Every high school history teacher should make this book required reading! General Sweeney spins a wonderful, non-technical, and honest tale of the real end to war in the Pacific. Those generational second-guessers who think we didn't need atomic weapons to end the war should be ashamed of themselves.

This story held extra meaning for me because Major General Sweeney was born and raised in my home town of Quincy, Massachusetts. I was born in 1961; Hiroshima occurred on my Dad's 15th birthday, Nagasaki three days later.

I am grateful - as I'm sure my father was - to Sweeney and his heroic counterparts for the sacrifices they made to bring the war in the Pacific to a conclusion. Sweeney states his case firmly and directly - without the bomb, Japan was willing to fight to the end; troop mortality estimates for a planned invasion of Japan were astronomical. Sweeney's actions saved the lives of countless of today's fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers (in America and Japan).

This book will make you appreciate the seminal role played by General Paul Tibbets, whom Sweeney salutes in the Acknowledgements as "one of our military's great leaders and the finest pilot I have ever met." Considering the often stifling nature of military bureacracy, watching Tibbets operate inside military jurisdiction while essentially doing an end-run to accomplish his goals is amazing.

Note that this is not a complete atomic history, but more of a tale of the author's rise from wannabe pilot to commander of the Bock's Car in less than five years. [Dan Rather said it best in his review of War's End: "...written with such detail, sweep, and compassion that it might have been a novel and not an autobiography."]

As a result, don't read this looking for revelations about Los Alamos, Oppenheimer, etc. The only connection you get there is that Tibbets actions during this whole lead-up period to Hiroshima are somewhat of a mystery to Sweeney, so you understand there's a whole lot going on in the background that Sweeney is not privy to. To fill in some of the gaps, I recommend "Target Hiroshima" concerning Deak Parsons, America's 'Atomic Admiral' [Parsons makes an appearance in War's End as a key link to all prior land tests; he also armed the bomb on the Enola Gay.] Also, Paul Tibbets has a rememberance entitled "Mission: Hiroshima".

The wartime world that Charles W. Sweeney evokes so eloquently in "War's End" is one that is almost incomprehensible to anyone under fifty. How can anybody grasp concepts such as "total war," "total mobilizaton," the sky filled with thousands of bombers and American deaths numbering 900 a day? But even harder to understand ­ in a modern society where sacrifice can mean giving your subway seat to an old lady ­ is how young men in their twenties can routinely put their lives on the line for such abstractions as "country," "duty"...and simply doing the right thing. This is one of the messages that Sweeney brings home so forcefully in his book ­ people united in a monumental effort to defeat a fanatical enemy. We should all thank the General...for what he did during the war and for the way he has been able to debunk the revisionists and preserve this grand story for later generations. As someone born under Japanese occupation in the Philippines, I have to add my personal "Thank you." We're very, very grateful.

I recently decided to try reading some classic books. Mutiny on the Bounty was the first one I tried. Although some of the navigational and shipping vocabulary was unfamiliar to me, the plot of the book and the triumph of good and truth made this story one of the best I've ever read. Better still, it is based on actual events! I think you'll agree with me that Captain Bligh makes a most agregious villian-his parts were almost difficult to read. Still, Roger Byam's heartfelt account made this a fascinating read. Give it a try!

Mutiny on the Bounty is a stunning work of historical fiction that is a pleasure to read.

The novel chronicles the events of the HMS Bounty as seen through the eyes of Roger Byam, a midshipman on the infamous Bounty. Through his eyes, the reader sees the terrible events unfold aboard the ship--the cruelty of Capt. Bligh that ultimately leads Fletcher Christian and much of the crew to mutiny against the captain. With Bligh left at sea, the crew returns to the South Pacific, seeking to make a new life for themselves and hoping to avoid capture and court martial by the British authorities. The conclusion of the novel is heart-wrenching and simply superb (and will be left as a surprise).

