Da Cunha's 1902 book has been justifiably called the 'Bible of Brazilian Nationality'. This is a challenging book, over 500 pages in this edition, dense and probably unsuitable to those who need the stimulation of a pop novel. Da Cunha was present at the 1896-97 military assaults on the rebellious village of 'Canudos' in the arid Brazilian interior. A gifted writer with a background as a military engineer, Da Cunha brings a precise expert's eye to the military campaigns, never failing at such details as order of battle, casualties, supply lines, and tactics. The campaigns themselves were stirring and bloody affairs: four separate military campaigns, each larger than the last that met increasingly stiff resistance from the Canudos villagers. In the end, 10,000 souls may have perished on both sides. The end, of course, is well known to all Brazilians. 'Canudos did not surrender. The only case of its kind in history, it held out to the last man. Conquered inch by inch, in the literal meaning of the words, it fell on October 5, toward dusk ' when the last defenders fell, dying every man of them. There were only four of them left: an old man, two other grown men, and a child, facing a furiously raging army of five thousand soldiers.'

If the book were merely a military history, it would be successful. But it is far more, for Da Cunha is more than just a military observer. He is geologist, geographer, anthropologist, sociologist, and historian. This book literally defines the still-nascent nation of Brazil. The backwoods villagers of Canudos were inspired by a religious fervor cultivated by a heretical evangelist named Antonio the Counselor. Their story is part Masada and part Waco. Da Cunha places Antonio in the context of his own life and the development of Brazil's interior. While sometimes indulging in unfortunate racial generalities, Da Cunha takes an incredible interest in the geography of the region, describing how it shapes people. How the society that emerges in such a poor and desiccated land can yield the lawlessness and anomie suitable for the development of an Antonio. Da Cunha both despises and respects the villagers, 'jaguncos', in Canudos. He hates their illiteracy, superstition and backwardness while grudgingly praising their bravery, loyalty, and cunning.

Canudos, in his view, is a time warp, Brazilian society spun back to a primitive time, and for that all Brazilians share guilt. He blames urbanites and elites, the generals and craven politicians, the recently deposed monarchy and the addiction to European styles for the evolution of a Canudos. Two Brazils have developed, he writes, one is built on the European and Portuguese model and necessarily fails to address the second Brazil, the one populated by millions of rural souls in the impoverished interior, for Portugal was never faced with such a community.

Da Cunha's genius is demonstrating that Canudos is a consequence of the failure to develop a unified national identity that incorporates all Brazilians. It is a battle between old poor Brazil and progressive modern Brazil. Thus his book was the first step to defining the true Brazilian nationality, one that survives to today ' a nationality that blends European, African, and native traditions. A nationality to which all Brazilians now belong. Canudos was a wrenching experience in many ways. There was immediate and widespread shock over the year of military disasters and thousands of casualties inflicted by a ragtag band of backlanders. Then there was the deeper self-analysis that accompanied the publication of this book. Like other American states, Brazil could never survive until it stopped looking to the Old World and developed its own identity, one shaped by its own people and circumstances, and one that acknowledged the existence and worth of every citizen.

The enduring testament to Da Cunha is that he was among the first to recognize the need for such a national self-criticism, and his work is one of the efforts that launched it. Brazil is what it is today in part because of the clarity of Da Cunha's vision of Brazil as set out in this monumental work. Canudos was a Brazilian failure, and this book went a long way to finding the solution. It really is as great as they say.

This book is familiar to every educated Brazilian, but is not widely known in the USA; it should be.

It recounts a historical episode of 1896 and 1897. The government of the Republic of Brazil decided to suppress a religious sect of perhaps 7000 members, some of them violent and lawless, living in a remote rural area; the sect denied the legitimacy of the Brazilian Republic. The ensuing campaign lasted ten months, involved the deaths of hundreds of Brazilian army soldiers, and culminated in the extermination of the sect; these days it might be considered genocide.

