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Reviews Written By: AIK7I9BYWV9Q1

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	EISENHOWER
	"A very good biography of a simple but great man"	2009-09-22
Stephen Ambrose is one of the greatest biographers of the past 50 years. He is surely one of the best of the World War II era. I enjoyed greatly reading his biography of Dwight Eisenhower and enjoyed how in one volume we learned about not just the figure, but the man. Ambrose does a great job of demonstrating the human qualities of Eisenhower without delving into the sleazy gossip that other biographers have tried to smear him with. I also enjoy how we learn as much about Eisenhower before WWII and as U.S. President. The workings of the man help us understand the working of the administrations he helped to form. The only down side for me is that Ambrose does approach his topic with a bit of hero worship and very little attention is paid to Eisenhower's shortcomings. What attention is paid, like his failure to speak in defense of George Marshall, is mostly glossed over. But again I did not want to hear sleazy gossip repeated and kudo's to Ambrose for not doing that. Well worth your time to read!
	Paul Revere's Ride
	"Exceptional history of one of our less told events"	2009-07-28
Ironically while Paul Revere's ride is a well known historical event, and the subject of one of the greatest epic poems of all time, very little is actually known about the events of April 19,1775. David Hackett Fisher does an amazing job of building up to the fatal events and gives a strong background which shows he did his research. Little known historical events that built up to the fateful events on April 19 are given a complete examination and the tenor of the times are built up excellently. This is the rare type of book that manages to be both very educational, even for adults while at the same time being a highly readable and entertaining book. Fisher makes all of the participants seem as real, flesh and blood individuals. This is one of the premiere Revolutionary War histories of recent times.
	Paul Revere's Ride
	"Exceptional history of one of our less told events"	2009-07-28
Ironically while Paul Revere's ride is a well known historical event, and the subject of one of the greatest epic poems of all time, very little is actually known about the events of April 19,1775. David Hackett Fisher does an amazing job of building up to the fatal events and gives a strong background which shows he did his research. Little known historical events that built up to the fateful events on April 19 are given a complete examination and the tenor of the times are built up excellently. This is the rare type of book that manages to be both very educational, even for adults while at the same time being a highly readable and entertaining book. Fisher makes all of the participants seem as real, flesh and blood individuals. This is one of the premiere Revolutionary War histories of recent times.
	Doubt [Blu-ray]
	"No doubt, great acting beats great special effects"	2009-06-27
It is always a pleasure to see great actors who excel at their art and doubt is one perfect example of that. This is a movie where you have to pay attention to what the actors are saying as there are not silly things blowing up and doing other things. As usual Phillip Seymour Hoffman is superb in his role as the progressive Father Flynn. Meryl Streep and Amy Adams tend to be a bit of side plays but Streep really excels in her performance with Hoffman during the confrontation scene in her office. This is a well acted story and one that given events of a few years ago is still timely and relevant. The title gives great insight into the film's flow as we all have doubt and even at the end of the film there is doubt regarding Flynn's innocence or not and Sister Alyousis's "proof". A well done and thoughtful film.
	James Buchanan : (The American Presidents Series) (The American Presidents)
	"Another fine example from a great series"	2009-06-20
The president's series seems to be at its best when it profiles the lesser known presidents and Jean Baker continues that case with James Buchanan. As many have already noted he seemed an ideal choice as President due to his extensive experience in government. However his own biases and political machinations resulted in not only the Civil War, but in his rightfully being listed as among the worst Presidents ever. Baker is unsparing as she describes his shortcomings, yet is also fair in describing why he was biased in the way he was. She also points out how even without the looming Civil War, Buchanan had a very corrupt administration that would have tarnished his reputation. This is a very interesting book and I strongly recommend it!
	Cloverfield [Blu-ray]
	"Not the greatest but interesting none the less"	2009-06-06
I will give J.J. Abrams his due, he is true to his craft and makes you watch what he wants to show you. He is not one to pander to his audience and leave everything in a nice, neatly wrapped up bundle at the end of the film. Cloverfield is like that, we do not know what the creature really looks like or where it might be from or if it was killed in the end. What is the Hammerdown protocol anyway? This reminds me so much of Lost where we don't know much about The Others, or the Dharma Initiative. We are supposed to enjoy the ride not getting to the destination. I am not going to say that Cloverfield is excellent film making, but it is an interesting film and quite honestly a fun movie if you let your self relax and enjoy it. Don't take it too seriously, it is supposed to be fun!
