History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Deserves 6 stars - or 7
Great Writing, So-So Plotting
Yeah, how DOES March keep his health insurance?
Interesting Start
A very good debut!

Black Maps
Peter Spiegelman
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1400033594
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Book Description

John March walked away from his family’s merchant bank for the life of a rural deputy sheriff–a life that would explode in personal tragedy and professional disaster. Three years later, March is back in New York City, working as a private investigator and still running from his grief and guilt. When he takes the case of Rick Pierro, a wealthy investment banker threatened by blackmail, March is swiftly drawn into a web of Wall Street insiders and outcasts, and back to a world he thought he’d left behind. The more he learns about Pierro’s connections to a notorious international bank that made billions in blood-money, the darker the terrain becomes. Soon March’s own life is in danger, as he follows a trail of blood and shattered lives to a ruthless and depraved extortionist.

In this thrilling and intelligent debut, Peter Spiegelman illuminates the dark underside of the financial world and introduces one of the most compelling fictional detectives of the new millennium.

Customer Reviews:

Deserves 6 stars - or 7.......2007-09-11

Knopf doesn't publish just anyone's first novel, much less a PI mystery. Not hard to see why they signed Peter Spiegelman - he's as good as Michael Connelly. Black Maps is an amazingly mature work, without the usual reservation "for a first novel." It's engrossing from the first page to the last. Spiegelman's writing never gets in the reader's way - it's never self-conscious or - fatal for a mystery - transparently tricky, coy, or cute. It's a real story - the characters that carry the plot are alive and interesting without exception, and even the minor characters at the second and third levels have energy. A wonderful, wonderful piece of writing. Spiegelman has a place among the mystery writers who are master craftsmen - Connelly, Robert B. Parker, Tony Hillerman (at his best), et al. But he's much more than a word wizard; his books have soul.

Great Writing, So-So Plotting.......2007-08-04

I read a lot of mysteries, and I am really quite impressed with Peter Spiegelman's writing ability. For a first novel, BLACK MAPS is extremely well written. I think Spielgelman's prose can stand toe-to-toe with some of the best writers in the business right now.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Spiegelman's plotting. BLACK MAPS is a pretty slow moving PI novel, and the first two thirds of the book is little more than a lengthy set-up piece that lacks any sort of momentum. But once you hit the last third of this book, BLACK MAPS becomes quite thrilling and enjoyable. But I must admit that I almost gave up on the book before this point.

Spiegelman is also way too fond of description. In BLACK MAPS, he describes almost everyone and everything in almost excruciating detail. People, clothing, rooms, architecture, business transactions, geographical locations -- you name it. He's actually very good at doing this, but I felt it really slowed down the momentum of the plot, at least for me.

In short, Spiegelman is a superb writer with huge potential, but I wouldn't recommend this novel to someone looking for a page turner.

Three and a half stars.

Yeah, how DOES March keep his health insurance?.......2007-08-01

I saw good reviews of the third novel in this series, and not being the sort of person to start in the middle of something, I went back and found this one -- apparently his first novel of any kind. And as a first, it's not bad. The protagonist is John March, born into a moderately wealthy New York banking family (all his siblings work for the company his grandfather founded), who fell in love his senior year in college with the daughter of an upstate sheriff, followed her home after graduation, and became a deputy for his father-in-law. Then she was killed -- the author was right not to overdo the backstory -- and March came back to Manhattan, where he became a PI. Now three years have passed, he's still not really over the trauma, and he's sort of floating through life. Through a lawyer friend, he gets involved in a blackmail case involving a collapsed bank (think international money-laundering on a huge scale) now in liquidation. The plot is well thought out, due undoubtedly to the author's own background in international banking and the design of financial software, and the complications are nicely explained for the uninitiated. The pace in the early part of the book is rather slow, though, and except for a couple of isolated scenes, it doesn't really pick up until eighty percent of the way through. Then he really lets out the clutch. The dialogue is well done, as are the characters, though Spiegelman could spend less time describing each passing individual and their attire in such minute detail; at least he stops short of quoting the laundry instructions tag. It's a very promising beginning, though, and I'll be following this series from now on.

Interesting Start.......2007-05-21

Black Maps is our author's first foray into fiction, and Mr. Spiegelman overall does a good job. There's action, guns, and plenty of bad guys. The plot, while somewhat pedestrian, is still substantive enough to hold the reader till the tepid conclusion. That said, Spiegelman needs to realize a few things as he plans his next outing with our hero, PI John March.

