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Book reviews for "Thomas,_Robert" sorted by average review score:

Chemistry
Published in Hardcover by Prentice Hall College Div (1999)
Authors: John McMurry, Robert C. Fay, Joseph Topich, and Thomas Gardner
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A JOB WELL DONE.
THE BOOK IS EXCELLENT. I USED THIS BOOK FOR MY CHEMISTRY COURSE AND I FEEL THE AUTHORS DID A FINE JOB WRITING THIS BOOK. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ALL OF YOU COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO ARE MAJORING IN CHEMISTRY OR THE ALLIED HEALTH FIELD. THIS IS FOR THE REVIEWERS WHO GAVE THE BOOK ONE STAR. HOW CAN YOU GIVE THE BOOK 1 STAR WITHOUT EVER READING THE BOOK.

Chemistry - A Study in Life
This book is a leader in the chemistry field, superior to any I've seen. Its explanations are thorough, yet concise. If you are a student, and you have any doubts about the effectiveness of this book, expel them from your mind. This is a book for autonomous thinkers, as it gives you a strong footing in intermediate Chemistry, allowing you to think for yourself. The media companion is also helpful. It brings the book to life, helping those students who work best with visual stimulus. Perhaps you do not have a computer in your home, but take the time to use this tool at your school. As for the teachers, you may have my assurance that my time spent as a student using this book was made more complete only by my professor's lectures. Please consider this book a valuable addition to your Chemistry library.

A good text for all first year student in chemistry
This is a very good text book. It has many colorful pictures to keep my interest when I was reading it along my course. Generally, it is well written and easy to understand.


A Man for All Seasons
Published in Paperback by Vintage Books (1990)
Author: Robert Bolt
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An Excellent Literary Experience
I am currently reading A Man For All Seasons as a school project, and I am enjoying it more than any other book that I have read in school. This play is an incredible work of art that thoroughly and accurately depicts the personality and moral values of Saint Thomas More, the man who was "the King's good servant, but God's first". Sir Thomas More became King Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor under one condition: that he be left out of "The King's Great Matter", which, if you didn't know, was the King's conflict with the Pope over his desired anullment from Catherine of Aragon. However, Henry is not satisfied with this, and he is determined to have a blessing of his marriage to Anne Boleyn from Sir Thomas. More, however, is a devout Catholic, and he believes that Henry's anullment from Catherine was not valid, and his morals will not allow him to bless the King's marriage. In hopes of forcing More to agree with him, the King administers an Oath claiming that he is the supreme head of the Church in England, and that Anne Boleyn's children would be the heirs to the throne. Sir Thomas refuses to sign the Oath, and, after spending almost 2 years in the Tower of London, is beheaded. A Man For All Seasons is a great play, for it really shows the reader the kind of man that Sir Thomas was. The other characters are also well written (particularly Sir Thomas's daughter, Margaret). If you are a drama fan, history buff, or someone who likes to read books with great moral substance, A Man For All Seasons is the book for you.

The play of the mind
The exceptionally talented Robert Bolt, who wrote the very literate and memorable screenplay for Lawrence of Arabia, turns his attention in "A Man for All Seasons" to the conflict between Sir Thomas More and King Henry VIII over the question of Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn and the subsequent creation of the Church of England in order to jusify it. More believes that the marriage is not legal and that attacks on the church are not justified, and cannot make himself swear the mandated oath recognizing Henry as the head of the church in England. Since More is Chancellor and one of Henry's chief advisors, this sets the stage for that well known conflict that ends with More being beheaded.

The miracle that Bolt achieves with this play is to bring alive the conflict of ideas and principle that the mundane question of Henry's irregular marriage occasioned. This is a wordy play, but Bolt is a master of words, and there are enough pithy and memorable exchanges here to fill a book of quotations. The real historical characters were fascinating, and if Bolt has streamlined the story and simplified some of the rough spots that just serves to heighten the dramatic intensity of the inevitable tragic end. As a man of consience, More cannot renounce his faith. He is torn between serving a King to whom he owes allegiance and saving his soul, and the King gives him no out. Even after renouncing his office and refusing to make any public statement about the marriage he is hounded by the King's menions and finally imprisoned in the Tower of London.

