Customer Reviews:
Everything in moderation..........2007-09-26
I borrowed this book from a friend and really thought it helped me understand where my 3-year-old daughter was coming from. I agree with reviewers who said that it was more of a developmental awareness type of book, rather than a how-to-deal-with-your-kid book. If you want how-to, I recommend How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber. Anyway, I read over some of the negative reviews and felt that though I agree that the book was outdated, I think these people were excessively harsh. The authors do suggest that someone besides mom might have an easier time dealing with a 3 1/2 year old... but I read that as "help should be welcome at this age". They didn't ever suggest outright that you put your kid in all-day daycare and forget them. They suggest picking your battles (things that really mean a lot - like bathing, clothes, hairbrushing) and don't sweat the small stuff - like going back to close a door or making their bed just-so. I got from this book that the defiant age passes, and if you can get help during the tough times do it for your own sanity. My personal update - enlist dad to help. It's true that they treat dads as family police who just enforce rules. Realize that the book is outdated somewhat, but still has pearls of wisdom that do help understand what's happening with your child.
It's a manual for three year olds.......2007-08-21
I find book very reassuring, especially during difficult times. I did the developmental test inside and I was comforted. It also has precise schedules when it's best to leave your child with a trusted caregiver and when to pay closer attention. The cycles of moods is just a life-saver. I would recommend it to first time mothers.
Good for the worrisome parent.......2007-06-27
I have a VERY active 3-year-old little girl. I've always been troubled by making sure she's operating within the normal parameters of her age. And this book certainly helped put my mind at ease. As many reviewers have said, this is not a book for people seeking parenting "advise" per se, but is excellent at outlining the typical range of behaviors for the age. As must have for the nervous parent
Hopelessly Out of Date and Out of Touch.......2007-06-14
I was very disappointed in this book after hearing so many good things about the series. It is hopelessly out of date to the point that it offended me after only 10 pages. The book assumes that the father is this distant person with little to no involvement in parenting. I just don't think that's true any more for many families. To me this attitude just reinforces stereotypes that only mothers can be good parents. Bleh!
Your 3 year old: Friend or Enemy.......2007-05-19
I too am shocked that there are people who don't like this book. Yes, some of the advice is outdated, but the general behavioral info is spot on. I've looked for more updated information on behavior and advice & have found none to compare with providing concise insight into the WHY of behavior. Just understanding why my child was acting a certain way put a whole new spin on how I deal with issues. The days that it seems my child turned into a stranger, I could say "ah ha!" this book told me this may happen. I do love, love, love this book & have recommended it over and over.
Book Description
Friends broaden our children’s horizons, share their joys and secrets, and accompany them on their journeys into ever wider worlds. But friends can also gossip and betray, tease and exclude. Children can cause untold suffering, not only for their peers but for parents as well. In this wise and insightful book, psychologist Michael Thompson, Ph.D., and children’s book author Catherine O’Neill Grace, illuminate the crucial and often hidden role that friendship plays in the lives of children from birth through adolescence.
Drawing on fascinating new research as well as their own extensive experience in schools, Thompson and Grace demonstrate that children’s friendships begin early–in infancy–and run exceptionally deep in intensity and loyalty. As children grow, their friendships become more complex and layered but also more emotionally fraught, marked by both extraordinary intimacy and bewildering cruelty. As parents, we watch, and often live through vicariously, the tumult that our children experience as they encounter the “cool” crowd, shifting alliances, bullies, and disloyal best friends.
Best Friends, Worst Enemies brings to life the drama of childhood relationships, guiding parents to a deeper understanding of the motives and meanings of social behavior. Here you will find penetrating discussions of the difference between friendship and popularity, how boys and girls deal in unique ways with intimacy and commitment, whether all kids need a best friend, why cliques form and what you can do about them.
Filled with anecdotes that ring amazingly true to life, Best Friends, Worst Enemies probes the magic and the heartbreak that all children experience with their friends. Parents, teachers, counselors–indeed anyone who cares about children–will find this an eye-opening and wonderfully affirming book.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
From the bestselling coauthor of Raising Cain comes a pathbreaking new book about the intricacies of children's friendships.
Customer Reviews:
Worst Enemies/ Best Friends Beacon Street Girls.......2004-09-15
Hi,My name is Taylor. I read Beacon Street Girls. It was a really great book. You never knew what to expect next. It was so interesting I could hardly put it down. It is a good book for any age girl. I felt like I was one of the Beacon Street Girls. I could see myself there. It is a perfect book for every girl. It has all the personalities of every girl, so anyone can relate to it. The book kept me guessing throughout the entire story. Even when I put it down I kept wondering what was going to happen next. I would highly recommend this book to any girl of any age. I know you will enjoy this and be glad you read it. I hope you will be as excited as I to read the next book and tell your friends.
Not as interesting as I'd hoped.......2002-09-17
I guess I was expecting something more in-depth and less instructional. I am sure this is a fine book for a parent who isn't clued into how some kids are popular and some kids have no friends at all, but I was looking for a more psychological perspective.
I did find the short sections about infants and toddlers very interesting. I think there should have been less emphasis on popularity and what it means to children. The section about people acting a certain way because of a group mentality rather than personal morals captured my attention.
