Audiobook Books

Perfect for beginners wanting to learn Arabic. The lessons proceed at a reasonable pace, and the pronunciation is clear and easy to understand. Each lesson is 30 minutes and you do only one lesson a day. Don't exceed this recommendation and try to squeeze in an extra lesson or two a day. The reason for one lesson a day is to allow the learning to sink in before moving on. However, you should budget an hour a day for the lesson, because if you are like me, you will want to repeat the same lesson again that day. The CDs teach the "academic" form of Arabic, rather than any regional dialect. As explained, this is roughly akin to learning British English. It might sound a bit unusual in the U.S. or Australia, but it would not hinder communication. Again, this product is ideal for beginners, but anyone with some exposure to Arabic might find the pace a bit slow.

I really like the Pimsleur approach to speaking a foreign
lauguage. You can learn a lot in a little time.

Amazon, other book sellers, and the U.S. Government seem to be unaware that there are several very different Arabic dialects. In fact at times in the past they were viewed as Arabic languages. Unless I know what dialect this product teaches this product is useless.

This is a good set of CD's for beginners except for the fact that the narrator fails to point out the differences for verbs between male and female.

I got this program to compliment the other books and software for learning arabic that I have collected over the past few months.

This program does indeed teach the basics but it is almost too basic. I am currently working through the 5th lesson. The later lessons introduce concepts that were introduced in the first lesson but it becomes tediously repetitive. I can't remember the number of times I was prompted to say "I am American" as this is one of the phrases learned in earlier lessons. Half way through the entire program, I have only learned a handful (<20) of phrases. As the lessons come on audio CDs, I think it would have been a more effective program if it cut down on the repetition in lieu of adding more vocabulary/phrases. One only then needs to replay the CD if they felt they were not yet ready to progress to the next lesson.

Although these audio CDs may be effective for people with ZERO arabic knowledge, it would be too basic and repetetive for anyone with past exposure. The program teaches the Syrian dialect arabic and the language is not outdated. The speakers in the program are native speakers and the speech is pristinely clear.

Janet Evanovich writes great characters. I love Stephanie Plum and Lula and Ranger and Morelli. I have read all 17 books from this series now and am still longing for more....

ok so I got this book as a freebie and I love the Stephanie Plum series. The thing is: this takes familiar characters out of the realm of reality and gives them a whimsical twist. Not together unpleasant, but not the Sephanie Plum series I adore. The familiarity gives it something to bond to, but I was afraid it would detract from the series when I went back to it. It didn't and for this reason alone I am saying it was a good little read. Fortunately it is brief and easy to read. The between series is 'cute', but I still think overall it detracts from the main series. That being said I also bought the next one before I started the between series. I do not completely regret them, however I would not go out of my way to buy them either after having read them. The Series is another story..those are well worth the laughs.

Diesel, the supernatural bounty hunter first introduced in "Visions of Sugar Plums", is back and this time he wants Stephanie Plum's help to track down Bernie Beaner, an "Unmentionable" with a rather unfortunate super power, and to fill in for relationship expert, Annie Hart (another "Unmentionable" with Cupid-like talents).

This is the second of Janet Evanovich's "Between the Numbers" novellas (chronologically, it comes between "Twelve Sharp" and "Lean Mean Thirteen") and although it is a lot shorter than the regular Stephanie Plum books (and consequently lacks a lot of the detail and depth of these), I liked this book and "Visions of Sugar Plums" very much. In these two books, Evanovich takes a side-step away from reality and moves into a parallel universe where ordinary people and "Unmentionables" (those with supernatural powers, although don't expect the sort of superhumans that you find in comic books) co-exist. Given the larger than life nature of the Stephanie Plum books, this works really well and both of these books are a lot of fun (you can tell that Evanovich had a great time writing these books). In fact, in many ways they are better than the regular Plum books. I have felt that, recently, the Plum books have been running out of steam a bit, but these books bring something new to the series. I now eagerly look forward to reading Evanovich's next novella.

I ended up reading this out of order--mostly because I forgot about it. Whoops.

