Adoption Literature for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliography (Bibliographies and Indexes in Sociology)

Book Description

This extensive annotated bibliography covers the literature published since 1900 suitable for children and young adults dealing in some fashion with adoption. The 503 titles annotated in this volume are divided into fiction and nonfiction by reading level. A comprehensive subject, as well as title and author index, assures access to the books cited within the bibliography. Although most of the books included feature adoption as a main theme, others use adoption as a secondary theme, while others have characters who just happen to be adopted. The lengthy annotations will allow the readers an opportunity to evaluate each title's usefulness. The bibliography encompasses such topics as the age of arrival, sibling adoption, single-parent adoption, foster parent adoption, step-parent and relative adoption, transracial and intercountry adoption, Amerasian children, racial identity, minority families, special needs, large families, birthparents, search and reunion, surrogacy and open adoption, and some of the less pleasant aspects of adoption. This book, compiled by a reference librarian who is also an adoptive parent, brings a wealth of information to adoptees, adoptive parents and support groups, adoption agencies and their personnel, librarians, educators and family therapists. The experiences and emotions described in the hundreds of compiled titles duplicate and validate those of every adoptive family. Each title includes complete bibliographic information, pagination, and OCLC number (when available). Also featured is a selective resource list and a directory of adoption-related organizations.

Average customer rating:

A truly amazing journey!
Swift-moving 4.5 Star space opera
Consistently Good
Intro novels of one of the greatest sci fi characters ever (4.5 stars)
MIles Comes of Age

Young Miles
Lois McMaster Bujold
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743436164

Customer Reviews:

A truly amazing journey!.......2007-06-09

The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold...by far my favourite series ever! And trust me, I've read a LOT in my 31 years. These are the books I'd rescue first if the house were on fire, or the ones I'd take with me if I was going to be stuck on a deserted island for the rest of my life. They're just that good. Actually, 'good' doesn't do them justice...more like, wonderful, fabulous, brilliant! Okay, you get the idea. :P

Ms. Bujold has created, with Miles, one of the most wonderful, memorable characters I've ever read about. And I'm totally in love with him. I can't count the amount of times I've wished he were real. But sadly, men like him only exist in fiction...and real live men pale in comparison. *sad sigh*

For you guys out there, take notes! And for the gals...be prepared to fall (and fall hard) for this scarred, crippled dwarf. Yep, that's right. The perfect man (with all his many imperfections) is not some tall, handsome stud. He's what many cruelly refer to as a mutant. But he's also intelligent, resourceful, crafty, humorous, kind, gentle, and honorable. He also has some of the wost luck I've ever seen. Poor Miles! I absolutely adore him. :D

For those who might be wondering (and you know how much I love a good romance) the romance doesn't begin until much later in the series with Komarr. It's a long journey up to that point (and you'll love every minute of it) but when it happens it is so poignant and emotional (after all hardships, rejection and heartache he's endured) that it'll probably make you cry, like I did.

Now, where do you start with this wonderful, epic saga? I strongly suggest you begin with Young Miles, which is the first book in the main "Miles" series. And please, do yourself a favour and buy the omnibuses I've listed below. It will make your life SO much easier when it comes to reading everything in the proper order.

After you've finished that series (and loved it!), you can then read the other two (Falling Free and Cordelia's Honor) in whatever order you choose. Falling Free is set about 300 years before Miles' birth and is all about the Quaddies, whom you will meet at the end of the "Miles" series in Diplomatic Immunity. Cordelia's Honor is all about Miles' parents, Cordelia and Aral, and the tragedy that crippled Miles before his birth.

Chronologically, Falling Free and Cordelia's Honor come first. But falling Free really has nothing to do with Miles and isn't a very good introduction to the Vorkosigan universe, IMO. Cordelia's Honor is an omnibus of Shards of Honor and Barrayar, and is my least favourite book in the saga. Shards of Honor is one of her older works and the writing is a bit weak. Barrayar is better. But again, I really don't think that's the best place to start. Some fans love it and others don't, but we all love the main "Miles" series! If, after reading the "Miles" series, you feel that you'd like to know more about Cordelia and Aral, then give it a try. You may really like it. But you can easily skip it altogether and not worry about missing out on anything important. The "Miles" series can definitely stand on it's own.

If you decide to give this series a try, I do hope you love it as much as I did. It's a truly wonderful journey. I cried buckets when I finished Diplomatic Immunity...I did not want it to end! The worldbuilding, writing, and plots/stories are fantastic. The characters (especially Miles) are absolutely wonderful and so memorable. There's plenty of action, adventure, treachery, romance, heartache, mystery, humour, political intrigue, and so much more! A very engrossing, emotional series that will keep you up late at night saying, "Just one more chapter...just one more chapter."

Here are the books in chronological order:

Book 1: Falling Free

Books 2 and 3: Cordelia's Honor
(omnibus of Shards of Honor and Barrayer)

Books 4, 5 and 6: Young Miles
(omnibus of The Warrior's Apprentice, The Mountains of Mourning, and The Vor Game)

Books 7, 8 and 9: Miles, Mystery & Mayhem
(omnibus of Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos, and Labyrinth)

Books 10, 11 and 12: Miles Errant
(omnibus of Borders of Infinity, Brothers In Arms, and Mirror Dance)

Book 13: Memory

Book 14: Komarr

Book 15: A Civil Campaign

Book 16: Winterfair Gifts
(a novella in the Irresistible Forces anthology)

Book 17: Diplomatic Immunity

(one day soon I'm going to set aside a few weeks and do nothing but read every single one of these books again, back to back. :D

Swift-moving 4.5 Star space opera.......2007-01-17

I have both The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game, the two novels in this compendium, and they sat around my bookshelf for years before I finally dove in and decided that since I'd bought them even though I tend toward fantasy fiction, not space opera, I might as well read them and see what the fuss was about (Bujold's won a record-tying FOUR Hugo Awards for Best Novel, the highest sci-fi/fantasy honor; only Heinlein also holds that distinction).

