Book Description
Brigitte Gabriel lost her childhood to militant Islam. In 1975 she was ten years old and living in Southern Lebanon when militant Muslims from throughout the Middle East poured into her country and declared jihad against the Lebanese Christians. Lebanon was the only Christian influenced country in the Middle East, and the Lebanese Civil War was the first front in what has become the worldwide jihad of fundamentalist Islam against non-Muslim peoples. For seven years, Brigitte and her parents lived in an underground bomb shelter. They had no running water or electricity and very little food; at times they were reduced to boiling grass to survive. Because They Hate is a political wake-up call told through a very personal memoir frame. Brigitte warns that the US is threatened by fundamentalist Islamic theology in the same way Lebanon was- radical Islam will stop at nothing short of domination of all non-Muslim countries. Gabriel saw this mission start in Lebanon, and she refuses to stand silently by while it happens here. Gabriel sees in the West a lack of understanding and a blatant ignorance of the ways and thinking of the Middle East. She also points out mistakes the West has made in consistently underestimating the single-mindedness with which fundamentalist Islam has pursued its goals over the past thirty years. Fiercely articulate and passionately committed, Gabriel tells her own story as well as outlines the history, social movements, and religious divisions that have led to this critical historical conflict.
Customer Reviews:
Truly Informed!!!.......2007-10-19
It is refreshing to read a book that is written by a person who experienced first-hand the things to which she addressed. I consider myself a person who is well educated (3 masters degrees), well traveled (67 countries), and a lifetime of experience (approaching 80 years). Brigette's book should be read by every person who appreciates living in the United States. The book is truly an "eye-opener!" I encourage you to get the book, read it, and take the time to comprehend what it says. It will probably change your life!!! Rev. Floyd Lewis
Arresting autobiography and a warning to the West.......2007-10-18
This disturbing book is similar in structure to Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Now They Call Me Infidel by Nonie Darwish, being part autobiography and part warning to the West. The autobiographical section deals with the author's childhood in Lebanon which was happy and idyllic until the war broke out in 1975. Her family experienced seven years of hell as the political war soon became a religious war against Christians waged by the PLO and Lebanese radical Islamists.
It became a nightmare of murder, atrocity and destruction. She also witnessed at first hand how the terrorists manipulate the media, for example by deliberately launching missiles from amongst civilians then blaming Israel for the retaliation that followed. They played the victim card very well, exploiting the clueless or complicit mass media at every turn. A good analysis of this phenomenon is available in The Other War: Israelis, Palestinians and the Struggle for Media Supremacy by Stephanie Gutmann. When the Israelis invaded in 1982, the family finally managed to escape the horror by finding refuge in Israel. There they experienced kindness and compassion; she eventually became a journalist, married an American and moved to the USA.
The second part examines the history of the global jihad and how its hydra heads are sprouting in the West. The author considers Lebanon the early testing ground for the global ambitions of the Jihadis. In this section she delves into the Koran and compares the Western with the Islamist concepts of, among others: truth, life and human dignity. Pointing out the major differences, she shows how the radicals are using Western values like tolerance, the rule of law and free speech against the West. What happened in Lebanon is starting to happen in Europe and the USA while the demonization of Israel and the USA is getting worse in the mass media of the Islamic world. For gruesome examples of this, please see Peace: The Arabian Caricature of Anti-Semitic Imagery by Arieh Stav.
Ignorance and political correctness are contributing to the escalating danger and the fifth column in our midst are those self-loathing westerners - mostly tenured termites in academia - who blame the democracies and talk piously of the "legitimate" grievances of the terrorists. The author says we must not appease but face facts: their grievances include our freedom of speech and religion, democracy, the rule of law and the gender equality in our societies. She also claims that moderate Muslim organizations in the USA are not as moderate as they pretend. A very important point Gabriel makes is that although most Muslims are peaceful, the religion is not. Islamic Imperialism: A History by Efraim Karsh and The Truth About Muhammad by Robert Spencer explore the historical facts in more detail.
The book concludes with recommendations for policymakers in the West, such as the banning of hate education where it is occurring now, vigilant border and immigration controls, security profiling of radical organizations and a serious effort to find and harness alternative energy sources. Other warnings to the West include The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci, Londonistan by Melanie Phillips, Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left by David Horowitz, Menace in Europe by Claire Berlinski and While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within by Bruce Bawer. On account of her first hand experience, Brigitte Gabriel's book is a must-read for all those who care about the future of our civilization.
A MUST read for every American who lives his country!.......2007-10-17
I challenge every American to view this book diligently with an open mind as to how quickly this hate has invaded our country already and now that it's here how sudden an attack will happen. We must stand up and do our part to stop this subtle killer by making our voice heard in our government, our schools our churches. This message MUST be heard! Briggett tells her story without fancy proper grammar, but with simplicity for any age to read. There's no doubt she is real, her story is real and her heart is not about selling a book, it's about you, your family and this country. May we wake up and take back our freedom to love and live.
Glad I Don't Live In A Moslem Country.......2007-10-14
"Because They Hate" is one eye opening book regarding the real agenda of the militant Moslems. The Koran is not now and never was a peaceful book and neither was the Moslem faith ever a peaceful religion.The "militant" Moslems are out to conquor the whole world and make it Moslem. The big Satan (the United States) and the Little Satan (Israel) are first on it's list to destroy.
A women definately doesn't want to live in a radical Moslem country. They can't go anywhere with out their husband's approval. Also, they have to have their whole body covered when in public. Beating your wife black and blue when she disobeys you is endorsed by the clerics or religeous leaders and is often shown on television as a good thing to do. Also, if a women is suspected of not being a virgin, she is to be killed to save the family's honor.
The author, Brigette Gabriel is a Southern Lebonese Christian, who married an American and now lives in the United States. The author lived amongst the Moslems in Lebonon, which makes the book an insider's look at the Moslem agenda. That fact alone made it the best book I have read on the subject of the Moslem religion. The well written readable style of the book added to it's appeal.
Gabriel tells about the horrors of the cival war in Lebonon and how she lived with her parents in a bomb shelter for seven years. She tells how the kind but naive Lebonese tried to help the Palestinian Moslem refugees only to have them go through Christian towns slaughtering Christians and bombing their homes. Finally the Christians had enough and fought back, which stated the Cival War. When Israel came to the aid of the Lebonese Christians and brought an end to the war, most of the world criticised her humanitarian actions.
