Hang on to your seat as you take a ride with Sean and friends through the hills and valleys of the metaphysical realms. This was by far one of the best books I have read in a long time. You will find yourself turning page after page to find out was is going on with "your" friends. The ending is outstanding!! You will find yourself wondering how much of the story is real and how much is fiction. Thanks Ray, you are truly a very gifted writer. Do yourself a favor and read the book :)

What a thriller. I couldn't put the book down. I usually read a book over a week or two, but not this one. It is one of the few books that I carried with me until I finished it. It is absolutley 'must' reading for anyone who likes to read while sitting on the edge of their seat. I say......READ IT!

I originally read this book in February, 2000. I have known Ray Fraser for about 10 years. I have attended his mediumship classes, and I always knew he was a great spirit medium. But, I never knew he could write. I sat down with A Change Called Death to "start" reading it. Finally, at 2:30 in the morning, I finished it. I simply could not put it down. The ending is totally unexpected, but you've got to read it to believe it. I think anyone who likes a good mystery will like this book.

William Manchester's first Churchill volume is one of those books that makes you just love to read.

This clearly isn't a book for all those who are fascinated by the mediocre and skeptical of the possibilities for true greatness. This is an unreconstructed and unapologetic look at a leader whose instincts often cut against the grain of the 20th century, but who would emerge as one of the great heroes of it, just when extraordinary leadership was needed the most.

Manchester is the rare gifted writer who has mastered the biographical craft as well as the sweeping narrative needed to succinctly encapsulate the mores and habits of an entire nation at a particular moment in time. He does this brilliantly in his introduction, about one hundred pages long, which sets the stage with a lavish description of Victorian England. This is one of the best parts of the book.

Early on, it is clear that the ambitious young Winston is headed for big things. This wasn't only because he came from one of Britain's most prominent families -- his father rose to become the second most powerful man in the government, and his mother was romantically linked to the Prince of Wales. Despite this, Manchester convinces us, successfully, that Churchill was the best of his generation, that he would have risen even from less auspicious circumstances (admittedly, this interpretation has its limits, since entire social classes were excluded from Parliament at the time).

Churchill made his career as a political maverick, changing parties not once, but twice, consistently taking positions that brought him close to political death. Yet Churchill survived -- and what's more, he turned out to be one of the most enduring political presences any democracy has ever seen. What is striking about Churchill's career is that it didn't simply culminate in 1940 after a plodding journey up the political ladder. No -- Churchill had first been elected to Parliament forty years earlier, and he rose quickly within a few years of his election. But then his career plateaud for about a quarter of a century. Here you had a man who was considered a future Prime Minister at age 30, who was in a position to be considered the heir apparent in governments of two different parties at various points from World War I until the late 1920s, and yet didn't take the next step. What happened?

The Great War and its aftermath, more than anything, foreordained Churchill's postponed "rendezvous with destiny." It was here where Churchill was the most out of step with prevailing political attitudes. Churchill held close to his heart a heroic vision of Britain, and believed deeply in the nobility of a war fought for a just cause. He also believed in the Empire, and did not think that Britain should relinquish what was already hers, even in a time of relative decline vis a vis the United States. Where most saw senseless slaughter in the trenches of France, he saw selfless heroism, a nation at its best.

The nation, or at least the political classes, did not agree with this interpretation. In a time that Walter Lippman proclaimed was "tired of greatness" and where the great fear was that Britain had overextended herself, Churchill defended greatness and Empire. In his view, strength in the service of democracy, and not blind disarmament, would prevent future wars. This view, ascendant in World War II, and in many ways, ascendant again in America today, was seen as discredited at the time, and Churchill in the 1920's repeatedly butted heads with a Conservative leadership over disarmament and withdrawal from India. The trend was so strong in the other direction that Churchill was effectively cast out of his party by the end of the 20's, and looked destined to repeat the fate of his iconoclastic father, who was cast permanently out into the political wilderness for his own apostasies.

But with this son, there would always be a second act.