My reaction after reading The Warrior's Apprentice: I should've read these LONG ago.

Young Miles contains The Warrior's Apprentice, The Vor Game and a novella. The hero is Miles Vorkosigan who seemingly has all the advantages -- noble-born into the ruling warrior caste; son of the man who is the former Regent, current Prime Minister, and hero of the realm, Count Vorkosigan; son of the notable and formidable Cordelia Nasmith Vorkosigan a former enemy of his home planet Barrayar who is now one of its greatest resources; and former playmate of the Emperor, who is only four years older than our hero.

Two problems: Miles is short; Miles is brittle. As the result of a poisoning against his mother when she was pregnant with him, Miles bore the brunt of the damage -- unnatural lack of height (4' 9" or less than 1.5 meters tall) and with bones subject to break during heavy jostling. So much for the bloodline of the most decorated soldier in world history. But as Bujold shows: neither physical prowess nor physical beauty are what make us great.

And another problem: Miles is insubordinate. Then again, he's just that smart.

The Warrior's Apprentice is Miles' coming of age story -- after failing his physical test in officer training school, Miles goes on a sort of vacation . . . until he decides to try his hand at cargo transporting, ends up in a war zone besieged by mercenaries and puts innumerable lives in danger. How Miles recruits his first followers, turns the mercenary contract game on its head and fights a plot against his father is great fun.

The Vor Game, which is one of Bujold's Hugo winners, is a bit darker and slower. After some intercession from the Emperor, Miles goes back to the officers' academy, makes it through training and goes on his first assignment. After demonstrating the immorality of the Nuremberg defense, Miles is reassigned and spins his way into a multi-system commerce and trade war that threatens his home world. Some of the plot points are a bit questionable (such as the actions of the emperor that precipitate the crux of the story about 100 pages in), but Bujold deftly handles the plotting, counterplotting and Miles' continued mastery of verbal brinksmanship.

This is story-driven writing -- not high-concept neo-physics like Greg Bear, political sci-fi like Joe Haldeman or explorative fiction like Kim Stanley Robinson. Bujold has created a successful interplanetary political situation, a smart hero who uses his brain because he lacks any brawn, and believeable characters.

In other words, I need to buy some more of her books and not wait before reading them.

Consistently Good.......2006-04-24

Bujold excels at providing depth, character interaction, and rich dialogue. Humor, both dark and light abound within. She also has a gift for pacing. Her novels never drag.

A warning. This is not the techno-onanism that the dork populace likes to call "hard sci-fi". This is a rich character driven story in a technologically advanced setting. This is not repeatedly mentally stroking the latest-and-shiniest widget and moaning about its "through-put" and mega-bits. If you are looking for stories about widgets like the one negative reviewer, stay away. This is a story(ies) about people. If you hate people you won't like this book.

I do agree that the physical quality of the book is substandard for the price.

Intro novels of one of the greatest sci fi characters ever (4.5 stars).......2006-03-21

Young Miles is two novels (The Warrior's Apprentice, The Vor Game) and one novella (Mountains of Mourning) combined into one book. This is the second omnibus in the Vorkorsigan Saga but the first collection that deals with and introduces us to the character of Miles Vorkosigan.

All three entries are fantastic in their own right as they introduce us to a young Miles and tell the story of his coming of age in lieu of failed military career. It's better not knowing the plot details before you go in, but needless to say when all is said and done, Miles has on one of the greatest sci fi adventures to date.

Bujold is great at most aspects of the sci fi novel but her greatest strength is her development of Miles himself. Part crippled, and very complex, this vertically challenged protagonist uses his mind and his charisma to get through almost every challenge he comes across. It's so refreshing to see character development of this level and Miles quickly becomes and lovable and endearing underdog. He is brialliant and cunning while also being flawed and he is probably one of the few literary characters who actually warrants 6-8 books solely about him. Miles Vorkosigan is arguably the single best and most interesting multi-book science fiction character to date, easily beating the likes of Ender Wiggin and similar heavy hitters.

The three books really compliment each other well as they show many different sides to Miles. He always finds himself in sticky situations and here he uses his wits, intillect and magnetism to get extricate himself. Bujold is also one of the rare science fiction writers out there that can generate comedy from human interaction. This serious is the perfect mix of melodrama, comedy and invention.

It's not surprsing to see the long list of Nebulas and Hugo Bujold has won for her Vorkosigan serious (although her Paladin Of Souls win is as incomprehensible as it is political and depressing) The Vor Game won the Hugo award and probably deservingly so as it much better than the (slightly more than mediocre) Fall of Hyperion and the bloated and ridiculous Earth by David Brin. I haven't read the others nor heard anything amazing about them.

Bottom Line: Excellent beginning into one of the best sci-fi operas out there. I rank this series only behind the Foundation series as far as space epics go. A must read for all sci-fi fans and people who like rooting for underdogs!

