I was expecting SO much from this book and I was really let down. The characters were nothing like I expected them to be..it was like Gilbert and Lynn forgot what Cheney and Shiloh's personalities were. The plot was muddy and the climax was...well, was there one? It was just really, really weird. All the other books seemed to be built around something other than the Cheney/Shiloh relationship (#7 had the volcano, #1 was the boat trip, #5 was the conflict with the voodoo, etc) but this one seemed so hazy and uncertain. The whole thing about the brothel was so rushed and weird...and Shiloh was totally out of character. I guess, looking at it from a different perspective, it was a good book. By itself, not as a part of the Cheney Duvall series. But as the long-awaited eighth book in the saga of Cheney and Shiloh, it was totally wrong. It was almost as if it were written by a totally different person...like when you watch a book-based movie and it's nothing like the real thing, ya know? It seemed so rushed...especially the last two pages. GRR! I'm still mad about that!

Even in spite of all that, I'd still encourage you to read the book. You'd miss a HUGE chunk of Cheney and Shiloh's relationship if you just skip it. As you can see, there's plenty of other people that loved it, so make your own opinion. I'm just presenting mine, if anyone would care to hear it. :)

Overall, I say that Lynn and Gilbert Morris have done an excellent job. Especially with their 8th book of the series, Driven with the Wind. In book 7 they said that the 8th would be their final of the series, and what a better way to end it with the marriage of our two favorite characters Cheney and Shiloh. It is a great set up for the new series, and I can't wait! If you haven't read the Cheney Duvall M.D. series, I strongly urge you to do so!

Giving readers a rest from the thrills of the action/adventure oriented Island of the Innocent, Gilbert and Lynn Morris take Driven With the Wind into more emotionally charged territory.

Shiloh Irons-Winslow and Cheney Duvall battle with their differences as they try to find a way to make a more lasting relationship of their three-year-old friendship.

Devlin Buchanan's past comes back to haunt him just as happiness with Victoria DeLancie seems within his grasp.

And Bain Winslow, everyone's favorite villian, is back. But this time Bain escapes his former clichéd character and emerges in a strong supporting role.

Set at a slower pace than previous books in the series, Driven With the Wind never the less holds the reader's attention while carefully solidifying and fine tuning the characters of the cast. Driven With the Wind delivers a satisfying finale to the first part of the Cheney Duvall series and lays a promising groundwork for the many books that we all hope will come.

This is an excellent and clear-headed book about Turkey before the dynamic capitalism of the 1980's really set in. As such, it is somewhat anachronistic as all books about Turkey quickly tend to become. On the other hand, the general portrait and the beautiful writing make this the best and truest introduction to Turkey yet written. Read it to understand this unique country, a veritable mosaic of ethnicities, customs and histories; spawning a bridge between the East and the West. For people who see the world through narrow eyes, Turkey might be a paradox: the most secular country in the world, with a solidly modern orientation and a predominantly Muslim (but secular!) population. Not a paradox for Settle who has an open mind.

Recall also that Turkey is a country that suffers an unjustly bad image, mainly because of fanatic Greek-Orthodox fundamentalists (e.g. see the one or two silly reviews below by Greek-Americans with no idea of Balkan history!). Mary Lee Settle has done more than anyone else to rectify the balance. She is uniquely qualified to do so because she clearly has no political agenda to settle with the past or with the future...

One can only hope that Mary Lee Settle writes another book covering the breathtaking changes in Turkey in the last 20 years or so with the same clear vision.

This book reflects personal experiences and insights of the author, which is done very sincerely and poetically. It is not a history textbook nor carries a political agenda. I do not know if the reader had read the whole book but pages 66-67 contain references to Armenian genocide. I can also tell that this reader's knowledge of modern Turkey and Turkish people and their relationships with Armenians, Greeks and Kurds are limited to few subjective publications. If he/she ever lived in Turkey and observed how those people from diverse backgrounds live, go schools and work together, become best friends and marry each other, he/she would not believe every opinion so naively. Every country has its own unique disparities and ways to deal with them. Turkey regionally and politically has a very strategic position (historically much diverse compared to many countries in the world); hence, it experienced and continues to experience many uproars for claims of land. This situation is not unique to Turkey and I strongly believe that most countries would do the same to defend the integrity of their land.

