Book Description
As he is driving home from a minister's conference, Baptist minister Don Piper collides with a semi-truck that crosses into his lane. He is pronounced dead at the scene. For the next 90 minutes, Piper experiences heaven where he is greeted by those who had influenced him spiritually. He hears beautiful music and feels true peace. Back on earth, a passing minister who had also been at the conference is led to pray for Don even though he knows the man is dead. Piper miraculously comes back to life and the bliss of heaven is replaced by a long and painful recovery. For years Piper kept his heavenly experience to himself. Finally, however, friends and family convinced him to share his remarkable story.
Customer Reviews:
Could NOT put this book down! Awesome Book!.......2007-10-19
I don't really know what led me to reading this book to begin with, but I will tell you that once I started reading it - I couldn't put it down! I expected the description of heaven to be glorious. The scripture at the beginning of each chapter was comforting. I felt like writing each verse down as it's easy to forget! I was pleasantly surprised by all the lessons and the personal account of Don's recovery and the lessons he still had to learn. Any person who is struggling with a terminal illness, has recently lost a loved one or has sustained any big injuries NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK! I will buy several and hand them out. I finished reading this book this AM and have already lent this book to my BOSS! This book reads well and is written in such a manner as if Don was he's telling you in person! Would recommend this book to anyone - Christian or non-Christian.
God chosen one? REALLY!.......2007-10-18
I picked up this book because I was facing yet another heart cath and thought what a good read for me. I also had a NDE and was sent back to human life. I enjoyed the book until the last chapter. SO, ONLY Don was pick by God to tell of his experience in heaven? Others like me are making our experience up? Excuse me, our God doesn't choose just one man to serve him and tell of the afterlife or of HIS love for us. Self serving to make money is what Don Piper is doing here folks. God loves us all. Piper will be in my prayers.
90 Minutes in Heaven.......2007-10-17
This is a truly amazing book. I had trouble putting it down before I finished it. Very inspiring and encouraging. What a story!! I'd highly recommend to all. I've shared it with many people.
Gives hope but something is missing.......2007-10-16
As a Christian, I read this book more as a source of comfort and inspiration than as a way to convince myself that heaven is real.
I found Piper's style easy to read, and his overall story to be inspirational, but I felt like something was missing. Maybe because Piper worked with a co-author, but the whole experience seemed watered down. For something so life-changing and miraculous, it read in places as a mere recitation of the facts, rather than a deeply felt and tumultuous event that had far-reaching effects on numerous lives.
I also found the timeline to be choppy -- it was hard to follow in places as it jumped forward and then back again, covering the same ground several times.
I would have preferred a deeper exploration of how his accident and subsequent journey to heaven impacted his life and that of those around him - what changes did he make as a result of his experiences? How can he inspire readers to make changes in their own lives as a result of what he has gone through? Instead, a potentially powerful story is diluted and its impact lost.
Not What It Seems.......2007-10-16
I bought this book because I was curious to see what Don Piper had to say about the afterlife. As one who has had a near death experience, I am always interested in reading other people's experiences. I've learned much about the NDE over the last ten years from the people who have actually researched them, some of whom I've met personally. I've also read quite a few near death accounts.
Given what I have learned over the years, I wanted to read 90 Minutes In Heaven to see if it measured up to the research that has been done on the topic, as well as see if I could determine why this particular book is so popular.
I was looking for the basic components researchers like Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. PMH Atwater and Dr. Bruce Greyson have identified over the years. I saw a few, but some major ones were missing, like the Life Review. There was no tunnel experience. There was no supernatural rescue and no realm of bewildered spirits.
Toward the end of the book Don takes a swipe at other people's experiences, he says: "Descriptions of their ordeals often seem too rehearsed and disturbingly similar, as if one person copied the story of the last." It looks like Don doesn't believe the experiences that back up the conclusions of the research that has been established. It may well be the experiences are similar because they are indeed near death experiences, which makes me wonder about credibility issues this book has.
Actually, Don never did get past the "pearly gates" he reported seeing and he never got to walk the streets "paved with gold." His description of heaven (albeit short) is what I'd expect to come from a clergyman. Almost all of what Don saw and experienced consisted of meeting others who were outside of the gates of heaven. Basically, his description of heaven comes from the outside of heaven, not from the inside. This is likely the reason many other reviewers think the title of the book is very misleading. I tend to agree with them.
Researchers might class this experience as a "Pleasant or heaven-like experience." I'm not saying that I don't believe Don saw what he saw, but I am saying that his NDE isn't as descriptive as many others are. There is very little information about the afterlife in this book.
The lion's share of 90 Minutes In Heaven is focused on Don's recovery which I feel could have been written better. It isn't in chronological order, which made it extremely hard for me to follow. There is a lot of repetition throughout the book, especially about the "Ilizarov leg fixator" device. The "poor me" and "it's all about me" attitude throughout the book got old really fast.
I'm sorry I can't recommend this book. There are other books with quite a bit more information about the afterlife in them. I'd pass on this one.
David L. Oakford, author of Journey Through The World of Spirit: God, Gaia, and Guardian Angels
Book Description
Heyday is a brilliantly imagined, wildly entertaining tale of America’s boisterous coming of age–a sweeping panorama of madcap rebellion and overnight fortunes, palaces and brothels, murder and revenge–as well as the story of a handful of unforgettable characters discovering the nature of freedom, loyalty, friendship, and true love.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, modern life is being born: the mind-boggling marvels of photography, the telegraph, and railroads; a flood of show business spectacles and newspapers; rampant sex and drugs and drink (and moral crusades against all three); Wall Street awash with money; and giddy utopian visions everywhere. Then, during a single amazing month at the beginning of 1848, history lurches: America wins its war of manifest destiny against Mexico, gold is discovered in northern California, and revolutions sweep across Europe–sending one eager English gentleman off on an epic transatlantic adventure. . . .
