On the rare occasions when the banal details of corporate crime are uncovered, developed and prosecuted, the inside story is sometimes difficult to believe. Even more often, these stories, particularly those involving complex financial chicanery, fail to survive the conversion to film or print.

An obvious exception is "The Informant," Kurt Eichenwald's extraordinary new book about the Archer Daniels Midland Company price-fixing scandal in the mid-1990s. Mr. Eichenwald, an award-winning journalist at The New York Times, has balanced a cast of a nearly unimaginable characters with meticulous reporting and sourcing built on endless of hours of government tapes, documentary evidence and interviews.

Mr. Eichenwald's masterfully constructed narrative describes how ADM, the self-styled "Supermarket to the World," conspired with international competitors to corner food additive markets. The book focuses on Mark Whitacre, the wildly contradictory former ADM executive whose secret cooperation with the FBI apparently was intended to hide his own crimes. As Mr. Eichenwald writes, the book is about the "malleable nature of the truth," and how nothing in the ADM case was necessarily what it appeared to be. Along the way, the story is told in a way that "lend[s] temporary credence to the many lies told in this investigation," according to Mr. Eichenwald. In the end, the book accomplishes what few of its kind have: it has woven an otherwise tedious collection of technical and legal details and deceptions into one of the best tales of corporate crime in the past 20 years.

As the federal government found in its development of the ADM case, it's difficult to humanize corporate schemes, whether in civil or criminal litigation, or in the news or entertainment media. Mr. Eichenwald not only overcomes this obstacle, he has succeeded in producing a book that reads like a thriller. At one point in the book, in fact, a few of the characters even question whether Mr. Whitacre is acting out scenes from a John Grisham best-seller, "The Firm." Mr. Eichenwald also is fortunate to inherit an amazing cast of characters that includes not only Mr. Whitacre, the Andreas family, and high-level law enforcement agencies but also ADM's political network -- which at various times has included Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bob Dole, Dan Quayle, former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, and powerful Washington and New York law firms, among others.

My admiration of the author emanates in part from his reporting of the Prudential-Bache financial scandal in the early 1990s, both in The New York Times and in his book "Serpent on the Rock." As a part of the legal team that successfully represented 5,800 victimized investors in civil litigation against Pru-Bache, I believe Mr. Eichenwald was unequalled among journalists in his command of that subject matter. Even then, where "Serpent on the Rock" succeeded nicely in chronicling the Pru-Bache scandal, "The Informant" excels.

I believe that this book puts Mr. Eichenwald into the elite company of Jonathan Harr ("A Civil Action"), James B. Stewart ("Den of Thieves" and "Blind Eye"), Ken Auletta ("Greed and Glory on Wall Street"), and Bryan Burrough and John Helyar ("Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco").

This is the story of Mark Whitacre and Archer-Daniels-Midland, and of a price-fixing case that took years to bring to court but which ultimately, in all its ramifications, netted the US government over a billion dollars in fines. It's an enthralling book--I found myself staying up late to finish it, as if it were a thriller--but it's much more exciting than any thriller could be.

ADM sells chemicals and feed additives on a huge scale. Mark Whitacre was the executive in charge of their lysine operation, and for reasons that only became completely clear years later he began talking to the FBI in 1992. Soon he found himself as a cooperating witness, taping his colleagues covertly as they fixed lysine prices with Japanese and European companies. At one point, Eichenwald notes, they reach an agreement to lock up the entire Canadian market (worth about $100 million) at an artificially inflated price; it takes them ten seconds, and comes as a postscript to a more global price fixing agreement.

The story is convoluted because it gradually became clear that Whitacre wasn't telling the entire truth. Eichenwald has made the decision here to tell the story more or less as it appeared to the FBI, rather than telling it from Whitacre's point of view. This means that the reader may not find out the true meaning of some of Whitacre's actions until quite late in the book. Eichenwald's approach actually makes the story more exciting--it's this that gives it its thriller-like feel, since the reader fairly soon realizes there are more surprises in store. Few readers will guess the full truth before Eichenwald reveals it, however.

Ultimately convictions and fines were obtained. One wonders whether ADM has really changed, or has just gotten more careful; certainly the book makes it clear that consumers were cheated out of billions of dollars without a second thought, and it's also clear that such behaviour was rife throughout the food and feed industry. There are also strong hints that the Justice Department was susceptible to pressure to ease up on the case. Eichenwald, who sticks scrupulously to what he can prove from the innumerable tapes and transcripts relating to this case, does not speculate, but it's hard to believe the industry is immaculately clean. The free market won't seem quite so free or so desirable to you when you read this, assuming you ever believed corporate America was a good guy in the first place.

