Book Description
This book represents the drug game during the late 80's from the inner city streets of Philadelphia. The main characters, Gena and Quadir find themselves caught in the vicious, yet seductive world of drugs and money. Quadir a millionaire drug dealer flipping kilo after kilo, builds a massive money empire. He, however, is also faced with the art of extortion brought upon by the notorious junior mafia. She, however, is faced with holding onto her man, her house, her car and the money. This is our life, these are our streets and this book represents our losses, our gains, our sorrows and joys. With the good, always comes the bad and when you play in this game you have to count the highs and the lows. When you deal with loss after loss, when the people closest to you are gunned down, when the people closest to you are millionaires from hustling in the drug game, when you live this life and have everything money can buy, the price is too often life in return. It's so hard to think about the bad when it's all good. It's so hard to think about the sacrifices that will be made so the next can eat, so the next can come up, so the next can survive to tell about it. We at MMP thank the massive support from the brothers locked up, the massive support from the streets, and if we never make it on a book shelf the hustle was the real. We at MMP promise to never forget you, never forget the hustle and always represent. This one is for the streets.
Customer Reviews:
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!.......2007-10-04
This book blew me away! I really enjoyed it and you will too! I already started my November count down; for part 2. Pull out your credit card and buy it now! You won't regret it.
Wow loved it.......2007-07-19
I read this book like four years ago after the first page i was hooked quadir and gena made a very good couple this is one of the books that started it off for me it was definately a good read.
Love Quadir--- Book Was AMAZINGLY great.......2007-06-01
I Loved this book. it came highly recommended from a fellow Teri Woods Fan. I will admit now I am a Teri Woods Junkie- I have read about 5 of her books in less than a months time.
This is MY FAVORITE... I love the character Quadir, any woman would. I cannot wait until the release of book 2 I will be first in line to purchase.
Great Great Read-- full of suprises.
WOW-----------
WHY IS THERE A PART 2 COMING..............2007-05-10
I DIDNT REALLY WANNA GIVE AWAY THE BOOK I JUST WANTED TO SAY... WHY CANT AUTHORS LEAVE CLASSICS ALONG ???? THIS BOOK ENDED GREAT AND NOW THEY WANNA MESS IT UP WITH A SEQUEL .. SHOULD'VE LET SLEEPING DOGS LYE CAUSE LIKE MANY OTHER BOOKS MAKING SEQUELS RUINS THE LOVE FOR THE FIRST BOOK.... THIS BOOK WAS GREAT I DONT KNOW IF I WANNA RUIN IT BY READING PART.2
True to the Game.......2007-05-09
Didn't like this book. All the main characters were typcial and unbelieveable. Some of the situtations in the book would not have happened in real life. There were too many grammar errors that completely distracted me from actually reading and understanding the novel. But I will say that the book was entertaining, but if it wasn't on my book club's reading list I would have stop reading this novel after the second chapter.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
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.
Amazon.com
Semyon Dukach couldn't believe how easy the money was. In one weekend, the MIT math genius and his team of geeks had made $200,000 playing the blackjack tables in Las Vegas. They hadn't cheated. Instead, they had discovered one of humanity's greatest holy grails: a system to beat the casino. They had rendered obsolete the old saying that the house always wins. Dukach and his friends made millions during the 1990s playing blackjack in the world's top casinos, right under the noses of pit bosses and security consultants who thought they had seen it all. Dukach's story is told in author Ben Mezrich's vividly narrated book Busting Vegas.
Mezrich, the author of previous bestsellers about MIT gamblers and a colorful Ivy League trader in Japan, tells how Dukach's crew used a system that Vegas had never seen before. Dukach, the son of Russian immigrants who grew up in the poorest neighborhoods of New Jersey and Houston, was determined to climb out of poverty and help his family. His system didn't involve the commonly used techniques of card counting. Posing as an arms dealer or dentist, Dukach deliberately sought out blackjack dealers with small hands or thin fingers who frequently didn't conceal the bottom card when they shuffled the cards. Dukach would often manage to get a glimpse at the bottom card. This was highly significant because it was the card the dealer would hand the player to cut the deck. Dukach had practiced a technique to insert the card in a precise spot in the deck and then make big bets when the card was dealt. Dukach and his team ended up barred from casinos, threatened at gunpoint, and beaten in Vegas's notorious back rooms. This is a riveting yarn. —Alex Roslin
Book Description
The exclusive, pulse–pounding follow–up to Bringing Down the House–where the stakes are higher, the players bolder, and the scheme more high–risk.
