History Books

. . . with its historic accuracy and continent-spanning settings, "Away" touches deep, universal emotions in a fresh and unique way. Well worth reading!

What a fabulous, fascinating, complex and magical read. Not a happy book; not a cheerful book but a hook you in, make you want to stay up late and read all night kind of a book. One of the best books I've read in a very long time.

I bought the book at an airport shop. I wanted something short and easy.
Instead I found a lovely and often moving melange of characters that surrounded our main heroine.
It took me a little while to adjust to Amy Bloom's writing style. I found everything sort of flowed into the next. However, once I too let myself go I was carried along in the thought process. Its a book that resonates feelings more than images. It is a hard road she chooses, and some might question her logic as she leaves the safety of money and class. But instead she finds a deeper and truer self.
It was a short book but it was filled with much more than easy lessons.

I have a habit of buying books much quicker than I get around to reading them. Such has been the case with past Amy Bloom books for me. I have a couple of her short story books, but I don't think I've read either of them all the way through - such is the way with me and short story collections.

However, I really enjoyed her novel Away. Although I feel it was a combination novel/short story collection because each chapter felt like a short story as we were introduced to different characters along Lillian's journey. Lillian was the only consistent character throughout the book. I thought the charcters were complete, interesting and sympathetic in their own rights. I also enjoyed Bloom's style of letting us know what happened to each character after Lillian left them.

I would definately recommend this book to friends who enjoy stories with good characters.

This was a frustrating read. I wanted to like the book, because I found the idea of Lillian's journey for love compelling. Unfortunately, Lillian herself, is not. She is presented as a strong woman, but she isn't a strong character. It may be that Bloom intends to reveal who she is by her actions (or in this case, primarily, reactions), but Lillian simply does whatever it takes to find her lost daughter - just like any mother would in that situation. There's nothing that tells us who SHE is (Does she have a sense of humor? Is she beautiful? Is she feisty?) It's easy to imagine women of vastly different stripes making the same choices Lillian does. The characters around her are so much more specific and clearly drawn that they pop, while Lillian recedes, Zelig-like, into whatever they need her to be. The ubiquitous sex as currency gets old quickly. Is it possible that every single person in the good old USA wants sex off a stranger covered in muck? Or does Lillian just have bad luck? It would make more sense if we had some idea of her physical charms. As it is, we don't even have a clear idea of what she looks like, and she's too taciturn and chimerical to be credible as an object of universal desire. Even her very brief romance with John Bishop is more or less unexplained. He wanted sex too. So what's different about him? Is it just that he cleaned her lice and cooked a rabbit? What makes her love for him enough to end the search for Sophie? Although we never stop rooting for Lillian - because we're rooting for all mothers everywhere who have lost children - it's hard to like Lillian, or even know whether we're supposed to or not. I gave it three stars because I appreciated Bloom carrying us forward in the lives of the supporting characters (who I was more interested in) and because I felt she brought to life the era and the places, particularly the gold trail in Alaska, where I have been.

Read this book a few years ago - and for some reason Amazon deleted my review.

While not a fan of his first novel, I find that Eugenides wrote a captivating tale - one tries to avoid terms like "coming of age" but when the story is told so creatively, woven into history, with such unique circumstance - and such emotional honesty, the novel exceeds generalizations.

i do not like oprah. but she reccommended this book and i said what the hell. it is a great read. funny, touching and totally engrossing. dont listen to what oprah says read it yourself

I must preface my remarks by admitting that I am, apparently, a literary phillistine. Most works of acclaimed literature fail to interest me and prove to be a slog to get through. I am left wondering whether I am somehow unequipped to appreciate fine literature, or whether, in fact, the Emperor is wearing no clothes. Suffice it to say, when reading for pleasure, I rarely gravitate to the classics or Pulitzer prize winners.

That said, it is a real pleasure when I can find myself truly enjoying what is considered a great work of literature. At such times, I begin to believe there may be hope for me after all. Such was the case with Cold Mountain, Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and most recently, Middlesex.