A great book, and an eye-opener. Strongly recommended.

Jonathan Harr, who wrote A Civil Action, wrote of this book, "I guarantee it'll keep you reading late into the night." Well, he was right. I stayed up several nights to finish this - dead tired but too engrossed to put it down.

If you like the complexity of a corporate legal case (a la A Civil Action), and you also enjoy the thrill of criminal plot twists and illegal scheming (a la The Firm), you, too, will be up late. Almost immediately such a reader will reach the can't-put-it-down stage.

Added to the fun of the read is the odd awareness that this is real - these are real people involved in real corporate crimes and real political influence. The treatment of law enforcement, the corporate principals, the lawyers, and the secondary players, was refreshingly objective. One never gets the sense that Eichenwald has some skewed perspective (this is in contrast to A Civil Action, where the author had developed the story while tagging along with the plaintiffs' attorneys).

This book involves key players at every level of the FBI - including Louis Freeh, and the Justice Department, and A.D.M., without the pain of unneeded blather; all are part of the game, and it's worth getting to know them.

The only awkward moment comes very late in the book, when the author actually becomes involved a bit in the story. But the convention may have been unavoidable given the circumstances, so it is only a bit of a bump. Arguably, some of the details may have been left out. But in defense of the author - this is not some fiction piece where every detail is forced to fit perfectly to some final climax. The detail is worth it here, and does not detract from the story in the least.

Oftern critics insist that this or that book is a "page-turner." Well, for me, this time the tag really fits. This is also the stuff of a fine movie, which surely will follow.

This is an accomplished work detailing the story of oil from the mid nineteenth century to the end of the gulf war. I found the story riveting up until the end of the second world war. The book loses it's grip on the significance of oil in history here. The focus shifts to oil prices, markets and many far too broad issues for a reader to easily ingest and understand. I found the details of the Middle East conflicts muddled and lacking a clear insight. The grasp on history slips into uncertainty. Possibily not all information is available to the author due to national security however he omits to say if this is so and the picture can be confusing. By contrast the first half or so of the book has a clear grasp of the story being told. Significant individuals are singled out and the narrative proceeds with a natural development of human proportions. The forces at work are clearly expressed and conveyed. Some flashes of this story telling ability appear later in the book but as the story goes global and more up-to-date the sureness of touch is lost. The reader really needs to want to read about oil price fluctuation in order to enjoy this latter part of the book.

As an engineer who has worked in both exploration and refining, I would have to recommend this as required reading for anyone who works in the oil and gas industry. Several years of working in the industry have given me a knowledge base, but nothing like the education Yergin gave me in The Prize. This book looks at the history of oil from its beginnings in Pennsylvania, the Standard Oil Trust, the middle east and all the other major discoveries that laid the foundation for the world's largest industry. The most interesting part of the book I found to be the major part oil and its supply played in both world wars. I had no idea what a crucial factor it was in instigating and ending the wars. What an amazing book!! It may be a bit long for those who are not familiar with the industry. But even so, for anyone with a thirst for knowledge about the world we live in, it will be extremely entertaining. Well deserving of a Pullitzer Prize when it was written.

This book is one of those rare non-fiction books that is simultaneously huge, broad, very deeply researched and annotated, and emminantly readable. Daniel Yergin has detailed, in broad strokes, the entire history of the Oil Industry from the first discovery in Titusville, PA to the invasion of Iraq.

What makes this book good is its easy and flowing storyteller style in detailing very complex political and socio-economic world affairs. What makes it a great book and a bestseller is the epic nature the book takes on. The subtitle 'Epic Quest," sounds a lot like an editorial decision to sell books, but it is quite accurately descriptive of the book's evocative power. One really gets a sense of global struggle, and Yergin's focus on the stories of individual people gives the book a very intimate feel to it. Hense 'Epic Quest.' Sounds silly, but read the book and you'll understand.

