I usually detest these types of books, which are written by business executives trying to pose as top-flight historians. But I was surprised and pleased by Axelrod's approach to FDR, and this would be an excellent book for people new to Roosevelt. The author assembles various quotes from Roosevelt and then applies them to real life situations we all face and fret about. Of course FDR was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and was a spoiled, coddled young man. The polio that struck him at the age of 39 was the great leveler and it transformed Franklin from a "feather duster" into a truly great man. Axelrod leads the reader down the path of Roosevelt's life, dispensing the major details and eliminating all the superfluous fluff. This results in a tight, well-written book.

It's fashionable in today's political climate to trash Roosevelt and trot out oodles of mis-information about the greatest President of the 20th century. Thankfully, this little book sets the record straight on a great and essential American.

Those already familiar with Axelrod's previous works already know that he possesses a unique talent for recognizing and then examining with meticulous care especially effective qualities of personality and character in great leaders such as Elizabeth I and George S. Patton.

I recently read two separate but related books, this one and Celia Sandys and Jonathan Littman's We Shall Not Fail: the Inspiring Leadership of Winston Churchill. The connections between Roosevelt and Churchill are numerous and significant. Some doubt remains as to how close their personal friendship was but there is no doubt of their mutual respect as together they and their respective nations faced what once seemed certain defeat by the Axis powers in World War II.

The title of his book is obviously derived from Roosevelt's memorable assertion that "the American people have nothing to fear but fear itself." In fact, of course, there was much to fear as German armies swept across Europe, conquering and then occupying one country after another. It is almost incomprehensible that while still emerging from the Great Depression, the U.S. became fully involved in two different major wars, one in Europe and another in what is generally referred to as "the Pacific." Roosevelt had only recently begun his third term as president when Pearl Harbor was attacked and was dead before World War II ended.

Axelrod suggests a number of lessons about which can be learned from Roosevelt performance as president, observing that "For FDR leadership was practical inspiration or inspired practicality. Take your pick; the two are impossible to separate, and you cannot tell where one leaves off and the other begins." These lessons are arranged according to fourteen different themes which provide the book with its structure. Axelrod explains that the order of the themes "does not reflect the chronology of Roosevelt's life and career, but it is intended to build a coherent picture of FDR as a revealing model of leadership values, ideas, skills, traits, tactics, and strategies. Within each theme, however, the leadership lessons are deployed in chronological order." As is also true of Axelrod's analyses of Elizabeth I and Patton, the material in this book is cleverly organized as well as brilliantly presented. I especially appreciate his selection of appropriate statements by Roosevelt which help to illustrate key points. Here are a four brief excerpts which are representative of Axelrod's thinking and writing.

"A key to Roosevelt's leadership was his genius for seamlessly joining idealism to practical action. For him the perfect piece of legislation, the perfect social program was one in which it was impossible to tell where theory stopped and practice started. They were one." (pages 3-4)

"A leader signals in many ways that he is in touch with those he leads: He acknowledges the needs and concerns of the organization. He acknowledges and praises the achievements of the institution. he demonstrates that he shares the values of the organization. And he ensures that he speaks the language of those he leads." (page 74)

"Leadership of any complex enterprise is rarely a matter of convincing people to 'follow me,' but rather a mission to persuade each individual member of the enterprise that he or she has common cause with every other member. This is an especially difficult mission when times are tough and individual [in italics] survival looms larger than the survival of the collective enterprise." (page 173)

"In any enterprise threat must be recognized. Once acknowledged, it must also be understood that inaction in the face of threat is surrender, not safety. An effective leader always makes the stakes clear. Choosing to fight is dangerous, to be sure, but in many situations opting for the apparently safer course of hunkering down in resolute inaction is simply defeat -- the very consequence one fears in a fight." (page 222)

Those who share my high regard for Axelrod's thoughtful and eloquent book are urged to check out two of his other books as well as Celia Sandys and Jonathan Littman's We Shall Not Fail: The Inspiring Leadership of Winston Churchill, all three previously mentioned. Also Howard E. Gardner's Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership in which he brilliantly examines the unique achievements of Margaret Mead, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Robert Maynard Hutchins, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., George C. Marshall, Pope John XXIII, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Margaret Thatcher, Jean Monnet, and Mahatma Gandhi.

for those nay sayers, here is yet another text that reveals how "color lines" still exist, and more than likely always wil. read and follow his footsteps for those who are not african american and want to see it again, hear it again, and feel it again...racism and discrimination against africans and african americans here in the U.S. in 2001.

If you need to know.. this will let you.. if you need to read about it ... this will tell you.. pick it up read it and pass it on.