MIles Comes of Age.......2005-12-31

Several years ago, Baen Books began releasing Lois McMaster Bujold's tales of Miles Vorkosigan in omnibus form, each volume containing several adventures arranged in story chronology order. Young Miles contains three tales, the novel The Warrior's Apprentice, the novella "The Mountains of Mourning", and another novel, The Vor Game. Chronologically these stories occur after Barrayar and before Cetaganda.

In The Warrior's Apprentice, Miles fails to meet the physical requirements to be accepted into the Barrayaran Military Academy. Through a series of screwball comedy-like events, where one damn thing just snowballs into another, in short order he attracts a cadre of misfits and former losers, dedicated personally to himself, and eventually creates and leads the Free Dendarii Mercenaries under the assumed identity of "Admiral Naismith". This is Bujold's first exploration of the idea that, like T.E. Lawrence (on whose personality he's partly based), Miles is an "enabler", drawing to himself people who perform under his influence better than they might have otherwise.

Warrior's is an immensely fun book, a coming-of-age tale, a comedy, a tragedy, and a military SF novel all rolled into one. A word about the "tragedy" part of the equation. Shortly into this novel, my favorite character in the series thus far dies. I've been told (by the lady who turned me on to Bujold, and has messiah-like done the same to as many others as she can) that one woman simply quit reading at this point, just refused to continue either the book or the series, she was so pissed-off this character was killed. I can understand that. I was if not angered at least shocked and saddened to see this character go. But with 20/20 hindsight I can see why it happened. There's simply no way Warrior's, or most of the subsequent events in Miles' life that Bujold wanted to occur could have happened with this character around. So Bujold achieved a wrenching death scene AND cleared out the problem this character presented all in one fell swoop.

"The Mountains of Mourning" was originally published as one-third of the Borders of Infinity collection. Miles is forced by his duties as Lord Vorkosigan to play detective, to investigate and solve a murder. I have to admit, at least to me, the mystery wasn't much of a mystery, I had the killer pegged from their first appearance; and I think my solution to their eventual punishment would have been much more "an eye for an eye" than Miles'.

The Vor Game is the longest and most complex story in the book. The first thing you need to know about The Vor Game, it won the Hugo award for Best SF Novel of 1991. I'm not sure I would have voted for that, myself. Structurally the book is divided into two parts quite different in tone. The first tells the story of Miles' initial assignment as a Barrayaran officer, and, with the discovery of a dead body and a packet of unknown contents, as Bujold puts it in her Afterword, "tried very hard to turn into a military murder mystery." In the first draft, the packet contained money. Bujold's test readers were jumping up and down, waiting to find out what happened next - and couldn't understand her insistence that NOTHING was supposed to happen next, the dead body and packet weren't really important (!). Finally, she changed the contents of the packet to something totally non-mysterious and moved on with the tale. I was, frankly, at this point in the story settling in for a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery myself, and, like the test readers couldn't understand why it never materialized. So there that dead body and packet sit in the middle of the first section of The Vor Game, about as useful as a vermiform appendix. This fascinating set-up should either have been allowed to run its own course or removed entirely.

The main problem I have with The Vor Game is that, in its second part, the event precipitating Miles' adventures is that, out of all of explored space, he just happens to find himself thrown into the same cell on a space station jail (in a completely different star system than Barrayar) as his childhood friend, the runaway Emperor of Barrayar! This is a coincidence of such staggering proportions, the book should have been called Deus Ex Machina, a plot twist so hamfisted all I could do was shake my head and think, "You have GOT to be kidding me." But there it is. And this book won a Best Novel Hugo!

Most of the rest of The Vor Game is set-up; it's not until the last 70 pages that at long last we get to see what we're really after, Miles back in the saddle as Admiral Naismith. At which point the book begins to absolutely ROCK, as Miles juggles 50 plates in the air at once, with the fate of star systems balanced in his hands. The second part of The Vor Game is much more fast-paced, lighter and more amusing than the first. NAISMITH LIVES! Eventually.

Reporting Vietnam: American Journalism 1959-1975 (Library of America)

Average customer rating:

Amazing Vietnam War Resource from Beginning to End
The Best and The Brightest
A Good One!!
Terrific Articles - but don't stop here!
Semi-definitive 'Nam reportage is contemporary must read!

Reporting Vietnam: American Journalism 1959-1975 (Library of America)

Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Journalism | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1883011906
Release Date: 2000-05-04

Amazon.com

In the predawn morning of May 9, 1970, Richard Nixon left the White House and went to the Lincoln Memorial to speak with a handful of antiwar protesters, most of them college students. The nervous president, who, an assistant later said, "wanted to know what they thought," and the awed students talked amiably for a time, and then all concerned went about their business, Nixon conducting a war, the students trying to end it. So reported Dan Oberdorfer for the Washington Post in one of the dozens of stories, profiles, articles, and dispatches collected in this volume of Vietnam War-era journalism, the second of two content-packed books in a Library of America set. Among the many highlights of the second volume are reports by New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg (of The Killing Fields fame) on the deadly aftermath of the American invasion of Cambodia; Seymour Hersh's coverage of the My Lai massacre, in which American soldiers under the command of Lt. William Calley killed 109 South Vietnamese civilians; U.S. Senator John McCain's account for U.S. News and World Report of his six years as a prisoner of war; and, for a weird home-front spin, Hunter S. Thompson's hallucinogen-fueled reportage from the 1972 Democratic National Convention. The complete text of Michael Herr's Dispatches, an influential and estimable book, is included, as well. Students of Vietnam War history will find this and its companion volume to be essential sources. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

A unique collection captures a dramatic and controversial war and the brilliant generation of American journalists who reported it.

