This book is one of my favorites on ancient stone temples and the knowledge of the earth and her energy grids that modern man has lost or failed to see. It proves to the reader that we all live within the ruins of an ancient and lost society that until recently has been invisible to man because of it's size. The entire surface of the earth is marked with the works and lay out on the ground of a vast network of evidence that the ancient peoples not only communicated accross oceans but had a very good grasp of higher end mathmatics rivaling our best computers in accuracy. Alan F. Alford also makes this theory evident in his new book The Phoenix Solution. (Probably easier to find than The View over Atlantis) Michells book concludes that the ancient cultures had a once universal thought pattern and system that was in tune with nature. He also proves to the reader that modern man is suffering from a mass amnesia.. Further reading on ancient geomancy and sacred geometry will only add to the evidence that Michell has published in this 1969 book, a book 30 years ahead of its time. Todays satellite images prove much of what Michell wrote of the layout of ley lines and the like all over the world. Especially the temple sites of Glastonbery and St Mary's chapel as well as the axis of St Benidict"s church and Stonehenge. Michell brilliantly ties in the equation of alchemical fusion with the secret math in the layout of certain sacred ancient sites. A must read for fans of Zecharia Sitchin as well as those just wanting to learn more about the incredible knowledge and purpose in the design of these ancient structures from long long ago.

Better than any sitcom or news broadcast---this is a book that definitely puts the reader's finger on the pulse of Nashville. At least, that's what my entry was intended to do (and yes, I won.)

Mitchell's book is obviously dated by now, published in 1969 and has been republished in 1993. At first, I wonder whether it is still worth a reading given that there are a lot more recent works in the field as a result of the proliferation of literature on the Islamist movements in recent decades. Having read this book, I must admit that Mitchell's book continues to be a significant contribution in our understanding of Islamism.

The book covers periods of Ikhwan foundation in 1928 till its second suppression in 1954. The focus is on Egypt without dealing with various manifestations of the movement outside of the country. The book can be divided into three parts. The first and largest is history of the movement. It sheds interesting light on al-Banna, the founder of the movement, and the roles the movement played in political events including its attitude toward the 1952 revolution. The second part deals with the details of the organizational aspect of the movement while the third part concentrates on its ideology with special reference to its world-view as regards the West, Egypt, capitalism, communism, and Zionism. The final chapter assess the place of the movement in Egyptian social and political life. The most impressive aspect of this study is Mitchell's utilization of the sources. Through his field works in Egypt in 1953-5 Mitchell was able to witness the development first hand and to conduct interviews with many of the Ikhwan members and other Egyptians. Furthermore, Mitchell uses Arabic language sources, including the writings of the prominent figures of the movement such as al-Banna and Muhammad al-Ghazali, and Qutb along with the writings of other Egyptian unconnected with the society as well as Ikhwan's own publications and documents. In addition, the author also utilizes Egyptian newspapers and numerous Western studies on various aspects the subject.

One common (distorted) image of the movement according to the author is associating Ikhwan with violence. Mitchell dismisses the common view attributing the movement as revolutionary, and terrorist. Mitchell argues that the revolutionary image of the movement is misleading because whatever the(revolutionary) view of certain groups or members, the leadership had no wish to seize power either in 1948 or 1954. As a matter of fact, Mitchell adds that Al-Banna always emphasized that the movement primary roles were educational and to influence the policies of those in power in establishing the Islamic pattern of behavior in the society rather than to achieve power for themselves The revolutionary image of the society apparently derived from its semiautonomous "secret apparatus" which advocated violence, but this attitude was confined to this group and not the organization as a whole. In addition, Mitchell argues that tendency toward violence was not confined to some segments of the Brothers, but it was almost a universal tendency in the national politics as a result of disillusionment with parliamentary government which characterized Egyptian politics between 1942-1952.

Mitchell also debunks the common view that the society was dogmatic, static and reactionary organization dedicated to restore the seventh century concept of the Muslim state. He states that despite its aspiration for the implementation of Islamic principles in the society, Ikhwan demonstrated its open-minded attitude toward the interpretation of Shariah as reflected in their readiness to open the door of Ijtihad. Although there is a tendency toward Hanbali strict uncompromising attitude in the movement, the author argues that there was also a strong consciousness among the brothers that they were part of Islamic reformist tradition of Abduh, Afghani, and Ridha and shared the same intent of adaptation of Islam to meet modern challenges. As a matter of fact Banna and Hudaybi are depicted as promoting a reformist role for the society. The society's dynamic commercial and welfare activities and to a lesser degree its effort to form an auxiliary Muslim sister "wing" demonstrate the "modernized" and pragmatic aspect of the society.

