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Book reviews for "Steensma,_Robert_Charles" sorted by average review score:

Last Man Out
Published in Hardcover by Eakin Publications (1988)
Authors: H. Robert Charles, Robert Charles, and Melissa Roberts
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Not all true
The author tries to create the illusion that he knew my grandfather real well. In fact they only met on a few occasions. My grandfather, Henri Hekking, was a stickler for detail and was disturbed by the fact that the author "recalled" conversations between them that never occured. The "death railroad" was a very traumatic experience for alot of people and the events should be exposed, but people who glorify themselves on others heroics are bothersome to me. Overall the stories are portrayed very well but I feel they have been "over-enhanced" for better book sales.

The True Heroes
"Last Man Out", by H. Robert Charles is a non fictional story about the author being captured in a prison camp in World War II. This book is the story about Robert Charles, who was a marine machine gunner aboard the USS Houston which was sunk by the Japanese in Sundra Strait, March 1, 1942. Robert swam nine hours until he was picked up off the coast of Java by the Japanese. He was held captured for forty three months in slave labor camps in Burma, Thailand, and Saigon. The Japanese had forced the prisoners(Americans, British, and Australians) to build a 262 mile stretch of railroad, from Burma south into Thailand, through some of the worst parts of the jungles. Through all of this torture, a doctor, Dr. Henri Hekking, saved the lives of more than 250 Americans, including the author. He saved them by the knowledge of herbs that grew wild in the jungle. Then something that will help these men survive happens.
This book is a remarkable story about the treatment that prisoners in slave labor camps received. It shows the dedication that these soldiers had for their countries. This book goes beyond what is taught in the classroom. This man, Robert Charles, was there, living the torture that any person could never imagine that could happen to them. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn what these brave men went through, to save our country from being attacked. They are the heroes that saved us.


Police Officer
Published in Paperback by ARCO (1989)
Authors: Robert Panzarella, Hugh E. O'Neill, and Charles Lindner
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He passed his test...
I ordered this book along with, "Police Officer Exam California : The Complete Preparation Guide (Learning Express Law Enforcement Series. California)," for my brother as he was taking the test to enter the academy. I must say that he did pass his test with help from these books, but it took him a couple tries, and I don't think this book accurately prepared him for testing. But it did help a little. I would say that these a generous three stars.

A good reference guide
Most of the stuff in this book is some of the things you would hear from a law enforcement officer, like I do (dad is a cop and I will be the 1st female in the family). This book is pretty good if your want to see what a real exam will look like. It also give alot of tips for you application and interviews. It tells you what your training will probably be, and gives you tips on how to do some physical training, with alot more information on other things. So, if your getting into law enforcement, I can say this is a right book to get. But if you know a police officer asks them for some insight on the field, too.

AND FOR ALL THE WOMEN OUT THERE IF IT'S YOUR DREAM OR THIS IS THE PROFESSION YOU WANT TO GO IN TO I COMEND YOU, FOR I AM A WOMAN, AND I BELIEVE IF YOU FEMALE OR MALE GO FOR YOUR DREAMS AND THE THINGS YOU WANT IN LIFE!!!!!!!!!!


Rex Roberts Your Engineered House
Published in Paperback by M Evans & Co (1987)
Author: Charles Wing
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Revised but not better
In writing a book review I seem to be negative so often that I wonder if there is a problem with my outlook on life. Maybe there just is not that much good and accurate information being published or perhaps being "negative" is a part of critiquing books or maybe my definition of "negative" is wrong. I guess the reader will have to decide. At any rate the book, "Rex Robert's Your Engineered House-Revised, Updated, and Edited by Charlie Wing" is out of print for probably a good reason. Charlie Wing's "revision and updating" detracts from and degrades the original classic. It attempts to update with information on new techniques & materials and corrupts the original intent of Mr. Robert's book. And that is the crux of the matter-Mr. Wing either doesn't agree with Mr. Robert's original book idea or with Rex Robert's vision.

Rex Robert's philosophy on house building was keep it simple, well thought out, livable, enjoyable, durable and economical. He recognized some Building Codes, custom, fashion, and prejudice (not to mention ignorance) can make building ones own home a needlessly expensive proposition. Rex Robert's was an engineer and consequently his reasons for doing things the way he did was logical from an engineering perspective not to mention seasoned with Mr. Robert's many other talents and accomplishments.