It seems that every character March encounters is over 6'2", even the women. They can't all be tall and gangly, sir! A problem that surfaces in the next two John March novels is also plainly visible in this book, too. John's brothers and sister are vicious to him, and he sits by and takes it like he's been given too much thorazine. You want us to like Mr. March, right? Give him a spine transplant, then! Lastly, Mr. Spiegelman has to let us know how intimate he is with the geography of Manhattan and New York City. There's a paragraph that is truly hard to believe his editors left in on purpose--in this sort of vein:

"I took the lefthand path that led off Central Park West, passed the statue of two fireman, and looped around 45th street to the 52nd street entryway. As the subway passed, I dipped around the construction on Lexington and ran along Park Avenue till it intersected 45th again. My pursuer had thought of this, so he looped back through TriBeCa and skirted the East Village...." Is he serious?!

There's a fun spark in Black Maps that makes me keep my eye on the further adventures of John March, PI. Although this isn't a homerun ("the ball sailed out of Yankee stadium just to the right of 102nd street and Koch Avenue, skirting past the Queen's Community Center...."), it was a fun read.

A very good debut!.......2005-06-29

Spiegelman clearly knows whereof he speaks and actually makes the world of banking interesting. He has created an interesting protagonist in John March, including a history revealed throughout the story. The story does start out slowly and one has to get through the information about the banking industry, money laundering and data security, which s interesting and relevant but not exciting. After that, the story definitely takes off and suspense builds to an exciting ending. I very much enjoyed this debut book and am looking forward to his next.

Money Has No Smell: The Africanization of New York City

Average customer rating:

A great book for African/ African-American studies.

Money Has No Smell: The Africanization of New York City
Paul Stoller
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0226775305

Book Description

In February 1999 the tragic New York City police shooting of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed street vendor from Guinea, brought into focus the existence of West African merchants in urban America. In Money Has No Smell, Paul Stoller offers us a more complete portrait of the complex lives of West African immigrants like Diallo, a portrait based on years of research Stoller conducted on the streets of New York City during the 1990s.

Blending fascinating ethnographic description with incisive social analysis, Stoller shows how these savvy West African entrepreneurs have built cohesive and effective multinational trading networks, in part through selling a simulated Africa to African Americans. These and other networks set up by the traders, along with their faith as devout Muslims, help them cope with the formidable state regulations and personal challenges they face in America. As Stoller demonstrates, the stories of these West African traders illustrate and illuminate ongoing debates about globalization, the informal economy, and the changing nature of American communities.

Customer Reviews:

A great book for African/ African-American studies........2005-05-04

This book was assigned as part of a senior seminar in African and African-American Studies at my university. This ethnographic work is fascinating and perfect for understanding connections between Africans and African-Americans, as well as explorations regarding globalization.

Average customer rating:

0 stars
For the love of a good book!!!!!
All I Could Say is...HORRIBLE!!!
No Way!!!
I could not believe it

For the Love of Money : A Novel
Omar Tyree
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0684872927
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Book Description

Tracy Ellison, the sizzling heroine of the bestselling Flyy Girl, returns in this razor-sharp sequel from acclaimed author Omar Tyree.

From hard-knocks Philly to glamorous Hollywood, Tracy Ellison has truly walked the walk. Now twenty-eight years old and a major movie star, the original Flyy Girl is returning to her East Coast roots. As Tracy reconnects with friends, she seems on the brink of a happily-ever-after existence. But as she begins to address the uncertainties of her youth, Tracy stirs up a string of difficult questions about past loves, ambivalent family ties, and her artistic ambitions. Can attaining success and happiness really be as simple as Tracy makes it look?

Crackling with honesty and passion, For the Love of Money is a triumphant continuation of the adventures of one of contemporary fiction's most outrageous young heroines.

Download Description

From hardknocks Philly all the way to glamorous Hollywood, Tracy Ellison has truly walked the walk. Now twenty-eight years old and a big-time movie star, Omar Tyree's infamously uncompromising, erstwhile "Flyy Girl" is going back to her East Coast roots. As she drops in to reconnect with friends, Tracy seems on the brink of a happily-ever-after existence, bountifully armed as she is with over-the-top beauty, unstoppable attitude, and mountains of cash. But what is life, after all, if not a continuous stream of challenges? Tracy's homecoming stirs up a string of difficult questions about past loves, ambivalent family ties, and her artistic ambitions. Crackling with honesty and passion, For the Love of Money is a triumphant continuation of the singular adventures of one of contemporary fiction's most outrageous young heroines.

Customer Reviews:

0 stars.......2007-09-20

My mother bought me this book when I was in high school, and I didnt get past page 20....tried to read it again(5 years later) and realized, this book is plain terrible!!! Please do not waste your money. I wouldn't be able to finish this book if somebody paid me...(I'm soo serious)

For the love of a good book!!!!!.......2007-07-19

This was THE worst book I have ever read! I was so disgusted that I actually paid the full price for this mess. What is this book about? When he changed the character's name he should have changed the story along with it.

