Other than the maps guiding people to the major red light zones of the Kanto area, 90% of the information in this book is pure fiction and/or wishful thinking. All you need to know about night life in Tokyo can be had for the price of a little conversation at virtually any pub or bar in Tokyo. As an aside, the author's unjustly slanderous treatment of the Library bar in Ogikubo caused the owner to shut the doors as hordes of thrill seekers invaded his (up to that time) peaceful little corner bar. If you have purchased this book, don't bother looking for the Library, 'cause it's gone.

If you want a good book, get Nicholas Bournoff's "Pink Samurai" instead.

This book gives some interesting and little known information on, for example, the sex slave industry and the import of foreign prostitutes, the gay scene, and other aspects of Japan's "nightlife". Unfortunately, like many of the men who frequent Asia, the author could care less about some of the uglier aspects of the industry. He doesn't moralize because he basically has no morals.

My main job in Japan was English teaching. I used to ask my students what they thought of places like Kabuki-cho, which is one of Tokyo's better known red-light areas. They would look embarassed and say that when walking through there they felt "dirty". I found this odd, considering that the average Japanese is self-described as being anti-religious, and most of them have no cultural training in Christian morals.

Additionally, when talking to my female friends (including my Fillipina roomate) who had Japanese husbands or boyfriends, the biggest complaint seemed to be the lack of sex or affection in the relationship. One of the women expressed the opinion that most Japanese men were impotent. A lot of news articles in the English press in Tokyo point to the general uptight attitude of the average Japanese toward matters of sex in general.

A lot of foreign men see Japan as a place where men's "needs" are dealt with in a "non-moralizing" fashion. Well, that's pretty true if you are dealing with any aspect of the prostitution industry, anywhere in the world. I can name a number of places in the US, mainly in Nevada, San Francisco, and West Hollywood, and any red light area of any major city, where a man on the make won't come into contact with a single moral admonishment when in pursuit of a good time.

One cultural difference that men find attractive about Japan is that women in Japan (and Asia in general) are brought up to cater to men, at least on the surface. Japanese women find North American and European men attractive because these men were raised in a culture where they were taught that ladies should be treated with kid gloves. In addition, Japanese women, unlike their Korean counterparts, don't really care that much about looks. It's no accident that Japanese women and Western men find each other charming.

The Confucian system puts men over women. Consequently, sex is thought of as something that males shouldn't need to control - it's sort of treated in the same manner as passing gas - it's something that "can't be helped" (shoganai). Sex (for men, at least) is looked upon as a bodily function - it certainly is not attached to romance as it is in the West. So, if unromantic, casual, no strings, mechanical sex is your thing, Japan (and Asia) is the place for you.

This domination by males explains in part the wealth of graphic sex in the Japanese media. A number of American and other foreign men that I worked with complained that the average Japanese male's ideas about sex were "so 6th grade". Most of the sexually explicit material I have seen in the media there certainly does point to a low level of maturity on the part of the creators and their audience.

The idea of "needs" is not extended to women. Nowhere on the planet is prostitution a profession that is considered honorable, nor is a woman who "sleeps around". Japanese women still go to plastic surgeons to have their hymen repaired before marriage, so they can become "virgins" once again.

Clemens and his bretheren see nothing wrong with double standards, as long as it suits their needs, or as Dr. Phil would say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". The tone of this book is a couple of frat boys out on the town, living it up, giving tips on where to find girls that put out. And that's all well and good, because this is a guide to prostitution in Tokyo, nothing more.

The problem with this book is that it takes a small aspect of the entire Japanese picture and pretends that that's what Japan is all about. Well, imagine being a visitor to the US, and spending 90% of your time in places like Las Vegas and Castro Street, or a local strip club. Is that what America is all about? Hardly.

Having been a bar hostess (for a short time) in Tokyo, and having shared a house with a SE Asian bar hostess (whose Japanese visa was obtained by her Yakuza friends), I am somewhat familiar with certain aspects of Japanese "nightlife". If you want a truer look at what goes on in a hostess bar, better to get "Butterflies of the Night", by Lisa Louis.

Humerous and informative, "Tokyo Pink Guide" is a definative study of the current "entertainment" activities commonly available in Metropolitan Tokyo. It not only specifies exact areas and locations, but describes,in detail, protocols and cultural eccentricities. Remember, Japan is predominately Buddhist and Shinto. Unlike Western faiths, the myriad personal relations between humans are not verboten in "proper society". Ergo, life is more casual and relaxed, and without the stigma that we experience in America. I'd love to see a Part 2!

