Mein Kampf

Amazon.com

The angry ranting of an obscure, small-party politician, the first volume of Mein Kampf was virtually ignored when it was originally published in 1925. Likewise the second volume, which appeared in 1926. The book details Hitler's childhood, the "betrayal" of Germany in World War I, the desire for revenge against France, the need for lebensraum for the German people, and the means by which the National Socialist party can gain power. It also includes Hitler's racist agenda and his glorification of the "Aryan" race. The few outside the Nazi party who read it dismissed it as nonsense, not believing that anyone could--or would--carry out its radical, terrorist programs. As Hitler and the Nazis gained power, first party members and then the general public were pressured to buy the book. By the time Hitler became chancellor of the Third Reich in 1933, the book stood atop the German bestseller lists. Had the book been taken seriously when it was first published, perhaps the 20th century would have been very different.

Beyond the anger, hatred, bigotry, and self-aggrandizing, Mein Kampf is saddled with tortured prose, meandering narrative, and tangled metaphors (one person was described as "a thorn in the eyes of venal officials"). That said, it is an incredibly important book. It is foolish to think that the Holocaust could not happen again, especially if World War II and its horrors are forgotten. As an Amazon.com reader has pointed out, "If you want to learn about why the Holocaust happened, you can't avoid reading the words of the man who was most responsible for it happening." Mein Kampf, therefore, must be read as a reminder that evil can all too easily grow. --Sunny Delaney

Book Description

In 1922, just four years after the war to end all wars, an unknown Austrian then living in Bavaria planned a pamphlet to be called Settling Accounts. In it he intended to attack the ineffectiveness of the dominant political parties in Germany which were opposed to the new National Socialists (Nazis). In November 1923, Adolf Hitler was jailed for the abortive Munich Beer Hall putsch along with men willing and able to assist him with his writing. With the help of these collaborators, chief among them Rudolf Hess, the pamphlet became a book. Settling Accounts became Mein Kampf, an unparalleled example of muddled economics and history, appalling bigotry, and an intense self-glorification of Adolf Hitler as the true founder and builder of the National Socialist movement. It was written in hate and it contained a blueprint for violent bloodshed. When Mein Kampf was published in 1925, it was a failure. In 1926 a second volume appeared - it was no more successful than the first. People either laughed at it or ignored it. They were wrong to do so. As Hitler's power increased, pressure was put on all party members to buy the book. Gradually this pressure was extended to all elements of the German population. Soon Mein Kampf was even being passed out to newlywed couples as a gift. Ironically, and frighteningly, by the time Hitler came to power on January 30, 1933, what has been considered by many to be the most satanic book ever written was running neck and neck with the Bible at the top of the German bestseller lists. In his excellent introduction to this definitive American translation of Mein Kampf, Konrad Heiden writes: "For years Mein Kampf stood as proof of the blindness and complacency of the world. For in its pages Hitler announced -- long before he came to power -- a program of blood and terror in a self-revelation of such overwhelming frankness that few among its readers had the courage to believe it ... That such a man could go so far toward realizing his ambitions, and -- above all -- could find millions of willing tools and helpers; that is a phenomenon the world will ponder for centuries to come." We would be wrong in thinking that such a program, such a man, and such appalling consequences could not reappear in our world of the present. We cannot permit our selves the luxury of forgetting the tragedy of World War II or the man who, more than any other, fostered it. Mein Kampf must be read and constantly remembered as a specimen of evil demagoguery that people whenever men grow tired of thinking and acting for themselves. Mein Kampf is a blueprint for the age of chaos. It transcends in historical importance any other book of the present generation. In his translation Ralph Manheim has taken particular care to give an exact English equivalent of Hitler's highly individual, and often awkward style, including his occasional grammatical errors. We believe this book should stand as the complete, final, and definitive English version of Hitler's own story of his life, his political philosophy, and his thwarted plans for world domination. Translated by Ralph Manheim with an introduction by Konrad Heiden. A compilation of Hitler's most famous prison writings of 1923--the bible of National Socialism and the blueprint for the Third Reich.

Customer Reviews:

The Seeds of Hatred.......2007-09-24

First of all I'd like to say that yes I read this book and as a person of Jewish descent, struggled through it, not so much for its hatred but its lack of "literary merit" to say the least, yet I think that it is a neccessary read for everyone, even in these times. However, as a person with mental illness, I find it too easy to label it "the ravings of a lunatic". If it was people would have ignored it (unlike "The Triumph of the Will" which is morally despicable but a work of cinematic brilliance). It was a (however poorly written) blueprint for what was to come later (though it toned down the extremity that the third reich would become). Firstly, Hitler was a careful strategist and worked with other hateful idealogues (such as Goebbels and Himmler and the like) to promote his viewpoints. However, the main reason he was such a "success story" was that the country at the time was in economic chaos and the climate of hatred was there, waiting for someone to take advantage of it, so sooner or later, someone would have filled his shoes and the poplulace (see the film "Shoah" for proof of this) not only went along with what he said, they were willing accomplices (as were other countries throughout Europe such as Austria or a large part of France or even Stalin-a despot on his own-had Hitler not betrayed the non aggression pact)as "The Sorrow and the Pity" may attest. But with reviewers who find "The Turner Diaries" to be "brilliant" and a certain "inspirational" Mel Gibson movie to be proof that "Jews control the media" (direct quotes) it shows that there are people like that even now and as for a climate of hatred and intolerance, I'd say that we are in the middle of that right now (on all sides). Read "Mein Kampf" and see the dvd of "It Happenned Here" (about a fictional third reich taking power again) and realize, that this work of hatred, is something still to be feared, not religated to the past.

You will be shocked how logical and appealing Hitler's argument is........2007-09-24

First, a disclaimer: I do not advocate or support Hitler's ideas, but I recommend this book because so much of the world currently thinks this way and applies this philosophy or similar to issues of economy, immigration, international relations, and even their daily business and community lives. Because Mein Kampf reflects the mindset of so many, from leaders such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (President of Iran) down to the common American factory worker, it's important to realize that these ideas--as any really--are as dangerous as they are logical.

Is this an evil book? No. We have several maniacs publishing books, sitting in places of political power, and with loyal followings on political talk shows whose ideas are as or more threatening to world order if they were allowed to reign. And since you should understand those competing ideas for what they are, I recommend reading the father of them all--Mein Kampf.

The most shocking thing about reading this book is that Hitler offers a very logical and appealing argument: that foreigners (the Jews in his time, but perhaps we could substitute the Chinese or Mexicans in ours, or we Americans if you are from Europe or the Middle East, or 'White' Afrikans in 'Black' Africa) are a threat to our wealth and welfare, the health of our society, that they are slowing taking over economically, that it's only a matter of time before they are a ruling, wealthy minority which will subjegate our culture and people--and that they must be stopped.

