I just want to add a note to the review I wrote earlier. De Jonge's "Stalin" was written before glasnost opened some new materials from the Soviet Union for scholars to access. Thus, it is limited from that standpoint. However, this is in no way a serious hindrance to the book. Having also read Conquest's biography of Stalin, which WAS written after glasnost, there is very little that Conquest added to de Jonge and certainly no major re-interpretation. Both books are excellent, de Jonge's a little easier read.

Joseph Stalin is a fascinating subject. Alex de Jonge is an outstanding writer. They combine for a great book. There are other biographies of Stalin; Deutscher is a bit dry, Conquest is excellent, but perhaps a bit short. De Jonge covers his subject thoroughly, but not with so much detail as to overwhelm or lose the reader. De Jonge is an excellent writer, and he combines his talent with useful information and a plethora of fascinating, sometimes hilarious, anecdotes. He doesn't get bogged down in Marxist theory, but he does give a brief synopsis which will benefit the average reader; a scholar might wish for more. Perhaps the most outstanding and useful part of the book are those sections dealing with foreign affairs, especially in the aftermath of World War II. Brilliant analysis....

As the author states,"Stalin successfully imposed his vision upon one sixth of Earth's landmass." Whereas Hitler's charisma was instrumental in his rise to power, Stalin's success was due to his self control and his extraordinary ability in successfully interacting with others, even his enemies. De Jonge's detailed account of Stalin's life helps us understand the man who greatly influenced the course of Russia's recent history.

This book is incredible, the essays, photography, map drawings and descriptions really changed the way I looked at the world around me. This book was used as our text book for a Senior Project class in design school.

This book will change the way you look at and think about landscape. Technically, it's a landscape architecture book, and the essays that deal with that subject are excellent. James Corner is one of the best landscape architects/theorists around, and his writing is though-provoking, lucid and enjoyable to read. He draws an wonderful comparison between this work and Le Corbusier's sightseeing flights over North Africa in the 1930's. But without a doubt, the reason to buy this book are the photographs that document the unexpected beauty that arises out of the interaction between man and nature. The incongruities of landscape, juxtaposed against the linear certainty of the Land Ordinance Act grid, farm plots and other common interventions make for stunning photography.

There are also little subplots, such as creative reuses of already built spaces (tennis courts as parking lots & football field yard lines over a baseball diamond), and the similarity of totally unrelated natural forms (who knew that from 7,000 feet, cracked pond ice looks like microscopic images of streptococcal bacteria?).

There are dozens of other little thoughts I could include, and one of most remarkable things about this book is that the photogrpahs allow the reader to draw on his or her own knowledge to make connections and interpertations. There's no right or wrong way to see these things, which makes it universally rewarding and enjoyable.

I always enjoy graphic design, but this one integrates intelligent visual graphic representation and it portraits site/landscape analysis.
Not your usual blueprint survey, but delightful new way of documentation.

Mr. Andrew Lohrey informs us in his introduction, to this collection of essays by the late Australian psychologist Alex Carey, that Carey was prevented from going to college by his parents after he finished secondary school as they wanted him to manage their sheep farm which he did with such success that he could sell it about a decade later and enter a university.

Here and there this book is dreadfully dry, particularly towards the end. His ideas probably would have been made clearer and much better organized if he would have been able to put together a regular book instead of a book of essays put together by someone else but he died in 1988 before he could get it done. But the topics he discusses are very important especially now when business and government propaganda has never been more powerful.

The main title of this book describes what big business and their intellectual and political minions have tried to do particularly in the United States as rights to vote and to organize in this country were extended to large segments of the population of this country over the last hundred years. Carey's old friend Noam Chomsky quotes in his preface the numerous intellectual advocates (Walter Lipmann, Harold Laswell,etc.) of what Thomas Jefferson called late in his life "a single and splendid government of an aristocracy" made up of the "banking institutions and monyed incorporations" whom he feared would destroy the freedoms gained during the American revolution. Many prominent liberal intellectuals devoted loyal service to the state during World War one particularly in the government propaganda agencies putting out massive bogus atrocity stories about the Germans and turning a largely anti-war population in a short period into a bunch of maniacs looking to destroy everything remotely connected with Germany and German culture. A young German soldier named Adolf Hitler was deeply impressed with the allied propaganda effort and blamed German weakness in this field for their defeat and vowed that Germany would learn its lessons by the time the next war came around.