This book made me to glad to be an American. While we haven't been perfect on the cival rights front, we have had our plantations and still have reservations, which are not to be downplayed, our worst abuses are nothing in comparison to the hate filled brutality of the Moslems who follow the Koran. As the author makes so clear, Americans with our western civilized way of thinking and value system, have a very difficult time understanding the insanely brutal mindset of the militant Moslems. When giving the reason for their brutality, the author explained that it was becuase they are taught to hate from the moment of birth that they are so sadistic. Even though many Moslems claim to be more moderate in their beliefs, they rarely if ever oppose the radical's viewpoints or actions. This is true even of the moderate Moslems who live in American where it would be safe to take stand.
good, impressive story.......2007-10-14
Brigitte makes an outstandig job telling about what happened, to her, her family and the christian communities in South Lebanon. I always knew the story as the christian being the mean and holding the economics, this what we have been told in Italy in the 70's and 80's. There is much more behind all this, Brigitte brings some facts and accounts in such a natural and practical way. What happened in Lebanon in the 70's is the natural birth of the wave of hate and killing that caused the infamous 9/11.
Book Description
The Courage to Heal is an inspiring, comprehensive guide that offers hope and encouragement to every woman who, was sexually abused as a child -- and those who care about her. Although the effects of child sexual abuse are long-term and severe, healing is possible. The authors weave personal experience with professional knowledge to show the reader how she can come to terms with her past while moving powerfully into the future. They provide clear explanations, practical suggestions, a map of the healing journey, and many moving first-person examples of the recovery process drawn from their interviews with hundreds of survivors.
Definitive in scope, The Courage to Heal speaks directly to the survivor in a warm and personal way:
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TAKING STOCK -- outlines the effects of child sexual abuse and the ways women cope over time.
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THE HEALING PROCESS -- explores each stage from the decision to heal and remembering through breaking silence, knowing it wasn't your fault, nurturing the inner child, and grief and anger, to resolution and moving on.
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CHANGING PATTERNS -- offers in-depth guidance for shifting self-defeating patterns in specific areas of one's present life, including self-esteem, feelings, intimacy, sexuality, and dealing with families.
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SUPPORTERS OF SURVIVORS -- provides insight and strategies for partners of survivors, family members, and counselors.
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COURAGEOUS WOMEN -- profiles survivors who share the challenges and triumphs of their own healing journeys.
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HONORING THE TRUTH -- a substantial new Afterword that refutes the "false memory" argument and presents a thorough and enlightening response to the backlash.
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RESOURCE GUIDE -- fully updated for this edition -- informs readers about therapy, healing activities, recommended reading, support groups, self-help programs, and services and organizations.
Customer Reviews:
self healing.......2007-10-08
This book has given me the courage to heal. It along with my therapy has help me overcome my past.
Help for the hopeless.......2007-09-16
I used this book in conjunction with a counselor, which I highly suggest. I recently bought this for my sister-in-law. I hope that she gets as much use out of it as I did. I didn't realize that the flashbacks and nightmares could stop, and that when they did, my whole life would improve. What a difference!
If I could give 0 stars, I would.......2007-09-12
Frightening. Don't give others this kind of power over your thoughts or feelings. Don't trust any therapist that recommends this book, especially if he/she claims that even though you don't remember being abused, you must have been because you are depressed, having trouble in a relationship, etc. The authors have no qualifications whatsoever to diagnose you or to give advice on how to heal anything. Their methods discourage healing -- how can you heal a relationship if you cut the person off and refuse to speak with them merely because they have a hard time believing that abuse occurred? It's in human nature and in our system of justice to be skeptical, to demand proof before believing abuse happened that we never witnessed.
These authors and their publisher ought to be sued for the damages they have caused to countless patients, families and falsely accused on the basis of "recovered memories." Recovered memories have been proven unreliable at best, and it has been proven time and time again that memories can be fabricated by means of suggestion, hypnosis, etc. In addition, therapy that results in "recovered memories" has been shown to cause an increase in the suicide rates of those patients, increased duration of treatment, decreased success rates in treatment, increased divorce rates among patients, alienated family and friends. How is any of that healthy?
This book and related "recovered memory" therapy is all about mining for gold among patients' insurance benefits by keeping them messed up as long as possible. Don't be fooled -- there is a serious conflict of interest at play when a therapist suggests that your common problems, often effectively dealt with by discussing healthy thought and behavior modifications in short-term treatment are caused by some sinister event that you can't remember, and that will take 3 sessions a week for 7 years at $120 a visit to uncover them and "cure" you (or whatever your health insurance will pony up for).
Before you buy this book, Google "recovered memory therapy" "false memory syndrome" and read the articles written by scientists and psychiatrists that know that recovered memory therapy is "bad therapy". This book has contributed to countless destroyed lives and families, so you should be aware of the risks of reading it before you do.
A Must-Have for Women Survivors.......2007-07-17
The Courage to Heal is not an easy read. It doesn't sugarcoat, nor does it shy away from the most difficult aspects of being an abuse survivor. However, it's been an invaluable tool in many a woman's recovery, including my own. Later editions are not gender-specific, but I found this one to be particularly helpful to me because it was geared towards women, and that helped me feel "safer" somehow. Your mileage, of course, may vary.
a very good place to start.......2007-07-16
I read this book a very long time ago. is there more written now? yes. Are there more deep and perhaps stronger texts out there for folks really wanting to wretch thru it all. Yes.
Are you just getting started on your journey and need the basics while protecting yourself from completely falling apart? What is a flashback? what is happening to me? the first questions you ask. This book has been the "bible of CSA" for many years and probably will be the "bible" for years to come. It will always have it's place amoung those just beginning to "gently" begin to understand what has happened to them.
Really, the best place to start...then get the "spouses/significant other" version, read it also, maybe underline the parts that really speak to you and have your partner read it when you and they are ready. it can open many doors for understanding without you having to find the words. I really don't believe in re-inventing the healing wheel. It there is something out there that makes any of this easier for you...go for it.
BA
Book Description
In this groundbreaking companion to The Courage to Heal, Laura Davis offers an inspiring, in-depth workbook that speaks to all women and men healing from the effects of child sexual abuse. The combination of checklists, writing and art Projects, open-ended questions and activities expertly guides the survivor through the healing process.
