Edward Miller's "War Plan Orange" is a well researched and effectively written book on the United states Navy's plan of action against a naval threat from the Empire of Japan. He covers the plan from it's initial design, through it's many changes, and through the point where it was "taken off the self" and executed.
While the sneak attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor might have destroyed a large portion of the physical fleet. One thing they could not touch was this plan and through it's use as the foundation for the US response, the defeat of Japan was assured. Let's hope that we still make plans that prove this effective.

Author Edward Stanley Miller has expertly distilled the political and military conditions of each era of war planning for the Pacific Theater. Using a plethora of original references to illustrate contemporary reasons for each era of stratagy, Mr. Miller has done a yeoman's job. The text is logical (a difficult task to identify all of the ebbs and flows of the various planning bodies of the time)and informative. The supporting tables, charts and maps are helpful but could have been expanded. Additional maps of Midway, Corregidor and various other key locations would have enhanced the text. Considering the main thrust of this scholarly work however , any lack of illustrative aids is not a major handicap. This book serves as a benchmark for U.S. military and geopolitical stratagy in the greater Pacific area for the first half of the twentieth century.

Too often these days both fictional and "factual" scholarly and media representations of military personnel falls into two categories: buffoons or renegades. Edward S. Miller explodes the myth that the interwar military planners were a bunch of buffoons and the actual combatants who won the war against Japan a bunch of brilliant innovators. War Plan Orange reveals the careful, thoughtful debate and study that went into Pacific War Planning for 48 years. In the final analysis, about the only mistake the interwar planners actually made was to underestimate time and resources required (something that happens with every campaign). As to basic strategy, their work was sound. The campaigners of WW2--some of whom helped with interwar planning--did nothing innovative, they simply executed a good plan proven through much wargaming and study.

This book will help you who want to study physics by yourselves so much. You can be familiar with physics as you answer many questions in the book. As the author said, to understand physics well, you should not just read the book but use it(that is, answer questions many times!).

I found the methods of explaining problems in this book to be clear, concise and very helpful. Though this is more or less the basics of physics, it would be useful to any senior in an advanced level physics class.

Well organized and informative, this text educates and challenges today's young business math student whether the course is being taken as a requirement or as an elective. Either way, the successful student, upon completion of this course will walk away a better business student and a wiser investor/consumer.

Everyone likes flipping through good photography books but this one you'll have to read. Aside from superb photography, Miller captures the soul of Paris in a way pictures of monuments never can. These Parisians look right into your soul -- and vice versa -- even before you read Miller's commentary. If you love Paris (particularly pre-McDonald's) you have to check out this book. Plus there's Miller's own poignant, amusing, self-revelatory look at an American GI in the postwar City of Light. Life is really about people, not monuments, and Paris is no exception.

This book sees the happenings on the ship through the eyes of Fletcher Christian. It even suggests a homosexual relationship was indeed occuring between he and Captain Bligh. I loved seeing the mutiny through his eyes instead of through Bligh's or a fictional midshipman, and it was so good I read it all in an entire night. This is a must-read for every single Bountyphile out there! I believed wholeheartedly that the book hits Fletcher Christian's true character dead on, and several times I could hardly believe he hadn't written it. A very, very, intriguing book, and it's worth trying to find. You'll never see the mutiny more justified than how it is portrayed by Mr. Miller.

Wayne Lee has written on the militia and crowds in his innovative work Crowds and Soldiers in Revolutionary North Carolina: The Culture of Violence in Riot and War (2001). This study considers militia issues beyond fighting battles, including the necessity Continental officers faced using militia regiments, and the drawbacks from doing so as well. One of the subjects in Lee's study of the legitimacy of violence during the war is that of the bitter, bloody feuds between Whigs and Tories, a conflict that caused the Patriot militia to become mired in a struggle of 'retaliatory escalation,' vendettas, plundering, murder and other crimes, all of which served to weaken the authority of the newly-created state. For example, Lee describes the fine line between the impressment and stealing of much-needed supplies from the civilian population. 'In accordance with military tradition,' Lee notes, 'it was acceptable to impress from one's enemies without payment,' an assumption which too often led to random theft. This and other problems were a constant burden for Greene and other commanders in the south, just part of the many challenges arising from the reliance on militia troops.

