U.S. Presidents and Foreign Policy: From 1789 to the Present

Book Description

"Jackie really loved these exquisite paintings. They bring back the magic, grace, and elegance of the famous travels abroad made by the µuncrowned queen of the world.'" --Letitia Baldrige

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis--American icon, archetype of style and grace, symbol of strength and beauty--captivated audiences, grand and common, around the world for decades. Her majestic elegance is captured in a special gift book, Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad, by French painter, illustrator, and friend of the First Lady, Jacqueline DuhOme.

When President and Mrs. Kennedy traveled to Paris in 1961, Mlle DuhOme painted scenes from their historic trip. She continued to paint as she accompanied the First Lady and her sister on a later tour of India, Pakistan, Rome, and London.

Now these whimsical and imaginative paintings make their first appearance together in this charming volume, along with line drawings, anecdotal recollections, and historic photographs from Mlle DuhOme's collection.

Customer Reviews:

Extraordinary.......2003-12-10

I interviewed Jacqueline Duheme when she was promoting this exquisite book, and one thing remains in my mind that she said about "The Grand Dame, Jacqueline" - that she could have been a painting woman!!!

Utterly charming and delightful.......2003-01-16

As an ardent admirer of Mrs. Kennedy for the past 40 years, I have read every book on her that I could get my hands on. "Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a refreshing change from the repetitive narratives and recycled photos that are the mainstay of so many other books about her life. Ms. Duheme's illustrations are elegant and sumptuous but also embrace a childlike purity and simplicity which capture the essence of Mrs. Kennedy's persona and mystique. The commentary has the simple charm of a beautifully written children's book. It is obvious why Mrs. Kennedy chose Ms. Duheme to accompany her on her more memorable trips abroad as First Lady. A truly enchanting book.

For Fashionistas Who Like to Travel.......2001-11-16

Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad is an adorable little book filled with colorful Fauvist-like illustrations. Anyone who likes Laura Stoddart's simple-chic illustrations for Kate Spade will probably enjoy this book. Fans of the recent exhibition at the Met that highlighted Jackie's White House clothes may appreciate it too. The commentary is kept to a minimum and black and white photos from Mrs. Kennedy's travels are included, but the focus is on French artist Duheme's amusing miniature paintings that capture Jackie in all those great pink sleeveless dresses and crisp suits in Paris, India, London and Italy.

As a side note: Duheme and Jacqueline Kennedy became friends who shared similar painting styles, and Duheme was invited to Cape Cod to give the First Lady an art lesson.

A delightful book for Jackie fans.......2000-04-04

"Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a beautiful book. The illustrations are lovely to look at, and the book is fun to read. A good choice for anyone to add to their library; especially recommended for those interested in the Kennedys and Jackie in particular. Evokes the fun mood of Jackie's scrapbook written with her sister Lee, "One Special Summer".

An adult picture book.......2000-03-14

This book has wonderful pictures that captures the "facts" from actual photographs and transforms them into scenes of "fantasy". I really enjoyed the background information that accompanies each picture. A real treat of Jackie fans.

Russian America: A Biographical Dictionary (Alaska History)

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Russian America: A Biographical Dictionary (Alaska History)
R. Pierce
Manufacturer: University of Alaska Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Reference & Collections | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Russia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

CQ's Politics In America 2006: The 109th Congress (Politics in America)

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Almost but not quite
A standard, up-to-date volume with some flaws
A Very Good Guide to Congress
Thorough...a must have for political junkies

CQ's Politics In America 2006: The 109th Congress (Politics in America)

Manufacturer: CQ Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Congresses, Senates, & Legislative Bodies | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Elections | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Practical Politics | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Yearbooks & Annuals | Almanacs & Yearbooks | Reference | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1933116102

Customer Reviews:

Almost but not quite.......2007-08-27

Ignore the rants of the left. If you have to buy just 1 get the Almanac. That being said this is very good and I will be getting both 2008 issues in a week. Why is it that a moderate conserveative writer (Barone certainly not Cohen) is viewed as being incapable of objective reporting but those on the left are oh so neutral. Here's a thought I watch Fox, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Russia Today and the English German news. I wonder who has a wider world view, me- a libertarian con.- or the liberal who would never think of listening to a different view. Long live cable TV and diversity in reading material

A standard, up-to-date volume with some flaws.......2005-09-21

CQ's "Politics in America" is certainly still a very helpful tool, not only for Beltway insiders, political junkies, and Congressional scholars - via biography, it presents a panorama of the American political landscape as it really is, and it traces the most recent history as well as quite current events. There are two handbooks like that; this is supposed to be the more "liberal", and also the more objective, as compared to the "Almanac of American Politics", which however is not out yet (the last edn. is for 2004). The GQ 2006 version is certainly up to date, quite well written, and with a lot of good information. This is the rare case of an encyclopedia-like book that one actually might want to read, rather than only use for reference.

