The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11

Book Description

From THE ENEMY AT HOME:

“In this book I make a claim that will seem startling at the outset. The cultural left in this country is responsible for causing 9/11. … In faulting the cultural left, I am not making the absurd accusation that this group blew up the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I am saying that the cultural left and its allies in Congress, the media, Hollywood, the nonprofit sector, and the universities are the primary cause of the volcano of anger toward America that is erupting from the Islamic world. The Muslims who carried out the 9/11 attacks were the product of this visceral rage—some of it based on legitimate concerns, some of it based on wrongful prejudice, but all of it fueled and encouraged by the cultural left. Thus without the cultural left, 9/11 would not have happened.

“I realize that this is a strong charge, one that no one has made before. But it is a neglected aspect of the 9/11 debate, and it is critical to understanding the current controversy over the ‘war against terrorism.’ … I intend to show that the left has actively fostered the intense hatred of America that has led to numerous attacks such as 9/11. If I am right, then no war against terrorism can be effectively fought using the left-wing premises that are now accepted doctrine among mainstream liberals and Democrats.”

Whenever Muslims charge that the war on terror is really a war against Islam, Americans hasten to assure them they are wrong. Yet as Dinesh D’Souza argues in this powerful and timely polemic, there really is a war against Islam. Only this war is not being waged by Christian conservatives bent on a moral crusade to impose democracy abroad but by the American cultural left, which for years has been vigorously exporting its domestic war against religion and traditional morality to the rest of the world.

D’Souza contends that the cultural left is responsible for 9/11 in two ways: by fostering a decadent and depraved American culture that angers and repulses other societies—especially traditional and religious ones— and by promoting, at home and abroad, an anti-American attitude that blames America for all the problems of the world.

Islamic anti-Americanism is not merely a reaction to U.S. foreign policy but is also rooted in a revulsion against what Muslims perceive to be the atheism and moral depravity of American popular culture. Muslims and other traditional people around the world allege that secular American values are being imposed on their societies and that these values undermine religious belief, weaken the traditional family, and corrupt the innocence of children. But it is not “America” that is doing this to them, it is the American cultural left. What traditional societies consider repulsive and immoral, the cultural left considers progressive and liberating.

Taking issue with those on the right who speak of a “clash of civilizations,” D’Souza argues that the war on terror is really a war for the hearts and minds of traditional Muslims—and traditional peoples everywhere. The only way to win the struggle with radical Islam is to convince traditional Muslims that America is on their side.

We are accustomed to thinking of the war on terror and the culture war as two distinct and separate struggles. D’Souza shows that they are really one and the same. Conservatives must recognize that the left is now allied with the Islamic radicals in a combined effort to defeat Bush’s war on terror. A whole new strategy is therefore needed to fight both wars. “In order to defeat the Islamic radicals abroad,” D’Souza writes, “we must defeat the enemy at home.”

To Catch a Predator: Protecting Your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home

Average customer rating:

TO CATCH A PREDATOR
Get the Book!!!!!!!!
Every parents should read this book!
Read this Book...
Catch a Predator

To Catch a Predator: Protecting Your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home
Chris Hansen
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Culture | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Network Security | Networking | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Child Abuse | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Safety & First Aid | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Security | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Home & Garden | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Parenting & Families | Blowout Books | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Caught in the Web: Inside the Police Hunt to Rescue Children from Online Predators
Generation MySpace: Helping Your Teen Survive Online Adolescence
Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online
We, the Jury: Deciding the Scott Peterson Case
In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing

ASIN: 0525950095
Release Date: 2007-03-01

Book Description

A never-before-written exposé on catching child predators, from the creator of the powerful NBC Dateline series

Over 40,000,000 Americans have seen Dateline NBC's ongoing “To Catch a Predator” series, with an average of 11 million viewers per episode. So far, the Dateline series has led to the arrest of 183 men and shown that child predators can be anyone—even those most trusted in the community—including rabbis, doctors, and teachers.

In his book To Catch a Predator, Chris Hansen, the creator and on-air correspondent for Dateline's most successful series, looks deeper into the world of child predators. The book expands beyond the Dateline series to include commentary from psychological and criminal experts about the origins and methods of child predators, and includes substantive advice for both parents and children on how to protect kids on the Internet. Hansen also looks at the current methods for treating child predators and interviews several of the men seen on the Dateline show to follow up on their lives since being arrested. To Catch a Predator presents a strong analysis of what some feel is a child predator epidemic and a startling look at the shortcomings of our systems and society.

Customer Reviews:

TO CATCH A PREDATOR.......2007-08-25

I think every person that has a child in their home should read this book. I also think children over 14 years of age should read this book.

Get the Book!!!!!!!!.......2007-08-04

If you have the internet,if you have kids (THIS IS A MUST READ FOR PARENTS!), if you love kids, if you work around kids, if you hate the actions of pedophiles that become sexual predators and feel they should be incarated unitl Jesus comes back, or you think hey should get treatment and that is the best solution, get the freakin book!
It covers all of these issues and all of the operations and catching these sexual predatory dirtbags. ( Ofcourse I'm a "locker upper!")It is a great read, Chris Hansen is well spoken on all issues, and just does a great job with this one! Its full of information and sometimes will make you say "What" and sometimes "HMMMMM." It is probably the best beginners book for reading on the issue of online predators. There are more explicit and problably more scientific ones but this should be on every internet crimes against children bookshelf. GET THE BOOK!!!

Every parents should read this book!.......2007-06-05

This book is written by the host of the popular NBC Dateline series, To Catch a Predator. If you are a parent, you should read this book.

Read this Book..........2007-06-03

if you have children and a computer.

More than just a rundown of the TO CATCH A PREDATOR Dateline NBC series (although it does do that), this book also contains heartbreaking stories of children who have been exploited -- and in some cases murdered -- by predators they met on the Internet.

Chris Hansen does a great job of illustrating the fact that the computer and the Internet, as a whole, are useful tools that even younger children can take advantage of. But his tips and hints for protecting your children from online predators are something that EVERY parent needs to read -- and then share with their kids.

While I tried to avoid scaring my two children (ages 10 and 6), I have sat them down and discussed the dangers that can be found on the Internet. Just as predators in real life don't always look like what they are, I think my kids now understand that people they could meet online aren't necessarily who they claim to be, either.

I highly recommend all parents, especially those of teens and pre-teens, who have a computer pick up a copy of TO CATCH A PREDATOR. You'll be amazed, frightened, and instilled with a sense of urgency when it comes to the protection of your kids.

Catch a Predator.......2007-05-10

I enjoyed the book, it expands on the television series and gives some insight into protecting your children. It is a great tool for anyone that has children and gives some great tips on using the internet and also what to look for if you have a child that uses the internet.

The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11

Average customer rating:

Inaccurate information makes conclusions suspect
Fascinating
A strong book about what were facing in the post 911 world.
AmBUSHED
Mostly Blowing Smoke

The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11
Ron Suskind
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III
Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War
Conservatives Without Conscience

ASIN: 0743271092
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Book Description

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Ron Suskind takes you deep inside America's real battles with violent, unrelenting terrorists -- a game of kill-or-be-killed, from the Oval Office to the streets of Karachi.

You may think you know what the "war on terror" is.

But to know it truly, you must read this book.

Suskind has written a riveting work of narrative nonfiction, filled with exclusive, historically significant disclosures that will echo across America and the world.