This novel weaves a fascinating tale, in three distinct threads, through the eyes and emotions of a hermaphrodite. The story begins through the narration of a now middle aged foreign service bureaucrat, Cal Stephanides. Cal was born a "female", but upon reaching puberty, began demonstrating the secondary sexual characteristics of a male. The story then reverts to Cal's grandparents as they immigrate from a war torn Asia Minor. From that point, the story flows smoothly back and forth from the ancestors, to Cal's (Calliope's) childhood and to the present day in a surprisingly seemless fashion.

The story is gripping, both for the history imparted (most particularly Turko-Greek relations in Asia Minor in the post WWI years and the growth and decay of Detroit) as well as for the lives of the primary characters. A minor thread touching upon the foundation of the Nation of Islam in Detroit is particularly entertaining. And throughout, the writing is extraordinary without being oppressively dense.

When reading a book of this quality, I'm constantly reminded that, at least in my opinion, the underlying essence of a good book lies in the artistic telling of a captivating story. The finest writing on the planet cannot cover for a story that either goes nowhere or is simply boring (Suite Francaise comes immediately to mind). This fine novel has both, outstanding writing and a fascinating story with which to demonstrate it. Highly recommended.

There were so many times in this book where I had to go back and reread a line for its beauty/truth; also times where I literally laughed out loud. In fact, I often read passages outloud to my reading-disinterested husband.

Overall, I loved it. But for sure there were whole sections where I found myself impatient and frustrated by the infernal cleverness of the writer. He is certainly funny, and often profound, but I often felt as if the author teased his readers for far too long---and barely satisfied when it came time to deliver on his 500 page promise.

That said, I would certainly recommend reading it. There are just too many gems, too much good writing to pass up. I will certainly read the Virgin Suicides----only sorry I saw that particular story first.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It is a "meaty" story, filled with the history of the characters. There is also enough fact as to be educational and thought-provoking.

I read this book while serving in Iraq as a Combat Infantry Soldier in the US Army. I was not a Fobbit, meaning I went on on patrol everyday into the 'dreaded Red Zone'. I conducted raids, TCPs (Traffic Control Points), responeded to - and found IEDs ( sometime the hard way, meaning they blew us up) and toom part in many, many QRF (Quick Reaction Force) missions... And yes, I shot people. And hit them.
Everything described in this book I went through. Memory loss, feeling outside myself, auditory exculsion, reacting without thinking, blah, blah, blah...
This book has it nailed. LTC Grossman knows what he is talking about.
If you are a Vet, read it. If you know a Vet, read it. If you are a nobody, read it.

This extraordinary book details the reactions and responses of the human body under battle conditions. During such an event, our physical systems transform for greater efficiency and effectiveness. The book is quite fascinating in its details on the nervous system, the heart, eyesight, hearing, breathe, etc., The author, Lt. Colonel Grossman, has considerable experience in the field as an expert in psychology. He has taught at West Point and is a Professor of Military Science.

The point of the book is to acquaint the warrior (including soldiers, police, citizen soldiers, etc., ) with the effects of combat to understand their own physical responses - and better perform in the field. This knowledge is critical. The warrior will begin to understand his own physical transformation in combat and perform better. Grossman examines the nature of combat and violence including its evolution and also the requirements both physically and psychologically which are necessary for the warrior. Grossman details research how to buttress the mind against stress and fear. He even explores the body's response in the post-combat arena.

Overall, this book is essential for combat training for the Police Officer, the soldier or America's Citizen Soldier.

Michael Mandaville, Author of the upcoming, "Citizen Soldier Handbook: 101 Ways for Every American To Fight Terrorism"

Although it is targeted primarily to warriors, 'On Combat' is a very valuable book that should be read by a much wider audience. It certainly has a wealth of information for soldiers and police officers, but it has much more besides.

I'll try to address some of the areas where it is particularly useful for military and law enforcement types (warriors) and also parts that are great for everyone.

