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Book reviews for "Schoepflin,_George_A." sorted by average review score:

Unauthorized X-Cyclopedia
Published in Hardcover by Fine Communications (1998)
Authors: James Hatfield, George Burt, Edwin E. Echols, and Mjf Books
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'A MUST HAVE'!
This is definitely a 'must have' book for all X-Files fans! Every person, place, company name, historical reference or 'you name it' ever mentioned in seasons 1-4 is covered here! Also serves as an episode guide! Mine stays right next to me whenever I am watching the reruns! Get it...now!

The Best X-Files Book Out There!
This is so packed with details that I am always searching for. It's awesome, it's so cool. It has everything that you need to know about the X-files, I have nothing but praise for the author. I love the fact that it told so much about all of the characters and stuff, and it's just so great that I recommend if you're as obsessed as I am about the show, to go and buy it. It's definitely worth the price. Again, really great book!!!

The book gives all the info you need up to season 4
I thought that the book had alot to give and I realy liked it. If any one has a good X-files book tell me what it is called


Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team
Published in Paperback by Bantam Books (1985)
Author: George Jonas
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The Olympic Massacre is avenged.
As some of the previous readers have stated, this is a great read on counter terrorism. Those Palestinians who had a role in the Olympic murders are dealt with by a professional hit squad sent out from Israel. Jonas makes the reader know who he is supporting, Avner and his four buddies assigned to track down eleven people who had a hand in the Munich murders.
I don't know if you can believe everything in this book. Jonas in his introduction and footnotes, states that some things were just not reported in the newspapers. When Avner and his buddies kill three Arabs in a church in Switzerland, and there are no news accounts, I wonder if this ever took place. Same with his buddies who were killed and the Athens KGB man, this might be fiction. Without knowing who Avner really is, this might be part true or even a novel.
All in all a great read on how Israel dealt with terrorism in the seventies. Israel put the fear of God in those who put fear in others. Just retribution.

Too bad it's out of print
It really is a shame that this book is no longer in print. Jonas provides readers with a wild ride through the fear, depression, grit and glory of a spy/assassin driven by the sole mission to avenge terrorism by killing the individual perpetrators.

Of particular interest to me was the weapons training recieved by the Israeli team who went after their targets. Using only .22 pistols, and occasionally no more than homemade slap-fire zipguns, they systematically tracked down and executed hardened terrorists. The level of training, focus and determination portrayed is something you have to read to believe.

It also gives me hope that there is a response to terrorism beyond the 'bomb it and pave it' strategy. Knowing that terrorists will be hunted down, no matter where they go, and killed in a grimy alley or a deserted tenement instead of in a blaze of glory may be a more effective approach to take.

I also appreciated the insight into the psyche of a trained assassin who wrestles with the mission he has been given, and watches as others around him begin to crack up from the strain. His account of how the lives of his fellow team members ended is a sobering picture of the biblical axiom that those who live by the sword die by it also.

If you can get your hands on this book, I would highly recommend it. It is a great story, comparable to any spy thriller and action novel you have picked up, but with the added bonus that it is true.

A great story... and even more
This book is not only about a historical event, but about international counterterrorism in general. In addition to being exciting, it is also educational, giving inisight into how undercover counterterrorist operations (in this case, "hits") are carried out.


Why Men Won't Commit: Getting What You Both Want Without Playing Games
Published in Digital by Atria Books ()
Author: George Weinberg
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strong relationship guide
After a quarter of a century working closely with men, Dr. George Weinberg concludes that the male of the species desires permanent commitment and a forever love equal to that, which women want too. The difference is men believe that to admit they want a permanent partner is not considered part of the cultural image and thus too feminine so most males hide their inner feelings as an alpha menace to their masculinity. Dr. Weinberg believes culture forces this role to include women placing the man of their dreams in a situation by comparing his strengths and weaknesses to his rivals.

