Power to Hurt is a very good book that might have been made even better with a little editing. At times it reads like an earnest slice-of-life novel, the type that asks the reader to spend a little more time than necessary inside the heroine's head. But she is, indeed, a heroine, and the book is quite moving at the end -- something that can't be said about many true crime stories.

The book only takes us up to the midpoint of the judge's career. It ends with the full Sixth Circuit hearing the case "en banc." Soon afterward, in a bizarre ruling, a majority of the court's members held that a judge's sexual assaults (some committed while he was literally wearing his black robe) did not constitute a civil rights violation because the US Supreme Court had never explicitly ruled that they did. That type of reasoning, needless to say, never stopped them or any other federal court from finding a civil rights violation when a cop or prison guard assaulted someone, but judges, you see, are different because, well, because the Sixth Circuit is composed of them.

The US Supreme Court reversed -- unanimously -- and sent the case back to the Sixth Circuit with instructions for it to get real. But then Judge Lanier, who'd been out on bond all this time, skipped off to San Diego where he lived under an assumed name. He eventually slipped over the border into Mexico. The Sixth Circuit ordered him to turn himself in and when he failed to do so, it dismissed his appeal, finding that by showing disrespect for the court he had forfeited his right to ask it for assistance. Just a day or two after the dismissal, the judge was arrested in Mexico and brought back to the States. (Was the timing coincidental?) To the end he had his supporters on the Sixth Circuit -- incidentally a spectacularly dysfunctional institution, with judges who aren't reluctant to go public with their mutual loathing -- but he's safely locked away now.

I wasn't fond of the title, but as I read the back of the book and skimmed the first few pages I was hooked. I couldn't believe what these poor women went through. Lanier was so thoroughly evil and couldn't even realize it. To think that women would want what he did to them is rather typical of a lot of men I think. He acted on his sick fantasies and them held the women's children's welfare over them. What a beast. I hope he stays in prison forever and inmates give him a dose of his own medicine.

I'm an avid true crime reader and sometimes get jaded but this book really grabbed me and took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. It's hard to believe that one person would be allowed to hold the power that Lanier did and hard to believe that a high court would release him the way they did. I have complete admiration for the women who stood up to this disgusting piece of "humanity", their courage is a model for all women!

This book is an easy-reading guide covering all states. Don't leave home without this one! Lots of history of the parks. My only disappointment was the small number of photographs.

This book is just awesome...it reviews over 350 theme parks, amusement parks, and waterparks all over the U.S. and Canada, providing everything you'd want to know about every park...the great roller coasters and other thrill rides, costs, operation schedule, directions, special tips, insider facts and trivia, historical milestones, etc. Also gives phone numbers and website addresses for each park. The author is a life-long park expert and senior editor of a major park industry publication...he really seems to know his stuff, and he injects some fun and personality into the book. It's a great guide to use to plan your park trips and to carry with you for quick reference. It's also fun to to sit down and read through it because it gives so much interesting trivia on the parks. Just a fantastic, authoratative, fun, easy-to-use resource on parks.

This is a great book!! It is well worth your money. If you are planning a vaction, then buy this book. It has theme parks from Disney to Universal Orlando, to Cedar Point, all of the Paramount Parks and many, many more!! The ultimate guide to rollercoasters is this book!!

This lovely coming-of-age story set in the 1920's is beautifully written. I must confess it did take me a bit to get into it (it was somewhat boring until about halfway through), but I'm glad I stuck it out as the story seemed to grab me and stick with me night and day. Mary and Juanito's love story reminded me a great deal of The Bridges of Madison County - hopeless, unrealistic and doomed from the start. A great romance in all respects. Now I must add Spain to my travel wish list!