This novel relies a good deal on historical fact, though the authors clearly fill in the gaps with literary license. The characters are superbly developed and the story is riveting throughout. There is much nautical vocabulary, but this shouldn't distract readers as it can be glossed over without losing any significant content. I am not a historian and can make no statements about the veracity of the portrayals in this book. I do know that readers will find this novel difficult to put down. It is simply a classic story.

This book is interesting. It gives a great and detailed history of the ship Bounty. With her tyrant captain (William Bligh) and the admirable Fletcher Christian the ship sails from England to the south sea island of Tahiti. The whole crew recieves either physical or verbal abuse by Captain Bligh. Finally Christian becomes sick of it and gets most of the crew to rise in mutiny... You will have to read the book to find out the rest of this exciting story. Told in the words of the innocent midshipman, Roger Byam, who is wrongly found guilty of mutiny and condemned to death, this is a classic few can forget. Read this exciting book and I guaranty that you will love it's adventure and suspense. You won't be disappointed!

If you are going to read "The Federalist Papers," you must also read "The Anti-Federalist Papers" in order to get the complete picture. Both books cross-reference each other and both are instrumental in understanding how our government was designed and how it was intended to work. In addition to the Papers, this edition also contains the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and an excellent introduction by Charles Kesler.

In a time when each colony had its own "constitution," the Federalists believed in creating one strong centralized government (with one Constitution) that could effectively represent the people. The authors and supporters of the Constitution knew that they could not afford to lose the vote in the state ratifying conventions. In an effort to win over his home state (New York), Alexander Hamilton, with the assistance of James Madison and John Jay, began a collection of 85 essays and published them under the pseudonym of "Publius" (named after one of the founders and heroes of the Roman republic, Publius Valerius Publicola). The Papers, published in 1787 and 1788, analyze and defend the proposed Constitution of the United States.

The Federalists succeeded in winning the colonists' support. But, even though the anti-federalists lost, their ideas were also brilliant and made an important contribution to the history of our government, which is why you should also read "The Anti-Federalist Papers."

This book is a must-read for all Americans. After reading this book, you will have a renewed appreciation and admiration for the wisdom and vision of our founding fathers.

If you are going to read "The Federalist Papers," you must also read "The Anti-Federalist Papers" in order to get the complete picture. Both books cross-reference each other, and both are instrumental in understanding how our government was designed and how it was intended to work. In addition to the Papers, this edition also contains the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and an excellent introduction by Charles Kesler.

In a time when each colony had its own "constitution," the Federalists believed in creating one strong centralized government (with one Constitution) that could effectively represent the people. The authors and supporters of the Constitution knew that they could not afford to lose the vote in the state ratifying conventions. In an effort to win over his home state (New York), Alexander Hamilton, with the assistance of James Madison and John Jay, began a collection of 85 essays and published them under the pseudonym of "Publius" (named after one of the founders and heroes of the Roman republic, Publius Valerius Publicola). The Papers, published in 1787 and 1788, analyze and defend the proposed Constitution of the United States.

Obviously, the Federalists succeeded in winning the colonists' support. But even though the anti-federalists lost, their ideas were also brilliant and made an important contribution to the history of our government, which is why you should also read "The Anti-Federalist Papers."

This book is a must-read for all Americans. After reading this book, you will have a renewed appreciation and admiration for the wisdom and vision of our founding fathers.

Read this and understand the true thoughts and meaning behind the Constitution and its Amendments, its interesting to read how the founding fathers interpreted what they wrote in a very different way then the courts and federal gestapo interprete them today. Especially of interest is the paper oon the true meaning of the term "for the general welfare" which has been used to allow all sorts of power grabs from the nuts in Washington, and which has been interpreted completly contrary to what the founding fathers intended. Be a true patriot, read this book.

Built To Last was an extremely thought provoking and eye opening read. Built To Last studies some of the most successful (called the leading companies) and the following companies (non-leaders in an industry). The research for this book produced surprising results for the authors (and the reader). The authors found the there were at least twelve commonly held businesses beliefs that their research refuted. In essence these dearly held business beliefs were myths.

