I have to agree with the other reviews I read on this book. The Fourteen Bears is a wonderful children's story. When I was little it was my favorite book and I remember spending hours gazing at the pages and imagining that I lived in one of the hollow trees. I am lucky that my mother save this book for me and I am now able to read it to my daugthers. I went online tonight because I had hoped to puchase a new copy as mine is yellowed and torn. I hope Golden Books republishes this book in the near future.

How I loved this book as a child! It had such beautiful and detailed pictures. Not only did it take you through the wonderful story written on it's pages, but you could dream for hours of other stories the bears must have lived through! For the longest time, I couldn't remember the name of this wonderful book, and now I find that it is out of print. What a tragedy! All children (young and old) should be able to transport themselves through these pages into the bear's wonderful homes. I had so hoped I could find this book to share with my daughter! I just hope the publisher will realize what a classic this book is and republish it.

What a great memory from childhood. The story and illustrations will stay with you for a lifetime. I havn't seen a copy since elementary school but I can still remember the bears in their treehouses and skating on their pond and playing in the Sun. I can't say enough about the book. I hope Golden books reprints it soon so I can buy it for my daughter and my seventeen neices and nephews. It is a classic book that every child should have. My hats off to Evelyn Scott and Virginia Parsons for putting together such a great book.

Seabiscuit's "gallop was so disorganized that he had a maddening tendency to whack himself in the front ankle with his own hind hoof." And so the spell-binding story about a horse that runs with a duck waddle, a jockey (Red Pollard) who is blind in one eye, a trainer (Tom Smith) who is practically mute, and an owner (Charles Howard) who brought cars to the West is born. This unlikely group of misfits joins together through chance -- and because all three men immediately see the untapped potential in a mistreated, high-spirited, and lazy horse named Seabiscuit. This trio devotes their love, skills, and energy into turning Seabiscuit into one of the most phenomenal horse racing legends.

Tom Smith, perhaps the original "horsewhisperer", spends hours learning and understanding his horse. When Seabiscuit is first put into his care for training, the horse is nervous, paces incessantly, weighs too little, and suffers from a sore body. Tom spends time caring for Seabiscuit, showering him with affection and carrots, even sleeping in Seabiscuit's stall at night. A daily routine is introduced plus animal companionship. Before long, Seabiscuit has his own entourage: a cow pony named Pumpkin, the little stray dog Pocatell, and Jojo the spider monkey. Under Tom's care, the high-spirited Seabiscuit learns to trust, becomes calm, and, most importantly, starts winning horse races.

The triumph of Seabiscuit is ultimately the story of what any person (or animal) may accomplish when their talents are recognized, supported, and expanded. Seabiscuit, given his inauspicious start in life, could just as easily have faded away into non-existence running third tier races. However, the love and care he receives from his owner, jockey, and trainer have you cheering until the end of the book for Seabiscuit to keep running (and winning) with his heart. Not only does Seabiscuit capture the hearts of the misfit trio, he will capture yours.

This fascinating work of non-fiction is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Unlike a lot of historical non-fiction, this intriguing story did not read like a textbook - it read like fiction and not once did I find myself skimming the details ... too interesting to skim through!

When I first heard about this story, I wasn't sure about it - after all, I really know (or should I say "knew") very little about horse racing. Despite my misgivings, I soon realized that a major purpose of this book was not only to teach the reader about this sport via Seabiscuit's career but also to memorialize the amazing individuals (Charles Howard, Tom Smith, Red Pollard, George Woolf, etc.) who defied all odds to make such a successful racing career possible.

I especially liked the chapters dealing with the difficulties of life as a jockey - the way the jockeys punished their bodies to the extreme for the honor of participating in a harrowingly dangerous sport was truly unbelievable...and I thought ballerinas were harsh on their bodies when it came to weight loss! Red was my favorite character and I can't help wondering if the author felt a particular kinship with the jockey as a result of her own struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - after all, she did have to push her own body beyond her normal physical limits to complete her research and write this amazing book!