But that's not that much of a problem, because these between-the-numbers books (meaning Visions of Sugar Plums and this one, though I suspect there'll be more forthcoming) are just a wee bit off the series' track. The cast balance is shifted--Ranger and Morelli, and even Grandma Mazur and Lula are relegated to the sidelines, and the focus shifts to mystery man Diesel (we learn in this book that he's an Unmentionable--it's been a while since I read Sugar Plums, but I don't remember that being... er... mentioned). It's also where most of the plot developments with Stephanie's sister Valerie occur. And it's got a touch of the supernatural.

So, I'm a wee bit confused by everybody who was screaming that Ranger and Morelli were missing, and why was Evanovich changing the series, etc., etc. It's really the same format as Sugar Plums, and it's obviously not a regular series book, or the title would have a number. I'm guessing it's short memories.

Anyway. Knowing what to expect, I wasn't disappointed.

Stephanie's job collides with Diesel's when her FTA, Annie Hart, turns out to be somebody Diesel is keeping under wraps. So they make a deal: Steph will help Diesel do Annie's job, then Diesel will turn her over to Steph.

The job: relationship expert. They have to ensure that Annie's three clients have happy Valentine's Days. Of course, this being a version of the Plum-verse, it's not all that easy. It gets more complicated, and more personal, when it turns out that the third client is none other than Albert Kloughn, who would be Stephanie's brother-in-law if marriage didn't terrify him. So now it's up to Steph and Diesel to get Albert to the altar with Valerie.

Lots of fun, lots of laughs, short quick read. Between-the-numbers. Remember that. You'll enjoy the book a lot more that way.

I bought this book at a drugstore while on vacation with nothing to read. The alternatives were several variants on "How to Flatten Your Abs," a few Sue-Grafton wannabe mysteries, and romance novels with the authors' names in raised gold lettering.

The only excuse for buying this book is if you're on vacation wtih nothing to read.

I've read a couple of Stephanie Plum books (Janet Evanovich's self-effacing, Jerseyed-out bond agent), and they were OK escapist mysteries, fluffy with some light humor. Unfortunately, Plum Lovin' has a wildly improbable plot, stereotypic characters, and and an unsuccessful mix of science fiction, romance, sex without the sex, and a little mystery. The plot, such as it is, involves Ms. Plum helping a hunky bond agent named "Diesel" (how manly!)find a guy named Beaner who's out to get a matchmaker he's protecting jumped bail and is wanted by Beaner. Diesel will turn over Annie (the matchmaker) if Plum will help Ms. Hill finish five people find love (or just a good dinner companion) by Valentines' Day. The result is a contrived mishmosh with pasted-on characters and a facile resolution.

OK, so the plot's just a vehicle, right--it doesn't matter if it's convoluted as long as we're in for a fun ride. Too bad the characters are unbelievable, buffoonish stereotypes or the expected testosterone-laden men with a heart of gold. There's a strange device in which Diesel and Bean are among the "Unmentionables," people who lurk among we innocents with strange, powers. Evanovich hints at these darkly, using them to portray Beaner's menacing danger and elusive movements, and Diesel's sexually-charge and unsuccessful moves for Stephanie.

Again, excusable if this jokey implausibility served as a backdrop for quick-witter satire, or any real sense of mystery or suspense. However, Beaner's power is the ability to spread hives (hives!) without skin contact, and Diesel's brutish sexuality consists of lam-o repeated suggestions to Stephanie that have all the subtlety and wit of a junior high bathroom wall. The pursuit of Beaner and Annie (and a Jersey gangster inserted to make the story make sense) all take a backseat at times to deal with the five lonelyhearts, who, of course, "comically" find their Valentines with the same kind of dumb luck and convenient fortuity as Stephanie and Diesel.

Although there are some clever lines, and one or two of the heartbroken "Marty-like" lovebirds have interesting trajectories, this is the literary (if one may use that word here) equivalent of Muzak. If the contrived teasers had been pruned, and some real excitement and adult sexuality generated (along with some sleuthing that didn't rely so heavily on a drunken informant), there might have been enough substance to hold up the froth.

