile asylum process. I highly recommend it.

Exhaustively researched and unbiased, this book covers the Haitian national experience from the time of Columbus to the aftermath of the recent U.S. intervention. One of its strengths is that it was written by an American famility who lived in Haiti during some of its most tumultuous times, and developed a true passion for the topic.

This book is awesome. It is a wonderful piece of work. My perspective is as someone who spent 9 months working in Haiti, however, I am not sure how appreciated it would be by someone who is less familiar with the country. It terrificly explains the tragic history of Haiti and ties in somewhat current events. I enjoyed reading it with the familiarity of knowing the places the author descibes. The only negative to this book may be that recent history isn't included due to it's publication date. As those familiar with Haiti well know, the political situation can quickly change in such a fragile country.

The authors provide interesting, behind-the-scenes accounts of the political and military players in this war, based on many interviews. What unfolds is far different from what was said publicly at the time. Occasionally, the New York Times reporter's and the retired Marine's apparent biases show through, detracting from an otherwise very good book. They seem to blame President Reagan's administration for not buying mine-clearing equipment for the Marines and the Navy, but then blame the Air Force--and not the administration--for using its money to buy items other than the latest survival radios for its aircrews. They also inaccurately claim that the Air Force developed a new doctrine for this war where they would be in charge of all theater airpower (a doctrinal concept developed by them during the North African campaign in World War II) and that the Strategic Air Command had controlled the B-52s deployed to Southeast Asia during the Viet Nam War (they actually were operationally controlled by the Theater), as well as a few other inaccurate items regarding the Air Force. It became rather apparent that all Services that were not Marines (and to a lesser extent, Navy) were denigrated. An example is their claim that the Air Force required that friendly aircraft obtain two means to verify an unknown aircraft's identification before firing on it in order to hold down the Navy's 'kill' rate (since the Navy had not invested in the systems to install two separate means of identification on each of their aircraft, they needed to contact the AWACS to obtain the second means). The Viet Nam War demonstrated this requirement and for whatever reason, the Navy had not addressed it in the interim--which the authors evidently refused to say. After summarizing what the politicians and military should do differently next time (after acknowledging that the media's outcry that the military had created killing zones north of Kuwait City partially caused the premature ending of the war), they also conveniently omitted a recommendation on what the media should do differently. Although the items cited above and a few similar ones throughout the book are distracting and cast some doubt on the entire book, their documented sources were sufficient (approximately one per page) to make them generally believable. I would recommend the book to anyone wanting to know what occurred behind the scenes, with a caution that it should be read critically and not be used as the reader's only source.

This is an objective account of the planning and execution of military force during the gulf war. It brushes aside many of the claims made by the USA, and our military brass(details ineffectiveness of patriots, lack of SCUD hunts, overestimation of enemy, etc). It is well written and entertaining, however I wish it had more maps with greater detail of the region and military advances and attacks.

I would give this book my highest recommedation.

The General's War is an excellent account of the planning and implementation of the Gulf War. In short, it shows why the United States is a great nation. One of the main reasons we were so successful was because we DID argue on how to fight this war. Both the Military and Washington worked together to come up w/ the best possible plan. No war is ever conducted perfectly, but the Gulf War comes pretty close. Don't forget...it is the men and women who fought the war that won it, but the planning phases were crucial to putting our soldiers in the position to win. A little luck in some area never hurts as well. The best part of tis book is that it questions specific decisions from the war. This critcal analysis not only brings awareness, but helps our military and polititians plan future military operations.

Don't forget to read "Bravo Two Zero" about the British SAS in the Gulf. Great book!

This is a great book for anyone nearing the close of any scholastic or professional carreer. The book is an easy read and the interviews are short enough that even young readers would enjoy this book. It is a great window into life lived with passion. It is an example that success is not always immediate, but if you stay true to yourself and your dreams, the payoff is personal success, which is always greater than personal gain which is much easier to find. The interviews are fun and diverse. No matter what path in life you are taking, there is an interview that will probably mirror your experience. Even more interensting than the interviews themselves though, is the story of the author and how he and his friends landed the interviews in the book. The only reason for the four star rating is that I was always wanting more at the end of each interview. Although this may be the goal of the author, it is not everyday that someone gets to peek into the lives of some of the world's most successful people. Overall though, I highly reccomend the book.