This is a beautiful story. 1936 was a bit before its age. For a female Irish writer to write a book that even hints at a lesbianism was probably beyond the ability of the Irish Catholic establishment to deal with in that era. However, that is such a minor part of the novel, that it is really mistitled with this new title "Talk of Angels." Discussion about the sexual orientation of a minor character greatly distorts the stark beauty of the characters, Spain, and the inner story which O'Brien tells so well. I understand that the new title replaces the originally published title of "Mary Lavelle." But the angel passage and the lesbian angle are so minor, that I would probably opt for something associated with the climax like "Spanish Love Dance." The strength of this work is the exploration of the inner characters. The main character of Mary Lavelle, her beauty, her vulnerability, and the options between uncertain romance and unromantic certainty. We root for Mary to make love a romantic choice rather than simply an ecomonic security issue as so many women over the last centuries have been forced to make. The characters of the father and her lover are also well drawn and filled with their own special quests. As important as any of the characters is Spain itself. How lovingly is it described, more alluring than a travel trailer or vacation brochure. The society of the other nannies with their squabbling creates a strong reality in which we can see these women operate. The ending left me wanting more in the story. I wanted to know what happened after her return to Ireland. Perhaps that is what a great novel does, leaves you so connected to the characters that they last with you long after the book ends. I believe this book will connect with romantics of both genders, simply because the writing is so fine.

The lesbian character of Agatha Conlan, although a small role, is better drawn and more visible than in most modern novels. The heroine, Mary Lavelle falls in love with a married man. Even though, she is an innocent in affairs of the heart, she controls the relationship.

I thought I had a pretty good idea of the history until I read this book.
It is truly one of the most interesting books I have read. I wish it was still in print and easily available.

Irish Historian Conor Cruise O'Brien's seminal work on the saga of Zionism and the Jewish state remains a potent and important read nearly two decades after its original publication. O'Brien lays out the Jewish side of the conflict in an extraordinarily readable manner, as well as making the reader truly understand the Jewish perspective. It is a shame that there has been no such effort to tell the Arab side (although perhaps Rashid Khalidi comes the closest). O'Brien sets out to trace the rise of the Zionist movement in Europe, and finds Zionism as rooted in European anti-Semitism, which especially after 1881, became both pervasive and flexible: European anti-Semitism could based either on Christian dogma, or non-religious "scientific" racism, which viewed the Jews as a separate, and inferior people. This dreary situation led to the Jewish nationalist movement, and O'Brien tells its story lucidly and coherently, using many primary documents to bolster his case. O'Brien then shifts his focus from Europe to Palestine, where as a result of European anti-Semitism, Jews began large-scale immigration and land purchases which caused friction with the local Arabs, a conflict that continues until today. But the focus is not only the conflict, but the state of Israel, and the second half of the book deals with Sephardic Jewish immigration (The Second Israel), the Arab minority in Israel, as well as the continued battles with its Arab neighbors. Nor is O'Brien insensitive to the plight of the Palestinians, stating that "The Palestinian Arabs have every right to say that they are the indirect and innocent victims of what happened to the Jews in Europe."

So well has O'Brien's book held up that many of the predictions he made in 1985 have now come to pass. O'Brien explains why the siege exists, and why it will continue to: "Israel cannot be other than what it is...Israel is not free to be other than the Jewish State in Palestine, and that the Jewish State, once in possession of Jerusalem, is not capable of relinquishing that city. The Muslim world is also not free to be other than what it is, and is certainly incapable of acquiescing openly, fully, and voluntarily to a Jewish State in Palestine, with Arab subjects, and its capital in Jerusalem. It seems to follow that the siege will continue, in some form, into an indefinite future" (p. 656). How have these predictions been borne out? Shortly afterwards, it seemed that O'Brien may have been wrong. The Intifidah led to the Oslo Peace Process, and from 1993-1999, optimism ruled the day, with the end of the conflict seemingly in sight. But the two sides failed to reach an agreement at the final status negotiations at Camp David in July 2000, mainly over the issue of Jerusalem. The only reason for the success of the peace process until that time was the fact that they had not dealt with the main issues, agreeing on smaller items, while the major questions loomed overhead. Shortly afterwards, violence returned to the region and has continued to this day. And the prospects for a future accord? According to the author they are not be good. O'Brien sums up both the past and the future best when he says that: "The Jews had recovered Jerusalem, after nearly two thousand years, through a train of efforts and events so strange and unprecedented as to appear to some almost miraculous, and to others literally miraculous. To expect the Jews, having thus again come into possession of Jerusalem, to hand over the Old City, with the Wall of the Temple, to an Arab Power, or to an international authority, is to expect what cannot be." (p. 651). O'Brien concludes his text by stating that "what is not in sight is an end to the siege."
He might as well have been writing today.