What is the guiding principle of the world's most powerful nation as it searches for enemies at home and abroad? The One Percent Doctrine is the deeply secretive core of America's real playbook: a default strategy, designed by Dick Cheney, that separates America from its moorings, and has driven everything -- from war in Afghanistan to war in Iraq to the global search for jihadists.

The story begins on September 12, 2001, the day America began to gather itself for a response to the unimaginable. Ultimately, that reply would shape the nation's very character.

Suskind tells us what actually occurred over the next three years, from the inside out, by tracing the steps of the key actors -- the notables, from the President and Vice President to George Tenet and Condoleezza Rice, who oversee the "war on terror" and report progress to an anxious nation; and the invisibles, the men and women just below the line of sight, left to improvise plans to defeat a new kind of enemy in an hour-by-hour race against disaster. The internal battles between these two teams -- one, under the hot lights; the other, actually fighting the fight -- reveal everything about what America faces, and what it has done, in this age of terror.

Who is actually running U.S. foreign policy? Is there an operational cell, armed with WMDs, inside the United States? Have some of the world's most dangerous terrorists -- including leaders of al Qaeda -- been caught and accidentally released? Can America prevail in this struggle against enemies who are patient, ingenious, certain, and have clear tactical advantage?

With his unparalleled access to senior officials, past and present, Ron Suskind -- author of The Price of Loyalty, the most revealing book yet written on the Bush administration -- finally answers the questions that keep Americans awake at night.

And in this startling book, he reframes the debates that roil the globe.

Customer Reviews:

Inaccurate information makes conclusions suspect.......2007-09-20

The present administration misled the american public regarding the presence of weapons of mass distruction (WMD) in Iraq.
Suskind alleges that George Tenent, former chief of CIA, knew nothing about the misrepresentation. This seems to be incorrect.
This inaccurate reporting makes other conclusions Suskind reaches suspect as well.

Fascinating.......2007-09-06

As someone who originally supported the Iraq war, I very much appreciate this book. It's insightful and engaging, well-researched and thoughtfully written. If you're undecided or lean toward the conservative and want to hear a good anti-war argument (as well as an analysis of the state of the government and its intelligence or lack thereof) that isn't just empty mud-slinging or hoaky conspiracy theories, then I highly recommend this book.

A strong book about what were facing in the post 911 world........2007-09-04

I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants to find out how the internal dynamics of the Bush WhiteHouse operate in the post-911 world. The author also gives us a better understanding of what our intelligence and law enforcement agencies are also having to face in the post-911 world. If the author is right and I think he is in many regards we are not really much safer now than we were on September 10th, and Al Qaeda is poised to strike again. I recommend that anyone interested in this title also read the 911 Commission Report.

AmBUSHED.......2007-08-28

Suskind makes a strong case that being smart doesn't mean you can't be president. After reading The One Percent Doctrine and another Suskind book, The Price of Loyalty about Paul O'Neill, I am more than ever convinced that we have a C- GPA graduate of Yale in the White House and we deserve what we get.

So much for exchanges of opinion in the Oval Office. I must say, however, that Suskind has done a thorough job of researching the way policy is adopted and implemented, even though Cheney comes out looking like the mad Rasputin.

I recommend you read The Price of Loyalty because this time, it GETS PERSONAL with Paul O'Neill and puts the frosting on Bush's obvious mantra, "My mind is made up. Don't confuse me with the facts."

Signed,
Ashamed Utah Republican

Mostly Blowing Smoke.......2007-07-26

Unlike some other reviewers, I found this book unfocused and lacking a central theme. It bounces all over time and the world without tying the pieces together.

Perhaps I am just naive and unimaginative in not identifying Bush bashing and Cheney chasing as a good central basis for a largely fictional plot.

That is the other great problem with this book. I guess Suskind is trying to copy Bob Woodward in writing a tell all book without identifying source material. If you compare his description of supposedly secret events with his with the author's index, there is little correlation. Suskind attributes his sources as "Many former officials with the CIA, the FBI, the White House" and others in the US government. But we accept the claims of an author who seems to have such a political bias?

If you are a committed Bush hater, the answer is obviously yes. This must be great reading and confirms what you have suspected all along.

For those who might be interested in having a more solid feel to the information you are reading, this book will be disappointing.

The Writing on the Wall: Why We Must Embrace China as a Partner or Face It as an Enemy

Average customer rating:

Left of Center
enjoying this immensely
Brilliant analysis of how the United States should proceed in our relations with China.
Got better as it went on
Extremely challenging book on China.... and the US

The Writing on the Wall: Why We Must Embrace China as a Partner or Face It as an Enemy
Will Hutton
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The prevailing view of China is that the country is an economic juggernaut sure to become the dominant power of the twenty-first century. In this provocative and stimulating book critically acclaimed author Will Hutton warns instead that China is running up against a set of daunting challenges from within its own political and economic system that could well derail its rise, leading to a massive shock to the global economy. The United States, he argues, must recognize that it has a vital stake in working to assure this doesn't happen, for if China's political liberalization and economic growth collapse, the United States will suffer crippling consequences.

In today's highly globalized world economy, so much of the economic health of the United States -- our low inflation, high profits, and cheap credit -- rests upon China's economic growth and its massive investment in the United States. A great deal has been said about the economic and military threat China poses. But rather than provoking China with the military hawkishness of recent years and resisting Chinese economic supremacy with the saber rattling of protectionist antitrade policies -- twenty such bills have been introduced in Congress in just the last year -- the United States must build a strong relationship that will foster China's transition from an antiquated Communist state beset with profound problems to a fully modern, enlightened, and open society. Doing so will require understanding and engagement, not enmity and suspicion.

China's current economic model, Hutton explains, is unsustainable, premised as it is on the myriad contradictions and dysfunctions of an authoritarian state attempting to control an economy in its transition to capitalism. If the twenty-first century is to be the China century, the Chinese will have to embrace the features of modern Western nations that have spurred the political stability and economic power of the United States and Europe: the rule of law, an independent judiciary, freedom of the press, and authentic representative government that is accountable to the people. Whether or not China does so rests in large part on how well the United States manages the relationship and persuades the Chinese of the virtues of an open, enlightened democratic system. The danger is that fearmongering will intensify animosities, leading both countries down a path of peril.

Turning conventional wisdom on its head, this brilliantly argued book is vital reading at a crucial juncture in world affairs.

Customer Reviews:

Left of Center.......2007-05-25

This book provides an interesting description of China's many problems and offers a set of policies designed to counter what threatens to be the globe's most pressing set of conflicts. For an alternative view, see my own book The Coming China Wars: Where They Will Be Fought and How They Can Be Won

enjoying this immensely.......2007-05-16

So happy this wasn't another paeon to chinese industrial invincibility like china inc. (which was ridiculously glowing bizlit).

I'm not with Hutton on all his assumptions-- such as the sweeping assertion that social mobility is decreasing in the west--huh?-- but he's honest and takes a principled, methodological approach in his analysis i like.

i will search out other hutton titles now!