First, the warriors:

1. Innoculation against fear and stress. By preparing psychologically for combat, one can be much better equipped to deal with it. This preparation also includes making the decision in advance if one is capable of killing another person in defense of oneself and others. (Hint: Those who cannot make that decision should not get into or stay in these fields.) As the authors state: 'When you are truly prepared to kill someone, you are less likely to have to do it.'
2. Debriefing - By talking through the events that have transpired, warriors are much better able to decompress. The authors even show the history of this and why PTSD and other psychological factors have been so much more problematic starting about the time of WWI.
3. Physical reactions - This includes the importance of such things as loss of bladder/bowel control, auditory exclusion, and tunnel vision.
4. Sleep deprivation and its toxic affect on performance.

Now, for everyone:

1. The powerful link between media and teen violence. A couple of the statistics cited in the book include these: A Canadian study showed a 90% reduction in teen violence when video games were removed. Also, there is a causal link between media and one-half of murders (AMA).
2. Tactical breathing - Although this powerful technique has a particular benefit for the military and law enforcement, its application can be of great help to those in accidents, undergoing medical procedures, etc. This one tool alone is well worth the price of the book.

Everyone can profit from the information in this book. I would recommend it for anyone.

I first read this book over a decade after my own combat experiences during the first gulf war, and it was a great help to me.

Now I gift a copy of this book to my buddies as they prepare for their own deployment.

A must read for a citizen-soldier.

WOW, this is a must read for anyone in the military or Law Enforcement. They cover things I had never before been told but should have. This will change the way you think and prepare for your daily task. A must read for everyone from a recruit to seasoned veteran.

Mr. Wright has done an outstanding job of connecting the dots from the first hints of Islamic terrorism to the catastrophic events of 9/11. The book is very readable and gives a clear understanding of this small group of disenfranchised, Middle-Eastern religious windbags and why they were allowed to fester. Also it fleshes out how the bureaucratic infighting between, primarily, the CIA and FBI helped Al-Qaeda to succeed in the terrorists' attacks. The book '102 Minutes' by Jim Dwyer & Kevin Flynn compliments Mr. Wrights book by explaining the bureaucratic snafus and political pettiness that contributed to many of the unnecessary deaths in the Twin Towers. Illuminating, frustrating and places the events and key individuals in proper perspective. Please do yourself a favor and read it.

It is easy to see how the author won the Pulitzer for this book. It is the definitive account of Al Qaeda's genesis leading up to 9/11. The book is both detailed but also concise and extremely readable. The author has a talent to make these events of non-fiction read like the best thriller novel. For those that want to understand our enemy and how we got to 9/11, this is essential reading. Highly recommended.

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 is appropriately titled. If I had to recommend a first book for one who wants to gain insight into the formation of the world's most sinister terrorist organization and the events leading to September 11, 2001, this is the book. Lawrence Wright is concise, to the point and does not allow the book's tentacles to wander too far away from the main subject, Al-Qaeda, in an attempt to cover the fundamentals. Mr. Wright also covers "The Wall" very well. The Wall was the operational restrictions mainly between the FBI and the CIA exposed during the 911 Commission. The Wall discouraged mutual cooperation between the CIA and the FBI in investigating the very terrorists that would wreak havoc in America on that fateful date. The book focuses on many individuals involved in the investigation of Al-Qaeda, especially the late FBI Special Agent John O'Neill's battles with "The Wall", US Ambassador-to-Yemen Barbara Bodine, and Al-Qaeda in general. John O'Neill is a true American hero and this book explains why. Mr. Wright also ties the 1998 US Embassy bombings in East Africa, the 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, and the September 11, 2001 attacks in a simple package. Sometimes the book lacks substance but that can be directly attributed to a lack of information or suspect resources associated with Al-Qaeda which to date remains a shadowy terrorist organization. Great book.