After all, this has happened in other countries--you're bound to think--and isn't it happening today? Wouldn't we be right to protect our interests against this imminent threat? Of course, the answer is to irradicate them, seize their assets, erase all traces of their culture. At the very least, doesn't Mein Kampf match very well with the idea of closing United States borders to all immigration, and deporting those who are not already citizens? Hitler himself argues the point far better than any politician today--and boldly.

Hitler does not come off as insane or evil. He's preaching to the chior in his time and place, and it's not much of a stretch to say that this same argument would be very effective today.

It's scary how convincing this book is, and that's exactly why you should read it. Even if you, as I, may not agree with how he incorporated his political philosophy, it's a wake up call to read something by the individual who personified evil for nearly all of us and yet find that his ideas are considerably well thought out.

Excellent night time reading.......2007-09-10

Want to know what went on in the mind of one of the worlds most famous tirants? Then go ask him. Oh no you cant, so read this instead.
Its well written and shows a seriously twisted mind, and acts as a warning to what a twisted mind can achieve given the right circumstances and motivation.
Dont buy this if you expect a cheap jew-bashing novel, but do buy this if you think you can handle a well built up argument as to exactly why Hitler believed what he did.

Down & Out in Bavaria Hills.......2007-09-03

Achtung, Baby!

Mein Kampf has a nasty reputation. When it comes right down to it, Mein Kampf is a bad dog, a bad, bad dawg. If Mein Kampf were human, it would be the balding forty-year old guy with the canting glass eye who loiters down by the stairwell selling tap-dancing aphids out of a hat.

But if you step back, take a deep breath, get the mental picture of grim soot blackened kilns and miles of concertina fence and razor wire and baying German shepherds and slaughterhouses & black-smoke belching smokestacks festering and brooding beneath a slate-grey sky---

Where were we? Oh yes: if you get past that stuff, you'll be able to see Mein Kampf for what it really is: the world's most influential Self-Help manual.

Who needs Dale Carnegie & all that "Smile 'til your Gums Bleed!" crap when you've got Adolf Hitler: Carnegie wants you to wag your tail & get another friend, Hitler wants you to wag your fist in your enemy's face & slice off another rump puppet state.

Let's take a little mental inventory of Adolf Hitler, circa 1923: starving, failed artist, no money to pay the rent, wandered around ranting and drinking all day in beerhalls, and worst of all, stuck in the Munich pokey after he and the boys got knocked around by the local hoo-haw after a wild night gomezing around on the town and a few too many Heffeweisen.

And yet this guy, not even a decade later, is not only shooting hoops and slam dunks but kicking everybody's [EXPLETIVE!] around the court. Around about 1941, Hitler doesn't have any time left to kick [EXPLETIVE!] & take names. Why? Because he's too busy kicking [NAUGHTY!] to take names.

With that in mind, let's break this little masterwork of Teutonic Take-no-Prisoners Motivation down by the numbers & see what Mein Kampf can do for you---today!

1) Give in to your Anger! Your Hate will make you Strong! Whether it's building a battle station that can destroy a planet in a single blast or emptying the Eastern Marches of Bolshevik Scum, get in touch with your Inner Monster & give that bad boy a ticket to ride!

2) It's all about Marketing! Coco Chanel knew it! Tommy Hilfiger knew it! Idi Amin knew it!---Marketing Matters! Hitler proved it. Schwag matters. Gift boxes matter! Little corporate doohickeys with your logo & slogan on it---all of that matters.

WWHD?---'What would Hitler Do?' He'd make it colorful! Primary colors, baby, lots of red and black and white! He'd add chrome! He'd come up with a catchy slogan. He'd probably have a military march with torches somewhere in there! He'd invade Poland!

3) Mission Statement: KISS goes here ("Keep it SS"): make it brutally simple. Example: a) Revenge the betrayed fatherland by shooting the Bolshevik rotters; b) hold lots of torchlit parades; c) invade Russia.

Show me, don't tell me. It's results that count, daddy-o. See #3.

3) Business is War! Get in the other guy's face & scream! Make him wipe your spittle off his mouth! Yes! Go over the line! Pound on the table all you want to, but if you don't get what you want, it's time to cross the enemy's line of Death! No more Mr. Nice Guy!

Your Enemies are a bunch of Fairies! They shave their legs & go cycling after work. Think I'm wrong? Think Carstairs in Accounting has the mojo to take you on, Dear Leader? Try nailing his cat to his desk. Your patience is at an end! Exactly! Would you like a little Belgium or France with your order, Sir?

4)Shoot your rivals. What about Carruthers, the guy from Marketing? Seriously, Old Hoss, keep an eye on that guy. He's quiet, he's shifty eyed, he does what you tell him, and when you screamed at him in that P&L meeting last week he---I jest thee not---he wet himself. That said, remember: it's the quiet ones who get ya, one way or another. Hitler, for instance. Hitler was a frustrated Marketing guy, too.

It's kinda funny to think about, but had someone back on the old arts school admissions council at the Vienna School for Drawing Little Teutonic stick figures decided to let Hitler in, we'd have gotten about 15 years of bad cubist stuff instead of the Blitz & the Holocaust.

5) Strike first! Strike hard! Kill! Kill! Pick yourself up out of the gutter and get back on that Tiger tank! You think it's enough to humiliate Dimwiddy in the board room, you lunk? Fool! You've got to destroy Dimwiddy! You've got to crush him, annex his office space, invade and destroy all those little projects that mean so much to him, get him fired, laugh as he has to haul all his personal shxt out in a cardboard box---and even then it's not over! You've got to gloat, gloat and cackle, when you spot him on the street corner, down in the gutter, eating his daily ration of cat food out of a tin! Shove his face in that horsemeat! Push!

6) Never Underestimate the Stupidity of the Masses: This is a biggie. Think about it: you're German, it's 1930, and one of the candidates for Reichs Chancellor has a shifty looking brush moustache. When asked about his resume, he replies nonchalantly about being big on killing vermin.

Would you vote for that guy? Guess what? They did! Hitler won in a landslide! If he can, you can too!

With that in mind, ACHTUNG! Baby! We got a little Liebensrauming to do.