Here is the true story of the ideal man and marriage gone wrong. Margie Danielsen was a divorced mother of three. When she met Sean Paul Lanier in July, she began a whirlwind courtship that brought her romantic fantasies to life. He was everything that she had dreamed of in a man. In November, he presented her with a sapphire and diamond "promise" ring. They were married on Valentine's Day.

Things were going fine until Margie's best friend called six weeks later to say that Sean Paul was on television in a show called America's Most Wanted. But they said his name was Paul Steven Mack. He was being sought for the 19 February, 1987 rape and murder of Karen Winslett. He was also under investigation in connection with the disappearance and murder of his secretary, Annette Huddle. The nineteen-year-old had disappeared on 8 July. She was found floating in the river on 11 July.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is extremely well written. I highly recommend. It will make any single woman stop and carefully evaluate her life before going out on a date!

Margie Danielsen, a divorced mother of three, met the man of her dreams. He was loving, considerate, handsome, and had a good job. He made friends with her daughters and he gave her roses. Although Danielsen sometimes had feelings that the man wasn't as perfect as he seemed, she succumbed to his charms anyway.
Tainted Roses: A True Story of Murder, Mystery and Dangerous Love is the story of how Danielsen learned that the man she fell in love with and married was a dangerous killer.
After she recognized her new husband on TV's "America's Most Wanted," Danielsen hired a private detective. Little by little, the detective and Danielsen uncovered the shocking truth about her husband and began untangling his cunning web of lies. The man she knew as Sean Paul Lanier was really someone named Paul Mack, who had a long history of fraud and violence, and was wanted for rape and murder. He'd also been married seven times before.
As pressure against Lanier/Mack intensified, he threatened Danielsen and her children, at one point having friends of his kidnap the children overnight. He also drugged and raped Danielsen. Despite the danger, she helped the police trap and capture him.
Although Lanier/Mack repeatedly called Danielsen from jail, and had his friends stalk her, she testified against him at his trial. The police department has praised her courage in helping bring her former husband to justice.
Danielsen describes how she fell in love with Lanier/Mack, and the emotional and financial struggle it took to free herself. She now works with other women, helping them find the strength to leave dangerous relationships. Because of continuing threats, she lives in an undisclosed location.
Tainted Roses is full of suspense, as Danielsen fights to save herself and her children. It's also the story of how one woman learned to trust herself and her instincts, growing and empowering herself in the process.

"Tainted Roses" was a page turning book that I just couldn't put down, especially knowing that it is a true story. I felt every emotion the writer was feeling. I admire this woman's courage to find the truth and put this man away. Another woman might not have been so lucky, as shown with his victims. This is a great warning for people who are dating, to be more careful and cautious when meeting someone new. This book shows that it can happen to anyone and it does and has. I am glad this man is put away so he won't hurt anyone else, and I'm impressed Margie Danielsen had the courage and strength to put him behind bars. It was an exciting read, and an experience I hope no one else has to go through. I believe this book could save someone's life. I hope Ms.Danielsen has great success. She certainly deserves it.

We have yet to try Martini's acclaimed defense attorney Paul Madriani series; like his first book, The Simeon Chamber, this one is a thriller with the lead character a lawyer, but little or no lawyering goes on. Instead, a prologue sets the stage for the danger-laced tale of Abby Chandlis, a published but obscure part-time author/lawyer, who somehow writes what she knows might be a best seller. Most of the book is about her earning millions for her "first" novel and related movie rights and sequel intentions, all confused because she hires a "beefcake"-type guy to pose as the winning author under the {awful} pseudonym of Grable Cooper. Her stand-in, Jack Jermaine, wows and charms all, including Abby; yet Abby's long-time friend and personal attorney, Morgan Spencer, who is handling the copyrights and stand-in contracts, is concerned enough to spend most of the book digging up dirt on Jermaine. Added to this complex tale are the murders of Abby's girl-friend ostensibly by her half-crazy abusive husband; then his murder by persons unknown; then Abby's ex-husband, probably by Jermaine. By the end of the book, the pace is hectic, our brains are swimming with clues, and Abby dodges death several times over, leading to a very neat ending that we suspect will catch most readers quite by surprise.

Our only gripe is that this story is a bit like an Indy 500 run mostly under a yellow flag. It's slow to accelerate and toddles along in low gear for 2/3 the tale. The book publishing information was somewhat interesting but didn't really add to the pace of the mystery. Judging by the fact that it took us two weeks to finish what would normally take a couple of afternoons, just be ready for a watched pot that takes an awfully long time to come to a boil. We suspect Martini's fan club is right in "Listing" this one lower than most.

