A compelling narrative is only part of what makes this look at the most overlooked group of thinkers in American political history so gripping. Murphy introduces the novice to the thought of the Agrarians, a group of literary theorists and historians who gathered at Vanderbilt University in the 1920s. He provides a great overview of the context under which they wrote, an America in the throws of industrialization, urbanization, and post-World War I disillusionment.

He then follows the Agrarians and their thought into the middle part of the twentieth century, demonstrating how the arguments made by John Crowe Ransom, Alan Tate, Donald Davidson, et. al. in their famous collection of essays "I'll Take My Stand" contributed to the emergence of conservatism in the 1950s.

In the most interesting portions of the book, Murphy discusses the fact that the Agrarians, clearly conservatives, actually presaged some of the themes we now associate with the left - such as the criticisms of modern society, the decline of community, etc.

Good book. Worth your time if you are in the least bit interested in the evolution of American ideological thought and Southern intellectual history.

Having read the book, I find I would agree with this comment from Pius XII: Greatness Dishonoured, 1980, by Michael O'Carroll, p. 243-244 (epilogue):

There is another great lady deserving a salute in this period of papal history, Sister Mary Pascalina Lehnert. She had been Pius XII's housekeeper for fifty years when he died in 1958: in Munich, Berlin, the Vatican. Since his death she had lived in retirement, not from work but from the public gaze. She had set down some memories of him soon after his death, on orders from her superiors -- not a diary, but recollection of striking events in the Pope's career.

The prediction of a notorious critic of Pius XII, the ex-priest Carlo Falconi, that the nun's 'diary', if published, would be explosive, has not been fulfilled. There are certainly revelations but they do but serve to enhance the Pope's reputation. The book was published early in 1983 and already in that year went through four editions. Translations are being prepared. Sister Pascalina died on 13 November, 1983 returning to Rome after a ceremony in Vienna organised to commemorate the twenty fifth anniversary of Pius XII's death. (...)

What is one to say about a concoction allegedly based on her life, appearing in the United States under the title La Popessa? This is a world apart from the genuine memoirs of the nun; it is a world of arbitrary invention, carried at times to the wildest extremes. I refrain from giving examples, with which I could fill scores of pages of this book. Sister Pascalina was simply the Pope's housekeeper, yet to her is attributed a throughout [sic] knowledge of the most involved Church affairs, a memory of conversations of sixty years earlier, a brashness in dealing with high ecclesiastics, and power and influence over the Pope, all utterly without documentation, utterly unbelievable: she actually composed with the Pope one of the greatest theological encyclicals in the history of the Papacy, Mystici Corporis Christi! "The pseudo-Pascalina book", says Fr Graham, "is at best a practical joke on an unsuspecting public. At worst, it is a new low in U.S. book publishing."

I actually only wanted to encourage everyone to try to read this incredible book. Also, please feel free to visit my web site at lapopessa.com and let me know what you think. Finally, contrary to one of your guest reviewers, I can assure you that the title given to Pascalina, "La Popessa" was not one of endearment or honor. Cardinal Tisserant and others are said to have created this name as a statement of their venemous hate for Sister Pascalina. This remarkable woman, who ran the Vatican as well as oversaw the day to day activities of Pope Pius XII, is one of the great women of the twentieth century. Pascalina is an earlier pioneer of the women's liberation movement in that she made a conscious decision as to how she would live her life. That, she decided, was to walk in the shadow of a man who she was determined to one day see become pope. I truly hope that everyone can read this remarkable book. "La Popessa" has never been publically acknowledged by the church for fear that Pascalina would then have to be credited for so much good that she did during her years in the Vatican. They also feared the nature of the relationship between a nun and a pope - though it was pure and chaste in my opinion. While Pascalina lived in the shadows, and many in the Vatican never even saw her or knew of her existence, she clearly helped change the course of world history. Pascalina is only one of the many millions of couragous women throughout the world who richly deserve credit for making a difference each and every day - whether it be in politics, business, health and human services, the classroom, or as the invaluable homemaker who creates the "sanga". In the end, "La Popessa" tells of one of the great love stories of our time, that between a nun and a pope. It is a story of a rich yet platonic love that was honest and respectful of its limitations. "La Popessa" is but a footnote in history, but a remarkable one at that. Of the thirty books that I used in researching my musical, it is clear that this is an exciting story that affected the course of world events. Let me know your thoughts. I think Bernadette Peters would be a great lead!

