History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan

Average customer rating:

A life-changing experience
A must read
True, Real, Humbling
Must Read
Must Read

They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan
Alphonsion Deng , Benson Deng , Benjamin Ajak , and Judy A. Bernstein
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

Sudan | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

North Africa | Africa | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1586483889

Book Description

A stunning literary survival story, hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a "moving, beautifully written account, by turns raw and tender."

Across Sudan, between 1987 and 1989, tens of thousands of young boys took flight from the massacres of Sudan's civil war. They became known as the Lost Boys. With little more than the clothes on their backs, sometimes not even that, they streamed out over Sudan in search of refuge. Their journey led them first to Ethiopia and then, driven back into Sudan, toward Kenya. They walked nearly one thousand miles, sustained only by the sheer will to live.

They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky is three boys' account of that unimaginable journey. With the candor and the purity of their child's-eye-vision, Alephonsion, Benjamin, and Benson recall by turns how they endured hunger and strength-sapping illnesses. How they dodged the life-threatening predators-lions, snakes, crocodiles and soldiers-that dogged their footsteps. How they grappled with a war that threatened continually to overwhelm them. Their story is a lyrical, captivating portrait of a childhood lost to war, and of the perseverance of the human spirit.

Customer Reviews:

A life-changing experience.......2007-10-04

I never thought that a book could move me in the way that this has. It is gripping, inspirational, horrifing, beautiful tear-jerker that will keep your jaw dropped. You will be forever changed by this true account of a tragedy that sadly many Americans do not know about. Amazing book. Make sure to have a box of tissues by your side!

A must read.......2007-09-26

I couldn't put the book down and at the end I cried. It was hard to believe that boys so young had been through so much. If your interested in whats going on in Sudan than I think its a must read.

True, Real, Humbling.......2007-09-26

This book is so powerful, these boys journey is so humbling, there is no way that you could read this book and not look at your life in a different way. The crazy thing about it is that it is ALL TRUE, this is thier account of their lives, this book has encouraged me more to want to fight for social injustices.

Must Read.......2007-08-11

I have a BA in English and taught high school literature courses for seven years before becoming the administrator of an alternative school. I consider myself well read. Therefore, when I say this was the most moving book I have ever read, I do not say so lightly. I had the honor of meeting one of the authors, Benjamin Ajak, at a recent conference. While his English is not articulate, his message is gut wrenchingly moving. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is not a summer beach romance. It is the story of the survival of the human spirit at its most base level. It is both appalling and inspiring. It is a must read. If you are not a humanitarian before you read it, you will be after you read it.

Must Read.......2007-06-27

Amazing!
This sad true account of the lives of the people of Southern Sudan is a must read.

Average customer rating:

Another Donati gem.
Read This Series
More of the adventure
Donati recalls she's writing for the romance genre
This author's work is basically a rip off of another much better writer.

Fire Along the Sky
Sara Donati
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Family Saga | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

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

ASIN: 0553582771
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Book Description

With epic sweep and breathtaking adventure, Sara Donati’s bestselling saga of an Early American family’s struggle for survival in the Northeast wilderness continues with the story of an indomitable woman and an unforgettable journey of redemption across a young nation threatened by the flames of war.

The year is 1812 and Hannah Bonner has returned to her family’s mountain cabin in Paradise. But Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner can see that Hannah is not the same woman as when she left. For their daughter has come home without her husband and without her son…and with a story of loss and tragedy that she can’t bear to tell. Yet as Hannah resumes her duties as a gifted healer among the sick and needy, she finds that she is also slowly healing herself. Little does she realize that she is about to be called away to face her greatest challenge ever.

As autumn approaches, news of the latest conflict with Britain finds the young men of Paradise—including eighteen-year-old Daniel Bonner—eager to take up arms. Against their better judgment, Nathaniel and Elizabeth must let him go, just as they must let his twin sister Lily, a stubborn beauty, pursue her independence in Montreal. But on the eve of the War of 1812, an unexpected guest arrives from Scotland: It is the Bonners’ distant cousin, the newly widowed Jennet Scott of Carryckcastle. Far from home, Lily and Jennet will each learn the price of pursuing their dreams and the possibility of true love.

But it’s Hannah herself who must risk everything once more—this time to save Daniel, who’s been taken prisoner by the British. As the distant thunder of war threatens Paradise, Hannah may learn to live—and maybe love—again in one final act of courage, duty, and sacrifice.

A gifted writer, a master storyteller, and a first-rate historian, Sara Donati has written a powerful, poignant, and movingly romantic novel that chronicles the lives and adventures of a family as compelling and unforgettable as any in American fiction.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

With epic sweep and breathtaking adventure, Sara Donati¿s bestselling saga of an Early American family¿s struggle for survival in the Northeast wilderness continues with the story of an indomitable woman and an unforgettable journey of redemption across a young nation threatened by the flames of war.

The year is 1812 and Hannah Bonner has returned to her family¿s mountain cabin in Paradise. But Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner can see that Hannah is not the same woman as when she left. For their daughter has come home without her husband and without her son¿and with a story of loss and tragedy that she can¿t bear to tell. Yet as Hannah resumes her duties as a gifted healer among the sick and needy, she finds that she is also slowly healing herself. Little does she realize that she is about to be called away to face her greatest challenge ever.

As autumn approaches, news of the latest conflict with Britain finds the young men of Paradise¿including eighteen-year-old Daniel Bonner¿eager to take up arms. Against their better judgment, Nathaniel and Elizabeth must let him go, just as they must let his twin sister Lily, a stubborn beauty, pursue her independence in Montreal. But on the eve of the War of 1812, an unexpected guest arrives from Scotland: It is the Bonners¿ distant cousin, the newly widowed Jennet Scott of Carryckcastle. Far from home, Lily and Jennet will each learn the price of pursuing their dreams and the possibility of true love.

But it¿s Hannah herself who must risk everything once more¿this time to save Daniel, who¿s been taken prisoner by the British. As the distant thunder of war threatens Paradise, Hannah may learn to live¿and maybe love¿again in one final act of courage, duty, and sacrifice.

A gifted writer, a master storyteller, and a first-rate historian, Sara Donati has written a powerful, poignant, and movingly romantic novel that chronicles the lives and adventures of a family as compelling a

Customer Reviews:

Another Donati gem........2007-03-13

For any readers who haven't indulged in Sara Donati's series of books about Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner, this is one of the later books in the series. It's a fine book to read without having read the others, but
it's much more informative to start with the introductory novel. Sara Donati is one of those writers who is gifted at writing historical fiction.

