I acquired this book after enjoying other books in The West and the Wider World Series (Harris' The Sins of the Father, Seaman's Paper Airplanes in the Himalayas). Unlike the other books, The Cloud and the Light provides little insight into the relationships and the interactions between cultures. In part, this is due to the others being written by children of missionaries, authors exposed to both worlds as a child. A large part, however, seems to be Dr. Kawano's desire to be positive and not critical. He speaks against the horrors of radiation poisoning, suicide and smoking, but seems hesitant to criticize any person or cultural group. The absence of comments regarding America's use of the bomb are notable.

The first chapters of this autobiography provide revealing descriptions of what it was like to live and to provide medical care in Nagasaki during and after the bomb. The middle chapters, however, focus on other aspects of his life - his work in neurology and his support of suicide hotline and anti-smoking campaigns. The final chapters provide more wartime background and address how Dr. Kawano became a Christian.

Readers interested in "inspirational" lives may enjoy this book. Those interested in Japan and Japanese medicine during and immediately after the bomb should read the first chapters. Most will probably find the translated prose readable but dry.

THE CLOUD AND THE LIGHT Memoirs of a Japanese Christian Surgeon from Nagasaki

The West and the Wider World Series, Vol. XII By Martin Kawano, M.D.

In an extended memoir, Dr. Martin Kawano reviews his life from the rare perspective of a Protestant inter-denominational surgeon who, while a medical student, survived the bombing of Nagasaki. This intensely personal account casts more light on the bombing and its immediate aftermath than other existing classic works.

Dr. Kawano had studied Protestant theology, but set these pursuits aside to join the army. Following his stint in service, he began medical studies. He has been a surgeon all his professional life and a crusader against smoking. In his world-wide service as a social reformer he worked with many well-known people such as Maria Von Trapp and the daughter and granddaughter of Albert Schweitzer.

"Like my father Albert Schweitzer, who influenced him, Martin Kawano has made his life his argument. From the time when as a medical student he miraculously escaped death from the atomic bomb which fell on Nagasaki, his life has unfolded in steady service to mankind. From his studies in the USA, Germany, Switzerland and Canada, he has brought back to Japan unique capabilities for helping where he sees the greatest needs, without consideration for his career or his personal life. His story is inspiring, the testimony of a man with unwavering faith and dedication." Rhena Schweitzer Miller, 1996

This book featuring the Raptor is well detailed, and a fun book to browse. Plentiful pictures, and some descriptions of its awesome capabilities. If you'd really like to know what it is to appreciate this fine piece of technological marvel, see the other books on the F-22. Comparitively, I did not find it as indepth as another available soft-cover - see Bill Sweetman's version: F-22 Raptor. I have enjoyed both books, but would recommend Sweetman's - let's just say I am a genuine "Warplane Buff". I have not read the more expensive book, by Aronstein, but from its review, and the fact that it has an insider's view, it should be very interesting...(if you don't mind paying more) - Aronstein's is quite possibly a five-star! ...in my opinion.

This book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the air force's newest future fighter.-----excellent!!!!!

Thunderbolt! is ace pilot Major Robert S. Johnson's own account of his days with the celebrated 56th Fighter Group over Europe during World War Two. Johnson's very personable narrative takes the reader from his boyhood days in Lawton, Oklahoma, where his fascination with aviation first developed, through flying lessons, his enlistment and training with the air force, and his many missions over Germany behind the stick of a P-47 Thunderbolt.

The cockpit of the large, sturdy and power Republic P-47 is the setting for a large portion of the book. Missions flown over Germany against the deadly Luftwaffe pilots and their superb planes are covered in the first person in gripping fashion. Though his recollection of events after ten years cannot be completely accurate, the author nonetheless describes tense battles in remarkable detail, down to the combat technique of each adversary. Besides his own experiences, the author also relates hair raising stories of colleagues who ditched at sea, bailed out over enemy territory, suffered catastrophic equipment failures or were in fact killed.

Though military pilots are often categorized as arrogant and self-centred (necessary traits as the split-second demands of aerial combat require the pilot to be unhindered by self-doubt), Johnson's storytelling is uniquely free of pretense and self-adulation. In fact, using his easy and informal writing style, Johnson has included his misfortunes and blunders for the reader's amusement. It should be said however, that Johnson's descriptions of battle are a little too fond, and he sounds entertained by killing. A disappointment is that Johnson does not tell curious readers what personal qualities, habits, or techniques he thinks caused his spectacular twenty-eight vietories with zero planes lost. The book also lacks the technical content which a nostalgic reader would enjoy.

Thunderbolt! is an enjoyable autobiography of an otherwise ordinary boy who, despite failures, went on to become a very gifted pilot. Perhaps Johnson's story says what kinds of fellows a large number of Air Force youths were, and so gives a more personal description of the military pilot to supplement one's historical knowledge.