This book is important........2002-05-03
Alice Miller (author of The Drama of the Gifted Child and Breaking Down the Walls of Silence) has long emphasized that if we are serious about solving society's problems, we must focus on how we treat children --- as individual families and as a cultural. This book is an excellent contribution toward that end.
From thought-provoking observations to practical suggestions about solutions, Best Friends, Worst Enemies is an effective education about social problems that begin in childhood, but do not end in childhood. One point the authors make that interests me greatly is that when one child is being bullied by others, the majority of children witnessing the abuse will either do nothing to intervene or they will join in with the bullying. If you think that is not a reflection of the society in which we live, think again.
As a psychotherapist and author (Embracing Fear, HarperSanFrancisco) who emphasizes personal responsibility and facing fears head on, I hope that more than just parents and educators will read this book. I think there is something here for us all to think about --- no, to do something about.
Children's social lives.......2002-03-13
Outatanding book! It has valuable information for adults concerning what our kids social lives are like and how to help them when there is a problem. Children can be so cruel. The book sheds light on a world we as adults don't really understand. This book is well written and easy to read. I highly recommend it!
Shows how parents can understand and help children socially.......2002-02-19
After watching a feature documentary on the power of social relationships to shape a child's life into adulthood, I was already interested in learning more. This book filled the bill, especially the sections which revealed how children use power (and even bullying) to both include some children and exclude others. I think most of us remember the playground bullies but what this book did was show how parents can help to change bullying behavior, give their children skills to handle bullies and lessen the damaging effects of their behavior.
This book focuses on far more than bullies and those who purchase it will find it filled with rich insights into the social world of children and how they view their friendships and connections with other children.
Book Description
Things are a little complicated for the Beacon Street Girls right now...Charlotte's dream is to be a writer. But she doesn't seem to care that The Abigail Adams Junior High opened its newspaper, The Sentinel, to seventh-grade writers. Why? Because she's got a heartbreaking secret and it involves moving...again!
And just when Charlotte really needs her friends, they've got major problems of their own. Maeve has a really great idea for a community service project, "Blanket Brookline with Love." But try as she might, she can't seem to get it off the ground. And the new girl, Isabel Martinez, is creating major tension. Avery and Katani don't like her, but Maeve and Charlotte do. What will this do to the Beacon Street Girls' friendship? Will it ever be the same?
Customer Reviews:
Postive reading for girls- a Mom's point of view.......2007-06-09
I bought this book for my 12 year old daughter. I feel it is a wonderfully written book series for "tween girls." It is very positive- sometimes a bit too positive for real life at times. If reading books like these make girls think about how they treat each other and be kinder to one another, then I say it's a good thing! I am reading the books after my daughter finishes with them. And enjoying chatting with her about the different issues contained in the stories.
At times the story can be a little hokey/unrealistic. The girl's homeroom teacher assigns the students tables to sit at lunch, and has a tablecloth on each table. Charlotte has a klutzy moment and notices her zipper is down. She unknowingly zips the table cloth in her pants, making a huge mess and angering the other girls at the table. The girls start off not liking each other and are told a sleepover might help them to work it out. At the sleepover the girls become best friends. I have never had any of these things happen to me in real life, but it makes for a good story. And brings the girls together. In the stories, aside from the hokiness, the girls have real life problems- lying to their parents, being the new girl, overextending themselves, weight issues, being bullied, parents separating, having an ill parent, etc. I feel the author wraps it all up in a positive but not perfect story book way.
I liked that the girls all represent something different. They are of different ethnic backgrounds, have different issues & problems as well as different personalities & talents. The girls compliment each other very well. The BSG
(Beacon Street Girls) try to protect their friendships and are very supportive of each other. In the books, there are girls who are nasty. The BSG, aren't fond of those girls but are never mean or cruel in return. Hopefully, this will encourage the girls who read them to be kinder to people/ friends than they had been. I can't wait to read the next book!
I LOVE BEACON STREET GIRLS!!!!!!.......2006-09-30
My mom just brought me these BSG books and they are the best. Everyone should read them. I only read two of them so far but we are going to buy the rest soon. If you are a girl and you like to read you HAVE TO get these books TODAY!!!!!
I LOve THIS BOOK.......2006-03-12
This book was my #2 favorite book ever. Next to the Sisterhood Of the Traveling Pants! You are a very inspiring author and I have decided to write a book simalar to this one. My BROTHER even liked this book! Once again you are a very inspiring author & thank you for writing this series of books.
I LOVE IT.......2006-03-10
I started reading this book and I couldn't put it down. I thought that it was so great and true to life. I love the Beacon Street Girls books and I would really suggest reading them.
Booorrrring!.......2005-11-21
my mom got me this book cause she read about it in a newspaper or something. i think it has a stupid title. i read that loads of girls suppposedly loved it so i tried it anyway. but i think its grown ups who like this book cause its not like real girls. this book is like a tv movie for girls ( not even cable) but written by a guidance counsellor or a shrink not a real writer writing from their heart or their life. its like the book is good for you but not good. i think girls could write better themselves. its 2 babyish and 2 adult. btw the books got one of everything like a menu at an appleby's or denny's: one asian girl, one african american girl, one red head, one blond, one shy one, one "drama queen," got it? 2 many girls.I like babysitters club better or harry potter. And one has a father moving to oxford in england to teach, like the best college in the world. how many dad's do that? and her mom is dead, and another girl's mom is sick and another girl's mom and dad are breaking up but she can save them. the writing is ok and i kind of like a couple of the girls but i would not read this again or read another one or buy a cd or anything.
