With the reading of this last book in Mr. Maybury’s original nine book series “The Thousand Year War in the Mideast," I have finished them all. I enjoyed them all even though the Clipper Ship was not as good as the rest. Too many funnel stories.

Yes, I have already ordered the WWI and WWII books for my further enjoyment.

I find Richard Maybury a remarkably intellectual thinker and presenter of his view of history, politics, law, various economics factors, and of course many other issues. There is however a great deal of nothing more than his personal opinion on certain issues.

Enjoy them, yes without a doubt? Did I learn from them, I believe that I leaned a great deal? Do I accept every idea or assertion that he makes, no of course not?

He may be brilliant in his presentation, form and style but to accept his assertions as gospel, because I like those qualities, would be foolish indeed. I find some of what he attempts to sell as absolute fact and “the other side” as he calls it, quite thought provoking; but some of it I find completely unsubstantiated by other works on the same subjects.

In his attempt to get his nephew to see the other side...he quite often seems to blindly and incorrectly "take" the other position as if it were the only possible way of looking at the issue, which is completely inappropriate and often untrue.

For instance, as a former Marine who took great pride in singing “from the halls of Montezuma...to the shores of Tripoli” and learning the history behind it, I take great exception to his implication that America was nothing more than a complete lackey to the English and the Europeans.

One page 205 he tells us that “This will be the first case of the U.S. fighting the Europeans’ wars for them.” I find that an odd lack of research when in the college edition of “The National Experience” A History of the United States by Blum, McFeeley, Morgan and Schlesinger, Jefferson’s determination to stay out of entangling alliances and “wars” was not undone, by his mere desire or naiveté to be the puppets of the Europeans or the lackeys’ of some other power; but because he - actually found paying tribute - for immunity from attack to be too costly and humiliating to America. In short it was intolerable to him as President of this nation to grovel to another nation.

This could just as easily be looked upon as a positive step to inventing the concept of international waters and the idea of free trade agreements! In any case, it resulted in an 1805 peace with the Pasha stopping his tributes and later the end of all tributes in that area in 1816, according to their account.

So I believe that Mr. Maybury, although learned and scholarly, has failed to consider all sides of the issue, the times these events were conducted in, and the necessary mentality of those dealing with the world and an emerging new nation and world player. If we would have done nothing, tribute paying would have continued, does he believe that would be a good thing? Encouraging such high seas confrontations?

Could he be implying that we just do as liberals seem to want us to do with incidents of killing, by simply ignoring attacks on our property and the loss of life and write them off? Hey, what’s a few dead Americans here or there if we can secure favor with an enemy and understand him or her right? I am glad most of our presidents do not have that mentality, although the last one did, which was a real shame.

In addition as an emerging nation could Mr. Maybury really and truly believe that we should have been isolationist for the last 250 years? Democrats say yes out of one side of their mouths while saying no to any Republican who professes the same concept. It is a good word when they use it but a curse word when someone else does.

If we had been, then we would have gone the way of the Incas, Aztecs, American Indians and the French and just about every other defeated nation or people on earth. Non-involvement except for trade would be a great plan, in a world that never entered into the technological age, or that did not enter into the flying machine age or the age of rocket boosters, or the submarine age or the aircraft carrier age or the nuclear, biological and chemical age.

But that is not the world we live in. If we were still getting around with wooden ships, and balloons and horses and such, it would be fine to espouse those philosophies, but thank God we were flexible and fluid enough to adapt, adjust and become a world power broker and player in those days, and overcome the enemies who would by now be teaching our children how to speak their language by force.

I believe Mr. Maybury’s opinion go astray when they do not consider the real world and how it has holistically evolved. Sometimes even bad decisions were for the best of reasons when viewed from the long view. Sure we have made mistakes in the past, but he cannot assure anyone that not making those decisions would have produced any safer a world then we have right now. And the Middle East would be a hot spot with or without our minor involvement. By his own admission it was so long before the USA came onto the scene.

Unless of course he is trying to tell us a world owned, operated and ruled by a completely Islamic regime or tyrants like the Stalin’s, Hussein’s, Khomeini’s, Arrafat’s and Hitler’s and such would be better for us. If we were the wimps he suggests we should have been in world affairs back then, then that is exactly what the status quo would be today. No it is a good book, but the final solution to history as he sees it is an incorrect one, I think.