Amid the tumult, aristocratic Benjamin Knowles impulsively abandons the Old World to reinvent himself in New York, where he finds himself embraced by three restless young Americans: Timothy Skaggs, muckraking journalist, daguerreotypist, pleasure-seeker, stargazer; the fireman Duff Lucking, a sweet but dangerously damaged veteran of the Mexican War; and Duff’s dazzling sister Polly Lucking, a strong-minded, free thinking actress (and discreet part-time prostitute) with whom Ben falls hopelessly in love.
Beckoned by the frontier, new beginnings, and the prospects of the California Gold Rush, all four set out on a transcontinental race west–relentlessly tracked, unbeknownst to them,
by a cold-blooded killer bent on revenge.
A fresh, impeccable portrait of an era startlingly reminiscent of our own times, Heyday is by turns tragic and funny and sublime, filled with bona fide heroes and lost souls, visionaries (Walt Whitman, Charles Darwin, Alexis de Tocqueville) and monsters, expanding horizons and narrow escapes. It is also an affecting story of four people passionately chasing their American dreams at a time when America herself was still being dreamed up–an enthralling, old-fashioned yarn interwoven with a bracingly modern novel of ideas.
"In this utterly engaging novel, the author of Turn of the Century brings 19th-century America vividly to life . . . While this is a long book, it moves quickly, with historical detail that's involving but never a drag on the action; the characters are beautifully drawn. A terrific book; highly recommended."
–Library Journal
"Heyday is fuled by manic energy, fanatical research, and a wicked sense of humor.... It's a joyful, wild gallop through a joyful, wild time to be an American."
-Vanity Fair
Customer Reviews:
A Phenomenal Read!.......2007-09-20
This novel is educational, exciting and well-written. Kurt Andersen is a talented author who has certainly done his research, and beautifully combines history with fiction. Read this book!
Great adventure from east to west coast........2007-09-03
This is a long book but worth it. Be prepared to commit yourself to this. You won't want to miss the ending. Great characters, interesting history. Books written in this era are always so fun to read. You won't be disappointed if you enjoy epic, romantic adventure filled stories.
A fun ride, but lots of negatives.......2007-08-21
I was torn between giving this book 4 stars or only 3. There are lots of negatives that distracted me from really enjoying this book, but, when I got to the end, I realized that it was worth the read.
I won't describe the plot - plenty of others have done that, and the book's summary is sufficient. Suffice it to say that the plot itself is one of the book's weaknesses: other reviewers mentioned the coincidences that forced me to suspend disbelief over and over again, but I think, as the book progresses, you get so used to these coincidences that it doesn't matter. In the end, the book is a kind of fairy tale, and coincidence is essential for such stories.
What bothered me most, however, is the author's need to flex his historical muscles at every turn. He clearly did lots of research, and wants to make sure you know it. He almost uses Tom Swifties - bits of exposition that go overboard to explain what he's presented - when tossing around "authentic" elements from the time. Inventions, clothing, food, and anything else he can present, Andersen keeps reminding us that he did his homework. Yet this ends up more distracting than if he simply mentioned these things in passing, or, rather, _didn't_ mention them all.
I read a lot of 19th century fiction, and Heyday does fit well into that style (though clearly it is contemporary, ie 21st century, 19th century fiction.) It's a fun read, full of interesting characters, and only a few tics mar its overall effect.
A slow start grows into an engrossing, richly detailed book.......2007-08-02
This is a loooong novel (640 pages), and as the editorial review from Publishers Weekly notes, one with a "slowish" beginning. The book opens in April 1948 with young Englishman Ben Knowles' arrival in America. On his first day in the new world, he encounters two of the other main characters, the beautiful actress Polly Lucking and her firefighting brother, Duff (the fourth main character, Timothy Skaggs, is introduced a bit later). However, the timeline then reverts back to six months before, when Ben has traveled to Paris to visit a friend. Although the events that occur in Paris are integral to the story that follows (including the introduction of another major character, Sergeant Drumont), I think that the author's use of a flashback here is the reason the first 100 pages or so of this novel tend to drag somewhat.
Once the book returns to the present time, however, the story begins to pick up. Author Andersen provides a fascinating glimpse of life in the mid-1800s, from dietary staples to the newspaper boom to brothels and bathroom habits. He's clearly done his research--for example, he often makes a point of incorporating more colloquial terms in describing "modern" life at that time. Andersen also uses several major historical events as vehicles for his plot, such as France's "February Revolution" and the California gold rush. Major historical figures appear as well--Charles Darwin, Walt Whitman, and others are actual characters in the book, while Abraham Lincoln and similar famous personage receive prominent mentions.
Each of the four main characters--Ben, Polly, Duff, and Skaggs--is afforded with plenty of time and a point of view voice. Early on, the focus is more on Ben's experiences in France and Polly's checkered history, but as the novel progresses, we learn more of Duff's secret past and Skaggs' aspirations; Drumont's perspective is given as well. Heyday is a book is full of both tragedy and humor, although with more of an emphasis on the latter. At the novel's conclusion, I felt that my extended stay in the nineteenth century was time well-spent, and I believe that you will too.
Appealingly impossible novel.......2007-07-30
"Heyday" presents the reader with a totally impossible plot, in the sense of one filled with outrageous coincidences plus main characters that somehow manage to meet almost every prominent figure and participate in every major event or historical movement on two continents in the middle of the 19th century. The resulting incredulity almost turns the story, despite the intense violence and mayhem, into a comedy.
Then there are the characters themselves, as flat and static as can be. They move around a lot, but they do not evolve, regardless of the monumental challenges with which are are constantly faced.
The book's sole strength--and it's a good one--is in the details of everyday life of the time. The author has done his homework! What luxurious descriptions of life in Paris, London, New York City, the Midwest, and California during the Gold Rush, including numerous titillating details about sexual habits and instruments!