The book's author, a formal professional Brazilian army officer, covered the campaign for `O Estado do Sao Paulo', Brazil's equivalent to the New York Times. He was horrified. So he wrote this book, which has beeen compared to everything from Lawrence's `Seven Pillars of Wisdom' to Dickens, Carlyle, and the prophet Ezekiel. Originally published in 1902, it has been in print in Brazil ever since.

The book is tough reading (and is no easier in Portuguese than in English; Samuel Putnam, the translator, did a superb job.) So why should one read it?

For one thing, it poses in the starkest possible terms a dilemma we still face from time to time. Under what circumstances, and to what extent, is it ethical for an elected representative government to coerce an organized group of its citizens who sincerely deny the legitimacy of the government and the laws?

And, it forces the reader to ask: What is history? How should it be written? How do the facts of history depend on cultural assumptions? Euclides da Cunha, like Thucydides, could find no suitable model for what he wanted to write, so, like Thucydides, he invented his own. I think this book could serve as fertile ground for a productive discussion among social constructionists and their adversaries.

The thoughtful reader will also ponder on what central message da Cunha was trying to convey; in later life da Cunha declined to clarify this. One possible answer is implied in `The War of the End of the World', a novel drawn from da Cunha's book by the Peruvian writer and politician Mario Vargas Llosa. But I have seen other possible answers in thoughtful commentaries on da Cunha's book, so the reader may wish to decide for himself or herself.

Finally, despite its difficulty, the book is great literature. It accelerates steadily from a seemingly interminable prolog in which nothing much seems to be happening to a climactic ending so gripping and fast paced that it's hard to stop reading. The only other author I'm familiar with who employs this technique as effectively is Thomas Mann.

Euclides da Cunha was a journalist who witnessed the aftermath of the Canudos war. The book tells the story of the creation of the Canudos community by Antonio Conselheiro, a mystic figure whose family was killed by landowners in one of the poorest quarters of Brazil, and its destruction by the Brazilian army.

Da Cunha's prose is addictive. Once you start reading you won't be able to put the book down. I advise you, however, to skip the first part, a boring description of the region's geography. I know more than one person that dropped this wonderful book because of this introduction.

For those of you interested in Brazilian literature I would also a suggest reading Machado de Assis (Memorias Postumas de Bras Cubas is a fine example of his work), Erico Verissimo (Incidente em Antares, Ana Terra, o Tempo e o Vento) and Clarice Lispector.

I read this book over 20 years ago. It was my introduction to Samuel Johnson. The book inspired my deep devotion to Johnsonia. The subject, I now know, is fascinating; for over two centuries biographies of Johnson have never been out of print. But this book caught my attention and fixed it. It is a moving portrait of a person like all of us except with greater disabilities and greater strength and, after years of struggle, greater triumphs.

I urge anyone with an interest in English literature or 18th century England or in the heights to which a honest and brave man can reach to make the effort to read this book. It is, at the very least, a good read. It may also make ytou a better person.

The very idea of writing a definitive biography of a figure as towering as Samuel Johnson seems unthinkable, yet the late Walter Jackson Bate succeeds in capturing the essence of Johnson's life in spectacular fashion. Some may quibble at Bate's occasional forays into speculation, particularly when he writes about Johnson's troubled childhood and how its events shaped his later life. Because Bate imposes such detail and rigor in his scholarship, however, it would be foolhardy not to think his depictions, even the speculative ones, as pretty accurate.

The physiological analysis of Johnson's character may strike some readers as heavy-handed, yet it ultimately illuminates the full character of Johnson, helping the modern reader to understand more clearly the time and culture that produced a character as complex and powerful as Dr. Johnson.

As I neared the end of this wonderful volume, I felt the same pangs one feels toward the conclusion of an excellent novel. Bate writes with such power, clarity, and insight that I cannot foresee any other biography of Johnson dislodging this one as the definitive rendering of his epic life.