The best part of Carey's text, by far, is about the first five chapters. The first topic discussed is the Americanization movement begun in the few years before World War one by big busisiness associatons who were particularly worried about such events as the victory of the IWW led strike of textile workers in Lawrence Massachusetts in 1912. Big business was particularly worried about the influence of IWW-type radicalism on the U.S. immigrant population which mostly worked under very bad conditions at very low wages and set to work with a somwhat successful drive to inculate immigrants as well as the population at large with "American" values like free enterprise and the status quo and social harmony and against alien values like socialism or the welfare state or non-pliable unions. Out of this campaign came the Fourth of July holiday signed into law into 1918. This campaign culminated in the government crushing of the labor movement during 1919-21 under the cover of chasing communists and German spies.

The labor movement, says Carey, did not recover until the Great Depression which forced the U.S. government to enact very basic welfare legislation and protection of unions. This greatly alarmed important segments of big business. The National Association of Manufacturers literature in 1938 warned of the "hazard facing industrialists" of the "newly realized political power of the masses."

The end of World War two saw the beginnings of a massive attack on independent thinkers and organized labor under the cover of a red scare. After a lag in the early 1970's, the elites in this country began to steer this country towards a very markedly right wing political climate, seeing the rise of previously regarded fringe elements as represented by such think tanks as the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage foundation which featured such profound thinkers as former Nixon and Ford treasury secretary William Simon who fulminated about how the Carter administration was steering the country towards collectivist totalitarianism.

He goes into some detail examining the right wing apparatus in his native Australia. He ends with discussion of some matters dealing with industrial psychology and industrial sociology culminating in a study of the Hawthorne studies, laborious research at an Illinois assembly plant made up of female workers in the late 20's and early 30's where a group of industrial psychologists tried to secure evidence that workers don't care about money and just want to be left alone to do the wonderful jobs that the labor market has forced on them. The Hawthorne chapter is in large part almost unintelligible and very dry, probably inevitable given that it is a scientific paper.

Alex Carey's work is absolutely some of the best. My favorite quote of his is this: "The 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy." This has become a touchstone for Sheldon Rampton and me in our books Toxic Sludge Is Good for You, Trust Us, We're Experts, and our writing for PR Watch. Carey is much missed.

Carey points out that citizens living in totalitarian regimes have no choice but to tow the government line out of fear for their personal safeties. In free societies, Carey explains that more subtle means are used to keep populations under control. Specifically, propaganda is used to ensure that most people will think in a manner that is consistent with the corporate agenda (such as belief in the free market and business' right to unlimited profit). Carey documents how Americans and Australians have been subjected to corporate propaganda during most of the 20th Century, and explains how these efforts have perverted our democracy (for example, American's over willingness to fight communists, real or imagined, to protect capitalism). Indeed, while many Americans were conditioned during the Cold War to believe that propaganda existed only in the Soviet Union, China and other communist regimes, Carey persuasively argues that propaganda actually played (and continues to play) a more critical role in molding the attitudes of citizens in democracies.

I bought this book after 6 years of not seeing any Grateful Dead related show. Alex's stories rekindled the magic feeling I used to get from going to the shows and hanging around the parking lot. He does a great job with both description, character development and flow. My only complaint is that the book is too short. This should be mandatory reading for anyone that has ever been to a Dead Show or plans on following the next generation of Jam Bands.

"...feel the colors...see the music..." A wonderfully crafted collection of images that envelops your senses with the power of the Deadhead experience. The author's honed description successfully brings you there, while genuine characters caotivate and keep you there. The best "trip" I've had in a very long time!

The short stories in this book do so much more than just capture perfectly the essence of the Deadhead Culture, they pinpoint the feelings and experiences of a time in life when everything was possible and negativity just meant take another route.

The author has the ability to make us care deeply about his characters and what they are going through within a few sentences of the start of each story. From the young attorney to a runaway, I was mesmerized by each and kept paging forward looking for more on each one. I fell into the book expecting to just revisit the experience of tour days and instead found so much more.

I highly reccommend this book to anyone interested in revisitng the past, or ready to enjoy meeting some of the most fascinating slices of life it's ever been my pleasure to find within the pages of a book.

