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John Perkins started and stopped writing Confessions of an Economic Hit Man four times over 20 years. He says he was threatened and bribed in an effort to kill the project, but after 9/11 he finally decided to go through with this expose of his former professional life. Perkins, a former chief economist at Boston strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main, says he was an "economic hit man" for 10 years, helping U.S. intelligence agencies and multinationals cajole and blackmail foreign leaders into serving U.S. foreign policy and awarding lucrative contracts to American business. "Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars," Perkins writes. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is an extraordinary and gripping tale of intrigue and dark machinations. Think John Le Carré, except it's a true story.
Perkins writes that his economic projections cooked the books Enron-style to convince foreign governments to accept billions of dollars of loans from the World Bank and other institutions to build dams, airports, electric grids, and other infrastructure he knew they couldn't afford. The loans were given on condition that construction and engineering contracts went to U.S. companies. Often, the money would simply be transferred from one bank account in Washington, D.C., to another one in New York or San Francisco. The deals were smoothed over with bribes for foreign officials, but it was the taxpayers in the foreign countries who had to pay back the loans. When their governments couldn't do so, as was often the case, the U.S. or its henchmen at the World Bank or International Monetary Fund would step in and essentially place the country in trusteeship, dictating everything from its spending budget to security agreements and even its United Nations votes. It was, Perkins writes, a clever way for the U.S. to expand its "empire" at the expense of Third World citizens. While at times he seems a little overly focused on conspiracies, perhaps that's not surprising considering the life he's led. --Alex Roslin
Book Description
The runaway bestseller that has generated a major movie deal—and an international dialogue—with over 170,000 copies sold in hardcover and seven weeks on the New York Times list
“Economic hit men,” John Perkins writes,” are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as Empire but one that has taken on terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.”
John Perkins should know—he was an economic hit man for an international consulting firm that worked to convince developing countries to accept enormous loans and to funnel that money to U.S.corporations. Once these countries were saddled with huge debts, the American government and international aid agencies were able to request their “pound of flesh” in favors, including access to natural resources, military cooperation, and political support.
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is the story of one man's experiences inside the intrigue, greed, corruption and little-known government and corporate activities that America has been involved in since World War II, and which have dire consequences for the future of democracy and the world.
“[A] gripping tell-all book.”—The Rocky Mountain News
“Astonishing.”—Boston Herald
“This riveting look at a world of intrigue reads like a spy novel . . . Highly recommended.”— Library Journal
“Here are the real-life details—nasty, manipulative, plain evil—of international corporate skullduggery spun into a tale rivaling the darkest espionage thriller.”—Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
Customer Reviews:
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man .......2007-10-10
So Interesting. It proves what we have suspected all along. It makes you rethink what the world says about our government. Perkins has a lot of guts to come forward to inform us of what is really going on in the Middle East and globally
The Hit Man Takes Hits.......2007-10-08
I was loaned this book by a friend who believes the world is controlled by a conspiratorial group whose goal is world domination through a one-world government. Therefore, I was fully prepared to write off Perkin's story as just another conspiracy theory. But, in deference to my friend (with whose theories I DO NOT agree), I read it.
Surprisingly, I found I could not put the book down. For me, Perkin's revelations were like having an insider's guide to a difficult jigsaw puzzle, one where I had many of the pieces but was having trouble seeing how they fit together.
There have already been enough reviews written about this book and its contents. I will focus on what I can add by way of my own personal experiences. Incidentally, this book is definitely NOT a conspiracy theory, as the author makes clear.
Since 1995, I have been cruising fulltime on my sailboat, visiting many countries south of the border. My travels include spending many months (in some cases, years) in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Bonaire, the Dominican Republic, etc. I'm presently spending six months in Venezuela. I don't hesitate to claim that I've learned much more about these countries and their peoples than the average U.S. citizen. I don't stay in insulated tourist hotels and resorts, but much prefer to mingle with the locals, playing music on guitar and talking politics. (BTW, knowing how to play guitar will buy infinitely more good will among the common people of Latin America than all the Gringo dollars you can carry.)
As far as Perkin's descriptions of events in the countries I've visited, I found him to be 100% credible; e.g., the unilateral invasion of Panama by the U.S., the role of United Fruit in the Latin countries, the devastating effects of U.S. big oil interests in Venezuela and Ecuador, his account of the ascendency of Hugo Chavez, the explanations of why and how Torrijos, Roldos and Allende met their untimely ends. Perkin's accounts of such things may be new and surprising to U.S. readers, but they are completely accurate and well-known facts among Latins.
Having for a long time been a serious student of world history, I can also find nothing incorrect about Perkin's accounts of events in other parts of the world. In my opinion, this is a very important book. It should be made required reading at every high school in the U.S. Then we might have a chance of producing a new generation of U.S. citizens whose heads are not buried in the sand and who might stand some chance of reaching valid conclusions, DESPITE their incessant exposure to the U.S. mass media, about how the rest of the world lives and thinks.