Brilliant analysis of how the United States should proceed in our relations with China........2007-04-27

I think it is fair to say that the conventional wisdom is that the United States and China are on a collision course. John J. Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago summarizes this point of view this way; "China and the United States are destined to clash militarily and the United States has an interest to do all it can to forestall China's becoming economically rich enough to challenge it." Author Will Hutton vehemently disagrees with this point of view. In "The Writing On The Wall" Hutton presents a methodical, logical and compelling case for the United States to pursue policies that will only encourage the continued and inevitable modernization of China. Hutton's thoughtful and convincing analysis of the situation certainly turns conventional wisdom on its head.
According to Hutton, the continued mercurial growth of the Chinese economy is simply unsustainable given the current policies being pursued by the Communists who are still in charge in China. There is simply no way that the policies and political environment favored by those who are currently in power in Beijing can mesh with the continued and sustained economic growth that China is seeking. Time and again Hutton points to the nearly total lack of what he terms "soft" infrastructure as the primary reason why current Chinese policy is doomed to failure. This rather monolithic economic system lacks such fundamental cornerstones as a legitmate banking system, a free press and the ability of workers to organize. Add to that the fact that most major industries are still SOE (state owned enterprises) and it is plain to see why the major flaws in the Chinese economy are almost certain to rear their ugly heads in the near future with potentially devasting consequences for us all. And there are a whole host of other systemic problems with the Chinese economy that time does not permit me to list here. Hutton argues vigarously that the United States and the EU should be encouraging the Chinese to move away from those policies that will ultimately hold them back.
I found "The Writing On The Wall" to be a particularly well written and equally well documented book. Will Hutton avoids a lot of technical jargon and presents his case in clear, easy to understand language. Based on my limited knowledge of China prior to reading this book I would have probably come down on the side of Professor Mearsheimer. I thought that conflict with China was a probably a foregone conclusion. But Will Hutton has convinced me of the wisdom of encouraging China to modernize and perhaps even in making some changes in the way we do business ourselves. "The Writing On The Wall" is an extremely thought provoking book and one that I can very highly recommend!

Got better as it went on.......2007-03-03

Reading the introductory first chapter I was worried that Hutton's reputation for careful analysis may have left him, as he appeared to offer an overly simple thesis and an embrace of the United States' system of government that was too uncritcal.

Thankfully that chapter is misleading as Hutton leads his readers through a detailed analysis of China's economy that is equal parts illuminating and disturbing, and begins to build explanation on his desire to see US-style enlightenment institutions develop in China, while being very open about the fact that several of those institutions are in severe decline within the USA.

Some of that coverage of the USA, its history, institutions and current situation, feels like it would have made sense as a separate book, slimming down this volume considerably and potentially making the material much more accessible for those with limited time. But the intertwined themes do make sense and the reader is considerably better placed to judge the material when we have both parts together.

At times there is certainly still a sense that Hutton is calling for a form of cultural imperialism. The merits of the institutions he outlines are clear, but they have grown out of a lengthy philosophical tradition which China does not share and it is vital that any such institutions are contextualised if they are to succeed in China.

Extremely challenging book on China.... and the US.......2007-02-13

I have been reading up a lot on China these days, because of my work primarily, including such books as "Mr. China", "China Shakes the World" and of course "The World is Flat", dealing with China indirectly. These books dealt primarily, if not exclusively, with China's economic transformation, and they are all most worthy of recommendation. And that angle is what I was also expecting from this book. Boy, was I ever wrong!

In "The Writing on the Wall: Why We Must Embrace China as a Partner or Face It as an Enemy" (421 pages), British author Will Hutton does of course also bring the staggering picture of China's recent economic rise. But that is just the beginning of the book. The real meat of this book comes from Hutton's careful evaluation of China's problems and challenges as the ruling Communist (and only) Party tries to walk the fine line between economic growth and yet being a state largely without the institutions of "Enlightenment" that allowed western states to achieve the status they have achieved in the 19th and 20th centuries. Problems abound everywhere, from corruption to disregard for the environment, employees' rights, health insurance, the respect/enforcement of law, and on and on. The author brings a lot of historical and well thought out perspectives on these issues along the way, for example the catch-22 the Chinese government finds itseld currently in on whether or not to revalue the renminbi currency, as most of the world is urging (either way, there are no good results for the Chinese, for reasons the author makes clear... so what is the Chinese government to do?). The latter third part of the book brings an equally challenging look at the US side of things, bringing to the front the currently corroding values of free trade, engagement with the rest of the world, and the values of an accountable government (culminating in an assessment of the Iraq war).

At no point does one get the feeling that the author is saying that China or the US is "wrong" or "right", but the author concludes with an impassionate plea that the solution is not confrontation, but cooperation. This will be easier said than done. The challenges are many. Free trade and bilateral engagement are the answer, so much is clear, but can that be sold to the American public? Not to mention the many, many challenges the Chinese government is facing at home. In all, this is a terrific read from start to finish. Highly recommended!

PLAYING WITH THE ENEMY: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams

Average customer rating:

Moore does an excellent job engaging your hear and soul
Great story - truely touching
Highly recommend!
a compelling true story, told with sincerity
Ageless Story

PLAYING WITH THE ENEMY: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams
Gary Moore
Manufacturer: Savas Beatie
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor
John Tyler, the Accidental President
Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History
The Bishop of Rwanda
Hunt and Kill: U-505 and the U-boat War in the Atlantic

ASIN: 1932714243

Book Description

Foreword by baseball legend Jim Morris, former Major League pitcher with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

It was true in the 1940s, and it is still true today: if you have talent, someone will notice. In Gene Moore's case, that someone was the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Gene Moore was a farm boy living with his family in Sesser, Illinois, a town so small even map makers ignored it. As a teenager, when he wasn't in school or helping his Pop on the farm, slopping the hogs and doing other chores with his older brother Ward and five sisters, Gene was playing baseball with the guys on the town team. Some were twice his age. The older fellows didn't mind having the Moore kid on their team because he could hit the ball farther than anyone else, he was the best catcher anyone had ever seen, he could throw men out from his knees, and not a ball ever got past him. Gene was 15 years old.

Word quickly spread across the United States about the country boy who could hit the ball a country mile. The Dodgers wanted to take a look at this farm kid, barely old enough to shave and still awaiting his first kiss, but brash enough to call the pitches from behind the plate and motion to the infielders and outfielders as to how they should position themselves for certain hitters.

Headed for baseball stardom with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Gene's destiny was interrupted by Pearl Harbor. After playing ball for the Navy in the Azores and North Africa, Gene and his team were sent to the States for a special-and top secret-mission: guarding German sailors captured from U-505. Unable to field a team, Gene convinced his commander to allow him to teach the enemy how to play baseball while he and his teammates waited for the war to end so they could be called up into the Major Leagues. But Gene's future changed irrevocably in Louisiana. His life . . . and maybe our national pastime . . . was forever altered.

Inspired by true events, Playing with the Enemy is the riveting story of a depression-era youth and his brush with destiny. Author Gary Moore, Gene's son, did not learn of his father's remarkable odyssey through World War II and the hardships of minor league baseball until the day before Gene's death. Confronted with evidence of a possible career in baseball, Gene finally broke his decades of silence and spent the next several hours relieving himself of the heavy burden he had been carrying. The stunning news sent the author on his own odyssey as he researched his father's life and interviewed dozens of people.

The astonishing story of Gene Moore's life in and out of baseball is an exciting and often heart-wrenching saga that will capture the heart of every red- blooded American who can still smell the fresh-cut summer grass or remember how it felt to tie on the cleats while dreaming of making it to the big leagues. Jammed with memorable characters from an extraordinary time in our country's history, Playing with the Enemy is a story that will be read and reread for generations to come. And it is one you will never forget.

