By Peter Lathan - It Happened on Broadway is a collection of interviews with 107 Broadway luminaries, including Carol Channing, Betty Buckley, Joel Grey, John Kander, Fred Ebb, James Hammerstein (son of Oscar), Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard) and Kitty Carlisle Hart (widow of Moss). It tells the story of Broadway from the point of view of those who were deeply involved in its development as the centre of American theatre. It takes us behind the public faces and into the private thoughts and feelings of the stars, writers, composers, directors, producers, designers, press agents, playwrights, and even the restauranteurs (Vincent Sardi Jr. is there, too). It tells about the great successes (and some of the spectacular flops). It reveals much about the great writers - Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Moss Hart, Irving Berlin, Cy Coleman - and the performers - the portrait of Carol Channing in her own words is stunning. And we see the great directors and choreographers - my own favourite, Bob Fosse, is talked about at length - through the eyes of those who worked with them. I thoroughly enjoyed it. What this book shows very clearly is the deep love of theatre, of live performance, which these Broadway luminaries share with the rest of us. In their words I could hear echoes of myself and all of my theatre friends.

It Happened on Broadway: An Oral History of the Great Whire Way by Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer. A husband and wife team of Professors in the Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies at Dartmouth College, the Frommers have gathered together the living memories cf over one hundred actors, directors, producers, lyricists, playwrights, critics, designers, publicists, and stage managers to create a volume filled with the light and magic of Broadway itself. These collected memories take us from the enduring dramatic successes of the years~ before and after World War II, through the golden age of the American musical, right up to today's megahits. It Happened on Broadway offers priceless recollections of Broadway hangouts, such as Sardi's and Lindy's; performing with Brando in "Streetcar," the collaborations of Kaufman and Hart and Rogers and Hammerstein; and countless encounters with the likes of Mary Martin, Carol Channing, Jerome Robbins, Tennessee Williams, and Steven Sondheim. There's enough theater lore here - from back stage to the orchestra pit - to entertain the most devoted Broadway aficionado.

"It Happened On Broadway" is nothing short of living, breathing theatre history. Carol Channing's first appearance on stage at a grammar school in San Francisco; Patricia Neal's subsistence jobs cutting pies and scooping ice cream while waiting for her career to bloom (which really didn't take all that long by today's standards); the advent of the Theatre Guild; Celeste Holm and John Raitt on creating the grand-daddy of musical theatre, Oklahoma; Kim Hunter on Marlon Brando; Donna McKechnie on Michael Bennett; Linda Lavin on Neil Simon and Len Cariou on Stephen Sondheim, it's all in there. With vintage photos, drawings, posters and Playbills the Frommer's provide us with a look at theatre history from a time when $1.50 would buy you a movie and six or eight vaudeville acts to the impact of the AIDS crisis on the theatre community to the vast corporate culture now responsible for many of today's Broadway shows. An invaluable and engrossing book for anyone interested in an insiders perspective on the business of the Great White Way. .*******************************************************

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Professional athletes are probably no more ignorant of history than the rest of us, but there was something especially disturbing about the number of modern players who, in 1997, during the fiftieth anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the baseball color line, revealed that they didn't know who he was. Pollsters probably didn't ask, but it's likely even fewer would have known who Branch Rickey was. That black players in particular, whose careers follow the path that these men blazed, do not comprehend and honor the debt is most troubling of all. Anyone wishing to remedy their own lack of knowledge, and even those who think they already know the whole story, will find Harvey Frommer's Rickey and Robinson an invaluable resource and a truly moving read.

