"Dummy Days" captures the essence of a time in the early (some say "golden") days of television. This book is about the art of ventriloquism as it flourished on TV in the 1950s and about the famous ventriloquists who practiced the art -- Edgar Bergen, Senor Wences, Paul Winchell, Jimmy Nelson and Shari Lewis.

Dummy Days is well-researched, beautifully written, and well-produced. I am grateful to Kelly Asbury for doing this work. It reproduces with uncanny accuracy a time that was magic to me, a time that I remember very well; it returns me to my childhood when I was a performing ventriloquist and following these five stars closely. But more than transporting one elder fellow down memory lane, this book serves a larger purpose. Like the Foxfire books of years ago, this book captures and preserves part of a culture as it existed in its golden era, an artform that in its original format has been mostly unattended for far too long.

Most literature about the culture of the 1950s misses the mark. Asbury got it right, and he gave comprehensive coverage of the subject. This is an important book. It recalls and records inportant things that otherwise exist only in the memories of my generation.

Highly recommended, not only for those who remember the dummy days, but also for those who do not and are unaware of just how golden they really were.

Al Stevens

It has been said a book about ventriloquists could never attract interest beyond the small clique of ventriloquists practicing the quirky art today. A major publisher's book would more likely be a "best smeller" than a "best seller," with little "cross-over" (non-ventriloquist) appeal -- a nostalgia piece with little relevance to modern day generations.

They said it couldn't be done. And DreamWorks' animation maven Kelly Asbury, author of Dummy Days, has proven them totally WRONG. Dummy Days matters-- and it works on every level.

Dummy Days is a book with INCREDIBLY wide appeal. In wonderful, painstaking detail, Asbury takes you through the lives of the 20th century's greatest "belly talkers" Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell, Jimmy Nelson, Senor Wences, and Shari Lewis. Lovingly crafted bios of these five performers (plus mini-bios on variety show host Ed Sullivan and legendary dummy builder Frank Marshall) make you feel you actually KNOW them personally, and you learn surprising never-before-disclosed details about them and the evolution of their acts.

But the underlying and skillfully developed subtext is the entertainment industry's brutal, take-no-prisoners evolution through the early to mid-late 20th century and how top "vents" adapted to it, then largely vanished from mainstream entertainment media's radar screen once Sullivan's landmark CBS TV show (a vaudeville show) was canceled in 1971.

Dummy Days is a book about highly-adaptable performers' sometimes roller-coast-like lives -- but it's also a vital entertainment history book. This makes it of interest not only to
ventriloquists and aspiring ventriloquists, but to ANYONE seeking to understand modern entertainment's roots -- from vaudeville, to radio, to vaudeville-influenced early TV. Each
time a dominant new entertainment medium eclipsed the previously dominant one, tastes shifted and successful performers had to adjust (their attire, their act, their persona) to survive.

Asbury, a highly acclaimed children's author, focuses on the five most famous ventriloquists:
--EDGAR BERGEN: He details the father of 20th century ventriloquism's evolution, from his adaptations to survive, to his big breaks, to his poignant last show and death shortly
afterwards. "For the first time in the history of ventriloquism,' he writes, "the art took a non-visual form'' with Bergen's hit radio show featuring life-like, carefully-etched characters. Asbury answers the raging question about whether Bergen ever had good lip control and shows why Bergen was the Gold Standard for ventriloquists.
--SENOR WENCES: A loving look at what Asbury calls the "surrealist" Spanish ventriloquist. An Ed Sullivan darling (48 appearances), Wences was pitchforked into national cultural consciousness by his hand-as-puppet Johnny and his head-in-the-box Pedro. Asbury tells you HOW and WHY these beloved 20th century characters came about . Superb account of Wences performing into his nineties (he died at 103).
--PAUL WINCHELL: The chapter is bittersweet since so little remains of pioneer Winchell's wonderful TV work. A great account of Winchell's rise from talent show contestant, to TV star, creator of innovative puppet/ventriloquism techniques, and interest in medicine, which led him to invent the first patented version of the artificial human heart. According to Asbury, Winchell, known as "The Television Ventriloquist," shaped early TV and "practically invented the idea of children's programming." .
--JIMMY NELSON: Called "Gentleman Jim" by peers, Nelson, who Asbury calls the "consummate professional," is most famous for his early TV work and legendary Nestles commercials with dummy Danny O'Day and dummy dog Farfel (N-E-S-T-L-E-S).
He recounts the accident that won Nelson the lucrative Nestles contract, propelling Nelson into ventriloquism (and advertising) immortality. This most affectionate chapter traces
Nelson's big breaks, savvy adaptation to changing venues, and key role in helping keep ventriloquism alive by ceaselessly promoting it, the Vent Haven ventriloquists' convention and
encouraging every aspiring ventriloquist who approached him (he even encouraged some like ME to go into ventriloquism fulltime).