This is an excellent and clear-headed book about Turkey before the dynamic capitalism of the 1980's really set in. As such, it is somewhat anachronistic as all books about Turkey quickly tend to become. On the other hand, the general portrait and the beautiful writing make this the best and truest introduction to Turkey yet written. Read it to understand this unique country, a veritable mosaic of ethnicities, customs and histories; spawning a bridge between the East and the West. For people who see the world through narrow eyes, Turkey might be a paradox: the most secular country in the world, with a solidly modern orientation and a predominantly Muslim (but secular!) population. Not a paradox for Settle who has an open mind.

Recall also that Turkey is a country that suffers an unjustly bad image, mainly because of fanatic Greek-Orthodox fundamentalists (e.g. see the one or two silly reviews below by Greek-Americans with no idea of Balkan history!). Mary Lee Settle has done more than anyone else to rectify the balance. She is uniquely qualified to do so because she clearly has no political agenda to settle with the past or with the future...

One can only hope that Mary Lee Settle writes another book covering the breathtaking changes in Turkey in the last 20 years or so with the same clear vision.

Vanished is an extremely compelling tale; I finished it in less than a day. But be aware, gentle reader: this is a book that HURTS.

I loved Mary McGarry Morris's Songs in Ordinary Time and A Dangerous Woman, and I liked Fiona Range, but I wasn't prepared for the intensity of Vanished. A real story about love weaves through this tale of an abused teenager, a mentally challenged man, and a kidnapped child who are bound together by happenstance and careening toward disaster. However, like Of Mice and Men, it is not for the faint of heart.

Without a doubt, Vanished is artfully crafted. But it seemed to me to dish out cruelty at the speed of light, and I was left feeling pretty hollow at the end.

Vanished is Mary McGarry Morris' masterwork, a complex and entrancing story of a man caught outside the life of his community who is suddenly torn from his hometown by forces he can't fully comprehend. Oddly, most of what he doesn't comprehend is personified by the girl who "kidnapped" him -- a wily, scheming, insecure girl who runs because she has to.

Morris, relatively unknown before Oprah picked up on her most recent best-seller, "Songs in Ordinary Time," is an author who began writing late in life. Her long experience in a world beyond the bounds of rarified "literary" fiction shows in her compassion for her main characters.

In Vanished, her insight is most marked when she refuses to give definite reasons for things. Instead, she allows the emotional weight of an event to compound until its consequences become inevitable. In this book, so many things disappear -- but they always leave traces. Traces of hope, and of desire.

In this book, an arbitrary escape turns into a four year odyssey. But it's not the typical trip out of contemporary fiction, full of drugs, sex, and lost weekends. Instead it's a simple journey, replete with attempts at security and love, emptied of cynicism or sardonic humor.

Thus, the terrific ending comes as a shock, and yet feels right after all. How else could such an extraordinary journey conclude but with the unexpected?

Winner of the Pen/Faulkner Prize, this book beats Morris' "Oprah"-Recommended "Songs in Ordinary Time," hands-down

This book broke my heart! Tragic people whose lifes intertwine. I could not put this book down. It haunts me still.

In this book Conway-Morris makes an interesting argument on the animals of Burguess Shale. But in order to understand it, a previous reading of 'Wonderful Life' by Stephen J. Gould is useful. Not only because Conway-Morris criticizes the argumnent of Gould, and he deny the importance of 'contingency' or of the 'weird wonders' in order to understand evolution and Burguess Shale. The other reason is that the Gould's book is more detailed and informative in his presentation of the animals of Burguess Shale. The lack of detail in the arguments of Conway-Morris damage his case: For example, when Gould wants to show that Anomalocaris is a weird wonder, he makes a detailed presentation of its anatomy, but Conway-Morris only presents a brief sketch of the reasons of why Anomalocaris can be seen as a special kind of arthropod. This is regrettable because the arguments of Conway-Morris benefit from detailed presentation, as in his discussion of Wiwaxia or his presentation of the concept of disparity.

take potshots at Stephen Gould's extended speculation on contingency. This is unfortunate because it is all a waste of words-- "contingency", as used by Gould, cannot be science because it is not possible to devise a test of falsifiability (ref: Karl Popper.) What Gould's book is about is the context of science within its culture--why Walcott made his "big mistake". (If you are possibly wondering if Charles Walcott was some amateur rockhound then disabuse yourself with Ellis Yochelson's recent biography.)