The cast of characters that seal his fate are not - with the possible exception of Cromwell - evil men. The King is selfish but willing to forgive if More will take the oath. Richard Rich, More's former student whose perjured testimony finally condemns him, is merely venal and willing to sell his self-respect for advancement. More's best friend, who goes along just to be left alone, simply doesn't want to risk his life and title and can't understand More's stance. Even his family has trouble coming to terms with why he will not bend. Knowing from the beginning how this will all end adds a layer of complexity to the actions of those characters who try to influence More and/or benefit themselves.

Finally, to return to the language of the play, this is really great writing of a particular kind. Bolt has the ability to sum up complex arguments in a few telling phrases and to find memorable turns of speech that make actors want to say the words and audience members want to hear them. This is simply one of the best plays of its kind ever written and I can't imagine it ceasing to be performed.

A witty, engaging, morality play. Brilliantly written.
Please don't make students read this book! Being part of an assignment is enough to ruin any literary work for the reader, no matter how great. I first read this play while in Grade 10 (two years ago), without being forced, and I relished every word from beginning to end. It was so engaging and enjoyable that I couldn't put it down, and I actually laughed aloud and cried several times while reading it after classes and on the bus. This play got me interested in Renaissance English history, and I have learned a lot since then which I can relate to characters and events in A Man for All Seasons.

There is the criticism that Bolt made Sir Thomas unrealistically good and considerably more tolerant than he actually was, but Bolt admits this himself in the introduction included with the edition I read. In this play, historic events and of Sir Thomas More's personality are taken and molded slightly to provide a demonstration of one's man dedication to his faith and his conscience. The dialogue is brilliant, the characters are well realized (within the heroic structure for which Bolt was aiming), and--despite what some may consider a boring premise, certainly not me--the plot and issues are fascinating. It really made me think, and I've come back and read it several times when I feel like I need an idea to ponder. A marvellous play to see performed as well, especially when there is a very capable actor in the title role.


Love Tactics
Published in Paperback by Avery Penguin Putnam (1987)
Authors: Thomas W. McKnight, Robert H. Phillips, and Valerie Littlewood
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Amazing, weird but very true!
Well, my perception of love changes completely & I have changed my attitude towards love & life more positively becoz what the book says is absolutely very true! I really regretted not having read it eariler when I was going though the rocks of my relationship which seemed to have many senarios described in the book & the possible solutions for it rather than to be helplessly waiting for the relationship to end so tragically...when I could have saved it actually. Now, I have realised my emotional insecurities & better ways to cope with it, I began to understand myself better. I'm certainly looking forward to my next relationship with much more confidence & hope!

A great book!
I purchased this book about 6 months ago with the intent of winning the heart of someone special I had met two months previously. Before applying any of the techniques I read the book from cover to cover trying to get a feel for the concept of the book and the reasoning behind them. Once I had a feeling of where my relationship stood at that point in time, I began to experiment with various techniques as described in the book.

It is my opinion that no book can actually make someone fall in love with you. But a book can help you make the other person, the object of your desires, realise that they have feelings for you, if they indeed exist below the surface.

Patience is required, however. Some of the techniques in this book take weeks or longer to play out effectively. But trust me, they do work.

And, while the object of my affections has yet to declare her love for me, I can see the day coming and have this book to thank for helping me not blow everything by being impatient.

This is truly a great book and I highly recommend it!

Very useful book.
As a professional counselor I have read many of the "relationship" books on the market and Tom's book is far and away among the very best. Love Tactics explains the way humans interact and the psychology behind what works and what does not work. Tactics may not be the most gentle sounding term, but the reality is everything in life has a formula or tactics that make something work. Love Tactics gives accurate information on how people psychologically respond to different situations. One of the most important concepts covered in the book is the ability to maintain a level of appearing indifference in a relationship and to why this allows the other person to respond without feeling "smothered" I have found the book very well written contrary to a previous review, in which the reviewer had problems spelling basic words. An excellent choice for a person who is serious about having a lasting relationship.


