Quite simple the best book I have ever read on any subject. Reccomended to all!

Quite simply, the finest book I have read covering WW2. Plenty of laughter, plenty of tears, and the burning desire to vividly relive the drama of those days, (and I'm relatively young). Anyone who lived through it will find old memories rekindled by the score

Ranks with Miles Tripp's "The Eighth Passenger" as one of the 2 best Bomber Command reminiscences I have read. Perhaps that is due to Peden, like Tripp, becoming a laywer after the war. Peden's sense of humour, honesty, and writing skill combine to make it a winner. Perhaps the humour is the best part, but it is also heart-wrenching and thriling. An absolute winner.

I didn't think these plays would be that good because I never heard of this playwright, Timothy MacDonnell. But, not only do I know his name, but I'm telling all my friends and actor buddies about him.

MacDonnell has really put together some intense, snappy plays. The first play just whizzes by. My eyes were peeled to the pages, I couldn't put this book down. Even when I went to the bathroom, I took this book with me.

Tom Granby is this philosopher type, who became wise through his adventures the past eight years. His arrogant friends, who think they're hot stuff, think Granby is lower than they are because he doesn't have the material wealth that they have. But, Granby has spiritual wealth, and teaches us that spiritual wealth is more desirable than material wealth. Granby is the MAN!!

The Cyrus play is a cool story about little Cyrus who somehow survives murder by his tyrannical, clever grandfather, and establishes this huge kingdom. The grandfather actually ends up helping Cyrus, and we're not sure whether he has another trick up his sleeve, or he really wants to atone for his sins. This play was real deep, deeper than Reunion.

I actually liked this one better, even though it's a lot longer. The characters are more developed, and mysterious. It's really ingenious the way MacDonnell created them. The characters are complex, they're hard to figure out.

In conclusion, I highly recommend these plays.

When I heard about this book, "Two Dramatic Plays", I wasn't sure whether I wanted to buy it or not. I heard about this book at iUniverse, and I wasn't ready to put out money to read another book of plays. But at the iUniverse community, I read an article by the author of the book, and decided to take a chance.

Instantly, I was amazed by the fast-paced action in the book, as well as the energy. The play, "Reunion" went right into the action, no playing around. Tom Granby is spotted in a bar by a longtime friend who hasn't seen him in eight years. His friend decides to schedule a reunion dinner, so Tom can meet his other college friends.

First, I was amazed by how heartless and selfish these people were. They thought they had it all and had the money and ego to show for it. But, when Tom arrives, they are in for a surprise when their slander and insults reverse themselves like a boomerang flying right back at them.

I really like this character, Tom Granby. He's like an archetypal hero; he's like what a man ought to be. His well-roundedness and self-assurance can be a good model for young people, instead of the rich egotistic fools who hold the status in our society and in the play. Tom Granby is a modern hero, and I was really amazed by the amount of philosophical and spiritual information disseminated by this hero.

The second play, "The Rise & Fall of Cyrus the Great" was based on the life of a different hero from ancient times. This play was deeper than Reunion, and longer. The play slowly developed the characters within it, whereby one can observe the strengths and weaknesses of their character.

This was another great, energetic play! I loved the messages about life, which every young and old person should either learn or be reminded of. I also liked the influence of Fate in this play, not only relating to the stars, but how we create our own wonderful or horrible fates.

I really loved these plays, and I'm surprised we haven't heard of this great author, Timothy MacDonnell. I can't say enough good praises about this book of plays. You just have to read it for yourself and make your own judgment.

I've read this book. This is a great, great book!!

It is so insightful, I've learned some things about myself and about life. Mr. MacDonnell heralds a new philosophy of life through this book of plays, although some of it is based on old, ancient beliefs.

Who is Tom Granby? This guy is SO AWESOME!! What a cool character!! Tom really upsets their reunion, and gives us a "reality check" on these character's lives, which are so alike our own.

Kudos to Mr. MacDonnell!!!