I loved this extremely easy (albeit long) to read book.
I marvel at O'brien's skill as a writer, researcher and author.
To me it read as a fascinating adventure story and was extremely meaningful. I wish it were still in print.

Good insight on how the major political party candidates try to buy the election. After reading this book, I will definetely be voting Libertarian (or perhaps another third party un-tainted by big money). We should not encourage this sort of behavior by giving the major party guys the one thing we still have left- our vote!

An important analytical account of the issue of hard and soft money going towards camapign fundraising in the US presidential race. It effectively, and simply highlights the growing amounts of money that is being pushed into campaigns, and an important outcome is the need for sensible campaign reform principlly placing a ceiling on campaign expenditure to overcome the ludicrous state of US campiagn financing and expenditure.

Stop reading and just push the Buy It Button. Excellently written and carefully researched. This book is a damning indictment of the political process itself, as well as the two parties and all of their representatives. It explains in detail who owns our 'elected officials' and why are democracy is failing. No one is spared. After reading it you will be unable to vote for the tweedle dee/tweedle dumb hacks that the political establishment puts forth every election cycle. This book will never be out dated. Even after the election it will serve as an example for the future. It reveals the reasons laws are specifically written to aid special interests (see especially the Bradley section). I disagree strongly with Mr. Cohn's complaint about objectivity. How can one feign objectivity about the mass corruption that is destroying our society? Read it, live it! Get out of the two party rut; this book explains why you must. I also recommend the 1996 version.

This book was written in 1986. Although it is decent, it is probably the only Dave Barry book in my collection that I don't re-read occasionally. The jokes just seemed a bit staged as compared to his later writing, because the book doesn't reference any true life stories. If that's what you prefer, then this book will suit you fine, but I prefer the "I'm-Not-Making-This-Up" stories of actual events that are his trademark.

If you are looking for a humor book on the topic of corporate America, then this is a good choice. However, if you just want to read some funny Dave Barry, then try one of his later books, such as one of his compilations of short articles.

Though not as good as his later works, definitely worth buying, though 'Dave Barry's Guide To Life' is also availiable on Amazon.com and contains this and three other works of similiar quality and length by the same author, while being slightly cheaper than this edition alone.
Recommended.

Dave Barry satorizes career, business, motivation, and self-help books. If you've read them, you will laugh hysterically at his pointed remarks that reveal some of the most absurdly stupid things written in many of those books.

If I had bought this book first, I probably would have been happy with the book. But as an owner of four other books relating to Coach Paterno I found this one to be a repeat of the other writings. I really learned nothing new from this book at all. Maybe I expected too much or maybe Paterno's story has already been told.

I have always said that if I had a son worthy of playing big-time college football, I'd send him to Penn State to play for Joe Paterno. My thoughts haven't changed a whip since reading this book. Michael O'Brien does a wonderful job in detailing the life and philosophy of one of the most colorful and downright good people to ever live.

O'Brien pulls no punches. Paterno is brash, at times mean and expects a lot out of his players, but he is also a loving father figure to players and the student body. Paterno is no saint though. If you don't produce, you are in trouble... but isn't that the way of the world. His philosophy, richly detailed in a chapter on Patero's coaching style, should be copied by the Spurriers and the Sabans of the world.

I haven't read any other O'Brien books, but I definitely will be looking for them on my next trip to the book store. This book is a quick read, but it makes you feel good about the world again when you realize that there are still people like Paterno out there that don't compromise themselves for money and fame.

Now I just wish O'Brien would write a book on Coach K because if I had a son that was good at hoops I'd send him to Duke.