This is a great book for anyone nearing the close of any scholastic or professional carreer. The book is an easy read and the interviews are short enough that even young readers would enjoy this book. It is a great window into life lived with passion. It is an example that success is not always immediate, but if you stay true to yourself and your dreams, the payoff is personal success, which is always greater than personal gain which is much easier to find. The interviews are fun and diverse. No matter what path in life you are taking, there is an interview that will probably mirror your experience. Even more interensting than the interviews themselves though, is the story of the author and how he and his friends landed the interviews in the book. The only reason for the four star rating is that I was always wanting more at the end of each interview. Although this may be the goal of the author, it is not everyday that someone gets to peek into the lives of some of the world's most successful people. Overall though, I highly reccomend the book.

Very nice, easy to read book. Without any verbiage or pomposity, gives you a sense in how many different ways people live out their lives, and how different things matter to different people. Interspersed in the book are true gems of wisdow that interviewes occasionally drop. Things you've all heard before, but here having strong credibility, because they are clearly life's lessons these people learned through toil and struggle, not read off a fortune cookie.

This ghostly tale builds on elements of true local legends in the Florida Panhandle. Gordon gives the reader new cause to wonder about the mysterious lights and bumps in the night as he takes the reader from the Bayou to the Computer screen in the supernatural world. Obviously written by someone excited about the subject matter.

As a kid, I used to read "Caspar the Friendly Ghost" comic books. Author Larry Gordon gives us Frank the friendly ghost in a tale of a teenage ghost who wants desparately to reestablish contact with the living. Any young computer literate reader will get a kick from the fact that Frank can finally talk to a real living person only through a computer. His friendship with Eddie, the teenager who owns the computer, leads the two of them to explore the world of the seen and the unseen.

Seemingly without much fanfare, this "little" book raises a bundle of big questions about the spirit world and where and how it rubs against our own earthbound existence. Without abstractly using terms like "reincarnation," "limbo," "purgatory," "esp," "telekenesis," and a whole host of other terms, Mr. Gordon creates fictional conditions that seem very plausible indeed. This is a book for anyone who is willing to conjecture about the spirit world and what implications it might hold for us. The fifteen-year-old hero, Eddie Fields, is young but highly precocious, and any reader will find him and his situation appealing. This is a ghost story you'll want to read. Be prepared to transcend the ordinary.

I PURCHASED THIS BOOK JUST DAYS AFTER MY FOUR YEAR OLD SON LOST HIS FATHER IN A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT. IT WAS VERY HARD TO FIND AGE APPROPRIATE MATERIAL CONCERNING THE DEATH OF A FATHER BECAUSE MOST BOOKS ON DEATH AND DYING PERTAIN TO PETS AND GRANDPARENTS OR WENT INTO THE FUNERAL AND CEMETARY ASPECTS TOO MUCH. THE CONCEPT OF "HIS BODY STOPPED WORKING" WAS A GOOD WAY TO EXPLAIN HIS PASSING. IT RE-AFFIRMED OUR BELIEFS THAT HIS FATHER WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF HIS LIFE AND HE CAN DREAM OF HIS DAD OFTEN. THE PICTURES ARE A LITTLE LACKING BUT THE STORY IS WORTH READING. IF YOU NEED HELP EXPLAINING DEATH TO A CHILD OR WANT THEM TO KNOW THEY ARE NOT ALONE I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO YOU.

My husband died of cancer, leaving behind 5 children between the ages of 1 and 10. This book was very helpful to all of them, not just the boys. Addresses feelings they may have had during the parent's illness and death, helps to resolve issues that may have been left undone or unsaid between parent and child, and gives the child permission to continue on and live a happy life. A very hopeful, constructive, positive book that has been read over and over in our home.