For nearly five years, Semyon Dukach was known as The Darling Of Las Vegas–the biggest high roller to hit sin city in decades, a hotshot kid with a seemingly unlimitted bankroll and an even more unlimited lust for big money action. He'd hit the city every weekend, a string of beautiful women at his side–throwing cash at the blackjack tables in increasingly enormous amounts. Some believed he was a Russian arms dealer, others believed he was a pop star from Eastern Europe. But the truth was even more fantastic: He was a twenty one year old grad student who spoke five languages, an expert in computers and mathematics. He had a plan that would one day make him richer than anyone could possibly imagine. He used his genius to create a dangerous money–making scheme called "Busting the Dealer"–a scheme only a mathematics genius could have created. More dangerous than the simpler card counting he had been practicing with other pals–bolder, badder, more risky–"Busting the Dealer" was easier for the dealer to tell when one was practicing it.
With "Busting the Dealer," The Darling of Las Vegas quickly became a legend in the world of cards and casinos; the chronicle of his exploits are a Hollywood movie come to life. He became the only person banned from the island of Aruba. He was held, at gunpoint, in a cave in Monte Carlo and told by liaisons of the royal family that if he ever returned, he'd be murdered. After a death–defying plane crash, he crawled into a burning Cessna–on two broken feet–to rescue four hundred thousand dollars won from an Atlantic City casino. He hit cruise ships, charity balls, wherever there was a game worth beating, anywhere in the world. Along the way, he fell in love with his best friend's girlfriend, was betrayed by his own teammates–and nearly lost his life.
This is the startling true story of another group of MIT friends who changed the course of Vegas history–and this time, the stakes have been raised to epic proportions. A tale of monumental excess, sex, love, violence, and statistics,
Customer Reviews:
Busting Vegas.......2007-10-10
I was fascinated by this book. Not only the methods the players used against the casinos, but also the different situations they found themselves in and the lifestyle they led while doing their gambling thing. I ripped through the book in 2 days.
A fun quick easy read........2007-08-23
Busting Vegas is a fun thrilling read which can be done very quickly. This is an alluring story about students from MIT who decide to set up a club for Blackjack for the sole purpose of taking down the casinos. Using specific techniques the students developed and honed within the halls of the Cambridge, MA university, they set out for the ride of their life with big money, false identities and incredible bravado. While I will not give away the ending, I will say that the book reads like any "popcorn novel", fast paced and thrilling. For a great end of the summer read check it out, you will not be disappointed.
Flawed, But Ferociously Readable.......2007-07-23
I'm still not sure if this is non-fiction. The events evidently happened a long time ago. It leaves a lot of unanswered questions, such as whether the 'system' these MIT students devised is still in use by others, where these kids are now and what they ever did with their 'earnings.' Despite some shortcomings, the author's writing style is fast and compelling, so that you want to know what happens next. One of the better beating-Las-Vegas tales out there.
Clever, but terribly written.......2007-06-25
This is a fun little summer read. Smarty-pants MIT geeks figure out some ways to count cards in blackjack, and win it all! Then, of course, it all comes crashing down! The clever methods turn out to be more or less brute force: count and commit stuff to memory, then time your bets just right. I guess I was hoping for something more MIT-worthy.
Unfortunately, this book is so badly-written it's almost unbearable to read. I wasn't expecting great non-fiction, but this is *bad*. Here's an example: describing a "grueling" month of training the team goes through before hitting Vegas, we're told that the students made "biweekly" trips to a local casino. Really? Two whole trips isn't exactly "grueling" training. (Maybe the author meant "twice weekly"?) This is followed by "every ten days, the team endured 'checkouts'"--basically pop quizzes. Every *ten* days? So...that makes three times during this so-called intense month? This doesn't exactly paint a picture of the team grinding away in Boston in preparation for the big score, it sounds kinda like some kids playing cards every once in a while.
The whole book can't seem to strike the right tone of reality. This *is* a true story, but it isn't told straight. Details are needlessly specific (how many books on a bookcase, the color of a pair of shoes, how good a cup of tea is, and so on). But these are details that aren't just irrelevant to the story, but impossible to recall. It's clear that the author is simply filling in information here in hopes that it all seems more "real". Problem is, it's not possible to tell when these details *are* real, and so everything seems equally fake, and you end up wondering: when Owen was in that secret back room at the casino, did he really get beat up and handcuffed? Did the security team really threaten him like that? Or are those details just imagined, too? If this was pure fiction, it'd be ok, but in a supposedly non-fiction book, it feels mostly made-up.
Exciting Read.......2007-06-19
Mezrich puts together another great story about a group of students from MIT who take on Vegas. Other than the techniques used however, I didn't see much of a difference between this book and "Bringing Down the House." If you had to pick one, read "Busting Vegas." Exciting book, but nothing new from Mezrich.