William Manchester does much more here than tell the story of perhaps the greatest person of the 20th century--he transports you back to the pre-WWII England to see the events that shaped Winston Churchill's life and political destiny. You not only come away with a true sense of who Churchill was (and he truely was the hand that slammed the door to Hell during WWII)--you also gain real insight into other key British politicial figures of the day including Lloyd George, Lord Halifax, Nevile Chamberlain and many others in the context of their often-changing relationships with Winston.

I came away with a fresh perspective of the key people and geopolitical events of the time; and gained a wealth of useful historical information as well. This, and Manchester's first volume of Churchill's bigography should be required reading in any proper 20th century college-level history course. (They're crafted so well that students might actually read them!)

Beware--you will not want to put it down once you start reading; I didn't.

Manchester begins the book by describing what life for Winston Churchill was like in the 1930s. He goes into detail about Churchill's home Chartwell and the expenses Winston had to meet to live his lifestyle. Winston earned the necessary money writing histories and newspaper columns. His writing gave him not only an income, but a voice about the coming Nazi aggression that most of England was blind to.

We've seen promising political careers derailed due to self-indulgence and Churchill's career seemed just that in the 1930s. He was a young member of the cabinet in World War I, but after a principled cabinet resignation in the early 30s, he became an outsider in his own party. This didn't stop Churchill from antagonizing everyone who wouldn't listen to him. Eventually, his rise to Prime Minister in 1940 was one of history's biggest I told you sos. But it wasn't his ability as War Prime Minister that made Churchill great, according to Manchester, but his ability to see early Nazi aggression and danger when the whole world slept. Whether you agree or disagree, Manchester has created a wonderful detailed comprehensive biography of the time period.

Manchester's easy way with words, apt scholarship and detailed descriptions really bring the time period to life...

This, the second volume of Manchester's Churchill biography, continues the extraordinary story of the British prime minister up to 1940. And as with the first volume, it is incredible reading, perhaps the best biography written about anyone. Manchester's gift as a writer is absolutely astounding. One feels there is nothing he does not know about his subject or the subject's time. Particularly interesting are the quotes he includes, which when I first read them I had to resist framing for my library wall. And almost as interesting as Churchill are the myriad individuals who surrounded him, exhumed here by Manchester for a final and proper setting of the record. Ultimately, we come to Churchill's greatest contemporaries, Chamberlain, Roosevelt, Stalin, and Hitler, and are drawn with such expertise into the relationships that we are left wondering how it will all turn out. But of course we do know, and it is with growing dismay and sadness that we let Manchester take us to the end of the book, with the detailed recounting of the terrible stumbling of the West's leaders toward WWII and the end of an era. Of course, this is the beginning of Churchll's greatest challenge, to be continued in the as yet unpublished third volume, but we still feel regret for having lost to time such an able and important man. With the last page, our respect for him has us near tears with the knowledge that the world, more than ever, needs more Churchills and will not have them.

Most people today know Winston Churchill at the great British Prime Minister of WWII. But Churchill was 65 when he became Prime Minister and had a public career spanning more than forty years. In this excellent book which is part biography, part history, William Manchester focuses on the period of 1932-1940 when Churchill was out of power, an outcast in his own party and universally derided as a warmongering relic. Churchill referred to these years as his "wilderness years" and they are among the most fascinating of his life because the years of Churchill's political exile coincide with the rise of Hitler and the growth of Germany from defeated power to world menace. Indeed, as Manchester chronicles, Churchill's return from the wilderness was intimately connected to the rise of Hitler because Churchill's relentless public opposition to Hitlerism and British policy towards Germany throughout the thirties is what led to his continuing exile while this same stalwartness preserved him from the mark of shame that infected the rest of the British elite when the policy of appeasement collapsed in 1939.