That said, there are some flaws with this edition, especially if compared to the Almanac and to earlier editions of CQ. After all, this is the kind of ressource that today would be typically found on the internet or CD-ROM. Because of the reading quality, it's good to have the book, but publishers and editors must make most of typical book advantages.

The list of deficiencies of GQ 2006 includes, then, a very small font, confusing maps, and a generally convoluted layout. Contents-wise, there is no description of governors, or of states; in the personal profiles, there is no general indication of subcommittee chairships/ranking position anymore; and the general introduction is also a bit brief.

That said, CQ 2006 would rank *** within the context of handbooks as they can be and have been, and ***** as such, especially seeing that right now at least there is no alternative (and one has to admit that the Almanac likewise has the similar technical problems).

A Very Good Guide to Congress.......2005-08-24

CQ's Politics in America is a very good guide to Congress. The writers go into detail about where the members stand on issues and what they do in Washington. Compare that to the Almanac of American politics which is more interested in election results (which can be good) and as a forum for Michael Barone's conservative views, which is fine for conservatives but can irritate those just looking for the facts. Also what CQ does is treat members equally (except the leaders) unlike the Barone practice of playing favorites.

Thorough...a must have for political junkies.......2005-08-22

"Congressional Quarterly's Politics in America" is one of two well-known (to political geeks, at least) registers of congressional facts. I considered the other, National Journal's "The Almanac of American Politics" prior to deciding on CQ. Both versions appear to contain the same basic information: district maps, congressional bios, voting proclivities, and basic state information. However, the editing of "The Almanac of American Politics" by Michael Barone elicited concern that Barone couldn't withhold his ultra-conservative views and edit an unbiased guide. All other things being equal, I went with the version which I felt comfortable would leave out the partisan slant. In CQ's "Politics in America", every returning member of the 109th Congress gets two pages of biography, history, key votes and election results. Those serving their first term in the 109th still get one page. In addition, there's a state info page, a congressional district map (my one disappointment: the maps could be more detailed) and pages of interesting facts about the 109th (did you know that the Utah 3rd--encompassing suburban Salt Lake City, south through Provo and the southern part of the state to the Nevada border--is, by over 2 years average, the youngest congressional district with an average age of 24.5 years?). Not to mention a race-by-race 2004 campaign finance report. Politics in America weighs in at a hefty 1218 pages. For any political junkie, it's a great bi-annual investment.

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An fascinating epic

The Past Has Another Pattern: Memoirs
George W., Jr. Ball
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0393301427

Customer Reviews:

An fascinating epic.......2005-12-16

This is a lucid, firsthand account by an instrumental post WW2 player. His was a generation that dealt with how the world would be put back together after the most devastating war in history. His service includes questioning Nazi prisoners as part of the US Strategic Bombing Survey (with his friend JK Galbraith), encouraging the formation of the Common Market (Jean Monnet), and guidance in the most contentious periods of the Cold War.

The author's anecdotes are invaluable. An accomplished man, he recounts intimate views of luminaries in years of service matched only by his own admirable accomplishment. The latter included early principled opposition (and resignation) over the Vietnam War.

This memoir is a pleasure to read: the author is a genuine American hero.

Secret Missions to Cuba: Fidel Castro, Bernardo Benes, and Cuban Miami

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From Heroism to Heartbreak
Exposes the power of the anti-Castro lobby
An astonishing human story among Cuban exiles
Excellent, probing, fascinating book
Excellent, probing, fascinating book

Secret Missions to Cuba: Fidel Castro, Bernardo Benes, and Cuban Miami
Robert M. Levine
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0312239874

Book Description

In 1960, Bernardo Benes, a lawyer, fled his home in Cuba. Quickly making a name for himself in Miami, he became a leading advocate in the community. Making 75 secret trips to Cubawhere he met with Castro for both presidents Carter and ReaganBenes reunited divided families and was the catalyst behind Castros release of thousands of Cuban political prisoners. Despite his extraordinary achievements for Miamis Cuban community, Benes became, and remains, a pariah there. For the first time, hear Beness storyand read a powerful expos of the power and passions of Cuban Miami.