But in the end, the book is just too long to sustain interest in detail alone
Average customer rating:
- Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude
- Excellent Book in Gitomer's latest
- Not Impressed
- I have to admit... it's helpful
- Yes Attitude
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Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS (Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Books)
Jeffrey Gitomer
Manufacturer: FT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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General
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| Business & Investing
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Little Red Book of Sales Answers: 99.5 Real World Answers That Make Sense, Make Sales, and Make Money (Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Books)
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ASIN: 0131986473 |
Customer Reviews:
Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude.......2007-10-13
This book will draw attention to you as you laugh out loud, nod your head and look for a pen to underscore sections, take tests and rate your own attitude. It is a fast, fun read. Gitomer puts into perspective your relationships - those that are good and valuable and those you might want to shed for better ones. It will also encourage serious soul searching while breaking up the weighty thoughts with plenty of comic relief.
Excellent Book in Gitomer's latest .......2007-09-27
I think this is a great book for anybody that needs an attitude adjustment or not. It is just a very good book with exercises in the book to help you realize what you are doing that could be setting you back or negative. Or what you are not doing that can help you improve and be more positive. It makes you think and ponder. Most people think they have a positive attitude. You may be surprised after taking his evalution tests whether you are. This book helps you go from a positive attitude to a Yes Attitude which is even better. Read the book it is definitely worth your time. And then say YES!
Not Impressed.......2007-08-29
Maybe 5 pages out of the whole book ENCOURAGED you to BECOME Positive with a YES attitude. The rest of the book was FLUFF.
He writes books...that's his job. He needs to sell books to buy the Beemer.
Did this book help me become MORE Positive?..... NO
Did it tell me how to become MORE Positive?..... NO.
So I went ahead and bought the "Magic of Thinking BIG" from Amazon instead.
ONE STAR because I liked the cover of the book.
Very overpriced and does NOT deliver.
I have to admit... it's helpful.......2007-08-14
Honestly, I wanted to dislike this book. It seemed shallow and more like a powerpoint presentation than a book.
Let's start: too simplistic, dumbed-down. Obvious. A rehash of what I already know. A huckster pushing a product...
But I have to admit that I just found it useful. I actually started to read it for 15 minutes a day in the morning - every weekday. And I actually found that it did help my attitude, that it did help me move forward and respond more positively to those around me. That it did help me take an extra moment when I am about to say something negative... and think it over.
I've started adopting various ideas from the book... and they help.
I'm almost embarrassed by liking this book. But it has been worth 10x the cover price to me.
In the end - well, I just will say "thanks".
Yes Attitude.......2007-08-11
This book was awesome. Very easy to read and FULL of inspirational things to think about and actions to take. I bought this book for all my employees to remind them to keep their "Yes" attitudes!
Book Description
This is a CD of the Gold Record Recording of the 1956 essay, The Strangest Secret. This recording, by Earl Nightingale was the seedling from which the personal development industry grew, and is offered now for the first time on CD.
Customer Reviews:
Simple & Uplifting.......2007-10-12
Very relevant to my real estate practice. Listening to this CD is a great way to start the day.
Excellent!.......2007-08-13
Read about this recording in other motivational material and finally bought it. Single CD and not to long to listen to on short commutes. Can listen to it over and over and pick up something new each time. Really worth owning and sharing with others.
CD Review.......2007-03-08
Easy to listen to CD. I've listened to this about 3-4 times in my car on the way to work and on the way home. An easy idea to grasp which can be applied to any area of your life.
Looking for a kick in the pants, this is it!.......2007-02-22
It takes a lot to get me motivated, but this did it. It's amazing how something recorded in 1959 (I think) is so relevant now.
I'm currently participating in his 30 day challenge. I'm on day 13 and it's working as it should, completely on track.
I've sent a copy of this CD to a business contact that is also fired up. Since this purchase, I've also purchased, Lead the Field, by Earl Nightingale, but this one is better. Shorter, and better.
Highly recommended!
Change your life forever in 30 minutes!.......2007-02-18
There is no place to spend 30 minutes,and experience as much insight into your own personal life than right here! Common sense will always rule as it did over 50 years ago, and Earl will touch on every corner of this for you, from material gain to coexisting with everyone around you. The funny thing is that my father played this for me when I was probably 10 years old, and while my best friend and I used to make fun of it, I can still remember many of the lines and points now over 40 years later, especially the "now suppose a farmer has some land" one. I was reintroduced this past summer to the recording at age 51 of course now on CD, and have probably listended to it over 100 times since (no kidding). I have listened to it so many times I wake up with it playing in my head, and especially love sharing it with my family! Do yourself a favor no matter what age you are, and get with this now! I cannot imagine what the world could be like if everyone had a chance to hear, and live this philosophy!
Book Description
The essential guide for forward-thinking business leaders who see the Green Wave coming and want to profit from it
This book explores what every executive must know to manage the environmental challenges facing society and business. Based on the authors' years of experience and hundreds of interviews with corporate leaders around the world, Green to Gold shows how companies generate lasting value, cutting costs, reducing risk, increasing revenues, and creating strong brands, by building environmental thinking into their business strategies. Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston provide clear how-to advice and concrete examples from companies like BP, Toyota, IKEA, GE, and Nike that are achieving both environmental and business success. The authors show how these cutting-edge companies are establishing an “eco-advantage” in the marketplace as traditional elements of competitive differentiation fade in importance. Esty and Winston not only highlight successful strategies but also make plain what does not work by describing why environmental initiatives sometimes fail despite the best intentions.
Green to Gold is written for executives at every level and for businesses of all kinds and sizes. Esty and Winston guide leaders through a complex new world of resource shortfalls, regulatory restrictions, and growing pressure from customers and other stakeholders to strive for sustainability. With a sharp focus on execution, Esty and Winston offer a thoughtful, pragmatic, and inspiring road map that companies can use to cope with environmental pressures and responsibilities while sparking innovation that will drive long-term growth. Green to Gold is the new template for global CEOs who want to be good stewards of the Earth while simultaneously building the bottom line.