Manchester has an unrestrained admiration for Churchill. Nevertheless, at no time in this volume does he overlook Churchill's many faults of personality. Many of these faults become clear when Manchester examines Churchill's personal life at his Chartwell estate and his relationship with his family and the servants and secretary's who worked for him. Despite these faults, however, the Churchill of this book comes across as a man touched with greatness and who is well aware of it. But this book is not merely the story of Churchill but the story of the small shabby men whose policy of appeasement in the face of absolute evil laid England low. Most of the government during the thirties fits this bill but in particular Manchester singles out the three prime ministers, Ramsey McDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain and Chamberlain's foreign minister Lord Halifax.. The author's contempt for these "Men of Munich" drips on virtually every page. He contrasts their fecklessness with Churchill's steadiness. Certainly Churchill recognized from day one that Germany had been overtaken by a deranged criminal regime and that such a regime would necessarily threaten the peace of the world. The Men of Munich just could not see it. Churchill believed, without once wavering, that a foreign policy built on strength and deterrence could prevent war but that a policy of appeasement could only guarantee it. The Men of Munich believed quite the opposite. Manchester shows the motivation of the appeasers to be more complex than commonly understood. Nevertheless, since, to their mind, no rational human being could want war, any dispute with Germany could be resolved through diplomacy and negotiation. It never occurred to the Churchill's foes that Hitler was no rational human being but rather quite mad or that they were not "negotiating" with him so much as giving in and retreating.

A review of the events of the thirties shows a steady British retreat beginning with the failure to stop the re-occupation of the Rhineland then the failure to halt the annexation of Austria, the infamous betrayal of Czechoslovakia at Munich and finally the failure to prevent the final conquest of Czechoslovakia. Indeed, even after the invasion of Poland and declaration of War, Britain and France held back from aiding the Poles for fear Hitler would "turn west". Not until Churchill returned to power, nearly a year after the start of the war and days before the capitulation of France did the policy of appeasement truly end.

Even without the benefit of hindsight, the policy of the British government during this period defies belief. Churchill stands as starkly in contrast to these appeasers as he does to the criminal Hitler. Churchill's wilderness years contain important lessons for today's policy-makers. Appeasement of evil is not only wrong but foolish. It never preserves peace but only guarantee's war. Manchester is a great writer. His prose is lively and his storytelling ability is excellent. All lovers of history will adore this book. I highly recommend it. What a pity that there will never be a third volume chronicling the war and post war years of Churchill's 90 year life.

As one reads William Manchester's second volume on Churchill, one is struck by Churchill's uncanny grasp of the threat of Nazi Germany, and his many attempts to warn Britain of its peril. Like Cassandra in Greek mythology, though, Churchill's predictions are not believed, and he is only included in the War Cabinet when war was inevitable. William Manchester's book is thoroughly researched, and is at least as good as that of Churchill's official biographer, Martin Gilbert, with one important difference: Manchester's book is written on a far larger canvas, and the level of detail he is able to devote to Churchill is far greater -- and the subject is more than worthy of it. Mandatory reading for anyone studying Churchill, a good prelude to read before reading Churchill's own five volume history of World War II in that it gives insight into Churchill's mind. On a personal level, I know that Mr. Manchester is advanced in years, and I cannot help thinking, in my selfishness as a historian, that I hope he completes volume III soon. It would be a tragedy if the task of completing this wonderful history proves to be too much for him.

I meet this author Raymond Austin while he lectured on a recent cruise. I knew of his work as a television director and found his lecture very interesting and in lighting. I have now read both his books. "Dead again," is a wonderful book two in the Beauford Sloan series for those of us who love a good mystery and hate all the sex and violence that is put into the books for NO REASON. He had a little sex in number one "The eagle heist," but petite. "Dead again," like the first will have you on the edge of your seat and make you feel like you really know the characters. A great mystery, ideal for a stormy night. Why Austin never took to the pen before I know not.

Raymond Austin main character Beauford Sloan is intelligent and Fun. You lose yourself in this book, as I did in his first The "Eagle Heist". This one is a strong contender for Austin's best, interesting characters you care about, fast action, edge of your seat page turner. All cliches, I know, but all true in this case.