Here is a look at each of the twelve myths and a sound byte describing each:

1. It takes a great idea to start a company Few visionary companies started with a great idea. Many companies started without any specific ideas (HP and Sony) and others were outright failures (3M). In fact a great idea may lead to road of not being able to adapt.

2. Visionary companies require great and charismatic visionary leaders A charismatic leader in not required and, in fact, can be detrimental to a company's long-term prospects.

3. The most successful companies exist first and foremost to maximize profits Not true. Profit counts, but is usually not at the top of the list.

4. Visionary companies share a common subset of "correct" core values They all have core values, but each is unique to a company and it's culture.

5. The only constant is change The core values can and often do last more then 100 years.

6. Blue-chip companies play it safe They take significant bet the company risks.

7. Visionary companies are great places to work, for everyone These companies are only great places to work if you fit the vision and culture.

8. Highly successful companies make some of their best moves by brilliant and complex strategic planning. They actually try a bunch of stuff and keep what works.

9. Companies should hire outside CEOs to stimulate fundamental change Most have had their change agents come from within the system.

10. The most successful companies focus primarily on beating the competition. They focus on beating themselves.

11. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Decisions don't have to either or, but can be boths.

12. Companies become visionary primarily through "vision statements". Vision is not a statement it is the way you do business.

I would recommend this book to anyone engaged in developing and running a business at any level. If you want to design, build and run a lasting enterprise this book has some ideas and insights worth exploring.

"Built to Last" is one of those rare non-fiction books you just can't put down. Unequivocally the best "business" book I have ever read, "Built to Last" by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras is a compelling, thorough, well-written, unprecedented look at what it takes to "create and achieve long-lasting greatness as a visionary corporation." Unlike many current "trendy" management and "business success" books out on the market, Collins and Porras differentiate "Built to Last" by using their own six-year comprehensive, well-documented research study as the basis for further analysis.

What separates "Built to Last" is that each visionary company (3M, HP, Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart...) is contrasted with a comparison company founded in the same time, in the same industry, with similar founding products and markets (Norton, TI, Colgate, Ames...). Perhaps what I found most intriguing were some of the twelve "shattered myths" they go on to counter throughout the book:

1. It takes a great idea to start a great company
2. Visionary companies require great and charismatic visionary leaders
3. Visionary companies share a common subset of "correct" core values
4. Highly successful companies make their best moves by brilliant and complex strategic planning
5. The most successful companies focus primarily on beating the competition

As a current business student with a summer internship in a "visionary company," I was amazed as their careful analysis rang true. This is one book I can highly recommend to any student, professional, or business educator looking for those not-so-subtle traits that characterize a truly visionary company.

This is "must" reading for senior managers!
Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

In college, I took a Dickens class. We read about a book a week. Needless to say I didn't get around to Bleak House. But I read Pickwick Papers, mainly because I was amazed at how funny it was. Dickens rivals Twain in his biting sarcasm and humor aimed late 19th Century society: The usual cast of slimebags appear; the criminal system, petty thieves, and lawyers, just to name a few.

This book is a delight, and not all that laborious. It takes on all the political issues of other books, and leaves you with characters that are very real yet utterly fictitious; and since it was written in serial format originally; one can't wait to find out what happens next to these sheltered, naive, silly aristocratic characters who surely must have influenced Monty Python's Twit of the Year competition. Except Mr. Pickwick; the dignified President of the Pickwick Society. He's a twit, but one with moxy.

The Pickwick Papers, (or rather The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club) although not Dickens' best work, is still a wondeful novel. The writing isn't as consistently good as it is in his later novels, but none of the writing is bad, and there are several flashes of brilliance which seem to herald what Dickens' would become when his genius had time to ripen (one of these can be found at the end of chapter 44, a beautifully written account of the death of a prisoner in a debtor's prison). In the beginning, despite being very funny, the novel, and indeed Mr. Pickwick, may seem rather inane. Keep reading. The story of Mr. Pickwick's trial and eventual imprisonment is one of the most brilliant pieces of comic literature, and Mr. Pickwick grows into a truly monumental character by the end. And Sam Weller, Mr. Pickwick's cockney servant, is one of the best characters in all of Dickens. Clever, witty, and cynical, he seems to light up every page. The book has a very happy ending, in which all loose ends are tied together and every character gets what he or she deserves. It is truly uplifting. I strongly reccommend this book.

