Biography Books

The insight into the life of Jesus in this book is amazing. You can tell that Mr. Swindoll was writing with the blessing of God. I highly reccommend it and can't wait to read others in the series.

There are many books about books. "Why Not Catch-21?" by Gary Dexter is one of them. Harold Bloom's "Novelists and Novels" is another. "Who the Hell is Pansy O'Hara?" is the latest book about books. It is different from the others not only in style, but also in content. Some will find it fascinating to have stories like Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" discussed in the same book that discusses Jane Austen ("Pride and Prejudice") and Emily Bronte ("Jane Eyre"). The authors include the Russian heavyweights, Leo Tolstoy ("War and Peace") and Fyodor Dostoevsky ("Crime and Punishment") - they tell us that Dostoevsky's book was accepted by the publisher only because Tolstoy grew fat on his previous success and had not written anything that year, and coincidentally, Turgenev, their contemporary rival, also had nothing to publish at the time. The unconventional mix of stories - I should now add, Jacqueline Susanne's "Valley of the Dolls", Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code, and A A Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" - may discourage others. Austen, Tolstoy & Shelley ("Frankenstein") have readers; Rowling, Brown, & Susanne have fans. They might not like to catch each other reading the same book.

Secondly, this book stands out because it combines a discussion of the story and the writer in the context of its history, the writer's biography, and the reviews of the work. It is a literary "making of" book of books. Every work is a chapter and the book is divided into two main parts, "fiction" and "non-fiction". That is the third intriguing aspect of this book. In the non-fiction segment the authors talk about "Encyclopaedia Brittanica", and "Guinness World Records" as well as Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood". If one is looking for a scholarly work, he might prefer to pick up Bloom's book instead, where he will read Bloom's comparison of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights in such terms as:
"Jane Eyre", like "Wuthering Heights", is after all a romance, however northern, and not a novel, properly speaking. Its standards of representation have more to do with Jacobean melodrama and Gothic fiction than with George Eliot and Thackeray, and more even with Byron's "Lara" and "Manfred" than with any other works. Rochester is no Heathcliff; he lives in a social reality in which Heathcliff would be an intruder even if Heathcliff cared for social realities except as fields in which to take revenge."

Bond & Sheedy write, instead, "Charlotte, inspired by her time in Brussels, penned "The Professor". Emily, influenced by the wilds of the moors, had written Wuthering Heights". Anne had produced "Agnes Grey", a story based on her experiences as a governess." Bond & Sheedy's effort, less profound in subject and analysis, is nonetheless full of useful information that are usually found embedded in a mass of other less striking information in major biographies. They tell about Erich Remarque and his "All Quiet on the Western Front", concluding with information about the consequences of his fame - the loss of his German citizenship, the welcome of America, his purchase of a house in Switzerland, his marriages (twice to the same woman), and his affairs, which include the story of Marlene Dietrich. This book will be a nice companion for a lazy afternoon by the beach; or a warm cafe in ski resort; or in the bath; or wherever.

The author pieced records together to get a coherent story. Learned about Spain in its conquest and exploration of Mexico and these poor guys who got stuck wandering around Florida, the gulf coast and Texas. A good history and survival story.

The author does a good job of setting the context for Cabeza de Vaca's adventure. I found the level of historical detail to be just about perfect. Highly recommended!

Cabeza de Vaca gets most of the credit in history, but he actually had three companions who also survived an amazing eight-year ordeal in the New World. They were part of a 600-person expedition that in 1528 sailed from Havana with the objective of landing on the coast of eastern Mexico about 150 miles below the Rio Grande. Due to the power of the Gulf Stream and incredible errors in navigation, they ended up in Florida, near Tampa Bay. Three hundred men set out to explore the interior, were cut off from the ships, and ultimately stranded. Most eventually made it to the Texas Gulf Coast on rafts, but within a short time their number was down to about twenty and a little later only four -- Cabeza and the other three. The four were enslaved by Indians for about six years and then, after achieving an exalted status as trading intermediaries and medicine men, they spent two more years wandering around southern Texas and northern Mexico before re-uniting with Spanish conquistadors (ironically, a group of Spanish on a mission to round up and enslave Native Americans). The four ended up having one of the most unusual and trying experiences in history.