Jeremy Irons is the perfect choice to read this Audiobook of the "infamous" Lolita. Iron's reading is a perfect pairing with Nabokov's writing, the richness of the language comes through even though you are not settled into your easy chair by a crackling fire with a decent vintage opened at your side.

It is pairings such as this that gives one hope that more Audio books will be prepared with equal care, unabridged, and enriching the listener's experience.

"LOLITA---LIGHT OF MY LIFE- FIRE OF MY LOINS---MY SIN, MY SOUL.
LOOO---LEEE---TAAA.
The tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps.
LOOO--LEEE--TAAA" -Hubert Hubert-

Humbert Humbert is an intellectual, a teacher, fluidly articulate, a lover of books, a poet, and good looking. One could say he has it all. But there's one little problem, Hubert Hubert happens to be a pedaphile.

Nabokov is so brilliant, the reader will empathize with Hubert Hubert in some strange way, because he
will make them...justifying why Hubert Hubert does the things he does. And the reader will try to justify his perversion, too.

Hubert Hubert is a child molester, a monster, a pervert, a stalker, evil, and sick. And he is appalled, even by himself. This is the reason Nabokov has named him Hubert Hubert (One is good-one is evil).

"IF ONLY SHE SAW THE MONSTERS BEHIND THE EYES,
I AM THE DEVIL'S PLAY THING" Hubert Hubert

Hubert Hubert is obsessed with young girls (Nymphets) as he so elequently calls them. He is sexually attracted to Lolita most of all, and married her mother to get close to her. (Naughty boy).

His thoughts are written so beautifully and deliciously the way he feels for Lolita, that the reader neglects, at times, to see his perversion and sins. Hubert Hubert describes Lolita's knees, her legs, her skin, her hair, how it
drapes over her apple fresh cheeks. How lovely. How pretty. How wicked.

Hubert Hubert descibes Lolita's mother (his wife)like this: "Being with her was like thrashing inside a decaying forest"

Shame on you, Hubert. She's only 35 years old! You dirty, dirty old man.

Hubert Hubert speaks in third person through several parts of the book...because Hubert Hubert cannot even bear himself--for he is a demoralizing, warped, sick individual. And the reader will still fill empathy for him

"I am the Devil's Plaything. I am a Monster."

Hubert Hubert trys desperately to become the doting step-father, giving Lolita what she wants, getting involved in school activites, protecting her from the big bad world.

But he forgets one thing....

Hubert Hubert does not protect her from Hubert Hubert.

Vladimir Nabokov is a genius, and Lolita has so many levels of beauty, metaphor, and lushness, one cannot find any inmperfection within it.

Lolita will horrify the reader and delight the reader at the same time. How the heck to Nabokov do that?

Nobody could have read this book as Irons did--the sexuality rolls of his tongue like a kind of poison.

***Not too many books can compare to this Lolita. A true, unbelievable classic.

the scariest thing about this book is that you don't see it coming. you pick up the book thinking you're going to be repulsed by the whole thing. it's pedophilia! but instead you find yourself nodding along, agreeing, sympathizing with humbert's totally horrible viewpoints. you find yourself wanting to be more like lolita so someone will love you like that. you find yourself laughing when the narrator wants you to laugh, feeling sorry for him when dolores finally escapes. it's utterly convincing to anyone who's ever been obsessed with anything... like diving into another world.



it's incredibly well written, but i don't think i would recommend this book to anyone. i think instead that it's the first book i've read that should carry a warning label. "listening to this book will seduce you."

Nabokov's story of HH and his obsession with little Lolita is one of the most amazing books of all time. The audio version read by Jeremy Irons is absolutely the best audio book I've ever heard. Jeremy Irons played the role of HH in one of the movie adaptations of the book, and he reads this first-person narrative fully in character. I cannot think of another actor who could have captured the essence of this book the way Irons did. I purchased the audio version to listen to on my iPod on a trip, and I kept listening to him read the story even when I was taking breaks from the road. Just as it is hard to put the book down, it is hard to stop listening to this audio book. Once you get past the introduction to the book (I didn't catch the name of who read that; it was a different voice, unless Irons was just doing a character), you won't be able to stop.