I am a young African American woman who read this book and i enjoyed it very much.So much so that i am paying the to get it to own.When the trial happened i did not know whether or not Simpson was really guilty or innocent,but leaned towards innocent because of the racist cop and i wasn't aware of ALL of the evidence. As i was reading Mr.Petrocelli's book it made me realize that the people of my race who was on that jury let a cold blooded murderer off the hook by wanting revenge against the racist cop(even tho i don't blame them). I am also aware by reading his book how badly Ito, Clark & Darden messed up during the criminal trial.If Daniel P. and his MSK law firm had handled the first trial the verdict would have been alot different i believe.I read Chris Darden's book and i did like the book but i read how during the trial when Darden & Clark were supposed to be listening to witness's for the defense and planning their cross examinations they were

writing notes to each other all of the time that had nothing to do with the trial alot of times.IMO that is not how a trial lawyer is suppose to act.Plus they were too busy fighting so many personal things that they had very little energy and complete devotion to fighting for Ron & Nicole.Daniel P. is the kind of lawyer i admire and his complete devotion, energy,drive and determination was inspirational to me he is the kind of lawyer you do not see at all anymore in the justice system.In the book he was truthful and honest and felt as if he was speaking right to me and he explained alot of the lawyer type stuff i knew nothing about but understood it as i read along.Some of the lawyers who write books don't explain stuff like that in their books.I gave Daniel Petrocelli's book the requested 5 stars but truthfully it deserved to be 10 STARS instead.All of the customers who read this please buy this book because it is worth it.More importantly i am talking to other African Americans like me and other minorities.

Truimph of Justice is an excellent book on the Civil Trial,of OJ Simpson,aka The Killer.
Daniel Petrocelli writes clearly and keeps the reader interested at all times.The reader is informed of all details and legal jargon is explained very well.Mr Petrocelli's thoughts on the case are balanced,and he is not biased,because anyone reviewing the evidence against Simpson would come to the conclusion that Simpson is CLEARLY guilty of double homicide.The writing makes you feel sad for Fred Goldman and his family who endured the murder of their son and the not gulity verdict of the man who obviously killed him and Nicole.
That Simpson was found guilty in the Civil trial is justice for the Goldmans and the Browns,because it was never about the money
that Simpson was ordered to pay(33 million)but it was about accountability.I have read reviews of this book and other books on the case and some people still come to the conclusion that Simpson didnt do it...i find that mindset laughable.Read the book and find out what a selfish rotten individual Simpson really is,hes a wife beater and a double murderer,

I was one of those few who had not closely followed the Simpson case. I purchased this book because I felt that it would report verbatim the testimony given in depositions and in the trial, and thus could not suffer too much from creative, biased writing. The author is, of course, biased. He represented the plaintiff, and felt Simpson was guilty, but I cannot conceive of anyone objectively reading this book and not coming to the conclusion that Simpson is a double murderer.

While many of this country's citizens may have legitimate concerns about their treatment by the police, this is not the case to represent those grievances. Simpson's side simply has no evidence regarding a police conspiracy. It is amazing to read about the mock trials conducted by Petrocelli's team wherein some Afro-American members of the mock jury indicated that while feeling Simpson guilty they would vote to acquit. As Petrocelli says, he wasn't trying to keep Blacks off the jury, he was trying to keep people with this sort of bias off the jury.

This book is important as history. It relates almost all the research done by the plaintiff's legal team, and the testimony presented in depositions and at the trial. For all of this, it is never tedious or dull; rather it reads like a courtroom thriller novel.

I have only one negative feeling about the book. While I am convinced that it is an important, necessary book, it seems odd that Petrocelli should make millions from writing it while the plaintiffs in the suit will probably see little of the 33.5 million dollar judgment. I had hoped that somewhere Petrocelli would say that he is giving some of his profits to the charitable organization founded by Goldman. Petrocelli also states how the Goldmans became like family to him. I guess he needed another family as it was obvious that he totally neglected his own for a year.

This book tells the story of mankind's scientific heroes throughout the ages. It focuses mainly on renaissance age discoveries and inventions, and is mostly (but not completely) Eurocentric.

Daniel Boorstin has obviously put an amazing amount of time and effort into this comprehensive book. The result is over 700 pages of tightly spaced text that cover everything from geography, to anthropology, to economics, and all the way to physics and chemistry.

The book's strengths are also its weaknesses. "The Discoverers" is as comprehensive as a doctoral dissertation, and often reads like one. Latin words and phrases are liberally sprayed throughout the text, and at times I felt as if Boorstin was intentionally trying to use the most obscure terms just for the fun of it. I also found the text and the narration to be mostly dry. This book is not an easy read.

I am an avid fan of scientific history books. I enjoyed the awe inspiring scope of this work, and its ability to illustrate the connections and interactions between scientists and their peers, and to show how discoveries and inventions were often based on earlier works. However, I felt that this format does not allow for the proper exploration of each topic. For example, the amazing discoveries of Faraday and Maxwell, are together told in only 4 pages...