Customer Reviews:
Superior Primer for the Green Movement.......2007-09-17
This book was a primary resource for the development of my client's green program. It was focused enough to provide a thorough understanding of the hot environmental issues, without being too tree-huggerish. It highlights the responsibilities of global stewardship along with those of being financially accountable in the business arena.
Excellent Book.......2007-09-10
Green to Gold is a very thorough, well written book. Anyone involved in marketing should definitely take the time to read this book. I learned a great deal from this book it was well worth my investment of money and time.
Straightforward sustainability manual.......2007-06-15
Sesame Street's Kermit the Frog famously observed, "It's not easy being green." Whether easy or not, environmental and social pressures are pushing more and more companies to ride the "green wave" to ecological sustainability. In this beautifully organized, crisply written book, Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston, both Yale professors, describe how sustainability can create competitive advantage. They succinctly make the business case for sustainability, and then provide a playbook of green strategies and tactics. The presentation is neither too abstract nor too detailed: It's just right. Nor is their presentation one-sided: They enumerate many ways sustainable products and strategies can go wrong. While some of their suggestions may seem obvious, the authors deserve praise for collecting so many excellent tips and tricks, and for describing them in memorable (mostly) jargon-free prose. We highly recommend this smart book to any business leader who wants to move beyond rhetoric to action. While Kermit's wisdom is doubtless correct, this handbook makes being green much easier.
Green to Gold.......2007-05-14
I bought the book because of the title. I was not disappointed. The book is more focused on business prospects than on real environmental issues but it was what I was looking for.
Best Available Primer for Top Management.......2007-03-15
I have read and praised "Natural Capitalism," "Ecology of Commerce," and "Cradle to Cradle," here at Amazon, and I mention them to emphasize that this book, "Green to Gold," is the hands-down no-contest best primer for top management. The others are intellectual presentations. This is a business oriented primer with lots of facts, lists, and resources.
It is a pro-business book that focuses on opportunities. It is extremely well-organized, with three parts, twelve chapters, and three appendices including a superb list of active web sites relevant to doing well by doing good.
This book is based on hundreds of interviews over four years, and every aspect of it is professional presented, including boxes with "10 second overviews" interspersed throughout.
The authors are compellingly pointed in their discussion of how the environment, and attendant regulations and attendant risks of catastrophic costs, is no longer a fringe issue. Mistakes in cadmium content of connecting cables can cost hundreds of millions.
The authors excel at discussing the new pressures from natural limits that are now visible (changes that used to take 10,000 years now take 3--see my reviews on Ecological Economics, the Republican War on Science, the varied books on Climate Change, etc) and the fact that there is a growing range of stake-holders who are altering the balance of power.
The authors are clear in noting that environmental compliance and wisdom is neither easy nor cheap, but they are equally detailed in documenting that most investments to reduce environmental costs are recouped within 12-18 months. In one cited example, 3M saves $1 billion in the first year alone on pollution reduction, and over the course of a decade, was able to reduce its pollution by 90%.
On page 33 they list the top 10 environmental issues and I like this list very much as an expansion on "Environmental Degradation" which is the over-all threat that the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations ranked as third out of ten, to Poverty and Infectious Disease. They are:
01 Climate Change
02 Energy
03 Water
04 Biodiversity and Land Use
05 Chemicals, Toxics, and Heavy Metals
06 Air Pollution
07 Waste Management
08 Ozone Layer Depletion
09 Oceans and Fisheries
10 Deforestation
The authors do a superb job in summarizing each of these in several pages perfectly suited to the busy manager. For those desiring more in-depth looks, see my many reviews across the board, including "Priority One," various books on energy, "WATER: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource," "Pandora's Poison," and "Blue Frontier."
The bottom line for the first part of the book: extremes can no longer be dampened down; and we now recognize the eco-system value of the wetlands that we have paid the Army Corps of Engineers to eradicate for decades.
The authors devised a schema for businesses to develop an understanding and then a strategy for reducing their environmental footprint. The authors do extremely well with their organized examination of Aspects, Upstream, Downstream, Issues, and Opportunities (AUDIO), and anyone looking at the book in a store can go directly to pages 62-63. This is an operational management handbook.
There is an excellent overview of the many new stake-holders (or significantly matured stake-holders including NGOs, religions, and local citizens. Business can no longer bribe government--government cannot "deliver" the way it used to (see my review of "Class War" for a sense of how corruption of other elites by our elites has accelerated all the ills of the world).
Regulations, according to these authors, should be seen as vital incentives and parameters for both reducing costs and gaining trust.
Forty global banks, and many insurance companies, now demand proper examination of ecological costs as a condition for funding or coverage.
The authors remind me of General Tony Zinni, whose books I have reviewed, in their emphasis on relationships developed over time. They urge a strong focus on relationships NOW, across the board, as a means of building a "trust bank" as well as a deeper understanding. Blocks that used to be labels "not our problem" or "not legally liable" are now labeled "IMPORTANT TO US."
In the middle of the book they explore the digital information advantages that can accrue to those who get out of their closed loops and increase innovation. In one instance, simply adding load to trucks reduced fuel consumption and emissions considerably.
The middle of the book contains 8 detailed "Green to Gold" plays, and I won't spoil it by listing them. A box in this section says "Truth Matters" and I applaud silently.
The authors stress that mind-set, not just a check-book, is required to get this right. Five basic rules are 1) See the forest; 2) Start at the top; 3) No is not an option; 4) Feelings are facts; and 5) Do the right thing, morality DOES pay.
Pages 168-169 are sheer brilliance, and illustrate why the value chain must be completely integrated into the environmental strategy of each element of that value chain and most especially the largest and most powerful of the elements, which must carefully consider and accept responsibility for demanding improvements by the smallest elements.
Eight lessons of partnering, 13 problems and their solutions, and a final chapter of very specific actions that managers can take, conclude the book.