About the Author: Gary W. Moore is the president and managing partner of Covenant Air and Water, LLC, a motivational speaker, and an accomplished musician. Gene Moore was his father. Gary lives in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

Customer Reviews:

Moore does an excellent job engaging your hear and soul .......2007-09-23

I am not much of a history buff... and I'm even less of a baseball fan, but I loved this book! Moore does an excellent job engaging your hear and soul with an amazing true 5 hour tale he heard from his father for the first time just hours before his death. The characters are truly rich with personality and heart in a way I didn't expect from a "baseball/war" book and Gary skillfully portrays full-bodied characters where he had only key information to build from. Our 'hero' Gene (Gary's Father), is such a charismatic and likable guy that your heart rises and falls with every triumph and disappointment causing you to keep the book in a tight grip. And a surprise twist in the end that left me quite pruny in my bath because I couldn't put it down! It was well worth trying to understand all those baseball numbers I have no clue about and war facts that were beyond me.
All in all `Playing with the Enemy' left me with not only a greater understanding of WWII heroics, the spirit of baseball and challenges born from passion, but the amazing capacity for such a deep passion to touch and alter so many lives across the globe and back again. I think it will be a fantastic movie and I am eager to see that they do justice to the characters I grew to love!

Great story - truely touching.......2007-09-10

This is one of the best stories I have ever read. The story will grip you immediately and is truely touching. As a history teacher and a baseball coach, it was special to see the two tied together. I can not wait for the movie version to come out. The author, while writing about his father, does not make the entire story just about his father. A must read.

Highly recommend!.......2007-08-16

I would recommend this book to anyone even if they weren't a baseball or history fan. This book is an easy read with a compelling story. A page turner that you will not want to put down. This book was obviously written with great heart and much research and not only brings to life a part of history that shouldn't be forgotten but also a heart rendering story of what might have been. This book will appeal to a wide range of audiences.

a compelling true story, told with sincerity.......2007-07-29

Perhaps my best testament to this book's appeal is that, of the dozen or so unfinished memoirs and other nonfiction titles stacked up on my table -- all selected by me -- for several days running this was the one I wanted to read. Consequently, I finished it first while the others lay waiting.

Why? Well, it's an easy read and a compelling story. Personally, I have little interest in pro sports; but baseball -- and even WWII -- are only the backdrop for a much more universal tale of what happens when one's plans and ambitions are frustrated. Everyone can identify with that. If you have unresolved issues about how fate has dealt with your own dreams, this story will speak to you.

I'm giving it four stars instead of five only because, as a professional editor, I found occasional passages where the writing could have been burnished somewhat. Actually, it's a rare book that does not send me groping for a red pen. But those few passages do not detract from the earnest sincerity with which the author presents this carefully and lovingly researched story. In a way, they may even enhance it.

Ageless Story.......2007-07-03

I am a 6th grade literature teacher and I had a student of mine bring Gary Moore's book "Playing with the Enemy" to me. My student really liked this book and had met Mr. Moore in Chicago around Christmas time. Mr. Moore had offered to speak to my student's class if he finished reading the book and contacted Mr. Moore.

Well, my student finished the book, passed it on to me and asked me to read it. I read the book in a weekend. It is a beautiful story that appeals to so many different interests: Baseball, of course, the ideal of small town life, American history, family and finally, most importantly, the life of a simple man who touched so many around him while pursuing his dream.

I loved this book! It is well written, the story flows with just enough details to create a movie in your mind, but not so many details that interest wanes. I was interested in Gene Moore's life and felt Gene Moore's excitement and despair. I genuinely cared for Gene Moore.

Gary Moore did respond to an email from me and my student. He did honor his word and came and spoke to our entire 6th grade --- well over 350 kids. He spoke with the same sincerity, enthus iasm and kindness that he wrote of when he described his father. All I can think, when I read his words, is "wouldn't his dad be proud".

My students and I are eagerly awaiting any more books Mr. Moore decides to write, regardless of the subject matter. I reccommend this book to anyone from age 12 to 102.

The Enemy Within: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Schools, Faith, and Military

Average customer rating:

Savagely Unsatisfying
Savage tells it like it is!
Not even wrong, just insane
Good Reading for True Americans
You should read it to understand the deep end.

The Enemy Within: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Schools, Faith, and Military
Michael Savage
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

U.S. | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Liberalism is a Mental Disorder: Savage Solutions
The Savage Nation: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Borders, Language and Culture
The Political Zoo
Deliver Us from Evil : Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism
Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism

ASIN: 0785261028

Amazon.com

Popular radio host Michael Savage returns to print with another attack on the forces of liberalism that he believes are tearing America apart. Using the same brash, abrasive style in his writing that has become a trademark of his radio show, he writes that "the Left operates specifically to undermine God, country, family, and the military" and that liberalism is "either treason or insanity" or "a mental disorder." He also takes on illegal immigration, the state of health care in the U.S., the "Hollywood Idiots," and the decline of schools and morality in general, all of which he blames on Liberals. Savage also drops bombshells such as: "Federal courts and judges in America today are to be more feared than al-Qaida," and Ruth Bader Ginsberg's appointment to the Supreme Court is "akin to appointing the general counsel of the Ku Klux Klan to the bench."

Statements as bombastic as these deserve to be backed up with substance and well-thought out arguments, yet Savage offers little more than an anecdote or two before moving on to the next rant. This is not to say he doesn't make some good points or highlight blatant abuses by government, questionable suits brought by the ACLU, or morally bankrupt product coming out of Hollywood, but one can't help noticing that several shades of gray have been left out of his black-and-white arguments. Due to this lack of hard facts and background, Savage's book is not particularly convincing. Still, Savage does consistently challenge readers with controversial opinions and conclusions, so it would be a shame for potential readers to dismiss his book simply on ideological grounds alone. And if he really sets your blood boiling, you can always call him up on his show and take him to task. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

Talk radio sensation and New York Times bestselling author Michael Savage again goes for the jugular in this latest brash, incendiary attack on the corrosive effects of liberalism on our culture. Where The Savage Nation took shots at everything under the political spectrum, this book focuses squarely on the dangers assailing the cornerstones of American life, pointing out how liberal propaganda and agendas are seeping into our churches, our schools, even our families. Bold, sometimes angry, and always controversial, this book is pure, no-holds-barred Michael Savage, one of the strongest, most original voices in America today.

Customer Reviews:

Savagely Unsatisfying.......2007-08-24

Before writing my review of this book, I should like to make one thing clear: I owe a tremendous debt to Michael Savage. Listening to him was what first made me question the liberal nonsense which I was being fed in high school, and now that I have swung fully to the other side of the spectrum, he is still a joy to listen to, if a touch over-the-top at times. As such, when I opened this book, I expected to enjoy it. Certainly, I was prepared for a moment or two of thought-provoking shock, since Mr. Savage is a master of delivering such a thing on his radio show, but that was a risk I was prepared to take, because I was sure that Mr. Savage's voice would translate very well into the written medium.

I was sadly mistaken. Reading this book felt to me like reading some horrible, unholy union of a drunken rant, a war cry and a speech by some vilified totalitarian demagogue. Every page seems to shriek with rage and irrationality. It is a sad disappointment.