Mr. Wing updates some materials and costs but his editing and updating also takes the form of deleting some of the most important parts and ignoring others. For example the tin foil Rex Robert's used for a radiant barrier he totally deleted. Construction techniques and the progression of construction stages used in the original where also deleted such as how and why Mr. Robert's built a foundation, roof, floor, and walls and in that order. He deleted Mr. Robert's explanation of dew point/ condensation and then has an illustration of a building technique that could lead to condensation problems. And there are other examples of things substituted or left out.

The original was a book, I believe, that was designed to get you to think. To question convention yes, but not dismiss convention just to dismiss it but to see if convention was serving or being served. Not intended to be the last word on construction techniques or styles it was intended to delve into the basic function of a structure and how people could adopt an economical perspective to what is now considered the single most expensive purchase most people will ever make. The original book was a wonderful example of an argument for certain ways of building a house that one would love to live in and doubly so when there was a non-existent mortgage. Rex Robert's rarely mentioned building codes (UBC) and instead concentrated on a building style that answers economy and comfort versus convention. I wonder if Mr. Wing would agree?

There is merit in being true to your vision and there is merit in changing the vision if enlightened by new knowledge. But I think the book Rex Robert's published in 1964 answered his vision much more than the butchered version Charlie Wing published in 1987. The spirit of the original book could have been much better served by being annotated than being revised. Look for the original '64' book from a used book dealer. Forget the newer one.

A needed update well done
Other opinions notwithstanding, Charlie Wing has done a much needed update on a classic, innovative reconsideration of housebuilding. Wing had the benefit of 20 years of hindsight on what worked and what did not work among Rex Roberts many sugggestions for fundamentally changing the basic American house. Wing, educated in physics and experienced in the building trades, helped found an owner-builder school prompted by Mr. Roberts' original book. His buildings and Mr. Roberts are the basis for his update. The tin-foil insulation is not mentioned because it was a disaster -- it did not insulate but it did cause condensate and rotting, even on Mr. Roberts own house. Enough said. If you insist on reading the original, take no action based on it until you determine whether it's included in Mr. Wing's update. Otherwise, enjoyable and thoughtful reading all round. I've built a house based on these principles and thoroughly enjoyed it.

This book inspired my thinking about building a house
This is a wonderful book. In spite of being written in 1964, it provides insight that withstands the test of time. Unfortunately it's out of print and the publisher says they will not be reprinting it. A few copies are still available if you're willing to hunt for them!


The WALKING DEAD: A MARINE'S STORY OF VIETNAM
Published in Paperback by Pocket Books (02 January, 1989)
Authors: Charles Sasser and Craig Roberts
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The Walking Dead: Misrepresented
Throughout the history of the United States Marine Corps, officers and enlisted alike have consistently distinguished themselves, through altruistic and heroic acts of courage on the battlefield. During America's involvement in the Vietnem War, 1st Battalion 9th Marines, Third Marine Division, nicknamed The Walking Dead, was no exception to this tradition. One Nine's roster is replete with names of men who earned numerous senior personal decorations for bravery and valor, often at the cost of their lives. Unfortunately, costs were high during the War in RVN, as evidenced by more than 440 of the Walking Dead killed in action and over 2500 wounded in action.

In their book, The Walking Dead: A Marines Story of Vietnam, Major Craig Roberts, USA ret. and former Green Beret medic, Charles W. Sasser, advance a story of the heroic exploits of Pfc. Craig Roberts. The story takes place in 1965 when Roberts was serving a tour with 3rd Battalion 9th Marines and 2nd Battalion 9th Marines, Third Marine Division. This book was written to appeal to non-Marine, non-Vietnam veterans, who are not concerned with historical accuracy and are not offended by Roberts disingenuous self aggrandizement.

Roberts betrays his lack of affiliation with The Walking Dead by refering to it as 2nd Battalion 9th Marines. One would be hard pressed to find a Marine Vietnam veteran who doesn't know that The Walking Dead is the First Battalion of the Ninth Marines and not the Second Battalion. This might seem trivial to non-Marine readers, but it would be equivalent, in the sports world, to Joe Montana, writing a book about his career and insisting that he played for the San Francisco Raiders. Roberts and Sasser also advance the non sequitor bovine scat that during his tour, Pfc. Roberts was not only a marine rifleman, but also a sniper, and recon team leader. Other than these representations, it's an interesting read that should be in the fiction section at Amazon.com.

Amazon.com has some exemplary books on the various unit participation in the Vietnam War at great prices. I would recommend to readers interested in the factual history of that war, to save their money on The Walking Dead and instead buy some of the following selections: SOG by John L. Plaster, Marine Sniper by Charles Henderson, Inside Force Recon:Recon Marines in Vietnam by Michael Lee Lanning and Ray William Stubee, and Never Without Heroes: Marine Third Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam 1965-70 by Lawrence C. Vetter.