This book is actually funny. It hits on the aspects of ADHD perfectly, right down to the angelic little sister who can do no wrong. There are some words in the book I wish were not there, like stupid and crazy. I bought it to read to my 5 year old who is ADHD, but with no learning disablities...yet. So I figure we will skip the part on learning disablilities, and being given less homework from the rest of the class. Use it for a tool to help explain what we are doing as a family to address the ADHD, and help him control his behavior. Read it first, cut out what you don't think applies or needs to be heard by your child. The book is mostly informative, and really funny.

I bought this book for my 6-year-old nephew and will read it to him when he comes to live with us soon. I can't wait, because it is so simply written and straightforward, I'm sure it will help him understand what we have not been able to tell him about his ADHD condition. It is entertaining, and because it is told in a kid's point of view, it shows ADHD with concerns that kids would have that adults might not have even thought of. I recommend it if you're trying to find just the right way of reaching your child or student!

Some problems remain in human society whether we have solutions to them or not. As examples, drug-addiction and obesity are still problems for many people, despite the solutions already available to treat drug-addiction or reduce obesity.

The authors of "Know How" belong to a popular field of psychology called "NLP". Some NLP books overstate the value of the book in teaching you the method the book describes. But the authors of "Know How" teach you working methods to improve problem areas in your life. And are those methods always successful? No, but they're good.

"Know How" contains stories of people who succeed or fail in particular areas of their life. The stories illustrate how personal behavior makes the difference in our lives. The stories are simple to follow, so you can check if your life is similar to a character's in a story.

I don't think reading "Know How" is a sure help for anything. But the book teaches you successful behaviors for relating well, eating well, exercising consistently, parenting well, and drinking cautiously. "Know How" provides practical and jargon-free advice to the ordinary person.

A good book.

Perhaps a little dated, look at more recent offerings from the authors and Richard Bandler.

Very stepwise structured approach to self development.

Take a look at the book "Solutions" by same authors ... also very good, to do with relationships.

This book is a must read for any person who wants straight forward advise and workable applications on how to improve some specific, but commonly human self destructive patterns of behavior. Even for thoses rare few, who have no such self destructive traits, the book shows how to master life.

Wow! Since I read this book, I've been confined to talking only about IT! Hyde has put on paper what has thus far only been effectively expressed on film. Unlike any other American-centric author, Hyde makes her optimistic view of our country believable. What makes "Pay it Forward" very real is Hyde's acknowledgement of the errors of human beings. What makes this work truly fantastic is proof that America can be made smaller -- truly village-like -- by kindness. She doesn't ask for "random" kindness, but for good deeds to be "paid forward," not back, for other acts of kindness. Catherine Ryan Hyde shows that you, me, anyone can perform mammoth acts for others, without losing what matters; and by doing so, the reader learns, we can change the world (and thereby gain so much more). I sincerely believe that this one book, or the point that Hyde makes, can improve the nature of day-to-day relations between Americans, country-wide, city by city.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has written the best book of the year and maybe several years. Right from the start I felt my heart touched by her words and the wonderful characters she created. Except for Trevor, the characters are all damaged people. Rubin, the teacher, was in Viet Nam and suffered the loss of half his face, and the use of one arm. Despite his appearance he is a really good man, and a wonderful teacher, the kind we wish we all had. He becomes a surrogate father to Trevor.

Arlene is Trevor's mom. Despite her alcholism which she is fighting, her love for Trevor is important. She works two jobs to keep up her home. Trevor adores his mother and wants to make her happy. His father Rick, is not married to Arlene, but is an unfaithful husband. He disappears in the beginning of the story.

It starts with a social studies project initiated by Rubin. What can you do to change the world? Several children choose projects. Trevor comes up with a plan he calls pay if forward. He will help three people. Instead of them repaying him, they have to pay it forward to three other people. This is to continue and continue until the whole world is changed and blessed by these good deeds. It is a concept I believe in.

