Prisoner of Conscience: One Man's Remarkable Journey from Repression to Freedom

Book Description

Charles Yeats, ordained priest and former Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience, has lived much of his life on the frontline. Raised in privilege, his life changed forever when he was called for military service in apartheid South Africa. As a conscientious objector, Yeats faced inevitable arrest. His experiences in jail make for compelling reading, as do his comments on Western imperialism and his insights on how we might create a lasting world peace.

Other Lands Have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison

Average customer rating:

Powerful
a powerful testament of courage by a catholic worker hera
On the ground, trying to show us the reality of war and sanctions.
A True American Hero
Makes me want to be a human rights activist

Other Lands Have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison
Kathy Kelly , and Milan Rai
Manufacturer: AK Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Disturbing the Peace: The Story of Father Roy Bourgeois and the Movement to Close the School of Americas
STATIC: GOVERNMENT LIARS, MEDIA CHEERLEADERS, AND THE PEOPLE WHO FIGHT BACK
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ASIN: 1904859283

Book Description

In the spring of 2004, human rights activist Kathy Kelly, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was sent to Pekin Federal Prison for leading a protest at the School of the Americas. While in prison, Kelly's organization, Voices in the Wilderness, was targeted by a US State Department lawsuit charging that Kelly violated US-imposed sanctions when she took humanitarian aid to Iraq during numerous visits over the last five years.

In this fiercely eloquent book, Kelly recounts such trips to Iraq, tells the largely unknown story of the School of the Americas and describes daily life inside a federal prison, where America's poor are warehoused. Like Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail, Kelly's powerful narrative gives voice to the unheard millions suffering at home and abroad.

Customer Reviews:

Powerful.......2007-05-26

Kathy Kelly and her fellow volunteers at VitW have shown that pacifism is not passive. With bravery and selflessness, they have shown compassion for all human beings, and worked hard to sound the cry for justice from the poor and the ignored.

I firmly believe that Kelly and the rest of the tireless workers at Voices in the Wilderness deserve recognition for their heroism and dedication.

While corporate elitists and politicians waiver to special interest constantly lie to the world and stir the public towards violent and belligerent action, Kelly is a modern-day David bravely confronting Goliath despite the threat of (and actual sentencing to) prison time.

Her book infuriated me, and made me see with clarity that I am in the wrong fight, and fighting it the wrong way. One question that I have for myself after reading this: "Do I have the guts to stand up for human dignity and justice despite the threat of abuse and imprisonment?".

Whether its the Military Industrial Complex that Eisenhower warned us against, or the Industrial Prison Complex that steals lives and money while only making the situation worse instead of being a productive solution to any problem, Kathy Kelly has seen first hand that our nation is and has been treading down the wrong path at a high rate of speed.

Will you open your eyes to reality? Education and awareness can do wonders for society.

a powerful testament of courage by a catholic worker hera.......2006-03-24

Kathy Kelly, a two-time nominee for the Nobel Peace prize, powerfully documents the horrific effects of US military and economic intervention in the Middle East and Latin America. Like all the CounterPunch titles being published by AK Press, this is a necessary read. Kelly's compassion and commitment to peace and social justice shine through on every page. It's a shame that Kelly has not yet won the Nobel Peace prize, when such right-wing nutcases like Kissinger, Rabin and Mother Teresa have. (To learn more about Mother Teresa, read Christopher Hitchen's wonderful book, "The Missionary Position", written when he was still somewhat of a leftist.) It's a shame too that Kelly, who exemplifies the true gospel message, is relatively unknown outside of the peace movement, unlike Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, who instead of preaching peace, preach war, who instead of preaching love, preach homophobia, racism and sexism. (Just look at the connections between evangelical Christians and the Israeli war machine and the efforts of Christian fundamentalists to undermine the Chavez administration in Venezuela!) While I am not myself religious, I nevertheless honor Kelly's courage and solidarity with the poor, as I honor also the thousands of radical nuns and priests who've been tortured and disappeared in Latin America. Like Jesus said, "Blessed be the peacemakers." Anyone interested in 21st century liberation theology, the Catholic Worker movement, and post-1960s' peace and justice activism, look no further. With humility and deep concern for the weakest, poorest, and most oppressed of our sisters and brothers, Kelly speaks like a modern day reincarnation of Dorothy Day.