In A LAND SO STRANGE, Andres Resendez tells the above story. I suspect the book is sound history. To judge from the 53 pages of footnotes at the back of the book, it certainly appears that A LAND SO STRANGE is well-, probably exhaustively, researched. If only the writing reflected something close to the same amount of time and effort as was devoted to the research, we might have a classic work of history. But, instead, the material seems to be hurriedly or indifferently organized and presented and the writing itself frequently lapses into the cliched and formulaic, and even sappy. There also are a number of type-setting errors and at least one glaring error in word use. On the plus side, there are about thirty useful illustrations and maps. Three-and-a-half stars rounded down.

This is a fascinating tale of early European exploration of North America that has been omitted from the US school curriculum. The author, Andres Resendez, is Professor of History at UC Davis; he provides an account that is both scholarly and engaging. The narrative is accessible to the layman with enough concrete detail to make it absorbing and gripping. While the scholarly integrity is evident, the details of references and supporting evidence are provided as end notes so as not to impede the reading of chronicle of these Spaniards-turned-shaman. Resendez strikes a nice balance between offering a narrative in absorbable prose for those wanting to read the text as a story and yet provides ample notes and references for those wanting to engage in further reading or research.

Unlike too many history books by college professors, this book is highly readable and exciting. I was sorry to see it come to an end, and it has sparked my interest in reading related books. And it has many footnotes, so it is easy to find related books! The book was obviously extremely well researched and paints a very balanced picture of native Americans and Spaniard explorers. While basically a story of probably the first Europeans that lived among native Americans, it includes a lengthy build-up as to how they came to do so, as well as information at the end of the book as to what happened after their life among the native Americans ended. It provides exceptional information on the life of native Americans in the southern portion of North America at that time and, for me, gave me several insights into the European advance into America, such as 1) while native Americans remain properly indignant at the violence brought by many Europeans, some native Americans were also unreasonably violent against the Europeans and 2) there were some Europeans who advocated a peaceful co-existence with native Americans. For anyone who has interest in life in America in the early 1500's, this is a wonderful book. The two- or three-page description of what is was like on a ship sailing across the Atlantic at that time is a real eye-opener!

Robert Maupin Beck, AKA, Iceberg Slim, one of the immortals produced from the black man's expierience in america, reminds me of many (not all) black men in america. He made a choice from the few choices he had and pursued it. Mack man.The difference between his book "Pimp" and all others, is that he purged and bared his soul. He saw his faults late in life, but yet and still, faced them. and denounced them. If any of us were in the same situation, could or would we do so? If other choices and conditions in his life were different,I feel he would be a success in whatever he chose. A BRILLIANT,BRILLIANT writer, I truly respect the man. In the times and conditions he grew up in, would any of us did different? How many of us would be willing to write a book as graphic and title it, "..........." the story of my life?

Thanks Mr.Beck

This is a good book. Its written from the (hipsters) point of view. You take what you can from it.

a fascinating read, the ultimate anti hero. a copmelling insigth into a real life character that is both praised and vilified. the best feature is the sincerity of the storytelling and the portrayal of the life of the pimp as neither a positive nor necesarily a negative.

I just finished reading this book for the second time, cover to cover in 2 days this time, it is possibly one of the best books I have ever read and keeps you enthralled throughout the whole read.Everyone should read this book because it really gives an insight into a world that most will never see.I have read all of the man's books and this is by far his best work although Mama Black Widow and Trick Baby are up there as well they just don't equal this masterpiece.They only have a 5 star rating but if I could this book would rate 10 stars.

"Pimp" is a dark, ugly book. It's author Robert Beck, aka Iceberg Slim spent much of his life as a pimp. It's written to leave a bad taste in your mouth. That is the intent of the author. This is a chronicle of how he wasted twenty-five years of his life.

