After I read this book, I kept thinking about Scobie and his struggles with his faith or lack of it. When I was reading the novel, I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. The complexities of his relationship with his wife, his job, and his faith have kept me thinking of different scenarios, things he could have done. Perhaps what I like best about Graham Greene's writing is that he doesn't dictate your feelings. You are free to make your own judgments of the characters. In fact, it is very easy to make arguments one way or another about what the characters believe because he doesn't spell it out for you as if you were a child. By not overwriting the characters, there is some mystery, as in real life. Can you ever truly know another person wholly? Also recommended: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, which is even more complex and mysterious.

This is the first Graham Greene book that I have read, and it definitely will not be my last. The Heart of the Matter is the tragic story of being the ultimate martyr. Scobie, who is the protagonist, has an overwhelming sense of duty to everyone but himself. Set in a claustrophobic African city Scobie's honesty and sense of justice seems to bring out the worst in everyone else. He is often accused of sleeping with the locals or taking bribes from the Syrians, all of which is not true. His largest responsibilty is his wife, Louise who he feels unhappiness is his own fault and therefore must fix it by sending her to South Africa. In order to do that he has to borrow money from a well known diamond smuggler Yusef. Throw into the mix a jealous letter censor named Wilson who is in love with Louise. Not to mention his lover Helen who has her own needs and demands.

Many comparisons are drawn between Scobie and Christ in terms of sacrifice. The only difference is no one asked for Scobie's sacrafices and they provide for his unnecessary demise. While the book is heartbreaking in its failed human relations it is also beautiful and filled with insight into human greed, lust, jealousy and regret.

Graham Greene's "The Heart of the Matter" is a powerful story about the choices a man has to make with regard to love, duty, and honor -- his responsibilities to his wife, his job, and God. There are heavy religious overtones to this novel, but they never feel preachy or compromise the strength of the drama.

The main character is Major Henry Scobie, the deputy-commissioner of police in a British-occupied West African state during World War II. He's an honest cop on a force that is given to corruption: Some officers routinely take bribes to overlook diamond-smuggling operations, many of which are masterminded by a sly Syrian named Yusef, who manipulates his friendship with the officers through favors and blackmail.

Scobie's wife, Louise, is miserable; she is lonely and feels ostracized by the other officers' wives in the community. She would like to leave and go to South Africa for a while, but Scobie can't leave his post to go with her or afford to send her because he's been passed over for promotion to commissioner. His last resort to scrape together the money is to borrow it from Yusef, which puts him squarely under Yusef's thumb.

After Louise's departure, Scobie meets a girl named Helen whose husband drowned when their ship was attacked. He falls in love with her despite the fact that she's young enough to be his daughter and mocks his piety. He wonders if adultery can be a sin if the love is genuine, but this is not just a cynical attempt to rationalize his infidelity. Adding to the conflict is a clerk named Wilson who is in love with Louise and, while he pretends to be Scobie's friend and moral compass, acts a sort of dual role as watchdog and betrayer.

Like the protagonist of Greene's "The Power and the Glory," Scobie's character is defined by the fact that he is a devout Catholic who is contritely aware of his sins. Although he believes that suicide would be eternal damnation, he poses a crucial question for himself: Would it be better to kill himself for the sake of honor than to live shamefully, insulting God by kneeling before the altar while living adulterously?

I see Scobie as a "white knight" type of character -- a cavalier, a protector, someone who was born to be a policeman, someone who is sworn to follow the moral code of Christianity. When he fails in this task, or believes that he fails, he is forced to question the validity of continuing his mission; that is, his life. After reading so many novels about people with moral uncertainties, I find a fresh perspective in this man who draws courage from his convictions and acts accordingly.

This Is Our House by Michael Rosen

George tries to keep girls, small people, twins, people with glasses, people who like tunnels, and everyone else on the playground out of the cardboard house they used to share, but when he leaves to go to the bathroom, he returns to discover that everyone else is now on the inside and he is left alone on the outside. "This house isn't for people with red hair" says Charlene to George. After a tantrum or two, George learns his lesson and declares that the house is indeed "for everyone." George's conversion and the easy acceptance of his friends teaches an important lesson about inclusion and not being selfish. The urban setting and children of many cultures are also nice touches that are not overdone. The text is well-written and the cartoon like illustrations are detailed and fun. This is certainly a good read and teaches kids important lessons about sharing and getting along. I have been looking for books that deal with these issues and this one does so without being didactic or heavy handed. If you like this book, you may also want to check out Junk Pile! by Lady Borton.