The bottom line is that "The Discoverers" is not easy to read, and while it gives a tantalizing glimpse into a large number of topics, each of these topics is only briefly discussed. However, the sheer scope of the book gives the reader a fascinating bird's eye view of man's struggle to understand his world.

Boorstin's amazingly thorough and eminently readable account of 'Man the Discoverer' was a pleasure to read. Instructive without being pedantic, this approach offers history writing at its best. There are few shortcomings, though, that prevent it from a '10' rating. Lack of illustrations limits the book's effectiveness: many geographic areas Boorstin mentions are not commonly known, so maps would be helpful; and complex concepts (such as the "escapement mechanism" in time pieces) are not successfully explained in words, and desparately need pictures to demonstrate what he is talking about. Boorstin is also extremely limited in his discussions of discovery in the 20th century. Einstein is barely mentioned, powered flight isn't discussed, communication revolutions of discovery such as telephone, radio, or television aren't covered, and no mention is made of computers nor the amazing things we've discovered with their use. This does not prevent Boorstin from giving an inordinate amount of attention to other 20th century figures such as Freud in psychiatry or Keynes in economics. (Are these things really "discoveries" in the same sense as the other things he covers in the book??) Overall, this is a fine book, but it could be better.

I was very lucky to have Daniel Boorstin's "The Discoverers" assigned as a textbook for an undergraduate class I took back in the spring of 1988 on European Expansion and Colonization from 1450-1750. Ordinarily, history textbooks are a bit dry. I enjoyed reading them enough to end up only one class short of a double major in History, but this one stood out head and shoulders above the rest.

For a change, the text completely held my attention. Instead of only reading the assigned portions, I read the entire book. Upon discussing this with my classmates, I learned that each of them had done the same.

Perhaps my memory is tainted because this was an overall fun class where we studied actual sailable scale models of caravels built using the actual techniques of the time. But, I recently finished re-reading the book and it was just as much fun the eighth or ninth time around. I've read it so many times that I've lost count.

The two sections that I've always found riveting are the discovery of longitude and Captain Cook muddling around Antarctica. This book is just wonderful. I only wish that the sequel, "The Creators", was just as good. I found that one to be a bit rambling.

I would not think of doing without Dan's API guide.

I started Windows in 1991 with C and SDK. In those days you had to learn the API to get your work done. But, after VB 3.0, I got completely away from C and intimate knowledge of the API. Dan's book de-mystifies the Win32 API.

New and intermediate VB programmers will find his explanations easy to follow. Dan tells you why things work the way they do and warns about any pitfalls using VB for API calls. (There are not many problems, but they do exist.)

I you have not got this book and you are serious about VB, I recommend you get it.

Cost Effective : Excellent book for professional programmers that make a living from coding Visual Basic. Reduces the time to develop API applications in 32 bit. Hot concepts: The book explains dlls, threads, memory management, and the nuts and bolts of 32 bit programming. Comprehensive: I've enjoyed how the book provides building blocks of knowledge to help understand 32 bit programming. The CDRom provides excellent information, demos, and explainations. The AVIs make you feel like your sitting in a seminar learning Win32 api knowledge.

If you've ever needed a reference to the Win32 API, look no further. Appleman provides a great deal of information to help you push your applications to their limits. Manipulate Windows like you never dreamed, and provided the functionality you've always wanted. There's plenty of samples, and a CD full of source code. The CD also contains an online version of the entire contents of the book in Windows Help format. Definitely a must-have book for any serious developer

"The Big Sleep" opens with private eye Philip Marlowe being summoned to the expansive estate of the aged and wealthy General Sternwood. Sternwood hires Marlowe to investigate a blackmailer who has been involving Sternwood's wildly misbehaving younger daughter in some embarrassing indiscretions. Marlowe's trail leads him through a labyrinth of murder and deceit, and it is impossible for the reader to guess the real story behind Sternwood's daughter's trouble until Marlowe analyzes and reveals the scheme at the end of the book.

As he explains in his essay "The Simple Art of Murder," Raymond Chandler disdained the linear "whodunit" style of mystery and set about to turn the genre upside down with this, his first Marlowe novel. Chandler's style of designing a complex plot and inserting the detective somewhere in the middle to put the pieces together was to be a big influence on many crime writers to follow and particularly on a TV show like "The Rockford Files." (Jim Rockford was not unlike a '70s version of Marlowe, and many of the episodes featured similarly complex plot structures.) While some of Chandler's dialogue, situations, and props may seem a bit dated, his mindbending plot concept seems as fresh and exciting today as it must have sixty years ago.