I picked up Austin's first book The Eagle Heist this summer. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. It sounded a lot like a Spencer novel, and he's PI is not one of my favorite. I was very surprised when I finished the book in about three days. I've been waiting for Dead Again his next book every since,but I have only just picked it up. It petty much picks up right where the Eagle Heist and Beauford Sloan left off in the first novel.
I think the characters are what makes the books so good. Austin has created a very real bunch,Beauford is very real. Austin's writing is excellant and the pace of the books is good, it just flies. I was hooke in both books from the first page. It never drags like some do in the middle. All over all this is one good read!I'm already waiting for Austin's next, there has to be one?

Both the Church and the Academy have desparatly needed an introduction to the New Testament which was both balanced in its approach and thoroughly academic. Thus, academics and laypersons alike will benefit from this outstanding contribution by the late Fr. Brown.

Fr. Brown approaches the New Testament from a balanced perspective, acknowledging the various scholarly opinions and controversies inherent in biblical criticism, while at the same time retaining a great love for the text as the Word of God.

I particularly appreciated the fact that if Fr. Brown was unsure about his position on an issue, for instance, regarding the authorship or dating of a book, he was willing to say so! What a refreshing lack of academic hubris!

This book is suitable for use as an upper division undergraduate theology text, as a graduate level introduction, or as a seminary text.

A thorough and scholarly examination of the New Testament which is entirely accessable to the lay reader. Father Brown lucidly sets forth the social, religious, political and historical context of each book without losing sight of the essential Christian message. His approach is an intellectually-challenging counterbalance to the work of the "Jesus Seminar"; he expounds on the development of each New Testament book without challenging its essential, spiritual veracity. Well done, indeed.

The author has done a great service for new readers of the New Testament. This book presents a balanced and informative introduction to the New Testament that is both scholary and extremely well written. There are adequate footnotes and bibliographical references for those who wish to explore a topic in greater detail. I read this book as I read the New Testament and I would recommend this approach to others. Father Brown is both knowledgable and enthusiastic about his subject matter and after reading this book so was I. Thank you Father Brown.

I think this is the best book Verne has ever written. It has adventure, mystery, suspense, survival, and science fiction all mixed up into one book. It is about Cyrus harding, the engineer, Neb, his loyal servant, Gidion Spilett, the reporter, Jack Pencroft, the spontaneous sailor, Herbert, a 13 year old boy, and the faithful dog Top, who get dropped in a hot air ballon on a remote island. The soon begin forming there own "mini-america" on the island. But strange things start happening - like when top is almost killed my a strange animal, but the animal suddenly dies from a knife wound, and when Pencroft finds a bullet in a wild pig. Who did these things appear on a uninhabited island? Hint- Read 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea first

How he used to make an engine run with duct tape and a shoe string, or make a bomb from bleach and a rusty nail?

He kept coming to mind as I was reading this incredible book, as the characters, stranded on an island with absolutely nothing, accomplished such amazing feats as draining a lake, making a home, building a ship, making an elevator, and a great many other things. There is excitement, suspense (what IS going on on this mysterious island??), and wonderful, likeable characters. Not a real well-known Verne book, but fortunately still in print, and one of his best and most entertaining.

(Incidentally, if you want a children's version of the same story, try to find "A Long Vacation" by Jules Verne, which is extremely similar in plot, but with younger characters and for a younger audience - very charming!)

By the way, please do read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea first, if you have not already done so. Evidently, Verne assumed that everyone had when he wrote this novel.

Great reading!

I had never read Jules Verne's wonderful book, The Mysterious Island. I was delighted that there was a new translation available, so I happily bought a copy and dove into it.

Imagine my shock and disappointment to find, in reading Caleb Carr's introduction, that he tells me the secret of the island! I could have reached through the pages and slapped him silly! My heart just sank. It was like reading a movie review of the Sixth Sense that flat out tells you the twist in the story! Thus, all through the book, I knew what the colonists did not. I felt cheated. Even in the short introductory piece on Jules Verne there is vital information given that is best avoided unless you have already read the book. My advice to you is to go straight to Chapter 1 and skip all the preliminaries until you have finished the book.