If you are considering buying this book, read the five-star reviews. Most importantly, don't be intimidated by the caustic language and attempts at character assassination evident in many of the negative reviews. It shouldn't require much of your critical thinking skills to see that most of those reviews are nothing more than irrational, vindictive mud-slinging by right-wing fanatics. The mere fact that there are so many virulent condemnations of the book, the author, and his message, should alone be enough to stimulate your interest.
In sum, Perkins is entirely credible, the book is sufficiently documented, and his story is important for an understanding of the political realities surrounding "globalization" and the role of U.S. mega-corporations in that effort. It was also very well-written. I couldn't recommend any book more highly.
A human story about change of heart, not just economics.......2007-10-02
John Perkins, a man who has written mostly about his experiences with shamanism and only eluded to his "dark side", now comes clean in this eye-opening expose of how real people are paid to destroy countries economies in order to create wealth for the elite. But more than anything, this book for me is about one man's conversion experience - from selling his soul to the highest bidder (even while studying with indigenous shamans) to facing the human and environmental consequences of his actions. Eventually, he changed his life and stepped into the full potential of his heart.
Despite the harsh reality Perkin's truth-telling offers, this book is inspirational in that it proves that anyone can change from a life of greed and domination to one of kindness and compassion. I highly recommend his previous books (such as Shapeshifting) which speak to his spiritual awakenings and the role of indigenous people's teachings in leaving the Hit Man life behind.
Viewing America's Global Empire from the Trenches.......2007-10-01
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man presents the experiences of John Perkins, while working as an Economic Hit Man (EHM)- although he was officially titled as an economist, essentially cheerleading foreign loans to third world countires as a means of economic development, although as Perkins claims, is was expected that the third world nations would never actually achieve the growth levels to allow them to pay off the loans.
All of this was done to both line the pockets of multi-national construction firms, primarily U.S.-based, as well as lead to the expansion of the United States "Global Empire".
While I find Perkins' writing a bit preachy, and his views somewhat a "holier-than thou" attitude, as it comes to his statements that he foresaw the ramifications of his work "doctoring" economic forecasts, the book is an interesting book that did make me consider a number of events on the international stage that I had previously considered chance happenings.
I think the time spent reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, is time well spent.
Self-Serving Drivel.......2007-09-25
Perkins was an economic hit man, acting as a consultant who helped strong arm less developed countries into being saddled with debt they would be unable to pay. This strategy enriches American companies, and makes indebted countries obligated to serve US interests. In doing so, poor people become more impoverished, sensitive ecosystems are destroyed, and future generations suffer.
All the while Perkins created inflated economic forecasts to justify irresponsible lending by the World Bank and other financial behemoths, he claims to have felt guilty. Guilty all the way to his bank...
To assuage his guilt, he tries to equate how the general population benefits from lower prices based upon the work he has done, making us all his moral equivalent.
[...]
Perkins has a story to tell. His constant whining about his feelings, while getting richer and taking bribes throughout many decades, sickens me.
He should tell his story, and let his actions speak for his feelings. [...]
Book Description
Rex Feral kills for hire. Daring. Unafraid. Profrssional. Now he dares to tell his professional secrets.
Feral is a hit man. Some consider him a criminal. Others think him a hero. In truth, he is a letal weapon aimed at the enemy of the one who pays him. He is the last recourse in these times when laws are so twisted that justice goes unserved. He is a man who controls his destiny through his private code of ethics, who feels no twinge of guilt at doing his job. He is a professional killer.
Learn how a pro makes a living at this craft without landing behind bars. Find out how he gets hit assignments, creates a false working identity, makes a disposable silencer, leaves the scene without a trace of evidence, watches his mark unobserved, and more. An expert assassin and bodyguard, Feral reveals the details of how to get in, do the job, and get out - without getting caught. For informationl purposes only!
Customer Reviews:
What an Investment.......2007-07-01
Several years back I bought one book. Just one. Wish I had bought a dozen. I paid about $14 after shipping. Look at it now!
Intriguing, but not really worth the hype........2006-07-08
I heard so much about this book I got curious and sought it out. According to the stories, it's a diabolical guide to committing murder full of dangerous information.
Certainly, the book is about the morally repugnant trade of contract killing. But the information in it is pure common sense. The author advises his readers to get in shape and learn to shoot before they kill anyone. Well, gee, I never would have thought of that. Other gems of wisdom include not confessing to having committed murder if the police pull you over, and not bragging at your local watering hole about how many people you've killed. If you can't figure this much out on your own, that's pretty sad.
Old tech that still may work today.......2006-06-07
This book was interesting back when I first saw it, in the 80's. My friend and I found it rummaging through his father's closet. At the time his father was in the police department, and simply had interesting books, this one was one of them.