- Survival Skills -- Teaches survivors to create a safe, supportive environment, ask for help, deal with crisis periods, and choose therapy.
- Aspects Of Healing -- Focuses on the healing process: gaining a capacity for hope, breaking silence, letting go of shame, turning anger into action, planning a confrontation, preparing for family contact, and affirming personal progress.
- Guidelines For Healing Sexually -- Redefines the concept of "safe sex" and establishes healthy ground rules for sexual contact.
Customer Reviews:
A Must if you were sexually abused.......2007-07-26
This book is a true gift - to me and to anyone that was abused in any way, not just sexually.
A workbook for a journey.......2007-01-19
This workbook is paperback and has lots of room for notes and comments. Well construsted and felxable for use as a workbook. For any survivor this is a very needful journey. This book and its author has gathered the tools that many have but don't know how to use and helps us understand what to do and how to do it. I have greatly benefitted from this. It is a book well recieved by my therapist. For all survivors and their partners and families this is a book that gives hope, understanding and reassurance. Well worth it.
Workbook is my Guide to Healing.......2006-07-01
Just as The Courage to Heal was my Bible in helping me get through the crisis stage of sexual abuse revisited, helping me to decipher what it was I was feeling, and that it was perfectly normal, probably more normal than anything in my life ever had been, and letting me know what I may be going through next, and how people might react to me, ect.....This Courage to Heal Workbook is my homework in learning to become the person I should have started out as. I do a chapter a day, but you can do it a chapter a week, or at your own pace. Pre-reading The Courage to Heal is not necessary, either. It's all self-explanatory. Encourages one to give lots of deep thought to differing topics and to answer honestly and in depth. I strongly recommend this workbook to anyone struggling to heal the wounds of childhood sexual abuse. It allows you to get to know the real you inside all of the protective layers that have been unconsciencously piled on over the years....not who you want people to know, but who you really are, and who you were really meant to be. A bright shining star!
This book is hard work but good.......2006-06-01
I am not sure why people whose lives are being "ruined" or hurt by "unfounded" repressed memories are being so hard on the authors of this book. Sounds like the psychiatric professionals that their loved one or they themselves are seeing need to be held to task for the "bringing forth the memories" problem - not the authors of this book.
I WAS sexually abused by my father and stepbrother and remember every last memory that was made over a span of 7 years. Courage to Heal HAS helped me with it and has helped me work on the issues that I thought confrontation of my abusers would heal immediately. Yea right.
I don't think anyone should use this book without the consultations of a counselor or therapist and getting help from them while going through it. Self diagnosis is and can be dangerous. I think, however, it is a good book to help a person work through the issues that surround actual abuses.
Be your own therapist.......2006-03-20
It is a great compliment to the textbook 'Courage to Heal'. As much as we trust (or should trust) our therapists, some things will always be left unsaid. Allow this book to fill in the gaps. When I write about what upsets me, I feel somewhat relieved. This is a difficult book to work with, it will change your world forever, and it will change for the better. Once you get to the point of no return, hopefully, like me, you will feel that something inside of you just let go. It is OK to be angry, it is OK to cry, it is OK to fight back. Remember: long after your abuser is out of your life, he or she still controls you through the memories. This book guides you through all the hard work you have to do to control those memories and have a happy life.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent read
- DEMEAMING, INSENSITIVE, STEREOTYPING, TOO GRAPHIC - JUST NOT CORRECT
- Sometimes truth is better than fiction.
- Maus
- Immensely sad. Full of pathos. An immense work
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The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
Art Spiegelman
Manufacturer: Pantheon
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ASIN: 0679406417
Release Date: 1996-11-19 |
Book Description
At last! Here is the definitive edition of the book acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” (Wall Street Journal) and “the first masterpiece in comic book history” (The New Yorker). It now appears as it was originally envisioned by the author: The Complete Maus.
It is the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in “drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust” (The New York Times).
Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century’s grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of the children who survive even the survivors. Maus studies the bloody pawprints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent read.......2007-09-12
I read Maus I and II back in junior high and thought it was really cool that I was reading a book while also reading a comic. I purchased and re-read the boxed set recently when I stumbled upon it on Amazon. It's excellent. Truly a one-of-a-kind story, told in a way that gets the reader engaged in the details of what went on back in World War II. I love the cleverness of the Jews being portrayed as mice and the Nazi soldiers as cats. The only qualm I have with this series is that Maus II (the second and last book) ends rather abruptly, which is sort of understandable if you read the books. Honestly, I wanted more from the author and the storyline. Either way, it was a good read back when I was age 12 and still a good read at age 25.
DEMEAMING, INSENSITIVE, STEREOTYPING, TOO GRAPHIC - JUST NOT CORRECT.......2007-09-01
I just don't understand, how any type of stereotyping, as maus is loaded with it, can be acceptable. Stereotyping like bigotry, can "never" be justified! The graphic nature of this book is also "disturbing." With so many other books out there, I personally am unable to understand why anyone would use this book that offends "other" (3 million Catholic Poles for starters)holocaust victims. Many, many books out there get the job done, without such dark graphics and offending peoples, who were also victims. There are three books that I feel are truly objective, factual and just not as offensive, as Maus is: "Auschwitz," by Sybile Steinbacher, Richard Lukas' "The Forgotten Holocaust," which "objectively" talks about "everyone's" suffering in the holocaust; and finally, Michael R. Marrus' "The Holocaust in History." On Marrus' book: "An ideal introduction to the subject for any student of the Holocaust, and an authoritative summary for the expert." Yehuda Bauer, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem(back cover). With all the suffering and sensitivity on the Holocaust, "all" victims' feelings should be considered - maus does "not" accomplish this.
Sometimes truth is better than fiction........2007-08-21
I stumbled across this a few days ago in a book shop in Cambodia, of all places. I sat transfixed reading the book until 4 a.m., when my eyes could no longer focus. When I awoke the next day, I finished the book.
We are provided with a narrative by the father, a Holocaust survivor, and a more recent portrayal of the author (the son, who happens to be the artist, also). We see the trials and tribulations of his father and his mother as a young Jewish couple in World War 2 era Poland during the Nazi invasion and subsequent occupation.