More: Utopia
Published in Paperback by Cambridge Univ Pr (Pap Txt) (1989)
Authors: Thomas More, George M. Logan, and Robert M. Adams
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A Classical Masterpiece
Utopia is a classic masterpiece that conveys More's vivid imagination of the Island of Utopia. Although most of the characters are fictional, it is intriguing to learn about the true values of European societies during the 16th century, when More actually wrote the book (although many scholars believe that the exact year was 1515). Truthfully, the book is quite easy to understand. All More tries to do is convey his own views of how society should be through Raphael. Moreover, the use of imagery in Book I is quite fascinating, including the constant references to Roman and Greek myths and beliefs. It is also quite remarkable to see that the story begins to be more and more interesting after More and Giles come back from dinner. To make a long story short, I think it is a great book because of the actual time it was written in since most pieces of literature written at that time were either lost or destroyed.

"In no place"
As a social critique of Enlgish and European society, this book is very effective. It is also beautifully written. But it should not be read as the depiction of what society should be like. Thomas More, a wise and brave man executed by orders of Henry VIII, knew that Utopia shouldn't be taken very seriously, and that is exactly why he used the word Utopia to name his famous island. Utopia, in latin, means "in no place", that what can not exist. The problem is that this simple fact was not understood by many. And so, "utopianism" was born. The preposterous belief that there is a universal and definitive form of organization for human societies led to disasters like Nazism and Communism. By organizing everything perfectly (according to who?), these systems become the negation of the very essence of the human being: its innate imperfection and its need to be constantly changing, always on the move. It is simply impossible that some political, economic and social system resolves once and for all the troubles of humanity. Problems are exactly what make humans progress and reform constantly. Besides, the State has proven indispensable for survival, but also limited in what it can accomplish (in Utopia, the State provides everything for everybody). Stagnant societies degenerate and disappear, or remain to live from the charity of dynamic societies. Closed, perennial social systems, simply don't work: there is abundant proof in history, ancient or recent. "Utopia" is an excellent account of human shortcomings and a good tale, but it is not, nor was intended to be, a recipe with solutions for the world. Aldous Huxley and George Orwell have shown us what might happen in a supposed Utopia. The Communist world was worse. And Anthony Burgess clearly shows us in "A Clockwork Orange", that in "perfect" societies, the only way to practice freedom is violence. Let's not be perfect.

A Different Take
It's unfortunate that it seems as if most of these reviews were written by people whose only knowledge of More has come from the (mostly incorrect) opinions they have formed after reading this book. I don't think one can truly understand its import until he or she understands where Moore is at this point in his life and what he previously wrote ("Life of Pico", for example) and what he wrote later (while in prison, perhaps). No, he wasn't expressing his views through Raphael. In fact, it's clear that Raphael is an opinionated fibber (i.e., he discovered Utopia after Vespucci's fourth voyage? There were only three and Morus knows it...) and his account is purposefully filled with contradictions. There's more to it! More is raising issues, trying to make the careful reader think (and shame on some of the other reviewers for not being careful readers). And once you've read this book, read enough More (ha!) to understand what was going on in the bigger scheme of things, such as More's relationship with the other Renaissance humanists of his time and Henry VIII.


West Point: Two Centuries of Honor and Tradition
Published in Hardcover by Warner Books (2002)
Authors: Robert Cowley, Thomas Guinzburg, H., Robert Cowley, and H. Norman Schwarzkopf
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Visit West Point
This coffee table book was okay, no better or no worse than the others that were put together for West Point's bicentennial. But, I think pictures, whether beautiful or just okay, are substantially empty momentos -- not momentos at all -- with little in the way of meaning or value. There is no substitute for the real thing. I recommend that you personally visit West Point and take the tour --- and take pictures with you in them.