--SHARI LEWIS: The most poignant chapter, due to her untimely death. Asbury calls the former Phyllis Hurwitz "the First Lady of Puppeteering." He offers NEW insights into why Lewis dumped using a dummy for sock-puppet Lamb Chop, how she tirelessly worked other entertainment areas when her TV worked ended, her extending her art beyond ventriloquism, and her work to educate kids. Superb account of a talent successfully re-inventing herself.

With its rare photos, short articles, multi-colored pages -- even page-corner animated flip photos so ventriloquists and dummies move -- Dummy Days is a feast for the eyes. From Dummy Days' meticulous research, to its superb writing, and creative design, Asbury gets everything perfectly right. Dummy Days is the best book ever written about ventriloquists -- and will likely remain the best book ever written about ventriloquists.

Mr. Kelly has poured his heart and soul into this book with research and facts. The photos are a trip down memory lane, with all the views you remember from days past. You will not be disappointed in the "Good Ol' Days" feeling you have as you read and enjoy this walk through Vent History. Baby Boomers .... take note of this book.. it will be a favorite read !!

If you are reading this, I will assume that you are already a fan of either Dave McKean in particular or Sandman in general.

Included are all the covers from the Sandman series minus the logo, publisher and price indicia, UPC codes, etc., thus showcasing these wonderful works of art in the format they deserve. Also included are some extra pages of art used to fill out the Sandman trade paperback collections. Even if you own the whole series, it is a worthwhile buy. But what makes the collection particularly unique is the inclusion of a brand new true story by Neil Gaiman and McKean about how the ficitonal world of the Sandman intruded upon their lives during the planning stage of the series.

As other reviewers have noted, the artwork is worth viewing on its own merits and deals with universal themes from the unconscious, so even if you don't know what the heck Sandman is it is worth a look. This is surrealism at its height by a master of many artistic media including painting, collage and computer graphics.

This book might be one of the better art books I've ever laid my hands on. It has it all! The first pages contains a, as usual, weird Sandman story, never released before. Dave and Neil also sets the standard for the rest of the books comments, ironic and sarcastic. Then from there on and out, the amazing covers, but that's not all, its also got comments on each cover by Dave and Neil, and the covers are printed without any logos or titles on them! Interior art is also included. The layout by Dave McKean is also beautiful, and at the end of the book, you can see some nice art from his studio in England. This book is a must for anyone who likes art in general, maybe especialy the mystic and dark genre. Dave McKean has reallly shown us that he is maybe one of this decades most talented and creative artists!

Dave McKean's artwork is simply brilliant in this amazing and complete anthology of all his Sandman covers. Dave uses a variety of media, including photography, pen & pencil, and computer graphics. He uses strange, unconventional color schemes and interesting juxtaposition to weave complicated collages and tapestries of some of the best contemporary gothic imagery I have ever laid eyes on...a dazzling collection of dark, creative & surreal art.

Sandman is one of the most unique and original comic series in history, and it has covers to match. Most other comic covers are nice, detailed and stylistic, but often plain, uninspired and all-together too similar. The Sandman covers are twisted, gritty and often haunting works which evoke intense feelings in the viewer's mind. Some make you want to look away, others draw you in. Regardless, all the artwork here will leave you eager to explore its nuances and most exquisite facets.

In addition to the astounding artwork, a few extra bits and pieces were included to make this more of a complementary package. A short, previously unreleased Sandman story, insightful commentary for every cover, plus some interesting anecdotes and quotes make this a true collector's item. All of the covers are in their original form, free of logos, titles, code-numbers or any other markings which might obscure the aesthetic wonder of these ingenious creations.