We also get to share the experience of being the guilty son of Holocaust survivors. He worries about seeing his father as the stereotypical "miserly old Jew." Can he have judgment about people who have suffered through so much? Can he have a bit of animosity towards his parents, as most people tend to do? The author has to question how his mother could have survived the Nazi regime, but committed suicide when he was 20. He has to question the relationship with his father. Is he annoying or pitiful or admirable?
All these muddled emotions and the true story of a man who lived through the most brutal crime of the 20th century all come into play.
The drawings are great. The format is great. The idea to show different races as different animals is also great. Because, as silly as that sounds- isn't even sillier that people see our own races as different creatures?
Maus.......2007-08-10
As a Polish/american/alsacian I need to say this book is amazing. It captures all cultures together and produces the most authentic representation of WW2 I have ever read.
Immensely sad. Full of pathos. An immense work.......2007-06-13
More than a graphic novel. Rather a powerful moving tale of a son's recovery of a father's experience of the years of the holocaust and how this trickled down into contemporary family life. Reflective and immense in scope. I would recommend this book genuinely to anyone interested in what makes life worth living. The vignettes of Spiegelman's father are harrowing and inspiring, accentuated by a matter of fact story telling style. Spiegelman's insertion of his own family into the narrative serves to contrast the relatively normal travails of a modern family with those of families on the edge of survival and extinction.
Book Description
"Son, we’re going to Hell."
The navigator of the USS Houston confided these prophetic words to a young officer as he and his captain charted a course into U.S. naval legend. Renowned as FDR’s favorite warship, the cruiser USS Houston was a prize target trapped in the far Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Without hope of reinforcement, her crew faced a superior Japanese force ruthlessly committed to total conquest. It wasn’t a fair fight, but the men of the Houston would wage it to the death.
Hornfischer brings to life the awesome terror of nighttime naval battles that turned decks into strobe-lit slaughterhouses, the deadly rain of fire from Japanese bombers, and the almost superhuman effort of the crew as they miraculously escaped disaster again and again–until their luck ran out during a daring action in Sunda Strait. There, hopelessly outnumbered, the Houston was finally sunk and its survivors taken prisoner. For more than three years their fate would be a mystery to families waiting at home.
In the brutal privation of jungle POW camps dubiously immortalized in such films as The Bridge on the River Kwai, the war continued for the men of the Houston—a life-and-death struggle to survive forced labor, starvation, disease, and psychological torture. Here is the gritty, unvarnished story of the infamous Burma–Thailand Death Railway glamorized by Hollywood, but which in reality mercilessly reduced men to little more than animals, who fought back against their dehumanization with dignity, ingenuity, sabotage, will–power—and the undying faith that their country would prevail.
Using journals and letters, rare historical documents, including testimony from postwar Japanese war crimes tribunals, and the eyewitness accounts of Houston’s survivors, James Hornfischer has crafted an account of human valor so riveting and awe-inspiring, it’s easy to forget that every single word is true.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book.......2007-09-28
Excellent write-up on a little-known story. I had read of the Houston, but not of the fate of the survivors.
Ship of Ghosts - A Must Read for all Generations.......2007-07-31
Mr. Hornfischer graced my University Area Rotary Club in Austin, his home town, with an excellent talk about the saga of some of our bravest men from the greatest generation. Of course, I bought a copy of the book and it took me a few days to get through it before I hand it to my father to read. Hornfisher shows an unlikely ability to truly connect the facts of the USS Houston and her POW survivors together to tell a compelling human story of the horrors of war and the ability of man to overcome any adversity. Hornfischer is a true patriot for documenting the courage of these brave men, and I am a better man for reading this great book.
A good telling of the USS Houston and her crew.......2007-06-18
Ship of Ghosts is Mr. Hornfischer telling of the USS Houston and her crew during WWII. The USS Houston, known as the Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast (because of how many times the Japanese reported her sunk) was the flagship of the US Asiatic Fleet. In WWII she was responsible for holding and delaying the Japanese in taking Indonesia. Any ways, Mr. Hornfischer opens by telling us the early pre-war history of the USS Houston, how she was used by FDR as his yacht, and the history of the gentlemen whom Mr. Hornfischer interviewed.
After telling us about the pre-war years, Mr. Hornfisher jumps into the action of the Battle of the Java Sea and Sunda Strait. This is then followed by telling us about the crews time as POW's and working on the "Death Railway". Most of this book deals with their experience as POW's (btw, the crew of the HMAS Perth has coverage in this book, not as much as the USS Houston, but it is recognized. Also, Mr. Hornfischer cover the men of the 2nd battalion, 131st Field Artillery). In the chapters dealing with the men being prisoners of war we learn about the poor conditions they kept in and how terrible it was working in Burma on the railway (interestingly, the conditions in Thailand were worse). An interesting fact the Mr. Hornfischer points out several times is how the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai poorly represented the conditions the men served under.
Rating wise this book was very easy for me. A solid 4.5 stars. While Mr. Hornfischer did a commendable job telling us about the crew, I had two problems. First, was his book Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors was more solidly written than this one. There I felt as if I was there, this time I had someone telling me of the tale. My primary reason though for only 4.5 stars is that I'd read The Ghost That Died at Sunda Strait(by W.G. Winslow, a true 5 star book). Since I can't leave this as a half star I need to round the number. If I hadn't read Mr. Winslow's book prior, I might round up, however since I've read his book, this one gets rounded down. Sorry Mr. Hornfischer. A very good book though! It complements Mr. Winslow's nicely and picks up where Mr. Winslow chose to leave off. A very good job!
A Last-Minute Tribute.......2007-04-26
With America's WW II veterans dying at the rate of 1,500 a day, we are clearly into "the last lap". Therefore, Jim Hornfischer's excellent treatment of the cruiser Houston comes none too soon. His taut narrative actually involves two stories between the covers of one book: the ship's early combat in the Pacific and the surviving crew members' 3 1/2 year struggle for survival ashore.
There's a lesson for other researchers and authors: "the greatest generation" is fading fast, and its memories are fading even faster. Now is the time to grab the tape recorder or notepad and get the remaining veterans' stories while they are still accessible.
