This is a fascinating and disturbing tale that illustrates just how hard it is to convict somebody who has a lot of money and power. Cullen Davis, warped little rich boy dominated by his incredibly wealthy and megalomanic father, grows up to inherit most of the fortune and position. What does he do with it? He chases sex kitten type women, showers them with lavish gifts, and abuses them.

Naifeh and Smith raise the true crime genre to something close to literature here. We have the usual litany of sickies and psychopaths, the usual police incompetence, prosecutors who can't prosecute, etc. The "final justice" in the title is somewhat ironic since multimillionaire Cullen Davis is never found guilty of any of his crimes, the worst of which was the cold-blooded murder of his wife's 12-year-old daughter; the least of which, perhaps the killing of her kitten. The juries in Texas just would not convict him (although they have put a number of poor people on death row). Instead they admired him for his money, stupidly since he just inherited it. And before the book is over, he blows most of it.

We get a terrible sense here that people with riches in positions of power really can get away with murder. People look up to them regardless of their crimes. It helps us to understand how murderers like Sadaam Hussein and what's his name in Yugoslavia continue in power. It's not just that people are afraid of them, they look up to them and find ways to excuse their crimes. This is the human tribal mind at work: better our corrupt and evil leader than theirs, and better a corrupt and evil leader than no leader at all. The women in this one come off as particularly subject to manipulation by power and money, although that was not necessarily the authors' intent. They wanted to show just what a sick, sick man Cullen Davis is, and they succeed in that. But incidentally they revealed the women around him, especially his gold-digging wives, as sad, sad creatures who would be abused and wallow in it for the sake of being close to all that money and power and maybe getting a little of it. One has the sense that they couldn't help themselves.

This is a good read that will rouse your sense of indignation.

it actually happened!!!

Don't look at the facts. Facts are **BAD***!! Let's attack the victims and divert attention away from what the case was all about...the murder of a twelve year old girl and a family aquaintance.

OJ's "Dream Team" (what a joke) must've used this case as a template for OJ's defense, because the similarities are eerie.

Highly recommended.

This book is really, the most precise account of the murders and trials. Some of the other books on the murder trials of Mr. Davis are very goddy and don't focus on the facts of the case. I really think that Mr. Naifeh did an excellent job with the content and details of this novel.I hope that people will not simply judge a case or story by one book, and know that you must have a numerous amount of facts and reality before you try to judge someone or something.

Perhaps the man who along with Allan Ginsberg altered the way poetry was written and percieved. This is by far his most eclectic collection, featuring the masterful BOMB (perhaps the ultimate epithath for the 20th century) and the brilliant and moving MARRIAGE, POWER, CLOWN and POLICE more of the contents that show what a clever witty deep commentator Corso is. Poems you can mull ove? Definatly! Poems you can analyse? Undoubtable! But here is a collection you can read again and again and enjoy again and again.

Gregory Corso must have been sitting in an empty room, with nothing more to think of than the emotions controlling his mind. In this book of poetry, the reader will gain a new appreciation for his work. The Happy Birthday of Death is one of the most powerful, and intense collections of writing available.

I recomend this book to everyone.it is funny,intellegent,and thrifting

Gregory Woods, in A History of Gay Literature, The Male Tradition, has written a comprehensive examination of gay male literature through the centuries and around the globe. It looks at text and subtext and context to find the gay meaning or the meaning for gays in the annals of historical literature. Along the way the reader will learn new aspects of literature (such as the chapter on African poetry, to name one example from my own ignorance) and new ways to look at familiar books and poems. For all its breadth, it is wonderfully readable and somewhat addictive. It had me searching out various books to read them for myself. The writing is so good that I was equally fascinated reading about the books I had not read or did not even know about as I was reading about the others. This is a very good survey and a fun read.