Book Description
In this collection, leading scholars focus on the contemporary meanings and diverse experiences of blackness in specific countries of the hemisphere, including the United States. The anthology introduces new perspectives on comparative forms of racialization in the Americas and presents its implications both for Latin American societies, and for Latinos' relations with African Americans in the U.S. Contributors address issues such as: Who are the Afro-Latin Americans? What historical contributions do they bring to their respective national polities? What happens to their national and socio-racial identities as a result of migration to the United States? What is the impact of the growing presence of Afro-Latin Americans within U.S. Latino populations, particularly with respect to the continuing dynamics of racialization in the United States today? And, more generally, what are the prospects and obstacles for rethinking alliances and coalition-building between and among racial(ized) minorities and other groups in contemporary U.S. society?
Book Description
Charlotte Ramsey is the new girl again. After causing the biggest cafeteria blunder in history, Charlotte's assigned lunch partners-the very stylish Katani, irrepressible Avery, and super-friendly Maeve-can't wait to dump her.
Can it get any worse? Absolutely! Nobody is talking, and Katani wants out of the group. What a mess! Can the girls become true friends or will they remain worst enemies forever?
Customer Reviews:
cool book reveiw by silverfeather.......2007-07-30
this book was pretty good but the others in the series are better. i really recomend the series!
mom's review.......2007-01-16
I am a mom of an avid reader, aged 9. I am always concerned that, because she can read well, she will choose books that may be challenging in length and context but may be too advanced for her socially and emotionally. I just finished this, book 1 of the series, and am happy to say that this looks like a series I can get behind 100%. The series revolves around the friendship and loyalty of a group of diverse middle school girls who create a club in an attic. In book 1, the author tackles the subjects that kids at this age deal with (diverse backgrounds and interests, snobs, crushes, learning diabilities - one girl has a laptop not because she's a rich snob but because she has a learning disability)in a language they understand...hip slang, cyberspeak, etc. The values of loyalty, honesty, civic duty and friendship are paramount in this story. Moms and Dads, fret not. Only positive messages found in this book. I look forward to my daughter reading these and getting hooked on a series based on strong girls and their friendship.
A Delightfully Funny Read! .......2007-01-04
This is the first installment in the Beacon Street Girls series. And, by far my favorite book of them all. Probably because this story is being told from the views of the original four BSGs (Beacon Street Girls). It's a fun read for girls my age (11). But you have to admit, the whole "As soon as they meet, they despise each other and in the end are friends" thing gets really old and overrated. I understand the reason they didn't like each other was first impressions, but still, "Never assume", that's my motto. It may surprise people but Annie Bryant, is not just one person writing these funny but somewhat serious books, but a whole team writing together. And from reading these books I realized that I have a bit of all the BSG in me. I love creativity like Isabel, I can imitate voices like Maeve, I love writing and reading like Charlotte, I love animals like Avery, and I love fashion like Katani. I really enjoy the message of being yourself. So really, there's something for everyone in these delightful books. The summary of the book is basically Charlotte is new and she doesn't hit it off very well with the other girls when they should be trying to be working together as they are working on an assignment. It's a very funny read and I definitely reccomend it!
Fantastic Find!.......2006-08-05
I bought this book for my niece hoping that she would discover the wonders of reading if she had material that pertained to her life. Not only did she love the book, but she seems to have an insatiable desire for the series! Nothing makes me happier than to hear her bubbling about how Katani resembles her best friend at school! She has truly found herself in these books. I reccommend this book for anyone who wants to incite a passion for reading in a little girl!
Worst Enemies/Best Friends (Beacon Street Girl Book #1).......2006-08-04
Worst Enemies/Best Friends is a book that starts with a girl named Charlotte who just moved to Beacon street. (She lived in Paris before)! She has to of course start at a new school. It is the first day of school when she figures out that everyone in her class is told that they have setting arangments! everyone at her tabe hates eachother and are Worst Enimies! One day their teacher gave them an assingment to wite a letter to her if they have any rule they would like to cange. One girl at Charolttes table asked if they could have a sleep over and then beable to sit where ever they want! The teacher said yes! after the sleep over the were best friends and became the Becon Street girls or BSG as they said!
Amazon.com
Nobody can match George Plimpton as an adroit weaver of interviews into a tight narrative fabric. Plimpton can make even a negligible life into a magic-carpet ride, as in his editing of Jean Stein's perennial bestseller, Edie, about Andy Warhol's victim-starlet Edie Sedgwick.
