Average customer rating:
- History and Mystery in a non-fiction page turner
- Fact and Speculation
- Great book, though leaves a bit to be desired....
- Very interesting
- Amazing
|
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Erik Larson
Manufacturer: Crown
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Binding: Hardcover
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The Memory Keeper's Daughter
ASIN: 0609608444
Release Date: 2003-02-11 |
Amazon.com
Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that The Devil in the White City is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor. Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison. The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims. Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing. --John Moe
Book Description
Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.
The
Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. In this book the smoke, romance, and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before.
Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.
To find out more about this book, go to http://www.DevilInTheWhiteCity.com.
Download Description
In The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson, author of Isaac's Storm, tells the spellbinding true story of two men, an architect and a serial killer, whose fates were linked by the greatest fair in American history: the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, nicknamed "The White City."
Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America's rush toward the twentieth century.
The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair's brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country's most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C.
The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his "World's Fair Hotel" just west of the fairgrounds -- a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium.
Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.
The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. In this book, the smoke, romance and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before.
Erik Larson's gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.
"Engrossing... exceedingly well documented... utterly fascinating."
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"A dynamic, enveloping book.... Relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramtic effect of a novel.... It doesn't hurt that this truth is stranger than fiction."
THE NEW YORK TIMES
"So good, you find yourself asking how you could not know this already."
ESQUIRE
"Another successful exploration of American history.... Larson skillfully balances the grisly details with the far-reaching implications of the World's Fair."
USA TODAY
"As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"Paints a dazzling picture of the Gilded Age and prefigure the American century to come."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"A wonderfully unexpected book... Larson is a historian... with a novelist's soul."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Customer Reviews:
History and Mystery in a non-fiction page turner.......2007-10-11
Larsen deftly weaves an intriguing tale of the building of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 with a story about a psychopath who commits several murders without detection during the same period. The book is chock full of information about prominent personages and inventions that changed the way we live today. It is a real page turner.
Fact and Speculation.......2007-10-10
The Devil In the White City raises troublesome questions about what is factual and what is pure authorial speculation. At times the Larson even privaledges his own imagination as being closer to the truth than statements provided by key players in the book. (See the first three paragraphs on page 39 for an example.) Stronger documentation and clear indications of when the text was meandering into the imaginative realm would have helped this book tremendously.
Great book, though leaves a bit to be desired...........2007-10-09
I am not a huge reader (too busy with college) but this book really caught my eye and, let me tell you, I made time for it once I realized how good it was. The book is incredibly informative and it is immediately apparent that the author did an ENORMOUS amount of research. As one of the reviewers says on a page at the front of the book, you will be left wondering how you DIDN'T know these stories already (for example, you learn about the first Ferris wheel.)
All of that said, I was hoping for much more information about the serial killer aspect... the author would devote maybe 4 pages worth of Holmes for every 10 pages worth of the Chicago Fair. I was mistakenly led to believe that the ratio was about equal and throughout the book, kept hoping that the Fair's historical accounts would become less frequent and instead would be replaced with more of the true crime aspect. At the end of the book, I came to find out that there simply wasn't enough information about the crimes to fill the book as most readers might have liked.
In short, this book is excellent and I highly recommend it. Just be forewarned, it is much more about the Chicago World Fair (and in more detail than most people probably prefer) and less about the serial killer and his
Very interesting.......2007-10-01
The book goes into more detail than what I care for, but it is very very interesting in everything you learn about American History
Amazing.......2007-09-29
Belonging to a book club for several years, we all agreed this book rated as one of our top ten books. Not only was it historically accurate but it was written in a style that captivated the reader with a serial killer on the loose and a race against time to accomplish an almost impossible feat. A book to be read and reread.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Book
- Pretentious and outdated
- A classic book on web design.
- Good guidelines
- Pretty outdated
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Creating Killer Web Sites (2nd Edition)
David Siegal
Manufacturer: Hayden
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1568304331 |
Amazon.com
David Siegel's classic guide to good taste in Web design has been completely overhauled in this second edition. Every chapter has been reworked, repurposed, and rewritten with over 100 new pages and 150 new illustrations, new information on 4.0 browser design, and a comprehensive guide to Style Sheet implementations for both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. Those who enjoyed Creating Killer Web Sites the first time around will doubtlessly benefit from this new edition, which is meant as a continuation of the first book rather than a simple update. At the same time, anyone who has never read the first edition will be able to pick up this new edition without having missed a beat. Siegel's accompanying Web site (www.killersites.com) contains supplemental information as well as chapters from the first edition that didn't make the 2.0 cut.
More of a style guide than an HTML guide, Creating Killer Web Sites is concerned with the building of Third-Generation sites, Web sites that are conceived by design and not by technological ability. Siegel and his helpers at Studio Verso overview a wide variety of topics, including a history of browsers, how to use specific HTML tags, how to select software tools, and advice on pure aesthetic design. Like the first edition, the second edition of the book contains an attractive design, a graphic on every page, and screen shots of successful Web pages that will set any designer's wheels in motion.