Needless to say, Mr. Savage is a far better talk show host than author. What this book does, however, is unveil Mr. Savage's long forgotten socialist roots, for the style of argumentation is one far more familiar to those on the left than those on the right. For instance, Mr. Savage does not even bother to intellectually attack his opponents. Rather, he accuses them of supporting pedophilia, drugs and perversion simply for objecting to certain expansions of government power. His opposition on this point, ironically enough, invokes a quote from the great libertarian economist Frederic Bastiat, who wrote:

"Every time we object to a thing being done by the government, the socialists conclude that we object to it being done at all. We object to a state sponsored education. Then the socialists say we are against education. We object to a state sponsored morality. Then the socialists say we want no morality at all. We object to a state enforced equality. Then the socialists say we are against equality. It is as though the socialists were to accuse us of wanting people to starve because we do not want the state to raise grain."

Similarly, Mr. Savage concludes that because the ACLU opposes giving policemen drastically increased powers, they want perverts and druggies to walk free. What he conveniently ignores, of course, is that no one, policemen included, will always use their powers for good. This is not to say that I do not find his critique of the ACLU to be true. I merely find it to be sloppy. The argument against the ACLU is infinitely more complex than a simple false dichotomy which places pedophiles on one side and good people on the other. Mr. Savage does his allies in the conservative movement no good by spewing this oversimplified invective into the air. Rather, he makes us look like the idiots which so many left wing college professors imagine us to be.

This brings me to a larger problem with Mr. Savage's book - it employs the sloppiest of argumentation techniques. Rather than attack arguments, what it does is attack imagined motivations. For instance, rather than shoot down the argument against prayer in schools on an intellectual level, Mr. Savage complains that the Left hates God. Anyone who has ever heard of the Reverend William Sloane Coffin or liberation theology knows this is not universally true (unless one imagines that Richard Dawkins speaks for the entire left wing). I have already touched on Mr. Savage's rather unfair treatment of the opponents of the patriot act (not all of whom are Leftists, incidentally - unless you consider the CATO Institute to be leftist). Besides this, Mr. Savage shows himself to be a hypocrite. He spends a good portion of his book ranting about how we need to shut down the "traitors" in our midst, but warns critics in his introduction that any sort of criticism of him shows them to be "brownshirts." Obviously, many of Mr. Savage's critics are fascistic in nature, but the hypocritical nature of the message, coming as it does in the preface to a book whose entire purpose is to demonize dissenters, makes Mr. Savage's otherwise persuasive argument look weak. Again, Mr. Savage is not doing himself or the conservative movement any favors.

I will continue listening to Michael Savage, however. I shan't buy any more of his books, but I shall listen to him. I would suggest, however, that Mr. Savage listen to the likes of William F. Buckley Jr. and Bill Bennett. Perhaps if he imitates them, he will stop exposing his own psychological nudity and expose the rather more unattractive intellectual foolishness of the Left. Those looking for an intellectual attack on liberalism, look somewhere else. Those looking for a scream of rage permeated with demagoguery, you have found the book of your dreams.

Savage tells it like it is!.......2007-06-27

Michael Savage, egomaniacal radio shockjock.... speaks the TRUTH, but I actually prefer his books over his radio tirades. Why? Because on the radio he tends to spend too much time going 'me me me me me' and ranting and raving. He must be something like bipolar. He is soooo much better when he is calm and collected. Obviously he has an iq above 200 (I should know, so do I... whoops, there's that 'me me me' thang, heh heh). BUT in his books, you get the gist of what he says on the radio, but calmly, collectedly... you have time to review, to muse, to draw your own conclusions. Michael Savage sees what's happening to the greatest country in the world (in case you cain't figgur it out, I mean the US of A)... we need to close our borders, we need to treat illegal aliens as the FELONS they are, not give them 'amnesty', we need to understand the threat of invasion by illegal aliens to our core structure (taxes, healthcare, physical safety, first-worlder thinking) by third-worlders. We need to STOP calling them 'emerging nations' unless you mean 'poking their slime-covered heads out of the cesspools of the third worlds. We need to understand the threat to our sophisticated, spiritual way of life by hardcore muslims, by practicing homosexuals, by liberals who don't believe there is 'absolute truth' and who practice 'political correctness' with the apparent goal of utter destruction of our great great country and way of life. We need to really support our troops who are out there fighting a war to save our way of life. We need to let the soldiers FIGHT not wait to get shot before firing back.

As a woman, I have worked in Saudi Arabia, I KNOW the real, not imagined, threat and brutality of islam which cares nothing for the rights of women and children. We need to understand the current 'agenda' of the Bush family (god help me I voted for that sinister idiot). We need to stop the governmental entities from stealing our freedom and way of life, little by little, step by step until we will be living in a modern-day nazi germany as so many peoples in other countries around the world live today.

Michael Savage for President!!!!! He speaks for me, he doesn't think for me, but he DOES speak, and so very well, what I think. Go Michael Go!!!! Great Book by a brilliant man who isn't afraid to speak the truth. Rush Limbaugh could learn so much from Michael.

Not even wrong, just insane.......2007-06-24

Michael Weiner-Savage, the blathering radio entertainer, now sets himself up as America's political and social conscience. Unfortunately for those who think he has anything relevant to contribute, Weiner is poorly qualified to pass judgement on the issues. In his book, he offers copious opinions, and practically no evidence to back up anything he asserts. In fact, he is SO far off base that he isn't even wrong. He's incoherent. His anger has made him irrational.

Apparently, there is a sizable audience for angry, incoherent ramblings. And that folks, is a sad observation on the state of public discourse in our country today. Demagogues like Weiner-Savage and other "hate radio" jocks have very successfully turned Americans against one another with their divisive tirades.

Good Reading for True Americans.......2007-06-13

Very well written. Great explanations of topics. Unfortunately, very true!

You should read it to understand the deep end........2007-06-07

It is amazing that many reviews have praised the amount of anecdotal evidence that Savage offers. Indeed, there are plentiful amounts of anecdotal evidence, back to back. Savage makes a compelling argument. That is, if you're a dim-witted idiot.

Savage rarely points out any statistics, or backing of his information. That's because he can't. Statistics would show a much clearer point, not one where he describes an illegal immigrant stealing all of his finances, a story which would be impossible to check. Savage writes with no coherent thought. Any student of economics or math would be thoroughly unimpressed with this book. There is lack of logic and reason behind his arguments.

Do you argue against globalization because one person loses their job while hundreds have a better standard of living? Evidently, Savage does. His attack on American colleges talks about the increase of sexual activity on campus. Please, it was similar twenty years back. Of course, he pipes about how he wanted to attend an Ivy League but was too expensive. Please, if he was as poor as he claims, financial aid was back then as it was now, college was much cheaper, and to be accepted into Ivy League, many students there have the ability to "think." Savage toots his own horn pretending that he could have gone to an Ivy League. He references Queen College, his alma matter, as formerly being excellent and today a relic of what it was. Please, Queens College has done significantly better since you were there Savage. You just can't admit that you went to what was a college that could never compete with an Ivy League. Queen's endowment is at $687,000, less than your house, - you have probably not given a penny back. Savage's pretentious attitude wants to come across to the reader that he was smart. Please, don't believe it.

I'm a neoconservative, and Savage probably hates me too. Yet, the causes that he lists, take for instance the issues he's had with law is ridiculous! It has NEVER in the history of law been up to the judge to decide how they "feel." A judge should only decide the facts of each course. How they are presented is up to each individual lawyer. The author of this book eloquently (which I mean by yelling at on the page) forgets that. Savage feels that the judge should sit down and think about how he "feels" about each case. Oh wait, aren't those judges of corrupt countries? When the judge decides its "fair" because he just received $500 underneath the table? Judges should look to only evidence and not emotional reason.