In Truman Capote, Plimpton has an infinitely more important subject, who worked his way down from the top into the shallow pit of druggy celebrity. His book doesn't knock the definitive biography Capote off the shelf, but it's much more fun to read. Plimpton interviewed more than a hundred people--from Capote's childhood to his peak period, 1966, when his Black and White Ball defined high society and In Cold Blood launched the true crime genre, all the way down to his last, sad days as a bitchy caricature of himself. Joanna Carson complains that Plimpton's book is "gossip," which it gloriously is. But it's also brimming with important literary history, and it helps in the Herculean task of sorting out the truth from Capote's multitudinous, entertaining lies; for instance, In Cold Blood turns out to be not strictly factual. James Dickey, whose similar self-destruction is chronicled in Summer of Deliverance, delivers here a good definition of Capote's true gift to literature: "The scene stirring with rightness and strangeness, the compressed phrase, the exact yet imaginative word, the devastating metaphorical aptness, a feeling of concentrated excess which at the same time gives the effect of being crystalline." --Tim Appelo
Book Description
He was the most social of writers, and at the height of his career, he was the very nexus of the glamorous worlds of the arts, politics and society, a position best exemplified by his still legendary Black and White Ball. Truman truly knew everyone, and now the people who knew him best tell his remarkable story to bestselling author and literary lion, George Plimpton.
Using the oral-biography style that made his Edie (edited with Jean Stein) a bestseller, George Plimpton has blended the voices of Capote's friends, lovers, and colleagues into a captivating and narrative. Here we see the entire span of Capote's life, from his Southern childhood, to his early days in New York; his first literary success with the publication of Other Voices, Other Rooms; his highly active love life; the groundbreaking excitement of In Cold Blood, the first "nonfiction novel"; his years as a jet-setter; and his final days of flagging inspiration, alcoholism, and isolation. All his famous friends and enemies are here: C.Z. Guest, Katharine Graham, Lauren Bacall, Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, John Huston, William F. Buckley, Jr., and dozens of others.
Full of wonderful stories, startlingly intimate and altogether fascinating, this is the most entertaining account of Truman Capote's life yet, as only the incomparable George Plimpton could have done it.
Customer Reviews:
A fictional biography of Capote.......2007-07-16
As a fan of Plimpton's witty style, I picked up the Capote biography, only to realize that Plimpton didn't write it. Instead, he interviewed dozens of people and let them tell Capote's life story. At first, I was mildly disappointed but soon understood the irony: Capote was infamous for his gossipping, and now these acquaintances are gossipping about him. In the same way that Capote created a "nonfiction novel" with In Cold Blood, Plimpton compiled a "subjective biography" that focuses on Capote's public persona more than his private life. (Perhaps because much of his private life was public.) The interviews are colored by the subjects' relationships with Capote, and many of them have an agenda in talking about him, so I would not recommend the book to someone who wants to read a factual chronicle. However, it is entertaining and gives a portrait of the New York high society--in which authors had a place, unlike today (I think)--probably better than a standard biography could provide.
Inimitable Plimpton.......2006-11-05
Full of salacious detail and struck through with the the vagaries of human nature, this oral history highlights, in an immensely readable way, the arc of ambition that propels the talented Tuman Capote to reach beyond the world into which he was born. The journey takes us on a wonderful romp through post WWII New York society and careens toward a place where our subject falls to his own singular sirens. It was a great Nantucket beach read.
A Capote Reader.......2006-06-26
I really liked this book. I am a Truman Capote fan, and the book was wonderful. A must read for Capote fans especially!
TRUMAN.......2006-04-10
Honestly, Capote would have loved this book, he loved the subject above all others. Ths late Plimpton does a fine job getting many of Capote's friends and admirors, as well as detractors, to give an insightful look at this singular man. Capote was complex and manipulative, but people were drawn to him, he was the ultimate self promoter. I really think even those who hated him, missed him when he died. He could be heartless and cruel, but he had a certain quality, I guess it's called star power, that made him a very powerful friend to have, he rode the success of In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffanys to the apex of society. He was painfully insecure and it's sad that he felt people were only his friend because of his ability to write great books, it's tragic that late in life he felt the need to make up the fact that he was writing this masterpiece, I think he was terrified of writing the book that would follow In Cold Blood, that I believe is what lead him to write the ill advised Unaswered Prayers. You will really want to avert your eyes when the vail is pulled away on Capote.
A great look at Capote.......2006-04-09
This book is one of the best biographies I have read. Quoting from people who knew him instead of having the author interpret Capote's life from the interview smakes the reader feel as if he is getting to really see what Capote was like. It also gives the reader a glimps of the society that Capote was raised and lived in.
Book Description
This historical survey of Central Europe covers a region that encompasses contemporary Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia. Now in its second edition, Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends contains a new epilogue-updated to cover events since 1995-and several redesigned or updated maps. Each chapter is thematically organized around issues or events that are important in helping students develop an understanding of the region's internal dynamics. Johnson illuminates the competing religious, cultural, economic, national, and ideological interests that have driven the history of Central Europe. Thorough, objective, and focused, Johnson's work stands out as both a useful core text covering an area of growing interest and a brilliant account of a region that is only just beginning to receive the attention it deserves.
Customer Reviews:
Well Written, Well Research, Well Presented.......2006-04-16
This is not your easy read pseudo-historiography. This is a very well research (and notated) academic presentation of a singularly dismissed subject. (Not in the sense of being written off as more of just being ignored.) Beginning with the earliest available evidence of how different tribes moved into the area and then created kingdoms that were dedicated to a family dynasty, up to the demise of the Soviet Union and the beginning of the democracy movement, Johnson presents us with the facts and his own theories, but never mistakes one for the other.
He does an especially good job of explaining the background facts to the "nationalist" myths of many of these nations and then goes on to explain how they have been used and exploited (for good and ill).