This is a very fine children's book. It has a "message" without being saccharine-preachy. It is so evidently set in a multicultural, inner city area with the sort of kids my son mixes with at school everyday. Bob Graham is a terrific illustrator, and this one is not a let-down.

The children who are originally excluded by the "bully" take action to reclaim their place, and then teach George his lesson, before showing him that their more inclusive way is better than his selfishness.

Greene was inspired by Ford Madox Ford's masterpiece of 1915, The Good Soldier, when he wrote The End of the Affair in 1951. Ford called his 'the saddest story', and indeed, Greene's work is nearly as sad.

The love-story between Bendrix and Sarah is told in weaving, unchronological prose, moving from past to future, rarely staying in the present. As Bendrix loses Sarah, in the end, not to husband Henry, but to God, Bendrix's bitterness is firmly compounded, and the sadness of this story is not just the death of a lover, but the death of Bendrix's hope. There are hints at the end of the novel that Bendrix, who finally acknowledges God in his very hatred of Him, will come to share the faith that made Sarah's last days of life make some sense. But this is questionable.

I strongly recommend this book to readers who likes Greene's detective fiction and his entertainments, but who crave a thinner book with a thicker theme. It should be noted that the novel should be taken more seriously than the recent film made of the book, directed by Neil Jordan. While Jordan's film was beautiful to watch, and the acting superb, the story was altered almost unrecognisably towards the end, and the assumption on the part of Jordan that the book was really about Greene and his mistress (Catherine Walston), coloured the film and destroyed much of its authenticity.

Like all of Greene's works, this novel is largely problematic in theological terms, but as Greene works with paradoxes and rarely in terms of black and white, this is what we have come to expect, and love.

Thank God for the Contemporary Lit professor who made us read "The End of the Affair." Since that first, blissful reading, I've reread this novel at least six times, and I always end up giving away my copy to a fellow reader. The story seems so simple: Bendridx, a self-absorbed bachelor writer, has an affair with Sarah, the wife of Bendrix's friend, Henry. The relationship sparks love inside of Bendrix, and reawakens passions in Sarah, until a bomb falls, leading Sarah to make a deal with God: if God lets Bendrix live, she'll give him up forever. After Bendrix's miraculous recovery, Sarah keeps her promise, even as she tries to disbelieve in God: if, after all, there is no God, then her deal doesn't count. The harder she seeks atheism, the stronger her faith becomes, even to the point where miracles appear to happen in her presence. The characters in this novel--and the myriad relationships between them--are seamlessly drawn. Also, Greene handles the combination of past and present tenses, plus excerpts from Sarah's diary, with a master's touch and clarity. Best of all, you can take "The End of the Affair" on any level you want, from a simple wartime romance to a complex spiritual fable, and it succeeds regardless. One of Greene's contemporaries is quoted on the jacket, calling "The End of the Affair," one of the best novels of our time "In this or any language." That author's name is William Faulkner. Heady praise for one of the Twentieth Century's best novels.

I decided to read this book before watching the film, but now I don't think I can bear to watch the film. Why? Because this was one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever read, and I want to keep it as I remember it. His writing is simply mind blowing..Greene let's us peer into the minds of Bendrix and Sarah Miles, and let's us decide what is the truth. I expected a basic tragic love story,and it has turned out to be anything but basic. It is a complicated tale of many individuals struggling to "find themeselves" and to solidify their set of beliefs..whether it be about love, religion, faith, or hatred. It is a about a love that is so intense that it swings between the desire to destroy and to protect ( the pendulum that Sarah mentions...)Graham Greene's characters are some of the most fascinating in literature: Sarah Miles, Bendrix, Henry, Smythe...they are all consuming characters. It is almost written like a mystery; the reader keeps discovering the truth about each enigmatic personality. This is the perfect book to read on a rainy afternoon ( read it with a pencil! ); it is a short and brilliant read.

Ben Graham may have done for investing what Euclid did for geometry, but the Graham student must take a long and winding road to collect and organize Grahamian "theorems." Greenwald modernizes and thoughtfully organizes the value framework originally expounded by Graham, and shows how investors might take -and in the final section of the book, how several master investors DO take- Graham's notion of buying dollar bills for fifty cents and apply this central idea in creative ways to some of the less frequented areas of the market.