Another book in my quest to read the classics - A great addition to the list! I am a big fan of mystery books such as Sue Grafton's alphabet series...now I see how the genre began. Raymond Chandler sets the bar for other PI novels to follow.

THE BIG SLEEP introduces us to Phillip Marlowe - a sarcastic PI with a unique perspective on things. Marlowe is hired by an aging rich man to find out who is blackmailing one of his daughters. Marlowe finds out the blackmailing is only the beginning of a tangled web of intrigue. There are two murders that seem unrelated at first, however as the book progresses Chandler does a wonderful job of weaving them together.

Chandler's writing style is pure joy to read....each scene is described in great detail, you feel like you are there. I love Marlowe's dialogue - tough, sarcastic and to the point. The BIG SLEEP is a classic mystery any fan of mystery novels should read.

When "The Big Sleep" was first released it was dismissed by those in the literary community as a worthless, pop-culture, dime-store novel. Now, If a book is compared to a Chandler novel, it is a bigger compliment than a Hemmingway comparison (Ernest's "Machismo" theme has fallen flat). Aside from the fact that Chandler's novels are just SO DAMNED FUN, they also set the bar for what a good detective novel should be. Chandler's protagonist in this and all of his major works, Philip Marlowe, Private Eye, is by far one of the most memorable in ALL 20th century literature. He has come to embody what the cool-headed, quick-witted, tough-guy detective is supposed to be in Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction (in both Books and Film). To define an entire genre is no small feat and happens once in a blue moon, thus "The Big Sleep" has become an importaint book for those who are mystery-lovers and those who are not. Looking back at what America has produced in the last 100 years, it would be safe to say that "The Big Sleep" is one of the most importaint and influential works to be published.

First of all, I like Daniel Silva's writing and I thoroughly enjoyed his first two novels. "The Unlikely Spy" was one of the best World War II espionage novels that I had read in a long time. "Mark of the Assassin", the prequel to this book, was also quite good. But, I guess I just missed the boat on this one.

The success of the Good Friday Agreement is being threatened by a new terrorist group and the current British Prime Minister requests that the U.S. President appoint a heavyweight to the Court of St. James to show U.S. support for this agreement. Senator Douglas Cannon, a political rival of the current administration, gets the appointment and since he is Michael Osbourne's father in law, we know that the former hero of "Mark of the Assassin" will be lured back into the web of dirty deeds and operatives. Even the "Assassin" from "Mark of the Assassin" returns. What more could one ask for.

Unlike many, I thought that the first half of the book was extremely well done. Especially where Silva lays the seeds for the problems in Northern Ireland and introduces his new paramilitary "bad guys" (and "bad gals"). But, with the introduction of a super-secret cabal known only as "The Society", whose directors are interested in world domination and control from an economic as well as a political/military level, I think he starts to lose it. First of all, the identity of the U.S. delegate to this group is a piece of cake to figure out. Then, "October", the assassin from the second book, performs a hit for the Mossad and Osbourne can recognize him from his hand (?). The Society itself - that world domination thing, again - is vintage Robert Ludlum. Even the three word title is downright Ludlumesque. And having Osbourne and Jean Paul Delarouche ("October") join forces to save the world.......well, let's say I double checked a couple of times just to make sure whose name was on the cover.

A number of authors of this genre have had their first couple of books be their best work and later novels become the literary equivalent of popcorn. I think that Silva is too good a writer to allow that to happen. But, I look forward to his next novel, just to make sure.

Another page turner from Daniel Silva!!! Michael Osbourne, hero from The Mark of the Assassin, returns as the chief protagonist in the Marching Season. Against the backdrop of the long-standing conflict in Northern Ireland, the secret order called the Society is again attempting to create global unrest to further their own agendas. The Marching Season is a fast-paced, exciting read. Many of the characters from the Mark of the Assassin, both good and evil, are back, allowing for further character development for the readers who also read Silva's previous work. The story has action, excitement, intrigue, and frequent plot twists - leading up to an unexpected ending. This is another solid effort by Silva. You won't be disappointed if you give this a go.

This is the third of Daniel Silva's books that I have read and all I can say is that THE MARCHING SEASON is perhaps the best sequel I have read in any of the genres I read in. At the very beginning of this book I did not think I would end up saying this, but here I am, saying it in spite of my initial reservations.