He does a workmanlike job of taking us from the Empires of the fin de siecle (in 1899), through their demolision at the end of WWI, the disasterous interwar years of democracy fading into tyranny, WWII, the sublimation to Soviet power, and then the miraculous year of 1989 and the fall of the "Iron Curtain" (which in his opinion, just rusted away, and fell over from a stiff wind of the people's will).
A most scholarly written and presented work.
The best history of Central Europe for the general reader.......2006-02-26
This is easily the best history of Central Europe available for the general reader (or the student). Johnson always keeps the big picture in mind, while moving the reader though events and people that are unfamiliar to most Americans.
Johnson has organized the material to do what you probably want it to do. Chapters on the last 150 years or so cover only a couple of decades each, while the earlier chapters cover centuries. He keeps his eyes on each of the modern countries in the region, while discussing the larger empires that have buffeted them this way and that.
While it would make a good text for an undergraduate course, I think the book's real value is for the traveler. Read the first half of the book before you go to Central Europe, and then read about more recent events while you are there. You'll gain an added appreciation for the sights and for the historical context that produced them.
Superb Background Study for understanding Central Europe.......2003-12-27
~Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, and Friends~ is an amazing background history on Central and Eastern Europe. Lonnie Johnson chronicles central European historical developments, whether cultural, political and socio-economic, after the fall of Rome and the rise of the Christian West. Central Europe ("Mitteleurope") is a vibrant region where the interplay of cultures (i.e. Slavic, Germanic, Magyar, Turkish, et al.) and faith (i.e. Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Islam) interact. Johnson gives a great cursory background to the nineteenth century nationalist movements throughout Central Europe and the so called Springtime Revolutions of 1848. Moreover, his elaboration on feudal developments helps gives clarity to understanding the sometimes enigmatic region. Anyway, Johnson explains why it is integral to understand the medieval meaning of natio (nation) in order to gain proper cognizance of history. The medieval kingdoms were "relatively loose confederations ruled by kings who claimed a limited amount of jurisdiction for specific subordinate political and territorial units, each of which, in turn, was ruled by nobles who exercised a high degree of autonomy in their domains." Thus, the nobles and not the people were the constituent members of the nation. Approaching Central European history, without the clouded lens of modern democratic theory, which eschews feudalism as primitive, has clouded proper understanding of the developments so integral to Central Europe and its history. While romantic nationalism has swept Central Europe, the metamorphosis of romantic nationalism with hundreds of years of tradition, requires understanding medieval developments to frame everything in the proper perspective.
There are history lessons to be learned from this book. To me, the breakup of Austria-Hungary was an impetus for the violent ultra-nationalism, which has plagued the region in the twentieth century and those areas peripheral to central Europe like the Balkans. Austria-Hungary, a traditional monarchy, acted as a stabilizer and peacekeeper in the Balkans. Prussia's self-assertion in the 19th century, and their being the torchbearer of Pan-German nationalism, played no small part in the gradual downfall of traditional monarchies like that of the Austrian Hapsburgs though. The Great War sealed the fate of the Hapsburg Empire. This book also cast light on the Slavic and Germanic tension, which was forever part of the region. It also proves the absurdity of Nazi race theories of "racial purity," since the various peoples of Mitteleurope, the Germans in particular, are among the most mixed stocks in Europe... In the middle ages, the Teutonic Knights essentially Germanized many of the Slavs in their desire to push the creed of Western Christendom. The Teutons gave the conquered Slavs the German language and the Roman Catholic Faith. The unvanquished Slavs further to the east countered the Germanic push as well. Though, in Poland the Slavs never displaced Roman Catholicism, only the German language, though not in its entirity. Ironically, the wellspring from which Pan-Germanism and German nationalism was born was amongst amalgamated German-speaking "Germano-Slavs" in Prussia. (Granted, they were thoroughly Germanized culturally, and had no problem with future dehumanization of their Slavic neighbors to the east.) The ideology of Pan-Germanism was wrapped in a mythology about German supremacy and blood purity, which history proves to be false. Anyway, Johnson wraps up the book with a fascinating probe into 20th century history as two world wars changed the political landscape. Central European history under the Nazis and the Soviets is covered with amazing clarity. With regards to the Balkans and that multi-ethnic state of Yugoslavia created after the Great War, much can be learned from this book in understanding and diagnosing the problems of Western (i.e. EU/NATO/US) foreign policy towards the Balkans.
Lonnie Johnson has assembled a fascinating window into the history and interplay of cultures over the past millenium in Central Europe. A background on medieval and modern history of the region should give the reader great deal of perspective on the European conflicts of the twentieth century.
A must for the serious student of Central European politics.......2000-02-24
Before coming and working in the Balkans, I taught European political-military affairs and history, and this has got to be one of the best books on the subject for an American audience. Lonnie Johnson is an American academic who has lived many years in Austria and has an Austrian wife, so his perspective is personal as well as academic. He writes in such a manner that he will be understood by the average American who hasn't done a masters in European international relations, yet goes into sufficient detail to for his book to qualify as a serious treatment of the subject. The conclusions and points that he draws apply to all of Europe, including the West. For us, to whom 1776 is a long time ago, to be able to understand why the Europeans are the way they are, this book goes a long way to explain it. We debate about whether the Confederate flag should fly over the South Carolina capital. Imagine centuries of such symbolic and real gestures that make such trivial issues matters of national importance. Centuries of antipathies and changing alliances are brought into clear perspective in this book. If you only have time to read one book on the history of Central Europe, its shifting borders and repressed emotions, make this it.
