This book is not only intellectually dishonest, it is badly written and chock full of nonsense.

Read it at your peril.

Jake Easton's book Americans Behaving Badly documents some of the outrageous antics of those who let partisanship and personal ambition get in the way of doing the right thing. Most of the events Easton writes about are fairly well-known, like Cynthia McKinney claiming George W. Bush knew about September 11th before it happened and didn't do anything to stop it. Others are not as well-known, such as the large number of metal detectors that were not plugged in after stricter airport security measures were passed.

Easton's book breaks down each bad behavior into sections, ranging from celebrities to the media, from businesses and organizations to schools, libraries, and educators. Although the spotlight mainly shines on the inexcusable behavior of Democrats, Easton does not opt for one side blindly, attacking people like Jerry Falwell with equal fervor as Hillary Clinton. This works in Easton's favor, as it negates what could predictably come from liberal reviewers of the book as being blind partisanship.

Another strength Easton has is his thoroughness. Every story is documented in one form or another, whether it be done directly in the section or in the research notes section at the end of the book. With any project of this magnitude comes the risk that the central theme of the book may get lost in the reporting of events. This is not the case with Easton. Each chapter, save for the "Heroes of September 11th" chapter, focuses on just what the title says: Americans behaving badly. Something else that jumps out at you is the fact that in spite of all the negative events and statements made, Easton never loses faith that the majority of Americans do not share the sentiments of those this book exposes. This comes through with crystal clarity in the aforementioned "Heroes of September 11th" chapter, where Easton applauds the leadership and courage of both public figures and common people.

At the beginning of most of the chapters is an outrageous quotation from one of the particulars in that particular chapter. This acts as both a sign post of what to expect in the chapter and as a teaser to see what other things people have said. And Easton makes sure to give the context of the first quotation of the chapter in the chapter itself. This helps, since any statement can be taken out of context and made to seem outrageous even when it's not. Just ask Newt Gingrich about "wither on the vine."

Jake Easton's Americans Behaving Badly is an interesting read because it didn't just focus on the obvious. It included little-known or unreported stories that somehow escaped scrutiny and shined the light of truth on them, ensuring everyone got a good look at how badly some Americans behaved.

It is truly incredible how many outrageous things people can do and say, and it appears the book, Americans Behaving Badly covers most of it. I think society would be better off if Easton wrote a new book every year - so the threat of inclusion would force many to think before they say or act.

I did not like it. It is a bad story. Wolfs are not bad like in the story. Peter doesnt listen to his grandpa, so it is a bad example.

If you are familiar with the Prokofiev symphony, this book makes a good companion to the music. It puts into visual images the story of Peter and the Wolf. What I like most about the book is that, in the end, the duck lives. The ending varies somewhat depending on the version of the recording or book. In this book, it's a happy ending, which is better for younger readers.

We use the book by itself sometimes. Other times, my child will read along while we listen to the symphony.

Our children, 3 year old twins, love the music of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. In searching for an age appropriate book to show them the musical instruments that play each of the characters, we found this one illustrated by Ian Beck. Not only are the illustrations lovely, the colors and clothing of Peter, the hunters and the grandfather are interesting to a child. Also, each page shows the instrument played for that part of the story (find it in the box around the text), and in the back a page illustrates each instrument. We cannot recommend this lovely book enough to parents of young children discovering the beauty of music!

I am a 15 year old from North Easton, Massachusetts. My highschool, OLiver Ames, has their cross country course throughout Sheep Pasture, where much of this book takes place. IT was SO interesting finding out the history of the place, because I run there nearly every day. I would definently reccommend you to purchase this book, it is a bit chopppy, but overall you can learn a lot about nature.

Mr. Raymo takes a very unique perspective on a seemingly mundane topic - his daily commute. He takes the idea of stopping to smell the roses to a whole new level. Every day for over 30 years he has taken the same mile-long walk to his office. This book takes none of that walk for granted as Mr. Raymo examines every step of the way with fascinating detail. He explores the history of the city, the background of the path, and gives insightful, yet easily readable, scientific explanations of the wonders of the world that surrounds him.

At times the book feels disjointed. After all, the only glue that holds this work together is the mile-long path through nature. However, the patchwork writing allows Mr. Raymo to explore his world - a world he happily gives to the reader. I recommend this book; you'll never view your commute the same.

Like so many good books Silicon Karma becomes a state of mind. At one moment it is a techno-thriller, the next a fantasy and overall a great science fiction yarn. The characterization is solid and the story line a joy to follow. The world created by Mr. Easton is intelligent and believable. This is the first cyber novel I have read in large part due to my impression (mistaken or not) that many of them are too nihilistic to be something I honestly would enjoy reading. Silicon Karma was enjoyable to the point of distraction. So if you really must balance that checkbook, do it before you pick up this book.

"Silicon Karma" is Tom Easton's take on what happens when people can live inside a computer. "Silicon Karma" moves right along. Characters and dialog ring true (barring the odd clunk) but it's basically a novel of ideas.

