"Siege" is the story, as told by the American ambassador to Kuwait, of the four-month ordeal that he and his colleagues faced in staying at their posts despite Saddam Hussein's order that they leave. They were effectively isolated from the rest of the world save for the tenuous radio link they maintained with Washington, and the sporadic visits of unofficial emissaries (e.g. Jesse Jackson, as seen on the cover) and Iraqi officials. Also housed on this compound was a hastily-collected group of American and other western civilians, who were NOT free to leave--for which reason the Embassy refused to close: these civilians had been gathered in as opportunity allowed, to save their being used as human shields in Iraq's defense of the occupation of Kuwait.

"Siege" is also an anthropological analysis of the interactions within this de facto community, an examination of how people come together and cooperate in the face of external threat. The physical discomforts they endured were manifold: heat, insects, montonous diet, finite supplies. But the worst danger was the psychological toll that their uncertain situation COULD have exacted, had the Embassy staff's leadership faltered.

The Ambassador is modest in his self-appraisal & generous in that of his fellows (both Embassy staff and civilian); he certainly did not ask to be besieged, but when the situation was thrust upon him he accepted on-site responsibility for all. The story, as he recounts it, makes me hope that were I ever to find myself in similar straits, that my companions and my leadership would be cut from the same cloth. Besides learning what actually happened in the Embassy compound during Desert Shield (the media afforded only short glimpses & that story was soon eclipsed by Desert Storm), I was left with a new appreciation of human versatility & spirit.

My only complaint about the book is the small number of pictures; then again, they were under SIEGE, for crying out loud!

This book has good photos for a user who needs to flip through for a visual i.d. as well as a full binomial key for the expert. It is comprehensive, showing grasses to trees, including far more than just common or showy species. I keep one in my library and another in my car.

Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands is the best single book on the often-overlooked Gulf Coast Theater of the War of 1812. Well written and researched, Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands brings to light several little understood aspects of the War of 1812. First, it illustrates the previously overlooked interrelation of the Creek War and the bearing it had on the outcome of the War of 1812.

Secondly, it details all military and political actions on the Gulf Coast leading up to the Battle of New Orleans. Most books focus only on the events of the battle, ignoring the many actions that had a direct influence on how the Battle of New Orleans was fought. Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands describes these events so one can understand thier impact on the outcome of the battle itself.

Lastly, Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands brings to light the divergent Southern opinion that the War of 1812 was a great military victory. From the Southern perspective, victory was nearly complete; the Creeks had been destroyed (opening more land for settlement); the Mobile territory had been annexed; and a major British invasion had been decisively stopped. The book contrasts this Southern perspective to the typical Northern view that the War of 1812 was at best a draw, which is the general view put forward by the majority of books on this subject.

Overall, the book is readable and informative. It is important for the new ideas and information it brings to the history of an area and a period. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in either the Creek War or the War of 1812.

I used this book in my 6th grade class to give background information for our field trip to Galveston. My students were amazed at the disaster and how life was in 1900. The author did a great job writing from a child's perspective and detailing the events, sights, sounds and even smells of the storm as well as the time period. It took us into 1900 for the 30 minutes we read every day. I look forward to reading it every year, even if we don't go to Galveston.

Este libro es la relacion de un hecho veridico.
Hardy fue el comandante de un barco britanico el cual se interno por el delta del rio Colorado...de pronto la marea bajo a su minima expresion y la nave de Hardy quedo varada en las dunas de arena...los nativos (presumiblemente Cucapa's) pronto empezaron a acercarce a la embarcacion... este suceso fue veridico y es uno de los pocos casos documentados de contacto entre la cultura de los indigenas Cucapas y europeos.

What an awesome story! The writer is quite a comical character. Not what I would have thought for a Gulf War Story. While I usually read other types of books and/or stories, I found after reading this book I need to broaden my horizons in various reading material. The writer really kept the story interesting, obviously factual, humorous, exciting, but most of all "eye opening". The writer, Bob Newman, sure knows how to put life in words. Often things would remind him of past events of his life so he refers back to those events. Funny how our future can be a reflection of our past. Good Job Bob. I'm impressed.

This book is one of the 3 Pisces "Dive Into History" series and is a very well researched and informative book on present-day U-boats wrecks complete with excellent underwater color photography, line drawings and wartime historical photographs. It covers the events leading up to and the circumstances of the sinkings of several U-boats. From the standpoint of the maritime archaeologist, the U-boat historian, or anyone interested in the history of war beneath the waves, especially technical scuba divers, it is a must. The other 2 books in the series I have read, "Warships" and "U.S. Submarines" are equally essential and well done. No submarine book collection is complete without Volumes No.2 and No.3 (U.S. Submarines and U-Boats).

I have 32 different books concerning the U-boats in WWI and WWII in my collection, and some of the most striking images of U-boats are to be found in this book.

Paul LaViolette has painted a sensitive portrait of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The discriptive scenes, written in short vinettes, have the reader looking through LaViolette's eyes at the flora, birds, and marine life that dwell in this unique area of the United States. His scientific background as an oceanographer certainly added to my personal understanding of the coastline and waters of the Gulf Coast. However, it is written with such a personal touch that I feel like a visitor to LaViolette's home.

Walter Inglis Anderson was that rarest of humans, a true visionary, so much so that the word "vision" weakly captures the fiery luminescence of his drawings, watercolors, and paintings. The works photographed and discussed in this book are perfect examples. Largely unheralded in his lifetime and for many years after his death in 1965, Anderson's work deserves more caring and careful studies like this. Co-published by the University Press of Mississippi and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, this book presents astounding photographs as well as insightful commentary on the murals Anderson painted on rolls and sheets of paper as well as on the walls of the Ocean Springs Community Center and his cottage near Shearwater Pottery in Ocean Springs. This book is a must for all lovers of the ineffable, mystical qualities of seeing.

This book is part of the American War Library's Persian Gulf War series. This book is about the 1990-91 US-Iraq Persian Gulf War. The book begins with a history of the Middle East, includes background information on the Vietnam War (very much in the minds of the American public before the Persian Gulf War), the various leaders involved, weapons used, the tactics of the war itself, and finally a chapter on the aftermath of the war.

This book seriously impressed me with the amount of information that it could fit into such a small package. This book tries to include all relevant information on the war, and it succeeds brilliantly. Coupled with the many black and white pictures used, this is an excellent resource on the war. It is short and succinct, containing anything the student needs to know about the war. I recommend this book for children AND for adults!