Politics Government Books

I ordered my books almost 2 full weeks ago, and paid to have them shipped first class so I would recieve them before my classes began...Well unfortunately 2 weeks and 100 dollars later, still no books. I guess I just don't know how people can do things like this and not have a guilt trip..

This is a great book, one of best deisng i seen, contain lots of page but is a compact size. save space.

The translation is superb! The notes are outstanding! Get this book if you want the most out of the Republic!

Bloom's essay is possibly the best commentary on Plato I've read. An overly simple summary is that he suggests many of Socrates' proposals were intentionally preposterous, with the aim of leading his interlocutors to grasp that no truly legitimate political system is possible, and that the best course for individuals is to tend their souls, necessarily within a polity, going along with its requirements as necessary, but avoiding involvement in it as much as possible. He also suggests that much of what Socrates says is not a definite political program, but directed to the particular characters of his interlocutors (Glaucon and Adeimantus) to lead them towards philosophy and away from their particular weaknesses (as Socrates saw them).

Bloom makes a very good case for this interpretation, which I've grossly oversimplified (and left important parts out). There'll never be an end to the debate, but this essay is one to be reckoned with by anyone interested in the Republic. Regarding the translation, it's very precise; someone with a little knowledge of Greek can often see the Greek through the English. This makes for less flowing language; with a lesser dialogue such as the Euthyphro I prefer a more literary translation, but it seems appropriate for such an important work. As for the Republic itself:

In the West, at least, this is the touchstone of all political philosophy, and Plato pretty much covered all the issues people have been fighting and arguing about since people started wondering how societies should be organized and governed. It's easy to say that Plato's ideal state is nutty beyond imagination, but that misses the point. He asked the questions that really matter, and just about all of them, and considered them deeply and carefully, and then came up with his nutty system. (It's for us to ponder what he meant us to consider carefully, to accept, to reject, and what was humor).

We live in a largely unquestioning age - maybe virtually everyone has. But it's hard for, say, a modern American to read Plato's assessment of the relative merits and demerits of different political systems and come away with the kind of mindless idolization of "democracy" with which we're inundated by politicians and the media. It's easy to say Plato's system is goofy, but do you ever hear anyone in America publicly saying, "Democracy has a lot of serious weaknesses, one of them being its tendency to develop a pitifully dumbed-down culture." Or, "Elites provide some real benefits to society, as does an aristocratic element." Could these ideas have some merit? Well, we never even get that far since they're too blasphemous for our society (even though they're partially built into our Constitution).

It's funny how open-minded we consider our modern selves, but when's the last time you heard a serious, thoughtful critique of modern liberal democracy (as opposed to a silly neo-Marxist rant)? Plato had the courage, the detachment, and the brilliance to give his honest assessments of the various systems (honest but not straightforward, with much irony, overstatement, paradox, intentional contradiction and crucial matter between the lines), to compare them and then judge them. His purpose, at least apparently, had little to do with an agenda other than asking a question - what might constitute good government? And not only good, but the best? Those questions require asking and answering questions about human nature and the nature of social relationships.

Plato asks so well and considers so well, and so comprehensively, that his ideal system (regardless of whether he was even very serious about it) isn't the issue. What is good government? What is virtue? Was there genuine legitimacy in the founding of any existing states? Is truly legitimate government possible in this world? And, depending on the answers, how should we live? Plato doesn't provide the answers, at least not overtly. The significance, I think, is that he gets us to consider all the important questions he considers, many of which we otherwise probably wouldn't have considered, and among other things to then uncover our unexamined assumptions and prejudices and reassess them.

Just a note to correct two reviewers who praise Alan Bloom's translation of The Republic on this page. This edition was translated by Francis M. Cornford, a classics scholar at Cambridge University in the 20th century, not by Prof. Bloom. While I'm sure Alan Bloom's translation is deservedly praised by the two reviewers, their reviews should be removed and placed on the review page for the correct edition.

The main arguments of The Republic are so well known that they hardly need restatement in this review. The central issues in this book are of great importance, but one should also take note of the side issues that Plato raises in political theory and philosophy.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this book is its coverage of issues in theoretical politics. The Republic covers so much ground in Political Theory and Political Philosophy that it is hard to see any other great thinker as completely original. Plato hinted at or mentioned ideas in politics later developed by Rousseau, Marx, Nietche, Hayek... All political theorists should cite Plato, because he thought of practically everything of importance in political theory.