Mr. Frommer had the novel idea of structuring the book as parallel biographies of the two men, their stories overlapping and lives knitting together for that remarkable period of years when they, almost by themselves, integrated major league baseball. Jackie Robinson's is the better known tale, from UCLA to the Army to the Negro Leagues to the Dodgers' minor leagues and then to Brooklyn, with a significant career in business and politics afterwards. And most baseball fans will be familiar with Branch Rickey's reputation as an innovator, his most lasting contributions, besides integration, to the game including the batting helmet and the organized minor league farm system. Met fans too will recall Ralph Kiner's stories about how tight-fisted and patronizing (in both the positive and negative senses) Rickey was with his players. But Mr. Frommer gives us a full picture of the man, of his religious background (which seems to have played no small part in his willingness to be a racial pioneer), his keen mind for the game and for business, and his endless maneuvering to improve his teams. Each man led a life full enough to support a biography of his own. Here we get both and they're fascinating.

But the event that defined their lives was the meeting on August 28, 1945, at Brooklyn Dodgers headquarters, between Rickey and Robinson. It's astonishing to realize that this first time the men ever met, Branch Rickey asked Jackie Robinson to take on the daunting task of being the first black man to play organized white baseball (at least since the color bar had been erected decades earlier). But Rickey had made a true project of the whole idea, had scouted the Negro Leagues and the personal backgrounds of the prospective players thoroughly, and he knew Robinson was uniquely well-suited-- by his ability, his intelligence, his education, his relatively middle-class California upbringing, and his temperament, desire, and will--to bear the burdens. And so "The Meeting" was not just a get acquainted session, but an opportunity for Rickey to probe and to prepare Robinson, even to the point of demonstrating the kind of taunts he should expect to hear, before offering him the bittersweet role of, as he put it: "carrying the reputation of a race on your shoulders."

The whole book is enjoyable but it is this chapter that really sings. The Meeting has been the subject of books, film, stageplay, and more, but it's never been told better than here, with high drama and a sense of history, but also with an immediacy that makes the reader feel like he's a fly on the wall in Rickey's office those sixty years ago. No one can understand what happened in baseball and in American society over those sixty years without knowing the story of Rickey and Robinson and, Mr. Frommer having given us such a rewarding and readable book about the men and their noble achievement, there's no excuse for not knowing it.
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The Story Of Rickey And Robinson
by Russ Cohen
BASEBALLOLOGY.COM

If you have never heard of Branch Rickey or Jackie Robinson, boy do I have a book for you, it's called Rickey and Robinson: The Men Who Broke Baseball's Color Barrier! Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest multi-sport athletes to ever walk the earth and Branch Rickey was the guy with the guts that gave Robinson his chance to shine, it's a truly amazing story.

Rickey was a lawyer with a rich history that will amaze you in this book. As always author Harvey Frommer goes into tremendous detail to shed even more light on a great story!

Robinson was a true American hero and this book talks to all the right people to give you a feel of how Jackie felt and was feeling during his playing career. The book also points out how he was a civil right's activist as well.

The book talks a lot about the Negro Leagues and mentions even more players that you may not have heard of that unfortunately never made it to the bigs. Anytime you can read about Josh Gibson, Roy Campanella and Satchel Paige you are in for a fun time.

Jackie died a young man at the age of fifty-three-years of age. This great man had to endure more stress, on and off the field, than most people could imagine. His funeral had 2,500 mourners and when you see the names you will see the type of respect that Robinson garnered.

The author does a great job of keeping the final chapter of Robinson's life as upbeat as possible. It was sad but there was so much good to reflect on and the book did that. The afterword was a nice little story and the boxscore of Robinson's first game along with Rickey's player and managerial record are priceless.

Buy this book now

Pinstripe Press
Rickey and Robinson
The Men Who Broke Baseball's Color Barrier
Blending exclusive interviews with Rachel Robinson, Mack Robinson (Jackie's brother), Hall of Famers Monte Irvin, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Ralph Kiner and others,
- The Pinstripe Press

Celebrated author Harvey Frommer evokes the lives of Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey and heralded baseball player Jackie Robinson to describe how they worked together to shatter baseball's color line.
"This book clearly illustrates the elegance and class that BOTH men showed on the field and off. Frommer has provided a fresh perspective and a testament to overcoming adversity in the face of ignorance. Rickey and Robinson is a must read for hardcore baseball fans everywhere."