There is a great deal of information to absorb here and whether you agree with all, some, or none of the advice, you'll still be left with plenty to think about. If you're brand new to Web site creation, this is an excellent introduction to the ideas involved with site design. However, because Creating Killer Web Sites is not a tutorial or HTML reference, you will need to supplement it with one.
Book Description
Master the art of third-generation site design Creating Killer Web Sites was the first true design book for the Web. It became the best-selling book on the Internet in 1996 and has been translated into ten languages. It has taught an entire generation of site designers how to get control over their pages. It shows, in practical terms, the fundamentals of design applied to the Web. Now completely updated! Every chapter has new material! In this expanded second edition, you'll find the techniques and principles you need to build sites for today's 4.0 and the coming 5.0 browsers. Much of the book has been rewritten with new tips, new tools, updated HTML, and an emphasis on cross-browser compatibility. There are three new chapters on strategies designers will need to know going forward, including a detailed style-sheet tutorial.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book.......2007-09-22
This book is one that gives you inspiration. I liked looking at the web sites before my creative juices start to flow.
Pretentious and outdated.......2003-12-10
I got the first edition of this book when I first started working on web sites. I learned a few tidbits from it, but mostly I was (un) impressed by the author's arrogant attitude about "artists." He rambled on about how what they wanted to do to be creative in their site design was more important than what the technology was doing, or how the user experienced the site. (A lot like Kai Krause's "creative" interfaces that he was proud to note that techies didn't get!) His attitude about developers vs. artists and designers was especially distasteful, even though in the end he proved he really was a techie inside all along.
I don't get the people who see this as a milestone. It's more like a millstone around the neck of web designers and developers. I think it did more to widen the gulf between designers and developers than help us work together. Leaf through this online or in a library, glean what you can from the few techie tips that are still worthwhile, then put it down. If you're a web developer or architect, you won't get much out of it, and if you're on the design or business side you will only get the wrong idea about what web site design is all about.
A classic book on web design........2003-10-15
Though somewhat dated, there is still good information in this classic book on web design. The website is also packed with information and it has recently been updated with up to date content among other nice features.
Check it out at: www.killersites.com
Good guidelines.......2003-02-18
This book doesn't teach you html. You should already know html before you buy this book. This book teaches you how to design good looking web sites. Personally, I don't think this can be taught. There are many examples of good and bad sites, before and after sites, but the old saying, "Can't teach an old dog new tricks" goes when it comes to art and design. Fortunately, these things are very subjective. What is bad to me, may be good to you. But in the end, there are only so few that really deserve to win a bikini contest.
Pretty outdated.......2002-08-25
I bought this book and sat down to read it with great excitement, but that feeling has gradually dimmed as I get further into it. It does have the occasional handy tip, but mostly it's too outdated to be of any great use. Most of the sites he uses as examples of killer sites are not so great by the standards of today, and at least one that he uses as a major worked example in his gallery section as a site he created, has since been redesigned by other designers and is totally different. I'm just glad I picked it up cheap. It's definately a book that's well overdue for a revision.
Book Description
THE DEFINITIVE DOSSIER ON HISTORY’S MOST HEINOUS!
Hollywood’s make-believe maniacs like Jason, Freddy, and Hannibal Lecter can’t hold a candle to real life monsters like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and scores of others who have terrorized, tortured, and terminated their way across civilization throughout the ages. Now, from the much-acclaimed author of Deviant, Deranged, and Depraved, comes the ultimate resource on the serial killer phenomenon.
Rigorously researched and packed with the most terrifying, up-to-date information, this innovative and highly compelling compendium covers every aspect of multiple murderers—from psychology to cinema, fetishism to fan clubs, “trophies” to trading cards. Discover:
WHO THEY ARE: Those featured include
Ed Gein, the homicidal mama’s boy who inspired fiction’s most famous Psycho, Norman Bates;
Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi, sex-crazed killer cousins better known as the Hillside Stranglers; and
the Beanes, a fifteenth-century cave-dwelling clan with an insatiable appetite for human flesh
HOW THEY KILL: They shoot, stab, and strangle. Butcher, bludgeon, and burn. Drown, dismember, and devour . . . and other methods of massacre too many and monstrous to mention here.
WHY THEY DO IT: For pleasure and for profit. For celebrity and for “companionship.” For the devil and for dinner. For the thrill of it, for the hell of it, and because “such men are monsters, who live . . .
beyond the frontiers of madness.”
PLUS: in-depth case studies, classic killers’ nicknames, definitions of every kind of deviance and derangement, and much, much more.