On the ground, trying to show us the reality of war and sanctions........2005-12-11

From Letters from Iraq, 4/15/03, Other Hearts
"We joked that he could direct the telephone exchange as he tinkered with our satellite phone's solar powered battery. I told Majid we has some sheet music and a guitar for him. 'What are notes?' he said, 'We don't even remember.'"...

"'Please, ' Majid said, 'we will give you the instruments, give you the furniture, but don't destroy the music, the records, the history.' 'No, ' the armed men said. 'Baghdad is finished.' They ransacked the school, broke many instruments, burnt the music and the records."....

"'Here,'Hisham said,'listen to this. This is all we have left.' He handed me headphones borrowed from a Norwegian television correspondent. The taped orchestra was playing "O Finlandia". Listening to the children craft their music, I softly sang the words: "This is my song, O God of all the nations. A song of peace for lands afar and mine. This is my home, the country where my heart is. Here are my dreams,my hopes, my holy shrine. But other hearts in other lands are beating, with hopes and dreams as deep and true as mine." Then I stopped. Hisham had begun to cry."

(Joan Baez's newest CD begins with this song. It's truly beautiful.)

Kathy Kelly and other members of Voices in the Wilderness are listening to the hopes and dreams of other lands as they stand in witness with the people whose lives have been severely impacted by our country's policies and actions.

Kathy Kelly writes with an easy style without accusations or stridency about inaction to the injustice she has witnessed. She tells her experiences in Iraq and in prison and shares the stories of the people she has met in her journey.

She tells her story and waits for the numbers of the Voices in the Wilderness to grow, and grow.

A True American Hero.......2005-08-18

Kathy Kelly is a true American hero. Not only is she willing to put her life on the line for her ideals, she's also a genuine voice of peace in a time of conflict and war. I think it would be hard for anyone to walk away from this book and not feel empathy for those that have suffered at the hands of US foreign policy. The right-wing doesn't like the Kellys of the world. They'd rather sit back and breath in the smoke of propaganda puffed out by Republican spin machines. But Kelly doesn't inhale. She's articulate and honest. She's hopeful, but realistic. If there were more Americans like Kelly out there, willing to sacrifice it all for a better tomorrow, the United States would not be as hated or despised as it is today. Indeed Kelly truly is the anti-terrorist. Buy this book and take it home.

Makes me want to be a human rights activist.......2005-08-13

The author is supposed to be a human rights activist. But she sure doesn't seem that way to me. This book does make me want to become a human rights activist, however, if only to try to counter some of the damage people like Kathy Kelly are doing.

I think it is a good question to ask if we Americans are behaving properly in Iraq. Especially from the standpoint of human rights. We surely could use some sensible advice. But Kelly is not the one to provide it.

One test I give Kelly is what she says about the Israeli attack on the terrorists in Jenin in April, 2002. Israel went out of its way to use ground troops, incurring more casualties in an effort to reduce the number of civilian casualties. The Israeli doves were successful in convincing Israel to take this approach. And that makes this a true test: if Kelly can't find a way to praise this, she's no supporter of human rights.

Anyway, the author flunks this test completely, writing dishonestly about Jenin and even going so far as to blast America for permitting Israel to defend itself against terrorism. If she's going to cheer for anti-American terrorists and mislead us about what is happening, I think we have little reason to trust her advice.

The Miracle of Hope: Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan; Political Prisoner, Prophet Of Peace

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Remarkable Story of Faith & Humility in This Century
"Biography of a Man of Faith"
amazing, truly a remarkable holy man

The Miracle of Hope: Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan; Political Prisoner, Prophet Of Peace
Andre N. Van Chau
Manufacturer: Pauline Books & Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Road of Hope: A Gospel from Prison
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ASIN: 0819848220

Customer Reviews:

Remarkable Story of Faith & Humility in This Century.......2007-03-21

This is one of those biographies that is difficult to put down-even if history has made you aware of the ending. The sory is told in a very descriptive manner and gently informs the reader of the amazing place this family had on Vietnam and her history. The parts are divided into major events of Cardinal Thuan's life and was written while he was still among us.
Do not anticipate a super description of his POW days- it is obvious Cardinal Thuan conjoled the author into tempering and playing down that experience. There are amazing stories about his acts of courage and faith but they are not told here and are played down -perhaps too much for us, the faithful who thirst for those heroic stories in this century.