Amazon.com
The Fugitive Game introduces Kevin Mitnick moments before the fugitive hacker surrenders himself to FBI agents who have located him with the help of the so-called cybersleuth, Tsutomu Shimomura. The prologue to Jonathan Littman's book kicks off with the epic climax that came to tantalize movie producers and video game designers and launch magazine covers worldwide. However, this is not another version of Takedown. The Fugitive Game is a compelling, journalistic look at the events that led up to the capture of Kevin Mitnick, and no portion of the folklore surrounding the case is left untouched by the book's critical eye. The real gold of this volume comes from the nearly 200 pages of conversations with Kevin Mitnick himself, most of which were transcribed while he was fleeing from the law.
Over the course of Mitnick's flight from justice, Littman documents and examines the public transformation of Mitnick into Public Enemy Number One, mostly through the efforts of the New York Times writer John Markoff. Markoff's involvement in the eventual capture of Mitnick by Shimomura is also scrutinized at length. Littman even questions the now-legendary Christmas Day break-in of Shimomura's computer, citing reports that the "IP spoofing technique," which Markoff claimed was so ingenious, was in fact a well-known method of gaining access to systems for years. This is a brilliant look at a compelling individual and also the manufacturing of media events and the inept efforts of law enforcement to prepare for the next wave of high-tech crime.
Book Description
The Fugitive Game introduces Kevin Mitnick moments before the fugitive hacker surrenders himself to FBI agents who have located him with the help of the so-called cybersleuth, Tsutomu Shimomura. The prologue to Jonathan Littman's book kicks off with the epic climax that came to tantalize movie producers and video game designers and launch magazine covers worldwide. However, this is not another version of Takedown. The Fugitive Game is a compelling, journalistic look at the events that led up to the capture of Kevin Mitnick, and no portion of the folklore surrounding the case is left untouched by the book's critical eye. The real gold of this volume comes from the nearly 200 pages of conversations with Kevin Mitnick himself, most of which were transcribed while he was fleeing from the law. Over the course of Mitnick's flight from justice, Littman documents and examines the public transformation of Mitnick into Public Enemy Number One, mostly through the efforts of the New York Times writer John Markoff. Markoff's involvement in the eventual capture of Mitnick by Shimomura is also scrutinized at length. Littman even questions the now-legendary Christmas Day break-in of Shimomura's computer, citing reports that the "IP spoofing technique," which Markoff claimed was so ingenious, was in fact a well-known method of gaining access to systems for years. This is a brilliant look at a compelling individual and also the manufacturing of media events and the inept efforts of law enforcement to prepare for the next wave of high-tech crime.
Customer Reviews:
Great read, again........2007-08-03
The same author wrote "The Watchman" which is about Kevin Poulsen. I loved that book and this book.
It's good to read a more reliable story on Mitnick than what came from garbage that John Markoff wrote. You actually get to hear the stories the way Mitnick explains them. He trusted Littman (the author) enough during his hiding time to call him and talk to him for hours at a time and explain what he's done, what he didn't do and his life on the run. You also get to see snippets of how corrupt John Markoff sounds during this entire thing and I don't think Littman even meant to do that.
I do like "The Watchman" a bit better... at times reading the long conversations between Mitnick and Littman can get a bit repetitive or boring... However, most of the time it's very interesting.
I'd suggest reading "The Watchman" first and then reading this book, as you'll notice a whole bunch of tie-in's from the characters in that book and how they relate to Mitnick. I found that fascinating how everyone was linked in one way or another...
intriguing book!.......2007-03-28
I saw the movie "Track Down" with Skeet Ulrich and that intrigued me enough to want to read this book.
I really enjoyed this book and found it very informative and fair to the subjects, since it is a true story.
highly recommend if you are interested in computers and those that hack, just from the vicarious thrill, as well as how to protect yourself online!
Good but.............2007-03-09
Well, maybe it's because I always wanted to live the new economy revolution that happened there in that time and I always wanted to be "connected" even if I was too young and my parents could not understand my point. I'm a bit "obsessed" by this story and not just because there's still something to be clarified, but because the scenario and the period where these events are based mean something in the Internet history. I've red the books, the documents, the reports, the old post messages and nearly everything that is available on the net, and I can say that definitely this book add something more to all of that. I like the author's perspective as well because he wants to understand what's really behind. Of course, as the author's himself said, the book is based mainly on dialogues and interviews with all the people involved in the story, but at the end I hoped there was the chance to extract more details about who really attacked Shimo and why Kevin was handling Shimo's files. I got the feeling that all the phone calls reported were at the end too dispersive and distant from the real secrets of the story. But I believe the author did that to point out what was really behind Kevin's way of behaving, and what really was his point of view, and the book is really successfull in that. Probably what left me a bit disappointed is that I hoped at the very end the author could ask Kevin something more to get more light on all the story after his capture, but probably just my expectations were too high.
reads like a thriller.......2006-12-22
This is the best book I read about Kevin Mitnick's exploits, time on the run, and eventual arrest. It reads like a thriller, is true to it's subject material, and is informative too. If you want to know the story behind one of the country's most noted computer hackers, this is the book to read. (Until of course he publishes his memoirs :-)).