Read through his book carefully. Look for statistics (you won't find any!). It's easy to be blinded as he rampages off. Savage writes quickly, jumping from idea to idea, without coherent reason. As a result, you are not "thinking" about he's saying. Many of you are mindlessly following. Congrats.

Fear the ideologues and fear the demagogues said Jefferson. Amazon readers, have you heeded this advice?

Phantom Soldier: The Enemy's Answer to U.S. Firepower

Average customer rating:

Outstanding Explanation of Effective Small Unit Tactis
Great Wisdom Simplified
Excellent Analysis on the Eastern Warfighter
DANGER, DANGER, WILL ROBINSON
Inside Out

Phantom Soldier: The Enemy's Answer to U.S. Firepower
H. John Poole
Manufacturer: Posterity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Tactics of the Crescent Moon: Militant Muslim Combat Methods
The Tiger's Way: A U.S. Private's Best Chance for Survival
Militant Tricks: Battlefield Ruses of the Islamic Insurgent
One More Bridge to Cross: Lowering the Cost of War
The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century

ASIN: 0963869558

Book Description

Phantom Soldier: The Enemy's Answer to U.S. Firepower may be the best treatise on Oriental warfare ever produced in the West. Well researched and illustrated, it sheds new light on what an Eastern infantry unit can do in combat: (1) alternate between guerrilla, mobile, and positional warfare; (2) use “ordinary forces” to engage and “extraordinary forces” to beat an opponent; and then (3) run away when fighting holds no more strategic import. While what occurred in history does not change, one's perception of it does — as he comes to better understand his former adversary. Well versed in the Asian arts of deception and delay, the author explains in detail what really occurred at Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir, Hue City, and other Vietnam battlefields. It would seem that former adversaries have used strategic retreat and tactical withdrawal not only to save their soldiers, but also to undermine U.S. resolve. By revealing how Eastern soldiers could hold their own without resupply, tanks, or air support, Phantom Soldier shows what U.S. infantrymen must do to survive the more lethal weaponry of the 21st century. This is must reading for any combat leader or concerned citizen.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Explanation of Effective Small Unit Tactis.......2007-10-01

Excellent book, but I am not sure the distinction is between Western and Oriental tactics. I suspect that American Indians, frontier scouts, the British SAS, U.S. Special Operations community, etc...would be very familiar with, and skilled at, these tactics.

A classic dilemma that resurfaces every time we go to war. Militaries, at least in the West, prepare to fight the last war and not the next one. As a free society, the public tends to forget the hard lessons learned and shuns warriors during times of peace. The end result is that we constantly are reinventing the wheel after every war/generation.

Victor Davis Hanson, in a recent editorial in the City Journal called Why Study War, gave a perfect example from the Post-Vietnam era; "The public perception in the Carter years was that America had lost a war that for moral and practical reasons it should never have fought--a catastrophe, for many in the universities, that it must never repeat. The necessary corrective wasn't to learn how such wars started, went forward, and were lost. Better to ignore anything that had to do with such odious business in the first place"...."A wartime public illiterate about the conflicts of the past can easily find itself paralyzed in the acrimony of the present. Without standards of historical comparison, it will prove ill equipped to make informed judgments."

A well-written and important book that provides an in-depth analysis of small unit tactics.

Great Wisdom Simplified .......2007-08-21

A sure test of talent and knowledge is the challenge of taking a very complex subject, explaining it in understandable terms and then offering solutions along with the understanding. My very brief stint in the Army ended long before Vietnam called the younger brothers of my generation. From the news reports it appeared that we suffered so many casualties only because the enemy was "sneaky" and prepared to die. How could the US lose to people who could not afford shoes?

Poole does a great job of bridging the gap from Sun Tzu to the muddy jungles of Vietnam and the significance of the lessons to our maneuver warfare. It is no accident that Boyd associate Willian Lind wrote the preface.

Poole finished the book just before 9/11. Our experience in Iraq and the Israeli experience during the past year show that we have much to learn. After 50 plus years of victories over various armies, the Israelis lost to what most consider a rag-tag army. Other than their heritage, they are as unlikely to defeat the Israelis as the sandal clod Vietnamese.

Poole's book is a gift to the small unit soldier and perhaps a greater gift to those in higher command who will order soldiers to assault targets with little understanding of what they may be facing. It may be at a distant command post or in the case of Somalia the commander flying overhead at 2,000 feet but unable to understand the river of lead flying down the street as he instructs troops to consolidate their positions.

This is a great aid to understanding current events and history from the comfort of your easy chair while balancing a martini on the arm. However, my sense is that it is far more valuable as a gift to a young trooper. In addition it should be mandatory reading ( along with Sun Tzu and Boyd's briefing slides) for every reporter who covers wars and "low intensity" conflicts.

Reading the book makes you appreciate Poole but feel uncomfortable with the contents. A great contribution.

Excellent Analysis on the Eastern Warfighter.......2006-11-24

As with all of Poole's works, we are treated here to an excellent analysis of the tactical sphere of war. This time, from the eastern fighter's perspective. Written, I believe, pre-9/11, the work itself is a thorough offering of actual techniques and wartime practices used by small units against western forces, but it is most remarkable in that it outlines in a concise and friendly manner what most analysts still fumble over on MSNBC.

In the world of tactical operations and small unit tactics, we can not ask for a better teacher than John Poole. Keep a close eye out for any and all of his works, for they have a lot to say about how and what western forces will fight for the next fifty years.

NOTE: This work makes a perfect companion to the author's "The Tiger Way," which outlines the ideal western method for combating such tactics.

DANGER, DANGER, WILL ROBINSON.......2006-01-22

Danger, danger, is very much the message put forth in this book and it should be heeded before it is too late. Some reviewers have mentioned Sun Tzu and his rules of warfare. Sun Tzu puts forth a very reasoned and systematic set of rules that define a nations path to victory or defeat. By definition, our present leadership has us solidly on the path of defeat. Our people in the field have to both fight our Eastern enemies as well as carry a great weight of poor leadership at the highest levels. This book is very informative and is for the most part, completely accurate and frightening.

The idea that hardware superiority alone can replace common sense is ludicrous and this book digs deeply into this. I remember seeing news footage of our troops in Afganistan heading up into steep mountainous terrain encumbered with huge heavy packs and body armor. They could barely move. They should have had only their clothes, rifles, ammunition and food and water and some good lightweight footwear. If you are going to fight an Apache you have to be an Apache. It seems at times to me that our soldiers are forced simply to carry as much weight in useless (and expensive) contractor equipment as a mule. Small unit combat and the tactics that win in this arena will be the deciding factor. Something also needs to be done about our so called free press. This game is for blood not for profitable commercial air time and these people should be subjected to the sort of censorship that our country used in WWII and the sooner the better.

I feel also that some of the opinions voiced on China are a bit over the top. The Chinese wish to better themselves and are not necessarily motivated by a desire to hurt us per se. It is very possible that in future that the Chinese could help us. They should not be blindly antagonized. They think and plan in a fashion that is very, very, long term. Our own leadership is cripplingly shortsighted in strategic planning.