First of all, this book makes it clear that 9/11 had many roots that stem from many factors, all of which combined to create the perfect storm that we know as 9/11. However, most of the activities that directly led up to the even occurred during the Clinton Administration. I think Wright tried to protect the reputations of such key people as Sandy Berger, George Tenet, Madeline Albright, Louis Freeh and others -- mainly by omitting or scarcely mentioning them -- leaders who must bear responsibility for success or failure. Instead, Wright goes after the lesser officials -- the guys on the ground, the expendable professionals. And it's clear that he's a big fan of Richard Clarke, who probably provided him with a great deal of the inside baseball in which Clarke is hardly a disinterested party. Therefore Clarke comes out good in this book, despite his attempts to shift blame from his shoulders on others. Wright also seems to favor the FBI, probably because one of the main characters of this book is uber-FBI agent and philanderer John O'Neil. I imagine the CIA didn't help its own cause due to its institutionalized and deep-seated secrecy that probably thwarted its ability to effectively tell its side of the story.

All that said, however, there is no taking away from the fact that this book is a monumental chronology of the rise of jihadist terrorism and and almost Keystone Kops bureaucracy battles between the FBI and the CIA that unwillingly abetted 9/11. If Wright is to be believed -- and I think he should be -- 9/11 could have easily been prevented had the CIA and FBI coordinated better. There were enough warnings but those warnings weren't often shared because each group had a separate agenda --the CIA wanting to recruit spies; the FBI seeking to put them in jail. Also, the book paints a picture of Osama Bin Laden that is revealing. We see that he is not invincible. Instead, he is largely flawed and vulnerable. To my mind, he's a dangerous but unstable mental case who just got lucky. He's still dangerous, but not invincible. Another message is that the U.S. is quite capable of protecting itself against the terrorists if it can correct the infighting among the intelligence/law enforcement instituions. All in all, this is a book for our times and screams to be on bookshelves all over America. The murders and psycopaths are coming back. Will we be ready for them? This book may help you answer that question.

The Looming Tower does a superb examination of the 9/11 attacks and their attackers. The author did extensive research for this history of terrorism, describing its morph from anti-Communist/Left-wing agenda (as atheists, the Communists and the Left-Wing were a huge abomination to the militant Muslims) in Afghanistan to the present day. He details how the group led by Osama bin Laden, called Al-Qaeda, was formed in that country along with their ideology blaming America. As a modestly wealthy member of a prominent Saudi construction family, bin Laden lived a Spartan life and created a responsive and insular organization with a strong sense of publicity. The list of terrorist attacks include East Africa embassy attacks, the USS Cole and more. Like war, counterterrorism is not a scientific activity with 100% assurance of results. It's inexact at best and we see that the FBI, CIA and other agencies are pursuing an uneven and cloudy trail. One of the most dangerous aspects of bin Laden's efforts are the seeds that he tossed into the wind to create a considerable, unconnected (and therefore untraceable) waves of terrorist imitators.

Michael Mandaville, Author: "Citizen Soldier Handbook: 101 Ways for Every American to Fight Terrorism"

This was a good book to read and the story line showed an interesting and unraveling plot twisting its way through major contents of philosophical knowledge. It is a pleasant read and one that is relaxing and kind to the mind. It is worth buying if you want to know philosophy in a simple and historical way and it will give you some basic understanding on how philosophy evolved. The author has written it in his unique perspective and it has many creative moments making it very special and memorable.

This is my first philosophy book. I'm no 14- or 15-year-old, but I was so delighted and intrigued by the way an abstract subject is explained with such concrete examples, occasional good humor as well as the story within story technique used to illustrate some of the contemporary philosophical ideas towards the second half of the book. As a result, I've gone on to purchase my second philosophy book. And looking forward to learning more through more books and discussion with others.

I would certainly recommend this to anyone (young or old, male or female) who's new to philosophy and wants to learn it in a relatively painless way. By the way, the story (or history) is long, over 500 pages. And the book makes no pretense (in any way) to be literature. The subtitle says it all: A Novel About the History of Philosophy.