No such thing as ethical hacking.......2005-12-01
Face it, whether you're a white hat or a black hat - hacking is hacking. Alas, the term "ethical hacker" is merely a way for those breaking the law to rationalize their behavior. Littman did a great job of exposing this great debate in the book. In the field of information security, Mitnick is known to all of us as the king of social engineering. Let's be completely honest (even Mitnick and Littman exposed this in the book)... Kevin is not good at hacking but rather at exploiting the human factor. That is - humans are the weakest link in this whole information security thing - not the systems themselves. You want to design a secure system? - educate your users, administrators, managers and executives on how to be wise and vigilant and adhere to a sound security policy.
Thank you to Mr. Littman for showing us the many sides of Mitnick's life. I look forward to reading about Poulsen next in "The Watchman".
Book Description
n 1913, golf's first superstar went up against a green 20-year-old amateur. It was the birth of modern golf. Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet came from different worlds and different generations, but their passion for golf set them on parallel paths that would collide in the most spectacular match the sport has ever known. Vardon had escaped a life of poverty in Britain to achieve universal recognition as the greatest champion in the game's history. Ouimet, a virtual unknown from Massachusetts, was only three years removed from his youthful career as a lowly caddie and worshiped Vardon. When these unlikely opponents finally came together in their legendary battle at the 1913 U.S. Open, the world's reaction to its remarkable drama and heart-stopping climax gave rise to the sport of golf as we know it today. Weaving together the stories of Vardon and Ouimet to create his narrative, Mark Frost has crafted a uniquely involving, intimate epic: equal parts sports biography, sweeping social history, and emotional human drama.
Customer Reviews:
Great Gift of the Greatest Game.......2007-09-11
I bought this as a gift for my husband, who said it is one of the best books that he has ever read. He even described a greater understanding of the psychology of golf that will make the playing of it more enjoyable for him. I have rarely seen him so enthusiastic over a book, but I would say that you'd have to be a golf fan to read it.
Entertaining mix of fiction and nonfiction.......2007-08-17
This book was truly enjoyable and very hard to put down. It is a page turner that yields valuable insight into the birth of golf in Scotland, England, and America. This book contains many valuable facts that may be unknown to the casual sports fan like myself. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an entertaining read on the beginnings of golf and the inspirational story of underdog Francis Ouimet.
However, this book contains a lot of fiction. The "states of mind" of Vardon, Ouimet, Ray, Lord Northcliffe, etc. are pure speculation. Frost has definitely opted for an overdramatization of the story to give it wide appeal (and movie appeal) so it is difficult at times to distinguish facts from fiction. Purists and true golf buffs might be annoyed by the blatant largesse of Frost's fiction.
Nevertheless, the book is an easy and enjoyable read.
golf and loving it.......2007-07-24
I bought this book for my brother in law and he really doesn't read many books. He just usually reads the paper.
He open it up and read this book in one setting. He thought is was just about some person in past years and what his game was about. He found it informative entertaining at the same time. He has read this book at least 2 more times. If you love golf,
then you will love this book.
Not even a novice.......2007-07-06
I'm not a golfer. Not even a novice. The only golf experience I have is falling asleep on the couch as a little girl while my dad or grandpa watched yet another golf tournament. ChiChi Rodriguez was my favorite, and I am familiar with all the greats of the 1980s and a few of the ones from the 90s.
I started reading this book after watching the last quarter of the movie. I thought it would give me something to talk about with my dad. As it turned out, this was one of the most well-written biographies that I have ever read. It was captivating and extremely well written. Not only did I learn so much about golf, but also about the presidents at the time, the social climate, and even meteorology. Rather than being boring, the hole by hole commentary was actually fascinating! I still don't understand much about the different clubs, and I still don't know how to golf, but I have a greater appreciation for the sport that my father loves so much, and we DID have a great conversation about the book once I finished it. So, if you're not a golfer, but you want to be able to relate to the golfers in your life, I highly recommend that you read this fabulous book! I'm so glad I did!
Furthermore, I'd read ANYTHING written by Mark Frost!