Why didn't I give it 5 stars? I like to save those for the Winston Churchills and the Vaclav Havels who not only can write well, but were an important part of the story.
An excellent synthesis of a misunderstood region........1997-10-24
This book is being used as a supplemental reading in a seminar class in Eastern Europe. Johnson, as the third generation of Slavic historians, has written an easy to read, well documented, and scholarly work. His theses are easy to comprehend, and he makes the region, politics, and ethnic struggles of the region accessible to all readers.
Book Description
On 3 October 1953, five young men, armed with four pistols, crossed the border from Czechoslovakia into East Germany. Their mission was to deliver an explosive secret message from a Czechoslovak general to U.S. authorities at all costs. The journey was to take three days. Their ultimate objective was to join the U.S. Army Special Forces, then return to liberate their country. What ensued was the largest manhunt of the Cold War.
This fast-paced book tells the exciting story of their plight as thousands of East German and Soviet troops chased them across swampland, forests, and fields for thirty-one days. After surviving several pitched gun battles, gunshot wounds, starvation, and the bitter cold, three finally reached West Berlin. Prior to their escape, they had formed the nucleus of an anti-Communist resistance group, inspired by the testament of celebrated World War II resistance leader, Czech general Josef Masin, father to two of the young men and grandfather to the author of this book.
As she was growing up, Barbara Masin heard parts of this story. Eager to learn more, she began to investigate. The result of her efforts is this thriller, which makes use of eyewitness interviews and extensive archival research in four countries. Her book places events in their historical context and analyzes the bitter present-day controversy surrounding the group's actions, examining the larger question of individuals making moral choices. It is a dramatic tale of courage and daring against overwhelming odds and a testament to American ideals of freedom.
Customer Reviews:
Proud to be a Masin.......2007-08-21
Wonderful gripping book! I couldn't put it down! So much history and so much strength in the Masin brothers and their group! I am proud to be a Masin (no close relation known). great job on the book!
DeAnn Masin
Interesting perspective.......2007-01-07
Despite her personal connection to the protagonists of the history, the author provides what seems to be a fairly unbiased accounting of events. Her closing notes regarding the impact in the politics and society of today's Czech Republic I found especially interesting. The book should be of interest to anyone looking at the particular events themselves or even more generally in the impact of the communist period on today's Republic.
An inspirational tale of courage, daring, and absolute commitment to ideals of freedom........2006-12-09
Gauntlet is the true story of five dedicated anti-Communist young men whose epic journey and struggle in the 1950's could have altered the course of the Cold War in Europe. Though grounded heavily in historical testimony and evidence, Gauntlet reads like a novel, as it follows the group's fugitive attempt to deliver a message from a Czechoslovak general to U.S. authorities. An inspirational tale of courage, daring, and absolute commitment to ideals of freedom.
Audacity of Youth.......2006-11-12
I could hardly put this book down. A loyal Czech father with a secret message throws down the gauntlet to his sons and they react with breathtaking action. This is a true story of incredibly daring young men who wre chased by the Communist Russian and East German Armies across East Germany. This book is based on five years of research by the daughter of one of the living survivors.
The Greatest Cold War Story Ever Told.......2006-09-23
The Naval Institute Press in Annapolis, Maryland published a dazzling, accomplished book by Barbara Masin called Gauntlet. I was surprised by the title, as I had previously read the older, differently named, version of the manuscript supplied to me by the author. When I hear the word Gauntlet, the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name always pops into my mind specifically the final scene of an old and rugged Clint running the gauntlet (or driving in his case) through the streets of Phoenix, being shot at from all sides, with high hopes and sense of duty, only to arrive on the steps of city hall to find a conclusion that he did not really like. Then it struck me - the finely crafted story told to us by Barbara Masin is in many facets and angles very similar, but very real and with an added epic weight.
It is a story of five young men, brothers Ctirad and Josef Masin (who is to become Barbara Masin's own father), Milan Paumer, Vaclav Sveda and Zbynek Janata, who in October 1953 fled communist Czechoslovakia on foot and shot their way through equally communist East Germany to West Berlin. It was the culmination and grand finale of their anti-Communist resistance activities, going in the footsteps of their legendary father and their families - and that it where the "gauntlet" comes into play. East German StaSi and VoPo mobilized over twenty thousand soldiers and policemen to capture the five young men.
They eventually captured two out of the five and promptly gave them to Czech commies to be executed, with many other relatives - but the Masin brothers and Milan Paumer (with a gunshot wound in the stomach) finished their run of the gauntlet to West Berlin. The book is a gripping thriller that would make Robert Ludlum proud - with one big distinction: this was not fantasy, this was a real life story and even those unfamiliar with the harsh realities of Eastern Europe in the dark ages of the Cold war will be sucked into the action. The realism of the story is chilling and makes it next to impossible to put the book down.