WHY MEN WON'T COMMIT: GETTING WHAT YOU BOTH WANT WITHOUT PLAYING GAMES provides a straight forward guide for frustrated women to enable their mate to find his feelings ("gut reactions") by altering her behavior. Before feminists scream "no Jane" chauvinism and machos play Tarzan, the key in Dr. Weinberg's help guide is to accept that the male is the "weaker sex" so that the stronger female must take charge by being the relationship caretaker reaching through the stereotype stud to his inner being. This is an easy to follow guide that wastes little if any space assisting frustrated women with solid advice.

Harriet Klausner

Finally, a clear understanding that makes sense
I've read enough "communications" books to fill a library but never before have I encountered an explanation of the facts of not only the difference between men and women but the genesis of those differences. Dr. Weinberg's insight is without peer along with being honest and clear. Finally, a means to understanding that one can actually learn, internalize and utilize. Me nare not from Mars. They're human. That understanding promises to do more for relationships then anything anyone has ever said before.

Personal Advancement
I found out from working with this book and two others that I was having trouble really committing to my wife because of my deep fears of intimacy. Between what I learned in this, "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway," and "9 Free Secrets of new sensual power" I am now off of the rocky ground my wife and I were constantly navigating through, and together we are celebrating our anniversary this year happier than ever. Thank you Dr. Weinberg and Clint Arthur.


The 23rd Psalm: A Holocaust Memoir
Published in Unknown Binding by Univ of Wisconsin Pr (E) (1920)
Authors: George Lucius Salton and Anna T. Eisen
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Personal and eye-witness accounts
The 23rd Psalm: A Holocaust Memoir is the chilling personal testimony and memoir of the daily life of George Lucius Salton, a Jewish man who survived the living hell of a Nazi concentration camp. An intense, gripping tale of hatred and power used as a brutal club to perpetrate atrocity, and the author's witness and narration of the unspeakable, The 23rd Psalm is an welcome and invaluable contribution to the growing library of Holocaust Studies. Providing powerful refutations of anti-semitic revisionist historians, these personal and eye-witness accounts are all the more significant in view of the holocaust generation now reaching an age where they are rapidly passing from among us.

Riveting
This is an incredible accounting of the atrocities of WWII. I was unable to put the book down. It is extremely well written.

Heartbreaker and history maker
An incredible, heartbreaking and courageous story of the struggle to survive the Nazi reign of terror. I couldn't put the book down as I read of the authors early years, suffering in 10 concentration camps and ultimate liberation by American soldiers! A must read for history buffs and anyone interested in the power of the human spirit to survive tragedy. The characters in the book will continue to live on in my memories.


Cathedrals, The
Published in Paperback by Zondervan (01 February, 2000)
Authors: Glen Payne, George Younce, and Ace Collins
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A great insight into America's Best-Loved Gospel Quartet!
A great look at the Cathedrals' history, George Younce and Glen Payne's stories, and the gospel music business in general. A MUST read for anyone who has ever listened to gospel music!

It's too short!
A great book for Cathedral's fans. The lives of these two gentlemen are a true example of what being in God's service is all about. They have touched hearts and lives for decades with their music. My only complaint is that it was too short and I hope someday, the full and complete story of Glen Payne and George Younce will be told.

God is Good!!
WOW! As a fan of the Cathedrals, I loved reading about the 2 Sr members. The Lord worked in both of their lives to bring them together to bless us all with their music and their commitment to the call on their lives. If you love the Cathedrals, you will LOVE this book!!!!!!!!!!


Unbeatable: The Historic Season of the 1998 World Champion New York Yankees
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Harper Mass Market Paperbacks (1998)
Author: George King
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Something to enjoy
It makes you re-live, one-by-one, all those magical moments from the best baseball team ever (125-50).

Awsome!
Let me just say that I picked it up and it was awsome! I didn't put it down, and know, a year after it happened, it still remains one book that I will re-read untile I basiclly knew it from memory!