With that caveat, I just loved the book. Jordan Stump's translation is breezy reading, which makes this 600+ page book just glide by. The colonists, which is what they become after crash landing on the island, are all "upright, energetic, and bound by brotherly affection". These are not a bunch of modern hunky narcissists or brooding, introspective hand-wringers, my friends. These are men of good cheer who, with faith in one another and a healthy respect for the Almighty, turn this most fascinating (and surely improbable) island into a new land.

This takes place in a time when the world itself still held mystery and adventure, and there was a boundless optimism in what man could achieve when honest and civilized men pooled their efforts and added a little scientific knowledge to their endeavors (well, a lot, actually). Most certainly, because of the time in which it was written, it is not politically correct. The "negro" Neb, though a free man, still calls Cyrus Smith "Master". However, there is every indication that Neb was given equal and fraternal treatment and was respected by all, blunting somewhat the inherent offensiveness of such a situation to modern readers.

In the end, this is a rich and wonderful story that, with this new translation, is a joy to read and a treasure to keep.

Caleb Carr does deserve a trip to the woodshed, however.

"Magician," Feist's debut novel, is widely revered as a fantasy classic. However, from a more detailed vantage, it remains only a classic story as the mediocre prose wilts under close reading.

The plot of young boys like Pug and Tomas rising to their fanciful childhood aspirations of great warriors and sorcerers has been done before and since, but Feist fills his story with poignant details that make the character's growths seem real. The world of Midkemia comes alive with rich detail and history, the creation of Feist and a group of role playing gamer friends in the late 1970s. (To his credit, Feist has always acknowledged "The Friday Nighters" for their role in building Midkemia). Several of the supporting characters, including Arutha, Jimmy, and Amos Trask, are so well drawn that they nearly eclipse the two main characters. The political machinations in the Kingdom, the siege of Crydee, Trask's ship voyages, and Pug's growth as a magician all highlight the swiftly paced plot.

In the preface to the 10th Anniversary "Author's Preferred Edition," Feist states that as a new author, he wrote "Magician" with no idea of traditional novel length and scope of characters. This raw approach provides some of the novel's faults, including the awkward length, but it also gives the story a naive charm as it works to a conclusion on its own pace. Feist also insists that he is not a great writer but rather a skilled storyteller, and "Magician" succeeds because it is a "ripping yarn;" an exciting story. If read quickly, the story still shines, but upon examination Feist's prose wears thin, including clumsy phrasing, passive voice, wooden dialog, and abrupt point of view shifts in the same scene. If he were spinning this tale around a campfire, the "ripping yarn" itself would supercede the words. However, on a written page, a careful reader stumbles over the mediocre writing.

"Magician" remains an entertaining story for a quick read, but the rough prose keeps it from true classic status.

Fiest's Series of sci-fi books are the best thing that anyone has ever written. Everytime I go to the bookstore i search for new novels out. Fiest brought to life the characters in his book and made them seem real. The plot dragged you inside and made it seem as if you were really involved in the happenings. You feel the pain, the agony, the excitement, and the rush. You feel like your the main character and you have the power of a magician. Fiest truly is a superior writer. I have been addicted to his works for many years and strive to feel that same feeling flowing inside me when I read and re-read his riftwar saga. I truly felt I was involved in his books for even I have caught myself speaking as if I was Pug myself on top of the stadium preparing to use the magic that I have been taught. A truly excellent most have book to read.

Magician (Especially Feist's preferred addition) is a masterpiece of fantasy. The characters, plots and rich descriptions of Midkemia draw the reader in from page one, and never lets you go until the end, no matter how many times you read it. With this book and with the ones that followed, Feist places himself in the elite group of fantasy/sci-fi writer's whose works are nothing short of masterpieces. Buy it and read it, you won't be disappointed.