"Biography of a Man of Faith".......2005-12-04

Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan was part of the Christian community of Vietnam, member of a prominent family of national renown, nephew of assassinated leader, President Diem, and an integral voice in the decades of conflict during the tragedy of Vietnam's fall to communism. His great spirituality, his imprisonment and torture for his religious and political beliefs, and his ultimate rise to become a Cardinal in the Catholic Church, are inspiration to readers of all faiths and nationalities.

The author provides a decent examination of the late Cardinal's life (he received the red hat from Pope John Paul II in 2001) with a solid background of his family ancestry, a look at his formative years, a chronology of his ministry and trials with an increasingly antagonistic government. Later exiled, his work at the Vatican and his writings have served to inspire Catholics around the globe.

Although the writer packs a lot of information into the 300 pages, in my opinion, the book lacks the sufficient critical thinking and analysis regarding the various issues that contributed to his ultimate suffering and sacrifice. The tone is respectful, even worshipful, but left me wishing for more information regarding the issues held by his opponents. As Bishop, Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan inspired a great love and affection by the faithful. However, the fear in the hearts of his opponents could have (in my opinion) received a greater examination. Further, his sufferings seemed to be somewhat sanitized in the book. While not seeking lurid details of his experiences, the book did not convey the true depth of his suffering. Additional information in this regard would have actually fostered a greater appreciation of the man's depth and character.

That aside, THE MIRACLE OF HOPE presents a good introduction to the late Cardinal's life. His own writings - THE ROAD OF HOPE, and TESTIMONY OF HOPE - taken along with this biography, will provide the reader with a more comprehensive understanding of the man and his Catholic spirituality.

amazing, truly a remarkable holy man.......2004-07-03

This man have suffered so much, he is the truly lived what Jesus told us, to love our ememies and he did. He suffered in jail for 13 years and never felt any hate or anger toward them. He is such a good role model for us, it wouldnt suprise me he would be made a saint one day, cuz he truly was one when he was here on earth, a living martryr.

Reeducation in Postwar Vietnam: Personal Postscripts to Peace (Texas a & M University Military History Series)

Average customer rating:

An important contribution.

Reeducation in Postwar Vietnam: Personal Postscripts to Peace (Texas a & M University Military History Series)
Huynh Van Chinh , Tran Van Phuc , and Le Nguyen Binh
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1585441295

Customer Reviews:

An important contribution........2001-12-13

These are the stories of two former colonels of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam who were sent to North Vietnamese reeducation camps for thirteen years each after the collapse of Saigon. They had to battle winter chills, starvation, hunger, lack of medications, and exhauting work in the rice paddies.
The only treatment for any illness is tam lien, a local herbal medicine, which instead of helping, worsens their medical illnesses. Malnutrition and manual labor undermine the health of the remaining people. Others were plucked in the middle of the night for intensive and mind numbming interrogations, from which they returned "dazzled, silent, and uncommunicative."
This important contribution to the Vietnam War history underlines the mistreatment and violation of human rights of prisoners by the Hanoi government. I only wish it was more detailed, but the authors have advised us they are warriors not "writers".
I also learn that general Le Minh Dao, commander of the 18th ARVN division, who magnificently repulsed repetitive attacks from five North Vietnamese divisions at Xuan Loc during the last days of April 1975, was also sent to the North for 17 years of reeducation. He is working on his memoirs and everyone is anxiously waiting to read them.