JSG

The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-08-30

I read this book for its political, intellectual, and philosophical content and not its anti-Semitism and vitriol. This book should be studied in every political discussion group or government class in America. Everything that confronts us today in our political debate is and was debated in this book; religion and politics, the individual and the state, social diseases, teenage pregnancy, democracy vs socialism or communism, ethnic cleansing, aggressive war, the right to torture, freedom of speech, the right to organize, unionism, the free market, globalization, internationalism, capitalism, Central banking, the right to unlimited profits, obligation of citizens to state and state to citizens, leadership, organization, advertising, propaganda, private property, entrepreneurship, the news media, the stock market, banking, patriotism, treason, God, science, world peace, imperialism, education, military industrial complex - you name it and it is discussed in this work and Adolf's answer is given on every subject matter.
This book intrigued me so much and so boggled and confused my mind that I decided to write my own page by page analysis. I have been serializing this analysis on my blog - the hobo philosopher. My copy of Mein Kampf is over 1000 pages. I have finished analyzing book one which is only 500 pages and my analysis is over 800 pages. Needless to say reading Mein Kampf has been quite and educating experience for me. You should try it.

Six Minutes to Freedom: How a Band of Heros Defied a Dictator and Helped Free a Nation

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Ron, Redding CA
Riviting
Amazingly true story
Could not put the book down
6 Minutes to Freedom

Six Minutes to Freedom: How a Band of Heros Defied a Dictator and Helped Free a Nation
Kurt Muse , and John Gilstrap
Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0806527234

Book Description

Kurt Muse handed over his passport at Torrijos International Airport, just as he'd done countless times. Instantly, he sensed that something was wrong. Rather than the cursory glance followed by the whack of the entry stamp, the bureaucrat held the little book in both hands. He seemed to be studying it. And then he smiled. Kurt followed the clerk's gaze to a piece of paper taped to his partition. The sign was handwritten in Spanish:

Kurt Muse American Citizen Arrest Him

His life was over.

Born in the United States, raised in Panama, Kurt Muse grew up with a deep love for his adopted country. But by the late 1980s, Panama was suffering under the regime of Manuel Noriega. Innocent people disappeared. Beatings and murders became commonplace.

For Kurt Muse, accepting such a dictator was not an option. For two years, Kurt and a few friends operated clandestine radio stations on low-tech equipment smuggled into Panama. At first, they broadcast on a small scale. But in late 1987, the group realized that they could override any transmission from a government-run radio network, and Radio Constitucional was born.

Muse and his compatriots chose Noriega's Loyalty Day address, simulcast on every radio station in the country, for its first transmission. Just as Noriega began his self-serving message, Radio Constitucional seized the airwaves, urging the people to rise up in defense of their freedom. Kurt knew that if his identity was revealed, he and his family would be in grave peril. But he had no idea what kind of terror, confusion, and betrayal lay in store for all of them.

Six Minutes to Freedom spins the remarkable tale of Kurt's arrest by Noriega's henchmen and his months of imprisonment; the squalid conditions he faced in Panama's infamous Modelo Prison; his eyewitness accounts of his fellow inmates' torture; and the plight of Kurt's family as they fled for their lives. And it reveals, for the first time, the astonishing details of the long-awaited day when helicopters arrived in a firestorm of bullets to whisk Kurt Muse from under the noses of thugs who had been ordered to kill him.

This is Kurt's thrilling and highly personal story—the story of an American hero on foreign soil, who risked his life for his beliefs and for freedom…and became the only American civilian ever rescued by the elite Delta Force.

Customer Reviews:

Ron, Redding CA.......2007-08-24

I had seen this book once in a book store and passed it up. From reading the description and review on [...] I decided to buy it. The book was well written and very informative. I knew of the incident, Operation Urgent Fury and the rescue of Muse, but knew very few details. My attention was held until the very end. Although somewhat limited or shrouded I especially enjoyed th details of the rescue and the rescuers. This is one of those books that just make you proud to be an American.

Riviting.......2007-05-25

I rate this book right up there with my favorites "Endurance", "Touching The Void" and "Blackhawlk Down". I had a tough time putting this book down. Kurt Muse is one strong willed indivdual.
Edmund Burke said it best with "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"

Amazingly true story.......2007-05-13

What an amazing story to be told. I can't believe this really happened - I couldn't put down this book until the very end. A very fast & enjoyable read.

Could not put the book down.......2007-01-16

I am from the Canal Zone but was not there when Noriega was in power. The book is very well written and I am glad I purchased it. I would recommend the book to anyone who wants a book that is exciting and historical. I think Kurt has accurately described this period in the history of Panama and the Canal Zone.

6 Minutes to Freedom.......2007-01-15

Good book. Outlines situation in Panama prior to departure and capture of Manuel Noriega. Author was imprisoned by Noriega's administration and only rescued through the use of US Special Forces.

The Real Jimmy Carter: How Our Worst Ex-President Undermines American Foreign Policy, Coddles Dictators and Created the Party of Clinton and Kerry

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The Real Jimmy Carter
If only left-wingers had "enemies lists"
In depth analysis of Jimmy Carter
Jimmuh Karter is a disgrace and a traitor
Self Serving legacy

The Real Jimmy Carter: How Our Worst Ex-President Undermines American Foreign Policy, Coddles Dictators and Created the Party of Clinton and Kerry
Steven F. Hayward
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0895260905

Book Description

The Real Jimmy Carter reveals a man who has been given a dangerously free pass by historians, but who in reality is not only a failed ex-president, but as vindictive as he is egotistical, and a self-righteous busybody who leaves disaster in his wake.

Customer Reviews:

The Real Jimmy Carter.......2007-09-21

At last, a book about Jimmy Carter that isn't self-written and self-serving. This should be required reading for the many people who believe Jimmy Carter is a harmless do-gooder.

What a legacy! So many of the problems we face today, both real (terrorism), and imagined (global warming), we owe to his abysmal presidency. As if that wasn't more than enough, he gifted us with Chris Matthews!

I have often wondered how one who failed so completely during his term in office has the audacity to meddle in current affairs, to the continuing detriment of his own country, not to mention Israel. Jimmy should have left office with his tail tucked firmly between his legs and his mouth shut, allowing a better man to handle the job. This book exposes the colossal ego that would not allow him to do that.

Worth reading by anyone willing to learn about a difficult time in our recent history, especially in an election year. This is a handbook on how not to pick a president.

If only left-wingers had "enemies lists".......2007-07-26

If you voted for Reagan or either of the 2 Bushes you will like this book. And if you voted for any of those 3 men please leave my country, never to return.

In depth analysis of Jimmy Carter.......2007-07-06

Thorough and well written. The detractors of this book are motivated by something other than the qualities of this book.

Jimmuh Karter is a disgrace and a traitor.......2007-06-20

No wonder he is adored by the American communists...err...progressives.

Self Serving legacy.......2007-05-27

As a citizen of Venezuela I witness firsthand a cold hearted Jimmy Carter taking sides with dictator Hugo Chavez. In the process killing the dreams for justice and democracy in my country.His ill actions in Venezuela helped solidify the power of a self proclaimed enemy of the United States. Jimmy Carter is a cancer.