Ms. Hillenbrand successfully incorporated the story of Seabiscuit's racing career into the historical context of the era. Seabiscuit was a much needed diversion for Americans who were suffering the depths of the Great Depression. ...And perhaps, through Laura Hillenbrand, Team Seabiscuit is still providing us all with an inspirational diversion from today's distressing headlines!

Oh - and don't skip the interview with Laura Hillenbrand at the end of the book. It was very interesting to see how Ms. Hillenbrand's own background influenced her writing and how her research helped her to resurrect this intriguing epoch in American history.

I'm excited about the movie although I hope Universal Studios does this wonderful literary work justice!

What a book! What a reading!

I picked it up to fill in the void left by Harry Potter book 5, and this Seabiscuit just blow me and every other books I've ever read (in English) completely away. I just couldn't put it down once I started, finishing the 300-plus pages in less than 48 hours - a personal record for me as a slow reader.

Yes it is about horse racing - a topic I couldn't have cared less if not for the movie I plan to see, but it goes way beyond. It's really about perseverance, redemption, friendship, and second chance in life overcoming obstacles. As a foreigner, I found this book the best window to peek into a piece of American history, an American legend, and the true American spirit.

Laura Hillenbrand's writing is mesmerizing, the way she tells the dramatic stories about the horse and the people behind it, the way she builds up layers over layers of suspense leading to one climax after another, make this book a real page turner. Don't be fooled by the non-fiction category, this book is exactly what the best fiction should have been written as.

I can hardly believe this was her first book. What a talent!

Her life itself is also a reflection of the theme of the book and just as inspiring. She has been suffering severe chronic fatigue syndrome since age of 19 as a result of food poison in college. Yet she never gives up writing.

Although after reading the book I found the movie is just so-so (perhaps my bar was set too high by the book), I still want to thank Hollywood for making this film from the bottom of my heart - because it introduced me to the most satisfactory reading I've ever had.

This is a real serendipity!

The subtitle of the book '50 specific ways to improve your programs and designs' is a pretty good summary of what this book is all about. It's is very well structured, the table of contents summarizes each point in one sentence, together with the extensive and complete index it's very easy to use as a quick reference. But thanks to Meyers clear and oftentimes amusing style of writing it's also a joy to read from cover to cover. You'd be a fool if you didn't anyways, since you'd miss out on lots of excellent source code examples and very well stated arguments for each of the tips. Some of the tips may seem obvious, like item 5 which reads: "use the same form in corresponding uses of new and delete". Others like item 1: "prefer const and inline to #define" might seem pretty alien to seasoned C programmers/preprocessor magicians or performance freaks. After reading the author's arguments for his points you'll have a hard time defending your position, though (in the unlikely case that you are still not convinced, that is). Meyers does explicitly encourage critical thinking over blind following of the rules though, and in the tradition of Donald Knuth has promised a reward for every error discovered in his work.
How universally accepted these tips have become you can guess form reading the C++ newsgroups or noticing that they have been fully integrated into automatic source checking tools such as gimpel's PC-Lint. Professional programmers should know these 50 gems by heart - buy the book!

There seems to be a whole slew of books out titled " C++" and I suspect this was the first. If not, it should at least be the model.

The book is set up as 50 small chapters describing particular principles. Each is useful and clearly-presented in a manner that is not daunting.

I've read many C++ books, including many of the books and I have no problem proclaiming this as simply the best. Other books may cover more ground (Stroustrup's books, for example), others may be more current and others may be more advanced (I've recently been humbled by "Exceptional C++") but I think "Effective C++" is the most useful.

If you're looking for a book to teach you the language, or if you're just learning the language, I'd say wait a little while before reading this book. If you've been writing code and haven't read this book, go for it. Although it's dated (pre-standard library) the concepts it covers are important ones that have not disappeared after standardization.