Most earlier biographies of Johnson have concentrated on the author's public life and his work as a writer. Bate's is the first to zero in on the inner man -- and it succeeds magnificently.

In some ways, Johnson's personality was as complex and as tragic as that of his best-known biographer, James Boswell. Johnson's towering genius was often at odds with his uncouth ways, his disfigured face, and his seemingly lunatic tics and stutters. He controlled his desires and needs with an iron fist of self-control, often denying himself even the most innocent pleasures in his never-ending quest for spiritual purity. Bate shows us how Johnson's neglectful childhood and his crushing poverty as a young man forged his emotional character, and how his many disappointments as an adult moulded his spiritual character.

The only qualm I have about recommending this book is that Bate sometimes goes too far in his psychological analysis. Since this book was published, a consensus has arisen that Johnson suffered from Tourette's Syndrome, a neurological condition characterized by ticcing, a quick wit, an unusual gait, and specific personality quirks. If this is the case, and if many of Johnson's character traits can be attributed to Tourette's and not emotional damage, much of Bate's analysis is incorrect.

Having said that, I still highly recommend this book. Bate can't be faulted for omitting a diagnosis that couldn't have been made at the time he wrote the book. Moreover, the bulk of his analysis is spot-on, and his love of and respect for the subject of the book are obvious in every chapter.

I highly recommend this book.

I received an early release copy of Digital Dimensioning by someone at the McGraw-Hill company, it has become my bible over the past month. As someone who is attempting to implement an ebusiness model in a brick and mortar company this book has all the right moves!! Its a resource those of us who have been out of school for the past twenty years can understand. Digital Dimensioning has become this old captains co-pilot through the often confusing and frustrating world of ebusiness.

Digital Dimensioning is an excellent tool that transforms the glorified myth of the Internet into a tangible process for managers operating in any sector. While explaining the usefulness of the Internet, a business tool with the potential to improve performance and efficiency, the book does an excellent job revealing the process to achieve digital success.

The case study format the book utilizes is ideal for novice and experienced technology users. Analyzing both successes and failures of established companies; the authors give concrete examples for managers depicting the need to strategically fit digital technology into the context of any business. Furthermore, introducing the digital dimensioning process confirms the necessity to continually access the value of technological applications within the organization.

Digital Dimensioning is an excellent tool for individuals seeking to incorporate the value-added potential of the Internet to their business. I highly recommend this information source as a method to maximize ebusiness opportunities.

The Certo team does a wonderful job of writing a "post dot-com" book on how to do business in the Digital Economy. This book is not just another "new rules," but an in-depth look at how E-business IS business in today's marketplace. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will recommend it my colleagues.

Perhaps the phrase, be careful what you ask for, should have been coined for this early story. In the books of Samuel, the nation of Israel essentially 'comes of age', and enters the arena of other nations by forming a central hierarchical structure.

The politics of Israel was interesting at this point. From the time of the Exodus (after Moses and Joshua) to the time of Samuel (some 400+ years later, if the Biblical account of years can be trusted -- the exact meaning of some time phrasings is still in doubt), Israel had no central authority, no hierarchy. The people lived in a mostly agrarian culture, with small farming, flocks and herds as the norm. Cities were rare, and generally despised. For instance, the Philistines and the Egyptians were both known primarily as city-dwellers, and both were considered enemies in many respects.

Israel was guided by judges, who recognised God as King. This, however, was unsatisfactory to the people of Israel. The other nations had kings, to lead the battles and to rule and adjudicate. Samuel (and God, through Samuel) warned against having kings, but (interestingly) did not forbid the institution of a kingly dynasty to the people of Israel. Samuel selected Saul to be king. Of course, his kingship was a rocky one, and ended badly, not least of which because David was a challenger to the throne through most of Saul's reign, presumably based upon Samuel's (and God's) decision to take legitimacy away from Saul.

Finally, David succeeds to the kingship, and has a rather stormy reign himself, made however into the glorious reign that is still considered the model of God-sanctioned kingship under God by many Jews and Christians.