I had read Lolita many years ago in my college student garret and was entertained, a bit appalled, thought I was able to "get" HH, but mainly I was amazed by the language. I can remember rereading sentences just to feel the commas. BUT, hearing it read by Jeremy Irons is a whole different thing. He is an absolutely amazing actor. It is CREEPY and the incredible language becomes his own completely, rather than feeling in any way, like Nabokov's intellectual exercise. Just describing Iron's speech, his sibillant esses, makes me shudder. I had to stop around CD 5 (near Salina, Kansas, as I drove from SF to the East Coast with Tyler the dog) because the person and the story were now so sordid and disturbing.
Then, staying with my cousin in Bethesda, I was in a room with the usual suspect college student books (Camus, Pynchon, Vonnegut, a used copy of Introduction to the Principles of Earwax) and sure enough, there was Lolita. It was ~benign and fascinating once again, until I pushed myself to imagine Iron's voice. Then I put it back on the shelf and washed my hands.

Mystery Mile
.
This is a wonderful mystery which keeps your attention right to the end. The only drawback for me was the use of various British dialects and slang of that period, which was distracting. Ms Allingham has a real gift for creating a menacing atmosphere. She also is a master of character description; Mr. Campion, Lugg and the other main players are very easy to visualize. The BBC Mystery series of a few years ago which featured some of her books, faithfully brought her characters to life.

One year after his initial appearance in Crime at the Black Dudley, Albert Campion is back. And what a difference a year makes. This Campion is completely fleshed out. He is now, officially the Universal Aunt (`your adventures undertaken for a fee'). Also present are his regular compatriots Lugg (his man) and Stanislaus Oates of Scotland Yard. And let's not forget Autolycus the Jackdaw (who lays an egg).

It is as if Campion has been reinvented out of whole cloth. And it's just wonderful. Campion keeps up a steady patter of nonsense, bad jokes and horrible puns, interspersed with the plants and plots the keep him and his fellow characters alive.

American judge Crowdy Lobbett is saved from one of a series of attempts on his life by Albert's timely intercession with a mouse. As a result Campion is taken on to save the judge from an early demise at the hands of Simister (see The Black Dudley). Lobbett has a clue to Simister's true identity and the evil mastermind intends to remove this threat.

In a stroke of brilliance Campion convinces the Judge to move himself and his family to Mystery Mile at the residence of his two friends Biddy and Giles Paget. This has an inauspicious start when Swithin Cush, the vicar, commits suicide after a session with a palm reader. In short order the Judge disappears and Biddy is kidnapped. The Judge's children Marlowe and Isopel get entangled with the Pagets and typical Allingham version of a Chinese fire drill comes to pass. Allingham's books rarely lack for action, and Mystery Mile is no exception.

Campion often loses in love, but Mystery Mile proves he can win our hearts. He lacks the brilliance of Sayer's Lord Peter Whimsey, but he is by far the cleverer. Bit players like Thomas Knapp and his terrifying mother never fail to enchant, as Allingham shows off a knack at capturing British dialects. This volume spells the establishment of one of mysteries most loved series. One that you will enjoy for many years to come.

When Judge Lobett's life is threatened with murder by a deadly gang that no one can stop, Campion takes on the challenge.

"Deserving cases preferred" takes on a whole new meaning when it becomes clear that the judge has a clue to the identity of the secretive gang leader. Campion has to protect the judge, decipher the clue, and find a killer in order to keep Lobbett from hearing the seventh whistle that would spell his doom...

Mystery Mile was the second Campion novel that Allingham wrote, and the first in which he really stands as the solitary hero of the piece. It has some roughness in the writing which she would work out later in the series, but is still a charming and witty book. Highly recommended.

This is technically the second Campion mystery, he was a secondary character in THE BLACK DUDLEY but here he steps up to center stage. As the story opens Campion is abroad a trans Atlantic liner headed to London from New York. He manages to avert a tragic accident with a magic act and strike up an acquaintance with a rather overbearing Turkish art dealer. These two seemingly unrelated incidents lead Campion to the role of bodyguard to a retired American judge and his family who are being threatened by a Master Criminal and his gang. Campion calls on old friends who live in an out of the way country village to shelter his charges but trouble soon follows, or was it waiting? Campion finds himself surrounded by death and destruction before he remerges bloodied but of course, triumphant.