For West Point Fans And The General Population
For West Point fans interested in its bicentennial, I recommend "West Point: Two Centuries.." by Robert Cowley. It is like the other lovely books, "West Point: The First 200 Years", "West Point: The Bicentennial Book", and "The Spirit of West Point" in that it is a coffee table book with great pictures, except it has a collection of essays written by well-known highly paid writers. For both the general population and West Point fans, I also recommend "West Point: Character Leadership Education...Thomas Jefferson" by Norman Thomas Remick. It is an easy historical and philosophical cosmology of the USA and West Point that everyone would do well to know, including the world of Islam.

Full-color photographs on nearly every page
Collaboratively compiled by Robert Cowley and Thomas Guinzburg, featuring an introduction by General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, and superbly enhanced with contributions from a number of noted historians and writers including Stephen Ambrose, William F. Buckley Jr., David Halberstam, Arthur Miller, George Plimpton, Tom Wicker, and Cecilia Holland, West Point: Two Centuries Of Honor And Tradition is an illustrated bicentennial celebration of the endurance and legacy of the United States Military Academy of West Point. Full-color photographs on nearly every page embellish this fascinating, informative, and very highly recommended history of America's oldest (and arguably most prestigious) military academy.


Mayor of Casterbridge
Published in Paperback by Houghton Mifflin Co (1962)
Authors: Thomas Hardy and Robert B. Heilman
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Be Careful What You Wish For?
Since I have decided to dedicate part of my time spent reading in 2003 to the classics, I started first with The Mayor of Casterbridge, not the most famous of Hardy's works but seemingly a good place to start. I will definitely read the other works by this author since I was so captivated by this book.

The novel begins with the sale of Michael Henchard's wife and child to the highest bidder at a local summer fair. Henchard is drunk and his wife, tired of his habits, decides to leave with the sailor who bids on her and her daughter. Henchard wakes up the next morning, somewhat remorseful for what he has done and vows not to drink for twenty-one years.

The very next chapter picks up the story nineteen years later, with the return of the wife and child into Henchard's life. Henchard is now quite wealthy and is such an important man in his community, he is now Mayor of Casterbridge. From here, a series of wrong decisions and misunderstandings lead to the devastating conclusion.

Hardy is well known for his tendency towards gloomy endings and this book certainly fits the mold. But he is also well known for his lyrical descriptions of the English countryside and describing a way of life which had disappeared even in his own time. There were beautiful passages about the hay carts being driven through town, loaded so high that people on the second floor of homes could reach out and touch the top of the hay. Small details abound, describing the sound of rain on trees and the smell of the local foods. But perhaps the most significant aspect of the novel for me was the feeling that Henchard had wished for everything that had happened to him, and all of his wishes came true, and thus ultimately his downfall. These wishes were almost all made in a rash moment, when perhaps a minute or more of reflection could have produced a clearer head. Yet Henchard lives by his instincts, since for almost twenty years they seemed to serve him well.

I would recommend this book to any serious literature lover and I believe it serves as a good introduction to his other works. His books serve as a bridge from Victorian literature to modern literature, with no happy endings guaranteed.

Loved this book!
I read this novel in English class, like most people probably did. It was one of the best assigned to us.

Hardy is a gifted author. He writes in a clear style with vivid descriptions that really bring the setting alive, without making the reader (at least this reader) feel inundated with borning, unnecessary detail.

The thing that I look for most in a novel, however, is quality characterizeations, and this book had them in spades. Dialogue was used effectively to flesh out characters. These are not stock characters, either. These people have flaws and shades of grey. They seem as though they could be real. I found that I could relate to the characters, and I did empathize with them, even when I didn't agree with their choices. Everyone had clear motivations. The characterization of Henchard shows that Hardy clearly understood the notion of the tragic flaw and the tragic hero/anti hero.

Students who have to read this book as part of their English class may find it a bit on the long side. I would urge you to stick with it; once you get through the initial chapters the book will pick up (a commonality that all British classics seem to share). The book is easy to follow and understand. It is a key novel that marks the shift from Romantic Age to the Victorian Age, so it's an important read for anyone who has a serious interest in English Literature.