Things that still stick out in my head about this book I read that long ago? The construction of a silencer from pvc was what amazed me most at the time, the how to details of finding a mark, etc, really are a bit of a check list etc, that most fans of mystery movies, law and order or CSI can figure out. But back then, it was a real eye opener.
To tell you the truth, it was a great book, but It will need to be updated for todays day and age. For example, I saw a CSI episode where a person used a plastic coke bottle as a silencer, right after he finished drinking it... Now that should be in the book.
don't waste money.......2006-02-16
This is a great book. However, unless you're a book collector... don't waste your money. After the said lawsuit was finish between the publisher and the plantiff. The publisher dropped the copyright vowing to never publish it again. This allowed anyone to provide it free via copies; internet; etc. If you want to just read the book visit-- ftp.die.net/mirror/hitman/
ON ANOTHER LEVEL.......2005-12-13
I JUST GOT DONE READING THIS MANUAL AND I TRULY ENJOYED IT. NOT IN A BLOODTHIRSTY MURDERING WAY, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS FASCINATING. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A FEW HOLES IN THE THEORY OF EXECUTING A PROFFESSIONAL HIT, THIS BOOK COVERS ALL THE BASES. THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS IVE READ ON THIS BOOK ARE PATHETIC. ANY PERSON WHO TOOK THE TIME TO READ THIS BOOK, LOG ON THEIR COMPUTER AND PUT SOME SERIOUS THOUGHT INTO WRITING A NEGATIVE REVIEW IS THE SAME OLD HAG THAT CALLS INTO A RADIO STATIONS AND STAYS ON HOLD FOR 30 MINUTES TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PROGRAM ON AIR. JUST DONT READ IT IF YOU DONT LIKE IT. BUT IF YOU ARE A FAN OF HITMAN THE VIDEO GAME, JAMES BOND, SPLINTERCELL, OR ANY MAJOR STEALTHY ASSASSIN STORY, THAN YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. I GOT MORE THRILL IN KNOWING THAT I CAN LEGALLY READ THIS BOOK THAN KNOWING HOW TO TAKE OUT A "MARK." THE IDEA OF A PERSON MAKING A LIVING BY KILLING ON REQUEST IS EXTREMLEY TABOO. ALTHOUGH THE MOVIES AND TELVISION PROGRAMS BEING PRESENTLY RELEASED HAVE OVERWHELMED THIS SUBJECT MATTER, HITMAN "A TECHNICAL MANUAL FOR AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR" HAS A CHILLING REALITY TO IT. THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK A MUST READ.
P.S. THIS BOOK ALSO MAKES FOR GREAT CONVERSATION
Customer Reviews:
perkins.......2007-05-13
It was important to have a spanish version of this book, by John Perkins, because it sheds light on so much that has happened in Latin America. Through the experience of one man, we read how there can be vast economic
consequences for many.
Gangster Economico.......2006-08-28
Este libro presenta las ayudas internacionales macoeconomicas de un punto de vista no muy comun. Pero que las ideas presentadas en este tomo son de mucho interes. Los medios de noticias presenta acontecimientos de una forma muy rapida e incimita. Este libro da muchas cosas a la luz del dia para el que no esta tan envolucrado en estes operaciones. Indica muchas conexciones subtiles y otros no tan subtiles. Creo que cada persona que este interesado en asuntos extranjeros debe de leer este tomo.
Average customer rating:
- Hit Man
- Vanilla Milkshake of a Contract Killer
- There's no mystery, no suspense, and no plot - but Hit Man is still entertaining to read
- where was the mystery??
- Odd Novel, amusing main character though
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Hit Man (John Keller Mysteries)
Lawrence Block
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
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ASIN: 038072541X |
Amazon.com
A man known only as Keller is thinking about Samuel Johnson's famous quote that "'patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel'... If you looked at it objectively, he had to admit, then he was probably a scoundrel himself. He didn't feel much like a scoundrel. He felt like your basic New York single guy, living alone, eating out or bringing home takeout, schlepping his wash to the Laundromat, doing the Times crossword with his morning coffee... There were eight million stories in the naked city, most of them not very interesting, and his was one of them. Except that every once in a while he got a phone call from a man in White Plains. And packed a bag and caught a plane and killed somebody. Hard to argue the point. Man behaves like that, he's a scoundrel. Case closed." But Lawrence Block is such a delightfully subtle writer, one of the true masters of the mystery genre, that the case is far from closed. In this beautifully linked collection of short stories, we gradually put together such a complete picture of Keller that we don't so much forgive him his occupation as consider it just one more part of his humanity. After watching Keller take on cases that baffle and anger him into actions that fellow members of his hit-man union might well call unprofessional, we're eager to join him as he goes through a spectacularly unsuccessful analysis and gets fooled by a devious intelligence agent. We miss the dog he acquires and loses, along with its attractive walker. Like Richard Stark's Parker, Keller makes us think the unthinkable about criminals: that they might be the guys next door--or even us, under different pressures. For a small selection of the many Blocks in paperback, try Coward's Kiss, A Long Line of Dead Men, The Sins of the Fathers, Such Men Are Dangerous, and especially When the Sacred Ginmill Closes.