Maya Angelou's brother told her a pimp is one of two kinds of men. Either he hates women or he fears women. The process of encouraging, enforcing a woman to sell her body is neither sexy or romantic. The life of a hooker, especially one working the streets is harsh and degrading. A `good' pimp only cares about using his women until they have no more left to give. Only someone who hates or feels the need to control women would make a `good' pimp.

Iceberg Slim hated women.

His father deserted them while he was a baby. Bobby and his mother lead a hand-to-mouth existence for his early years. Early on he is sexually abused by his babysitter. Stability came into his life when his mother marries an older man who was a successful businessman. Young Bobby loved his stepfather. They lead a comfortable upper middle-class existence until his mother runs off with another man.

The image of his stepfather crying in the street begging his mother to stay is repeated throughout the book. He took his hatred of his mother out on women - as a pimp.

Of course things go down hill for his mother. Eventually she gets her act together. But even though stability is restored in his life, Robert wants to be a pimp. Possessing a superior I.Q. (175), he was a straight-A student. In a time of blatant racial discrimination (the 1920s, 30s, 40s) he is given a college scholarship. But his path is set, the seeds of hatred planted years before take root and flourish.

For more details about his descent into depravity and his redemption - read the book.

His writing style is not polished. His language is not refined. But his imagery is stunning. He induces mood and feeling brilliantly. Mood and feeling are enhanced by his lack of polish.

The reader may have trouble with his slang. It's been out of style for 80 years. For example, "vines" means clothes. A woman "georgias" a man when she uses him for sexual gratification without paying. A "square" is a cigarette, etc.

I have noticed a disturbing trend. The black pimp is a role-model for some segments of society. Performers such as Ice-T extol the pimp lifestyle. Iceberg Slim is 'the man'. Whenever this book is discussed as a movie project, the gangsta rappers start lobbying for the part. These guys want to be like him. But not the man he became but the man he was - a depraved parasite. Some of them talk about this book as though it's the Bible.

While this is an excellent book, it is ugly. Richard Beck wanted it that way. He wanted to send a message against pimping and it's lifestyle.

Sometimes I wonder if these pimp wannbes can read.

Joseph Persico's "Franklin and Lucy" (Random House 2008) is a shallow collection of anecdotes centered around FDR's affair with, and later relationship with, Lucy Mercer. The stated theme of the book is the women in FDR's life, but Persico's theme ends up as nothing more than idle conjecture about how certain women, including his mother, Sara, his wife, Eleanor, and his faithful assistant, Missy LeHand, might have affected FDR as a person. Most of this has already been covered ad nauseam in prior books on FDR, and this effort ends up as a weak series of gossips, such as whether FDR's relationship with Missy LeHand was amorous.
In addition to its failure to bring any new information to the table, the book is filled with factual errors. For example, Persico has Theodore Roosevelt's first election to the presidency in 1902 (p. 51), FDR's second inaugural on March 4, 1937 (rather than the correct date of Jan. 20, 1937) (pp. 227, 249), and the Roosevelts' 20th wedding anniversary on March 17, 1926 (p. 164). This is very disappointing from an author who is well respected and who has authored a prior book on FDR, "Roosevelt's Secret War" (Random House 2001). Admittedly, these are minor errors, but one has to wonder whether this lack of attention to detail infects the entire book.

With all these politicians screwing around on their wives these days, why exactly do we need to know the gritty details of one from like a century ago? I guess because he's FDR and he became a super important president, and one personal decision of his might have changed A LOT of things from a historical perspective. The bulk of what I know about the Roosevelts came from History class. My teacher mentioned once that FDR supposedly died in the arms of his mistress, which I found kind of interesting, so I decided to see what the big deal was about. At the time, I definitely felt for Eleanor being the wronged wife who did all this crap for her husband and that was how he repaid her? Of course, the story is never that simple. It's never just one person's fault.

