John Robbins has done it again! After reading his book "Diet For A New America" my life was forever changed. And now, "Reclaiming Our Health" has shattered my world view once again.

Though non-fiction, this is a powerful book that I could not put down. It exposes the problems of the modern medical industry and shakes it to its very core. This is a must-read for every woman, cancer patient, AIDS victim -- anyone who has every dealth with personal illness or that of a loved one.

This book is really about the relationship between the American medical establishment and Americans. We've grown up trusting doctors, the FDA, AMA, and other agencies to help us stay healthy and fight disease. Robbins writes about the betrayal by these agencies. Three-fifths of the book is about women's health including pregnancy, osteoporosis, menopause, and x-rays. He also writes about children and Ritalin, the AMA against chiropractors and midwives, its close relationship with the tobacco industry, and its persecution of "heretics," such as health practitioners offering cancer cures. Included are our backward attempts to control bacteria and viruses, which are actually helping them to grow stronger and flourish. Knowledge is power and in this book you will learn many things that hopefully will push you to make better, more responsible health choices. He also includes a wonderful resource guide in the back. This was the first book of his I read. Not only is the book incredibly well researched, but his subtle wit--impeccably delivered--is refreshing. He's a fabulous writer!

This is one of the best books on our healthcare system that I have ever read. I learned a great deal from it. I cried while reading the ways pregnant women have (and are still) being treated by the medical establishment. I never knew statistics showed midwife births were safer than hospital births. This book was an eye opener in so many ways and I'm grateful to John Robbins for having written it. The history of the AMA is comparable to a horror story... I'll never see things the same again. If you are someone who doesn't take things at face value and seeks the truth, I'd highly recommend this book.

AS AN AVID READER OF SUSPENSE NOVELS, IT'S HARD TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN SURPRISE ME WITH A "WHO DONE-IT" BREWSTER MILTON ROBERTSON WITH "RAINY DAYS AND SUNDAYS" DID JUST THAT! THE SURPRISE ENDING WILL KEEP YOU AWAKE NIGHTS TO FINISH THE BOOK. A GREAT READ! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

Brewster Milton Robertson's hot thriller, RAINY DAYS AND SUNDAYS, set at the Carolina seashore is a heck of a read. The protagonist, Buchanan Forbes, star pharmaceutical salesperson, devoted father and family man, intellectual, and all around good guy, finds himself on the wrong side of a Federal drug bust. The Feds are aiming to clean up the multi-billion dollar black market in prescription drug and medical device samples involving manufacturers, crooked detailmen, and physicians. To make matters worse the Feds are following the lead of a dingbat conservative President who has just outlawed all abortions and seems determined to return to dark ages politics of the 1950's.

Forbes finds himself in the middle of this mess when several young Carolina women die as a result of botched abortions involving experimental IUD's. The Feds pour on the heat and Forbes is wrongly accused of prescription drug theft and sales. His life is further shattered when his faithless wife leaves him taking with her Forbes's four beloved sons. Forbes sets out to put his life and reputation right and he has to fight mighty odds. If and how he is to succeed makes great suspense and a powerful read. Get the book and read it now. It won't wait for a "Rainy Day" or a "Sunday."

couldnt put it down.... was reading it during traffic stops.
oh...was truely great enjoyment... a must read...

I picked this book after seeing the back cover and a photo of a DSS agent in tactical gear firing an M4--not knowing who or what DSS was, I thought that this was interesting and starting thumbing through the pages of the book. The text was fascinating. The author, in a fast-paced provocative narrative, provides a blueprint for how terrorists have been plotting against the US for over a decade, and how much of the grueling work to bring them to justice has fallen upon the shoulders of DSS--the Diplomatic Security Service (although other agencies, most notably the FBI, has often taken the credit). This book is a long overdue testament to the Diplomatic Security Service and the fine work they do. A great read.

This book profiles the inside story of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and their search for the Al-Qaeda criminals. Primarily, the book details the quest to bring these terrorists to justice that occurred before the events of September 11. While most of America did not wake up to the threats these people posed until 9/11, the DSS has been aware of the potential dangers for many years, and has spent that time trying to capture them and protect US diplomats from falling victim to their acts. This book is highly recommended as it presents the inside story of a law enforcement organization that is little known and because it shows the lengths to which we will go to destroy this terrorist organization.

