The chapters on preparation for emergencies and on the role of the family has been especially helpful to my daughter-in-law and me. Unfortunately, my son made a serious suicide attempt several weeks ago. Thankfully, he was not successful and has been in intensive therapy since that time. He is improving with medication adjustment and daily therapy. The whole family is learning about bipolar disorder, previously unrecognized signs and symptoms, and the link to alcohol abuse, unipolar depression and AD(H)D that is present in other family members. As we learn to deal with the diagnosis and it's impact on my son, his wife and children and the rest of us, I plan to buy more copies of this book to share with the family. I have always believed that knowledge is power and this book has assisted me in my quest to learn about bipolar disorder. Thank you Dr. Mondimore!

Anyway almost every list of best graphic novels you will ever see looks something like this:

1. Watchmen
2. Everything else

In my mind the list should now look like this:

1. Watchmen
2. Kingdom Come
3. Everything else

I always was kind of disappointed with Comic Book art, some of it is well pretty bad and almost none of it is the kind of stuff you would want on your wall. Then I found some work by Alex Ross. The art is simply amazing and if you haven't seen his work before you owe it yourself to get something that he has done just so you can see. alexrossart.com has some samples if you really want to see something before you buy it.

The story itself is excellent as well. Not as good as Watchmen but certainly better than that "other" iconic graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns." (For those of you who don't know Dark Knight starts off really strong but ten goes downhill once we get Batman involved with mutants and 13 year old girls, whatever you think of its story its influence can not be denied though).

The many many sub plots and references (there is a copy of "Under the Hood" in a bookstore) will keep long time DC comics fans busy. However, this is also my mane point of criticism of the work. So many of sub plots assume you know what they are talking about that readers without an understanding of the comics history will miss out on a lot. The reunion of Nightstar and Dick Grayson, for example, is a minor sub plot told mainly with pictures, is meaningless if you have no idea who Nightstar is. These many references are something of a double-edged sword in that respect as many people will miss most of them but those who do will enjoy them greatly.

If you don't know a lot about the DC universe I suggest you scroll down and look at reviews by other people who don't before buying, for people who do this is a definite "must have" graphic novel on the level of Watchmen.

The book is arranged chronologically, beginning with the story of his grandfather (a four star admiral), then moving on to his father (also a four star admiral) and finally discussing Senator McCain, who didn't quite make it to admiral, owing partially, perhaps, to a long detour in a Vietnamese POW camp. You can't help but feel as you read the book that McCain is gradually educating the reader in the same way he himself came to understand the sense of duty that is common to the three generations of McCain's: by day after day of example.

The chapters read quickly and hold the reader's interest. The topics may be of more interest to a McCain that to the rest of us, but you won't be tempted to put down the book, as it always leaves you with a hint of things to come, and I often felt that what I was reading would prepare me for material later in the book. A word of warning, however: if you dislike historical or military topics, then this book isn't for you. If, though, you'd like a glimpse inside this influential US Senator and prospective presidential candidate, this book won't disappoint. McCain leaves little hidden in this frank and honest coverage of his life. Few presidential hopefuls, I think, would be so frank about their shortcomings as John McCain is. I was particularly surprised by the vivid descriptions of McCain's personal conflict as a POW: he realized that he received preferential treatment because of his father's rank. But I got the sense that rather than making it easier on him, the better treatment simply made it harder to accept the difficult conditions. It also seems to have amplified his consciousness of the need to adhere to the demands of duty.

I recommend this book without reservation, with the previous exceptions. It will definitely make you think about this intriguing person. It might also make you think about parts of your own character.

"Faith of My Fathers", which explores the backgrounds of his family and his own Academy days, is mostly about those trying years being held prisoner in Vietnam and how the strength built in him by his family helped him survive (hence the title). John McCain was a Naval fighter pilot and was shot down over Vietnam in 1967. So much of him was broken when he was finally captured, that he was not even able to stand for several weeks. Some wonderful fellow prisoners helped nurse him back to health and his renewed strength allowed him to withstand the repeated beatings doled out by North Vietnamese. Despite one occurrence where they actually broke him, McCain stood true and firm to Military Code of Conduct and did not betray his country or his fellow prisoners. Even when the Vietnamese found out about his legacy and volunteered to send him home early, he refused because there were men who had been imprisoned longer than he, and he would not accept freedom until at least they had received it, too. As a result, he remained a prisoner until 1972 when treaty negotiations led the release of most all P.O.W.'s.