Poet and author Gregory Lewis has given us one of the more readable compendiums tracing the birth and maturation of gay themes and styles in literature. Many authors have approached this task as a sensational "outing" of famous writers whose true sexual preferences will always be shrouded by the curtain of history. Lewis has chosen to deal with actual portions of writings in a scholastic method that creates a credible case for his choices of inclusion in the lineage of gay writers. Infused with brief descriptions of the social history of the times he is describing (Greek, Roman, Middle Ages, Shakespeare/Marlowe, Melville, Whitman, Wilde, Forster, Genet, Gide, Holleran, Leavitt, Monette, Auden, Rechy, etc), he lays the timely mores for interpreting the written word and in doing so does not preach to his readers. And though this book is heavily footnoted, researched, and extensive in its coverage of known and less known writers, it is eminently readable! Lewis is not afraid to let us know when his "opinion" versus "cold fact" is being stated; he allows us to grow to understand his method of decision making and is generous in his quotations of passages that support his claims. For the reader who wants a gossipy book of "Secrets of the Closeted Writers" this is not the resource. For those who want to examine the works of Thomas Mann, Shakespeare, E.M. Forster, Henry James, Plato, Socrates (the list is endless) in an erudite manner, welcome to the feast. Lewis is a gifted historian, social commentator, and gentle philosopher. And this book is one to read over an unhurried, extended period of time. There are riches here to savour as you read and for later as a reference volume of considerable significance.

This is a very readable book. However I was extremely astonished at the scantiness of space on Japanese same-sex relation. Since after ancient Greek, only Japanese could have enhanced male-homoeroticism to highly ethical valued SHUDO i.e. the way of male love and there is a great number of GAY literature,documents, arts etc. in Japan. I recommend two books for readers THE LOVE OF THE SAMURAI by Watanabe Tsuneo & Iwata Jun'ichi, et MALE COLORS by Gary P. Leupp. And I hope many people study Japanese culture, history and literature more.

Even if you aren't a parent, odds are you have children in your life. How refreshing to find things my nieces and nephew and I can do together on the web besides raid tombs and kill centipedes! I am internet savvy, but have never had any need or time to see what is available for children. I found this guide to be a handy and valuable resource. The best part is, the children and I found things to do that we both enjoyed.

As a teacher and a mother, I highly recommend this book. It is an excellent way for kids to have fun while learning at the same time. Great idea by Callie Gregory!

Excellent reading material written in a format that kids can relate to. I highly recommend Callie Gregory's "Jeeves, I'm Bored" to individuals with kids interested in adventures on the internet.

The official MediEvil II guide is a rarity among most of Prima's recent strategy guide offerings--it's EXTREMELY good. Everything the game has to offer is greatly detailed by way of clear maps, screenshots, walkthrough directions, and enemy strategies. All of this is presented in a very nice layout which takes full advantage of all 160 pages--no wasted space to be found here. Highly recommended if there's anything stumping you about this game.

the strategy guide has pics for all scenes and gives many good tips throughout.

This guide is very helpful and it was worth the price i paid for it.

For the millions of Americans who have only ( until recently ie since the Pope's visit to Cuba ) seen Fidel as a military man this book adds a bit of humanity to that image. The imae of him as a threat to my safety is a view I could only suspect was being presented me as my government's own bit of propaganda (thinking of how recent publication's on how the Soviets used photography as a tool to control the masses) I was genuinely pleased to have my suspicions confirmed.

Nonetheless, upon opening this book, one finds that it is more than meets the eye. It is not the political treatise one might expect. I am grateful for the honesty the son (Roberto) gave in the acknowledging the irony in being both a suporter of the cause as well as a photographer/reporter of history.

Of particular interest, which I think self taught photographers may find of interest, is the many anecdotes on how Roberto and his father "made do" with what little equipment they had (both before going to Cuba and after) and how they shared equipment. Such disclosures dispell the popular belief that an aspiring photographers needs all the latest gadgetry that manufacturers pump out. The kind of "socialism they [Cubana] fought for is the kind struggling artist could practice.

From a political perspective. The book (story) of how the U.S. Government ousts individuals be they journalist or subversives is touched on. This is a book that may touch the heart and the soul of a anyone who suspects Cuba and Castro have stories to tell. Finally, it is a photographic feast of photojournalism from the inside of not only the revolution but the photographers who documented it.