This was an amazing story, the book had awesome pictures! I really like the book it was just cool. I thought Alex Winters had an amazing adventure, well I read this whole book and it was a great book (diary). This was about a boy who was in sixth grade, his parents and father is a scientist and Alex wanted to be one too.Well, he was on a plane sitting next to the pilot and he was writing in his diary that his grandpa gave him. He was going to the Amazon jungle and it was Christmas! The plane crashed but Alex was alright but the pilot was out cold. He was still breathing! The Yanomami and Alex found each other and brought the pilot to their village and when they got there, there was some big guy ordering them to put him in the hut to lay down. Alex thought he was a chief! I just have to say Alex Winters had an incredible adventure and he did, did a good job on his diary!!

Author Hudson Talbott presented a fascinating talk for families at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County detailing his and co-author Mark Greenberg's journey into the Amazon. His description of their trip, plus the engrossing video of the experience helped explain why Alex Winter's fictional experiences rang so true. Mr. Talbott's respect for the Yanomamis and their world is very evident, both in his presentation and in the book Amazon Diary. All in all, a delightful presentation and a terrific book!- Nancy Fox, Education Division, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

I recently had the pleasure of hosting both Hudson Talbott and Mark Greenberg at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History where they presented a multi-media lecture for children based on their book "Amazon Diary". I was immensely impressed by the book before their visit because of its smooth integration of photographs, drawings and text into an exciting adventure story. Hearing first hand how their real-life adventures in the Amazon were incorporated into the book makes me admire the authors even more. - Jonathan Wilhelm, Director of Family Programming at CMNH

Buy this for your teen!!! MIRACLES wil occur OVERNIGHT!!! The only book I have found that talks to teens about the way AND the why parents act the way they do!!! It's clear, concise, honest and humerous...a MUST READ for every 14/15 year old. Many pages we read together and discuss! They realise I'm not a witch or insane! - because here in print is a book by a man with a Phd! Some extremely thought provoking(and humerous!) discussions ensued. It was wonderful to re-connect with the girls I couldn't talk to anymore! The best(so far) self-help parenting book I have read! Note: If you pre-read it - you'll see yourself on every page!

I bought this book for my daughter and have noticed a change in her behavior. She now does things that we ask her to do and tries to be nice to us instead of hostile. Then when she requests a privilege and we waver, she says "But I babysat my brother and I folded the towels and I made a cake like you asked me too." Of course who can argue with that logic? I haven't read the book but I assume it is along the lines of "show your parents how mature you are and they will give you more freedom".

I read this book several years ago, and I thought it was really cute. Packer had some very good insights about the parent-teenager relationship. I laughed out loud on numerous occasions.

The Prathers work is one of true insight and striking sincerity. I was touched deeply by it and continue to be as I refer back to it. One thing of minor note (and what prevents the fifth star) that is not mentioned in any review I read is that this book delivers a strongly Christian message. I am not a Christian, I do however keep an open mind and do not let my personal understanding of spirituality interfere with my acceptance of the wisdom this book delivers.

Or, what if I had had parents like this?? After sitting on my shelf for almost 4 years, I listened to the cassette tape version of this book several weeks ago. Somehow that was OK because I'm not sure that I really could have unederstood and taken this book to heart until recently (I was well prepped by reading Alice Miller's 'For Your Own Good' just before). I liked the tape because I could hear the Prather's own voices. And what they say is wonderful and loving for children. Unfortunately, what they recommend is not the norm in our culture. They recommend love, compassion and total respect for our child's identity. Our culture, on the other hand, increasingly speaks to discipline, punishment and abandonment. The world is changed one person at a time, and if only a few people become loving parents because of this book, then the world will be blessed with more stable, loving and creative children. - - If you want the other side of this paradigm, how socially accepted child-rearing, what most of us have been taught is 'normal,' frequently involves abuse and cruelty, then pick up anything by Alice Miller. Miller's work over the past 20 years underscores the value of the Prather's approach.

The Prathers laid out the rational for a parenting style that I instinctively knew was right. They also made some complex emotional issues seem very simple. I no longer get angry with my children. Its a must for all parents.