A Great Historical Read.......2007-06-08
Mr. Frost has crafted a true story that is as American as apple pie; the story of a two men, Francis Ouimet and Harry Vardon, who against all odds showed an unswerving commitment to excellence in an endeavor that is fraught with the broken dreams of many people. I am a golfer and enjoyed the fact that the book is about a group of golfers at the turn of the 20th century and what "golf" was at that time. However, I think anybody would enjoy the story of Francis Ouimet's "David" to Harry Vardon's "Golaith".
In addition, Mr. Frost also provides an amazing amount of background material to provide a useful context for the back story.
All in all, a very enjoyable book.
Book Description
In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Catherine Crier, a former judge and one of television's most popular legal analysts, offers a riveting and authoritative account of one of the most memorable crime dramas of our time: the murder of Laci Peterson at the hands of her husband, Scott, on Christmas Eve 2002. Drawing on extensive interviews with key witnesses and lead investigators, as well as secret evidence files that never made it to trial, Crier traces Scott's bizarre behavior; shares dozens of transcripts of Scott's chilling and incriminating phone conversations; offers accounts of Scott's womanizing from two former mistresses before Amber Frey; and includes scores of never-before-seen police photos, documents, and other evidence.
The result is thoroughly engrossing yet highly disturbing -- an unforgettable portrait of a charming, yet deeply sociopathic, killer.
Customer Reviews:
A good behind-the-scenes look at the Peterson case..........2007-09-18
A Deadly Game: The Untold Story of the Scott Peterson Investigation by Catherine Crier provides a comprehensive look at this famous case, but does so in a very easy-reading manner. She starts with the disappearance of Laci Peterson, spends much of the book detailing the extensive investigation, and then ends with the arrest and trial of Scott Peterson.
Most Americans are very familiar with the disappearance and murder of Laci Peterson, and there aren't too many of us whose hearts didn't ache for the perky, petite 8-month pregnant Laci with her bright brown eyes and beauty queen smile. When she went missing on Christmas Eve 2002, the police quickly zeroed in on her husband, Scott. His answers didn't add up, his demeanor was odd, and the house seemed to have been sanitized. Also, his story kept changing. Through perseverance and a few lucky breaks, they were able to get enough on Peterson to arrest him and then bring him to trial. The police labeled Peterson a sociopath, and Peterson thought he was intelligent enough that he could outwit law enforcement efforts. He was a "pathological liar" who "lied again and again" and "showed no guilt or remorse when caught in deceptions, large or small."
Little did he realize that the cat and mouse game he was playing with the police was for his life.
Despite knowing quite a bit about this case, I still found A Deadly Game interesting.
Crier includes a lot of information that did not come out at the trial and didn't always make the news. I didn't realize that homicide is the number one cause of death for pregnant women. Also, it's shocking to read how the family of Scott Peterson covered for Scott, made excuses for him, and did everything they could to protect him. What was especially outrageous is that they set up a private tip-line. When the police called the tip-line with phony information that incriminated their son, they did not forward that information to law enforcement. A Deadly Game also contains lots of photos (many in color), as well as maps, official reports, and pages and pages of evidence.
No matter how much you know about this case, after reading A Deadly Game, you'll have a better appreciation of the things that went on behind the scenes.
Not a very good book.......2007-09-08
This book contains very little new or "untold" information regarding the Scott Peterson case so if you are looking for stuff that's not already out there, don't expect to find it in this book.
According to the book, there were over 3,000 taped telephone calls between Scott and Amber, yet the author of this book chose the include the same old tired transcripts of telephone calls that have already been played ad nauseum on every television station that has covered the story. Surely one or two of the others could have been included even if they weren't especially relative to the case just for the sake of something different.
The author's use of "ya' instead of "you" (as in "Ya' killed her, didn't ya'?) was annoying to this reader as it doesn't flow very well on the written page. I know people tend to speak that way in reality, but it just gets irritating when used again and again in a book.
This book also has a very flat affect to it - it has no emotion to it at all. When the author speaks of Sharon Rocha's grief or of the Peterson's anger, I did not feel any emotion at all. Considering that "flat affect" is a characteristic that Crier frequently applied to Scott Peterson, I'm surprised she didn't notice it in her own writing style and try to spice it up just a little.
Photos were a disappointment as well - all have been widely displayed on news broadcasts and on CourtTV, and continuity seemed to be a problem in some places.
Don't pay for it if you really want to read it - just borrow it from your local library.