1000 Words

Richard Maybury is a very rare bird. He can take a complex subject, such as why the US government is engaged in a war with radical Islam, and explain its root causes in simple, truthful terms. He is a tough, hardheaded, fearless thinker who is unafraid to go past the facile explanations of the mainstream press and seek out the deeper causes of socio-political phenomena. Maybury relies on science, reason, and a penetrating study of history for his explanations. He is also an ex-military man with an astonishing grasp of military history and the current level of effectiveness of US armed forces

For instance, his analysis begins in the 8th century with the founding of Islam. He explains why the devastation visited upon the Islamic world by the European Crusades and the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan in the 11th-13th centuries still exert a powerful influence on the peoples of the MidEast.

He also clearly identifies the theoretical basis of his reasoning, i.e., Austrian (free market) economics and the natural or "scientific" jurisprudence that underlies the evolutionary development of Common Law, the basis of American freedom. I was stunned by his ability to extract from his studies the two basic laws (stated in short, simple sentences) upon which every successful civilization is and has been based. He explains in another book how America's success derives from the founders' understanding of these two laws. He writes that he has never found anyone who disagrees with the rightness of these two laws...although the current American political state massively violates both every day. In the context of this book, he shows how the US government's intervention in Middle Eastern affairs tramples on the two laws that, ironically, have always been the source of American freedom and prosperity.

I have read most of the deeper academic works of the Austrian school and am well-read on American/European history. I have also applied myself assiduously to understand the current conflict and its probable outcome. However, until I read Maybury's clear, concise book, I honestly did not understand what was going on. Maybury has given me the tools I was seeking to grasp the nature of the current conflict. For instance, he not only predicted that something like 9/11/2001 would happen years before it did, but also why it was bound to happen. He also predicts that unless the US gov't withdraws from the MidEast and apologizes for over 50 years of murderous meddling in the afffairs of the Islamic world, we will face far worse consequences. Maybury is also honest about the limitations of his ability to predict. He lays out the principles upon which he bases his projections in straightforward terms so you can judge his conclusions for yourself.

Maybury uses simple examples to explain why he thinks the way he does. Eg, he asks how we would feel if the Iranian navy were permanently deployed in Chesapeake Bay. He further states obvious truths that the mainstream somehow overlooks, such as, that the US military is over there in their homeland killing people right & left and has been doing so for 50 years; their military is not over here on our (US) homeland. He points out, without justifying them, that two decades of Muslim attacks on Americans have been in response to prior American attacks on Muslims that have killed thousands of innocent islamic men, women & children.

Maybury does not take sides (the thinks both sides are wrong) but does show how the American government (not the American people) has instigated the current version of the "1,000 Year War" through its continuous interference in the Middle East or as he calls it "Chaostan." Finally, he explains why the US gov't cannot possibly cure the ills of tyranny, poverty & constant violence that plague that part of the world. US meddling will only make things worse at great cost to both sides.

I feel so strongly about the rightness of Maybury's analysis in this book that I urgently recommend it to any and all free thinking people the world over, but particularly my fellow Americans. We are truly on the brink of potentially catastrophic events and Maybury is the one thinker I have come across who shows a realistic pathway out of the war and chaos to come.

Have you ever wondered why the people of the Middle East and Asia have such a hatred of America? The Thousand Year War explains, in lucid detail, why America is considered evil by so many people in the world. This book takes easy steps through the last thousand years tying the past to the present, and tying the Crusades to September 11. This book is an absolute must for anyone wishing to understand the world we presently live in.

This is a memoir of a middle-class Iraqi artist in Iraq - during the sanctions (i.e. after 1990).

Nuha Radi presents a much needed voice from Iraq.

Ms. Al-Radi gives an amazing play-by-play of how the war (the massive bombing campaigns by the US and allied forces in Baghdad and neighbouring cities and the ensuing embargo) unfolded before her and the people of Iraq. I couldn't put it down.

Ms. Al-Radi has a knack for turning a seriously tragic situation into an almost funny account through her matter-of-fact statements. Still, somehow she manages to not lessen the impact of the tragedy.