Book Description
Keller is your basic urban Lonely Guy.He makes a decent wage, lives in a nice apartment.Works the crossword puzzle. Watches a little TV. Until the phone rings and he packs a suitcase, gets on a plane, flies halfway across the country...and kills somebody. It's a living. But is it a life? Keller's not sure. He goes to a shrink, but it doesn't work out the way he planned. He gets a dog, he gets a girlfriend. He gets along.
Download Description
Keller is your basic Urban Lonely Guy. He makes a decent wage, lives in a nice apartment, works the crossword puzzle. Until the phone rings, and he flies halfway across the country...and kills somebody. It's a living, but is it a life? You've never met anyone like Keller. Keller is a killer. Professional, cool, confident, competent, reliable. The consummate pro. The hit man's hit man. But he is a complex person: understandably guarded and reclusive, icy and ruthlessly efficient, he is also prone to loneliness, self-doubt, and career worries. Keller may be a crack assassin, but he is also an all-too-human being. We first met Keller in Hit Man. He's back again in HIT LIST. Same job, new list of targets, and a hit man who's after him
Customer Reviews:
Hit Man.......2007-09-18
This is not a very good book. It don't have a mistery to be solved, it don't have a plot that take us awake to the last pages. But it have a great writer beyond it. And every time that Lawrence Block writes a book you can believe it will entertain you. It's amazing how he can make a killer such a good character. Sometimes the book becomes dark and you have to stop reading and take a time, because of the way Keller (the killer) faces the death of his targets and how he doesn't feel a thing when it happens for him to kill the wrong ones.
It's definitely not my king of book, but as an unconditional Block books reader, I recommend this one.
Vanilla Milkshake of a Contract Killer.......2007-08-07
Lawrence Block's Hit Man is an easy and relatively entertaining read. It feels less like a novel and more like a collection of short stories. This isn't surprising, considering Wikipedia states the original format the protagonist, Keller, appeared in was Playboy in the 90's. Each chapter could be taken on its own as they are neatly divided and feature little overlap besides the occasional mention of Keller's father and his childhood pet, a dog named Soldier.
The story had a few funny moments and generally interesting situations, which were interesting to follow along but always seemed to wrap up a bit too quickly. I also enjoyed the realism of Hit Man - the fact that Keller isn't a top-notch shot, that he gets heartburn from good brandy, and that he takes the easy way out instead of the explosive, guns-blazing, Hollywood way.
Keller himself was not a terribly interesting character but nonetheless readable. Some things in the story really detracted from the quality of the overall work, the most prominent example being the patronizing explanation that Keller = Killer if you just swap a vowel. His sadness at the pet shop and the zoo, along with the attachment to Nelson the dog were also peculiar. Keller seems to be on track to something normal and dare I say meaningful with the pet and the girlfriend but anticlimatically informs us that he let them slip away as quickly as they arrived. It seems strange that Lawrence Block included them at all. Whereas I could see Keller as a conflicted, possibly even emotional wreck of man - he just remains in the awkward, overly polite stage of friendship with the reader. Whatever moments of feeling and sympathy he tries to garner seem melodramatic and thrown in just to vary the predicatble pattern of call, flight, drive, plan, kill. Overall, Lawrence Block's Hit Man is a quick, mildly entertaining but ultimately forgettable read.
There's no mystery, no suspense, and no plot - but Hit Man is still entertaining to read.......2007-02-10
I enjoyed Hit Man despite the fact that it lacks the basic elements that make a novel a novel, notably a major conflict, rising action, a climax... some semblance of a plot. Hit Man reads like a collection of short stories (which is apparently what its original format was) but that isn't a terrible thing. They're pretty entertaining short stories.
Since this is a novel without a plot, one might think it's a character study, but that would be an overstatement. Block doesn't offer much insight into the mind and motivation of the killer named Keller. In fact, Keller doesn't change at all as a result of the events in the novel. He doesn't evolve or develop a new perspective or have an epiphany or anything remotely similar. He's basically the same guy at the end of the novel as he was in the beginning.
As a character, Keller is a mass of contradictions. In some instances he seems concerned about justice, going so far as to kill the person who hired him rather than killing the likeable man he was hired to kill. In another instance he doesn't seem the least bit concerned when an innocent couple is inadvertently murdered. He feels badly for dogs confined in cages but has no trouble murdering dozens of people. These contradictions are presumably intended to give the character depth (he isn't a predictable stereo-type) but that isn't much substitute for genuine character development.