There's a lot of very interesting material in this book. I found descriptions of the human condition and basic tenets of Buddhism to be intelligently written, and to be inspiring at times. However, I'd like to issue a warning to skeptical people like me who have little interest in unproven or unprovable opinions and expressions of "faith" in their Buddhism. This book spends a lot of time on Tibetan ritual. It cites numerous examples of things the author has seen that seem to prove reincarnation, the possibility and power of enlightenment, karma, near death experiences, etc. When enlightened monks die, did you know that their bodies often don't rot? Or that their bodies disappear into thin air, or that rainbows appear thousands of miles away? That dead monks bodies stay warm for weeks? These things may or may not be true, but I'm just skeptical enough to not want to take the author's word for them. If you tackle this book, brace yourself to read about a lot of belief topics, and then prepare to be accused of being too cynical and capitive of your own ego for doubting it. I would categorize this book as religious Buddhism, as opposed to philosophical Buddhism. An aside: the author's reverence and love for his teachers and his faith is truly touching. His knowledge is great, his love is great, but I'm not sure that makes him the best possible reporter for those who are seeking truth instead of opinion.

This book should be read by or to everyone at some point in their lives. It not is not just for the buddhist. As His Holiness, the Dalia Lama explains, no matter what religion you practice the goal is the same: happiness. This book can be an inspiration at all times in life. Once you have read it through once, it is organized in such a way, so one can go back and read certain sections to help along the way. Sogyal Rinpoche captures the essence of his purpose of creating the book when he writes: "to learn how to die, is to learn how to live." That simple statement is a social commentary on the development of modern society and the direction it is heading in. The ageing and dying are quickly isolated and doctors are rarely educated in emotional or spiritual care. Sogyal Rinpoche's proposes a new attidute to those who are in a stage that we all will reach at some point. His beautiful writing style and comforting compassion radiates from the pages themselves. I do not associate myself with any one religion, but consider myself a wanderer following my own road in search for answers, for all those who feel the same, this book can illuminate some of the darkness that surrounds us all who have not yet awakened.

This book gives you a spirutal, personal and intimate understanding of death and dying. More than that, it compels you to stop and take a deep and serious look at your own life and your own death. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying helps to alievate your own fear of dying and helps you take the responsibility to prepare for your death. At the same time, it gently helps you prepare yourself for the death and dying of a loved one. The teachings and personal experiences of Sogyal are simple to understand and intrepret and incorporate into your personal life. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for every introspective person as well as for those facing the death of a loved one.

I have read this book so many times, I actually had to go out and buy a new one, because the first one I had fell apart! No kidding! I love it, and I'll probably read it a hundred more times. It gives the feeling of power to all women, not just the main character. It shows what true friendships are all about and keeping true to yourself. Whenever I'm down, I just pick it up and read it. I'm 22, and I only hope that someday I could make as much of my life as the main character did with hers. It's and inspiration. I hope Kathryn wrote more novels. And if you loved this book, "Stars" is a definite, you have to read what happens!!! It's a thrilling continuation of Butterfly.

This is a smut book with a plot. The twists and turns keep you guessing to the very last page. The intricate way in which several different storylines all weave together is absolutely brilliant, I kept turning back to reread past chapters only to reabsorb each juicy detail. I read this for the first time about 8 years ago, and my paperback copy is so worn I may have to replace it! If you start this one, be prepared for the housework to suffer, you will not want to interrupt this amazing story of deception, lust, greed, passion, and sex aplenty!

This book is the one book that made me want to read and read and read. I finished this book in 3 days I just couldn't put it down. And Stars, the sequel took the same amount of time. If you want a book with sex, excitement,lust, and enjoy books about women who know how to get even, this is the book for you. I Loved it. I read it 5 years ago and would read it again. This is a great book that you just can't put down. I would like to see more books by Ms. Harvey, but cannot seem to find anywhere. That's quite a shame due to the fact that she is just a brilliant writer of intreague and lust. Harliquin Romance this is not, and thank god! You can't wait until Danny gets his. This book is just excellent and everyone should read it.