Greenwald et.al. show a terrific aptitude for remaining informal and conversational while maintaining brevity and orderliness. Neophytes are unlikely to encounter a clearer, more concise explanation of 'discounting future cash flows', and most students of value investing will be well-served by Greenwald's order of equity valuation: (1) Asset Value, (2) Earnings Power, (3) Growth, all of which are clearly explained. Additionally, Greenwald discusses a useful addition to common metrics such as 'net asset value' and 'liquidation value' with the concept of 'replacement cost'. Greenwald also acknowledges and thoughtfully attempts to quantify the value investor's less traditionally acknowledged principle of 'franchise value', which he judiciously attributes to Warren Buffett as the latter's singular contribution to investment analysis.

The book's admirable brevity is also its primary shortcoming. Whereas Graham included senior debt and convertible debt vehicles both in Security Analysis and in his investment practices, this text is for all practical purposes only an examination of equities. If the authors of "Value Investing" ever opt to write about a value approach to bonds and other instruments, I'll bet they'd have a captive audience.

This is a required read for any practicing or prospective value investor. I have read most of the books on value investing and found this one to be both insightful as well as practical compared to the others. It offers a great mix of both philosophy and practice. A great starting point for the aspiring value investor. This book also introduces a lot of new content. The principles of sound investment will never and have never changed, but the application of those principles is constantly changing. This book brings us to the future by showing us the different ways in which value investing can be applied. There are various examples from Glenn Greenberg at Chieftain Capital Managment, who applies a concentrated value approach, to Walter Schloss who applies a diversified value approach. There are plenty of methods for the aspiring value investor to choose from. There is also a great profile on one of the future's great value investors-Paul Sonkin. Rarely do we hear about the next generation of value investors.

I am a professional investor (CFA charter holder and portfolio manager) and would suggest this book for anyone interested in the value style of investing. I would not recommend the book for a novice investor since some terminology is not explained. (Perhaps read this book after reading and understanding Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor.) However, the book is an excellent read for someone with an understanding of investing. The book is divided into two main parts: The authors' views of different ways to value a company and profiles of successful value investors.

I think the authors' Earnings Power Value (EPV) approach to valuing a company is cutting edge. (Basically EPV is a rehash of Enterprise Value.) Most investors tend to value stocks based on P/E ratios - only looking at equity in a company. However, the proper way to value a company is to look at its whole capital structure - Debt, Equity & Cash. EPV is a much better tool than the P/E ratio for calculating whether a company is undervalued.

The second part of the book that profiles a half dozen or so successful value investors is interesting. It illustrates there are many different ways to execute a value oriented approach. The profiles do not give any hard cut rules that each investor follows, but it does give you a general idea. (I have been successful at applying some of the ideas in managing my own account.) The only flaw of the profiles is the lack of any type of track record. It would have been helpful to list the year-by-year returns for each investor compared to an index. (i.e. S&P 500 Index)

Overall, it's a great book and it deserves a spot behind Ben Graham's Security Analysis and Intelligent Investor.

Author isn't a gripping storyteller. He pails in comparison to Alistair Horne (VERDUN), Max Hastings (THE KOREAN WAR) or Cornelius Ryan (THE LONGEST DAY). He slips in uninformative quotes like a college History major with a desk full of notes he refuses to pare down (ie. Nimitz to Spruance:"Spru, you are lucky.") for a term paper. Uses too much military jargon and too many abreviations for your non-expert. Details the landing quite well; the reader gets a good feel of the terror and carnage. In comparison, the marines drive inland from the beaches should have been told in greater detail. Author paints a good picture of several of the marines, especially the legendary William "Hawk" Hawkins who died in the fighting. Mr. Graham does a decent job with his material; the heroes of Tarawa deserve a greater writer to tell their courageous story.

After seeing "Saving Private Ryan," the most moving and authentic WWII movie thus far, I was moved to better understand the war my father fought in. He has never shared his experiences and now I know why. He was 2nd Marines 3rd wave at Tarawa. What a battle. I always knew that my dad and those Marines were heroes and now this book has helped me to understand why. I hope that a "realistic" movie is made about Tarawa because that battle must stand as one of the quintessential Marine Corps battles of all times. This book is a good read.

Well, the Python Fellows have done it again! They have produced a book so funny, so rue to nothing, that it could be just a figment of a madman's imagination. If they think that someone will want to buy this book, they are definetly right on, chaps! I hope everyone will buy this book, read it, and then send it to me! (Just kidding!)