Excellent Coverage of a Well-Known Story!.......2007-06-18
I read Amber Frey's book and reviewed it here. I am a big fan of Court Television and a big admirer of Catherine Crier. Scott Peterson case was one of bewilderment. He has a beautiful, loving pregnant wife, Laci at home and an unborn child. Even the hardest criminals would find his crime to be unmerciful and barbaric act of murdering her and their unborn child. Crier and the other author, Cole Thompson, paints a portrait of Scott Peterson as both a sociopath and the boy next door. Crier compares Peterson to Bundy. While Bundy murdered several women and girls, Peterson coldly murdered Laci who could not fight back and their unborn child. Why didn't he just leave? Why do the spouses like Peterson and others think they are going to get away with it? High-powered and expensive attorneys like Mark Geragos can't get you off. This case is not O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake, or Phil Spector. She was killed right before Christmas Eve which even adds to the cruelty of the crime. There were no known physical fights or signs of Peterson's behavior until after his very pregnant wife went missing. Sadly, I don't blame his parents, Lee or Jackie who I think did the best that they could for Scott, or Amber Frey who got caught in the mess but was smart enough to get Scott in her testimony. Scott Peterson comes across as a smoothe, charming, and charismatic man who would by many single women jump at the chance to have somebody like Scott be their partner. I am sure there were female friends of Laci who admired and envied the golden couple. Unfortunately, the story plays a like a Greek tragedy. Scott didn't want Laci or the baby and he didn't want to admit it to anybody. Laci never saw through to Scott and their marriage was more for SCott's appearances. Scott could never love another human being like Laci or their unborn child. Other books written about this case seem endless but Crier and Thompson come across as genuine, fascinating, analytical, and the information is fresher than it was that I remembered watching the case unfold nightly on Larry King Live.
Couldn't be worse!.......2007-06-12
This is definitely the worst true crime book I ever read! I don't even want to go into detail about the author's bias, inconsistencies, conclusions, etc. It's not worth it.
Catherine Crier convinced me that Scott Peterson should never have gotten the death penalty; he shouldn't even be in prison. Is this our legal system? Very scary!
Some errors and not enough documentation, but a worthwhile read.......2007-05-24
Although Catherine Crier did an excellent job with the chronological analysis of Laci Peterson's disappearance and the police investigation, I did find some glaring errors. The first error I noticed was when Crier was explaining the background of Laci's parents, she states that Dennis Rocha left Laci's mother, when actually the opposite is true. Sharon Rocha, in her book FOR LACI, explains that that she thought she married too young and she wanted more out of life, having left college before she really even had a chance to finish her degree.
I also thought the book could have benefitted from endnotes or footnotes with documentation of what she was saying. I looked through the book carefully two or three times, before I posted this review on Amazon.com to make sure I had not missed such documentation. There isn't any. While the conversations between Scott and Amber Frey may have been on transcripts that were released in court, there are other things Crier probably could have documented.
That said, however, I thought Crier did an excellent job of balancing the reactions of the families (Laci's family vs. Peterson family) to the disappearance of Laci Peterson, with the factual portrayal of what the law enforcement officials went through when investigating this case. Crier did an outstanding job of portraying the callous, completely selfish and sociopathic personality of Scott Peterson. Her portrayal really brings Scott to life and makes us wonder how Laci Peterson and her family could have missed all the signs that Peterson was really so dangerous.
Book Description
In and out of hospitals since birth, angelic nine-month-old Morgan Reid finally succumbed to what appeared to be Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Morgan's Texas-born mother Tanya, a nurse and devoted wife, pulled up stakes with her grieving husband Jim, and moved on. It was the best way to put the past behind them. Until their son Michael, a boy who by all accounts was terrified of his mother, began showing signs of the same affliction that stole the life of his baby sister....First, the suspicion: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. Then, Tanya was charged and convicted with felony child abuse of her son. She was later tried and ultimately convicted for first degree murder of Morgan. It would become a landmark trial that unfolded in a series of reversals and bizarre twists of fate as it gradually revealed another side of Tanya Reid-of her own troubling childhood and the dark secrets that drove a woman to the cruelest deception of all....
Customer Reviews:
A Horrifying Case of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy .......2007-08-28
Presently, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is rare "disorder" that few people are aware of; but that isn't the case after reading Cruel Deception by Gregg Olson.
MSBP, even today, is difficult to prosecute for lack of evidence. In Cruel Deception, Olson relays the tale of Iowa prosecutors who worked diligently to convict Tanya Reid for MSBP....in the mid-80s!! Their efforts, as detailed in this book, were impressive; especially consider this a pre-internet era!
Cruel Deception is riveting from beginning to end. I especially enjoyed the manner in which Olson tells us of a "devestating secret" that will be revealed at trial ONLY if Tanya Reid testifies. And that secret is well worth waiting for!