Cassidy McCabe is a psychotherapist who conducts her practice from an office in her home. Life should be great for Cassidy now. Her relationship with her boyfriend Zachary Moran is growing, they are now living together; her cat Starshine has three beautiful and healthy kittens, and her mother is getting married. But things don't always work out like they should. Suddenly, women Cassidy doesn't even know and has never met are confronting her. They all say the same thing; they accuse her of being in league with someone named Cliff and that Cassidy and Cliff are trying to destroy what is left of their lives. Cassidy finally manages to piece the story together. Cliff, it seems, is on some sort of 'mission'. He is picking certain women who are all similar to each other, romancing them and then injecting them with his blood. Blood that is HIV positive. Now, for some unknown reason, he has involved Cassidy. Cliff claims to be a client of Cassidy's, but she has no client named Cliff nor any that are HIV positive that she knows of. Questions are racing through Cassidy's mind. Why is Cliff doing those horrible things? Why did he pick her? As Cassidy and Zach begin to put pieces together, things take an unexpected turn. Cliff starts leaving Cassidy personal notes, in her own house. Another delightful story from author Alex Matthews. Vendetta's Victim provides you with quite a few suspects to choose from, while at the same time carefully concealing the true identity of Cliff. As the Cassidy McCabe series continue the books get better and better. Ms. Matthews skillfully balances mystery and suspense with humor and relief.

Tracy Eastgate Reviewer

Alex Matthews has out done herself with Vendetta's Victim, the third book of this series. For those who enjoyed the first two novels, this one will blow you away! The smooth prose and smart plot are guaranteed to satisfy any mystery lover. Indeed, the eccentric, cat loving, peanut butter cup munching Cassidy has truly hit her stride, right through the startling conclusion. Cassidy's having family troubles. After thirty-two years of the single life, her mother's engaged to marry a jerk. Her boyfriend Zach won't even go to the engagement party. Her gay cousin has been murdered while having lunch with her. And her cat Starshine's three kittens have got to find homes before she looses every pair of panty hose she owns. Meanwhile, a woman named Dale angrily turns up on Cassidy's doorstep demanding to know why Cliff has referred her to Cassidy for therapy. Dale thrusts the letter from Cliff on Cassidy and storms of f into the night. Cassidy has never treated a man named Cliff. But when a second woman calls on Zach's private cell phone with a similar letter and story, Cassidy becomes suspicious of foul play. Soon Cliff is leaving Cassidy notes in her own kitchen, and her safety is once again compromised. Cliff has found a way to use AIDS as a weapon, and Cassidy finds herself tracking him before he can infect any more women. Cassidy McCabe is a refreshing breather in the world of detective novels where most heroines are larger than life, gifted with money and looks, giving them an edge most women can't identify with. Cassidy is too thin, somewhat insecure, and brash to the end. Her enduring habit of talking to Starshine the cat and eating peanut butter cups brings her into the real world, making her character markedly vivid. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two novels, but I must admit that this one is the best mystery yet! Keep them coming, Ms. Matthews!

Cindy Penn Reviewer

Another suspensful thriller! In Vendetta's Victim, her lovable characters, therapist Cassidy, and reporter Zach, are back, along with their cat and a bunch of new kittens. A sicko is on the loose infecting women with HIV virus and killing gay men. This time, I smugly thought I'd figured out the killer, only to be proven wrong. Ms. Matthews always stays just one step ahead and leaves us guessing until, at the end, she wraps everything up neatly. Besides containing great suspense, the novel also has good human interest with Cassidy's relationships with her SO, Zach, and her mother, Helen.

IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A GOOD CHILDRENS BOOK THIS IS THE BOOK TO GET. I ADMIRE THE WRITER FOR PUTTING SO MUCH DETAIL IN ALEX'S ADVENTURE.

Teaches valuable lesson in life.About not to judge someone because they look different than you.And that when you make fun of someone they might smile on the out side but it hurts inside. and they will go to any lenghts to make somebody like them.

I purchased this book and i fell in love with ALEX. It's a wonderful childrens book.I read it to my 2 children and they loved it.

FOUND THIS BOOK VERY INTERESTING AND EASY TO READ. HAS GOOD PHOTOS.

This book is an excellent resource, both for those going into the field, and also for those with an interest in learning more about blacksmithing. Every skill outlined in the book, is backed up with scads of historical information. This book was wonderfly written and a joy to read.

The author was instrumental in reviving the almost-lost art of blacksmithing. He takes the reader through every step of blasmithing from smelting the ore to final product. highly informative, detailed, and easy to read.