Personally, I find Rousseau more interesting as a pure political philosopher, but that is not saying much. Rousseau was an absolute genius. Plato had brilliant insights in political philosophy, and he anticipated important elements of Rousseau's work anyway.

The Republic does have an Achilles heel: economics (or political economy). The problem here is not so much that he was wrong about economics, but rather than he passed over this subject. Much of what Plato wrote about his ideal Republic is hard to defend in light of economic theory. Some might think me unfair for criticizing Plato by modern standards, but general economic laws were neither different nor unintelligible in Plato's time. Furthermore, Aristotle had a few insights that fit with what we now know as economics. How could someone as brilliant as Plato not see the issues in his book from "the economic point of view"? After all, key elements of modern economics boil down to common sense. Furthermore, there are subtleties to modern economics that raise serious problems with his idea of rule by a philosopher-king.

The lack of economic reasoning in The Republic does not really detract much from its greatness. Given the situation in the ancient world, it was only natural that great thinkers would focus on politics, and pass over economics. Economic issues did not really become apparent until the first wave of Globalozation began, so Plato should have focused on politics instead. That being said, Plato's Republic stands as THE most important book of Political Theory ever written.

This edition of The Republic is important because it includes Alan Blooms interpretive essay. Bloom makes you think more deeply about Plato. This book is a must-have for anyone with serious interest in political or interdisciplinary academic interests.

Thank you Dr. Bloom,
i'll simply say i've never enjoyed reading the Republic that much. It's indeed the best literal translation for such a great work, and i encourage everyone to have it.

A little rambling but very informative of the Bilderberg Group. If you have no idea of what this group is, then this is the first book to read.

Sir K. Popper has always stressed that general conspiracy- and complot theories were pure imaginations of bogus historians and paralyzed politicians. He also stated that the only justification for taking up arms was to defend democracy.
Well, in this book Daniel Estulin unveils without any doubt the existence of an extremely serious secret cabal, for whom the democratic political process must be rejected.

Who
The trinity of the Bilderberg Group and its also discrete sister organizations, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission have a hidden reactionary global agenda.

Goal
Their ultimate aim is to create a New World Order, one world with one world government which should rule over a single marketplace.
As their most powerful advocate said: `The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and of world bankers is surely preferable to national auto determination. I am proud of conspiring to build a more global political and economic structure: one world.'

Why
They want to safeguard international trade from protectionism and nationalism and so bring more private gain for the world's vested powerful and wealthy top. The promotion of industrial concentration is used for suppressing unwarranted competition.

How
They try to control as much as possible the judicial, educational, information (press, TV, internet, publishing), banking and credit, military and intelligence systems, and, if possible, the mind of everybody (except their own). Nearly all people who occupy crucial positions in important branches of political, economic, legislative, military, intelligence, social and cultural organizations are members of the groups.
More specifically, they control the US presidency and the US government, the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, all important newspapers and TV channels. They use NATO as their military arm. They try to create world elite with even Chinese and Russian members.

Ultimate picture
Their aim is to create a monolithic one world empire where national identities are destroyed; a world with only rulers (owners) and servants (slaves); a world without social welfare, without spiritual;, political and economic freedom (no individual free enterprise). Obedient slaves will be rewarded, but opponents exterminated.

Defense
The ruling oligarchs are afraid of public revolt. They try to instill political apathy in the majority of the population. The revolt should not necessary be violent. The majority can still collectively say NO as long as the elections are democratic and free.

Daniel Estulin wrote a mightily important book. It is a must read for all those who want to understand (and influence) the world se live in.

This brilliantly composed book exposes the secret forces behind the nefarious, covert conspirators of the 'New World Order'. Daniel Estulin masterfully outlines the psychotic agenda of the Bilderberg Group, The Trilateral Commission, and The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), simply known as 'The Elite' . A must read for anyone wanting to know who's controlling todays society and what their subversive plans are for the people of the world! The time is now to start a Revolution before we are slaves to these simpletons!

this book was awesome. you'll be suprised at how the world is really run and by who. there is only one drawback, once you know, you cannot go back to living in the fairytale life where the bilderberg does not exist.