You're paying ... for 208 pages of extraordinary artwork, writing and design by Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman. This comes down to 8.3 cents a page--a true bargain. If you're not willing to pay 8.3 cents for a wonderful work of art, then you may want to re-evaluate your definition of thriftiness.

The Elsie Dinsmore stories are full of encouragement and hope.My daughter and I have read the first four Elsie Dinsmore A Life ofFaith series by Mission City Press, we laughed and cried our way through little Elsie's life.

However, a note to those who are purchasing this series ... the Mission City Press editions are a revised writing of Martha Finley's Elsie Classics. Since purchasing the Mission City Press series I discovered that the stories in these four books are covered in the 1st book of the Original Elsie Classics -- the 1st book is Elsie Dinsmore. If you are wanting the Original Elsie Dinsmore books -- I recommend those published by Cumberland House.

Either publication will be a good read for you and your child.

Our whole family can hardly wait till the next night to read aloud from the new Elsie series. We picked up a paper back from the original series last summer and read it. Although we enjoyed the story we were so glad to find the newer versions by Mission City Press. While these new versions are chocked full of history they are much easier for our children to understand as the mid 1800's language has been updated. Elsie is an excellent influence on our daughters! We are all chomping-at-the-bit for the newest releases and the Christmas book. We highly recommend these books as a must for your personal library and are collecting them for our own library. We also have provided a complete(to date) series for our public library.

Hi my name is Hollie and I loved this book. I also recommend the whole series of Elsie. They are such great books.The girl lost her mother when she was very very young and her father is away.Well I can't tell any more or I will give away the whole book. You will just have to read it your self.

Franklin Rast's memoir Don's Nam is a coming-of-age story set in the context of the Viet Nam war. A lot of these have surely been written, and quite a few published. This one, however, is unique. It's subject and structure make it the ideal introduction to the Viet Nam experience for the uninitiated.

The "war" part of the book has an unusually effective structure. The author was a lieutenant (translation: a member of the one class of officers who actually had to get out in the field and do the dirty work) in the transportation corps during the war. He tells the story of leading repeated supply convoy trips into the depths of Vietnam's jungles. Sometimes these are funny. Sometimes they're routine. Occasionally they're harrowing. Whatever the details of the individual trip, however, the familiar context of truck driving, an almost mythical American activity, is always there to "anchor" the story to something familiar, even as events veer into the exotic, the bizarre, or the terrible. The recurring element of sudden, unpredictable danger characteristic of war stories isn't undermined in this book by the sense of unreality that readers with no military background often experience when they read of such events.

And in between the convoys there is downtime at the base. Here the familiar American culture,60s style, reasserts itself, incongruously enough, in the middle of a Far Eastern jungle. As officers, non coms, and men interact through the course of the memoir, Rast gradually uncovers the incredible tensions that existed inside this insular world - above all the clash of interests and values that took place every day between "lifers" and draftees. The memoirist, an unusual combination of north Louisiana "good old boy"/ROTC zealot and budding '60s cynic, moves adroitly between the lifer and draftee subcultures, and it is amusing to watch his language, and even his attitudes, change to meet the demands of the moment.

In these scenes, as always, the dialogue in the book is excellent! Mr. Rast has a fine ability to reproduce everyday American speech, especially the half-humorous, half-hostile exchanges of men who live and work together in constant fear of their lives. He also masters the much more difficult task of rendering the voices of the VietNamese whom he encounters with clarity, sympathy, and dignity. In fact, this is one of the joys of the book Rast's exploration of a culture and people that he does not know yet always respects.