The Diplomatic Security Service is most probably one of the newest federal law enforcement agencies in the United States.
So almost nobody know nothing about it.
But Mr. Katz do know these guys. Almost an insider look.
In a way the book is a companion to the documentary Badges without borders. Explain in great detail their work fighting terrorism and have a brief explanation about their role protecting U.S: diplomats all around the world and foreign ambassadors and representatives in U.S. soil. These are the guys behind Secretary of State Colin Powell.
The book is well written and in no way is boring. Pay the money without doubt.

I have read this book three times! Ihave gone thru some very hard times in the past year and many,many times when i felt like there was no hope i would go back to this book and find just the right inspiration i needed to go on.The book makes you realize that even though Ricky is a superstar,Bettye and Ricky are still real people and go through the same kinds of problems we do.It was very kind of them to open theyre lives up for all the world to see just to help others. I for one feel they are two very wonderful and special people who because of this book have helped me to realize that no matter how far gone someone seems to be, with God and someone praying for them that refuses to give up all things are possible! This is a wonderful book ,written by a special lady about a special couple!

I think that Bettye Shelton has shown us how love, devotion, and prayer can change your life. She endured a time in her life when she easily could have walked out on her husband, Ricky Van Shelton. She chose to stay, and work through it because of her love for him, and her faith in God. Her friends were there for her when she needed them, and helped her to gain back her self esteem and to "fight the good fight" to win back her husband. I could not put this book down, and have now read it three times. A must for every woman who loves her husband.

i have read the book three times,and it has been loaned out seven times, it makes all couples realize how precious true love is and no sacrifice is to great for that kind of love. bettye & ricky should feel a great deal of pride in in this book it took alot of courage to write this book but thank god they did

I discovered jazz music by listening to Willis Conover's jazz program on the Voice of America. But at midpoint in "Straight Life" I found myself wondering about the music that I'd been listening to all these years. To be sure, Art & Laurie Pepper have collected a telling and troublesome account of jazz music from just before WW II until Art Pepper's death in 1982. But it's the jazz musician Art Pepper's own words that provides the most troublesome stuff. Booze consumed his life as much as he consumed it. Soft drugs like marijuana lead to hard drugs like smack (heroin). Pepper even wrote a tune about smack. He recorded the tune on an album called "Smack Up" not too long before he got busted and ended up in San Quentin. Pepper felt so strongly about smack (according to a story he relates early on in the book) that it was the first thing he went looking for when he got out on his first parole. And his second. And then there are all the other people who are junkies or who become junkies because Pepper introduced them to the monkey on his own back. It's the same story, page after page, until I began wondering about the music that had led me to buy the book in the first place, and not because I was that innocent in the first place. I lived through the 60s and had seen my share ruined & curtailed lives. But page after page of smack and the resulting criminal process that supported it for Pepper was just a little too much. I kept waiting for someone to provide intervention. When that one person does show up in Art Pepper's life, he turns her on to cocaine. In the end, and even at the end of his life, the saxophonist who'd played with Stan Kenton and who'd worked in music clinics with high school kids couldn't find anything within himself to keep away from drugs. When Pepper's third wife and co-author, Laurie, tells him that the doctor is going to order some pain killers for his last moments, Art's last words were "It's about time." Time enough to look for the last fix, time enough to run out of time at the age of 57. Which is a time too damn soon in a life, a creative life, too sadly wasted. Reading "Straight Life" was enough to make me think about putting away the alto sax that my son had given me last Christmas. Not to mention the records & tapes (and later, CDs) that I'd collected since I first heard Willis Conover's voice and the music he played on the Voice of America all those years ago. That's because this book is not for the faint of heart. This is a very troubling book to read. Should you buy it? Yes, if you want to get to the belly of the beast, if you want to learn about the basest nature of the human ability to delude oneself, if you have enough guts to say "Enough!" Yes if you want to know about the music. But if you have the least twinge of pain from reading about drugs & sex & a man who simply couldn't look himself in the mirror and say "enough," find something else to read.

An apt title, as Art Pepper tells in his own words what he did, and how he felt about it. Pepper was one of the finest alto saxophonists of all time but also a tortured individual who found escape from the reality of living through heroin. This book is not a fluffy piece of a read and not for anyone looking for such.
Pepper tells the raw truth about his drug use, prison time and even sexual activities ( some of the latter criminal). One is struck by how much time he wasted in prison and being so stoned he was unable to function. If that time could only have been spent recording and playing how much more of a legacy he would have left us!
If you wish to read a searing portrait of the life of a jazz musician and drug addict then read this book for there is probably no finer written example. I found it difficult to put down. Mesmerizing! Highly recommended.