Very happy that Daniel wrote this book. Very brave seeing that these men are ruthless. The true story should have been told a long time ago. I hope it isn't too late to save America. "The True Story of the Bilderberg Group" and the "Naked Capitialist" go hand in hand.

It's pretty much an excercise in repeating praise to comment upon this stellar biography of John Adams, and so I'll just limit my comments to say that the lauding of the readibility of this book combined with the well written insights into this Founding Father and early president are all well placed. There is clearly a well researched effort that brings the reader into the world of John Adams and family as well as by necessity in close brushes with Washington and Jefferson too.

It's sadly interesting to see the attempts at criticism from the lesser luminaries whom it appears, probably have more chance at being read in rebuttal to McCullough than their own primary efforts would appear otherwise.

The proof, as it were is in the pudding. While this work is very well referenced and based in solid research, it's value is that it reads cleanly and clearly inviting the common reader in to know and understand better both the man and the times. To have approached it otherwise, as some appear to suggest with a more academic emphasis, would no doubt have endeared it to those whose lives are spent in the midst of dusty tomes and intellectual sophistry , but the point is that because it is so seamlessly written and interestingly presented, the impact is much broader for the effort and the bonus is that the accurasy really doesn't suffer for it, except to the narrowest of academics who appear to need to justify themselves by casting stones from their ivory towers.

Well worth the time and effort to read.

5 undisputed stars.

Bart Breen

One of the best books I have read in years. I highly recommend it.

It's so much easier to learn & remember history when the writer allows you to become intimately involved with the subject and the period. David McCullough's writing is so personable, so charming, and so precisely informative that I walked away from this book with a deep appreciation of Adams and the time in which he lived. I believe McCullough could fascinate his readers even if he wrote about the telephone book! It was hard to put this book down, I always wanted to know what was coming next. His descriptions of time & place were very visual, putting the reader directly in the midst of the story -- seeing the colors, hearing the voices, feeling the tension, learning about small details. The people he writes about are recognizably human and vulnerable, yet the reader can't help but feel awe for what these people accomplished under such seemingly hopeless situations. One of my favorite history books!!

In the field of historical writing there is this great chasm. There are the intellectual Professional University Scholars who delve into the abyss of historical matter and come up with the historical truth. Unfortunately their writings are boring and state the rather moribund cold facts. On the other hand we have great writers who also do their due diligence but are able to write a coherent historical accounting of the past.
David McCullough is a writer of that other ilk in writing and historical perspective. John Adams happens to be his second best writing in his oeuvre of works.
His detailing of the life and times of John Adams is a work of historical importance that actually brings back a time of life in the early formation of the United States of America. His writings of the correspondence between Abigail Adams and John are remarkable. The following of the raising and the lives of their offspring are indeed new founded and compelling. The recording of John Adams forays with the other founding fathers and his travels abroad are indeed both interesting and compelling. Adam's relationship with Thomas Jefferson is fully explained and exposed.
McCullough goes on to explain the complete political philosophy of John Adams. This is indeed a great read. I consider David McCullough to be a true and actual historian for the common folk. Five Stars No Problem!!!!

Much like his book on President Truman, Mr. McCullough has taken a frequently maligned historical figure and helped to burnish his place in history. Many of the books I have read about other great figures from that era always seemed to minimize John Adams contributions. Mr. McCullough is a gifted historian who makes all his subject matters come to life. The author shows how little has changed since the founding of our country when it comes to brilliant individuals willing to compromise their morals in the pursuit of winning in the political arena. It is a balanced, thought-provoking and highly entertaining biography. Well-worth reading even though the weight of this tome made my wrists sore.

I would like to present a review of Adam Hochschild's "King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa" which depicts the ruthlessness and greed of King Leopold in his exploitation of the Congolese. Furthermore, it illustrates the horrors of the rubber trade which spanned nearly thirty years. The author narrates this account of African history particularly well. Showing us the psychological traits of each character involved in the plot to acquire the Congo, the author gives us insight into the psychological motives of this episode in Belgium's colonizing days. Leopold is an evil, political genius orchestrating a grand scheme to subtly take over the Congo. He manipulates people with ease and lies just as easily. As Belgium's King, he acquires loyal spies in every major European country informing him of that country's intentions and political moves. Furthermore, Hocschild chronicles how the Belgian army slaughtered the native Congolese in pursuit of rubber vines from the rain forest. Moreover, as a novel, "Leopold's Ghost" introduces each character individually tracing their roots from childhood and depicting their personality traits early in life and illustrates how personality traits shape people and their desires.