The List, by Steve Martini is a very exciting and thrilling book. It has murders and mysteries, and also goes into a detail on other subjects. For instance, the main idea is that an unkown author writes a book that has the potential to become a best seller. The author, being older, thought it would be better to write the book under a pen name. She tells only her closest friends, but when one of them is murdered she begins to worry. She now has to trust the man that she thinks killed her friend. This book is very good, with an ending to die for; I never would have guessed what had happened. I would suggest this book to many people, because it was a great read.

This is the first Steve Martini book I've ever read. Are all his books this good? I found myself intrigued by the storyline. Abby Chandlis is sick of her job, has been writing a book in her spare time, and decides to try her luck in getting it published. In a twisted and sorted way, she decides to hire a man to pose as the "writer" while she plays his lawyer. In walks Jack Jermaine. In the many twists and turns throughout the story, I found alot of mystery, humor, and yes! even romance, but not too much. This story was exhilorating, to say the least. If you're ready to try your hand at "whodunnit" and to go deep inside the literary world, hold on tight to your copy of "The List" and enjoy the ride! Three cheers for Martini on this well-written and highly entertaining book.

Did anyone proof this book? It's full of grammar, punctuation and typing errors. "This deference to prior decisions is the principal precedental effect, also called state decisis." Don't forget to ask your law professors about state decisis on your first day of class. "They not being provided for their accuracy." Thanks for the disclaimer, Grog. Apparently a cave man or woman edited this book. The examples go on and on. The fact that no one cares enough to correct these errors is sad; it makes it difficult to take the authors seriously. This, however, would all be a minor inconvenience if not for the fact that the information provided in Law School Companion is marginal at best. You can't help but feel as you turn the pages that The Princeton Review threw this together to make some extra money. Almost 40% of the book is devoted to sample course outlines. Sure, they call it Appendix I, but it's still part of the book. If you're looking for a book on law school preparation, this is not the one for you. The authors recommend that you read "one or two" books over the summer. That's great advice if you want to struggle to receive poor grades during your first year. The only real prep advice they give is to attend the NILE Law School Prep Program. In fact, the only phone number they give you is that of NILE. Turns out, two of the authors are NILE directors and the other is a NILE instructor! I expected more from The Princeton Review. If you're looking for a book on prep, try Planet Law School. I bought eight books on prep and found PLS gave me the most for my money. Many of the publications that the book recommends are difficult to obtain, but hunt is worth it.

I have read this book and know the authors. I know them because I attended the NILE program for several years before attending law school. Whether you buy this book and use it like a bible in law school or only buy it as a perusal of "what's to come" in law school, you should unquestionably get your hands on a NILE application and invest the money to go sometime before you begin law school. The authors of this book are dedicated to educating America's aspiring attorneys, and those who are "just looking" at the profession. As a successful law school graduate and second year associate at a great firm I can tell anyone considering law school that NILE is the single best preparatory experience you can find before actually going to law school. By the way, outlines are important for studying for exams. So if you're tempted to write off the book because of its concentration on course outlines...you'll be grateful for the guide when you're sitting in your apartment two weeks before exams and everyone is talking about their "study outlines." At that point, feeling lost and alone, open this book and thank the authors for a road map to your first outline. And remember, no book can make law school easy...if it could, we attorneys wouldn't grin in knowing sympathy when you, the law student, tell us how tough it is, and how confused you felt during those first few months. You don't need a book, you need a simple roadmap...and this is a roadmap. What you fill in along the way will be your "law school experience."

Please know that there are countless books which try to tell entering law school students about what to expect, how to deal with adversity, and reveal various strategies for success in law school. While this book is very effective about revealing the basic facts of law school, every future law school student must realize that there is no ONE set way to prepare for law school. If there were, there would be one book by one author and it would be the final word. But law school is not that way, life is not that way. Every person will have a unique experience in law school. If you are looking for a book to calm your nerves and make you feel more secure about what the next three years have in store for you, this book is right for you. But keep in mind that your experience will ultimately prevail over knowledge you gain from a book. I am entering my third year in law school, and the advice I recieved from other law students helped me more than any "help-book" did. My advice is for a prospective student to buy a variety of books to see different takes on law school. Include this book, then find a book by a law school graduate and get a book by a current law student. By seeing law school through different perspectives, you will be better prepared to have YOUR EXPERIENCE, and that one is the most important.

Sangren begins the book with an account of the market town of Ta Ch'i in relation to its cachement area (that is, the area from which people came to market there) from the 18th century onward. He then describes levels of religious participation, including cross-island pilgrimages to the Mazho (Matsu in the old romanizaiton he uses) temple at Peikang. As much as he can, Sangre obscures that his data comes from Taiwan, not from China.