I won't be buying any more of his books for a minute!!!

All I Could Say is...HORRIBLE!!!.......2007-04-04

After reading Flyy Girl which was an excellant book i would think this would be a great continuation....WRONG!! This book was so horrible and bland that i stopped reading dead in the middle of the book. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone and Omar Tyree had the nerve to add a third book, Boss Lady. I'm not either gonna bother and neither should anyone else who doesn't want to waste their money.

No Way!!!.......2007-03-26

By no means would I had purchased this book after reading the reviews. I was so disappointed because Flyy Girl was an awesome read. Please don't waste your time nor your money.

I could not believe it.......2007-02-05

I must say that I am overjoyed that I did not buy this book! To this very day I have not finished it and I started it 6 years ago! I do not like to be cruel or insensitive because I would not want anyone to harshly criticize my work but the book was beyond boring! I made it through half the novel before I decided that I could not continue to torture myself.

The content was bland. As I perused the novel I began to feel like Omar Tyree could care less about his readers. I mean FLyy Girl was magnificent! I recommended it to numerous people and I was all too excited to see there was a sequel. I was horrified when I opened the cover to review a content so emotionless that the pages may as well have been blank! I would not recommend For the Love of Money to a trash can let alone people.

Average customer rating:

Thank God I didn't buy this for myself!
Well written and informative
Concise chronological account
A Clip Job
I have read this before!!!!!!

Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power
Gerald L. Posner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Business | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0375500626
Release Date: 2002-12-24

Book Description

In 1959, twenty-nine-year-old Berry Gordy, who had already given up on his dream to be a champion boxer, borrowed eight hundred dollars from his family and started a record company. A run-down bungalow sandwiched between a funeral home and a beauty shop in a poor Detroit neighborhood served as his headquarters. The building’s entrance was adorned with a large sign that improbably boasted “Hitsville U.S.A.” The kitchen served as the control room, the garage became the two-track studio, the living room was reserved for bookkeeping, and sales were handled in the dining room. Soon word spread that any youngster with a streak of talent should visit the only record label that Detroit had seen in years. The company’s name was Motown.
Motown cuts through decades of unsubstantiated rumors and speculation to tell the true behind-the-scenes narrative of America’s most exciting musical dynasty. It follows the company and its amazing roster of stars from the tumultuous growth years in Detroit, to the drama and intrigue of Hollywood in the 1970s, to resurgence in 2002.
Set against the civil rights movement, the decay of America’s northern industrial cities, and the social upheaval of the 1960s, Motown is a tale of the incredible entrepreneurship of Berry Gordy. But it also features the moving stories of kids from Detroit’s inner-city projects who achieved remarkable success and then, in many cases, found themselves fighting the demons that so often come with stardom—drugs, jealousy, sexual indulgence, greed, and uncontrollable ambition.
Motown features an extraordinary cast of characters, including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder. They are presented as they lived and worked: a clan of friends, lovers, competitors, and sometimes vicious foes. Motown reveals how the hopes and dreams of each affected the lives of the others and illustrates why this singular story is a made-in-America Greek tragedy, the rise and fall of a supremely talented yet completely dysfunctional extended family.
Based on numerous original interviews and extensive documentation, Motown benefits particularly from the thousands of pages of files crammed into the basement of downtown Detroit’s Wayne County Courthouse. Those court records provide the unofficial—and hitherto largely untold—history of Motown and its stars, since almost every relationship between departing singers, songwriters, producers, and the label ended up in litigation.
From its peaks in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Motown controlled the pop charts and its stars were sought after even by the Beatles, through the inexorable slide caused by their failure to handle their stardom, Motown is a riveting and troubling look inside a music label that provided the unofficial soundtrack to an entire generation.

Download Description

Is there any truth to the rumor that the Mafia grabbed control of Motown after Berry Gordy ran afoul of violent loan sharks? Which Motown star had a violent fight with Gordy on the day JFK was assassinated?

Here is the book that answers these and other questions about the Motown nobody knows:

Which Motown diva was almost run down by a station wagon after a blowout with a rival?
How did Hollywood and the film industry sink Motown's film business after the tremendous promise of Lady Sings the Blues?
What famous star hid from Gordy that he was the father of her first child?
What was the secret scheme one former executive says the company developed to steal millions of dollars in "suitcases of cash" from artists and songwriters?
Was the death of the Temptations' Paul Williams by a single gunshot a suicide, as ruled by coroners, or a murder to silence him, as suspected by some colleagues?

Customer Reviews:

Thank God I didn't buy this for myself!.......2007-07-24

This book was nothing more than a collection of excerpts from other peoples (auto)biographies.That's it. Since he was unable to obtain interviews with any of the subjects,perhaps the author thought that putting in court documents would give the book some credibility....uh, no!