I have lived and worked in the Mid East for a number of years and my personal opinion of the Iraq war can be summed up as follows:

1. The US leaves Iraq now and the country will dissolve into a bloody civil war.

2. The US leaves later and Iraq dissolves into a bloody civil war.

This book documents many of the reasons why this is so. Anyone who cares about the future of our country and indeed the world (China included) should read this book.

Inside Out.......2006-01-17

I read all these reviews and in the main agree with them. However, the real "way of western combat" is exemplified right here: we -- AT THE BOTTOM LEVEL -- are discussing all this and implementing it as we go. And as another reviewer mentioned, our soldiers are getting at it and learning from this NOW. Here's the clincher: does the oriental soldier or citizen do this. No way. It's not in their culture. Hasn't been for thousands of years. Unlikely to be unless huge changes occur in their citizenry. West = democracy / more free / BOTTOM-UP APPROACH. East = tyrrany / less free / TOP-DOWN APPROACH.

SUMMARY: I'd much rather be in the West facing the Eastern way of war rather than be in the East facing the Western way of war. Let's be data-driven: what is the kill ratio of WW2, Korea, and Vietnam? 40-1? 10-1? And yet, Poole's talk about Japan in WW2 making "infantry the most valued weapon". What?! Americans (and all European armies before them all the way back to Alexander) don't line up rows of infantry and charge across open fields to be mowed down. Doubt it? Guadacanal. Korea. etc. That's the "cultural" difference highlighted here: we value life, even a single soldiers.

Further reading: Carnage & Culture, by Victor Davis Hanson.

Average customer rating:

Modern Day Heroes
Great Book
Burnham Story in Print
encouragement
More Al Quieda activities

In the Presence of My Enemies
Gracia Burnham , and Dean Merrill
Manufacturer: Living Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Inspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

To Fly Again: Surviving the Tailspins of Life
Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II
End of the Spear
JUNGLE PILOT
A Thousand Shall Fall:: The Electrifying Story of a Soldier and His Family Who Dared to Practice Their Faith in Hitler's Germany

ASIN: 0842362398

Book Description

2004 ECPA Gold Medallion winner!

Soon after September 11, the news media stepped up its coverage of the plight of Martin and Gracia Burnham, the missionary couple captured and held hostage in the Philippine jungle by terrorists with ties to Osama Bin Laden. After a year of captivity, and a violent rescue that resulted in Martin's death, the world watched Gracia Burnham return home in June 2002 with a bullet wound in the leg and amazing composure.

In this riveting personal account, Burnham tells the real story behind the news about their harrowing ordeal, about how it affected their relationship with each other and with God, about the terrorists who held them, about the actions of the U.S. and Philippine governments, and about how they were affected by the prayers of thousands of Christians throughout the world.

Customer Reviews:

Modern Day Heroes.......2007-09-24

It's hard to express how much I admire Martin and Gracia Burnham. It's been at least two years, I suppose, since I read this book but I still remember most every chapter. So, if it's a riveting on-the-edge-of-your-seat book you're looking for, here's a good one.

However, if you're looking for God working incarnate, this may be where to start. God took two "ordinary" people and made something most extraordinary out of their tragedy. Two things I especially appreciate from the book are 1) Gracia's brutally honest, no-holds-barred look at herself during the ordeal and 2) Martin's "speaking" through the book though he didn't physically write a word.

I would love to meet Gracia someday and would have loved to have met Martin. Read this book and you'll still somehow carry them both around with you.

Great Book.......2007-07-04

This is an excellent book written by a courageous woman. The main reason that I bought it was to learn more about the insurgents that captured Gracia and her husband. Gracia did a very good job in portraying the trials and tribulations endured by all of the hostages during her year in captivity. She also provides invaluable insights into the insurgents and the faults in their beliefs in Islam that did not match what is written in the Koran.

Burnham Story in Print.......2007-05-02

I found this book fascinating. It's definitely the words of a missionary, as Christianity is celebrated throughout the ordeal in print. Martin Burnham is revealed as a true man of men and he kept Gracia grounded throughout the book, she makes sure of it. Their story was tragic. The book was written quite simply and I finished it in 2 sittings. I could not put it down and it was put very clearly and simply. It was less biased in print than the interviews I've seen with her. She is certainly entitiled to her views of the Philippine government and US support. It was a delicate dance for the U.S. and she acknowledges this. The whole situation was unfortunate. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING.

I was surprised to see so much about Islam itself and why her captors did such rational and irrational things while she was in captivity. It's biased at times, but being written by a Christian missionary it should be. Thats accuracy of HER JOURNEY.

encouragement.......2007-04-28

Gracie recalls, in amazing detail, her year in the jungle as a hostage. This book is a must read for anyone who is ever bothered by their own problems.

More Al Quieda activities.......2007-03-07

This book is about the kidnapping of Christian Missionaries Martin and Gracia Burham in the summer of 2001. The Phillipino Abu Sayyaf branch of Al Quieda was responsible. Taken with a group of rich tourists from various foreign countries, their abduction was originally done for quick randsoms. But, the American government refuses to participate in this so they were in captivity for over a year! Other tourists were either killed or their ransoms were paid. No other source I've read mentions this as one of the financial operations of Al Quieda.

I loved this book because it really makes you think about what is important in life.

The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB

Average customer rating:

Milt Bearden gives us the data dump
A curious discrepancy
Valuable insight into the climax of the Cold War
Great Read
I LOVE SPY BOOKS

The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB
Milton Bearden , and James Risen
Manufacturer: Presidio Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Intelligence & Espionage | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Russia | History | Subjects | Books

Espionage | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Russia | History | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

American Agent: My Life in the CIA
Inside the CIA
The Book of Honor : The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives
The Craft of Intelligence: America's Legendary Spy Master on the Fundamentals of Intelligence Gathering for a Free World
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

ASIN: 0345472500
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Book Description

A landmark collaboration between a thirty-year veteran of the CIA and a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, The Main Enemy is the dramatic inside story of the CIA-KGB spy wars, told through the actions of the men who fought them.

Based on hundreds of interviews with operatives from both sides, The Main Enemy puts us inside the heads of CIA officers as they dodge surveillance and walk into violent ambushes in Moscow. This is the story of the generation of spies who came of age in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis and rose through the ranks to run the CIA and KGB in the last days of the Cold War. The clandestine operations they masterminded took them from the sewers of Moscow to the back streets of Baghdad, from Cairo and Havana to Prague and Berlin, but the action centers on Washington, starting in the infamous "Year of the Spy"--when, one by one, the CIA’s agents in Moscow began to be killed, up through to the very last man.

Behind the scenes with the CIA's covert operations in Afghanistan, Milt Bearden led America to victory in the secret war against the Soviets, and for the first time he reveals here what he did and whom America backed, and why. Bearden was called back to Washington after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan and was made chief of the Soviet/East Euro-pean Division—just in time to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe, and the implosion of the Soviet Union.

Laced with startling revelations--about fail-safe top-secret back channels between the CIA and KGB, double and triple agents, covert operations in Berlin and Prague, and the fateful autumn of 1989-- The Main Enemy is history at its action-packed best.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

A landmark collaboration between a thirty-year veteran of the CIA and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, The Main Enemy is the dramatic inside story of the CIA-KGB spy wars, told through the actions of the men who fought them.

Based on hundreds of interviews with operatives from both sides, The Main Enemy puts us inside the heads of CIA officers as they dodge surveillance and walk into violent ambushes in Moscow.