Bob Johnson describes more than the P-47, he describes the men who flew them and the things they did to get into battle. Johnson, a top scoring ace, in the league with Dick Bong and Eddie Rickenbacher failed the gunnery test at the end of fighter school with a score of 4.7 percent but was sent to battle with his unit. In his first battle he pulled off, thinking his plane had a problem because he had never fired all six of the guns on the plane at one time. He tells of how men died when the P-47 went into compressibility dives, a condition unknown before and how they met the ME-109 and FW-190 fighters, head to head and won. He tells how he came to love the fighter that could bring him back, with hundreds of bullet holes and some cannon shells imbedded in the seat armor, certain death for the pilot in most planes. But not in the heavy P-47.

Incident at Exile is by all means an introduction to the Alternity Role Playing Game from TSR. The content is split between a rules summary for the game and an introductory adventure.

The rules are a simplified version of the Alternity game system, concentrating on the basic concepts rather than dealing with the "nitty-gritty" that this wonderful game system is capable of. Excluding such concepts such as success levels and mortal damage, the rules are much more managable for a beginning troupe of players as well as a splendid introduction to the system. Once the basics have been mastered through this simplified version, one can easily add the more detailed rules found in the hardcover rulebooks.

The adventure section is where the supplement loses a bit of its charm. The heroes simply "stumble upon" a derelict vessel and need to explore it... It feels like an AD&D dungeoncrawl in space, which is a concept that the designers of Alternity tried very hard to move away from.

All in all, you get a good deal for your cash. It provides a stepping stone into the greater Alternity universe (one of my picks for the best RPG engines so far), and if the players don't like it, they're only down 7 bucks or so, not 30 by buying the PHB.

The adventure and mis-adventures of one young lad during the night and day of the great Peshtigo fire in the late 1800's. Focuses on the bravery and courage of a family and touches on the cowardice of some men during the night. A good look into the fears of men and the strength of one family and their son. Especially good reading for people who live in and around the Marinette, Wisconsin, Menominee, Michigan area including Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The one shortcoming I found was that it never specifically mentioned the Peshtigo fire, only that it was a "great fire". Reading level is about 4th grade.

just see how the crimal justice system doesnt work unless you've got a ton of money and can buy your way out this guy had to pay a price...death.

The authors - two pastors and a college chaplain - write from personal experience of the new "post-liberal" perspective emerging within the Protestant mainline churches. Thoughtful and readable, the book is particularly suited to the lay person who has felt that the church should be more than a well-intentioned institution dedicated to "making the world a little nicer," but has not been able to identify where the problem lay, or what the solution might be.

I've never really thought of myself as a fan of the 'Western' genre, but soon found that this was not required in order to thoroughly enjoy "Hell On The Draw:Best Western stories by Loren D. Estleman". While each story is indeed rooted in the West, they are by no means your run of the mill 'shoot-em-ups.' Each one is completely different in mood and style, from lighthearted humor to dark twists of fate, from romance to a touch of the supernatural. The author fills each tale with people you'll find yourself wishing that you had known or vey glad that you didn't. The vividly described settings along with fine attention to historical details of events, people, equipment and weapons, pull you inside and make you feel as if you are there. Aside from the complete enjoyment of the stories themselves, this audio version features a variety of gifted voice talents well suited to the telling of these tales of the West.

The 240 pages in this very readable book cover the highlights in the career of Detective First Grade McKenna and his thirty years in the NYPD. He shares his thoughts while discussing many of his interesting cases. The book reads like a TV series waiting to happen. The 14 chapters tell of the events behind the newspaper stories.

Chapter 1 tells of the Central Park Jogger attacked in April 1989. Page 9 tells that if a suspect denies being at the scene of the crime, he has something to hide. Perhaps there's another reason for not getting involved? Detective McKenna got a confession that resulted in a conviction. But in 2003 the DNA evidence caused their release from jail, and exoneration. "There was no physical evidence". Is there a lesson to be learned? Should anyone be convicted on a disputed confession when there is no other evidence? But it happens.

When crimes occur, Detectives show up after to gather the statements of eyewitnesses, and begin their investigation. Sometimes they get information from people who were not there. After spending hours and days the facts emerge to point to the suspects. They are tracked down, arrested, then convicted. Detective McKenna emphasizes that "police work is all teamwork". Many of the crimes just happen by opportunity; there are few masterminds in street crime. One exception is on page 40. After you read this book you can turn to the classic Hammett and Chandler short stories with a new viewpoint.

This book gave me an entirely different view on the world in that change is the norm and not having change is abnormal. It brought great perspective to my current situation and has made want to plan for change because I now know it's coming whether we like it or not. It also gets you to think about preparing for the bad times when everything seems to be going so well. It is a very practical review of our history and who we are today. It is a very quick read and is easy to comprehend.