There are a lot of biographies out there written by people who assume that simple fame warrants public interest. This is not one of them, because Joe Paterno is a truly fascinating man. Success and prestige don't often go hand in hand, but somehow Joe has made it work, and is the reason that Penn State isn't just another big-money school trying to win football games on the backs of exploited kids. If how he does that in this day and age isn't intriguing, I don't know what is. For anyone who has ever turned on a Saturday football game and wondered what possesses the guy in the nerdy rolled-up pants and coke-bottle glasses to keep going, then you have a valid question which this book can answer in a way that will captivate you, page after page. For once, we have a book about football that isn't about football at all--it's about what an extraordinary person can do to a little agricultural school to put a tiny college town on the map in the greatest way possible.

Put a thermometer to the JoePa sentiments in State College and you may be surprised that a fervent admiration that pervades the town, and for good reason. Hey, there has to be some reason we would like a guy enough to make a bean bag doll out of him...give him his own ice cream flavor (Peachy Paterno)...and put his face on mugs...and golf balls. ("Guaranteed to go up the middle three out of four times.") ...The fact is, the guy has integrity that borders on insanity, and that makes him interesting as heck.

On a final note, this is a dangerous book in that it will feed an obsession born of fandom. Be careful with this book. I have a friend, the daughter of Penn State's president, and every year she obliges me by hand-delivering a batch of Santa Joe cookies to the Paternos at the bowl games. Make sure you don't go as far over the edge as I did.

I thought this book was a wonderful, relaxing romance novel. I really respected the main character for her strength and independance as she struggled to be the person she wanted to be and find the happiness she wanted to feel. Each character in this book has a side to them you are completely attached to. I highly recommend this book to romantic fairy tale lovers!

I truly enjoyed this book! The love between Joseph and Constance is so wonderful that you won't be able to put it down! I realize some seem to dissaprove of the book's ending, but i found it just added to the romance and humor of it all! This is a romance you will remember in your heart.

Don't miss this book! *especially* if you are a fan of the Victorian Era!

I found To Marry A British Lord by Judith O'Brien to be her most entertaining work. I really enjoyed this tale about a woman falling in love with her soon to be husband's best friend. I had a five minute laughing fit at one part of the story which I've never experienced reading anything. When I think back on it I still get the giggles. I was also able to appreciate the mother-in-law tension. Even though this book does lose some of its' punch towards the end; it was excellent.

i found this book very dissapointing compared to dominics previous works, it seemed to be written or eddited by someone different from his previous books, the style of writting was completely different and why does this book have a co-author which isnt mentioned on the cover?? he covers most of the material in much more detail in 'how to develop a perfect memory' and 'how to pass exams' much better buys if you can find them, if you cant then i guess this book is alright, covers the main ideas, and i guess it is a good colourfull introduction to memory for the beginner, if this isnt you then there are better books out there by this author, tho they are hard to find.

This book covers how our mind and memory works, then goes on to explain several workable techniques on memorization. I thought it did a great job of covering these topics, and was very readable. I read it in one evening (it's only 160 pages long, and includes lots of pretty drawings).

The book is written by Dominic O'Brien, a noted memorization wizard. But it was interesting that the copyright to the book went to the publisher. This is common for technical books in the computer field... where the publisher finds a hot topic and directs an author to write to their specifications. But I believe this format to be unusual in the memorization field.

The answer is found in the front cover where I discovered that there is a "Learn to ..." series put out by the publisher. As such, this book probably follows a format for that series. This format is very well done, but unfortunately reflects the comments made by an earlier reviewer: there is (or might be) more information on memory in the author's other books.

Regardless of all this backround info, I am happy I bought this book. And, I think this book updates some of the techniques that I've seen elsewhere.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

I purchased this book along with six other memory and fast-reading books. This one stands out because it is extremely well organized. Each chapter is divided into sections that are typically two pages long. In most cases, each section has a sidebar or one complete page dedicated to either an exercise or a case example. This book is a joy to read, because it is written in a straightforward style and is beautifully illustrated.