The recipes in Student's Vegetarian Cookbook are designed for people with not much money and even less time. The recipes use easily obtained fresh and prepared ingredients and each recipe gives preparation and cooking times. The book includes a nice blend of vegan and non-vegan dishes as well as pointers on products and preparation for the beginning vegetarian. Great breakfast ideas, salads and bean dishes!

I bought this book over a year ago when my husband & I started eating healthier. We avoid dairy now & most of the recipes that call for milk specify that soy milk can be substituted. (Recipes that call for cheese I automatically sub soy or rice cheese.)

All of the recipes are extremely simple. The ingredients lists are usually very short & the entire book is very practical. If you're learning to cook (or if the idea of heading into a kitchen scares you) this is the book for you.

Here are the sections with some examples of recipes:

Breakfast (french toast, vegan pancakes, scrambled tofu, rice pudding)

Dips & Spreads (salsa-excellent! hummus, guacamole, tahini)

Soups & Stews (miso-happy soup, minestrone, split pea, kale & potato, Moroccan stew)

Salads & Dressings (fruit salad, apple raisin couscous, marinated vegetables, avocado & pear salad)

Sandwiches, wraps & pizza (falafel, crostini with a bean & a green, black bean & yam quesadilla, tacos monterey, pita pizza crust, farmhouse vegetable pizza)

Bean meals (chipotle black bean chili, dal, marinated tempeh)

Grain meals (spontaneous couscous, polenta with black beans, Indian rice, Sicilian rice)

Pasta (with zucchini & basil, with green beans & feta, primavera, spaghetti pancake, peanut pasta)

Vegetables, Stir frys & potatoes (artichoke feast, gingered Chinese green stir fry, Pad Thai, colcannon, scalloped potatoes vegan style)

Desserts & quick breads (dark chocolate pudding, baked apples, baked bananas, banana bread)

There's also a section on coffee drinks-like cafe au lait.

I bought this book as I was heading out of a bookstore. It caught my eye as I'm always looking for good vegetarian recipes to prepare here and there. I especially try eating vegetarian when I am by myself. This book is designed for 1 or 2 servings which makes it wonderful. I also eat basically a low-carb diet and I can easily fit these recipes in very well. Tonight I had the Pasta Puttanesca. This is olive oil, tomato, garlic, capers and black olives over pasta (low carb of course!) and then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Took me less than 15 minutes to make. If you're dabbling in vegetarianism, this is the starter book you're looking for!

This book was excellent! You are at the end of your seat the whole way through. I could not put it down and now I am waiting paitently for the 2nd book to come out. I can't wait to buy it!

This Review lead me to Raymond Austin. (It is right it is.)

BOOKLIST AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Fans of the classic British television series The Avengers and The Saint may recognize the author',s name: as Ray Austin, he directed episodes-of-those serve; as well as many other British and American shows, This is his first novel, and it's ideally suited for the small screen. An armored car is hijacked, seemingly snatched out of thin air, and Virginia's Beauford Sloan, retired-cop-turned-private-detective, is hired to find out whodunit. Sloan, who closely resembles the actor Wilford Brimley, is a remarkably likable character. (The resemblance is no coincidence: Brimley and the author are friends, and Brimley has expressed his desire to play the detective in the anticipated television movie based on the novel. He has also written an introduction to the book.) In fact, everything about the novel is remarkably likable; perhaps because he spent decades in the world of moving pictures, Austin knows how to create detailed characters, dialogue that is both memorable and realistic, and an exciting plot. An excellent debut and a real find.

David Pitt

I was totally captivated right from the start how the incredible "Eagle Heist" went down. You'll have to read to know what I mean! This book was fabulous! Right until the end I could not figure out who masterminded this incredible heist. Raymond Austin does an amazing job of creating a visual masterpiece in his first book. It must be made into a movie! I'm looking forward to the next in his series, "Dead Again."