This is a mystery thriller very typical of the late 1920 and '30's period complete with lovely damsel in distress, plucky girl sidekick, loyal companion, sinister master criminal complete with far flung network. The hero is always just a bit ahead of everyone else and of course knows just the right people to get the job done but not before he demonstrates his driving skill and great courage overcoming pain.

If you are a fan of the early Saint novels, or Lord Peter Wimsey then you will enjoy this series, Campion has a lot in common with both. He has a mysterious past like the Saint but has a rather loose working relationship with the police like Lord Peter. Like both he keeps up a lightheated banter and shows a mischevious sense of humor.

The flaws of this series are that it is rather dated at times. Some of Campions quips fall flat simply because today's readers just don't understand the 80 year old references. It is also obvious that Allingham is getting to know Campion here, he is very like Sayers' Lord Peter in this one, a resemblence that will diminish in time. Still the plot, while fantastic is clever, the clues to the mysteries are all present but challenging to the reader. The characters do all come to life, even the secondary ones, and the setting is described quite well. All of this comes together to make this a fun read and a great place to begin this series.

In the Black Dudley Murder, Allingham's first book, Albert Campion is one of an ensemble cast. In Mystery Mile, Campion emerges as the clear star - abet a somewhat mysterious and charmingly quirky one. I think I'm going to like Albert a great deal. He's already showing a wicked sense of humor and irony. He's clever but hardly perfect. And there is a real sense of mystery about him - what is his real identity?

This mystery is a solid example of a pre-Depression mystery with a family of swaggering Americans, a mysterious "oriental" (definately a pre-political correctness book), an English country house and a wonderful villian - Simister. Albert meets the Americans on ship when he saves the father's life. It turns out that it was the fifth attempt on the man's life - he's a judge who has a lead on Simister's identity. The book revolves around Albert's efforts to both protect the judge and track down Simister.

Bottom-line: a very pleasant read with enough twists and turns to keep a reader interested. The late 1920 atmosphere is particularly wonderful.

The subject matter of the book is the impact of the conservative agenda on the Supreme Court. The death of Chief Justice Rehnquist is covered in the Prologue. The Warren Court had transformed the entire legal culture.

By 1991 and the appointment of Clarence Thomas the conservatives had made remarkable progress. Thomas is a philosophical heir to Booker T. Washington. Chief Justice Rehnquist used a line from IOLANTHE regarding his conduct during the Clinton impeachment trial that he did nothing in particular and he did it very well.

Near the end of the Clinton years the conservative judicial revolution was sputtering. The Bush v. Gore opinion amounted to a catalogue of the Court's worst flaws as judges, the author asserts. The argument is supported by Toobin's description of the procedures followed and the atmosphere of the Court in December 2000.

Subsequently, the Court became more liberal as evidenced by Lawrence v. Texas and other decisions. Justices Breyer and Kennedy, in reaching for solutions to the Court's cases, sometimes emulated foreign models.

Justice O'Connor saw in the Schiavo case a threat to judicial independence. After Justice O'Connor left the Court, Justice Kennedy's position became critical to the case outcomes of the Court. In the Roberts Court, dissenting justices wondered what had happened to the doctrine of stare decisis.

This excellent book concludes with a focus on the primacy of ideological differences. The text throughout is able and interesting.

A legal analyst with CNN News and a graduate of Harvard, Jeffrey Toobin brings forth an account and supberb evaluation of how he sees the Supreme Court at present which has resulted in his individual interviews with these justices.
The election of 2008 for a new President might very well change the status of our Judicial System. It is important to keep in mind that all members of the Supreme Court, the highest body in the United States, are appointed by the current President and confirmed by the Senate. In addition, the President selects individuals who share his idealogical views.
I recommend Mr. Toobin's "The Nine" to those who are interested in law and politics and what the Supreme Court is today.