Ms. Al-Radi does not paint an "Oh woe is me," picture but she invites the reader to walk by her as she takes us through the experiences of the people of Iraq, (her friends and neighbours, and even her dog Salvador Dali and his "friends," etc.). She paints vivid images of the various stages of the war. For example she describes, in the beginning of the war, how the Iraqis had filled up their freezers to the hilt with meat and vegetables and anything they could fit in there fearing the onset of war. But, as the first bombs hit taking out the electical plants and leaving Iraq without power, in total darkness and every refrigerator and freezer unfreezing, the Iraqis are left gorging themselves as their food begins to rot inside their quickly defrosting freezers.

Ms. Al-Radi then takes us into bowels of the war itself describing the massive bombs that obliterate and take out innocent human and animal lives by the hundreds (at any given time).

She finally steps into the final blow of the war (pun intended) -the cruel and unusual punishment of the embargo and the ensuing anarchy that it creates, in addition to the odd occurrences in nature. Her trees die, her vegetables don't grow, strange insects never before seen take a hold of the trees and shrubs struggling to live, birds die by the thousands for no "apparent" reason, the cancer rates go up immeasurably, etc.

This is a much needed book. The human face of Iraq has all but been eliminated and replaced with the menacing one of Saddam which in turn justified/s the punishment that the people had to endure(are still enduring)as a result.

It is a wonderful book. It is sad that a book of this sort had to be written in the first place.

I read an article by Edward Said during the December 1998 bombing of Iraq which mentioned this great book. I bought it thinking that I will read a simple diary of the hardships of war. I was wrong. It is a beautiful mixture of everyday events, which Al-Radi makes humourous. It is only humourous because our tears have dried over Iraq's suffering. It is a book I recommend for Iraqis because it states all that we hear about from visitors of Iraq. I recommend it to others because the media never shows these aspects. Perhaps it will help to make people realize that the distant pictures of green lights broadcast on T.V. are much more damaging than "degrading weapons of mass distruction". That is not to say that Saddam Hussein is not a dictator who must be eliminated. The final part of the book 'exile' is particularly moving as the suffering does not end with leaving Iraq. A great book, please read it.

"Friendly Fire" is the definitive account of the tragic incident that took place in 1994 in the skies of northern Iraq. If you ever wanted to know how the US Air Force managed to shoot down two US Army helicopters and kill 26 people this is the book for you.

However, this is not a book intended to be "popular." At times, its analysis of the event is extremely dense and difficult for someone to understand who does not know about complex models of behavior and perception.

This being said, I would definitely recommend it to someone who wants to understand how a terrible tragedy unfolded.

However, I wish that the author had written a book which put a good deal of the theorical aspects of the incident in appendices and given a straightforward narrative of the incident and subsequent fallout. Some passages of the book read very easily and dramatically, and I have a feeling such an account might have found a wider audience.

I went into this book thinking "how in the world could this happen" and finished it asking "how is it that this didn't occur before."

A fascinating book that has significance for all types of emergency responders, who need to understand how such "mistakes" might occur and thus how to potentially prevent such mistakes from occuring in the future.

Friendly Fire is a insightful, intriguing analysis of the 1994 incident that resulted in the needless deaths of 26 peacekeepers in the Iraqi Norther No Fly Zone. Snook presents a compelling tale of a complex system gone awry, an organization operating on the edge of chaos, and the ultimate result of a deterministic system spinning out of control. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of systems theory and organizational behavior, LTC Snook presents his thesis with exceptional clarity and depth of understanding; his conclusions are as disturbing as they are fascinating: a series of rational decisions made by equally rational human beings still failed to prevent the very incident the organization was designed to forestall. A concise, well-written account of and incident with lessons that we should all take to heart.

The first time I met Larry he had a fisherman's sunburn and a contented smile on his face .... and that was in 1963 in Mrs. Holitzke's 2nd grade class in a small town south of Houston, TX! His dad had taken him and his brother fishing on the 'Lone Star' off the Galveston jetties and Larry was still flickin' the scales off himself.

Well, all these years later, it's a joy to read his stories and live the saltwater adventures that he describes so vividly right before your eyes.