For about five years I had a bookstore which attempted to meet the needs of both Jews and Catholics in our University town. My interest in books which build bridges and tear down walls created great diversity on my shelves, of which I remain proud. THE POPESSA came highly recommended by the Paulist priests who staff the campus Newman Center at WVU. It tells the story of a religious woman who's work was in Vatican City, a person of considerable intellect and insight which was acknowledged, if grudgingly, by Pope Pius VII as she attempted throughout WWII to convince him of the enormous evil of Hitler & Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, she was unable to accomplish the rescue of Jews from the Shoah. But she was greatly respected for her efforts throughout the Vatican, and was called La Popessa as a title of honor. With the recent release of HITLER'S POPE, I hope this excellent book covering the same time period and subject will become available again and receive the recognition it deserves for taking a courageous stand against the Church, who was even less repentant in 1986 when La Popessa was published than it remains today.

not really a biography. it's also a little dry.

i also find his assertion or speculation that Paul was a widower reaching.

From a Pauline scholar of Murphy-O'Connor caliber, it is no surprise to find an exhaustive appraisal of the details associated with the chronology of Paul's career. Once the hard stuff is out of the way, however, Murphy-O'Connor gives his readers a fascinating glimpse into the life of Paul. Of great interest is the educational opportunities afforded to a diaspora Jew in Tarsus, the breakdown between Paul and the Antiochian church, the strategy employed by Paul in his missionary work, the precise nature of the "Judaizers" who plagued Paul in Galatia and elsewhere, and the troubled relationship of Paul to the Corinthian church. Paul emerges as passionate, occasionally biased, but always intensely involved and fascinating. References and bibiographic material abound. The bit on 2 Thessalonians is unique and well-argued. Murphy-O'Connor tries to round out Paul's career as much as possible with what can be known of Thessalonika, Ephesus, Antioch Pisidia, Philippi, and the associates involved in Paul's ministries in Asia Minor, so it offers a picture of Paul's relationships beyond the overshadowing portrait of the Corinthian correspondence. It is a book that you will go back to over the years, even if you don't agree with all of it. Enjoy.

Anyone looking for an excellent synopsis of Paul, his travels, and spiritual growth would do well to read this book. We follow Paul as he develops his thoughts and philosophy, and as he travels throughout the Judaic world of the time. In addition, you are also given great insight into the lives of the people he meets and the travelling conditions of the times.

All in all, a fascinating insight into the mind and spirit of the man who brought Christian thought into the world.

This book is horrible, it is all about the dreaded rebel alliance. If you want to get a good book, get the Empire version.

I found it very useful, specifically all the info on Intelligence and Special Forces.

The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook gave me a whole lot of information on the Rebel Alliance, which has proven very useful in my gaming experience.

I am very disappointed with this book. Essential information is lacking, and too many details look like they were lifted from the older edition (which was excellent in my opinion). Better written and more comprehensive resources can be found online.

If you don't know what you're doing, this is not a book for you--the Nutshell series expects you to have at least a working knowledge of things, and preferably an intermediate to advanced knowledge of them.

MCSE in a Nutshell IS a good book because it allows the advanced user to do a quick study of the topics they're familiar with, and use alternate learning materials for the areas in which they are not. It is also excellent for giving you a quick idea of how much or how little you know. It's my favorite book on the subject because it's concise, contains good information, and tells you both what to expect in the real world, and what to expect on the tests. (As we all know that Microsoft's view of the world does not always coincide with reality.)

If you buy this book, though, use it as a REFRESHER and not a teacher. I noted one or two instances where the information given would have gotten me a wrong answer on the test, because while it applied to reality, MS's view on the topic was different... But this is how it is with MOST books (including official MS documentation).

i used this book as my primary review for 070-240, the combined test for nt4 mcse's, in addition to the readiness review cd from the microsoft kit. i passed the exam.

don't buy it if you're looking to learn the material; what it's useful for is if you either already know the material, and need to make sure there aren't any gaps in your knowledge, or if, like me, you need a good outline-type review of the material. it's condensed, sure... if a topic doesn't feel like you know it, you will need to reference other books to learn it. but as an overview, to make sure you know what you need to know for the exams, it's perfect.

Read more like a press release or company-paid pr fluff than a detached history of the company. The corporate-speak hyperbole was enough to make one nauseous.

Over the past year I have been involved in the startup of a competitive telecommunications provider owned by AT&T. I frequently cited this book and the experiences of MCI in discussions with others in my company when dealing with difficult issues.

This book is one of the more memorable case studies I've ever found. The pages flew by, though the sayings within remained indelibly marked in my mind.

Yes, the book is written by MCI insiders proud of what they accomplished. They should be. I only wish more companies would share their experiences with the world in this manner and with the simple but memorable words used here. I could use a few more of these case studies.

I just recently caterered my husband's 30th birthday party with a Scottish theme. I found "A Little Scottish Cookbook" to have well laid out traditional recipes that were easy to prepare. However, after buying a few other cookbooks on the subject at the time, it's pretty standard. If you're looking for the standard bill of fare in Scottish recipes this is it.

As I am a fan of Dummies series, I thought that this book would be such a good starting point to understand Cyberbanking. However, I was highly disappointed due to its poor content. It was written for only "how to use" purpose, rather than giving information about online banking. And the scope of the book is just limited with US.........