Discovery of the Beauty of English Literature
At first I was forced to read "The Mayor of Casterbridge" in school more than 12 years ago. Reading it slowly made an impact on my life. This book always served a special purpose in my life. It introduced me to the wide world of Literature. It sort of enlighten my interest and liking for English literature. Now re-reading it not only brought back fond memories of my yester school days but also renewed my liking to one of the greatest writer of all time Thomas Hardy.

Through this novel I came to the understanding of Irony and oxymoron. Hardy totally wrote with a sense of awareness of human characteristic and he had a amazing style of mixed humour with tragedy.

His protagonist,Michael Henchard's life was under the microscope of Hardy.

I love the way the story began I quote:"ONE evening of late summer, before the nineteenth century had reached one-third of its span, a young man and woman, the latter carrying a child, were approaching the large village of Weydon-Priors, in Upper Wessex, on foot. " I love the Englishness and the sense of intriguing events that would follow...

In brief, Michael Henchard was a drunk who sold his wife and daughter at the fair. Later he realised his mistakes he work real hard and eventually became the mayor of Casterbridge. His life took another twist 20 years later when his wife and daughter came back to his life plus a few more other characters adding on the complexity of his life.Soonafter events unfolded and many things became to go against his way and then came his downfall. Indeed Michael Henchard's rise and fall were filled with compelling details and his encounters with numerous intestering people.

What I love most about this novel was the way Hardy depicted Henchard's behaviours and thoughts and totally enhanced his weak character and irresponsibleness with dashes of ironies. His sardonic literary style were brilliant and at the same time he also vividly described the scenery and situations. Another greatest of Hardy was his ability to create innovative characters still account for in modern contemporary days and he was a pioneer in analysising human's weakness and blended it into his creation. It's a vintage classic,psychoanalytic and intriguingly written ,a must read for all books lover.


The Hunters: Twilight of the Clans III (Battletech Series , No 35)
Published in Paperback by New American Library (1997)
Authors: Thomas S. Gressman and Robert Thurston
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A good book, but not a great one
This book, while exciting, definetly shows the inner sphere bias of all the recent books. The battle is laughable in the stupidity of the Clan commander. I mean, the Comguards can be excused for not having anyting resembling tactics, but the clans have been fighting Warship battles for centuries. Still, it's got some good action, and also points out the weakness of the inner sphere to treachery, something that has been neglected recently. A far better book than freebirth, but not as good as it should have been. Skip freebirth and read this.

The cover's the best part of the book!
I liked this one in the Twilight of the Clans series. The cover's the best part of the book, with it's beautifully rendered Raven crashing through the woods.

The story moves along well, though drags out a bit in the emotions of the characters who don't die. At the risk of sounding sexist, I'd almost think this one was written for the fairer sex, rather than we bloodthirsty mechwarriors!

The dying begins in this novel, but there's not nearly enough, and it's disappointingly handled as well. This one's a good read, and a must read, but Gressman could have done better.

A relatively good book for a new author.
This book followed the others in the Twilight of the Clans series. The story started out with an exciting, yet unrealistic, attack that a DEST team launched on a Clan outpost. From there, it moves to the planet (the name escapes my mind) where Task Force Serpent (the task force that is to take Huntress, the homeworld of the Smoke Jaguars) is training. The author goes on to describe a few training exercises. Then they leave the Inner Sphere, travelling via a secret route, into the heart of Clan space. A couple of monthes into their long journey, they encounter a few Ghost Bear warships. The battle is very detailed and well written. Soon after, they approach their destination. But all is not well...before they can get there, the crew is halted by the assassination of...

Come on, you didn't think I'd give it away, did you? Sorry. You're gonna have to read it for yourself.


Robert E. Lee: A Biography
Published in Hardcover by W.W. Norton & Company (1995)
Author: Emory M. Thomas
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A compelling readable Biography
Professor Thomas has written a compelling and highly readable biography of an increasingly controversial figure. We are now told that to esteem the memory of General Lee is somehow to honor slavery and man's inhumanity to man. Professor Thomas provides us with a welcome antidote to this deconstructionist thinking. The author gives us a portrait of a man who was thoroughly human. Possessing great faults but also possessing real character. I would lay only two faults to the book; First, the author's rather tiresome attempts at psychoanalysis, attempting to explain Lee's entire life in terms of difficult personal relationships. Secondly , it is obvious that Professor Thomas is not a military historian and he gives only a general analysis of Lee's strategic vision and his military career generally. Also I found his criticism of James Longstreet to be just a little over the line. Nonetheless this is an excellent biography and I highly reccomend it.