This one-volume selection, drawn from the original newspaper and magazine reports and contemporary books collected in the acclaimed two-volume hardcover edition, brings together the work of over fifty remarkable writers to create a powerful mosaic view of America's longest war. Reporting Vietnam follows events from the first American fatalities in 1959 through the Tet Offensive in 1968 to the fall of Saigon in 1975, recording the shifting course of the fighting, its impact on an increasingly fractured America, and the changing texture of American journalism.

Here are Homer Bigart, David Halberstam, Stanley Karnow, and Neil Sheehan on South Vietnam in the 1960s; Thomas Johnson and Wallace Terry examining the changing attitudes of black soldiers; Sydney Schanberg on the fall of Phnom Penh; Philip Caputo on the last days of South Vietnam. Included as well are Norman Mailer at the March on the Pentagon, Doris Kearns on Lyndon Johnson's anguished decision-making, and James Michener's meticulous reconstruction of the Kent State shooting.

The volume includes a detailed chronology of the war, historical maps, biographical profiles of the journalists, notes, a glossary of military terms, and an index.

"Not simply a riveting collection of first-rate writing about the war, Reporting Vietnam is also an epic retelling of an American tragedy." --The Oregonian

"This splendid collection testifies to the courage, endurance and swallowed anger of an extraordinarily brave group of writers who, by sharing the agony, earned their rights to report it." --John Le Carre

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Vietnam War Resource from Beginning to End.......2006-12-20

This is exactly the type of book you want to read about Vietnam - in the words of those who were there, whether soldier or reporter. It contains articles written by the media and excerpts from soldiers memoirs in chronological order from the start of the war until the fall of Saigon. (FYI - There is little here from a directly Vietnamese point of view, though there are some who write very sympathetically of their plight.)

This tome (it's over 800 pages of densely packed information and narration, but doled out in 5-10 page excerpts which make great reading) covers everything from the first days of aerial bombing (letters home from one of the first pilots over there) to the African-American experience in Vietnam, to the desolation of those involved when Saigon fell.

Because this is a compilation of actual stories from the Vietnam Conflict you could use it's wealth of information (and sources) to build a case for any position or point of view. It would be an excellent source for research on the Vietnam War, steeped with original quotes and overflowing with the genuine feelings and experiences of those who were there.

Highly Recommended.

The Best and The Brightest.......2006-06-08

THE VIETNAM WAR AND THE MEDIA

I am a Vietnam Veteran, a college graduate of the Vietnam Era, and a professional journalist. That should establish either some kind of credibility or culpability. The Vietnam War began when I was l7 years old, and ended when I was 30. That means my generation of draft-aged males... lived with the reality of War throughout their adolescence. I went to college in the '60s and, like most of my classmates, lived under the shadow of Vietnam for my entire college career.. Flunk out...you get Drafted. (that happened to a friend of mine at Yale. He partied too heartily and ended up as a grunt in the Mekong Delta.) As the War escalated, so did the dissent and the polarization of the country.

In l968, the following events occurred:
* The Tet Offensive;
* the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with the arrest of the Chicago Seven;
* The Mexico City Olympics black power protests;
* The assassinations of Martin Luther King and RFK;
* student demonstrations at Berkeley, Columbia, and Paris;
* And the increse in the Force Level in Vietnam approached 500,000.

That makes 1968 the most significant year in my life. That was also the year after I graduated from College, and, lacking plans for graduate school, enlisted in the Army (not out of patriotism but pragmatism: I made a deal with the devil--- I'd volunteer for three years as a Broadcast Specialist, and the Army would keep me out of The Killing Zone. When I got to Saigon, I worked for Armed Forces Radio and TV: reading news they wanted me to read (like Robin Williams' character Adrian Kronauer in "Good Morning Vietnam."

During my year in Saigon, part of my job was to attend the daily press briefings cynically referred to by the press corps as "The Five O'clock Follies." (Because they were timed to occur after the evening TV Newscasts in the States). This was long before CNN; Fox News; the Internet; and Pod-casts. The mainstream media then had a far greater role than today. When Walter Cronkite said the Vietnam War was un-winnable, it ended Lyndon Johnson's career. (Johnson later admitted he knew he was finished after watching the CBS Evening News). Vietnam was called the first Living Room War, because most Americans get their news at the dining room table. And that included escalating casualties, various atrocities like My Lai (which is kind of like the Marines in Iraq); and the rising chorus of dissent among the young.

Another disturbing parallel between Vietnam and Iraq is the arrogance, imperiousness, and hubris of the Secretaries of Defense in both Wars. Both Robert McNamara and Donald Rumsfeld were arrogant and disdainful of the professional soldiers they commanded.
Each time they appeared before Congress and the Media, they said basically : this is the way it is. And don't confuse us with the facts. The Press, in the discordantly alliterative words of former Vice President and Convicted Felon Spiro Agnew (his real name) were "nattering nabobs of negativism" (How about: "Clueless Cheerleaders of Colonialism"?)

Had any of them taken the time to read the history of Indochina and the experience of the French ("Street Without Joy" or "Hell in a Very Small Place" by Bernard Fall; "The making of a Quagmire" by David Halberstam; "Fire in the Lake" by Francis Fitzgerald; or "The Best and the Brightest" by
David Halberstam they would have predicted the inevitable outcome of American Adventurism in Other Places. Those who ignore (or, in George Bush's Case, never learned) the lessons of History are condemned to repeat them"

--By Philip Henry
[...]