History: Fiction or Science? Dating methods as offered by mathematical statistics. Eclipses and zodiacs. Chronology Vol.I

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? Dating methods as offered by mathematical statistics. Eclipses and zodiacs. Chronology Vol.I
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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ASIN: 2913621074
Release Date: 2007-03-19

Product Description

History: Fiction or Science? is the most explosive tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by solid scientific data. The book is well-illustrated, contains over 446 graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays, which never cease to amaze the reader. Eminent mathematician proves that: Jesus Christ was born in 1153 and crucified in 1186 The Old Testament refers to mediaeval events. Apocalypse was written after 1486. Does this sound uncanny? This version of events is substantiated by hard facts and logic - validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources - to a greater extent than everything you may have read and heard about history before. The dominating historical discourse in its current state was essentially crafted in the XVI century from a rather contradictory jumble of sources such as innumerable copies of ancient Latin and Greek manuscripts whose originals had vanished in the Dark Ages and the allegedly irrefutable proof offered by late mediaeval astronomers, resting upon the power of ecclesial authorities. Nearly all of its components are blatantly untrue! For some of us, it shall possibly be quite disturbing to see the magnificent edifice of classical history to turn into an ominous simulacrum brooding over the snake pit of mediaeval politics. Twice so, in fact: the first seeing the legendary millenarian dust on the ancient marble turn into a mere layer of dirt - one that meticulous unprejudiced research can eventually remove. The second, and greater, attack of unease comes with the awareness of just how many areas of human knowledge still trust the three elephants of the consensual chronology to support them. Nothing can remedy that except for an individual chronological revolution happening in the minds of a large enough number of people.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Peace Behind Bars: A Peacemaking Priest's Journey from Jail

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AS WORTHY A DOCUMENTATION OF PROPHETIC CHRISTIAN ACTION AS DR. KING'S LETTER FROM A BIRMINGHAM JAIL, OR THOREAU
Four walls do--and don't--a prison make

Peace Behind Bars: A Peacemaking Priest's Journey from Jail
Father John Dear
Manufacturer: Sheed & Ward
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1556127715

Book Description

This journal, taken when John Dear was in jail for eight months after a disarmament action, allows you to enter into the world of prisoners and a committed peacemaker.

Customer Reviews:

AS WORTHY A DOCUMENTATION OF PROPHETIC CHRISTIAN ACTION AS DR. KING'S LETTER FROM A BIRMINGHAM JAIL, OR THOREAU.......2007-03-06

Although this courageous book was published in 1995, it tells us more now about truly Christian and courageous prophetic witness than anything which has happened since. Its courageous model is needed now more than ever, as we fail to perceive our mission to Christian witness in our current condition.

The Catholic Catechism carefully outlines the criteria for a just war, both in the elements of reasons for going to war and for conduct in time of war. In all of these criteria our current warmongering fails, as we cannot provide a consistent and true justification, and we cannot either defend our disproportionate and indiscriminate conduct of the war without end, under this administration's shock and awe strategy which the valid and reliable primary research by the John Hopkins Medical University reveals was slaughtered 2.5% of the civilian population between 2003 nd 2006, calling for someone to take a look at this. It falls upon our Church as a transnational prophet for morality and justice, for peace and nonviolent compassion, to speak courageously truth to power. We find winthin this present volume, and all of the Reverend Father John Dear, SJ,'s writings and work, a strong model for present prophetic and Christian action.

This book also prepares us in a small way for the Calvary and persecution which awaits those of us who truly follow our Lord Jesus Christ as we call the present Empire to conversion and repentence and to peace over material profit. But as Jesus preached, be glad when the world slanders and persecutes you for believing in Him and practicing His Justice, as you will be richly rewarded in the Kingdom of Heaven.

We are truly fortunate and blessed to have still available to us this present prison journal by the holy and devoted priest and powerful prophet. Dare to read it prayerfully. We cannot afford not to.

Four walls do--and don't--a prison make.......2002-03-26

John Dear is a youngish Jesuit priest who's the clear successor to the Berrigan brothers when it comes to peace activism. Past director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, author, speaker, agitator, Dear is also a graceful and sensitive author. His *Peace Behind Bars*, the journal he kept in prison, is my favorite. It's an utterly honest, utterly human, document.

