Garment shines a little light on some of the more puzzling questions of the Nixon administration and on Iran/contra. He writes as he speaks, conversational and wandering. That's the book's salvation, however: finally here's the human side of some of the darker moments in Republican government. We see how the three branches, press and other groups play off each other to achieve their goals. Like any good serial author, he leaves us hungry for the next book, which will "tell all" about Watergate. I can't wait

I was enticed by this book from the moment I read about Garment's lively performance of "Tiptoe through the Tulips" at age 7 in his father's dress making factory. Having read several Watergate books, I felt that this one was different for one specific reason; Garment makes Nixon into a human being, and helps to bring Nixon's several positive qualities to life (such as his wonderful foreign policy) that many Watergate-related authors have falied to acknowledge. I especially loved the ending of the book at his daughter Annie's Bat-Mitzvah; it was a wonderful conclusion to to a nostalgic story. I am left with only one question...when will the movie be out?

This audiobook is an excellent addition to the U.S. history-buff's glove compartment. There are basically four tapes of interviews by Roger Mudd done for the History Channel. Mudd asks questions to the featured historians and they respond with stories and factoids to keep you thinking. I can listen to them many times and still learn things that I didn't catch the last time around. This is also a great way to brush up on your U.S. history while enriching what you already know.

This is the very best audio tape I've ever listened to. While some interviews are better (Stephen Ambrose) than others (Richard White), each one offers important insight and perspective on the most important events of our time. Through the eyes of these men, our nation's history is told so clearly and succinctly, and with such passion, that you can't help but be changed and moved by the experience. I guarantee you'll come away with a better grasp of who we are and where we're headed as a nation.

This is one of those rare books that, for better or worse, keeps me under its daunting yoke. It's gory depiction of the murder of Bonnie Garland, a 1970s Yale undergraduate, and of the mindset of her murderer, a fellow student, is breathtaking in an eerie, dreadful sort of way. When I read this book about four years ago, the hairs on my arms stood straight up. When I think about this book today, my Pavlovian hairs march in step. Giving me a glimpse of the mind of a killer is what I liked about this book.

What I didn't like, and what the second half of this book concerns itself with, is the psychological analysis of why the killer did what he did. This was the bane of an otherwise great book. The first half of the book was written in a reporter-like, just-the-facts-ma'am style. I liked that. Part of the joy of the book for me was to figure out how the killer thought, and to extrapolate his motive(s) for the crime. The author's Mickey-mouse psychological analysis of the killer's motives in the second half of the book was amateurish at best, and to my reckoning, just plain wrong.

In any event, I couldn't stop reading the book and the pitfalls of its second half weren't so bad as to destroy the enjoyment I gained from the first half. Personally, however, I would just read the first half and leave it at that.

One important note: my enjoyment of this book was purely on an intellectual level -- in trying to answer the question "why do killers kill." However, on an emotional level, this book was nauseating and, quite frankly, sick. I often had to put the book down and wonder (1) how could someone commit such a heinous act and (2) how could somebody write a book about it in such a cool-headed, detached fashion? I'm not sure if I'm better for having read it or if I would have been better off having left my copy without a reader. I'm sure the answer rests somewhere in the middle, but if you're especially squeamish, you'd be better off not buying this book. If you've ever lost a loved one to violent crime, it's probably not the book for you. And if you're the vigilante type, this is definitely not the book for you: you'll probably find yourself wanting to take care these sick-headed people yourself.

Absolutely invigorating book. The methodical thinking of Willard Gaylin is simply brilliant. Everything is clear. An amazing read!

If you are a black man that has grown up in America, this book will give you a bit of pause as you realize that that which may have happened to you can and did happen to a white man in America.
Richard reveals his experiences and insight into the racial problems in America in an entertaining manner without losing the seriousness of the subject.
This is a must read if you are interested in seeing a different twist to an old problem.

*This book reaches deep into a place in racism and honesty where very few people are willing to go.

As a young white boy, I had many similar experiences and knew no answers to my questions. "White Man in a Black Man's World" will not only answer you questions but challenge men and women of all races to stop, step back, and take a pure look at what is right and what is wrong about our thoughts and opinions concerning people of different skin color.