Read This Series.......2007-01-09

Do yourself a favor and read this series. It's great fun without the guilt because it's a love and adventure saga rolled inside a history lesson. I actually missed the characters when I finished the last book and I can only hope Sara Donati is hard at work on the next installment. Start at the beginning so you know who everyone is and how they influence the story as it progresses.
1. Into the Wilderness
2. Dawn on a Distant Shore
3. Lake in the Clouds
4. Fire Along the Sky
5. Queen of Swords
Enjoy.....

More of the adventure.......2006-11-15

I do admit that if you haven't read the preceding three books in this fabulous series, this probably won't be as meaningful to you as it would be to a devotee, but, having siad that, perhaps I can convince some readers who wouldn't normally be fans of an historic epic, to start at the beginning..in fact I'm almost envious of what you have ahead! This story continues lives of the Bonner family, their neighbours and friends who live in a settlement high in the mountains of New York State. Elizabeth and her husband Nathaniel's younger son, Daniel, has been captured by the British forces and held prisoner on Ile de Noix, just over the Canadian border. Nathaniel's cousin, Lady Jennet, has arrived from Scotland to marry Luke, Nathanie's son by an early romance and, accompanied by Hannah, Nathaniel's half Indian daughter from his first wife,and Luke, travels incognito to the Island, in an attempt to rescue Daniel who has been badly injured in the fighting. If there seems to be too many half sisters and brothers to take in, it is all perfectly clear in the reading of the book which, while partly ends in happiness, also begins another episode which continues on to the next volume, Queen of Swords, which has just been released and which I'm happily devouring at a great rate!

Donati recalls she's writing for the romance genre.......2006-06-22

Really... a 4.5 review, but I rounded up for the stars. This is a fun 'escapism' read - not too thick on history or romance, and delightfully thin on military action.

I don't typically think of myself as a fan of romantic historical fiction - bodice ripping or 'fair maiden meets warrior' sorts of books - but occasionally I find books that have more meat to them than what one thinks of in this genre.

As a fan of Diana Gabaldon (particularly the first 3), I was pleased to find Sara Donati's series. Into the Wilderness (her first) caught my attention so much that I simply went out and bought the remaining three published thus far. Dawn on a Distant Shore and Lake in the Clouds were somewhat disappointing, and I began Fire Along the Sky out of a sense of obligation. What I discovered is that Donati gave up attempts to write 'action' and returned to her romance roots. The result was a much more satisfying book.

While lean on historical accuracies, this book delivers if you are looking for an entertaining story with some sexual tension and interesting characters. It is simply a very enjoyable read - nothing more. Just fun!

The drawbacks are that the story does build upon events from books One through Three, and readers will be far better informed if they've read the series in order than if they attempt to pick up here. Over the years Elizabeth Bonner's character has become slightly annoying, and Curiosity Freeman is practically a cliche. I missed Nathaniel Bonner as well; he's a bit too far in the background in this book.

That said, the characters of Lily Bonner and her cousin Jennet Carryck are more interesting. Further, Donati delivers realistic portrayals of how grief and mourning may rob the very life of a person when writing Hannah Bonner and Daniel Bonner, and how their painful silent inward anguish pains and haunts all who love them.

The draw in this story is the romance between Lily and Simon. Does it come out of nowhere as other readers mention? Yes. But you won't care after a bit. It simmers, nearly boils, then cools and simmers some more... and repeats that cycle again. The presentation of their growing relationship - particulalry their sexual one - is a bit 20th Century, but that just made it fun to read. Donati skillfully stokes anticipation, and brings back memories of feeling giddy. Enjoy!

This author's work is basically a rip off of another much better writer........2006-04-21

I have read her first three books and they were pretty good but very familiar. I think she tends to copy her style from another well known series writer. Her work has gotten progressively worse from book to book. Basically read Into the Wilderness and possibly Dawn on a Distant Shore but stop there. If you want a great series you can sink your teeth into, read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and Dorothy Dunnetts Lymond Chronicles, they are vastly superior.

The Journey of the Lost Boys: A Story of Courage, Faith and the Sheer Determination to Survive by a Group of Young Boys Called "The Lost Boys of Sudan"

Average customer rating:

The tragedy of the children of Sudan
Learning about Sudan? START HERE
OUTSTANDING BOOK
A good term paper
An accurate, heartfelt and well-written account

The Journey of the Lost Boys: A Story of Courage, Faith and the Sheer Determination to Survive by a Group of Young Boys Called "The Lost Boys of Sudan"
Joan Hecht
Manufacturer: Allswell Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Sudan | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

North Africa | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0976387506
Release Date: 2005-05-30

Book Description

Imagine you're a young boy—maybe as young as three or four—separated from your family by civil war, traversing deserts and mountains with little food or water, no medical care, and no protection from wild animals. Imagine watching hundreds of boys perish around you from hunger, disease, or attacks by enemy soldiers and wild animals. To most of us, it is unimaginable, but this was reality for "The Lost Boys of Sudan," thousands of young boys who were separated from their families and forced to walk approximately 1,000 miles to reach safe refuge from war and certain death.

For the first time, this award winning book offers readers a chronological timeline of the epic journey taken by these children, beginning in their rural villages of Southern Sudan and ending with their arrival as young men to the United States. Narrated through the voice of Joan Hecht, one of their American mentors, whom they lovingly call "mom" or "Mama Joan;" "The Journey of the Lost Boys" is a compelling story of courage, faith and the sheer determination to survive by a group of young orphaned boys. Because of Joan Hecht's personal relationship with them, she is able to portray their story in a way that most famous reporters and authors cannot. In addition to her extensive research of the political and historical events surrounding the long lasting civil war in Sudan, are the heart-rending personal stories and original drawings of the boys themselves. A must read for anyone interested in the the true story of the Lost Boys of Sudan!

Customer Reviews:

The tragedy of the children of Sudan.......2007-03-31

I can only summarize my comment about this book in a few words. The author Joan Hecht did a wonderful task in narrating the frightening and heartbreaking experience of the thousands of lost boys of the Sudan,Africa's largest country. Their dangerous journey involving thousands of miles in a very hostile landscape is incredible. The author's very kind heart,sincere consideration and admiration for these children is worth more than all the gold of the world. Very highly recommended for young and old.