Clarifying the book's title
To clarify the title "The Walking Dead," this was the name given to the 9th Marine Regiment in 1965, as explained in the forward of the book. By January 1966, 1st Battalion claimed it as their own nickname. 2nd Battalion later chose "Hell in a Helmet," and 3rd Battalion became "The Shadow Warriors." The name originally WAS NOT JUST 1/9 as the below reviewer states (I was there!)

Roberts does not claim to be a recon Marine, only that he led recon patrols with the ARVNs, as stated in the book. The book is factual and researched as to times, locations and events through HQMC. Also, members of Roberts' platoon were located in 1987 and interviewed.

Finally, the period Roberts was assigned to sniper duty was enough to interest him in writing about Marine and Army snipers in a later best-seller, "One Shot--One Kill: America's Combat Snipers."

Probably the best Vietnam true saga I have read.
Few people tell it like it was. And fewer can do it from a foxhole level like Roberts did. In this book, you feel the heat of Vietnam, smell the sweat and rotting jungle vegetation, and live through the terror that was war in the jungles and rice paddies of southeast Asia. The Walking Dead is as character-driven as any Clancy novel, but the real people who Roberts describes are not fictional heros. They are real. For the combat book enthusiast, The Walking Dead is a must read if you want to feel you were there.


Gallery of Horror
Published in Hardcover by New American Library Trade (1996)
Authors: Charles L. Grant, Stephen King, and Robert Bloch
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A strange collection
This book has good stories and bad stories. No, there is no bad written story. There are some stories very difficult to believe, like "Death to the Easter Bunny!" By Alan Ryan. At least, I can read another Stephen King, "Nona". But it is not enough to get a 10. Paulo Sunao

A decent collection of horror stories
Well this book is a mixed bag. Some of the stories I really liked and were really well written, yet others I just didn't like at all. I loved the chilling story of "Canavan's Back Yard," and I thought "The Rubber Room" was an interesting tale of a paranoid man thinking Jewish people had a conspiracy against him. Also, "Out Of Sorts" is a clever werewolf story. And as other have mentioned, "Down Among The Dead Man" is an excellent WWII vampire story (while that may sound bizarre, it is written so well you won't even notice just how odd this seems). However, like I said, I did not like some of the other stories. Like "Death To The Easter Bunny," for example. I just found this story repulsive (if you've read the book, you'll know what part I'm talking about.) And "The Crazy Chinaman" also seemed very out of place in this book. But in this book, the good outweighs the bad. I would recommend this book to fans of horror in general or fans of any of the authors.

A Classic Collection of Short Horror Fiction
This is a reprint of the Dodd, Mead Gallery of Horror from the early 1980's. There are a number of stories which stand out but "Down Among the Dead Men" by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann in particular. This is a story you will not soon purge from your subconscious. There is also the classic "Canavan's Back Yard" by Joseph Payne Brennan which is one of the master's best. Seek out other collections from Jospeh Payne Brennan, he is one of the unknown masters. This is a collection which deserved to be reprinted although they marketed it as if it was a new collection. Highest marks!


Pontiac Gto Restoration Guide 1964-1972 (Motorbooks Intl Authentic Restoration Guides)
Published in Paperback by Motorbooks International (1995)
Authors: Paul Zazarine, Chuck Roberts, and Charles Roberts
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Disapointed
This book is not really a restoration guide, it is more like a parts catalogue. There is very little info on how to restore a GTO. Instead it is just a book of endless part numbers with some exploded diagrams. Also the chapters are confusing, they should be divided by the year of the car. Instead the chapters include all years on the same topic. You can be on one page reading about a console for a 67 GTO and you turn the page and all of the sudden you are looking at a dash board for a 72 GTO! A very poor efort.

A Lukewarm effort
I would have to agree mostly with the comments from the person from Locust Grove. The book makes a real attempt at naming all the part numbers but thats it. The organization was terrible. The blow up diagrams are helpful (if you have a magnifying glass) and it can be real confusing matching pictures to their proper years. If your seriously going to restore a GTO, buy the car first and then buy the original shop manual, wiring diagram parts list and so on. You can get it from Llyod's website which is linked under DealsonWheels.com. It'll run you over 200 bucks but its well worth it, it covers the specific year and some of the manuals come printed on oil resisitant paper, A nice touch.

Give me a GTO over a women anyday, at least the "Goat" won't talk back to you......