This is a wonderful multi-purpose book. Used for counting, Thanskgiving, or Native studies. It closes with lots of great receipes and more specific information on fall gatherings.

The Fall Gathering is an informative tool for young children. The text coupled with wonderfully illustrated pages, make this a colorful,fun book for anyone with or without children. The illustrator captured the essence of the text, and I for one felt compelled to open it due to the cover artwork alone

In this richly-detailed, fascinating, inside look at the film industry, Jake Eberts (A River Runs Through It", "Dances- With- Wolves") emerges as the quintessential producer. It details the foundation for his future successes while providing the most detailed account available anywhere of the real machinations of film-financing and development through the eyes of one of the industry's best executive producers.

This is an excellent and extremely detailed account of an intriguing episode in motion picture history. This is also a great book if you're in the motion picture business or getting into it and are interested in the politics of the industry.

For some American readers like me, the tragedy of Princess Diana's death may have pointed up how little we know about the British royal family and sent us looking for sources. After starting and discarding several tendentious "histories" of the House of Windsor, I found this one to be a breath of fresh air. Peter Fearon has written an objective, concisely-written, exhaustive account of the royal family (beginning with the death of Queen Victoria), and yet has done so in a highly readable way. Unlike every other author I've seen so far, Fearon doesn't seem to have an axe to grind about the Windsors. I'm in my 40s and hadn't been exposed to much of the history here and found it fascinating. I was sorry to finish the book.

If you haven't read many of the individual histories and biographies of the Royal Family, this book will give you the real stories from Queen Victoria to the present Queen. These are strange people and it is only by accident of birth that they are where they are. Some parts will make you laugh and others will make you cry. The author doesn't give us much hope that history won't repeat itself. It may all be over upon the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

I love this book. The maps are easy to follow and the pictures are exactly what you need to find your climb. I especially like the format and the way the book fits in my pocket. It doesn't cover all the climbing areas, but I don't use any of the climbs that are left out, anyway.

A must-read for those who want to learn why Hong Kong is Asia's success story today, but may well be a casualty of history after the transfer of sovereignty on 30 June 1997. It is the first book to look at Hong Kong not from the perspective of Britain, the present landlord, or China, the future one -- but instead tells the story from the viewpoint of the 6.3 million people who call Hong Kong home. Instead of the freedom, human rights and democracy promised to Hong Kong people, this book explains why Beijing will make a mess both of the transfer of sovereignty and the fragile free society Hong Kong is today

I think this book is awesome for teenagers to get to know God's ways better. It takes verses from the Bible, re-words them into words and sentences that we can understand better and are more useful to us, and categorizes them into different subjects. I have my own journal for Bible Notes, and when I would take notes on a certain subject, such as depression, anger, sex, or unsaved loved ones, it would have great, easy-to-comprehend verses and truths from the Bible about them. It helped me to learn alot and become closer to God. I recommend this book to all the Christians out there!