	Woodrow Wilson (American Presidents Series (Los Angeles, Calif.).)
	"On the Whole Dissapointing for a President Often Cited as Near Great"	2009-06-06
I can't say I thought this was a bad book, I just can't help but think that the life story of a President, often cited as one of the top ten or "near great" in American history can only merit 138 pages. Wilson was also one of the most complex men who ever held the office yet very little is devoted to any of this. Rather we are given almost a superficial version of his life that are less then what Cliff Notes may provide. Very little information is shown on his first term and while the majority of the book is focused on World War One, we see very little on the tremendous social changes that took place during Wilson's term (prohibition, woman's right to vote) and how Wilson thought of them. Very little attention is paid to how Wilson destroyed the last vestige of equality by re-segregating the U.S. Government and basically barring African-American's from any Government protection. Very lite reading but sadly not very filling.
	Woodrow Wilson 1913 - 1921: The American Presidents Series
	"On the Whole Dissapointing for a President Often Cited as Near Great"	2009-06-06
I can't say I thought this was a bad book, I just can't help but think that the life story of a President, often cited as one of the top ten or "near great" in American history can only merit 138 pages. Wilson was also one of the most complex men who ever held the office yet very little is devoted to any of this. Rather we are given almost a superficial version of his life that are less then what Cliff Notes may provide. Very little information is shown on his first term and while the majority of the book is focused on World War One, we see very little on the tremendous social changes that took place during Wilson's term (prohibition, woman's right to vote) and how Wilson thought of them. Very little attention is paid to how Wilson destroyed the last vestige of equality by re-segregating the U.S. Government and basically barring African-American's from any Government protection. Very lite reading but sadly not very filling.
	Barney Miller - The First Season
	"A Great Cop Show and One of TV's funniest!"	2009-06-01
Barney Miller was one of the funniest and most intelligent shows to ever grace the TV airwaves. Indirectly it paved the way for a number of other shows like Law and Order and NYPD Blue. I have heard police officers say that it in many ways is the most accurate cop shows on TV. The show is great to watch because as has been said many times it had both great writing and amazing acting. The humor is dry and sensible and requires you to pay attention to understand what is going on. The warts and all portrayal of the 12th precinct is amazing with all its filth and broken down equipment. It is even funnier now to see how some of the clothing and dialogue has not stood up to the test of time. Lastly, I think that dropping Barney's family from the show was a very good idea as the focus was and should have been in the squad room. A great DVD and lots of fun to watch. Any fan of the show will appreciate and enjoy it!
	Quantum of Solace [Blu-ray]
	"Best Bond Flick since Connery!"	2009-05-28
I know that arguing Bond flicks can often be like debating Red Sox vs. Yankees so I will toss down the gauntlet and say Quantum of Solace is one of the top non-Connery films. Daniel Craig is excellent as Bond and he does it in such a fashion as to appear that, much like Connery, being a spy can get in the way of his excellent taste and social life. That being said, Craig does an excellent job in smoldering from his previous mission and this film has a plot which may not be believable but then again, it maybe in the near future. Let's be honest, no one watches Bond films to learn about the world. Once again the stunts are amazing and incredible. There are elements, like in every Bond film, which are laughably bad but the emphasis is on laughable. I haven't seen every Bond film but I can say with certainty that this one beats all of the Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton films put together. I only wish they would bring back John Cleese! :)
	Deadwood - The Complete First Season
	"Excellent acting but the language is bizarre"	2009-05-28
I did enjoy watching Deadwood and think it shows the true west for its wildness and filth that really came with it. I must admit that the language used is not only rough but also an anachronism. The curse words used here were not those used in the old west. One was more likely to see words we consider very mild today but that came from the bible and in those days blasphemy was considered the highest of wrongs. All in all the acting and the character development makes this a well developed cast and a series of accuracy, filled with complex characters and if you want to see good acting, good drama and just plain good theater, this is worth your time.
	Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953 - 1961: (The American Presidents Series)
	"Very thin and poor entry in this otherwise decent series"	2009-05-25
I have read several of the books in the American President series and have discovered that generally speaking, the lesser known President's seem to get the best coverage but with this book Tom Wicker seems to be just lazing his way through Dwight Eisenhower's life. It is obvious that he doesn't have a great opinion of his and one finds that he can't list a single accomplishment of the Eisenhower administration that he reacts to positively. Sadly, this is a by the numbers biography and it pales compared to Stephen Ambrose's work and the work of a number of other fine authors. I do enjoy this series but suggest you avoid this work as it is really fluff and not worth the wasted time.
