I had to read this book for my American History Since 1877 course. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. I thought I knew about the 1920's, and after reading this book I knew that I knew nothing at all.

This book covers ever aspect of the decade and gives it more than just a name. The book covers political, economic, and social issues of the day. It explains the state of the nation in the previous decade as well to give us better understanding of what was to come at the decades end.

The book was also easy to understand and did not try to overcompensate with formal language. Anyone could understand the messages conveyed.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would read it again just to enjoy it.

William Leuchtenberg wrote a very good and informative history about the 1920's. He explains life before 1914, World War 1, Prohibition, The Scopes Trial, The Teapot Dome Scandal, The Presidental Administrations of Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, The Great Depression, and The 1932 Election of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He also covers the role of Women, African-Americans, race relations, and The Ku-Klux-Klan. A book worth reading.

This is an outstanding history of pre-Crash America. Leuchtenburg is one of the country's best historians of the New Deal, but in this text he does a wonderful job of providing the backstory to that era. Very lively stories, wonderfully written.

SOME OF HAVE TO GET UP IN THE MORNING begins in a hardened-in-the-arteries mode. A housewife lives near a busy highway. Neighbors throw a party for the departure of the local thug on his way into the Marines. An unemployed father fights for the right to have his children. Daniel Scott tells these stories in a standard issue working-class shtick, using simple declarative sentences, the smug irony of none-too-bright narrators, and the catalog of dirty realistic detail found in doublewides. However, Scott rubs our nose in the made-up quality of these stories. Characters from one scene surface at opportune moments in another like Pip running into Magwitch on a London street corner. In the fruitful coincidences of his stories, in the too-good-to-be-true plot symmetries, and in the distorted details, Scott has found a storytelling style that is artificial in the way a liar elaborates or leaves out things. At the same time the stories veer from literal possibility, they suggest that these very things could really happen and in fact are happening somewhere in America right this minute. In this way, entire stories such as the long tease of a tale, "Upside Down Hart," about a gay man who falls in love and lust with his trashy and sexy criminal sister -- who happens to be married to a petty thief who happens to have sex with men for money even though he says he is straight -- revel in an ecstatic falseness. It hardly matters if this story is plausible. In this context, everything in this book makes too much sense, more sense really than anything that is merely plausible. Scott's narrators spin their stories over lives gutted by a self-hatred that puts them into seriously dangerous, end-of-the road pickles. The very long story, "The Host" the last in the book, brings this way of telling stories to a prolonged uneasy slide. Neal, the narrator, wanders around America living off the food he can scrounge out of the refrigerators of men who take him home. As his physical condition deteriorates, the quality of his clients drops and the bars he frequents go from moodily lit, to dimly lit to unlit. Finally he ends up dependent on a physically scarred, sour milk smelling man named Meyersohn. Meyersohn lives in an orderly apartment and lives a life of self-inflicted embarrassment. He performs oddly degrading acts, like plagiarizing school textbooks for grant reports and then telling his co-workers, or holding dinner parties and inviting people who hate each other. It becomes clear to Neal that Meyersohn picking up a sick, half-starved homeless person and moving him into his apartment just plays into this man's inexplicable urge to degrade himself. But as bad as it gets, everything continues to go on. The story, and the book too, ease into a celebration of disgrace.

I loved this book. There aren't many books of short stories you can't put down, but this is one. Some stories are funny, some are gross, some are sad, some are hopeful but all of them are compelling and a pleasure to read. Best collection I've read in a long time.

In his debut, Daniel Scott has crafted characters we all know and care about. His storytelling comes straight from the people he defines so well. His stories are not dramatic adventures but the drama comes from within. With this book you'll go from each story to the next. Laughing at some, crying at others, but captivated by them all.

I found this book to be full of wonderful ideas (too bad I had already learned most of them the hard way :-). This is a wonderful reference for the professional stage manager but can also be easily adapted for community or college theatre as well.

I found this book to be extremely helpful when teaching churches how to adapt theatrical techniques to the church setting. It is also a unique handbook that breaks down the lingo and explains the need for a stage manager in a show. As a professional, I find it valuable to recommend to those who have never been in theatre or those learning to become a stage manager. Everything is concise and to the point without talking down to people. I highly recommend this book.