I hope that when I write my book, "Extraterrestrial C++," I can do half as good a job.

After having spent several years programming in C and dabbling in C++ here and there, I felt I had a pretty good grasp of C++. However, after finishing this book, I found myself boldly corrected.

The book covers answers to questions that I hadn't even realized that I should be asking. Reading C++ reference books teach you the syntax but completely hide the level of complexity as to what's really going on behind the scenes. To use a quote from the book "Saying what you mean is only half the battle. The flip side of the coin is understanding what you're saying, and it's just as important."

What happens if you override a non-virtual function? What does private inheritance do and why would you want to use it? What code will the compiler automatically generate for you if you fail to do so yourself? When should you use references to objects versus the objects themselves? The list goes on and on. It covers the topics of Memory Management, Constructors & Destructors, Operator Overloading, Design & Decleration of Classes and Functions, Implementation, Inheritance and Object Oriented Design. But, most importantly, for every answer - there is a logical explanation of *why* things are the way that they are.

Reading this book gave me a new appreciation for the complexity behind C++. It is not a book on syntax, so this should not be the 1st C++ book that you read -- but it should *definitely* be the 2nd!

Meyers has an excellent, and amusing(!) writing style which makes the book much easier to read then you'd expect from a technical book. The concepts might still make your brain hurt if you're new to C++, but keep at it -- before you write any C++ code you need to understand what's going on behind the scenes and this book will show it to you.

This writer does more to explain the Appalachia of my parents and grandparents than anything I have ever read. I am a college professor too but I was born and brought up in the north. I never understood my parents' love for the area of their birth. Frankly, I was ashamed of it and always resisted going "home" as they insisted on referring to East Tennessee. Creeker has given me insights into the strengths of Appalachia without glossing over the weaknesses. I appreciate that. I hope this author is continuing to write about her roots because I am finally interested in discovering mine. This book is well-written and I just passed it along to my mother. Thank you, Linda Derosier, for your honesty and your willingness to let a city girl finally learn about "our people" in your Creeker.

Just before Christmas my husband and I saw this author speaking on BookTV and he called and ordered Creekers for me. I am glad I saw and listened to her before I read the book because I could clearly hear her cadences as I was reading. In a most unique writing voice she takes us along on her journey from an Appalachian Creek, to which she forever remains loyal, out into the wider world beyond. Though she speaks lovingly of her home in Appalachia, along the way this writer manages to show us the time and the place and the people without a hint of sentimentality or condescension. I particularly enjoyed her description of the metamorphosis brought about by her education. Her story is by turns funny and painful, sometimes simultaneously! Both my husband and I enjoyed this book, which is not the usual occurrence, though he liked the first half while I preferred the last half. We look forward to more work from this talented writer and we agree that she really should put this book on tape!

If you've ever thought about the consequences and significance of your life, your family and your home, then you are like me. And, if you're like me, then chances are pretty good that you'll count Scott-DeRosier's "Creeker" among your favorites. This is an interesting and gripping autobiography of a woman who is living the kind of life we all hope to live; it made me laugh out loud, reflect on the choices in my own life, and it moved me to tears -- all qualities of a book to be read more than once. In addition to all these strengths, Scott-DeRosier shared her Appalachian Mountain memories lovingly and candidly. Through her you will see what you've never seen before, respect people you might not have thought about before, and find reasons to hope for renewed community in our own lives. There was so much familiar in Scott-DeRosier's life story that I recognized those universal questions and truths that resonate in my own life, in all our lives no matter where we come from.