Learning about Sudan? START HERE.......2006-10-15

This is the book you need to read if you are unfamiliar with the background of the issues in Sudan, the Lost Boys, and the issues faced by refugees who come to America. Ms. Hecht might not be an " academic", but she is the person with an enormous amount of first hand information on these subjects, and she breaks it down into managable pieces. Even if you are knowledgable on these subjects, this book is still useful as a clarifying tool. Ms. Hecht is also very committed, and that comes through on every page.

OUTSTANDING BOOK .......2006-08-11

Readers of this book will be touched by the stories of these incredible young men, who, at an early age, were separated from their parents and families. The atrocities witnessed by the boys are unspeakable. The author has provided the readers with stories that make those who have lived a life without fear take a new appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States.

A good term paper.......2006-07-26

The endless conflict in Sudan is another calamity that the press should have been bombarding us with daily for years. A tragedy of such dimensions should torment our collective conscience. This is exactly why it deserves a better telling than Ms. Hecht is able to offer us. The writing is amateurish and the text cries out for the editing it appears not to have been subjected to. Easy streamlining and the correction of some grammatical errors would make the book more readable and more powerful. Ms. Hecht's devotion to the cause of the Lost Boys is clearly sincere and praiseworthy, however, and she does deserve thanks for contributing to making us aware of the atrocities that go on in the world while we turn the other way.

An accurate, heartfelt and well-written account.......2006-06-28

Joan Hecht's "Journey" is in this reviewer's opinion the most interesting and accurate book available on the topic of the Lost Boys. As a former foster father to one of the lost boys and a fellow author and researcher, I recommend the book without hesitation. It presents an extraordinarily complicated situation in a manner that is comprehensible, fascinating and accurate. It gives the reader a true sense of the horror, courage and hope that has gripped a generation of young Sudanese men.

For its rare photos, clear and organized presentation and sincere prose, I highly recommend this informative and inspiring book and thank the author for her outstanding efforts.

Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific

Average customer rating:

Mult-dimension book and more books from the author
Engineeriing approach and more
Outstanding!
War of attrition -- superb campaign history
A little thin on Objectivity

Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific
Eric M. Bergerud
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0813338697

Customer Reviews:

Mult-dimension book and more books from the author.......2007-04-16

The author writes a mult-dimension book about an unusual war where an entire theater of operations was depend on capturing, and defending an airfield and then the next military objective was another airfield. I agreed that author failed to talk about the K-84 Hayate (Frank), but he forgot that the Japanese also produce the Shiden N1K2 (George) Navy fighter plane. The author also seems to forget that American pilots had to fly for 8 to 14 hours from England and Italy to escort the bombers and then fight the Luftwaffe pilots just like the Japanese pilots had to do from Rabual. The only differences was that we had more fighter planes and pilots than the Japanese, and our planes could absorb much damage from enemy fire and bring our pilots back home.

The author seems to forget that much of the American population was also unskilled labor when it came to maintaining planes that were designed by Americans who were college graduates. We had no nationwide apprenticeship program system like they have in Europe when it comes to producing a skill technical labor force. Nowadays, we have been getting rid of such a technical skilled labor force for the last 27 years. The Japanese at least gave their enlisted soldiers and sailors a chance to become pilots since 1928 and continue it until the end of World War II. On the other hand, the US Navy, Marines and Army did not try to expand their enlisted pilots during the war.

I did not realizes how easy it was to be hit by the variety of diseases and illness in the tropics. Amazing how the tropics can be so beautiful in the photographs of the tourist industries' bochures and at the same time be so deadly. Of course, those people who fought in Burma from 1941-1945 could emphasize those who were expose to the diseases in the South Pacific and dealing with the jungle.

The way they said that it rain so much in the South Pacific, you wonder how both the Allies and the Japanses ever manage to fight such a war in a place like that. If it rain so much, there would have been no war at all because all sea and air operations could not operate in an environment at all.

The author should also have talk to members of the U. S. Navy Fighter Squadron 5 and 17 since they fought in that area. Furthermore, he should also have talk to members of the U. S. Army fighter groups that operate from Guadalcanel.

I hope the author writes two books about the air war over the Philippines in 1944. The first book would be from October 1944 to December 1944 with regards to Leyte Island. The second book should be about air war over the Philippines from January 1945 to the end of Japanese air resistance.

Overall, an excellent book given the complexity blending in so many subject matters and how each one play a part in the overall campaign.

Engineeriing approach and more.......2007-03-30

The strengths of the book have been mentioned in other reviews, so I will focus on certain weaknesses not emphasized by others.

The first main weakness is luck of technical understanding of several terms by the author. He seems to confuse the terms, power loading, and wing loading. He failed to recognize that the Japanese fighters' lower wing loading was actually a more significant benefit in terms of maneuverability at higher altitudes where the air density is lower (he supports the opposite, which is not technically reasonable). He also makes the statement many times that the maneuverability advantage of the Japanese fighters at the expense of heavy armor proved not to be the winning advantage. The statement needs to be corrected however, in my opinion. When a very skilful pilot is manning the more maneuverable fighter, the compromise for maneuverability can actually pay off. Early in the war, the Japanese had probably the best pilots in the world, which justifies their choice in the maneuverability/speed/armor compromise. This is well illustrated when Japanese ace pilots, even late in the war, often engaged large numbers of allied fighters sinle-handed, and not only usually survived by using the maneuverability of their "obsolete" fighters, but also gained victories over their multiple opponents. However, as the author properly states, late in the war, the lack of speed and armor was indeed a serious drawback when the majority of the Japanese pilots could not be properly trained, due to the lack of aviation fuel.

The second main weakness is that the book is heavily biased to the American side. It fails to emphasize the important role of serendipity that allowed the Americans to gain significant advantages (i.e., the victory in the Midway battle which was very much determined by luck, or the early discovery of a flyable A6M2 by the allies which allowed the early development of the proper tactics to deal with the Zero). Another example of bias is as follows: In the section where a P-40 pilot (justifiably biased) declared that his side had the speed advantage and therefore could dictate when and where to fight, the author (who should intervene in a more unbiased position) failed to mention that the Zero had almost twice the rate of climb of the P-40, and therefore a far stronger advantage to dictate the terms of the air battle. Finally, and possibly the most significant example of bias is the Author's failure to even mention the Japanese Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Frank) in the Japanese warplane section. The Hayate had completely outclassed the US fighters in almost every respect, and its impact in the air war was reduced only by the relatively small numbers and the lack of experienced pilots and mechanics. However, an experienced pilot in a Hayate was a very serious threat to any allied fighter, even if outnumbered.