What Simon Conway Morris's book is about is an ecological approach to the Cambrian menagerie.

What *all* the Burgess books are about is a celebration of the most important animals fossils yet discovered. (You get your best look [apart from the museums] with Chip Clark's excellent photographs in Derek Briggs's "Fossils of the Burgess Shale".)

Readers have a choice to consider here; attend a senior evolutionary biology course, or spend an intense bit of time studying Conway Morris' glossary introducing this book. Either way, press on to the text, rich rewards await your persistence. Conway Morris offers a memorable account of assessing the fossil evidence of one of biology's more striking finds. The Burgess Shale's disclosure of fossilized soft-bodied creatures is a captivating story, one which was not, contrary to the views of many, fully resolved by Stephen Gould's account.

So much attention has been given to the grandeur of the dinosaurs, other eras of importance in life's pageant have too often been overlooked. The Cambrian era described so vividly by Conway Morris was a time when evolution's processes were already well under way. His account, partially supporting Walcott's original descriptions, is based on hard, reflective investigation and reassessment of the fossil evidence. Using techniques unavailable in Walcott's day, Conway Morris and his colleagues delicately pieced together a new picture of how the Cambrian life forms looked and how they must have lived. His imaginative use of 'time travel' to depict these creatures is a fine innovation in reporting science. He's to be commended for stimulating thinking about evidence.

While Conway Morris doesn't write with Gould's more florid style, his presentation has presented us with a much more valuable account. Gould spends too much time disparaging Walcott's lack of effort in analyzing the shale. Gould's advocacy of 'contingency' as an evolutionary mechanism supporting his misleading 'punctuated equilibrium' thesis is rightly assaulted by Conway Morris. Conway Morris, by focussing on strong scientific work, demonstrates that flighty contentions cannot replace solid scientific analysis. He provides the reader with a stirring account of the research leading to the reassessment achieved by his team. The result is a solid, highly readable account of the Burgess finds. This book is a fine replacement for the only work we've had available on this topic.

This guy has built some computers before. He has some excellent insights into the computer parts and functions. What you need versus what you want..."don't buy tomorrows technology today...you can easily upgrade it later saving hundreds ($500). Some good advice. I felt good about going forward with the build.

As the author states, he can't write in detail about everything. So, you should be prepared to pay ten cents per page for his book. He's not wordy...and he's got a sense of humor if your in the right frame of mind. The computer building business must be getting tougher to make a buck these days.

I researched my parts using what Vendors were using in thier builds and then researched them via the internet. Try Pricewatch.com; Motherboards.com; and use a search engine for computer component reviews. Then talk to the sales people...they'll help you for a sell.

Even if you buy your computer prebuilt, you should go through the reading and research so you can pick out a computer with right components you need and not just buzzword names.

Go ahead a try to build one. If you get in trouble, just be prepared to let the computer store down the road bail you out for a nominal fee.

I am sure this is a great show by example book. with just enough knowledge mentioned, this book simplifies the task of building a PC. And quite amazingly, it is rather up to date. However, I only wish the author could spare a little ink on how to purchase different parts. After all, assembling all the parts together is not difficult at all, because it is no more than finding the right plugs and connect them (from our point of view, there is very little difference between a CD-ROM and a DVD-ROM). It is the hunting for the parts that get me (and probably a lot of other readers as well). Also the book goes something like this, "it seems that the BIOS does recognize the CPU with correct speed... excellent, now let's get it over with..." But what if something does go wrong? what if there is a hardware conflict, or what if some parts are defective? How would you tell which part is bad, and what the solution would be? Even a loose connection in the video card could seem to be a disaster to a beginner simply because he/she does not have the experiences to judge what and where the problems occur.

This was the most informative book on building computers i have ever read , and i have read a few also the pictures were very graphic and easy to see and understand and very helpfull , i would recomend this book to anyone who was considering building a PC or who just wanted to see how they were put togeather, operate and what you can do with them , also a BIG + in this book was the fact that it dealt with multiple systems AMD & PENTIUM where as most books dont go into detail on anything but the pentium system so in turn this was an outstanding book and on a scale of 1-10 it is a + 11 :) i will recommond this book to anyone looking for information about computers . and my special thanks to MR.MORRIS ROSENTHAL

well done and i look forward to more writeings by him . THANK YOU !