I assure you "White Man in a Black Man's World" will help you open your eyes to see and your mind to know the truth that will set you free! 5 stars rating!
-Randy Jewell

**It is eye opening to things you didn't even realize existed. We need to look at our perspective on racial issue. "White Man in a Black Man's World will help you do that! It is AWESOME! 5 stars rating too!
-Jessica Jewell

This is an amazing account of the last few months of the Nixon presidency leading up to his eventual resignation. The first half of the book deals in larger chunks of time, but by the time the second half begins, each chapter encompasses a single day. As in ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN by the same authors, the reader may find the onslaught of different names to be intimidating; fortunately, the cast of characters list at the beginning of the book helps a lot. All the people involved are treated with a lot of respect, and their motivations are made very clear throughout with only a few exceptions.

Unlike ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, this is not told from the viewpoint of the two authors. Through interviews and other methods, the two journalists have reconstructed what they believe those last few months to have been like. The result is an amazing and richly detailed look at the aftermath of one of the most important scandals in recent US history.

One of the real strengths of this book is that it allows the reader to see how the scandal affected many of the different people that were close to the President -- his aides, his family, the lawyers defending him, congressmen, fellow Republican leaders, etc. We see how his team tried (and eventually failed) to fight the accusations made at President and how his staff continued to get the work done even as he retreated farther and farther into himself.

Before I read ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN and THE FINAL DAYS, I really didn't know too many particulars about the whole Watergate scandal. I highly recommend this pair of books to anyone looking for detailed, yet highly readable sources of information.

Well, Bob Woodward has a bestseller again -- "Bush at War" debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list today. What's Carl Bernstein up to? Never mind about that. "The Final Days" is still not to be missed, over 25 years since it, too, became a best-seller. The country has moved on to other pressing political matters, but interest in the unravelling of the Nixon Administration remains high. Books speculating about the identity of Deep Throat seem to come out annually.

"The Final Days" is marked departure from "All the President's Men", the first Woodward/Bernstein book and obviously the one that put them on the map. Whereas "President's" was the inside story of two journalists chasing down a story that led higher into the U.S. government than they ever dreamed imaginable, "Final Days" is a step back, since neither Woodward nor Bernstein (nor Deep Throat, for that matter) appear as characters. The focus turns to Nixon's family and close political advisers. Many of the oft-mentioned names remain relevant today: Pat Buchanan, Diane Sawyer, Henry Kissinger. It's also about twice as long as the earlier book, but reads just as quickly.

"Final Days" is divided into two parts. First is a general overview of the first two years of the Watergate Crisis, this time told from the view of all the President's men rather than from the Washington Post. Next is a dizzying chapter-a-day sequence of the final 17 days of the Nixon administration.

In the midst of the research are some surprisingly interesting detours. Nixon's final foreign journey as President is to the Middle East. A funny aside details how the White House press office had to avoid mentioning Israel on the same page of press releases naming other countries in the region, to avoid offending Islamic governments. Also amusing is the lengthy description of Nixon son-in-law David Eisenhower's obsession with fantasy baseball.

25 years, numerous Presidential scandals, and a war or two later, the undoing of Richard Nixon remains riveting and required reading. The Woodward/Bernstein books blaze with a you-are-there immediacy, and even the overuse of passive voice doesn't slow down the narrative. Every hour of mind-numbing research underpinning the book has paid off, because the story told is seamless. There's dramatic tension to every decision Nixon makes in his final month in office: to resign or stay in office? To surrender his private tapes, or continue the legal battle? Nixon himself even becomes a sympathetic figure, as the debilitating nature of his phlebitis is explored.

Perhaps you're busying reading Woodward's latest effort now. Perhaps you're numbed by his almost annual hardcover tomes about the private lives of American presidents, each less relevant than the last. At any rate, "The Final Days" is a detour well worth your time, whether you're on the left, the right, or above all that. It's surely no coincidence that Barbara Olson's excoriation of the Clinton White House bears the same title.