Great book about one of the greatest teams ever!
I am not an avid reader but i read this book for school. I love the yankees and i loved this book. It was very fast reading and i would recomend it to everyone. Yankees Rule!


The Young Cartaginian: A Story of The Times of Hannibal
Published in Paperback by PrestonSpeed Publications (15 February, 1999)
Authors: G. A. Henty, C. S. Saniland, GA Henty, and George A. Henty
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An impressive "theater of the mind"
A simply outstanding historical novel set in the age of ancient Rome's legendary conflict with the city of Carthage, The Young Carthaginian by G.A. Henty is a totally thrilling historical action/adventure tale that will rivet the listener's attention from beginning to end. Superbly and dramatically narrated by William Sutherland, The Young Carthaginian is written with detailed attention to historical accuracy and truly brings to life a long-lost time of Hannibal, the legions of Rome, and the absolute destruction of a great maritime empire. A confidently recommended addition to any personal, school, or community library audiobook collection, The Young Carthaginian is complete and unabridged on eleven compact discs, offering 12 hours, 30 minutes of an impressive, "theater of the mind" quality entertainment experience.

Admirable hero and his hairbreadth escapes!
Who would have thought that a book written in the 1800s could be so appealing today? Doing a little internet research, I have found that G.A. Henty lived from 1832-1902, and the books he wrote were historical fiction "for boys". He was called "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian", which certainly may have been true, but I'm an adult female who loved this tale! The style of writing sounds a little formal and old-fashioned, but it actually helps create a feeling of antiquity, appropriate for its ancient setting during the Punic Wars.

The fictional and lovable hero, Marchus, a relative of the famous Hannibal, accompanies him on the Carthaginian campaign against Rome. I learned so much about Hannibal through this book, yet the majority of the plot involves other adventures that Marchus gets into. He has near escapes from bears, wolves, lions, treacherous tribesmen. In two instances, he escapes with the help of an elephant, and a raft in the subterranean reservoir of Carthage. This was fun stuff, and I am so impressed that this book I found, that is so old it doesn't even have a publication date in it, could be so delightful. Someone could make a great movie out of this!

Brings ancient history to life
Everyone, it seems, has heard of Hannibal bringing his army,including the elephants,through the Alps, right to the doorstep of Rome. However, a readable account of Carthage vs. Rome is not easy to find. I've been very happy to find this fascinating historical novel as the best way to teach my two sons, ages 11 and 14, about this time in history. There are some valuable lessons for us all in the book--valor, honor, and how corruption destroys great nations.


The Alamo: An Illustrated History
Published in Paperback by Aldine Pr (1998)
Author: George Nelson
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Fascinating Photos.
Though a cliché, the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" finds worthy illustrations, even literally, in this book by artist and author George Nelson, "The Alamo: An Illustrated History."

A collection, by common usage and by operative definition, is an accumulation of objects for purposes of examination, comparison, study, display and viewing, and enjoyment. Private collections usually contain treasures only a chosen few can enjoy. Nelson has done every history enthusiast a real service by putting into literal publication this volume of Alamo images. They are, in a word, fascinating.

Though not as massive in its heft as the facsimile of Leonardo's "Leicester Codex," in format Nelson's volume could easily serve as a superb "coffee table" book. In it, one finds accounts, illustrative and written, of the Alamo's evolution throughout the centuries. Some of the artist's renderings are the author's own, and most of the photographic images are historic.

The most unique picture in the book might be the 1849 Alamo daguerreotype. It's unique mainly for two reasons: it's the first photographic image known to have been made in Texas - and it's the only known photograph of the Alamo Church before the now-iconic campanulate roof was added by the U.S. Army not long after the image was made. That there are a few people visible in the photo lends a special distinction - a human quality - to the image, even though we're seeing in it a literal freeze-frame of mid-19th-century time. That instant shows certainly not the battle that occurred there thirteen years before, or even a "reality" of daily life at the moment the photo was made: what it captures is essentially a brief view of one of history's "coffee breaks."