Apparently the Young Earth crowd, having lost their stronghold in evangelical churches and clinging to an ever shrinking base among American Fundamentalists, need to do damage control. Let me dispense with one reader's "defense" of Henry Morris:

Point 1: Gen. 1-11 is quoted as literal, journalistic, historical fact by Jesus and the New Testament.

Truth: It is not. Jesus merely said that God made people "male and female" from the beginning - hardly a "proof" that Genesis 1 means a literal 24-hour day. No one is doubting that mankind had a beginning. In fact, both Paul and John say that Genesis 1-3 was an allegory - the snake represented Satan.

Point 2: The 6-day creation theory wasn't original to the 7th Day Adventists. It was held by Luther.

Truth: In a book about creationism endorsed by Morris himself (The Creationists), it is plainly acknowledged that modern young-earth theories stem from the SDA denomination. That people living centuries ago during the dark ages may have misinterpreted Genesis is irrelevant; Luther was an anti-semite who retained most of the Roman Catholicism's false doctrines, suffered from obsessive-compulsive and bipolar disorders, and his church tradition has long since petered out - modern evangelicals are rooted in the Anabaptist tradition and owe next to nothing to Luther. Luther prompted the reformation, but no one considers him a great thinker or theologian, merely a catalyst. By contrast, Augustine, Origen, and other church fathers whose intellectual prowess far outstrips Luther's held Gen. 1 to be symbolic, and this view reigned among theologians for more than 1,000 years. It is worth noting that most common people of Luther's time believed the earth was flat and the sky was made of metal - Chick Little accurately portrays the beliefs of that time period. Do we trust their view of the earth's age?

Point 3: Henry Morris doesn't promote King James Onlyism.
Truth: Henry Morris wrote a LETTER to his followers saying his ministry would only use the KJV because modern Bibles are full of "evolutionary assumptions." This letter prompted a public rebuke from James White.

Henry Morris is scientifically and Biblically unsound. Charges stand!

Henry Morris is neither a scientist nor a theologian. He's a hydraulics engineer-turned-author who's obsessively promoted the 7th Day Adventist doctrine of a "young earth creation" far outside the SDA denomination - doing nearly incalcuable damage to many churches. He's since gone on to promote the "King James Only" cult group which further seeks to spread 7th Day Adventist false doctrines among Baptist Fundamentalists, and even promoted a sort of astrology among Christians! Jesus said we'll know them by their fruits - Morris' fruit is churches ripped apart over the age of the Earth, and seekers convinced that the Bible isn't true because of Morris' bizarre interpretation of Genesis. Morris deserves nothing but a firm, unsympathetic rebuke for distorting the Bible, slandering other Christians ...and lying about science.

This book must be hitting home judging by the incredibly intemperate reviews by professing Christians. Clearly some people can't tell the difference between allegories and alligators.

As Morris points out, everywhere else in the Bible where Genesis 1 is quoted, including by Jesus Himself, it is quoted as straightforward history. The Hebrew of Genesis 1-11 it very clear, with the frequency of the vav consecutive and other features of the verbs pointing to historical narrative. Conversely, if it were Hebrew poetry there would be lots of parallelism, which there is not.

One must also wonder about professing Christians who, in effect, say Jesus was wrong when he said "Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35), quotes Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 to assert that people were made male and female "from the beginning of creation" (Matthew 19:3-6, Mark 10:4-6), and that the Flood and Ark were things that really "occurred" in the days of Noah (Luke 17:26-27).

It's also absurd to use indefinite time words to overrule the plain meaning of Genesis. After all, how old is old? I think anyone over 40 is old -- it's a relative term! The words used to describe mountains etc. as "old" are always in relation to a human lifetime. 3000 years really is OLD -- it's only the indoctrination of millions of years that has persuaded people to think of this huge stretch of time as "young".