For more than one hundred profiles of lethal loners and killer couples, Bluebeards and black widows, cannibals and copycats— this is an indispensable, spine-tingling, eye-popping investigation into the dark hearts and mad minds of that twisted breed of human whose crimes are the most frightening . . . and fascinating.
Customer Reviews:
Killers.......2007-05-28
Great book. I work in law enforcement so a lot of this I could tell if real or immaginary. I thought this was an interesting read.
Scary Stuff.......2007-05-18
I have not read any books about serial killers before. This one seems pretty good. Easy to read right before bed (and then easy to have nightmares).
good .......2007-03-31
one of the best serial killer books i've read, only problem i had was the repetitive information that happened occasionally, and he uses the word "unspeakable" every other page or so and that was a bit annoying haha. but otherwise it's very informative and detailed. i would reccommend this!
The Ultimate Book on Serial Killers.......2007-03-16
When I ordered this book, I wasn't sure what I would be getting. I started reading and it didn't take long to realize that this book was incredible. Details, details, details! Updates, graphic descriptions, and plenty of information! It scared the hell out of me, too. If you're looking for some easy, but priceless reading, this book is the book for you!
Awesome True Crime book!.......2007-01-05
Harold Schechter is by far one of the best True Crime writers. He presents thorough research and makes every sentence interesting. All of his true crime books are worth reading!
Book Description
"When we captured Kigali, we thought we would face criminals in the state; instead, we faced a criminal population." So a political commissar in the Rwanda Patriotic Front reflected after the 1994 massacre of as many as one million Tutsis in Rwanda. Underlying his statement is the realization that, though ordered by a minority of state functionaries, the slaughter was performed by hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens, including even judges, human rights activists, and doctors, nurses, priests, friends, and spouses of the victims. Indeed, it is its very popularity that makes the Rwandan genocide so unthinkable. This book makes it thinkable.
Rejecting easy explanations of the genocide as a mysterious evil force that was bizarrely unleashed, one of Africa's best-known intellectuals situates the tragedy in its proper context. He coaxes to the surface the historical, geographical, and political forces that made it possible for so many Hutu to turn so brutally on their neighbors. He finds answers in the nature of political identities generated during colonialism, in the failures of the nationalist revolution to transcend these identities, and in regional demographic and political currents that reach well beyond Rwanda. In so doing, Mahmood Mamdani usefully broadens understandings of citizenship and political identity in postcolonial Africa.
There have been few attempts to explain the Rwandan horror, and none has succeeded so well as this one. Mamdani's analysis provides a solid foundation for future studies of the massacre. Even more important, his answers point a way out of crisis: a direction for reforming political identity in central Africa and preventing future tragedies.
Customer Reviews:
interesting overview of complex situation.......2007-02-25
Mandani's book is not for everyone; it is written in a highly academic form and reads slowly. However, if you can get through it, there are fascinating revelations of the chronology and effect of the early colonialism upon the inhabitants of Rwanda that allow you to understand, once again, the lessons of history....that NOTHING happens in a vacuum....and we Westerners, we "great civilizers" have much to learn and much evolving to do.
I haven't finished it yet and I do wish it were an easier read...I would give it to people I know who really NEED to read it but who never will. It's just too hard.
Essential reading for anyone wanting to learn the truth about what happened in Rwanda and why!.......2006-07-01
This isn't about justifying the atrocious acts of Hutus against Tutsi in Rwanda, but about trying to understand WHY. There were reasons for the madness that went beyond ethnic differences. Read this book before passing judgement.
Heavy Sledding.......2006-01-02
Respected scholar Mahmood Mamdani offers his take on the causes of the Rwandan attempted genocide of the Tutsis and how Rwanda ought to handle the aftermath. A longtime denizen of the ivory tower, Mamdani is not writing for general audiences here: his prose is denser than a nineteenth century Supreme Court opinion and often makes finer distinctions.
There is a certain amount of this that is inevitable -- Mamdani is writing, at least partially, in response to people who have given facile explanations for the genocide (e.g. "the Hutus hated the Tutsis"), and his entirely justified reply is that it's not that simple. Mamdani makes a fascinating and very persuasive case for the exact historical causes of this particular genocide that differentiates it from other genocides of history -- colonialistic influence combining with pan-African political forces that pit nationalistic concerns against ethnic and political ones.
That said, and with full awareness that I don't have the talent to do what I'm asking Mamdani to do, I'd like to say that his argument would have gone over a lot better if he'd been better at phrasing it. His academic language was very difficult to penetrate, even by a well-intentioned postgraduate-educated guy like me. I got to thinking towards the end that he was getting a bonus every time he added "-ize" to a noun to make it a verb.
Mamdani's message that a lot of complicated problems combined to create the genocide -- from which it follows that people peddling simple, easy answers haven't been paying enough attention or are pandering to their audiences -- is important. I hope it is given deep consideration by the grad students who are best equipped with time and incentive to understand his prose, and I hope one of them figures out what I cannot: how to phrase his message in such a way that a lay audience will be willing to hear it.