It is organized into six chapters.
1. A brief history of memory (greeks, romans and modern times)
2. How memory works
3. How to improve your memory
4. Discovering memory techniques
5. Memory techniques for everyday life
6. Gain fulfillment through memory

The second chapter tells you how neurotransmitters, axons, dendrites, left and right brain, brainwaves, short and long term memory, sleep, drugs and aging work and affect your memory.

The third chapter tells you how important the elements of imagination, association, location, concentration, observation, repetition and health are to improving your memory.

The fourth chapter explains the techniques themselves in proper learning order - mnemonics, visual pegs, story, journey (the most powerful method for me), dominic system, number-shape system, mind-maps.

The fifth chapter applies the techniques to everyday life and tells you which ones are better suited to which problems.

The last chapter elaborates on why memory improvement is not just an exercise in itself to acquire robotic memory. Rather it tells you how your life can be enriched by keeping your mind young and how to cope with life's demands and past memories. This is one of the chapters I enjoyed most.

As a conclusion, I recommend this little jewel for many reasons. First, it covers the subject very broadly - it does not just give you short recipes, it is a complete treatise on memory. It is a mini memory encyclopedia - the topic is condensed in 160 pages.

Second, it is really a marvelous book, the best book I have read on this subject and quite probably one of the most valuable ones I have gotten ever for my life. It is one of these books you keep in a preferred corner in your bookshelf.

Third, it is truly useful. Although there may be more memory techniques, the ones in this book are the most important ones and are more than enough to keep you busy memorizing.

Fourth, it eliminates the common belief that memory deteriorates with age. It actually worsens with LACK OF USE. You will learn that memory is like a muscle - the more you use it the better it gets. I got this book because I was determined to work on keeping my mind young "before it is too late". I discovered that it is never too late and, unlike muscles, the mind is the most powerful and malleable muscle of all. You just have to keep it busy with many interests.

Enjoy !!!

This small novella from NYRB is a much-lauded work by Elizabeth Hardwick from the mid-Seventies; essentially plotless, it's a work of memory (both Proust and Tenessee Williams seem to haunt these pages... as does, oddly, Djuna Barnes) that encompasses autobiographical material from Hardwick's life growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, at Columbia as a graduate student in NYC, and in Boston as the partner of Robert Lowell (though he is never named in the narrative). The prose is often gorgeous (although there are times when it does get a bit NEW YORKER-precious in its sensory observations); the narrative passes much like a very vivid dream or a hallucination, so that though there is little to follow it will stay with you for months afterwards. This new NYRB edition comes with a spectacularly beautiful cover that suggests the hyperreal quality of the narrative, and a vacuous preface that tells you almost nothing about the book .

I can really only reiterate what the last reviewer stated. This is one of the three or four books I pull off the bookshelf constantly to reread. Hardwick is a remarkable stylist and can evoke in a few pages (if not lines!) what it would take other writers whole novels to achieve. The section on Billie Holliday is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. This is the book that made me want to write.

Part fiction, part autobiography, part a collection of lovely pensees on literature and life, this exquisite short novel moves fluidly between the narrator's Kentucky past and her New York present, with stops along the way in Europe, Maine, Boston, and elswhere. Employing a spare, pared-down prose of great beauty and oringinality, Hardwick approaches her subject--memory and the transformations we work upon it, and it upon us--with great restraint, bringing the novel's people and places vividly to life with an odd, knotty phrase or unexpected choice of word. Rather than focus with gushing self-indulgence on her own experience in the manner of contemporary tell-all memoirs, the author is more often probing the lives of the ignored and downtrodden she has known--cleaning ladies and laborers, small-town prostitutes and impoverished radicals, failed writers and homeless piano teachers. Hardwick broods over these small, burdened, often overlooked lives with a wry, unsentimental tenderness and a gentle pessimism. I can't tell you how often I've picked up this book since I first read it just to savor a paragraph or two or its gorgeously austere prose.