The appeal of Hit Man is rooted in its amusing premise (that Keller is just a regular guy with an unusual job). Block writes snappy, entertaining dialogue and he makes Keller, a mass murderer for hire, a pretty likeable guy. Ultimately, it is the improbable likeability of Keller that makes this novel a pleasure to read. It would have been nice if Block had gone to the trouble to develop a plot so that Keller had more to do than buy a dog, collect stamps, go to the movies, and kill a few people.
If you're looking for mystery - you won't find it here. If you're looking for suspense - it's not here either. If you're looking for an insiders glimpse into the mind of a hired killer - you won't find that either. In fact, you won't even find a plot.
What you will find is a likeable character, snappy dialogue, breezy writing and an amusing premise - the Hit Man as a regular guy, just putting in another day at the office.
where was the mystery??.......2007-01-07
This is an interesting book written from the point of view of the hit man. It just never grabbed me. It was dry and dull. There was no real plot and definitely no mystery.
Odd Novel, amusing main character though.......2006-12-20
This is a strange book. I started it, read to about halfway through the third chapter, and then looked on the copyright page for what I knew I would find: seven of the ten chapters in this book were first published in Playboy as stand-alone short stories. They read like it, and if you approach the whole thing as if it's a novel, you'll be somewhat disappointed. One reviewer I saw recently panned the book because he didn't get it. This "novel" is very reminiscent of Walter Mosley's short story collections "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" and "Walking the Dog".
As much as this is a novel, it's because Block has built a backstory into the plot. Keller (the main character) is a very typical, mundane character who kills people for a living. Almost always they're somewhere else in the country, and he must fly to find them. Once he does, he kills them in some mundane fashion (stabbing with a kitchen knife, shooting at point-blank range, strangling them) and then returns home. He works the crossword puzzle, dates women but doesn't connect, gets a dog, then (finally) a girlfriend, collects stamps, basically leads a pretty mundane existence. Of course, he also is having something of a mid-life crisis, and this is that backstory I was talking about, a sort of ennui that Keller can't seem to shake. It's pretty fun, and interesting, to watch Block make Keller into someone who's less than completely repulsive, and at times even sympathetic.
I enjoyed this book a great deal, and would recommend it.
Book Description
“Can you teach an ordinary golfer like me to drive the ball 300 yards?” With this question sportswriter Philip Reed’s search for the greatest golf swing begins. When Reed met ninety-year old Mike Austin, he knew that Austin held the record for the longest drive ever—an awesome 515-yard shot during a Senior PGA event. What he didn’t know is that he was forging a bond with a man whose amazing life he has now chronicled in a book that is charming, funny, and wise. As Reed’s tutelage under his cantankerous teacher begins, he learns of Austin’s winning wagers on trick shots, sharing a Hollywood apartment with Errol Flynn; giving secret lessons to Howard Hughes; and matching shots against Sam Snead and Ben Hogan. As Reed's drives get longer, Austin’s health worsens. Mike soon suffers a stroke that silences him, but Reed is sure that Mike wants someone to tell his story—of a man who could do one thing better than anyone else, who possessed the most prodigious golf swing ever. This book is not just for golfers, but for all readers who savor heartwarming stories of unexpected friendships and are eager to learn secrets of living life to the fullest.
Customer Reviews:
Hits a Golfer's Sweet Spot.......2007-10-09
Had a terrific time reading this book. It reaches out and grabs every weekend golfer by what they desire most... the Shangri-la of a long, monster drive by exploring the fascinating life of Mike Austin via the student/teacher relationship with the author.
Mike Austin's tales tend to come off as a bit hard to believe, sort of like the "Dos Equis's: World's Most Interesting Man," but Phil seems to bear out all as truth through what appears to be painstaking research.
It really didn't end up helping my swing but gave me inspired look at a the longest drive hitter, now off to get the dvd....
515 yards yeah right!!!.......2007-07-13
If you are a skeptic about anything you have heard about Mike Austin's 515 yard drive.....this book will put your questions to rest. Phil Read has provided a very real account of some of the mystery surrounding Mike Austin and the golf swing he taught.
Phil writes exactly how Mr Austin spoke.....straight shooting style. Phil talks about Austin's experiences with some of the best golfers from the 30's through to the 60's....Sarazen,Snead and Hogan etc.
There are some glimpses of golf instruction in the book....but it is really about Mike Austin. Some question's like ...why isn't Mike Austin not better known if he was so good etc are answered.
A great read along with Dan Shaugers How to Kill the Ball and 21st Century Golf Swing.
One of the best books I've ever read!.......2007-05-03
Phillip Reed has great writing charisma, if there is such a thing. While reading this book, on the one hand I wanted to hurry up and finish it so I'd know its content, and, on the other hand, like a good movie, I didn't want it to end. It's hard to beat a well written book containing intriguing subject matter. The clever intermingling of three stories - Mike Austin's extraordinary life, the author's quest for a 300 yard drive, and instruction on the Mike Austin Swing Method, itself, make this unique book a "must read" for golfers and nongolfers alike.