This is just a heck of a book - the best of all the Yankee books out there. As the flap copy says: "There are picks and profiles of the greatest (and worst) Yankee teams-sure to get a few arguments going. There are quotes, a quiz, lists, trivia, and tributes-as well as tales of fierce rivalries and unforgettable moments." A Yankee Century has it all

New York Yankees are the most popular, successful and enduring franchise in any sport. With all the amazing history that they have, can it be summed up in one book? The answer is no but this book does a great job of giving you a lot of their history in one book.

The beauty of this book is the little things, the attention that Harvey Frommer gave each page and each section. He listed so many facts in this book that any baseball fan would find this a great read.

The book has great quotes, timelines, short stories, player bios, full breakdowns of great records like the Joe DiMaggio hitting streak and when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's record (the breakdown of Ruth's 60 is in the book too!). The quotes are great too and there is a lot of information in this book that has never been seen before like Mickey Mantle's Hall of Fame speech!

The nickname section is priceless and all of them are explained in good detail. The pictures are well above average too as you will see a younger Casey Stengel, Thurman Munson, Ruth, Mantle, Maris, and Mel Allen. That's right even the great announcers that have worked for the Yankees over the years get their moment in the sun too.

Expect a lot of Billy Martin mentions and Yogi-isms in this Yankee treasure. There are also mentions of movies and really anything that has happened to the Bronx Bombers like Yankee Firsts and Lasts. And this book even has every manager to ever put on the pinstripes.

This book will cost you just over twenty dollars, but for the money you get a ton of baseball knowledge so it is well worth it.Buy A Yankee Century Now

If you are a Yankee Fan like myself you probably have a lot of Yankees related books in your collection. Chances are that Harvey Frommer wrote more than one of them. Mr. Frommer, a life long Yankees fan wrote for Yankees Magazine for sixteen years. He also wrote more than thirty Sports books including The New York Yankee Encyclopedia and New York City Baseball. Recnetly he commemorated the Yankees 100th Season with his latest "A Yankee Century. Given 5 Stars by BehindtheBombers.com

This book is the perfect companion for the encyclopedia. It is written so that you can bounce from one topic to the next. It starts you out by looking at a chronological look at the Yankees first 100 years. It takes your from the birth of the Bambino to the dedication of Reggie Jackson's plaque in Monument Park.

What is your favorite moment in Yankees History? Chapter 2 looks at them all and the perfect way to trigger your Yankee memories, both good and bad. The book continues with a Who's Who that cover just about everyone you could think of and a few you couldn't. Then a new twist is added when Harvey Frommer looks back at some of the great and not so great Yankee teams of the century.

Babe Ruth was known as the Sultan of Swat and Mickey Mantle was know as the Commerce Comet. But who what the Brooklyn Schoolboy? Bruiser? Or Dial a Deal? Well all those answers can be found in this book.

Although the Bombers were the first team to wear uniform numbers the next section, "By The Numbers" is more than that. For instance what does the number 4 mean to the Yankees? The most balks in a game by Vic Raschi on May 3, 1950. It is also Casey's streak of managing losing All Star games (1950 to 1953). And of course it is Lou Gehrig's uniform number.

There is a section on Yankee trivia entitled 100 Question Yankee Quiz. This quiz separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls. It covers the ridiculous to the sublime. See just how good a fan you are.

What Yankee Book would be complete without a section where you can find lists, charts, Yankee Firsts, Yankee Lasts, Yankee Longests and much much more.

With an introduction by Yankee favorite Paul O'Neill what more can you ask for. This definitive compilation captures the Yankee tradition in words, stats and photographs. It is the Yankees at your fingertips. It is light reading or something you won't want to put down. A perfect gift for the Yankee fan but buy two you wont want to give it away.