I'm happy that I didn't spend the money to buy it in its Hardcover edition(it was a gift), though I have to live with it collecting dust in my cellar!

Well written and informative.......2007-06-23

I see from a number of reviewers for this book that one of the complaints is that this book is a rehash of the same information available elsewhere - ie. legal documents, books from other authors, etc.
Well, many of the books cited as reference are no longer available. Legal documents might be available for public viewing - if you have the time and resources to do your own investigation. I think the author did an excellent job of compiling the information and presenting it in an enjoyable to read format.
I read this book and "The Motown Music Machine" at the same time. Though the other book might be considered more authoritative based on the authors personal experience within Motown, I don't believe that it tells the full story. Afterall, how can one man know all about the business and employees? He can't, which makes Mr Posner's book that much more interesting. It's told from an overall perspective with input from many sources.
Many readers have seen the information in this book in other books or articles. Well I haven't and I enjoyed reading about it in one handy, convenient place.

Concise chronological account.......2005-12-04

For someone who has not read any other book on Motown, this book is provides a tremendous insight into the mega corporation: it's rise, power, entertainers, unsavory practices, lawsuits, legalities and the end of Motown.

Chronological timeframe
What you get here is a complete timeframe from the "Hitsville" building, the upstart of performers, the maintenance, the drugs, alcohol, bickering of performers and executive staff. There is an insight and understanding how the music industry works, how songs are selected for "hits"; We are educated on the distribution of records and its practices. It seems clear that if a record company was not gypping entertainers, something was not done right.

Lawsuits, battles, downfalls
Also explained is how and when entertainers and staff deflected to other companies. We are given a clear explanation of the struggles within the Supremes and the birth of the supergroup, The Jackson 5, the rise and fall of Marvin Gaye, success of Stevie Wonder, Berry Gordy's bond with Smokey Robinson of the Miracles, infighting, lawsuits, etc., etc.

Much is written about the love affair of Diana Ross and Berry Gordy, and her bitter relationship with other Motown performers.

The book also details the trials and tribulations of the 25th Anniversary Television show, where Michael Jackson performed the moon walk and made history.

Motown movies
It's clear that when Berry Gordy had a quest for the movie business, it would ultimately lead to neglecting the music business.

What about the SOUND of Motown
I did have one question: The Funk Brothers - the sound of Motown! There is almost nothing on the Funk Brothers.

Although receiving negative reviews for what readers called "many mistakes", I don't care if so and so had this hit first before such and such hit, or so and so went to bed with so and so instead of so and so.... I don't care if details aren't precise! A hundred years from now, I won't remember anyhow, better make that 5 minutes from now.

What mattered is that I was given a complete and chonological timeframe about the legacy of Motown. I had not read another book, and may not read another book. Simple as that!...MzRizz

A Clip Job.......2005-10-29

Mostly compiled from the work of other writers, this Motown history is notable for Posner's use of old legal files to detail the many lawsuits against Berry Gordy and the Motown label by stars who later became disgruntled. A better writer when he takes on assassinations (JFK and MLK), Posner is out of his depth when writing about music. He lacks a certain appreciation for how these songs changed American pop culture. Still, the book is useful if you haven't read any others, and could be revelatory for the younger generation unfamiliar with the various Motown stars and their early days.

I have read this before!!!!!!.......2005-04-14

I say that as a title because while reading the book I felt like I was re-reading other books that I have read before on Motown. It was almost quoted word for word in many stories which made it difficult to keep my interest. I enjoyed parts of it because I am always interested in new information that I didn't know which is what I though the book would reveal. I love finding out information on business practices and how a company became successful. The section on the royalties, sales and payments was by far the most interesting to me. Overall Gerald Posner didn't do a bad job, I just think that the story has been told so many times by so many people that it is really hard to come up with anything new or original without referencing previously published material. From a die hard Motown fan and I would dare to call myself a self proclaimed Motown historian the book also had questionable facts. However, someone else who doesn't know the history of the company as much as I do may find it good reading. Before you take it at face value I suggest you do some cross referencing and basically do your homework regarding the facts in this book.

Average customer rating:

Great Characters
We Get It, The FBI Turned You Down
Memorable debut
A great Florida thriller by a cop with humor and smarts
Money, Money, Who's Got the Money

Walking Money
James O. Born
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0399151699
Release Date: 2004-06-17

Book Description

For more than seventeen years with the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Jim Born has seen just about everything Florida crime and criminals can throw at him, and he's put it all into as entertaining and accomplished a first thriller as you'll find anywhere this year.