If you're thinking of becoming a stage manager-- "totally responsible for totally everything" as a trainee under Daniel A. Ionazzi put it--then I would strongly recommend THE STAGE MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK. This practical book is divided into four parts: pre-production, rehearsals, performance, and human behavior in organizations. At the end of each chapter within these sections are full-page reproductions of associated paperwork. For example, at the end of "Auditions" you will find a completed audition fact sheet, a completed audition selections form, and a sample audition information card. Blank forms can be found in the appendix. An examination of the paperwork alone lead me to a better appreciation of what a stage manager does.

The text is highly readable and gives the reader the feeling Ionazzi is peering over one's shoulder anticipating questions and making sure the reader does not overlook important details.

The layout of the book is conducive to notetaking. There is a three-inch margin on the left-hand side of each page where gray-boxed definitions of theater terms like "ghost light" and "cyclorama" pop up. The space in between the boxes can be used for notes.

Additionally, THE STAGE MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK includes a bibliography organized by subject area (Acting, Costumes, Directing, Lighting, etc.) and lists addresses and phone numbers for journals, directories, and unions. Ionazzi is employed as director of productions in UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and TV.

I am puzzled that this book seems to have been taken out of circulation sometime in the last two years. It is now impossible to find it in any bookstore, and virtually impossible to find a new copy for sale anywhere online. I feel fortunate that I had bought my copy before the publishers froze their presses. Perhaps, it is deemed too sensitive in the Boat Race world to merit further propagation.

The book is written from the viewpoint of the Oxford Boat Club coach, Dan Topolski, who's had to deal with the tumultuous mutiny staged by the American rowers on his crew. His only ally was the club president, Donald MacDonald. The book paints the Americans as villains and prima donnas who could neither adapt to nor accept the harsh training practices and traditions of the Oxford Boat Club. Obviously, this book is highly partisan in its viewpoint, and has the agenda of attributing blame and responsibility for the mutiny amongst the American rowers, most of whom are still living and active in the rowing world.

Beneath the politics and the purpose of the book, however, it is still a worthwhile read. Topolski and his co-writer Robinson, do not write with a light trivial style. Topolski takes his statements seriously, substantiating them with systematic arguments that appeal by turns to logic, common sense, and the rugged traditions of elite rowing. He explains the psychology of rowing, of pain, of excellence, of teamwork, of self-sacrifice, with a passion and detailed understanding that can be quite exhilarating to read. When I was still active as a rower, I liked to underline key phrases in his book which I found to be extraordinarily motivating. Unlike "Assault on Lake Casitas" which is a macho book about a macho rower overcoming the odds, the prose of "True Blue" is very deliberate, very British, slightly ironic, sometimes moralistic, shorn of excessive testosterone, but always impactful. The Topolski-Robinson team is quite a remarkable marriage of sports wisdom/passion and writing sophistication.

I am sorry that the book is now almost extinct. I have a feeling that the American rowers indicted in the story may have rallied against it -- it is obviously biased but it is also quite convincing, making a devastating case against the American oarsmen. I do not know if the dispute is settled with any consensus in the rowing world, or whether the rowing world is still divided about whether the Americans were the cause of the unhappiness and scandal in the Blue boat. Apart from the political ramifications of the book and the agenda it advances, I have plenty of praise for its insights into the spirit of sport and rowing.

and I got thoroughly personally embroiled in this tale of incredible determination on the Thames, which is the most fantastic place to row. As a rower I would recommend this especially to anyone who wouldn't mind a bit of extra motivation! Topolski man, you F---ING RULE!

Fantastic I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone

Lately, I've come to really like the writings of Thoreau. It has taken me several years to return to this author...after being forced to read excerpts from Thoreau at a ridiculously fast pace during high school. Little time to read and less time for reflection left a bad impression of Thoreau in my mind that has, as I said, only recently been overcome.