Dear spent 8 months in a North Carolina jail after his conviction for a Plowshare action. His journal is a record of the time there, which he shared with Phil Berrigan. The journal doesn't whitewash how trapped and hopeless Dear at times feels. He's honest enough with us and himself not to try to play the hero. Reading the book at times gives one an uncomfortable sense of sympathetic claustrophobia. But the journal also attests to Dear's discovery that the suffering God he serves is also found in prison--and, indeed, perhaps best found in prison. Here, for example, is what Dear writes on Christmas Day, 1993: "Being in jail on Christmas is not just counter-cultural, but anti-cultural. The culture has no sense of Christ's spirit. People spend billions of dollars in an orgy of consumerism, exchanging presents while ignoring the plight of the poor and the demands of discipleship." Imprisonment gives one the distance from that culture to remember that Christmas is about this: "God has become human, and it follows that all human life is sanctified." (p. 44)

I can think of few spiritual memoirs that are up to the high standard of stuff written by Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, or Henri Nouwen. This is one of them, even though it hasn't received the attention it deserves. Highly, enthusiastically, recommended.

The Iron Road: A Stand for Truth and Democracy in Burma
Average customer rating:

The Iron Road is Well Worth Traveling!

taut and well written autobiography

The Iron Road: A Stand for Truth and Democracy in Burma
James Mawdsley
Manufacturer: North Point Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0865476373

Book Description

A startling account of an evil regime and one young man's efforts to defy it.

Twenty-eight-year-old James Mawdsley spent much of the past four years in grim Burmese prisons. The Iron Road is his story, and the story of the regime that jailed him, the way it jails, tortures, and kills hundreds of Burmese each day.

Mawdsley was working in New Zealand when he learned about the struggle of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese Nobel laureate who is under house arrest. Outraged, he went to Burma, staged a one-man protest, and was jailed.

There his own amazing story begins. He is tortured, interrogated, released, jailed again. He turns his incarceration into a contest of wits -- going on a hunger strike, toasting the year 2000 with a cigar and "prison champagne," and requesting "1 packet of freedom, 1 bunch human rights, and 2 bottles of democracy." At the same time, he asks himself: What leads those of us in peaceful democracies to ignore others' suffering, just because it is happening "over there," to "them"?

James Mawdsley is a hero in a generation said to lack heroism. The Iron Road -- named for a torture in which skin is scraped from bone with a piece of iron -- is an urgent call for an end to human rights abuses in Burma and is a keen analysis of the totalitarian mind-set. And it is the story, at once moving and terrifying, of how one person can further the cause of justice through sheer will and determination.

Customer Reviews:

The Iron Road is Well Worth Traveling!.......2002-10-23

I first heard of James Mawdsley when he was interviewed on the program Worldview on NPR.Even though I had only read one book in the last year and a half previous to hearing the NPR interview, the experiences he recounted and the ways in which he handled them touched me so much I wrote down the name of his book and put in my first order to Amazon.com. I bought this book bracing myself for a hard, serious read (I had never voulunarily ventured into the realm of non-fiction before.) This book captured my attention from the first paragraph and proved to be the furthest thing from a "hard read" - I couldn't put it down! It was: touching, enlightening, sad, inspirational, but most of all unexpectedly FUNNY at times (thanks to James's often self-depricating sense of humor and his evolving "what matters most" outlook on life.) I can not recommend this book enough! It has turned me into a lover of non-fiction and more importantly it has made me aware of human rights abuses that are going on in Burma right now!

taut and well written autobiography.......2002-08-17

In 1988 though her democratic political party won the national elections in a romp, the military refused to let go of power and instead placed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest, killed many of her supporters, and drove others into exile. When British citizen James Mawdsley learned about the incarceration of the Burmese Nobel Laureate, he became outraged. Mawdsley became a one-man band staging protests and distributing antigovernment paraphernalia and is finally arrested and sentenced for seventeen years for various crimes that will shock western sensitivities to learn the felonis he committed.

Mr. Mawdsley tells his story on why he chose an activist path to shake up more then just the Burmese government, but to wake up the western democracies. Most readers will have dual feelings about the author, as his fanatic behavior seems suicidal yet courageous making him a fascinating character. The autobiography is taut and well written, gripping the audience from start to finish and deserves a large readership as the lesson learned is don't sit passively by whining, take action even small steps matter.

Book Description

Award-winning broadcast journalist and public radio correspondent Michael Goldfarb has written the most stirring narrative to emerge from the Second Gulf War. It travels to the frontlines of battle and into the hearts of two men from different cultures whose intimate friendship and mutual passion for freedom can inspire us all.