A Good One!!.......2004-10-06

Althought this is a compilation of the two volumes previously released, this is a terrific title. All kinds of important people from the Vietnam era have essays in this book. Sixty-one of them. Can't wait to reread it....

Terrific Articles - but don't stop here!.......2004-03-11

This very valuable compilation of historically important news articles and its companion (Part One) should be on the shelf of every person who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the Vietnam War. I can't review the articles contained, but know that there are many important pieces. Some of them are the Doris Kearns article on LBJ, John McCain's article on his captivity, Michael Kinsley on Kissinger and Harvard, several on the various incursions in countries neighboring Vietnam, and several on the fall of South Vietnam.

Some of the other famous inclusions are Seymour Hersh on My Lai and James Michener on Kent State, and Stewart Alsop on how the draft was implemented expressed America's Class System. There are many more.

But as I said about Part One, you will also need to read other things. This collection really only represents one side of the debate. At the time it was not as one sided as everyone remembers now. There really was support for the war in the population. Yes, it declined as time passed, but even today many feel that we lost more because we mishandled things more than because the war was wrong. However, that is neither here nor there for this collection. It is a terrific collection. My point is that you can't know the war and how it affected America without reading these articles. But you also can't know its full effects without reading more than these articles.

Semi-definitive 'Nam reportage is contemporary must read!.......2003-07-09

I say semi-definitive reportage because this brilliant compilation of news articles, magazine essays and excerpts from books is the distilled nectar from the two volume hardbound series issued earlier. While I haven't read the above-mentioned 2 volumes, I have read enough other Vietnam material to authoritatively state that this book does a more than adequate, dare I say brilliant, job of crystallizing the plethora of intertwined issues that encompassed the Vietnam war and the world stage upon which it unfolded. This book also offers some very unpleasant lessons to those of us who found our way to it due to the recent round of warfare commenced by the Bush Administration in order to save the world from Communism, ummm, I mean Terrorism.
For better or worse all of the other books I've read on the Vietnam war fall into two categories: The "Minute History of ..." and the "My personal Hell in ...." The problem with the former is that most people either don't have the patience or the desire to wade through all of the excrutiating details that went into the Vietnam war, and since any good history necessarily contains at least a majority of such unsavory bits, all of the 'good' histories of Vietnam rarely, I suspect, get finished. Plus, even when well-done the story is told with such detachment that the reader's mind often wanders while his eyes glide over the text. The problem with the latter style of narrative is that the events contained within are of such a narrow scope that no matter how powerful and well-written (see 'Rumor of a War' by Caputo, and 'A Boy's War' by Wolf, for instance), they are mere pinhole theatre. 'Reporting Vietnam' is unique, enlightening and vital because of the following factors. First, the editors chose to paint a broad canvas of the war by choosing articles that tell not only firsthand of battles, POW camp, campaigns and day to day life but also of home such as the events of and reactions to the Kent State incident, a soldier's return to "the world," and from Norman Mailer, his account of a Vietnam protest in Washington, D.C. The volume also contains extended essays upon the history of Vietnam, its social structures, the conduct of the war and politics (in both USA and in Vietnam), the living conditions and infrastructure of both South and North Vietnam, reportage on the military excursions into Laos and Cambodia, and the effect that the protracted conflict has on tribespeople, peasants, urban dwellers, etc. If one reads this book without more, he will be rewarded with page after page of top notch and fascinating writing. If one chooses to seek answers to common complaints and unspoken questions of history regarding this war, I believe that he'll find some answers. For instance, one of the most common complaints we hear from the diehards (inevitably nonparticipants?) is that we didn't win because we didn't go all out. An answer is found in the article by one of LBJ's personal secretary's on his discussions with her about the war. To wit, only the loonies seriously contemplated nuclear strikes and there was an ever-present threat that some escalation of the war would be the trigger-point for a world war with either or both the USSR and PRC. Also, we really, really were fighting all-out every time our young men and women were out there fighting (at least until the Nixon administration) and it is an insult to any who served in Vietnam to argue differently. An uspoken question never asked or answered in my presence is why didn't the South fight? The easy answer to this is that, of course the South fought, they just were overwhelmed by the Communists. The more compelling answer which this book satisfactorily demonstrates is that the social structure and politics of South Vietnam were fundamentally incapable of sustaining protracted, successful war-winning conflict due to its inherent weaknesses (an "absence of ideology, tradition or a coherent nationalism" says Peter Braestrup in one article). Finally, the question of whether we won or lost the war. To put it succinctly, however inaccurately, we won every battle we fought, North Vietnam won everywhere else. Finally, I believe that this book will lead one to the conclusion that the USA has once again set itself up for the very hard, obviously thankless and ultimately impossible task of saving the world from terrorism by sending US men and women to occupy foreign soil for these stated aims. I base my belief on the contents of 'Reporting Vietnam' which convincingly demonstrate that ultimately no war can be won by proxy, and an occupying power's efforts and accomplishments are always temporary and superficial until and unless the proxy population take to heart the aims of the intervening power's program. This was not done in South Vietnam, I doubt it is being done successfully in the Middle East.