A Missing Piece of History.......2007-04-09
Americans generally think they know about world War II if they know about Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, the Russian Front, and the Pacific War from the perspective of island hopping coming from the east side of the Pacific. What we usually overlook is the war in Southeast Asia. John Hornfischer has written what might be two books, one about the nearly-solo fight of an isloated ship in the face of the Japanese onslsught in 1942, and the other about the unbelievable suffering of prisoners of war in Japanese prison camps building the Thailand-Burma Railroad - familiar to most of us from the sanitized version seen in the movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai. The writing is good (though not overly great); but it is the content that makes this one of the best books written about World War II, the early struggle to give ground only very dearly, the suffering enduured by our soldiers, and finally the failure to meet the real needs of soldiers trying to readjust to society after three years of captivity.
Product Description
What has happened to Andy Grove's Intel? A Wall Street Journal article dated November 1, 2006 stated that Andy Grove "won't talk about current goings on at Intel. He does, though, talk about its past and wistfully. He helped make Intel one of the world's greatest brands; for most men, that would be the prelude to a retirement full of self-satisfaction. Instead, there is much regret that Andy Grove's Intel wasn't able to use its brand name for even one other great thing besides microprocessors." The cult of Andy Grove consisted of a core set of values expressed as certain behaviors that Grove himself forced on employees long before the Intel values were formally published and put on employee badges. What many outsiders don t know is that management s actions within Intel's corporate culture were inconsistent with the published values. After Grove's departure, this gap between management behaviors and the published values was amplified, establishing the impetus for the decline of Intel's performance-based corporate culture. In light of Intel spending over $10 billion on 35 acquisitions, its diversification strategy lacked an overall execution plan for tying it all together and making it work within their existing business and economic models. Intel s lackluster stock market performance over the past six years has not prevented many investors from hoping that the stock will once again repeat its past stellar performance. The world has changed and the business model that made Intel the behemoth that it is today may have lost its relevance. More importantly, the culture that in the past fueled Intel s growth has now become ossified. In contrast to Andy Grove's reticence about the current Intel, the authors of Losing Faith share their objective observations on the post-Grove Intel, with its cultural anomalies that attempt to explain why the company has not been able to successfully diversify beyond its Grove-led dominance in microprocessors.
Customer Reviews:
You Reap What You Sow.......2007-09-30
This is a good read regarding the decline of the Intel Corporation. The book is based primarily upon the complaint that the corporation's employees are not held accountable for their actions and failures, especially when the actions are not in compliance with the corporation's own written codes of conduct and behavior. The authors attack the typical band-aide approach to many of the corporation's problems (which are primarily outside the technical fields of microprocessors, and deal with the supply and customer service side of the corporation). The book targets Andy Groves successors as CEO and Chairman of the Board -- their managerial style, lack of technical expertise in particular, and lack of involvement on a more personal level.
The book addresses the culture of those employees who survived the Grove tenure and their attitude of "entitledness" and the discord between these survivors and more recent employees. The book addresses a form of "careerism" (my term, not the authors)among the established managers. The authors criticism sounds a lot like the criticism found in some books about the Army officers "ticket punching" during the Vietnam era -- heck, it sounds a lot like the successfully promoted folks at the hospital where I work.
The authors play with kid gloves when the subject of Andy Grove comes up. They only more than hint that his "in-your-face" management style directly contributed to Intel's decline. They do not even discuss the Pentium debacle under Grove and the public relations disaster that ensued.
The authors also lightly touch upon the technical competence and backgrounds of Grove's successors, and this is important since they are not the technical geniuses that founded or nurtured Intel (Noyce, Moore, and Groves)-- most of their experience is not discussed but it is in marketing and other non-technical fields.
This is another good book discussing the ills of big corporations that lose their way in a fast changing world and fail to keep pace, especially after a level of arrogance rises within the corporation -- is Intel falling from its lofty heights just like IBM did -- is Microsoft not far behind. Stock holders should look closely at the trend of mis-management and the subsequent loss of billions of dollars (especially in bad acquistions and lack of overall business planning) that could have been paid out in dividends. Stockholders should hold the board of directors more responsible for rubber stamping poor CEO and chairman of the board's decisions/performance and not holding them more accountable.
Some good insights, but misses important parts of Intel.......2007-05-06
I worked at Intel for 8 years, so the book was very interesting to me. The insights on the lack of management development to tackle new businessnes (like networking) rang true to me. Also, the description of how to culture evloved to take on huge projects with poor results was a good insight.
The book completly fails to talk about the Technology & Manufacturing group which continues with amazing progress to shrink transistors economically. Intel leads the world in bringing new processes to high volume. The book also completly misses the differing cultures in the key design centers. Some design centers have had dramatically differing success than others over the past 15 years.
Probably Accurate but Unsubstantiated.......2007-04-06
This book focuses on many facets of Intel's operations and behaviors, from the annual employee review process (focal) to the company's poorly-executed acquisitions.
It's an interesting read, particularly for a (former or current) employee, contractor (Green Badge), or vendor. That being said, there was a fair amount in this book that was based on conjecture and anonymous quotes. Perhaps that's a necessary evil, but I tend to mistrust quotes offered by people who want to remain anonymous. Several parts of the book left me feeling like it was a seedy exposé rather than a critical assessment of the corporation.
My other criticism is that it seemed the book, throughout, was holding adherence to the Intel Values as the corporate marker of success (with every chapter presenting a comparison of the stated values and the actual behaviors). If that was the intent, I reject its validity. A positive and strong culture often has a good impact on the balance sheet and overall success, but that doesn't mean that if individual actions don't conform to stated values that it's "wrong." Maybe it's the Values that need to change.
On the up side, I think this may have been as balanced as it could be, given it was written by (former?) employees. Personally, I'd agree with many of the descriptions of corporate jockeying for recognition, co-opting ideas, and "grabbing the glory" and run. That being said, individual mileage may vary and I'm sure the opinions about this book and Intel itself are as varied as there are employees (and stockholders).
They tell it like it is!.......2007-03-21
Based on my 18 years at Intel ('79-'97), the authors do an excellent job of accurately describing the Intel culture throughout Intel's 38 year history. They explain the good and the bad and the ugly. This book can be a wakeup call for Intel and all of its employees and shareholders. The abuse of power during the Grove era comes with a price (what goes around, comes around). The advice that the authors provide is right on!
Average customer rating:
- Maus: Explores the ineffable with creativity and ease
- A Compelling Graphic Novel
- Approbation for Maus
- Excellent seller!!