To be sure, this book starts off more slowly than I would have expected or liked. However, that is where the skill that Daniel Silva possesses reveals itself. Without a doubt, here is a relatively new author who is already a master of pacing, tension, plot, scene, character development and everything that is needed to craft a finely wrought spy novel.

Michael Osbourne is reprised from THE MARK OF THE ASSASSIN as are his wife, his liberal father-in-law, retired U.S. Senator Douglas Cannon and other members of the government and the CIA. Also returning for a not so welcome guest appearance is Jean-Paul Delaroche, aka October, the Assassin who unsuccessfully attempted to kill Michael Osbourne in the previous installment.

The internal machinations of the U.S. and British governments, as well as the possible goings-on inside both the IRA and the various Irish Protestant paramilitaries are also revealed here and in fine detail. Another master stroke that Silva employs throughout this story is that he doesn't ever really get preachy. With some authors, their natural biases come out in their writing. Not so with Daniel Silva. He simply tells the story and writes about the people he populates the book with.

Is there moral outrage on Silva's part? I would have to guess yes. No normal person could ever condone the terroristic acts that are carried out in the name of one misguided cause after another around the globe. If he shows that outrage, it is when he talks about how various splinter factions have risen out of the ashes of the fires of terrorism to scuttle the Irish peace process. He also writes damningly of THE SOCIETY, a super secret extra-national intelligence organization that continues to stir the pot around the globe for its own greedy interests. These are the folks you can tell Silva despises; the globalists with no loyalties to any nation or flag. They are only loyal to their own financial interests.

Although Silva continues to be spare with his information on Jean Paul Delaroche, he provides just enough material to keep the reader plunging along in headlong pursuit of the final denouement. This is what makes October so interesting and ultimatley almost sympathetic. For throughout the international chases, October is a man who maintains his own sense of values and morality. Michael Osbourne may not agree with October's view of the world or himself, but ultimately, the respect, while grudging begins to grow. How Silva brings this all about is what makes this an exceptional spy novel.

If you have not discovered Daniel Silva, you are in for a real treat. Start with THE UNLIKELY SPY and then read THE MARK OF THE ASSASSIN, followed by THE MARCHING SEASON. Only the last two are directly related but, if you read them in the order I have listed, you will get to follow Silva's rapid development as a writer and see his promotion into the ranks of spy-thriller masters.

I recommend these books unreservedly to all fans of well-crafted spy fiction. Read them and you too, will be telling your friends about Daniel Silva.

Thank you, Mr. Silva for many hours of reading enjoyment. I hope you'll keep Michael Osbourne as a central figure in your future novels. I think he still has more to say.

Paul Connors

As the mother of a twelve, soon to be thirteen- year-old boy, I've been pleased that publishers have finally taken an interest in boys. Figuring I need all the help I can get as my son enters adolescence, I read every new book as soon as it comes out. I've found merit in recent books by Michael Gurrian and William Pollack, but Raising Cain, is, hands down, the best of the bunch. It has touched me and changed the way I understand my son.

Pollack, an expert on men, bases Real Boys on a small study he did of boys--or so we gather from his introduction. His approach is psychoanalytical, and can be interesting. But frankly, Real Boys did not sustain my interest; I put it down about half way through and didn't pick it up. Many of Pollack's ideas don't quite ring true for me. Raising Cain, on the other hand, hits the bulls eye, again and again. The revelatory chapter on social cruelty, written long before events in Littleton, is alone worth the price of the book. I scarcely knew a "culture of cruelty" among boys existed, let alone how horrific it can be--until my son changed schools and experienced it first hand.

Finally, Raising Cain confirmed for me what I believe as a mother--that the loving, caring, sensitive, affectionate part of boys is something to preserve. When my son was born, I knew I could never try to "toughen him up". I would show him plenty of affection, allow him to cry, encourage him to express his feelings. So many men I knew became fathers and couldn't give their sons the love they never got from their own fathers. For me, showing love and affection is like putting money in the bank--it will be there to draw on when he needs it. Raising Cain shows me that this is the right thing to do.

Compare what Kindlon and Thompson say about mothers and sons to the psychobabble in Real Boys. Pollack seems so old school when he says that all a boy's problems begin at the "separation stage", when his mother "pushes him away" to start him on the path to manhood. This wasn't true for me--nor is it true for any other mother of my generation I know. Push our sons away!?! No way! We love and care about our sons, and want to stay connected to them. Raising Cain has an emotional truthfulness the other books just don't have. The world would be a better place if all parents and educators read it. It's transformative.