One of the Best.......2007-03-21
A unique and entertaining tale of a bogey golfer's quest to hit a 300-yard drive is also a biography of Dr. Michael Hoke Austin, who holds the record for the longest drive in golf--515 yards. Anyone who has searched for the elusive secrets of perfecting their golf game can identify with the struggles of the author to understand Mike Austin and his method. Already in his nineties, Austin is difficult, cantankerous and cautious about sharing his knowledge; but his developing friendship with the author and his realization that his days are numbered evolves into an urgency to compile his knowledge as a legacy that meshes with the author's personal quest. We also meet long-drive champion Mike Dunaway and golf professional Dan Shauger, who Austin declares as the person best able to explain his method. The account of Austin's final years is also inspirational, a portrait of a man who has lived life fully, complete with many failures and weaknesses but marked with singular accomplishment and ultimate friendships.
Hard to Put Down.......2007-03-10
OK, I knew a little about Mike Austin before I read this book. This was from the peace river tape I purchased about four years ago. Mike was an amazing man and Phil Reed has done a great job capturing some of the aspects of Mike's life. In addition, there a few clues in the book on the Mike Austin Swing from Phil's pursuit of the swing. I read it from cover to cover the first time and have revisited portions of it since.
Average customer rating:
- Well Written and Fascinating
- The Rabbi and the Hit Man
- Biased and sensationalistic, epitomizes tabloid journalism
- Fascinating
- Great Story, Sloppy Execution...
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The Rabbi and the Hit Man: A True Tale of Murder, Passion, and Shattered Faith
Arthur J. Magida
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0060935618
Release Date: 2004-05-11 |
Book Description
A fascinating true-crime narrative about the first rabbi ever accused of murder and what the case says about the role of clergy in America.
On the evening of November 1, 1994, Rabbi Fred Neulander returned home to find his wife, Carol, facedown on the living room floor, blood everywhere. He called for help, but it was too late. Two trials and eight years later, the founder of the largest reform synagogue in southern New Jersey became the first rabbi ever convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
In a gripping examination of the misuses of the pulpit and the self-delusions of power, Arthur J. Magida paints a devastating portrait of a manipulative man who used his position of trust in the temple to attract several mistresses -- and to befriend a lonely recovering alcoholic, whom he convinced to kill his wife "for the good of Israel."
The Rabbi and the Hit Man straddles the juncture of faith and trust, and confronts issues of sex, narcissism, arrogance, and adultery. It is the definitive account of a charismatic clergyman who paid the ultimate price for ignoring his own words of wisdom: "We live at any moment with our total past ... What we do will stay with us forever."
Customer Reviews:
Well Written and Fascinating.......2006-07-26
Overshadowed in the headlines of 1994 by an ex-football player murdering his wife and her friend, Rabbi Fred Neulander unhatched an equally devious plot. This serial philanderer, in order to marry a girlfriend, sought the murder of his wife. In an easy flowing style, Arthur Magida tells this story in "The Rabbi and the Hitman".
Not being familiar with many of the Jewish customs, I appreciated Magida's explanations of landmark dates on the Jewish calendar as the story was told. Neulander had several love interests outside of his marriage that he used to make his congregation develop. A man with "people skills", Neulander was believed to be a great rabbi and builder of a thriving synagogue community. This all changed when his wife was murdered. In a murder-for-hire scheme, Neulander may have never been convicted had the hitman not confessed.
This book is a truly fascinating tale of the Jewish fate of one deceitful rabbi. It was apparent from the beginning that Neulander was not a rabbi for the right motives. For this reason, his murderous crime should not be an implication of all rabbis.
The Rabbi and the Hit Man.......2005-08-21
The book is well written and keeps your interest. It is a book based on fact and a true story.
Biased and sensationalistic, epitomizes tabloid journalism.......2005-04-20
Living in the Philadlphia area I am very familiar with the Neulander case. I was hoping for a more objective and less sensationalistic account of the murder than that presented in the local media. Magida presents exactly that however, an overly simplistic, unsophisticated and extremely prejudiced account of the murder. It's as though Magida, as a jew, cannot accept the fact that another jew could possibly commit such an act. He feels he must repeatedly vilify Nulender to reasure the reader that judaism is sound despite this individuals mis-deeds. To say that his continuous incrimination of Neulander is monotonous is an understatement. In fact it is condescending. I got the message the first hundred times that Neulander is a despicable human being, a fact I happen to agree with. What I expected was more insight into his psyche. To find out what makes him tick and what his real motives were. I am also irritated on how he portrayed the women he was involved with as innocent babes in the woods. Women with seemingly no will of their own who were victims of Neulander's advances. Were they not complicit in the adulterous afairs, all except one having spouses of their own? The book is factually accurate,however his political correctness and overstatement of the obvious nauseated me.