I started reading Zelazny's Saga of Amber five or six years ago. I never finished the series (i only got about half way through), but it was something I knew I'd pick up at a later date and read (and now I've purchased the Great Book of Amber, which contains all ten books in the saga, and I'm currently reading it). Zelazny published the first book, Nine Princes in Amber, in 1970. And it turned out to be not only well written, but one of the most original ideas in the world of fantasy (like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series, Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Weiss & Hickman's collaborations, the Dark Elf books of R.A. Salvatore, and so on). The book deals with a family fighting for control of the known world, Amber, and all other worlds, which are 'shadows' of Amber. The reader visits many different worlds, we get swordplay, intrigue, and a cast of great characters. And Zelazny writes in the first person, told from one the brothers, Corwin. But in the beginning, Corwin has amnesia, and doesn't know who he is, or the story of his family. It makes for a great voice and helps keep the reader in a state of suspense and 'knowledgable' confusion, that isn't seen elsewhere in the series, or in many other books. The chronicles of Amber is a highly original, well written series, and Nine Princes of Amber is the best of them.

im a big fan of roger zelazny and i read when i was kid - which further biases my opinion, but here goes anyway. the first impressive thing i noticed about this book was its enthralling storyline. when corwin (the protagonist) wakes up with a sudden loss of his memory, you feel yourself waking up with him. you can relate with the main character, which is what i think makes a writer good - if he can create a fictional character the audience feels for. the next thing i noticed was how well it was written without being mind-boggling. a common bane of sci-fi/fantasy stories are bogged down and made confusing by unnessessary locations or historical allusions. not here, zelazny uses a very ingenious approach and has us learn things about amber and shadow AS corwin learns them. things are explained to the reader without becoming a '50s sci-fi monologue. a very entertaining read (i was so enthralled i read it in one night - and was dead tired for school the next morning, lol). a must-buy for readers of all preferences! especially casual sci-fi readers like myself!

While I was reading and posting messages in Amazon's old Fantasy & Sci-fi Board, I've crossed several threads discussing The Amber's Saga. With this appetizer I was ready to start catching up with the Saga, but they were ten volumes to pursue. So I postpone the project for future examination. Then I saw The Great Book of Amber containing the whole Saga, and couldn't resist the temptation.
So I proceed to read and enjoy each story. Now I'll review them one by one.
Nine Princes in Amber is a very good introduction to the whole Saga. Corwin awakes with total amnesia. He, and the reader, start a discovery trip from our everyday world to an infinite wide and mysterious Universe. Clues and glimpses are unveiled step by step keeping the reader hooked and wondering what's next.
The bases of the present and future conflicts are shown: the Royal family of Amber, their loves and hatreds, the competition, alliances and treasons among them; Amber is the real world and the rest, including our Earth, are shadow worlds partially reflecting the glory of Amber (a very Platonic construction by the way).
Zelazny writes with unusual wit, following a stile resembling the old Arcturian Chronicles, presenting interlacing stories within the main body of the novel.
Rich, visual, poetic and ... full of action. An enjoyable first step.

This book just sweeps you away. Picked it up on a whim, I think somewhere it was compared to John Irving's work and he hadn't had a new one for a while. Billy Mann and his family were strange and wonderful and every page was completely compelling. It's a first novel and I will read everything Kowalski writes for the rest of his career. I'm an avid reader, a couple of books a week if I can, and this was the best book I read in all of 2000. We're halfway through 2001 and I don't think anything else is close yet. No matter what your interests in novels, this book will be one you fall in love with. I can't wait to find out more about Billy Mann and the rest of the family. I've given copies to most of my friends and family as birthdays come up.

"Eddie's Bastard" was the first audio book my husband or I ever listened to. It made a very long drive VERY enjoyable. It is rare that we like the same stories, but "Eddie's Bastard" is very much like real life and hard not to like. It was sometimes funny, sometimes ironic, sometimes sad. As a life long resident of Western Pennsylvania, I found his depiction of life in the rural parts of this state extremely accurate and believable. The story puts me in mind of "The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption" for reasons I can't articulate, it's in the overall feel of the story. The ending was not what I predicted at all, it was not the contrived "and they all lived happily ever after." It was a mature ending even though the character is still quite young. We would definately read or listen to more Kowalski stories in the future!