How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator

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To dictate or not to dictate
How To Rule The World
Must Have for Dictators in Training
Dangerous Information For Anyone But Me To Know
Lame

How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator
Andre de Guillaume
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1556525877

Book Description

Everyone wants to rule the world, but only a precious few have the skills to create an ironclad plan of attack. Simple, direct, and delightfully unprincipled, this guide contains tales of global power mongering from every age and endeavors to show dilettante dictators and tyrants-to-be just how it's done. Tips are provided on creating a personal flag, what type of puppet government to establish, how to squelch free speech, and, most important, how to handle enemies. Also included are humorous full-color illustrations, sidebars on admirable despots, and self-quizzes that allow readers to see if they have what it takes to conquer the world.

Customer Reviews:

To dictate or not to dictate.......2007-05-11

How to Rule the World... sounds simple enough, and with this guide, it makes it all the easier. You'll learn the tell tale signs of whether you should rule the world, set yourself in position so as to takeover and what to do once you are there. You'll learn how to dress extravagantly, where to hide your money, what earthly objects you will need to show off your wealth, and even what to do when you are ready to retire and put the next person of your choosing into power.

All this and snappy little history lessons based on past world rulers and their mistakes and proper procedures. While most book along this line tend to throw in alot of humor, this one cuts back on it, providing just enough tongue-in-cheek to make it a light-hearted affair while getting a history lesson on world rulers. It's not Machiavelli but if you wanted that then you should read that.

Overall, it's imaginative, light hearted, and informative. Well worth buying, Only down part is the artwork really put me off to begin with as it is seemingly done by a child, however, it grows on you and then I think it becomes more appropriate with these caricatures rather than more realistic portraits.

How To Rule The World.......2006-10-27

How to rule the world is about well how to rule the world and different people who have tryed to rule the world. They talk about people who tryed to rule the world so that you can see where they went wrong and what you can do to improve it.

My favorite part of the book was the chapter that told you how to run a country. I like this chapter because it tell you how to make a flag, how to change a countries name,and how to dress like a ruler. I thought that these were very important concepts to ruling the world because I want to run a country some day and I need to know how to name it.

I would recomened this book to anyone who wants to rule the world, to someone who wants a quick read, and to anyone who can under stand big words like qualification. I would recemened this book to anyoneone who wants to rule the world because this book has some pretty good ideas to do this. it is not a long book so if anyone wants to read something raelly fast this is the book for you. they use alot of really big words in the book that half the time you can't even understand what they mean. But the big words don't really matter that much if you really want to rule the world.

Must Have for Dictators in Training.......2005-12-20

Though this book offers little practical advice you couldn't figure out yourself, it's an interesting read. I enjoyed the profiles of famous Dictators and rulers and witty humor of Guillaume. He offers advice on how to get your own political coup and which advisors you should eliminate to avoid conspiracies. This is a neat book to have, if not simply for the novelty of it.

Dangerous Information For Anyone But Me To Know.......2005-10-03

Cute. Good for laughs. When The Great Revolution comes, Mr. Guillaume will either become People's Minister of Truth or be among the first they'll stand against the wall.

Lame.......2005-08-30

Not funny and not interesting. Don't bother with it! Your better off watching the history chanel.

The Power of the Vote: Electing Presidents, Overthrowing Dictators, and Promoting Democracy Around the World

Average customer rating:

but why are we spammed about this book
Fascinating with a powerful message.
Great read and tought provoking
Smart, challenging, and controversial
Terribly written

The Power of the Vote: Electing Presidents, Overthrowing Dictators, and Promoting Democracy Around the World
Douglas E. Schoen
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0061231886
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Book Description

For the last thirty years, Doug Schoen has been one of the most innovative people in Democratic politics, working behind the scenes as a political strategist for some of the world's most influential and respected politicians.

In The Power of the Vote, Schoen offers a never–before–seen glimpse inside his most pivotal campaigns, illustrating how a kid whose political career began leafleting on New York's Upper West Side became a force that revolutionized the American political process. From the legendary New York City mayoral race of 1977 where he helped Ed Koch claim the throne of New York to his twenty years efforts to modernize Israeli politics to Bill Clinton's reelection campaign in 1996, Schoen takes the reader through the international political landscape of the last thirty years, demonstrating how politics have evolved and how he has utilized the latest technology to help candidates win the hearts and minds of the public.

In addition, Schoen also details his valiant, decade–long struggle to unseat Slobodan Milosevic not with cluster bombs and air power but through diligent campaign strategy and sophisticated polling. Revealing intimate, firsthand details about the ten–year struggle in Serbia, he demonstrates that much of the conflict could have been avoided through United States support of the Serbian political process, while discussing how the most effective nation building comes not with bombs but with ballot boxes.

Despite these successes, it is in his efforts with President Bill Clinton during the mid–1990s that Schoen finds his most important and ultimately successful work. Helping to reshape President Clinton's image in the wake of the Republican victories in the 1994 mid–term elections, Schoen molds the Clinton's positions anew, giving him a second life as a centrist Democrat, ensuring his reelection in 1996, and placing President Clinton within the pantheon of Democratic greats.

Complete with a discussion of the strategies and tactics that will lead the Democrats back to the White House in 2008, The Power of the Vote is a true insider's tale from one of Washington's most successful and cherished personalities.

Customer Reviews:

but why are we spammed about this book.......2007-05-25

Unfortunately (because I would otherwise probably read this book but am turned off by it now) I have received no fewer than THREE spam emails this week, from different addresses, trying to sell me this book, with Douglas Schoen's name and NYC address at the very bottom. Considering that any online political resources I've signed up with supposedly to not sell my e-address I wonder what list(s) Mr. Schoen's marketing folks are working off of to spam us "likely buyers". I did not opt in to receive email from any of the addresses that spammed me. As the recipient of more than 300 spams a day this is serious business that reduces the quality of my life. I won't buy the book. Market your books via normal channels, not via unsolicited emails, thank you very much. (Maybe we need a poll on how folks react to the NYC email marketing campaign!)

Fascinating with a powerful message........2007-05-17

What an inside look at the power of sophisticated canvassing of people's opinions and the leverage provided to those politicians sensible enough to use these findings. A quick, very insightful history review, both here and abroad, with a strong message that perhaps there is a much better way to change the world that using military means. Fascinating career.

Great read and tought provoking.......2007-04-30

Not only did the book offer incredible insights into the country's political process, it brought to life many of the moments in history that I grew up with, and particapted in. A great book!