And of course, the usual SDA canard is raised. FACT: the straightforward interpretation of Genesis was the main view of the Church Fathers and Reformers, not to mention the 19th Century Scriptural Geologists. Here are just two of many quotes:

1. Basil the Great, 4th century Church Father:

'"And there was evening and there was morning: one day." And the evening and the morning were one day. Why does Scripture say "one day the first day"? Before speaking to us of the second, the third, and the fourth days, would it not have been more natural to call that one the first which began the series? If it therefore says "one day", it is from a wish to determine the measure of day and night, and to combine the time that they contain. Now ***twenty-four hours fill up the space of one day***-we mean of a day and of a night; and if, at the time of the solstices, they have not both an equal length, the time marked by Scripture does not the less circumscribe their duration. It is as though it said: ***twenty-four hours measure the space of a day***, or that, in reality a day is the time that the heavens starting from one point take to return there. Thus, every time that, in the revolution of the sun, evening and morning occupy the world, their periodical succession never exceeds the space of one day.'

2. Martin Luther, 15th-16th Century Father of the Reformation:

"We know from Moses that the world was not in existence before 6,000 years ago."

"He [Moses] calls 'a spade a spade,' i.e., he employs the terms 'day' and 'evening' without Allegory, just as we customarily do... we assert that Moses spoke in the literal sense, not allegorically or figuratively, i.e., that the world, with all its creatures, was created within six days, as the words read. If we do not comprehend the reason for this, let us remain pupils and leave the job of teacher to the Holy Spirit."

Martin Luther in Jaroslav Peliken, editor, "Luther's Works," Lectures on Genesis Chapters 1-5, Vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1958), pp. 3, 6.

Finally, it is an outright falsehood to claim that Morris believes in the divine inspiration of the KJV, which indeed would be a belief in extrabiblical revelation. In The Genesis Record, he criticises the KJV in a few places, e.g. the "unfortunate" translation "replenesh the Earth" in Gen. 1:28, and in Genesis 1:20. Also, Morris is always tentative when discussing the "Gospel in the Stars" idea, with which I disagree also.

Any book on the Arab Israeli conflict that is not 100% pro- Israel is labeled as objective, critical and balanced in the US. In his book, Benny Morris discusses some aspects of the Palestinian sufferings such as mass uprooting and deportations of the Palestinian people and to limited extent other forms collective punishments which makes his book a balanced book for the NY Times and the Washington Post. But as a Palestinian I do not see his book as objective but rather as an attempt to lay the blame squarely on the Palestinian people. He portrays the Palestinians as uncompromising, prone to violence, unsympathetic for the Jewish suffering and human suffering as well while the Israelis as the opposite: civilized, compromising, sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

He begins his book by stating that Muhammad, the Muslim prophet, had killed many Jews during his era. He states this without going into the context of those events. It is simply stated as to some how show that as the Europeans, the Muslims had forced the Jews to find a home land and the Palestinians being mostly Muslims are partly to blame for their own suffering.

The overall tone of the book I thought was pro-Israel addressed to the liberal readers who are patient enough to read how Israel at times had to act inhumanely towards the Palestinians and commit acts that are not reflective of its "democratic" and "civilized" society but were forced to do so because the Palestinians forced them or gave them no other choice.

His thesis is basically Israel had acknowledged the Palestinian problem and was willing to make "painful compromises" to find a resolution but the Palestinians refused because the prefer terrorism as a way of life. Anyone familiar with Palestinian history realizes that Palestinian are the ones who made the painful compromises by giving up 78% of their home land and seeking to establish a state on only 22%. Even before the current intifada, Israeli settlers and forces subjected Palestinians to the daily killings of women and children, home demolitions, land confiscations, economic constraints and all forms of abuse and humiliations. For the Palestinians to be "true peace seekers" they have to endure all this torture and watch the Israelis elect new leaders that scrap previous agreements at their whim and continue to expand the so called settlements which are in fact cities being built on the Palestinian homes and blood.

Again very good read for the pro-Israel liberals that want a sophisticated way to blame the whole conflict on the Arabs and the Palestinians.

Benny Morris "Righteous Victims" is a survey of the entire Arab-Israeli Conflict, a task that Morris admits is probably too large for any one Historian. Neverthless, Morris has produced an extremely well-written and gripping overview of the conflict. Morris' book is easy to read, a result of both his writing style and the periodization, which divides up the historical eras in a coherent fashion. Still, this book has taken much criticism, mostly as a result of some questionable materials that Morris uses for his sources. For example, Morris attributes a quote to Ben-Gurion, in which the Israeli leader states the Jews are the aggressor and the Arabs only defend themselves. This strange quote was taken from Simcha Flapan, a Zionist who worked with Ben-Gurion in the 1930's, and later turned on him, writing a book who sole purpose was to discredit Ben-Gurion. Needless to say, this should not be a primary source for information. Morris also makes some very questionable assertions, claiming that it was always the Jewish leaders' goal to transfer the Arabs out of Palestine, which they did not view as immoral. He also claims that the Peel Commissions discussion of transfer in 1937 made the actual transfer undertaken in the 1948 war easier. Despite these flaws, this remains a highly readable book, and for the most part it seems on target.