Although I teach High school history I've never been intersted in African history. I've taught slavery, Pre-european contact, and Egypt yet I've never studied or taught about imperialism in Africa. In preparation for teaching this period in a Modern World history class I've been reading about Africa. Wow - this book blew my mind. It presents all sides of the imperialism issue and doesn't make the Africans as innocent victims. Don't be confused this book pulls no punches everyone from the American government to the British, Belgium and the African leaders are shown to be complicit in the death of over 10 million Africans. Don't miss this one it will help you understand the problems Africa faces today.

This book was among the best I have read this year. I had no idea as to the atrocities committed in the Congo around the turn of the century until I picked up this book. While Hochschild goes into great lengths to expose King Leopold II and his horrible deeds, he still maintains great objectivity and examines WHY Leopold may have acted in the manner that he did. I would love for Hochschild to look more into Leopolds mistress Caroline. That is a book I would definetly pick up.

A very interesting book about a very evil person and a bad time in the world. Much like now in Africa.

Hochschild's treatment of Belgian King Leopold's African Empire is a well-written and authoritative lay history. The author provides a context for and then delves deeply into the period lasting decades (from the 1880s into the 1920s) during which the envious crowned head of a tiny European nation built himself a totalitarian state for his personal financial gain in the heart of a continent suffering wholesale rape at the gunpoints of the world powers of the time.

Hochschild is careful to note that although the scale of the killings of Congolese Africans was "of genocidal proportions," maybe ten million, it wasn't genocide. It was business. He also notes that King Leopold wasn't the only villain during this time; French, British and U.S. imperialists were oppressing and taking advantage of people throughout Africa, Asia and the Pacific. He does, however, show that the study of Leopold's exercise is an excellent, egregious example of the spirit of the times. And the contest against Leopold's Congolese nation by some of the great humanitarians of the early twentieth century gave voice to the first internationalist ways of thinking about human rights, and local African sovereignty. There were many great, flawed, powerful, conflicted personalities involved in the struggle to make the world aware of what Leopold was doing in the African interior such as British businessman E.D. Morel, U.S. adventurer/attorney George Washington Williams, Irish idealist Roger Casement, and American clergyman William Sheppard. Finally, Hochschild observes that the current condition of many African countries can't be laid fully to rest on the grave of the despotic Leopold, or on imperialism itself. But it is important to recognize and truthfully account for the parts that Western selfishness and superiority played in the history of "the Dark Continent."

I read this book upon the recommendation of my girlfriend and subsequent to a whirlwind college course in which the European colonial period of the African continent was given a mere week in a history class I was taking.

This book is thorough and informative. Gives very good descriptions of family and couples therapy theories and techniques. It is the right choice if you are trying to get familiar with this area.

Nichols work, now in the 8th edition, is a seminal work in family therapy. This new edition, has some extra-features, which make it even more desireable than the 7th. It is more sympathetic to the postmodern therapies (solutions-focused, narrative), which I either practice or have been heavily influenced by. Nichols work is a great way to "break in" to this field as he survey the field, its developments, and various schools of thought. Better yet, he also includes a "recommended reading" list after each chapter of other seminal works in the field.

The danger of this book lies not with it or the author, but rather the student. Like all good survey books, contemporary master's level students often think they now can "go forth and heal" on this knowledge alone. One of my greatest gifts I received from seminary training was this: "Gents (we were all men), this class isn't the last word on this subject. This is the beginning of a life-long journey in this area."

Nichols book, when used in academia, is best seen in this light. Students need to know this is a secondary source which is to focus their reading of primary sources - you need to read Minuchin, Haley, White, de Shazer, Berg, Johnson, and Whitaker for yourselves!

As an introduction to the field, you will find none better.

She gets over the top here and there. But she makes several points that need to be heard. Needs to be read by all.

I never expected reading such a book. I was educated in the United States, and always looked upon the US as the ideal country for an individual's freedom of rights and free speech. You were innocent until proven guilty, and even criminals had rights that made them difficult to apprehend by the authorities. In a nutshell, I was living in a society where my friends and I, whether Americans or foreigners, felt safe and protected.