I guess the first thing is this Roosevelt marriage that seems to puzzle a lot of people. How they got together in the first place is kind of a mystery. FDR, in his youth to middle age, is always described as kind of a McDreamy-- really handsome, rich, charming, good pedigree, etc. Eleanor, as much as I love all that she did, was never much of a looker even in her younger days. On top of that, she was passive, shy, and had serious self-esteem problems. It makes you wonder how these two ever got together and what they had in common other than a distant relation. The book mentions that FDR had quite a few love interests before Eleanor and probably could've picked any girl he wanted, yet somehow he ended up married to her. In retrospect, knowing what eventually happened to their marriage, perhaps he should've just stuck to his beauty queen debutantes. Or maybe he should've waited a few more years before getting married.

It's not until about 10 years into the Roosevelt marriage that Lucy Mercer even appears though she's billed as the female lead in this. The fact is, there just isn't enough known about her to garner her that role. If this were a movie and they were allowed to embellish/play with the facts, maybe it would work. But since they're going on hard evidence, there's not much out there. However, it's hard to deny that they had a genuine love affair. And I agree with the author that they probably had sex since they were two attractive people who were in love and alone a lot. What else would happen? Still, in the end, FDR chose to stay with his wife. If this were such an all-consuming passion, I would think he'd just go for it. And other than her physical beauty and apparent "niceness", there isn't really that much that distinguishes Lucy Mercer. What exactly made their relationship so special and long-lasting? Other than the fact that she was young, pretty, available and he wanted sex.

I can kind of see why people think stuff went on with Missy Lehand but it's all too much speculation. Who really knows what they were doing on that boat? It wasn't like the Lucy Mercer thing where the consequences were an almost divorce and eternal separation from the marriage bed.

And while I did feel for Eleanor, I can't help but give her a little blame on this too. Okay, so FDR probably didn't love her as much as she loved him to begin with.. but what did she really expect after they stopped having sex? That just "talking" would be enough to sustain a marriage? Sorry but she shouldn't have been that naive. And while it totally sucks how she found out about his death, she was the one who essentially gave up on marriage. They could've used a good marriage counselor.

Biography is a form of archeology. Over 60 years after Franklin Roosevelt's death, new information is still coming to light, including recently discovered correspondence with Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd. Persico, who authored the superb "Roosevelt's Secret War", uses this and previously discovered documents (including the diary of Margaret "Daisy" Suckley, FDR's cousin) to draw a portrait of a man whose Byzantine personality has baffled researchers and biographers for decades. FDR preferred the presence of women over men, not only romantically but for ordinary company. Perhaps because with women, he did not feel the need to prove anything, perhaps because he loved gossip, FDR revealed himself and the workings of his mind more to women than to men. Previous biographers have referred to the sinuosity of FDR's thought process and his "feminine" mind (this is not meant as an aspersion against his essential masculinity, but reflects a flexibility of which many men are not capable). Persico reveals much of that by detailing his relationships with several women, including his mother Sara, Eleanor, Lucy (truly the love of his life), Missy LeHand, Daisy Suckley, Dorothy Schiff, and his daughter Anna. He also details Eleanor's relationships with Earl Miller, Lorena Hickok, and David Gurewitsch (the latter a younger doctor on whom Eleanor had something of a schoolgirl crush on during her later life.) Persico is impartial, and neither tries to obfuscate nor sensationalize the nature of these relationships. He presents the facts as they are and lets the reader draw the conclusions.

Now the bad news...

There are so many factual errors in this book it's hard to keep track of them, errors which could have been easily avoided with some quick fact checking. Persico refers to FDR's half-nephew, James "Taddy" Roosevelt, as Sara Roosevelt's stepson - - he was her step-grandson while Taddy's father, James "Rosy" Roosevelt was her stepson. He states that Eleanor suffered a case of hives during her honeymoon - - it was FDR who came down with hives. FDR's second inauguration is stated as having occurred on March 4, 1937, it took place on January 20 of that year - - the first January inauguration to happen after passage of the 21st Amendment. (Persico repeats the error with the 1941 inauguration, claiming that as the first January inauguration). Persico also misstates the circumstances under which Harry Truman learned that FDR was dead and Truman was President. Most of the above are so well documented it's hard to fathom how these mistakes were missed. Well, perhaps not: In the acknowledgements, Persico credits his wife and daughter as research assistants. But an impartial, unrelated editor, might have caught these errors.