The success of the society can be attributed to al-Banna himself, whom Mitchell repeatedly refers to as a charismatic leader. In chapter one, Mitchell provides a brief account of al-Banna's early years regarding his gifted ability to communicate, to inspire and to influence. Furthermore, Mitchell presents considerable amount of evidence throughout the book demonstrating the charisma in Banna and his "brothers" relationship. However, the death of al-Banna and ascendancy of Hudaybi as the General Guide of the movement posed a serious challenge for the movement. Without a charismatic leader and effective leadership, the society failed in dealing with problems associated with leadership- succession, discipline, consensus and even the loss of control over secret apparatus.

My impression from Mitchell's account is that the relative success of the movement under Banna can be attributed to the leadership quality. However, the author's treatment of leadership is inadequate; primarily emphasizing the personality of Banna and leaving out the roles of elite members of the movement such as the Guidance Council and the Secretariat. In light of my own understanding that a good number of Ikhwan prominent figures are not (strictly speaking) the graduates of Islamic studies, It would also be desirable to learn something about the society's elite such as their educational training and class background. In this regard Mitchell's book is less helpful.

Despite the proliferation of literature on the Islamist movement in recent decades, Mitchell's book continues to have a class of its own, especially for those aspiring to learn about the development of the movement in Egypt from its foundation to 1954. One wish that the author could have also covered the influence of the movement outside Egypt, most notably in Palestine, Jordan and Syria.

This work still remains one of the best ever written on modern Islamism; it also happens to be one of the first. John Voll's preface to this reprinted edition is excellent and gives the work its due place in the history of the development of scholarship on Islamism.

Mitchell's work preceded the sensationalism so characteristic of the field today and, therefore, lacks many of the vices present therein today. In particular, one notices his consciousness that he is studying a *religious* group; therefore, his work doesn't suffer from the rampant reductionism that seeks to explain Islamism merely in terms of market fluctuations and changing birthrates. As Richard Mitchell wrote just before his death, "So deeply ingrained is secularism as to make even the most sympathetic observers floundering for meaning in simplistic explanations such as 'Mahdism,' 'Messianism,' 'religious obscurantism,' 'fanaticism,' 'nativism,' 'cover for power grab,' etc. All of these things exist in the Islamic movement. But it would not be a serious movement worthy of our attention were it not, above all, an idea and a personal commitment honestly felt."

Mitchell's works shows how Islamism began as a relatively conservative movement without any explicit aims for revolution at the governmental level. Rather, they desired a religious revolution that was later protracted into a larger arenas of social reform. Political opposition and activism-of the potentially seditious kind-actually came relatively late and in the atmosphere of despotic monarchy.

The books ends with the imprisonment of the Brotherhood by Nasser-ironically after the Brotherhood provided the major popular support for the Free Officers to enter into power-and thereafter the history of the Brotherhood was chronicled mostly by francophone authors such as Olivier Carré and Gilles Kepel.

In The Society of the Muslim Brothers, Richard P. Mitchell addresses the ideology of the organization. He takes the reader from the birth of the movement that would eventually challenge the Egyptian government to it's greatest and worst moments. He writes with an amazingly objective style, neither apologizing for the members who committed crimes, nor minimalizing the excellent social welfare contributions of Hassan Al-Banna, the leader. Of particular interest in this discussion of dualities is the point made about the dual legal systems. Al-Banna felt that the Western laws "corrupted and perverted the nation's thought, mind and logic." Mitchell's point on this seems to hold vivid clarity in the idea that manmade laws and shari'a are innately incompatible. The inharmonious combination of this dual legal system "served to shatter the 'unity' of the nation." Mitchell's writing really catches the essence of a group of people struggling to come to terms with a rapidly changing society in flux in a rapidly changing world. His book was translated into Arabic and Arab scholars agree that his portrayal of this politically powerful religious movement is academically sound.

....is what the author shows you throughout this highly readable tale of Scratch Flat, a mile-square locale near Concord. The history of its geography, botany, and inhabitants unfolds here in lucid prose devoid of technical jargon. For the ecopsychology course I'm putting together I plan to make this book required reading.