When Taiwan Was the Republic of Casino--- Reviewed by Paul Cassingham--- The Great Taiwan Bubble recounts the astounding rise and and fall of Taiwan's stock market in the late 80's. Part economic analysis, part social history, and part supermarket tabloid of Taiwan's most superlative moment. The Bubble fulfills the wish of every Taipei expat who has ever said, "Somebody oughtta write a book about this." Finally, somebody did.--- Even the basic plot of the story almost defies belief. The Taiwan Stock Exchange Index took 25 years to reach 1,000 in late 1986, then rocketed to 12,495 by February, 1990, then plummeted even more sharply to 2,560 just seven months later. No one who lived in Taiwan at that time had ever seen anything like the "Republic of Casino." Fortunes were made and lost, and society was turned upside down. Most foreigners, misled by prior experiences in other markets (any other markets) scoffed smugly and refused to join the ride. Most Taiwan natives suspended their disbelief, defended the boom as the fruit of 40 years of hard labor, and made and lost millions. In the end, almost nobody died and Taiwan's real economy survived and continued to flourish. Clearly, the Taiwanese had more fun.--- How crazy were the Eighties in Taiwan? Steven Champion chronicles some of the statistics. Daily turnover on the Taiwan Stock Exchange sometimes exceeded the combined turnover of the New York and Tokyo exchanges. At the height of the frenzy in 1989, PE ratios of Taiwan's listed stocks averaged more than 100 (in contrast to 13 in the United States and 10 in Hong Kong). Taipei Business Bank's shares traded as high as 358 times its annual earnings, which would have made economic sense only if the bank was expected to absorb the entire GNP of the world by the year 2002. In the first quarter of 1989, Hsin Chi Woolen Mills (to take but one example) yielded a return of 209 percent - that is 46 percent per month on a compounded basis - "completely unrestrained by the lack of any fundamental value." One stock player (acknowledged to be an exception) managed to trade over US$12 billion in shares that year in a total of over 125,000 transactions. Even Champion's ex-driver made and lost more than US$5 million (then asked for his old job back).--- But the Taiwan "bubble" was far more than just an economic aberration. Taiwan is a land of rich personalities, and Champion sprinkles his text with stories of some of Taipei's most colorful characters during this period. He devotes a full chapter to underground investment companies, including the Homey Group, from its origins among retired KMT soldiers through the tragic death of "Ironballs" Liu, to the group's dramatic demise...--- With tongue-in-cheek gravity, Champion also recounts his business discussions with Madam Boom-Boom, the proprietress of a famous Taipei nightclub of that time. Champion confirms from personal experience that Madam Boom-Boom's membership application was approved unanimously by the American Club board, no questions asked. Her business rose and fell dramatically with the fortunes of the market, but like many Taiwan entrepreneurs, she could see hope for the future after the crash as many of her most talented and experienced "assistant managers" came out of "retirement" and returned to work. Taiwan is blessed with many people who loom larger than life. Through Champion's snapshots of Taipei life in the late 80's, we see how the "bubble" fed their eccentricities , both for better and for worse.--- Throughout both his economic and social discussions, Champion displays a dry wit. Even after the bubble burst, he explains, the TAIEX remained a "Rasputin" market, never being quite ready to die. He describes the government's pattern of market support as free hedge on at least some of the market's ample level of downside risk." He is even masterful with his footnotes (which, inconveniently, have been printed at the end of the text). Where else could one learn of the brokerage firm that advertised a 'buy one, get one free' offer after the crash or of the "popular but hazardous" restaurant that reportedly increased the death toll from one of its fires by preventing its patrons from departing until they settled their bills?--- Unfortunately, Champion breaks away from his theme too quickly, shifting focus abruptly from the social and economic details of the "bubble" to outline its overall context, in particular the shortcomings of Taiwan's legal and accounting professions. In a chapter aptly entitled, "The Law: Vaguely Written, Randomly Applied," Champion explains the five common answers to the seemingly simple question, "Can a foreigner drive a car in Taiwan?" In the following chapter, "Chops for Rent," he notes the relative absence of detailed accounting principles and auditing standards in Taiwan, pointing out that Taiwan has 16 pages of accounting standards while the United States somehow needs more than 2000 pages to cover the same material. These also are rich in stories, and stories that no doubt explain certain aspects of Taiwan's stock market phenomenon.--- ...As most Taiwan expats are aware, there is a dearth of English language literature on any aspect of Taiwan, almost nothing between the Lonely Planet guide and Ph.D. dissertations in economics and political science. This vacuum forces Champion to stretch too far to provide a frame of reference for non-Taiwan readers. He is forced to explain not just the "bubble," but the entire economic "miracle" of which it is a part. No one book can achieve all that.--- "The Great Taiwan Bubble" ultimately raises far more questions than it answers. One of the most intriguing questions is one that Champion does not address: How did the Taiwan that gave us the "bubble" become such a rock of economic stability only seven or eight years later? Still, at least for lomg term Taiwan expatriates, he has answered a far more important question. He has reminded us why we stay.--- (Paul Cassingham is branch manager of Perkins Coie Commercial Finance Ltd. Liability Company.)