When Victims become killers.......2005-08-09
A great book that is doing justice to the people that were rudely touched by the genocide. History plays a great part in influencing and explaining particular events that happen in the present but many people forget and view the event as inexplicable. Those who forget to ask the 'why' question are always liable to repeat the blunders of history since they never learn from its ugly mistakes. Prof. Mamdani is trying to undo this mistake. Many, especially in the west from their self righteous pedestal, look at the Rwandan genocide and judge. Mamdani goes behind the scenes of history to dig out the 'why' of this ugliest of human ventures. Drawing heavily on Franz Fanon, he casts a wide net covering the whole Great Lakes Region and Colonialism through the cold war, to tell us that the victims of injustice can only be free if they kill the oppressor. To become human they must deny life to the oppressor. The irony is, to overcome the monster of injustice, you must surpass its monstrosity, leading to the cycle of violence. Americans who read this book will come to understand better the whyness of 9/11; the Europeans will understand Hitler and Africans will grasp the whyness of so many coup d'etats, and finally an insight that is long overdue will dawn on us all and we will see the light. We will understand that without justice in the world those who work for peace labor but in vain. A must read book for serious peacemakers.
Reform the state and citizenship.......2005-01-14
Mahmood Mamdani is Professor of Government and Director of the Institute of African Studies at Columbia University. His reputation as an expert in African history, politics and international relations has made him an important voice in contemporary debates about the changing role of Africa in a global context. Mamdani proposes that Burundi and Rwanda need to reform the state and citizenship within their own borders so that power recognizes equal citizenship rights for all based on a single criterion: residence. Without a reform in power, one that recognizes both the importance of a majority in politics and the need for fearful minorities to participate in the exercise of power, Mamdani maintains there can be no sustained reconciliation between Hutu and Tutsi.
Reviewed by David S. Fick, Author of Africa: Continent of Economic Opportunities, STE Publishers, Johannesburg SA, May 2005, www.ste.co.za
Customer Reviews:
Okay - but not great.......2007-07-25
Author does not get as much information from the subjects as the title suggests. It talks more about the generalities of the crimes which is easily obtained from internet research. Also, the author give himself a lot of credit for his unsuprising findings - however, I find that most authors of true-crime non-fiction are that way. Gives information on little-known killers - ie: Carol Bundy.
mediocre.......2007-02-03
This author is so full of himself! He talks about himself nearly as much as the killers. If anyone says they are an author, and writes a codenmed killer enough, they would probably be granted an interview too. I was disappointed in this book!
Misleading Title.......2006-04-16
When a book is subtitled The Most Evil People in the World Tell Their Own Stories you would expect large portion to be interviews with them and their own words. This was my belief when I bought the book and I was surprised not to find that.
There are good backgrounds on each offender and their laundry list of crimes without too much detail. There are also times that they are quoted directly but for the most part the story is relayed by the author and the end of each chapter is stamped "from an interview with...". Some offender's are not quoted directly at all.
Overall, it's a decent book if you do not know about the crimes or offenders. If you are looking for a scholarly or clinical insight into the minds of these offenders, look elsewhere. It surely isn't here.
Inside The Mind Of A Serial Killer.......2006-03-02
I'm not a huge fan of true crime but I couldn't put this book down. The true stories of the serial killers,especially Aileen Wuornos and Arthur Shawcross, were very interesting. Although I'm no expert on the genre, I believe it was well written and well researched, and the stories about the killers' childhoods and brutal crimes really grabbed me. The fact that the writer didn't make excuses for these monsters was a plus.
Amazing.......2005-10-14
This book is a page turner. I'm a huge fan of true crime but some books in print speak too much to the author's research and life and not the criminal's mind and life. This book gets to the nitty gritty, immediately and keeps you turning the pages.
Book Description
The bearlike Karbarrans and the swashbuckling amazons from Praxis, the feral natives of Garuda and the Human Robotech heroes -- these oddly -- met champions banded together with other races, from other planets, to form the Sentinels.
Yet what fighting force could hope to dislodge the Invid hordes from Haydon IV, ethereal world of superscience and hidden emotional conflict; or Spheris, crystalline globe of living minerals and murderous resonances?
The Sentinels launch their attack nevertheless; they've come too far to surrender to tyranny. But the treachery of a megalomanic Human general and a mutating Invid P.O.W. make the war seem hopeless.
The Sentinels battle on, though, because for them it's...
Victory or Death!
Customer Reviews:
On to Haydon IV! The third planet of the system...huh?.......2002-07-16
The Sentinels have escaped from Praxis and have freed Garuda, but at a price. Many of the crew, including the Hunters have been poisoned by the atmosphere of Garuda and now they go to Haydon IV, both to find the cure and to free another planet. But that might be easier said than done, as the planet is a relic that can defend itself AND the Regent is waiting for them.