A recommendation: the word "primitive" ought to be removed from future editions when used in reference to American Indians. Many regard it as derogatory, and even white readers may well wonder who is more primitive: those who inhabit the land with care or those who kill its inhabitants and "develop" it out of existence.

I have lifted whole lecture topics from this book, and passed on copies to numerous students and friends. The idea is lovely -write an ecology based on an intimate history of one square mile of land-and Mitchell delivers it up in excellent prose that keeps one reading even when the material turns a tad dry. Why only 4 stars? I am not sure if this book will have "legs" beyond the landscape and history that it celebrates. It would be great to have a few more Mitchells do something similar to the westward and southward, so that we could expand our perceptions beyond the deliberate confines that the author has set. For those of us within a day's drive however, this is definitely a book to read.

Mitchell goes far beyond "reading the landscape" of his town. He analyzes the history, anthropology, architecture, agriculture, geology, botany, and zoology of an area northwest of Littleton, Massachusetts, called "Scratch Flat." As if that's not enough, he goes one step further by investigating and uncovering the ancestral *spirit* of the place. This book is an easy, enlightening read that will not only have you looking differently at your own neighborhood but also contemplating our traditional notions of time. "[W]e are the future of the past, and the past of the future." (p. 200) Certainly food for thought.

Fishing Passion
by
James C. Chapralis

As a university administrator of long standing, I read hundreds of pages of articles, reports, and memoranda weekly, and, sometimes, even daily. I am also an avid novel reader and devour much non-fiction. In other words, reading is the linchpin of much of my work and leisure; therefore, I am always on the alert for the next "great read."
Not being either a fisherman or an angler, but always eager to stretch my knowledge base, I was intrigued by the title of a new book, Fishing Passion, and its tag, "a lifelong love affair with angling." Happily, my curiosity led me to read Mr. Chapralis' marvelous odyssey about his incredible life...one imbued with his love and virtuosity of fishing/angling, his daring immersion in several unique business ventures, and his genius for forging remarkable and enduring friendships, including some with the rich and famous.
This incredible Promethean journey, begun and centered in Chicago but encompassing every corner of the globe, is recounted by Mr. Chapralis in an engaging, humorous, and self-effacing style that is the hallmark of every accomplished raconteur. I found myself racing ahead to see what new, exciting, hilarious, and even life-threatening, adventure he would next expose to this delighted, and by now captive, reading audience. And he never disappoints--his is a career highlighted by a life-informing zest and decades of improbable encounters and feats that will not only fire your imagination but also blow your envy quotient through the roof.
We should all be so lucky if a passion of ours could feed our soul, earn our bread, and burnish our existence with the joy, grace, and success that Mr. Chapralis has attained and conveys so effortlessly and convincingly in Fishing Passion. Am I ever glad that my restless inquisitiveness strongarmed me to read Fishing Passion...and so will you!
Bob McFarland
Schenectady, New York

Fishing Passion: A Lifelong Love Affair With Angling by international fishing pioneer Jim C. Chapralis is a unique exploration that explores not so much the "how-to" of fishing, as the emotional aspects of angling. Comparing the attraction and act of fishing to the condition and experience romantic love, as well as deftly capturing the passions of the sport in anecdotes, dreams, memorable personal experiences and communions with nature, Fishing Passion was written by an angler, for anglers everywhere, as it vividly communicates the true joy of a beloved and life-long pastime.

A must for pharmasists and physicians concerned with compounding drugs for more personalized care. This book brings to light some of the alternative medicines along with the conventional. Dr. Ghen's approach to medicine brings back the belief that you must treat not only the problem but the individual.