McCain's writing style has a smooth narrative flow that doesn't smack of the self-congratulation that many biographies of politicians do. He shows a degree of humility that makes him a person a reader can easily get behind. One major element that shines through in his writing is his depiction of life as a Prisoner-of-War. He shows the reader who the conditions were rather than telling them. His characterizations of his fellow prisoners vividly depicts how many of them dealt with their ordeal and what factors may have affected decisions they made. Some completely broke and some were just weak and sacrificed the Code of Conduct for personal game, while others (McCain among them), drew strength from within and adapted their situation with surprising innovation. They worked from the belief that the greater good was served by their continued suffering. The timing of the release of "Faith of My Fathers" could be construed as a ploy to boost recognition during with presidential campaign when, in truth, it's a historical account whose time had come and will be well-read in the years to follow.

Some previous reviewers claimed the writers were biased or somehow exaggerating, but I thought the book was remarkably calm considering the outrageousness, the evil, that the book discusses. I'm disgusted that the negative reviewers from the PR and journalism fields (especially those teaching our young people!) don't want to admit the seriousness of the corruption outlined in this book. Perhaps we should ask where their paychecks come from, and why they wrote anonymously.

Ironically, I now serve on a citizen advisory committee created by the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources to set PCB soil criteria for Wisconsin, and this criteria could restrict the landspreading of PCB-contaminated sludges. The sewage treatment plant operators are going ballistic and pulling all kinds of lobbying and legal tricks to prevent the health standard from applying to them or being fully protective of public health --- because they want to keep landspreading toxic sludge on our food croplands. The paper mills have quietly gotten their own exemptions for their sludge, so far. Their PR responses fit this book perfectly, especially the chapter discussing sludge. The criteria battle in the DNR and legislature isn't over, but I predict it will be ugly and full of PR spin-doctoring.

As a martial artist and stage fight choreographer and combatant, I am keenly interested in understanding the "real deal" of European swordsmanship. There is an astonishing wealth of material outlining the systematic methods for using all the weapons in the medieval and Renaissance warrior's arsenal, but many of these documents remain untranslated into English. For years, English speaking martial artists have been constrained to base their interpretation of these methods on the illustrations alone, without the benefit of the knowledge to be gained by a careful study of the accompanying text. Now, finally, efforts are under way to unlock these secrets of the sword.

This book is just one small step in what promises to be an exciting rebirth of the study of the Western Martial Arts and historical European swordsmanship.

Cheers!

Mark Rector

This was my first Douglas/Olshaker book. It won't be my last.

I can't remember reading anything since john case's THE GENESIS CODE that rang so absolutely true.

Douglas' time at Quantico permeates every page and each plot twist is presented with such authority...I never doubted the story line at all.

I'll be checking out more Douglas/Olshaker stories and I look forward to more missions by Millicent's mavericks -- the Broken Wings.

If you liked a good action story, well told, with people you'll come to like, read this book!

Enjoy!

If you're anything like me, you've given up the guitar multiple times because learning it has always been so boring. Most lame books always start you off with notation reading. Those books teach to read music. Not PLAY music. That's what makes this book so great. You'll be playing Kumbaya within minutes. Not Mary Had a Little Lamb after 4 hours.

The CD that accompanies the book is invaluable. It gives you the ability to track your progress against a recorded version of the song. It's simple and easy to use.

The best part of the book to me is the section on barre chords and power chords. If you have the patience to make it to this section, you will never put the guitar down again. That's because all of a sudden you can play nearly every song you've ever heard.

I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to learn how to play guitar. Once you've studied the book for awhile, the rest gets easier and easier.