According to Naomi Wolf, things have changed, and I found this shocking. Who ever thought the Soviet Union would collapse? It did. Who ever thought the US might collapse one day? I never dreamt of such a day, but many today think it is already happening, and Naomi Wolf aptly names her book, `The End of America.'

I also found it shocking that she compares the present administration to Hitler's administration. Recall that Bush used to refer to Saddam Hussein as Hitler. What's going on?

I actually liked Naomi's book as `a point of view' book, and the way she compares the present administration to fascist governments throughout history. In Germany, for example, Hitler slowly stripped his citizens of their rights. First, Hitler imprisoned the enemies of the state, but soon those enemies became the citizens themselves. Politicians and journalists alike were imprisoned and tortured. According to Naomi Wolf, Bush's administration is doing the same to its US citizens. People are being arrested with no trial, and without being given the reason for their arrests. A new law Bush passed allows the government to spy on its citizens. In a way, according to Wolf, all are now guilty until proven innocent, if they ever are given the chance to prove their innocence.

There is now a blacklist issued by the US government, and many US politicians and journalists are on that list. Naomi Wolf is on that list. Whenever she travels by air, the security officers at the airport scrutinize her. Do they actually expect she might hijack an airplane? Whatever happened to freedom of speech and thought?

The way this administration works today, explains Wolf, is that you are either with the administration or against it. Period. If you speak ill of this administration, then you are against it and immediately placed on a black list. This does not sound like the US I once knew.

According to Naomi Wolf, this administration does not have any regards for the Geneva Convention on war prisoners. Prisoners are routinely tortured and ill treated by the US military. Sometimes, prisoners are flown out of US territory where torture laws are inexistent.

I was quite taken aback by how many terms used by fascists states have been repeated by this administration.

The following are the ten points that make up a fascist state:

1. Invoke an external and internal threat or enemy, such as a political party (e.g. communist party etc.) or a religious group (in Germany it was the Jews. Today it is the Muslims).

2. Establish secret prisons, such as Guantanamo and other US prisons located abroad. Prisons located outside of US territories do not fall under US laws, and thus torture can be freely exercised.

3. Develop a paramilitary force. According to Wolf, the US has today the largest and most powerful mercenary army in the world, and large corporations with deep pockets back it. This mercenary army does not fall under the rules, laws, or regulations of the US military forces. They can basically commit war crimes without ever being charged! According to Wolf, dismantling such an army will be near to impossible. We'll have to see what the next US president will do about this mercenary army.

4. Spy on the citizens. New bills passed by the Bush administration allow Big Brother to listen to phone conversations and read emails.

5. Infiltrate citizens' groups.

6. Arbitrarily detain and release citizens to instill fear.

7. Target key individuals, such as politicians, scientists, and journalists.

8. Control and censor the press (note: if this was really the case, why was this book allowed to be published?).

9. Criticism and dissent become treason.

10. Change the rule of law (changing the constitution and the bill of rights).

Is this really happening to America? If so, this book should never have been allowed to be published in the first place. Or is this just the beginning? Will Naomi Wolf be eventually jailed for her book one day? If so, she would have proven her point (and God forbid that should ever happen).

How much of this book is true? Either time will tell, or just more research...if you have the time, and care enough!

Naomi Wolf has written an alarming book that takes a hard look at the hard-right turn made by the Bush-Cheney administration.

She makes the truly salient point that fascism doesn't have to arrive in a cataclysmic shock, but can creep up, piece by piece and law by law to erode rights and instill fear by violence.

She details how the Bush-Cheney crew have done this at every turn, with few obstacles put in their path by the spineless Democrats.

However, her perspective is limited to politics.

Yes, there has been a catastrophic erosion of political rights under Bush-Cheney.

But this is simply the culmination of a decades-long process of military domination of the economy. This domination happened without firing a (domestic) shot: after WWII, both parties, afraid of a return of the Depression, and seeing how military spending buoyed the economy, embarked on a perpetual war-footing--demonizing communists and shackling every district in the country to military spending.

No one dared to question this, even when communism evaporated. To question it was to put oneself and one's community out of a job.

But all this military spending resulted in the subjugation of many, many countries (the installation and/or support of dictators and thugs), and now it has simply brought the same authoritarian domination home.

Bush-Cheney have taken this to its logical conclusion. They have installed (or begun to install) the same sort of government-by-decree we have so long foisted on others.