Solid biography of Lee the man, short on military history
Thomas has given us a post-revisionist portrait of Lee that addresses the general as a human being much better than it presents him as a brilliant military strategist. His complicated relationship with his rakish father, his sainted mother, his demanding wife, and his children are all central foci of the book; his relationships with those outside his family get relatively short shrift. It is amazing how little of this book deals with the actual history of Lee's Civil War battles; more attention seems to be given to his involvement in the Mexican War. Indeed, the book seems to give disproportionate attention to his life prior to the Civil War, with relatively lesser attention to what happened after he became commanding general of the Army of Northern Virginia. Since the latter period is that in which he made his mark on history, this focus is rather disappointing. But Thomas does a relatively able job of dispelling the image of Lee as "the marble man," and for that, Civil War afficionados owe him a debt of gratitude.

Lee as flesh and blood
Emory Thomas is ambitious but ultimately correct in proclaiming his compelling Lee biography a post-revisionist portrait. He attempts (with admirable success) to balance his respect for Lee's character and ability (without Douglas Freeman's blatant worship and apocryphal stories) with honest accounts of his faults and contradictions (minus the carping of Connelly's 'The Marble Man' and Nolan's 'Lee Considered'). In the process, Thomas has captured as much as any writer is able the humanness of Lee. I was struck throughout the book by events and words that mirror my own aspirations and failures. I think the highest praise I can offer Thomas's book is that this avid Lee fan and Civil War buff felt like he had met Robert E. Lee for the first time


Deadlock: The Inside Story oF America's Closest Election
Published in Hardcover by PublicAffairs (06 March, 2001)
Authors: Ellen Nakashima, David Von Drehle, Washington Post, Joel Achenbach, Mike Allen, Dan Balz, Jo Becker, David Broder, Ceci Connolly, and Claudia Deane
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An interesting early history of the 2000 election.
This book, by the editors of the Washington Post, does a good job of describing the events which led to the deadlocked 2000 Presidential election. In addition to detailing the paths which led to the deadlock, the book discusses all the post-election issues in a very readable format. Surprisingly, the books editors seem only slightly tilted towards Gore (especially considering it is the Washington Post, which is noted for its liberal bias), so no matter who you voted for, there is much to be found here for anyone with an interest in contemporary politics.

More Detail Would Have Been Nice
Two things struck me while reading this book, the first is that I doubt there is a book out there that is truly balanced and not somewhat biased. The second thing was that Gore really got the shaft, not so much by the recount wars, but by the election official that came up with the Butterfly Ballot. In the history of the USA this decision ranks up there with new Coke and the XFL, what a mistake. As far as the reporting in the book it was not bad for a review of all the articles they had in the paper, but it did not really dig into the particular issues very deeply. I wanted more detail and behind the scenes with both the candidates. I also wanted more details on the court cases; I felt like the sky-high overview of the issues of the cases did not do such an important issue justice.

In reading the book I think a little bit of a democratic bias comes out, just a little, but enough to notice. I also thought it interesting that they had far more details of the Gore group then the Bush camp, it follows the perception that the Post is somewhat liberal in its views. The book is an overview that came out almost 10 minutes after Gore hung up the phone on the second concession call so there are a few more details out now that they did not get in the book. Overall it is a good effort and a readable book, but not the end all be all on the subject.

Must-Read for Political Junkies and History Buffs Alike
This book recounts the nation's closest election with fascinating detail. The authors' genuine style of storyweaving lends the impression that the fly on the wall must have had a Washington Post tape-recorder implanted in it's wing. Deadlock was not at all like re-reading the same old newspaper articles again; this book casts a fresh look at the dramatic strategy game that took place in Florida. I enjoyed it as a self-professed political junkie and my husband found it equally readable as a historical account of remarkable events.