But now, upon my return, I have found "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" by Henry David Thoreau to be a very invigorating book...one to be savored and not read too quickly. Taken at a good pace, it has been a joy.

While transcendentalism still strikes me as a rather facile and egotistical philosophy, I have really come to see and appreciate the mystical quality in Thoreau's works. Like most mystical authors, Thoreau is not always engrossing--he is actually rather tedious in points, but his work is punctuated by passages of sheer brilliance.

Seeing nature through Henry's eyes has been a wake up call to me personally. This book breathes excitement and lust for life upon the reader. Even his long winded discussions of different kinds of fish serve to alert me to my own lack of wonder. This world, even in its current subjection to futility , is still a wonderful creation. Nature (and Thoreau's picture of these rivers especially) echo the declaration of the Psalmist: "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands" (Psalm 19:1).

I highly recommend this wonderful book.

Thoreau sought the seclusion of the pond to write *this* book, not _Walden_. In 19th-century terms, this treatise is a modified travelogue based on a 13-day boat trip that Henry and his brother John took in 1839. By today's standards, contemporary editors and many an English teacher would decorate this manuscript with red ink and admonish the author that he strays too often and too far from the main subject. Bill Bryson's essays wander too, but he doesn't usually reach back and quote the Bhagavad-Gita, Homer, Chaucer, or Shakespeare. But whenever Henry takes in his surroundings, he is reminded of something else, and before you know it a serious discourse is off and running, and it has nothing to do with floating upstream or down. He expresses his opinions or offers his knowledge about fish, mythology, religion, poetry, reading, writing, history, government, traveling, waterfalls, friendship, love, life, nature, art, dreams, and science. He reminisces about a previous trip to the Berkshires and a sail down the Connecticut River. He breaks into poetry at whim -- sometimes his own words, more often someone else's. Along the way, the brothers paddle from Concord, Massachusetts, to the area around Concord, New Hampshire, and then turn around and go home. We meet some of the people they encounter along the way and get a glimpse of New England life during that time period. In some respects, the people and the land haven't changed much at all. We can see Thoreau's environmentalism when he talks about dams and their effects on the habits and habitats of fish -- concerns that are still with us today. We can laugh at his puns and enjoy his wordplay (i.e., "The shallowest still water is unfathomable" and Man needs "not only to be spiritualized, but *naturalized*, on the soil of earth.") Above all, we can explore these rivers and shorelines during a time period that we will never see personally, with the aid of a native naturalist who's in the habit of sharing his observations and thoughts.

Read _Walden_ first. And if you find you enjoy Henry's take on nature and civilization and life and living, pick up _A Week_. There are a few gems lurking in here that you might connect with.

[From Boating on the Catawba...in the
"Musketaquid"]

I will take the definite role of the
Nay-Sayer in the long line of aficianados
and idolators who insist that *Walden* is
Henry David Thoreau's masterpiece...
I will simply state that this work and
"Life Without Principle" are his great
contributions to literature, thought, and
value...

Take this quote from "Life Without Principle"
(before I get to 'A Week...'):
"To speak impartially, the best men that
I know are not serene, a world in themselves.
For the most part, they dwell in forms, and
flatter and study effect only more finely
than the rest. We select granite for the
underpinning of our houses and barns; we
build fences of stone; but we do not ourselves
rest on an underpinning of granite.
we do not teach one another the lessons of
honesty and sincerity that the brutes do, or
of steadiness and solidity that the rocks
do. The fault is commonly mutual, however;
for we do not habitually demand any more of
each other."

If that is not "preaching," but in the
sense of a prophet, not a mere sermonizer,
then there hasn't been any in a long time.
But Father Mapple's sermon in 'Moby-Dick' is
right up there with it.

If I had only known of Thoreau [and I had
not read much of him (and little then)except
at the University] and had to believe that
Thoreau was just what he seems to be in
'Walden,' then I would have given the man
short shrift...because there is not enough
of any sort of heart or soul in that work
to believe that he is even human. But
fortunately, a Thoreau worshipper (or rather,
*Walden* worshipper) forced me, by his own
imperious egotism, to try to understand this
man Thoreau and his views. It is fortunate
that I did, for I discovered 'A Week....'