In the opening pages of Benny Morris' Righteous Victims, one notices two unique aspects of this author's history, the short poem by W. H. Auden, "I and the public know/what all schoolchildren learn, those to whom evil is done/do evil in return" and the subtitle of the book as "Zionist-Arab Conflict" rather than the more widely used "Arab-Israeli Conflict." As an Israeli Jew one would assume Morris to have an Israeli slant and point the finger at Arab terrorism and hostility as the source of the conflict. However, Morris, a "new historian," is part of the cultural civil war within Israel between the post-Zionists or "new-historians" and the more traditional Zionist Israelis (Wurmser). Limor Livnat, a member of Israeli Knesset, describes post-Zionism as those left-wing Israelis who "do not oppose the idea of the state of Israel, but rather (believe) that the task has been completed; they suggest that the idea of a Jewish state is inherently racist, and that Israel should be a state for all its citizens" (Livnat). These individuals are tired of war and violence and are critical of Israel's Zionist past and present policies.
In Righteous Victims Morris writes an objective history of what he sees as the "Zionist-Arab Conflict." He succeeds in constructing a comprehensive account of the conflict, one that is critical of Zionism and Israel as well as the Palestinians and Arab states. He provides a timely analysis of the causes of the Palestinian refugee crisis and an in-depth look at the present Intifada and its historical context.
In his opening discussion of beginnings of the Israeli state and the formation of the Yishuv, or Jewish community, Morris exposes the inevitability of the conflict through diary entries and memoirs of the important players such as Herzl and Churchill and their opinions regarding Zionism and the native Arab population. It is in this section of Righteous Victims where Morris is most critical of Zionism. In 1903 Herzl argued that "poor Arab [tenant] farmers should not be driven off their land," however in his diary in 1895 Morris finds the quote:

Both the process of expropriation and the removal of the poor must be carried out discreetly and circumspectly (21).

Morris explains the Zionist motives behind these transfers citing several reasons. In many ways Arabs were seen as Russians in the Jews eyes; any form of hostility or protest that could be deemed anti-Semitic were associated as "pogroms." In Morris' view this simplified the problem, demonized the Arabs, and "comforted the Jews by obviating the need to admit that what they faced was a rival national movement, rather than Arabic-speaking Cossacks and street ruffians" (136). Also Morris holds that there was a refusal among many Zionists to agree to the complexity of Arab antagonism (61). Incoming Jews were seen as Europeans and the rightful owners of Palestine, while Arabs were merely "insignificant natives and usurpers" (76). Morris' explanation of the psyches of both sides proves his argument of inevitability, best illustrated by the HaShomer guard "In blood and fire Judea fell; in blood and fire shall Judea rise" (53).
Later in the history Morris turns to Palestinian refugee crisis, the issue that brought him fame. Again Morris is critical of Zionist policy especially during the war in 1949 and the 1967 War. Morris negates both views that Arabs voluntarily fled Israeli occupied territory and that Israel systematically expelled the refugees. Morris holds the refugee problem as an inevitability given the history of antagonism and the geographic intermixing (253). After the Deir Yassin massacre, Israeli documents emphasize "a psychosis of flight" and an "atrocity factor" as means to displace Arabs. Despite theses findings, Morris shows that there was no systematic expulsion policy, and the Arabs left as a result of a cumulative process. Clearly in this analysis, Morris is critical of the IDF and Zionist leaders while maintaining his consistent level of objectivity.
Amongst the remaining narrative perhaps the most relevant discussion is Morris' explanation of the Palestinian Intifada that continues today. Morris' analysis is one of political and economic factors. He views the Intifada or "war for independence from Israel" as a "political struggle, started as a mass protest against unbearable economic conditions, which in turn were largely a result of political realities" (561). Palestinians often cite the brutality and oppressiveness of the Israeli occupation, but Morris holds that it is not as restrictive as the Palestinians propound. The Israelis allowed establishment of sectors of self-rule and political resistance and also new universities. In the early 1980s annual per capita income in the Gaza Strip and West Bank almost tripled. Roads were vastly improved, most homes were linked to Israel's electricity grid, and health care was vastly improved. However this prosperity led to overcrowding, especially in the Gaza Strip, where the changes failed to erase the political frustration of the Arabs. They were still perceived as second-class citizens, unequal to their Jewish neighbors. Despite the increase in standard of living, "large pockets of abject poverty continued to exist and grow" (565).
The Iran-Iraq War precipitated discontent as well. Many Arab's depended on their income from work abroad and in the Persian Gulf. Once the war broke out, they were unable to earn the much-needed "petrodollars" for their families. During the same period, the fall of the Soviet Union saw an influx of hundreds of thousands of Russian Jews further complicating the overcrowding and unemployment. Arabs found it difficult to survive in an economy with policies they felt "intent to dispossess and drive them out and to replace them with Jews" (567).
Morris' "new historian/post-Zionism" account of the Arab-Israeli conflict successfully achieves his objectives, by creating a fair account critical of Zionist policies and showing the inevitability of the struggle in the face of the historical mindsets. His analysis of the refugee problem and the Intifada has and will undoubtedly awaken Israelis, students, and other historians to a critical approach to Zionist policy.