Average customer rating:

As of 3/17/2007 this book has not been received...
Tribes of Britain
The Janus face of history
Adequate history, but not special. Where are the maps?
Not what I expected

Tribes of Britain
David Miles
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Europe | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0297830864

Book Description

Who are the English, Scots, Welsh, and Irish? New scientific techniques can be used to explore this complex genetic jigsaw—ancient Britons and Saxons, Celts and Romans, Vikings and Normans, and more recent migrations. Drawing on the latest discoveries, this book both challenges traditional views of history and provides new insight into the British and Irish today. David Miles is a Research Fellow of the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford and a Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford. The author of many books, he is also a former columnist for the London Times.

Customer Reviews:

As of 3/17/2007 this book has not been received..........2007-03-18

As of 3/17/2007 this book has not been received...

Tribes of Britain.......2006-11-10

Recommended by a friend--and is truly an insight to someone that loves
archaeology.

The Janus face of history.......2006-01-22

Writing of one's own land carries certain risks. If the view is too internally focussed, the dynamics of human movements are omitted. Yet a study giving an overview of our migrations around the planet may just as easily skip past details of nation forming. National histories have a tendency to reinforce local mythologies and traditions. Global views, on the other hand, overlook those traditional icons. David Miles has struck a fine balance with this study of British societies down the ages.

Britain, he contends, holds a special place in human prehistory and beyond. Situated at the edge of the EurAsian landmass, it was populated by early hominids long before the Ice Age [see "Fairweather Eden" by Michael Pitts & Mark Roberts]. When the ice arrived, humans were pushed back to the Continent, only to return again as the glaciers retreated. One of the more notable archaeological finds is "The Red Lady of Paviland". This skeleton was unearthed in 1823 and later proved to be the first early human fossil. It also was determined that it was a male. The remains are now dated at 26 000 BCE. Yet more appropriate is the Amesbury Archer. This grave, near Stonehenge, contained the body of an adult male who'd been born and raised in the Northern Alps. To Miles, these cycles of migration set a pattern for subsequent settlement. They also laid the groundwork for British expansion in later centuries.

At some point we must ask "Who are the Britons and who are the immigrants?" This is the very point Miles stresses as he explains the roots and impact of people entering the British Isles. The Irish, firm in their ties to their own island, clearly have Continental roots. How close are they to the Scots and other peoples crossing the Channel. The science of molecular genetics, which Miles cites frequently, helps formulate a picture of the origins of the population of The Isles. He further explains that far from enjoying a "splendid isolation" from the Continent, people, goods and cultural norms moved back and forth across those waters. The Channel proved less a barrier than a liquid bridge. Yet, not all the exchanges were trade or brides, as the Roman occupations demonstrate. The Romans added much to the cultural base of Britain, but when they left, there was competition for land and resources.

After the Romans, it's typical schoolroom fare to learn of Angles, Saxons and other Northern European invaders "taking over" Britain. Yet neither these, nor the notorious Norsemen, proved to be displacers of the existing population. All these entering peoples made settlements, intermarried and contributed something new to the society. The last "successful" invasion by William's "Normans" were merely another step in the amalgamation of several populations. That William also brought new forms of administration, such as the Domesday Book of tax records, proved a blessing in land management and legal standards. Nor was the shift of peoples always westward. The religious conflicts of later years saw Poland occupied by so many Scots that "skapy jak Szkot" became a common expression for somebody tightfisted with money and dour of expression. As the Empire grew, so did the number leaving Britain for colonial opportunity.

Miles has produced a work of infinite interest. It's immensely appropriate today given the influx of people to Britain from among its former colonies as well as other lands. His concluding chapter, "New Britons" is an intense examination of today's "problems" with people viewed as "outsiders". Since everybody in The Isles is an "outsider" or the descendents of such folk, the value of this book becomes starkly clear. With the weighty scholarship underlying Miles' narrative, it seems callous to criticise it for lacks. Maps would have been useful, particularly to those not living in The Isles. The "References" demonstrate the extent of Miles' research, but they are organised by chapter - a full bibilography isn't provided. These are not, however, detrimental to what Miles has achieved with this superb work. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Adequate history, but not special. Where are the maps?.......2005-11-12

An adequate overview of the history of the British Isles, but I have to agree with another reviewer's judgment of "not what I expected." I was anticipating a full volume that focused on the pre-Roman history of the British Isles and the different peoples known from ancient sources and archeological investigation. But that is all over and done with in the first fifth of the book. Then it's on to the Romans and medieval invaders like the Angles, Saxons and Vikings -- fairly well covered territory.

This is not a bad book. It's just not special. Caution: have a supplementary historical atlas at hand as you read. There are no maps in the book, a stunningly bad decision by the publisher.

Not what I expected.......2005-09-26

I was expecting an analysis of the British population based on DNA. There was virtually none of that in here. It is a mildly interesting history of Britain.

Mackinac Bridge: The Story of the Five-Mile Poem (Tales of Young Americans)

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Mackinac Bridge: The Story of the Five-Mile Poem (Tales of Young Americans)
Gloria Whelan
Manufacturer: Sleeping Bear Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1585362832

Book Description

Set in the late 1950s, this is the moving story of a young boy whose father operates a ferryboat between Michigans Upper and Lower peninsulas. As young Mark witnesses the building of the new Mackinac Bridge, he is torn between family loyalty and eager anticipation. He cant help being awestruck by the majesty of the five-mile-long bridge that will connect the two peninsulas and change the lives of so many. But the Mighty Mac will also put Marks father out of business. As his father struggles with the flow of progress, Mark dreams of future bridges he will build.