And, though I have a biased opinion about the author, having lived some of the adventures myself, and having heard many stories about some of the others, I can tell you that there are few people along the Gulf Coast that can match the skills of Senor Bozka.

He can fish. He can use the English Language to weave an interesting and well-composed tale. And he can shoot photos so clear and imaginative, they could fill a thousand art galleries.

When you put all 3 of those together, and add the thousands of technical references gleaned from decades of experimentation and investigation and good ole 'field research', well, you get 'Saltwater Strategies'.

A book packed with tecnical information and spirited anecdotes and wonderful illustrative photography. Whether you seek trophies for the wall or the frying pan, this book will help you get that what you seek. KEEPERS!

And that's just what Larry Bozka's 'Saltwater Strategies' is ... a KEEPER.

Bozka makes angling simple for all levels of fishermen. Never plan on leaving for water without this book! Looking forward to future works. --KF

I want to thank Larry Bozka for putting the info in the "Saltwater Strategies" book together. I know this is old hat, but I recieved the book as a Christmas gift from my wife and really enjoyed the reading. I have been fishing the coast consistently for the past few years, and improving my techniques, yet I still coonsider myself a novice in the shadow of someone with so much experience. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Warren Thompson, a F-117 "Nighthawk" pilot, has put together a superb book, one of those that the aviation enthusiast will consider a "must" for his reading collection. This book covers the development, maturation and wartime employment of an aircraft unique in the annals of airborne warfare, and which is still relatively unknown as to its capabilities and potential for further application. The personal stories of the pilots who learned how to use this very different airframe, flying exclusively at night in a very demanding tactical environment, tell a compelling story of how men and airplane come together to become an awesomely effective war machine. Many of the pilots who flew "Downtown" to Baghdad on the opening night of the Gulf War, and many subsequent missions as the war progressed, tell their riveting personal stories as they faced some of the densest Anti Aircraft Artillery and Surface to Air Missile threats ever. Their determination, professionalism, camaraderie and teamwork are clearly articulated in a most readable fashion. They give every detail, short of Classified Information, about how they planned, adjusted and ultimately executed some of the most demanding bombing missions ever completed. The book also covers the intricacies of mission planning, sortie generation and a myriad of other challenges faced by those who put together the air attack plan and those who were charged with its execution. The book contains many excellent and previously unpublished photographs, including 7 in color, of the aircraft, aircrew, ground support personnel and results of bombing attacks in Iraq. A number of illustrations, photos of unit patches and maps augment this excellent text. This is a great book about superb aviators and a new and deadly form of air warfare told in a wonderfully personal and particularly readable manner.

This one is hard to put down until you are finished reading it. It gives insight into just how hard Desert Storm would have been without these mounts of Darth Vader, and the unbelievable dedication and hard work the ground- and aircrews put fore in those months of 1990-91.
All through the book there are plenty of pictures, both posed pilot shots and pictures taken by 82nd Airborne after the cease fire showing the damage done to Iraq by the F-117 community.

There is one small error in the book though. There is a picture of a fighter in it where the caption claims it's a damaged Iraqi Jaguar. Anyone that sat through aircraft recognition in any service around the world will recognize it as a MiG. Not a very big issue, but an error nonetheless.

I can recommend this book for anyone interested in getting a glimpse into a world only a few hundred people inhabit on a day to day basis. It's no wonder the F-117A was considered the star of the show after the Gulf War was over. This book explains why.

If you are looking for a book about the F-117,well you better don't hesitate to think twice,buy this book,its worth for your money,this book contains lot of photo from the exterior to the interior of the F-117,plus this book tell the operation conducted by the F-117 in the gulf war. Before I close my message, all I can say about this book is that,if your fond of F-117 then better get this one roght now before it run out of stock.

This book contains wonderful photographs of many tropical marine species. Some of the descriptions of the species, though, use complicated terminology and can be confusing. Other than that, all the features are excellent. After the description of each family of fish, there is a list of genera in that family and information on those genera. Also, each species has its own range map. Species that do not have a photograph are also described briefly. A pretty good book, especially since it has information on so many fish including sharks, rays, eels, and others.