Everet Fox, who did a remarkable job at translating 'The Five Books of Moses' a few years ago (please see my review of that), turned next to the stories in the books of Samuel, and retranslated them as part of the new Schocken Bible Series, which his book entitled 'Give Us A King! Samuel, Saul, and David'. Fox had as one of his intentions in the retranslation of the Torah, which carries forward as a theme in this work, the adherence to the oral and aural aspects of the original Hebrew, sacrificing the scholarly-clarity issues that guide translations such as the New Revised Standard Version and others that are meant to be read, for this that is meant to be read aloud. One gets a greater sense of the way in which the Hebrew stories would have been conveyed.

Now David sand-dirge (with) this dirge
over Sha'ul and over Yehonatan his son,
he said:
To teach the Children of Judah the Bow,
here, it is written in the Book of the Upright:
O beauty of Israel, on your heights are the slain:
how have the mighty fallen!
Tell it not in Gat,
spread not the news in Ashkelon's streets,
lest they rejoice, the daughters of the Philistines,
lest they exult, the daughters of the foreskinned-ones!
Ohills of Gilbo'a, let there be no dew, no rain upon you,
or surging of the (watery) deeps,
for there lies-soiled the shield of the mighty, the shield of Sha'ul,
no more anointed with oil.

Fox accompanies his new translation with an interesting introductory essay setting context and meanings in place, as well as notes that explain both translation textual issues as well as interpretive issues in the text.

Included in this volume are drawings, paintings and etchings by the artist Schwebel. While these works are intriguing and inspired works of modern art with an influence from various historical patterns and themes, I found some of the art work, having modern settings in high streets with cars, shop signs, etc., hard to merge thematically with the ancient texts sometimes.

This is a fascinating text, a wonderful new translation, which gives new insight and fresh meaning to an ancient story.

I am not a Hebrew Scholar; I do not even qualify as a Hebrew Student. Yet this Biblical translation infuses new life into the Old Testament books of I and II Samuel. The meter, the poetry, the nuisances lost in other English translations have been magically restored by Everett Fox.

Mix in an insightful commentary and you have what is rapidly becoming the translation I reach for when I read or study the stories of Saul, Samuel and David. Hopefully Fox is fast at work on a translation of David's poetry - The Psalms.

You have NEVER read the old testament till you read Everett Fox's translations of it. It is a veritable revelation to see whole new meanings in the words, phraseology, and syntax. Now, Mr. Fox, how 'bout the rest of the OT. After teasing us with the Pentateuch and 1 & 2 Samuel, I am ITCHING to read the Psalms this way, as well as Isaiah, Ezra-Nehemiah, etc.

I'm a 36 year old aerobic instructor, runner, High-school volleyball and basketball coach, K-12th grade physical education teacher, and an all around athlete who is always looking for new and exciting workouts. I was sad when I found out that I had bursitis in my knees . The condition was from all the years of pounding on the hard gym floor and running on pavement. I was elated to read the book "Jumping Rope The Second Time Around". I thought that at first my poor knees would not take the jumping. I was not thinking of the innovative jumping technique taught by Mr. Carlos Coffman. The Irope technique does not put any stress on the knees, and the backward twirling of the rope does not fatigue the arms. Therefore I have the energy and endurance to rope longer. The book is very easy to follow. It is like having Mr. Coffman right by your side teaching you the Irope techniques. My daughter, who is 11, is learning to Irope . If you have a kid that does not like traditional sports, but will jump rope, Irope is probably something you might like to try. I live in the San Antonio area and we have been labeled one of the fattest cities. So my daughter and myself Irope at least 30-45 minutes 5 days a week. And she loves it, I love it. Irope is fun and challenging and we're exercising as a family. I can think of 6 reasons to Irope:
1. Inexpensive
2. Portable
3. The whole family can do it
4. Full body workout
5. It's fun
6. It works
Look for me in 4 to 6 months doing my first Irope race.