Finally, the superior fighting spirit of the Japanese was only barely touched by this book. Even though it is not fair to compare aircrew individually due to the different cultures, the Japanese had a considerable advantage in this respect. At the end, quantity overwhelmed quality, as far as the fighting spirit was concerned. In my opinion, this is a serious deficiency of a historical book, that by definition should at least try to be unbiased. A more in depth understanding of the unusual Japanese culture would have helped the author develop a better picture of the cultural disconnect, and how the allied leadership took advantage of the cultural difference to motivate the aircrews, and minimize potential ethical doubts when the latter were employed in the extermination of tens of thousands of Japanese troops (and later hundreds of thousands of civilians). The author states that racism had little part in the war ethics, but that is a serious historical error. In my opinion, we have to say history as it was, in order to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Outstanding!.......2007-03-09

This was the first book of Mr. Bergerud's I've read, and I must say I was impressed. The way he broke down the course of the war into the several aspects he felt to be contributing factors in its outcome I found to be thoughtful and well supported. He supplied frequent first hand accounts that not only backed up the point being made, but were startling in their vividness.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an in-depth study of the air war in the south Pacific. Don't let the size of the book scare you; he does a fine job of covering the subject and supporting his statements. I'd compare his style to the great Barbara Tuchman's: it may take you a while to get through it all, but when you're finished your understanding of the subject will be absolute.

War of attrition -- superb campaign history.......2006-11-25

Most of the reviews here are more concerned with how Professor Bergerud tells his story than what he says.

The what, however, is the reason to spend many hours with this volume.

This is the first history to pull together in one place all the aspects of the air campaign in the Southwest Pacific. Other writers, including some very good ones, have analyzed tactics or equipment. Fewer have paid much attention to logistics, which was even more difficult than usual in the terrible conditions of Melanesia. Fewer still have written much about the difficulties of maintaining health and morale of aircrew and ground personnel in such conditions.

Bergerud pulls all this together, along with thoughtful analysis of the differing approaches of the two foes to the campaign. Also, he explores the social differences between the antagonists, and those effects upon the battlefield.

Nothing is left out.

All this is deftly melded with many personal reminiscences of the warriors, making it an easy read for those whose interest in military matters is limited to the chatter of machine guns. I have never read a better popular battle history.

The Japanese side is underdescribed, inevitably. Not many Japanese pilots survived to reflect on their experiences.

A little thin on Objectivity.......2006-11-08

This is a discussion of why the allies were superior and as such is not so objective. Obviously written by an American however the author gives a nice nod to the Australian & New Zealand allies. It centres on the Guadalcanal and New Guinea campaigns and does not branch into the Central Pacific or Philippines, but is about the South Pacific campaings after all. Outstanding coverage of the weapons involved, more so for the Allied equipment. Easy to read, this book features interviews with veterans, which is valuable and entertaining. This book is an easy read although does drag out a bit too long and not as concise as Touched with Fire The Land War in the South Pacific.

Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894

Average customer rating:

"...wet winds ripe with the scent of death"
made me feel a bit guilty about enjoying a book filled with so much human suffering.
When Nature Strikes Back
Great read - beautifully written, amazing story
WHAT A BOOK!!!!

Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894
Daniel James Brown
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Natural Disasters | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Science | Blowout Books | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1592288634

Customer Reviews:

"...wet winds ripe with the scent of death".......2007-10-11

The quotation used as the title of this review is from Brown's description of crows arriving to peck at "bits and pieces of things they found among the blackened brick" after the fire storm had swept on, leaving ash and bone and incinerated bodies behind it. As this brief example suggests, much of Brown's writing has the dramatic quality of a gripping novel, and the realization that he is writing of a true event--a real life disaster--empowers his descriptions with an even firmer grip on the reader's imagination.

Through the author's words, we see small towns that grew up around sawmills located deep in the northern Minnesota forests late in the 19th century. We see also how the greed and ignorance of lumber barons created the conditions that would bring havoc upon their mills and death to their employees and their families, for the concepts of forest management and stewardship of the land had not yet been accepted, and vast slash piles of useless limbs were left to litter the forest and to furnish young fires all the sustenance they required to become behemoths.

Even in today's 21st century, with its slurry bombers, bulldozers, bucket-equipped helicopters, structure-protection engines, and trained ground crews, forest fires are dangerous and deadly beasts. Imagine, then, their impact on towns built of dried wood, equipped with only rudimentary steam-powered water pumps, and having no advance warning of approaching disaster. Brown's recounting of the fiery maelstrom that destroyed not only Hinckley but also several other sawmill towns before its energy was finally exhausted paints an alarming picture of the disaster, its causes, and its effects, both through its horrible immediate death toll and the lingering problems of its survivors.

Brown does not limit himself merely to descriptions of the burning beast that devoured the towns and their inhabitants, though such descriptions are perhaps the most readable elements of the book. He also discusses extreme fire behavior, the nature of burn injuries, post traumatic stress syndrome, and weather patterns that encouraged and strengthened the fires. Primarily, though, his is a history book focusing on a devastating conflagration in Minnesota (and lapping over a bit into Wisconsin) a little over a century ago. For readers interested in the impact of railroads on American commerce and culture, the accounts of flaming wooden passenger coaches and hot, smoky box cars crammed with fleeing refugees are not to be missed.

Essentially, hideous as it was to those who experienced it, the firestorm of 1894 was a local disaster. It exerted no impact on the destiny of the nation as a whole, and, like other disasters, its impact on individuals has been absorbed by the passage of time. Nonetheless, it was a horrific, if brief, event, and Brown has done a credible job of documenting it in an interesting and readable style, although, as his end notes and bibliography attest, his is not the only published documentation by any means. Still, his account has value to everyone interested in true depictions of human courage, fear, desperation, and a will to survive, and it should be required reading for anyone building a home in the wildland-urban interface and who is tempted to attach wooden decks and to use flammable wooden siding or shingles on the exterior of the home!

made me feel a bit guilty about enjoying a book filled with so much human suffering........2007-08-18

a few years ago i was enthralled by a book titled "firestorm at peshtigo," by denise gess and william lutz. this fascinating book ("under a flaming sky") does much the same thing; bringing a place from the late 19th century alive and vivid, then describing its horrid destrucion by fire in terrible detail. i read this book compulsively, yet part of me recoiled from the fact that i could find such incredible human suffering interesting. but i did. and i'm sure most everyone else will or would, too. humans have been involved in much horror throughout history, and those of us not there seemingly can't help marvelling at the spectacle of such all consuming tragedy. who can fully understand? anyway, this was a fantastic piece of non-fiction. i recommend you read it and weep.