This book saved our lives! Our little girl came home from the hospital wailing and it never stopped. She would cry for hours upon hours and nothing would soothe her--not cuddling, not feedings, not burping, not changings, not my mother-in-law (the baby soother extraordinaire), nothing...until this book!

The horror is finally over--the technique absolutely works every time. The book is well-written, easy to follow and the examples of other parents going through this are so reassuring. I am happy to report that now, at 7 weeks, we have lots of cooing, many smiles, bonding (nearly impossible with a screaming baby) and a lot more sleeping. You can call the author Dr. Karp, but in our house he is reverentially referred to as Saint Harvey--our patron saint of babies. If you have a fussy baby I can not recommend this book enough. It truly works miracles!

If I were the Queen of Everything I would make sure all new parents and hospital nurses learned this method. It could save so many, so much. Thank you Saint Harvey!

The techniques in this book really work!

Our six week-old daughter has cried for 2-4 hours every evening without fail for the last 3-4 weeks. We have tried everything: every possible way of bouncing, jiggling, rocking and swinging; walks outside; drives in the car; warm baths; baby massage; "bicycling" her legs; singing; white noise; Mylicon drops...everything suggested by our pediatrician, What to Expect the First Year, Dr. Spock and the Le Leche League. Everything worked sometimes, though rarely more than once and rarely for more than a few mintues. We had just about given up and decided to buckle down for another 6 weeks of colic. Then we found this book. We did everything it said to do and, like magic, we can now soothe our colicky baby in minutes...seconds if we work quickly.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a colicky/fussy baby. It is a quick and fun read...lots of passages to read aloud to your spouse...and it will help you to stop your baby's crying...not just tell you it's ok to put the baby down walk away...no, it will actually help you stop the crying. Quickly. Easily. Really.

Why didn't this book come out before I had my first daughter?? She had such bad colic that I had to wonder if I was really cut out to be a parent. Being a pediatrician, I knew lots of tricks to try to calm her. But getting just the right combination eluded me. Through trial and error, we found that many of the things Dr. Karp recommends work. If only I had known before how they all work together. Looking back, I know that if I had read this book 4 years ago, her infancy would have been so much easier.
Since reading Dr. Karp's book for an article I'm working on, I've tried his method on many babies in my office and the hospital. I amaze parents by quieting their wailing babes in minutes or seconds!! I recommend his book to everyone now, and am planning to get extra copies for my office to loan out. It's fun, easy to read, and full of common baby sense.

With "My Life is my Sun Dance" Leonard Peltier proves that though his body may be imprisoned... his spirit, his soul still roams free. Though this book did not have the same profound effect on me as either of Mumia Abu-Jamal's prison writings, it does shed light on the mind of a man possesed with the anger of Malcolm X and the compassion of Ghandi. This is a must read for any individual in America (especially "white America") who recognizes the need for revolutionary change as we enter the year 2000.

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Whether or not you believe that Leonard Peltier really murdered two FBI agents in cold blood, you must read this book. The United States imprisons more people, *and* more people per capita, than any other nation in the world! Leonard's poignant book gives the reader a feel for *one* story of life behind bars. Not a journal or a story, per se, but a series of reflections, of meditations, of poems about life as a prisoner, life as a *political* prisoner in the Land of the Free.

You, who read this, with access to a personal computer, cannot begin to wrap your life around the experience of being caged. Of having every aspect of your life regulated. You, who grew up white, privileged, cannot wrap your mind around the experience of being beaten up simply because you spoke your native language. You, who grew up on land you "owned," have insulated yourself from imagining the pain of having your people destroyed, your culture outlawed, and your identity trampled into the mud.

So don't buy this book. Your will be able to continue your life comfortably. You'll be able to proceed with that warm fuzzy feeling that things are OK with the world, and that even if agent Fox Mulder has died, the FBI is really on *your* side.