What finally becomes apparent as one reads Don's Nam is that the memoirist who manages to pull off these difficult feats is an unusual man. He's full of contradictions. He's a regular guy from the redneck part of Louisiana who possesses an abiding interest in philosophy and eastern religion. He's an extravert with has a natural ability to relate to people of all classes and nationalities, and at the same time he has an alert and questioning mind that takes everything they say with a grain of salt. In the course of the book he builds a preliminary understanding of the world and the war from all of their inputs, particularly that of the Vietnamese, and learns to live with the ambiguities that remain

Leonard W. Martin Editorial Excellence (freelance editor of literary, academic, business and legal manuscripts)

Even though I was just a young kid when America was fighting the war in Vietnam, the subject always fascinated me. Guess I've read about every book regarding Vietnam that shows up on the bookshelf, each time getting more of the same thing-firefights with statistics, people who got killed or wounded coupled with how many of the enemy we wiped out in the process; frustrated military leaders held back by the red-tape, evasive politicians misleading the public into thinking the war was to support a democratic Saigon government. This is all just great but somehow the true feelings, bitterness, sorrows, fears, humor and doubts evaded my conception of the war until I read Rast's story from his diary along with the pictures he took. The events he describes stayed with me and they stuck, I felt like I was right there with him and I kept going back to chapters in the book and rereading them with different feelings each time. Theres a little bit of all of us in his characters and the situations and emotions they display: maybe that is why it feels so real to read and see something about the war I never experienced before.

What a remarkable experience. "Don's Nam" was an eye opener for me. I am a retired Navy Veteran of twenty-years. I enlisted into the Navy after the Vietnam war, and didn't know much about it. What an eye opener. It's a book that you don't want to put down. Don's vivid accounts of events and experiences was remarkable. Orient Express is must reading for everyone who has even the remote interest in the Vietnam War.

Faith is known as a powerful force to enable one to overcome emotional and psychological barriers that would deny their humanity. Jarvis Masters shares with us his spiritual transformation in a setting that is life denying. His poignant stories gives one insight on the culture of prison life on death row.

Of particular interest is Jarvis himself. He is an incarcerated Black man whose embracing of Vyrayana Buddhism has enabled him to move beyond the violence of prison life. Usually American Buddhism is associated with a white intellectual elite group which appears to ignore the sufferings of those incarcerated. Islam has been known as the religion of choice for jailed Black men while Christianity has provided religious solace and comfort to those imprisoned.

Buddha's visit to death row and Jarvis offers a new view of Buddhism. It has broken through its chains of exclusivisity and has offered those who are incarcerated the hope of finding freedom in the worst of circumstances. Jarvis' sharing of his practice of Buddhism is a testament to the great power of a faith to make a difference in one's life. This is a book to be read by all people interested in the transformative power of religion in today's prisons.

In Finding Freedom, author and San Quentin death-row inmate Jarvis Jay Masters compiles a heart-wrenching, funny, and sometimes profane series of anecdotal essays which might make for a simple read were it not for the author's spiritual transformation. If you are looking for a treatise for or against capital punishment or the values or demerits of prison reform, this is not the book for you. Instead, Masters portrays his prison life plainly, and without posturing, religious "one-upmanship", or political commentary. Instead, he tells of his own day-to-day existence and that of his fellow prisoners without the judgment most of us would inject were we in his position. Despair and his probable death are interwoven subtly, but seemingly without guile. His chronicle of improbable transformation from criminal to Buddhist practitioner is applicable to anyone struggling to find a spiritual homestead, and makes the book easy to relate to whether or not the reader shares a similar background with the author. Without explicitly making the intention known, he teaches us all that we are prisoners behind walls of our own erection, and that the only way to escape our prison is to look within.

Not your everyday prisoner's memoir! Jarvis Masters' stories from the "belly of the beast" are well-observed, written with a lot of flair, and often hilariously funny. He has spent a third of his life on death row, yet somehow finds the strength and spirit to grow beyond those walls with his mind and heart, through his life and the stories he shares with us. A truly inspiring book -- I bought it for several of my friends, and they are telling me that they have been distributing it around their own circle. This is not a political book nor an anti-death penalty manifesto, yet it makes its case quietly and simply through the personality of the writer. I can't see how anyone could read it and still be convinced that this man (who didn't kill anyone) deserves to be put to death by the State of California.