This Penguin Classics edition is excellent
in a number of ways -- the two most important
being the notes in the back which explain the
allusions, and ancient Latin and Greek sources
and excerpts(for those who might not know them)
which Thoreau quotes and sometimes translates;
and the incredible "Introduction" by the editor,
H. Daniel Peck.
He can say his wondrous words himself:

"There is good reason for 'A Week's open
acknowledgment of the attritions of time
and loss. Conceived initially as a travel
book, 'A Week' was immeasurably deepened into
an elegiac account of experience by a tragic
event that occurrred in Thoreau's life in
the period following the 1839 voyage. In
1842, Thoreau's companion on that voyage,
his brother John, died suddenly, and in
agonizing pain, from lockjaw.
Without question this was the greatest loss
that Thoreau ever was to suffer. (He seems
to have undergone, in the aftermath of his
brother's death, a sympathetic case of the
illness that caused John's death, and the few
entries that appear in his journal in this
period are desperately mournful.) Interestingly,
though the pronoun 'we' characterizes the
narrator often in the book, the brother's
name is never mentioned -- an indication perhaps
of Thoreau's enduring need to distance himself
from this loss. there is nothing in 'A Week'
that directly refers to the death of John Thoreau.
Instead, his memory is evoked through various
symbolic strategies. For example, the long
digression on friendship in the chaper
'Wednesday' surely is intended to reflect the
intimacy Thoreau shared with his brother. Even
the ubiquitious 'we' of the narrator's voice
speaks to this intimacy. So intertwined are
the two brothers' identities in this pronoun
that it is often difficult to tell whether a
given action has been taken by Henry or John,
or both at once."

"To emphasize the elegiac aspects of 'A Week'
is to remind ourselves that throughout Western
history, rivers -- and voyages upon them --
have served as metaphors of transience and
mortality. Yet, as I indicated earlier,
'A Week' is not solely a mournful book. Its
rivers also support a spiritual buoyancy, and
provide the setting for exploration and adventure.
Most important, however, the book's larger
structure enables it to 'transcend and redeem'
the individual losses that it recounts."

[wonderful writing here!]
"In general, the outward-bound voyage of 'A Week'
dramatizes the writer's encounter with time and
its losses; on that voyage, he pays close
attention to the shore -- which, in its discreet
scenes of spoliation and historical change,
symbolizes the passage of time. The homeward
voyage, on the other hand, suggests assimilation,
resolution, and renewal. If the primary mode of
perception on the outward voyage had been
observation (of the shore), then the primary
mode of the return voyage is contemplation.
Now we are involved in an inward exploration,
and, symbolically, our vision leaves the shore
and returns to the river and the flow of
consciousness that it represents."
-- H. Daniel Peck; "Introduction."

I loved this book, which is unusual for one that is an adaptation of a screenplay. Perhaps it's because it hasn't made it to the movie screen yet. It has the scale that normally requires at least 3 volumes, but it is all in one book. The best of scifi. Comparable to A Plague of Angels by Sheri S Tepper

It has been a while, but this novel is still seared into my memory. It brings to mind so many genres from modern screen epics, to comic books, to the "Ring" opera it honors, and the even earlier myths. The characters, storytelling and action are broad yet detailed and beautifully drawn. It's one of those books that you make you so sorry you've reached the last page. If you like space opera - snap it up. Steve Berman, UCLA

since no one else will say what this is about... this is the story of earth after a hugely destructive war, there is only the valley left that is not covered with water, and this valley is controlled by the Rulers, genetic perfections who can teleport themselves, and who dominate the lower class human Workers because of this ability, which the humans lack. into this place is born Cain, a clairvoyant, a telepath of unusual ability , he is a wonderfully portrayed character, a man too hard and too focused on his leadership of the rebellion of the humans against the rulers to see anything else, until a small orphaned boy is left in Cain's care--a boy whose unknown heritage will decide the outcome of this war over freedom and revenge. (by the way the ring doesnt really have much to do with the story, its just a good setting for the introduction) this book is sweeping and honest, Cain isn't nice or kind , but neither is he evil , you must decide who is right in this book , it isn't handed to you. like so much of real life, none of this is black and white, just shades of gray