Apart from the amazing photography, which captures an epoch so freqently only seen through CIA-filtered eyes, the book is a simple overview of the Cuban revolution and the real people of Cuba - not just the materialistic bourgouisie - who supported Castro and still do. Most enigmatic of all are the photos of Castro and Che, and then just Che, his magnetism shining through regardless of his beliefs.

Set your politics aside. Look at this wonderful book and ponder how close Fidel and Che came to actually getting it right.

Soon Castro may be judged by history, as he once claimed he wanted to be, and the facts point in the direction of a dark, blood-stained judgement. Nonetheless, the photography in this book is a brilliant work of photojournalist art.

They take us from the tender beginnings of a Revolution of bearded young men against a bloody tyrant. They are young gods in olive-green uniforms. The photo of Camilo Cienfuegos and another unidentified bearded guerrilla in front of the Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial in DC is magnificent. What did America think of these young white men, in their dark, long hair and their huge beards? It stunned and seduced the nation and the seeds of the hippie movement were planted.

The book delivers with visual insight and power. The photographs are vivid and full of history. My highest possible rating!

THE HEART OF CHINESE POETRY. By Greg Whincup. 178 pp. (Anchor Books). New York : Doubleday, 1987. ISBN 0-385-23967-X (pbk.)

Greg Whincup has here had the useful idea of making Chinese poetry come alive for the Western reader by bringing readers face-to-face with the original texts. Although it has been done before, for example by David Hawkes in his 'A Little Primer of Tu Fu' (Renditions Press, 1988), Whincup seems certainly to have done as well, and considering the incredible importance of the Chinese language, and the wealth of its literature, there really ought to be many more books like this.

Whereas Hawkes' book focused exclusively on the work of Tu Fu, Whincup has chosen instead to give us fifty-seven of China's greatest poems from a wide range of writers - Li Bai, Du Fu, Du Mu, Su Shr, etc. If these names look strange it's because Whincup, rather than employing the Wade-Giles system of transcription which everyone is familiar with, has chosen instead to use the far less well-known Yale system of romanization. For those who don't know it, which probably includes almost everyone, he has provided a brief guide on pages 173-74. The book also contains an extensive 5-page English-language Bibliography

The poems have been topically arranged under the following headings : The Heart of Chinese Poetry; The History of Chinese Poetry; Three Poets of the Golden Age; Poems of War; Poems by and about Women; Landscape/Enlightenment.

For each poem we are given : 1. Whincup's final translation; 2. the Yale word-by-word romanization; 3. the printed full-form Chinese character (ideogram; sinograph); 4. a literal translation of each character; 5. explanatory notes. A nice touch is that the texts have been arranged vertically.

As anyone who has read the poems like this can vouch, it really is the only way for the non-specialist to get an idea of how glorious Chinese poems are when understood in their original language. My only complaint is that, although the Chinese font that has been used in the book is a beautiful cursive form and without the stiffness of the usual printed form, it's also incredibly tiny, and the beginner is going to need very good eyes and very good lighting to be able to discern the structure of the more complex characters.

Here is an example of Whincup's final translation of a famous poem, 'Deer Fence,' by Wang Wei (with my obliques added to indicate line breaks) :

"In the empty mountains / I see no one, / But hear the sound / Of someone's voice. // Slanting sunlight / Enters deep forest, / And shines again / On green moss" (p.169).

This is a respectable effort, and readers might care to compare it with Wai-lim Yip's treatment of Wang Wei in his excellent bilingual anthology, details of which follow below.

Whincup's is a wonderful book that, by enabling the reader to come to grips with the Chinese, will help anyone to arrive at a deeper and richer appreciation of Chinese poetry, and to see how far short of the originals any English translation must inevitably fall. You simply can't do in English what can be done in Chinese, and there really ought to be more books like 'The Heart of Chinese Poetry.'

For those who may be interested, here are details of the Yip:

CHINESE POETRY : An Anthology of Major Modes and Genres. Edited and translated by Wai-lim Yip. 358 pp. Durham NC and London : Duke University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8223-1951-9 (pbk.)