This is the story of the generation of spies who came of age in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis and rose through the ranks to run the CIA and KGB in the last days of the Cold War. The clandestine operations they masterminded took them from the sewers of Moscow to the back streets of Baghdad, from Cairo and Havana to Prague and Berlin, but the action centers on Washington, starting in the infamous "Year of the Spy" -- when, one by one, the CIA's agents in Moscow began to be killed, up through to the very last man.

Behind the scenes with the CIA's covert operations in Afghanistan, Milt Bearden led America to victory in the secret war against the Soviets, and for the first time he reveals here what he did and whom America backed, and why.

Bearden was called back to Washington after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan and was made chief of the Soviet/East European Division -- just in time to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe, and the implosion of the Soviet Union.

Laced with startling revelations -- about fail-safe top-secret back channels between the CIA and KGB, double and triple agents, covert operations in Berlin and Prague, and the fateful autumn of 1989 -- The Main Enemy is history at its action-packed best.

Customer Reviews:

Milt Bearden gives us the data dump.......2007-03-27

My introduction to Milt Bearden came from reading "Charlie Wilson's War" by George Crile. A great book by the way, I would highly recommend it.

I would recommend this book to people who are interested in Cold War history.

My only dissapointment with this book is that in the epilogue Milt doesn't approach the question of whether or not the rules have changed from when he was chief of the SE Division, and if those changes are for the better. For example, let's take "extraordinary renditions" - in the days when Milt was chief of SE Division the unwritten rule was that USA and USSR didn't kill or unduly rough up each other's spies. Now that we engage in those kinds of activities, are our CIA operatives in the DO more cautious? Are there more restrictions on their movements when they are overseas? And has the change in methods and attitudes affected our relationships with other intelligence agencies, and if so, for the better or for the worse?

A curious discrepancy.......2006-12-18

Much as I have enjoyed this fascinating book, I wish to point out a startling anachronism. Bearden makes much of the delivery of the "120 mm Spanish mortar" to the Mujahideen in 1987, and elaborates on how teams were trained in applying GPS readings to precisely deliver their ordnance beyond visual range. "It came...with a ranging system worked out by Langley...that fused the low-tech mortar with the high-tech world of satellite guidance." And "Once their exact coordinates had been calibrated, the leader of the team would feed the GPS data into a small computer, add the coordinates of the target, and then query the computer for the precise compass direction and elevation..." This procedure, GPS and all, supposedly led to devastating night attacks on the Spetsnaz battalion at Chagasaray on 28 Nov 1987 and 15 Dec 1987.
Problem: Although initial use of GPS was reported in 1990, it did not become operational until 1993. In 1987 the satellites had not been launched yet (this was during the Challenger stand-down).
We can only conclude that while the attacks and the mortars were real, the procedures and the "ranging" method used must have been invented by the authors for literary convenience. No doubt this is the ghost writer's shortcut, not Bearden's, but this does raise questions about technical accuracy throughout the volume.

Valuable insight into the climax of the Cold War.......2005-11-18

In a brief period of time between 1989 and 1991, the world changed dramatically. Several significant events transpired, each literally changing the way the world worked overnight. In The Main Enemy, Milt Bearden and James Risen provide a detailed and fascinating view into the struggle between the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Soviet security service, Komitet Gosudarstvenoj Bezopasnosti (KGB).

Anyone aware of the state of world affairs for the last half of the twentieth century would be hard pressed to believe any of the events that took place as the final decade of the century was poised to begin. Starting with the Soviet Union's withdraw from Afghanistan in 1989, we observed as one event followed another, each coming as a greater surprise than the previous. We watched the collapse of the Berlin Wall and saw the reunification of Germany shortly thereafter. Not long behind Germany's rejection of socialism, we saw revolutions in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, and elsewhere. In the latter half of 1991, we watched a failed coup in the Soviet Union, and as that year drew to a close, the Soviet hammer and sickle was replaced with the Russian tricolor flag over Moscow.

These were not events that took place on their own. These were the highly visible climax of an ongoing struggle between the proponents of the Soviet Revolutskyj Mir ("World Revolution") and their counterparts in the West -- including Britain's MI6 and America's CIA. Such a conclusion wasn't always assured, and there were times when CIA was baffled by the tremendous success of KGB's operations against Western agents and interests. It is during these "1985 losses" that the book opens, providing a foundation that helps the reader to see just what was happening in the world of intelligence.

Milt Bearden is a career CIA officer, having spent a lifetime in the shadows and working for America's interests. James Risen is an accomplished journalist. The collaboration -- which also includes the input and assistance of many other players from many sides in this international game of strategy and intrigue -- is an admirable success. The story is gripping, compelling, and personal. The book is well-structured and the prose makes it easy to forget that The Main Enemy isn't a novel, but a book of real history.

For those of us whose understanding of intelligence is primarily from the technical side -- most likely through Bamford's glimpses into the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) -- The Main Enemy is instructive, helping us to see the value of human intelligence (HUMINT) and its role in world affairs.

While hardly the definitive work on the operations of CIA, The Main Enemy provides valuable insight into the climax of the Cold War. Hopefully its accessible style will help to open this important chapter of history to a wide audience -- not just spy buffs.

Great Read.......2004-07-04

For those of us who were a bit younger at the end of the Cold War and were more interested in girls and cars than politics, this is a great read about the spy games that went on between the CIA & KGB, both directly (eg. in Washington or Moscow) or indirectly (Afghanistan) and about the political changes that happened at the end of the 80's and early 90's. I have read a lot of Tom Clancy's novels, and this one has them beat for intrigue and insight. Anyone who enjoys books told from a truly inside perspective will love this one.

I LOVE SPY BOOKS.......2004-05-04

This is another terrific spy book that is worth reading. Was completeley drawn in by this one !!! Another Cold War era book I would recommend is the one by Benjamin Weiser titled " A Secret Life" about a Polish Colonel ( Ryszard Kuklinski ) on the Polish General Staff who passed on some 40,000 Warsaw Pact and Soviet documents to the CIA from 1972 to 1981.

Neither Enemies nor Friends: Latinos, Blacks, Afro-Latinos

Average customer rating:

Neither Enemies nor Friends: Latinos, Blacks, Afro-Latinos
Anani Dzidzienyo , and Suzanne Oboler
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Afro-Latin America, 1800-2000
Racial Politics in Post-Revolutionary Cuba
Race And Ethnicity In Latin America (Latin American Studies)
The Puerto Rican Diaspora: Historical Perspectives
The Presumed Alliance: The Unspoken Conflict Between Latinos and Blacks and What It Means for America

ASIN: 1403965684
Release Date: 2005-03-31

Book Description

In this collection, leading scholars focus on the contemporary meanings and diverse experiences of blackness in specific countries of the hemisphere, including the United States. The anthology introduces new perspectives on comparative forms of racialization in the Americas and presents its implications both for Latin American societies, and for Latinos' relations with African Americans in the U.S. Contributors address issues such as: Who are the Afro-Latin Americans? What historical contributions do they bring to their respective national polities? What happens to their national and socio-racial identities as a result of migration to the United States? What is the impact of the growing presence of Afro-Latin Americans within U.S. Latino populations, particularly with respect to the continuing dynamics of racialization in the United States today? And, more generally, what are the prospects and obstacles for rethinking alliances and coalition-building between and among racial(ized) minorities and other groups in contemporary U.S. society?

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books