- DEMEANIG, INSENSITIVE, CRUDE STEREOTYPING, HURTFUL TO "OTHER" HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS
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Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
Art Spiegelman
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0394747232
Release Date: 1986-08-12 |
Amazon.com
Some historical events simply beggar any attempt at description--the Holocaust is one of these. Therefore, as it recedes and the people able to bear witness die, it becomes more and more essential that novel, vigorous methods are used to describe the indescribable. Examined in these terms, Art Spiegelman's Maus is a tremendous achievement, from a historical perspective as well as an artistic one.
Spiegelman, a stalwart of the underground comics scene of the 1960s and '70s, interviewed his father, Vladek, a Holocaust survivor living outside New York City, about his experiences. The artist then deftly translated that story into a graphic novel. By portraying a true story of the Holocaust in comic form--the Jews are mice, the Germans cats, the Poles pigs, the French frogs, and the Americans dogs--Spiegelman compels the reader to imagine the action, to fill in the blanks that are so often shied away from. Reading Maus, you are forced to examine the Holocaust anew.
This is neither easy nor pleasant. However, Vladek Spiegelman and his wife Anna are resourceful heroes, and enough acts of kindness and decency appear in the tale to spur the reader onward (we also know that the protagonists survive, else reading would be too painful). This first volume introduces Vladek as a happy young man on the make in pre-war Poland. With outside events growing ever more ominous, we watch his marriage to Anna, his enlistment in the Polish army after the outbreak of hostilities, his and Anna's life in the ghetto, and then their flight into hiding as the Final Solution is put into effect. The ending is stark and terrible, but the worst is yet to come--in the second volume of this Pulitzer Prize-winning set. --Michael Gerber
Book Description
A story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father's story and history itself.
Customer Reviews:
Maus: Explores the ineffable with creativity and ease.......2007-09-18
The book is adumbrated in the form of a graphic novel, giving a seemingly new perspective on the holocaust. The issue itself is nothing spectactularly new, although it approaches the holocaust in such a way that the most acerbic of events are bearable.
Most simply stated, the visual aid that accompanies the text allows for the reader to fully understand the author's stance, or viewpoint on the touchy issues of the holocaust. One does not need to have any sort of historical acumen, to grasp the concepts and ideas of the story.
The facade, of animals, instead of humans, used by the author also makes the events seem a little less human. However, throughout the novel, the thought doesn't escape your mind, that this was actually happening, to real people.
The reader is also easily captivated by the father-son presentation of the story, as Art (the author), interviews his father. With nothing but acrimony polluting the stories told by his father, a bond is formed between the reader, Art, and his father, as you must approbate anyone who braves these hardships, more specifically, the characters.
Overall, this story makes something new, that has been done so many times. It entertains, as well as informs. However, it isn't something I'd recommend for casual reading, as time must be set aside to truly appreciate the events in this book.
A Compelling Graphic Novel.......2007-09-18
When hearing the words "Graphic Novel" most people do not think of a moving and inspirational story, yet Maus by Art Spiegelman is just that. Firstly I would recommend this novel for its crafty and meaningful graphics. Various groups, such as the Jewish and German, are depicted as numerous animals. In doing so, the author expresses underlying themes, as one judges another's character by how they look, or their origin. Each picture also conveys the deep feeling in each moment. Frighten and sometimes acerbic faces, give the reader acumen on how the characters feel and are reacting. Also, several depictions of maps and drawings, heightening one's understanding of each setting. The second reason I would recommend the novel is because of the compelling story lines it contains. The first is Vladek's poignant account on how he and his wife survived as the Nazis abrogated their rights. From witnessing friends being hanged, to hiding in attics, the reader gains and insight on personal experiences of the Holocaust. The second is of a strained father and son relationship. As the father ages, the interest and reminiscence of a troubled past becomes their last connection. These assiduous characters are connectable for the reader, and acquire my last approbation. Anyone with a stained relationship or even an experience with isolation, can relate to the feelings and manners of the characters. With evocative graphics, gripping story lines, and relatable characters, Maus is a compelling novel which I highly propose.
Approbation for Maus.......2007-09-18
Maus should be greatly encouraged with approbation. The book displays the crude reality of the Holocaust and World War II in a creative, artistic way that makes the book classic and unique. Having Jews displayed as mice and Nazis as cats, Spiegelman uses much acumen in how the book is laid out and the story told. Even without reading, the graphic art adumbrates the story enough to understand.
Artie is a comic book writer who decides to write meaningful stories instead of useless funny ones, and wishes to interview his father about his experiences during the Holocaust. Vladek willingly tells his story to Artie, who seems unchanged by the troubling information his father is offering him. Throughout the story, Vladek becomes almost an anathema to Artie, and Artie finally finds the hate for his father that was always brewing. Although Artie dislikes his father, his father dislikes himself as well. After the war, life was never the same for Vladek. Having never gotten over his wife's death, and feeling antipathy for his new wife, he seemed to abjure all opportunities to enhance his life and adopted a new, somewhat acerbic personality.
Overall, the story told in Maus is an unforgettable one. It brings about several ineffable issues such as the harshness of World War II and how the Nazis arrogated lives with no right to do so. In addition, how these times were difficult even for the high class. The graphic art in the book ties all of the information together and allows a visual interpretation what the book is saying. Although the story is based on World War II and the Holocaust, it is as much about family issues and hidden hate as it is about history. Throughout the whole experience, Artie and Vladek discover where they truly stand with each other and decide that this deleterious relationship is not worth the trouble any longer.
Excellent seller!!.......2007-09-15
Good seller! Highly recommended for all buyers. My item was timely sent and the condition of the item was as described.
DEMEANIG, INSENSITIVE, CRUDE STEREOTYPING, HURTFUL TO "OTHER" HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS.......2007-09-14
This is as bad, as the 1st Maus: Horribly GRAPHIC, EXREMELY CRUDE and INSENSITIVE to the "OTHER" victims of the holocaust. Spiegleman shows absolutely "no" sympathy or sensitivity to the 3 million Polish-Catholics that were killed by the Germans. Adding insult to injury, he portrays the Poles in a very negative and hurtful manner, when in fact the Poles themselves lost everything. Poles, as well as Jews, lost their homes. Poles, as well as Jews, came home to homes that were piles of rubble. There are so many better vechicles out there to teach about this. This is the last one to use, as it seriously offends many innocent students whose parents and grandparents also suffered, died and lost everything in the Forgotten Holocaust. Better books are: Sybille Steinbacher's "Auschwitz. Steinbachers book gets the job done without all the grusome graphics and vulgar demeaning that is in Maus. Richard Lukas' "The Forgoten Holocaust; Poles Under Nazi-Occupation," and "Did The Children Cry: The suffering of Polish & Jewish children in the holocaust." After reading the latter one by Lukas, you'll never go anywhere near a Maus book again! "Did The Children Cry," will be a wake-up call - unless you are inhumane. Lukas, in both book, talks, OBJECTIVLY about "all" who suffered, without the sick graphics and personal attacks that maus has. Michael Marrus' "The Holocaust in History." Marrus, like Steinbacher and Lukas is controlled, scholarly and informative - Spiegleman is not. These 3 books will explain and teach you something, unlike Maus, that only teaches hateful generalizations through stereotyping and is grusomly graphic. Don't be fooled by the hype. Maus gets an F- for humanity. TEACHERS, PLEASE, BE TEACHERS!