I did find this book very useful, however it is slightly cumbersome to use if you are in a hurry (on the dive boat between sites) so be sure to write down your description of what you saw and look it up later in your hotel. The photos are fairly good (some are a little dark for my taste) and really useful for a beginning diver or snorkler. I would buy it again and plan on getting the campanion Coral Reefs.

This is the best book I've seen for identifying fish in this region when snorkeling, diving, or tide-pooling. I own & use several, but if you're only going to buy one guide, this is the one to get.

The illustrations alone would make this better than anything else on the market. Most guides rely on artists' renderings or studio photographs of dead fish. This book illustrates each of over 400 species with a close-up color photograph of a live fish in the water. Incredible.

The lay-out is good for identification; fish are grouped together by shape. That means you don't have to know much about fish to quickly look up something you saw. You can then cross-reference it to a complete description.

The physical manufacture of the book is also a plus. Its small size and flexibility make it almost unnoticable in luggage or a beach bag. It's also a little water-resistant: my copy has seen more than its fare share of dunkings, and still acts like a book instead of a soggy mess.

Of the few criticisms I have of this book, one would be that the index isn't too good (if Rainbow Runner isn't listed under "R", then where is it?). This isn't too much of a shortcoming, though, given that a field guide is usually used to identify species by appearence, not the other way around.

If you plan on observing fish in this region, I highly recommend this book.

If you are interested in plot, the professional reviews give the essential information, but if you have just discovered Martin Hegwood and enjoy mystery/detective novels consider this book as your key to the character of Jack Delmas. Sometimes, as in this case, the author's first novel (Big Easy Backroad) does not give the full motivation behind a character. To really find out what is going on, one must explore a bit. Frequently I find a series I like, either through a friend or luck, and then start working the back trail. As I do so, I often find a book such as this novel that has it all, plot, motivation, interesting detail. If you are new to Martin Hegwood and Jack Delmas, and you like what you have read, you owe yourself this one.

Martin Hegwood is another Mississippi attorney turned author. He has set this novel's plot on the modern Mississippi Gulf Coast where private investigator Jack Delmas, a native of the area, finds himself between a declining shrimping industry and a booming tourist industry with luxury hotels and casinos. there are wheelers and dealers, corrupt politicians, shrimp fishermen, and businessmen ranging from a shade-tree mechanic to a successful restaurateur. The novel presents a good picture of an area in transition where most people want a piece of the pie, but some people would rather be beach bums. The novel contains lots of local color about the area.

When Jack's longtime friend, the Croatian shrimper Casper Perinovich, dies in an explosion and fire at his home, Jack is drawn into the investigation and stirs up things people would prefer to keep buried. The story has considerable action, and Jack sustains some damage to his person and his pickup (messing with a southern boy's pickup can be as bad as messing with his woman). Along the way, Jack rekindles an old flame.

This is a good novel for commuters as the 272 pages are divided into 41 chapters.

I graduated from high school with Martin, and was surprised to learn that he had authored some mystery novels. The first one I was able to read was The Green-Eyed Hurricane. Only a native (or former native) can tell how beautifully Martin's descriptions of the area and people reflect the reality of the Coast. His descriptions of the sun reflecting on oyster shells in a driveway, or the scent of a freshly mowed lawn where the grass is mixed with wild onions were viscerally evocative to me. How many times did I experience these sensations as I grew up? The small details he included only increased the believability of the picture for me. The characters he has developed are only perfect. I found the plot to be extremely believable, as I know something of the history of Biloxi. It fits.

I am not really much of a conservationist, but I enjoyed this book. Mr. Hallowell presents a convincing argument as to why the nation, as well as Louisiana, should be concerned about restoring, or at least halting the destruction of, Louisiana's coastal marshes and barrier islands.

His treatment of the subject is objective with regard to all parties involved, though he does tend to resort to seemingly unnecessary hyperbole at times. For example, a whole chapter is devoted to what would happen if "the Big One" (hurricane) struck New Orleans from the worst possible direction. This is off-topic, because "the Big One" will cause massive damage to New Orleans even if all wetlands are somehow restored.

I found the book put forth a refreshing view of conservation - one that advocates conserving lands not only for ecological reasons, but also for human use. It illustrated Louisianians are coming to this realization, but didn't indicate if this approach is being accepted nationwide.