Ahmad's War, Ahmad's Peace is the author's tribute to Ahmad Shawkat, the Iraqi Kurd who served as Goldfarb's translator during “Major Combat Operations.” Under an oppressive regime, Ahmad worked to promote freedom of expression. Goldfarb recounts his powerful yet all-too-brief relationship with Ahmad and introduces readers to the life of a true hero.

Eighteen years old when the Ba’ath Party seized control in Iraq, Ahmad intimately and poetically describes his imprisonment and torture twice by Saddam Hussein’s regime. Ahmad was banished from his hometown of Mosul for his political writings, and just as he began to taste freedom with the fall of Saddam and his large family’s return home, Ahmad was murdered for publicly decrying Islamic terror in newspaper editorials that he began to publish.

Ahmad’s story of one heroic man will forever change our perception of what all Iraqis have suffered and continue to endure.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended Reading For Anyone Interested In Iraq, The Middle East, Or Simply Human Study.......2007-02-02

Ahmad's War, Ahmad's Peace: Surviving Under Saddam, Dying In New Iraq is an outstanding book that inspires and educates.

The story centers around the United States' invasion of Iraq and the subsequent overthrow of Saddam Hussein and Ahmad Shawkat, an Iraqi Kurd. Ahmad is an intellectual, a reader, a writer, a husband, and a father. He's had many different ups and downs throughout his life in a country that didn't quite value its intellectuals and often times tried to silence them.

As told by Michael Goldfarb, a British journalist in Iraq to cover the war, the story is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Going behind the scenes, Mr. Goldfarb shows us the life in Iraq from the perspective of a native.

Very few books remain neutral on the subject of Iraq War. Goldfarb manages to do so well. I highly recommend picking this one up.

Ahmad Shawkat: scholar, intellectual, writer, patriot.......2006-02-21

This book is the author's tribute to the late Ahmad Shawkat, a Kurdish translator who worked with Goldfarb when we was covering the war in Iraq for WBUR radio. Goldfarb is a London-based reporter for the American public radio station; he first met Shawkat shortly before the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

Goldfarb was more than a man who knew the language. As an intellectual, he had moved in revolutionary circles for many years, agitating against Hussein's government. He had been captured, imprisoned and tortured on a couple of occasions and once even met the dictator. As a Kurd, he rejected the sectarian leanings of many of his people in favor of a single, unified nation. As Goldfarb explains, Ahmad Shawkat was uniquely qualified not only to translate words but to provide context to what the reporter was seeing and hearing on the streets of a new Iraq.

The first section of the book follows the two men together as Goldfarb reports on the war for public radio. (His dispatches can be heard on WBUR's Inside Out web site.) The last section is the story of Shawkat's tragic death at the hands of an assassin and the months after when the author returns to the war-torn country. The middle section, Ahmad's Life, is the author's reconstruction of his translator's story. From his early life as a bookish boy through college and into adulthood, the reader learns to know a man who never stopped searching for the answers in life, and the solutions, whether they be of a political or a religious nature.

Goldfarb's own take on the war in Iraq may surprise some readers. Although he is very critical of the Bush administration's handling of the post-war situation, the author and reporter initially supported U.S. action there in the belief that the Iraqi people could be freed. He and Ahmad speak about this shared belief at length, alternately dreaming of the future and despairing as the country falls into chaos and internal strife in the months after the fall of Saddam's army.

Michael Goldfarb writes about the qualities he looks for in a translator. Often he cannot find all of those things in one person. In Ahmad Shawkat, he finds a scholar, an intellectual, a writer, a patriot and at the end a close friend. It is a remarkable life story which could be difficult to read due to the fact that one knows how it ends. In spite of this, Goldfarb's skill makes for a moving, poignant read from start to finish. Highly recommended.

Such Is Life in the Middle East........2005-10-07

In this book, you will find information about leaders we have heard of. some famous and some infamous. Khomeini Auyatollah, Osama bin Laden, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jelal Talabani, Kind Faisal I & II, and Saddam Hussein. American generals include Norman Schwarzkopf and General David Petraeus. Theirs is a history of duplicity and violence against others. One of the triumps of the Bush administration's Iraq policy is that "they managed to create an environment in which Americans, rather than being thanked, are more likely to be abducted and decapitated if they walk down a street alone."

