In the many arguments I've had over the merits of collective action, I have found few arguments as useful as Michels' "iron Law of Oligarchy", stating that even the most egalitarian orginizations wind up having their decisions made by a select few at the top. Morever, institutional reforms will not help, since this tendency is inherent to complex orginization. Surveying the intensification of power across a host of socialist parties and publications, Michels provides much empirical evidence. Too much, at times, as after about 200 pages of stories about leadership groups developing in socialist orginizations, the book starts to drag a little bit. It is all worth it, however, as the "iron law of oligarchy" is one of the most fascinating arguments you'll ever find in a book about politics. Seymour Martin Lipset's introductory comments provide interesting background info.

Michels was a member of a socialist movement who wondered if one could ever have what today is called participatory democracy. The result is this wonderful book, in which Michels discovers the "Iron Law of Oligarchy", that even in the most egalatarian movements, elites will call most of the shots. Michels goes further than many elite theorists who simply claim that this has always been so: he claims that elite management is inherent to complex organizations. Whether you agree or disagree, you must read this man and debate his ideas!

All of the Eden books are awesome. They are the best books I've ever read. I was actually sad when I was finished with the series.

Return to Eden is one of the best books I have ever read. If you enjoyed this book then I highly recomend reading the other books in the Eden series. All of Barbara Michel's Eden books are GREAT!I recommend them to all of my friends and after they read them they love them to!! :)

Read this to the five-year-old twice already, and expect to r3ead it lots more. The ten year old was delighted: she joined us and reread the book when we were done.

Recommended. You got to love those cows.

Those loveable Santa Cows take their human friends on a magic carpet ride to the islands! Tropical fun to keep the holiday spirit alive. You'll love the whole Santa Cow Series!

This was my first exposure to a book by this author, and I was very pleased. The story covers a period of time interesting to me and in an area near my home. The heroes are good people with normal character flaws, and the villians are the kind of people you can easily hate. The story is tied in to real times and real events. The author is obviously very familiar with the Cheyenne Indians and the frontier during the latter 1800's. A spellbinding book.

In 1879, Brad Randall, the Commissioner for Indian Affairs feels ineffectual in his post because he knows how the Indians are being treated and is in no position to help them. When he finds out his wife is cheating on him with his assistant, he leaves her and journeys out west, hoping to help the Native-Americans. He also wants to find Eden Murdoch who he has not seen or heard from in ten years to tell her the son she thought died is very much alive.

When the two ex-lovers meet, Eden is in jail protecting the fact that the Indians are no longer allowed near Solomon Spring, a sacred site to many tribes. He gets her out of jail and takes her to see her son who is not pleased to see her because her husband, Lawrence Murdoch has found him first and fed him lies about her. When Lawrence is found dead, Brad confesses to his murder but the only one who doesn't believe him is Eden who intends to find the real killer before her lover hangs.

SOLOMON SPRING is a great work of historical fiction and an equally good historical mystery. Through the characters eyes we are able to see the plight of the Indians and their courage in the face of adversity. The romance between the two protagonists is quite good but takes a back seat to the who-done it. Michelle Black is a talented writer who will appeal to readers of mystery, romance and history.

Harriet Klausner

This book is a fascinating blend of American natural and human history, author Kim Todd showing that in a sense our history is almost as much one of animal immigrants as that of human immigrants. North America, already one of the richest continents in the world in terms of biodiversity, is home now to many thousands of introduced plant and animal species.

Some were brought in for a taste or touch of home, missed by European settlers in the strange wilds of North America. Some, such as the honey bee, also proved of later significant commercial importance, becoming so vital to agriculture and indeed everyday life - pollinating plants, providing wax and honey - that later there would be many who found it hard to believe that the honey bee was not native to North America. Others, such as the rock dove or pigeon, provided a mixed track record; as Todd puts it, noting how revered the dove is in Western literature and how hated the pigeon often is; that in essence, "the colonists brought doves to the New World and ended up surrounded by pigeons." As much as the rock doves proved useful for food, for delivering messages (labeled by some in this regard according to Todd as "gallant" birds, praised in poetry and song), and as prized pets, they proved a huge problem in cities. Others, such as the European starling, proved downright pests. Brought over in a misguided attempt to introduce to the continent all the birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare, it has spread throughout North America and become a plague like no other, pushing out native species from prime habitat and forming such large flocks in some areas as to present health hazards.

Many introductions were accidental. When a canal was opened between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in the 19th century, allowing goods from the Great Lakes and the interior of Canada and the United States to reach the sea via the St. Lawrence River (in a chapter she appropriately calls "An Artificial Wedding"), more than just ships plied these waters. The sea lamprey, long resident in Lake Ontario, had not been able to bypass Niagara Falls and enter the rest of the Great Lakes previously. Once present, Todd chronicles how the predator preyed upon the formerly vast schools of fish in the Great Lakes, sending fishing stocks plummeting and completely reworking the entire ecology of the lakes. Another creature taking unfortunate advantage of mankind to enter a new habitat - in this case the Hawaiian Islands - was the mosquito. Once an island chain completely free from this pest, this insect entered the islands from the emptied dregs of ship's water barrels. Quickly becoming a pest not only to humans but also to birds, the mosquitoes nearly wiped out many of the archipelago's avian fauna by spreading bird pox and avian malaria. Todd also writes of a recent immigrant, the monk parakeet, which first started to appear in the wild in the late 1960s thanks largely to escaped pets. Becoming more widespread, the author shows the debate between the parakeet's champions and those that seek to eliminate the exotic, scared of it achieving pest status, who ask themselves is this species of bird going to be end up becoming the next starling?