Fascinating.......2004-02-16
I had seen a segment on A&E about this shocking and brutal crime. Reading the book made me realize just how deceptive and evil human beings can be, not only to their closest friends and business associates but to those who matter the most; their families.
This will forever change the way I look at my pastor in the pulpit!
Great Story, Sloppy Execution..........2004-01-25
I lived in the Philadelphia area when this story broke back in '94. The Rabbi always looked guilty--but I moved away before the story really got good. This book filled me in on what I missed and what a story it is. A fascinating story, filled with absorbing and tragic characters. I thought the book, while well researched, was not well written. The structure is a bit sloppy and some the stories that appear as interludes are only tangentially related (like someone who knew someone who vaguely remembered Neulander in the '60s). I might have chosen a more straight forward narrative, but oh well...the story carries the day. And finally, justice.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent On1st Amendment, and Real Murder!!
- An Intriguing Story that Sets an Important Precedent
- Entertaining But Flawed
- EXERCISE YOUR FREE-SPEECH RIGHTS...AND ORDER THIS BOOK
- Excellent
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Deliberate Intent: A Lawyer Tells the True Story of Murder by the Book
Rodney A. Smolla
Manufacturer: Crown
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Deliberate Intent
ASIN: 0609604139
Release Date: 1999-06-22 |
Amazon.com
Deliberate Intent is a book about a lawsuit about a book about murder. The latter book, Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors, is precisely what it claims to be: a step-by-step DIY guide to freelance assassination. Few people read Hit Man; even fewer took it seriously. Ex-con James Perry did both, and when Lawrence Horn hired the felonious entrepreneur to do a little job for him, Perry followed the book's instructions to the letter, executing his client's ex-wife and brain-damaged son along with the boy's nurse. After the murderous co-conspirators were convicted and sent to prison, the families of the victims filed a wrongful-death suit against the book's publisher for aiding and abetting triple homicide.
Authored by a member of the plaintiffs' team of lawyers, Deliberate Intent is an atypical nonfiction legal thriller. Rod Smolla has not reconstructed his role in Rice v. Paladin Enterprises, Inc. to spotlight his valiant determination and legal genius; instead, he offers uncommonly candid insight into his struggle to reconcile the First Amendment's protection of free speech with the sixth commandment's proscription against murder. A respected scholar of constitutional law, Smolla was understandably reluctant to take on a case with potentially damaging consequences for the Bill of Rights--and willingly admits there were times when he questioned if he was on the right side of the fight. Words don't kill people, after all; assassins kill people. Literacy is hardly a prerequisite. Eventually, however, Smolla decides, "A publisher who provides detailed information on techniques of violent crime with the deliberate intent that some readers will use the information to murder and maim will not find refuge in the First Amendment." (In May 1999, just before the case was to go to jury trial, Paladin reached an out-of-court agreement with the victims' families. As part of the settlement, Paladin withdrew Hit Man from the market.) --Tim Hogan
Book Description
Deliberate Intent is the riveting account of the landmark Hit Man case, by noted First Amendment attorney Rod Smolla, who risked reputation and career when he took on a cause that seemed to oppose his strongest beliefs.
Early in 1992, Lawrence Horn hired a contract killer to execute his ex-wife and his severely brain-damaged son. On March 3, 1992, the man he hired, James Perry, traveled to Silver Spring, Maryland, and murdered Horn's ex-wife and child and the boy's nurse. Perry used a book called Hit Man as an instruction manual for the murders. The subsequent criminal trial became known as the Hit Man case, and after Horn and Perry were convicted of murder, the victims' families surprised the nation by filing an unprecedented wrongful death suit against Paladin Press, publisher of Hit Man. In a controversial turn of events, Paladin was being blamed for the murders.
Distinguished attorney Rod Smolla, First Amendment expert and vigorous advocate of free speech, was approached to represent the victims' families in the civil suit against Paladin. Smolla initially declined, but after reading Hit Man and likening it to "a loaded pistol or a vial of poison," he decided to take on the case, even though it seemed to go against his abiding belief in the First Amendment. Smolla argued that if Paladin Press knew and intended that its murder manual Hit Man would be used in the actual planning and execution of contract killings, Paladin was not entitled to immunity under the First Amendment. In an appeal that stunned the legal world, Smolla's argument prevailed and was affirmed by the Supreme Court. Deliberate Intent is the dramatic story of the events behind this landmark case--a story that includes murder, trials, and appeals and, most important, raises fascinating and difficult questions about our most cherished freedom.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent On1st Amendment, and Real Murder!!.......2005-11-28
This book is about as perfect as you can get! Mainly a true story of a lawsuit against Paladin Press for publishing the book HIT MAN, it is a very entertaining read for such a gruesome subject. Sweeping through law school discussions, 1st Amendment history, and the details of the US Court System, this is a real page turner. The details of the lawsuit, the personalities, the judges, including one whose elderly father was murdered in his own driveway just a few years before this case started, are all fascinating! So for a tour through the law and the truly horrific murders of 3 completely innocent people, and even the streets of LA and Motown records, and much more, this one is tough to beat!