When Nature Strikes Back.......2007-03-29

The first sentence of the prologue, "Something was afoot that summer -- something concealed, not yet revealed .." sets the tone for the entire book. The author writes in a quaint, somewhat purple prose, detailing what turns out to be a rather personal tragedy. Mr. Brown's grandfather lost his father in this fire, and the Hinckley Firestorm was a part of his family's history. Thus it can be forgiven when Mr. Brown inserts quotes from Shakespeare, the Bible, and Keats at the top of each chapter and names them floridly "Something Wicked" "The Cauldron" "Out of the Ashes" and so on.

You can even understand why he might write in such a breathless, extensively-researched manner, throwing in names, events, details as thick as the bone-dry underbrush that exploded that Sept 1st into flames hot enough to melt steel. This was a tremendously horrific event. Lives were snuffed out in an instant, and entire communties collapsed into smoking rubble.

Those who lived in the northwoods of that era were used to breathing in smoke and skirting smoldering brushfires. It was to be expected. That's what kept the timber mills running and helped folks meet the mortgage and feed the family. But something else happened that day in 1894. The combination of bad timber harvesting techniques, a hot summer's sun, atmospheric conditions, and two seperate fires joining together made for a disaster that wiped out 436 people (accounted for and interred), many native Americans (not accounted for and left unburied) and some dozens of communities.

The author does not flinch from gory details and plain medical facts, and delves into the personal backgrounds of many of the victims, and the prejudices of the day. Statistics come to life, family situations tug at the heart. The bravery of those who rescued others at the peril of their own lives and safety is excellently portrayed. He also speaks like a scientist, explaining why fire acts as it does.

Mr. Brown mentions other great fires of the time, including the overlooked Peshtigo fire, the worst fire disaster in American history and hardly recollected due to the fact that it happened on the very same day as the famous Chicago fire.

Great read - beautifully written, amazing story.......2006-10-10

I have read quite a few fire history books now, and the one complaint I often have is that the writing is mediocre compared to the story it tells. Not so here. This is an extraodinarily well written book -- poignant and moving without being heavy-handed, and it intersperses the story with facts about weather, wildland fire, death by fire, and burn treatment very well.

The only thing I wish the author had told us more about was the aftermath -- he alludes to the fact that many more people would die from their injuries, but never tells us much about how many do, or when... Perhaps that information is not readily available, though. Either way, the lack of this information in no way takes away from the book.

Bottom line: I absolutely could not put this book down, and I am glad to have learned a little history that not many people know -- and to have remembered the victims of this firestorm in the process.

WHAT A BOOK!!!!.......2006-09-10

My grandfather was a railroad engineer in southern Minnesota; he often talked about the railroad's role in this fire. I knew at a very young age that the one train was driven backwards to save people of the town. My aunt, who is almost 90, remembers going "north" on the train to pick blueberries as a very small child. She said even many years after the fire there were burned out stumps in clearings. As a young girl, everytime they went through the area everyone talked about the fire.
I could not put down the book; it was well written and kept my interest throughout. The author took time to explain many aspects of fires, human nature, health issues, and the social climate of the late 1800's.
This is a wonderful book for young adults and adults. It was not offensive in any way and even sensitive subjects were handled well.

Fire from the Sky: Seawolf Gunships in the Mekong Delta

Average customer rating:

Seawolf Veteran Comments
Rich on Anecdotes but Lacking in Substance

Fire from the Sky: Seawolf Gunships in the Mekong Delta
Richard C. Knott
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Cambodia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1591144477

Book Description

This is the dramatic history of the HAL-3 Seawolves, the U.S. Navy's first and only helicopter gunship squadron of the Vietnam War. The squadron was established "in country" to support the fast, pugnacious river patrol boats of the brown water navy. Flying combat-worn Hueys borrowed from the Army, the mission of the Seawolves quickly expanded to include rapid response air support to any friendly force in the Delta needing immediate, no-holds-barred assistance. Operating in two-plane detachments from specifically configured LSTs, hastily constructed bases, and primitive campsites, the navy gunships and their crews responded to calls within minutes. Flying in all kinds of weather, day and night, they arrived at tree-top level with forward-firing rockets and flex-guns blazing. Door gunners hung outside the violently maneuvering helicopters delivering a hail of fire with their hand-held M-60 machine guns. The Seawolves inserted SEALs deep into enemy territory, and extracted them, often despite savage enemy opposition. They rescued friendly combatants from almost certain capture or death, and evacuated the wounded when Medevac helicopters were not available.

Gleaned from historical documents and the colorful recollections of more than sixty Seawolf warriors, this is the first complete history of the most decorated Navy squadron of the Vietnam War. Naval aviator Richard Knott recounts the story of the Seawolves from the dawning of the concept to the moment the last squadron commander turned out the lights.

Customer Reviews:

Seawolf Veteran Comments.......2006-07-13

This is an excellent read. The facts are what they are and adequately support the "Sea Stories". Outstanding documentation and photos which gives the writer a grip on the reality of the Vietnam era warfare. It was especially gratifying to have the author go to extreme effort to conduct the personal interviews rather than just "wing it".

Gerhard E. Skaar
CAPT/USN/RET
Naval Aviator
HA(L)3, Det. 5 1969-70

Rich on Anecdotes but Lacking in Substance.......2005-11-16

The Vietnam War was the first conflict since the American Civil War where the U.S. Navy fought extensively along rivers. Riverine warfare demanded new technology and tactics, and the U.S. Navy responded to these challenges with remarkable rapidity. It quickly deployed a river patrol boat (PBR) based on a commercial design that drew only 9-18 inches of water and was powered by water jets. Fast and heavily armed with .50-caliber machine guns, the PBR proved very effective at interdicting enemy watercraft along the shallow tributaries of the Mekong River. The unarmored, fiberglass patrol boats, however, also turned out to be vulnerable to enemy firepower, especially machine guns and recoilless rifles. To protect the PBR force, the Navy developed the first and only light helicopter attack squadron in its history: the HA(L)-3 "Seawolves." Initially, these helicopters provided quick response close air support for the PBRs of Task Forces116 and 117, but eventually their role expanded to include medical evacuation, special operations, and air support for friendly forces in the Mekong Delta requiring assistance.