The Glory and the Dream

William Manchester's The Glory and the Dream, paints a vivid and detailed picture of America from 1932 to 1972. It begins at the height of the Great Depression, and tells of the New Deal, the events leading to America's entry into World War II, the prosperity of the late 40s and 50s, and the militancy of the 60s and early 70s. The book ends with the growing distrust of the nation surrounding the Watergate scandal. In his decription of these forty years, before and after World War II, Manchester shows how America has reveled in its glory as the most powerful nation in the world, yet continues to dream for new heights of power. The Glory and the Dream is an excellent book, because the author is able to make many of the characters and emotions of the time come to life, in his detailed and engaging style. However, I personally believe that the author treats some of major figures of the time too harshly.
Manchester is able to make his characters come to life through effective use of quotes and actions, which describe the feelings and concerns those people had. The desperation and general sadness of the Great Depression is shown in the lyrics of a song by Rudy Valee.
They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob.
When there was earth to plough or guns to bear
I was always there right on the job

Once I built a railroad, made it run
made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
At that same period, the shame of Americans is shown in this observation from the Governor's mansion in Albany at a time Franklin Roosevelt was still governor, "Professor Rexford Tugwell of Columbia, a house guest, was summoned to the master bedroom, where his host lay surrounded by clouds of newsprint. As Tugwell entered, Governor Roosevelt covered photographs of the violence against the Bonus Army by the American army with his hands, as though in shame for his country."
The author shows that at the same time the American people felt shame and sadness, there was also a growing sense of resolve that something should be done to alleviate the poverty that many Americans were facing. A quote full of this growing resolve and determination comes from Franklin Roosevelt address to the Democratic Convention in 1932 in which he accepts the party's nomination for President. "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American people." A quote of Franklin Roosevelt that helps to illustrate his character and the general feeling of the time come from his conversation with Tugwell. "'There is nothing inside that man but jelly,' Roosevelt said angrily. 'Maybe there never was anything else. Why didn't Hoover offer the men coffee and sandwiches, instead of turning Pat Hurley and Doug MacArthur loose?" This illustrates the generosity of Roosevelt's spirit in contrast to the rudeness and inattentivenss of his opponents in the Republican party.
In its 1302 pages, this offers an in-depth portrait of America at that period. Its lively details and examples with use of many quotes, strong verbs and adjectives make you feel as if you were suffering through the Great Depression, prospering through the New Deal, fighting through World War II and reliving the Vietnam war. Unfortunately this lengthy book could intimidate some. However by splitting the reading into decades, one may avoid the frustration of reading such a dense and interminable book at once.
My one reservation lies in Manchester's condemnation of leaders I believe benefited America, even though they made some very grave mistakes. His views on President Lyndon Johnson, for his decision to escalate the Vietnam war, and for the questionable legality of the Gulf of Tongkin resolution are concerning. Lyndon Johnson did escalate the war to far, but his support of the Civil Rights Movement overshadows in my opinion his extreme hawkishness towards Vietnam. Without his support, America would be a very different repressive place towards race.
The Glory and the Dream is a work of popular history at its best as it makes history accessible to all. You can understand and enjoy this book without being a scholar or a historian. It also covers an important period of history which is still relevant to our political, economic, and cultural present. Therefore in reading this book you widen your understanding of current events.

As a history teacher and historian who has read and previewed hundreds of history titles, I can say without resevation that "The Glory and the Dream" ranks up among the top 5 history books I have ever read. Covering a span of time when America went through so much upheavel and doubt, patriotism and arrogance, Manchester weaves a tale of American life that leaves nothing out. Focusing on the four themes of history (social, political, domestic, foreign) he manages to bring together all of the personalities, events, disasters, fears, and triumphs that have made America what she is today. At over 1300 pages, it is a massive volume but one that grabs the reader from the very start with its chapters on the Great Depression and the rise of FDR. From there Manchester takes the reader on a wonderful trip through time as he covers World War II, The Cold War, Truman, Ike, the 50's, 60's, sex, music, Vietnam, art, entertainment, and everything else that went on during the 50 year time span the book covers. I was sad that the book had to end, but found myself reading it again in less than four months, reliving the journey again and finding out new things that I had missed before. If you love American history then this book is an absolute must for your library. For those who lived through the history of which Manchester writes, it will stir memories. For those too young to remember that far back, it will give you a wonderfully frank account of your nation and its 20th century heritage. Read this book, you will not be disappointed.