This book is an honest account of a life which was anything but straight. Art Pepper succeeded in becoming one of the finest alto saxophonists of all time despite his hopeless drug addiction. His autobiography holds nothing back, and gave me a real sense of what a powerful grip his singular weakness had over him throughout his life. This is a book I will never forget, and I recommend it even to those who have never heard about Art Pepper. It goes beyond jazz biography, as a book about life as a heroin junkie, criminal, prisoner, and about a man who could not help but destroy all his successes. Read it.

Maybe my expectations were too high. I've never heard Etta James sing a song I didn't love. Not only does she have one of the most breathtaking voices in popular music, but she uses it brilliantly. She sings every song from the depths of her soul, and at the same time she's a very intelligent singer, obviously very much aware of, and in control of, her craft. I was hoping she'd bring the same kind of feeling and intelligence to telling the story of her life.

And it's a great story. Abandoned by her father and growing up in poverty with a difficult mother, Etta James became a juvenile delinquent, and over the course of her life faced down just about every form of addiction you can think of, from food to heroin. She was saved by a gift for music, which other people, thank god, recognized almost as soon as she opened her mouth.

So I began reading, knowing I was digging into a great story written by an intelligent and sensitive woman. But as I read, I found myself growing more and more disappointed. The book has some wonderful anecdotes about the nastiness of the music business and the foibles of a lot of famous people. They're entertaining and sometimes even enlightening - and they're the reason I wouldn't rate this book any lower than three stars.

But something goes wrong when she writes about herself. A lot of reviewers have praised her "honesty" in accepting responsiblity for her mistakes and addictions.That's certainly an admirable quality, but it doesn't necessarily make for interesting writing. Again and again, James tells you the sordid details of her mistakes, says it was her own fault, and then goes on to something else. And every time she does so, I felt cheated of any insight into what led her down the paths she took. She sounds like someone who hasn't really come to terms with her problems, and therefore most of the book seems rather superficial.

The story is inherently interesting and it would probably make a great movie, but its unwillingness to probe below the surface kept it from being a great book.

I dont remember when was the last time I read such a honest autobiography - while others would be tempted to describe themselves in the best light,Etta James achieved to be likeable BECAUSE she is honest person.Everything she went through,happy times,bad times,brutal,funny and sad,she tells with such a original style that her talking voice almost leaps out from the pages.I read this book in 2 days without a break,what a original character,never afraid to say it as it is,even if occasionally her story may sound down-right depressing,then she makes it clear that she still have that life-saving sense of humour.Besides making me laugh and cry,Etta also describes music legends from different perspective - Chuck Berry,Jackie Wilson,Sam Cooke,James Brown,Ike & Tina,Aretha,Keith Richards,Mick Jagger,Bo Didley,Ray Charles,Jesse Belvin,Esther Phillips... Etta knew them all and paint the picture as we may never knew it,from the backstage.While Tina Turner's autobiography curiously lacks any personal comments,Etta James book is all about its subject,this is the woman who is not afraid to say what she thinks and what a story she have to tell!

I didn't remember Etta James from my childhood. I heard of her story by reading the Amaon Web comments and then decided to purchase a copy of her autobiography. I can say that now I do remember hearing her sing "At Last" and that I am a true Etta James fan. She has written the most direct and gritty autobiography I have ever read. I thought Tina Turner and Billy Holiday was revealing in discussing their lives, but they have nothing on Etta. I'm still numb from the thoughts of her sad childhood and hard core adult life. Because of the interest I now have in Ms. James as an entertainer I will purchase a couple of her albums (CD'S)to get to get a better understanding of her music. She is a true legend.

I read "Ragman" many years ago and still find it to be one of the most entertaining star autobio's that I have ever read. Douglas is very straightforward in his retelling of his humble beginnings, his personal triumphs and tragedies, as well as his long and distinguished career. I recently found his follow-up "Climbing the Mountain." If it is half the book the former is, my financial investment on both would be worth it.