The book provided a lot of hard science, but I don't recall any references to evidence for a rising sea level, which is a refrain throughout the book. That makes me a bit skeptical.

Generally, though, I highly enjoyed the book, learned some concepts and facts, and recommend this to people of all backgrounds. It is engaging and very easy to read.

This book is not simply another environmental thesis. It is a word-portrait of the land sinking and the sea rising and the people who live in between. And unlike many national preserves the Louisiana Coast is rich with industry and the people who live and work in this fragile ecosysytem of the land between the Mississippi River and Texas are acutely aware that it is a very delicate balance between man's use and abuse of this precious national treasure.
The people who have given America Cajun food, Cajun music, Mardi Gras and New Orleans Jazz are responsible fot the catching and distribution of 25% of the seafood consumed in the 48 states. The vanishing wetlands are criss-crossed with 20,000 miles of oil and natural gas pipelines through which flow 20% of our nation's oil, 25% of our nation's natural gas. Additionally,30% of our nation's imported oil is transferred from tankers to pipelines in South Louisiana and then on to consumers in dozens of states. 80% of this nation's offshore production flows from the Gulf of Mexico through a maze of pipelines.
During the last quarter of a century, ending in 2001, Louisiana had lost 30% of its coastline. With 2002 Hurricane Lili and Tropical Storm Isadore have greatly escalated the crisis. According to state officials insured property loss due from these two storms exceeded one billion dollars. Accessing the land loss is a huge task and researchers are working hard to put a number on the acres lost.
Hallowell has spent much of the last two decades trekking around the swamps amd marshes and getting to know the people and their love of this land. He spent countless hours in government meetings and even accompanied people from Louisiana to Washington D.C. where they lobbied for the funds to rescue the Louisiana Coast. Hallowell has a good sense of history and the way people and their cultures have altered their land,.
What sets Hallowell a part from many people who call themselves "environmentalists" is his recognition of the need for man and nature to coexist.
He writes:"Many people have yet to equate a healthy anvironment with a healthy business, a lesson Louisiana's are beginning to understand. In fact, it is the primary lesson that the country can learn from Louisiana. Ultimately, there is little room for separation between business and environment, between environment and people who operate best hand in hand."

This book is extraordinary in scope and documents a crisis in Louisiana that threatens the mainland. Hallowell has done his homework and captures the human drama as individuals, the oil industry, landowners, sugar cane farmers, shrimpers, oyterman, fishermen and several government organizations stuggle to put their differences aside and finally start working together to achieve the same goal.
Hallowell explains the delicate balance between man's desire to use and sometimes abuse these fragile ecosystems and his certain knowledge that abuse is leading to permanent loss. He has portrayed not only the environmental situation but also the people who have given America Cajun food, Cajun music, Mardi Gras and New Orleans Jazz. These people are involved in the production of 20% of this nations seafood and 20% of this nation's oil. Mr. Hallowell has spent years researching the people who live in this area where land meetsthe sea and published an excellent People of the Bayou in 1979. It seems to me he has spent the last two decades doing the research that has allowed him to write this beautiful, poetic and timely book.