-Teresa

...I have the book "Jumping Rope The Second Time Around" and it's very easy to follow along with. I am the first child to do the irope method. I'm surprised because it's so easy.... -Courtney Acklin

It's the best overall workout, in a very simple program. Keep an open mind and a willing attitude to try your best, no matter what your current level of fitness is....you SHALL be challanged. This is an effective way to get in shape and increase your stamina, plus acheive a whole new level of fitness. The program works for anyone, the most helpful feature is being are able to chart your progress in the forms provided. There are various drills that can target specific sports if you so choose. Finding time to workout has always been my challange, but this technique takes less time and it's fun. When people see you IROPE for the first time, yes they will stare, but only to try to figure out HOW you are doing this so easily. Soon you will have all your friends joining in on the fun!

It's a great book, share it!

Sam Fuller is a filmmaker unknown to most Americans, but for years a favorite in France, thanks to such fervid acoyltes as Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. Such 50s classics as "The Steel Helmet" and "Pickup on South Street" made Fuller, along with Nicholas ("Rebel Without a Cause") Ray a favorite of the Cahiers du Cinema crowd.

But Fuller was more than just a director. He had been a newspaperman in New York's tabloid era of the 20s and 30s. He was an infantryman on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He had met just about everyone worth meeting -- from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone. And he is, as his autobiography "A Third Face" most eloquently demonstrates, a magnificent storyteller.

The section of the book dealing with Fuller's experiences in World War II make for amazingly gripping reading -- and I would like for people like Donald Rumsfeld to take a gander at Fuller's account of what warfare is really like before they send young Americans into combat any time soon. Fuller writes about war in all its hallucinatory insanity (as he waded through the blood and body parts to get onto Omaha Beach he saw a man's mouth -- just his mouth -- floating in the water), and it's not a story you're likely to forget.

His exploits in Hollywood, while not as gripping, are equally fascinating. Fuller clearly pines for the old days when moguls like Darryl Zanuck would protect a writer's vision and a deal could be counted on even if it was only a handshake. And while Fuller made his share of career mistakes (he turned down both "The Longest Day" and "Patton," for example), his filmography is an eloquent tribute to a man who wanted to make his films his way -- no matter what the cost.

The book is not perfect, though. It is marred by many factual errors (to give just one example, he discusses meeting French film critic Andre Bazin at a time when Bazin had been dead for years), and at times he seems suspiciously eager to belie his reputation as a right-wing filmmaker. His use of language can get a little repetitious (if I had a dollar for every time he uses the word "yarn" in this book I could buy everything on my Wish List), and I found myself wondering just how much of the text had actually been written by Fuller's wife, Christa (one of two credited co-writers), and not by its putative author.

All those reservations aside, this is a book that will keep you up late (that is, if I'm any indication -- I finished it at dawn), and that truly earns the description of "impossible to put down." You should put it on your bookshelf alongside Frank Capra's great (and equally inaccurate) "The Name Above the Title." Assuming that you don't take the author's word for gospel, and you're willing to accept the fact that he will never let the facts get in the way of a good story, it's an engrossing and unforgettable read.

An amazing man, an amazing life, an amazing body of work. Sam Fuller was the real deal, he lived the life of 10 men. As a boy selling newspapers, to being a teenage crime reporter to a writer of pulp fiction. At age 29 Sam joined the army, he turned down the cushy army journalist job to be in first infantry "The Big Red One". The book covers his fighting in N. Africa, Italy, and his role in the third row of boats landing on Normandy. Later, he went to Hollywood and directed films, his way, one of the first independent filmmakers. He made "Merril's Mauraders, I shot Jesse James, Run of the Arrow, Pickup on South Street and the Steel Helmet. In the 60's he made the classic pulp films "Shock Corridor" and "The Naked Kiss" ...

He was offered "Patton" but wouldn't do it because he though Patton was an jerk. He was offered John Wayne movies, but wouldn't do it because he thought Wayne was a phony. He had full control of his films, when that was a rarity.