State cop Bill Tasker has had problems in the past, but nothing compared to what's about to happen to him. A satchel with a million and a half in skimmed money is about to go walking. A phony community activist has decided to cash in, but a local FBI agent also has his eyes on the prize, a key witness gets murdered, and it's Tasker who ends up framed for the whole thing. Soon, other people become seduced by the cash as well, and as the bag passes from hand to hand and the body count mounts, Tasker realizes it's all up to him. If he doesn't retake his life right now . . . someone's going to do it for him.

Filled with a rich array of characters, a constantly twisting plot, and an authenticity so deep you can't help wondering how much of this is actually true, Walking Money is indeed proof that "Jim Born is the real thing."

Customer Reviews:

Great Characters.......2007-02-25

Walking Money has an Elmore Leonard feel. For a first book, this is a great start for an author with great potential. I was thoroughly entertained by this book. The story line is humorous. This book is character driven. The characters are vibrant and well constructed. It is unfortunate that a preceding critic launched a personal attack against the author. They did not like the portrayal of the FBI. Unfortunately, the FBI has become easy targets in fiction and nonfiction. Read the 911 Commission as one of many examples. True, not all FBI Agents are fat, lazy and corrupt. This is a work of fiction. That critic failed to realize that important aspect and apparently was not familiar with the authors resume. Born spent time with the DEA, whose entrance qualifications are as strenuous as the FBI. For family stability, Born switched to FDLE, which is the Florida investigatory unit. FDLE enjoys a well deserved positive reputation. A number of retired FBI Agents seek employment with FDLE. You may not enjoy this book, but keep your personal attacks to yourself. It is not an easy accomplishment to write four books, while working full time.

We Get It, The FBI Turned You Down.......2006-11-20

First for the plot. A pile of ill gotten money is at one time or the other in the hands of every character in the book. The bag with the money moves around with all the twists and insight that one would expect from a Three Stooges short(one with Shemp) but without the wit one expects from the trio. Fine it's a so-so book with no characters that hold your interest. What I found interesting was the huge chip on his shoulder the author (an investigator for the real Florida Dept of Law Enforcement) has for the FBI. The FDLE is admired by local law enforcement officers because they are so physically strong, mentally awake, and (mostly) morally straight. FDLE investigators have washboard abs and the female investigators are heartstoppingly beautiful. Even their criminal intelligence analysts are right on top of things. The evil FBI agents, on the other hand are fat and lazy and corrupt and their analysts are borderline useless. We get it Jim, you couldn't make the feds. I'm sorry you flunked your interview with the bureau or failed the Treasury Enforcement Agent exam, but why take it out on the reader. To use a baseball analogy the author is stuck in an AA league riding the bus from Reading to Wilmington and he hates the major leaguers who have passed him by because they can hit a curve ball. This book is his payback but he's still in AA both in his career and as a writer.

Memorable debut.......2006-09-28

I'm sceptical of authors writing about Florida when a few pages in, you realize the author never visited the state. James Born knows much about Florida since he gets all the locations correct... and he's a sharp and economical writer to boot.

Born's believeable protagonist, Bill Tasker, is a harried yet honest Florida Department of Corrections officer framed for a robbery and murder during a riot in Liberty City. While trying to clear himself, he gets help from Metro Miami-Dade colleagues and deal with his daughters and ex-wife.

I could tell more but why spoil the story? I thought it captured the aura (if there is one) of south Florida plus it was believeable and entertaining. Just what good fiction should be.

A great Florida thriller by a cop with humor and smarts.......2006-04-24

Jim Born, who has himself been an officer with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, gives us a splendidly unshocked thriller involving corruption by members of that department, as well as the FBI and the local Miami police; to say nothing of various other scam-merchants and low-lifes. His style is matter-of-fact and fast-moving, laced with dry humor.

Born steers clear of cynicism, not only by showing the essential goodness in several of the characters despite their mistakes, but also by his amused understanding of all the reprobates who race through the pages (often carrying a wodge of ill-gotten cash). Born takes a knowing, and not unsympathetic, look at the weakness in us all, especially when we're tempted by money and the dreams it can help us realize.

All this is wrapped up in a multi-agency procedural which feels authentic, thanks to the author's personal experience as a law-enforcer. The plot had more twists than a bag of pretzels; I laughed out loud in places, held my breath in others, and couldn't put it down as I hurried on to see how this roller-coaster of roguery would end. A gripping, racy, humane, humorous thriller. I can't wait to read the sequel.

Money, Money, Who's Got the Money.......2005-07-27

The is an entertaining cops and robbers story that makes good light reading. It kept me up late getting to the end, which was an added twist which you will have to read for yourself (no peeking).

A couple of people have been skimming money and stashing it in a bank safety deposit box. The problem is that various people know about the money, or find out about the money, and everyone seems to have a scheme for getting their hands on it. A bag contains about $1.5 million, and the bag keeps changing hands. It is undocumented, untraceable cash, and as long as it is not in official custody nobody can prove that it actually exists. A big temptation for everyone, including some police officers, community activists, and even an exotic dancer.