"All The President's Men" & "The Final Days" are an essential part of political history: They are also an essential part of journalism history. Watergate & the revealed power of the media to topple a president changed journalism -- and inspired a generation to enter the profession. ... Read "All The President's Men" first ... &, as you read it, know that the better book is still to come. "All ..." is vital to understanding what happened; "Final Days" is a far superior book. ... "All ..." reads as though the authors were still shell-shocked from what had happened & what they -- in their 20s -- had participated in. "Final Days" is a much more mature & calmer book. It offers a better understanding of what Nixon did wrong than the first book. Its portrait of Nixon is far superior ... even empathetic. ... I am a Republican (& a journalist) & someone who finds much to redeem Nixon ... & I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is remarkably unbiased & deft at presenting even the least likeable participants as human. I also was jolted at some of Nixon's extremes, which I had prefered to forget because in some ways (i.e. foreign policy) he was a great president. ... Aspects of this story are remarkably dated ... would Nixon have fallen now? (Reagan didn't. Clinton didn't.) Are we as easily shocked? As naive about power? Do we even fantasize anymore that our leaders will be flawless? ... The comparisons with Bill Clinton are striking & obvious. Would Clinton's story have ended differently if he had been president 25 years earlier & before Watergate & Iran-Contra? ... For a real immersion in the story through popular culture, read the two books in order & see the movie of "All The President's Men" & see Sir Anthony Hopkins' brilliant performance in "Nixon." ... "Tragedy" is an abused word, but Nixon's story WAS a classic tragedy: Hero undone by fatal flaw.

Rick Dooling is a man who knows what to love and what to hate. He manages to create a world that looks a lot like ours, with characters just a little bit bigger than reality but close enough that they seem to be people we recognize, and as such, vivid, juicy, and alive. He skewers crisply but fairly--life in this book is very complicated. And the smug--including most of Western culture--are forced to rethink just what they believe about how the world is assembled. Not malicious, not whiny, not grumpy--just excellent satire. I wish it had been a bit longer--the ending feels jumbled upon itself, but funny, sharp, taut, and clever. Buy it!

I lived with the Mende for two years. I thoroughly enjoyed reading WHITE MAN'S GRAVE except for the weak ending. I was left with one concern, however.

A rule-absolute about Mende secret societies was that the members kept the society secrets or were permanently ostracized. My hosts were gracious but uncompromising on the subject and specific in their directions. "Please turn your back. A woman must not see that." "Please take off your shoes. This is sacred ground." "This is a cultural time. Please close your shutters and stay inside." "That is society business." "This is a place men may not go."

I think Dooling wrote a grand story and one that exposes some of the customs of three generic cultures (law, insurance, and West African), but please do not believe that he described the Mende and their customs accurately. I have no doubt that some of what he wrote is practiced in some cultures. But let me repeat, these are generic ideas, not necessarily the beliefs and practices of the Mende people.

There are many Mende on the Internet these days. Would a Mende please comment?

Richard Dooling wrote White Man's Grave, and effectively threw the gantlet down at the Michael Crieghtons and Tom Clancys of the literary world. The novel is an in your face look at the contradiction that is the modern American society. Dooling puts the typical young American (Boone) in the topsy-turvy world of Sierra-Leone, and creates a modern version of Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The great part is that he didn't have to revert to talking talking rabbits to do it. White Man's Grave moves quickly. I know I found myself paging through it one day (over a year since I had read it) and before I knew it I was on the 20th page. This kind of book stares Hollywood in the face and says,"Go ahead, try to make me into a movie. I dare you." I very seriously doubt this book will ever be crafted into a Spielberg blockbuster, and it's just as well. It's a great book, and deserves to be recognized as just that

This book may be an adaquate study guide for preparing for Exam 70-068, but I don't think it's an excellent one. You'd need use Exam Cram or Transcender exams to get an idea of how the questions would look like in the real test because the Exam Questions at the end of each chapter in this book are too weak and too few.

The contents are not very well organized and some errors are presented in an authorative tone that they are not easy to spot if you don't try it out. Try its comments on the "Forcibly disconnnect remote users ..." option in Account Policy.