In 1980, after 20+years of wrangling, he finally made the film based on his battle history, "The Big Red One" with James Coburn. Probably the most realistic WWII film out there.

Fuller died a few years back, unknown to many, but loved by those in the know.

Sam Fuller lived the life of 10 men and his book is the best read I've had in years, go get it.

Samuel Fuller did have a full life and you read about it here. His details of his life while in the Army during WWII is one of the best as is his teen years learning the newspaper reporting business. He had too many valleys in his life (don't most of us?}and the peaks were short lived. There is no gossip in this book, but an interesting story for all...not just movie buffs.

I bought the book as a gift for a cycling fan who has followed the Tour since the 1930s and while he was thrilled with the beautiful images and details, some critical years have been over looked. There is absolutely no coverage for the years 1935-1939 and the Maes brothers. Other riders and stories are missing as well. The book is good but maybe there are too many large pictures and too little text. If you're new to the Tour de France, it's a good starting point, but if you know the history of la Grande Boucle -- you'll find more meat elsewhere.

This book has wonderful old pictures of the tour plus a year by year history of the event. A "must have" for bicycle fans.

Every saga has a Beginning...Like the Tour de France. I think that only this book need more details about the other champions like Pedro Delgado, Laurent Fignon, Stephen Roche, Felice Gimondi,Marco Pantani, Jan Ullrich, Denmark Riss, same as the others super champions with more tour victories, because any rider that won the tour...All of they..are monsters and then, they have the honor that the world know the name of them. Congratulations to James Startt for this excelent book of the Tour de France History. Zomar.

This morning I finished reading a lovely book, _The Agony of the Leaves_ by Helen Gustafson, who is the tea buyer for Chez Panisse in Berkeley. The title refers to a description of what happens to tea leaves when boiling water is poured over them; they contort and twist, releasing their flavor.

The book is subtititled "The Ecstasy of My Life in Tea," and it's a charming chatty thing about tea cultivation and technology and history, woven in with reminiscences of tea parties from childhood to middle age. I've been reading it a few minutes at a time, while my tea brews in the morning.

I was afraid this was going to be another restaurant-puffery book, but I was so pleasantly surprised! The engaging stories and accompanying recipes were charming. In fact, I borrowed this book from the library and then ran out and bought three copies to give away as gifts and one copy for myself!

This lady's knowledge and talents are utterly wasted at Chez Panisse. She really needs her own creative space where people who would prefer to give Chez Panisse a pass could congregate to enjoy tea in all of its varieties. I would love to enjoy a pot of white tea some afternoon, but the clientele and snobbery of that establishment would ruin it.

The publisher has reissued this book in the Shambhala Classics series under the title: THE BUDDHA AND HIS TEACHINGS.

This is an excellent collection of writings aimed at clearing up confusion one may have about basic buddhist doctorines and the different buddhist schools. It is not a good place to start for the total beginner, since this book seems to be aimed at those who have some knowledge of buddhism and wish to advance their understanding of it. It is not as cut and dry as some of the other buddhist primers available today. One gets a variety of writers with varied insights into the Buddha Dharma. Highly reccommended!!!

This is an excellent introduction and intermediate level book on Buddhism. How can it be both? As an introduction, one would read each chapter through to gain an initial impression of the various key teachings and tenets of Buddhism. As one reads the book for the second or third time, one learns more and sees interconnectedness among topics, chapters, and ideas. Just as the teachers would have you do in their zendos, centers, and temples. If you are looking for a "what are the various types of Buddhism" book, then check out Nancy Wilson Ross' "Buddhism: A Way of Life and Thought." This book is more about the different teachings.

My three kids want to have me read the story every night. They are also learning to read in Spanish. I recommend it highly.

Having been raised in northern New Mexico, I could associate with the entire story and culture. We need more children's books like this.

My kids loved it. Teaches valuable lessons and a good way for my kids to learn spanish.