If you want an easy way to learn about philosophy this is the book to ready! It is also a bit of a mystery which makes it more fun.

Take the plunge. This really is a great introduction to philosophy--If that is what you want to read this book for, then as of yet I have not found a better book. The plot can be gimmicky, but you won't care if you'll realize it is just a little flavor to move the book along while tackling certain philosophical questions outside of history and instead inside the actual novel. There are over 500 reviews written on this book. It currently has a four star review and the only real criticism I see is that people say that it is not 'real literature.' Well I just find that elitist humbug of people who are too proud to admit that this is a wonderful introduction to philosophy.

I forget where I found this book - not, I think, on Amazon. I took it on vacation, thinking a novel about philosophy should at least help me sleep at night. Not only did I race through it eagerly, but my better half, who has not been seen reading a book for pleasure in the 8 years we've been together, also picked it up and couldn't put it down. We've just ordered six more copies to give to friends. This time from Amazon - a much better deal.

I brought this book for an art history class I'm taking. I like the format of the book. I also have found it easy to read and not boring.

I had to buy this book for an Art History class and I find it to be very informative, considering I had no education in the evolution of art. Would recommend for anyone interested in seeing how art evolved into what it is today.

This thriller is one of the most hyped books this summer. The story follows one man's hunt to catch a serial killer of children. In typical thriller fashion, different chapters reveal what is happening with the protagonist, the killer, and occasionally victims or other side characters. Most chapters end with a cliff hanger before checking in with another character in the next.

Where Child 44 differs from the usual Safeway novel thrillers is in its setting - the story takes place in a Soviet Union ruled by Stalin. Clearly the author did quite a bit of research into that era, and he does a good job of showing the horrors and difficulties of life during that time. Much of the novel is spent developing the characters and setting - the murder investigations don't really rev up until the second half of the book.

Although the dialog is sometimes over-earnest and the who-dunnit aspect of the story is not very exciting, this book is still worth a read because of the dark but fascinating world and time it draws the reader into. This book should appeal to mystery/thriller fans, as well as those who enjoy historical fiction.

A young boy named Arkady is found murdered on the rails in Moscow. The family is visibly upset and it's MGB officer Leo Demidov's job to assure the family it wasn't murder. It couldn't have been, even though the body had been mutilated, because the year is 1953 and this is Soviet Russia under Stalin, the Worker's Paradise and the world knows there is no murder in Paradise. Just ask anyone in the government, they'll tell you.

Leo Stepanovich Demidov is an officer in the MGB (the secret police). He's a tough veteran of WW II who is in top physical shape, mentally though, we might think he's not so pure. He's a product of the system, has arrested countless comrades for crimes they haven't committed, tortured them before they'd been executed. In Leo's defense, he believes in the Worker's Paradise, where police interrogation consists of scratching away at innocence until guilt is revealed. If arrested you're guilty until proven innocent and nobody is ever proven innocent, because the scratching never stops.

However, Demidov's belief in the system is tested and shaken when he's ordered to spy on his school teaching wife Raisa. In the end he doesn't betray her. Not happy, his superiors demote him and send him off to a small town in the Urals, where he learns about more mutilated dead children and he figures out there is a serial killer riding the rails of the Soviet Union.

Even though suspects have been arrested for the crimes, Demidov knows better and he goes in search for the killer and he won't be deterred, even with the MGB and all the powers of the State out to stop him in this thriller that grips right from the get go, sucks you in, glues your eyes to the pages and dares you to put the book down. This is not just a thriller, it's a primer on the Soviet Union under Stalin, not a nice place. Demidov's transformation from believer to sceptic to man on the run after a killer is a story that will not only keep you burning the midnight oil, it'll take you to a dreary, dangerous time and place you won't soon forget.

This book is set in the Soviet Union, around the 1950's during the end of Stalin's regime. I am not conversant with Russia's history, hence, the reason why the book did not catch my interest at first.