New York September Eleven Two Thousand One
Published in Paperback by de.MO (30 November, 2001)
Authors: Giorgio Baravalle, Cari Modine, Noam Chomsky, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Thomas Friedman, Bill Moyers, Salman Rushdie, and Julian Schnabel
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WANTS TO BE THE DEFINITIVE 9/11 BOOK, BUT FAILS...
After receiving a few mean-spirited e-mails about my review of this book, I feel I must clarify a few issues.

Again, I've gone through nearly 30 books about 9/11. After you get past the austere black cover, this paperback falls with a thud.

Simply put, this book tries too HARD to be profound. You see images you've seen before, such as the sequence of shots of one of the jets slamming into the south tower of the WTC. Nothing new.

Two things bug me: Layout and content.

In the layout, you get the feeling the editors are trying to SLEGEHAMMER the reader with the obvious. I hate this. For example, in some essays, certain words and phrases are laid out into single lines, as if they are poetry. Then there is the awful decision to use fonts of varying sizes to EMPHASIZE certain passages. This is a pretentious device that, I'm sorry, calls TOO MUCH ATTENTION to itself. It is completely unnecessary and smacks of a patronizing tone intended to magnify the depth and gravity of what occurred on 9/11. We all know about that dark day. We DON'T need it pushed into our faces under the umbrella of "literary art."

Meanwhile, about the Chomsky essay: It's short but it's awful. It's laid out, again, in a way that feels like "padding." His message reads like an "I told you so" lesson. Here's what he does: He points to America's "sins" of the past and then turns them around in a way that makes you want to believe that it's NOW THE UNITED STATES' TURN TO SUFFER. This is horrible. His opinions are the stuff of fiery pamphlets handed out on street corners. (BECAUSE WHO WOULD PAY FOR THIS?)

OK, what's good about this book? Well, some of the transcripts of phone calls and a handful essays from victims and witnesses are well done. Why? Because they ARE NOT pretentious. But when others try to be "inspirational," they end up stating the obvious. I can't help but feel most writers were given an outlet to "vent" their own emotions, which have more relevance to the writer than to the reader.

If you want more for less, pick up the December 2001 issue of American Heritage Magazine. There you get five-star opinions about 9/11 from individuals of world repute. It has a "permanence" this book lacks and it doesn't feel rushed together.

In sum, it's fine to read what people like Joan Rivers, Deepak Chopra, Richard Dreyfuss and others "feel" about 9/11. But is it worth PAYING for? You can't judge quality by "good intentions." This is a rush-to-market volume featuring opinions from most who have (or who will have) little if any impact on our lives. Why not opinions from Giuliani, Bush, Blair, Sharon and Arafat, even those recorded by the news media in the AFTERMATH of 9/11? Why not more views from individuals who can effect CHANGE? This book could have been GREAT.

Trust me, this is NOT the definitive book of "think pieces" about 9/11/01.

If you disagree, fine. It's your money. But my advice is to borrow before you buy. There are other books worth buying. This one isn't.

Interesting book regarding 9/11
Features a collection of moving photos and thoughtful essays, which capture much of what the world saw and felt September 11, 2001. Notable contributors include Deepak Chopra, author; Gary Fabiano, photojournalist who was trapped under the rubble; Robert Kennedy, Jr., politician; Liam Neeson, actor; Shashi Tharoor, Senior UN Official and author; and more. . All proceeds from this book will go to support the International Red Cross Federation.

GREAT DISCOVERY
This book is not easy to find. I finally ordered it from Amazon.com and I was amazed by it. I read all the critiques to this book. I usually like or do not like a book. I love this book, it is very factual, accurate and explores the feeling of about 30 people that had somenting to say about 9-11. It does not matter to me who they are and what they do, what matters is that the essays touch on fears that I had and still have. I do not pretend this book to change the world but to give me feeling and images to hang on to. On each essay I can find someting I can relate to and this makes the book special, it makes it personal. Highly recommended.


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