Customer Reviews:

From Heroism to Heartbreak.......2004-11-13

Now that the agreement to allow Cuban Americans to visit their families in Cuba has been significantly scaled back by President George Bush, it is fascinating to consider how many Cuban Americans are correctly bewailing the loss of a right brokered for them by the very man they shunned for making the visits possible: Bernardo Benes.

This book tells the story of Bernardo Benes and the times and circumstances in which he operated. We learn of his boyhood in Cuba, his flight to Miami as a young man, his financial successes and humanitarian work in Miami and the deserved notoriety he received. We also learn about his secret missions to Cuba at the USA's behest, his frequent conversations and negotiations with Castro, and how his considerable accomplishments in these matters cost him dearly in the exile community, even endangering his life. Although the author often strikes an oddly detached tone in his descriptions of the violent and inquisitorial nature of some elements of the Cuban exile community, he provides all the salient details and history.

By book's end, readers are left wondering why Bernardo Benes isn't esteemed as a great hero in the Cuban-American community. It is here we realize that the real main character of this true tale is the Cuban exile community, not Bernardo Benes, and how their grievance long nurtured by hatred, violence, and dogmatic conformity distorts a hero's triumph into heartbreak.

Exposes the power of the anti-Castro lobby.......2001-10-02

This story needs to be told. It shows how powerful Miami Cubans not only punished the man responsible for the process of dialogue that led to the release of prisoners from Castro's jails, but essentially elected George W. Bush president in the astonishing electoral race of that year in Florida.

An astonishing human story among Cuban exiles.......2001-09-28

I was moved by the travails of Bernardo Benes,who put his life and family at risk because insensitive right-wingers in the Cuban exile community in Miami turned him into a paraih because he dared talk with Cuba's Castro in behalf of political prisoners and dialogue.

Excellent, probing, fascinating book.......2001-09-28

This book masterfully exposes the venality of the right-wing Cuban exile power brokers, especially the suffocating voices of Spanish-language radio in Miami. I can attest to the fact that the book is wholly on the mark. It reveals details about the exile experience that are astonishing, and also very sad. This is the best book I have ever read on the subject, and also on the precarious, often bad-faith relationship between Washington D.C. and Havana.

Excellent, probing, fascinating book.......2001-09-28

Here: A Biography of the New American Continent

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Afta NAFTA
North American colossus and the NAFTA dream
Humanizing recent trends on the American continen
Globalization's cheerleader
Hurray for NAFTA!

Here: A Biography of the New American Continent
Anthony Depalma
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1891620835
Release Date: 2001-06-19

Amazon.com

As the former bureau chief for The New York Times in both Canada and Mexico, Anthony DePalma is uniquely qualified to report on North America. Here is his "biography of a continent," a look at how Canada, the U.S., and Mexico have diverged politically and culturally despite their shared roots and similar backgrounds. Having lived in all three countries, DePalma has a keen eye for national tendencies, such as the difference between how Americans and Canadians view the border: "[Americans] see the border as joining Canada to the United States. For Canadians, it is the last line separating us from them." Even history, it seems, is influenced by latitude. He writes of meeting "Canadians who did not love their own history and Mexicans who were afraid of theirs. It helped me realize just how we Americans use our history; we create it and control it and continually conform it to our liking."

A first-rate journalist, DePalma offers many memorable anecdotes in Here. In one particularly bizarre episode, he describes interviewing a nearly incoherent Carlos Salinas in a dark shack where he was staging a hunger strike to protest the way he and his family were being treated by political opponents. Just three months earlier, Salinas had stepped down as one of the most powerful presidents in Mexican history. Now, he "looked like a vagrant and sounded like a mystic," with bottled Evian his only sustenance. "To appreciate what it represented for the people of Mexico," he writes, "imagine Bill Clinton showing up in Harlem one day and vowing not to eat or drink anything but Perrier water until everyone in Washington stopped saying mean things about him and Hillary."

The triple elections of 2000 marked "a significant turning point in continental America," according to DePalma. "The notion that what happens across the border doesn't matter has been disproved." In this fascinating look at the state of the continent, he has done much to dispel misunderstanding and ignorance between neighbors. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

A completely original, passionately rendered portrait of the nations of North America and their complicated relationships with one another, by a New York Times journalist who has lived in all three countries.

Anthony DePalma has been bureau chief for The New York Times in both Canada and Mexico. Here is his fascinating "biography of a continent:" an exploration into and meditation on the two very different nations that begin where America ends, and on the nature of our relationship with them. It is also a very personal account written by someone who has lived in all three countries and spent years trying to understand how we got to be who we are. How did our three nations-all nations of immigrants, sharing borders and intertwined histories-develop such different world views and senses of ourselves?