We should be thankful for the existence of this particular Alamo photo, and that George Nelson included it in this book. Made the very year Chopin died, the picture seems to cement the attachments that tie us to our own history. Historic photographic images like this one have certain primacies others do not, and only the most minimal reflection and effort reveal to us the important connections between the times of those photos and the corresponding people and events. As just one example, the first known photographic image ever made is a "heliograph" on a pewter panel by French lithographer Joseph Niepce. A view from his window at Gras, it took eight hours to expose, is primitive by any standards and lacks real detail. Nevertheless, that photographic image is still extraordinary: when it was made in 1826, Beethoven was still alive, with the mighty Missa Solemnis and the Ninth Symphony already two years behind him. There's no way to know that the 1849 Alamo daguerreotype has no hidden story: can anyone say that none of the people visible in that photo didn't actually witness the events of Sunday, March 6, 1836 from a safe point in or near the town of San Antonio de Bexar? Conjecture may be fruitless, but it's still fascinating.

The artist's speculative rendering of the 1836 Alamo compound, one of the finest in the book, has an odd detail. The southern main gate seems totally surrounded by a U-shaped fortification of earthworks and cannon, with two rather narrow doorways on the eastern side of the Galera (often referred to as the "Low Barracks") being the only visible means of ingress or outlet to and from the entire compound. It's conceivable the artist might be suggesting that at the time of the battle, entry and exit might have been effected via those two doorways, perhaps with the intent of maximizing protection of the compound under conditions of seige. This still leaves open certain questions about how larger apparati might have been brought in. Even if this unusual peculiarity was an oversight in the rendering - after all, nothing is "perfect" - it certainly doesn't invalidate the overall worth and quality of the book, just as a wrong note or two wouldn't invalidate an otherwise fine performance by a fine pianist.

Exemplified in Nelson's book is the "Show, don't tell" principle. The finest writers show us with prose; and as the skilled musician can "hear with his eyes" by reading a score, the finer artists can "tell" us with images rather than words. Resurrected in this book are conceptual renderings and actual photos of places in eras long gone. With such a wealth of illustrations, the book offers us a rare and fascinating opportunity for comparison and study of images that have a very direct Alamo connection.

Though there's much to learn from the written accounts given here, the images themselves are the mean feature of this book. And images - especially historic ones - can resonate with us as no written descriptions can.

...

If a picture is worth a thousand words...
If a picture is worth a thousand words then George Nelson's "The Alamo: An Illustrated History" is worth many times that. Through much research Mr. Nelson gives you a birds eye view of the Alamo grounds through the ages with his drawings. Actually I like his drawings better than the historical drawings and photographs used in the later part of the book. Its a great book just to carry around the Alamo grounds as you try to imagine what it was really like in past times.  
I recently met Mr. Nelson at the Alamo gift shop. He was holding court, signing books and telling tales of Texas. Filling all the tourist with the "real" story of the Texas Revolution. He was sincere, knowledgeable, and seemed to really enjoy interacting with the crowd. 

Nelson succeeds where many literary works fail.
"George Nelson has chosen to catalog in a chronological fashion events associated with the building of the Alamo and its geographical setting from prehistoric times to last year. . . the images speak to us and tell us of the changes endured by the most well-known building in Texas. . . (Nelson's) reconstructions add immeasurably to the reading of the public's understanding of 'What was a mission?' . . . He suceeds where many literary works fail. . . "


Blood of the Liberals
Published in Paperback by Farrar Straus & Giroux (Pap) (2001)
Author: George Packer
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A voice in the wilderness
How did such a basic, rational notion as liberalism turn into the favorite epithet of talk-show hosts? What happened to social justice? Where is the freewheeling spirit of the Sixties? These, and other questions, have haunted me for years. Not being well versed in American history, the seemingly abrupt annhiliation of everything "liberal" has caused me great puzzlement and distress.