This book was purchased from Amazon.com as a gift for my Mother. She is a historian, genealogist and life long resident of North Carolina. Her main field of expertise is the historical Colonial Period in North Carolina and especially the Regulator Movement. Having taught a college course in early North Carolina history she is well versed on the events and ideologies of the period. She was fascinated with the extensive research done for this publication and how very well the book was written. In her opinion, an excellent book which rates five stars *****.

I do not usually read a lot of military history, but I picked this book up almost by accident and ended up teaching it in my colonial history seminar. Lee uses revolutionary North Carolina to examine the meaning, purposes and imperatives of violence and the ways citizens and societies rationalize and sometimes challenge the use of violence. This is as much social history as military history, and the literary quality of CROWDS AND SOLDIERS makes it an excellent teaching book. I hope to assign it in my survey class next year, or as soon as it comes out in paper. It passed the "father test" with flying colors--I left my copy where my father would be sure to see it, he picked it up, and read it almost without stopping. This is a fine and important work of history that could hardly be more timely in its implications.

BLUE BEAT SYNCOPATION by Stanley E. Banks chronicles his works of
poetry from 1977 to 2002. The selections are historical and
contemporary pieces that reveal much about the author in terms of
how he views life and the world.

BLUE BEAT SYNCOPATION is hard in some instances, yet real and
understandable as it defines his style of poetic writing. I was
very impressed with several of Mr. Banks' selections. He allows
you to flow along with him and visualize soft blues playing in the

background as you read and interpret the deep significance of his
writings.

My favorites were 'Introducing Myself,' which was relative to events
of the present, and of course, the selection 'Blue Beat Syncopation,'
which had me tapping my feet as I felt the beat.

Stanley E. Banks is an author to watch, as he has already made a mark
in the poetic community. His poetry collection On 10th Alley Way won
the Langston Hughes Prize for Poetry.

Reviewed by Kalaani
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I was just amazed at how this book changed the way I looked at my financial life. I'm sure if it waan't for this book I would be on the streets panhandling. It helped that much, Thank You!!

Thomas Sullivan provides a clear, consise, and easy to use reference guide for anyone to use. This book not only contains actual text of some major environmental laws, but it also sites case studies and court decisions, all in an easy to read format. This book is a must for anyone dealing in environmental matters, and is a good source of reference for anyone concerned with the environment and public policy.

As one who has yet to take any formal training in more academic theology, and having read only a few of the works by the authors discussed in this volume, I come to the subject matter as a novice. And, it is as a novice that I review this work...

There is much to praise in Miller and Grenz' "Introduction to Contemporary Theologies." It is pretty "bottom shelf"--not much intimidating jargon or assuming too much of the audience. The work is written in a very engaging and accessible manner. The footnotes are of some use while not being imposing.

The book also has several weaknesses. It's very brevity forces a great deal of selectivity in what gets discussed. It takes a look at an eclectic assortment of authors. Some are cut and dried theologians...folks like Barth, Bultmann and Pannenberg; others are more popular theologians who wrote for broader audiences...Bonhoeffer being the prime example; others could be described as theologians but also might be considered philosophers or social advocates...Ruether, Gutierrez, and Hick for example.

The authors strive for objectivity by presenting the background and argument of each author and then weaknesses others have found in each author's work. Yet sometimes, it seems that the authors spend more time picking apart the work of certain authors than that of others. The two authors who suffer worst at the their hands are Moltmann and Hick. The discussion of Hick actually degenerates into a debate about tolerance and intolerance.

All other flaws aside, this introduction is seriously in need of some basic bibliographies of the authors discussed. As it stands, if a reader becomes interested in a particular author, then it is left up them as to where to start reading...no help is given.

Each section could also be greatly improved with a discussion of the influence of each author. One who is uninformed in these matters is left with questions. For instance: how did Ruether influence feminism, what is happening with Liberation theology today, and what is the impact of process theology?

All in all, I guess I recommend this book because it has the ability to the reader interested in the theologians discussed. It is by no means comprehensive; it has its definite slants...still, I enjoyed it in spite of itself.

I enjoyed this book. It provides an excellent run-down of the most influental theologies of the 20th Century. However, there is virtually no mention of conservative theologians.