The Masin family was far from ordinary and the book follows the story of several generations in the family. Josef Masin, the father (1896-1942), was a soldier, hero of both world wars, member of Czechoslovak Legions in WWI, which fought their way across Russia and Siberia to the Pacific Ocean and was a member of the underground resistance against the Nazis. His sons, Ctirad (b. 1930), Josef (b. 1932) and daughter Zdena (b. 1933) were the next generation. Their mother, Zdena Masinova, although she did not know about her sons activites and escape plans, was sentenced to 25 years of prison and died in prison soon afterwards in horrific conditions. Their uncle Ctibor Novak was executed together with Vaclav Sveda and Zbynek Janata. Multiple friends and relatives were also executed or imprisoned - even if they knew nothing about the Masin brothers' group's anti-Communist activities.
The Masin brothers still have not set foot back in their native land. Today the Czech Republic is still only marginally free and allegedly democratic, but the majority of its population, after more than fifty years of constant brainwashing, has quite a ridiculous attitude about their own history and the role they themselves played in it. The Masin brothers and Milan Paumer are repeatedly nominated for the highest of Czech awards, only to be rejected by the communist-dominated Czech government. Yet other Czech politicians are afraid to take a clear stance in this case. Poorly educated, brainwashed for multiple generations and generally fearful, the population of today's Czech Republic seems to lack the guts needed to push the issue through. Nevertheless, the Masins and Paumer are held in high regard by the community of Czechs and former-Czechs living abroad, who in contrast to the inhabitants of the Czech and Slovak Republics, are familiar with the experience of fleeing to the West at the risk of one's life, and seem to be Masin's admirers: in 2005, the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada gave the Thomas Masaryk Award to the Masin brothers and Milan Paumer.
The Masin brothers and Milan Paumer were heroes. In this context heroes are individuals, who by example of their own bravery are able to inspire the masses. And inspire they did. Close to 1 million former Czechs and Slovaks now happily live abroad.
Czechoslovakia is from the historic point of view quite an unfortunate country - it was a truly free country for only twenty years (1918-1938) of their 1500 or so year history. By becoming Americans, the Masins and Paumer found - not that they planned it that way - the end of their rainbow. Czechoslovakia probably was not destined to be free, then or now - so those of us - inspired by the Masins - those of us who had freedom embedded in our DNA just had to go and become Americans. Which isn't bad at all, considering where we came from and what most of us have been through.
The Czech translation of the original manuscript was published in the Czech Republic about a year ago under the name "Odkaz". Since then, an additional seven months of research was added to the book for its English edition. It is a fast read and sure to delight anybody from history buffs and thriller aficionados right down to elderly cancelled Czechs who want their English-speaking children and grandchildren to read about their ancestors old country which never came to be free. It serves as a fine introduction for those unfamiliar with the history of that sad part of the world. A must for every library. This intense and amazing story is, without doubt, the greatest Cold war story ever told.
Thank you, Joe, Ray and Milan. And thank you all, who died on the way here. You all were and are our heroes and inspiration.
---------------
Gauntlet. (Five Friends, 20,000 Enemy Troops, and the Secret That Could Have Changed the Course of the Cold War) - by Barbara Masin, Published by Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland 21402, ISBN 1-59114-515-5 384 pages, Printed in the U.S.A.
Customer Reviews:
Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03
This is the beginnings of the fine Birds of Prey series. Barbara Gordon
is Oracle, and confined to a wheelchair. She becomes partners with
Black Canary, who provides the legwork for some operations to capture
criminals, disrupt terrorists, retrieve beasties or whatever else the
computer genius Gordon decides needs to be done.
a wonderful beginning for the Birds of Prey.......2006-04-08
Collects the first six issues of the Birds of Prey comic book, when only Oracle and Black Canary formed the team. If you're a fan of the Black Canary or Barbara Gordon, then this is the book to check out. See how the Birds of Prey comic book(as of 2006, it's still going strong) began!
These early BOP adventures were written by Chuck Dixon.
NOTE:
Also contains two Birds of Prey one-shots(stand alone comic books), called Birds of Prey: Wolves & Birds of Prey: Batgirl.
Book Description
A masterly and caustic examination of America's role in fostering anti-Americanism over fifty years, by a Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and award-winning writer
In 1945 the U.S. was the founding impulse behind the cornerstones of the International Community: the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and most of all the United Nations. Untainted by colonialism or fascism, heroic in warfare and idealistic at home, the U.S. presented itself as a paragon to inspire a less noble and divided world. Sixty years later, that perception had been almost completely reversed.
America had, in fact, quietly sowed the seeds of its own decline in the eyes of the world in its own back yard. Anti-Americanism, now a global phenomenon, was road tested in South America when most of the rest of the world was too distracted to notice or care. There, under the guise of anti-communism, we sponsored dictatorships, turned a blind eye to killing squads and tolerated the subversion of democracy. Almost nobody knew, so it didn't matter, right?
Wrong. On two counts. First, South America remembered. And second, encouraged by our success, we convinced ourselves that pre-emptive Americanism was a policy that could be shipped worldwide. This proved to be a big misjudgment. The world noticed and, helped by better scrutiny and faster technology, anti-Americanism flourished among America's closest allies beyond the Americas in a way and to a depth not seen before. As this reaches a crucial tipping point, Julia Sweig offers a brilliant and blistering history of what went wrong, and a feisty and compelling prescription for how to sort it out.