I read Sybex (stay away from them) and Dennis Maione's books on Server and Workstation as supplements to Microsoft ILT. Maione's books are an excellent source for a comprehensive knowledge of NT (not just for the sake of passing the test). Though suffering from the same type of Exam Questions, they are very insightful and tell more about "why" rather than "just-do-this-and-don't-ask-why" (which is the impression I got from the labs in MS MOC). In contrast, the chapter on network monitoring in this book is just like repeating what Microsoft says in its Training Kit on the subject (and without the sample exercises in Training Kit). The author's lack of insights, or unwillingness to share them, on the subject are shown in the absence of those Exam Tip and Warning boxes in the margin. However, at least, this is the only study guide I used that covers the subject, which is not a favorite of the real exam but is something that you could be tested on. I had a question on analyzing a sample frame in the real exam.

One reason I use the study guides is to see what insights an author can share with you drawing on his/her experience and expertise and to obtain a perspective different from Microsoft. I don't benefit much this way from this book, although it does cover what you need to study for the exam.

Just finished prepping for the NT Server 4.0 Exam using this book as the main study guide. Very well laid out with good use of text/colors, very typical of the New Riders Next Generation Study guides. Exam covers a VERY broad range of info and the book does a good job of covering it all. The author is very knowledgable and brings his practical experience to the book. My only complaint is the low number of study questions in each chapter. Recommend adding the Exam Cram book for those study questions. Also would not recommend the MS Press study kits, they are not worth the $$$ (unless you need the 30 day eval. software) and it helps to have a non-Microsoft point of view...

This book is well written, making it easy to read and understand. The content layout is also well done, making it easy to see exactly what is required to know for each exam objective. There is some small detailed information missing but I found that the practice tests identified this information to you anyway, so overall the content is adequate (the Sybex books I'm using, also have information missing). I did notice questions in the real exam relating to previous exams, so I would recommend doing the subjects in the following order: Networking Essentials, NT Workstation4, NT Server4, NT Server4:Enterprise. I found the practice exams to be an invaluable aid for studying for the exam and they are similar to the real exam. I used the Sybex books for my elective subjects, and found them to be very poorly written. The Sybex books were not easy to read and understand and the content was layed out in a poor way, making them hard to identify information for each exam objective.

To my knowledge this is the best clanbook. I haven't seen such indepth history of a clan from any of the others, plus it has all those cool merits/flaws, and the neat templates that give you good hints as to the type of personality a setite would have. The Setites are one of the coolest clans and although they aren't "GOOD" persay they aren't the run of the mill, flat as paper background baddies either.

It just leaves the mind to wonder how any clan could compete with the setites :) shnoogens!

You have to love the Setites, mainly because they have something I feel the others don't, an honest to goodness goal. And they aren't the "evil" little things you would love to turn into a belt or anything (but they are by no means "good"). This book gave a detailed history on the clan's history, offers clan merits/flaws, and has a few stories that bring on the laughter. I felt the authors could have elaborated more on Set himself, but nevertheless, this is an excellant buy.

Gods, you have got to love the Setites. The book shows how the Antideluvians have tricked all the other stupid clans into thinking poor innocent Set (those gods of darkness always get the bad raps you know..) is the bad guy. Set however, shows how much he looooves humans (in more than a yum yum smorgasborg kinda way) and that he is actually trying to prevent G'henna..or at least until his archenemy Ra burns out....that stupid sun. Once reading this clanbook, all will realize that those Setites are the true champions of justice! Go Set!

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because of the lack of color photos or plates. I honestly read half the book when I first recieved it. I got it because I was worried that this creature I had found was a mutant or something (turned out it was a velvet ant). It does have quite a bit of information on the different animals that make up the order of insects. It does not though give detail into any peticualar family though. There are after all WAY to many insects out there to fit into just one book. Check out the other field guides for butterflies, moths, or whatever you are into. It can be a little technical for the layman (i.e. me) but will help get you started on your adventures in collecting and learning about insects.

Most amateur naturalists tend to expect page after page of photographs or drawings when they purchase a field guide. That is not what you will get in this book.

The authors, Borrer and White, have developed a sort of mini-entomology book for use in the field. The first part of the book contains helpful hints and instructions on how to collect and preserve insects. That section is followed by about 15 pages on the biology and taxonomy of this huge group. Understanding this information is essential if one is put together a useful insect collection. It also helps the insect watcher better understand what they are seeing in the ecology and body plans of these animals. Those sections are followed by over 300 pages of information that will help the determined insect watcher/collecter figure out the kind of animal they are looking at.