Reporting Vietnam: American Journalism 1959-1969 (Part One) (Library of America)

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Reporting Vietnam: American Journalism 1959-1969 (Part One) (Library of America)

Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1883011582

Amazon.com

In the last few years, with the publication of such books as Jacques Leslie's The Mark and William Prochnau's Once Upon a Distant War, historians and former correspondents have been examining closely the role of journalism in the conduct of the Vietnam War. The two volumes of Reporting Vietnam offer a trove of material for such studies. Part One contains combat-front writing by journalists who are well known to students of Vietnam War history--Stanley Karnow, David Halberstam, Frances FitzGerald, Bernard Fall, Neil Sheehan, Ward Just, and Zalin Grant among them. The hefty volume--which runs the gamut of journalistic genres, including hard news, analysis, profiles, think pieces, and interviews--covers the home front as well, from which the likes of Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe have their say.

The collection opens with a fairly dispassionate account from Time magazine reporting the deaths of the first U.S. military advisors in 1959; it ends with the complete text of Daniel Lang's long New Yorker piece, "Casualties of War," the basis for Brian De Palma's controversial movie of the same name. In between are accounts of battles on the streets of Chicago and the Central Highlands, studies of the rise of black-power militancy on the ever-changing front lines, and perceptive portraits of ordinary soldiers on both sides of the war. Among the book's many highlights is Neil Sheehan's memoir of his change from hawk to dove as the war progressed. "I have sometimes thought," he writes, "when a street urchin with sores covering his legs stopped me and begged for a few cents' worth of Vietnamese piastres, that he might be better off growing up as a political commissar. He would then, at least, have some self-respect." Such changing views, we can now clearly see, helped shift public opinion in the United States against the war. --Gregory McNamee

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Biography for children

Great for Kids

Not just for the young

Keeping Marley Spirit Alive for Future Generations

Keeping Marley Spirit Alive for Future Generations

The Boy from Nine Miles: The Early Life of Bob Marley (Young Spirit Books)
Cedella Marley , and Gerald Hausman
Manufacturer: Hampton Roads Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Composers & Musicians | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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56 Thoughts from 56 Hope Road: The Sayings and Psalms of Bob Marley

60 Visions: A Book of Prophecy

Bob Marley: Soul Rebel: The Stories Behind Every Song 1962-1981 (Stories Behind Every Song)

NO WOMAN NO CRY: MY LIFE WITH BOB MARLEY

Three Little Birds

ASIN: 1571742824

Customer Reviews:

Biography for children.......2006-02-01

My son is doing a bio bash at school and chose Bob Marley. He's only in the fifth grade so we didn't want him reading too much about him.

I myself didn't read the book - but he enjoyed it and is looking forward to doing a presentation and report on it.

Great for Kids.......2005-01-03

This book continues to amaze me -- no matter how many times I read it. I also have shared the novel with many friends and family as gifts. The story of Bob Marley's childhood is revealed truthfully and vividly through beautiful illustrations by Mariah Fox and a wonderful collaboration by daughter Cedella Marley and seasoned author Gerald Hausman.

The message of this book rings as clear and soulful as Bob Marley's own songs. Adults and children alike can share in this experience and journey of a child - it's a fantastic learning tool especially for kids and the subject matter is sure to keep them interested. Highly Recommended.

Not just for the young.......2004-12-07

Gerald Hausman is a not only a distinguished writer, but has lived in Jamaica and knows the culture with eyes wide open. His daughter, Mariah Fox, was almost raised on the island and her drawings, more magical than real, speak of places beyond places. Cedella Marley was always there, heard all the stories, knows all the songs, and tells the story of Bob Marley's childhood from a daughter's view point. All my children have this book, as do my grandchildren, and one day so will my great grandchildren. Read it, look at the pictures, and smile. It is that good.

Keeping Marley Spirit Alive for Future Generations.......2004-12-05

What a lovely book. With so much to choose from among Marley publications, this one truly distinguishes itself in that it capture the real spirit of Marley's origins. Since you could call Bob the ultimate Roots musician, Boy From Nine Miles is a kind of Roots for the Marley story. It is certainly geared towards the young ones, but it could easily win a place in the heart of older readers too. The illustrations are very simpatico with the earthiness of Marley's story and helps deliver the Marley tale with earnestness without becoming sappy. Marley was an earnest man after all and it is no surprise to me that the open hearted and earnest style of a children's book may be one of the surest ways to convey, aside from his music, Marley's roots in Jamaica, his spirit and his passion for justice and truth. There is no doubt if you have always loved Bob's music and have kids, this really does belong in your home library. I can totally understand why this would be a hit in the schools too as another reviewer testified. Very nicely done book.

Keeping Marley Spirit Alive for Future Generations.......2004-12-05

Bad to the Bone: Fifteen Young Bible Heroes Who Lived Radical Lives for God

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Of interest to a wide range of teenagers.
Best yet!
Bad to the Bone is good for the soul

Bad to the Bone: Fifteen Young Bible Heroes Who Lived Radical Lives for God
Miles McPherson
Manufacturer: Bethany House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The stories of fifteen biblical heroes written for today's teens. Introduces the fresh message that youth can devote themselves to Christ and live lives that go against the grain from what they see and hear around them.

Customer Reviews:

Of interest to a wide range of teenagers........2003-08-30

I teach a Sunday School class for teenagers from ages 13 to 19, which is challenging because it is so hard to find material of interest to a group with such a wide range of ages. This book worked beautifully for us. There is a good balance of humor and seriousness in it and the personal life stories are interesting enough to keep teens awake early on a Sunday morning. It also required little time on my part to prepare for each week's lesson.