Having never read any Dickens before - and unaware this was his maiden effort - I was hooked from the first few pages. The benevolent Mr. Pickwick, with his faithful sidekicks, experiences Victorian England as a well-to-do citizen. While the bulk of this novel deals with the "softer" side of society, the hard-edged aspects of the era are nonetheless acknowledged. With memorable characters, marvelous misadventures, subtle comedic touches, and an occasional suprise around the corner, this novel holds it's own as a "classic." My only "Pickwick" regret was waiting this long (24 yrs. old) to read it. This book will undoubtedly serve as a springboard for ALL of Charles Dickens' works.

This book asked the question "What Would Jesus Do," a full century before it was fashionable to wear such phrase on bracelets, necklaces, t-shirts, etc.

Set in the late 1800's, a pastor challenges his church to take a pledge: to make no decisions before first asking "what would Jesus do." As a result, many lives were changed. Many who took that pledge suffered for it.

The book itself I suppose isn't the highest quality writing, nor the plot that intriguing. However, in the case of this book, that's not what's most important. The author really challenged me to ponder what true "sacrifice" is.

I think most any modern American reader of this book would have to admit that very few today have any idea what it means to truly suffer for Christ, and to give up all to follow him. America has been so blessed that we've forgotten what sacrifice means. It is a sad indictment on the True Church that some of the fastest growing "churches" in America and across the world today thrive because of a "health and wealth" gospel.

It makes me wonder how many in modern "churches" would take the pledge to first ask "What Would Jesus Do?" and to follow through with it. I'm afraid there wouldn't be many.

I received this book from a friend on loan, and for weeks did not even bother to look at it again. When I finally picked it up, I literally could not put it down. I read the whole thing in one day! The writing style is skillful, suspenseful, and moves the reader along with the story. It is like a series of vignettes with a powerful common theme, and one feels as if he or she is actually watching the scenes unfold. The characters are real enough that the reader can see him or herself in them. Sheldon gets beyond preaching and bible verses, giving the reader a clear picture of what happens when Christian people impact the world, and the world fights back. It gave me a whole new outlook on the phrase "What would Jesus do?" It is a frightening yet inspiring challenge from which Sheldon never relents. Must reading for anyone who really wants to live by that creed!

I picked up a copy of this book a few years ago, but I never finished it because it didn't hold my attention at all. In retrospect, I wasn't ready for it. This book challenged my thinking more than I wanted it to. You may have heard that "In His Steps" is the origin of the phrase "What Would Jesus Do?" That's true, but the book takes the question a step farther. The real question is "What would Jesus do if He were Gail Simmons?" (Ok, so you can insert your own name where I've put mine.) There's even another step after that which is implied rather than stated. Am I going to make the changes necessary to have my life come into line with my understanding of what Jesus would do in my place? The book is excellent, but don't read it unless you're prepared to examine your own life in ways you may have never imagined. I've heard it said that knowledge can condemn a person. Are you willing to take the next step to read this book? You'll either walk away changed or condemned.

I am amazed to see so many reviews from gamblers stating how great a book this is. This book will not help you win at sports gambling! It will only help you lose your money more slowly.

There are two simple reasons that the better always loses and they are stated on page two. The bookie makes the spread and when you lose you always pay the bookie more than when you win. Mathematically speaking you have to win 53% of the time just to break even. And that's with a juice (the amount extra you pay the bookie) of 10%. On props and parlays and teasers the juice is much higher.

The reason I give this book two stars instead of one is for the pure entertainment value. I read this book cover to cover and this "James Jeffries" is a world class jerk. If anything, this book should make you want to stop betting because of the attitudes of the bookie.

If you want to actually become a bookie then I would definitely recommend it. He does miss a few points though like how much of a bankroll you need to start. And I'm curious why one would pay out the day before he collects.