My final note on this book: a pleasure to read, easy to read, so well done I got through it in half the time characteristic of denser or less well designed books. This is first rate stuff!
Book Description
After four decades as a Republican insider, Victor Gold reveals how the holy-rollers and the Neo-Cons have destroyed the GOP. Now he's fighting to get his party back.
As a man who served as press aide to Barry Goldwater and speechwriter and senior advisor to George H. W. Bush (in addition to coauthoring his autobiography), Victor Gold is absolutely furious that the Neo-Cons and their strange bedfellows, the Evangelical Right, have stolen his party from him. Now he is bringing the fight to them.
Invasion of the Party Snatchers is a blistering critique not only of the Bush-Cheney administration but also of the Republican Congress. Gold is ready to tell all about the war being waged for the soul of the GOP, including the elder Bush's opinion of his son's work domestically and abroad, the significance of the newly elected Congress, and how Goldwater would have reacted to it all. Gold reveals, among other explosive disclosures, how George W. has been manipulated by his vice president and secretary of defense to become, in Lenin's famous phrase, a "useful idiot" for Neo-Conservative warmongers and Theo-Conservative religious fanatics.
Although there have been other books by dissident Republicans attacking the Bush-Cheney administration's betrayal of conservative principles, none have been by an insider whose political credentials include inner-circle status with Barry Goldwater and George H. W. Bush.
Customer Reviews:
Every Republican must read this book.......2007-09-19
As a conservative Democrat, often fed up with both parties, I found this book very compelling. It lucidly verified some of my intuitions about the GOP's recent turn towards insanity. If you think you might be interested in this book, but are not sure, try to find streaming video of Bill Moyer's interview of Victor Gold. It was on the Bill Moyer's Journal web site. It is this interview that got me interested in the book. If that interview interests you, see if you can find Bill's interview with Bruce Fein.
I hope the GOP can return to it's roots, and this book will help.
They Just Don't Seem As Scary Now, Do They?.......2007-08-24
I saw Victor Gold stumping for his book on some television show or other -- probably The Daily Show. I ordered the book simply because I now and then like to buy books from certain authors for no other reason than to give them money; authors whose opinions I share, authors I admire, authors who look nice in a particular colour -- my tastes are catholic. And, nothing says "You go, girl!" like sending money to a publisher. Anyway -- I bought Victor's book because he appeared touchingly in need of some validation. That was it, really.
Then the book arrived and I actually read it.
Well - I had forgotten so much about the Good Old Bad Old Days and Victor reminded me of it all... Goldwater Republicans! Wow! Hadn't heard that term in, oh, way too long! But reading about Barry and his merry men from Victor's adoring perspective brought it all back. I was a bleeding heart liberal in those days; got Clean For Gene and all that... I had also cleanly forgotten one of our arch-nemeses, Barry Goldwater, in the years of ever increasing bad craziness since then.
I find myself thinking these days that the old style conservatives were much worthier foes than this new lot of what Victor styles "neo-cons". As Victor outlines in his pithy little book, the old school cons were logical and consistent and abhorred arguments based on "gut feelings" or anything that might smack of fuzzy thinking. I miss 'em, bless their hearts. I miss people who would quote chapter and verse of the Constitution to back up their political views rather than the current lot who quote much other chapters and verses.
In short, I found Victor's book interesting and definitely worth the lamp light. If you're old enough to remember Barry Goldwater, read this book for the hope it holds out that one day the left's Loyal Opposition will recover their aplomb and once again become worthy intellectual sparring partners.
Or, just buy it 'cause Victor's a charming old git and you want to give him some money. Either way.
A strong, personal call that deserves Republicans' attention.......2007-08-21
Somewhere in the last few years, Ronald Reagan's "eleventh commandment" --"Thou shalt not criticize another Republican" -- lost its moral force and we have seen quite a number of books by disaffected GOPers taking George W. Bush and the neocons to task. Amid the various analyses of libertarians versus "big government conservatives" ("The Elephant in the Room" by Ryan Sager), old-line activists versus cronyist party hacks ("Conservatives Betrayed" by Richard Vigurie), and the like, it's nice to get a book with a really personal angle, and some really personal anger, to it. "Invasion of the Party Snatchers" is not investigative reporting, wonkish budgetary number-crunching, or a philosophical take-down of Leo Strauss -- those other books have plenty of that and often do it well. That's exactly what made "Invasion of the Party Snatchers" a refreshing read.
Vic Gold has impeccable conservative credentials, and has earned the right to a respectful hearing from his philosophical soulmates and erstwhile party comrades. While "Invasion" sometimes felt *too* off-the-cuff for my taste and somewhat too quick to find in Barry Goldwater's example all the keys to recovering fundamental GOP principles, there's no doubting the strength of Gold's convictions or the power of his prose. It would be nice if young Republicans -- particularly Young Republicans -- would read this and discover you can express strong beliefs in strong language without coming off like Ann Coulter (hint: you don't want to come off like Ann Coulter). And even though Gold evidently found it necessary to use the obvious "I knew Barry Goldwater..." cliché, I appreciated his repeated reminders that John McCain is no Barry Goldwater.
Perhaps some morning (not, one hopes, too long in the future), the Republican Party will stumble out of bed, look at its stubbly face and bloodshot eyes in the bathroom mirror, and ask itself "Oh Lord, what was I thinking?" If and when that happens and the party gets back on the wagon, maybe it will take a moment to thank people like Vic Gold who tried to stage an intervention?
Gutsy truth-telling by an insider who has a way with words.......2007-08-13
A must read if you've found yourself wondering where all the real Republicans went. Apparently there is still at least one left. Unlike any other anti-administration book, Vic Gold knows the whole story from the inside and, thankfully, is courageous enough to tell us. Ah - someone willing to take a career risk to say what they think is true. Not many of them left, eh?