	Dwight D. Eisenhower: American Presidents Series
	"Very thin and poor entry in this otherwise decent series"	2009-05-25
I have read several of the books in the American President series and have discovered that generally speaking, the lesser known President's seem to get the best coverage but with this book Tom Wicker seems to be just lazing his way through Dwight Eisenhower's life. It is obvious that he doesn't have a great opinion of his and one finds that he can't list a single accomplishment of the Eisenhower administration that he reacts to positively. Sadly, this is a by the numbers biography and it pales compared to Stephen Ambrose's work and the work of a number of other fine authors. I do enjoy this series but suggest you avoid this work as it is really fluff and not worth the wasted time.
	The Third Reich at War (Book Club (BCE/BOMC) Edition)
	"An exhaustive overview of Germany's despeciable World War II history"	2009-05-24
Richard Evans has written one of the most in-depth and exhaustive histories of the Third Reich and manages to wrap it up with an insightful and exhaustive overview of how Germany waged and ultimately lost the Second World War. Evans dispels many myths and basically proves that the only way Germany could have won the war was to not have fought it. He also gives great detail on Germany's efforts to exterminate the Jews, Gypsies and other groups who didn't match their twisted view of world domination. At times he can seem sympathetic to elements of the German People and seems to try and separate the military from the hard core Nazi's which I think hurts his efforts. Either way this almost 800 page book is exhaustive but well worth your time investment!
	Born to Kill: America's Most Notorious Vietnamese Gang, and the Changing Face of Organized Crime
	"Engrossing and at times sad view of Vietnamese gangs"	2009-05-20
Every American immigrant group has had its share of gangs that preyed upon new arrivals for their own interests. Asian immigrants have fared a lot worse in their history because they truly have needed their tongs to defend them from some of the worse elements of discrimination and a cultural distrust of government and law enforcement. T.J. English shows how BTK filled in this gap and exploited all elements of fear and cultural misunderstanding to tell the story of how BTK was so successful for the time it existed. He gives his usual sharp sociological view of criminology which makes the stories all the more compelling. He also explains why the gang life was so compelling to criminals while not excusing their behavior. This is a well written and enjoyable work!
	James K. Polk: 1845 - 1849: The American Presidents Series
	"Interesting profile of one of your lesser known "great" presidents"	2009-05-12
James Polk is often listed with the "near great" category of U.S. Presidents. It is ironic that so little has been written about him given that he probably did more in four years as President than any other man who has held the office. This is a decent examination of his time in office and offers a solid background of the interesting characters he came across. I think it is safe to say he was the last Jacksonian era president and was surrounded by those who would play key roles in the run up to the Civil War. All in all not a bad book. Not great, but given the lack of materials on James Polk, I doubt there is much better out there.
	Panic
	"Very disappointing work from a great writer"	2009-05-12
I have seen some reviews similar to mine out there so forgive me if you've heard this all before. I checked this book out with the excitement that I was going to read something insightful and thought provoking along the lines of Liar's Poker or Moneyball. Rather what we got was a bunch of left overs from other peoples writing and thoughts. I found that even the collection of writing's didn't seem to offer any great insight into the nature of financial crisis. On the contrary they seemed to offer superficial commentary on what they were like just after or as they were occurring. I would advise any Michael Lewis fan to wait for the next book and hope that he learns from this disaster not to try and do something half cocked but to do what he does best and write an original piece of work. Of all his books, this is by far the worst!
	Richard Nixon
	"Interesting summation of the life of Richard Nixon"	2009-05-07
I have to give Elizabeth Drew credit for taking on a nearly impossible job. She has attempted to boil down the life of Richard Nixon into a few hundred pages. Thank of all the ink that has been spilled on him during the past 30 years and I will say Ms. Drew does a decent job of portraying someone as complex as Nixon. The book is basically by the facts and you will not find anything new or explosive in it. I didn't find it particularly partisan but then again I believe Drew went out of her way to avoid offering up anything other than the generally accepted facts. Still she is somewhat sympathetic to Nixon but still holds him accountable for what he did which was wrong. All in all, I think this is an interesting addition to this series!