Iraq was born in the aftermath of WWI, as the Allies carved up the Ottoman Empire and created the nations of the modern Middle East. The British created an Iraqi government modeled on their own, with a constitutional monarchy established. Faisal I was chosen to be elected the first King, and his relaitonship with T. E. Lawrence is shown in the movie, 'Lawrence of Arabia.'

When wars end, generally the battlefield is cleaned up. After WWII, warships were mothballed and the California desert was filled with old warplanes. That would be a sight to see! When the Cold War was over, USA did nothing to decomission its proxies (tyrants created and sustained in power), and it is now paying the price. In Afghanistan, Taliban and al Qaeda were formed as terrorist groups against their own people.

"Life without problems is not interesting" and "We each have a role to play" introduce you to the integrity and devotion of Ahmad Shawkat to his family and to his country. He felt helpless and told the author, "Only America has the power to do these things." Ahmad looked like someone I know here, Jim Nahmad, always on the prowl to find lost people whom he can help. Ahmad took chances and went into war torn areas, and paid the price, just as America paid for their intervention with the deaths on 9/11/01. If you are a listener to Public Radio, you willl have heard Goldfarb's "Inside Out" program. He won the Edward R. Morrow award for one of his features on Ahmad.

I had a doctor called Ahmed. They said he came to America from India. I once worked as a medical transcriptionist for Dr. Z also from India. I became friends with his sister-in-law who, with her two brothers, attended Vo-Tech when I did. They are secretitive people, innocent in a way about America's abundance, and hire family to work in their offices. Dr. Z. had his connected to the local hospital; on Secretaries Day, even though I was not one of his employees, I was invited to have a meal with them and he told me, "Betty, when I was in school in Chicago, I actually laughed." I would ask sometimes if he ever smiled; his wife was always smiling. The different cultures keep nationalities apart as they feel they cannot trust each other and thus, deception rules. Ahmed is young and agrees that he does not know how to get a specialist, or prescribe the needed medicines. He was personable, but incompetent as a family doctor. He wanted to be a specialist and so charged accordingly.

"Admad began to feel freedom at last with the fall of Saddam. He had a newspaper in which he decried terrorists in his editorials. He as murdered as a result. Goldfarb won the Lowell Thomas award for his report about British Jihad in 2005.

A Beautiful Friendship.......2005-10-04

Besides being an extremely well-written crash course in what went on in Iraq at the outset of the current war, Michael Goldfarb's superb book describes the beautiful friendship that developed between him & his extraordinary interpreter while Goldfarb was covering the war in Iraq. Goldfarb has been a voice of reason on NPR for many years; anyone familiar with his first rate radio work will easily be able to hear him telling this story -- he writes the way he talks: the voice is engaging, precise & always lucid. He has a gift for describing even the most complicated events in a way that the general reader can readily understand. As engaging & personable as Goldfarb is himself, he never lets you forget that the real hero is Ahmad, an amazingly resilient & likeable fellow -- a man of honor & courage & of incredible personal warmth.

Despite the cruel tribulations recounted in the story, the book is notable for its gladness of spirit -- it isn't grim & forbidding -- quite the contrary: Ahmad's story is a sad one, but the man himself was not a sad person, & certainly not one given to self-pity. He is full of life & enthusiasm & you will be glad to meet him.

A Savage Beauty.......2005-08-16

Of all the articles and books that I've read concerning the modern history of Iraq, none has affected me as much as Michael Goldfarb's wonderful new work. Goldfarb brilliantly interweaves the history of Iraq with life story of his interpreter Ahmad--his suffering, joy, hopes seemingly fulfilled by the fall of Saddam, hopes corroded by the miscalculations and lack of planning by the American government. No matter which side of the Iraqi debate a reader has taken, this is a book that challenges all pre-conceived ideas. Perhaps even more importantly, it is a shattering personal story written with enomrous skill and perception by an exceptional journalist.
Essential reading.