Mr Mares has managed to combine two of my personal passions, history, and fishing in this book. An engaging account of Presidential fishing habits, starting with George Washington. He has collected quite a bit of anedcotal information, and interspersed it with political cartoons appropriate to the period. My personal favorite is a photo of a very sour-looking Richard Nixon being taught the rudiments of fly-fishing by Eisenhower. A very worthy follow-up to his other book, "Out: The Vermont Secession Book"

First, and most obviously and most crassly, it shows how other United States Presidents have enjoyed (and could enjoy) their leisure-time in less controversial ways. Secondly, it's a lot of fun. Along with the fish-tales and other anecdotes, the book is filled with wonderful political cartoons from long-ago. The issues keep changing, but the presidents keep on fishing! Lastly, it introduces the reader to the tip of the iceberg that is fly-fishing literature. Three presidents have enjoyed the art of fly-fishing so much, they have been moved to write books on the subject. Hundreds of other authors have rhapsodized, philosophized and just plain instructed on fly-fishing, that this book will serve as a good primer for the person just wading into this pool of literature.

What a timely and refreshing read! Here's your chance to truly see presidents as human beings (even liars!) without a single reference to Bill Clinton! Perhaps Mr. Clinton would be well served to read the chapter on 'Streamside Situation Ethics' where we learn that LIES CAN BE TOLD AT ANY PLACE OR TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. We do learn that Calvin Coolidge swears and that FDR once lied to his son and the pictures of 'Nixon the Inept' are priceless! Fishing with the Presidents is a delightful book that will be enjoyed by all ages. It is a visual feast, brimming with political cartoons and rare photographs. I suppose you could read this book cover-to-cover, but I think it should be savored. Just open the book and take a nibble now and again. Washington spin doctors would be well advised to grab a copy of this book.. They might want to take a close look at the 1936 column of commentator Dorothy Thompson suggesting that promoting a fishing image is a good campaign strategy because '...all fishermen are safe, sane fellows. Not only are they incapable of harm to anything except a fly or a fish, but they are sounder, mellower, and more profoundly learned than any other breed of humans.' Mares has written a splendidly entertaining and educational book. Don't be fooled by its breezy, anecdotal style... there is plenty of serious scholarship. The annotated bibliography is not to be missed!. Fishing with the Presidents will make a great gift for anglers and political junkies alike. Even we piscatorially-challenged readers will be hooked by this book!

Callahan is simply incredible. Never before could such a man who so obviously has so many faults be considered a hero. At my high school, Callahan has become a cult hero on level with South Park. But Callahan's story is more than his sick and demented humor. He overcame a lot to just be himself. This isn't a self-help book nor is it a typical autobiography of a noted comedian. Callahan is something special. He overcame adversity so deep and so self-inflicted that at times it seems like John himself is the only one who could overcome it. In this book, he shows his glaring weaknesses and for it endears himself to his readers. This book is not only Callahan's finest, but it is also a triumph of humanity. Callahan proves over and over again through the book that sometimes the best thing you can do is forgive him for being himself. Just like you need to forgive everyone for being themselves.

John Callahan has written a fabulous book for almost any audience, mature mid-teens and older. One could call it irreverent and funny, morbidly funny in places. But it's much more than that.

The opener sets the tone: "On the last day I walked, I woke up without a hangover. I was still loaded from the night before." On one level it's the story of his life. We watch as he becomes addicted to chemicals at a very early age, starting with alcohol at twelve. We watch him cruising through his teen years, experimenting with other drugs. We learn about his adoptive family dynamics, his Catholic upbringing, his alienation from his father, how he was with friends, and his resentment towards his birth mother, who he feels abandoned him.

The last day he walked he was twenty-one. He and his buddy, also drunk and the driver, left a topless bar and drove into a utility pole at ninety. Callahan takes the reader through the most vivid description I've ever read of what it is like to become paralyzed in all four limbs, have sex as a person with quadriplegia, what the rehabilitation process entails, and how difficult re-entry is. For the first time I began to understand how critical a personal care assistant is for a person with quadriplegia, and how dealing with the vagaries of a state welfare program can virtually make or break one's ability to function.

He shares unusually open insights into his involvement with Alcoholics Anonymous, and his successful struggle to control his addiction, his triumph over self-pity. We follow his intense and persistent search for his birth mother, and his reconciliation with old friends and his adoptive family.

And finally, we see a gifted cartoonist and writer hone his skills, submit his work, and be rejected. Callahan shows us the real meaning of tenacity as he continues his craft, mostly at night, "his time." Eventually he becomes recognized and his sometimes infamous work is widely published, from Penthouse to the New Yorker. He relishes the thrill of creating.