The Glory and the Dream

William Manchester's The Glory and the Dream, paints
a vivid and detailed picture of America from 1932 to
1972. It begins at the height of the Great Depression,
and tells of the New Deal, the events leading to
America's entry into World War II, the prosperity of
the late 40s and 50s, and the militancy of the 60s and
early 70s. The book ends with the growing distrust of
the nation surrounding the Watergate scandal. In his
decription of these forty years, before and after
World War II, Manchester shows how America has reveled
in its glory as the most powerful nation in the world,
yet continues to dream for new heights of power. The
Glory and the Dream is an excellent book, because the
author is able to make many of the characters and
emotions of the time come to life, in his detailed and
engaging style. However, I personally believe that the
author treats some of major figures of the time too
harshly.
Manchester is able to make his characters come to
life through effective use of quotes and actions,
which describe the feelings and concerns those people
had. The desperation and general sadness of the Great
Depression is shown in the lyrics of a song by Rudy
Valee.
They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob.
When there was earth to plough or guns to bear
I was always there right on the job

Once I built a railroad, made it run
made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
At that same period, the shame of Americans is shown
in this observation from the Governor's mansion in
Albany at a time Franklin Roosevelt was still
governor, "Professor Rexford Tugwell of Columbia, a
house guest, was summoned to the master bedroom, where
his host lay surrounded by clouds of newsprint. As
Tugwell entered, Governor Roosevelt covered
photographs of the violence against the Bonus Army by
the American army with his hands, as though in shame
for his country."
The author shows that at the same time the American
people felt shame and sadness, there was also a
growing sense of resolve that something should be done
to alleviate the poverty that many Americans were
facing. A quote full of this growing resolve and
determination comes from Franklin Roosevelt address to
the Democratic Convention in 1932 in which he accepts
the party's nomination for President. "I pledge you, I
pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American people."
A quote of Franklin Roosevelt that helps to illustrate
his character and the general feeling of the time come
from his conversation with Tugwell. "'There is
nothing inside that man but jelly,' Roosevelt said
angrily. 'Maybe there never was anything else. Why
didn't Hoover offer the men coffee and sandwiches,
instead of turning Pat Hurley and Doug MacArthur
loose?" This illustrates the generosity of Roosevelt's
spirit in contrast to the rudeness and inattentivenss
of his opponents in the Republican party.
In its 1302 pages, this offers an in-depth portrait
of America at that period. Its lively details and
examples with use of many quotes, strong verbs and
adjectives make you feel as if you were suffering
through the Great Depression, prospering through the
New Deal, fighting through World War II and reliving
the Vietnam war. Unfortunately this lengthy book could
intimidate some. However by splitting the reading into
decades, one may avoid the frustration of reading such
a dense and interminable book at once.
My one reservation lies in Manchester's condemnation
of leaders I believe benefited America, even though
they made some very grave mistakes. His views on
President Lyndon Johnson, for his decision to escalate
the Vietnam war, and for the questionable legality of
the Gulf of Tongkin resolution are concerning. Lyndon
Johnson did escalate the war to far, but his support
of the Civil Rights Movement overshadows in my opinion
his extreme hawkishness towards Vietnam. Without his
support, America would be a very different repressive
place towards race.
The Glory and the Dream is a work of popular history
at its best as it makes history accessible to all. You
can understand and enjoy this book without being a
scholar or a historian. It also covers an important
period of history which is still relevant to our
political, economic, and cultural present. Therefore
in reading this book you widen your understanding of
current events.