The autobiography of Kirk Douglas should be required reading for all American high school students. He proves that you can overcome any obstacle in America, no matter what circumstances you were born into, if you are willing to work hard, stay focused, and never stop following your dream. He overcame abject poverty, flagrant anti-Semitism, family dysfunction, and a society that all but guaranteed that he would never amount to anything. He was blessed with a passionate zest for living and learning, a voracious curiosity, and a fearlessness that allowed him to take risks that lead to great achievements in his life. He truly is bigger than life. He tells his story with brutal honesty. He has a great personal integrity that shines through the entire book. He is, like all the rest of us, imperfect. But he had the tenacity to tell his story, imperfections and all. He has worked hard for everything he has. He was NOT an overnight success. He is highly educated, and is a veteran of the U.S.Navy. And he remains his own man. His life is a great example of the kind of people who made this country the power that it is today.

This is the most interesting autobiography I have ever read. In addition to being a great actor, Kirk Douglas is also a terrific writer. The book is written in a crisp, lively pace with plenty of fascinating stories. Mr. Douglas discusses the good things he did during his life, and the not-so-good. He's definitely had a full life.

This was one of the best books I have read this year. I'm not a bird watcher by any means, and, despite the drama that I'm obviously missing, do not intend to become one. Nevertheless, I was captivated and moved by the story of Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk who builds a nest in Central Park, and then builds another, and then builds yet another. I thought the writing and story-telling were superb. The way Winn intertwined the story of the hawks with the story of the people watching the hawks, complete with celebrity references (if you blink you'll miss Glenn Close), was excellent. (It did not occur to me until the acknowledgments that one of the reasons the story-telling was so good is that the author is married to a film-maker, who offered advice on how to keep the story moving.)

Perhaps because I'm just not into birds generally, I was less interested in those parts of the book that did not relate to the hawks. Of these sections, the more memorable birds were the saw-whet owls and the woodpeckers. But the prose about these birds is not as moving as the prose about the hawks. Or, perhaps the hawk story is just so well-done it makes the other birds seem, if I can resort to anthropomorphism, pedestrian.

The book is obviously a labor of love, and it was a pleasure to read.

Ms Winn presents the story of red-tailed hawks that appeared in New York City and their unlikely selection of a posh condo building to locate their nest. She does a tremendous job of weaving birds, birders, and others who played key parts in putting this story together. This is not a book just for serious birdwatchers; I keep an eye on my birdfeeders, but have no great interest in doing more than watching. The book does address the adaptability of wildlife to urban areas (nesting in skyscapers, dining on pigeons and rats) with the availability of parkland nearby. Red-Tails in Love is quite readable, with brief encounters with the likes of Woody Allen, Mary Tyler Moore, and an astronomer key in the vital process of reading bird bands from afar. The book would be an excellent choice for anyone who wants a good read, nonfiction, with an element of suspence and lots of humor.

This book achieves what every thoughtful instructor strives for: to teach without letting the student know they are being taught-to make learning a seemingly effortless pleasure. Winn teaches the reader about Red-Tailed Hawks, as well as a good deal of observation practices, behaviors and helpful tips for making wildlife notations; all in the context of a thoroughly enjoyable story. The world of Central Park opens up and becomes an inviting (and ironic) man-made natural habitat.

Best of all, Winn shows us how the wildlife in Central Park united a village of caring people in the heart of a vast city.

I recommend "Red-Tails In Love" to anyone who likes entertaining and informative reading, but especially to those who also love nature.

I loved this book! Being a fan of the glamour of old-time Hollywood, it was so exciting to be able to read all these wonderful anecdotes and stories about what it was like making movies at MGM during its golden era. Greer Garson was a wonderful actress and lady who deserved to have her story told and I'm glad someone did her justice. Michael Troyan writes with much respect and admiration about Garson and digs up the most interesting details, directly from those who worked with her, knew her, and loved her. I would have liked to find out just a little more about her personal life, such as why she never had children and why she quit the film business, but all in all the book is great. Mr. Troyan, we anxiously await your next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Troyan's biography of Greer Garson. Like many who came along late in her career, I knew little about the star who was apparently a legend in her day. Troyan provides a vivid picture of the actress and the woman. Troyan's thoroughness in researching his subject is obvious from the many anecdotes provided by those who knew and worked with Garson, as well as the behind-the-scenes information on many of her films. When I met Troyan at one of his promotional appearances, he indicated that the rich detail comes, in part, from Garson's own unpublished and unfinished autobiography. Troyan's enthusiasm for his subject is obvious. The book is well-written and a relatively easy read. To provide a fair assessment, I should mention the book would benefit from a timeline, since it is at times difficult to keep track of what happened when. Also, Troyan commits the quite forgivable mistake of the first-time author. He provides perhaps too much detail in places. Don't let that keep you from reading a very informative and enjoyable book.

