Bryan
Unfortunately, I could not make it all the way thru the book. The author spent the third of the book I did read completely eviscerating the character and motives of Mr. Dulles, as opposed to applying any level of objective analysis. One gets the impression that the author may have been a target of the House Unamerican committee and is exacting retribution against anyone who thinks Communism misguided.
40-something professor Randy Pausch discovered that he was suffering from terminal Pancreatic cancer. With 3 very young children and a young wife of less than 10 years, he decided that he would create a legacy by which his family could remember him. So, he set about delivering a final lecture to his school, Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania. Additionally, he co-wrote a book with some of the lessons he learned about how to live one's life.
This book was uplifting and amazing, considering it was written by a man with less than a year to live. At all times, Pausch was realistic, but hopeful on his reflective journey, written largely to his kids about how to approach life.
This is not so much a story about his life, as it is 1-3 page anecdotes of stories from his life, which helped him learn important life lessons. This is a quick read, and likely a tear-jerker for those of you with young children of your own.
I really enjoyed this book and the author's stories about his travels in the Middle East. I absolutely love CIA officers' accounts of their tours. The one impression I did get, however, is when any manager tries to spin how they made mistakes, but they really weren't responsible or weren't listened to. All in all, though, it was a great book.
Cryptocurrencies are not what you think. And you can't really separate crypto currencies from the block chain. Really interesting look at where this innovation came from and how it is changing the trust business.
Steve Coll is one of my favorite authors of books, as well as periodical articles. This book traces the story of one of the most notorious family names in the world. It was a family involved in the creation and moderinization of the state of Saudi Arabia. Due to Islamic law and their progenitor's prolificacy, there were dozens of children and hundreds of grandchildren.
This is as close to an episode of the American television program, Dallas, as one could find in reality. Perhaps that is what makes them so intriguing: their family is like a soap opera.
There were some family members who wished to live a Western lifestyle, were educated in Europe or the United States, married Europeans and Americans and lived and played amongst some of the world's most elite families. They knew presidents and princes, they flew airplanes and wore designer suits. They were really no different in many respects from the Rockefellers or Kennedys.
And there were those who lived and worked in the kingdom, lived austere lives and continued upon Muhammad's legacy of construction. They were close personal friends with the royal family and devout followers of their religion.
Of course, every family has a black sheep, and Osama bin Laden is theirs. This book does a very good job trying to weed through the myth surrounding him, his upbringing, their family's wealth and the likelihood of family support, even at this point in time.
All in all, this is an excellent biography of the bin Laden family with all the intrigue and drama you would expect from a good soap opera.
Entertaining, but not nearly as good as “The Human Factor,” by Ishmael Jones. Good info regarding the training, but disappointing in the fact that the CIA was unable to vet someone who clearly had no interest in a career with the agency, or was miscast as an operations officer.
Amazing book exploring a topic we like to discuss with our children less than sex. Critical conversation
This book does a very good job on the genesis of and the resultant problems from the pension system which many companies and governments in this country maintained. The bottom line is that none of the three pension sponsors (and by extension, probably most pension sponsors) understood or cared to understand the ramifications of their promises.
I agree with one review of the book which said that Lowenstein's diagnosis of the problems are spot on. However, his proposed solution seems to reinforce the mistakes he noticed when corporations and local politicians made when creating and modifying their pension systems.
Having said that, it is an excellent review of the pension problems and the ways different parties have created these problems which are looming shortly on the horizon.
On October 23, 1983, two men nearly simultaneously detonated car bombs killing 241 American servicemen, of whom 220 were Marines and 58 French servicemen in one of the deadliest days in American combat history since World War 2. I have known of this for a large part of my life, but wanted to get an understanding of the particulars. Why were we there in the first place? Who was responsible for the bombing? If we were part of a multi-national force to protect the Lebanese from the Israelis and Syrians, why were our servicemen targets?
All of this and much more was answered in this epic tome (752 pages). It was not just the size of the book that made this difficult, but Mr. Fisk's writing style has him jumping around quite a bit. In one chapter he is discussing the Chabra and Chatila massacres, in another he is discussing the seige of Beirut. Then he is discussing the kidnapping of journalist Terry Anderson. This can make for a difficult read, especially with all of the unfamiliar towns and names that are included.
It was also difficult because of how the abject slaughter of war is described. Mr. Fisk was on the scene shortly following many of these disasters and his ability to describe eyewitness testimony from those who survived, as well as his own observations surveying the results of the massacres is second-to-none. It was difficult to comprehend how people could actually live through this.
Having said all of that, this was probably one of the most interesting books I have ever read. It has completely changed my understanding of the politics of the region. I will never look at the word “terrorist” in the same light again.