During this time, paranoia reigned the streets. Imagine a world where instead of presumption of innocence is the order of the game presumption of guilt becomes the norm. No matter what a citizen does, once the State thinks that he did something bad, he will be arrested and forced (meaning tortured by any means possible) to admit a crime (any crime, it does not matter what). That citizen would then be sentenced to up to 25 years in the Gulag or to face execution. Even when a citizen is innocent, the torture would be too much and eventually, he would break.

This is the backdrop of this novel. The main character, Leo, is a war hero for the State. He is a high-ranking official of the MGB and his first order of business was to convince a family that their child, Arkady, was killed in an accident. The family, however, believed that he was murdered. If the family continues their belief, all of them would be executed. No one disagrees with the State.

Because of his position, Leo's family lives in luxury - meaning they get an entire apartment to themselves and they have hot water. He has a wife and a very promising career. But things start turning around when Leo suddenly grows a conscience. Instead of arresting a man the State thinks did something bad, he investigated the person and allowed him to escape. He was eventually captured, but still, this mistake cost Leo not only his life, but his family, as well.

(Spoiler Alert - stop reading if you intend to read the book)

Leo was asked by the State to denounce his wife saying she was a spy. To this he refused and because of this, they were sent to exile in an unknown town. His parents were removed from their apartment and transferred to an apartment where 2 other families lived. In this apartment, there was no plumbing, no hot water and no toilet (only a bucket).

When Leo arrived in that town, he was alerted about a murder that took place days earlier. The murder involved a girl whose belly was slashed open and her stomach cut out. She was completely naked. Her clothes were filed neatly 20 paces away from her body. Her mouth was filled with loose soil or bark or some kind of material and a string was attached to her ankle. Suddenly, Leo remembered what the family of Arkady told him. The murders were similar.

He then starts to investigate these murders, which the State had already solved and covered up. If he did this, he would be tried for treason. This is where his journey starts. This is also the moment where he and his wife start seeing each other as human beings and not just a way to protect themselves to survive.

After much investigation, he finds out that the killer has killed at least 44 children all over south Russia. But what he was not prepared for was to find out who the killer was.

It turns out that the killer was his own brother. And the task was to kill the murderer, his brother. His brother's only motive in killing was to make Leo come to him. Leo now had a very hard choice to make. But in the end, he killed his brother.

He was called a hero once again (this time, however, Stalin had died and Kruschev was the new leader). He got a promotion to which he declined and requested that he head a homicide division instead.

(spoilers end here)

The entire book was filled with suspense and thrillers. There was a part where they had to hide from the MGB and Leo knew how the MGB operated. So what they did was to attach themselves underneath the MGB's trucks and hold on until they were past the village.

There was also a part where they worked on escaping from the train. However, the train itself was built so that anyone who escaped would die. Apparently, at the endmost of the train, hooks were attached. Several hundreds of hooks, protruding at different angles in order to snatch any person's body sneaking underneath the train.

In the beginning, when Leo tried to catch someone, and that person, instead of giving up, drowned himself in ice-cold water (literally, the river was frozen but he managed to break a part of the ice and let himself be dragged). Leo followed suit and was about to lose oxygen when he was able to get hold of the prisoner, break the ice and get out.

The book is a must-read. I can't wait for the movie. Ridley Scott (director of American Gangster, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator and many more) is going to be directing this film. This should be something to look forward to.

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Could not put it down or stop reading (so good I had to leave it in the car overnight to keep myself from staying up all night).
The twists and turns caught me like a string around my ankle and the author kept pulling me in.
I understand the film rights have been sold to Ridley Scott. Excellent book - 5 stars.

this was a superbly written novel of a true tale of mayhem.....bought a copy for a friend since i wanted to keep my own........would like to read more from this author in future!