In "Sable, Shadow and Ice", Cheryl J. Franklin has created another very original and complex world -- and one that is very much a departure from her other "Network-Consortium" series.

It's straight fantasy, with political and magical dealings galore. Franklin loves to pit the characters against each other, and no main character, good or bad, ever remains unscathed by the end of her books and this one is no exeption.

Well written, with a thought-out consistency to the fantasy elements, it is eminently rereadable.

The book also has marvelous cover art by John Howe. ;-)

Somehow the story won't leave me and every once in a while I return it, to re-meet Aroha aka Andrew and Marisa all over again. I haven't ever read a book with the same emotional feel and deep imagery as this one. All of the characters are complex, are struggling, are flawed. Andrew was an interesting hero, being the most complex of the lot. Marisa made a great heroine, she was easy to identify with amd she felt things strongly, without being handicapped. And most amazing was how important she was to the outcome, how unexpected her role was. The ending was sad and kind of sweet. It was a great book. I'm hoping that Cheryl J. Franklin will write another non-tech SciFi-fantasy book, like this one.

Salt Lantern by William Towner Morgan is an in-debth study of a man and his relationship with the home he was born and raised in. The story he weaves includes his personal recollections, other family members' recollections, as well as a chronological history of the structures his ancestors lived in over the centuries.

Salt Lantern is also a personal history of the various branches of Morgan's families--in England, Ireland, early America, and into the Twentieth Century. It appears he was born after the sudden death of his father, he was raised in a household of women, and he grew up not really understanding his place in the family.

Morgan seems to become the Salt Lantern, an artifact that has signifigant meaning within the family, but is not really understood. Morgan explores his own birth, life, and relationships through the structures he studies and describes.

This is a study of history, architecture, family relationships, and personal memoir. A good read.

SALT LANTERN: TRACES OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY is a salty journey with author, Bill Morgan, as he traces his life and records his family history. Beginning with his great-grandmother's salt-filled chimney lantern, Morgan captures his ancestral family history through his study of family homes, landforms, letters, and family artifacts.

Morgan travels back through time by visiting ancestral homes in England, Ireland, Scotland; then he moves to Vermont, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and North Dakota searching for buildings and landscapes, letters and historical documents that help him tell his story.

Satl Lantern is also about Morgan himself. As a child gowing up in Pipestone, Minnesota, with a single mother, surrounded by older siblings and cousins, (his father died before he was born), Morgan uses the environment he grew up in to find his own sense of place and purpose within his immediate family and his ancestral family.

Morgan adds fresh memories written by his brothers and sister, as well as journals and other family documents to create a comprehensive American famiy history.

For anyone interested in family history, architecture, or just a good read, this book is a pearl. Photos throughout help to tell Morgan's story. Esspecially interesting is the story and photo of the Salt Lantern House that inspired Morgan to pursue this project. Morgan tells us he now has the family heirloom in his possession.

This is an excellent boook for the wanabee to intermediate CB Radio tech. Easy to understand and full of information. This is the place to start if you want to get into Citizens Band radio repair.

The most popular
"Big Dummy's" guide ever published on do-it-yourself CB repairs & modifications. Covers peaking of receivers, transmitters, modulation, mike problems, antenna & SWR problems, detailed frequency modifications for both crystal & PLL radios.
Loaded with charts, illustrations, and specific instructions for most brands including the new export models. This latest edition also covers slider and broadbanding tricks, FM conversions, and much more!

callie wants to help the hardy boys in their work.when she is mugged and dicovers a code book,things start to get interesting.then joe is knocked cold in a daring robbery.will they uncover the secret code?read see no evil to find out!

When Callie demands to be let in on a mystery, she doesn't realize that's one about to find her. During her walk home, she is attacked and knocked cold. It seems to be an innocent mugging until a black book filled with codes is found inside her purse. Then news comes that someone who may have been connected to the case commited suicide! It seems like it until something else is later discovered. During this, the Hardys meet up with a girl called Lisa, who seems to be a victim herself. Is she to be trusted or is she one of them. Read for yourself to find out!

Bryce Wright has come full circle with the seasons, and as
he looks back over the past year he feels a supreme sense
of accomplishment. This Vietnam veteran now employed as
a Mental Health Counselor is ready to annotate his files with
closure and hopefully one success story.

His client Franklin Cooper has been plagued with the diagnosis
of a Manic Depressive Disorder with Drug-Induced Psychosis.
Bryce has been where Franklin is, so he is empathetic
toward the suicidal, drug induced behavior of Franklin. He is
committed to helping Franklin so he will not become just another
statistic; just another young black man lost to society.