State cop Bill Tasker finds himself caught in the middle as people steal the bag, have it stolen back, and it becomes like a complicated three shell game where nobody is sure who finally has it. Nobody can report a theft without implicating themselves. A few dead bodies are left along the way, and the FBI, state police, county police and local police have to figure out who can be charged with what.

Along the way there are some conflicts between blacks, hispanics, and whites; and some additional conflicts between the FBI, state, and local authorities.

White Money/Black Power: The Surprising History of African American Studies and the Crisis of Race and Higher Education

Average customer rating:

White Lies, Lack Power
Complex story told clearly, concisely and compellingly

White Money/Black Power: The Surprising History of African American Studies and the Crisis of Race and Higher Education
Noliwe M. Rooks
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Discrimination & Racism | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0807032700

Book Description

The history of African American Studies is often told as a heroic tale, with compelling images of black power and passionate African American students who refuse to take "no" for an answer. Noliwe M. Rooks argues for the recognition of another story that proves that many of the programs that survived were actually begun due to heavy funding from the Ford Foundation or, put another way, as a result of white philanthropy. Today, many students in African American Studies courses are white, and an increasing number of black students come from Africa or the Caribbean, not the United States. This shift-which makes the survival of the discipline contingent on non-African American students-means that "blackness can mean everything and, at the same time, nothing at all." While the Ford Foundation provided much-needed funding, its strategies, aimed at addressing America's "race problem," have left African American Studies struggling to define its identity in light of the changes it faces today. With unflinching honesty, Rooks shows that the only way to create a stable future for African American Studies is through confronting its complex past.

Customer Reviews:

White Lies, Lack Power.......2006-06-17

In White Money/Black Power, Noliwe Rooks undertakes to boldly challenge the reader with an idea she pretentiously assumes will shake the foundations of contemporary notions of American history and unsettle a naïve African-American cosmology by suggesting that the origin of Black Studies lies mingled in to social-historical forces (not other than, but) in addition to, African-American student activism.

I am appalled to see in publication, such a shallow, banal and opaque presentation of argument and elementary cognition - from no less than an associate professor of Princeton University. The ideological content of the book is sparse, yet the writing in which it is delivered is down right embarrassing. Here is an example of the crippled syntax, stilted logic and sophomoric historicism you stand to encounter from a perusal of this questionably academic text:

"Black Studies offers us all a way of theorizing about race and racial difference that is more important now than ever before. The story of Black Studies' relationship to our contemporary period is central, little known, and important, and it concerns how and why we remember as we do." (9)

Why more now than ever? Does the department, the discipline confer this supposedly newfangled ability to "theorize"?

For the reader, such convoluted delivery shatters the author's floundering ideas into dozens of annoying questions which promise no insight into the content of her argument, and provide no greater clarity to problems posed by the very nature of the text's composition, let alone the positions it takes up. As quoted above, for instance, "offers us all..." refers to an unqualified everyone which conjures ambiguity and calls into question the statement's own credibility. Are all Americans included? Or only all scholars of the discipline? Perhaps all human beings are referenced? The question is relevant if the assertion is meaningful - and if the assertion is not meaningful, then why has it been written? This particular question holds relevance throughout.

Certainly there are ways of identifying and defining the significance of the imperative of Black Studies on American college campuses today - but Rooks offers no concrete assistance with her assurances. If anything, it is this manner of assistance those of us in support of the discipline are ultimately called to regret, on behalf of which we are compelled to apologetics. She also fails to credit the many writers who are producing scholarship in the field about its history.

Another question raised by the above quoted text has to do with the generic, undefined "contemporary period" that Rooks informs us is "our[s]." One would like to know who is referred to in the "we," who "remember as we do"? This, and how, precisely, we allegedly remember. And furthermore, why history has become solely a project of memory, of recollection. This is a terrifying and revealing assumption on the author's part, especially given her child-like summation of the mental phenomenon:
"Memory is both public and private, both historical and contemporary..." which rambles on into "...I wonder if how we remember tells us more about our past or our present." (7) At this point, for the critical reader, Rooks' musing peters out in a wisp of smoke, along with what was evoked of all our shared wonder.

The questions that recur to the reader, questions accidentally raised by the problems of the text, must ultimately be released into the ether of bafflement if one is to get through the 177 pages of White Money/Black Power - which we cannot recommend as Rooks' colleague Cornel West has notably done. This brings sadness to the heart of this reader whose admiration of the latter's scholarship has been an affinity more readily defensible prior to his endorsement of this bafflingly arcane volume.

