Since there is no synopsis of the book here, I will write one and then write my opinion.

It is 1973 and Peron is summoned back to Argentina after 18? years in exile in Madrid. He is now an old man and his movement has moved beyond his own strict ideology. His return is viewed through the eyes of no fewer than 20 people, who are in the process of making some sense out of Peron's life and his tendency towards Megalomania. These range from his wife, Isabella, his relatives, his president, ex-military companions, and some wierd extremist groups (which I DID NOT understand, sorry Tomas).

OK- now I transition into opinion. The truly unique thing about this book is that it centers around a one week period, but retells this same week from a multitude of standpoints, some even demented. Many times throughout the book I seriously considered flying to Iowa to hunt down the author and ask him "how much of this is true??" He puts himself in the book as a reporter, and it is plausible that he actually met Peron. I feel sure he has mountains of good info, and probably could write an engaging biography of this man (which then of course no one would read, so maybe this is his point).

While I did like this book, I was much more engaged by the writing itself and the odd twists or context and historical events that he describes than in the actual content. I forced myself to read it because I knew I'd like it, more than I was compelled to read it.

And if you're still reading this, go to Santa Evita and read that first, because it has all the advantages of this peculiarly odd book with a much more engaging topic. Then read this because this Tomas Eloy is a fantastic writer.

Being a lover of all things Roosevelt, I was thrilled to discover that not only is FDR's Top Cottage in Hyde Park open to the public, but that there is now even a book on this fascinating structure. FDR built Top Cottage as an answer to Eleanor's Val-Kill cottage, as a hideaway from the craziness of his mother's "big house" and as a place to retire. Sara Roosevelt was very opposed to this project and is rumored to have made FDR promise he would never spend the night there as long as she was alive. He apparently honored this commitment and never slept there overnight, even though she predeceased him by three years.

This house is fascinating for several reasons. First, it was designed by Roosevelt himself, with some help from architect Henry Toombs. This is perhaps the first house designed by a president since Jefferson's Poplar Forrest. It also has a barrier-free design for a wheelchair bound inividual--something unheard of in the 1930's. And with the exception of the Little White House is Warm Springs, Georgia, it was entirely his to decorate as he saw fit. Mother and wife had no influence here. FDR was able to use Top Cottage to escape, to entertain friends, and to even host royal dignitaries and important guests. Unfortunately, we know that he never lived out his dream to retire there.

When I ordered this book, based on the price and the description, I expected something of a coffee table-type book. In this regard, it is less than I expected. When the house was purchased in 1997 and before restoration took place, a "historic structure report" was completed. This report is the basis for the book. There are many photographs and drawings, although many are just variations on floor plans. All the photos are black and white. There are several interior pictures from the FDR years, but not nearly enough. One chapter details every room--walls, ceilings, baseboards, appliances, etc. Another lists everything that needed to be done to each and every room. This doesn't exactly make for riveting reading. The few interior pictures after the restoration show only empty rooms, and the reader is left wondering whether the cottage has been furnished or not.

Still, there is much information to be gleamed from this book for readers who are fascinated by the Roosevelt's. The story of the planning and construction of this dwelling is very informative, as well as how the cottage was used once constructed. This book also details the history of the cottage from the time of FDR's death until it was purchased for historic purposes in 1997. The author also goes into great depth about all the work that had to be done to restore the cottage to vintage FDR. While any Roosevelt fan will enjoy this book, it is a little rough going for a novice. Also, I thought the ... price tag a little steep. So while I did enjoy the book for what it was, it ended up being not quite what I expected.

How confusing it is separate Anais' life from her books--or is that the worst one could do to her? The sticking point to a critical understanding of Anais Nin has always been the (incestuous?!) relationship between life and art, diary and fiction. Its especially confusing now that all the truths (or half of them?) are revealed bit by bit in the "unexpurgated" diaries. Is Anais a bigamist? A nymphomaniac? A compulsive liar? Can't she be, and a genius, too? This book has been critical to helping me get my head together about Anais Nin, one of the late twentieth century's most important novelists.

Campbell, a professor of philosophy at the University of Toledo, is one of America's foremost experts on the development of the philosophy of pragmatism. In this book, he has carried his studies on that development into what one may call its fetal period -- the pre-pragmatism of Ben Franklin. The essential insight of pragmatism, and of Franklin, Campbell tells, us, is that the "search for wisdom" cannot be understood aside from the effort to "advance human well-being."

This is a wonderful book, and it brings alive the leading ideas of the generation of the founding fathers in a way few other recent books have!

"Road Pirates" is a good mystery story for kids. Frank and Joe go undercover to investigate a hijacking ring and end up investigating something bigger than they thought.

Burroughs got used to being a black sheep early in his life, one gets the feeling. So he's willing to throw rocks at anyone. Certainly, an author whose main readership must have been well on the left had a lot of balls to go and rip the skin off that most untouchable of liberal sacred cows, Franklin Roosevelt.

In this book of short essays, Burroughs demonstrates not only his scathing gift for wild satire, but also his striking intelligence and insight. His essay SECTS AND DEATH begins with the incisive proposal that the purpose of art is to show us "what we know and do not know that we know." He sells this idea fairly convincingly in about two paragraphs, and those goes on to the main target of the piece, the Church and other cults, whose mission (he claims) is to prevent us from becoming aware of "what we know and do not know that we know."

The title piece is an hilarious and deeply offensive recounting of how FDR filled the government with typical Burroughs fantasy-characters, the most frightening kind of human dregs. (If you ever wondered where Hunter S. Thompson came from, this piece ought to convince you that he is Burroughs literary off-spring.)

In between, he zips off a little reminisence about when he decided he did NOT want to be president (before birth)...

It is Burroughs at his best: sober, coherent, and still utterly untamable. Needless to say, this stuff is not for the faint of heart.

I found this book to be informative and interesting when I used it to research on the topic of American Isolationism during the second world war.

It's not the first time this has happened to Chet Morton, but that doesn't make much difference. Can the Hardys save their friend? Read this Hardy Boys book and find out. I think this is a good book for anyonf from the age of 9 to 13.

Sacred Sacrifice offers a wonderful source of information about Hindu sacrifices and the history of early Christian liturgies. I found the comparisons particularly helpful. The footnotes are also of special interest.

"A Sailor's Log: Recollections of Forty Years of Naval Life", is an excellent book that chronicles the life of Rear Admiral Robley Evans, known in his time as "Fighting Bob". The book fully covers a long past era of the United States Navy, reaching from the Civil War to the very early 1900's. The description of the way in which early Naval officers were selected and trained is fascinating, and the comparisons that can be drawn between Admiral Evans's detailed life in the Navy and today's contemporary fleet give one much to think on. "A Sailor's Log" is a stimulating, nostalgic, and thought-provoking book, running the gamut from high seas adventure to the placement of the first African-American in the Naval Academy.