To add to that, not only is General Edward running the REF, but the Zentraedi forces, under Breetai, have taken the last of the monopole ore, which is needed if the human forces ever wish to see Earth again!
While this is all going on, an important question starts to pop up again and again; WHO WAS HAYDON?
"We vowed to be your allies, but never your slaves or your victims." - Breetai
A classic tale of Good vs Evil and those caught in between........1999-06-29
This tale is about a group of futuristic, and at times barbaric, heros whose story started several years before. Only this time the battle takes place far away from Earth in an attempt to save it. Caught between internal politics with a touch of traitors and the enemy, a hive-like race of genetically engineered beings with a lust for power, in their mission of liberation against this race. Will they prevail? Find out in this book and the next one, Rubicon!
The Best Of All The Five Sentinels Books By A Mile!.......1999-06-03
The refreshing change from the usual battle to drama to battle to drama again sequence is one of the best elements of this book. Also, McKinney managed to twist the plot so much as to increase reader curiosity without damaging the main plot (this book has the most fanfics written about it) by exploring interpersonal relationships out of battle or high drama and particularly loved Karen and Jack's interplay throughout the book. One more interesting note:This issue had reader focus going on three main fronts (I'm not at liberty to say which ones) and at the same time enthralled with the subplots McKinney dotted here and there. Deserves more than five out of five (And no, I did not want to read Rubicon after this- I made my own fanfic- that's how fun it was.)
Excellent! A well plotted book, action-filled to the brim........1997-10-30
It was very interesting and had a very good balance of suspense:not to little and not to much. It gave a very good idea of the situation the characters were in.It had a lot of information describing weapons,mecha.etc. Jack McKinney is one of the best authors around.
Book Description
In April-May 1994, 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis were massacred by their Hutu fellow citizens--about 10,000 a day, mostly being hacked to death by machete. In Machete Season, the veteran foreign correspondent Jean Hatzfeld reports on the results of his interviews with nine of the Hutu killers. They were all friends who came from a single region where they helped to kill 50,000 out of their 59,000 Tutsi neighbors, and all of them are now in prison, some awaiting execution. It is usually presumed that killers will not tell the truth about their brutal actions, but Hatzfeld elicited extraordinary testimony from these men about the genocide they had perpetrated. He rightly sees that their account raises as many questions as it answers.
Adabert, Alphonse, Ignace, and the others (most of them farmers) told Hatzfeld how the work was given to them, what they thought about it, how they did it, and what their responses were to the bloodbath. "Killing is easier than farming," one says. "I got into it, no problem," says another. Each describes what it was like the first time he killed someone, what he felt like when he killed a mother and child, how he reacted when he killed a cordial acquaintance, how 'cutting' a person with a machete differed from 'cutting' a calf or a sugarcane. And they had plenty of time to tell Hatzfeld, too, about whether and why they had reconsidered their motives, their moral responsibility, their guilt, remorse, or indifference to the crimes.
Hatzfeld's meditation on the banal, horrific testimony of the genocidaires and what it means is lucid, humane, and wise: he relates the Rwanda horror to war crimes and to other genocidal episodes in human history. Especially since the Holocaust, it has been conventional to presume that only depraved and monstrous evil incarnate could perpetrate such crimes, but it may be, he suggests, that such actions are within the realm of ordinary human conduct. To read this disturbing, enlightening and very brave book is to consider in a new light the foundation of human morality and ethics.
Customer Reviews:
Disturbing.......2007-08-22
a startleing look into the minds of the people who commited this horrible tragedy. i found myself sickened in some parts but still intrigued. wanting to read more to possibly gain insight as to why this happend. this book is very easy to follow and well put together. although i never really got an answer because the people interviewed seemed to be questioning their actions just as much as i did. great book.
Well done.......2007-06-18
This book is interesting in that it takes you into the world of those who killed during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. I've often wondered how a group of people can be handed a machete and sent out to kill. What was the motivation? How did it all start? What do we, as a society, need to be aware of so this sort of thing will not happen again? This book will help to answer those questions.
An enormously important book.......2007-05-27
Machete Season recounts the story of 10 men that were responsible for horrific murders and atrocities in Rwanda. Acts that are difficult to fathom for most of us. Mr. Hatzfeld's writing is wonderful and his interviews with the killers help shed light into the horrific mindset of these men. This is a very important book to read since it makes clear the peril of group thinking and how easily the corruption of the human being can descend lower than that of the worst beasts. To dismiss these actions as pure evil is both simplistic and terribly dangerous. There are great lessons to be learned by the atrocities that were committed in Rwanda. We ought to feel a certain amount of shame for not getting involved, as a country, sooner, and we should seriously consider the utter ineffectiveness of the United Nations in conflict resolution.