I'm disappointed after I read first two good books (Tomb and Legacies). This book doesn't really make sense with a lot of mumbo jumbo and not as interesting as the previous ones. I just lost interested after reading a hundred pages, but forced myself to finish it as quick as I can. It would be nice if Mr. Wilson put more variety in his novels without using Pine Barrens in each story, for ex. Also, writing about supernatural in this Repairman Jack novel, please. They don't really fit together with RJ character to my opinion. Write something like in real life like Legacies or a short story in Barrens and Others. I hope the next novels will be much better.

Repairman Jack is one of the great characters in horror literature. He first appeared in The Tomb, made a brief appearance in NightWorld, and then reappears in Legacies as a major character. I'm glad to see that F. Paul Wilson has chosen to write additional books Rpairman Jack playing a central role.

"Conspiracies" takes some of Jack's old adversaries, provides conflict and through this conflict explains many of the so-called conspiracies (UFO coverup, assasination of JFK, religion, etc.) of the day. His supporting characters are at once believable, funny, and altogether interesting. An excellent book, don't miss it!

CONSPIRACIES puts Repairman Jack in the middle of a conspiracy theorists convention. That in itself is enough irony for me. Jack has a missing woman case. To solve it, he must subject himself to unbelievable theories and people. But the truth really is stranger than fiction. When Jack stumbles across the meaning of it all, it is one of the best moments in contemporary fiction. The only real problem I had with this book is that the time line is somewhat confusing. Wilson told me that it follows LEGACIES, which followed THE TOMB. He sprinkles mentions of previous Jack novels but it's not exactly clear which one, if any, is which. That aside, I love it that Wilson has another supernatural-type book out, I was getting tired of the medical thrillers he's been writing. The sequel to CONSPIRACIES should be great based on what Wilson has gotten Jack into here. Can't wait! Recommended.

As an ardent fan of the Cheney Duvall series, I waited months for the Inheritence series to begin, eager to read more of Cheney's adventures and Shiloh's new-found faith. I was not dissapointed in the newest novel. Lynn and Gilbert Morris are and excelent duo, and this book is definately proof. There is only one thing I have noticed in the writing style that seems changed from the previous ones. I'm sure other fans have noticed also, that because the tension between Cheney and Shiloh has completely dissapeared, so too has the complexity of the plot and style. This element did not detract from the novel, or from my appreciation for the Morris' creativity and imagination. However, it was noticeable and I think worthy of mention. Overall, the novel is a great addition to the series and I am certain that new and old readers alike will absolutely love it.

I loved this book, like all other Cheney books it is refreshing and delightful.

i also loved the subtle humor found throughout the book, when you least expect it some funny line will come along and you aren't expecting it at all so you laugh out loud. out of the reviews i have read no one seems to like the pet names they give each other. coming from the eigth book in the Cheney Duval M.D. series, Shiloh calls Cheney "mon chou" it means my cabbage but in french it is also a way of saying sweetheart. Cheney and Shiloh go on their honeymoon only to have a plague, storms, and shiloh's cousin Bain Winslow to deal with.
but constantly you see how shiloh has changed since he accepted God into his heart, and Cheney and Shiloh's undying love for each other.
Although i wasn't expecting this book to be as good as the series before it exceeded my expectations, i would reccomend it because it is as good as any of the other ones.