Amazon.com
Deborah Layton was, by her own account, a typical rebellious youth, with nothing in her dossier to indicate that she would eventually find herself in Jim Jones's People's Temple in Guyana, looking for a way out of the green hell that had become the People's Temple Agricultural Project. She barely escaped in June 1978. Within months, more than 900 people drank Jones's cyanide punch and committed "revolutionary suicide" in the face of mounting stateside pressure on the cult, some of it prompted by Layton's own testimonials upon her safe return home. Her brother, Larry, also survived, and as one of the few left alive in Guyana became a scapegoat for Jones's crimes; he is now serving a life sentence in federal prison.
There is a simple naiveté at the root of Seductive Poison. Layton's own youthful innocence, foremost, but also the desire to trust another person, the need for belonging and meaning, which led so many perfectly normal Americans to place their faith in a suicidal madman. Far from confirming the simplistically monstrous Jones of the public imagination, Layton paints the man as a dark, twisted shaman, by turns soothing, then suddenly malevolent and petty, with a hugely sadistic streak that belied his perfectly coifed hair, expensive suits, and impressive political connections. The scenes in which she describes her escape and flight to safety are wrenching, her last-minute conversation with Jones and his seductive appeal for her to return home to Jonestown are chilling, and her fear and indecision are still palpable on the printed page. For Layton to recount tales this personal and horrifying must have been tremendously difficult. For her to lift those recollections above the bargain-basement freak-show reputation the People's Temple has achieved in the popular imagination and depict them with the power of great tragedy is nothing but extraordinary. --Tjames Madison
Book Description
Told by a former high-level member of the Peoples Temple and Jonestown survivor,
Seductive Poison is the "truly unforgettable" (Kirkus Review) story of how one woman was seduced by one of the most notorious cults in recent memory and how she found her way back to sanity.
From Waco to Heaven's Gate, the past decade has seen its share of cult tragedies. But none has been quite so dramatic or compelling as the Jonestown massacre of 1978, in which the Reverend Jim Jones and 913 of his disciples perished. Deborah Layton had been a member of the Peoples Temple for seven years when she departed for Jonestown, Guyana, the promised land nestled deep in the South American jungle. When she arrived, however, Layton saw that something was seriously wrong. Jones constantly spoke of a revolutionary mass suicide, and Layton knew only too well that he had enough control over the minds of the Jonestown residents to carry it out. But her pleas for help--and her sworn affidavit to the U.S. government--fell on skeptical ears. In this very personal account, Layton opens up the shadowy world of cults and shows how anyone can fall under their spell.
Seductive Poison is both an unflinching historical document and a riveting story of intrigue, power, and murder.
Customer Reviews:
Haunting.......2007-08-09
This book is horrifying. I could not put it down, and since I have finished it I can't stop thinking about it. I would highly recommend it.
Chilling well-written memoirs.......2007-07-24
This is a detailed account of what really went on in The People's Temple.
It is very upsetting and at the same time not able to put down!
Deborah Layton writes with passion, details and a timeline.
Deborah's personal account on how she was raped, taken from her father, forced into marriage with a man she wasn't allowed to interact with and many many more terrifying accounts.
One is obligated to know of such cruel terrible events, such as the mass-suicide-murder, to be able to prevent similarities in the future.
MUST BUY MUST BUY MUST BUY!
Excellent Book.......2007-07-09
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the Jonestown tragedy. How Deborah Layton escaped with her life is a miracle. What is even more amazing is how she was able to go on with her life and survive; to be able to reclaim one's mind after such an experience is truly a testament to her strength of character.
A very well-written historic account of the Jonestown massacre.......2007-07-08
I was just a kid when the Jonestown tragedy hit the news. Like most kids my age we did not understand how one man could convince 1000 people to kill themselves. I never understood it and so I figured that they must have all been "crazy". I never researched the tragic story and don't recall hearing much about it after the initial story. But then I saw a special a few months ago on public TV and was mortified by what Jim Jones had done to the people who trusted him with their very existence. That was what compelled me to find and read this book. I thought the author did a fantastic job of telling her story. She never once made herself out to be any one special. She was brutally honest about herself and her thoughts and feelings of and for Jim Jones. She was really just a sheep like all the rest of them and completley under his spell. Somehow she started thinking for her self and woke up to the fact that he was crazy and getting crazier everyday. It is sad that her initial accounts and warning of the mass suicide were not taken more seriously. Had the government listened they would not have let a congressman and a news crew - do their job. This story is a very well-written historic account of the Jonestown massacre and I think everyone should read it.
Going off to College? A must Read........2007-06-21
This book should be handed out to high school graduates. Ms. Layton gives a vivid and very moving account of her expriences with The People's Temple and Jim Jones. Those naieve and going off to college would do well to familarize themselves with the way people can disillusion others and the almost silent way cults can sneak into a young person's life. As a survivor of a cult myself, I highly recommend Ms. Layton's book to parents, teens, and also those who have experienced cults first hand, as it helped me come to terms with what had happened to me.
Book Description
This is the first book to guide trauma survivors through the healing process one step at a time. It helps readers cope with memories and emotions, explains secondary wounding, and identifies the triggers that reactivate traumatic stress. Written for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their families.
Customer Reviews:
I can't get over it : A Handbook for Trauma Survivors.......2007-03-09
Wonderful book! I find it a very helpful book! I am using the book as part of my therapy with my therapist. The book explains alot to me the questions that I had about myself after being raped. I recommend the book to persons who needs to overcome trauma.