Well, it doesn't seem to work for Trevor at first. He doesn't realize what is happening with his plan. Even his efforts to get his mother and his teacher together seem to fail after a time. Trevor is not really discouraged. Even after the class is over he continues to work towards setting up his pay forward plan.

Meanwhile the movement is going on quietly and is reaching from their small town to L.A. A reporter wants to find out who really started this movement. He digs and digs until he uncovers Trevor.

This is a beautifull written book with many poignant and heart warming moments. I absolutely loved the character of Rubin and Trevor as well as Arlene. The love which develops between these three people is one we wish we all had.

If you have time to read only one book read this one. It will change your life for the better.

Maybe I think too many books are good, but this book has to be up there with my favorites. I started reading it at work, just wondering what it was about because the movie looked so good. I ended up taking it home and reading a majority of it until early last night, fighting with the allergy pills that were trying to make me go to bed. It is such a great book. It warms your heart in such a big way... you finish it hoping that it is a true story. I can't wait to see the movie and see how the Movement is passed throughout the world. This book can definately change your life.

It is about a little boy named Trevor who, for a social science extra credit project, invents a concept called "Paying it Forward." He does good deeds for three people... selfless deeds... and instead of having them pay him back, he tells them to pay it forward-- he makes them return the good deed to three other people. His dream is to make random acts of kindess an every day thing. Although he thinks he fails, he does end up reaching his dream.

So read it! Read it before the movie comes out! Read it because the movie is coming out! Learn the wonders of paying it forward... maybe it isn't just a dream.

If you have studied Edgar Cayce at all, there is not much new here but I always enjoy reading about someone's spiritual journey. A good primer to this book would be Church's "Edgar Cayce: The Story Of The Soul." I applaud Scallion for his courage and convictions although there is a strong sell for his newsletter.

I am a suscriber to Gorden Micheal Scallion newsletter and could not wait for the book to come out. I wait every month for his newsletter to come and read it all as soon as it does. This book will make you think, and scare you a little if you are a believer. I have read it 3 times now and I find that if I am drifting away from that way of thinking that I read it again and it let's me focus more clearly on things. And all you have to do is read the newspaper,or the book and see that what he is saying is true!!! Good and bad. A must read if you are concerned about the future of our planet!!

I am not a faithful Gordon Michael Scallion follower, I don't even receive his newsletter, but I did find this book very interesting. Some things in this book are extremely difficult to swallow even though one keeps an open mind. I did find a lot of the material similar to Edgar Cayce. All in all it was a good read, it creates some shocking possible scenarios about our future on this planet.

This book was required reading for a college children's lit class and I was incredibly pleased with it. It is an absolutely beautiful story of a young native american boy. The book is written in lovely, lyrical language using incredible imagery. It is a book children can relate to, as it is told in first person by a child and includes all the mixed up feelings of a child, but it also addresses some very deep and meaningful issues that adults will find rather poignent. I was captivated throughout.

Loved this book. What a wonderful world that is depicted by the author. I think it would be a wonderful read for children of all ages. Excellent.

This is a coming of age book with a new twist. The child becoming a man lives in a world which is smaller than we can imagine. It is small because he cannot see more than a few inches, but it is also small because he lives in a tiny Native American tribe that has virtually no contact with anyone outside of its own narrow circle.

And yet in this very small world, the adolescent begins a voyage like that of all adolescents, where adults stop being enormous mythical figures and start emerging as human beings, each with their own strengths and weaknesses; and where those adults begin to see the adolescent as one of them, with whom they can share their secrets.

But, unlike adolescents in our larger world, this youngster does not rebel and become angry. Instead he grows and learns and is awed and almost overcome by what he discovers. Perhaps this is because, in this very small world, all the adults are able to show a respect and sensitivity to the emerging man that we have lost in our larger world.

This book is actually very complex. I doubt that your typical kid would understand it without help, but that is really its strength, that you can talk with your kid about what it feels like to become an adult.