Well organized, step-by-step explanation of how and why sovereign citizens forfeit their liberty to the government. Very, very good read. Highly recommended.

When you get to be my age, you can almost predict the appearance of the dire warnings from the utopian encampments in Vermont and Oregon. When I was in college some thirty years ago, there was always a table set up at Cody's bookstore on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley devoted to warnings, usually much like this: "Coming Fascism," "Friendly Fascism," "Reagan and Hitler," "Eichmann's Friend Spiro Agnew," and so on. Then there were the conspiracy theorists, who were able to connect the death of Caesar to that of JFK, Pearl Harbor, and the closing on Broadway of the "Pajama Game." To listen to it, and I did, you'd have thought the world was at the brink. Time gives one a little perspective. On the other hand, the warning business is good business, so why not write a manifesto. You get to be considered a hero and you get to keep the royalties. The Constitution is coming to an end at the hands of the Party that took the USSR to the Helsinki Conference. When human rights activists like the now-deceased Solzhenitsyn came to America, they wanted to meet Reagan and Ford, not Carter, Mondale, Clinton, or any other of the self-appointed do-gooders. To hear Berkeley's Sproul Plaza sun-bathers tell it, the Constitution came to an end a long time ago, when Presidents started to lie to Congress, with the exception of the time Roosevelt lied to Congress to get Lend-Lease passed, because according to these same high-minded protesters, lying for a worthy cause is justifiable. If you can sort this all out, you will be a better man than I. Yes, Ms Wolf, it is all over for us. Thank God, you, Nancy Pelosi, and the grandkids are guarding our rights, what little may be left of them.

I borrowed this book from a friend who also homeschools and I'm glad I did before purchasing it. I started skimming through it and saw so many (authors)opinions that I didn't even consider wasting my time reading the book thoroughly. When I read that "Nero was the worst emporer in the history of Rome" and that the "Romans HATED Jesus", I was really put off by the opinionated views, as well as the negativity. I want to teach my children how to form their own opinions about the history of the world and other subjects as well, this is exactly why I took them out of school. If your looking for a book that is a factal account of world history this is not the book for you. She should have titled the book "My Opinion of the Story of the World".

This comprehensive history program helps put today's conflicts in perspective. The chapters are short, and have lots of stories, legends, and myths to keep the child interested along with the more "information" parts. Both my 7-year-old and I learned a lot.

While we are not religious, I like that it includes the biblical information in "context," i.e. what was happening in egypt when Moses was born, etc. It gives a kind of cultural literacy in our predominantly Christian society. The book equally treats the birth of leaders/founders from other religions (Confucious, the Budda, etc.)

I recommend the activity book .The Story of the World: Activity Book 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, Third Edition and tests The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: Tests for Volume 1: Ancient Times (Story of the World: History for the Classical Child)as well. I let my daughter take "open book" tests when we're done with everything else in the chapter

I bought this book while homeschooling my two girls. The book was such good story that I began using it for evening reading to the girls before bed (that way I got to read it too!)

I found that the narrative format (story telling) was much more engaging than a collection of facts (as textbooks tend to do). The author selects information, individuals and nations and so obviously leaves out a lot of information (as noted in other reviews.) HOWEVER, I personally found this style VERY helpful since the story moves very fast this way and this comprehensive style makes it easier for readers and listeners to see the connections between cultures, nations, individuals etc.

There is an unavoidable tradeoff in writing about history: more detail provides greater sense of context, but makes it difficult to develop a comprehensive overview of the relationship between significant events and places. This book errs on the overview instead of detail and does that perspective VERY well. After reading "Story of the World" you can go and investigate the areas that interest you (or that you need to know) in more detail with books that take the "detail" perspective.

By the way, for home schooling, an old (Victorian) writer who does some great historical fiction on specific periods is G. A. Henty. His books are hard to find, but worth reading. His book on Hannibal (the general) called "The Carthagian," was a wonderful adventure which told me what I wanted to learn about that man and his wars.

Make history come alive-read Story of the World and then focus on the people, events and times that make you particularly interested and find books and movies that give you more details!

This is very well written. A great help to helping children understand History. It makes reading about the past fun and enjoyable.