Don't buy this book. You don't want to begin to feel what Leonard feels, caged in Leavenworth. Don't buy this book, it's easier to pretend that *those* people deserve to be locked up, that *those* people are animals, that the *justice* system really works most of the time. Don't buy this book, you don't want to have any inkling about what it feels like when justice miscarries.

Leonard Peltier wasn't (Mark) Rich enough for a Clinton pardon. He has exhausted his legal appeals. Prison Writings tells you what he will probably experience until he dies in Leavenworth. Since he's been sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus seven years, he wonders, will they keep his body in jail after he dies to get that second term?

Enough polemics. The book briefly recounts Leonard's history, the story of the shooting at Pine Ridge, and his trial. It intersperses his poetry with stories. His anger comes across loud and clear. There's a chapter about the massacre at Wounded Knee. I can't read that chapter without the tears rolling down my face. 300 women and children, surrounded by U. S. Cavalry, mowed down with cannon fire & gatling guns. 20 Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded for this atrocity.

Leonard doesn't pull any punches. He conveys, quite effectively, that we live in a land where systematic genocide and ethnic cleansing have nearly destroyed the indigenous people and enabled *us* to benefit greatly. While we look down our noses at the Nazi holocaust, we ignore the American holocaust. I wonder, is it any more *wrong* to lather your body with Jew soap, or to build your home on land soaked with the blood of the people who came before you?

Much easier to point our fingers at the Nazis and to smugly feel that we'd never participate in anything so horrible.

If you're looking for a book with more details about the Pine Ridge shootings and AIM, Peter Matthiessen's In the Spirit of Crazy Horse is a great source. The video, Incident at Oglala, provides an extremely biased presentation of Leonard's story....

PRISON WRITINGS brings the vital point of view of Leonard Peltier himself--often spoken of but rarely heard from. Peltier writes of the contexts which shaped his life, the impulses to activism through AIM, and the horrific miscarriage of justice perpetrated upon him. And aside from that, there is a beautiful and very moving description of an inipi, i.e. sweat lodge ceremony, which comprises the last several pages of the book, a section which I recommend for anyone who wishes to understand the logistics and the importance of this ritual. PRISON WRITINGS is a memoir, a treatise *and* a profoundly important accounting of the cultural connections which remain firmly in place for Leonard Peltier. I recommend this book vigorously.

I might as well have read the back of a baseball card as have read the book, for all the insight into Jackson's personality it gave me. This book simply read like an extended sports column; I suppose that is all well and good if sports columns are all you ever read, but I expect more from a biography than a collection of blow-by-blow accounts of the games Jackson played in. The man, after all, spent 13 of his 62 years playing in the big leagues. There is scant discussion of his later years. Does Frommer suppose that the reader is not interested in how Jackson came to terms with his status as a disgraced former big-league ballplayer? One is left with the impression that Frommer did not even attempt to scratch the surface when dealing with Jackson's later years.

Couple this with Frommer's clumsy writing style, lack of citations, and bizarre style of quotation, and one is left with a book that was not worth the time spent reading it. I was left with no greater insight into Jackson the man than before I first picked up the book.

"He was the greatest ball player ever from South Carolina. His lifetime batting average was .356, topped only by Ty Cobb and Rogers Honrsby.But Shoeless Joe had to leave the game in disgrace, one of the members of the "Black Sox" accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. Author Frommer argues that Jackson got a raw deal and deserves reinstatement and enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. Frommer's book is something of a biography and partly the story of baseball in the first two decades of this century. He sees Jackson as symbolizing the game's more innocent era, and he calls Jackson a 'folk hero, the representative of a collective nostalgic yearning for an agrarian past.'"