Sangren criticizes overly schematic categorizations of spirits into the traditional tricohotomy gods, ghosts, and ancestors and questions the idea that the pantheons is modeled on an authoritarian central government (either the Kuomingtang dicatorship that ruled Taiwan at the time Sangred did his fieldwork or imperial Chinese governments that never had effective control of Taiwan before ceding the island to Japan in 1895). However, Sangred substitutes an equally a priori and rigidly schematic yin/yang contrasts to various phenomena and generalizes his structural analysis to all of China translating the terms Taiwanese used from Hokkien terms into Beijinghua "Mandarin" throughout. It is obvious that Sangren is far more interested in theorizing about a singular Chinese civilization than in observing and talking to the people he supposesdly was studying (Taiwanese). His work in general is long on theory, short on experience-near ethnography and individuals living in Taiwan.

Writing anthropology presents many tactical problems. Your data covers vast expanses of life, you can go in many directions. Should you include ethnographic detail or should you go for the big picture ? Should you try to depict what you want to say through the lives of a few individuals or should you remain general ? Some writers avoid discussion of theory and write descriptive ethnographies, others weave complex webs that connect numerous theories and famous authors of the past, trying to steer a course towards some and away from others. Often anthropologists fall through one of the many cracks that gape along the path towards a successful book, usually by trying to do everything at once. Not so Sangren's interesting work on Taiwan. The description is rich, with excellent maps and photographs, but he strongly connects his work to theory. I would say HISTORY AND MAGICAL POWER... is worth reading, not because the author introduces interesting individuals or amusing descriptions of events, but because he "bounces off" many writers of the older school, i.e. those of structuralist-functionalist ideas such as Dumont, Durkheim, Freedman, Leach, Levi-Strauss, Sahlins, Skinner, and Turner. Though the book was published in 1987, it does not engage in the post-structuralist, literary criticism-based anthropology of these last years. I, for one, find both schools equally challenging.

The writer states that he wants to investigate how categories of thought are reproduced in Chinese institutions and how Chinese institutions reproduce categories of Chinese thought. He consciously rejects the old oppositions of "elite/folk", "text/ritual" or "great tradition/little tradition" saying that all these categories are found in each Chinese institution. He prefers to set up an objectivist perspective, though I am not sure that that is possible. In any case, Sangren then guides the reader through a discussion of the ritual construction of social space, dealing with folk religion, cults and pilgrimages associated with a particular geographic area, south of Taipei and connected ritual actions, bringing in a description of the economic and administrative systems as well. Further on, he connects the concept of yin and yang to ideas of order and disorder, then talks of orthodoxy and heterodoxy, pilgrimage, spirits and social identity. Finally there is a section on the social construction of power.

I admired this book because the author is widely read and does not hesitate to bring in examples from societies outside East Asia, (many anthropologists blinker themselves to one region, even though their training should promote the opposite). I found that the many theoretical issues taken up and points raised were useful for me in my work, though I am very far from a China specialist. I also admired the book because Sangren thinks broadly, makes many interesting connections, and constantly creates sparks that may light a fire in your own, private anthropological thought. If he didn't, ultimately, reach the goal that he aimed at, he came close, he created a book that should be of great interest to China experts and also to anyone interested in relating institutions and culture. This is not a book you can sit down and read for fun. It requires serious thought, but it is well worth your time. I feel it is a shame that such a book remains relatively unknown, while many lesser books attract more attention.

Against the Law by Paul Campos, Steven Smith, & Pierre Schag The study of law has become a secular religion, a fetish, and canard for what really ails society, the courts, and lawyers. These young professors of law write about the bogus charade that has become legal reasoning in America. I may well remind them that the Constitution has never guaranteed justice to anyone -- only its substitute, due process of law -- and this requires the legal profession to ignore substance and pursue ad absurdam trivial questions of form to the exclusion of all other topics. Some of the essays, however, are written in the worst traditions of legal writing.

"Traps Ate" is not nearly as good as the first few books in the series; the traps in this one are sillier and thus less useful to a game master. I prefer the cleverer traps in the earlier books. The traps here tend towards excessive detailed overkill. Still somewhat humorous, but I'd guess most of the traps in this book are designed by younger gamemasters who are aiming for ridiculous ways to kill characters, rather than the very game-playable traps of the earlier books.

To start off, the editors of this book must have been asleep when it crossed their desks: the numerous erros in spelling and grammar interrupt a generally lucid writing style. Being in the field, I know that economists are not the most skilled writers, but I place all the blame at the doorstep of the publishing house. And the errors extend even to charts and graphs.