I homeschooled our older daughter for six years back in the Dark Ages (the mid 90's). We switched over to learning about history chronologically, a relatively "new" idea then,after being convinced at a curriculum fair presentation of its sensibleness. It was the best advice we ever had, and that daughter is graduating college next year as a history major, and as president of her history honorary fraternity. (We used GreenLeaf Press' "Famous Men..." series, BTW.)
Now 10 years later we are taking our younger daughter out and will begin homeschooling her in 2nd grade. Enough of the public school "Twaddle"!!
"Famous Men" is too high a reading comprehension level for her, so I have been researching the plethora of chrono-history books out there to find an alternative. I followed the guidelines by Susan Wise Bauer of "The Well-Trained Mind" to use "The Story of the World" series.
However, after thumbing through it and comparing it with others, I do not feel it will hold the interest of my wiggly 7 year-old. The reading level seems minimally for 4th-grade. I wouldn't want to turn her off right from the start.
For me the benchmark is Hillyers' "A Child's History of the World." The writing style is so personal, clever, and engaging. But if you want a curriculum that has an even stronger Christian bent, and that teaches from a Biblical chronology, look into Linda Hobar's "The Mystery of History". This author comes closest to Hillyer's wit and child-friendliness, and yet does not dumb it down. There are age-appropriate activities built right into the book (no second purchase required), plus instructions on making your own timeline and historical figures to add as you read. (a la a famous Unit Study series). Like "History of the World", it is a several-volume series. You will probably have to go outside Amazon to find it. (http://www.themysteryofhistory.com/)
Another very Christian-based chrono-history curriculum is "Tapestry of Grace." Not as "warm and fuzzy" in my view, but lots of great multi-age teaching and activities that suppport a classical education. Appropriate through high school.

This book provides great insight into a handful of cases that highlight corruption, greed and failed politics in China over time. It will likely stir emotions in many native Chinese readers as a hard look at reality.

We all may have different views, theories and experiences with China. However, we all must agree that there is a need for greater transparency, improved human rights and a deep revealing look into the corruption of many highly regarded party members. No country is perfect, but China heavily struggles with aligning the interests of its citizens, with those of its few officials.

I read this book during the Beijing Olympic games. Afterwards, it made me pay extra attention seeing stories like today's "Two seventy year old women sentenced to re-education for attempting to register for the official protests", and "China Practically Unreachable By Western SMS?".

Excellent. I couldn't put it down. I would like to read more about the people in China and their fight for democracy. I hope Philip Pan writes another book.

In his China book Philip Pan, former Washington Post bureau chief in Beijing, chooses to write about the heroic individuals who dared to defy the inexorable force that is the Communist Party of China. He writes about an unemployed documentary filmmaker Hu Jie whose life passion is resurrecting a young woman who dared speak up against Mao Zedong. There's this doctor who -- defying government censors -- revealed the SARS epidemic to the nation, thus saving thousands of lives. There are the labor activists who rallied their fellow laid-off workers against corruption. And then there are the lawyers and the journalists who are always pushing the envelope, trying inch by inch to create institutions -- rule of law and freedom of expression -- that can restrain the abusive authority of the Party.

Philip Pan is a very fluid writer but the book nevertheless feels thin. And worse than feeling thin it feels irrelevant and insignificant. Two thousand and eight is, after all, China's Olympic year -- when America's economy suffers from recession China's economy is booming. In surveys nine out of ten Chinese are optimistic and positive about their country and where China is heading. And the people that Philip Pan writes about so admiringly in his new book are the marginalized intellectuals and the disaffected poor who nostalgically yearn for a time that never was and dream of a future that can never be. And so for Americans and Chinese alike they're irrelevant and insignificant.

That's sad because Philip Pan and his heroes are right. China is a complete mess, and rather than being subversive these individuals who defy the system are the true patriots because with their criticisms and actions they are trying to make the nation-state stronger and more stable.

China right now suffers from a corrupt and ossified bureaucracy determined at all costs to maintain power. China's curious and cowardly blend of authoritarianism and capitalism means that China's Gini co-efficient is comparable to that of Latin America, its pollution problem is a national shame and seriously threatens China's future growth, and China never before has witnessed so much crime and moral decay. And yet -- because multinationals are still pouring into China, because Americans cannot shopping at Walmart, and because China itself is spending hundreds of billions on new infrastructure and factories -- the Chinese economy in the past two decades has managed to create a middle-class that is now the bedrock of Communist Party support. And what the middle-class in their steadfast support blithely ignores is that China's "socialism with Chinese characteristics" is a system built on contradictions and lies and illusions.