I was reading this book as a way to understand my boys, but found new personal insights. Then the killings at Littleton Colorado occurred. As a father, and trained as a pediatrician, I find the "culture of cruelty" to be a distirbing influence on our children. Kindlon and Thompson, demostrate the effects the "culture of cruelty" has on individual boys. It is not hard to imagine the effect it had on those two boys. Without the language to express their emotions they resorted to the language taught by computer games, television and destructive music. The development of "emotional literacy" is a lifelong process, in Raising Cain, the authors explore the roles of various influences. Mothers have a special role in the early years as well developed in the chapter on mothers and sons. In the adolscent years this changes. The effect of a mother on the issues of new interpersonal and physical relationships is not explored in the chapter on "Romancing the Stone". As a son, I found reading the chapter on "Fathers and Sons: A Legacy of Desire and Distance" introspective. In reading I was looking at my relationships with my sons and with my father. Who should read this book? Educators, mental health professionals, politicians, parents and boys should all be encouraged to read and explore the issues brought up by "Raising Cain". Perhaps if we took the issue of our son's emotional life as seriously as we take interscholastic sports events like Jonesboro and Littleton will not occur.

As a colleague of Michael Thompson, co-author with Dan Kindlon of the forthcoming book Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, I had the chance to read a pre-publication copy of the manuscript, and I recommend it highly. The book is well-written, engaging, informative, and thought-provoking. It is unusual for two pyschologists to write so well for the general public, without talking down to them and without being too academic. Raising Cain reviews the latest research about boys, gives rich and poignant anecdotes, offers a profound understanding of the depth of situation for boys in our society, and makes helpful suggestions for parents and teachers. Raising Cain covers a wide range of topics, from boys' emotional lives (the way they are untrained in reading and expressing emotions) to their early school years (which the authors refer to as "thorns among roses," referring to the way boys often fail to fit in or thrive in early elementary school) to the role of mothers (who try hard to stay connected to their sons in the face of overwhelming pressures on boys to separate) and the role of fathers (too often absent, at least emotionally, from the lives of sons). Another chapter discusses the fact that boys are more likely to be subjected to harsh discipline, and offers a variety of alternatives. There are also chapters on boys and romance, alcohol and drug use, depression and withdrawal. My favorite chapter, and the one that distinguishes this book from other recent books about boys, is on 'the culture of cruelty,' about what boys do to each other, espcially in early adolescence. Despite many efforts by paretns and educators, boys attack each other physically and emotionally, enforcing narrow definitions of masculinity and sexuality, leaving many boys scarred guarded, and lonely. The unique perspective of Raising Cain is that boys, for many reasons, impose these conditions on each other--it doesn't all come from the media or the broader culture. Several recent books have covered roughly similar territory, with a shared concern for the welfare of boys. Unlike Michael Gurian's book, Raising Cain rejects the idea that the 'boy-brain' is somehow ill-equipped to handle emotions. Though boys' biology does play a role, its contribution to boys clipped, withdrawn style is small compared to the role of socialization--boys are systematically pressured to shut down and shut others out. Unlike William Pollack's book, Raising Cain does not argue that mothers abandon their sons prematurely--rather, Kindlon and Thompson argue that the culture drives them apart, while most mothers strive mightily to stay connected, and keep trying even when they are confused and bewildered. Meanwhile, they describe boys having a 'hole in their soul' from their lack of a close emotional connection with men, starting with their fathers. I understand that Raising Cain will be available in early April--it is worth the wait.

No title could be better for this book than The Gift. It is indeed a Gift, and it continues it's giving long after the cover is closed on these wonderful versions of poetry by the immortal Persian poet Hafiz. When these poems are read, especially aloud, they never fail to transform my Montana home into The Tavern--the Divine Wineshop--where The Friend has always dispensed kernels of infinite love and wisdom. If you enjoyed Daniel Ladinsky's other Hafiz poetry collections, I Heard God Laughing and The Subject Tonight is Love, don't miss The Gift.

The Gift is Ladinsky's most powerful work to date--an intimate glimpse of the grandeur and breadth of Hafiz, and the distillation and ripening of Ladinsky's many years of study and absorption of the great poet and Sufi master. Lover's of Rumi will revel in this Hafiz collection.

Mr. Ladinsky's work is a treasure for our age. His interpretations of Hafiz bring forth the subtle music of the verse in a way we can all embrace. From the sublime to the irreverant to the witty, Ladinsky makes Hafiz sing for each one of us. Like a multifaceted diamond, the poems are ever changing--ever revealing some new aspect of themselves at each reading. And we are also changed as we immerse ourselves in Hafiz. We are lifted to a place beyond our ordinary experience. We are seated at the Tavern Table with the Vintner Himself and then transported to another realm.