In this biography, Persico paints an intimate portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt through the lens of his relationships with various women over the course of his life, including his mother, Eleanor, Lucy Rutherfurd, and others. I came to this book without much information about the Roosevelts, and I was pleased to find an assessable and thoroughly entertaining biography. Persico approaches his subject with sensitivity and balance, as deserved by this great family, but he does not avoid the tough issues.

Persico clearly has done his research but has refrained from overburdening the book with details. Although Persico remains focused on his theme throughout the book (FDR's relationships with women), the book is not a narrow treatment of FDR's life. All of the important events are included, along with the less well-known events that give us a glimpse into FDR's true character. This book's only misstep is a strange first chapter that seems to have been plucked from the middle of the book and stuck on the front, probably as a clumsy editor's last-minute attempt to force a "catchy" beginning.

Having read but a single work by author Persico prior to this (Piercing The Reich), I was unsure of what to expect in a book ostensiby about a man and his relationships with women. Having read a number of books on Roosevelt describing his disingenuous, Byzantine, unforthcoming dealings with men, I was not surprised that he ran true to form with women. However, this book broke some new ground.

First and foremost was the particular stress on FDR's being crippled and unable to walk and how that worked out to be both a hindrance and a blessing. Here the narrative was extremely productive.

Second, this book discusses FDR and his female entourage from the point of view of a very sympathetic woman. One wonders if this book was actually written by Persico or by his wife or daughter. For example, considered this discourse on page 246: "Schiff's fascination with FDR further displayed the superiority of women in their attitude toward men in that they consider the whole man, his intelligence, power, (wealth??) humor, and charm as producing attractiveness, not simply physical appeal, an approach that cannot always be said of male attitudes toward women." Wow! Who wrote this? Gloria Steinem?

Nonetheless, this books brings together FDR's relationships with those women close to him into fascinating focus with but a passing mention of the world around them. Persico presents the facts carefully, particularly when it comes to "Did they or didn't they?" -- very much in line with the motto of Fox News; "We report -- You decide." Sometimes he begins to moralize as "... Missy was all to ready to ....", but then draws back without passing judgment. I liked that.

There are two negatives in my opinion: a number of facts and dates are incorrect, and he fails to draw a sufficiently complete portrait of Missy LeHand, Lucy Mercer, Daisy Suckley or Dorothy Schiff for the reader to fully relate to them. These were all actresses with staring roles yet their characters remained clouded in mystery. Perhaps he ran out of time, perhaps out of sources. In these cases he needed to indicate where the reader should go to draw in the missing lines.

In this book FDR is truly as Holmes said; "A second class intellect [with] a first class temperament." Eleanor, the lady who loved the Tartars but not herself is summed up by, "...[she had] great compassion for the masses... but not much interest in the individual."

All in all, a valuable read.

I ordered this textbook set on August 12, and after seeing it went past my house after making a stop in New Jersey, UPS had this text travel north of my house before making its final destination at my home three days later. This appears to be what I need but the time it took to get it did not seem worth it.

This is a warning, not a review. The hardcover edition I ordered (as a student in a beginning Spanish class) turned out to be the "Instructor's Annotated Edition". It is a hardcover book, with one CD.
The book I require (that is available at full price at my college's bookstore) is a softcover book (more pages, too), with a CD and a CD-ROM. BE SURE when you order online.
John

There are some people for whom life itself is art, tragedy and all. Frida Kahlo was-is one of those people, her entire life was art in motion. I feel very lucky to have a copy of this personal work. There's darkness, humor, despair, love, warmth, sensuality, inspiration... The authors give a sensitive perspective on the journal entries along with translations in the back. Some may find this morbid but for me it is intensely life affirming, vibrant and beautiful. This is a book to be savored and revisited again and again.