Best yet!.......2001-01-20

This book is one of the best books for a total of the best 15bible heroes of the bible. I really loved the book. I would definetly tell all of my friends about this book if they had not already read it. It is a must read.

Bad to the Bone is good for the soul.......2000-05-05

This book is very good for all teenagers. It is a 13 week bible study that is broken down daily. The chapters are short to keep a teens wandering interest, but packed with a lot of usable information. If you are a youth leader, or just want a bible study for your teen, look no further.

The Last Mile of the Way (Standing on the Promises, Book 3)

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The Last Mile of the Way (Standing on the Promises, Book 3)
Margaret Blair Young , and Darius Aidan Gray
Manufacturer: Bookcraft
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1570089043

Minidoka: 937th Earl of One Mile Series M

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Fairy Tale for Every Child, Even Those of us Who Are Adults
Fairy Tale for Every Child, Even Those of us Who Are Adults

Minidoka: 937th Earl of One Mile Series M
Edgar Rice Burroughs , and Peet Janes
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1569712808

Book Description

Dark Horse is proud to present an all-new tale by the Master of Adventure himself, Edgar Rice Burroughs! Written before the twin blockbusters of A Princess of Mars and Tarzan of the Apes, Minidoka is a whimsical fantasy in the tradition of Jonathan Swift`s Gulliver`s Travels and Lewis Carroll`s The Hunting of the Snark. Illustrated by comics legend Michael Wm. Kaluta, and featuring a never-before-published cover painting by J. Allen St. John, this fractured fairy tale for children of all ages is sure to become a highly sought-after collectible!

Customer Reviews:

Fairy Tale for Every Child, Even Those of us Who Are Adults.......2000-06-21

Minidoka? What kind of a word is that, you say? Then you stop and think, "Oh, Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan and John Carter. It's a made up word!" WRONG. Minidoka is a small town (or was, I don't know if it is still there) in Idaho where Mr. Burroughs worked in one of his many failed careers as a gold miner (1901 to 1904) with his brother at the Yale Dredging Company. It didn't pan out, pardon the pun, and the world is much more richer for the failed attempt.

Burroughs has never been accused of being a literary genius, although his stories have reached every corner of the world, his books are published in over sixty different languages (not counting dialects), his tales have been the basis for dozens of films, TV series, animations and comics. What Mr. Burroughs was gifted with was the art of storytelling and that trait has made him a legend.

Mindoka, 937th Earl of One Mile Series M is a story that sprung from that ability. No one knows for certain when this wonderful tale was created, perhaps it was one of the series of bedtime stories Burroughs told his children each night. All of them created on the spot as he paced the hall of their small home and spoke in a loud voice so that all in the house could hear. What ever occurred, Burroughs liked this particular story so much that he committed it to paper. Of a sorts, at least. He used the backs of old letterheads from the mining company, photo bills from Pocatello and letterheads of the American Genealogical Society to compose this story. None of the hand written manuscript is dated, nor was it discovered until 1955, five years after his death, in his personal belongings. The paper the story was written on gives proof that this is Burroughs first ever written work, never before seen by another beside himself until after he had died and never published until today. This makes that story almost a century old!

The tale is very strange, not at all like his works that were published in his lifetime. This is a children's story, it is written with the intention of being read aloud to children and has all the classic elements of fairy tales. Horrible monsters, magic spells, beautiful damsels to rescue and battles to be fought, all of these are in there along with a never before seen look at the man's sense of humor.

The story itself is quite captivating, even if it is a bit difficult to read for an adult. I dare say that I will be hard pressed to pronounce some of the words that Burroughs has created for this story, but many of the characters and creatures are quite endearing. I really liked the hoobody and hookidooki. The hoobody reminded me of one of the mythical creatures of my people, the Apache, (perhaps that's where he got the idea) and the hookidooki was just plain fun to read about even if it was a villain.

The setting for the story is Idaho of a million or more years in the past, but with European type kingdoms all based as the origin of Irish names. Very interesting concept and for the life of me I can't determine why he took that tact in the story. But it matters not, as the tale is fantastic.

Many aspects of his published works can be seen in this story. The way his heroes act and react is based on this tale. Many animals and places for completely unrelated stories are mentioned here as something else. It is almost as if he created an entire universe from the seeds that he planted for himself in this story to his children.

There is something else that is very special about this book. The cover art is a painting by J. Allen St. John that has never been published before. Who is St. John, you ask? This is the man that made every single cover painting for Burroughs books starting in 1915 with The Son of Tarzan and ending in 1942 with The Tiger Girl (I have copies of all of these). The painting was made over 50 years ago when an art director told St. John that it was impossible for an artist to do an illustration using all known mediums that were known at the time. St. John went to his loft and created a drawing he titled Minidoka by those exact means just to prove the man wrong. This cover is the first printing of that painting.

The book is a mere 63 pages long with about 15 of those pages being lavishly drawn full page illustrations. Each page also has drawings around the edges that have to do with what the story is talking about at the time.

Fairy Tale for Every Child, Even Those of us Who Are Adults.......2000-06-21

The book is published by Dark Horse Comics and is available now at all book stores. You will more than likely have to special order it, because it is a limited edition print. The price is ... well worth it. I can hardly wait until it is mass produced so that I can get a reading copy to give my children when they are old enough. Get one of these first prints while they are still out there. You will never regret it.

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