An Intriguing Story that Sets an Important Precedent.......2004-11-14
Deliberate Intent is a personal account of a lawyer devoted to the idea of First Amendment. As a true believer in free expression, when he was approached to serve on the legal team that sued Paladin Press for the publication of Hit Man, a manual for the successful hired murderer, he was very reluctant. However, after some efforts he agreed and this book tells the story of his legal, intellectual and emotional involvement in the affair. The reader feels Smolla's commitment to free expression and, at the same time, also Smolla's conviction that this book exploits all that is right about free speech to inflict evil and thus it places itself outside the boundaries of the First Amendment. The account is very personal, sometimes TOO personal (a more stringnet editor would leave some parts of Smolla's diversions outside this fascinating book) but it is a very engaging book that I, personally, read cover to cover without a break. Now I teach it in my free speech classes.
Entertaining But Flawed.......2002-04-30
The story (which, of course, was true) is very engaging; however, the book had several flaws that hindered my enjoyment:
- There was an excessive amount of typos--all were the kind spell checkers don't catch (e.g. "peels of laughter").
- Details were left out that caused confusion (e.g. how did the Department of Justice report become part of the record on appeal?).
- The law school scenes stretched credibility--all the students' answers were close to perfect analysis, which is not the norm. Clearly class dialogue was edited for the book, but it gave an erroneous impression of the law school class environment.
- The end of the book should have left out the "apology" for making money on the case, which came across sounding somewhat disingenuous. It appeared the author considered the apology obligatory; but if so, why did he throughout the book bring up how impecunious he was? The whole topic could have been left out with no loss, and some gain in focus. Or, the author could actually have been honest and admitted that of course he's human and the possibility of a large payout was a motivating factor. Even altruistic law professors-turned-plaintiff's-lawyers must eat, and it's nothing to be ashamed of (and comports with American values) to risk your time and effort on the possibility of a large reward.
EXERCISE YOUR FREE-SPEECH RIGHTS...AND ORDER THIS BOOK.......2001-02-22
A publishing house turns a tidy profit on a "how to" book--about how to be a contract killer, that is. A man hires somebody to kill his wife and handicapped son for insurance. The murder is committed using the "how to" book as a blueprint. What is a First Amendment free speech absolutist to do?
That is the burden of this book and its author, Rod Smolla, a professor of law at William and Mary's law school. With every fiber of his being, Smolla believes in the First Amendment and unfettered free expression. Then, he takes on the case of the victims' next of kin against the publisher...and winds up doing battle against the assembled might of the First Amendment bar in federal court.
It's all here. Smolla is a good story teller and he has put together a good narrative of the thrust and parry, point and edge of the case. His character sketches of the lawyers involved and the defendant publisher are wickedly funny. He spares no one, friend or foe (at one point, he says that his co-counsel on the case suffers from "narcistic fibrosis.") The writing style is crisp and fluid. Smolla weaves into the book meditations on the clash of rights with obligations, the different schools of jurisprudential thought from the Natural Law to Legal Realism, the vicissitudes of judges and judging, and the tension-filled process of creating a legal theory and the record to back it up. I was so engrossed in the story I had no idea I was actually learning something!
As an aside to lawyers and law students, this could be the best basic book on legal process and legal practice since the "Buffalo Creek Disaster." If you like this book, check out Patrick Cleary's book on the R.A.V. cross-burning case before the Supreme Court.
Excellent.......2001-01-02
This is a well written and structured book which takes what most people would consider a dull subject and makes it interesting and entertaining for any reader. The subject is the book Hit Man and whether it was protected by the First Amendment.
The author develops the case from beginning to end in a very readable way and uses his teaching class examples to educate non legal readers in the issues of law being debated.
I am a non lawyer and am not American but I have much better understanding of the issues and the First Amendment. The author wrote the book in such a way that I gained this understanding in an entertaining and very readable way.
The use of character development for each of the lawyers involved also gave the book life and relevance to non lawyers.
This is one of those few books that can be considered 5 star.
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Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
John Perkins
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 0786178965 |
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Killer; autobiography of a hit man for the Mafia,
Joey
Manufacturer: Playboy Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006C9MYW |
Books:
- Cracking the SSAT and ISEE, 2007 Edition (Private Test Prep)
- Crown of Fire (The Thistle and the Cross)
- Dark Side of the Moon (A Dark-Hunter Novel, Book 10)
- Dear John
- Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering
- Dive Book Two: The Deep (Dive)
- Dr. Death (Alex Delaware)
- Eclipse (Twilight, Book 3)
- Exile
- Exile
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