Smart, challenging, and controversial.......2007-04-30

How can Democrats win the Presidency? From the middle? From the left? Doug Schoen, who is as smart as they come, stakes out his position and takes on all comers. Great read.

Terribly written.......2007-04-29

The book appears more to be a self-worshipping autobiography than anything else. It also shows little understanding of the blogosphere, use of social networking or any of the things he purpouts to understand. Doug appears to be one in a long line of democratic gasbag consultants trying to give himself credit for the people voting their conscience.

Dictator Style: Lifestyles of the World's Most Colorful Despots

Average customer rating:

Good Book
Full of lies - no research
A Book You Can't Quite Put Down, Thankfully It's Small
Pairing interior design with a funny look at history's alarming dictators
Not Much Here

Dictator Style: Lifestyles of the World's Most Colorful Despots
Peter York
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

The Handbook of Style: Expert Fashion and Beauty Advice Every Woman Should Know

ASIN: 0811853144

Book Description

Welcome to the fabulous lifestyles of the cruel and despotic. Running with the idea that our homes are where we are truly ourselves, Peter York's wildly original and scathingly funny look at the interior decorating tastes of some of history's most alarming dictators proves that absolute power corrupts absolutely, right down to the drapes. Mining rare, jaw-dropping photographs of interiors now mostly (thankfully) destroyed, York's hilarious profiles of 16 inner sanctums of the scary leaves no endangered tiger pelt unturned, from Saddam Hussein's creepy private art collection to General Noriega's Christmas tree to the strange tube and knob contraption in the Ceausescu bathroom. All your favorite dictators are here: Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Tito, Mussolini, Mobutu, Idi Amin, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos—each with their own uniquely frightful chic. An interior decorating book like no other, Dictator Style is a welcome tonic for a world in need of a good laugh at the expense of the all-powerful.

Customer Reviews:

Good Book.......2006-11-12

Very entertaining and a good present for someone who is difficult to buy for.

Full of lies - no research.......2006-08-26

Page 102 Slobodan Milosevic. I am shocked that Mr York did not even bother to see who has been living in the Royal Compound in Belgrade following our revolution 5 October 2000. The text is loaded with lies. Mr York did not even bother to inform himself of the facts. For example page 103 shows my desk, a picture of my wife and I and three sons Peter, Philip and Alexander, look at the pen holder with the A and crown. The White House is the White Palace and page 106 shows the main hall with a portrait of my grandfather King Alexander above the fireplace. Page 107 was never a chapel and the theme is about Czar Dushan poems and what Mr York refers to as a cross is a billiard cue holder. My family name is Karadjordjevic and not Kradordevice. There are many more errors. Full of Lies - no proper research

A Book You Can't Quite Put Down, Thankfully It's Small.......2006-08-17

The front end flap of the dust jacket says a lot about the book. It's a quote from P. J. O'Rourke: 'Saddam's chandelier was the size of a two-car garage. If a reason to invade Iraq was wanted, felony interior decorating would have done.'

This book is a private look into the homes of sixteen dictators from around the world. Here are people to whom money is absolutely no object. But they did not contact Frank Lloyd Wright to seek a brilliant new design. They knew what they liked and they got it.

Many of the photographs come from fifty or more years ago, so you need to temper your view with what was in fashion at the time. This is particularly true of the homes of Hitler, Stalin, Juan Peron. The more recent homes have a kind of fancy hotel lobby look.

The book is fascinating. It's with a kind of macabre fascination that you want to see just how these people lived.

Pairing interior design with a funny look at history's alarming dictators.......2006-08-16

DICTATOR STYLE: LIFESTYLES OF THE WORLD'S MOST COLORFUL DESPOTS is a hard book to peg: pairing interior design with a funny look at history's alarming dictators, it blends a racy sense of humor with fun profiles of the inner sanctums of the terrifying. Sixteen such interiors - largely bygone by now - are featured along with dictator profiles and 'achievements': you don't know whether to laugh or cry - but will probably wind up doing both.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Not Much Here.......2006-07-15

The photos were few in number and of low quality. The author just describes what he sees in photos he has found or been given. Doesn't reflect research. The author references words and activities that only (certain) British citizens will understand. Why were other obvious dictators omitted? No photos! The author should have taken his own photos of the houses.

Shostakovich and Stalin: The Extraordinary Relationship Between the Great Composer and the Brutal Dictator

Average customer rating:

Extraordinary Is Right
The long awaited supplement to "Testimony"
to the heart of things
Artistic sufferance under a totalitarian regime
Shoot the piano player?

Shostakovich and Stalin: The Extraordinary Relationship Between the Great Composer and the Brutal Dictator
Solomon Volkov
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375410821
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Book Description

“Music illuminates a person and provides him with his last hope; even Stalin, a butcher, knew that.” So said the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, whose first compositions in the 1920s identified him as an avant-garde wunderkind. But that same singularity became a liability a decade later under the totalitarian rule of Stalin, with his unpredictable grounds for the persecution of artists. Solomon Volkov—who cowrote Shostakovich’s controversial 1979 memoir, Testimony—describes how this lethal uncertainty affected the composer’s life and work.

Volkov, an authority on Soviet Russian culture, shows us the “holy fool” in Shostakovich: the truth speaker who dared to challenge the supreme powers. We see how Shostakovich struggled to remain faithful to himself in his music and how Stalin fueled that struggle: one minute banning his work, the next encouraging it. We see how some of Shostakovich’s contemporaries—Mandelstam, Bulgakov, and Pasternak among them—fell victim to Stalin’s manipulations and how Shostakovich barely avoided the same fate. And we see the psychological price he paid for what some perceived as self-serving aloofness and others saw as rightfully defended individuality.

This is a revelatory account of the relationship between one of the twentieth century’s greatest composers and one of its most infamous tyrants.

Customer Reviews:

Extraordinary Is Right.......2007-07-01

Utterly fascinating tale of an extraordinary moment in history. I can't think of another place in modern times when a political leader took such an interest in the arts, albeit, for political reasons. How fascinating it is that a dictator - it isn't conceivable in a democracy - would become obsessed with the things said and done by cultural figures such as Shostakovich, Mayakovsky, and Pasternak. Stalin was a brute, but the picture drawn here of him and his relationship with the great Russian composer makes for the sort of suspense one associates with murder-mysteries. The entire Soviet aesthetic is on display here, an odd and finally ruthlessly destructive dance between art and politics. Stalin comes over as a ghoulish monster, while Shostokovich is depicted as wholly sympathetic. Artistically it is as rich a milieu as Elizabethan England or Periclean Athens. The Kremlin comes over as a house of horrors on the order of Idi Amin's slaughter house. The book is beautifully written, well-researched, and told from an artist's point of view, not an academic political scientist's. No other regime in the 20th century is as horrifying; no artists were ever as creative and brave.