Packer, in a beautiful amalgam of memoir and history, has written a book that has almost singlehandedly restored my relationship with the past and pointed my way to the future. While as a historical account it is spotty, and as a memoir it is sometimes dry, the heartfelt combination of these two styles has a vitality and immediacy I've never seen anywhere else.

His conclusions, while expansive, are also poignant, with a touch of desperation. In his consideration of the prospects of liberalism in this country, I am reminded of the Monty Python sketch about the parrot - "It's just resting!" - while at the same time I'm stirred by its undercurrent of optimism. His last few words ring in my ears: "We will have a more just society as soon as we want one."

If you sense that, like myself, you are a lost liberal that is trying to find your way in the world, this book is for you.

If you are a Rush Limbaugh dittohead who needs a clue as to what "liberal" really means, this book is for you as well.

George Packer is a literary and historical genius!
Words can simply not do justice to the rapturous "Eureka! I have found it" feeling I experienced when I found, read and re-read this timely, vivid and insanely insightful book. (Perhaps I should mention that I have been searching in vain for nearly two years to find material on George Huddleston Sr. written in the literary style of eminent historians Richard Hofstadter and Christopher Lasch which also serves as both a caustic critique and a dynamic defense of the very concept of American liberalism). Packer is a great writer! He surveys the modern history of the American reform movement from 1869 to 2000 in a penetrative yet highly readable style and the word pictures he creates both engage and enlighten the reader immediately and throughout. His highly personal depictions of his family lineage - including triumphs and more than a few tragedies - make the story so poignant and touching that your heart will simply melt even if you don't agree with all of his premises or conclusions. And his understanding of the broad sweep of history is astounding - anyone who reads this book will come away with a much more enlightened view of 20th century American reform efforts than they would ever get from a more traditional historical author. There are only a few flaws (which I will not detail here), but those should be arrived at only after thoroughly studying this absolutely amazing book. Blood of the Liberals is simply one of the very best books I have ever read and I recommend it highly!

A rallying cry for modern liberalism
I really enjoyed Packer's book. I'm roughly a contemporary of his, and experienced the same wrenching events that occurred in modern liberalism during the late 1960s and early 1970s.I'd just finished reading Roth's "American Pastoral", and it was great to follow it up by reading Packer's book.

Like Packer, my father was an academic at an elite university, and as a traditional liberal who voted for Adlai, he was shocked by what he saw during the late 1960s. On a personal level, I liked reading a book by a writer who likes the same authors I like - Saul Bellow (Humboldt's Gift), Christopher Lasch, Irving Howe et al. There is a passage in which Packer perfectly summarizes the thesis of Lasch's "Revolt of the Elites" - gated communities like the ones that dot my hometown in Southern California.

The only area where I would fault Packer's book is that he does not criticize the dogmatic, politically correct tone that liberalism took on during the late 1980s and early 1990s and which still haunts liberalism. What alarmed Packer's father was exactly that, and I'm afraid Packer only devotes one paragraph to it. Left liberalism has, I'm afraid, taken on a neo-Stalinist quality on some college campuses, viz, stealing copies of conservative campus newspapers which take politically incorrect stands on such issues as affirmative action. Liberals should decry that just as much as the depredations of the Right. David Horowitz shouldn't be the only one who claims the moral high ground on that issue. I don't know if Packer's father would be a neoconservative today, but he might have been, if he'd lived.

Aside from all that, I commend Packer's book. It is a decent, humane and intelligent work that says that there's still a place at the political table for liberalism, even for disheartened liberals like me!