RUNNING WITH THE MACHINE is the only book I have ever encountered about an unsuccessful campaign for a state legislative seat. In that, it is a valuable addition to the campaign story genre. For me, it was an extra bonus that I work in state politics in New York, where the story takes place. The first virtue of the book, then, is that it is in a way a totally new contribution. The second virtue is that it is an interesting story about the thing that I do. Not everyone can share an appreciation of that latter point, but thousands of legislative staffers and candidates in this state alone certainly can. I think those interested in politics more generally can as well, especially since people writing books usually ignore campaigns of this size and magnitude.

The third and greatest of the book's virtues is that it really details what happens in a competitive legislative campaign (at least in New York State). As a story, this book works better than a "how to," yet it contains just about as much instructional detail.

Nevertheless, RUNNING WITH THE MACHINE is flawed, in large part because it is a memoir. Dan Lynch is a very bitter man, or at least he writes a very bitter story. He seems to have been motivated to run by a sense of idealism that was totally eviscerated by the experience of running. His level of contempt for voters, his opponent and his opponent's team, some of his less than enthusiastic allies, and the process itself becomes so shrill as to detract mightily from the otherwise fine account of an interesting campaign. Lynch has been around politics for years, but he just...can't...get...over how his opponent claimed that he "led the charge" for a bill that he had merely voted for. Lynch labels hyperbole as lies and fails to recognize when he is guilty of exactly what he complains about.

Lynch, a former reporter and newspaper editor, is also astounded by the media's lack of interest in his campaign. While once he may have criticized politicians for trying to make news via press release instead of action, now he is flabbergasted that his press releases are ignored. Once he may have sneered at scripted candidates, now he is flummoxed when reporters want to pursue their own story line instead of the one established by his campaign team. After years of writing, he chooses not to mention an example of a story or column he ever wrote comparing a local candidate's voting record to campaign material (almost certainly because he never wrote such a piece...or seen one), this time he is amazed that the local newspapers ignored that scoop about his opponent.

All this and more detracts from what is otherwise an enjoyable, informative book. Nevertheless, it does not detract so much as to slow the book down or make it any less interesting. RUNNING WITH THE MACHINE is certainly all that - and it is well worth reading.

I have a lot in common with Dan Lynch: I am running for New York State Assembly (in the 1st District -- eastern Long Island) as the Democratic candidate (even though I'm not a Democrat) in a district that's highly Republican against an entrenched GOPer. I'm also a former longtime journalist. Website: johnson.gs

So far, this book has been right on with detailing what it takes to run such a race. It's a blueprint and interestingly written. Hopefully, I can avoid some of the mistakes Lynch made and go with the flow a little better. Lynch's book is helping me visualize what my own race could end up being like.

Thanks, Dan.

Having just seen what a few million dollars can "buy" in my local election, I found Dan Lynch's book particularly fascinating...all citizens need to get much much better informed about who we elect and not vote by the ads. And to do this, we need the media to be much more responsible in covering the issues and the candidates' backgrounds. Otherwise, we get a lot of hidden "special interests" that we don't know about and find that the slick ad messages have little or nothing to do with the person who is now our representative.

Reading "Trilby" is like listening to a lively, friendly raconteur taking you into his confidence. All the characters are interesting and lovable despite their faults. Ultimately, du Maurier even has a soft spot for Svengali. Sentimental, yes...but effervescent and with a broad tolerance for life and human weaknesses. It's a fun, memorable read and easy to see why it was a huge hit of the 1890's.