How do we-accurately and inaccurately-perceive each other? Who are we now, separately and as a continent, and where are we going?

DePalma considers these questions both as a journalist and through the lens of his own immigrant American family's experiences, offering illuminating re-examinations of key historical events, vivid contemporary reportage, and thought-provoking, often moving stories of individuals, including those of his own relatives, along the way. "By way of this expedition beyond the ends of America," says DePalma, "I came to understand better who I am and how I got to be here. I hope readers discover the same."

Customer Reviews:

Afta NAFTA.......2004-09-29

All in all a good look at the differences and similarities between Bananada, the Untied States and Mehico. For someone who has spent the entire '90s outside my so-called "homeland" of back bacon and beer, this was a good fill-in-the-blanks on what NAFTA has had on North America.

The guy nails Canada pretty good esp. on the lack of opportunity and stifling of creativity. Plus he gets bonus points for seeing what our universal health care is all about--cheap but pretty useless should you ever really need to use it. Could've thrown in a lot about the whole underground grow-op economy that flourishes up here.

I would say that the only mute pt. was his putting his kids into a private school in Ontario. Does the NY Times pay its writers enough to do this and what were his fears of Canada's public schools? The public schools up here are decent so I sort of lost a bit of respect for his views after reading that.

North American colossus and the NAFTA dream.......2003-09-08

In his preface to this book, New York Times journalist Anthony DePalma laments the historical distortions he acquired growing up in the United States. He writes QUOTE We don't think much about Canada or Mexico at all, because they are too close, too common UNQUOTE

His words echoed two personal experiences which immediately came to mind. As a student in Paris, I was once invited by an American friend to her college "junior year abroad" class in international politics taught by a well-known French political scientist. Asking the class what was the name of the ruling political party in Mexico, he got blank stares from his fifty odd young and eager U.S. internationalists.

Later, some French Canadian friends gave me a tape of songs by leading singers from Quebec (Charlebois, Gagnons, and others). Only once in the dozens of times I played this tape for friends in the United States was it recognized as a contemporary product from our northern neighbor.

I therefore found appealing DiPalma's invitation to take his readers on a journey of discovery reflecting his six years of reportage from Mexico and Canada for the New York Times. DiPalma couples highly readable analysis of both the history of both countries, including in relation to the United States, and their recent politics, particularly in the 1990s. He writes eloquently and hopefully of a future which he is believes is destined to link the three countries even more closely, placing special emphasis on the "triple elections of 2000" when new administrations were elected in all three countries. QUOTE From 1993 to 2000, North America evolved from being defined solely as three seperate nations divided by two borders on one continent to being a community of shared interest, common dreams, and coordinated responses to problems that have no regard for borders. UNQUOTE

DiPalma's optimistic outlook on the future relations of these three neighbors might seem to short shrift the real difficulties and controversies surrounding some aspects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which he analyzes in a positive light against the historical backdrop developed in this book. Clearly, it was not his intention to make these debates a major focus of his book.

I have no doubt that better understanding in all three countries of each other's politics and history will be critical in the twenty frist century. I found this book to be one of the few existing attempts to take a truly "North American perspective" on the trilateral relations between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and one which is grounded in a broad, if somewhat selective, view of the histories of the three countries, and thus the continent. Hopefully, readers in the United States will welcome it as a positive contribution to increasing their historical and geographical literacy of their own backyard.

Humanizing recent trends on the American continen.......2003-04-16

As a college magazine editor and writer, I've heard dozens of speakers and read many authors over the years who either apply political and economic theories to events in Latin America or tell stories that attempt to shine a light on individuals or groups in that region. But in "Here", DePalma puts a face on the people and finds the story behind the events, public and private, he witnessed in his singular role as a journalist covering Latin America, the U.S., and Canada. By combining these stories with reflections of his own family's immigration and throwing closely observed political events into the mix, he illuminates the struggles, aspirations, and challenges facing all of us on the American continent. He presents an original and well-grounded worldview that, whether or not you agree with it, provides a solid and insightful foundation for a long overdue discussion on the connectedness of North and South.

As a writer, I admire the clarity and accuracy of observation in DePalma's prose, whether he's unmasking Subcomandante Marcos during a downpour in Aguascalientes or listening to a Mayan soldier for the source of the outrage that fed the Zapatista movement. DePalma doesn't lose the individual in the larger scheme of things, but also never loses sight of that larger context.

DePalma's book humanized for me recent trends on the American continent. My only regret after reading it is that I didn't do so before accompanying students on a recent learning expedition to Mexico. Next time, I'll take it with me.