It is difficult to believe this is a first novel. That William Kowalski is a gifted novelist is simply a given. He is a fine story teller, able to weave threads of pulsing narrative toward a nourishing conclusion. He creates characters who are not only credible but about whom we care. Too many descriptive phrases might get in the way to the individual response to this rich novel.... Suffice it to say that the title EDDIE'S BASTARD is more than a label. A Bastard is one without parents and therefore without knowledge of history - genetic, philosophical, time sequence. This beautifully crafted book reveals the detective work involved in the main character's quest for self discovery. His journey is at once interesting, touching, warm, and curative. As he reads excerpts from his great grandfather's diary - sophisticated, elegant prose set off in italics which if separated from the novel would still provide a cogent guide to knowing ourselves through understanding our history - Eddie gains insight into his place in the world, his questions about his responses to that world, and eventually an understanding about where he fits in in a world that has seemed alien.

Read this novel - for entertainment, for fresh words, for disarmingly beautiful story, and for restoration in the faith that we are a meaningful part of what was and, therefore, what will be.

Girl Goddess # 9 is a book by Francesca Lia Block. This book contains nine short stories about girls and how in every girl there is a goddess. They are all breathtakingly descriptive. It didn't take me long to finish this masterpiece!

I'm a huge fan of Block's writing style and this book was one that takes you into its world from the beginning and doesn't let you out until the last page has been read and you're left with the aftertaste of Block's stories.

The first story Tweetie Sweet Pea, is about being young and innocense. It's a great opener for this book. Blue was one of my personal favorites. When La looses her mother (her mother took her own life) she hides all her feelings in and has no friends. Until she meets an odd character from her closet who is blue.

Dragons in Manhattan is one of the best short stories I've read. It's about a girl with two mothers who are lovers and she goes on a search to find her father. Rave is narrated by a boy who talks of a highschool love named Rave.

Winnie and Cubby is about two highschool lovers one who a shocking secret revealed later in the story.

Other stories include Girl Goddess # 9, The Canyon, Pixie and Pony, and Orpheus.

This book is not to be missed!

Girl Goddess #9 is one of the best books out there for girls. I read it the first time about a year and half ago, and proceeded to read the rest of Francesca's cooks. I even did an author presentation on her. This is a book that is about girls from all walks of life, and it emphasizes the born-in divination each girl has because she is who she is. Block's writing style is beautiful; it's full of imagery and metaphors, written almost in poetic form. Her writing style is something that is almost musical; you could honestly feel and hear the beats in her words. I highly reccommend picking up her other books as well, and Girl Goddess #9 is a good introductory to her work. This is a feminist novel in the sense it embodies the power of a girl because of her individuality, but it does this without the need of destroying the male sex. It's a highly reflective short story compliation, and they are stories that any girl could live in. Block illustrates love, pain, and growth at its most honest form in her work.

i bought this book from amazon.com probably a year ago, and it really changed my life! i think every girl should read this! any female aged 13 and up will love these stories. words cannot even describe the wealth of emotions that will spew out of you while you read this book. it is one of those books you can read over and over again. Francesca Lia Block gives the reader nine stories that go in no particular order. Of course everyone will have their favorite stories but the ones that touched me the most were the ones about raven, the beautiful groupie; la, who tries to cope with life, aided by her friend blue; and tweety pie and her sister; tuck budd and her lesbian parents--heck, every story is my favorite....GO OUT AND BUY THIS BOOK! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT BECAUSE IT IS ABSOLUETELY BRILLIANT! :)

I appreciate the innovation of writing a book about comics in comic-book style. It's a clever, winning idea. Perhaps it would have worked a bit better if McCloud himself were a better draftsman, or if there had been more (and better-quality) reproductions of other artists' work.