I liked this book a lot, it concerns the Supreme Court personalities and impacts from the mid Eighties to 2006, though the bulk of the book concentrates on the Clinton/Bush era. I read it after Woodward's `the Brethren', which deals with the years 1968-73. The tenures of the justices are so long, that this book is almost a continuation. The processes of picking and adjudicating cases are the same as described in the Brethren, as is the processes by which majorities opinions are shaped and preserved. However Chief Justice Rhenquist seems to have taken pride in the running a far more efficient process than his predecessor. One key difference seems to be that there is a more explicit process of caballing to ensure that a particular opinion becomes the majority, though still informal, it seems to be a more acknowledged behaviour than in the early 1970s.
The book's main focus is the political impact of the decisions taken - particularly on the `culture wars', and the more focused approach (particularly among Republicans) on getting candidates selected and approved who will take a conservative line.
The Rhenquist court, despite having 8 of 9 justices who were appointed by Republican presidents, was a disappointment to conservatives who wished to reverse the `liberal' trend of its predecessor courts. However, due in part to Rhenquist's focus on efficiency rather than philosophy and the peculiarly individualistic natures of Justice Scalia and Thomas, the courts opinions were influenced by those of Justice O'Connor; whose views were decidedly middle-of-the road - not against restricting abortion, but ensuring that the mother's health was given paramount consideration; not against school prayer as long as it wasn't promoted by school authorities; not in favour of forced integration, but in favour of desegration; not in favour of gay practice, but an upholder of rights to privacy, incorporating sexual orientation
The book is quite good on giving pen portraits of the character and concerns of each of the justices, and shows what a varied bunch they are. It is particularly good at demonstrating how the work, and its associated experiences, have changed Justices O'Connor, Stevens and Kennedy, while leaving Justices Souter, Scalia and Thomas almost unchanged. It's most telling impression on me was that both the Clinton (Ginsburg and Breyer) and Bush (Jnr) appointees (Roberts and Alito) were much more heavily scrutinised and their subsequent opinions were much more predictable, than previous appointees - Stevens,O'Connor and Souter were viewed a `squelches' by conservatives, appointed by Ford, Regan and Bush (Snr) respectively, they were viewed as having veered `leftward' upon appointment.
I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the political machinations around the appointment process of new justices, from Bork onwards. Bush Snr's approach seemed detached, Clinton's haphazard and chaotic approach, while Bush Jnr's was focused and ruthless, but also impersonal, in the sense that it seemed run by a selection team rather than a personal priority.
The book is best on the processes by which Bush vs. Gore was decided. Toobin is of the view that the Court shamed itself on this. I found this argument convincing, it seems the court intervened early, and the Justices took pre-determined positions, in short became too political. However there is also an argument that if the Court was to decide on a vote, then it had to do so, rather than let the re-counts and re-runs continue until chaos ensued. However, given the Republican appointed majority and the partisan process by which the court was invited to decide the case, I think I agree with Toobin that it was this Courts least fine hour, and indeed tainted this set of Justices in relations to their predecessors.

I felt that this book took more of a gossip description of the justices--who likes eachother, who tried to set up eachother on dates, who hated eachother. That could have been fine as an addendum but I wanted more meat on the issues and how each jusitce came to form their opinion and their stand.

If you've ever wanted to know what happens in the cloistered world of the Supreme Court, this book will give you a brief glimpse. It details not just the kinds of cases that the Supreme Court has heard over the last 30 years, but also what kind of people the Supreme Court Justices are and where they came from. Others have suggested there's a bias in this book, but I fail to see it. If the author spends a great deal of time talking about what conservatives were up to in filling the current nine seats, it's only because the last 30 years have been dominated by conservative presidents attempting to satisfy their conservative base. Anyway I found this book quite eye opening, and I hope anyone who is interested in how the Supreme Court works will give it a read.

This is quite possibly one of the best books I've ever read. And I do my fair share of reading. Don't let the size of the book scare you either. Its worth putting the time into. David McCullough writes in a readable manner. None of that academic reading stuff that gives you headaches. Listen, if you are even considering buying it you probably already have a little interest in this topic. Do yourself a favor. Buy this book. You can thank me later. Oh, and...Harry is my new hero.