"A tremendous account. . . I must refer anyone who has any interest in the Black Sox Scandal to Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball. There is a shiny gold sticker on the jacket of Frommer's book, by the way, announcing that it contains "Never before published -- Joe Jackson's complete Grand Jury Testimony." . . .The testimony is worth reading. Frommer quotes Joe Jackson: "I never said anything about it [the plot to throw the Series] until the night before the Series started. I went to see Mr Comiskey and begged him to take me out of the lineup .... If there was something going on I knew the bench was the safest place, but he wouldn't listen to me...." I would love to fill about ten pages with excerpts from Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball, but will not. Get the book. It's a fascinating and fast read.

"Democracy in America", published in two parts (the first in 1835, the second in 1840), is the great work of Alexis de Tocqueville, a young, aristocratic Frenchman, who traveled through most of the Eastern, Southern, and Midwestern United States during a 9 month period in 1832. Tocqueville had originally set out to study the U.S. prison system but what he saw inspired him to write about much, much more.

The foresight he had for such a young man is really impressive to read 160 years later. What he saw in the morals, work ethic and government structure of the United States led him to accurately predict many of the ways in which the U.S. would lead and has led the world. At the same time Tocqueville was not oblivious to many of the ills in the America he saw. He very wisely writes of the cancer that the institution of slavery was to not only all black Americans, but to the white, Southern farmers and workers as well.

I hate having to give these books "stars" for ratings because in many cases it takes away from the ultimate importance and classic status of a book like this one. Tocqueville does tend to jump around and venture off into different topics that don't fit with the rest of their chapter, which could be attributed to his youth. Also, a few of his predictions, naturally, were way off. A native Texan, I had a good laugh at his view that "the province of Texas is still part of the Mexican dominions, but it will soon contain no Mexicans." But overall Tocqueville's view of America was honest, accurate, and the perfect explanation of why, on a daily basis, people continue to risk their lives to gain the freedom that only the United States of America offers.

De Tocqueville was an amazing man who posessed amazing insight into the workings (and not-workings) of American society. One only laments the fact that he was not a middle caste American politician arguing amongst great minds during the Constitutional conventions. Then again, we are equally lucky of the fact that he was a curious Frenchman of the leisure class who happened to be passing through. This is what gives de Tocqueville the ability to refrain from emotionalism and give us an outsiders view of what makes America good, bad and just plain different.

See, de tocqueville recognizes, as did our founders, that liberty and democracy are key ingredients to a healthy society. On the other hand, he points out that too much freedom or democracy lead to lazy, public-opinion driven conformity, over-emphasis on materialism and restlessness. Another contradiction de tocqueville points out is that although self-government is generally a good idea, there are times when an all powerful aristocracy is just more efficient. He can see all sides.
The best part then is that de Tocqueville doesn't come to any final conclusion. He just observes and reports on America's inner workings as seen by an aristocratic Frenchman.

A few reccomendations to the de tocqueville virgins. First, as this is the unabridged, it may be advised to read the first book, pause to read something else, then read the second book. I read it straight through and found that not only would I have benefited from reflection, but much of the second book is a rehash the first. Second, keep in mind during the second book that the word 'democracy' is also de tocqueville's word for 'capitalism'. The word 'capitalism' would be introduced only years later by one Karl Marx. So when de tocqueville says that democracy increases industriousness, what the reader should hear is that capitalism increases industriousness. This in itself is a brilliant observation by de tocqueville. Democracy and capitalism really are the same thing, different scale. The producer, like the political candidate, cater to the consumer or the voter. Both systems allow the individual to choose the goods and services he wants and reject those he doesn't. This is why one may also want to read 'Wealth of Nations' with this book.

The only other thing I can tell the reader before he or she embarks on a fascinating reading adventure is to keep in mind why de tocqueville wrote the book. He intended it to be read by the french who were not familiar with or had misconceptions about America. Of course, it provides contemporary America with an amazing historical survey. Like the introductory exclamation to MTV's 'Diary' show says, "You think you know, but you have no idea".