	Richard Nixon
	"Interesting summation of the life of Richard Nixon"	2009-05-07
I have to give Elizabeth Drew credit for taking on a nearly impossible job. She has attempted to boil down the life of Richard Nixon into a few hundred pages. Thank of all the ink that has been spilled on him during the past 30 years and I will say Ms. Drew does a decent job of portraying someone as complex as Nixon. The book is basically by the facts and you will not find anything new or explosive in it. I didn't find it particularly partisan but then again I believe Drew went out of her way to avoid offering up anything other than the generally accepted facts. Still she is somewhat sympathetic to Nixon but still holds him accountable for what he did which was wrong. All in all, I think this is an interesting addition to this series!
	House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street
	"Overblown and loses track of the story for glamour and glitz"	2009-05-01
I thought that House of Cards was a book that wanted to focus as much on the "wretched excess" the author believed existed in the life styles of its senior management than in the actual story behind its collapse. The section in the middle essentially one of how a very risk adverse and well run company went wrong was sandwiched by two parts of a story that showed how all the senior executives at Bear Sterns engaged in petty power plays and enjoyed the cheap thrills that went with the job. All in all this is a somewhat interesting story but the author does a great disservice to the reader by focusing too much on how the scores were settled by the key players and how the different indulgences were enjoyed by them. I mean do we need to know this group smoked $140 cigars? That aspect is played up several times while the part about how the internal controls failed, while less attractive certainly more critical, is nearly ignored. So all in all this is a book much like the story it is trying to tell. Vast potential, ruined by lack of attention to detail.
	The Day Wall Street Exploded
	"Fascinating overview and examination of one of our lesser known terroist incidents"	2009-04-26
I have to say that I enjoyed this book as much because it was such a revelation. On the one hand it is both shocking and sad that until Tim McVeigh and Oklahoma City this was the worst terrorist incident in U.S. history. I also find fascinating the amount of time that was spent providing a background of America's anarchist leaders that have hardly ever been presented in any format other than as some monster hiding under the bed. The story does lag in trying to talk about the investigation and resolution of the bombing but otherwise it's a solid piece of historical footwork and investigation. I recommend it to anyone interesting in learning about an unknown chapter in American History.
	Mystery! Coyote Waits
	"Rock Solid Adaptation of one of Hillerman's best! "	2009-03-18
This is a must see for any Tony Hillerman fan. Robert Redford did a fantastic job in bringing these works to life and has done exceptional work in bringing the Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn partnership to screen. The stories work because not only do they cast two excellent actors in Adam Beach and West Studi, who have exceptional chemistry, but the supporting casts are excellent in their own subtle ways. I would recommend this anyone who enjoys Tony Hillerman and who enjoys the history and culture of the southwest. The one scene production values enliven the story and the use of local residents only brings more flavor to a wonderful dramatization. This is a must see!
	Coyote Waits
	"Rock Solid Adaptation of one of Hillerman's best! "	2009-03-18
This is a must see for any Tony Hillerman fan. Robert Redford did a fantastic job in bringing these works to life and has done exceptional work in bringing the Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn partnership to screen. The stories work because not only do they cast two excellent actors in Adam Beach and West Studi, who have exceptional chemistry, but the supporting casts are excellent in their own subtle ways. I would recommend this anyone who enjoys Tony Hillerman and who enjoys the history and culture of the southwest. The one scene production values enliven the story and the use of local residents only brings more flavor to a wonderful dramatization. This is a must see!
	A Thief of Time
	"A thief in time is a great way to pass some time"	2009-02-26
Very rarely do movies catch a book's essence but in this case a thief in time does just that. While it can not capture all of the principal characters or go into the details of the book, this movie does a great job at providing suspense, drama and a well thought out plot. The acting is top notch with Adam Beach and Wes Studi not only filling the roles from the book above all expectations, they also have an on screen chemistry that makes their role even more believable. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who liked the late, great Tony Hillerman and hope that PBS makes more of them in the future.
	A Thief of Time
	"A thief in time is a great way to pass some time"	2009-02-26
Very rarely do movies catch a book's essence but in this case a thief in time does just that. While it can not capture all of the principal characters or go into the details of the book, this movie does a great job at providing suspense, drama and a well thought out plot. The acting is top notch with Adam Beach and Wes Studi not only filling the roles from the book above all expectations, they also have an on screen chemistry that makes their role even more believable. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who liked the late, great Tony Hillerman and hope that PBS makes more of them in the future.