Fire from the Sky traces the Navy's Vietnam experience with light attack helicopters from the deployment of two Hueys on a landing ship dock Belle Grove (LSD-2) in 1966 through the disestablishment of HA(L)-3 on 16 March 1972. A retired U.S. Navy officer, and former editor of Naval Aviation News magazine, the author has written three other books on naval aviation topics, including a history of Navy Catalina patrol bombers in World War II.

In his acknowledgments, the author reveals he wrote this book as a Ramsey Fellow at the National Air & Space Museum, and benefited greatly from unit history records held by the Naval Historical Center's Aviation History Branch. He also interviewed numerous Seawolf veterans, including many of the unit's commanding and executive officers.

Given the author's substantive credentials and his access to oral history material, this reader expected a definitive history of the Seawolves-a book similar to Carol Reardon's recently published history of Naval Attack Squadron 75 in 1972, Launch the Intruders (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2005). In short, a book that blends operational history derived from an exhaustive examination of official documents with personal experiences gleaned from oral history. What I discovered was a book that contained some colorful descriptions of various actions, but not much else.

The Naval Historical Center recently declassified troves of documents on the activities of the Commander Naval Forces Vietnam (COMNAVFORV) and its subordinate units, including the records the River Patrol Force (TF-116) and the Mobile Riverine Force (TF-117). Knott never once refers to these documents, which include detailed action reports covering many the engagements chronicled in his book, as well as intelligence reports, monthly summaries, statistics, and other information useful for connecting HA(L)-3 to the broader war effort. Instead, he relies mainly on historical chronologies produced by HA(L)-3 and oral history to re-construct the unit's operations. As consequence, the book often struggles to place the activities of HA(L)-3 in a larger context. We learn a great deal about numerous small actions fought by helicopters and the derring-do of various pilots and door gunners but very little about how these efforts contributed to broader U.S. Navy operations such as Game Warden or Sea Lords. How effective were the Seawolves in protecting the PBRs and other small boats that plied the dangerous waterways of the Mekong River Delta? Was HA(L)-3 a force multiplier or an expensive luxury redundant with other air assets in the region?

Lack of context and broader analysis aside, I thought this book, given its heavy reliance on oral history, would at least illuminate the institutional culture of the Seawolves. However, even the book's combat descriptions come across as pedestrian because of the author's failure to develop his characters more fully. Unlike Reardon, who probes deeply into her dramatis personae, even going so far as to interview spouses, Knott rarely provides insights into the social backgrounds or ideology of the men who fought in the Seawolves. The light attack helicopter mission is not a traditional role for a U.S. Navy pilot. It's one more commonly associated with the ground services. How did Navy pilots fare in this role and how did their unique backgrounds help or hinder them in this strange role?

As the U.S. Navy enters the fourth year of the Global War on Terrorism, the service is once again taking a look at non-traditional missions such as riverine warfare. It developed the SH-60R, "Strikehawk," in response to deficiencies in attack helicopter aviation identified in the First Gulf War. This new helicopter carries offensive and defensive weapons, including Hellfire Missiles and .50-caliber machine guns. A comprehensive operational history of HA(L)-3 is therefore needed to help the Navy's leadership develop effective doctrine for this new helicopter. Unfortunately, this book will neither satisfy Navy leaders nor scholars of the Vietnam War. Written primarily as a tribute to the HA(L)-3 and its veterans, readers will find some interesting accounts of small actions as told by the people who fought in them but little information of substance on the broader contribution made by this squadron to the Navy's overall war effort in Vietnam.

Average customer rating:

I recommend the excellent movie instead
A fictionalized account of an actual abduction
It originally had us all going.... but its a hoax!
Alien Abduction?
Disappointing

Fire in the Sky: The Walton Experience
Travis Walton
Manufacturer: Marlowe & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

UFOs | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

UFOs | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1569247102

Customer Reviews:

I recommend the excellent movie instead.......2007-01-22

Walton spends a lot of pages arguing against the views of detractors. His own account of the abduction is brief and sounds like a Jules Verne story. He presents dialogue among his logging friends that occurred while he was away: he never explains how he would have known what they said. Whether he had a ghost writer is never mentioned, either to acknowledge that or rule it out, although it would be helpful for us to know if this logger, despite some college, just happened to write well or had the help of a professional. He seems more concerned that people doubted him than in focusing on what was apparently the fact for him that an alien contact occurred and what that means for all of us.

The movie and the book relies heavily on the polygraph claims. But a polygraph lack scientific verification, as I understand it, for lie detection. Would someone answering questions about something he may regard as a harmless fantasy have produced the kind of signs of anxiety a polygraph measures?

A fictionalized account of an actual abduction.......2005-11-09

While the account given by Travis Walton is undoubtaby accurate, the book itself shirks on actual facts of the abduction. I was shown a copy of the abducton chapters of this book during one of my own abductions aboard a ship out of Tau Ceti 5, by one of the aliens who was on the crew that abducted Travis. He told me that Travis was a real cut-up, which was fun at first but after five days the crew couldn't stand his practical jokes anymore and so returned him to Earth. It was bad enough that Travis never did master the skill necessary to use the zero-gee toilets, but the final straw was when he tried to take part in an examination AS ONE OF THE RESEARCHERS! Mzzrych, the researcher who explained all this to me, said that they had a harder time getting Travis to leave the ship than they did abducting him. Possibly Travis decided to leave the slapstick details out of this otherwise serious account, which would explain why only two chapters were devoted to the abduction.

It originally had us all going.... but its a hoax!.......2003-10-09

In its day, this book about an alien abduction experience, was something of a shocker. In a nutshell, a group of young men working as lumberjacks drive home one evening only to be stopped in their tracks by a glowing object in the sky. They get out of their vehicle, Travis Walton gets beamed up, the rest flee. Back in the town, and without Travis, they have to explain his disappearance. People start suspecting that one of them killed Travis and so a missing persons/possible homicide investigation gets underway. The men are given a polygraph test - they pass, and so they seem to be telling the truth about Travis and the UFO.