Once again this dynamic father and daughter duo have captured our hearts in this thrilling historical fiction novel. Cheney and Shiloh are again the main characters in this new series. Readers will be amazed at the wonders of the South Seas as described in this book. The characters express such a love of God and each other in their new marriage. Cheney and Shiloh are familiar to us from other books written by these two authors and it is recommended that you read the first series before embarking upon this one. There are references to other characters and situations that wouldn't be known about otherwise.

The story is captivating and hard to put down. I highly recommend it to everyone! I am awaiting the next novel in this enchanting series.

--- review submitted by Nicole for Christian Bookshelf

This is could be the title of this book. As a firm supporter of our country, I found this book helpful in filling in many details about subjects that I have read in other books. What I liked most about this book was that it gave a brief history of each major player in the building of Las Vegas and how they got where they are today. Then it shows how these major players worked either with or against the powers that be. It also helped me understand many of the major political events in this country, especially why Nixon was forced to resign. The basic theme of this book is that the Mafia--the Syndicate-- controls our goverment by giving huge amounts of money to those running for office, not just in Nevada but in our presidential elections. It also tells how these Mobsters work hand in hand with the CIA in drug running and have helped in assissinating legimate leaders of other countries or trying to assissinate them. Money speaks and it speaks loudly. Unfornuately those who control the money are not working in our best interest. I lived in Las Vegas in the early to mid 80's. I saw how the Synidate ran things and how the locals just accepted it as a fact. I also worked with people who were addicted to gambling--who sold their blood so that they could win big time at a game where only the house wins. Because Las Vegas has done such a good job at promoting itself as a place for families to have innocent fun, some may have a hard time believing that what is said in this book is true. However, anyone who will take the time to do further research can substantiate what is written in this book. It is well written, but I had a difficult time reading it. It made me cry to think that the citizen's of this country have let corruption take over this country because people want to have a good time. I think this is a must read for every American.

As an author and professional tour director I'm always on the lookout for insightful material to share with my travel clients. This book was recommended to me by a bookstore in Las Vegas saying that this was the real history of the city.

I found this book to be more than a Bugsy Siegel or Godfather Part II interpretation of the past. The cast of characters is far more reaching (Steve Wynn, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, the Kennedys, Howard Hughes, Senator Paul Laxalt, the Rat Pack, the Jewish underworld, etc.).

I particularly found the part about Joseph P. Kennedy to be interesting. Here's a man that was head of the SEC and our Ambassador to Great Britain, yet a man who President Truman said is "As big a crook as we've got anywhere in this country."

I would also recommend a book titled, "Double Cross" as one to read when it comes to understanding the Syndicate, the Kennedys, Hollywood, and Las Vegas.

This book gives you a deep understanding of how Las Vegas was created and helps make a trip to this city far more interesting and intriguing.

I've been going to Las Vegas with my folks since 1955. The place has always facinated me. Why would so many go to this America Mecca? How were the politicians, beauracrats, mafia, drug lords, entertainers all comingling in the oasis? I've never considered myself particularly naive politically, but after having read this book, and the accounts of all the seedy characters that have made Las Vegas and Nevada what it is today completely blew me away. I now realize that the glitz and glitter of Las Vegas is and always has been just a carnival act in the midway, hiding a much more elaborate and dynamic show which not only controls the city, but our government as well. No kidding - when we stayed at the Sands Hotel in the 50's, you could walk to the back of the parking lot and see nothing but desert all the way to forever. The city was built for many reasons, but greed and power seemed to rise above all else.
As it says in the book, Lansky new that their were only 2 kinds of gamblers, winners and losers. The winners always owned the games. Great book. If you love Las Vegas, if you love the adrenaline that flows though your body as you approach the #1 city of the 21st century, and if you wonder why you feel so emotionally and economically drained when you leave Las Vegas, this book will fill you in. It can get a little slow, but the information is well worth the read. I especially enjoyed the information on Steve Wynn. Truly fascinating.