Reference guide for the physician Steven J. Bock, MD

The last quarter of the 20th century witnessed the emergence of integrative medicine. Previously, healthcare practitioners faced increasing pressure to make cookbook diagnostic and treatment protocols to facilitate coding and reimbursement. This led to an attempt to fit the patient's "dis-ease" into the treatment, instead of fitting the treatment to the patient. In contrast, integrative medicine evaluates each individual's symptoms, what they mean, in whom they are occurring, and what that patient needs. Pharmaceutical compounding has endured the same restraints and is now enjoying a rebirth. A compounding pharmacy can expertly mix and dispense various medications and natural supplements in a unique prescription for a patient's unique problem. Editors Mitchell Ghen, D.O., Ph.D., and John Rains, compounding pharmacist, F.A.C.A., have pulled together a significant reference guide on pharmacologic compounding: The Ghen and Rains Physicians' Guide to Pharmaceutical Compounding. (Green Bay: IMPAKT Communications, Inc., 2000). Standard medications will probably work for 80 percent of your patients. However, the other 20 percent may need something special. For example, a menopausal woman may have multiple concerns. Perhaps she experiences certain symptomatology, including a personal or family history of cancer, gastrointestinal problems from oral medication, side effects secondary to allergy, and a unique liver metabolic detox profile for the breakdown of hormones. Her physician may be cognizant of these needs but hampered by the pharmacologic preparations available. Her physician may want to get measurements of the patient's hormones, possibly by blood or salivary determination, and then prescribe a transdermal hormonal preparation, a custom-tailored combination of estriol, estradiol, natural progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA. A qualified compounding pharmacy can specifically design a unique formula for that patient. The Ghen and Rains Physicians' Guide to Pharmaceutical Compounding provides an excellent overview of the myriad aspects involved in compounding a prescription. Mr. Rains gives us a detailed description of the equipment and processes that compounding pharmacies use to implement a formula. The authors discuss the various vehicles and dispersion solutions that are available, and their advantages. You'll learn about the many ways that analgesics can be dispersed, such as rectally or transdermally. Chapters are included on bio-identical hormones, anti-aging nutraceuticals, and homeopathic compounding. The chapter on homeopathic prescribing offers a clear, concise description of homeopathy for the uninitiated physician. There are also sections on bioavailability of various medications, and information on preservatives, stabilizers, flavorings, and coloring agents. I especially enjoyed the chapters on analgesics, nutritional formulations, and rehabilitation/sports medicine, where the authors share sample prescriptions. This will give practitioners a strong starting point so they may eventually create their own unique prescriptions based on their patients' needs. The Ghen and Rains Guide includes professional monographs for over 200 compounding prescriptions for a multitude of conditions. These formulas range from bromelain PLO gel for treating painful inflammation, to testosterone PLO gel preparations. One can also compound DMPS or DMSA, preservative-free medications such as clonidine solution, or preservative-free nutrients such as taurine injectables. Again, this section provides a well-tested armamentarium for established protocols, as well as a starting point from which to create new avenues for your treatments. This is an indispensable office manual for medical practitioners who want to explore the potential of compound prescription writing. In this new millennium, we are becoming more aware of the unlimited amount of medical information and possibilities available to us. We need to make the treatment fit the patient, rather than trying to make the patient fit the treatment. The top-down style of pharmaceutical treatments may work for many of our patients, but we also need the option of customized, individualized products, such as compounded prescriptions. The Ghen and Rains Guide is the first textbook in this field that typifies a shift in the healthcare system. It puts the patient first with respect to prescription remedies. I recommend it highly, and feel it will be very helpful to many primary care physicians, OB-GYN specialists, orthopedists, rehabilitation practitioners, pain-management specialists, and other physicians who choose to expand their repertoire.

Let me start by saying that I am a big fan of Mitchell, and I really enjoyed CERMONIAL TIME. This lead me to look forward to the arrival of WALKING... and at one level I was not disappointed. AS in all his work Mitchell is adept at weaving together diverse strands of history, culture, and place and to get us thinking about the landscape in new ways. His taste in friends (or at least his way of introducing us to his friends) however seems somewhat flawed. While his other books are more solitary ruminations on ideas and areas, in WALKING he brings along two annoying Yuppies, who would serve as comic relief if any was needed. One is an incredibly PC Indian Wannabe, the other is the sort of Birder that gets some of us reaching for the shotgun, between them they serve only to distract the reader from what would otherwise be a pleasant cross-country ramble through a landscape made all the more interesting by Mitchell's knowledge of both recent history and geological "deep time". Overall Mitchell is at his best when he talks about the dead or the non-human, he can be downright cruel in his descriptions of the living people that he encounters as he approaches Concord. For all that I can sympathize with Mitchell's obvious concern for the rampant development that he must deal with I am not sure that this sort of meaness towards folks who may well be Fellow Travellers (in several senses of the word) does the story much good. In spite of my criticism this is probably a stroll worth taking though you may want to stuff two of your companions into a cedar swamp!

These 300 pages describe both a physical journey, lasting but a day, overlaid with historical, architectural, artistic, anthropological, and literary musings of a richly cultivated mind. He writes, for example, upon viewing a stark landscape, "...I made the connection...This hollow...looks very much like the fourteenth-century Tuscan forest as envisioned by nineteenth-century French illustrator Gustave Dore."