$From Hatred to Healing - A Prisoner\'s Dialogue$
Average customer rating:

From Hatred to Healing - A Prisoner\'s Dialogue
V
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Metaphysical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Visionary Fiction | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1553955447
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Product Description

FROM HATRED TO HEALING eavesdrops on the conversations between two men in a prison cell in an undisclosed part of the world at an undisclosed time in history. It is a universal story of prejudice and hatred passed down from generation to generation. There are no names or ethnicity. It is up to the reader to determine where, when, and who. And when hatred has an honest and open conversation with love, there can be only one outcome.

Boys at War, Men at Peace: Former Enemy Air Combatants Meet to Remember and Reconcile

Average customer rating:

The real deal
Many related tales, separated for 53 years, come together
Seems unbelievable, but factual. and interestingly done.
An account of stalag life telling what it was really like
Fascinating book about meeting of enemy flyers over Germany

Boys at War, Men at Peace: Former Enemy Air Combatants Meet to Remember and Reconcile
E. D. McKenzie
Manufacturer: Vantage Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0533124662

Customer Reviews:

The real deal.......2000-06-22

I read this book with great interest. Every time I thought I had read something incredible, there was something even more incredible in the very next chapter. The guys who were there are the only ones who know what it was like to be shot while flying a B17 bomber over Europe in WWII, then taken POW by the Germans, and endure the rigors of life as a prisoner. The events that took place are shocking to those of us who, thankfully, have never had to endure such trials. I appreciate the authors very much for giving us a glimpse into their lives, and into an important historical time period. Carol, cmaps@384thbg.iwarp.com

Many related tales, separated for 53 years, come together.......1999-01-24

What makes this book outstanding amongst the many written about experiences in the air war over Germany and being shot down and taken as a prisoner of war, is the recent, first person accountings; the enemy pilot who shot him down, the ground witnesses and capturers, but also importantly, the man who was the American leader of the thousands of shot down flyers in Stalag 17 reveals his inside stories which were for so many years held secret. The POW who became a playwright after the war and responsible for the fictionalal, award winning Broadway show and movie named STALAG SEVENTEEN, adds his own story to this book. There is a smooth transition as the story moves back and forth from 1944 to 1996 where now the German and U.S. flags fly side by side, the national anthems are played and the flyers who once tried to kill each other overhead now stand holding hands while hundreds too young to remember, look on and applaud. I liked the epilogue in which the people of the village describe the affect of the war on them, and the biggest event of all; the shooting down of the Flying Fortress named "Toonerville Trolley" onto the hillside next to their farms.

Seems unbelievable, but factual. and interestingly done........1999-01-24

My wife and I were fascinated by the author's ability to bring the stories of all the principal characters together, when they assembled for a special ceremony 52 years after the traumatic experiences they endured together. Finding the German pilot, the POW camp leader, the man shot by guards and many others took the combined efforts of German researchers and many Americans. The weaving together of their stories was masterfully done; and surprisingly has led to their reacquaintance and friendship after all these years. We recently read a Ken Follet book in which he fabricated his story and characters, not nearly as astounding and interesting as the "real thing" published in Boys at War, Men at Peace. It should be in libraries and book shops for many years, to be studied by historians of the great air war over Europe, and many previously unpublished incidents in one of the most infamous Stalag Luft camps in Germany. You can put it down, because of the way it is laid out, but you will be anxious to pick it up again to learn what happens next.

An account of stalag life telling what it was really like.......1998-10-21

An account of the mission of the B-17 Toonerville Trolley, the shoot-down, memories and experiences of the crew members, the German FW 190 pilot, who made the "kill", and the German witnesses. The account of stalag life amd experiences has none of the histrionics shown in other books, and all is done in a low-key manner that I have not seen before. Later on, when someone asks what it was like, I will simply hand them this book and say, "Read this and you will know."

Fascinating book about meeting of enemy flyers over Germany.......1998-10-21

It is a unique piece of work, so different from what is normally found on the subject of World War II. On the one hand are the experiences of the cuel days of war, and on the other, my own recollections of our futile attempts to stop the armadas of Flying Fortresses, then finally meeting the author so many years later in an atmosphere of friendship, almost as if we had been members of the same squadron.

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