This is the companion book to Monty Python's most outrageous film. Great color photos illustrate the script, but the REAL reason to own this is that it is the only place you may ever get to read/see some sequences cut from the film. These are "The Adventures of Martin Luther," in which Jones plays a very randy Martin Luther making the Jewish parents of two young daughters (mother Chapman and father Palin) quite nervous and an extended version of the "Middle Age" sequence featuring Carol Cleveland as a waitress in the Dungeon Room waiting on Idle and Palin. The text to these scenes is what warrants the high rating - otherwise, it's simply a souvenier.

I was given this book and was pleasantly surprised at the behind the scenes info and the photos.

It is a book that deserves to be place out on full view. I have it on our coffee table and itnever fails to inspire good conversation.

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The notes and translations in this edition lend themselves to easy comprehension by the scholar, reader, and actor. Although somewhat too insistent on character motivations, Ewans and the other translators provide a thorough understanding of the conventions of the ancient drama and a perfectly workable, exciting text ready for staging. Although I occasionally disagree with some of Ewans' characterizations (particularly Kreon), he skillfully reinterprets these powerful tales for today's audiences and readers.

This is a hard-hearted practical look at development aid, and so it should be. The "official development assistance" (ODA) element of Program 150, the international affairs budget commonly recognized as the "preventive diplomacy" budget that runs alongside Program 50 (the traditional military budget), is evaluated by the authors in terms of amounts (are we doing enough), allocations (are we giving to the right countries), and directions (are we doing the right things). It is a small amount of money that is being discussed--$9 billion a year in 1997 for ODA alone-said to represent a half penny of each dollar spent by the U.S. government. This works out to about $15 per year for the members of the targeted populations. Larger more populous states receive less aid per capita than smaller states. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China are especially disadvantaged. In contrast to today's $15 per person nvestment, the Marshall Plan provided in excess of $100 to $200 per person in Europe (but for only several years, working out to an equivalent amount when compared to sustained aid flows today).

Several thoughtful observations jump out from the book:

1) Foreign aid is not preventing conflicts from emerging (if anything, and this is not implied by O'Hanlon but is explicit in William Shawcross' book DELIVER US FROM EVIL: Peacekeepers, Warlords and a World of Endless Conflict (Simon & Schuster, 2000), foreign aid contributes to instability by giving rise to warlords and black markets);

2) Foreign aid is of limited use in reconstructing societies ravaged by conflict, especially those with limited infrastructures that cannot absorb resources as well as European nations;

3) Foreign aid's best return on investment appears to be the education of women-even a few years of education has a considerable impact on birth control, health, and other areas of interest;

4)Foreign aid shapes both our own philosophy of foreign affairs, and the perceptions others have of our foreign role-it also shapes our domestic constituencies perception of why we should have a foreign policy arm;

5) Foreign aid does not play a significant role in most countries where there is access to open markets and stability does not frighten away investors-indeed the emerging expert consensus appears to lean toward debt forgiveness combined with private capital investment as the best approach to economic reform;

6) Foreign aid is least effective in those countries that are either unstable or have a range of harmful economic policies including trade barriers, large budget deficits, oversized public sectors, and overvalued exchange rates. Roughly half the countries receiving aid today have poor economic policies in place;

7) The U.S. is the least generous of the Office of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members, providing just over one third as much of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the other OECD countries-0.10 percent instead of 0.27 percent.

Having said all this, the author's document their views that our ODA investments need to rise from $9 billion to at least $12 billion a year, with other countries increasing their combined contributions from $51 billion to $68 billion per year. The authors favor increased foreign aid investments in poor countries with good economic policies, for the purpose of building transportation infrastructure, enhancing local health and education programs, and accelerating the expansion of utilities and communications services.

They also recommend a broader distribution of foreign aid for countries in conflict throughout Africa, and suggest that Public Law 480 food aid should be focused only on responding to disaster relief rather than indiscriminate distribution that benefits U.S. farmers but undermines foreign agricultural programs.

They conclude with the somewhat veiled suggestion that all of this could be paid for by a reduction of foreign military assistance to Egypt and Israel. One is left, at the end of the book, with two strong feelings: first, that U.S. foreign aid is on "automatic pilot" and rather mindlessly muddling along; and second, that this is a very small but very important part of the total U.S. national security budget, one that merits its own ombudsman within the National Security Council, and one that is worthy of no less than a penny on the dollar as we plan our future Federal investments.

What is left unsaid by the authors is whether the other $60-80 billion in foreign aid by various actors including the United Nations agencies, is well managed--one is left with the impression that the U.S. really faces two challenges: an internal challenge of improving its performance with respect to foreign aid, and an external challenge in demanding a more rational and coordinated approach to various forms of aid being sponsored by others.

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