Gold doesn't spare the Democrats when they deserve it either. My mother borrowed my book after I was finished - she said she thought she could open any page randomly, read it aloud and have us both nodding furiously in agreement and laughing hysterically. We'd all be in much better shape if, whether conservative or liberal, we had a lot more like Gold. Some days I really worry they broke the mold.
I only put this book down to feed my children. Otherwise, straight through.
Vic Gold for President. (Until then, though, read the book.)
Good Book.......2007-08-09
I bought this book for my sister-in-law, who is a Republican but very unhappy with the neo-con take-over.
After she had read it, my wife and I did too. We all thought it well writen, and quite readable, and a good summery of events. Once we all had read it, we donated it, brand new, to our local library.
Book Description
Expert advice on creating style and comfort in your home
You've seen their relaxed, comfortable furniture in Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams stores, Crate & Barrel, or Pottery Barn, and admired their accessories while watching Sex & the City or Friends. Now you can learn from Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams themselves how to create gorgeous, yet completely comfortable style in your own home. Inspiring color photos, floor plans and step-by-step instructions show you how to decorate and design your home, plus arrange furniture and color schemes to make any room an oasis of comfort and personal style.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Ideas.......2007-08-03
I love this book. I was very happy upon receiving this book. There are great many useful ideas for furniture arrangements, color coordination, etc. Very useful for people to use to assist with laying out a room, carrying through decorating ideas, that are simple but very beautiful.
A Must for the First Time Decorator.......2007-07-19
Ordered this book for a couple who purchased their first home. They LOVED it and were inspired to decorate (beyond the in-college look) realizing they didn't need to spend $$$ to set up a fantastic looking room.
A Great Catalogue for Gold and partner.......2007-07-17
I personally feel the book is a great catalogue for the furniture manufacturers who wrote the book. Some nice pictures but not of much value to me however, I am very choosy about my design books so others may feel quite differently.
Just like any other decoration book out there.......2007-06-27
I saw an excerpt of this book in a deco magazine I read. It was about the placement of the furniture in the living room, by creating layers of objects. Finally a sound, step-by-step advice with pictures, since I always had trouble implementing in real life all the pretty pictures I saw for years in the magazines I read.
Unfortunately, upon reading the book I discovered that this is the only step-by-step advice in it. All the rest are (again) pretty pictures, in the same contemporary design. I really should not have bought this. If you feel the same, I recomment Easy Decorating Makeovers by BHG.
A book for the decor-impaired.......2007-05-21
I have to tell you how much I like this book. First of all, I am very busy--single mom, working, blah blah. Definitely too busy to decorate and when I do have the time, I don't have a clue how to go about it. My rooms end up looking like a hodge-podge, and not in the cute, shabby-chic kind of way. I had actually called an honest-to-goodness licensed Interior Decorator out of desperation, even though I couldn't afford it.
And then I saw this book. And I canceled the appointment with the decorator lady.
Why should I pay her what I already paid these guys to do? They told me what I needed to know to make my rooms look better. More cohesive, more stylish, and more comfortable. Which is all I wanted.
The book is easy to read with lots of good pictures and common-sense advice for pulling rooms together. Best of all I could use a lot of what I already had.
Good book, great investment!
Book Description
Praise for Gold Trading Boot Camp
"If speculate you must, read Weldon first."
—James Grant, Editor, Grant's Interest Rate Observer
"This book delivers on all of the essential elements of successful financial literature. Weldon provides a compelling context, walks through the metrics that affect the price action, and assimilates the decision-making process in kind. From soup to nuts, this is one of the most comprehensive tutorials I've read on the subject of commodities."
—Todd Harrison, founder and CEO, Minyanville Publishing and Multimedia, LLC
"The gold price is rising in today's turbulent financial times. Preparation and knowledge are essential to profit from higher prices, and this book provides everything you need to take advantage of the trading opportunities thatlie ahead."
—James Turk, founder, GoldMoney.com
"This book, with its insights into the current investment climate coincides with what many feel is a new bull market in gold. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' investment approach, but every investor who applies such preparation and rigor as Greg outlines will certainly have increased returns with fewer losses. It should be on every investor's bookshelf, handy for reference, and re-read every year. Greg puts paid to the notion of random walk!"
—Kim Evans, CEO, Global Building and Supply
Customer Reviews:
decent into, nothing new.......2007-06-07
Dissapointed that I did not undercover anything 'new' or earth shattering. It is a decent intro book but I did not learn anything special.
Very Well Written Even for the Novice or Advanced Investor.......2007-05-20
Gold Boot Camp is very well written and the author actually entertains you thorught w/ stories and analogies to make what is normally very boring material, very interesting. I'm ready to start trading I'm so inspired!!!!!!!!!!1
Traders bonanza.......2007-04-17
This is one of the most useful trading books I've seen in a long long time.
As a broker and former Risk Manager in the financial markets, I am usually somewhat suspicious of books by "traders" and/or "pundits". I usually find myself confronted by lots of self-serving drivel and advice that is not in any way applicable to typical traders. This book is a refreshing change from that.
Every new or newer trader should read this book. The excellent charts and analysis contained on them are worth the book's price all by themselves. What I found of particular interest, though, was his honest and refreshing approach to the oft-neglected subject of Risk. Every trader should read this portion of the book.
The book lays out in intricate detail the process a true professional trader must go through to successfully speculate. Fascinating stuff!
Fantastic book.......2007-04-04
I am a beginner in gold investing, and found this book an eye-opener in understanding the markets. I need everything in simple terms, and this book was incredibly informative.
Greg Weldon is an eloquent writer, and I felt that I came away with more confidence to invest in this market.
Good stuff.......2007-04-03
I highly recommend this book. Not only to Gold traders, but to anyone who follows the financial markets in general. As a subscriber to his thought-provoking newsletter, I believe Weldon has a style all his own that is reflected in this book. (Most of which in this industry make for good "night-time" reading!)