This is an utterly enjoyable book, both for the fans of Greer Garson and for fans of classic Hollywood in general. Michael Troyan weaves her story together with all the simplicity, grace, and humor that his subject deserves. The best feature, to me, is the wealth of personal commment included that Miss Garson had on her own life, as the reader sees her wit, personality, and loveliness of being begin to take form. It is the best star biography that I have read.

The late Bernard Fall presents a hard-hitting, cynical history of the French period in Vietnam in the 10 years just after WW2 and an even more critical look at the early U.S. efforts in the early 1960s. This is not light reading and its not pretty.It will give an accurate description of what the "West" faced over there. As any Vietnam Vet would attest, there is nothing "light" or "pretty" about that place and cynical is the only appropriate attitude. It's so obvious now how Ho Chi Minh and General Giap were successful."If only we knew then..." Mr. Fall also does a first rate job in compressing the conflict into less than 400 pages (including notes and appendices). He didn't have to recount every battle to paint his picture. This reader appreciates his account of Viet Cong convoy attacks -from only one first hand experience- they put cook, clerk and grunt alike in equal, sudden and random danger. Its ironic that the author met his sudden death in just that way. Serious students of the French years in Vietnam should read "Street Without Joy" first and then proceed to "Hell In a Very Small Place", which concentrates on the tragic but heroic struggle of the French Army at the garrison at Dien Bien Phu. Were he still with us,I'm sure M. Fall was one of those guys it would be great to hava a few beers with. What stories he could tell! I'd love to know more about the two prostitutes who were commended for bravery and proposed for medals! What would Westy say about that!

In this first hand account of the French war in Vietnam, Dr. Bernard Fall provides a critical analysis of French combat operations in a war that lasted from 1946 to 1954. Over 94,500 gallant, French soldiers died in this vain, yet valiant attempt to contain communism in Southeast Asia. What could and should we have learned from this tragedy?

Lessons learned included the folly of employing heavy, road-bound, mechanized/armored forces that were highly vulnerable to Viet-Cong (VC) ambushes, effective use of the jungle as a sanctuary by the VC, underestimating the stamina of the VC, and the ultimate war-weariness that caused the French public to rebel at fighting a seemingly endless conflict for no tangible gain. Add to this, the close coordination of political and military objectives that caused the Viet-Cong to sacrifice people, places and things to achieve a single objective: A Vietnam united under Communism. Does this sound familiar? This book, published in 1961, was readily available in the U.S. If it was read, it was ignored.

Fall gives detailed accounts of communist tactics and the results that accrued to French commanders who refused to recognize the fact that, "the (tactics) book," they had been schooled under simply did not apply in Vietnam. Amazingly, the U.S. then deployed our troops to Vietnam, with our own officers schooled by the same, "book!" Gallantry, esprit-de-corp, machismo, and/or faith in a righteous cause were no more effective against well-laid ambushes in the '60s and '70s than they were in the '40s and '50s. The lessons of history were there for the reading. Why we refused to heed them is a mystery that still calls for an answer.

Street Without Joy is not a left-wing condemnation of western "imperialism," or, the evils of "intervention." Fall neither condemns nor condones the goal of containing communism. He merely analyzes reasons for the French defeat. There was no precedent for fighting a "revolutionary war," prior to the French experience. The same could not be said for the U.S. If the French defeat was borne of ignorance; America's came seemingly from arrogance.

George Santayana said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it." There are two lessons to be learned here: First, tactical schemes should be derived from the terrain and situation, not from blind adherence to, "the book." Books can be altered. Terrain, climate, and enemy forces cannot. Second, never again should U.S. troops be compelled to walk any, "street without joy," that is combat, without conducting a thorough review of the mistakes made by our predecessors. Reinventing the wheel is not only inefficient; in war, it is deadly! Ninety-four thousand, five hundred eighty-one crosses scattered throughout Indo-china, each bearing the name of a French soldier testifies to the truth of lesson one. Over 50,000 American names on, "The Wall," silently attest to the second.

The late Bernard Fall provided us with the two best books on the First IndoChina War, or the French IndoChina War. The two book are "Street Without Joy" and "Hell in a very Small Place". These two books should be read to together, preferably "Street Without Joy" being the first book read. This book is required reading for any serious student of the French IndoChina War. It is a pity that many of the political leaders in the United States did not read these book and take away the lessons they imparted.