For the enthusiast
This book is not a perfect guide to restoring a GTO but it is an invaluable aid in that effort. It does not read like a how-to book, however, and if that is what you're after you might look at a number of other excellent guides along that line. But you will eventually most likely wind up getting this book anyway simply because it contains so much information. Sometimes it's hard to find, some of the illustrations were not well reproduced and some of the material infers what you want to know as opposed to outright statement.

But, and this is a biggie here, considering the myriad years, models, and variants of the GTO over its too-short lifespan a comprehensive detailing of all information for all possible equipment would require a forklift to move around. For more practical uses, this is an excellent choice although, as stated earlier, you will probably find it works best in conjunction with other material as opposed to being a single-source reference.

I have found the book very helpful on many occasions and if you have a GTO you care for you'll probably find it similarly helpful. If you have a GTO you don't care for, seek help, it's probably still okay.


Classical Apologetics
Published in Paperback by Zondervan (06 July, 1984)
Authors: Robert Charles Sproul, Arthur Lindsley, and John H. Gerstner
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Good, just a little wordy at times
This was a rather intense read about classical apologetics. I would highly recommend it to those that have an interest or prior knowledge and understanding of apologetics. The book is divided into three sections:

--Classical Natural Theology, an overview of problem and method --Classical apologetics, the theistic proofs, the deity of Christ, and the infallibility of scripture --Classical critique of presuppositional apologetics

The first section seemed very wordy to me, and I had a hard time getting through it. The second was very interesting, and providing a great summary of different arguments, including the ontological, cosmological and teleological arguments for God. This chapter also has chapters dealing with the Spirit and Word of God.

The third section is probably the best section (although it still lacked brevity). Chapter 11 is the best chapter in the book; it has great summaries of Luther, Calvin, and Augustine's views on reason as it relates to faith. All should check out this chapter.

Good Critique of Presuppositional Apologetics, but...
Sproul rightly critiques Van Til's contradictions about whether non-Christians have "true" knowledge of God. Sproul argues that they do in accordance with Romans Chapter One and shows that Van Til inconsistently admits that they do also even though in other places he says or implies that they don't. One does not need to "presuppose" God because, according to Romans One (and Sproul), all have at least some knowledge of God through God's natural/general revelation. This allows for a common ground between Christians and non-Christians. But Sproul, being a Classical Apologist, still thinks that one must posit proofs for God's existence even though everybody apparently already knows God exists. This is confusing. Sproul, on pages 262 and 263, basically says that the primary task of the apologist is to not let the non-Christians who argue against the truth they already know "escape" by "reminding" them of "arguments which they cannot deny." This, to me, is a ridiculous and weak justification for doing Classical/Traditional apologetics. If God's existence is taken for granted in the Bible (including Romans 1), and nowhere proven because everybody apparently already knows that God exists, then theistic apologetics (distinct from Christian evidences) is a waste of time. (side note: I agree with Mortimer J. Adler who said that "true knowledge" is reduntant and "false knowledge" is a contradiction in terms) - Brad Clark

This is the magnum opus of apologetics!
This is without a doubt the foremost book on classical apologetics, and the first attempt ever to give a comprehensive critique of presuppositionalism. It summarizes both natural apologetics (the theistic arguments) and supernatural apologetics (the historical evidence for Scripture). Van Til is the main focus of the criticism, but other presuppositional writers like Clark, Dooyeweerd, Frame, and Knudsen are included. There is also a key chapter giving great detail to the evidence that Augustine, Luther, and Calvin were all evidentialists, despite popular charges that that they were not. This book is a must for anyone trying to understand apologetics and the issue involved between the two vastly different types of apologetics!


Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
Published in Audio Cassette by Blackstone Audiobooks (2000)
Authors: Robert A. Heinlein, Jeff Riggenbach, Charles Colson, and Lloyd James
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The American Revisionist Tradition
"What makes a leader truly great?" [reads the back jacket of this book...] "Is it simply a matter of management style or personality?"

No, answers the author -- it is simply a matter of being a good Christian. But what is a good Christian? Why, that is simply someone who believes exactly as Marvin Olasky believes. It's just that simple...

unfortunately, the book also irritated me, and I have never been called a liberal by anyone. While I appreciated Olasky's assertion that private morals DO matter in public office, I thought his approach was simplistic and narrow. If one takes Olasky's arguments to their logical conclusion, one would have to say that there aren't too many people in the history of humankind who have adopted the correct religious view. Olasky's version of heaven is going to be quite thinly populated I suspect...Jefferson, who was a founding father of our republic and doubled its size while in office, is portrayed as a godless, snobby, scheming, screw-up. Jackson, a violent man who defied the Supreme Court and signed the death warrant for thousands of civilized Cherokees seeking legal redress, is portrayed as your favorite god-fearing uncle. I suppose the battalions of left-wing revisionists brought this sort of book upon themselves in a way, but sometimes I just wish the pendulum could settle in the middle for a while. History should be about getting at the TRUTH, not supporting your pet argument at all costs.