If you have an interest in the region and its politics, I would highly recommend this book.
Wow! What a great book about a man not enough is written about. Also really appreciate the underlying theme of the book, which is that we need to empathize with our friends, as well as our enemies if we would like to work towards achieving any semblance of peace.
I read the whole book today. I am not sure much more needs to be said. Enthralling and terrifying.
Ever since I was told in Catholic school that Jesus was not likely born on December 25th, I have had an interest in knowing more about the historical Jesus of Nazareth. Obviously there is plenty to read about the religious figure, Jesus Christ, but there is next to nothing about the actual person. I found it interesting to break down the symbolism of the gospel writing. Mr. Aslan does a very good job of describing what Palestine was like from 100 BCE to 100 CE and explaining how that affected the narrative in the gospels. He also delves into all of the literature written about Christ, not just the canonized gospels. He describes who wrote them, when they were written and why they were written. I would not suggest this book if you believe history played out exactly like what was written in the New Testament and your mind cannot be changed. I would recommend this for anybody with an historical curiosity.
Really interesting story of the common person's experiences in post-American war in Afghanistan. What happened? Why did it happen? What could America and NATO have done differently? Is this a war that was destined for failure?
This book follows three different Afghans, starting in the months following the American invasion: a housewife, a Taliban commander and a regional strong-man. The journalist (Anand Gopal) chronicles their stories (heart-breaking in their own ways). One thing I will say is that I never thought I would ever be sympathetic to the Taliban character, but there were even parts where I was rooting for him; not against the Americans, mind you, but against opposing Taliban commanders.
The story got a little bit jumpy as it transitioned from one person to the next. In one instance the author was detailing the story of one character in 2008 and then transitioned to another person's story in 2005.
Other than that, I thought the author did an excellent job of describing the environment and America's general ignorance (on a military and public level) of the consequences of our actions there. Anyone who is at all interested in South Asia or the war in Afghanistan would be benefitted by reading this. I have done a fair bit of reading on the topic and even I was surprised by a number of the author's revelations, assuming they are true.
I leaned so much about the futility of World War 1 and the making of the modern Middle East. It is told through the perspective of 4 important characters in the formation, including T.E. Lawrence, Aaron Aaronson, William Yale and Kurt Proeffer. Each was representing a different interest. The story probably could have been improved if they were able to continue more story through Proeffer's character, especially later in the book. I also would have enjoyed hearing a French and Turkish point-of-view fleshed out. All-in-all, it was a very good detailing as to why things are as they are today. There is also an interesting discussion of how things likely were to have been the same, even if Lawrence & Faisal Hussein would have succeeded. Very interesting read and now more likely that I will actually start to read, “Seven Pillars,” which had been on my shelf for some time.
One of the best reviews of a war I have ever read. Written by someone who truly understands war and how senseless it can be.
Very compelling and entertaining story. Ends in a cliffhanger than leaves you screaming for more. Certain parts seemed campy at first (recipes at the end of chapters), but began looking forward to the meals Mr. Matthews described. I have to assume the tradecraft is pretty accurate and the CIA even has a public review on its website.
What a great short story. First I have read by Tolstoy. I fell in love with the region years ago and have been looking for legends ever since. This story was Tolstoy's final book and was published about a decade after his death.
Surprisingly good for a graphic novel. Additionally, helps bring in good backstory to ASOIF.
Ordinarily not a big novel reader, let alone fantasy, but I was intrigued by the show on HBO and absolutely loved it. Additionally, the show did a fantastic job remaking the book; probably the closest I have ever seen. Since I ham now hooked, the balance of the series (4 books in total until next week when it moves to 5) will be added to my “To Read” list.
One of the only fictional accounts of a real event I have read, but one of the greatest stories ever told. This book has encouraged me to read more of Mr. Pressfield's works.
Wow! What a fantastic book. I learned so much. If your child is a “picky” or “fussy” eater, this is a must read. Parker is already starting to get better after a couple of simple modifications.
Sports insiders have determined that the best way to put together a club was to spend the most money. Billy Beane (and the New York Yankees of late) have proved otherwise. The A's have discovered that choosing ball players based upon their uncanny ability to get on base, rather than throw gas or mash a bunch of home runs, is the key to winning. And that is what they have done.
They have provided the template for what financial investors term, “Buy low and sell high.”
This was a great book. You can tell this by all of the professionals who dismiss it at their own peril.
I thought this book was pretty interesting, but probably included some giant leaps. However, it has me interested enough to want to visit the channeled scablands in Central Washington this summer.
Found this to be a good overview on some of the high level conflicts and personalities in the region. Piqued my interest in a deeper understanding in the history of Vietnam prior to 20th century colonial period.