I loved this book! I can't seem to put it down I do have to say that I would recommend it for billingual readers you will get a better understanding of the book. It is translated in english towards the back but, spanish readers will benifit the most out of the book because you will be able to understand Frida's humor about Diego. The first part of the diary is all in spanish and was written by Frida. The 2nd half is the english translation that will show a small replica of her drawings with the english translation. Some words are better left in spanish because the translation in english will not do them justice. Frida expresses her feelings so well that you can't help but feel her burning passion for diego and her lonliness. Frida was an intersting individual and her art is magnificent. She was an artist and a poet. Frida's diary is very morbid to say the least but, I love it. She expressed exactly what she felt at that exact moment. Her explanation to the way she sees each color is fantastic. I have gone through her paintings to see how many times she used the color Yellow. Buy the book to find out what this color means. Her physical pain is obvious and her paintings speak out for them selves. There is no doubt she was madly in love with diego above all. I learned much more about her through this diary. Please buy the Frida movie starring Selma Hayek things will make more sense to you. The author of this book uses every day language to translate her art. It is a must have book, I will definetly read it over and over. The book is absolutely a must have for Frida addicts like myself. I sometimes get lost while I'm reading it because I feel as if I can see and feel what she is describing. I absolutely love Frida and her artwork. Don't hesitate to buy this book it is worth every dollar you spend.

This book is simply beautiful. I especially love that it's a full color reproduction and then an English translation follows. If you are Frida devotee, I suggest getting this book.

for those who love the work of frida kahlo this book has lots to look at im very pleased that i found it

Frida Kahlo's diary has amplified my admiration for her. Her beautifully disturbing drawings and poetic words in this book are more than what I had expected. Though her handwriting is hard to read at times, the translations in the back are a big help. I shall cherish this book for a long time.

I love Torey Hayden's books and own all of the non-fiction ones. Ghost Girl was by far the most troubling, frightening and haunting book of them all. The things Jadie and her sister went through, and the things she confessed to Torey were just...almost indescribably awful. There is a part of the book where Torey reads a book about similar sadistic things being done and she says she wants to "throw the book into the fire" for putting such evil, disgusting thoughts in her mind by making her aware of their existence. Despite the fact I love Torey Hayden and all her books and thought this was good as well, that is how I felt while I was reading Ghost Girl. So be forewarned!

This was a fascinating story that I stayed up late to finish in one night.

When a Special Education teacher begins to see clues that Jadie, one of her students, might be the victim of possible ritualistic sexual abuse, she digs deeper and ultimately must come forward with her suspicions.

This is a haunting, riveting read!

After just finishing Ghost Girl..I thought it was spellbinding all the way through...Little Jadie..just crawled inside my heart..and forever will stay..donna from Indiana

Another great book that I couldn't put down. She has such amazing stories to share about her years teaching and she writes in a way that keeps the reader hooked until the very end.

As in her other books, special ed teacher Torey Hayden charts a year in the life of her students...this time focusing upon Jadie Ekdahl, an electively mute little girl.

Being warned about all the past teachers who have tried to get Jadie to speak but failed, Hayden is surprised when she succeeds in getting the child to answer her questions within hours of her arrival.

Once Jadie does begin to speak, she hints of horrible abuse she and her younger sisters have suffered, abuse which is either pornographic or Satanic in nature. Although Hayden does help Jadie significantly, she never does learn the full story behind the abuse, as the child cannot understand everything she's been through, her parents vehemently deny it...and the community as a whole refuses to believe anything at all's happened. It's a bit of a letdown for readers, getting into the details of an abused child's life, yet never learning what really happened in the end.