You should be advised that this book will NOT help you identify insects to the level of genus and species. The taxonomic information in this book targets primarily the family level (the level above the genus level).

Some reviewers have commented that the lack of color illustrations renders this book nearly useless. You need to understand that, for the serious collector, there are characteristics much more important in figuring out what they are looking at than color. The book is loaded with the kinds of information used by professional entomologists to identify the animals they study.

You should also be reminded that there are thousands of insect species, and many regional variations of those species, so no single field guide could ever hope to provide a comprehensive treatment of the group.

If you want/need a bounty of color photos to supplement your study, I recommend that you use this book along with a field guide like those available from the Audubon Society (E.g., The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders, which has over 700 photos of these animals).

The Peterson guide relies on illustrations rather than photos (illustrations are, I believe, far superior to photographs for identification work). There are both color and B/W illustrations in the book. There are also many helpful line drawings of body parts important to helping you ID insects.

I give this book 4 stars only because it tends to be a bit tougher for the casual amateur to use, but recommend it highly for the advanced amateur, as well as for general reference for the professional.

Well worth the price -- but not a child's book.

Good luck!

Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College

I have used this book for years. It is great for quick and easy insect identification. Good for the entomologist as well as the layman. Few color illustrations (lots of B & W) but since insects are very rarely identified by color, this is practically irrelevant. Highly recommended.

Richard Reeves has wrote a book which contains both fascinating, vivid moments in the Nixon Presidency, as well as dull, generic points as well. Yes, Mr. Reeves, we get it - Nixon was a loner. Anybody interested enough to read 600 pages on the six years of the Nixon Presidency knows that. Aside from that, Reeves' writing is forgettable; only the fanatic Nixon scholar will be able to read all of "Alone in the White House" without making a conscious effort to remember, and digest, the paragraph just read. The book often feels like it is meandering, somehow lost, unable to develop a governing theme.

But, even as Reeves bashes some points to death, he sometimes manages to find superb examples of what, exactly, Nixon the loner acted like. "Alone in the White House" shows the reader exactly how Nixon played with Kissinger's insecurities, exactly what Haldeman did that made him obsessively loyal, and exactly crude caricatures of sabotage, like Gordon Liddy, ended up being an operative of the President. If Reeves does one thing excellently in this novel, it is the personalities of the principle players in the Nixon White House.

In describing the personalities of the principals, Reeves gives as good an insight as any other into the atmosphere that allowed Watergate to happen. You have an isolated President, cut off from all but three or four people, scribbling on legal pads future conversation lines to use in social gatherings. You have Kissinger, a Machiavellian National Security Advisor and one of the President's sole confidants, willing to do anything to win. You have a greek chorus of advisors telling Nixon that the press is out to get him, the liberal intellectuals are out to get him, the students are out to get him, that they'll all cut him up if given half a chance.

Reeves takes far, far too long to get there, but he eventually has a cogent analysis of why Watergate happened. If that's your focus, and you don't mind wading through quite a bit of filler, pick up this book.

Open up a number of major newspapers and every once in awhile you'll find a column penned by Richard Reeves. Given the limited space available in a newspaper op/ed section, Reeves is rarely given a chance to provide a detailed analysis on any topic. Instead, he writes intersting opinion pieces on national affairs that are usually worth reading even if you don't agree with him.

In his new book regarding President Nixon, Reeves employs a similar style in recounting Nixon's five plus years in the White House. In many ways, this book is a compilation of anecdotes and brief historical passages that gives readers a glimpse of the Nixon White House and of Nixon himself.

The key thing to remember is that it will be little more than a glimpse. If you are looking for a detailed study of the Nixon presidency, you might want to look elsewhere.

The positive thing about this subject is that there are so many books regarding the Nixon years. If you lived through the era and have read many of the other books such as Haldeman's diary, Nxion's own autobiograhpies or even Anthony Summers hatchet job, you'll enjoy this book too.