That said, the book is fairly good at getting its point across. While the authors' stance on capitalism-vs-communism is clear, they generally let the facts speak for themselves and are evenhanded in their treatment of the opposing theories.

A good, introductory post-mortem of Soviet and early transitional Russian policy.

Unlike lawyers Grisham, Turow, and Scottoline, turned writers, Steve Martini is a journalism graduate and writer who went on to become a lawyer! (Seems there ought to be a good joke in there somehow!) He must be doing fine, as his booklist now numbers eight (five of which comprise the defense attorney Paul Madriani series), with a ninth hardback due out late this year. Let's get real here folks -- this is his first book, and we thought, not bad at all.

In a very complex plot, almost shades of Clancy, we're quickly engrossed into the hunt for possible survivors of a 1942 blimp crash; a search for 16th century documents, possibly the journal of the explorer/pirate Francis Drake; the murder of the partner (and former {?} love interest) of the leading man, lawyer Sam Bogardus; and some other crimes and problems too numerous to recount. There's really not much lawyering happening, and sure, some of this winds up a little silly and improbable, but hey, it's mystery fiction. We thought the goings-on, climaxed by a very neat wrapping up of all the puzzles and murders, plus one totally unexpected revelation in the epilogue, were indeed quite entertaining. And the huge surprise ending left us aghast -- we cannot imagine many at all will be the slightest bit prepared for this icing on the cake!

In sum, a fine plot with quite a neat ending, with good story telling hurt somewhat by a few weak characters and/or some improbable action, gives Martini's first effort a passing grade, leaving us anxious to try his second outing and first of the Madriani set. Why not!

Some of the other reviews considered this to be a pretty poorly written book, but I found it to be very entertaining and the ending was a real surprise. The Simeon Chamber is not on the level of a Grisham or Turow novel, but I'd put it right there with a writer like William Bernhardt. It's a quick read and it is a page-turner. You may also learn a little about Sir Francis Drake that you didn't learn in high school or college. Give it a try.

Uh - what was that? One of the weirdest stories I've ever read, that's what. If you want a farcical story stringing together Sir Francis Drake, German Nazis, Chinatown, William Randolph Hearst, and a bunch of adventurous lawyers, then this book is for you. The ending was unexpected, and caused me to exclaim, "oh come on" out loud as I discovered who killed our hero's partner. For Martini fans, this one has none of the courtroom drama, but does weave in a lot of adventure. The story was well paced, but too incredible.

Steve Martini serves up more of his intriguing courtroom drama in _Prime Witness_. Martini specializes in taking his plot in and out of the courtroom, with all of the events intimately linking up to a surprise conclusion. Prime Witness is no exception, opening with a mysterious event, and building through turns and twists until all of the seemingly random events connect. In addition, Martini's protagonist, Paul Madriani, receives extensive characterization due to this novel's backdrop of marital difficulties, which adds depth the the problems Paul faces. Martini does an excellent job of keeping the book active and avoiding the legal dryness rampant in others in this genre, but does keep the legal issues believable. His practice of describing facial expressions also adds a believeable aspect to the conversations, since it communicates the unspoken aspects of discourse. For me, another interesting facet is the book's apparent setting around Sacramento, California (Martini's stomping grounds), but the author's strange practice of renaming some cities and places, yet leaving other names intact keeps one guessing from the descriptions about where things really are. For example, Sacramento seems to be renamed Capitol City.

Steve Martini serves up more of his intriguing courtroom drama in _Prime Witness_. Martini specializes in taking his plot in and out of the courtroom, with all of the events intimately linking up to a surprise conclusion. Prime Witness is no exception, opening with a mysterious event, and building through turns and twists until all of the seemingly random events connect. In addition, Martini's protagonist, Paul Madriani, receives extensive characterization due to this novel's backdrop of marital difficulties, which adds depth the the problems Paul faces. Martini does an excellent job of keeping the book active and avoiding the legal dryness rampant in others in this genre, but does keep the legal issues believable. His practice of describing facial expressions also adds a believeable aspect to the conversations, since it communicates the unspoken aspects of discourse. For me, another interesting facet is the book's apparent setting around Sacramento, California (Martini's stomping grounds), but the author's strange practice of renaming some cities and places, yet leaving other names intact keeps one guessing from the descriptions about where things really are. For example, Sacramento seems to be renamed Capitol City.

Martini's Prime Witness is an excellent book. The character's are well developed--with the exception of Nikki who I wanted to know more about. It seemed that her character was lost somehow in the story. In many ways the book reminded me of a Tom Clancy novel in that there were times when I had to go back and re-read a section to understand what was going on in a later section of the book--to me this type of writing makes the book more intriguing and more of a challenge to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book from cover to cover!