Matter of horrible fact........2007-03-13
An excellent exposure of some of the killers and motivations behind the day to day genocide in Rwanda.
It gave me even more insight into the horrors of the time. I have not read the account of the survivors by the same author, but this is a good place to start. Regular citizens from the Collines tell us what we don't want to hear, confirming the complicity of the holy and the high and the fleeting satisfaction of covetousness and acquisition- All accompanied by the regular, relentless and heartless swinging of the machetes.
You feel helpless, like those unfortunates hiding in the marshes.
A great educational read........2007-03-09
This book offers insight into the minds of the killers at the time of the genocide. Make no bones about it, they actively and willingly participated in the day to day activity of killing innocent families.
It is probably better to do some research on the topic before reading this book, to get the most out of it. The book is well written and candid, my only criticism is it becomes a little repetitive at times.
However getting convicted killers to talk for a book is a great coup, as most in Western Worlds are reticent to do so, or are not honest.
Book Description
From their gruesome, body-strewn lairs, to the darkest regions of their twisted psyches, Robert K. Ressler shows you serial killers as you've never seen them before.In his phenomenally successful Whoever Fights Monsters, Robert K. Ressler examined his brilliant twenty-year career hunting down killers for the FBI. Now, delving deeper than ever before into the criminal mind, Ressler recounts his years since leaving the FBI, working as an independent criminal profiler on some of the most famous serial murder cases of our day.Ingeniously piecing together clues from crime scenes, along with killing patterns and methods, Ressler explains his role in assisting the investigations of such perplexing international cases as England's Wimbledon Common killing, the ABC Murders in South Africa, and the deadly gassing of Japan's subway. We're also witness to Ressler's fascinating, in-depth interviews with John Wayne Gacy, the first and last one America's most prolific serial killer would ever grant, plus a shockingly candid discussion with "cannibal killer" Jeffrey Dahmer.Daring to understand the depraved minds of serial killers, Robert K. Ressler returns from the deepest abyss with an unforgettable account that is as riveting as it is shocking.
Customer Reviews:
Great Monster Book!.......2007-09-16
This book was wonderfully put together, and creepy as well. I loved the accounts of the the criminal behavior. It provides insight to the actions of the monsters themselves. It was chilling, exciting, and sick!!
Trying to understand serial killers.......2007-01-27
This was a trip into the minds of some of the most dangerous people, who might be your neighbor, your co-worker or even a friend. Step into the shoes of these diabolical maniacs and explores their homicidal rampages. I thought it was well done and a must read for any serious criminal justice fan.
Yes, Robert, you're good at what you do and we all know it.......2006-09-05
Despite his braggadocio, the stories he tells are chilling, especially the ones about the South African serial killers (I had never heard of either of them) and information about the Aum Shinrikyo cult that I had not seen elsewhere. Aum Shinrikyo, if you don't remember, was responsible for the Tokyo subway gassing in 1995. Its leader appeared to be a Jim Jones in the making, and that was the least of his danger.
John Wayne Gacy was always just plain unlikable, but I always thought Jeffrey Dahmer was sort of a pitiable character and never was this reinforced more than in the chapter about him.
great cases - bad egos.......2006-08-05
This book explored a lot of different cases and included a lot of material you don't find in other forensic/crime books, such as the interview with Jeffrey Dhamer. However, Robert Ressler has a HUGE ego problem and seemed to spend a lot of time boasting about himself and his work, his overwhelmingly large picture on the front of this book is just a small comparison to whats inside. ;)
101 Criminology.......2004-01-02
This book has great basic information on the most notorious murderers. If you are an experienced reader, you will see alot of basic information, but if this is your 1,2 or 3 book on the subject I strongly recommend it! His interview with Jeffrey Dahmer and his information regarding Dahmer is unique.
Again Robert Ressler takes about 1/5 of the book talking about his carrer, and it is easy to skip a few pages because he goes on and on about his career without making a constructive point.
If he would reduce needles carrer information and stick to the facts, he would be in no doubts and incredible writer.
But along with Roy Hazelwood, you have to filter through the egos.
Book Description
Cocktails in Tahiti is a visually stunning, full color showpiece combining a playful yet sophisticated look at Tahiti's magnificent luxury resorts and their most delicious, flirtatious, and slightly decadent cocktails. Filled with unusual insights, folklore, and facts about Tahiti and her islands,
Cocktails in Tahiti has something to tempt and delight all tastes.
Over 50 sumptuous cocktail recipes blend exotic fruits, juices, and liquors providing a flavorful and vibrant palette from which to capture the fun and often elegant mood of these captivating islands. You'll learn the history of the legendary Mai Tai, Tahiti's most famous cocktail, and discover the secrets of the intriguing rums, vodkas, and distinctive liqueurs used in creating Tahiti's most celebrated libations.