Returning to a consideration of the central argument of the text, Rooks urges the reader to yield to the unpopular truth that white philanthropy should be awarded at least equal credit in the architecture of this brainchild of 1960's higher educational reform:

"Racial inclusion, white philanthropy, and historical memory are ultimately at the center of the creation story of African American Studies and at the core of this book." (6).

While "racial inclusion" is an ill-advised phrase, the fact that "white philanthropy [is]...at the core of this book" partially explains the obsequious and cowardly rhetoric. Racial equality, and integration are terms that do not theoretically equate with Rooks' "racial inclusion" inasmuch as the latter tacitly enjoins race as an essential feature of the individuals expecting equal treatment, equal citizenship, equal status in American social, political and cultural life.

Such expectations are not synonymous with nor mutually exclusive of "racial inclusion" - but it is crucial to point out that an African-American individual seeking social justice in the United States is not necessarily seeking to be included in the construct of whiteness, nor automatically in pursuit of entrance or membership to a racial identity condoned and constructed by society's racial imagination. The grasping of this truth is an essential condition of proposing anything of value in regards to the politics of race as it relates to social justice in America. Yet this is not an understanding exhibited by any means in White Money/Black Power.

Its language remains so impotent of cogent discourse in this way that one detects a great ambivalence to confront the eloquence and erudition of historical protagonists to whom professors such as herself, and critics (or students) such as myself, owe the painful pleasure of engaging such questions at institutions of higher learning in the United States. This is not to sentimentally romanticize the achievements of the Civil Rights and Black Power eras - if we must allow that these eras have past - but, at least we must to pay homage to them. Yet this just doesn't appear to be Rooks' style:

"If we reflect on it at all, we tend to remember the period [in the late 60's] as a jumble of images: cities burning, Black fists raised in a salute, and Afros framing Black faces." (7)

I can't say that "we" accounts for myself, and I wonder at the professionalism and conscious motivations for such a statement. Who, exactly, is the author trying to reach? What LCD is being identified, anticipated? And at what peril! Herself a professor in this field, Rooks she seems to exhibit inexplicable indifference towards the Black Power generation and its movement which informed the socio-political foundations upon which her discipline was erected, and her career ostensibly rests:

"...The arrival of Black Studies on predominantly white campuses was often announced and preceded by cries of `Black Power!' and clenched fists raised in what was universally understood to be the Black Power salute." (3)
But perhaps her narrative voice can be more easily explained if her professional and intellectual security is bound up more with the mythic generosity of the "white philanthropy" establishment which she faithfully chronicles than with the living legacy of black, radical democracy her historiography defines itself by circumventing (in the name of contextualizing). It goes without saying that this is not in keeping with the legacy of The Harlem Renaissance, the aims of the Civil Rights movement, the imperatives of Black Power, nor in keeping with the ideology of their finest architects who eschewed the obsequious groveling for Rooks' "racial recognition" and championed truth to power civic participation, knowledge of self as historical, political power, communally and independently pioneering the practice of American democracy, choosing inclusion as-is, multi-culturalism as distinct from assimilationism and sell-out capitulation to capitalist identity politics and diversity tokenism.

Furthermore, from her language, it is hard to imagine the audience she envisions - while her politics are more easily abstracted. Another example in which the history of Black liberation struggle is conveyed in dicey, squeamish, "fair and balanced" typed rhetoric:

"Two things stand out from that period [of the founding of Black Studies].... First, during the period, students offered a profound critique of the society's handling of racial exclusion, and second, the broad participation of white and brown college students in demands for an end to elitist and Eurocentric higher education was widespread." (3)

Despite my many curiosities regarding this period of the text, I will limit myself to asking one question: what scholar of American history worth his or her keep could assert with a straight face that the activism of the Civil Rights era targeted "the handling", rather than the fact of segregation and Jim Crow? Perhaps for Rooks, the "handling of racial exclusion" has been perfected to a science which no longer warrants our "clenched fists" and "salutes." But this would be a cynical assumption to make.

My contention with Rooks' "story" is not merely the splitting of hairs. It is a simple plea for erudition in the scholars who undertake to contribute to and publish in the field of African-American Studies. I could go on; each page of the book - which I have had the long-suffering to read - has been filled with as much ink from my own pen, in annotation of its polemic shortcomings, as was wasted on the paper at the time of its printing.

In place of this vapid title, I suggest reading, Dispatches from the Ebony Tower by Manning Marable, or The New Black Renaissance edited by the same author. Of course, if the specificity of Rooks' topic is its selling point to the reader perhaps The White Architects of Black Education by William H. Watkins would be better suited to conventional expectations.