I must point out that there are numerous errors in the book also. Mr. Jeffries states that he goes by Vegas odds but he has the 3 team parlay only paying out 5-1 when it should be 6-1. He also believes that half of all college basketball games are played on Sunday when in fact only a handful of televised games are played that day.

If you want to know how a bookie acts and feels, read it. Otherwise, don't bother. It won't help you win.

"The Book on Bookies" was very insightful for those curious about the gambling world and those who want to start their own outfit. It was written as a "How To" book on starting one's own operation detailing the types of action taken, how to not get caught, how to collect, and how to be very successful. There were a few points missing, namely how to deal with smart gamblers (something the author adamantly believes do not exist), and how the offshore and internet casinos have affected the bookie business. There is such as thing as a smart gambler, one who uses legitimate handicapping services, unloads a ton of action on one game every few weeks, bets the same dollar amount each time no matter what, and clears his account once the season is over. I could personally guarantee that I would have ALWAYS taken his money at the end of football season. The question remains: what should be done with a gambler who has control of his wagers and sees sports gambling as a way to consistently turn a profit at the end of a season? Should the bookie not take his action and direct him elsewhere? The author left this point out because he believes the winning gambler does not exist, but I assure him that they do even though they consist of less than 5% of the gambling population. Another question I had was "Should a bookie place a bet with another operation if he has too much action on one side of a game?" Reason dictates that if the same amount is wagered with someone else (preferably with a legit offshore casino) then no matter the outcome, the bookie will turn a profit from the juice. All in all, a good read (didn't much care for the jab at Philadelphia, but every Philadelphian would stick up for their city no matter what), and recommended to those interested in this underworld. I would like to speak with the author if he was available, but no information was given about his whereabouts (go figure).

This book delivers everything that is promised and it's a great read. It really DOES teach you how to start your own book and how to run it professionally. By doing that, it also helps a gambler understand how lines work and why a bookie always ends up winning in the end. The first chapter on "Gambling Basics" (which is much more than "basic") is perhaps the best explanation of sports lines on every sport that I have ever read; this chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

An aimless work of stark realism, "Studs Lonigan" has the distinction of being one of the earliest Irish American bildungsromans, a trilogy of novels covering the later half of its title character's life from his grammar school graduation in 1916 to his ignominious death in the depths of the Great Depression. In between there's a lot of drinking, fighting, singing, grumbling, praying, implied swearing and sexual activity, bad prose, and not much else.

William "Studs" Lonigan is an archetypal boy growing up in a tough working-class Irish neighborhood in Chicago's south side. The oldest of four children, Studs is a lazy student and, despite his mother's wish for him to enter the priesthood, flounders in high school and wastes his time hanging out in poolrooms and getting in scraps, ultimately going to work for his father's painting company. Farrell successfully turns the Chicago neighborhoods into interesting fictional settings, but he never manages to elevate Studs and his boorish friends above the flatness and dullness of negative stereotypes.

Farrell paints a candid, savage portrait of racism and bigotry in the Irish American enclave. There is a genuine fear of blacks moving into and taking over their neighborhoods, and a distrust of Jews as real estate agents who are orchestrating this migration and as "international bankers" who have sunk America into its Depression. To be fair, these sentiments are not unanimous among the Irish characters in the book, but they constitute a world view expressed by Studs's financially embattled father and shared by many sympathizers.

The book's prose matches its protagonist: simple, gritty, and slovenly. Farrell writes in the third person, but the voice is Studs's; the young man's thoughts concerning life, love, and sex are of the most basic. The third novel of the trilogy, "Judgment Day," is the best, in which the writing matures with Studs as he becomes engaged to a nice girl, worries about his weak heart and his inability to stop smoking, and struggles to find lucrative work during the draconian economic times. Here the book also achieves a sort of dramatic crescendo, as general anxiety about the Depression, panic over closing banks and plunging stocks, and paranoia over "Reds" combine with the ominous state of Studs's health in a nightmare of Dreiseresque misery.