A special section features the signature cocktail recipes from Tahiti's most outstanding luxury resorts along with spectacular photographs and overviews of these renowned hotels.
Whether served from a coconut or elegantly chilled in a martini glass of fine crystal, the flowering and colorful cocktails of Tahiti have an undeniable presence all their own. If you are dreaming of a future trip or reliving special memories from a past visit to these beautiful islands, this wonderful collection of delightful drink recipes, dazzling hotel photographs, and distinctive insights will put you in a tropical, tranquil mood as you sip your way to our magical paradise.
Al Keahi, Managing Director, Tahiti Tourism Bureau N.A:
A must have book of fun and facts for anyone who has visited or dreams of visiting Tahiti.
New Book Resources, October 2006:
We can't wait to try out the recipes and imagine that we are at one of the featured, dreamlike hotels.
Vincent Guerin, Director of Sales, Starwood Hotels & Resorts French Polynesia:
The finest collection of resort photographs and cocktail recipes from across Tahiti.
Customer Reviews:
What a fun and entertaining book!.......2007-08-05
Not only does this book have a wealth of information on a destination we long to travel to, but it offers a wide variety of fun and DELICIOUS drinks.
We love to entertain and it has been great having 'Cocktails in Tahiti' out at our parties...quite a conversation piece! Everyone loves the stunning photos of Tahiti, the scrumptious drinks, and the intriguing facts of the islands. Thank you!
Experience a whole new world of Cocktails!.......2007-04-28
Always looking for new and exciting cocktails to try, I purchased this book. Each page became more interesting, not only for the drinks presented but for the knowledge that Mr. Bondurant shares about Tahiti, it's culture, local accomodations, etc.
The photos are exceptional and each drink I have mixed has been better than the last. I have bought several as gifts for coworkers and friends. You won't be disappointed!
Cocktails from paradise at your fingertips.......2007-02-06
"Cocktails in Tahiti" is a must have for any lover of spirits with a tropical flair. The author has artfully put together a wonderful collection of cocktails, both old and new, from the scenic paradise of Tahiti. Colorful photographs and descriptions of each drink will have your mouth watering to imbibe several of these treats from the South Pacific. If you are looking for something new to bring some tropical flavor to your cocktail library, then you need this book!
This book will make you fall in love with Tahiti.......2006-12-18
I have always wanted to go to the Tahitian islands but have never had the opportunity. Now, after reading "Cocktails in Tahiti", I am planning a trip to Tahiti for next Summer. I originally thought "Cocktails in Tahiti" would give me some good ideas for entertaining, but soon found out it contained many intersting nuggets about the islands and their history. To sum it up, I am packed and ready to go to these beautiful islands.
If you've ever dreamed of a tropical vacation or just need to brighten up your winter, you should read this book.
Beautiful Book.......2006-12-09
I have never been to Tahiti, but after reading the fun, informative facts about Tahiti, seeing the beautiful pictures, and sampling some of the excellent cocktail recipes, I am ready to go!
Mr. Bondurant's love and knowledge of Tahiti come through clearly in the book, which is very well laid out. It provides enough information and explains things in such a way that an amateur can make delicious Tahitian cocktails as well as the most experienced bartender. The fun facts about Tahiti, along with summaries of the total hotels and the gorgeous pictures, makes this book a must have.
Until I can take my first trip to Tahiti, this book will help bring a little Tahiti to my home.
Book Description
From ancient Rome to the 21st century, a look at human predators-and those who hunt them down.
A bestselling author and research expert in forensics and true-crime presents for the first time a chronological analysis of serial killing in the context of specific historical periods. She also aligns with this discussion details of the development of forensic science and psychology, which gradually enabled law enforcement to better identify the men and women who commit these heinous crimes-and perhaps begin to understand their motivations.
Spanning from ancient times to yesterday's headlines, this book is a chilling reminder that the darkness that exists in human nature is not, as some would think, the product of modern society.
Customer Reviews:
A bad read.......2007-03-01
I suppose that being a cable television "star"and an attractive looking woman has its advantages..You can write a whole slew of badly written books and still get them published..Katherine Ramsland has a Ph.d in"philosophy"..it is obvious,after reading any one of her numerous,badly written books,that her doctorate was not in creative writing...Still,in this world today one need only have the required piece of academic paper in order to get doors opened,and need not actually have any real talent for telling a story...I have a nephew who graduated from a culinary arts school...now one would think that he could cook the pants off of most folks,but in reality he can hardly cook at all..Oh,yes,he passed all of the required courses to obtain his degree,but that did not mean that he actually learned how to make a tasty meal..
Ramsland's serial killer opus is nothing more than a compendium of facts thrown together in a sort of timeline ...nothing deep,nothing penetrating,indeed,nothing particularly new or interesting..So-and-so the serial killer killed such and such...police caught up with him and in such and such year he went to prison,while at the same time so-and-so scientist discovered this or that forensic technique...This,in a nutshell,is how the whole 306 pages of Ramsland's opus reads...