Customer Reviews:
No mention made of Khadafi quitting his nuke bomb project due to Dubya's taking down Saddam!.......2006-05-13
I wonder why author Sweig in all her hard research has neglected to mention this fact. Could it be that Khadafi (Quadafi) quitting the nuclear bomb game is support that the US was good in taking Iraq over.
Fidel Castro gets a pretty good review by this author too ignoring what a kangaroo court murderer he was once he took Cuba over. The author talks about the US taking over Cuba in 1898 ignoring things like how the USA eradicated some diseases and set up a good school system down there too. This author seems also strangely convinced that giving away the US owned-and-deserved Panama Canal to the Panamanians was a good thing. Back to Iraq the author is quick to quote how many Kurds were killed by Turkey (well over 30,000) but not how many ultra-creep Saddam bumped off (over 200,000!).
Of all the recent critiques of U.S. foreign policy, this is the most constructive and cutting-edge.......2006-04-23
Moderates and conservatives skeptical of the wartime proliferation of anti-U.S. treatises will find themselves falling unexpectedly in love with Julia Sweig's brilliant and provocative work, "Friendly Fire." This is the best nonfiction book I've read this year.
Though the author is probably somewhere on the center-left, "Friendly Fire" is no knee-jerk, know-nothing, America-bashing critique. Sweig provides a trenchant and thoughtful analysis of other nations' growing antipathy to American foreign policy, completely without any ax to grind.
Sweig's region-by-region analysis is practically a blueprint for how to get American foreign policy back on track while at the same time, keeping American interests in mind.
Sweig offers the kind of proscriptive analysis too seldom found in the cheap, Michael Moore-style lefty critiques. She not only identifies the problems in U.S. foreign policy, she also offers solutions, including many that defy easy ideological categorization.
As brilliant as this book is, Sweig's writing style is conversational and breezy - a sheer delight. "Friendly Fire" combines the intellectual heft of a Pulitzer Prize-winner with the easy-to-read narrative of a book that can remain atop the best seller list for a year.
I loved this book.
Tedious.......2006-04-18
Sweig writes: "In 1945 the U.S. was the founding impulse behind the cornerstones of the international community - the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations. We were untainted by colonialism (Philippine Islands?) and heroic and war - a paragon to inspire those less noble. Sixty years later that perception has almost been reversed."
Then Sweig takes us through some of U.S. actions since 1900 - beginning with 28 interventions in Central America between 1900 and 1921, followed by Guatemala in '54 (200,000 killed in the next 30 years), our Iran-Contra involvement in Nicaragua, invasions of Grenada and Panama, and our 60-year increasing enmity against Cuba, including the Bay of Pigs fiasco and near-doomsday events of 1962.
Sweig's objective, with this introduction, is to explain why Latin America got a head-start in anti-Americanism (demonstrated by the rock-throwing at V.P. Nixon's car during a tour in 1950). All well and good, it you like beating an issue to death by focusing on the 80% of activities causing 20% of the problem.
The topic is much more easily handled if one simply begins with American actions after 9/11, when we enjoyed very high ratings and sympathy. Bush's "bring it on" rhetoric, our facts-be-damned invasion of Iraq, detainee and prison scandals quickly combined with resentment over our Kyoto rhetoric, casting aside the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, repeal of support of HIV/AIDS initiatives that included family planning and abortion, supporting a coup against President Chavez (80% support) in Venezuela, derision of Iraq invasion opponents and the U.N. in general, and bungling of the Iraq occupation to create a dramatic fall-off in international support. Then came the ineptness exposed by Katrina, growing federal and trade deficits, and increasing income/wealth inequality within the U.S. All easily recalled, and coverable in a few pages.
Sweig's Recommendations? Hardly imaginative - some dramatic policy reversals, such as endorsing Kyoto, adopting a mannered posture, giving Guantanamo back to Cuba.
Save yourself a headache - just read my review!
Books:
- 3G Wireless Networks, Second Edition
- A Framework for Understanding Poverty
- A Thousand Splendid Suns
- Alice in the Know (Alice)
- Along Comes a Stranger
- Angel Horses: Divine Messengers of Hope
- Best Foot Forward
- Born to Run: The Unseen Photos
- Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D Digital Field Guide
- Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Ultimates, Vol. 1
- Photoshop LAB Color: The Canyon Conundrum and Other Adventures in the Most Powerful Colorspace
- Brief Review for New York Chemistry: The Physical Setting - 2007 Edition
- Girls From Da Hood 3
- Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace
- One Tough Mother: Success in Life, Business and Apple Pies
- Lotus Seeds and Lucky Stars: Asian Myths and Traditions About Pregnancy and Birthing
- Celtic Spirals & Other Designs
- Complete Paint-By-Number Set
- Stay Safe Buddy: A Story of Humor and Horror During the Korean War
Child Development
| Babies & Toddlers
| Parenting
| Parenting & Families
| Subjects
| Books
Your Four-Year-Old: Wild and Wonderful
Your Two-Year-Old: Terrible or Tender
Your Five Year Old: Sunny and Serene
Your One-Year-Old: The Fun-Loving, Fussy 12-To 24-Month-Old
Your Six-Year-Old: Loving and Defiant