One of the best books of translated Chinese poetry. The Chinese characters and word by word translation lets one get a real feel for the original. How could this have gone out of print?

More than poetry, this book teaches Chinese history, language and culture. Each poem appears in 4 forms, English with syntax adjusted, Raw English word-for-word translation, pinyin (pronunciation guide), and Chinese charaters. The commentary on each poem ranges from an explanation of the symbolism to anecdotes about the poets themselves.

the book was good it was kinda like the movie all about the
benjamins you know what im sayin mooney money bling bling

I rated this book five stars.
Why?
I enjoyed reading about how
they all felt about each other.
What I really liked was they finally
got record deal.
The character I liked the most was Chanel
because she was the nice and pretty type.
So that's why I rated this book five stars.

Of all the books I've read I have to say this is the best. The series alone is great! In this book Galleria tries to be the leader of the group and bosses them around. So Chanel tells her it's not happening. (But I like the old Aqua and Angie better, They are featured in the series 1-4)

I am in the process of reading this book. I just finished reading Chapter 3, A Doctor Is a Doctor Is . . . The information in this chapter is extremely important. It applies to all technical fields.

Phenomenal and uplifting. That's how I would describe Smith's book. I purchased this book because I was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year, at age 22. A craniotomy and a long recovery behind me, I'm still left with part of the tumor, seizures, and daily medication. Smith's book not only led me through what he was going through physically and emotionally, so that I did not feel so alone, but it showed the other side: hope. Through many personal stories of people who had diseases ranging from emphysema to AIDS, amyloidosis to stroke, Smith shows the strength and power that hope, positive thinking, and an attitude of "I'm not giving up!" has had on these fighters. This book made me see that no matter how bad I think things are for me, someone is going through worse, but with a better attitude! Everybody knows someone suffering from a chronic disease. I recommend this book for sufferers and their families. Not only helpful emotionally, it is helpful practically, in showing that getting that second, or third, or fourth opinion may make the difference between not only horrible aftereffects of a surgery, but life and death. Most of all, this book leaves its readers with the message of "Don't give up!" I know I won't.

This book should be required reading in High ?School...it let's the reader know how and when to use healthcare options, and how important it is to control one's healthe care and destiny.

Gregory Douglas, aka Peter Stahl, is a notorious forger of wartime documents. This and his other books on Heinrich Muller are the crowning achievement of his career.

As history they are completely worthless, but one can still admire the craft that went into their forging.

This book, along with other books in the series, pose fascinating questions to the reader. However, I suggest they be read within some context--for example, the book "The Actor" by Alan Stang about John Foster Dulles. There is much about the origins of the century of World Wars, espionage and counter-espionage, assassinations, crimes against humanity of the grossest order, that is unknown. In another review, a Mr. David Hebden states that Mr. Douglas is really a Peter Stahl, a "notorious" forger of wartime documents (what has he to say about the recent book on the Kennedy assassination by Douglas?). The form of the writing leaves the reader to make his own conclusions--the actual writings of Douglas comprise possibly one-third of the book. However, prior to the Kennedy book, one might say that he has devoted a great deal of energy and expertise to a subject that no one really cared to know about, and yet the reading is nonetheless captivating simply because of the subject, and information, and the reproduction of original documents which must be taken on some faith by the reader. You can turn on some cable news channel, or you can start to think. And as we all know, thinking is dangerous.

Update: 10/14/2002.

Further research suggests to this writer that the documents relied upon by Mr. Douglas are not fakes or forgeries.

as Nietzsche said the battle in morality boils down to the power of definition. It is ultimately a question of who allows himself to be judged by whom. This journal, covering Muller in Washington DC 1948-1950 cuts deeply into the reality of power politics as it actually existed. We are all conditioned to discard the reality Muiller presents- better to turn our heads and slip into our comfortable selves. This book, in concert with the 3 interrogation books on Muller, will open eyes to those who want to see and close eyes of the close minded. You will recieve an education that the reflective glow of truth will blind. Mightily recommended