The writing here is uneven. Some chapters, including "Blood in the gutter" and "Time Frames," are very effective and very specific, with strong insights into the nuts-and-bolts of comic techniques. Another chapter, "The Vocabulary of Comics" -- which uses a big triangle graph to encompass the whole of range of comics art -- is quite insightful but, at the same time, oversimplifies a bit, I fear. I'm not saying McCloud's assertions aren't necessarily true, but he might have put himself on surer ground with some of the language/symbol ideas by getting more heavily into semiotics theory, etc. And maybe here is where the light-hearted tone and comic-book style starts to undercut his intellectual accomplishment. I understand the book isn't meant to be a doctoral thesis, but still, it has high ambitions, and the structure of the book must be subordinated to the loftiness of its aspirations. Chapter 7, which attempts to relate all of artistic achievement into a unified whole, is one of the least satisfying, because it is frankly pretentious and rather gooey, non-specific, in its assertions.

Don't get me wrong. There is a lot of good insight in "Understanding Comics," and I wouldn't debate that it's an essential read for anyone interested in the topic. But it also feels like sort of a primer, a survey. Each one of the chapters could itself be the subject of a whole book. In other words, "Understanding Comics" has impressive breadth but not as much depth as one might want.

Scott McCloud does a fantastic job explaining the history, potential, and inner workings of comics as a medium. I was especially impressed with his concise descriptions of visual theory and its particular applications to comics. Occasionally I felt that McCloud's treatment of a topic could have been more fleshed-out (the chapter on color, for example, or his concluding idea of comics as a particularly good form of communication) or that he made some unnecessary generalizations (his definition of art was a bit trite and even misleading). On the whole, though, McCloud's ideas are sophisticated and he is able to communicate them with surprising eloquence to both the art historian and the general public. In fact, though I am an art historian, I learned a good deal from this book.

McCloud's decision to use the comic format to present his ideas is ingenious, and I doubt that prose alone would have been able to deliver his messages with such clarity. The one drawback to the format is that I fear it will only appeal to those who already value comics, and that as a result those who most need to hear what McCloud has to say never will!

Scott McCloud has been called the Marshall McLuhlan of comic books, which comes as no surprise since McCloud seeks to do for comics what "The Father of Modern Media" did for television. Strictly an exploration of the language of "sequential art" (a term coined by legendary writer/artist Will Eisner, McCloud's direct predecessor in the study of comics as an art form) rather than a history of the medium or how-to guide, "Understanding Comics" deconstructs the iconographic imagery of comic art and how, when married with the written word and arranged methodically on the page, creates a unique mode of expression rivaling any other art form in terms of its potential for effectively communicating narrative, emotions and ideas.

Social perception of the comics medium has been always been marred by the fact that most of us rarely encounter the medium outside of perusing the "funnies" or leafing through the pages of "X-Men" and "Archie" while waiting in line at the supermarket. In the eyes of the public, comics are little more than lowbrow cultural artifacts designed as disposable entertainment for kids and those who don't like to read anything that isn't accompanied by pictures. But one only has to turn to works like Art Spiegelman's "Maus" or Joe Sacco's "Palestine" to realize the literary, artistic and even journalistic possibilities that exist within the confluence of words and images that defines "sequential art".

"Understanding Comics" is not, however, about passing judgment on the merits of any particular style or genre. Rather, McCloud contends that the format is merely a canvas offering the artist unlimited freedom to express his or her distinct vision. Everything from the use of style, composition, shading, juxtaposition, color, panel arrangement and the ever-critical notion that what is omitted from the page is every bit as important as what is included (hence the book's subtitle, "The Invisible Art") is brought together to characterize an exhilarating art form that deserves further study, exploration and, most of all, appreciation.

Early on in the book it becomes apparent that McCloud exhibits a true passion for the subject, and wants his readers to share that love and enthusiasm with him. It's hard to resist the friendly, conversational tone McCloud employs to persuade us to join him in his inner circle of insight and understanding about a medium few ever think to explore. It is only appropriate that "Understanding Comics" is itself presented as a long-form comic book that effectively demonstrates what it preaches. Some of the techniques McCloud uses to (literally) illustrate his points are simply brilliant. He opens the second chapter of the book, "The Vocabulary of Comics", with a real zinger: a cerebral sucker punch of sorts that completely unravels our perceived relationship with the printed page.