The book which put "Svengali" into the English language. I had heard of this book long ago, of course, though i can't remember whether it was first from learning about Svengali or finding out that du Maurier was Daphne du Maurier's father. But i had never read it. In a way i'm glad i didn't, becuase that has given me the opportunity to read it now, for the first time. It has taken me a little longer than i might have expected, but was well worth the time. The story of the tragic Trilby, who cannot sing a note to save her life, and how she is moulded into the singer who takes Europe by storm, by the evil (?)(i'm not sure) musician Svengali, who uses mesmerism of some kind to play her as an instrument. The story is told from the persepective of three Englishmen who lived in Paris during the time Trilby was an artists' model, before she fell under Svengali's spell. The three, Taffy, the Laird, and Little Billee, who was her fiancé at one point, briefly, are artists, of a sort; they love Trilby for herself, and are devastated when she is removed from them by events. Naturally, they are shocked by her reappearance in the world of Culture. But they are delighted at the possibility of renewing her acquaintance.

I could wish that du Maurier had not been so cute with his French as "spoken" by the English. I could wish that there is less French altogether, as it does slow down the reading ~ perhaps one reason "Trilby" isn't read any more (is it?). It does generate an atmosphere, though, and you begin to know what Western Europe was like in the middle years of two centuries ago. This edition, Dover, has over a hundred illustrations by du Maurier, who had made his name as a cartoonist for Punch. They are lovely, and add immeasurably to the book.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who commented that this novel is at best a curiosity and that it deserved to fade into obscurity. I read this in a course on 19th century novels and fell in love with du Maurier's writings and his drawings. He uses such wonderful devices to flavor the text and in many ways this satirical view of the aesthetic movement informs the period as much as Oscar Wilde's work does. That the work has some anti-Semitic sentiment it is no more worrisome than anything in Shakespeare (meaning that you must take the work as a work in a period of time). The character types are common enough and the message of the story is timeless--I'll leave the discernment of the message to the reader. Reading this was like uncovering your grandad's favorite toy in the attic and realizing it was still fun to play with today.

This edition does NOT include a CD. Based on other reviews, I had assumed that I would receive a CD with fillable legal forms.

This book had all the basiscs written in non lawyer talk. Forms and examples were clear. Recommended for any one having a need to do a basic will on a weekend day. Read the entire book in a short period of time as some material and examples can be skipped over.

A legal drawn and valid will is the most reliable way to insure that the disposition of your assets will be allocated as you want them to be upon the event of your death. Less that 25% of Americans have this final financial instrument, leaving the disposition of their estate to the preferences of others and/or the whims of the judicial system. Now in its fifth edition, Attorney Daniel Sitarz's Prepare Your Own Will: The National Will Kit is an inexpensive, authoritative, "user friendly", step-by-step, "how to" manual that comes complete with all the forms, questionnaires, checklists, and sample documents necessary to the construction of a will that will prove valid in all fifty states. Very highly recommended for non-specialist general readers and written in ordinary, totally accessible language, Prepare Your Own Will is accompanied by a CD-ROM containing all the legal forms required and are very easy to fill out using any word-processing program.

This book can be read on a three-hour plane trip, but I bought it for a leadership class in college. The Way Of The Warrior is inappropriate for higher education, and should only be read for entertainment. Leadership is important, history is important, but if this book is the standard of which our students should be judged there is something definitely wrong.

From Alexander the Great to General Schwarzkopf, all great leaders in their time. The term Captain is uded readily, instead of General, as the title implies, but it hardly makes a difference.

Although leading from the front can be taught in an afternoon, it is spelled out in this book, constantly.

One thing about Generals in war should be said. The victor isn't always the one with the best plan, but the one who made the least blunders.

Not one of the best, but certainly worth reading.

Great book - and I'm very picky about business books, since selling books and being a successful manager can rarely be done simultaneously. PLUS, as a trained manager, most of the pop-management garbage out there isn't targeted to me anyway.

Jim Dunnigan takes an often overlooked aspect of business and military management bringin home the goods in an easy-to-read, and downright witty style of writing. The Way of the Warrior is hard to put down.

The book would make a great read for college and B-School students studying organizational behavior, applied management and interpersonal communication. The last chapter ties it all together rather nicely. Though it's debatable that leadership can be taught let alone easily defined, this book serves as a great entre into where military history and game theory overlap.

My only complaint - more detail! More military figures, and what about the awful military leaders? Maybe a sequel is in order.

Jim Dunnigan also wrote a great book about WARGAMING.