Other introductions were done to "improve" nature, primarily in the latter part of the 19th century.. The ring-necked pheasant from China was imported to improve the hunting, a bird thought worthy of the sport hunter and more of a challenge than native game birds. Similar motives were at work with the brown trout of Europe, a prized game fish that did much to foster the refinement and popularity of fly fishing in the United States (though their benefactor, Fred Mather, believed that they could provide a vital new source of food for the American people). With few concerns for the alien species' effects on native fishes the brown trout became by 1900 established in 38 states. Reindeer, introduced in Alaska with epic ideas to provide the native peoples with animals to herd and with new means of transportation and methods to make money, proved a failure as expected results failed to materialize for many reasons as the book shows.

Finally some introductions were simply done to make money. The story of the nutria, an imported marsh denizen of South America, is fascinating. Brought in to help meet demands for furs - in the days when fur farms were in their infancy and the wild fur-bearing animals becoming scarce - it degenerated from a promising project into get-rich-quick pyramid schemes (which even involved federal investigation) as the semi-valuable nutria pelts were hyped up to gullible buyers in a high-stakes game that penalized those who actually sought to take their pelts to market. Even native animals were moved about the country for such endeavors; the mountain goat, not native to the Olympic Mountains in Washington state, was brought in to try and improve tourism. The region was deemed good mountain goat country; indeed it was too good, with no predators and a variety of very rare and highly local alpine plants that were not able to withstand steady grazing by the agile animals, the mountain goat has proved an ecological disaster.

Todd discusses in an almost short-story format these and many other animals, including a variety of insect pests. The book is well worth purchasing; my only compliant was that even more species could have been detailed.

Kim Todd wields an endlessly entertaining story, even for those who do not have any interest in exotic species. She does what few naturalists are able to do; she makes a story about a science read like a human-interest piece, and a compelling one at that. The pages flow easily and her craftily constructed prose will have whisked you to the end of the book long before you wanted it to end.

Wounded after intervening in a student's life, Faye Harper retreats to a childhood haunt to find respite. Rather than the expected peace, however, she quickly finds herself in the midst of a criminal investigation. Detective Aleksy Denko, also from Chicago, unofficially seeks answers in arms deal gone wrong that left a former partner dead.

Aleksy underestimates Faye's resilience, viewing her as a cream puff. Cute like Faye is not his type, although she can make him understand its appeal. What he really needs is a cover, and Faye can provide it. Unfortunately, Faye has to get involved with anything that involves risk. Too bad her own actions have already put her in danger.

A faced paced, heart pounding read, ALL A MAN CAN ASK provides unexpected twists that makes author Virginia Kantra's novels a must read. Unexpected courage and surprising compassion bring these characters vividly alive, even as drug addicted teens, stretchy bras, and romantic entanglement also intriguing elements that prove these character's all too human flaws. Indeed, the fast paced plot and the strong characterizations are nicely balanced, resulting in a tale that is at once deadly yet richly balanced by powerful emotions and physical attraction. ALL A MAN CAN ASK comes very highly recommended.

Stencils of Ancient Egypt and Nubia is a "must" for teachers of social studies who enjoy doing "hands on" projects. Not only are the symbols of Ancient Egypt clearly explained, the stencils can be used over and over to create many projects in the classroom. My students have used these stencils for the last four years and they are still in good shape. Teachers looking for a simplified and concise teaching tool for Ancient Egypt will find more than enough information to share with their students in this book.

David Holmes is a visionary who has created, perhaps, the most comprehensive program anywhere of lifespan services for the autistic from early childhood through the adult years. This book is a must for educators and other professionals dealing with autism.

Jensen & Payne have done it again - they have written a Bible Study Guide that makes the reader say "oh, yeah. that makes sense". This time they have taken the opening 11 chapters of the Bible and have shown how all the themes flow through the rest of the Bible. A must for anyone who wants assistance in reading the Bible and for those who doubt the Bible's consistancy. Phillip Jensen is a well known Australian Bible Teacher who has spoken extensively in North America & Europe.

"Between Sodom and Eden" represents an astounding tour de force. Walzer's book is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary Israeli society and politics, as well as the sometimes surprising approach of Judaism to homosexuality. His prose brings alive the tensions, conflicts, and contradictions of a society in search of its identity as Israel becomes an increasingly multicultural, post-Zionist society. That Israel is one of the most progressive countries in the world today on gay rights will surprise most Americans, who think of the Jewish state as the land of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (with its reputed condemnation of homosexuality). The cast of characters in Walzer's book -- a transsexual pop Diva, openly gay high school students and kibbutzniks, lesbian politicians, and a cast of supportive straight politicians and educators, to name just a few -- guarantees new surprises on each page.