Very good book for Understanding PTSD.......2006-03-17
This is the first book I attempted to read after being diagnosed with PTSD. It helped me understand my unexplainable behavior and symtoms and helped me come to terms that I was not "crazy, as perceived, but simply having a normal reaction to an abnormal trauma. I would love to meet the author sometime. I HIGHLY recommenend this book.
Good, but not great.......2006-01-30
I liked a lot of the insight this book had to offer. I don't like the promise that the reader can diagnose themselves by answering a few questions. A person doesn't need a diagnosis to know what they are going through, and they should not be diagnosing themselves anyway- for obvious reasons.
Good book, but the POST TSD SOURCEBOOK BY GLEN SCHRALDI.......2005-08-31
IS MUCH BEETER. This book discusses what PTSD is, but not how to treat it like the (PTSD) sourcebook does.
Great text.......2005-08-23
I counsel trauma survivors every day of the week and this is an excellent text. It has depth and practical advice. On the basis of this work I have purhased another by the same author.
Amazon.com
On July 26, 1945, the heavy cruiser Indianapolis steamed into port at the Pacific island of Tinian, carrying a cargo that would end World War II: the uranium that would be dropped on Hiroshima just three weeks later. Having delivered its load without incident, Indianapolis moved on toward the Philippines to join the great armada moving in on Japan. Though intelligence reports assured Captain Charles McVay that the route from Guam to Leyte was safe, there were Japanese submarines active in the area. On the night of July 29, having detected with sonar the clinking of dishes aboard the Indianapolis from a distance of more than a dozen miles, the submarine I-58 sank the American ship, killing nearly 900 sailors in the explosion and its terrible aftermath.
Captain McVay was quickly court-martialed for having failed to follow evasive maneuvers, "the first captain in the history of the U.S. Navy," Doug Stanton observes, "to be court-martialed subsequent to losing his ship in an act of war." Although the sailors under his command would insist that McVay had been scapegoated, and although I-58's commander testified before the court that "he would have sunk the Indianapolis no matter what course she was on," McVay was never able to clear his name. He committed suicide in 1968.
Stanton captures the drama of these events in his vigorous narrative, which augments and updates Richard Newcomb's Abandon Ship!. Stanton observes that although McVay was exonerated by an act of Congress in 2000, the conviction still stands in Navy records. Stanton's book makes a powerful case for why that conviction should be overturned, and why the captain and crew of the Indianapolis deserve honor. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated three hundred men were killed upon impact; close to nine hundred sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they struggled to stay alive, battered by a savage sea and fighting off sharks, hypothermia, and dementia. By the time help arrived-nearly four days and nights later-all but 317 men had died. How did the navy fail to realize the Indianapolis was missing? Why was the cruiser traveling unescorted in enemy waters? And how did these 317 men manage to survive? Interweaving the stories of three survivors-the captain, the ship's doctor, and a young marine-journalist Doug Stanton has brought this astonishing human drama to life in a narrative that is at once immediate and timeless. The definitive account of this harrowing chapter of World War II history-already a bestseller in its hardcover and mass market editions-In Harm's Way is a classic tale of war, survival, and extraordinary courage.
Customer Reviews:
History we must remember and share.......2007-10-19
The story of the Indianapolis has been known only to those who lived through those years of WWII. Since that time our young have not been taught much about America then and I am afraid it has been deliberate due to an education system that shuns being proud of anything American.
The book is informative and educational about those times and our people.
It is an example of our fallability and our strengths. I pray that we can still rise to the need as it was done by others.
IN HARM'S WAY.......2007-10-09
My husband was given this book and after he read it I couldn't put it down, I was mesmerized by the book and the writing and all the things we haven't heard about this particular incident in World War II....I have now bought two more books to give as presents for Xmas and another three books will be purchased for my son in laws and son to keep and read and pass on to their friends. Don't miss reading this one....Doug Stanton gave me the chance to read and visualize every heartbreaking moment in the life of the men that served on the USS Indianapolis...Its not just for men, ladies just pick it up and see for yourself. Barb Frick
The Best book I Ever Read!!!.......2007-08-29
Hands down, this is the best book I have ever read. Not just military books, but of all books. Incredible story.
good study of human behavior in a disaster.......2007-08-29
I've heard about the Indianapolis for a long time (I guess from Quint's monologue in Jaws -- you can esily find it on you-tube). I read about Duncan Scott's late 90s episode to raise the attention of the Indianapolis before congress (Captain McVay was the only commanding officer who was court-martialed after losing his ship in an act of war).
The Indianapolis raised across the Pacific to deliver "Little Boy" to Tinaian Island before it was dropped on Hiroshima. Then it left to go to Leyte. This was a huge ship -- more than a thousand men. It was sunk by a Japanese sub -- but the Navy lost track of it (with all the ships arriving all over the world, orders were NOT to announce the arrival of a ship. But the corollary is people followed this order to NOT announce ships which DIDN'T arrive on time. Or tommorrow. Or tomorrow.
What happened after the sinking (the ship went down in minutes) was most of the crew was dumped into the ocean. And most succumbed to combination of drinking salt water (which kills you), exposure, drowning and sharks. I wasn't aware that life vests lost buoyancy after several days of use.
Another amazing thing is they got off a distress call, but the protocol was the receiver had to query the sender. There was no time for this. So the distress calls were ignored.
It was a comedy of errors for the way the Navy handled this. Since there was still a war going on, there was no news about this (I checked the archive of the NY Times -- much more about the court marshall than the event).
Since I read the book several weeks ago, there's been a number of mentions on TV of the indianapolis. Its a story you won't easily forget.
Finished it before husband did..........2007-08-12
I bought this book originally for my husbands birthday when it was first published. He was too busy to get to it so this summer I made him take it on vacation with us so he could read it. He started it and then told me some details about the book. My curiosity was immediately peaked so I stole the book and read the darn thing in a day and a half! I was mesmerized, shocked, angered and sad, sometimes all in the same chapter. And he STILL hasn't finished it! (Although his work schedule does slow things down abit, but still.) If this can happen back then, heaven only knows what may lie in wait now...
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- Dream Lovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee - by Their Son Dodd Darin
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- At Your Finger-Tips: A Resource Guide for Office Personnel
The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion
America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror
While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within
The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Islam (and the Crusades) (Politically Incorrect Guides)