Weldon's book kept me engaged while also providing useful information and insights that can be applied to many different markets. He is very good at illustrating his points with charts and graphs (many of which are of his own creation) and has a unique way of correlating many different markets, indicators and statistics.
Very well written.
Book Description
The country bunny attains the exalted position of Easter Bunny in spite of her responsibilities as the mother of twenty-one children.
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely the Best!.......2007-07-06
I found this book in the attic of our old apartment, before I could even read English. I fell in love with the book then, because I guided myself through the book's gorgeous illustrations. When I finally did learn to read in English, it was even more magical. I carried this book (torn pages and all) for 13 years everywhere I moved until one day, I spotted the bookcover's color out of the corner of my eye at a bookstore---I was ecstatic! It was still in print! Since then, I've purchased well over 100 copies to give away to every child or baby I know. If you ever buy a book for a child--boy or girl---this is the one they should have. It's not only utterly beautiful, but it's story is powerful!
A Heartwarming Tale of Courage and Compassion!.......2007-05-17
I've loved this book for nearly 50 years.... my children loved it, too. It's the story of a little "country bunny" who has high aspirations - to be the next Easter Bunny. Despite all odds, and with the help of her little (?!) family, she braves gigantic obstacles to prove that she has what it takes: she's courageous, swift, and kind. It's beautifully written, and the illustrations capture the tenderness of the story. Reading it will affirm that goodness and compassion can provide the strength to achieve what may seem impossible!
The Counntry Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes.......2007-05-13
This was the first book I checked out at the library as a first grader.
I wanted my grannybabies to know a little about Grannymaw; when she was little....
Fabulous!.......2007-04-10
I read this book in the early 70's for the first time and now give it away as gifts. It's a wonderful Easter story that encourages little girls to dream big dreams! The drawings are artful, the colors are memorable and the story is very sweet. I enjoy giving it to others as much as I loved having it read to me as a child.
A True Working Mother.......2007-04-03
A Classic. This book was written prior to the Women's Lib movement but wow, does it ever celebrate women, especially mothers. How refreshing to read and what an unusual perspective on the hard-working
Easter Bunny
Book Description
Radical Islam has long desired to seize Jerusalem and cut it off to Christian and Jewish believers. In his revealing new book, The Fight for Jerusalem, bestselling author and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold explains why the battle for Jerusalem is intensifying today. Gold shows why only Israel can preserve its holy places for Christians, Jews, and even Muslims, and why uncovering Jerusalem's past-and the truth of biblical history-can be the key to saving its future.
Customer Reviews:
A politically charged yet thoughtfully reasoned exhortation .......2007-10-06
Former Israel ambassador to the U.N. (among his many other credentials) Dore Gold presents The Fight for Jerusalem: Radical Islam, the West, and the future of the Holy City, a serious-minded discussion of the future of Jerusalem, a city holy to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The Fight for Jerusalem makes a convincing argument that for Jerusalem to be a free city where all faiths can be practiced, it will have to remain under Israeli sovereignty, because the United Nations cannot be relied upon to protect it and the Muslim Palestinians have become increasingly affected by a branch of radical Islam that seeks to eliminate other faiths from Jerusalem, not co-exist with them. Drawing upon meticulous scholarly research, The Fight for Jerusalem addresses how Palestinians are destroying archaeological evidence of ancient Jewish presence in Jerusalem, particularly on the Temple Mount; how Western diplomatic concessions strengthen the apocalyptic speculations of radical Muslims; how the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza brought more power to Palestinian extremists at the expense of Palestinian moderates; why negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over the status of Jerusalem have little chance of creating an agreement; and much more. It should be noted that The Fight for Jerusalem specifically denounces the religious intolerance radical Islam, and recognizes that the majority of the Muslim world is not radical, though The Fight for Jerusalem decries the increasing power that radical Islamic factions have. A politically charged yet thoughtfully reasoned exhortation on how Jerusalem, a potential focal point of radical Islam's jihad against the West, can best be preserved for future generations.
More In This Vein Needed.......2007-07-12
Mr. Gold has had an intriguing history of exposing through historical precedents and context the most interesting institutions. This book is no exception with Jerusalem, the city in the Middle East that can perhaps be said to represent the modicum of freedom and Western values that exists there, and why it's imperative that it be held and protected against any antithetical forces surrounding it, either there or abroad.
Dore Gold does the reader and novice (or even university-educated) reader a great and grandiose service by documenting not just how long the Jews have been living in modern Israel, but showing us just how long they've been under attack, kept as slaves, as Dhimmis, whipped commodities of Europe's countries, and generally how it all started. The Bar-Kochba revolution against the just-turned Roman imperialists is a great account, told with brevity, but demonstrating what the Jews have been through just to hold on to their tiny piece of land, and how many empires have swept through it.
A previous writer said that there's blame on both sides to the conflict, and that giving away land to the anarchistic Palestinian terror groups is being open minded. I would pose the question that Dore Gold answers for us: If Jerusalem and its surrounding environs were given over eventually to Arabic, Islamic forces, there would be no tolerance of religion whatsoever for any soul in the land. Already, the last Christians are fleeing any part of Israel that is controlled by Palestinian faction groups, whose version of Islam doesn't even allow for Fatah's to promulgate.
There are previous accusations that Gold's sources are flimsy. Since when are speeches of those involved, podcasts of the same, and books irrelevant and not conducive to research? What's omitted from some critics' reviews is the presentation of vast amounts of historical and recent archeological surfacing that has vindicated those who taught us about the unified Davidic Kingdom and the tribes of Israel before his time. If you don't read more than the first 2 chapters, you're already richly rewarded by gaining a historical eye covering about 1400 years of Israelite history.
I think one of the most important misnomers that have stuck with us is that the land of ancient Canaan/Israel was only named Palestine by the Romans once they began establishing exploratory garrisons. They aptly named it after "Philistines" who had residence there still after so many quasi-empiric swaths through Israel.