This is a big and detailed book, not for the faint of heart. But, if you love history and/or politics, this is a book for you. Truman was an unlikely president and this book captures the man's personality, humility, and dignity. Carefully researched and described, the book opens the door to one of our nation's most unique and dinstinguished characters. An epic book about an epic man. Delightful.

I couldn't have been more pleased with this book. I love David McCullough and he never ceases to amaze you with this intimate portrayal of Harry Truman's life. He brings the President to the level of an average man who finds himself in an above-average position. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an in-depth look at one of our most interesting Presidents to-date.

I have to agree with a previous reviewer: upon reading this, I have such a desire to meet and converse with HST--that's how interesting and honorable he was.

As always, McCullough's narrative sweep is impressive. Truman as a lonely and bookish boy, Truman as a soldier, Truman as a failed businessman are the most interesting parts. When it comes to Truman's presidency, McCullough turns up little new grounds, however. It's the usual conventional wisdom about a guy who made tough decisions that turned out right. Read Perrett's "Commander in Chief" for a harsher and more surprising evaluation of Truman's decision-making and his monumental blunders.

The book itself was a winner - a gift for my husband. He "devoured" it. The only disappointment was how cheaply and poorly-bound the paperback was. Even with extreme care, it fell apart within the first 70 pages. The replacement nearly made it to the end, but not quite. Buy and read this book, but go for a better-bound version unless you like handling it in pieces.

Within the last year I have begun listening (audio books) to Ram Dass and thoroughly enjoy his work. His insight is often so basic (a good thing) and it speaks to the heart... and the brain, too. Ram Dass' words have caused me to greatly consider where I am on my spiritual journey - and how it is that I've gotten where I am today. I have been especially reminded of the vastness of God, and that God is revealed to me in a multitude of ways. I look forward to continuing the journey.

This is my first encounter with Ram Dass in audio, I read his book BE HERE NOW, and I am very pleased. I just wish all his books were in audio. Ram Dass give you an easy approach to meditation, he guide you through some simple and simple meditation techniques. He convey his message about love and peach in a wonderful way.

I love doing this meditation. It provides a very tranquil start to my day. Kelly Howell's voice is pleasant and calming. The music is also peaceful and beautiful. She takes you to an idyllic place and gives very effective descriptions of what you see, hear, feel and do there. I especially love the segment describing the wall around the side of the mountain and how you follow the wall, running your hand along it, feeling its roughness. Of course, guided meditation has a future purpose, and it's not possible to say, at this point, if it's accomplishing that purpose. I am enjoying the process, though.

This is a very soothing, relaxing CD. Kelly's voice is easy to listen to and the ambient background is quite pleasant as well. I appreciate the fact that half the CD is guided meditation and half is just the music with Theta frequencies. I often fall asleep to this.

Kelly Howell is the author of this tape and her voice is so mezmorizing that as soon as you lay down with your headphones on, you instantly start to relax and unwind. By the end of the hour I am sleeping which is wonderful for me. For anyone with stressors in their life that need to be put to rest, I highly recommend this tape.

It is a wonderful meditation if you are a beginner. Very relaxing and the narrators voice is very soothing ( if you like the softer silky sounding voice ).

I initially gave this 5 stars but decided to rereview and dock it one star - the presentation is extremely smooth but a couple complaints: (1) the discussion is often quite corny; this is typical of a lot of meditation CDs in general so the occasional wild claim can be forgiven, but it seems every other thing out of her mouth is something like "You may find the you feel an exillerating sense of contentedness and etc..." (or some such). It's just too much; here and there is OK, but after a while it's like: just guide my meditation, don't tell me how wonderful I feel - let that be the by-product. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, and (2) Sometimes when talking there will be little blurbs mixed right or left along with what she's saying... initially it's kind of cool, but they're mixed a little too loudly so the stimulating effect she was going for is lost a bit: it becomes more jarring than the gentle tweak it's supposed to be.

Overall, though, still a good guided meditation.. but in retrospect I much prefer an old Bob Monroe tape I have (Moment of Revelation from the Mind Food series) which is very similar in technique; or for guided point-by-point relaxation, a Yoga Nidra CD I've reviewed here.