The long awaited supplement to "Testimony".......2005-04-28

When Dmitri Shostakovich's memoirs appeared in print under the title "Testimony" its compiler, Solomon Volkov, was widely excoriated and the authenticity of the text challenged. As a composer, being intimately familiar with how composers think and express themselves, the book rang true to me through and through. Some of the attempts to debunk it seemed to me then calculated to challenge every statement. Some things, however, can not be faked - and, as Shostakovich himself often said, "music illuminates a man through and through," a composer's way of expressing himself is instantly recognizable to another composer. There are simply far too many clues buried in the text - too many buzz words and conceptual descriptions of the type typical of the composer's perception of things.

Having said that, then, Volkov's new text provides much of the historical filler that the earlier text could not purely by virtue of its purpose and content. By illustrating, even if somewhat broadly, the cultural and political issues during Stalin's reign, much of what Volkov reported as having been said by Shostakovich is further substantiated. It is fascinating reading - but not, as others have pointed out, for those without at least a fundamental understanding of Russian history.

Those who choose, even at this late date, to challenge Volkov's original text will have more to carp about here. The truth about Shostakovich's music has long since escaped the myth makers and political hacks and into the open arena of ideas. The man's music speaks louder than any words, however, even his own. But for me, the two together can only have come from one person - Dmitri Shostakovich. Relying on old Soviet mythology and documentation to disprove a work that challenges that mythology is hardly reliable. And Volkov's most recent work is an easy, fascinating and ultimately confirming discourse on the background issues which, in the end, resulted in the music long since validated on its own terms.

to the heart of things.......2005-04-06

This book is as much a penetrating portrait of Stalin's Russia as it is a fierce look at surviving as an artist in Stalin's hands. Apart from the rich legacy of his music, Shostakovich is a fine example precisely because he survived. Those of us who find Volkov's 'Testimony' a harrowing, revealing book will dive into these pages with gusto and fly through to the end. Those who suspect 'Testimony' to be a fraud might not bother with this book, and that's too bad because it provides a genuine fleshing out of Stalin and his closest henchmen (Zhdanov, especially, is afforded thorough treatment), some beautiful pages on Shostakovich's inner life, and not a few engaging views of a number of other important artists who lived and worked in a crucible of terror day after day. Volkov courteously dispenses with the ridiculous "holy fool" controversy in his prologue. The author is strongest when he composes life from inside the experience of survival in Soviet Russia. It's one thing to admire Shostakovich's genius, quite another to reach the underpinnings of a man who was more a gentleman fixed on physical (and therefore emotional and artistic) survival than he was a musical prophet. At that point, we're experiencing something well beyond biography. That is Volkov's unique gift. The focus is indeed Shostakovich, but the lessons reach farther. There are some fine photographs included - pen and inks of Akhmatova and Pasternak by Annenkov, the spiky, not often seen 1933 portrait of Shostakovich by Akimov, and an unforgettable photograph of a very young Shostakovich looking directly and defiantly at the camera, in which he seems to foretell all the pain and glory to come. If you're looking for a searing rehearsal of the meaning of freedom, I suggest this book.

Artistic sufferance under a totalitarian regime.......2004-07-10

The scope of the book goes far beyond the relation between Shostakovich and Stalin; it's a dramatic view into artistic life while living in an authoritarian regime. There is an immense list of great artists who where deported, killed or psychologically terrorized in Stalins regime. Shostakovich is only one of them, and seemingly one of the lucky ones, since he outlived the dictator. But his sufferance under Stalins terror was as trying for him as it was for any other artist. I don't entirely agree with the comment that Stalin is depicted as an idiot, but he is portraited as having a very one-sided, utilitarian view on arts.The given inside in one of the most horrible regimes that ever existed, must be mind blowing for every one in the democratic world.

The book tells Shostakovich life only fragmentarilly, including discussing his major pieces. It gives real insight into his music, makes it more accessible. Even if only to enable you to understand this music better, this book is worthwile.

Shoot the piano player?.......2004-04-30

The book seems somewhat padded with "backstory" and questionable Darwinianism, e.g., Shostakovich v. Stalin as ineluctable successor to Pushkin v. Tsar Nicholas I. Or it may be that the publishers simply opted for too narrow a title, creating an expectation of a closely focused account restricted as near as possible to the marqueed characters. Volkov does not so limit himself; Stalin's grip on all the arts is explicated, music being but one of his concentrations.

The simplistic view of Stalin as ignorant thug is certainly easier to live with than the lately emerging portrait of a man of no mean intelligence, taste, and aesthetics who was nonentheless a swine of an almost inconceivable murderousness.
This picture of authoritarian absolutism over all media is well worth the read, especially when we ourselves are never short of bombastic blusterers ready to impose their situational moralities on everyone else for the sake of a few votes back home.

Volkov, happily, is no discount Freudian, and leaves it to the reader to ponder what delights--outside of the strict demands of "socialist realism"--Stalin derived from the squirming and survival techniques of those he didn't summarily dispatch.

Average customer rating:

A total classic

Painfully misses the Mark

[...] book review - An excellent glimpse into the world of soccer

Splendid book, but with a major editing error

The politics of sport
Soccer Against the Enemy: How the World's Most Popular Sport Starts and Fuels Revolutions and Keeps Dictators in Power
Simon Kuper
Manufacturer: Nation Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Non-US Legal Systems | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books
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General | Soccer | Sports | Subjects | Books
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How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization

Soccer in Sun and Shadow, New Edition

The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup

National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball And the Rest of the World Plays Soccer

Offside: Soccer and American Exceptionalism.

ASIN: 1560258780

Book Description

Soccer is much more than just the most popular game in the world. It is a matter of life and death for millions around the world, an international lingua franca.

Simon Kuper traveled to twenty-two countries to discover the sometimes bizarre effect soccer can have on politics and culture. At the same time he tried to discover what makes different countries play a simple game so differently.

Kuper meets a remarkable variety of fans along the way, from the East Berliner persecuted by the Stasi for supporting his local team, to the Argentine general with his own views on tactics. He also illuminates the frightening intersection between soccer and politics, particularly in the wake of the attacks of 9-11, where soccer is obsessed over by the likes of Osama bin Laden. The result is one of the world's most acclaimed books on the game, and an astonishing study of soccer and its place in the world.

Customer Reviews:

A total classic.......2007-06-28

I read dozens of books a year and cannot remember laughing out load so many tmes while reading a book. Kuper manages to write both a very interesting history of international soccer and also infuse it with some unbelievably funny dry humor. Other than getting a little dense in the Spain section, the book was awesome. The chapter on Afica is unforgettable. I wish he would write a follow-up.