Franklin's existence hinges on the hope he has in a cardboard
shoe box left to him by a father he loved unfalteringly. It
was the death of his father that heralded the beginning of
Franklin's detachment from life. And it is that very shoe box
that serves as a life preserver, rescuing him each time he
feels the waters of life eclipsing him.

Franklin's Shoe Box tells two stories, one about the challenges
teens and young adults confront when they choose to abuse drugs
and alcohol. And one about a Vietnam veteran who gets to tell
his story with hopes that it will be therapy for those who lost
a part of themselves in 'the Nam'. A catalyst for Franklin is
the fact that Bryce served in Vietnam with his father and can
fill in some gaps peppering his confused life. Along with
Franklin's issues Bryce realizes he has to help family members
who are co-dependent to Franklin's illness.

Mr. Davis has written an intuitive story with a pace that keeps
the reader in step with all that is evolving. The character-
ization could have been tighter, but this is still excellent
therapy, saturated with painful realism, and renewed hope in the
human spirit. This is a good read.

Reviewed by aNN Brown
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Since five stars is all I can give so be it; however, five stars does this book no justice. From the front cover to the back I was captivated by The Spirit of Franklin's Show Box. When I first started reading I was drawn in by the ease at which the words flowed. From page one I identified with the character Franklin Cooper and immediately fell in love with him. Even though he had problems there was an underlining, almost spiritual (pardon the pun) connection to him. The introduction of new characters was fresh and the dialogue crisp and exciting. I found it difficult to put the book down, even to go to sleep. With The Spirit of Franklin's Shoe Box Davis manages to draw the reader into the story. Some scenes I read two and three times because I was in awe of how well it flowed. I highly reccommend The Spirit of Franklin's Shoe Box to anyone looking for an exceptionally exciting, gut wretching read. What I enjoyed most was the dept with the author detailed mental illness as well as the information provided about Vietnam and the effects that war had on not only those on the front line but also how it effected their families. The primary and secondary characters in this book are wonderful, they compliment one another to the highest degree. Thank you Stormy Davis for having the courage to Tell such a wonderful story.

T.C. Matthews
Co-founder
Prolific Writers Network

Charity is one of the only crooks that's ever escaped the Hardys. Now they've spotted her in Bayport, and they're determined to stop her from escaping again. I believe this is one of the better Hardy Boys Casefiles books.

Charity is back...and Poor Joe is left to handle her almost all by himself!! This is one book where the brothers are hardly together ....and Definitely one of the most suspensefull. This plot is just one disaster after another..can't say more without giving away the plot!

This is a great book! My wife and I both read it after having lived in the Middle East for several years, and were pleased at the author's care to present Arabian life and culture in an accurate fashion. But this is not a story about Arabia, nor is it a story about war; it is an engrossing tale of espionage, love, betrayal, and three people trying to save a precarious government from collapse. I would like to give the book five stars, but the edition I read contained several spelling errors near the end; it looked as if the proof-reader had been in a hurry. But I do recommend the novel.

I loved this book--it was recommended to me by a friend who knew that I had spent time in the Middle East & I have to say, the story really evokes the essence and flavor of the area--you can almost smell the incense as you read. The plot kept me up all night--just couldn't put it down...Great suspense/espionage, also a poignant love story.

I'd been looking for a book about Winslow Homer for a while and was delighted to find this one. Kate Jennings' copy about his life and art are very good and the 68 color prints are large and on glossy paper. The prints are not top notch, but very nice. If you're looking for a nice collection of Homer's work without breaking the bank, this is for you. (This review pertains to the Winslow Homer book by Kate Jennings. Alas,I havn't seen the one by Nicolai Cikovsky.)

As an Art student, venturing into watercolor recently, I received this book as a gift. I truly gained much information about the artist and the additon of color plates (90+) make this a complete reference guide. The author has separatedhis works into catogories by subject matter.The intro- duction reviews his travels, family life,interests,educa-tion,recognition and awardsduring his lifetime. A brief review proceeds each Chapterwhich then is visually supp-orted by wonderflul,colorful plates of Winslow works of that subject. The Chapters are Civil War, Sea PaintingsTropics, Adirondonck and Canada, and Prout's Neck,Me. He was an extraordinarypainter of various mediums,and always captured the 'atmosphere' in his workswhether it was stormy seasoff the coast of Maine, placid lakes in the mountains, clear skies in the tropics or children at play at that time. Fortunately, he was an artist who was noticed during his lifetime and rewarded with fame before his demise at age 74, having enjoyed his love of his work. I would highly recommend this hard cover version, to any art lover or student of the arts. I will plan to purchase this publication for my son, and perhaps a friend in the near future.