To grasp the slippery correlation between the written word and the iconographic image, to understand the many ways that time can be represented by space on the page, to recognize the relationship between the real and the representational... these are the moments of pure joy that the reader can look forward to experiencing throughout the course of the book. In "Understanding Comics", McCloud has created the perfect primer on the subject of "Comics as an Art Form". It's an accessible, intelligent and entertaining work that will provide a wealth of insight to regular readers of comics as well as convince the uninitiated to take a closer look at this fascinating medium.

"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 just finished Hahn's new book 'The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth'. I thought I was in a special camp since I considered historic liturgy to be the key to understanding Revelation, but I was suprised to find that it is historic catholic teaching.

Scott Hahn was a calvinistic presybterian who went to Gordon-Conwell TS but later converted to Rome. I read his first book (Rome Sweet Home) and thought it was stupid. But this one is really good. He gives the best explanation of Revelation I have yet to read.

Revelation is a book containing presbyters in vestments, altars, incense, saints in heaven interceding for saints on earth, hidden manna, sacrifice, chalices, a wedding feast, food imagery, liturgical formulas, judgement, angels, martyrs, and all this in the context of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ and His parousia. Sounds a little 'Romish' doesn't it? I found it very illuminating and enjoyable.

I was not convinced by Hahn's Catholicism by 'Rome Sweet Home', but this one is much more tempting. As a Protestant, this book scares me.

I'd like to respond to the critic from Drexel Hill. I'm no dogmatic theologian, but I don't need a doctorate to see that the reviewer is wrong -- VERY wrong. Though it's been months since I read the book, I had no trouble finding ample evidence. Several times, Hahn makes the statement the reviewer says he "fails to mention." And he uses, almost verbatim, the language the reviewer uses! Consider this from page 150: "The Mass is the 'once for all,' perfect sacrifice of Calvary, which is presented on heaven's altar for all eternity. . . . There is only one sacrifice; it is perpetual and eternal, and so it needs never be repeated. Yet the Mass is our participation in that one sacrifice and in the eternal life of the Trinity in heaven, where the Lamb stands eternally 'as if slain.'" And this from page 28: "It was the Eucharist: the re-presentation of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the sacramental meal where Christians consumed Jesus' body and blood." And this from page 36: "Justin . . . explained that the Passover sacrifice and the Temple sacrifices were mere foreshadowings of the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ and its re-presentation in the liturgy." Moreover, chapter 2 is pretty much devoted to the very idea that the reviewer says is absent! I'm amazed that a fellow Pennsylvanian would post such a petty and irresponsible review. Perhaps the reviewer should have a dogmatic theologian read his literary ruminations before he races to the Web.

To see, to hear, to taste the goodness of the Lord...

Thissums up in large part, I think, what every Christian longs for. Thisbook really drove home for me the reality that He desires to give us our hearts' greatest desire -- in the Mass. This book has challanged me to exercise my faith: to really see with eyes of faith what I believe, not to just believe what I do not see -- and then share that reality with others.

Readers of Revelation who have had the experience of hitting certain passages (especially in Chapter 12) and being forced to say, "Well, I really don't understand that," or "I don't see how this fits with my theology," or "This is worship? How come I don't do this, feel this way, or see this when I worship the Lord," should pick up this book. Hahn provides many insights into scriptural passages which frankly to many Christians seem bizarre. If your understanding of the Apocalypse is at the level of "it says we win in the end, and that's all that matters," you owe it to yourself, you owe it to the Lord, to do more advanced study. This book provides that added insight. As St. Jerome said, "Ignorance of scripture is Ignorance of Christ."