	October 1964
	"A True Baseball Classic Measuring the Passing of one Era to another "	2008-11-01
One of the saddest aspects of David Halberstam's passing in 2007 is that we will no longer have the joy and privilege of reading his wonderful works on sports, especially baseball. October 1964 ranks only behind his work on the 1949 baseball season as a seminal work on the art and passion of baseball. In each case he chose the New York Yankees and a team with die hard loyal fans (Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals) and portrayed not only how the respective pennant races went that season but what these teams meant to their respective communities and what the sport contributed to American culture. Halberstam has always used baseball as trailblazer in the delicate art of racial integration and does so very effectively here. The differences between the progressive views of the Cardinals and the "old style" racial views of the Yankees serves as an outstanding microcosm of why the National League surpassed the American League and dominated them through the 1960's, 1970's and 1980s. All in all this is an amazing work of one of the most critical times in American history and how sports very quietly lead the way to a more successful integration of overall American society.
	October 1964
	"A True Baseball Classic Measuring the Passing of one Era to another "	2008-11-01
One of the saddest aspects of David Halberstam's passing in 2007 is that we will no longer have the joy and privilege of reading his wonderful works on sports, especially baseball. October 1964 ranks only behind his work on the 1949 baseball season as a seminal work on the art and passion of baseball. In each case he chose the New York Yankees and a team with die hard loyal fans (Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals) and portrayed not only how the respective pennant races went that season but what these teams meant to their respective communities and what the sport contributed to American culture. Halberstam has always used baseball as trailblazer in the delicate art of racial integration and does so very effectively here. The differences between the progressive views of the Cardinals and the "old style" racial views of the Yankees serves as an outstanding microcosm of why the National League surpassed the American League and dominated them through the 1960's, 1970's and 1980s. All in all this is an amazing work of one of the most critical times in American history and how sports very quietly lead the way to a more successful integration of overall American society.
	Summer of '49 (Perennial Classics)
	"Simply put, A Great Author at his Best!!!"	2008-08-31
The catalog of work by David Halberstam is outstanding in so many different aspects. It would seem that he is at his best when he writes about sports. While I can recommend any of his works, Summer of 49 is probably the best! Halberstam does a great job of not only painting an era but painting the giants who played in them. Williams and DiMaggio are given special care and shown to be complex and interesting characters in this drama, but then so are the role players like Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr. This work also does a great job of painting a picture of the last gasp of an era when teams traveled by train, were mostly white and played by afternoon. His descriptions of the games themselves are almost like listening to them on television. For true baseball fans, this is a must read!
	Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus
	"Overly analytical yet highly interesting view of Barry Goldwater and the rise of modern conservatism"	2008-04-30
I found this book to be on many accounts a very interesting account of the birth of modern conservatism and the atmosphere of the U.S. in 1964 which lead to its emergence. Still, I found that the author went out of his way to paint the birth as a negative thing, obvious by the title, and something that has harmed the country more than helped it. The portrayal of Barry Goldwater the man is very negative. He is often portrayed as garrulous bordering on rude when the fact was that Goldwater was plainspoken and made no apologies for who he was or what he thought. Heaven forbid that today. Also, the grassroots organizations that helped to place Goldwater at the head of the ticket in 1964 as executing a type of putsch over preferred candidates. Yes the candidates were preferred but not by Republican rank and file. Lastly, very little attention is given to the failures of the Democrats or the fact that the long grouping of Southern Democrats and northern machine bosses, neither of whom were very democratic, were falling apart when faced with voter dissatisfaction. Overall this is a long book and it does a great job of describing a point in time. Be prepared to deal with the author's biases against both Goldwater and those who brought him to power.
	Public Enemies: 34
	"Well Researched and vivid tale"	2008-02-04
You have to give the author his due in that he spent a great deal of time in researching and writing a vivid and compelling story of the great crime wave that swept over America during the great depression. He also does a great job of separating fact from legend. Public Enemies provides a solid background on all of the main characters and while not excusing their crimes, does give some key to their motivations. If there is one complaint I have is that the book can, at times, read like an encyclopedia or that the facts are being recited. It may be a tad overlong but other than that it is a tremendous book.