Painfully misses the Mark.......2007-06-06

I have recently finished this book and besides reading the "Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne in high school; this has been the most paintful book I have ever read. The premise is a good one: what different countries' take on soccer (football, I'm in America give me a break). However, the chapters seem to not be organized very well. The best chapter which would have been a better introductory chapter "Celtic v. Ranger" was placed near the end of the book. "Celtic v. Rangers" was the most focused and detailed of the book. Now, if Kuper decided to keep this approach throughout the book then I believe I would have loved this book. However, what annoyed me was how Kuper wasted (no offense) three chapters on the Baltics, South Africa (which should have been folded into the general Africa chapter) and on Herrerra (I really got no sense of Italian soccer) and yet wrote a clipped chapter on Brazilian soccer. I actually had to struggle to get through this book and I haven't had that experience for years! The only reason that I am not giving this book a single star is the fact I loved the chapters on Russia, Germany, Brazil (while clipped was good but definitely could have been better) and Celtic v. Rangers.

[...] book review - An excellent glimpse into the world of soccer .......2006-11-09

Soccer Against the Enemy is a book which chronicles the impact that society has upon soccer, and soccer upon society in various countries throughout the world. The author, Simon Kuper, is a Dutch born writer who has been around the world of soccer for most of his life and has written for numerous publications in Europe. The problem for Kuper is that he wrote this book towards the beginning of his career, and there are a few sections of this book where this becomes obvious. The fact that Kuper was a 23 year old traveling the world on an extremely limited budget gives him some excuse for this, and makes it a distraction that isn't too noticeable.

Along with these rough parts, the full title; Soccer Against the Enemy: How the World's Most Popular Sport Starts and Fuels Revolutions and Keeps Dictators in Power, is somewhat misleading. The majority of this book is not focused on this specific statement. Rather, the author spends time examining why soccer culture is the way it is in different countries. He spends time within some chapters addressing dictators and revolutions, notably the section on African soccer, and spends time on it in the Argentina chapter, but for many others, he seemingly ignores politics, or at least politics as we think of them in the traditional sense.

With that said, Kuper does very well in his examination of why soccer is played the way it is. His look into African soccer really gives an insight into what life is like there. He shows the absolute dictatorial rule that many people suffer under, and how soccer can become the one true expression of how people feel. This startling insight can catch the reader off guard.

Kuper looks at all sorts of aspects in the world of soccer. His journey spans five continents and over twenty countries. He talks to politicians, generals, coaches, and players to get a full view of everyones perspective on the game. This perspective is added to by the breadth of teams which he involves himself with. From Barcelona, to Dynamo Kiev, to the United States National Team, Kuper goes everywhere and talks to so many players that the reader really gets a full view of what soccer is throughout the world. The only thing that eclipses Kuper's breadth of teams, is the variety of countries he visits, including but not limited to, Russia, Croatia, South Africa, Cameroon, and Argentina. Kuper's goal is to give perspective from throughout the world, and he succeeds in this.
Kuper's segment on the Celtic v. Rangers rivalry is among the best in the book. It really shows the intensity and history behind the rivalry. This section alone defines the passion that soccer fans around the world have. However, the best section of the book was the add on chapter for the American version. This chapter, entitled Global Game, Global Jihad, details the impact that the game of soccer has on developing Middle Eastern countries in conjunction with radical Islam. It isn't a controversial chapter, just a statement of facts that helps details how soccer has turned so political in that part of the world.

When reading this book it is sometimes slightly confusing as to where exactly the author is trying to go. There are times where the big picture gets lost in the details, but once finished with the chapter everything tends to fall into place. I would suggest this book for a soccer fan of every level. It really gives a good look into why things are the way that they are in certain countries. The look at mafia ties in Eastern Europe, religious convictions, geographical and ethnic divisions, and the plight of third world countries to be noticed reveal stories that are usually kept under wraps in the soccer world. Kuper does a great job explaining these stories, and provides great information that can only come from first hand accounts like his.

Splendid book, but with a major editing error.......2006-06-24

The work Kuper put into this book is terrific (one can see where Foer got his inspiration, as "How Soccer Explains the World" reads like an attempt to write a new version of this book). However, it seems that the folks at Nation Books (or whomever was in charge of updating this book) has made a blunder with Kuper's words. Since they decided to change the name of the book from "Football Against the Enemy" (the original title, if I recall) to "Soccer Against the Enemy", they also decided to change references inside the book from "football" to "soccer". While this change is no problem in itself, it appears that the editors may have ran Kuper's text through a "find/replace" program, because now EVERY time the word "football" should be mentioned, it has been changed to "soccer", even if it messes up the grammar or meaning of the sentence. For example, when Kuper referres to the position of "an American Football Quarterback" the text reads "an American Soccer Quarterback", which makes no real sense. Or the "corrected" sentence that reads, in part, "they saw or even bought a World Cup bumper sticker that depicted a soccer covered by barbed wire" (page 215), where it should read as either "a football" or even "a soccer ball." This happens in many parts of the book, and detracts from the fantastic work Kuper has done.

The politics of sport.......2006-05-18

Finally available in the U.S., this is essentially the same book as Football Against the Enemy, which was originally published in England in 1994, with an additional chapter touching on the connection between soccer, terrorism, and the Middle East. According to FourFourTwo magazine, this is the number one football/soccer book ever. The author travels to Croatia, Russia, the Ukraine, Argentina, South Africa, and many other venues famous and obscure, talks to the people that matter, and focuses on telling stories about the beautiful game and the people who play it, own it, use it, and live it, while including great insights on the cultural and political issues that surround this truly international sport. Much better than "How Soccer Explains the World," the people, places, and stories in this book remain as vivid and relevant as ever. As you read how an East Berlin fan of "Western" teams was stalked for years by the East German secret police, you realize that international soccer is much more than a sport. Not just for soccer fans, this is also highly recommended to anyone interested in politics or travel.

Iraq's Most Wanted Playing Cards (Authorized Edition) (Research Division Report, #30)

Average customer rating:

Great deck. Some qualms.
A novelty that will soon wear thin
A good deck of cards
The collectible of choice for the War with Iraq
Definitely An Authentic and High-Quality Set of Cards

Iraq's Most Wanted Playing Cards (Authorized Edition) (Research Division Report, #30)

Manufacturer: U.S. Playing Card Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 9995569876

Book Description

Our decks are the same as those supplied to troops in Kuwait and are produced by United States Playing Card Company, the leading playing card company in the world.