Making connections is Mitchell's forte. The narrative of a tramp through woods and sloughs brings to Mitchell's fertile imagination scenes enacted in the places they pass. He seamlessly inter-weaves the fascinating story of King Philip's War, described as "one of the first anti-imperialist efforts ... the first American revolution" alongside the war between the colonists and British regulars, "essentially a civil war."

Rather than re-hash Thoreau's meditations in "Walden," Mitchell shares his own stream-of-consciousness, touching on "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and "The Wizard of Oz," "The Inferno" and some of Melville's "chief harpooners." Additionally, he offers an in-depth account of the way that nineteenth-century landscape painters changed the view of society toward their environment, suggesting that "It is doubtful that the preservation of a wilderness park would even have been considered if the painters hadn't been there first." Indeed, his descriptions are painterly, but he also succeeds in carefully bringing his companions and those they meet on the way to believable life.

The book is divided into 18 chapters, fifteen of them given names of places traversed in each of the miles walked. These names, such as "Nonset Brook" and "Nagog" are less likely to register with the reader than the connections these places evoke in the mind of the author. Who can recall, for instance, that the etymology of "Key West" is to be found in "Mile 10: Thoreau Country?" Hopefully, an index in a later edition will make it easier for the reader to re-discover favorite passages.

The readers join Mitchell and his friends as they walk through an historical and artistic region of our nation. We discuss the history, nature, the people and the sights as we meet others along the walk. We walk along with Thoreau as well as Mitchell's fascinating friends. There are few books that I've enjoyed as much as this friendly hike. Mitchell is one of best of the current nature writers because he becomes a participant with the reader in enjoying nature and history.

Margaret Mitchell's own love story accentuated the movie. She was able to create such a romantic story because she was leading such a romantic life herself.

I felt that Margaret Mitchell's family was part of my own, and hated to see the book end. Am reading it now for the second time. Would love to communicate with Marianne Walker, direct. Just finished reading Darden Asbury Pyron's SOUTHERN DAUGHTER and it has made me so MAD. There are so many contradictions in it with the Walker version and I choose to believe Marianne! As you can see, I am a devoted Margaret Mitchell fan and have tried to read every thing I could throughout the years. I look forward to learning if Marianne Walker is available to the "general" public, like me.

I have been a GWTW fan since I was 12. This book is a must for GWTW fans and anyone else as well. This book gives us a peek into the writing process and what instant fame and forture can do to a person. It also tells us of interesting facts about Margaret Mitchell, her husband John, and their families. This story is told partially through letters saved by friends and families. A wonderful insight to that era of GWTW's initial popularity.

This is the first book I have picked up on Al Quaeda, and I could not set it aside until I was finished. By beginning with the killing of Rabbi Kahane in 1990 and following with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, thwarting the Manila bomb plan, Embassy bombings, the USS Cole, and finally to the preparations for 9/11 this brings alot together. Of course, John Miller's ABC interview with Bin Laden in 1998 adds a touch. I learned alot about the Cells and gained a greater appreciation for the dangerous times we live in today. To some this could really be scary. I also gained a positive feeling towards our intelligence forces despite their past problems of "territory" and in some cases outright timidness at the higher levels. They really are on top of alot of the terrorists, but in so many cases their hands are tied behind their backs. Like alot of people I know, I had no real background to latch on to as to just why this all happened. This book may not be the absolute authority and it may be a rehash of a much that has been written, but to me it brought it together in a manner that makes some sense and reason. As much as I am sympathetic to the loss, sorrow and hurt felt by the victims and families, I wasn't interested in another book with pictures of the Towers and the stories surrounding their destruction. I needed something to bring it all into perspective. Most of all it has developed my thoughts on the real problem we face is with the cells, and Osama bin Laden is just a minor part of the whole puzzle and threat we live under today. It is these radical elements around the world in these cells that are the threats to our security, and as this book points out in bold type one of our drawbacks is America's determination to give everyone the benefit of the doubt which results in things coming together like 9/11.

This seems like an amazing fictitious detective story except for the fact that it's true and close to 3,000 people actually perished. John Miller takes us back as early as 1990 when Rabbi Meir Kahane was murdered in New York. The murderer and his cohorts were some of al Qaeda's earliest members and they left a trail of information revealing detailed plans for terrorist attacks on US soil. Over the next decade extensive information about these growing cells was available both to local law enforcement agents as well as to the FBI and CIA. How is it that they didn't see the September 11th attack coming? Reading this book will show you that there was no excuse.