In short, this is a sobering, instructive, yet humorous book about his life, and life in general, by a gifted man. On another level, it's a book about sheer guts, tenacity, and believing in oneself. Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot is a very easy read, and although first published ten years ago, its appeal is timeless. I strongly recommend it and thank my friend Dennis for introducing me to it.

Whether you are an alcoholic yourself or only know of one, this is the best book you can get your hands on to help you understand the life of anyone with a drinking problem.

It would be easy to dismiss this as a humor book, or a self-help book, or as just another biography of someone who has overcome adversity, but in truth it is a book about a man who could be anyone of us. It is not a matter of "There but for the grace of God..." but that we are all, like him, just people trying to find our way in this world. Some of us eat too much, some work to hard, some drink.

It's John's story of his recovery which makes me recommend this book so highly. He takes the reader through his worst crashes and every painful moment of his time in AA so that we truly feel and understand what it means to have a bottle in charge of your life.

If you have a drinking problem yourself, or know someone who does, I would, to paraphrase John, take them by the fastest transportation available to the nearest copy of this book. It is definately worth the read.

Before Bridget Jones, Sex and the City, or Shopaholic, there was Lee Tulloch's "Fabulous Nobodies."

Lee Tulloch was once the editor of Australian Vogue, and she puts her knowledge of fashion and the whole fashion glam scene to hysterically funny use in this little novel. The book opens with a hilarious narrative about the main character's nails of all things.

It's been years since I read Fabulous Nobodies, but it's a definite stand-out in a genre that didn't exist when the book was published in the early 90s. If you're in your 20s, a slave to fashion, any or all of the above, you've got to read this book. You can finish it in a day and you'll spend most of the time laughing at the antics of the main character and her crew. Our 20s are a great time of life (if only in retrospect), because we're no longer teenagers but not quite mature enough to be adults, so there's much goofing off, goofing around, and goofing up to learn from (or at least laugh about). Fabulous Nobodies is filled with all three. Don't miss this one.

This book is so devilishly funny, awful, and charming at the same time! Reality Nirvana Tuttle might be one of the most unusual charactures I've ever encountered. I found this book at a used book store, and have actually read it a few times, since it is one of my dearest favorite books. It's sharp satire to be sure, but it also has a lot of heart, which makes it an endearing little read. So, you should try and find a copy...it's so much fun!

I bought the Fabulous Nobodies off the clearance table for 1 dollar and I read the book to death. A fun wonderful story about Reality Tuttle and her adventures while trying to become the most popular, best dressed girl in NYC! Clothes are an addiction as well as her obssession with getting an article written about her to put in the village rag..JUST BEAUTIFUL! And in the end the girl gets the guy, the clothes and the article.

From what I have seen written on the pages exhibited, I am asking our librarian here in Sandwich, NH to purchase this book. Hugh Thompson has always been a hero to me, and represents the helicopter pilots who were in Vietnam quite well. We were all brash, and ballsey, and would stand up to a lot of things we didn't think too swift. His deed outshines us all. I flew UH-1D's in the Delta, and have written about my experiences there in OUTLAWS IN VIETNAM.
Being a helicopter pilot in this war was the best job one could wish for--it was the best year of all of our lives! Hopefully, more of these excellent aviators will be profiled in the future.
My librarian finally purchased the book after these initial notes, and I have been reading it nonstop. This should really shed some light on the horror of the Americal Division higher-ups who authorized this bloodletting by Lt. Calley and others of Charlie Company that day. They had been ordered to commit the atrocities we all know about today, and as I continue the book, it is interesting to me to experience the angst that Hugh Thompson and his crew felt that terrible day at My Lai. He is most human, and painfully so. The author discloses all this helicopter crew went through then and since; well done!!