Globalization's cheerleader.......2001-08-22

Think back to a few years ago, when prior to the 1992 election, Ross Perot in attacking the then proposed North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), described it as "a giant sucking sound" of American jobs being lost to Mexico. Well the exodus of jobs never happened and Perot's one-sided criticism was probably just politics anyway. What then accounts for Mr DePalma's equally skewed analysis "HERE"; although the arguments in this book are the exact opposite of Perot's; for Mr DePalma, NAFTA is a very good thing. Perhaps the explanation for his ringing endorsement of the gradual economic integration of the US, Canadian, and Mexican economies, comes from the fact that Mr DePalma has lived and worked for a number of years in both Mexico and Canada. Looking at NAFTA from that vantage point shows that it's influence on not only economic, but also the social and cultural aspects of peoples lives, in the 7 years since the agreement came into effect, has been largely positive.

Mr DePalma sees the signing of the agreement itself as a significant achievement; the three nations, he says overcame decades of prejudice and have struck out on "our shared destiny" based on mutual respect and a committment to free trade. He gives sketches of the political and cultural histories of Canada and Mexico throughout his book and writes best when he mixes these in with stories of his experiences in each country.

Mr DePalma is correct in saying that "we know North America exists, but we do not know North America" and we can thank him for helping us learn a lot that's new about Canada and Mexico. There are however some limits to all this talk of continental unity. In his epilogue entitled "symmetry regained" he argues that NAFTA is removing the borders between the three countries and returning us to how it was before the Spanish, French and British came. He says as we go forward as a continent we will talk about "here" and not about "there".

That may be all well and good economically and politically for everyone, and culturally also for Mexico as we become more Latino. The difficulty with this vision and ultimately then, with the book, is that the perspective from the US is startling absent throughout HERE. Mr DePalma doesn't seem to see the threat to unity when he says that in the US people "rarely are conscious that they share this continent with anyone." What happens then, when political awareness comes with liberals highlighting some of the negative economic side-effects of NAFTA and conservatives drawing attention to the potential social and cultural dangers.

HERE is very one-sided and offers only the positives of free trade and globalization. Mr DePalma does not mention any of the negatives and more importantly, he totally ignores the reality that some of the same constituents in the US that now support NAFTA, if it becomes politically expedient to do otherwise, will turn on it with a vengeance. As a result he sounds a little naive and the book's arguments feel shallow.

Hurray for NAFTA!.......2001-08-10

Mr. DePalma, naturally, doesn't disappoint the denizens of right wing think tanks like the Cato Institute or the neo-liberal editorialists of our major broadsheets in his favorable depiction of the economic impact of the controversial North American Free Trade Agreement, and prospective readers of this quaint sentimentialism of a book should realize the treaty provides the impetus for even writing a book like this in the first place. Mr. DePalma can find nothing inherently wrong with the promises proferred by the acolytes of free trade ideology (hey, all of us North Americans reap rewards from this stuff!!), so his seemingly feigned appreciation for the distinctive characteristics of a Canada or Mexico really tests credulousness, unless of course those traits begin to converge with that behemoth to the north or south. Do Canada or Mexico have any singular accomplishments that might actually teach the US a thing or two? And are those accomplishments jeopardized by the tenets of global trade like open markets, reduced government expenditure and obeisance to transnational (ie US) corporations? Well, Mr. DePalma frankly doesn't give a damn, and neither should you about his book!

Black American Intellectualism and Culture: A Social Study of African American Social and Political Thought (Contemporary Studies in Sociology)

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Black American Intellectualism and Culture: A Social Study of African American Social and Political Thought (Contemporary Studies in Sociology)

Manufacturer: JAI Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

History of Ideas | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0762306033

Book Description

This work pursues to critically probe Black American Intellectualism and Culture in the organizational construct of intellectual studies; cultural studies; literary studies; and social thought. Accent has been placed on an interdisciplinary focus of examining the ethos and memory of Africana people. The intangible view of Africana people is reported and illustrated from an African American prism.

This study is an unconventional advance reviewing: history, narratives, biography, autobiography, and epistemology. As Africana scholars research society in the form of politics, business, social, education, political, and economic institutions - the retentive ideas of Africana values, mores, and folkways become imperative to examine events from an assembly of viewpoints. In fact, these variables provide a foundation for amassing query, that narrates and appraises Africana people.

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Black Americans: Issues and Concerns

Manufacturer: Nova Science Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Caliban's Freedom
Anthony Bogues
Manufacturer: Pluto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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