This book is a sad commentary on our government's ability and willingness to deal with terrorist threats prior to 9/11, if the sheer extent of the beaurocratic delays, indifference, and incompentence of the various agencies and authorities that the authors extensively document is even close to accurate. The authors show how the 1998 African embassy bombings could probably have been prevented, after the 1993 WTC bombing and the murder of a Rabbi in NY in 1990 were traced back to a series of early al Qaeda cells, among many other threads of evidence left behind that were not investigated and followed up on.

Even worse, amazingly, there was even an informant, Max, who knew by early 2001 that there was a hijacking plot afoot, but again, the warnings were ignored and nothing was done about it. The authors show how agents on the ground were continually frustrated by everything from beaurocratic infighting to a budget cut of the Anti-Terrorism monies. Well, all I can say is that a few million more for that budget would probably have been cheaper than the several billion the destruction of the World Trade Center and all the other damage to New York cost, not to mention the incalculable loss of life. After reading this book, one can only hope that the situation, post-9/11, is radically different and that this sort of inexcusable long-term neglect by government agencies will never happen again. "Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom." Jefferson's comment is all the more relevant today in our present circumstances.

It's better to read Noam Chomsky than to read what other people think of him.

Some of his earliest political books take some effort to get through. But not this one. Ever since (roughly) the 1980s, Chomsky has made his political research more accessible --- shorter books, books full of interviews, etc. This approach reaches its climax with Understanding Power. It's all here, presented in a way that anyone can read. If you want footnotes, they are easy to find online. (And there's a *lot* of them. They constitute a whole other book unto themselves.)

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a view of US foreign policy and political history that is accurate and respectful of basic human rights

This is a very articulate reflection on US capital and state policy which raises questions few if any people have answered in the popular western media.

Chomsky has an amazing mind, and that is an understatement; in his ability to quickly connect real and often disparate facts to explain complex ideas--that tie the systems of power. With a respectably high scientific experience and method he has created a formidable legal, philosophical and concientious case against the structure of capitalism in our country and laid out a daunting and unexposed history that every student or citizen should be aware of.

The book is easy to read. It is transcribed from his lectures over the years and is stuffed with accurate and easily accessible citations that allow one to make one's own decision over their legitamacy. Chomsky's writing is translucent and a voice that is far too unrecognized...

That I am the first person to review this book scares me. There are reasons why wars are fought and planes go crashing into buildings--and in many ways it has nothing to do with the interests of democracy or freedom or "violent" religions.

Required reading.

It is pretty much a given that Chomsky's ideas are compelling, whether you agee or not. The extraordinary value-add in this book is the editing job. It is obvious and gigantic. The authors have organized Chomsky's talks into logically flowing, highly documented, and parallel-structured snippets of one to three pages each - and there are a couple of hundred of them. Most of them open with an audience question, and a quick retort by Chomsky. This is followed by a key word: Look, Actually, or See, after which Chomsky goes into huge depth and detail, never straying from the focus. Again, the editing is what makes it all compelling, useful, and evenly paced. The amount of work that went into tearing apart years of talks, conversations and lectures, and then organizing them in complementary sections, making them fit a format that allows the reader to breeze through (well relatively breeze through) the densely packed insights of Noam Chomsky deserves some sort of award.

The footnotes are the most useful and detailed I have ever seen. They are a monumental standalone work in and of themselves. I only wish THEY were indexed like the book is - after all, there are 449 pages of them, compared to 401 pages in the book.

While Chomsky comes off as extraordinarily insightful, there are weaknesses - holes you could really exploit if you ever had the privilege of arguing with him. His knowledge of financial markets and foreign currency exchange, hedge funds and such is not only superficial, but sometimes just plain wrong. Sometimes he generalizes immense conclusions from a few superficial and specifically chosen facts that ignore the complexity of the situation. This kind of inductive reasoning befits the ranting fundamentalists (of all stripes) he belittles, and is surprising from someone as "fair" as Noam Chomsky. He also completely misunderstands the power of celebrity and familiarity, missing and even denying his own leverage. In other words, he is human after all!

Perhaps then, there is actually less here than meets the eye? I don't think so. I think this book is so well edited, it actually allows the reader to surgically inspect the workings of this fine mind, to put things in frames of reference and perspective, and even to claim the occasional victory over Noam Chomsky in the safety of one's own home and without a half hour rebuttal.

If you're up for the wild ride to places in your own back yard, Undertanding Power is very highly recommended.