As Hafiz says in one of the Gift's poems:

"It is all just a love contest and I never lose. Now you have another good reason to spend more time with Me."

Read from The Gift at your poetry group and watch what happens!

What a gift of love from Hafiz/Ladinsky-as-Hafiz! One poem says "Hold this book close to your heart for it contains wonderful secrets." There is no doubt that Daniel Ladinsky has "brought through" Hafiz, the great Sufi master, poet, and consummate wordsmith who lived some 700 years ago in Persia. For it takes one to know one. Not only does it take the greatest of beings -- a Hafiz -- to seek to lead in love all would-be lovers of God into themselves, therein to find rubies. It also takes a great-hearted translator and interpreter to bring an author of wonders to life for another time and a different culture.

Hafiz should speak for himself to describe this book. As therapist, he says "Love will turn the mouth of sorrow right side up." As spiritual trickster, he says "Stay near this book, it will stretch out its leg and trip you; you'll fall Into God." As cosmic courier, Hafiz is "Announcing a great bash tonight some of the planets are hosting where the lead singer is God himself." Who could turn down the invitation?

"These poems now rise in great white flocks against my mind's vast hills startled by God..." One can hear Hafiz and Kenneth Patchen singing together in some choir of poets SomeWhere. Or one can see a beatific bumper sticker: "It's no fun when God is not near." One knows, with this book, that "Hafiz will be your companion for life."

This book of verse is a blessing and a gift - you may find yourself purchasing it more than once - it's not the kind of book you just keep to yourself.
I really believe Daniel Ladinsky is to Hafiz what Coleman Barks is to Rumi, i.e., he is the only soul who seems to understand how to make Hafiz sing in English. A translation is always a collaboration between the poet and the translator. I understand some of Persian descent object to Ladinsky's translations; I'm no experrt on the original Farsi, but perhaps those critics were less familiar than Ladinsky with idiomatic English? I have read other translations and they didn't compare.
Or perhaps you should judge for yourself; I liked this one enough to memorize it:

Even after
all these years,
the Sun never says
to the earth
"You owe me."
Look what happens -
with a love like that,
it lights the whole sky.

My only problem with Daniel Silva is that he doesn't write books fast enough. The wait for The English Assassin, though, was more than worth it. Silva's a first-rate writer who has taken the well-worn concept of the international thriller and turned it into something compellingly new. The English Assassin is a perfect example of his skill: he throws together the reluctant, tormented spy Gabriel Allon with a tempermental violin virtuoso grappling with her own dark secrets and sends them off to investigate the Swiss collaboration with the Nazis in the theft of priceless art. It is an utterly fascinating story, brought to life with the help of a cast of superbly crafted supporting characters, including a vicious English assassin who is a bit more complex than your usual villain. Along the way Silva masterfully draws us into the worlds of art and music and gives us a tempting tour of some out-of-the-way European locales. I started The English Assassin the other night and finished it in one sitting. My only disappointment? It'll be another year before the new Silva pops up on the shelves.

The English Assassin is terrific, surely Daniel Silva's best work. From start to finish, this is electrifying stuff: the murder of a prominent Swiss banker leads Israeli agent Gabriel Allon and the banker's daughter, a classical violinist troubled by the past, on a race through Europe to uncover a Nazi-Swiss conspiracy to loot Jewish-owned art masterpieces. Silva's never been in finer form. The pace never falters, the characters are brilliantly drawn, and Silva doesn't settle for timeworn subject matter, giving us instead a fascinating look at a piece of history that too many people would like to consign to the dustbin. Silva's previous novels have all been great reads, but The English Assassin is a truly remarkable effort by an extremely talented writer.

Daniel Silva is becoming an author who hooks fans with his intricate tales of non-stop suspense, historical detail and fascinating characters. Though violence plays a part, it never seems intrusive to the plot. "The English Assassin" is the third book of Silva's I've read, and now I must read his other two.

In "The English Assassin," Israeli spy Gabriel Allon is once again caught in another predicament that forces him out of retirement. This time he is accused of murdering a Swiss banker, and while on the run, discovers stolen art the SS took from German Jews in World War II, a conspiracy that will rock the world and the banker's daughter, an renowned concert pianist with the terrible memory of her mother's suicide. Through twists and turns that keep the reader mesmerized to the very end, Silva proves he is a master of suspense.