Once again Gregg Olson has produced a piece of written work that keeps him on my top ten list of favorite true crime writers!
great read about an awful woman.......2007-02-09
excellent read,well written. My heart ached for these kids. Well worth the readers time and money. Very informative and may educate people.
An absolute page-turner.......2006-09-05
I just reread this book and was delighted to find it was just as good on the fourth or fifth read as it was the first time. This true account of a Munchausen by proxy perpetrator is utterly fascinating. The author does a superb job of telling Morgan and Michael's stories from their mother's childhood to the inexorable conclusion. It is impossible to put down. I hope this page-turner educates people about the mysterious malady that MBP is and prevents other deaths in the future. Kudos, Mr. Olsen.
Cruel Deception.......2006-04-02
Wow, this mother in the book was truly troubled. To say the least!! To cause injury to your own child for the sole purpose of the fact that you need attention or you like the attention is really truly ill. The book baffled me to say the least, I'd only heard of cases of "Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy." I think the author describes it very well, but it's not too overly drawn out.
I could not believe what I was reading..........2005-07-12
It's been awhile since I've read a true crime book and I was a little skeptical after first looking at the "shocking pictures" that were just family photos. But I was pulled in by the idea that a mother could do such things to a child for attention. This was the first I had ever heard of Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy.
I'm not a mother but it was hard to swallow that a mother would be capable and in the beginning I found myself flip flopping until the evidence was so glaring there was no denying it. I found myself thinking of this book in my sleep.
It was sort of slow going until it was mentioned that a secret would be revealed at the trial. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what it could possibly be that was so far in her past, had she been abused? was she a victim of this very same abuse? Did she have more helpless victims?
I think Gregg Olsen did a great job of laying out the framework and the evidence but I think he could have focused more on the Reids than the prosecutor. At times it made me think he may have been a little soft for her with all the attention she was given in the book.
Overall, I think this book is a good read.
Book Description
It's the late 1980s, and Gena, a young girl from the projects, meets Quadir, a millionaire drug dealer, and falls madly in love. Quadir builds a massive empire while fighting his rivals and enemies. Gena faces the challenges of holding onto her man, her house, her car, and the cash. Both of them find themselves caught up in a vicious yet seductive world, and learn that success in this game is no easy win. Gena and Quadir also learnthat once you're in, there's no way out, 'cause everyone stays in forever....True.
Customer Reviews:
WOW, Excellent!.......2007-09-04
Action packed from the go!!! I just couldn't put it down, can't wait for the sequel!!
Excellent, Excellent ,Excellent!!!.......2007-06-04
I loved this book. It was my first Teri Woods book and It will not be my last. This book was action packed from the beginning to the end. I can't wait intil part two comes out!
Book Description
Is love forever? Even while dating Stephen, Madison's eyes keep wandering. Meanwhile, Holly forgets her own worries in nerdy Britta's first-boyfriend melodrama. And Lina is heartbroken when she accidentally catches Dan and his new love. When the three friends visit Stanford, one thing is clear: the dating game will only get more complex!
Customer Reviews:
It's your choice.......2007-01-02
Can true love survive High school, is the story about three young girls Holly, Mads, and Lina; they're best friends. Holly is a hopeless romantic who believes that she's sort of a match maker, Mads (Madison)is in love with a guy who doesn't acknowledge her exsistence, and Lina is so caught up in being in love with her teacher that she doesn't realize the potential boyfriend material in front of her. Together these friends pose the question is love something that can make it through highschool.From experience they find out the answer.
The book can true love survive high school by Natalie Standiford, was an okay book for what it was. Its the type of story most girls in juniorhigh believes is going to play out as her actual life or something similar to it when she gets to high school.One thing I like about how Natalie wrote the book is for each chapter she offered a horoscope for the character she was talking about, which foreshadowed whats going to happen next in the book. I also liked how she made an effort to make each of the characters totally different from each other, with their own (the characters) trials and tribulations.However I felt like I've read this book a million times over so nothing surprised me.Overall only the person reading the book can most best decide how they feel about the book. Ayeisha
Must Read!.......2006-09-26
Were your parents high school sweet hearts? Well that's exactly what
Britta and Ed want to be in Can True Love Survive High School? by
Natalie Standiford, the second book in The Dating Game series. In this
teen drama Madison, Holly, and Lina are best friends in high school,
and start a dating website for their school. It begins as a school
project, but everything gets a little out of hand when they attempt to
help a girl out who has never been on a date, who's name is Britta.
Thanks to their website, Britta finds her "true love" who she wants to
elope with after only knowing him for a couple weeks. Besides trying
to stop the out of control engagement, Holly must try to keep her
boyfriend, Rob, and keep up with Lina, who has a fan club for one of
her teachers. "Fan club" is a pretty loose term considering that Lina
is in love with her teacher and thinks that they should be together.
