S Africa is one of those countries that seems to create both dangerous and yet fundamental historical precedents. Its history is peopled by individuals who went on to become great by any world measure: not only did Mahatma Gandhi pioneer his methods of non-violent protest there, but Winston Churchill first distinguished himself for his leadership qualities during the Anglo-Boer War. Then there was Nelson Mandela, a man who emerged from over 25 years as a political prisoner without bitterness and ready to help a divided society begin to heal. And there are scores of others, including the ruthless Cecil Rhodes and dynamic chiefs whose struggel to maintain their culture and independence was doomed. Of course, S Africa set a series of horrible precedents as well: the refinement of civilian concentration camps at the turn of the century, institutionalised racism, and the heartless exploitation of captive ethnic groups.

Unfortunately, instead of telling these tales with drama and flair, this book gets bogged down in laborious descriptions of the recommendations of obscure commmissions, tallying election results, and the complete details of discriminatory wage policies. Alas, reading this offers about as much pleasure as wading through a Webster College Dictionary page by page. How can academics turn something so fascinating into a sludge of seemingly disconnected facts? In the rate moments when I felt my interest rising on a particular topic, the authors abrupty dropped it in the middle and fail to follow it up.

Moreover, though it purports to be a modern and updated history, this book stops at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (yes, it gets boring treatment as well) and barely even addresses the twin crises that threaten to rip this fragile new society apart: escalating random violence and the threat of Aids, which may kill 25% of the population or more in the next ten years. Can S Africa continue even to exist? Was all the struggle for naught? If you are interested in these questions, you have to look somewhere else, I'm afraid. The authors don't even offer a conclusion to sum up their points of view.

Look elsewhere, unless you crave scholarly detail at the expense of even minimal storytelling.

Dear Reader,
This book is very useful. It can't be read in one sitting since it is quite dense, but it provides a marvelous level of detail aobut South Africa. Great as a reference book and, although it must be read over a long period of time, it also has an engaging narrative. It has excellent newspaper political cartoons that give a sense of the political commentary of the day.
EAC

A great guide to the Northwest Illinois area. I really look forward to travelling to more of the areas Don Davenport highlights. He managed to get alot in, the important elements to making it an interesting read, but got me itching to go and see some more. He relays historic points which are a key to really enjoying the magnificent sights and that history which made it so awesome. Along the way he mentions the tourist attractions (always pointing out those for youngsters)he feels are worth the money and the eating places worth the time. There is much more in this book than I was expecting, anyone living in or near Illinois should buy it now! Go and see history come alive and did I forget to mention he recommends great places to stay!

A good what if senario. What if the old Soviet Union did take over Great Britain. We find out how bad the Soviet leadership really was. Great plot that I don't think went very far. There is a lot of sexual references that turned my stomach but the vulgarity wasn't there. The reading was typical british with very good imitations of the various English Island( including scottish, Irish, and Welsh) dialects. However the Russian and American dialects could have used some work.

Although intended for libraries in general, this text presents financial concepts and managerial accounting techniques that have application both for not-for-profit and private organizations. Information systems and services have grown in size and complexity particularly due to the increase of technology purchases. The many case studies and thoughtful explanations can be used to: trace future cost flows, such as maintenance costs, in order to aid in equipment selection decisions; aid in equipment purchase versus lease decisions; determine the break-even level of a service; and predict the impact of various funding levels on service. This very practical book succeeds in making information professionals intelligent consumers of financial information. Typographical errors in the worked examples can be a distraction, but do not obsure the decision-making conclusions.

At a rummage sale I chanced upon this post-war novel set in Manhattan; my copy was published in 1947. What a little gem of a book. Davenport explores a narrow band of post-war social strata in New York and provides the reader with a rare and poignant glimpse into an aspect of society surely not missed in the freedoms of present day. Almost more satisfying than the struggles of the core characters - who in the span of a week see themselves anew, or are willing to see themselves for the first time - are the sense impressions provided in large doses of a New York City long forgotten, the sights and smells, the behavior patterns, the ways of life that have broken down and evolved over the past 50 years. If you love New York and its social history, you will truly enjoy this glimpse into its past.

Emily Devenport's most recent novel, Eggheads, is a creative tale about a determined young woman. The portrait of the society and characters painted in the book is mainstream sci-fi, but the telling from the female main character's viewpoint is fresh and well done. Some mature themes.

This "two volumes in one" book deals with extreme opposites on the tragedy scene in Wisconsin.

"Fire" refers to the Great Peshtigo Fire of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. You may or may not have heard of it. It occurred the same night as the Great Chicago Fire. Obviously, we now know which conflagration received more press. The fact is, more people died, more property was destroyed, and a larger area was burned in the Peshtigo Fire than in Chicago.

"Ice" refers to tragedies on the Great Lakes around Wisconsin.

If you can get a copy of this book, I urge you to do so. It is well worth reading!

The story of Garibaldi, Father of Modern Italy, tells of one man who dedicated his life to freeing his homeland and uniting all of Italy. The King of Piedmont, however, exiles Garibaldi twice for spurring the people to fight for freedom. No matter how many times he was exiled he always came back to help his people. When Garibaldi was a young man he met men who were Italian freedom fighters, and they inspired him to help free his country. After the King of Piedmont exiled him for the first time, Garibaldi went to Brazil and fought with the freedom fighters there where he learned tactics to take back to Italy. He returned to Italy after a few years when he was called back to help fight. By the end, he freed most of Italy. The Italian people are sick of being the way the French, Bourbons and Austrians are treating them. They turn to Garibaldi for his leadership, his ability to inspire men to fight, his fighting tactics that never failed and he was their chance at freedom. As a person of Italian decent I liked the way Marica Davenport portrayed the Italians and Garibaldi as loyal to their cause and the man they wanted to be king.

Fifteen-year-old Jody Carpenter comes to town about 1950 to earn money to help his family. In a short time, he learns about shame, violence, and beauty in deep love, faces injustice and ignorance, and struggles with meanness and heroism. This is a Steinbeck-like tale about the drama of growing up in the rural backwaters of middle America when voices of reason and justice often struggled with ignorance. At the same time, Jody stumbles on possibilities for redemption and his own heroism in the fire that changes several lives at the climax of the story.

Good introduction to Random process for enginners & scientist.