Although this book -- like all of Hayden's others -- crosses into the realm of potential sap, preachiness or self-admiration, it never goes there. While Heyden's quest to help the children -- and resulting success with them -- puts her well ahead of other educators, she never takes on the air of patting herself on the back for it. Rather, she is a mere human; one who often becomes frustrated, as anyone else might be; and far from perfect. Often, as she becomes fixated on the children, Heyden forgets to balance the other areas of her life, which become problematic as a result.

This is a fascinating look at the life of a child suffering incredibly bizarre abuse, and how one caring individual tried to help.

Don't let the idiotic and juvenile book cover fool you. This ia very good and interesting book.

I Tried to get this book for at least a year and wasnt dissapointed. Well written gunns for hire, feel like your there , rideing in the seat with the gun pointing at the door!!

Thanks to the patience and persistence of the author, I was able to 'meet' the many so called 'terrorists' majority of whom, it seemed, were the victims of greed, bounties and plain mismanagement by our adminstration. The very existence of this camp has tarnished our image globally and after reading the authors first hand encounters , it seemed like all the constitutional safeguards engraved were being violated at Guantanamo. My thanks to the author and the many probono lawyers who at considerable personal risk and loss of income have helped us get a better picture of what really was happening in Guantanamo. This is an easy to read book and the personal accounts of the pediatrician,the paralyed old Afghani and the many others made me wonder if I can ever again trust or believe the 'official' version of these and other events.Thanks Mahvish for authoring this much needed book.

Listening to the author talk about the detainees in very flowing terms (she would even let them babysit her kids), I cannot but wonder how naive the author must be.

Of course I believe that the detainees should be tried speedily, however to speak of all of them as innocent is ridiculous and betrays a lack of understanding of the dangerous world out there.

I am very much enjoying reading this book. Mahvish Khan gives the forbidding nature of Gitmo a human face, portraying the human sides of these faceless detainees and those working on their cases.

The author is an American born of Afghan immigrants. Her Father became a successful cardiologist and her Mother became the director of neonatology. Mahvish grew up caught in between the realities of two worlds... her parent's restrictive, conservative, old world disciplines, and her longing for a bit more of the looser American way. She graduated from the University Of Michigan and then attended law school at the University Of Miami. In 2005 while in law school, "she was studying the federal torture statues and how policy makers had cleverly circumvented legal principles in creating the military detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where prisoners in the "war on terror" could be held indefinitely without being charged with any crime." Mahvish felt the pain of September 11th as an American... "But also understood the need to invade Afghanistan and destroy the Taliban and al-Qaeda. But I also felt the suffering of the Afghans, when hundreds of Afghan men were rounded up and thrust into the black hole of detention at Guantanamo." This led her to volunteer to become an interpreter between volunteer lawyers and the detainees. And this leads to the core of this heart-breaking... heart-warming... educational odyssey... into what is really going on in Guantanamo, and the horrifying abuse in route to there .

In an attempt to convey to potential readers, the "delicate" power in the words and meaning communicated by the author in this book... I feel it would be helpful to share with you how it affected me. I am an honorably discharged Viet Nam era Veteran, who has always felt very strongly that America was losing a lot more of our precious American lives in battle, because we seem to be the only country that adheres to true "RULES OF ENGAGEMENT". While other countries entire military plans are built around suicide bombers blowing up and murdering innocent civilians, women and children... our soldiers literally have to call lawyers from the battlefield before they make their next move! But here is where this wonderful young woman EDUCATED ME like no newscast or newspaper was able to do. She so perfectly "straddled" both sides of the ethnic line between her heritage and her birthright.

What I learned made me both mad and disappointed in the lack of legal "equality-of-justice" to other human beings. Believe me... I know there are some pretty despicable characters at Gitmo... but there are also innocent men who were snatched out of their families... out of their jobs... out of their countries. I also know that in every jail and prison in the world everyone says they're "innocent", and as one of the volunteer lawyers at Gitmo said: regarding the "face of evil... how normal it looks, how so many of the men who perpetrated some of the worst crimes in history - Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot - had been men who appeared perfectly ordinary, who were kind to children and dogs."