Lina takes her obsession to great lengths when she plans to hide in
his closet at a party, and surprise him after everybody has left. Can
Holly stop Britta from getting married, and will Lina and her teacher
end up together?
Although this book is fiction, it is far from unrealistic. Natalie
Standiford has done an excellent job of depicting high school, and the
many challenges one faces there. Although I did not read the first
book, The Dating Game, I still found this installment and the third,
Ex Ratings, very enticing. One of the many things I like about this
series is that you don't have to start with the first book for it to
make sense. Each book provides enough background information on the
characters so that you can pick up the last book, which I also read,
and it will still be an excellent read, as well as understandable.
This book is full of unsuspected twists and turns that just keep
adding to the excitement. For example, when you think that Britta and
her boyfriend and having a nice, normal relationship, Britta breaks
the news of her plans for marriage to Holly by saying, "He said we
should get married, the day after I met him...He said it was the only
way we could be together. And it is. I'm going to do it. I'm going to
marry him." (p.119) So, if you're a teenage girl looking for a great
page-turner, I would definitely recommend this book to you.
the trouble with love is..........2006-06-16
True loves always prevails, you just have to find it first. That's the hard part for Mads, Lina, and Holly, unfortunately. Mads' mom forces her to try out for a play that she has written, and Mads is more than happy to when she finds out that Sean's girlfriend will be in it, too. Lina is dismayed when she finds out Dan will be moving away, so she and Ramona decide to finally declare their love in a sneaky way that they will regret. Holly is back with Rob, but is sidetracked from him and her friends when she is swept up in playing matchmaker for Britta, expecially when Britta's parents refuse to let her see the guy she loves. Fun, fun, fun!
A humorous and realistic look at high school life.......2005-09-23
The third installment in Natalie Standiford's Dating Game series, CAN TRUE LOVE SURVIVE HIGH SCHOOL?, keeps the story of Holly, Madison and Lina moving and also fleshes out several minor characters from the previous books.
Holly has a new project, which is to find her pal Britta a boyfriend so that Britta realizes there is more to life than just school. Madison is still dating her artist boyfriend, Stephen, while continuing to moon over Sean in a subtle manner. And Lina still has a serious crush on her teacher, Dan.
All three girls seem to mature as the book progresses, which makes them better people and more likable characters. Britta can be a bit annoying at times, but this can be chalked up to her isolated existence; she now is beginning a serious relationship with a foreign boy and contemplating elopement. Holly's older sister invites Holly and her friends to spend a weekend at college with her, giving the girls a sneak peak at what life after high school might be like. Madison's mother has written an autobiographical play that is being produced, and she wants Madison and her younger sister to portray her in it. Madison is not thrilled, to say the least. Lina hopes to start something with Dan at a party, but begins to realize that perhaps he is not the best choice for a teenage girl.
As with the first two installments, Standiford's strengths are her characters and humor. Readers will be able to relate to Holly, Madison and Lina, and the situations in which they find themselves. This series continues to be a humorous and realistic look at life in high school.
--- Reviewed by Melissa A. Palmer ([...])
Book Description
TRUE TO THE GAME II will pick up where True to the Game left off-- with one difference, Gena is now seeing a new guy named Jay.Little does Gena know that the man she has fallen in love with, so soon after Quadir's death, is his archrival, Jerrell Jackson.Unfortunately, Jerrell is determined to get his revenge against Quadir's crew and he'll start with Gena.
Books:
- Turkey--Bright Sun, Strong Tea: On the Road with a Travel Writer
- Valley of Silence (The Circle Trilogy, Book 3)
- Waking Up: Climbing Through the Darkness
- Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows
- Way of the Turtle: The Secret Methods that Turned Ordinary People into Legendary Traders
- We All Fall Down: Goldratt's Theory of Constraints for Healthcare Systems
- Winding Machines: Mechanics and Measurement
- Wings of Fire (An Ian Rutledge Mystery)
- Wings to the Kingdom
- Winter Tidings (Prairie River, Book 3)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
- Let's Ask Michael : 100 Practical Solutions for Interior Design Challenges
- Classics: A Very Short Introduction
- Final Payment: A Posadas County Mystery
- Golden Straw
- Manipulating the Mouse Embryo: A Laboratory Manual
- Just Another Kid
- H.C. Westermann
- Creatine: The Power Supplement
- Diary of Samuel Pepys Complete 1664 N.S.
B-More Careful
Dutch: The First of a Trilogy
Dutch II: Angel's Revenge (Dutch Trilogy)
A Hustler's Wife
Deadly Reigns