Yes Yes Y'All: The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-Hop's First Decade
Published in Hardcover by DaCapo Press (22 October, 2002)
Authors: Jim Fricke, Charlie Ahearn, and Nelson George
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Real Nice
This beautiful book attempts to trace the formation of hip-hop culture through interviews with those who were around for the first ten years. Fricke (a curator at the Experience Music Project museum) and Ahearn (photographer and director of the seminal hop-hop film Wild Style), attempt to document the New York City scene from about 1974-84 (right up to the formation of DefJam and Run-DMC) through photos, original party flyers, and the words of the DJs, MCs, b-boys (breakdancers), graffiti artists, and promoters who were there.

The early portion shows how DJ sound-system battles emerged in the early to mid '70s against the backdrop of a decaying Bronx, attracting youths to more or less impromptu parties in parks, streets, and playgrounds. Competition was fierce as to who had the loudest sound system and the best records, and tough security (gang members) was a necessity. One thing that gets disappointingly glossed over is how this copied what happened in Kingston, Jamaica ten years earlier. It was exactly the same: competing street sound systems, with competing DJs who would take the labels off records so spies couldn't find out what they were playing, gangs, violence-all the same. DJ Kool Herc, who lived in Jamaica until 1967, makes a fleeting reference to it, but that's all.

For the first few years, the DJs were the "stars" of the scene, offering an alternative to disco music. But as DJs started to learn how to manipulate their turntables to extend the "beats" from a song, eventually MCing started to become more vibrant. What had initially only been calls to the crowd to keep the party's energy up evolved into more and more sophisticated catchphrases, freestyle rhymes, and soon MCs were writing and memorizing lines. Again, it's a bit puzzling that no mention is made of Jamaican"toasting" which emerged in the mid to late '60s. This was the practice of DJs who would talk and rhyme over the records they played, and soon progressed to a point where they would have instrumental versions of popular songs laid down for them to rhyme over-often in a boasting style, talking about how they were the "#1", "champion", and so on. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

The other two legs of hip-hop culture are given somewhat less space. The material on breakdancing (aka "b-boying" to the true old-schoolers) seems to indicate that the "b-boy " crews filled a kind of competitive void left by the waning of street gang culture. And while there was some of this dancing at the parties, music was the focus, rather than the dancing-which didn't get big until the early '80s. Graffiti, on the other hand, was clearly a prominent feature of the NYC landscape from the early '70s on. But, what's most interesting here is that while the graffiti artists often went to parties and knew some of the music people, the idea that graffiti was part of a larger hip-cop culture didn't emerge until late in the game. It wasn't until the downtown Manhattan art scene started getting interested that the music, breakin', and graffiti were packaged-by the white art scene-a unified "street" culture.

The book is lavishly put together, with tons to look at-however, the oral history structure isn't the greatest. From a historical perspective, it's great to hear all these unknown voices from the past telling about their roles, but at times it does get tedious. Especially when it comes to details on how so and so met so and so and that led the the formation of this or that. Even more so late in the book, when record companies get in the mix, and then all kinds of resentments come pouring out. There could have been a little more editing, as well as a little more context to fill in some of the gaps. For example, there are a lot of references to gangs being involved in the early scene, and shootings, and violence, but there's never any unified discussion of it. The same for the role of drugs in the scene, at one point someone (I think Spoonie Gee) talks about how everyone was totally coked up all the time, and that's something that could have been explored a little more. In any event, it's still a great book for anyone with an interest in the days of hip-hop, giving proper space and voice to all the unknowns who deserve to be known.

PRE-RUNDMC
eye opener for all those who think oldskool hiphop only stops at Run-dmc, or the Furious 5, recognize the forefathers who layed down the foundation of the Hip-Hop culture and what they were facing at that time.
Book has pretty good historical context and the stories flow together. Much props to mr.Ahearn and mr. Fricke. Only giving it 4stars because I'm still halfway in the book. YES YES Y'ALL.

This IS hip hop
This book is SWEEEEEEEEET yo!
Amazing pix and stories.

H H I PPPPP
HHHH I P P
H H I PPPPP
H H I P


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