The specific edition I am reviewing is the Heffner addition which is a 300 page abridgement. I also own an unabridged edition but I have only read Heffner cover to cover. What is amazing about de Toqueville is how uncanny many of his observations are over a century and a half later. He accurately predicted in 1844 that the world's two great powers would be the United States and Russia. He aptly pointed out that Americans are a people who join associations and he is so right 156 years later. Although there are both religious extremists on both ends, ie fundamentalists and atheists, he was dead on that, as a whole, we are a religious society but that our religious views are moderate. De Toqueville shows how American characteristics evolved from democracy as opposed to the highly class structered societies of Europe. From de Tocqueville, it could have been predicted that pop culture, such as rock music etc, would develop in America because the lack of an aristocracy causes a less cultured taste in the arts. In a thousand and one different ways, I found myself marveling at how dead on de Toqueville was. Most controversially, those who argue that we have lost our liberties to a welfare state might well find support in de Toqueville. Here, 100 years before the New Deal, he forsaw that a strong central government would take away our liberties but in a manner much more benign than in a totalitarian government. There are certain liberties that Americans would willingly sacrifice for the common good. Critics of 20th century liberalism in the US might well point to this as an uncanny observation. By reading "Democracy in America," the reader understands what makes Americans tick. De Toquville was an astute observer of who we are as a people and should be read by all educated Americans.

I want to note that there are several editions of this great work and in deciding which to buy, be aware that each has a different translator. I feel Heffner's translation is slightly stilted but, he did such a wonderful job in editing this abridgement that it, nontheless, deserves 5 stars.

I've owned this book for a few years now, and like my caption says, it never gets old.

In this golfer's book you will find instruction, philosophy, and history - all woven masterfully together in the form of stories. Whether it's the lengthly section where Harvey gives his thoughts in the grip, or the extremely terse paragraph explaining why he never joined the tour, Penick uses the right words at the right times.

I've read it several times and often take it with me on long trips. It's broken into several very short segments, sometimes two or three on a page, sometimes two or three pages. This means you can always pick it up, read a quick snipit, and walk away from it.

Lastly, I've found that whenever my golf game is struggling, I read this book and it always somehow gets back on track. I don't know if it's from the lucid instruction or the comforting philosophy, but either way this book has become an integral part of my golf regimen.

Reading this book is like talking to a professional. The answers you need are right there. I read alot about golf as it has become my passion in the past year. This book is amazing. Harvey brings the game to life and makes it easy to understand. He explains so many aspects of the game that it is amazing it is a "Little Red Book" and not a Huge Red Book. Definately worth reading for any golf enthusiast.

The book I had just read could be considered a novel but is more ani instructional-novel on one of the greatest golf teachers who ever lived. The man's name is Harvey Penick. The book he wrote is called;"Harvey Penickcs Little Red Book." The main theme of the story is mmainly to tell about the golfing and teaching life of Harvey Penick. Harvey Penick had a little red book where he would write down the notes on what is changing or progressing in a students golf game. Harvey would also write down his golf tips in his book. Harvey had a series of books. This bok is one of many books he wrote. Harvey Penick wrote another book called,"The Game For a Lifetime." That book he could not complete because he passed away before he could. Tom Kite one of his best friends took over and finished the book for him. He just used the knowledge he had gained from Mr. Penick. I couldn't tell you the whole story because alot of it is on the teaching of golf. What I can tell you are the little things such as, Harvey had a son named Tinsley, and a wife named Helen. Harvey was born in Austin,Texas.Harvey was the head pro at the Austin Country Club. He worked there until 1975 and held the job for fifty years. After that his son had taken over his position.Harvey, after he retired, decided to hang around the country club and teach whoever wanted to be taught about golf. I don't want to give away all the aspects about Harvey Penick. If you would like to know more on this amazing man you'll have to read his book for yourself. The book is only about 180 pages long. I would definitly say this is one of the best books I have ever read.Iliked because I got so much out of it. This book helped me a lot with my golf gaame and taught me about one of the greartest teachers ever. I would definitly recommend this book to others. The only thing is, if you don't play golf or have nothing to do with golf you might not enjoy it.