Since the US Army finally got around to acknowledging the real heros of the My Lai massacre in March 1998 this book has been awaited by thousands of Americans who knew there was a great deal more than had been reported in the media and from official sources. Trent Angers' compelling story fills in all the details.Many of us who had served our country in the Vietnam period and previous conflicts knew that there had to be Americans who would not standby and permit killing of innocent non combatants by our own troops or by enemy forces for that matter. Something was dead wrong on that fateful day in March 1968 with the leadership of the military forces involved in an operation gone awry in the village of My Lai in central Vietnam.Now thanks to the clear reporting of CWO Hugh Thompson's story we know the full story of the undaunted courage and bravery of Thompson and his crew when they discovered the shocking truth that US troops were out of control and had committed unspeakable horror against unarmed women,children and elderly villagers in executing unlawful orders in a fundamently flawed search and destroy operation.

Author Angers brings to light events leading up to and following My Lai in vivid detail and the development of the ethical foundations of Thompson and his crew that did't allow them to look the other way on that fateful day.It is quite clear now that the Thompson crew stopped what could have been an even more egregious stain on the over two hundred year distinguished history of the US military.

As Angers tells us, the Thompson story did not come to light until a patriotic citizen soldier, Prof.David Egan of Clemson University saw a British documentary in 1989 and began a ten year crusade to see that this forgotten hero was justly recognized for restoring honor and integrety to the US Army he himself had served.

Angers telling of the Hugh Thompson story restores the faith faith of countless citizens that most of our soldiers in Vietnam served honorably and some like Hugh Thompson,Larry Colburn and their crewmate Glen Andriotta, honored on the Memorial Wall in Washington DC,were the real heros of that difficult period in our Nations history.This story of ordinary men taking an extraordinary action is destined to become a classic in the literature of the Vietnam period.As the author of the US Army's lengthy investigative report on the massacre tells us,"...If there was a hero at My

Lai,it was helicopter pilot CWO Thompson"

If you liked the movie "Saving Private Ryan", you will love this book. The only important difference is this one is a true story! It will restore your faith in the courage of three ordinary soldiers who risked their lives to save innocent women, childern, and elderly civilians during a barbarous killing rampage at My Lai in 1968. Hugh Thompson, the helicopter pilot, who directed the ad hoc rescue operation, also endured nearly 30 years of criticism and indifference from many of his peers in the armed forces. At long last, the heroic actions of Mr. Thompson, Larry Colburn, and Glenn Andreotta have finally been recognized and appreciated by the government of the United States. This book proves that it is never too late to correct a wrong and that true American heroes live among us. Every parent concerned about the dangerous effects of peer pressure should buy this book as a gift to their childern.

I would give it six stars if I could. This is the most insightful book on American politics I have ever read. It transformed how I look at politics in this country. So much of what ails our democracy -- low participation, poor representation, poor quality of campaigns, policy that doesn't reflect what the majority of Americans want, partisan bickering and polarization,on and on -- the author brilliantly shows how it can all be traced back to the Winner Take All political system we use in the U.S. ONe of the most interesting riffs was how much of what we usually attribute to a lack of campaign finance reform -- lack of political competition, or choice for voters, or accountability -- is really more directly impacted by the incentives of the Winner Take All system. Fascinating.

If you read one book on politics this year, make it this one.

Fixing Elections hits the nail right on the head! Steven Hill is an insightful, clever, and engaging writer who reveals in page after page, the many faultlines in the way we elect our public officials.

Hill's analysis is unique and refreshing -- and accessible. He dissects the American political and election system with the acumen of a political scholar, the tenacity of a man on a mission, but most importantly, with the clarity of a popular writer. Fixing Elections is an engaging and lively book that points to deep flaws in our elections and important directions for reformers to take.

This should be required reading for U.S. political science classes, and should be offered in our high schools as well. If you care about creating an engaged citizenry, a strong democracy and an accountable government, READ THIS BOOK!

This book is the "Silent Spring" of our political system. It's full of facts and anecdotes that will make you astonished and wondering why everyone is not apalled and talking about these failures of our system and how we can change it. Everyone knows that something is very wrong with our flailing democracy and the people at the helm, but Hill has really exposed the under belly that rarely gets talked about. He is helping us to see how the U. S. electoral system's failure has permeated the very fabric of our policy decisions and lead to citizen non-participation and despair. Each chapter is well written, compelling, eye opening and revelatory. I am still thinking deeply about the implications of Fixing Elections' arguments and know that this is essential information for the future if we are to survive as a democracy.