And that's what the characters in Philip Pan's book refuse to ignore. The Party's greatest contradiction, lie, and illusion is that it's possible to have economic reform without political reform.

Consider the free market. The free market needs independent media and channels of information to create efficient pricing and distribution and marketing -- but the Party insists on maintaining control over newspapers and the Internet. Now the Party may say that it'll allow economic reporting but not political reporting but what's important for the media to have any real impact on consumers is perceived independence -- so it's in the media's self-interest to report on SARS because that makes their economic reporting more credible.

Consider also the free movement of goods, which is crucial to the free market. The Chinese provinces are controlled by local party bosses which adamantly protect their self-interest and the interest of their constituents. So that means they'll protect local industry by preventing competition from coming into town -- which hampers the economy. And they'll also tax peasants, and steal their land.

So here the Party's interest in strengthening the Chinese economy is perfectly aligned with peasant lawyers who want to break the local tyranny of the Party bosses. But in these cases the Party chooses to side with the Party bosses. Why? Because at the end of the day the Party is only interested in maintaining its monopoly of power, and that in turn means turning a blind eye to the rapacious and corrupt behavior of local bosses in return for their fealty.

That is the sad unfortunate conclusion that the lawyers, journalists, and labor activists come to -- and which we also come to -- at the end of Mr. Pan's book. They always believed that they could change the system gradually from within -- and that weakness is ultimately what will make them irrelevant and insignificant in history's eyes.

As China's economic contradictions finally collapse into each other causing a financial earthquake that will rent society asunder this current generation of activists will be very soon supplanted by another generation of activists -- people who immediately see that the problem is the system itself, and their first reaction will be violence not discussion.

That's even more sad because in these individuals who believed in themselves, in China, and ultimately in the Party stood China's last best chance for real progress.

There's a pejorative that we Chinese overseas hold about American-born Chinese, i.e. the "jook-sing." In Chinese parlance, this is a bamboo section which is closed on both ends of the nodes.

Phillip Pan is a "joon-sing" trying to interpret China and Chinese society through his biased, filtered lenses as a Westernized Chinese-American living in a society assigned to China as a Washington Post bureau chief living in privileged expat enclaves.

His type often tries to flush out the bizzarre, the unorthodox, the rebels, the mavericks, the non-conformists in a country of 1.3 billion people. Similarly, having lived here in America, as a Chinese, I can easily flush out the "armpit" side of America, in the stories of many of America's rebels, mavericks, dissidents, and "political prisoners" and "prisoners of conscience."

Mr. Pan sees the trees, but not the forest. It is apparent that he is befuddled by his Europeanized, Westernized baggage, and he swallows "hook, line, sinker" the false notion that "The Western Moon is rounder; and the Western Fart smells much much more fragrant."\

Frankly, in any society, and political governments, whether in the U.S. or China, you can find the "armpit" smelly sides.

Official corruption in China ? Big deal. How about in the USA ?

At this writing, California is deep in the hole by a tune of US$ 17 billion in a fiscal year which has operated with a gridlocked legislature and a grandstanding showboating governor, Arnaud, Mr. Hollywood.

Our public officials and civil servants have become so uncivil and parasitic that they have fundamentally leeched and fed on government largeese and sucked the public till dry. And these pigs feeding off the public troll are not corrupt ? Holly Dolly.

Gimme a break. Mr. Pan worships the American fart, which he deems to smell much more fragrant.

That he elects to hype and markets his book in order to make mucho dinero points to the intellectual naivite of this obviously smart "jook sing."

The only problem is he sees the trees in detail but can't see the forest.

He is what I call a "white man trapped in a Chinese body." How sad. And he is acting as a shill for China bashers and Chinese Demonizers. In America today, being a CB and a CD sells. And it is PC.

There are a lot of excellent books on modern China out there, but this one is a cut above. I think, as a newspaperman, Mr. Pan knows how to grab and hold his reader's attention. I was unable to put it down for a few days. He also gets very deep into the story, talking to the affected people, but also putting everything into historical context. Lastly, I'm glad this book doesn't try to shoehorn everything into some grand hypothesis about China's imminent superpower status. I was happy to learn about the general trends of public discourse and human rights since the Mao era through the stories of some particular citizens who turn out to be heroes in their own way.