Dore Gold might be a nationalist-rightist when it comes to Israel, but how do we coin the conservative label when Gold's main theme for the conflict is encouraging us to look at what happens every time Israel DOES cede land that THEY held onto by being the victor of a grossly-agressive war by the major Arabic countries. Look at Hamas in Gaza, exterminating all their Fatah "brothers," showing us that the muhajadeen applies to their own kind as well.
Gore's book is a real justice and service that lends some researched wisdom as to what's been happening in Israel, and how other Arabic nations are overwhelmingly complicit in the plight of the Palestinians. What else can we expect from a people who declare all of Palestine theirs by right, have rejected statehood 3 times, and have it in their charter (Hamas, Fatah) and educational materials (The PA) to disregard Jews as human and an unregognizing of Israel's right to live and survive? As we've seen, we can't expect much, only chaos, wasted Western money that helped almost no Palestinian when it's in their hands, and a drive to throwback tribalism that knows no bounds as to the glories of fighting Jews and infidels. This is a great history book that should be on everyone's shelves, even if you wish to "hear no evil,see no evil," which I like to call "disagreeing" with it.
Again, if there is to be any alternative to religous and secular tolerance in the Middle East, it has proven only to be in Israel, and the state's poliltical and religious flag, Jerusalem, cannot be given over or divided if it is to remain that way. Dore Gold has made that painstakingly clear, and it gives us great hope to see the victories of Israel against forces that would see it otherwise--which is most of the world.
excellent analysis of issues about Jerusalem.......2007-06-27
Dore Gold writes with typical clarity concerning the issues concerning Jerusalem, including the battles going back through the ages. If you want to get a readable, informative history, then get this book.
Propaganda passing for scholarly research.......2007-06-05
Dore Gold is one of the hardline political opeatives who worked for Ariel Sharon and found Sharon's moderating politics towards the end of his political careeer not to his liking. Gold's view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is quite close to the ultra-nationalist politics of Likud. For him, any compromise with the Palestinians enourages more terror. Hamas are no better than the Taliban. If Israel gives them an inch of Jerusalem they will take a mile and turn Jerusalem into the capital of the new world-wide Muslim caliphate.
Despite miles of footntoes, Gold relies for evidence on surprisingly flimsy reeds: podcasts, websites, sermons and books are the proof he uses to claim that there is a worldwide Muslim conspiracy to take over Jerusalem and the rest of the western world.
If you're a neocon or a hardline supporter of the Israeli right, you'll love this book. It will confirm all yr worst fears of Arabs. But if you try to keep an open mind about this conflict and find both fault and favor with both sides, then steer clear. This is a propaganda tract that passes itself off as a thoroughly researched scholarly tome.
The fight for Jerusalem and the clash of civilizations .......2007-05-16
This book is divided into three sections. In the first the religious dimension of Jerusalem is considered. The meaning of Jerusalem for Ancient Israel, for Christianity , and for Classical Islam are accurately and fairly outlined. In the second part of the book which considers the diplomatic struggle over Jerusalem, there is chapter devoted to the Birth of 'Modern Israel', one to 'Jerusalem, the Palestinian Arabs and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan', and one to the 'Arab- Israel Peace Process.' The third and most important section of the book is devoted to Radical Islam and Jerusalem. There is a chapter on 'Destruction of the Holy Sites', one on 'Jerusalem as Apocalyptic Trigger for Radical Islam, one 'The West and the Freedom of Jerusalem'.
In this third section of the book Gold gives a short history of the development of Radical Islam. He tells of the Islamic destruction of the religious sites of other faiths, from the largest Buddhist statues in the world in Afghanistan to sites in the heart of the Arab world. He shows how Western diplomatic concessions have not led to moderation but rather an intensification of fanaticism by radical Islamists. He tells the story of the Muslim destruction of important archaeological remains in Jerusalem. He shows how radical Islam's obsession with Jerusalem is another manifestation of the clash of civilizations between radical Islam and other religious faiths and civilizations.
The demonstrating of Islamic disrespect and destruction for the Holy Places of others is at the heart of his argument that Jerusalem must remain undivided under Israeli rule. Additional evidence for this claim is given by the Palestinian reaction to Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the Shiite Hizbollah's reaction to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Both of these withdrawals did not lead to moderation and peace, but rather to more violence against Israel. Gold shows how the Islamist Palestinians have when given civilian control over a city or area persecuted and led to the exile of its Christians .The most blatant example is Bethlehem which has not simply lost its Christian majority but seen the greatest share of its Christian population leave the City. Gold says that had Israel in September 2000 relinquished control over the Old City of Jerusalem to the Palestinians the result would have been the destruction of a a good share of it. Gold also considers the possibility of internationalization of the Holy City , and provides convincing evidence that the U.N. could not handle this job effectively any more than it handled the job in Rwanda or Bosnia. Gold also points to the inherent prejudice of the U.N. against Israel, and says it could never be a fair and efficient manager of the Holy Sites.
This book makes a very strong case for Israel's maintaining exclusive control of the city.
But the arguments it presents focus more on the negatives of Islamic control than the positives of Israeli control. I would have liked to see more expansive treatment of how Israel has enhanced the city since taking over the Old City in 1967.
Nonetheless this is a must read for those for whom Jerusalem, and its future, is dear.
Books:
- A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature
- A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900
- A Passover Haggadah
- America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
- Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh
- Caesar's Commentaries: On The Gallic War and On The Civil War
- Civil War Medicine (Illustrated Living History Series)
- CPC Coding Exam Review 2007: The Certification Step (CPC Coding Exam Review: Certification Step)
- Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy
- Deep Storm: A Novel
Books Index
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23 Minutes in Hell
Daily Devotions Inspired by 90 Minutes in Heaven: 90 Readings for Hope and Healing
Heaven Is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy--From The Man Who Spent 90 Minutes In Heaven
The Birth Called Death: The Remarkable Story of One Woman's Journey to the Other Side of Life
Heaven