Then Travis turns up five days later and doesn't look the best. He tells a story about an alien abduction and he becomes a national celebrity. It certainly makes quite an interesting read. A 22-year-old forestry worker goes missing, six witnesses passing a lie detector test, say that he was last seen with a huge UFO, later he turns up to tell the tale. For years this encounter was heralded as one of the most important accounts ever of a UFO abduction and it certainly had me fooled too. I was a firm believer, no doubt about it, Travis Walton had indeed been abducted by aliens and had enough witnesses to prove it.

You must read this book, but please note that a lot of new information had since come to light which has debunked the entire story. I refer to the articles "Profitable Nightmare of a Very Unreal Kind" by Jeff Wells (from The Age, Melbourne, Australia, 6 January 1979), "Ground Saucer Watch" Memo on the Walton Incident and "Fire in the Sky" -- The Walton Travesty by Anson Kennedy which can be found on the internet. Basically the lie detector tests where botched and Travis even failed a number of them. The person who conducted these tests was paid to never talk about them again, but he did. When you couple this with the facts that the Walton's have a UFO history and their original statements in the missing persons case are somewhat suspect because his family said that he would "turn up" because "UFOs are good" without expressing any emotion of loss and the refusal of the family and Travis to talk to anyone who doubted their story ended up with numerous researchers/reporters/investigators simply walking away from the case. The Waltons sold their story to the National Enquirer and it is not the same as how the events actually occurred. So basically the book is good and believable until you do a little more research and find that the story has been twisted and the participants in the story did indeed fail numerous polygraph tests. So it just goes to show how a little more checking out here and there can make all the difference when drawing your conclusions.

Alien Abduction?.......2002-11-20

Along with Betty and Barney Hill's story, the Rozwell incident, and the Area 51-Bob Lazar stuff Travis Walton's intriquing experience makes for some pupil-dilating, pulse-quickening occult reading. If it's science fiction, it leaves "2001", "Star Wars", "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Hangar 18" and all the rest of them in the dust. If it's not...what is it? Did Travis tap into another level of reality? Or did he expose himself to a *natural* phenomena which electrocuted him, and caused him to wander around the Arizona woods in a semi-conscious state where his dream chemistry took over his brain for awhile?
Travis uses alot of space (printed page space, that is) to try to convince us that although he has a definite history of risk-taking and has a super inquisitive mind, he does not have the fertile imagination or the inclination to cook up such a story. He dispenses plenty of sentences in a defensive stance against the criticisms of folks such as Philip Klass, the noted UFO debunker. The final chapter is a tedious counterpoint to Klass' summation of the situation as...bunk.
The most interesting is Chapter 8, "The Aliens". It is absolutely fascinating; finely written. But it is revealed that these details originated in a question and answer hypnosis session.
That transcript, along with the actual interviews with his friends who claim they all witnessed the mysterious object's effect on Travis, is also not provided, and this technique (used effectively in Fuller's "The Interrupted Journey") makes up in riveting "realism" what it loses in literary quality.
On one TV documentary about fifteen years ago Walton came across as a very down-to-earth (pause) individual who sincerely wants the world to know that *something* happened to him in '75, and he's got many witnesses to that fact. He conveyed his message briefly and convincingly. Here we have a 170-page book running at 370 pages!
By the way, the color artwork is attractive.

Disappointing.......2002-08-26

First of all the abduction in the movie is nothing like the book, what was that about. The most interesting part of the book was of course the abduction but only two short chapters are about the abduction. The rest of the book was quite boring. There was no dialog with the extraterrestrials, we didn't find out that the hell they wanted, no message, no nothing. Your better off watching the movie and reading the two short chapters in the book about the abduction. Very intersting if the story really is true but you don't find out too much in this book.

The Earth Shook, The Sky Burned; 100th Anniversary Edition: A Photographic Record of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire co Earthquake and Fire

Average customer rating:

The Earth Shook, The Sky Burned
WONDERFUL PICTORAL & DESCRIPTIVE BOOK
The definitive book on the '06 Quake and Fire
So long ago, but so relevent
Not deep on narrative, but excellent photograph

The Earth Shook, The Sky Burned; 100th Anniversary Edition: A Photographic Record of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire co Earthquake and Fire
William Bronson
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Earthquakes & Volcanoes | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0811850471

Customer Reviews:

The Earth Shook, The Sky Burned.......2007-01-04

I did not purchase this book through amazon.com, as I have a hard bound copy with an inscription from the author. This compilation, the narratives and photographs are timeless.

WONDERFUL PICTORAL & DESCRIPTIVE BOOK .......2006-12-31

I AM SO HAPPY TO HAVE GOTTEN THIS FOR A GIFT . THIS HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY CLASSIC WILL HOLD A PERMANENT PLACE IN MY LIBRARY OF GREAT NON-FICTION & CLASSICS . THERE ARE 400 PHOTOS AND VERY DESCRIPTIVE CAPTIONS ALONG WITH SHORT STORY LINES THAT ARE WRITTEN IN PROPER CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER .

I HAVE EVEN TAKEN TO USING A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO SEARCH THE FAR BACKROUNDS OF MANY OF THESE HEART STOPPING PICTURES OF PEOPLE, ANIMALS FROZEN IN TIME DURING THE MOST FRIGHTENING DAYS OF THEIR LIVES . I'T SEEMS THAT THERE ISN'T PANIC IN ANY OF THESE FACES WHILE IT LOOKED LIKE THE WORLD WAS COMING TO AN AWFUL FIERY END . WHY HAVE WE AS A PEOPLE CHANGED WHEN CALM WOULD BE THE ORDER OF THE DAY DURING SUCH AN EXPERIENCE ?

MY DAD USE TO SAY MANY YEARS AGO, " MEN WERE MADE OF STEEL AND SHIPS MADE OF WOOD ...NOW MEN SEEM TO BE MADE OF WOOD "

The definitive book on the '06 Quake and Fire.......2006-05-08

Numerous writers and historians have told me that "The Earth Shook The Sky Burned" is still the definitive book on the events of 1906. Why have they told me this? Because my father wrote the book!