Complex story told clearly, concisely and compellingly.......2006-03-31

As Rooks relates, the "creation story" of Black Studies departments revolves around violence, upheaval, and successful demands by Black Power students. Yet even the ugly and protracted student strike which gave birth to the first Black Studies program at San Francisco State College in 1969 involved students of all races - 80% of the total student population, in fact. If we are to understand the state of Black Studies (morphing into African American and Diaspora Studies) today, she says it's time we honestly examined the racial diversity of the historical record - even if that makes us uncomfortable.

Over the years, Black Studies has meant different things to different people. To the black radicals, it meant separatism, empowerment, making education relevant to black students. To white administrators, it was a way to increase black enrollment or to address (or appear to address) a racial crisis. And to the Ford Foundation - whose money and vision are primarily responsible for the institutionalization of Black Studies as we know it today on many campuses - it was a means of integrating and diversifying higher education, but within the traditional model.

Though touching many of these bases, the book's central focus is the Ford Foundation's involvement because, as Rooks convincingly argues, their vision is largely responsible for the current legacy. And no small part of that legacy is the fact that the majority of enrollees in Black Studies classes on some campuses are white, and that in too many cases, Black Studies (indeed, blackness itself) has become "everything and nothing at all."

This is a complex and important story, told clearly, concisely and compellingly. I can't imagine anyone who cares about the future of Black Studies not reading this book and discussing it - perhaps even arguing about it - with their colleagues.

Average customer rating:

A cleverly written story of financial intrigue.

Black Money
Michael M. Thomas
Manufacturer: St Martins Mass Market Paper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312956800

Book Description

In a small northern California town, a government investigator stumbles upon a bank account for which there is no explanation. It is a tiny thread that will ultimately unravel a criminal tapestry of unbelievable audacity, complexity and scope. Black Money takes us inside the vast global electronic web along whose filaments trillions of dollars circulate every day. It shows us how these sums are moved, traced and manipulated - and how billions of illicit dollars are laundered, not merely by shady offshore companies, but by everyday businesses. Black Money takes us into the heart of this pulsing electronic network, and into the brain of a crime-fighting top-secret supercomputer called JEDI. On this invisible battlefield, an unlikely group of heroes confronts a deadly conspiracy ranging from the cocaine fields of Colombia to the corridors of the White House. Packed with action and surprise, Black Money is a technothriller for the on-line age.

Customer Reviews:

A cleverly written story of financial intrigue........1997-04-30

This story has it all. The good guys all wear white and the bad guys are smeared in black. The reader is taken on a cleverly woven journey through the global financial system and the U.S. political system. Unfortunately, the financial plot becomes the story, and the characters all take a back seat to its development. As with so many other stories all of the drama unfolds in the final chapter alone. We never get to really identify with any of the main characters

White Money/Black Power: The Surprising History of African American Studies and the Crisis of Race in Higher Education

Average customer rating:

White Money/Black Power: The Surprising History of African American Studies and the Crisis of Race in Higher Education
Noliwe M. Rooks
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Discrimination & Racism | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0807032719

Book Description

The untold story of why and how white philanthropy helped create African American studies The history of African American studies is often told as a heroic tale, with compelling images of black power and passionate African American students who refused to take no for an answer. Noliwe M. Rooks argues for the recognition of another story, which proves that many of the programs that survived actually began as a result of white philanthropy. With unflinching honesty, Rooks shows that the only way to create a stable future for African American studies is by confronting its complex past.

Average customer rating:

too basic
Excellent investment book
Great book!

Getting on the Money Track
Rob Black
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Introduction | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0471770795

Book Description

Don't miss the PBS series MoneyTrack with financial expert Rob Black

"A true financial reality and investor education series featuring real people with real-life problems and solutions. . . . Well worth watching."
—Humberto Cruz, LA Times

In today's unpredictable financial world, achieving and maintaining financial security is a major concern for many people. Getting on the MoneyTrack shows you how to make the right financial decisions for you and your family. It provides a blueprint of what you need to do to ensure a well-funded life and covers topics such as:

Common money management mistakes and how to avoid them
How to get and stay out of debt
New ways to work
Investing in real estate
Financial planning essentials for couples
How to raise money-savvy kids
The best ways to save for college
Retirement

Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, Getting on the MoneyTrack provides an accessible and honest look at how you can improve your financial well-being.

Customer Reviews:

too basic .......2006-07-28

basic info..nothing special boring. Hundreds of book about investments out there that are much better.

Excellent investment book.......2005-12-23

Rob is very good financial analyst. His Techtalk shows were great at CNET radio.
He provided consolidated financial investment stratgies in this book which includes Real estate, college savings plan, retirement and investing on stocks and bonds.
I would recommend this book

Great book!.......2005-12-18

Solid financial advice given in real terms that we can all relate to. Explains most of the options in solving financial questions that we all have to deal with. Give a copy to someone you love.

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