I would think that ,even for the casual reader interested in either serial killers or forensic science,this sort of paragraph and a half approach would be a little bit sparse...certainly for those who want DETAILS,Ramslandd's opus is a disappointment...Thrown in along with all of the very very short tidbits about crime and science is a junior high school styled history of world events...nothing deep here either..Ramsland merely writes that ,for example,at the time such and such killer was killing and/or such and such scientist was discovering,Napoleon,or maybe Caligula,or maybe the roman catholic church was doing something or another that is noteworthy...All in all a bland narrative that should be avoided at all costs...
A nice twist to the history of serial murder and forensic investigation........2006-11-09
I have read several books detailing the history of serial murder or murders. The majority follow a sequencial history of the individuals involved in this type of crime. This particular book has, to me, a slightly different and facinating approach. Yes it follows a sequencial approach through time, but the way the author intertwines history itself, political, religious, etc and the evolving societies with the dark characters that litter history it makes for much more interesting reading.
The book gives examples of what was occurring in the world and how these criminals were woven into that patchwork. Runing the same timeline Ramsland also details how forensic investigation also evolved and developed along with the perpertartors. If you just want to know who the serial murders were buy a straigh history of them. If you want to be entertained by what was happening in the world as criminals and their detection related to history this is the book for you.
I personally found the approach different and facinating reading.
Crime Library Book Review.......2005-12-18
If you're looking for the perfect gift for someone who's riveted to television shows like CSI, you won't find a better one than Dr. Katherine Ramland's latest book, THE HUMAN PREDATOR: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation (Berkley Hardcover; Oct. 4, 2005). It's an extraordinarily well-researched book, written in a flowing, easy-to-understand style. You'll not only learn about serial murder but also the historical background of forensic science in its response to this phenomenon.
THE HUMAN PREDATOR is the first book-length chronicle of the serial killer from ancient Rome to the present day, and it becomes clear that cultural factors influence their manifestation. While not every killer could be included, lest the book become encyclopedic, key cases from different time periods are analyzed for the "specific cultural conditions, individual processing of those conditions, and opportunity" that affected that criminal's development. In the Dark Ages, for example, wealthy nobles like French hero Gilles de Rais and the Countess Elizabeth Bathory made Jack the Ripper look like a Boy Scout.
Threaded throughout this absorbing book is how science and psychology evolved alongside the history of the serial killer, providing the tools to catch these criminals and a growing understanding of their psyche. Forensic sciences developed early: in 1247, a Chinese lawyer produced the first work of forensic science, including how to tell the difference between a suicide, homicide and natural death. The U.S. has led development of a body of knowledge about serial killers, mostly through the FBI's legendary Behavioral Analysis Unit that played a key role in The Silence of the Lambs. Ramsland knows firsthand the pioneering contributions of these profilers, John Douglas, Robert Ressler and Roy Hazelwood, having written about and with them.
Author of Practical Homicide Investigation.......2005-11-26
Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation by Katherine Ramsland, Ph. D. is a detailed and comprehensive anthology of multiple murder events and serial killers from the "Alphabet Murders" through the infamous "Zodiac Killings" and is an excellent research resource.
Katherine, whose educational credentials include masters' degrees in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, and philosophy has utilized her research expertise to present to the reader an historical and cultural analysis of serial and multiple murder as well as the development of forensic science and the application of that forensic science as well as forensic psychology to the criminal investigation of serial murder.
This book delves into the phenomenon of serial murder in the context of specific historical periods. The author utilized over 180 publications and sources to trace the history and incidents of serial murder providing the reader with thumbnail biographical sketches of a myriad of multiple murderers. Starting with the Dark Ages and culminating with events of the new millennium, Katherine takes the reader through history up to the present time with her presentation and documentation of famous cases of multiple and serial murders, the journalistic coverage of these heinous crimes and the social reaction to the "evil" of serial murder, which to this day continues to shock our sense of wellbeing.
This book is without precedence. I was personally amazed by the amount of research, source information and exertion that Katherine Ramsland put into this tome. I am grateful to have an autographed copy of this book in my personal library and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the subject, history and etiology of serial murder.
Books:
- The Fall (The Seventh Tower, Book 1)
- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)
- The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
- The Likeability Factor: How to Boost Your L-Factor and Achieve Your Life's Dreams
- The Power of One: A Novel
- The Rules of Engagement: The Art of Strategic Prayer And Spiritual Warfare
- The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Awakening, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND: 10 Keys for Unlocking Your Personal Potential, Achieving Spiritual Awakening, ... of Humanity's Ultimate Cosmic Destiny
- The Smoke Jumper
- The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier: Coat of Honey — Heart of Gold (Howell's Best of Breed Library)
- The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing
Books Index
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