We are the only company licensed to print this deck, complete with "Hoyle® Joker" cards, as it appeared in the original 200 decks given to Coalition soldiers. No other company in the world can legally produce the exact deck given to Coalition soldiers.

Our decks consist of real, usable playing cards, printed on casino-quality stock. Don't be fooled by imitations!

Customer Reviews:

Great deck. Some qualms........2004-03-23

Excellent quality playing cards. Sturdy & smooth. Cool camouflage backing, too.

Main qualm: 11 of the 52 cards (25%) don't have photos, but rather blackened "no photo available" images. Kinda disappointing.

Note: My first deck was INCOMPLETE...no heart cards! (Amazon quickly replaced that defective deck). So, check your deck when it arrives.

A novelty that will soon wear thin.......2003-07-25

I notice some people refer to these cards as "collectors items"; I will only note that when a few million of an item have been produced , there isn't really that much collectable value! Sure, in 25 years they'll be a collectable novelty, and in 100 years, a fairly rare collectable on a par with a set of World War II ration cards, which is to say they'll be worth about $10 and you'll be dead ;-)

As the war drags on and people continue to die, these cards don't seem to have quite the amusement value they did a few months ago. I wouldn't be surprised if sales are way down.

A good deck of cards.......2003-06-15

These cards are a great idea! They are printed on Real card stock. Just like cards used in Vegas at the casinos! The printing is clear. Don't be fooled by counterfeit sets. They won't hold the same value as these authentic card sets.
They are a real piece of Americana and are a novel piece in the battle of effective propaganda.
During ALL wars in the past, both sides of a confrontation spent a lot of effort making fun of the enemy. It helped to keep up morale, in the field and on the home front, etc. The card set is a unique.
Bless our troops!

The collectible of choice for the War with Iraq.......2003-06-01

This the "Authorized Edition" of the Iraqui "Most Wanted Playing Cards" that we have seen on the news for the past month. Does that make them substantially different from the "original" Centcom sets? The answer is in the eye of the purchaser. Unless you can pick up a set of cards that were actually distributed to the troops in Iraq and prove that detail to your satisfaction, this set of playing cards will certainly suffice.
I collected the "trading cards" that were put out by a couple of companies duirng the Gulf War, and while there is something to be said for having cards of Colin Powell and a Stealth Bomber, there was always something odd about having Norman Schwarzkopf being displayed next to Michael Jordan in card shops. You also only have to make one reasonably priced purchase to get the entire deck, instead of having go through pack after pack. I would be curious to know if the profits from these cards are going to some sort of relief effort or something somewhat laudable.

Ironically, my only complaint is that while I appreciate having the Jokers and the camaflogued pack, it would be nice if there was a checklist, just like you get with baseball cards. Of course we do not need a checklist since you get the complete set of playing cards. But if would be helpful for checking off which cards have been captured. As of today half of the most wanted have been captured. For the record:

Spades: Q, J, 8, 6, 5
Hearts: 10, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2

Clubs: Q, 9, 8, 6, 5, 4, 2
Diamonds: K, Q, 9, 8, 7, 2

So, the total is currently at five face cards, but no Aces, with three of a kind for Queens, 9s, 8s, 6s, 5s, and 2s. By the time you read this there might be four of a kind. If you do not put the cards back to back in sheets in a binder, which is the obvious way to display them, you can come up with some sort of arrangements, such as putting the captured cards face down, so distinguish them. The key card is the Ace of Spades: Do you want Saddam Hussein face up or face down? I went with face up for him and the others still at large.

Definitely An Authentic and High-Quality Set of Cards.......2003-05-31

For those skeptics out there, I assure you these are the real thing. I just received my set from Amazon and they are very good quality... very durable and coated in plastic to prevent damage. It says on the box they are from the maker of BICYCLE brand playing cards - a very well-known name brand.

Book Description

Winner of the 1980 English-Speaking Union Literary Award

The first novel in Farah's universally acclaimed Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship trilogy, Sweet and Sour Milk chronicles one man's search for the reasons behind his twin brother's violent death during the 1970s. The atmosphere of political tyranny and repression reduces our hero's quest to a passive and fatalistic level; his search for reasons and answers ultimately becomes a search for meaning. The often detective-story-like narrative of this novel thus moves on a primarily interior plane as "Farah takes us deep into territory he has charted and mapped and made uniquely his own" (Chinua Achebe).

Customer Reviews:

L to the power of S ..........1998-11-19

Sweet and Sour Milk was published in 1979, four years after Somalian anglophone writer Nuruddin Farah was forced into exile by Siyad Barre's military regime. It is the first novel of the trilogy that also includes SARDINES and CLOSE SESAME. The overall title of the trilogy is "Variations on the Theme of an African dictatorship".

The novel is the story of two twins, Loyaan and Soyaan. Loyaan is a dentist and Soyaan occupies an official position in the country's military regime. At the beginning of the novel (in the Prologue), Soyaan dies mysteriously. Before hiccupping his last, he shouts his twin brother's name three times.

The whole novel is Loyaan's inquiry on his brother's death: who poisoned Soyaan? SWEET AND SOUR MILK is, in a way, a detective story with metaphysical and mythical undertones.

Among other things, Loyaan finds out that Soyaan was a member of a clandestine organization that aimed at overthrowing the regime. He also finds out about the fact that Soyaan had a two-year old son, Marco.

Loyaan is surrounded with supposedly friendly people, people who want to help, such as Doctor Ahmed-Wellie. Whom should he trust? Whom can he trust?

And what do his mother and sister (Qumman and Ladan) think? Why does his father, Keynaan, (a patriarch and a dictator in his own household) "breathe respectability" into Soyaan's name by saying in the national newspaper that Soyaan was a national hero and a fierce follower of the General's regime?

What does that mean? Why does Farah lead us through ambiguous pathways and seemingly clear-cut formulas? Why is there a poetical vignette at the head of each chapter and why do those vignettes sound like enigmatic allegories?

At the end of the novel, Beydan, Keynaan's second wife, dies giving birth to a child who is immediately named Soyaan by the brave and firm sister, Ladan. Is that a note of hope?

Well, read the novel and try to find answers to these questions, and to all the other enigmas that I have not mentioned.

A good book can be read five or six times in a row, from several angles and divergent points of view. Take my word for it, this in an EXCELLENT book!

Bibliography

Jacqueline Bardolph has written numerous articles on Nuruddin Farah. I can give you a complete list if you wish (my e-mail address is at the top of the page).

Derek Wright, THE NOVELS OF NURUDDIN FARAH, Bayreuth African Studies, #32, 1994

I have also written an extended essay devoted to the trilogy. It is called "A Study of Duality in Nuruddin Farah's Dictatorship Trilogy".

Guillaume Cingal

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