The US State Dept website's description of Perkins' previous book (Confessions of an Economic Hit Man) works here, as well: "an exciting, first-person, cloak-and-dagger tale that plays to popular images about alleged U.S. economic exploitation of Third World countries."

In an easy to read style, Perkins weaves his personal stories around generally established events from around the world that one can usually trace to sources other than Perkins. Although it certainly doesn't hurt to have such incidents brought to mind again, his inclusion of them end up leading the reader in a way that make his behind-the-scenes stories feel more plausible, seeming to simply fill in ground level details of US/corporate exploitation. Together it goes down more smoothly as narrative, a great format for popular consumption.

Yet, as other reviewers have already pointed out, the lack of verifiability really limits the book. The "secrets" Perkins is trying to reveal are, of course, based on personal or anonymous testimony. On the one hand, the circumstances he describes warrant such anonymity, and we should not dismiss singular personal testimony out of hand (especially when regarding such alleged clandestine incidents, where scattered personal testimony may be all there is). On the other hand, since readers' cannot cross-examine his evidence, many of his claims simply must remain unproven, which is unfortunate. Perkins' work would be a stronger contribution to informing the public if it could do so objectively.

At best, perhaps his stories (along with the more established incidents he mentions) should be kept in mind as what powerful corporations and countries are capable of, causing us to be all the more on our guard against corruption.

John Perkins, a former "economic hit man", revealed his emotional turmoil in Confessions of an Economic Hitman. He illustrated from an insider's perspective the evils of the modern-day empire building of corporations or "corporatocracy" in action. He lifted the veil on the military-industrial complex, which partners with Government in bewitching consumers with guile, corruption and big marketing budgets, whilst carrying out gross environmental and human rights abuses.

In this sequel, Perkins has a more mature view of the world. Gone is the continuous guilt and egotistical self-reflection, and in its place, is more depth, plenty of anecdotes, solutions for a better world, and many exciting world travels thrown in. Not only does it read like a spy novel at times, but also a travel book. Perkins is no journalist, and there is an opportunity here for a follow-up research piece on his vignettes. There are also times when unsubstantiated conspiracy theories run a bit far. His sources are not always vetted for quality. However, I believe Perkins' heart is in the right place and he should be forgiven for less than perfect journalism.

One major faux pas is in his discussion on the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. He mentions that Israel launched an attack on Beirut, as if they were making afternoon tea, and faced international criticism. Perkins conceals the major facts of this war - that Hizbollah instigated it by kidnapping an Israeli soldier from sovereign Israel, and launched a missile attack on Haifa. This error of omission calls to question many of his other theories. I wonder what the book could have been if he had employed a fact-checker.

There is no doubt that corporate hegemony is casting a chilling shadow on our world, and the more aware people become, the more we can do. Whilst this is by no means, a 5-star book, it is redeemed by the solutions provided, and Perkins' open-minded approach. Everyone with an interest in why the world is in the situation it's in, why we're so dependent on oil, politics, economics, and the environment, will find this book worthwhile. I would recommend it to everyone interested in the future of humanity and the world we inhabit. This is a must-read for anyone wondering why so much of Asia, Africa and the Middle East hate America.

The Secret History of the American Empire by John Perkins author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
P. 283; "The world is not in danger. We are. If we don't change our ways, Mother Nature will shake us off like so many fleas."
This fast moving book is packed with historical revelations and profound thoughts.
Read it!

Perkins once again tells it like it is. We are part of the problem. Our addiction to cheap clothing and exercise equipment (put together in tropical sweatshops by people living only marginally better than inmates of Nazi prison camps) fuels the system. We have to change, to live sustainable lifestyles. Read the book. Once you understand the problem, you will want to be part of the solution.

Wow, I can't believe the reviews have been so favorable for this writers books. It's as though people just stop thinking for themselves. Let me save you 15 bucks. Down w/ capitilism, people who make money are bad. No mention that, perphaps, it's government interference and manipulation of fiscal programs around the world that cause corperations to act as they do.