But here's what I learned from this book, and feel must be done, so some of the tarnish can be cleansed from America's name: Lawyers must be assigned immediately to any "enemy combatants" arrested. There must be a time limit as to how long someone can be held without a trial or evidence. (Due to most cases involved at Gitmo being international in scope, the period does need to be much longer than a normal case in America... but no one should be allowed to be kept in such de-humanizing conditions for five years without a trial and conviction.) All sexually demeaning atrocities, such as being made to stand or lay naked for extended times should be outlawed. Rape and sexual perversion (imagine me having to state this in America!) should be outlawed and perpetrators should face heavy jail time themselves. Prisoners should be allowed to have writing supplies and receive mail on a timely basis. (Not holding up letters for a year or more.) AND HERE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POLICY THAT SHOULD BE CHANGED IMMEDIATELY: **UNLESS IT IS A HIGH RANKING ENEMY SUCH AS BIN LADEN, ETC. STOP THE POLICY OF PAYING REWARDS FOR TURNING PEOPLE IN!

*** HERE'S WHY ** "Many of the men insisted that they they'd been sold to the United States. During the war after September 11th, the U.S. military air-dropped thousands of leaflets across Afghanistan promising between $5,000.00 and $25,000.00 to anyone who would turn in members of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Considering that the per capita income in Afghanistan in 2006 was $300.00 or 82 cents a day, that's like hitting the jackpot. The median income for each American household was $26,036.00 in 2006. If a bounty system of equal proportions were offered to Americans, it would be worth $2.17 MILLION. The average American and the average Afghan would have to work for eighty-three years to make that kind of money." Pakistani's and Afghan's who had a grudge against a neighbor were turning people in... getting the reward... and the poor soul who was "fingered" spent years and years in the hell that was constructed at Gitmo. One of these unfortunate men had gotten into an argument with a worker that was supposed to connect water to his house and didn't. They got into a fight, and the worker turned the homeowner in, and he wound up spending over three years in the bowels of Gitmo hell. "THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) has said it was unaware of any sort of bounty being paid for the prisoners." **YET INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK ARE TWO PICTURES OF THE LEAFLETS THAT WERE DISPERSED ALL OVER PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN! "Pakistani president Musharraf even bragged about it in his memoir, "In The Line Of Fire": "We have earned bounties totaling millions of dollars, he wrote, admitting that his agents had handed over 369 men to the U.S. military in exchange for CIA "prize money". According to Amnesty International reports, two-thirds of the men who landed in Guantanamo were picked up in Pakistan, where many were "groomed" in local jails to grow out their beards and look more like Taliban before being sold to the U.S. military.

It is a FACT that most of the prisoners being held in Gitmo were never on a battlefield. If this book can make such a big impression on this patriotic veteran... I can't wait to see the effect it will have on people who don't start out with as hard core beliefs as I did. One of the biggest goals of every book ever written is to educate... and this book has sure as hell educated me!

In this book My Guantánamo Diary the author shows why in an election year, we citizens have to know what our government is doing. Mahvish Khan is an American born lawyer, which I hope people remember.

She is not an enemy of the United States, but such a lover of the United States Constitution, which I wish more supporters of the Bush administration were. She even notes that when she first went to Guantánamo even she assumed she would be meeting terrorists.

The author also is a very positive person so please don't assume the book is all gloom and doom. As an American I found the book to be a wonderful insight into how far we have come since Washington was President, to a place I personally don't like.

The book will or should make you ask yourself if you were arrested, how long do you think you should be held without contact with a lawyer or visits from family? And the author also shares that those men who have been freed after six or more years of arrest, because they were not guilty, do not have hatred toward the American citizen. Would you be as gracious if you were in their shoes?

The book also reminded me that George Washington wrote in a March 24, 1784, letter to his aide Tench Tilghman, saying that Muslims should be hired. Thomas Jefferson owned and read the Quran. Muslims have been in America since the early 1700's.