The book has some fine passages, but my overall opinion is lukewarm at best. The simplistic prose, although maybe a stylistic necessity, is no fun when it is used at such length to document a life as uneventful as Studs's; given the clownishness of the violent scenes, at times it's like reading a comic book without the pictures. The book doesn't seem to have any purpose other than to introduce an Irish milieu into the American literary canon -- it certainly doesn't bother to give Studs's life any purpose -- and that just isn't enough to sustain a 900-page novel.

The "Studs Lonigan" trilogy, James T. Farrell's forgotten masterwork, deserves a new generation of readers desiring assurance that ours is not the first generation to experience the hopelessness of youth without direction and life without purpose. The three self-standing novels follow the youth, adolescence, and manhood of a Chicago Irish-Catholic named William "Studs" Lonigan. What shocked readers when the novels were first published in the early 1930s--a brutal street life characterized by cigarettes and alcohol, senseless violence and casual sex--strikes the reader today for the directness and honesty with which Farrell treats the lives of lower-middle-class youth caught up in the whirlwind of social and economic transformations that followed the First World War.

Despite his self-destruction, Studs remains a sympathetic character. Unlike some of his friends, he does, at least occasionally, have a clue as to what is bringing him to his "Judgment Day" (the title of the last novel). Even so, conquering the limitations of his upbringing, which are only compounded by the miseries of the Depression, remains an overwhelming challenge.

Farrell's Chicago is as important a character as Studs. The city is a living organism that grows, changes, shows its beauties (in some of the author's most lyrical moments), threatens, and, ultimately, continues to exist oblivious of its inhabitants.

Perhaps Farrell overdoes the slang, and occasionally a scene is all too predictable. But not always, especially as Studs comes to adulthood and is increasingly torn by conflicting temptations and an ingrained desire for respectability.

Together with John Dos Passos, his better- remembered contemporary, James Farrell has captured a memorable segment of American life with techniques that include variations on Dos Passos' newreels. Unlike the author of "U.S.A.", however, Farrell leaves us with a memorable character who demands our attention just as forcibly as when he was a cake-eater walking Chicago's Fifty-eighth Street.

Many a person may be intimidated by the length of this great work of literature, and never take the time to read it. Do not be one of those unfortunate souls. This book is truly not to be missed.

While pieces of the book focus on depression era politics and problems (for a more detailed analysis of the plot, see Mike O Farrell's review below), the themes that run throughout this novel have been with us since the very beginning of time. At its heart, this story is about a young man who has always imagined greatness for himself. He lives deep inside the recesses of his own mind (as we all do) and accordingly finds it hard to believe that he is not unique, somehow different from all of his friends, family, and acquaintances. James T. Farrell's tragedy unfolds as Studs slowly comes to realize that he is just another guy, making his own way through this life and trying to make just a little bit of sense out of it all.

If you have come to literature to find some answers, this is probably not your book. Like all great novelists, Farrell is simply showing you the way he sees things, and bringing up enough raw material from the detritus of life to make you stop, and think, and wonder.

This is one of the most chilling true stories I have ever read. While at least half of this "new" material has been reported elsewhere (chiefly in the British Inquiry, May 2 - July 1, 1912), Pellegrino's synthesis feels so fresh and is so vivid that one is tempted to believe he must actually have been there, not just on the expeditions to Titanic as archaeological ruin, but actually there on the slanting decks in a past life. He illustrates the ship's evolution (or devolution) from something strong and beautiful to mounds of twisted steel with such loving detail that for the first time, we can understand the strange sights and sounds reported by Colonel Gracie, Jack Thayer, Charles Joughin, and Alfred White - even though the witnesses themselves eventually died without ever knowing what happened to them, or why.

One more strange thing: In "Her Name, Titanic" Pellegrino morphed back and forth in time from the Ballard expeditions, to the night of the sinking, to the expeditions again... and again... and not always effectively. (Unless the intended effect was to make the reader dizzy. But James Cameron did pick up on this, and ran with it, and managed to transcend Pellegrino's flaws.) This time out, in keeping with the realities of an archaeological dig, wherein one begins by peeling away the most recent events buried in the topmost layer, Pellegrino plays an even stranger game with time. But this time he is much more effective. This book is so engrossing that you can get all the way to the last chapter without noticing that he has been telling the story backwards!