In any case, there is a reason the book has stayed in print for almost fifty years - it was meticulously researched and is an amazing pictorial essay. It is a must-have for anybody interested in those tragic and heroic days.

So long ago, but so relevent.......2006-04-26

I was fascinated with natural disasters when I was a child. I remember looking through this book, lying on my parent's bed, staring at the pictures of this horrible event. They haunted me then, and I can still see them in my mind's eye, these 35 years later. This is a story told with visuals, not dialogue. It is beautifully photographed, all without censure or special effects. The photos are grainy and some blurred, but capture the heart of the people of San Francisco, as it is broken and burned. Some images are difficult to see, and readers must use discretion if light of heart. Otherwise, I highly recommend it for anyone who has an interest in natural disasters.

Not deep on narrative, but excellent photograph.......2006-04-04

The basis history of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906 is well known, and will be repeated endlessly as the centennial of this geologic event occurs.

The present volume is a photographic glimpse into the awful events of fire and collapse that followed the earthquake. The book is not long on discussion, but the clarity and starkness of the photographs reveal much that discussion never could. For any student of geology, or of California history, the book is a valuable addition to one's library. These black and white vignettes of a terrible disaster tell us much about the life and times of that bygone era. I recommend it to all.

Brave Hearts Under Red Skies: Stories of Faith Under Fire

Average customer rating:

"Red skies" is an understatment
Brave Hearts Under Red Skies lives up to all expectations
The title lives up to its name.
A must read for servicemembers, veterans, and their families
A must read for servicemembers, veterans, and their families

Brave Hearts Under Red Skies: Stories of Faith Under Fire
Jeff O'Leary
Manufacturer: Chariot Victor Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Inspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Devotionals | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0781438128

Book Description

Where does faith go when the blue skies disappear?

This is not merely a book about the red fires of battle. This is a book about believers whose trust in God has produced great courage--enough to endure war's crucible. Col. Jeff O'leary (ret.), author of Taking the High Ground, has gathered a powerful array of personal war stories from America's beginnings through September 11th. These stories reveal a powerful and affirming theme of authentic faith under fire, spanning more than two centuries.

Whether you are part of the military family or just love America, you'll be challenged and changed by the stories of those who came before you--of those who faced faith-shaking storms similar to the ones we face today. Through these stories, you'll see that God is waiting to give you strength--He is waiting to give you a brave heart under your own red skies.

Customer Reviews:

"Red skies" is an understatment.......2006-06-01

Whew! Where to begin? Let's follow the logic. If God stops a bullet for me, but didn't dismantle the IED that killed my buddy, does that mean I did more to opress my gay brothers than he, or that my church made more money off me? Hate to be shocking for shock's sake but to take such a simplistic view of battle and real life or death situations is inviting only death. God gave us minds... facts and information keep you alive on the battlefield not blind faith in anyone, God or DoD. God helps those who help themselves, thank God the brain we were given is pretty useful for those situations. That this is being passed out like toilet paper on bases is the really scary thing, but its being debunked on a one on one basis let me assure you. More rah rah BS that takes real issues invovling real pain and transforms them into easily digestible fluff that keeps people thinking less and, well, i dunno, it doesn't get you to heaven any easier, (maybe quicker tho, i'd hate to see the soldier who is praying when he should be ducking since in O'Leary's world doing both is not an option) does it make you more suseptible to charlatans who bring out the bible whenever they want you to bring out your wallet? Probably. Nothing i haven't come to expect from the evil pseudo christian book industry, but just like flu season, just cause you expect it doesn't mean you won't end up noxious.

Brave Hearts Under Red Skies lives up to all expectations.......2003-06-11

If you have been around the military a while, you have had or know others who will tell you, without a doubt, God intervened and prevented a tragedy. "Red Skies" is a great collection of such testimonies. These are not sea stories but personal testimonies of real people in real life crises. The Corpsman, who ignores bullets, bravely doing his duty to save a life at the severe risk of losing his own. Colonel O'Leary does a great job placing the reader in the WWII battle for Okinawa. You read of LT Atkinson, SFT Brenkert and CPL Christensen, fighting as part of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, as they miraculously survive as swarming Japanese ambush. Then go to the Battle of "73 Easting" during the first Persian Gulf and see how a God-sent "Shamel" storm turns to the Coalition's advantage allowing US Forces to gain the upper-hand in this very intense tank battle. I really appreciated this book since I read it in various waiting rooms of Walter-Reed Army Medical Center. There is something about seeing some of our most recent combat wounded as you read of bravery, sacrifice, and faith to make such reading so very rich. God bless our fallen and wounded. God bless America!

The title lives up to its name........2003-06-11

If you have been around the military a while, you have had or know others who will tell you, without a doubt, God intervened and prevented a tragedy. "Red Skies" is a great collection of such testimonies. These are not sea stories but personal testimonies of real people in real life crises. The Corpsman, who ignores bullets, bravely doing his duty to save a life at the severe risk of losing his own. Colonel O'Leary does a great job placing the reader in the WWII battle for Okinawa. You read of LT Atkinson, SFT Brenkert and CPL Christensen, fighting as part of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, as they miraculously survive as swarming Japanese ambush. Then go to the Battle of "73 Easting" during the first Persian Gulf and see how a God-sent "Shamel" storm turns to the Coalition's advantage allowing US Forces to gain the upper-hand in this very intense tank battle. I really appreciated this book since I read it in various waiting rooms of Walter-Reed Army Medical Center. There is something about seeing some of our most recent combat wounded as you read of bravery, sacrifice, and faith. It makes such reading so very rich. God bless our fallen and wounded. God bless America!

A must read for servicemembers, veterans, and their families.......2003-06-02

Colonel Jeff O'Leary (Ret.) has released what will easily become a best-selling book that inspires faith and patriotism. As thousands of servicemembers return from duty overseas, and others deploy to ensure peace and security, many have personal stories of how their faith in God sustained them in their darkest hours. Anyone who reads "Brave Hearts Under Red Skies" will be strengthened to fight the good fight of faith as they serve their nation. All in all, readers will be reminded anew that God still answers the prayerful plea that concludes the U.S. Military Oath and ultimately transforms American citizens into Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, Marines, and Coast Guard members..."So help me God." As an armed forces chaplain and author, I highly recommend this faith-filled book to all servicemembers, veterans, and their families!

A must read for servicemembers, veterans, and their families.......2003-06-02

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books