The "Nightingales's Song" is a remarkable story. I know three of the five characters, (McCain, McFarlane, and Webb), and truly admire them all. This book is a great piece of reporting, and is more relevant today than it was when it was first published. Admiral Jim Stavridis, still on the front lines of history, and a wonderful writer as well, said this book is a, "Greek tragedy," and is, "no more about Iran-Contra than 'Moby Dick' is about whaling." David Mamet who recommended this story to me and I both agree.

amazing must read book.

first the writing is simply beautiful, from the choice of words, to hidden humor and subtle points to the really big ideas that make a life ruined by reading well worthwhile.

second, i have no idea what genre this book falls into. it is unique.
it is the well researched story of 5 men's lives, those most effected by the iran contra hearings. from the day they entered the US Naval Academy to the time of the hearings.

the hearings are just a chapter or so at the very end. it is how they got to where they were and even more importantly --who they are and what they had learned during their time in government service that makes the books both a pleasure for the eye and for the mind. it is very good history with a high level analysis of what is good about these men and what is bad and how choosing each path is important, in these cases not only for the men involved but for the country they serviced.

thanks to the author for a very pleasant and rewarding day spent reading...

This book was important when it was published and remains so today. It describes in detail key members of the Reagan administration and other prominent political figures. Some remain active today, e. g. John McCain, James Webb, Oliver North. Most interesting figure, in my opinion, was Admiral Poindexter. He was a brilliant man with a Ph. D. but commanded at sea and was apparently respected and liked by the sailors. In my opinion, it may be unusual for a CalTech PH. D. to be a down-to-earth commander of troops.

Lots of detail; well-researched; very interesting book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book's insights into these prominent graduates of the U. S. Naval Academy. I gained in-depth information about the subjects which I never saw covered in any other publication.

This was an amazing book when it was written a few years ago, and is now more timely than ever. It follows the careers of five Naval Academy graduates, all of whom gained some measure of fame--Oliver North, Jim Webb (now US Senator from VA) John Poindexter and "Sparky" McFarlane, both of whom served Ronald Reagan, and JOHN MCCAIN, who certainly was a wild man, by any standard, in his younger years. Beautifully written by another Naval Academy graduate who was severely wounded in Vietnam.

I didn't know much about the crue before i read this book. But it's a riviting book with entertaining tales of crazy far-out rock n' roll lifestyles. A good read.

I just finished reading the The Dirt and it was, honest to God, one of the most compelling books I have ever read. I am a huge Motley Crue fan but the great thing about this book is that you don't have to be a fan, heck you don't even have to like music to enjoy this book. This book is about music, but just barely. There is a little bit about Nikki Sixx and how he came up with lyrics and such but other than that there's not much about the music itself. This book is very different from Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" and Slash's autobiography. Those books have a good deal of information on the actual music. "The Dirt" stays away from it. Instead, it tells the amusing, shocking, and sometimes utterly revolting stories of the band members while they were in their teen years, when they were just a young upstart band in West Hollywood, and when they became international stars and went on tour. A worthwhile read.

The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band Motley Crue, the name say's it all, but the "Rock God's" also showed how human they are through their MANY loves, loses, & to still, be on top & together after all these Year's!!!!!!!!! KEEP ROCKIN' MOTLEY CRUE!

This book is incredible!! I read it cover to cover. What I love about this book most is that it is written the way these guys would speak. For example, after every sentence Tommy writes, it finished with bro, or dude.
The stories written give you such a great insight as to how these men became some of the most notorious rockstars of all time. From their earliest memories growing up, til a few years ago. At times, it can be confusing as to what really happened as the stories are told from a few different points of view, but that further allows you to see who these guys are.
The advenutures and the (many, many, many) nights of debauchery, the numerous near death experiences and overdoses, the personal tragedies of each man. This book has it all. And in perfect, descriptive detail.
I wouldn't, however, recommend this book to people with a weak stomach, but to anyone else who has any interest in rock music and the lifestyle, I personally guarentee you won't be able to put this one down. I seriously can't describe enough how good this book is.

I picked up this book after reading Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries" (also great). I'm not a fan of Motley Crue, but this book captured my imagination. The members of the band and associated business partners really pulled me in.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys sex, drugs, and/or rock and roll.