My only complaint about the book is actually a central part of its premise. The book centers solely on Nixon without examining his relationship with others. For example, I would be surprised if there are more than 10 mentions in the entire book about Pat Nixon. There is also very little about his relationship with political supporters other than brief mentions about Watergate-related scandal. Part of Reeve's thesis, is that Nixon was very isolated in the White House and had little human interaction. The recent theatrical movie also portrayed a very narcisistic human being too. However, Nixon wasn't a hermit. He did have friendships with Bebe Rebozo and others and had a enough people skills to set the record for being on the cover of Time Magazine more than any other person. I wish this book would have delved into that greater.

In short, this is not the definitive book on the Nixon Administration. Yet, it is an enjoyable read that will certainly bring this era in history back to life. Regardless of your political leanings, Nixon' presidency is worth learning more about and understanding.

"President Nixon: Alone in the White House" is one of those rare biographies that manages to capture the very essence of its subject. Mr. Reeves, who had access not only to President Nixon himself but to most of Nixon's key advisors and confidantes, has written a book that reveals Richard Nixon's motivations and thus goes a long way toward explaining some of the strange things Nixon did as President. What we see in the book is a man who assumes that all men approach life the way he does--and his approach is quintessentially Machiavellian. Nixon truly believes that all men cheat, lie and are out to get him. All is fair in politics. By assuming the worst in others, Nixon guarantees the worst in himself.

And yet one catches glimpses of Nixon the man where one feels a certain amount of compassion. Nixon was a melancholy and lonely individual, distrustful of those around him. He was a politician who had an aversion to people. He feels awkward in any social situation, to the point where his interactions are meticulously scripted beforehand on one of his handy yellow legal pads. In one hilarious sequence, Nixon is up all night writing and memorizing a script for an "off the cuff" speech he is planning to give the next day. What is amazing is that he does not see how ridiculous it is to be scripting an unscripted speech. Nixon also spends hours writing memos to himself about how he wants to be perceived. Each one of the memos drips with irony, for he sees in himself all the things that he is not. One cannot help but feel compassion for a man so out of touch with who he is.

Reeves argues that Nixon is at his best when looking at the bigger picture, in "connecting the dots" of major policy decisions and their historical precedents as well as the possible outcomes. This is the Nixon who takes the bold steps to open up Communist China and to bring a much-needed thaw to the festering Cold War with Russia. Reeves also shows a Nixon who realizes the disaster of Vietnam but doesn't know how to remove the U.S. and preserve the honor and dignity of the nation. One must admire Nixon for his foreign policy successes and for his broad thinking in this area. The book also paints an interesting portrait of Henry Kissinger, showing him to be brilliant but incredibly vain and condescending. Kissinger spends a great deal of time making sure Secretary of State Rogers is out of the loop on every major foreign policy decision.

Domestically, however, we see in this book a Nixon who is all politician and zero statesman. He waffles on integration, does little to help Blacks because they vote 90% Democrat, and panders in the worst way to groups he believes he must win over in order to win reelection in 1972. Nixon tells his dynamic duo, Haldeman and Erlichman, not to bog him down with policy details, then buries himself in such details as replacement shower heads for the White House or the clownish design for the White House security force. We also see Nixon the bigot, saving his cruelest cuts for the Jews. In these glimpses we see just how shallow and ignorant Nixon could be, despite his moments of greatness. The last section of the book deals with Watergate and the events that brought Richard Nixon to disgrace. It is not a pretty sight, and just goes to show how thoroughly Nixon was involved in the cover-up and how much he enjoyed the dirty tricks attributed to his campaign. At one point, after George Wallace is shot, Nixon laments the fact that Nixon's men didn't think to go into the would-be assasin's apartment and plant McGovern literature to discredit his opponent.

Upon finishing this book, I immediately wondered if Reeves began working on a sequel, following Nixon from his resignation through his period of exile and disgrace to the era of his partial rehabilitation near the end of his life. I certainly hope Reeves follows up, for the story of Nixon the private citizen in the years after his fall from power would be fascinating and remains largely untold.

This is a good book, and I believe that both fans and detractors of our former President would enjoy it. Reeves has not written it to discredit the man, but to try to explain him. After finishing the book, I felt I knew the real Richard Nixon somewhat better, and that had Richard Nixon had a different take on the motivations of his fellow man, he may have gone down as one of our better Presidents.