This is a worthwhile book to read in that it contains novel, mind-broadening concepts in a decently written story that moves right along. It might become a classic in its own right, but is substantially lacking in all the stuff that is required for a book to be truly great.

Back when I worked with Tom on this, we had a lot of fun talking about using genetically engineered condors for personal aircraft and growing houses from tree seeds. Those stories grew every time we threw a few what ifs around in the world to come of genetic engineering. One day Tom sent me a copy of Sparrowhawk back in 1990 and lo and behold he dedicated the book to me. He took ideas that he provided the science and I provided the what ifs and turned it into a first rate novel of genetic science gone wild. But keep in mind, everything Tom writes in this book could happen, the technology is there, as he always reminded me. Highly recommend this book for a good read! Larry Haley

When Easter Eggs that ring when touched fall from the sky, it's both a new kind of First Contact and a love story. The question is--what kind of love?

An original science fiction novel from the author of SPARROWHAWK.

The arguements presented are can promote excellent class discussions. Very thought provoking. This is a great book for graduate ethics students and their teachers.

Mulder and Scully follow a truck which Mulder believes carries something odd, and a possibility of it being extra-terrestrial. The agents found out that they are no more than two pawns in a governmental game and the government will stop at nothing to keep them silent.

Este libro me encanto, es sumamente bueno, se lo recomiendo a todos.

The author utterly fails to come anywhere close to writing a serious, thoughtful book on the five men chosen as its subjects or their ideas and impact on American society and politics. This is a shame because the subject is interesting and vital. She absolutely refuses to take the ideas of the five men whose biographies she writes seriously -- I don't mean that she has to agree with their ideas to write a good book, but an author covering this subject at the very least owes it to her readers (and herself) to become familiar with the ideas and guiding principles of men like this. After all, they are serious well-educated thinkers. She absolutely refuses to do so. Instead, this book is an Oprah-ized People magazine level snide personal attack. The author dwells obsessively on the high school and college years (and mistakes and flaws) of her five subjects and attempts cheap dime-store psychoanalysis. She seems to be of the opinion that holding right wing views is pathological and her approach is to try to explain the causes of this pathology -- preaching to the choir at its worst. And that is the central flaw of this book, which skirts the edge of some vitally important topics and political ideas. Her treatment of affirmative action is particularly illustrative and shabby. Is it a good remedy for America's current racial problems? Or does it foster divisiveness between races, violate the Constitution and do more harm than good to its intended beneficiaries? There are serious arguments on both sides of this issue and it is a subject on which reasonable and thoughtful people can sincerely differ. The author describes and attempts to deal with exactly none of theses matters, but just blithely assumes and states that anyone opposed to affirmative action is a racist. From such starting assumptions and biases the book degenerates into a who-called-whom description of political tactics (never a pretty activity on the left or on the right) and personal smears of its subjects. It is tedious and uninformative in the extreme. It is generally a mistake to write a book about people you dislike and cannot begin to understand; this book shows why.

I could not put this book down! This book was very thoughtful, extremely well written, and told a very interesting story. The book details the lives of five conservative activists (Bill Kristol, Ralph Reed, Clint Bolick, Grover Norquist, and David McIntosh) who shaped conservative thought and activism in the 1980s and 1990s. Though I disagree with the positions of many of these conservative activists, their lives are fascinating. Some are true romantics and others are completely Machiavellian. All in all -- a great book for anyone who considers themselves (or aspires to be) an activist, a revolutionary, or someone that has a fire to make change.

Nina Easton's account of these five horsemen of the apocalypse is simultaneously snappy, wry, nuanced and fair. The five men she writes about are representative of the acolytes of the Reagan years, who yearn for a return to those Arcadian years, or at least to a presidential administration which would allow them to continue the Reagan's administration's mission of dismantling the federal government's role in its citizen's lives.

The account is snappy because it is fast paced and intelligent; Easton can write about wonks and eggheads and their beliefs without entangling the reader in wonkhood. Its wryness comes from Easton's wonderful ability to craft, or quote, the right phrase to convey an idea which in less gifted hands would be clumsily portrayed in a paragraph or page. The differences between and personal strengths of the five portrayed in the book are nuanced, demonstrating that they are not totally unsympathetic, and have some personal experience to ground their beliefs. Finally, though Easton's sympathies clearly do not lie with these knights of the right, her account demonstrates that they (yes, even Ralph Reed) have some sincerely held and reality based principles which point them at the windmills they charge.

It is a shame this book did not come out earlier this year, and was not better promoted, so that more people could soak it up before the election. I bought it only because by chance I saw Easton's interview on Booknotes a few weeks ago. Easton's book is another refreshing alternative to the instant analysis and high cholesterol punditry (is there any other kind) ladled out oversized portions. In an age when a candidate's ability to charm a daytime TV host outweigh ability or desire to understand the fundamental issues facing our government today, Easton's book is a reminder that a candidate propelled to the White House has a lot of hot exhaust behind him. We should know what we are going to have to breath before we vote.