Conclusion: the less thoughtful among the fundamentalist Christians will find fodder for their arguments here and will save having to read all the real history in the bargain. The Clinton-esque liberals will bust veins in the heads over this outrage. The true historians will quietly shake their heads and toss this book aside.

Thought-provoking
I purchased this volume after watching Olasky on C-Span. Being familiar with his magazine, "World," and the Turning Point Christian Worldview Series which he edited, I was impressed with his thesis: character counts. To Olasky, character is displayed by the diligence one gives to daily duty--fidelity to one's faith, fidelity to one's mate, fidelity to one's deepest covenents. Though perhaps simplistic and certainly not an exhaustive list of criteria by which to judge a man, these are fundamental to what a man becomes. Moral vision--character--counts. In this, Olasky is on target.

A must-read to offset the revisionist movement in the US
Olasky's efforts to review the moral and social characteristics of select American leaders, both political and social is clear in its content and abolute in the documented truth he brings to light. A number of the subjects reviewed clearly illustrate the dilemma of American culture - pragmaticism at the sacrifice of ideals higher and more substantive than the needs of the moment. Judeo-Christian ethic, the core of our history, is brought to light in a very real manner. Political history students of all ages will benefit by his illustrations and analysis.


Edgar Cayce You Can Remember Your Past Lives
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Warner Books (1996)
Authors: Charles Thomas Cayce and Robert Smith
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very against the bible
The test of a true prophet is his accuracy. Cayce has been wrong and does not glorify our lord and master. Check your bibles and verify everything

CAYCE ALWAYS GAVE GOD THE GLORY . . .
This is another good Cayce book, and it's unfair to bash this very spiritual man without a through study of his words. If we read what Cayce specifically said regarding Jesus Christ, we see how every reading he gave in trance, as in all areas of his waking life, he never once denied Christ or his divinity or his love for us. Rather, Cayce often said that nothing we do in any lifetime is as important as loving God and our neighbor as ourselves. In one very powerful group of readings, he taught that by his suffering and death, Christ actually took upon himself all our worst karma and thus freed us from that endless Karmic-Wheel-of-Rebirth Hindu's long to be done with. If we accept this salvation of being released by Christ's sacrifice from the necessity of subsequent births, but choose nonetheless to reincarnate, we do so as servant-souls: that is, our lives become a gift we're not obliged to make. Mother Teresa is a good example of such an evolved soul who came back not for her own spiritual gain, but to lead humanity closer to God. When people questioned Cayce about the safest place to be living during the coming earthquakes/tidal waves, he would reply, "Why do you worry so about where your body will be? You should be more concerned about where you are in your relationship with HIM every day!"

Useful workbook-like exercises
I don't take the Bible literally, and I don't mindlessly swallow everything Cayce says either. But I liked the exercises, which more or less focus on a "resonance" method -- that is, do the pictures, time periods, etc. resonate with you.


Microeconomics
Published in Paperback by Addison-Wesley Publishing (1999)
Authors: Jeffrey M. Perloff, Charles F. Mason, Robert Whaples, and Jeff Perloff
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Worst Intro Micro Text in the market
I was required to buy this book when I took a course taught by the author, Jeff Perloff. This book is the absolute worst micro text I've ever come across. It's confusing and unorganized much like the author himself. If you're looking for a good intro micro text, I suggest you look elsewhere. I highly recommend Nicholson's Microeconomic Theory.

Overpriced
I had to purchase this book for an economics course. It does have some good examples and applications, but other times the book just bogs down and is impossible to read. Lastly, the price tag is ridiculious... Teachers, don't make your students waste their money on this.

An okay book
This book was used for my microeconomics class. It helped me learn the material, but there's still room for improvement.

Having the textbook be so focused on specific examples was not such a good idea, because it made it difficult to understand what do to in a more general problem, or in any problem that deviates from this example. The discussions of concepts, however, were excellent.

I wish the derivations were more integrated into the text instead of in an appendix in the back, and that they were better explained - it's frustrating to spend an hour trying to figure out which steps were left out. The problems in the textbook were challenging but good, however, unless you're at least a econ grad student or some kind of genius, you're probably not going to be able to do many of them just by reading the textbook...which brings me to my last point...if you're taking a class in which this book is mandatory, by all means, get it, it's useful...but if you are trying to learn or brush up on micro without the aid of a class, look for another book


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