By the way, the drawings were amazingly creepy yet beautiful.

This book is the newest of my 59 title Titanic library. It had me absolutely glued to every word and I even had to take notes and tell my husband about the events as I read along. I am currently doing research for an article for, and am a mamber of the Titanic Historical Society. I have been reading and visting every museum and web site I can for the past three years. This book is the most interesting I have read so far. I would say that this is one of the most essential books one must have for their Titanic library! Charles Pelligrino truely knows how to blend perfectly, the threads of scientific ,archiological, historical, and humanistic truth of this puzzling and sad event. He tells of his intuitive thoughts and experiences, and backs each up with facts from Walter Lords research, eyewhitness accounts, scientific information from his diving to the wreck site,retrieval of artifats and mapping the debris field. He gives you every layer possible to this very complex story, from the rusticles that live on Titanic today,to the proof of looting on board that fateful night, to the unthinkible possibility that maybe some survivors were left behind on an ice flow. Truely an enthralling read!! Thank you Charles!

Tami Agnello Stickney

"Ghosts of the Titanic" is the second book in what Charles Pellegrino promises will be a trilogy about the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. It is primarily a much-needed thorough forensic analysis of the ship's sinking, based on data from recent expeditions to the site, never before published or analyzed journals, letters and interviews with witnesses, and information from the original investigations of the disaster. What physically happened to the ship at every moment from just before its impact with the iceberg until it hit the ocean floor is spelled out in detail. Some helpful diagrams are included as well. I was amazed and fascinated by how much of the activities on board the Titanic during its final hours could be reconstructed when all eyewitness accounts are considered. Among other things, new information may exonerate Captain Smith of much of the blame for the tragedy, while thrusting Bruce Ismay of the White Star Line and Captain Lord of the Californian into even harsher light than previously imagined. As is typical of Charles Pellegrino's books, "Ghosts of the Titanic" is written in the order in which the information came to light instead of being organized by topic. This creates a sense of anticipation and allows the reader to understand the Titanic in ever-increasing depth, little by little, just as Dr. Pellegrino and his colleagues did. But the lack of conventional organization may frustrate some readers, and it means you don't find out about some crucial details until the end of the book. All in all, a fascinating account of what people did to sink a ship in 1912 and what goes on at the bottom of the ocean today as a result.

Granted, this book is very long (the particular version I read exceeded 1,000 pages), but it is also very well written (what would you expect from Michener?) and fascinating.

It tells the history of Texas, including notable events like first exploration of that area by Cabeza de Vaca, the Texas Rebellion (the story of the Alamo is told) during which brave soldiers like Sam Houston fought the Mexican dictator Santa Anna, and the first discoveries of oil in that region.

This book will teach you some things about Texas. For instance: I, for one, did not know that for a brief period of time Texas was an independant nation recognized by, among others, the United States.

Don't confuse this for an impassive history lesson, because it is not. Michener makes it come alive with vivid characters and historical events.

Michener has a great way to recount history in story-like prose. I learned a lot about Texas; what a neat story about how this state came to be. Michener tells it like he thought it was; the good and the bad. This book should be mandatory reading throughout high schools in Texas.

The book is long and a bit slow to read. But it is one of those things you invest time on and it really gives you a lot of return.

I would recommend it and look forward to reading it again some day.

I'm actually surprised by some of the negative responses of the previous reviewers. Their opinions are certainly valid, and I wouldn't quibble with them, but I thought "Texas" was Michener's best fiction ("Iberia" is his best book) that I've ever read.

The history of the state was fascinating and well-balanced. The characters were more likable than in most of his books (except maybe "Chesapeake"). The book certainly is long even by Michenerian standards, but it never became tedious in the way "Alaska" did.

I think anyone who reads this book will be delighted by the magnificent effort Michener must have put into writing this. It's fun; it's fascinating; it's beautiful.