Gulf, by Robert Westall, is an amazing, amazing book. I read it recently during the war against Iraq. It was the seventh time I have read the book.
Gulf is about Figgis, a strange child who does abnormal things. In the book, they are called his Things. He will see something, hear something, read something, or discover a piece of information and immediately connect with it.
He will obsess over the Thing for days until it is simply over. Then he'll find a new Thing.
One of his most peculiar things happened when he saw an article in the newspaper. On the front page was a picture of a man. There was no caption underneath the picture with his name. Figgis suddenly wanted to write to the man. His parents managed to find out where the man lived, but they didn't know his name. Figgis wrote the man a letter. He began it, "Dear Charlie." When Figgis received a letter from the man, it was signed Charlie. It was addressed "Dear Andy", Figgis' real name. But the odd thing was that Figgis had signed the letter to Charlie "Figgis."
Then one night, Figgis' brother finds Andy muttering in a strange language. When Figgis awakes, he doesn't remember ever doing it and he can't speak the language. After that, it happens more and more. Every night, Figgis becomes someone else. He doesn't know Tom, his own brother. He climbs to the rooftop one night and sits there, speaking in the strange, harsh language, muttering to himself.
After a while, you find out what has happened to Figgis. He is speaking Arabic. He is experiencing what a soldier in the Gulf War is.
Figgis is taken to a mental hospital. There he speaks the language to himself, wears Army clothing, builds bunkers around himself, and uses a gun that the hospital staff found him. The Arabic soldier has taken Figgis over. Figgis not only experiences the soldier's life at night, now he IS the soldier the entire day.
Everything is made worse by everything else. Figgis no longer exists. It is like some terrible disease has taken him away from his family and friends. His dad, a true patriot, is always screaming at the television and watching in glee as more enemy soldiers are killed. Now his son is one.
This book is a somber, scientific read. It's definitely not for everyone. Also, true patriots who think that their country is always in the right shouldn't read this book. Some of it has to do with whether war is ever right. It points out that the soldiers on the other side are just as real as we are. They think that their view is more right than ours and they are also willing to die for it.
Later on in the hospital, when Figgis returns to himself for a few brief moments, he says to Tom that maybe his position is to make up for all the people out there who don't give a damn about who's going to die, and who is going to be wounded. Maybe Figgis' terrible state is because no one in his family except Tom really cares about the other side of the war. His father just wants to see as many dead men from the other side as he can. Tom's mother is sympathetic, but perhaps not enough. Maybe Figgis must suffer because NO ONE except those actually fighting wars seems to care about them. I have to admit that I didn't even know what the Gulf War was until I read this book.
Gulf is an amazing title because it's not only about the Gulf War, it's about the Gulf between us and everyone dying out there, it's about the Gulf between happy if not normal kids and kids who are soldiers. It's also about the Gulf between the real Figgis and the soldier he becomes.
This book might change your life. But if you're stuck in your own point of view and you can't handle all the horrible, maybe even possible things that happen to Figgis, don't read this book. Everyone else, give this amazing, thought-provoking, life-changing, better-than-any-book-I've-ever-read-and-that's-saying-something-because-I-read-EVERYTHING book a chance.

The book starts out with Andy's (Figgis) brother, Tom, talking about Figgis's strange dreams he has. He says about Figgis knowing almost the entire life story of both a medicine man and an Ethiopian woman. Then one day, Tom finds his brother trapped inside of an Iraqi soliders body, and no way of getting out. This book is really good for someone who likes war novels with a little mystery in it. Two thumbs up!!

This book is cool. It starts out in England talking about a kid named Andy whose nickname is Figgis. His older brother tells the story. Figgis is a little different. He seems to feel things more than other kids and always asks questions no one else seems to. He also feels differently than other kids. When he sees something on tv about kids starving he stops eating too.
The Gulf War begins. Everyone in his class is excited and hoping that the allies win. All except Figgis who begins to speak in Arabic and starts talking about the Gulf War as though he can really see what it is like. Soon his parents have to take him to the hospital because he goes into trances.
I don't want to give away the ending. I really reccomend this book. It was Coooooooooooooool!!!

Thomas D

Don't read this book to learn how to fish the Texas Gulf Coast. While there are morsels of fishing knowledge to be learned from the book, it is more an autobiography of a man who has devoted his life to something he loves. You will be treated to Rudy Grigar's opinions of almost everything, and whether you agree with them or not, you will come away from the book wishing you could meet Mr. Grigar. Written in a plain style, you quickly develop the feeling that with the author, what you see is what you get. I'm sure he is the kind of person I would enjoy spending the day on the bay with, and I'm glad he took the time to share his life with his readers.

I found this book very good. My grandpa has done a great job writing about his fishing, and i thought it was fun reading it. Great book.

"Plugger" was written by a fisherman for fishermen. Rudy epitomizes the word sportsman and is not afraid of offending overly sensitive people by expressing his opinion on issues such as gill netting and poaching. He offers sound advice to those not familiar with fishing the gulf coast and invaluable tips to those fortunate enough to fish those same waters but lacking in his years of experience and observation. Rudy has retired from guiding so reading "Plugger" is as close as you will ever come to fishing with the legend.